The Requiem Of Our Summer

“Yukio, Yukio! Look!” Hana turns and points to a stall, as she drags me by the hand around the festivities.

It’s been well over an hour since we started checking around the stalls, and as you can guess, Hana has been as loud and energetic as ever.

“Let’s catch some goldfish!” She drags me to the familiar, net fishing stall, as the others trail behind us. “…Terry will need some friends after all!”

“I’m pretty sure he’ll mistake them for a snack and swallow them whole…” I voice, before Hana gives me her best upturned look, one can muster.

“Okay, let’s get that goldfish!”

“Yay!”

Of course I can never say no to her...

“You guys wanna try?” I turn to the others.

“Hmph, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Emi walks up to the pot with the goldfish like a badass, and stands next to Hana.

Thankfully there are two pots, meaning both of them can try at the same time.

The game is simple. You pay for the net in order to catch the goldfish swimming in the pot. The goal is to catch as many as you can, before the net tears.

“Here you go, ladies!” The stall owner hands a net to each girl respectively and the game gets underway.

“Come here, little fishy… Come to Hana…” Hana leans over the pot, and slowly approaches one cornered fish with her net.

In contrast to her slow approach, Emi goes all in right out of the bat.

“Whoop, gotcha!” She catches the first one with ease, and corners another one up against the inner part of the pot.

“Another one!” She exclaims, catching both in a really short amount of time.

“Hehe…” The stall owner’s dry laugh, clearly indicates he is starting to get nervous.

Emi, if you keep this up, you’re gonna wreck his business!

“Come here, fishy, fishy…” Hana on the other side of the stall, stills tries to entice the fish to join the party, whispering her usual sweet nothings.

“It’s in! Yay!” She finally scoops up the fish, proud of her handiwork.

At the end, Hana’s net tore right after, while Emi got around 6 fish before we had to tear her away from the stall.

“Hmhmhm!” Right after leaving the stall, Hana was clearly ecstatic to have made a new friend, who she carried around in a plastic bag filled with water.

“What are you gonna do with all that, Emi?” I ask, eyeing her enormous plastic bag.

“Sell them!”

“Eat them!”

Emi and Daichi replied respectively.

“No, let’s not do any of that…”

“Too late! Already sold them to THAT tourist over there for 8,000 yen!” Hana waved some bills around in my face, before pointing to a tourist happily walking down the park.

SHE’S FAST!

“You sold them already?! And you actually ripped that dude off, why’s he so happy?!”

“I told him they were special goldfish, caught in RYUSEJIMA!” Her eyes sparkled as she gave a thumbs up.

“You actually scammed him!!”

“That’s Emi-onee-san for you! Always the mastermind!” Chinatsu nodded in approval.

“Our food…” Daichi looked at the fleeting tourist, and most importantly, the fish in the bag, dejectedly.

“Hey, dude, they were never our food to begin with…” After a sigh, I turned to my girlfriend who was chuckling at the whole conversation.

“Hana…” Then Daichi whipped his head around, eyeing the goldfish in her hands like a man possessed.

“No!” Both me and Hana instantly stood between the fish and Daichi, Hana to protect her new friend, and me, to avoid any possible traumatic experience for my girlfriend.

“Bad Daichi!” Emi joined the defense line, pulling his ear at a clearly painful angle.

“Ow ow ow!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming!!!” Then, right as Daichi struggled underneath Emi’s hold, an announcement rang out from the speakers.

“Soon, our brand new contest for couples ONLY shall begin! If you and your girlfriend slash boyfriend want to win an awesome prize, then come and register over at the center of the park, right next to the big stage!”

“What’s that “contest”, he’s talking about?” I turn towards my girlfriend, who shrugs.

“No idea…”

“Well, this is a first.” Emi looked just as perplexed as us.

“Onii-sama, aren’t you and my dear sister gonna enter?” Chinatsu raised a valid question.

“Hmm, I don’t know, shall we?” I toss the ball over to Hana, who looks between the stage and me a couple of times.

“Let’s… do this!” She finally raises our connected hands in the air, having made up her mind.

“Oye! We’re doing this too!” Emi soon drags Daichi behind her as she follows us to the stage.

“Ow! But we’re not even a couple!”

“Shut up! There’s a price to win!”

“Chinatsu! Let’s go!” Hana turned around and called out to her sister, and soon the whole group was heading to the main event area.

After registering with our names on the application form, we were instructed to climb up the wooden stage alongside the other couples.

“Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for our lovely couples!”

The host who was a middle aged man in a suit, pointed at all the pairs lined up next to each other.

