Chapter 16: The Fireworks Festival

— Present Day —

Shimizu handed me the broom.

"You have some cleaning up to do, Ryo-kun." He smiled gently.

I took hold of it. My fingers remembered the weight.

"Perhaps."

"The corner at the back is particularly dirty." He added, already heading back inside.

I stared after him. He gave me that infuriating smile over his shoulder and disappeared. A rueful smile worked its way onto my lips as I made my way to the indicated corner.

Days passed in the same rhythm as before. My thoughts settled, gradually.

I stopped shutting myself indoors. Every day, I turned up at the shrine.

The same broom. The same cheap ocha. The same annoyingly patient priest.

One morning, Shimizu approached me. "Ryo-kun. The fireworks festival is tomorrow. Are you ready?"

"Ready for what? Shouldn’t I be asking you that?" I frowned.

"Me? Oh, you’re doing most of the cleaning. It’s coming along nicely." He looked pleased with himself. Then his tone shifted. "I meant your plans for the festival."

I looked down at the broom. "I was going to ask Yuki-chan. But that’s not happening."

"So you’ll skip it?"

I paused. I’d thought about it. But I still had people to go with — Sachi, Kenji. They wouldn’t mind me joining.

"The fireworks here may be smaller than Sendai’s. But the shrine on the island has a good view. It’s close to the festival grounds too." Shimizu said.

I squinted at him.

"I was young once, you know." He laughed his usual laugh. "Trust me. It’s a good spot."

The next day, I surprised Sachi at home.

"Sachi-chan. Is it okay if I join you and Kenji tonight?"

"Are you sure?" She looked uneasy. "We’ll be with the Inoues. All of them."

"I know. Matsuda-san too."

She studied my expression carefully. “Okay. But if anything kicks off, Kenji’s handling it. We leave at six.”

* * *

— Six in the Evening — The Hayashi Residence —

Kenji and Hana arrived early. We lounged in the living room.

"Sachi-chan won’t be ready for at least another half hour." I tilted my head toward the stairs.

"Worth the wait." Kenji smiled.

I huffed. "I genuinely wonder what you see in her. Were there no better options at school?"

Hana choked on her tea.

"Oi. She might hear you." Kenji glanced at the stairs.

"Good. Let her. I’d be impressed if she was even ready by —"

WHACK.

My vision swam. I’m fairly certain the fireworks started early, right there in my living room.

"Hi Kenji! Hana-chan!" Sachi went to hug Hana, then turned to me with an expression of complete and total innocence.

Kenji straightened up and cleared his throat. "Sachi, you look lovely."

Sachi beamed. “Thank you, Kenji!” She shot me a pointed look.

"I’m not complimenting you after that assault."

Sachi rolled her eyes, glanced at Hana, and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

Hana turned pink immediately.

"Onii-chan. How do we look?" The high-pitched tone. A trap requiring a very specific password.

"Cute. Both of you. Especially Hana-chan in her yukata." I threw the last part in to jab Sachi, but somehow it had the opposite effect — she nodded with visible satisfaction.

Hana combusted.

We headed out. Kenji fell into step beside me, and Hana chatted with Sachi behind us.

I stopped just before the gate.

Daiki and Yuki were already there, waiting in their festival attire. Even now, Yuki looked beautiful. Something in my chest pulled in three directions at once. Adoration, pain, and jealousy.

Yuki glanced over and smiled politely. We hadn’t spoken since the camp.

"Hello, Sachi-chan… Ryo-kun."

Everyone looked between me and Daiki.

"Yuki-chan. Matsuda-san." I nodded.

"Hayashi-san." Daiki gave a slight bow.

We took the bus to the festival area. The noise reached us before it came into view — the murmur of the crowd, the warm glow of food stalls, the smell of grilled things drifting through the stalls.

Sachi latched onto Kenji the moment we got off. "Onii-chan, we’re on a date. Take care of Hana-chan!" She tugged him into the crowd before anyone could object.

Kenji looked back at me with genuine concern. Then he was gone.

Daiki and Yuki exchanged a look, laughed at something between them, and went their own way. My eyes followed her a moment longer than they should have.

"Ryo-kun." A small voice from beside me.

"Oh — Hana-chan. Sorry. You don’t have a date tonight either, huh."

Hana shifted her gaze to the festival grounds. Her earrings caught the lamplight. It was only then that I actually looked at her — her yukata, her hair, the care she’d taken. I’d been too busy looking elsewhere.

"Ryo-kun?"

She’d caught me staring.

"I’ll take care of you tonight. If that’s alright." I smiled.

She smiled quietly and moved a little closer. Her hand found my sleeve.

Thump.

Why does Kenji get a cute younger sister, while I got a… I stopped myself before completing that thought. No sense inviting bad karma.

We went through the food and games stalls. It wasn’t a large festival, and we kept crossing paths with the other couples.

My eyes drifted toward Yuki whenever I glimpsed her. Every time, without fail, I felt a small tug on my sleeve.

"What do you feel like eating, Hana-chan?"

"Takoyaki and… d-dango." She went slightly pink asking for the dango.

Why is she embarrassed about dango? I didn’t think too hard about it.

"Coming right up."

I came back with the food and checked my watch. The fireworks were nearly due.

"Oh no. I wanted to catch them from that shrine Shimizu-san mentioned."

"Is there still time?" Hana looked up.

"Barely. But…" I scanned the crowd for the others.

That familiar gentle tug. “If it’s okay… can we watch them… just us?” Her eyes stayed on the ground.

Thump.

You’re in charge of Hana-chan tonight. Not Yuki-chan. She wants the fireworks. Don’t fail this one.

"Okay, Hana-chan." I looked at her. "We’ll need to move fast." I took a breath. Then, without quite looking at her, I held out my hand.

Nothing happened for a moment as I waited for a response.

So this is how Thor feels summoning Mjolnir. I laughed quietly at myself.

Then a hand slid into mine. Small, warm, unhurried. It squeezed once, gently.

Thump.

Objective: fireworks. Focus. Let’s go.