"Shall we go for a walk?"

The invitation from Rui-san came on a night after my part-time job, when I was about to step out onto the balcony to shake off my gloomy mood.

"For a walk?"

"We'll be walking around together in the middle of the night while drinking. Doesn't that sound fun?"

It looked like she was having fun.

I didn't have any other plans, and it was just the right opportunity to cool my head, so I agreed. After getting ready, I stepped into the hallway and found Rui-san waiting in front of the room.

"Good evening."

"Yeah."

When we joined up, we started walking together. We descended the rust-covered stairs and stood on the ground.

"Please wait a moment."

After saying that, Rui-san stops by the nearby convenience store.

In her hand as she came out of the store was a can of highball.

"It's cool and feels nice."

Rui-san had been holding the can to her cheek, as she now placed the can against my cheek.

"Right?"

"..."

It was indeed cold. But my face got just as hot.

"Alright, let's head out tonight. It's a parade."

"It feels like there are too few of us to call it a parade."

"But, aren't two people enough?"

As Rui-san said, no one else is needed.

Stepping away from the light of the convenience store, I step into the night.

It was already past midnight.

In the residential area away from the main road, there is no sign of anyone other than us. The lights in the houses have gone out, and there is no trace of people anywhere. Only the streetlights cast a lonely glow on the road.

Rui-san opens the pull tab of the highball can. Crack. A crisp sound. Then, tilting the can, she drinks the liquid inside.

"You still love alcohol, don't you?"

"Because fun times will become even more enjoyable."

"That's enviable."

"Yuito-kun, would you like to try some too?"

Rui-san offers me a can and encourages me to try it.

Until now, I would have refused because I was a minor. But today, I didn't. I wanted to see the same scenery as Rui-san, even just a little.

"Well then, thank you."

I took the can, put my lips to the opening, and gulped down the contents vigorously.

The sweet and slightly bitter liquid slid down my throat. My insides gradually warmed up.

"Hehe. You drink quite well."

And Rui-san smiles.

"How does your first taste of alcohol feel?"

"It's not delicious."

It's bitter and makes my nose tingle. I can't understand why some people enjoy drinking this. Or maybe it tastes different when I become an adult.

"At first, that's how it is. With cigarettes and alcohol."

Rui-san shows that she has also walked that path in the past.

Today, I drank alcohol for the first time.

That was definitely because of Rui-san.

If I start smoking when I turn twenty, it will probably be because of Rui-san.

Rui-san took away some of the firsts in my life. She left indelible scars.

Someday, after I grow old. When I'm smoking a cigarette or drinking alcohol, I will suddenly remember Rui-san, almost like a seizure.

The bitter taste of the highball I drank at this moment today.

The night air was touched with the scent of summer.

The white and smooth shoulder of Rui-san was walking next to me.

A radiance like the moon.

"Yuito-kun, your face is turning red."

Rui-san looks at me and smiles as she is illuminated by the outdoor light.

"You're not good with alcohol, huh?"

"Well, since I am a minor."

I feel a tingling sensation deep in my head. My body feels warm from the inside.

"How are you feeling?"

"It's not bad."

I feel light and buoyant, and it feels good.

Above all, the thick armor of self-consciousness that I usually wear is becoming thinner. I feel like the hostile gazes from the world are weakening.

"Where is this parade headed?"

"Not really decided, but if I had to say, the convenience store. Yuito-kun drank all the highball cans, so I'm going to buy a second one."

"Then, I'll pay for it."

"No. Just by showing me how you drank earlier, you deserve a discount."

When Rui-san stopped by the convenience store, she bought a highball can again. This time, two. She handed one of them to me.

"Yes. This is for Yuito-kun."

In the end, I have her treat me again.

After saying thank you and receiving it, I opened the pull tab. Crack. A satisfying sound. Feeling the coldness of the can in my palm, I drink the liquid inside.

The alcohol is kicking in. My senses are blurring, and the outlines of the scenery are becoming vague.

The night, the streetlights, and the buildings blend together like paint.

However, only the outlines of myself and the person next to me are clear. It feels like only Rui-san and I exist in this blurred world.

That is the ideal world for me.

It felt like a very happy space.

Chapter 30: Parade