I feel like a zoo animal… And why’s he wearing a suit in the middle of the summer?!

“Let’s win this!” Hana gave me a firm nod, her eyes full of determination.

“Come on, bow you idiot!” While Emi and Daichi struggled to cooperate with one another.

“The first challenge is: Draw your partner!”

“Do what?!” “Shhhh!” I couldn’t help but exclaim, while all the other couples on stage turned and shushed me, quite irritated.

I thought this was supposed to be something like: guess your partners favorite food or something....

…

Wait, what IS Hana’s favorite food?

I guess, strawberry chocolate bars?

Right as the host finished the announcement, a couple people entered the stage, handing us a small white board, and three colored markers. One blue, one red and one black.

“You have 10 minutes, before the judging process begins!”

“10 minutes?!” “Shhh!” And yet again I was shushed.

“Ready, set… go!” The host gave the signal and suddenly everybody turned quite. It was then that I noticed that quite the crowd had formed below the stage.

I gulped nervously.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this in the bag!!” But Hana’s beaming smile brought me back to reality, and gave me the confidence boost I needed.

With a nod, I turn towards my board.

Hm… How shall I go about this?

I ponder on what kind of drawing I should go with, while everybody has already started theirs.

I only have 10 minutes, so I decide to do something simple, like Hana, painted in a black outline, her bikini (of course) painted with the red marker, and the ocean in the background, of course using the blue one.

I don’t have much confidence in it, but here goes nothing.

I think as I glance at Hana, who’s got her tongue out, in a full-on focus mode.

“Okay…”

…

Soon, 10 minutes are up, and with the host’s signal, we turn our whiteboards around to show our partners.

My drawing is mediocre at best, but I think anyone can tell that it’s Hana.

Hana’s drawing on the other hand…

….

…Is a stickman?!

“So what do you think?” She gave me a smile, pointing at her drawing.

She spent 10 minutes drawing THAT?!

Her drawing is literally a black stick figure, with simple lines for arms and legs, a peculiar small red roof over its head, the kind you see at kids drawings over the houses, and blue grass at its feet.

“So, so?!” Hana waited eagerly for my answer. Consumed by her… “masterpiece” I had forgotten to turn my own painting around.

“I think… you’re great at cooking, Hana.” I decide to avoid a comment about her drawing altogether.

“Hehe, what does that have to do with anything?” She smiled bashfully at my unexpected compliment.

“What’s that… uhm, roof over my head?” I opted to ask.

“Roof? That’s your hair!”

“It is? Then what is it floating OVER my head?”

“Because that’s what it does!” Hana pointed out the answer like it was natural.

Suddenly, I have this urge to find a mirror…

“And why is the grass… blue?”

“What grass? Come on, that’s the ocean!” Hana laughed, thinking I was actually joking around.

“The ocean, yeah! Wow, Hana… you’re such a great cook!”

HOW CAN I TELL HER?!

“Haha, this again! Silly Yukio!” Hana just giggled yet again, completely oblivious.

“Nevermind…” I flipped my own board over to her, as her eyes widened.

“Awww! That looks sooo good!” Hana squealed at my drawing. “I didn’t know you were so talented!”

“I really am not… Haha...”

It’s just that you suck… Sorry, Hana… I still love you…

It was true though, that Hana’s stick figure made my mediocre drawing look like something straight out of an art museum.

As Hana admired my work, I noticed the other couples.

Some were silent, while others had started bickering amongst themselves.

“I don’t look that ugly!”

“But I drew you perfectly!”

“How can you say that?!”

I overheard a conversation of a slightly older couple, that went something like this.

“Hey, why did you drew my face so big?!”

And that was Emi…

“But it is big!”

“Oh now you’ve done it!”

They bickered too, just like the other couples, before Emi straight up grappled him into a headlock.

While Emi’s drawing was actually GOOD, Daichi’s was slightly better than Hana’s.

“Pffft!” I noticed Chinatsu laughing, from the seats next to the stage.

“How about you two show me your work, kids?” The host the came towards us, with his all-natural, all-fake, host smile.

It is time for us to be judged…

I draw a sharp breath, ready to start the play.

Now that Hana had actually drown the worst sketch out of them all, we just had to own it, right?

“Hey, look!” I turn to the crowd and the other participants.

“My girlfriend just made the best drawing ever!” I point at her work. “Be jealous guys! This girl and this painting, are all mine!” I shout, before I cross my arms over my chest, and grin proudly.

“Yukiooooo!!” Hana’s face, naturally, turns so red, her head must literally look like a tomato from afar.

