#amanenetsuka

Anyways.

With the stifling warm air of summer sticking to his skin, Amane continued to stew in his boredom. His mind wandered and circled around thoughts about how unfair it was that he was sitting here wasting away his precious summer.

“Amane-kun, don't slouch like that. You'll look sloppy and then people won't want to approach our stall.” His mom's voice was gentle with that sort of parental edge that let Amane know that he was getting scolded.

“Yes, mom,” was Amane's begrudging response as he straightened up and stood in attention. He watched as the festival goers passed by in an abundance of excitement and joy. It only seemed to dampen his mood more.

“And try not to look so glum. I know it's not great to be working during the summer–and at a festival, at that–but it would really help out me and your father.” Her tone became more stern and took on another edge. “We really are so grateful for your help, Amane-kun. Please understand.”

The boy in question didn't respond right away. He bit at his lower lip and instead wished for his brother to return.

“I understand, mom,” said Amane, finally. He didn't say anything else even as his mom heaved a small sigh and continued working on some customer's order.

Tsukasa did not, in fact, materialize in front of him when Amane most wanted him to. He flicked some of the acorns a couple of inches off and moved a leaf to the other side of the table for good measure. With another sigh, Amane decided to busy himself in stocking up the goodies and checking the drink mixes.

“Amane-kun!”

Everything seemed to get a little brighter as Amane fumbled with the packaged bread in his hands. His chest felt tighter and the heat around him seemed to get a little more stuffy. He looked over to where his name was called and saw a girl with long hair across the table. A smile tugged at his lips.

“Hey, Yashiro.”

A smile lit up on Yashiro's face as she gave Amane a small wave. It made Amane feel even warmer except this time on the inside. Which, if he had to be honest, was not doing him any favors with the heat of the summer.

“What are you up to? Do you have any more melon bread today?” chirped Yashiro as she perused the selection of goodies on the table. Amane tracked her hand's movement as she fiddled with one of Tsukasa's pretty rocks and moved it a couple inches off.

“Y'know, actually it looks like we're all out,” said Amane as he gave a sad shake of his head. He reached over and moved the rock back to where it originally was. “Did you think that I was going to snag and hold onto one melon bread just in case you showed up?”

Amane watched as Yashiro's expression knotted a bit and pink dusted over her cheeks. It made something in his chest pulse and constrict.

“Because I did.” Amane pulled a pack from underneath the table and waved it in the air. The last melon bread that they had. He couldn't help the silly grin spreading on his face when Yashiro beamed with pink washing more in her cheeks. She quickly pouted as she realized that he had just been teasing her.

“Jeez, Amane-kun, why do you have to be like that?” asked Yashiro as she tried reaching for the melon bread. Amane pulled backwards and made her reach miss with a smug grin on his face. “You're always teasing me…just like when we first met.”

“Hey, it's not my fault you were letting that guy pressure you into buying things for him,” huffed Amane as he pushed the bread into Yashiro's hand the second time she reached for it. “And I really did think your ankles were swollen when we first met.”

“Shut up! They're not swollen!!” screeched Yashiro. She half heartedly glared at Amane when he laughed a little at her outburst. She huffed before she reached into her pocket for her wallet.

“Hey, no, it's okay.” Amane looked over his shoulder at his distracted parents. He leaned in and whispered behind his hand. “It's on me today.”

“What? No, I can't let you do that, Amane-kun. Let me pay.” Yashiro had opened her wallet and reached in before Amane's hand stopped her movements. She looked up into his eyes and he marveled at the way they seemed to twinkle in the light.

“I'm serious. It's okay.” He stared for a second more before he realized that they were still touching. His cheeks warmed as he pulled away slowly and looked off to the side. “Just…stay here and hang out with me for a bit. That can be your payment.”

“...Okay!”

Yashiro's smile was infectious and bright. Amane was no match for it as he found himself smiling as well. For the next hour and a half, Yashiro stood around and hung out with Amane when he wasn't helping customers. He had pushed an on-the-house drink onto her as the heat seemed to rise and get to the both of them. When she left, however, Amane found some money and a piece of candy left behind in her wake.

Amane smiled so big that his cheeks hurt. He lifted the rock that held down the money and was careful in putting it back right where he knew it should be. He unwrapped the pink little candy and popped it into his mouth. Sweet strawberries filled his senses and that warmth from within was spreading throughout his body.

Maybe working at this stall wasn't all bad. 

He hoped he'd see her again tomorrow.

“Amane!”

A loud voice that called out his name jolted Amane from his sappy thoughts. He didn’t have much time to react before arms encircled his neck into a crushing hug. Luckily, he was very used to these types of things coming from the person who decided to latch onto him.

“Tsukasa, quit it! I can’t breathe when you crush me like this,” complained Amane as he tried to loosen his brother’s hold on his poor neck.

“Oops,” giggled Tsukasa, not sounding all that sorry. “I guess you kind of need to do that, huh?”

