# Chapter 16: The Summer Festival

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Summer arrived early that year, bringing warm evenings and the excitement of the annual city festival.
After the emotional heaviness of November, December felt lighter. Exam preparation continued, but there was also a sense of urgency to enjoy these final months together. The festival—happening on the first Saturday of December—felt like a gift. One perfect evening before everything changed.
"I can't believe this is our last festival together," Miki said during lunch, looking at the festival flyer. "Next year you'll both be gone."
"Don't remind us," Ren groaned, but his hand found Airi's under the table, squeezing gently.
"Are you guys going together?" Yuki asked. "Like, officially as a couple?"
"As opposed to unofficially?" Airi raised an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean. Like, yukata and everything. The full romantic experience."
Airi looked at Ren, who was grinning. "Actually, I was planning something. If Airi agrees."
"Planning what?"
"It's a surprise. But wear a yukata. The pretty one I know your mom bought you last summer."
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my sources." He winked. "Trust me?"
"Always."
---
## 👘 Getting Ready
Saturday evening arrived with perfect weather—warm but not hot, with a gentle breeze that promised a comfortable night. Airi stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her yukata for the fifth time.
It was beautiful—pale blue with white cherry blossoms, the obi a deeper blue that brought out her eyes. Her mother had helped her put it on, taking extra care with the complicated wrapping.
"You look beautiful," her mother said, stepping back to admire her work.
"It feels strange. I've never worn one outside of New Year's."
"It suits you. Very elegant." Her mother smiled. "Ren is a lucky boy."
"I'm the lucky one."
"You're both lucky. That's how it should be." She handed Airi a small purse. "Have fun tonight. Don't worry about curfew—just text me when you're heading home."
"Really?"
"Really. You're almost an adult, Airi. I trust you. And I trust Ren." She hugged her daughter gently, careful not to wrinkle the yukata. "Go make memories."
When Airi went downstairs, Ren was waiting at the door. And her breath caught.
He wore a dark blue yukata that matched hers—clearly planned—with his hair slightly styled back. He looked handsome and nervous and absolutely perfect.
"Wow," he breathed. "You look—wow."
"So do you." She smiled. "Did you plan the matching colors?"
"Maybe." He offered his arm. "Shall we?"
As they walked toward the festival grounds, Airi felt like she was floating. The setting sun painted everything gold. The yukata swished around her legs with each step. And Ren looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
"I have a confession," he said.
"What?"
"I've been planning tonight for two months. Every detail."
"Ren—"
"Because I want tonight to be perfect. Want you to have a memory that's just ours. Something to hold onto when things get hard." He stopped walking, turning to face her. "I know we're going to face challenges. Distance and doubt and a thousand obstacles. But I want us to have tonight. Perfect and untouched and completely ours."
Airi felt tears prick her eyes. "You're going to make me cry and ruin my makeup."
"Then don't cry yet. Wait until later." He grinned. "I have plans for those tears too."
"You're incorrigible."
"And you love it."
"I really do."
---
## 🎆 The Festival
The festival was magical.
Lanterns hung between trees, casting warm light over the crowds. Vendors sold takoyaki, yakisoba, candy apples, and countless other treats. Games lined the pathways—goldfish scooping, target shooting, mask decorating. Traditional music floated through the air, mixing with laughter and excited chatter.
Ren guided Airi through it all with obvious pleasure, stopping at specific stalls he'd clearly researched ahead of time.
First, the shooting game. Ren won her a small plush cat that looked suspiciously like Kuro from the shelter. Then goldfish scooping, where Airi surprised them both by actually catching three fish (Ren caught none). They bought candied apples and shared one, laughing when Airi got caramel on her nose.
"Hold still," Ren said, leaning in to wipe it off with his thumb. But instead of pulling away, he kissed her. Sweet and soft and tasting of caramel.
"That was sneaky," Airi said when they separated.
"That was efficient." He grinned. "Two problems solved at once."
They wandered through the festival, hand in hand, occasionally stopping to watch performers or try new foods. Everywhere they went, people smiled at them—the young couple in matching yukata, so obviously in love.
"Everyone's staring," Airi whispered.
"Let them. We look amazing." Ren squeezed her hand. "Besides, I want everyone to see. Want everyone to know you're mine."
"Possessive."
"Absolutely."
