Yoshikoooooo!

You're late, little demon! I grew weary waiting for you.

I'm so sorry. It took me some time to get ready. I got my hands on a bunch of things since you mentioned wanting to make the most out of summer!

Whoa! Are these all fireworks?! You really did find a lot of them!

Yup! Summer's not complete without fireworks, right? You saw the fireworks the other day at the festival, so I've got different fireworks today—sparklers!

I can light all of them?! Really? You mean it?!

Of course! That's why I bought them. Okay, let's get right into it! If you don't pay attention, I'm gonna light them all up before you do!

Aw, nooo! I'm gonna get to them first!

[Fade in/out.]

HIYAAAAAAH! Race forth, flashes of light! Make my power known from the ends of the world to the far reaches of the heavens!

I used to pretend that I could use magic as a kid when I played with fireworks. My mom would get angry at how dangerously I waved them around.

*Giggle* For you to have shown your potential as a little demon from such a young age just proves that you were born into this world to cross paths with me!

Well, I suppose I did do the exact same thing as you just now. Maybe there's some truth to what you're saying.

Hold up! Are you saying that I'm childish? Is that what you mean?!

Don't be silly! I'd never—oh.

Oh. It's all used up. Unlike the darkness, light is fleeting… Okay! Next!

Which one should I light up next? Huh? What?! There's nothing in this bag, or that one! They're all empty?!

Aww, so we're only left with the Japanese-style sparklers then…

They're always the ones left at the end. I wasn't avoiding them on purpose, but these just ended up being the last ones around.

That's because they know that they're the closing act in the world of fireworks. Go on, light them up. They'll be what lights up the end of our summer.

[Fade in/out.]

Japanese-style sparklers are so beautiful.

I know I said it myself before, but summer really will end once this fire goes out… The thought of that…

…makes you sad?

N-No! Why would I ever be sad?! Even if I did feel that way, it would only be the tiniest little bit!

Then why don't we light some fireworks tomorrow as well? And then the day after, and the day after that too. We'll keep lighting them up until the shops stop selling them.

What?! Th-That's surely going too far—wait, no! That's not what I meant in the first place!

When the fireworks are gone and fall arrives… How about we go to see the seasonal colored leaves? We could also bake some sweet potatoes. Fall's filled with tasty foods.

There's snow in winter. It doesn't really snow in Numazu, right? Let's go somewhere where it does snow, then! And when spring rolls around, we can go see the cherry blossoms.

And then summer will be here again so we can light some fireworks. Let's keep doing fun things through summer, fall, winter, and spring. We'll do it all, together.

*Gasp*

You truly are a fine little demon!

Making an underling of you was the best decision that I've made in my whole life since I'll never be bored with you around.

Being able to spend time with you makes every day fun for me too, Yoshiko.

It's not Yoshiko, it's—ah, whatever. I'll let it slide today as thanks for continuing to bring joy to me over the seasons, my cute little demon!