A sigh huffs out of Amane’s chest as he manages to manhandle Tsukasa’s arms off of him. It actually was easier than usual because his twin’s attention was stolen by the trinkets on the table. Tsukasa lets out a loud exclamation as he drops several items into Amane’s arms before he rushes to the front of the table.

“Amane! Did you move my acorns?! And how did this leaf get all the way over here? I put it over here!” shouted Tsukasa as his eyes sparked golden in the light and his cheeks flushed pink from the audacity he was witnessing.

“No,” Amane said, like a liar. “It must have been the wind.”

“Liar.” Tsukasa glared at him and stuck out his bottom lip. Amane could see the fullness of his brother’s lip quiver a little before he watched him dash off behind the stall.

Aw crap.

Was Tsukasa really that mad?

“Mom, I’ll be right back. I have to check on Tsukasa,” Amane called as he set the items in his hands down and jumped over the rope that tied off the inside area of the stall. He could hear his mom vaguely responding to his words before he ran behind the stall and found Tsukasa crouched down in the dirt. He was drawing patterns and shapes in the ground with a stick.

“Hey…Tsukasa, are you really that mad?” asked Amane as he crouched down beside him. Tsukasa didn’t answer and Amane couldn’t see his face to gauge just how serious he was at being mad. Sometimes Tsukasa got upset about the strangest things. Well, Amane was feeling kind of bad. He did move his brother’s things and this time it wasn't in the lighthearted fun kind of way. He glanced up and looked around them. The tent of the stall was obscuring them from their parents and there was no one walking around where they were crouching. “Tsukasa…”

Clumsy fingers reached over to slide just underneath Tsukasa’s chin to guide his face upwards so that Amane could lean in. He could feel the warmth of his core travel up to his ears as his lips met soft plumpness. The taste of lemon and something earthy was all too familiar to Amane. When he pulled away, the warmth spread from his ears to all across his cheeks and face. He couldn’t look at Tsukasa right away despite having done things like this many times before. Apologizing was embarrassing, after all.

“Amane, Amane.” The boy who was being addressed let a beat of silence settle in between the callings of his name before he mumbled a soft sound to signal that he heard his brother. “You taste like strawberries.”

Oh, right. The candy.

“Ok, I forgive you!” There was something in the lilt of Tsukasa’s voice that made Amane finally look back up to catch the mirth in the other’s eyes. There was a softness to them that crushed Amane's insides into a pulp.

“...Wait. Don’t tell me, was that all an act just so you could get a kiss?” The incredulity in Amane’s voice made Tsukasa giggle.

“Aww, haha, I got found out?”

Tsukasa was ridiculous, but Amane let him pull him in for another kiss that was hidden away from the ongoings of the festival.

-

Amane did indeed get his wish from yesterday. Yashiro came by around the same time as she usually did and they were chatting casually.

“Amane-kun, do you think…,” started Yashiro as she fiddled with the ends of her hair. Amane looked at her with a questioning look. “Do you think you could come out and hang around the festival with me?”

Oh.

Amane looked over at his parents who were both still working on orders. The lines of worry and stress pulled on their brows and basically made his decision.

“I'm sorry, Yashiro. I…can't.” He glanced at her and then back at his parents. When he looked back at her, he could see the disappointment that painted her face. “I really want to, but I can't. Sorry.”

“No, it's okay! I understand…” Amane watched as she looked down while forcing a small smile on her pink lips. She looked back up and tried not to look sad. “I'll come by a little later and hang out some more! I’m just going to go around the festival a little bit and maybe get something to eat. See ya later, Amane-kun!”

“Ah, Yashi–”

Amane reached out a hand towards the direction where Yashiro ran off to in vain. He sighed heavily and lets his hand drop uselessly to his side.

Sitting on a stool set up next to the stall, Yashiro sipped on her own drink as she watched Amane run back and forth. He ran about taking care of writing down orders and accepting payments to making drinks and handing out snacks. After the orders were made, if his parents were busy, Amane raced over to hand over the baskets filled with fried deliciousness to the masses. He really was working hard. Yashiro watched as he wiped at his sweaty face with the towel that hung around his neck.

He kind of looked cool.

A slurping sound rang in Yashiro’s ear and that successfully brought her out of her unnecessary thoughts. She looked to the side at the boy sitting next to her. Tsukasa had just emptied his own drink and tried with all his might to suck out any remaining juice that he could have missed. After deeming the drink drained of enough liquid, he started shoving the ice into his maw and chomping on them to his heart’s content. 

When Tsukasa’s eyes weren’t down on his drinks they were on Amane. He seemed to watch him intently as his brother danced about in the stall. He was perched at the edge of his seat and rocking so precariously that Yashiro almost felt like he was going to fall off. Tsukasa was the definition of restlessness. He looked like he wanted to do anything but sit still. He looked like he wanted to fly off his seat and maybe crash into Amane's side.

And yet he diligently sat in his seat and merely observed.

Huh.

At Amane’s next break from the onslaught of customers, Yashiro decided to ask something that was on her mind. “Why doesn’t Tsukasa-kun help out with the stall?”

