~~ • ~~
I was still at my parents’ house.
My siblings were still here as well.
The house felt much livelier than usual.
But as always—
I stayed seated on the porch.
Relaxing.
Enjoying the sumr air of the countryside, which was far more pleasant than the city.
The breeze was gentle.
The heat wasn’t sweltering.
From a distance, the chirping of sumr insects mingled with the sound of the television from inside the house.
Beside sat a cup of coffee.
I reached for it.
Just as I was about to take a sip—
Bzzzt.
My phone vibrated.
I took a sip of my coffee anyway.
Bitter, with a hint of sweetness.
Then, I set the cup back down beside .
I reached into my pocket.
And pulled out my phone.
A na flashed on the screen.
[ Bardy Louis ]
"Hm..."
Looks like a job was coming.
I answered the call.
"Yeah?"
"Morning, Itsuki."
"Yeah, morning."
I leaned back comfortably.
"What is it? A new job?"
I guessed right away.
"Yeah."
A soft chuckle ca through the line.
"And there’s a lot of it."
I let out a faint sigh.
"From tomorrow until next week."
"Can you do it?"
Right...
I understood imdiately.
We were at the peak of sumr.
And that ant the festivals were starting.
City festivals.
Concerts.
Sumr stages.
The demand for installation and technical work was bound to be through the roof.
"It’s going to be packed, isn’t it..."
"It is."
Bardy chuckled again.
"So? Are you in?"
I glanced back into the house.
Yuna’s voice drifted faintly from within.
Since we were currently at my parents’ place...
They would definitely be able to watch over Yuna while I worked.
"Alright."
I finally answered.
"I’ll do it."
"Great."
Bardy sounded relieved.
"I’ll send you the schedule and the address later."
"Alright."
"See you on-site."
"Yeah."
The call ended.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of the sumr breeze remained.
_
That very sa day, I headed back to my apartnt.
I grabbed a few of my work tools.
Cables.
Technical gear.
My laptop.
Everything went into my backpack and a small suitcase.
Once I was packed—
I set off imdiately.
The location was quite far.
It was a few hours’ drive away.
_
I arrived.
Before stood a massive football stadium.
Truly massive.
The building towered overhead, its steel and concrete structure looking incredibly sturdy.
I walked inside.
Heading straight for the pitch.
And—
It was bustling.
More than just bustling.
Dozzens of trucks were already parked around the field.
People hurried back and forth carrying equipnt.
Massive speakers were being unloaded.
Stage lights.
Steel trusses.
Cables.
The sounds of forklifts and clanking tal echoed everywhere.
I tilted my head up slightly.
The spectator seats stretched endlessly around the stadium.
Towering high.
*Bzzzt.*
My phone vibrated again.
I pulled it out.
[ Bardy Louis ]
I picked up.
"I’m here."
"I see you."
The reply ca instantly.
"Get up here."
I stopped in my tracks.
"Where are you?"
"I’m in the highest row of the stands."
I imdiately looked up.
My eyes scanned the area.
Left.
Front.
Right.
Back.
"I don’t see you."
"Look harder."
I squinted.
Focusing harder this ti.
And finally—
In the very back section.
At the highest point.
Soone was standing there holding a pair of binoculars.
"Are you the one with the binoculars?"
"Yep."
A small laugh followed.
"Hurry up and get over here."
"Yeah... alright."
I hung up.
Then I began to climb the stadium bleachers.
Step by step.
_
A few monts later.
I finally made it to the top.
Standing there was a man with short blond hair.
He looked to be in his forties.
Tall and heavily built.
He was wearing a dark blue work uniform.
Not a formal suit.
But neat nonetheless.
Long sleeves.
Trousers.
Work boots.
He was still holding the binoculars.
A large work bag rested on the seat beside him.
I walked over.
"Itsuki."
The man smiled.
"Long ti no see."
He studied for a few seconds.
"You look a lot more alive than the last ti I saw you."
I gave a small laugh.
A flat one.
"Haha... thanks."
"Did sothing good happen lately?"
"Not really."
"Co here."
I took a few steps closer.
And suddenly—
He opened his arms and pulled into a hug.
