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Narration: Kiyosumi Yozora
Before we delve into the chapter, allow me to regale you with the tale of the Tanabata Festival.
Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, is a celebration that commemorates the romantic story of two star-crossed lovers, Vega and Altair, who are only permitted to meet once a year when the skies are clear.
On the 7th of July, people come together to mark the special occasion, and there are many versions of the tale. However, I'll be sharing the most popular one with you.
Princess Orihime, also known as Vega, was a skilled seamstress who wove the most beautiful garments by the Heavenly River, also known as the Milky Way. Despite her love for her craft, she felt lonely and hopeless in finding love.
Her father, the god of the heavens, arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi, a mortal cow herder who lived on the other side of the Heavenly River. The two fell deeply in love and got married, with their love being so strong that Orihime stopped weaving and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to roam the heavens.
However, Orihime's father was not pleased and forbade the lovers from being together. But after much pleading and tears from Orihime, her father relented and allowed the two star-crossed lovers to meet once a year on the 7th of July, as long as Orihime returned to her weaving.
On the day of their reunion, the lovers found the river to be too difficult to cross. Just then, a flock of magpies appeared, forming a bridge for them, and they were finally able to meet. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies will not come, and the lovers must wait another year to be reunited. The rain of that day is referred to as "The tears of Orihime and Hikoboshi." So, people always wish for clear skies on Tanabata to ensure the reunion of the star-crossed lovers.
Narration: Kiyosumi Yozora: End
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"I was a bit surprised when you told me you didn't know about Tanabata Festival," Yozora said. "But I can't blame you; you are, after all, an American citizen."
It was the evening of July 7th, and I was at the Kanda Shrine with Yozora. Not knowing about Tanabata Festival, he filled me in on the story. The tale was both lovely and bittersweet, and despite its brevity, it was one of the most interesting stories I had ever heard.
However, I was still curious as to why we were at the shrine.
"By the way, what are we supposed to do here at the shrine?" I asked Yozora.
"Aha! Good question," he replied, handing me a Tanzaku, small pieces of colored paper. "Write your wishes on that paper." He smirked.
"Wishes? Why? And what kind of wishes?" I asked.
"It can be anything you want. Maybe a romantic wish," he chuckled. "You know what you want, don't you?"
Yes, there was only one thing I wanted at that moment. I won't say what I wrote, but I was curious to know what Yozora had written.
Ever since I knew about his family, I had developed a newfound respect for him. He didn't talk about himself much, so I was eager to learn about his wishes.
Well, guess what? I asked him
"What did you wish for? What did you write on your Tanzaku?" I asked him
"To be honest, it was supposed to be a secret, but since you asked, I'll tell you," he replied with a serious expression.
"Oh come on, what's with the dramatic face? Spill it, I'm all ears," I urged him, eager to know his secret.
"I dream of becoming a novelist, crafting stories that delicately dance on the strings of the heart. I want emotions so profound that tears flow, captivated by the enchantment of my words. I long for the world to feel the magic only I can create", he declared with a determined glint in his eyes.
"Why is that a wish?" I asked him.
"What do you mean?", He asked with a confused tone
"That isn't supposed to be a wish; it's a certainty, a fact.", I told him with a proud face, "I know you're destined to become the greatest writer. So, choose another wish"
"Ha, that really sounded good. Damn, that inspired me. I have an other wish. Let me write it down. I wish that one of my novels to get an anime adaptation," he said, a genuine smile lighting up his face.
I looked at him as I was asking him "Bruh for real?"
"I'm not kidding at all. This is my sincere wish. Here, take a look," he said as he held out his Tanzaku - for me to see.
"That is a great wish bro, but it's not an easy wish." I advised him, trying to bring him back to reality.
"I know, I know. But sometimes wishes do come true right?," Yozora said with a hint of optimism in his voice.
"Well we can write anything we want, that's why it's called a wish right?" I smiled as I said it to him.
"Right!" he agreed with a chuckle.
"So, how are your club activities going?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"Well, I decided to write a romantic novel. I want to make it noticeable so that I can get the attention of some good publishers," Yozora said, his face lighting up with excitement.
"A romantic novel? That's great! What's the story about?" I asked, intrigued.
"It's about a girl puppet who is controlled and chained by her masters, but she tries to break free as the story progresses," he revealed with a mysterious smile.
"Wow, that sounds like a great synopsis! Can I be the first one to read it? And what about Tsuki? I thought she was in the art club," I asked
"No, no, she's in the music club. She wants to be a singer," Yozora corrected me with a laugh.
"Oh, I didn't know that. What about you, why didn't you join any club?" he asked, turning the question on me.
"Haha, I'm not really interested in that kind of stuff," I lied, feeling a twinge of guilt. The truth was, I always wanted to be a soccer player and practiced with my dad at home, but I didn't want to join the school's soccer club for reasons I didn't want to reveal yet.
We continued walking towards the shrine, chatting about various topics.
It was all fun Until-
"Haha, you are so funny", I heard a voice I couldn't mistake. I turned to face the source of the sound and was met with a sight that shattered my heart into a million pieces.
Everything came to a standstill. Time, people, noise - all of it faded away as my eyes struggled to comprehend what I was seeing.
A gust of wind came from nowhere, lifting her hair and exposing her face, making the sight before me all the more heartbreaking.
I saw Daichi and Tsuki, hands intertwined, laughing and hanging their Tanzaku together.
I was paralyzed, unable to look away from the sight of Tsuki's smile, so radiant and pure.
Seeing her smile was supposed to make me feel happy, but why? Why did it hurt so much?
Could it be that they are in love? So Tsuki does have feelings for Daichi?
No, she had told me she didn't see Daichi that way. Or had she been lying to me all along?
And here I was, on the verge of considering her my best friend.
But what could I possibly do against someone like Daichi?
I sought solace in Yozora, hoping for answers to my unending questions. But even he was at a loss for words, staring in shock.
The tears I had been holding back spilled over, falling freely down my cheeks. How long had it been since someone saw me cry?
And then, as if the sky itself was trying to console me, the rain began to pour, hiding my tears from the world.
I gazed up and saw a flock of magpies flew away and Hikoboshi and Orihime started weeping as they were separated by this rain, that came to console me. I had made their year-long wait meaningless.
I am sorry.