Fireworks across the Milky Way

I sat on the couch in the common room, going over the itinerary and making sure it was all good to go. It would take roughly an hour from here to the festival location, though since it was a Saturday, it was likely to be crowded.

Lafon’s dorm room opened, and three girls exited one by one into the hallway, entering the common room in their yukatas. Sato wore a vibrant green yukata with pink accents; Lafon wore a navy blue one with white accents, while Watson donned pink with a red bow.

“You look amazing!” I gave two thumbs in approval, which they took in stride.

“Thanks to Elise and some video tutorials,” Sato cheered, as Lafon’s eyes sparkled in satisfaction. But enough talk, we had a festival to get to.

The festival spanned a long stretch of the city street, extending into the park where stalls were set up with food and games for everyone to enjoy. Along the city street was a plethora of colorful streamers and structures adorned with star-shaped comets, ribbons, and other decorations. Crowds of people dressed in yukata roamed the streets in anticipation for the upcoming parade.

“So many people!" Sato cheered. “What’s with these decorations?”

“It’s a tanabata matsuri, or star festival,” I replied. “It runs until July 7th, but the weekend has the parade and opens up the night market.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Watson gleamed, looking around. “Why’s it called the star festival?”

“It’s based on an old folktale. It’s about two lovers who are separated by the Milky Way–”

“--and they only meet once a year on July 7th,” Sato finished my sentence, her eyes lighting up. “I remember my grandma telling that story to me. It was one of my favorites since it has the Milky Way in it.”

I nodded. “It’s quite a story…” I think it was originally from Chinese mythology. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

“Anyways, we have the whole afternoon to explore and eat,” Sato cheered. “When are the fireworks again?”

“They’re at seven, so plenty of time.”

As we found a suitable standing area by the street, the music speakers increased in volume as a group of dancers started appearing at the start of the street, all dressed similarly in yukata. As they approached, they swayed gracefully in a traditional dance form, as onlookers watched on.

“They’re so pretty and in-sync,” Watson commented, to which Lafon nodded in agreement. The dancers continued their serenade of movement, followed by another dancing troupe. A float appeared with several intricate ornaments, dancers surrounding it as they passed by as well. I noticed Sato watching each movement with such admiration, barely losing eye contact with the spectacle. The only other thing I’ve seen her this engrossed in was in her engineering projects.

Once the parade reached its finale, we marched onwards to the street stalls, checking out the food they had to offer.

“Delicious!” Sato bit into another takoyaki. Lafon was holding onto two bowls of grilled eel. Wait, where’d she get the grilled eel?

The hours strolled by, the sun slowly yet steadily sinking lower from its midday peak towards the horizon. We had thoroughly explored the city’s festivities, and it was time to move on to what the park had to offer. As the buildings transitioned into trees and greenery, the lights of the night market grew warmer and brighter.

Near the entrance of the park, a line of trees appeared with colorful strips of paper adorning their branches.

Sato’s eyes widened with astonishment. “What’s that?”

“Ah..wishing trees. Another part of the festival. People write their wishes on those slips of paper and tie them to the tree.”

“Let’s do it!”

We approached an area with empty paper slips to fill out. As I took one and thought of something to write, my mind found itself stuck.

Can’t write something too vague, like for world peace…happiness is too generic. I don’t really know any solid career aspirations right now…

I thought further, and my hand started tracing the words “To be with Sato–” Immediately, my brain banished that thought to the nether. What kind of wish is that?!

I looked over to Sato, who was also thinking of her wish, her eyes unwavering on the piece of paper in her hands. Her hair was tied in a bun with a floral hairpiece, moving side to side as her head swayed in deep thought.

She wants to work at JAXA, that’s her dream.

I looked back down at my slip, a thought coming to me as I scribbled something down and nodded before tying it to a branch above.

To help my friends’ wishes come true.

The others finished writing and tied it to the branches as well, completing the process.

“So what’s next on the agenda?”

Watson looked at the stalls and pointed at the games. “Play time?”

At the alley of stalls, Sato gravitated towards the large containers filled with water, little goldfish swimming in it as a kid was standing over it, holding a little scoop.

“Goldfish scooping?”

“Yep, you try and scoop it with these little scoops, but the middle’s made of paper, so it’s very fragile. There's a certain technique to get the fish; I’m not very good at it,” I demonstrated with one, gently waving through the water, and in an attempt to catch one, the middle broke.

