STORY
August 3rd, Okunezato – The fireworks of the summer festival foretell love and death.
The preparations for A-TO’s concert on August 8th at the Okune Middle School seems to be making steady progress.
As the student council president and acting chairman of the event, Yuki appears busy as he continuously goes back and forth between the school and the hotel.
However, there hasn’t been a single trace of A-TO himself.
Meanwhile, Ichiko explores the town with Hino in search of clues regarding her brother’s whereabouts.
But in their attempts to find any eyewitnesses on the main street, strangely, no one seemed to remember the disappearance from the year before.
The pair then comes across the Okune Panda, the town’s rumored unofficial mascot.
Hino enthusiastically requests a picture with it. After the picture is taken, it waves cheerfully as it leaves.
But the pair hears some unsettling rumors about the Okune Panda from the townspeople.
- No one knows who created it
- No one knows who’s inside the mascot
- It’s been seen out and about in the middle of the night
The Okune Panda’s existence is currently considered one of Okunezato’s seven mysteries.
The sun goes down, and the pair returns to Fuurinkan Hotel without any leads.
Festival music begins to play throughout town.
The night stalls have already been set up, and surround the Okune Shrine.
Yua prepares a yukata for Ichiko to wear to the summer festival, and Ichiko is delighted with the lovely patterns used for it.
As Yua helps her put it on, she asks,
“So, who are you going with, Ichiko?”
The appointed meeting time is 6:00 PM.
Ichiko rushes over to one of the men who invited her out.
She finds her partner waiting for her, also donning a yukata.
With goldfish scooping, target practice games, takoyaki, candied fruit, and cotton candy…
The two enjoy their date to the fullest as they visit various stalls.
At 8:00 PM, the fireworks, the main event of the evening, are set off.
Large rings colorfully illuminate the night sky, and the loud explosions echo far and wide.
The two hold hands and are rendered speechless as they gaze at the spectacle before them.
But then…
As everyone’s attention is turned toward the sky, a second victim of an unknown perpetrator is about to meet their fate…