As evening deepened into night, Ren led her away from the main festival area, down a path lit with paper lanterns. Airi could hear water running nearby.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
They emerged at a small bridge over a stream. Below, hundreds of floating lanterns drifted past, creating a river of light. It was breathtaking.
"I reserved two lanterns," Ren said, pulling two paper lanterns from a bag Airi hadn't noticed he was carrying. "We write our wishes, light them, and let them float away."
"What should I wish for?"
"Whatever's in your heart."
Airi took the marker he offered and thought carefully. Finally, she wrote: *For the courage to face what comes next, and the wisdom to cherish what I have now.*
Ren wrote on his but kept it hidden. They lit the candles inside together, then gently placed the lanterns in the water. They floated away side by side, joining the river of light.
"What did you wish for?" Airi asked.
"Can't tell. It won't come true."
"That's birthday candles, not lanterns."
"Same principle." He pulled her close, arms around her waist. "But I'll tell you anyway. I wished for us. For the strength to make this work. For our love to survive everything coming."
"That's a good wish."
"It's the only wish that matters."
They watched the lanterns float downstream, peaceful and perfect. Then Ren said, "There's something else I planned."
"More? You've already made tonight perfect."
"Not yet. Almost." He took her hand. "Come on. The fireworks start soon."
---
## 🎇 The Fireworks
Ren led her to a hill overlooking the festival. A blanket was already spread out—he must have set it up earlier. They sat together, Airi nestled against Ren's chest, his arms wrapped around her.
"How did you plan all this?" she asked.
"Carefully. Miki helped. So did Tanaka-san from the shelter." He rested his chin on her head. "I wanted tonight to be special. Wanted to show you how much you mean to me."
"You show me every day."
"Then tonight I wanted to show you extra."
The first firework exploded above them—a burst of gold and red that painted the sky. Then another, and another, until the darkness was filled with color and light and the thunder of explosions.
Airi watched, mesmerized. But Ren watched her, his gaze soft and full of something that made her heart race.
"Airi," he said softly.
"Mm?"
"I need to tell you something."
She turned to look at him, and the expression on his face made her breath catch. It was tender and nervous and absolutely certain all at once.
"I love you," he said. "I know I've said it before. But tonight I need to say it properly. Completely."
"Ren—"
"Let me finish." He cupped her face gently. "I love you, Airi Sato. I love your mind and your heart and your strength. I love how you see the world and how you see me. I love the way you scrunch your nose when you're thinking. I love your determination and your vulnerability and your absolutely terrible sense of direction."
She laughed through sudden tears.
"I love that you chose me. Out of everyone you could have been with, you chose me. The troublemaker, the screwup, the boy with too much anger and not enough sense." His voice grew thick with emotion. "And you didn't just choose me. You helped me choose myself. Helped me become someone I'm proud to be."
"Ren—"
"I know we're young. I know people think we're naive. But I've never been more certain of anything in my life." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you. Not just right now. Not just for today. But for all the days coming. Even the hard ones. Especially the hard ones."
Tears streamed down Airi's face. "I love you too. So much it scares me sometimes."
"Don't be scared. Be certain. The way I'm certain." He wiped her tears gently. "Four months until we're in different cities. But that's just geography. You're here—" he touched her chest, over her heart, "—and nothing can change that."
"Nothing," she agreed.
"I love you, Airi."
"I love you, Ren."
Above them, the fireworks reached their crescendo—a massive display of color and light that illuminated the entire sky. And beneath that explosion of beauty, Ren kissed her. Deep and slow and full of promises they both intended to keep.
When they finally pulled apart, both were crying and laughing.
"Best festival ever?" Ren asked.
"Best festival ever," Airi confirmed. "Best night ever."
"We have a few hours before curfew." He pulled her closer. "Want to stay here? Watch the stars?"
"Yes. Absolutely yes."
They lay back on the blanket, Airi's head on Ren's chest, his arms wrapped securely around her. Above them, the fireworks had ended, leaving only stars and the occasional drift of smoke.
"Tell me about the future," Airi said softly. "The one you see for us."
"Okay." Ren's voice was content, dreamy. "We both graduate university. You with your psychology degree, me with my veterinary license. We find an apartment somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto. Maybe Nagoya. Somewhere in the middle."
"Compromise."
"Exactly. You open your practice. I open my clinic. We're busy but happy. We have a cat—definitely a rescue. Maybe two."
"What else?"