“Seriously, I’m putting this up at the museum! Not only is she beautiful, but she is also talented!” I continue, while all the participants, Emi and Daichi included, gave us funny looks.

Okay, now the embarrassment’s kicking in.

“Pfft…” Hana, still red-faced, tried to hold back a laugh over my antics, although she didn’t really do a good job at it.

But if it made her laugh, then honestly, that was all I could ask for.

The host chuckled too, before writing down something on his notepad, and walking off to the next couple in line.

…

“The second challenge is: Dancing with your partner!”

After the first part was finished, the host on stage announced yet again, before a slow track started playing on the speakers.

“Do you know… how to dance?” Hana asked, clearly looking nervous.

“Nope!” I shook my head, before grabbing her by the waist all the same. “Do you?” I finally ask.

“Oh, uhm, no.” Hana just smiles bashfully, before giving a light chuckle.

Thinking it’s best to observe our competition, I turn to look over the other couples. Some had already started dancing romantically to the tune, while the others were still trying to figure it out, just like us.

“Well, let’s improvise!” I say, grabbing her hand, and putting it on my shoulder. Grabbing firmly at her waist, I join our free hands together.

First I take a step back, as Hana steps forward. Then we step to the side. After that, I take a step forward instead, and to top it off, we step to the other side, forming a small square with our movements.

“Hey, we’re doing it!” Hana cried out, pure joy on her face.

Our movements were awkward, and Hana had stepped on my foot one too many times, but at least we were having fun.

“Ouch! Stop stepping on my foot!”

…

“You’re too slow!”

…

I couldn’t say the same about all the other couples, though...

Of course there were those who danced quite professionally, especially the older ones, without uttering a word all the while.

…

“Ouch, you idiot!”

“Sorry!”

And of course Emi and Daichi were at each other’s throats…

“IF you step on my foot again, you’re gonna be eating through a tube for the next 3 month- OWW!’

“AAAHH! I’M SORRYY!!”

…

R.I.P. Daichi.

Thankfully, the second challenge concluded before Daichi could get the beating he rightfully deserved.

…

“Third and last challenge: Tells us how you met and HOW you fell in love!”

Wait… what?!

The host announced, as the crowd cheered, eager to hear some love stories.

“First off, is you two!” He pointed to a middle-aged couple first, handing them the mic.

“We met at high school… My husband was-“ Right as the woman was about to explain their first meeting, with a flutter of her eyelids, the man stops her.

“Wait, I thought we met at college?!”

“What? No, it was high school!” The woman shook her head in denial.

“It was college…!”

“Haha, okay, next up… you two!” The host laughed awkwardly, before pointing to Emi and Daichi.

“Oh, us?” Emi pointed between them, as she received the mic.

“He was fishing and had his back turned to me… and I saw his muscular figure and thought “Wow, look at that hot guy…”” She explains, while the crowd makes all sorts of excited sounds.

“Really…?” Daichi, on the other hand, blushes for the first time in history.

“And then he turned around… and I saw his ugly mug. I was disappointed at first, but thought “nah, who cares?” and we started dating anyway.” Emi salutes at the crowd, which was now in a mixture of applause and confusion.

“Next up, the cute couple over there!” The host then tossed the mic at us, which Hana caught midair.

Cute couple?

“Uh… hello everyone…” Hana greeted the crowd, and smiled bashfully.

Soon, a cheer erupted, at the face of Hana’s sweet and innocent smile.

“GRRR!”

I growl at the men cheering for my girlfriend, seeing through their ulterior motives.

She’s mine bozos!

“Okay so we were kids… like 5 or 6…”

“Aww…!”

Hana started, as the girls in the crowd exclaim in delight.

“We used to play together all the time, and we were best friends… but then he left for Tokyo…”

“Aw…”

A lower, more melancholic exclamation followed her words this time.

Uhm, Hana-chan, are we really telling them our love story?

“But then he came back this year! And we’ve been having so much fun together! And before I realized I was already in love…”

“AWWWW!”

Our faces flushed red simultaneously, as the crowd cheered.

Did she seriously just say that in public?! On top of a stage?!

Filled with second-hand embarrassment, I opted to scan the crowd, when I noticed a tall figure of an old man staring daggers at me.

Uncle Jun?!!

Suddenly, I felt like this was my last day on the island for a whole different reason.

“Thank you so much for your patience, we’re now going to announce the WINNERS!” The host voiced dramatically, over a pretty amateur drum roll.

Well unfortunately, there’s no way it’s us. Hana’s drawing was really childish to say the least, and our dance was really awkward…

“The winners are…”

The man in the suit received an envelope, which he teared open.

