＊
The shrine was already swarming with massive crowds by the time Kazuaki drove Asahi and Fuyuka there. There were people as far as the eye could see, and one would need to take care to avoid bumping into others when traversing around.
“Here you go, kids. Pray on our behalf too, will you?” Kazuaki asked before driving off to join his wife back at the house. Asahi’s parents had to begin preparations for the restaurant’s reopening tomorrow, and thus couldn’t make it to the shrine with them.
Asahi and Fuyuka sought warmth in the pocket heaters Kazuaki had given them as they headed to the meeting spot they’d agreed upon with his good friends earlier.
“They say they’re gonna be here any second,” Asahi told her.
“I see.”
Fuyuka was clearly stressed—her good mood from just moments ago had evaporated. Although it bothered Asahi to see Fuyuka so tense, especially when she looked so beautiful, it was to be expected. Chiaki and Hinami were strangers to her, and she wasn’t exactly a social butterfly to begin with. Whilst it was her own decision to keep people at arm’s length, she’d vowed to change. That was why she’d accepted Asahi’s invitation to be here today.
To be fair, it all happened pretty quickly. She probably didn’t have enough time to mentally prepare herself yet.
Asahi took the opportunity to poke her cheeks, causing her to flinch with a start.
“Eep! Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!” she cried.
“I don’t know. I was bored.”
“I don’t appreciate you startling me over such a petty reason,” she grumbled. Then she flashed a faint smile and said, “Thank you for worrying about me.”
“Got no clue what you’re talking about,” he retorted. He felt rather flustered that his attempt at cheering her up had been so transparent and opted to change the topic. “If Hinami comes after you, make a run for it and don’t look back.”
“C-Come after me? Is she violent, or something?”
“Nah, she wouldn’t use actual violence.”
“You’re making less sense by the second, I’m afraid.”
Asahi and Fuyuka chatted while they waited for “The Obnoxious Couple.”
Asahi found himself surprisingly talkative as he blabbered about stories from his absurdly turbulent—yet exciting—daily life. He cracked a smile occasionally when he recounted particular situations, and Fuyuka listened attentively. She often grinned back and responded.
In the meantime, dozens, if not hundreds, of people passed by... until a pair of footsteps halted in front of them.
“Isn’t that Asahi and... Himuro, maybe?” a voice timidly probed.
Asahi and Fuyuka turned and caught sight of a cheerful expression.
“I knew it! It is Asahi! He’s got Himuro with him too!”
“‘Sup, peeps? You two look good.” Chiaki, who was right behind Hinami, greeted them with a big smirk on his face.
“Thanks, man. Wait, you two are out here in normal clothes?” Asahi asked.
“Yeah, dude. You didn’t mention this to me, sooo...”
“My bad. I didn’t mean to make it seem like we’re more into the whole thing than you are.”
“Nah, it’s all good. Besides, my girl loves it,” Chiaki said, pointing at Hinami.
The cheerful girl’s eyes practically sparkled. The same couldn’t be said about Fuyuka who found Hinami’s advances... uncomfortable.
“Your furisode is, like, super cute! You look amazing!”
“Thank you so much.”
“Oh, yeah—this is our first time actually talking, huh? I’m Hinami Aiba! Nice to meetcha!”
“I-I’m Fuyuka Himuro. I remember you from the sports festival.”
“You do?! I’m legit honored!”
“Ah... umm, you’re standing too close,” Fuyuka mumbled. Although she was clearly overwhelmed by Hinami’s enthusiasm, she’d been able to maintain a conversation for the time being.
“Ah, Asahi you’re looking nice too by the way,” Hinami added.
“Definitely not making it sound like I’m an afterthought... but, yeah. Thanks, Hinami.”
“Hey, Himuro. I’m Chiaki Kikkawa, nice to finally meet ya.”
“L-Likewise.”
Now that brief introductions were over with, the four of them began walking. Each person walked at a different pace, but they’d decided on the destination beforehand.
“Oh right. I forgot to ask, but did you guys, like, buy those kimonos, or is it a rental sort of thing?” Hinami asked.
“Asahi’s parents were kind enough to let us use them, actually,” Fuyuka replied.
“Wha—your relationship’s reached the point where parents are involved too?!”
“Yo, Asahi—I’m gonna need you to fill your old buddy Chiaki in on the juicy details.”
“Fine... Let’s split up,” Asahi said after a hesitant pause.
✦ ✦ ✦
＊
“Look there, Fuyu-Fuyu—there’s some kinda campfire thingy over there!”
“That’s called a ‘ritual bonfire,’” Fuyuka explained. The bonfire—or otakiage—was a Shinto ritual where monks threw last year’s lucky charms into a sacred fire.
“Ohmigod, are you seeing what I’m seeing?! There’s a lion-dog statue over there in all its glory! Let’s go check it out!”
“P-Please wait! It’s dangerous to run around on shrine grounds!”
Hinami radiated such an extraordinary vigor that one might seriously question if the term “setting boundaries” even existed in her vocabulary.
“They haven’t even been acquainted for an hour yet and look at them go,” Asahi remarked.
“Dude, it hasn’t even been 30 minutes.”
“Are all girls like that?”
“Nah, Hina is a special case. This is something only your friendly neighborhood Hinalayan Yeti can do.”
“Friendly... what now? I’ve never heard of a sociable monster before.”
“I’m telling you, my girl’s like the strongest beast. She can make friends with anybody. Seriously.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’ll take your word for it.”
Asahi and Chiaki observed Hinami darting straight toward the lion-dog statue while Fuyuka ambled behind her at a moderate pace. Once Hinami remembered it was hard for Fuyuka to run in a furisode, she rushed back to her new friend’s side once again.
✦ ✦ ✦
Fuyuka was baffled by the sheer amount of energy which Hinami possessed—and rightfully so—but she wasn’t vexed by it anymore. It even so happened that she seemed far more relaxed than earlier.
Who would’ve thought the Hinalayan Yeti’s powers were the real deal? She even went from calling her “Himuro” to “Fuyu-Fuyu” in a matter of minutes. That’s such a great way to get closer to someone.
“Didn’t Hinami give you a nickname too, or am I remembering things wrong?” Chiaki asked.
“She did—approximately 10 seconds after you’d introduced us.”
“Damn, that probably holds the fastest record to date. Anyway, why’d she go back to calling you your first name?”
“Because I rejected every single one of them.”
“Ah, I got it. She called you Asahinator—”
“Please no. She’ll go back to using it if she hears...”
“What’s wrong, bud?” Chiaki asked, curious about why Asahi had suddenly trailed off and stopped walking.
“Weren’t they both heading for the lion-dog statue just now?”
“You bet they were. They were looking all buddy-buddy and... Huh?”
Chiaki finally understood what Asahi had insinuated with his question. They both looked over at the vast crowd that had gathered around the lovely statue. The only problem was that neither Fuyuka nor Hinami were anywhere to be found; pushing through the throngs of people to search for them yielded the same result.
Hinami must’ve gotten pretty excited since she doesn’t come to the shrine often, and the addition of a surprise new guest probably added fuel to the hyperactive fire. I can easily see her taking Fuyuka’s hand and running off somewhere without a second thought.
“So you’re telling me...”
“Yup, we’ve just lost them in the crowd,” Asahi confirmed.
He and his friend stared at each other now they had fully grasped the situation. One heaved a large sigh, while the other snickered happily to himself.