One Lap Around the Sun

"Something's off..." Mitsuki said, lying down on the back porch of her house right next to a fan, trying to survive the intense heat of that summer's day. 
She sat up, her eyes narrowed as she scanned her surroundings.
Haiji broke the silence with a bark, and she threw him a stick.
"I thought they'd be telling me to pack my things again by now..."
She looked back over her shoulder. She could hear the baseball game playing on the living room television. 

The school break had started, and there were still no signs of her mother's new job location. Her mother was also spending the weekends mostly at home, as if she had settled, for the first time in years, into a normal work schedule. Mitsuki usually spent her summer break packing to move. But now she found herself bored, lacking things to do.

Her phone buzzed.
"Don't forget we're going to the festival tomorrow to celebrate Tominaga's birthday."
She read the text Chika sent to the group chat, possibly to make sure Fuyuko wouldn't forget. 
On the last day of school, Shōta had invited everyone from their circle to celebrate Haruki's birthday on the 23rd of July. Being the great party planner that he was, he didn't leave room for anyone to decline the invitation. Mitsuki was still hoping to move cities before that happened. She was never good at celebrating birthdays, not even her own.
She sighed.

"Mooom!" She yelled as she got up and went inside the house.
Her mother's head appeared in the doorway, while her body remained in the kitchen. She had an inquisitive look in her eyes.
"Do you happen to have a yukata I can wear?"
Plates rattled to the ground, along with her mother's jaw.

"What was that?" Mrs. Yoshinaga shook her head in disbelief at the words coming from her daughter's mouth.

"Do you have one or not? It's fine, I'll just wear whatever if you don't." 

"No!" Her mother quickly took off her apron and placed both her hands on Mitsuki's shoulders. "I thought this day would never come." She added in a proud, relieved sigh.

She grabbed Mitsuki's hands, and they went to a room upstairs whose purpose her parents still hadn't decided. 
Her mother frantically squeezed between two large, heavy boxes and pulled out a wooden chest. She blew the dust off and opened it.
Mitsuki's eyes were caught by the purple silky cloth, with a mystical pattern of moons and stars. It felt like it was calling for her.

"This was your grandma's favourite yukata," her mother said, happy tears making her eyes shine. "I'm so happy you'll wear it this year on such a special occasion." 

"Oh." Mitsuki intervened. "This has nothing to do with that. I'm going to the festival with some friends. It's Haruki's birthday." 
Mitsuki had mastered saying his name naturally at this point.

"Then that's one more reason to wear it—and a favor I'd be glad to do." Her mother's smirk widened.

A couple of days later, on the day of the festival, Mitsuki met with Fuyuko and Chika at the station, and they walked to the meeting point. 
Near the entrance, there was a children's playground. Shōta was waiting while playing on the monkey bars.

"Wait for me!" Fuyuko said, giving her purse to Chika, and jumped onto the bars.

"It's easy to make kids happy, isn't it?" Keita joked as he walked toward the girls with Haruki.

Haruki glanced at the silvery silhouette behind Chika. Mitsuki was staring at the clear sky. Her hair was perfectly styled in a braided bun with a single lock falling on her shoulder. Her eyes glowed softly, reflecting the moonlight and the purple shades of her clothing. He felt his heart palpitating against his ribs. He tried calming down, but his eyes were glued to her.
He then noticed the two pens stuck on the obi around her waist. He smiled. Everything Mitsuki did always turned out to be unique.

"Yoshinaga, you look different," Shōta commented, suddenly showing up next to them, his hand on his chin, inspecting.
"She does, doesn't she, Haruki?" He glanced at him abruptly, full of energy.
Haruki couldn't find the words. Not even a sound left his mouth.

"Well, it's not like you'll see me again in this outfit." Mitsuki smiled, trying to avoid the subject.
"Shall we go?" 

