Star Festival ୨୧ July 2023 Prompt

“Let’s go to the Star Festival together, Enzo!” A text followed by a series of pleading stickers was all it took for Aiko to convince her beloved to attend the annual summer festival with her. 

Dressed in a dusty pink yukata adorned with black laces, Aiko stood awaiting her partner to arrive at their designated meetup place. It had been many years since she last wore a yukata and her heart beats in anticipation at her date’s reaction. Her eyes dart back and forth from her cell phone to the crowd of people approaching from the direction of the station. They were all festival goers heading towards the Star Festival a few blocks away. After much time she spots a silver haired man heading her way. She stares intently until he makes eye contact with her. She beams upon being noticed and excitedly waves. He returns a nod. He wore a basic indigo colored yukata but seeing him out of his usual suit makes Aiko want to hop around in happiness. 

“Did you wait long?” He asks once he approaches her. 

Aiko continued to stare with starry eyes mesmerized by the new look. Her intense stare made him feel a bit restless. 

“Do… Do I have something on my face?” He touches his face in an attempt to swat away whatever it is that is distracting her. 

She giggles at his reaction. 

“No, you should wear more casual clothing often, Yoshida-San. It looks good on you.” 

“I’ll think about it.” He answers and she hums in approval before she begins walking the opposite direction moving with the flow of the crowd. He followed by catching up to walk side by side with her. 

They arrived at the festival after a short walk. It was lively as per usual with children laughing, groups of friends asking each other what they should eat next, and beautiful girls dressed in colorful yukatas full of smiles. The sun was beginning to set when they arrived so the decorative lights began to light up one by one. The smokes from the food stalls cover the busy crowded street and she glances at the man next to her. 

“Yoshida-San, can we hold hands?” She smiles up at him. 

“Here?” He raises an eyebrow at her request.

“Where else? It’s a bit crowded, I don’t want to get separated.” 

Enzo ponders for a moment but reluctantly accepts. He held out his hand and she grabbed a hold of it. She looks up at him and gives him a sly grin. He ignores her. 

Despite having been to the festival many times as a child, she hadn’t been back since. Aiko’s parents never let her stay out too late as a child either. Not because they were worried for her well-being, but because they had other things to do and couldn’t bother staying late to take care of her. She stopped attending all together due to not wanting to be a burden so she feels unusually flustered staying for the fireworks show later in the evening. 

There was plenty of time before the firework show started so the two spent the time engaging in various festival activities. Enzo insists on paying for the food and Aiko reluctantly accepts. Surprised by his unusual softness she decides to not fight it and let herself be spoiled. Although she feels a little guilty having him pay for everything since she is the one that invited him. They sampled the various foods available at the stalls and they were all delicious. Aiko ate most of it as Enzo mostly watches her blissfully enjoy herself. 

By the time they exhausted all the food stalls and activities it was nightfall. The bustling festival street was littered in bright lights and there were even more people pouring in now that the firework show was about to begin anytime soon.

“The fireworks should be starting soon. Let’s go find a good spot to watch them. I know just where to go.” She looks up at him from her cup of shaved ice cream he had bought her. The strawberry syrup stains her lips a deeper tint of red. Enzo laughs at how engrossed she was in the shaved ice to notice a bit of syrup had gotten on her cheek. 

“Let me get that for you.” He reaches for her cheeks and wipes the sticky red syrup off her cheek. Aiko looks up at him with wide eyes and a stunned expression. Usually it’s her acting in a flirtatious manner, not the other way around. She looks away in embarrassment. Note that Aiko would never react this way with anyone else. It’s only because her adoration for Enzo is limitless that any affection he shows towards her ends up making her heart leap out of her chest. 

“T…Thanks.” 

She wipes her cheeks with the sleeves of her yukata again just in case there is any more stuck to her face. He nods and begins walking, signaling to her that he’s ready to go. She quickly throws the unfinished shaved ice in the trash can and quickly catches up to him. Instinctively, she reaches for his hand. They have been holding hands walking through the crowd of people so she automatically repeats the behavior unknowingly. Her small warm hands surprised him at first but upon seeing her innocent face, he gripped her hand back as they walked hand in hand through the crowd. 

“Yoshida-San, do you know where we’re going?” She questions him after walking quite a ways away from the festive environment. It’s not that she didn’t trust him, it’s just, she wasn’t familiar with the place they’re going and it makes her feel a little uneasy. 

