Chapter 26: The Dance

— Festival Grounds —

The sun was painting the sky gold. Along the lamp posts, lanterns glowed warmly, drawing visitors and families into the grounds. Traditional music played through the speakers, the excited murmur of the crowd woven underneath it. Hawkers worked steadily at their stalls, and in the centre of the festival grounds, a temporary stage dominated the space.

The Obon dance troupe gathered beneath the stage in their ceremonial scarlet hakama. Hana and Sachi stood side by side, hands clasped, trying to clear their minds before the performance. Hana’s hand drifted to her bare ear, then fell back to her side.

The clock hit seven. One by one, the dancers stepped onto the stage and formed up. The music from the speakers faded, and the emcee’s voice rang across the grounds.

“Everyone! Welcome to the Obon festival! Our annual dance will commence shortly — and this year’s troupe welcomes a new addition, Hana Inoue! Please give her a warm welcome!”

The crowd gathered around the stage. Hana bowed politely at her introduction and smiled.

“Now, please make your way to the centre to watch our annual dance! There is a full lineup of traditional and modern songs, and everyone is welcome to join in from below the stage!”

Hana’s eyes moved across the crowd, searching. She kept searching until the drumbeat began, signalling the start.

No sign of Ryo yet.

The first song.

The second.

The third.

With every turn, Hana’s eyes swept the audience. Her heart sank a little further with every song that ended.

Then the final song. By tradition, newcomers performed the last piece alone.

One by one, the other dancers retreated to the back of the stage and took their seats in seiza. Hana stepped forward alone, head bowed. A smile sat on her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

The drums began. The melody of a traditional song filled the grounds.

Each step was placed with precision. Her arms arced gracefully, her eyes tracking her own hand movements. Every pivot landed on the beat, every scoop executed with the scarlet hakama accentuating the flow of each motion.

The crowd quietened. Some boys who had been leaning on the temporary fencing stood straighter without noticing.

— Kenji —

“Hana-chan…” His chest swelled with something he couldn’t quite name.

He looked around at the faces watching her. A significant number of them were boys.

He clicked his tongue.

Then he noticed the space beside him.

“Where’s Ryo?”

He checked his phone. Still nothing. Kenji frowned. He’d been half-worried about Ryo for a while, but it was becoming harder to push aside. And Hana was up there performing the most important dance of her year, scanning the audience between every movement.

Even Kenji could connect those dots.

“Come on, Ryo. Where are you?” he muttered.

* * *

The music entered its peak. The tempo climbed, and Hana kept pace without a stumble. Every twirl of the hakama, every spin of her ponytail, the faint sheen of sweat on her face caught and warmed by the lantern glow.

The audience had gone still.

Then the music drew into a crescendo — and stopped. The final movement. Slow strings now, measured and tender.

Hana, still breathing hard, reined her movements in and let the music carry her. Her body followed the melody.

Her expression matched it. Her gaze took on a melancholy that spoke of sadness and departure.

Her hands reached out toward the audience, as though grasping for threads that were just beyond her fingers.

She turned left and right, as if searching for someone who had left without a word.

Her eyes shimmered, as if mourning a love that had no good timing.

At the foot of the stage, her dance coach watched with undisguised pride, entirely unaware of what was actually happening behind those eyes.

As the final movement drew to its close, Hana stood straight and brought her hands together in prayer — the last pose of the piece.

Her eyes swept the audience one final time. She found faces full of admiration, of warmth, of support. None of them were the one she was looking for.

At the outer edge of the crowd, she noticed Shimizu in his priest’s robes. Another figure stood beside him with an arm across his shoulders, too far away and too blurred for her to make out.

Did he only just arrive? I hadn’t seen him until now.

The rest of the troupe rejoined her on stage. Together they bowed, and the Obon dance was done.

* * *

They came down from the platform in order. Sachi immediately pulled Hana aside. Kenji, Yuki and Daiki were there, and the praise came at once.

"Hana-chan! That was breathtaking!" Yuki’s hands were clasped together.

"I’d watch out for eager boys, Hana-chan." Daiki grinned.

"You worked hard and it showed, Hana-chan." Kenji clapped.

"Not a single mistake. Best newcomer in years." Sachi nodded.

Despite all of it, Hana’s smile didn’t reach. Tears were pressing at her eyes, so she bowed deeply to hide them.

It’s over. He didn’t come. This is the worst possible outcome.

Shimizu’s hakama appeared in her downward line of sight.

"Hana-chan. Congratulations on the dance." His voice was quiet and kind.

Hana kept her head down. Tears had started falling, landing silently on the ground.

No, no, no. I cannot cry here. This is embarrassing.

Then — gasps. Kenji. Sachi. Yuki. Daiki.

"Ryo-kun! What happened to you?!"

Hana’s head came up.

I stood there just behind Shimizu, and limped up to Hana. My right leg was in a splint. I looked exactly like someone who had crawled through a forest for several hours. But I was smiling, and my eyes were wet, and I was looking at Hana.

"Hana-chan. I saw it. The final dance. You were —"

She didn’t let me finish. She walked straight to me and pressed her face into my shoulder, and sobbed without holding anything back.

"Ryo-kun… Ryo-kun… I thought… I thought…" The words broke apart in her throat.

Sachi touched Hana’s arm gently. Kenji took a step forward, stopped, and looked at me instead.

Shimizu gave my back a single pat and released me. I limped forward.

"Hana-chan… I’m filthy, and I probably smell, and I…" I held out an arm.

Hana shook her head and stayed exactly where she was.

Sachi quietly began moving everyone else along, with the particular energy of someone who had been waiting to do this for a long time. Kenji wanted to stay, but lasted about three seconds before her look finished the argument.

"I’ll keep an eye on them," Shimizu told Sachi, and stepped back to a respectful distance.

"Ryo-kun…" Hana looked up at me through her tears.