Farewell Lanterns (2)

~~~⛩️~~~

At the river, now without sake involved, the atmosphere was even more tranquil and serene. Under the veil of a cloudy moon, anticipating the strong storm that would strike during the early hours, Nao and Takashi were the last of the team to arrive at the shore, while the rest moved forward. With their Obon lanterns in hand, the two approached the water timidly, watching with illusion how the reflections of the lights danced on the surface.

"Welcome to the Obon festival, I hope you're enjoying it," said one of the festival volunteers with a soft voice, dark brown curly hair, and traditional clothes. Nao recognized him as one of the boys from her school, although he did not recognize her, as usually.

Nao nodded, feeling a bit nervous but excited at the same time. "We are, thank you very much."

"It's an honor to have you here. Would you like us to help you release your lanterns into the river?" The other volunteer, a girl with light brown hair, bowed slightly, stealing the gaze of the first one.

"Yes, please," Takashi spoke gratefully.

Both of them left their lanterns on the delicate and expert hands of the volunteers, who couldn't help but admire the designs on each one.

"They are beautiful," the boy remarked. "I'm sure those who receive these lanterns are very fortunate."

Nao felt her heart quicken as her excitement surged. She glanced to her side, finding the beautiful coffee eyes of Takashi, who also seemed engulfed in the emotion. Both of them knew exactly to whom they would dedicate the lanterns.

They naturally held hands, observing as the volunteers placed the lanterns on the water, giving them a gentle push so that the current would carry them away. The fox and the message of light joined the luminous dance of the river, with dozens of lights imitating the stars in the sky. They were gone, like negative thoughts, and protection and kindness would fall upon their lives.

"Nao," Takashi broke the silence with a tight grip on her hand, calling her by name. "I want to be with you forever."

His eyes locked with hers as he finished the sentence, awakening warmth in both him and the girl who had stolen his heart. Yes, for a moment, that thought crossed his mind.

Nao nodded, smiling gently, captivated by the sweet words. She didn't look at him, but instead, she directed her eyes back to their lanterns floating side by side.

"And I want this light, like the stars, to always guide you back home, and..."

“She's so lovely.” Dazed by that thought, Takashi lost himself in the horizon, not realizing that Nao had taken a deep pause.

“So that it can protect you always, no matter what happens," she finished with a sigh.

"Awww," two people exclaimed quietly.

The volunteers smiled tenderly at the very sweet moment. Witnessing the sparkle in the couple's eyes, they exchanged a knowing glance that, unbeknownst to them, had ignited their own spark for each other. But that's another story for later.

"I hope you have a beautiful night," the girl wished, blushing like her partner.

"Thank you very much. Let's go, Nao."

Takashi turned around, but he felt Nao's weight holding him back. She hadn't taken her eyes off the lanterns until she lowered her head solemnly.

"Oh? Do you want to..."

The question of whether she wanted to stay and continue gazing at the landscape disappeared when Takashi looked at the water that reached the shore. It wasn't raining yet, but he could see droplets merging into the river, droplets that clearly meant something else.

"Huh?" Takashi was startled by Nao squeezing her eyes shut and sighing in between. "What happened?"

Immediately, he felt all of Nao's weight fall against his chest as she tightly wrapped her arms around him.

"Takashi!"

He immediately noticed the pain in her voice, so strong that it alarmed the two volunteers who had assisted them.

"Nao? Calm down..."

"I don't want you to go, Takashi! I don't want! I want you to stay with me!"

Takashi felt his heart stop at such a sudden declaration.

"But, Nao..."

Her crying not only didn't stop but threatened to increase its intensity, her voice becoming fainter with each passing second.

"Stay... please."

She buried her face against Takashi's burgundy yukata, brushing against his chest with her hair and dampening the fabric with her tears. Takashi couldn't bring himself to loosen his grip, holding her tighter with each passing second.

"Nao. Don't cry, please, don't cry, or you're going to kill me."

It was a poor choice of words from Takashi, unintentionally intensifying her distress. But he truly felt that way; he imagined the pain in Nao's heart at the thought of being separated as if he felt it himself, just as he had that afternoon.

"I care about you. I just care about you so much, Takashi."

He could only hold her, not knowing how to express everything he felt differently. He wanted to take that pain away from her, even if he had to bear it himself, because nothing hurt more than seeing her in such distress.

“Damn it. Of course, Nao feels sad. It's her first...” Again, Takashi couldn't complete his thought.

