End Of Summer

As the week of training and preparation was underway, Xion and Saeko decided to take Kazue out for ice cream, as a birthday treat.

They went during the morning, hoping to avoid busy lines.

“Parasol Paradise?” Kazue grinned at the electronic holographic sign outside.

Occasionally the sign would stutter and glitch, causing the name to disappear, then reappear frantically.

“We’re cheap…okay man,” Xion frowned.

“And besides, I’ve been coming here for years and the owner is really nice. Sometimes he gives out free bowls and cones!” Xion said with excitement.

“Isn’t that nice Kazue?” Saeko grinned, nudging him with her shoulder.

“Last time I was here I got a free umbrella too in my sundae.”

“Whatever. Let’s just go inside,” Kazue groaned, clearly unamused, and left the two to go inside first.

The door had a small jingle, emitted from a rusted bell.

“Wait until he meets Hiroshi!” Xion snickered along with Saeko.

The tiny compact dining room was as hot and humid as it was outside.

Its simple layout contained two tables with chairs, a few out of date movie posters, and a counter where you could order.

“Come on…” Kazue sighed, disappointed at the sight of the room.

The floor creaked with each step he took, and he began to expect he would fall through.

Kazue pushed through a spider web, and nearly lost his temper.

Luckily, the man that jumped up from behind the counter had a friendly smile.

“Hello there! Xion Mizuno, and Saeko Nagata! My two favorite customers!” the cheery man said as the friends joined Kazue, giggling to themself as they came.

The man’s outfit resembled an old barber shop’s uniform, with a clear white shirt, swamp green pants, and a striped apron tied around his waist.

“Say! You must be a friend of theirs too! Well, a friend of theirs is a friend of mine! Put it there pal!” the man said as he extended an arm over the counter.

Kazue squinted his eyes, and hesitantly shook the man’s hand.

The way the man spoke was fast, and irritatingly so.

“The name’s Hiroshi Bonsai! I take it you’re Kazue Kinoskue, right?” Hiroshi smirked, turning to pick up a bowl and shining it with a rag.

“Yeah, sure. Can I just get a scoop of chocolate chunks?” Kazue said, ignoring the man’s friendly display.

“Sorry Kazue, but I’m fresh out of that. Take a look inside my stock, and see if anything suits your fancy!” Hiroshi said, putting his hands on the counter.

The side compartment slid away after a few attempts, and revealed several different colored umbrellas laying down in a freezer that had mist coming off it.

“Uh…” Kazue stuttered, turning to Saeko.

She immediately burst out laughing, trying to cover her mouth in the process.

“Gee I’m glad one of us is having fun,” Kazue said as he looked over to Xion.

“The orange one is my favorite!” Xion smiled, pretending not to notice Kazue’s annoyance.

“Black umbrella is the absolute best, but I recommend the blue one for you!” Saeko added.

Kazue looked back into the box.

The colored umbrellas were black, blue, orange, green, and red.

“Seriously?” he thought to himself. What kind of game was this?

“I’ll take the red one I guess,” he finally said, realizing he’d been examining them for a while.

“Excellent choice! Just as I predicted!” Hiroshi laughed, and retrieved the red umbrella, shutting the lid.

There were small icicles that fell off the umbrella as he handed it over to Kazue.

“Sure…is that what you say to everyone?” Kazue laughed half-heartedly.

“Yeah dude! He predicted both of our umbrellas too. It’s pretty crazy right?” Xion smiled.

“Uh-huh…So do I just open this, or…?” Kazue pondered.

“Please!” Hiroshi smiled.

Kazue unloosened the red umbrella.

As it opened, the interior of it was littered with notecards and descriptions.

“Kazue’s favorite movie: Ah, Cure, Ah.”

“Kazue’s favorite food: Yakitori, with extra tare sauce.”

“Kazue’s favorite Daimyo: Tsunami.”

“Kazue’s favorite book. Kazue’s favorite sport. Kazue’s favorite band.”

He examined these all, with his eyes narrowing with each true fact.

“These you all could’ve just learned from Xion, or Saeko’s big head. I’m not buying this prediction crap…” he said as his eyes finally met the last notecard.

It read: “Kazue’s favorite color is blue, but he picked the red umbrella to spite Saeko!” with a smiley face at the end.

He looked up to see Hiroshi now holding a blue umbrella, holding it out to him like a fine sword.

“Thanks for coming!” Hiroshi waved as the three began to exit his shop.

The rusted bell rang once more as the door shut.

In Kazue’s hands he now held the blue umbrella, and was fuming.

“It wasn’t magic, it was just a lucky guess is all!” he said.

“It was totally magical. My umbrella predicted that my beautiful soul will be chased after by a determined individual!” Saeko proclaimed.

“Must’ve got the wrong umbrella, because your soul is probably ugly!” Kazue yelled back.

Saeko punched his shoulder lightly.

Out of curiosity, she then asked, “What’s your blue umbrella’s prediction?”

“Oh. Pretty simple actually,” Kazue said as he shut it.

“I’ll become whatever it is I’ve dreamt most!” he said with a smile.

“So MINE is wrong, but yours is right?” Saeko yelled at him.

“Hey hey! I’m going to win this festival, right? You both have to root for me!” Kazue said back.

“I guess…” Xion said teasingly.

“Only if you take back that ugly insult…” Saeko also added.

“Both your souls are beautiful,” Kazue then said uncharacteristically, to which both Xion and Saeko smiled silently at.

Having arrived back at Tuff Buff’s garage, Kazue set aside his umbrella with Saeko and Xion’s, which were also joined by the sword Xion was given from Akuma.

“Hey. What’s your umbrella say?” Kazue asked Xion once Saeko walked off to join Buff downstairs.

“Starting to sweat about these predictions?” Xion smiled.

“No-I, I am just interested, is all. Saeko’s is about love, and mine is about passion. So yours is probably different too,” Kazue scrubbed his head.

“Mine said at even as the in the face of imminent danger, I’ll be smiling.”

Xion held up his orange umbrella, and opened it with a smile.

“HEY! Opening those indoors is bad luck!” Tuff Buff yelled, having now just arrived in the room after coming up the stairs.

Saeko was behind him.

Both Kazue, Saeko, and Xion laughed together.