After he parked the car, Ren and Tsubaki walked hand-in-hand toward the entrance of the summer festival. The horizon was still dyed orange but the road had been bustling with festival-goers. Most of them wore yukata as the couple did but some of them donned their casual summer outfits.
"Wow!"
Tsubaki gasped in awe once she lifted her chin up. There were hundreds of lanterns hanging over them, their bright lights showering the entire venue. Some of them were in common designs but most of them were unique ones. But, the ones Tsubaki loved the most were the round-shaped paper lanterns.
They were so beautiful.
"Darling!" She turned toward her husband. Her eyes twinkled with delight and elation.
"Do you like it?" Ren's smile widened. Every time he saw her smiling brightly because of him, he felt some sense of pride filling his heart.
"Yes!" Tsubaki quickly answered. She then turned her head to her left and right, trying to find anything that could attract her attention again.
Ren laughed softly. He liked seeing her so full of energy and excitement like this. Whenever he thought of how much she had cried these past few days, he just wanted to provide a safe space for her to laugh and act like a spoiled child with him.
As Tsubaki was watching the festive decorations, she suddenly felt a rough palm patting her head. It was a familiar touch. She tilted her head, looking at her husband who was watching her with a fond smile. Her heart fluttered the moment she saw his smile.
"Come, let's enjoy this festival," Ren put a protective arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him.
Tsubaki nodded happily. "Okay~"
Ren and Tsubaki walked through the grand entrance. The sun had set completely, only the bright lights coming from the festival lightened the entire area.
Even though the festival looked the same as any other summer festival around the country, but it still held its local specialties. A group of men carried a mikoshi, a portable shrine, over their shoulders. They enthusiastically sang summer songs while parading through the main street. Tsubaki and Ren watched the parade from one side. A group of dancing maidens in colorful yukatas followed from behind.
"This festival is so lively," Tsubaki muttered out her thought.
"Have you been to any festival in the city?" Ren suddenly got a question for her. He wondered how did she spend her summers before they met again.
"I've been to the ones near the bakery and my apartment before," Tsubaki averted her gaze from the parade to her husband's face. The golden lights of the lanterns illuminated his sharp features, enhancing his good looks. "But, they didn't feel as good and lively as this one."
Ren nodded in understanding. He caught the meaning behind her words.
Her summers were lonely, especially after she came to the city.
Ren felt a pang of guilt when he thought of how desolate her life was. He quietly looked at her tummy. It wouldn't be long before a new joy blessed their lives.
"Sweetheart, do you have anything you want to try?" Ren quickly pushed the heavy thoughts away from his mind. Rather than dwelling himself in sorrow, it was the best if he used all of it to focus on making her happy.
"En..."
Tsubaki didn't immediately answer, she looked around at the food stalls. Her mouth watered the moment she saw the various food displayed before her.
Candied apples, yakisoba, strawberry daifuku, roasted chestnuts, okonomiyaki and agemochi were among the food sold at the summer festival. Their delicious smells and colors attracted all of her senses, making it hard to decide.
It was impossible for her to try all of them, right?
Ren wanted to laugh out loud once he saw the conflicted look on her face. It was obvious that she was tempted to try all these food. Even without being pregnant, Tsubaki loved trying all sorts of food especially if they were desserts.
"Darling...." In the end, Tsubaki surrended than making up her mind. She looked at her husband with gleaming eyes and pouty lips.
Ren curved up a smile. "You want to eat right, sweetheart?"
Tsubaki nodded once. "But, I don't know which ones should I eat here."
Ones? Ren laughed inwardly. It seemed like she was adamant to try everything she could here.
"Alright, let's walk along this lane first and see which one you want to try," Ren pulled Tsubaki closer to her, avoiding from bumping into the passers-by. "We've just ate a heavy meal. Maybe we could buy something light?"
"Something light?"
Tsubaki was seriously thinking her choices while they started walking along the street. Once they passed the fourth food stall, rows and rows of something glittering caught her attention.
"Darling, how about those candied fruits?" Tsubaki asked while she happily pointing at a stall on their left.
"Candied fruits?" Ren shot an eyebrow upward. Once he saw where she was pointed at, he nodded in understanding.
An old man in his sixties and a young man were selling hard candied fruits at the stall. Besides the famous candied apples, there were grapes and strawberries too. The light from the lanterns shone onto their surfaces, made them appeared sparkling. A few people were queueing for their candied fruits.
"They look good. Come, let's buy some," Ren decided to just follow her request.
Tsubaki smiled sweetly as they started to queue. She hummed in a soft tune while she was thinking about what should she get. Candied fruits were one of her favorite food during a summer festival.
"The apple is too big for you, sweetheart. It'd take you long to finish it. Why don't you choose the strawberry ones?" Ren casually gave her a suggestion as their queue got shorter.
"You're right," Tsubaki agreed with him. "I'll pick the strawberry ones."
She wasn't patient enough to lick the hard candy coating the fruit before she could taste the sweet and juicy apple inside. Once they got to the front, she bought a stick of candied strawberries and another one of the grapes. Each stick had four fruits. They left the stall with a huge smile plastered on her face.
Seeing her so happy while licking the strawberry made Ren smiled. He stared at the candied grapes in his hand. With a helpless smile, he began eating the candies.
After the candied fruits, Ren bought a cold and sweet drink for Tsubaki, earning her wide smile. They walked and walked until she spot another food she wanted to try. As they were eating croquettes, she suddenly tugged his sleeve while pointing at a direction.
"Darling, let's play that!" Tsubaki was so excited, her croquettes almost fell down from the paper cup in her hand. Ren swiftly caught her wrist and the croquettes holder.
"Easy, sweetheart," Ren laughed, she looked so funny when she was all excited like this. "What do you want to play?"
"That one!"
Ren turned to look at what she was excited about. It was a shooting game stall. There were various kind of toys being displayed behind the counter. Some of them were robot figurines, colored balls and plush toys. When he followed her gaze, he finally saw a big cat plush toy sitting on top of the display.
Obviously it was one of the grand prizes.
"You want the cat toy?" Ren tilted his head, eyeing the sparkles in her eyes.
"Could I?" Tsubaki smiled widely, her gaze was full of anticipation. "Could you shoot well, hubby?"
Ren smiled, looking full of mystery. "Come, let me show you."
Tsubaki squealed in delight. The couple went to the stall. After Ren bought the tokens, he got ready to fire his shoot using the toy gun handed by the stall owner. Even though the gun was only a toy, he somehow looked as if he had experienced handling firearms before.
Did he always go to a shooting range? Tsubaki wondered silently.
He would look so handsome in his suit!
While she was lost in her thoughts, three loud bangs echoed not far from her.