The festival was full of people. The different-colored lanterns on the stalls illuminated the street as if it were a stage.  Chika pulled Fuyuko by the back of her collar with a reflex movement every time the group passed by food stalls. Keita checked his phone every once in a while to make sure everything was okay at home. Shōta walked around proudly, showing off five fish in plastic bags that he had won in a game. Haruki kept getting lost in Mitsuki's almost ethereal beauty. Mitsuki tried to ignore the glances she was receiving, blaming her parents, who got overly excited dolling her up. 

"Haruki, we have to find the greatest spot to watch the fireworks! Getting your birthday started the right way!" Shōta said, showing more enthusiasm than the soon-to-be birthday boy.

After walking around some more, they found a spot on the grass at the top of a small hill, where people were starting to gather. Shōta and Fuyuko ran there, pushing people aside, and laid a picnic blanket on the ground. They were protecting their newly claimed territory. 

"Aren't we the best at finding spots?" Shōta said as he high-fived Fuyuko.

"You definitely have a kind of canine sense of smell," Chika claimed as she sat down on the blanket.
Keita sat next to her. She grew pink in the face, the same color as the butterflies in her yukata.
The remaining free space on the blanket was tiny. Haruki sat on the grass next to the seat and gestured for Mitsuki to use it.
She gave him a thankful smile. As she was going to sit down, her phone rang.

"Hello?" Mitsuki answered. "Um... yeah, I'm at the hill. Oh. Yeah, I can go there. Alright, I'll see you in a bit." 
She hung up the phone and put it in her purse.
"I'm sorry, I'll be right back!"
She bowed slightly and ran back to the stall area. Haruki raised his hand as if trying to stop her, but couldn't reach her. The night became darker, and he kept staring after Mitsuki, his face saddened.

Seconds turned into minutes. Twelve minutes to midnight. Mitsuki hadn't returned, and Haruki felt slightly restless. 
He stood up and looked around. That was a dangerous move for him to be making at night. Like ships drawn to a lighthouse, Haruki's fangirls spotted him, getting closer like a wave.

"I'll be right back," he said as he tilted his head toward the approaching fangirls. 

Seven minutes to midnight. He ran to the food zone, looking back as he went. He was fast enough to shake them off, but they were too good at knowing his next moves. Being cautious was never enough. 
Someone bumped into him. 

"Oh, Haruki!" Mitsuki said, surprised, as she massaged her forehead. "Weren't you with—" 
She saw a glimpse of some girls and understood what was going on. 
"Come with me!" She grabbed his arm and led him to a little dark space between stalls. 
"They won't find you here," she smiled. They could barely fit together in that cramped space. Haruki could feel Mitsuki's breathing on his neck. 
She looked at the dining area to see if the coast was clear.
"I think we—" 
As she looked up, she finally realized how close she was to Haruki's face, and her speech faltered.

"Thank you for rescuing me again, Mitsuki," Haruki smiled as he tucked her loose hair behind her ear.
Her face felt like it was on fire.

"We should probably go before we lose the fireworks!" Mitsuki said, fidgeting. 

"It's fine. I think I'd rather be here."

"It's probably way less noisy here, so I wouldn't mind that." Mitsuki looked to her right, biting her own cheek. Haruki kept staring at her.
"One minute to your birthday. Do you have your birthday wishes ready?"

"I feel like I won't need much this year." He had a pleased grin, leaning toward her. "But I do want to ask you one thing."

"What is it?"

It was midnight. The fireworks lit up the sky in a dazzling display, but they didn't break eye contact. The different colors illuminated their faces, turning them into a piece of art they could almost touch. 

"Happy birthday, Haruki," Mitsuki said, showing him a shy smile. Her voice was soft and clear.
Haruki beamed with happiness, as if things had taken an unexpected turn for the better.

"Thank you, Mitsuki," he answered warmly. 

"So what did you want to ask?" Mitsuki tried to lead the conversation to a safer place.

"When's your birthday? I want to celebrate it with you."

"Tominaga! Yoshinaga!" Fuyuko yelled, breaking the mood.
Mitsuki glanced at Haruki and slipped out of the little gap.
She looked at him one last time and smiled, a halo beaming around her.

"Your wish already came true," Mitsuki said. "My birthday just ended one minute ago."