"Mom, come on, let's go already," Shinzu said, his face flushed with excitement. "Yes, yes, I'm coming," replied Shinzu's mother. "Where are Ganix and Kalino?" asked Shinzu. "I dropped them off at a friend's place. They should be fine," his mother replied with a smile. As they walked down to the festival, they passed a house decorated with bamboo and flowers. "Mom, look at this house, it's so nice!" Shinzu exclaimed. "Ah, I guess it's that time of the year for them too. Today is the Kameido Tenjin Festival, but in other countries like India and Trinidad and Tobago, it's known as Diwali. It's the celebration of light over darkness. Those lamp-shaped things are also known as diyas. It's claimed to be one of the darkest nights. Let's get going now, Shinzu," said his mother with a smile.
Shinzu and his mother finally arrived at the Kameido Tenjin Festival. "Wow, it's so huge, Mom! Look at how many people there are this year and all these tents, so cool!" Shinzu exclaimed. But his mother reminded him, "Shinzu, just remember to stay close to me." Suddenly, as she turned around, Shinzu was nowhere to be seen. He had wandered off into the festival. "Mom, check out all these games!" Shinzu called out, but he didn't get a response. He realized his mother was elsewhere but remembered her instructions in case they got separated. "Shinzu, if we get separated, go to the spot where we always watch fireworks. Reach there by 9, and I will come and meet you there." "Alright, it's nothing to be scared of. I'll just meet up with Mom... Now, which game should I play first?" Then a strange man appeared in front of a girl. "Hey, little miss, are you lost?" As she was about to respond, Shinzu dashed and grabbed her hand, saying, "Hey, sister, let's go and play some of these games." She replied, "Yeah," and they both ran to the games area. The mysterious girl stopped and said, "Thanks for saving me." She explained that she got separated from her parents in the large crowd of people. Shinzu said, "It was the same for me, or kinda. I technically ran off because I was excited... But I'm glad I could help. I'm Shinzu." She replied, "I'm Shinori." Shinzu shouted with excitement, "Let the fun begin!" The two started to play almost all the games until they reached the final game before the fireworks. "Shinori, let's play this last game before the fireworks show. So far, we haven't seen any of our parents, but we'll find them soon," Shinzu said. She agreed, and they played the game. Shinori saw a prize on the top shelf and was determined to win it, but her skills in the game were very low. Shinzu reassured her, "Don't worry, I will win it for you. Just leave it up to me, I promise." Shinzu started to shoot at the objects but missed every shot. "Shinzu, you don't have to spend all your money on this," Shinori said. But Shinzu replied, "I just don't like to give up, and I promised you I would win it." With determination, he hit all five of the moving ducks. "You see, Shinori, I won!" Shinzu said with joy. They celebrated, and Shinzu put the necklace he won around Shinori's neck. She thanked him, and they realized it was almost time for the fireworks. Shinzu suggested a high area with a beautiful view of the festival where they could watch the fireworks. They ran to the spot, but the fireworks had already started. "Finally, we reached," said Shinzu, but Shinori was amazed by the view. "Wow, this view is amazing! I can see the whole festival, and I feel like I'm so close to the fireworks. So cool!" They watched the fireworks, and Shinori spotted her parents in the festival. She decided to meet them but thanked Shinzu before leaving. "Thank you, Shinzu. I hope we meet again. I really enjoyed being with you, you know," she said. Shinzu blushed and replied, "It was nothing. Well, see you later." As she left, Shinzu heard someone walking up the staircase to the hill and realized it was his mother. "Mother, you missed the fireworks," he said. She replied, "No, I saw them on my way up. So, anything interesting happened?" Shinzu replied, "Nothing at all," but they both laughed as they headed home. "You're that girl from the Kameido Tenjin Festival," Shinzu said to Shinori as they met again. "Yes, and it's good to see you again," she replied. Ganix teased Shinzu about having a girlfriend, but they both blushed and denied it, as they had just met at the festival years ago.
September 1st, 2023:
"Shinzu, remember when you guys first came here, you were completely clueless. You couldn't do anything right," said Shinori. Shinzu replied, "It's only been two months, but time just flew by without waiting for anyone. It felt like yesterday. But we tried our best, and it looks like we made it. The three of us were devastated when Mother passed away, but thanks to Miss Inko and all of you, we can smile again. Thank you, Shinori, for helping us." She replied, "Yeah, I kinda did. You all really came a long way and got better at chores, except for Ganix. But I'm sure one day he might come around." Shinzu replied, "Yeah, I hope so," his face depressed. Soon after, Shinzu and Shinori were called by Miss Inko to go to the convenience store. On their return, Shinzu asked Shinori to visit his old home as he wanted to check on the house. "Shinzu, I heard you're renting the house with the help of Social Development," Shinori said. Shinzu replied, "Yeah, they said it will help us in the long run, and we can use the money to go to school, so it's a win for us." They arrived at the house, and Shinori complimented, "Shinzu, you have a nice home." He replied, "Yeah, it is. Mother chose the design for the house when it was being built. She had a beautiful imagination." Shinzu knocked on the door, and a man walked out. "Hi, I'm Shinzu Muramasa, the owner of this residence," Shinzu said. The man, Eichi Yuuko, thanked them for having them rent the house and mentioned receiving a letter for Shinzu. He handed the letter to Shinzu, who read it and announced, "It looks like Father will be coming for us tomorrow." He thanked Mr. Eichi and returned to the orphanage.