It was no exaggeration to say that her face was now as red as the brightest, most dazed, most irresistibly take-home red carp in a summer festival goldfish pool.
Just as Ele was blushing too hard to know what to say—
"Ah! I caught one!!"
Along with a splash of water, Tsubaki Kuruoka's excited cry rang out from the goldfish-scooping stall. She clutched the fragile paper scoop tightly in her hand, and in the center of its net, a plump, bright-red goldfish was frantically flapping its tail.
Having caught it, she happily cradled this hard-won prize and skipped toward Qianyi and Ele, showing it off to them. "Older Brother Qianyi, Big Sister Ele, look! I caught a fish!! Such a big, red goldfish!"
"It really is." Qianyi crouched down on one knee, looked at the goldfish in the scoop, then at little Tsubaki's water-speckled face, which was plainly begging for praise. He did not hold back his compliment. "Just as expected of little Tsubaki. You caught such a big goldfish so quickly. That's really impressive."
"Ehehe~." Tsubaki Kuruoka smiled excitedly, then stood on tiptoe and solemnly held the scoop containing the goldfish out to Ele. "A gift for Big Sister Ele!"
"Ah...?" Ele was caught so off guard by the sudden surprise that she did not know what to do. Then she pointed at herself and asked in disbelief, "For me?"
"Mhm!" Tsubaki Kuruoka nodded vigorously, her eyes so pure that there was not a trace of impurity in them. "Because Big Sister Ele's face was as pretty and red as this little goldfish just now! So it's for you!!"
Looking at the innocent smile before her, as well as the vivid red life wriggling in the scoop held out to her, something seemed to melt in Ele's heart.
As