Boys his age often talked about wanting to be with the girl they liked, but as he had learned during the festival, liking and loving were different things.

“I care about you too, Nao. And I always will.” Takashi buried his own head into her shoulder, trying to carefully grace her neck with his cheeks to give her warmth.

Takashi didn't just like Nao, he realized. “I want to learn to love her the way she deserves, to see her smile forever. I want to know every detail about her and continue to be more amazed than before.” And if there was something that made him happier than that, it was knowing that she desired the same.

He hugged her tighter. Feeling the warmth of her tense body, acting as a receptor for that feeling to disappear from her. And there, he fought to keep his arms still for the next minute.

“Nao was there for me when I needed it the most. And... I want to be there for her too.”

Gradually, Nao's crying subsided as her soul was caressed by Takashi's warmth and tenderness.

“I can't believe it” he smiled. “Can you really care about someone so much in such a short time?”

“Taka...”

It was when Nao pulled away from his chest, her eyes still glistening, her hair disheveled, and her cheeks flushed, that he confirmed it. And at the same time, denied it.

“No... Do I really just care about her?”

“Hey, lovey-doveys, we should... Oh?”

Jun and Hiroshi, who had come back to find them, were taken aback by the reflection of the moon in Nao's glassy eyes.

“Huh? What...”

“Don't worry...” Nao wiped her eyes as she tried to cut off Jun's question. “Sorry, I get very emotional during these festivals. Ah!”

She exclaimed as Jun gently stroked her hair.

“Poor thing, you really have a big heart,” he said with a gentle smile to dispel her distress.

“Let me go! You're going to dishevel me even more!” Takashi couldn't help but laugh at Nao's pout towards his friend.

“Sorry. What do you think, Hiroshi?”

Jun looked to his right, finding that his friend had stayed out of the conversation.

“Well, I was thinking. Do you have a picture together?”

Both Takashi and Nao, now a little calmer, looked at each other intently.

“N-no. We don't have one.”

“Oh, great idea, Hiroshi,” Jun gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. “Take a picture, so you won't miss each other that much.”

Although Jun's playful face suggested a joke, neither of them laughed. After all, he was right.

“Huh?” Takashi became concerned about Nao's state, who had shed tears of sadness just moments before.

“Don't worry.”

Looking down, Nao wiped away the last few tears and adjusted some strands of hair with her index finger. Then, she looked up at Jun and Hiroshi.

“What a beauty.” Despite her irritated eyes and disheveled hair, Takashi couldn't help but be drawn to her.

“Let's do it.”

Jun handed Takashi's phone to him, who sighed to prepare for the shot. Both of them settled closely, Takashi wrapping his left arm around her waist, and Nao leaning into his shoulder.

“Cheese!”

In a second, the photo captured their smiling lips, an image that reflected how much they cared for each other in their closeness and warmth, and a moment they would want to cherish for a long time.

“Great!” Jun, however, wasn't satisfied. “Could you take another one, please?”

“Sure.”

Jun handed Takashi's phone to the volunteer boy, and that signal was enough for him to throw himself alongside Hiroshi towards them.

“Huh?!” Both of them were squeezed in the middle by their friends.

“Come on, smile!” Jun had Takashi in a headlock.

“It will be a very nice photo,” Hiroshi bumped shoulders with Nao, his hands up front.

“Okay, smile!” said the girl as her companion took the picture. Once again, it was beautiful, showing the nice frienship they had formed during the trip.

“Take one more!” a hoarse shout came from the back, before a stampede swept the scene.

The volunteer girl held onto the arm of her male companion with embarrassment as more than fifteen people ran past them. The entire Tsuno team was there, filling the riverbank with joy.

“Hey! Don't squeeze!” Jun complained when he accidentally pushed Takashi, amid the group's laughter.

Takashi didn't mind, anyway. He was too focused on Nao and repeated the grip of the previous photos. Takashi smiled when he saw that her sobs had transformed into pure tender looks, charm and joy in her eyes.

“This is how I want to see you forever,” he thought.

“Alright!” the boy maneuvered with difficulty, as the volunteer girl seemed quite comfortable leaning on his shoulder. She also joined in the shout. “Once again, cheese!”

They hadn't taken a picture on the pitch, but this was a much better idea. The twenty Tsuno champions. Without the trophy, but with Nao, their lucky charm, in the center. A Nao who, for the Takashi standing by her side, was worth more than a million trophies.