"We get married. Nothing fancy. Just our families and close friends. Your mom crying happy tears. My mom telling embarrassing stories about both of us." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "And every day, I wake up knowing I'm the luckiest man alive because you chose me."
"I'm the lucky one."
"We're both lucky." He tightened his arms around her. "That's the future I see. What about you?"
"The same. All of it." She tilted her head to look at him. "But I also see the hard parts. The late-night phone calls when one of us is struggling. The train rides every weekend to see each other. The times when distance feels impossible."
"But we make it through."
"We make it through." She smiled. "Because we love each other. And love doesn't quit just because it's hard."
"No, it doesn't."
They lay there until the festival ended, until the crowds dispersed, until the world was quiet except for the sound of their breathing and heartbeats syncing.
"We should go," Airi said eventually, though she made no move to leave.
"Five more minutes."
"You said that twenty minutes ago."
"Then five more after this five more."
She laughed, burrowing deeper into his embrace. "Okay. Five more."
But it was twenty minutes before they finally packed up the blanket and started the walk home. The streets were quiet now, lanterns beginning to be extinguished one by one.
"Thank you," Airi said, squeezing his hand. "For tonight. For everything."
"Thank you for saying yes. To all of it. To me."
"Always yes. To you, always yes."
---
## 🏠 Goodnight
At Airi's door, they lingered in the shadows, neither wanting the night to end.
"I don't want to let you go," Ren admitted.
"Then don't. Not yet."
They stood there, holding each other, whispering about everything and nothing. About the fireworks and the lanterns and the way the world felt different now, after tonight.
"I meant what I said," Ren murmured. "About loving you. About forever."
"I know. I meant it too."
"Good." He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then finally her lips. "Goodnight, my love."
"Goodnight."
But he didn't leave. And she didn't go inside. They just stood there, teenagers in love, trying to make the perfect night last just a little bit longer.
Finally, Airi's phone buzzed—her mother asking if she was home safe.
"I have to go," she said reluctantly.
"I know." One more kiss. "Text me when you're inside?"
"I will."
"Sweet dreams."
"You too."
She watched him walk away, his form disappearing into the darkness. Then she went inside, her heart so full it felt like it might burst.
---
## 📔 Journal Entry
That night, Airi wrote:
*Dear Future Me,*
*Tonight was perfect.*
*I know that sounds dramatic. But there's no other word for it.*
*Ren planned everything. The matching yukata, the lanterns, the fireworks, the moment when he told me he loved me—really, truly loved me, in a way that felt like a vow.*
*And I told him the same. Without hesitation. Without fear.*
*I love Ren Kurosawa. Not because he's perfect—he's not. Not because loving him is easy—it's not. But because he sees me. Really sees me. And chooses me anyway.*
*Four months until entrance exams. Five months until we're in different cities.*
*But tonight proved something: distance is just distance. What we have is deeper than geography.*
*Tonight, under the fireworks, we promised to love each other through everything. The good times and the hard times. The moments of doubt and the moments of certainty.*
*Future me, I hope you kept that promise. I hope you're still loving him. Still fighting for what you have.*
*Because if tonight taught me anything, it's that some things are worth fighting for.*
*And Ren Kurosawa is absolutely worth fighting for.*
*Love,**Present Airi (who is completely, hopelessly in love)*
Her phone buzzed.
**Ren**: *made it home. still thinking about tonight*
**Airi**: *Me too. Best night of my life.*
**Ren**: *mine too. want to know a secret?*
**Airi**: *Always.*
**Ren**: *i practiced that speech for weeks. wrote like 20 versions*
**Airi**: *It was perfect.*
**Ren**: *you deserved perfect. you deserve everything*
**Airi**: *I have everything. I have you.*
**Ren**: *god i love you*
**Ren**: *cant wait to marry you someday*
**Airi**: *Someday soon.*
**Ren**: *promise?*
**Airi**: *Promise. Now get some sleep.*
**Ren**: *cant sleep. too happy*
**Airi**: *Me too.*
**Ren**: *goodnight my love. dream of me*
**Airi**: *Always. Goodnight ❤️*
Airi set her phone down and stared at her ceiling, the same ceiling that had watched her transform from a lonely girl to someone deeply, truly loved.
Tonight had been perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And whatever came next—exams, distance, challenges—they'd face it together.
Because they loved each other. Really, truly loved each other.
And that was enough.
More than enough.
It was everything.
---*