Stepping Out of the Frame

I could feel my face burning. Even with my eyes closed, everything seemed yellow. I realized it—I had slept with the curtains open. The scorching summer morning sun had left me drenched in sweat. I was also thirsty. Half-asleep, I reached for my phone after sitting up.

There was a message from Ray:
"Are we ready for the festival today, guys??!" He had also left a bunch of weird emojis at the end.

Oh, right. Today was the day we had planned last week to meet up for the festival. After drinking the water next to me, I headed to the bathroom. And then it hit me…

Today is my birthday.

After taking a shower, I went to the living room and sat in front of the TV.

My mom had prepared an omelet mix for breakfast, covered it with plastic wrap, and left it beside the pan. She also left a note:

"Happy Birthday! I made your favorite. Just put it in the pan and cook for 5 minutes before eating. –Mom"

My family worked until the evening, so we could only celebrate together at night. My brother, on the other hand, would probably call me during the day to wish me a happy birthday, just like he did every year. I had told them the night before that I would be coming home late and going to the festival with my friends. (They were surprised, by the way…)

I cooked the omelet and ate it while watching TV. There really wasn’t much to do during the day.

Actually, I had an idea! There was a movie I had been wanting to watch for a long time, one that I was sure was amazing, but I had been saving it for the perfect moment. Since today was my birthday—technically a special day—I figured I could finally watch it.

Excitedly, I started the movie. Just as I was about to press play, my phone buzzed with a notification. That was unusual. Other than my family, I rarely got messages, and even when I did, I had most notifications muted. (That included the endless Reels Ray sent me. Sorry, Ray.)

I picked up my phone.

Lyra – 1 New Message:
"Hey."

W-what? Why was she suddenly texting me out of nowhere?

I replied with a simple "Hey." just like she did. What could this be about? Was it about the piano? Maybe she was curious if Ray liked his gift? O-or could she be—no way, how would she even know it was my birthday?

She replied:
"Are you guys going to the festival today?"

Oh, of course. The festival was another possibility. But why was she asking? If I said yes, would she suggest meeting up? Maybe she was coming with her boyfriend and wanted to introduce him to us.

Honestly, I didn’t mind, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with something like that.

"Yeah. We’ll be going as a big group." I responded.

The truth was, there were only three of us, and I felt a little guilty about lying. But I just didn’t want to meet up with her at the festival. To me, she was still just a well-meaning stranger. I didn’t want to share my fun with people I didn’t know.

"Got it. Maybe we’ll run into each other again randomly :)" She had even added a smiling emoji, which I interpreted as her trying to come off as friendly. "Have fun!"

"You too," I replied.

Maybe she was just curious if I was going. I could create a hundred different scenarios in my head (and I probably would, even if I didn’t want to), but I chose to believe in the ignorance is bliss philosophy.

I was going to have fun.

And today was my birthday.

So, I only wanted to be around people I loved.

I pressed play, stretched out my legs, and started watching the movie…

After the movie, even though the festival was still a few hours away, we needed to meet up early to find a good spot. Since the three of us didn’t usually attend events like this outside of school activities, we wanted to be cautious.

After getting off the train, I met up with the guys. The area was surrounded by red-themed stands and banners, and people in yukatas filled the streets. The warm air carried the scent of food, almost dancing around us.

There were couples walking arm in arm like lovebirds, while others were simply trying to get home after work.

And yes, the crowd was insanely packed…

"Dude, let’s get cotton candy!" Ray was like a curious kitten, exploring every booth with excitement. It was obvious he wanted to buy everything.

"Isn’t it a bit early for that?" I asked.

Honestly, I didn’t want my hands and face to get all sticky.

"Early or not, who cares? Ooh, I know! Let’s get candy apples instead. Come on, we’re already outside our comfort zones—let’s go all in!" Ray came closer, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

I glanced at Yasu. He stood expressionless, as usual. Classic Yasu…

So, I had to make the decision. Great.

I always saw myself as someone who went along with the crowd, someone who followed but quietly complained inside. But when it was my turn to decide, I also found myself complaining about that.

There was no middle ground.

But today was my birthday, and deep down, I wanted to be like Ray for once.

What would happen if, just for today, I acted like a real kid?

"Alright, let’s do it! Let’s buy whatever we want!" I grinned.

Even my body seemed surprised at my own words because, suddenly, adrenaline surged through me. My vision almost tingled, and I felt a strange excitement in my stomach, like someone was tapping both sides of it.

"For real?! Hell yeah!" Ray’s face lit up with a massive grin as he hurried toward the stands.

This guy was seriously something else…

"I’ll go save us a spot while you two get food." Yasu started walking away.

"You’re not getting anything?" I asked. Was he uncomfortable with our enthusiasm? Did he prefer something more… standard?

"Of course I am. Just get me whatever you guys are getting. I’m doing you a favor by holding our spot, so you better return the favor."

"Oh, you little scammer…" I muttered.

"Did you say something?" Yasu raised an eyebrow, looking like a full-blown bodyguard with his massive build.

"N-nope, nothing!" I quickly bolted away.

I first walked quickly, then started running lightly toward Ray.

This new environment, the rush, the excitement—it was refreshing.

Yes, it was hot, crowded, overwhelming, and noisy. Yes, there were couples in yukatas making people jealous. 

But seeing people happy, watching them step out of their monotonous lives to embrace moments like these, knowing they put in effort just to have fun—something about it made me happy.

Laughing kids, cheerful teenagers, elderly folks who came just to watch the fireworks…

In the end, they were all here for the same reason.

To share a moment with people who made them feel at home.

And somehow, that thought made me really happy...

I reached Ray, who was grinning as he received his cotton candy.

But just as I was about to speak, my eyes caught sight of something at the shooting booth.

And there she was.

With excited, joyful eyes, dressed in a green floral yukata, holding up a toy rifle in victory as she high-fived Noa beside her.

Lyra.