The store owner’s face flushed a violent red, “Yamakichi-Kun! I’m so sorry-”

 “We just came to see some Yukata for the lady,” Rein cut him off politely.

“Ye-yes, yes!” The owner looked nervously at Akito, who was just as confused as Kimiko. By the time his wife descended the staircase at the back of the store, the man was breaking out in a sweat. He pushed her into an adjoining room in a hurry, muttering apologies.

The man with the newspaper was inside now too, having heard his father, no doubt. He bowed to Rein, a full ninety degrees. “We are sorry, Yamakichi-Kun, we were not aware that you would be visiting,” he blurted so fast that Kimiko almost missed it entirely.

“That’s quite alright Oji-San,” Rein smiled, he didn’t look embarrassed or confused by the fussing at all, almost like he was used to this sort of thing.

Kimiko leaned in to ask Akito about it, but the store owner came back outside, his wife right behind him. She took Kimiko’s hand and more or less dragged her into the room she just popped out of, promptly shutting the sliding door that separated it from the rest of the store.

She buzzed around Kimiko like an anxious bee, laying out some of the most beautiful and detailed Yukata she has ever seen. Kimiko gasped, “Wow, this is awesome. You’ve been working hard, haven’t you? I didn’t know you made these many!”

“Oh yes, yes, Ane-San, anything for you!” The old lady smiled, “We keep these designs for special customers.” Ane-San? Where did that come from? Had her uncle called them up to say she was coming? Kimiko hated it when he flexed his influence like that. He would get a nice talking to when she met him next.

“You put this one on, I will help you, yes! You will love it and so will your boyfriend,” she said. Which one did she think was her Boyfriend? What was going on? “It’s my masterpiece. You’re a little too skinny but we can fix that, you come here on the day of the event, okay?”

“Uh, but I don’t think I can afford this,” Kimiko said as her arms were being maneuvered into the Yukata, not realizing when her clothes had disappeared under the woman’s nimble hands.

Oh, but the design of the Yukata was so exquisite, delicate pink cherry blossoms that ran down the sleeves on a glossy black surface. The material felt heavenly on her skin, and when she was pushed in front of the mirror and a silver embroidered Obi was wrapped around her waist, she quieted down and let the old lady do as she pleased.

The old lady pushed the sliding doors open, and pushed her out into the store. The three men stopped the conversation they were engrossed in. Kimiko smiled when she saw Akito’s wide eyes, “You look pretty.”

“Very,” Rein said, looking impressed, “are you getting this one?”

“I don’t think I can afford it,” she said to the old lady, feeling guilty for all the trouble she went through, “It’s beautiful though...I only want a simple one.”

“Yes, yes! Anything!” the old man said, and Kimiko bowed in apology. The old lady took her back inside and began helping her out of the Kimono. What was all the hassle about? “Oba-San?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know Rein-Kun?” she asked, and the old lady stopped undoing the ties for a second to stare at her in bewilderment, “What? Is he from some important family or something?”

“You don’t know?” the old woman pulled Kimiko’s face closer, and upon seeing something in her confused expression, let her go again, “stupid girl! You are an idiot!” She hissed, and yanked the Yukata off her shoulders in hurried, tense movements. “Do your parents know you’re here?” she whispered, handing her blouse and skirt back.

“Yes, they do, I came here with my friend…” a sense of unrest crept up her spine, “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t say more,” a white Yukata with a little bit of pink detailing was shoved into Kimiko’s hands, “forget I said anything.”

“Hey, wait! Oba-San!”

Kimiko walked closer to Akito when they left the store, holding another Yukata the owner insisted on giving her as a complimentary gift. He was even quieter than before, fiddling with a Polaroid camera he had in his hands, also courtesy of the old man from the shop.

“My father knows the owner,” Rein said.

“I see,” Kimiko said, and it came out a little curt.

“Sorry about all the weirdness…” he added slowly, seeming to detect the change in Kimiko’s behavior.

“No, no it was not weird or anything,” she laughed, trying to bring the cheer back into her voice. “Don’t worry at all.”

Rein’s eyebrows knit together in an assessing look that reminded her of Akito, then he stopped, turning his attention to a Cosplayer dressed as a Samurai across the street. And the silence returned, less awkward, more tense.

Kimiko felt an overwhelming urge to fix the situation. They could all go their separate ways now that she had gotten what she came for, but she wanted to end this on a good note, count Rein as one of her friends, or an acquaintance at the very least. That was probably what Akito wanted them to be, so she would try. But this walking thing wasn’t working. They needed an activity they could do together.

A woman in the white and red garb of a shrine maiden ran after the Samurai Cosplayer, and that gave Kimiko an idea.

“So we still have a lot of time left,” Kimiko turned to face the boys, “we could go to The Kanda Myojin to wish for luck. I mean, it would be a good start for our friendship.”

“Kanda Myojin?” Rein raised an eyebrow at Akito.

Akito nodded, “Sure, why not?”