The Sainan Fireworks Festival was a riot of colour, sound, and the intoxicating scent of summer. The streets leading toward the riverside were lined with wooden stalls draped in festive banners, their paper lanterns casting a warm, flickering amber glow over the surging crowds. The air was thick with the savoury aroma of sizzling yakisoba, the sweet scent of candied apples, and the humid, electric excitement that always preceded a major display.
Yuuki Rito walked through the throng, feeling the rhythmic clatter of his geta against the pavement. He was wearing a simple dark blue yukata, his posture straighter than it had been in years. Beside him, the group was a vibrant mix of personalities: Mikan, looking sharp in her own floral yukata; Haruna, whose modest lavender ensemble made her look like a traditional Japanese beauty; Oshizu, floating invisibly just above the ground to avoid being stepped on; and finally, Yami.
Yami was a stark contrast to the festive atmosphere. She wore her usual black gothic-lolita dress, her golden hair shimmering like a waterfall under the lantern light. She looked stoic, but her eyes were darting toward every stall with a silent, intense curiosity.
"Look! Goldfish scooping!" Mikan pointed toward a stall where a group of children were huddled around a shallow pool of water.
Yami stopped. She stared at the orange flickers darting beneath the surface. "A test of precision and speed." she murmured, her voice flat but her interest clear. "I shall participate."
She stepped up to the stall, paid the vendor, and received a small paper scooper. She knelt by the water, her expression as serious as if she were facing a high-rank target.
Splash.
With a sudden, violent movement, she thrust the scooper into the water. The paper, unable to withstand the sudden hydraulic pressure, disintegrated instantly. The goldfish swam away, unscathed.
"Ah... Yami-chan, you're being too tense." Mikan said, patting her shoulder. "You're too strong for the paper."
Yami stared at the empty plastic ring in her hand. A faint shadow of frustration crossed her face. "The equipment is substandard."
"Here, let me try." Rito said, stepping forward.
He took a scooper from the vendor. As he looked at the water, a subtle hum vibrated in the back of his mind. His golden vision, a byproduct of his evolving physiology, flared slightly, though he didn't need that. He had always been good at these things, still one must use everything at their disposal.
To everyone else, the goldfish were fast-moving blurs. To Rito, they were moving in slow motion. He could see the eddies in the water, the way the fish flicked their tails.
With a fluid, gentle motion, he slid the paper under a large, bright orange comet. He lifted it out with a steady hand and deposited it into a bowl of water.
"Wow! Amazing, Rito-kun!" Haruna cheered, her eyes sparkling.
Rito didn't stop. He moved with a grace that felt entirely natural now. Two, three, four... by the time he was finished, eight goldfish were swimming in his bowl. The vendor looked at him with a mixture of awe and annoyance.
"You've got a real knack for this, Yuuki-kun!" Oshizu chirped, her spectral form shimmering near his ear.
Yami watched him, her eyes narrowing. She moved to the next stall, the ring toss. Once again, she threw the rings with the calculated trajectory of a throwing knife, but the lightweight plastic bounced off the pegs with chaotic energy. Rito stepped up behind her and, with a casual flick of his wrist, landed three rings on the highest-value prizes.
Next was the shooting gallery. Yami missed the top prize, a large plush cat, by a fraction of an inch as her cork bullet veered off-course. Rito took the cork gun, felt the weight, and fired.
Pop. Clatter.
The plush cat fell and he handed it to a stunned Yami.
"I've always been pretty good at these games." Rito said, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling. "Since I was a kid, actually. It's mostly about reading the rhythm."
Yami gripped the plush cat, her hair twitching. "Are you implying that my 'rhythm' is inferior to an earthling's, Yuuki Rito?"
"Eh? No, that's not what I meant!" Rito waved his hands, his aura momentarily faltering under her intense gaze.
"Rito, you still need to learn to read the atmosphere." Mikan sighed, shaking her head. "You're making her feel like a rookie."
"Rito! Everyone!"
A bright, energetic voice cut through the tension. Rito turned and felt his breath hitch in his throat.
Lala was running toward them, her pink hair tied up in a sophisticated bun held by a sunflower hair ornament. She was wearing a vibrant yukata with a sunflower pattern that complimented her bright eyes perfectly. The way the fabric hugged her curves before flaring out was devastatingly beautiful.
"Lala! You're here!" Rito said, his heart skipping a beat. He looked at her directly, acknowledging the sheer radiant beauty of his fiancée. "You look... really lady-like today, Lala."
