Scene 1: Festival Plans

For weeks, Hikari had been talking about the summer festival.

“Takoyaki, goldfish scooping, yukata… and the fireworks!” Her eyes sparkled every time she said the word. “Fireworks are like stars you can hold for a second before they disappear. They’re the best.”

So when the evening came, I put on the plainest yukata I owned — one my mom had kept folded away in the back of a drawer — and made my way to the shrine where the festival lanterns already glowed.

I waited by the entrance, watching families and couples stream past, the air thick with the smell of grilled food and sweet syrup.

I kept waiting.

Scene 2: The Call

Minutes turned into an hour. The sky deepened to indigo, the cicadas fell quiet.

I pulled out my phone. No messages.

Finally, I called.

It rang, and rang, until finally she picked up. Her voice was faint, muffled by something I couldn’t place.

“Haruki… sorry. I can’t come tonight.”

The crowd and music around me blurred into noise. “Why? Are you okay?”

A pause. Then, too quickly: “Yeah. Just tired. Really tired.”

The lie was thin, and I knew it.

“…I’ll come to you,” I said.

“No!” Her voice rose suddenly, sharp enough to freeze me in place. Then it softened, trembling. “Please… just watch them for me. Tell me about them later, okay?”

The line went quiet before I could argue.

Scene 3: The Fireworks Begin

The first firework shot into the sky, bursting in gold above the shrine. The crowd gasped in unison.

I stood apart, hands clenched at my sides. The colors painted the night, reflected in the river, echoed by the cheers of strangers.

But none of it mattered.

Because the space beside me was empty.

Scene 4: The Empty Seat

Later that night, I passed by her house. The curtains in her window were drawn, but a faint light glowed from inside.

I imagined her sitting by the window, sketchbook on her lap, hearing the muffled booms from afar but never seeing the sky painted with light.

Her list had “see fireworks” written on it, circled twice.

I pressed my forehead against the cool fence post outside her house, the echo of fireworks still rumbling in the distance.

And for the first time, I hated the sky.

Scene 5: The Vow

Walking home under the smoke-filled night, I made a silent vow.

Even if she couldn’t go… even if the world tried to take it from her… I would bring the fireworks to her somehow.

Because dreams weren’t meant to be crossed out.

Not her....Never hers....

[To Be Continued in Chapter 17]