The new year brought about plenty of things. Most significant of them all would be the prayers people would make on their annual trek to the shrines. Out of everyone here, it was Ishi that some were surprised to see.
"It was nice of your parents to let you show me around." Rinse was walking aside him as they explored the area together. While the ritual wasn't new to her by any means, the location certainly was. So Ishi and Koto were practically her tour guides, though it was mainly the latter who brought up the idea.
"Well, it's no big deal. We already go every year, so there's nothing wrong with spicing things up for once." Ishi replied to her. "I guess we'll probably see everyone else here too."
"I'm actually surprised that you came here without anyone asking." Rinse commented. She wasn't even the one who invited him, but rather it was the other way around. "You never really stuck me the type to pray for the new year."
"I might not look like it, but I am a believer." He answered. "Though it looks like my prayers from last year definitely went unanswered." Unsurprisingly, other than asking for the well being of those close to him. Ishi also prayed for the ability to go through his final year of high school in an uneventful fashion. If anything, it appeared that the gods specifically heard his wishes and did exactly the opposite.
"So are you going to ask for everyone to leave you alone again this year?" Koto asked as they navigated through the crowd.
"No, I think I have something else in mind." Meanwhile, they were hanging about and wondering where the rest of their friends were. Thankfully, because of the attention Rinse garnered, the others were able to find them fairly easily.
"So, it's nice to see you here this year again." Said Youna as the others were telling the crowd to not bother Rinse so much on a day like this. However, she was really nervous about speaking with him, even if she had really wanted to see him today. It's not that there was anything wrong with him, but rather she really wished she wore something better.
"What's up with your outfit?" He asked. It was impossible for anyone not to notice her like this. Unlike most other people here, who were wearing casual wear, she was wearing traditional clothing to fit with the new year festivities. Basically the point was that she was wearing a kimono, appearing to be way overdressed for today.
"I wasn't planning on wearing it." She got shy now that he pointed it out. "My mom said it would look great for today, but all I'm doing is standing out like a sore thumb."
"You look nice." He assured her that things were fine. Of course, she felt very happy inside to hear him compliment her appearance, even when she was worried about everything around her. "I'm sure everyone else feels the same way."
"Ishi, Ishi." Their conversation was interrupted by Ryugi grabbing his attention. "Me and my friends are about to make our prayers, have you already made yours?"
"Just invite him into our friend group, why dontcha?" Her friends were already complaining about this offer.
"Go ahead without me." He told her. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on Koto after all." While it seemed that the young boy was behaving so far, things could easily take a turn for the worse. Especially when rinse was here too.
"Ugh, fine." She left him alone as she and her friends went up the steps.
"Yo." Chinae greeted him after that group left him. It seemed that everyone was taking turns making sure the boy couldn't spend a second away from anyone else. "What are you wishing for this year?"
"Just the usual." He responded. "You know good health and all that."
"Heh, same." She was glad to hear his answer. "I'm going to be praying that my dad has a good year too."
"What about you?" Ishi asked Youna. Every time he had seen her here, he never knew what she actually wished for. "Is it just health you ask for, or is there something more?"
"N-no, that's pretty much just that." Every year, she gave the same response. And every time he could tell that she was lying, but if she didn't want to say it, then there was no way for him to force her. Maybe she was the type to believe that wishes and prayers don't come true if you tell everyone what you asked for.
"Looks like it's my turn, see ya." Chinae headed up the steps as the gyarus headed down.
"I prayed for us to have some fun times this year." Ryugi proclaimed proudly. While he didn't care for what she asked for, he didn't mind her being bold enough to tell everyone about it. "What are you going to wish for?"
"I want to ask that everyone's dreams come true." Rinse jumped into their conversation. She was able to escape from the crowd to finally be able to talk with everyone about this new year. "It'd be nice if we all got what we wanted."
"True, but what if people have conflicting dreams?" He asked. It was a good point that she didn't think about. Now that the idol knew about it, she chose to ignore it anyway as she took the steps.
"Looks like it's going to be our turn soon." Koto made his presence known after she left. "Ishi, are you ready?"
"I was just waiting for you." He answered. "Oh, and Youna you should join us." It was an instant yes from her after he made that offer.
"Of course he asks her to come along." Ryugi muttered under her breathe as the trio ascended the steps after Rinse and Chiane returned to ground level.
Ishi took the bell and rang it. Then, he and the other two clapped their hands together and closed their eyes to offer their prayers. The boy took his time in his thoughts to really think about what he wanted this year. Other than the health of those he cared about, there was something else he couldn't put his finger on. What else was there he wanted to have happen this year? It wasn't something in his head, but rather his heart.
As the opened their eyes, he opened himself into his heart as the boy realized what he truly wanted. For now, it was going to remain kept to himself. They were finished and headed down the steps to allow for the next group to have their turn.
"Looks like the two of us are really popular." Otoya was down there to greet them as they made their returns. He joked about the circumstance they were in as two best friends surrounded by cute girls. "Let me guess, you asked for the same things this year."
"Almost." Ishi responded. "I left out the part about being left alone this time and replaced it with something else."
"And this year I asked to be seen as a boy by everyone." Koto butted in without caring about his older cousin's answer. "I really can't tell why people keep thinking I'm a girl."
"I can only imagine why." The sarcasm was lost on the naive young boy as Otoya headed up the stairs.
"After I'm done, we should all get something to eat together." Otoya just wanted an excuse to spend more time with these girls. However, it seemed to be very well received by everyone else.
"Actually…" Youna sheepishly spoke up right before he left them. "My family… Was going to have a big dinner for the new year. And… They wanted me to invite all of you." They had asked her to do so before today, but she was too nervous about messaging them about the news. Now that it was nearly too late, the girl had to speak up about this plan.
"That's great!" Ryugi cheered out loud. "My parents said your mom makes the best food. So I'd love to try it out." Everyone else was in agreement as Youna breathed a sigh of relief that this didn't go poorly.
"All right then, you better hurry up." Ishi informed his friend, which prompted the boy to rush up the steps. "Don't run too much. It looks like the snow's building up." Since it was the middle of winter, it seemed that this year was going to be colder than most. The flakes of snow began to flutter their way down to the ground, creating patches of ice that people could slip on.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Asked Youna. Sometime, people wondered how these two were friends in the first place.
"Well, I wouldn't want my prayers to already go bad." He answered. "You know, sometimes with these wishes, you gotta work to make sure they come true."
"R-right." She agreed. "I guess sometimes a wish won't come true if you don't do anything about it."
"Speaking of wishes." He leaned into her and whispered away from the others. "I've known you for years, but you've never told me what you ask for." This was him trying to get her to spill the beans about her desires.
"I… Can't tell you." She looked down to the ground. "What if it can't come true because I say what it is out loud?."
"How about this then?" He decided to come up with an offer that might please both of them. "By the end of this year, you can tell me if it came true."
"S-sure." She accepted the offer. "But, I'll only tell you if it came true or not. I'm still not telling you what my wish is." After all, there was no way her heart could bear to tell him the truth. Her wish was one that was deeply personal to her.
'To tell Ishi I'm in love with him.'