The sound of laughter and clinking glasses echoed around the festival, blending with the hum of chatter and soft music. Yasushi and Kasumi had continued their walk, falling into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. The festival had a way of bringing people together, whether they intended to or not. And despite his usual aversion to such events, Yasushi found that he didn't mind Kasumi's quiet company.
They had just passed a group of festival-goers gathered around a game booth when a loud voice interrupted their peaceful stroll.
"Hey, you two! Over here!"
Yasushi and Kasumi turned, surprised to see a man waving at them from behind a brightly lit booth. He was grinning broadly, motioning for them to come closer.
"Perfect timing!" the man said excitedly as they approached. "We're starting a new round of the Couple's Challenge, and you two look like the perfect pair to join!"
Yasushi blinked in confusion. "Uh, couple's what?"
The man laughed, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "It's just a fun little game! You compete with other couples in a series of challenges to win prizes. It's all in good fun, and hey, you might even walk away with a nice souvenir!"
Kasumi glanced at Yasushi, her brow furrowing. "Oh, we're not—"
"Not a couple?" The man waved a hand dismissively. "No worries, lots of people do it just for fun. You don't have to be an actual couple to join in. It's more about teamwork than anything else."
Yasushi was about to decline when he caught sight of Kasumi's hesitant smile. There was something in her expression—maybe curiosity, maybe a touch of amusement—that made him reconsider. It wasn't like him to participate in something so... frivolous. But there was a strange appeal in the idea of doing something spontaneous, something that didn't involve overthinking or analyzing.
"What do you think?" Yasushi asked, turning to Kasumi.
She bit her lip, her uncertainty evident. "I don't know. I've never really been good at these kinds of things."
"Me neither," Yasushi admitted. "But it could be... interesting?"
Kasumi laughed softly. "I guess we could give it a try."
The man clapped his hands together, clearly pleased. "Great! We've got our final team! Let's get started!"
Before Yasushi or Kasumi could change their minds, they were ushered toward the front of the booth, where a small crowd had gathered to watch the game. A few other pairs were already standing by, looking equally excited and nervous.
The man behind the booth explained the rules quickly: each couple had to complete a series of tasks together, from trivia questions to simple physical challenges. The pair that earned the most points by the end of the game would win a prize—something Yasushi barely paid attention to as he tried to process how he'd gotten himself into this situation.
The first round began with a lighthearted question: "How well do you know your partner?"
Yasushi exchanged a glance with Kasumi, both of them stifling a laugh. They barely knew each other beyond a handful of conversations, but that didn't seem to matter to the game's host.
"First question!" the man announced, holding up a card. "What is your partner's favorite flower?"
Kasumi's eyes widened, and she turned to Yasushi with a helpless look. "I... I don't even know my own favorite flower."
Yasushi shrugged, trying to keep the mood light. "You're a florist. Just pick one you like."
Kasumi hesitated before answering, "Cherry blossoms?"
The host grinned. "Correct!"
Yasushi blinked, surprised. "Wait, really?"
Kasumi laughed. "I guess I just picked right."
The next few rounds were equally absurd—questions about favorite foods, hobbies, and other things they had no way of knowing about each other. But somehow, through a mix of lucky guesses and intuition, they managed to scrape by without completely embarrassing themselves.
The final challenge was a physical task: the pairs had to guide each other through a simple obstacle course while one partner was blindfolded. Yasushi and Kasumi exchanged nervous glances as the blindfold was handed to them.
"Who's going to wear it?" Kasumi asked, eyeing the course, which involved dodging a few inflatable obstacles and picking up small tokens along the way.
"I'll wear it," Yasushi offered, figuring it would be easier for him to follow Kasumi's instructions than for him to give them. "Just... don't let me run into anything."
Kasumi giggled, the sound light and reassuring. "I'll do my best."
As soon as the blindfold was secured over his eyes, Yasushi felt a wave of disorientation. The festival sounds seemed louder, more chaotic, without his sight to guide him. But then Kasumi's voice broke through the noise, calm and clear.
"Okay, step forward... just a little. Now take a small step to the left. There's an obstacle coming up, so you'll need to duck in a second."
Yasushi followed her instructions, trusting her completely as she guided him through the course. It was strange—he had always been someone who preferred control, who relied on himself to navigate through life's obstacles. But here, in this silly game, he found himself letting go, allowing someone else to take the lead.
"Duck now," Kasumi instructed, and Yasushi dropped down just in time to avoid bumping into one of the inflatable obstacles. He couldn't help but smile beneath the blindfold.
As they neared the end of the course, Kasumi's voice grew more excited. "We're almost there! Just one more step to the right... and... you did it!"
The blindfold was lifted, and Yasushi blinked in the sudden light. They had made it to the finish line, and though they hadn't won the game, they had completed the challenge. He turned to Kasumi, feeling an unexpected sense of accomplishment.
"Not bad," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Kasumi laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Not bad at all."
They stood there for a moment, the festival fading into the background as they shared a quiet, comfortable silence. Yasushi realized that, for the first time in a long while, he wasn't thinking about the past or worrying about the future. He was simply... present.
Maybe this festival wasn't so bad after all.