Lafon, intrigued by the game, was next to try. She swiftly glides the scoop into the water and flicks a goldfish in with one motion.

“No way!” Sato cheered as Lafon successfully retrieved a goldfish. The vendor laughed with approval and helped bag the goldfish.

Lafon held the bag in the air, a small smile appearing on her face. “Hello, little one.”

After several failed attempts to capture another one, we continued walking, taking in the welcoming sights and delightful smells. After stopping by a few more vendors, a loudspeaker started its announcement.

“Everyone, a gentle reminder that the fireworks will begin in fifteen minutes. Viewing along the riverfront is currently limited, but the display can be seen from across the park, so please enjoy!”

I looked around, seeing Sato. “It’s almost time for the fireworks, we should start finding a spot.”

“Good idea! Now where’s…” She looked to where Lafon and Watson were just a few minutes ago. “Where’d they go?”

“Huh?” I also noted their disappearance. After a minute of confusion and searching, the group chat pinged us, with Watson asking if we could find them by the river; apparently, they thought we were following them but mistook two other people for us.

We started making our way down to the riverfront, though with the sea of people coalescing around, it was difficult to spot Lafon or Watson before the show started.

As the chances of regrouping before the show diminished, I scratched my head and noticed an incline that led to a potential viewing area with fewer people. “Hey, Sato-san, we could try going there and calling them. Maybe we could spot them from below.”

“Sure!” she nodded as we followed the path up towards the grassy area. Some people were also there, but it was a contrast to the crowds of people below.

“Everyone, the fireworks presentation will begin momentarily. Again, we thank you for visiting the Star Festival and hope you enjoy the show!”

The first firework launched into the sky with a dazzling red shimmer, lighting the twilight sky.

“So pretty!” Sato was nearly jumping with joy. “Seeing fireworks today really is a treasure!”

I exhaled, taking in the sight. “Not very often do an American and Japanese holiday end up sharing fireworks on the same day.”

She nodded, another set of sparkling lights illuminating the sky above. “You know the story of two lovers separated by a galaxy…reminds me of my grandma. She eventually moved to San Francisco when my dad was a kid because…it was difficult for her to adapt to the new life. Especially when grandpa was working on the space program.”

I looked at her, eyes widened. “So the two of them were married, had a kid, but had to live an ocean away from each other?”

She grinned. “They still loved each other very much, but yeah…” Her grin faltered as she looked back at the sky. “Like me, my grandma didn’t know any Japanese, and the culture shock must’ve been a lot. It’s why…”

Her gaze lingered on the glittering display as her smile seemed…wistful.

“Sato-san…”

“I’ve thought about my dream, how’s it a difficult one…a foreigner who barely knows the language at a grade-school level, going for one of the top science agencies in the country. I feel like I’m shooting for something that’s not possible..realistically.”

“Sato-san, don’t say that, your talent is incredibly rare, and–”

“Iwasaki-kun, it’s okay.” She interrupted. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. How about you?” She turned to me, her smile returning. “You haven’t mentioned much about your dreams…instead of worrying about mine, you should think about what you want to do.”

“What I want to do…” The slip of paper on the wish tree came to mind.

“I want to make your dream come true, Sato-san!’ I locked eyes with her, my sincerity coming from within.

She froze, her eyes as wide as mine.

“Sato-san, your dream is inspiring, and when I see you working so hard for it, I just want to root for you even harder. And not just through teaching you Japanese….” I took a deep breath. “...but through it all. You’ve believed in me, and if you could let me believe in you. Because…”

Because…

“Boku wa anata ga suki desu.”

The words flowed out of my mouth as a river of emotions. My words overlapped with a barrage of fireworks across the sky, loud and spectacular. A moment of silence passed, as a shadow of doubt crossed my mind.

Of course…she doesn’t understand. Like it could mean ‘I truly believe in you’ or something else.

Her unreadable expression only fueled my anxiety into the stratosphere. Above, another flash of colors dared to drown this moment out. Or she just didn’t hear what I said…maybe that would be better…just let this moment fade into the night like the finale of fireworks.

“It means…I love you, Sato-san.” I replied, my thoughts piercing the shadows of doubt, breaking through to her once more.