March 2-3, 2022
The starry night was draped in the illumination of colorful cascading paper lanterns attached to various stalls, decorating the once lifeless sidewalk with its festive mood. Many vendors advertised their stalls by displaying exaggerated written characters describing their booth and displaying either food or children's toys, some announced how the food is delicious or cheap, others amplified the fragrance of their cooking, and most relied on signs. Sea of people crowded the sidewalk, stopping by the stalls in order to wait for the main event: the grandiose display of fireworks.
Secluded in a corner, close to the line of booths, a vein was on the verge of popping while tapping my foot impatiently. Feeling Infuriated and annoyed at the same time muddled my thoughts on how to approach my situation. Regardless of what decision I should take, I turn my head to the screen of my smartphone: the source of this headache.
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FRI, 23:12 Maho Greetings, fine nobles. May I interest you with an invitation to witness the glorious colorful explosions called 'fireworks' during the Summer festival? I assure you it would be delightful for everyone. You Please stop pretending to be a butler, it's irritating to read. Maho Stop being a party pooper, Seiji. It won't hurt to just admit that it was hilarious. Right, Saki? Saki It was interesting to say the least. You I won't yield to such nonsense. Anyway, what is this about going to the summer festival? Maho It's just like I said: Let's go, the three of us! You I haven't gone to one since I was young. I remember refusing to go to one while wearing a yukata. Maho All the more reason to go then! Let's all go together wearing a yukata! You Are you even reading properly? I just said that It was embarrassing to walk around wearing a robe. Plus, it's uncomfortable. It's just an inconvenience. Maho I promise you are going to look good in a yukata. And besides you're not the only one wearing it. Don't you have two flowers on each side wearing one as well? (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Saki It's gonna be fun. Maho See? Even Saki is on board. You Even if I wanted to, I don't have one to wear during the festival. You have to give up on that fact. Maho I also don't even own one, idiot. I'm gonna rent one. How about you, Saki? Saki I'm the same. I'm planning on renting one. Maho C'mon, Seiji, let's come together. We're gonna have so much fun jumping from stall to stall killing time until the fireworks are ready. We could go goldfish scooping, string pulling, and other various games. What's more fun is the Food! Yakisoba, candy apple, chocolate banana! My mouth is watering just from thinking about it. You You're sending too many messages, the ring of notifications is driving me insane. Maho Are you gonna come to the festival if I were to stop? You Alright fine. I'll go to the summer festival or whatever. Just stop sending too many messages. ======================================================= That was the plan, but… ======================================================= <Maho Recent I'm so so sorry, Seiji! Because of unforeseen circumstances, I won't be able to go today. (Ｔ▽Ｔ) Enjoy your time with Saki instead (・ω<) ======================================================= ======================================================= Recent I won't be going today. Sorry ======================================================= I, naive to even accept their offer, expected a scene where two girls would deepen their friendship by watching the relaxing and beautiful view of the fireworks. Instead, I went alone feeling embarrassed from wearing such uncomfortable clothes. What happened to those two anyway? What unforeseen circumstance would stop you from going to see the fireworks? A bad stomach? Why are you not going today? At least expand on your reasoning… A freezing breeze of the summer night smacked the side of my face, derailing my train of thought. Letting out a sigh, the symphony of chirping crickets caught my attention. My hearing amplified as I focused on the sound of my surroundings. The laughter of children as they ran through the crowd, the yelling of vendors promoting their delicious snacks, the murmur of people of all ages as they walked past me, and the sound of rotating origami fans—such a blissful evening. I guess I take this opportunity to finally enjoy some alone time. Whilst squeezing through the narrow gaps of the crowd, I darted around browsing the stalls. The sizzling of yakisoba noodles managed to cut through any other sound, briefly emphasizing my desire to savor its taste. Giving in, I bought yakisoba to eat. Across the yakisoba stall was a stall filled with items placed on shelves, while several toy rifles and corks were displayed on the wooden booth: it was a gun-shooting game. An obscure memory played itself back in my head showing my 10 year old self throwing a tantrum after I missed all of my shots. You'll get 'em next time kid. And that time is now. Paying the old man running the booth, I received three corks and a toy rifle. I closed my left eye, positioned myself like a marksman standing, and aligned the front sight and the rear sight. I was ready to pull the trigger. And just like that… I missed everything. The old man chuckled. "Want to try again?" He asked, reaching his hand out. I said a quick "no thank you" and left to browse the other stall with a hole in my heart. Next time, Seiji. Next time. The clicking sound of my wooden sandals resounded as I mindlessly wandered the lively sidewalk. The blinding white smiles of children and adults alike plagued the festival with happiness. Their infectious glees made my mouth stretch into a grin. I wonder what those two are doing now. I really wish I could see them smile like this. A single glimpse was all it took to stop me in my tracks: a collection of exquisite masks hanging on a wooden structure. Masks designed as Iconic characters from Doraemon, Disney, Sanrio, Mugen Rider, and other media. There were some traditional masks like the unusual features of a tengu and the peculiar elegance of a kitsune. Reminded of the feeling of holding