It was a firm, heavy hug.
Warm.
"How have you been holding up..."
His voice was tinged with relief.
I slowly returned the hug.
He patted my shoulder a few tis.
"Yeah, I’m doing fine."
We finally pulled away.
"How about you?"
"Good."
He gave a brief chuckle.
"Even though I ended up in the hospital a little while back."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"But I’m all clear now."
"Have you eaten yet?"
He asked.
"Not yet."
"Oh?"
He imdiately pulled out his phone.
"I’ll order us sothing then."
"Thanks."
"Take a seat."
He sat down first.
I took the seat next to him.
From up here, the entire stadium was clearly visible.
The people down below looked tiny.
Bardy unzipped his bag.
And pulled out a laptop.
"That last design you worked on was incredible."
He said, opening a few video files.
Concert footage appeared on the screen.
Stage lights moved in sync with the music.
The visual effects I had worked on filled the giant screens.
"By the way..."
Bardy glanced at briefly.
"Do you have any other designs?"
"Yeah."
I leaned back slightly.
"I have a few. But they aren’t finished yet."
"Oh... good."
His eyes imdiately lit up with interest.
"Show them to later."
"I might be able to use them for the marketing of the next festivals."
"Sure."
I gave a small nod.
"Understood."
_
The Sumr Festival...
From where we sat, the sheer scale of the pitch was on full display.
Down below, people were bustling about with increasing urgency.
A few workers unloaded steel trusses from the trucks.
Others carried massive spools of cable.
Forklifts rolled slowly back and forth along the edge of the field.
Out in the middle of the pitch, several people were carrying surveying tools.
They walked, pulling out long tape asures.
Marking the spots.
The exact spots where the main stage would be built.
Where the LED screens would be installed.
Where the lighting towers would stand.
And where the massive sound systems would be angled.
Even from way up here, I could already picture what this place would look like on the night of the festival.
The lights.
The music.
The roar of the crowd.
_
Beside , Bardy opened a file on his laptop.
"The main stage is here."
He pointed at the screen.
"The main LED setup has three layers."
"And this ti, they want a brighter sumr the."
I studied the design.
It was dominated by dark blue.
Splashes of purple.
And clusters of white lights resembling stars.
"Not bad..."
I comnted briefly.
Bardy gave a small smile.
"The first event starts in two days."
"After that, there’s an event almost every night."
"Idol concerts, bands, stage performances, fireworks shows..."
"Mm-hm..."
I gave a slow nod.
A short while later, soone arrived carrying two plastic bags of food.
"Finally here."
Bardy said.
He pulled out one of the lunchboxes and handed it to .
"Thanks."
We started eating.
The sumr breeze felt quite pleasant up here.
The sounds of the workers down below drifted up faintly.
Bardy continued to glance down at the pitch between bites.
_
"I have a daughter."
Bardy froze for a second.
He quickly turned to look at .
"When did you get married?"
"You should have told ."
"No."
I gave a slight shake of my head.
"I’m not married."
"I adopted her."
"Oh..."
His shock quickly shifted into curiosity.
"What’s her na?"
"Yuna."
"Yuna..."
Bardy gave a small nod.
"How old is she now?"
"She’s in the fourth grade."
"Still quite young, then."
"Yeah."
Bardy chuckled, leaning back against the stadium seat.
"I have a daughter too."
I looked over.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"She’s in middle school now."
"She can be incredibly loud."
I let out a soft chuckle.
"Well then..."
Bardy continued, pointing his chopsticks at .
"You’ll have to introduce Yuna to soti."
"Maybe the two of them will get along."
"My daughter loves taking care of younger kids."
"Even if she can be a bit of a nag sotis."
"Who knows..."
I replied casually.
"That’s up to Yuna."
"Haha..."
Bardy laughed again.
"The look on your face has really changed, Itsuki."
I looked over at him.
"It’s more alive."
I fell silent for a mont.
A gentle breeze swept through the massive stadium.
Down below, the sound of clanking tal echoed sharply once more.
Clang.
Clang.
I watched as the workers began to erect the first structural fra of the stage.
Then, I answered softly.
"Maybe."
~~ • ~~
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