Chapter 1: Summer Festival

The summer sky was slowly fading into night, the streets glowing with lanterns and the distant sound of taiko drums pulsing through the evening air. The local festival was in full swing — booths lined with colorful masks, goldfish scooping games, and the scent of yakisoba and Takoyaki along with other food items.

Yui Sakurai stood beneath a lamppost near the festival’s main entrance, her arms crossed and a small pout on her face.

"For all that big talk, he sure is late," she muttered, glancing down at her phone. The screen lit up — shun was ten minutes late.

She sighed, shifting her weight. Her yukata was a soft shade of blue, patterned with tiny white blossoms. It was the first time she’d worn one in ages.

“Yo.”

She looked up.

Shun Ishikawa strolled over, hands in his pockets, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“You’re late,” Yui said, her brow raised.

“Hm? Don’t think so. Maybe you’re just early,” he replied, expressionless. This always got on her nerves.

She rolled her eyes. “Classic Shun.”

Shun looked past her shoulder. “Wait, why are you alone? Where’s Megumi?”

Yui turned slightly. “Ah, she couldn’t come. She went abroad with her family for vacation, and they aren’t back yet. Something came up, I guess.”

Shun blinked. “Oh… I see.”

Inside, he was screaming with joy. He hadn’t expected this to turn into a one-on-one hangout. For a moment, he thanked Megumi in his mind.

As they started walking together through the lantern-lit crowd, Yui looked at him.

“Shouldn’t you say something?”

“Huh?”

She tugged gently at the edge of her sleeve. “I mean… I’m wearing a yukata and everything. How do I look?”

Shun froze for a second.

She looked... beautiful. That was the truth. But he wasn’t the type to just say that out loud. His eyes darted away, ears turning slightly red.

“You look… okay, I guess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Wait— eeeh? Shun, are you blushing?” Yui grinned, poking his side.

“Shut up,” he muttered. “You’re the one who asked.”

Yui laughed. It was light, carefree. “Jeez. You’re hopeless.”

They walked through the rows of stalls, stopping now and then — trying their luck at the goldfish scooping booth (Shun failed miserably), trying different food items, and laughing over Yui’s surprisingly strong aim at the ring toss.

As the night deepened, the fireworks finally began, painting the sky in brilliant colors. People paused, voices grew quiet, everybody was taking a moment to enjoy the view.

Shun and Yui stood side by side, watching the lit up sky.

“Looks like we’ll be going to the same school, huh?” Yui said, her voice softer now.

“Yeah… looks like it,” Shun replied.

“I hope we end up in the same class too.”

“Whoa. Another three years beside you? I might have to drop out after the first year,” Shun joked.

Yui laughed and gave his arm a small punch. “Idiot.”

They fell silent again, both watching the sky.

“So pretty,” Yui whispered.

Shun glanced sideways. But this time, he didn’t look away.

PS:  please tell me your suggestions, and thoughts through comments :)  Also english is not my mothertounge so sorry in advance if i make any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.