Then, he drew a sharp breath and announced:

“This cute, young couple!” He pointed at us, and the crowd burst out in applause.

“We won?!” I turned to Hana, clearly shocked.

“We woon!!” My girlfriend started jumping around happily before she wrapped her arms over my neck in the heat of the moment.

“But, their dance was awkward!”

“Yeah and their drawings were awful!”

Some couples protested.

“Hey! Take that comment about the drawings back!” I hissed angrily, before the host put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“Dear participants. This wasn’t a talent show. It doesn’t matter if you can draw, or dance. The point was, the chemistry you have with your partner. These two have been laughing and having fun all night! It was a given they would win!’

He quickly came to our defence, as the crowd gave yet another cheer.

“I think congratulations are in order, you two!” The host finally turned to us with a smile.

“Yeah, congratulations, guys! Hope you’ll share your reward with us!” Emi cheered, throwing a peace sign our way.

“And now… for your reward.” A young woman ascended to the stage, handing a small box to the suited man, who accepted it with a nod.

Then, cautiously, he opened the velvet box, and pointed to the contents.

“These two, matching bracelets.”

“Lame…” Emi commented, already disinterested.

“Matching…”

“…Bracelets?” Hana and I furrowed our brows at the prize.

There were two almost identical, bracelets resting inside the box, made from stainless steel. One had a figure of a dolphin carved on it, while the other that of a shark.

I already knew which one I would give to Hana.

“These are made from stainless steel, and their sides are magnetic, meaning they stick to each other when they are close enough.”

The host explained, handing the box over to us.

Hana took it in her hands and smiled up at me.

I smiled back, after bowing to the kind host.

Soon, the contest concluded, and it was almost time for the fireworks. After getting everyone’s consent, we ascended up the hill towards the shrine, in order to get a better view.

The Shinto shrine was right atop the park, just in front of the numerous steps adorning the hill.

The shrine itself was rather small, and the structure was quite old and generic, like every other Shinto shrine in Japan. Although, its exterior was freshly painted in red and dark brown colors, and it looked like it was regularly taken care of.

As we reached the big, red shrine gate, it suddenly struck me.

“Oh!’ I stopped in my tracks.

“What’s up?” Hana tilted her head to the side, as our bracelets, and hands, parted.

“I need to go pay a visit to my mom, I’ll be back in a minute.” I hastily explained as I got some weird stares from the group.

Shrugging them off, I turned and dashed up the slope, towards the graveyard.

My surroundings were dark, and I could barely see where I was going, but having carved a straight line from the shrine with my path, the graveyard was difficult to miss.

I soon found the numerous gravestones lined up on the top of the hill, overlooking the island.

It was a rather beautiful spot for a graveyard.

I suppose even the dead can appreciate a nice view.

Searching through the gravestones with my flip-phone camera flash, which wasn’t really all that bright, I soon found the one I was looking for.

Soraji Aoi.

That was my mom’s full name, after she married my dad, of course.

Drawing a sharp breath, I sat down on my knees, and looked at the stone, as if it were a living person.

“Hey mom…”

Of course, there was no response.

Naturally, I was all alone in the graveyard. Even on the night of the summer festival, no one visited that late at night.

And here I was, doing that exact thing.

“I’m sorry it took me so long.” I finally voiced, sweeping the leaves off the gravestone.

“I don’t know why, but… I can’t remember much about you, mom.”

“But I just wanted you to know that… I’m happy right now. And although I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll definitely be back. For both Hana… and you.”

I voiced softly, before bringing my hands together in the form of a prayer.

Just as I was about to wrap up, I heard a set of footsteps approaching, and momentarily tensed up.

The setting was rather creepy, after all.

A dark graveyard on top of a hill.

The thought made me shudder.

Soon, an old man emerged from the path up the slope, wearing a set of old-fashioned robes, the kind shrine attendants donned.

Realizing I was just being weird by staring, I turned back to my mom’s gravestone.

He must be here to visit someone, just like me.

But the old man didn’t stop in front of any gravestone. Instead he ventured past all of them, without even turning to look.

Soon, he stopped right next to ME.

“Can I… help you?” I voiced shakily, clearly taken aback.

“Oh, Aoi.” He said, his voice heavy, and old. But also filled with regret. Sorrow.

I gulped at the sound of my mom’s name.

“What happened to her was… a terrible accident.” The old man’s words felt like they striked the wind out of my lungs.

“Accident…?”

What accident? My mom… died from an illness… right?

“Didn’t you know?” He finally turned to me, as if he had just noticed my presence.

“Aoi. She drowned, trying to save the eldest Izumi… and you.”

To be continued…