her hand together wearing our matching masks as we walked along the riverside, enveloped me in a warmth that I couldn't explain. However, that was not the reason I stopped. The one that caught my attention was a detailed and fluffy boar mask. I could not believe my eyes. It was none other than Inosuke's mask from Demon Slayer. Such craftsmanship for a single item… it's gonna cost me a fortune. I'm glad I haven't spent so much money on useless stuff. "Um!" I said in unison with another person. I turned to the person beside me. "Oh, I'm sorry. You go first." I apologized, gesturing to talk to the stall owner first. "No, I insist." the person beside me said, rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you," I slightly bowed towards him, taking a peek at his appearance. He wore a baseball uniform stained in dirt, hinting that he came to the festival after the afternoon club practice. His head was shaved, numerous short spiky hair stuck out creating a clean look. Shorter than me for a few inches, enough to qualify in different sports teams. Calluses on both of his hands, accustomed to handling a baseball bat. And a contagious smile that unearthed memories from the past. －－－－－－－－－ "S-Stay away from me!" He shouted as he retreated from the sight of my bloodstained fists. Why are you looking at me with those eyes? －－－－－－－－－ "Hey kid!" a voice of a woman snapped me into place. Turning to the voice, a petite girl wearing a headband with the characters for the word 'Perseverance,' presumably younger than me, sat cross-legged in front of the assorted masks. It was the mask seller. "Your friend is trying to talk to you." she said, glaring at me with her slit eyes. "Friend?" I asked. The mask seller pointed to my right with her lips while her irritated look persisted. Switching my gaze to my right, my eyes fell to the dumbfounded expression of the person to my right. "Is that you, Seiji?" He asked with a hint of excitement. Matsui Hiroshi, why do you look at me like that? Aren't you intimidated? "Y-yeah." I stuttered, averting my gaze. Even if I denied it now, he would realize my identity after looking at my glare hidden by the thick lenses of my glasses. I pointed at the boar mask beside the stall owner, catching her attention to ask about the price of the mask while also attempting to divert the subject to anything but myself. "Can I ask about this mask?' "If you're asking about the price of this masterpiece right here, it's 4000 yen a piece. Created by the one and only!" The mask seller explained with a prideful tone, pointing at herself with a smug on his face. If she crafted this herself, then I must commend her talent for doing something so difficult. "You're still watching anime until today, Seiji?" Hiroshi asked with an expression I cannot understand. Was he mad? Was he happy? Was he sad? I can't read his thoughts. Whatever the case, I felt the need to become genuine in expressing my thoughts to avoid needless misunderstandings; to avoid repeating the same mistake. "How could I throw away something I grew fond of?" I said, showing an expression even I cannot understand. We stared at each other without uttering a single word. I wonder what he thinks of me. Many questions emerged in my head. While the prolonged mind game continued, a question mark was floating above the Mask seller's head, glancing at us back and forth with her iconic glare. "Seiji," Hiroshi finally muttered. "That's really something you would say." he chuckled, softly hitting my arm with his fist. Thank goodness he remained himself throughout the years. We decided to split the money to purchase the boar mask. Yen signs appeared in the eyes of the mask seller as she received the payment. After that, we spent our time browsing other stalls together, settling our past disagreements with childish competitions. We competed to see who would scoop the most goldfish in a goldfish scooping stall, where Hiroshi ended up scooping a school of fish. Competed who could carve out the honeycomb the fastest, where both of us made cracks at the last second. And competed to see who could fish the most yo-yo, where I won by only one. We had a great time together, as if our friendship blossomed once more. It was almost time for the main event. Sea of people marched to the riverside, a popular spot for many. Caught in the flow of people, we drifted together with the waves. After a tedious walk pushed around by human flesh, we arrived at our destination. People have already set up on the riverside, sitting on picnic cloths that prevent the irritating sensation of grass. Having not brought anything of that sort, we sat side-by-side on the pavement instead. Further away from crowds of people sitting on comfortable picnic cloths, the noise of chatter was barely within earshot. Finally, a time to take a breather from all that walking. A countdown has started. Excitement increased in the hearts of many as the number decreased by one. Finally, it was the last three seconds. The crowd, who couldn't handle the excitement, all counted in unison like you would during new years. "3! 2! 1!" They shouted as it reached zero. A trail of light shot up to the sky, grabbing the attention of everyone below. Then, after a slow escend, it erupted into immeasurable pieces, decorating the sky with a giant red heart. It was the signal for many more to come. "Hey Seiji," Hiroshi said. "I apologize if I ever offended you back in middle-school. I didn't mean to say such hurtful things to you that day." His hand shook and his lips quivered as another firework went off in the background. "I'm really sorry." "Don't think too much about it, Hiroshi. You don't need to apologize." I said. He looked at me with teary eyes. "Don't you hate me?" "Rather than that, I thought you hated me." I giggled. "Thank goodness! I thought for sure you wanted me dead." he joked, wiping tears from his face. "How could I hate my very first friend?" I beamed, patting his head. "Ah, this feeling. It's been so long since I've done this." As the fireworks painted the starry night with its colorful compositions, a lost friendship found its way back to two individuals. "I wonder what happened to those two," I thought.