“Don’t worry,” he reassures her. “I used to come here to look at the fireworks here as a kid with my older sisters. The view is spectacular.” 

“Oh, I see…” She didn’t question him anymore after as she obediently followed behind him. 

It took some going through bushes and running into branches for her but they eventually reached their destination. He apologizes for the rough path they had to take but he promises her that it’ll be worth it. Aiko noticed that they were on a slightly higher elevation but didn’t expect the view of the entire festival street that is below them. She stares in awe at the view as she leans on the railings that prevents any one from dropping 40 some feet below.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” His question broke her out of her amazement and she looks back and nods in agreement. 

“I never knew a place like this existed, it’s beautiful.” she sighs in content at the view.

“Here, you can sit on this rock. It has a flat top and should fit both of us.” 

He points at the fairly large boulder that sat away from the edge of the cliff. The view was still just as lovely. She agreed and sat comfortably next to him, setting her pink pouch down beside her.

“You know, me and my sisters pushed this piece of rock over here so we didn’t have to stand and watch the fireworks? Back then, they didn’t have this railing and I almost fell over. Can you imagine if that were to happen? My sisters would’ve been crying if they found out that I got hurt because of them.” 

She giggles at his story. Enzo is more talkative than usual and Aiko couldn’t help but smile about the way he talks about his family. 

“Your sisters must love you very much.”

“Yeah, I guess they do.” He leans back on his hand as he stares off into the sky as if he were reminiscing about his childhood. 

“I envy you Enzo,” she spoke in a melancholic tone. 

Enzo didn’t face her but listened quietly. Aiko usually feels more comfortable being herself when others aren’t looking at her and knowing that he let her speak her mind. 

“I only have a step-brother but I don’t think he ever considered me as his sister. My parents never really cared for me either I don’t think,” she sighs before she continues apologetically. “I’m sorry, this was supposed to be fun. I should really leave all those bad memories behind.” 

“It’s okay. Did you have fun today at least?” He turns to face her with a gentle smile on his face. She returns a genuine grin that lights up his world and nods excitedly. Maybe he does like her a little more than he thinks he does. 

As if the sky was envious of her smile, a high pitched noise can be heard before a single firework explodes into thousands of sparks in the sky catching both of their attention. A series of vivid red, green, yellow, purple fireworks paints the sky soon after, leaving the crowd in awe at the extravagant display. Some whirl in a spiral while some others made funny shapes that made Aiko giggle. She had never thought the sky could be as beautiful as this before. 

The sight was unforgettable for Aiko. Maybe it’s because she’s experiencing this beautiful moment with her favorite person but for a moment she truly felt like life is worth nurturing. That there will always be times that make her forget all the bad things that ever occurred to her. 

Unbeknownst to her, it was also an unforgettable sight for Enzo. He’s too grown to be impressed by mere fireworks but seeing a pitiful girl like Aiko be filled with joy makes him feel a certain type of warmth in his heart. Up until now, she had always had a saddened expression and a smile that never fully reached her eyes. 

Unaware that he had been staring at her for some time, Aiko turns her attention away from the sight to face him.

 “You’re staring. Is it because I am prettier than the fireworks, Enzo?” She asks with a smug expression on her face expecting him to roll his eyes and ignore her like he usually does. 

“Yes. Yes you are, Aiko. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.” To her surprise, he responds bluntly with a sly smirk. 

Shocked, her face turns a shade of red that rivals the strawberry syrup she had on her shaved ice earlier. 

“That’s not fair! I’m supposed to be the flirt here!” 

She pouts with furrowed eyebrows but Enzo simply chuckles as he reaches to ruffle her hair. 

“S-Stop that! You’re gonna mess up my hair!” 

She attempts to push his arm away to no avail. 

“Just enjoy the show, brat.” 

He stopped ruffling her hair but before he could retract his arm, she held onto his hand. He raises an eyebrow at the gesture but relaxes in her touch. His hands are battered and larger than hers but oddly cool to the touch. She held it against her cheeks and closed her eyes.

“Thank you, Enzo. Thank you for coming with me.” 

Aiko nuzzles into his hand and he smiles. The warmth of her soft doughy face radiates onto his hand.

“You’re very welcome, Aiko.”

She eventually lets go and the couple sat and watched the fireworks together until the very last spark left the sky. The day was filled with surprises for Aiko but she didn’t regret any of it. If anything, she wishes this moment will always be etched into her heart.