A Thousand Suns

Few times in his life had Takashi felt so petrified. He could be surprised often, some even quite significant, but seeing the girl he liked with a yukata partially falling off was several steps above.

"Don't just stand there staring! Come!" The situation made Nao mix a hint of anger with her embarrassment. Takashi smiled, noticing the stark contrast between her white shoulders and her flushed cheeks, as if they were the background and sun of the Japanese flag.

"Alright, alright," he smiled, taking the first step. "You wanted me to be the first one to tell you that you look beautiful, right?"

Takashi's attempt to get a tender reaction worked, as Nao looked forward. "You silly! It's just that my parents are at the festival, and Haruki is with his friends, so I couldn't get it tied properly!"

"Okay, no need to throw a tantrum."

"I'm not throwing a tantrum!"

Silence took over as Takashi stood inches from her back. He noticed how the misplaced yukata completely exposed her delicate shoulders as she struggled to keep it in place, so his first movement was to raise the sleeves of the yukata to cover them.

"B-Be gentle," she whispered almost inaudibly.

For Takashi, standing behind her with her head bowed gave the situation a strange emotion. The softness of Nao's skin sent warmth and electricity through him whenever he accidentally brushed her exposed neck with his pacient fingers, as she felt the gentle breath against her nape. He also thought about planting her a playful kiss there, but decided not to put her under more tension.

"Don't worry," Takashi said with a mischievous smile, speaking suggestively.

He delicately tied the obi of her yukata, balancing firmness and comfort to ensure it was secure but not too tight.

"Done," he said, giving her a small tap on the waist. Nao turned towards him, checking how well he had done.

"Thank you."

"You are."

After a moment, Nao realized he was again referring to her being beautiful. If her blush was about to fade, it surely wouldn't now.

"Oh..." Nao lowered her head and saw her fingers come together in front of her tenderly. "Thank you too."

Takashi glanced guiltily at the items in Nao's room while averting his gaze. There was her futon, neatly placed next to her brother Haruki's, a small nightstand, and a desk, which caught his attention because of the scattered papers.

"Are these your drawings?" He instinctively moved closer to the desk.

He wouldn't have imagined Nao as a messy person if he hadn't seen that pile of papers. A dozen homework sheets mixed with a map of Takachiho marked with a red line showing the road the team had been through while arriving, and, most interestingly, scattered papers with drawings and poems.

"Oh, yes, but... Ah!”

Nao's little hands couldn't reach the paper that Takashi held up in the air, reading it from a safe distance.

"‘You steal the air out of my lungs when you look at me, you make me feel like all I want is your hand forever.’ Awww, I'm dying of cuteness," Takashi was beaming with happiness upon discovering Nao's hobby. "When did you write this?"

"This..." Nao seemed to retreat a hundred steps in confidence as Takashi teased her. "Two days ago."

Now it was Takashi who lit up like the sunrise, making him quickly put the paper back on the table. "Oh... how cute."

Both of them looked at the floor, revealing the true feelings of their shy hearts with a smile.

"Do you want to see my drawings?" Nao gathered her courage. "I couldn't show you at the festival."

"Oh, sure," Takashi was overly excited.

Nao's sketchbook was stored in one of the desk drawers, from where she carefully retrieved it. It was very small, with a brown cover, practical to carry everywhere. Takashi huddled close to Nao as she flipped through her drawings, one by one.

"Wow, these are beautiful."

"They are drawings I like to do when I go for a walk; it inspires me a lot."

"I can imagine. The views here are spectacular."

Landscapes filled with birds, sunsets, and old houses filled the pages, drawn with fine details for an amateur.

"Oh, I love the colors in this one," Takashi pointed to a page showing a sunset with yellow sun and burgundy details. "Those are my favorites."

"I can see why. Men can be so predictable," she said without malice, knowing those were Tsuno’s colours.

"What's your favorite color, Nao?"

She put a finger to her lips, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I think... blue. I really like how it looks in the sky."

"Blue yukata. And then we men are predictable. Oh?"

Takashi focused again on the next page, where a little elusive cat was sitting on its hindquarters.

"Oh, I drew this one recently. The cutie stayed near the park meowing for a while, and I got a chance to draw it," Nao said, sounding surprised by Takashi's chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I remembered my cousins had one just like it. Once I tried to catch it, and... I got tangled in one of the curtains in their house."

Nao couldn't contain her laughter, causing both of them to bump shoulders several times.

"Really?"

"Yes, I know," Takashi blushed, but it was a tender and happy blush. "That's why I prefer dogs."

"Huh? I can't believe it. Cats are better, I've always wanted to have one," Nao said, still looking at the drawing. "I mean, have you ever cuddled an animal as soft as a cat?"

"Like fifteen minutes ago." Of course, he couldn't tell her that. Takashi assumed that his encounter with Inari would remain a secret he'd keep forever.

Both of them shared a tender moment, fueled by Nao's enthusiasm as she explained her drawings and feelings. Takashi truly admired each of them, but he couldn't help but return to the artwork he liked the most: the one with brown hair, two eyes, and a brilliant smile.

"That's all," she said, closing her sketchbook shyly, then offering him a somewhat nervous smile.

"You draw very well, Nao."

"Huh?" Her adorable expressions of embarrassment delighted Takashi, and now she seemed a bit hunched. "I'm not that good."

"Come on, don't be humble, you are very talented. And write poems too."

"Of course not! I don't write many poems or senryu."

Unbeknownst to her, Nao gave herself away.

"Do you write senryu? Read me one, please!"