Lala beamed, her tail wagging excitedly behind her. "Ehehe! Do I? Mikan-chan helped me pick it out! It's a bit tight around the chest, though!"
Haruna looked at Lala, then at Rito's blushing face. A small, bittersweet smile touched her lips as she looked at her own chest.
"Lala-san, it's just you today? I thought Nana-chan and Momo-chan might have come back early."
"Nope!" Lala explained, making a cross sign with her hands. "They're still busy sorting through all their stuff! They said they won't be back until they have every single one of their favourite things. Zastin said he'd bring them back as soon as they're ready!"
"I see." Haruna nodded.
Oshizu, floating between Rito and Haruna, watched the interaction with a keen, mischievous eye. She saw the way Haruna's gaze lingered on Rito, and the way Rito was currently distracted by Lala's infectious energy.
'She seems a little down. I can't let Haruna-chan fall behind,' Oshizu thought, her translucent cheeks puffing out. 'She needs a little push!'
The group began walking toward the main stage, where a large crowd had gathered. The air was buzzing with a different kind of energy now; the sound of speakers being tested and the rhythmic beat of a backing track.
"Look! It's Run-chan!" Lala cheered, pointing toward the stage.
Under the bright spotlights, Run was performing. She was wearing a modified yukata, sparkling under the lights as she danced with high-energy choreography. Her voice was crystal clear, a new song that was already getting the crowd to clap in unison.
"She's really giving it her all." Rito remarked, watching his friend perform. "It's hard to believe that's the same person who gets so flustered at school."
"She really likes her job as an idol." Haruna added, her eyes softening as she watched her friend.
As they stood at the edge of the crowd, the density of the people increased. People were pushing and shoving to get a better view of the idol.
'Now's my chance!' Oshizu thought.
She focused her mental energy. With a subtle flick of her spectral hand, she generated a localized burst of telekinetic pressure right behind Haruna's shoulder.
"Whoa!" Haruna gasped as she felt an invisible force shove her forward.
She stumbled, her geta catching on a crack in the pavement. She fell straight toward Rito.
Rito's reflexes kicked in before he even realized what was happening. His body moved with a fluidity that was almost predatory. He spun, catching Haruna in his arms.
The collision was soft and warm. Because of the way Haruna fell, Rito had to reach around her to steady her. His left hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest, while his right hand...
Squish.
Rito froze. His hand had landed squarely on the soft, rounded curve of Haruna's chest, the thin silk of the yukata offering very little resistance.
The world seemed to stop. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin, the frantic, bird-like thrumming of her heart against his palm, and the specific, floral scent of her shampoo.
"Ah..." Haruna let out a tiny, stifled gasp. Her face turned a shade of crimson that put the festival lanterns to shame.
Rito stared into her eyes. He saw the shock, the embarrassment, and then... a flicker of something else. Something heavy and dark that made his own honest energy surge. He didn't pull away immediately. For a fraction of a second, his fingers involuntarily twitched, feeling the incredible softness of her.
"Rito-kun... your hand... there are people around…" Haruna whispered, her voice trembling.
Rito snapped out of it, his face exploding in heat. He retracted his hand as if he'd been burned, but he kept his other arm around her waist to ensure she was stable.
"H-Haruna! I'm so sorry! I was just trying to catch you, and then—!"
"It's okay..." Haruna squeaked, clutching her chest and looking at the ground. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst. "I... I just tripped. Thank you for catching me."
"Hmph. A classic pervert maneuver, yet executed with high technical proficiency," Yami remarked from the side, though she hadn't moved to intervene. She was still hugging her plush cat.
Despite having made up her mind to observe Rito, his friend and other things on Earth, Yami still didn't have a good opinion on Rito's pervertness.
"It wasn't a maneuver!" Rito defended himself, though he couldn't deny the lingering sensation in his palm. "It was an accident!"
Oshizu giggled silently, floating above them. 'Mission accomplished! They're both so cute!'
"Come on, everyone!" Mikan called out, seemingly oblivious to the high-voltage tension behind her. "The stage show is almost over, and we need to get to our spot before the path gets blocked!"
Rito took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing pulse. He looked at Haruna, who was still looking at him with a heated gaze, her hands fidgeting with her obi.
"Are you okay to walk, Haruna?" Rito asked, his voice softening.
"Yes," she whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes misty. "Let's go."
As they moved away from the stage and toward the quieter back paths of the festival grounds, Rito couldn't help but feel that the rhythm of the night had shifted.
*****
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