The lantern burns low (pt 1)

“Can you pass me the string of fairy lights, Haru?” Daichi said, standing on a tall ladder by the Sakura trees. He grabbed one side of the string in his hand and pulled it out of the box, carefully guiding it to ensure no knots formed. He passed it over to his friend, who secured it to the tree branches.

Renji rolled out an electrical wire and connected the lights to it after Daichi had finished putting them up. He flipped the switch, and the friends admired the lights from a distance.

“I bet this year's festival will be another banger!” Daichi cheerfully exclaimed. He opened a coolbox and took out a couple of soda cans, giving the boys each one. “Let’s have a toast!” he exclaimed, after which the boys popped open their cans in unison and loudly gulped down the drink.

Ayaka sighed, rolling her eyes, “Please give me one as well and lend me a hand.” Daichi jumped to the coolbox and took out one more can, and placed it next to Ayaka on the table. He sat down and started helping her with folding the lanterns.

He turned to Haru, “I thought Mia would come here to help, any idea where she might be?”

Haru shrugged his shoulders, “She told me she was recording a video in town and she would come here afterward.”

Renji smirked, “I wouldn’t let that girl out of sight if she were my girlfriend.”

Ayaka crossed her arms, but her fingers fidgeted at her sleeve. She looked away, trying to sound sharp. “That possessive attitude is exactly why girls avoid you.”

Renji stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth from his breath, “The boys are not exactly lining up for you either, Ayaka-chan.”

She turned her face away, her cheeks flushed. “Please stop teasing me,” she murmured, almost inaudible.

Haru let out a chuckle from nearby, “Mia does her own thing. That’s exactly what I like about her.”

“Speaking of the devil,” Daichi said, turned away, and started waving behind him.

Haru turned to see, and saw Mia walking up to them. Daichi grabbed another can of drink and handed it to the approaching girl.

“Thank you, I could use this,” she exclaimed before popping off the lid and taking a big sip. “Today has been hot, but I am glad my filming is done. This little documentary is going to be lit!”

After the short break, Mia sat down next to Ayaka, who taught her to fold the lanterns. After a couple of tries, she succeeded in creating a perfect one.

Ayaka inspected it and gave it her seal of approval, “You’re getting the hang of it. Please bring these to Daichi, so he can put them up.”

Playfully, Mia whispered, “So are these the whispering lanterns?”

Daichi chuckled, “That’d be funny, but no - these have a different purpose.” He lifted his finger, like a teacher, and started lecturing the foreign girl about the festival.

“Hikarisakura is celebrated when the cherry blossom trees reach full bloom and start to drop,” he explained. “We honor their fleeting beauty and the memory of those who have passed through your life, even if only for a season.”

He showed a paper slip, “You write a message for someone you loved quietly, or never got to say goodbye to. Then you hang it by the lantern.”

Mia took over the piece of paper and inspected it. “So… like a message to a ghost?”

Daichi grinned and lowered his voice, like sharing a secret. “Some villagers believe that if your lantern turns soft blue by morning, the person-or-ghost  remembers you too.”

Mia let out a soft cheer, punching the air.

“You’re really proud of this, huh?” she teasingly responded.

Daichi nodded, his eyes gleaming, “My family’s been organizing this festival for centuries,” he said with a shy smile. “It’s a real honor to keep it alive.”

Mia’s eyes widened, “Centuries… that’s incredible. The U.S. wasn’t even a thing back then!”

X

After the friends were done with decorating, Haru pulled Mia aside. Together they walked to a quieter part of town, the cherry blossom trees blooming above them.

Haru awkwardly laughed, as he took a small trinket out of his pocket, “Here.. I made this, or well, my grandpa helped. I thought you might want something from Hanabusa that wasn’t… haunted.”

Mia carefully inspected the keychain Haru put in her hand. It was a hand-carved wooden fox with a sakura motif.

“It’s made from a fallen branch of sakura wood,” Haru told her, “I hope you like it.”

Mia clutched the keychain to her chest. “I love it!” She put it away in her pocket. “You’re awesome, I didn’t know you could make stuff like this, Haru. I’m definitely taking this back with me to America.”

Haru suddenly froze, suddenly remembering Mia’s imminent departure.

She said it so casually. Taking it back. Leaving.

Like spring wasn’t about to end.

Mia looked at Haru, “Did I say something wrong?”

The boy shook his head, “No, you didn’t. It’s me,” he paused, staring at the sakura trees which had slowly started dropping their petals, “You reminded me of how soon you will be leaving. How little time we have left here…”

Mia stepped closer and grabbed his arm, squeezing it tightly.

"I don’t want to think about it either, Haru," she said. "Let’s just... spend as much time together as we can, okay?"

He looked at her, Mia, the girl who had crossed oceans to chase a story about a forgotten town. The girl who found adventure around every corner. The girl who, somehow, had become his.

He knew they would have to part.

He knew he had to let her go - to set her free.

But even when she left, he realized, a part of her would stay with him. Always.

“But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,” he whispered.

Mia blinked, recognizing the line from one of Haru’s favorite poems. She smiled back at Haru warmly.

Haru smiled back, faint but sure.

"Yeah," he said. "Let’s make the most of it."