"N-no, no, no!" Nao seemed so nervous that the words wouldn't come out.

"Come on, just one."

Takashi put on his best pleading smile, full of tenderness directed at Nao. It seemed he had hit her weak spot, as her heart was filled with kindness by his gentle gesture, while she relaxed and blushed.

"Just one."

For a few seconds, Nao seemed lost, looking at the floor, but Takashi didn't bother her.

"I wrote this one recently for someone very special, so I remember it well. It goes..."

Nao's eyes sparkled as she recited the words, of which Takashi had no idea what they meant to her.

“Amidst obstacles,

Your light shines brightly.

Never give up.”

Takashi felt touched, partly by the beautiful words and partly by Nao's tender smile filled with emotion towards him.

"If you wanted to make my heart flutter, you succeeded."

"I'm so glad."

Nao turned around to put away her sketchbook, while Takashi fixed his gaze on her, bewitched by the tender attraction he felt. He waited for her to finish and then gently took her left hand, guiding her to turn around as he held her right hand too. Nao let out a sweet, hushed exclamation of surprise but went along with the movement, displaying a complicit smile.

"You shine with the beauty of a thousand suns, and I want to give you a kiss for each sun," Takashi said.

If Nao had been a steam locomotive at that moment, the engineer would have shoveled all the coal into the furnace, allowing the warm words to caress her unsuspecting heart.

"That's not how you write a senryuu, silly," Nao said, lowering her veil, partly hiding her blushing face. Something about that gesture melted Takashi's heart with tenderness once again. Just from that single movement, he longed he could kiss her over and over again, even telling her she was actually like a million suns.

Perhaps it was that longing that made him notice how long it took her to lift her head.

Nao is lying down sad.

"Huh?” Takashi again couldn’t understand his thoughts. “She is neither laid down nor sad… right?"

"Nao?" His gentle call was followed by his hand lifting her chin, revealing a sorrow smile.

"It's just that..." Nao paused, having Takashi fully focused on her. "You're leaving tonight, and I won't be able to hear you laughing like this."

"Aww, is that so?"

"It's not 'just' that - she made a tender movement to release from the hold. “You made me very happy these days, and I want it to stay like this. I don't want you to get on that bus."

As Takashi listened, his chest tightened, but he also felt a comforting warmth envelop him.

"Nao, you sweet dummy…” Takashi was dumbfounded by how lovely she could be. “You made me very happy too these days. I don't want to say goodbye either, but Tsuno is only an hour away from Takachiho. I'll come back to see you, every weekend if necessary."

A second later, he found himself instinctively wrapping his arms around Nao, holding her tight. His senses indulged in the warmth and sweetness of the moment. “Ah, I'm going to miss this so much.”

"I'll come back for you. Just wait for me," he said.

Nao's forehead rubbed against Takashi's chest as she nodded in agreement.

"I'll wait for you. And about today... thank you for crossing my path too, Takashi."

Takashi nodded softly, the memory of their kiss during the match coming back to him. Perhaps it had been the rush of the moment and the fervor of his youthful heart, but he had expressed his desire to be forever by her side that same afternoon.

"And you'll teach me how to draw," he said.

Nao smiled against his shoulder. "With pleasure."

"Are you sure?" Takashi chuckled. "I'm terrible with a pencil, I'm sure I'll stress you out."

"Only because it's you. I accept, silly," she said with a trace of sorrow in her voice, though her chestnut eyes showed none of it to his shoulder. "Just make sure you remember."

"Nao..."

Takashi pulled her closer by the waist, slightly parting their faces. He smiled in relief, grateful that no tears had escaped her beautiful eyes.

"Didn't you promise me something before the match?"

Instantly, Nao blushed at his remark, her gaze shifting to the floor with embarrassment, much to Takashi's delight as he enjoyed her reactions.

"Yes," she raised her little eyes to his with a sudden twist in Takashi’s heart. Not only had she remembered, but also wanted it.

Takashi leaned in and gave her a tiny peck. Then a kiss, and then another, and another. And, except for brief moments of gazing into each other's eyes with longing, they didn't stop exchanging slow and gentle kisses for about a minute. Nao placed her hands on Takashi's chest just as he tightened his grip around her waist. She felt like she was in heaven during that intimate moment, but at one point, decided to pulled her head back.

"Everyone is waiting for us," Nao tilted her head, looking at him with a smile full of sweetness and complicity. Takashi leaned in even closer.

"Let them wait," he said before sealing her lips once again.

Both let themselves be carried away by the moment, knowing they wouldn't have many more like this for a while and leaving any sadness behind. Unfortunately, the lovebirds only enjoyed five seconds more before Takashi's phone interrupted them. He pulled it out of his pocket with his left hand while he held Nao's waist with his right.

"It's Jun. They really want us to come."

"I told you so, silly." Nao leaned forward for a quick peck and then let go of his hold in the same movement, heading toward the mirror in her room. "Damn it, look how reddened I am. You did this, dummy," Nao giggled as she admired her flushed cheeks in the mirror.

"Don't be selfish," Takashi's smile was genuine, matching her blushing face. "You made me even worse."

Nao continued happily retouching her rosy cheeks and silky hair, feeling the warmth as her fingertips grazed her cheekbones. Takashi watched the scene with tenderness, hearing Nao humming excitedly, but also with obstination, thinking that she couldn't become any more beautiful than she already was.

"Ready," she said, turning to him with a lovely smile. "Shall we go?"

Takashi felt defeated as they walked out the door. “Against all odds, Nao became even more beautiful.”