Tsukasa had faltered in wiping at Amane’s grumbling face of sweat before both twins turned to give her a look. Oh. That came out kind of rude, didn’t it? Yashiro cleared her throat.

“I-I mean, I know you said you weren’t any good at it, Tsukasa-kun. But the other day you looked fine when you switched out with Amane-kun.” She felt even more nervous when the twins exchanged glances and looked back at her. “I was just mostly curious and wondering if that maybe…there was a…specific reason.”

Having sat next to Tsukasa this whole time and practically feeling him vibrating in his seat, Yashiro wondered if there was something he could do.

When Yashiro looked up from her lap, Tsukasa had gotten distracted by a dragonfly and Amane looked thoughtful with a hand on his chin. She could feel hot embarrassment settle on her cheeks.

“You don't have to tell me! It was silly of me to ask, and wow, are these rocks new? I haven't seen these ones before. They're really pretty,” Yashiro rambled as she picked up the nearby rocks on the table one by one to inspect. She jumped a little hearing something clatter beside her. Tsukasa had jolted in his seat and had a wild look in his eyes.

“It's okay, Yashiro. It's not silly,” Amane said while putting his hand on top of hers. Yashiro could feel her cheeks heat up more at the action. “I just wasn't expecting you to ask something like that.”

Was he comforting her? Yashiro kept glancing up into Amane's eyes shyly before her heart hammered against her ribcage feeling his fingers curl around her own. Any coherent thought she was about to form flew out the window. What, what? What was going on?

Oh.

Amane gently plucked the rock from her grasp and placed it back on the table. Yashiro was mesmerized as he placed it down and started moving the other rocks very specifically into certain places. She looked up with questions on her tongue but they died immediately when he hit her with a dazzling smile. The sheen of sweat on his skin almost made it look like he was glowing. It was quite unfair of him.

“Amane!” Tsukasa's gleeful shout cut through Yashiro's thoughts again. The silly thoughts that she definitely shouldn't be having! 

Instead of the dreamy landscapes of pink and warmth in her brain, Yashiro focused on the reality in front of her. Which was Tsukasa throwing his arms around Amane's neck. Amane had been very close to toppling backwards as he caught his brother. Tsukasa started nuzzling into Amane’s neck just as he sighed and gave up on peeling the other off for the moment.

“To answer your question, it's kind of complicated. There were a lot of things that happened in the beginning of the week that had us decide Tsukasa can’t work behind the stall,” Amane said while petting through his brother's hair. Tsukasa let out a wispy sigh. “At least not for a long period of time. He still helps me prepare the drinks and stuff sometimes.”

“A lot of things?” repeated Yashiro as she placed a thoughtful finger to her lips. She wondered what kind of things. Was Tsukasa a whirlwind behind the counter and tossed things this way and that? Did he make funny drinks that weren't on the menu?

“I almost dumped my whole arm in the fryer!” Tsukasa chirped after pulling himself away from Amane.

Oh. That was not anywhere on Yashiro's list of things that might have happened. Her bewildered expression must have been amusing because Tsukasa giggled to himself as he hopped back on his stool. Amane gave his brother what Yashiro could only describe as a disapproving look.

“I almost burned myself, I ran too fast around in the tent and tripped a lot, if there’s no one to help then I start to get itchy and I start to want to burst. Pwoo! Like a balloon!” Tsukasa was recounting all the incidents that may have decided his fate outside the stall. His eyes had gone all wide when he tried to imitate what a popped Tsukasa-shaped balloon would sound like. “And, and, I’m not so good at talking with the customers. I think that’s when Mom really decided that I can’t be helping out too much anymore.”

“To be fair, you really shouldn’t have pointed out to that man you could tell he was bald,” scolded Amane. He gently whapped his brother on the head. “Or tell that lady that you thought her lipstick color didn’t suit her.”

“Well! That guy should have done a better job hiding his baldness!” whined Tsukasa as he rubbed at his head where he was hit. “And that lady should have known better. That lip color was ugly on her. Even the pink-haired kid with her said so!”

“Tsukasa,” Amane scolded again as Tsukasa blew his tongue out in a raspberry. He shrieked high in his throat when Amane grabbed him in a headlock.

Having siblings must be really fun, thought Yashiro as she couldn’t help the smile form on her face. Fun, but also kind of a pain. Haha.

“You know,” Yashiro interrupted, the twins pausing from more of their roughhousing, “maybe if Tsukasa-kun can’t help from within the stall then he could…help on the outside?”

“Huh?”

-

Amane tapped his fingers against the wooden table both impatiently and anxiously. It’s been over 15 minutes since Yashiro whisked Tsukasa away from the stall. He turned her idea around and around and around in his head. It was a great idea. Almost brilliant, really, but it all depended on how Tsukasa can handle it. 

“An advertising boy, huh?” mused Amane to himself. It all made sense. All Tsukasa had to do was run around the stall and draw people in. He gets his energy out and, honestly, people were very naturally drawn to Tsukasa anyways. For better or worse.

“Amane-kun, can you please not have such a sour face on?” called his mom. Amane sighed and tried to look more neutral. “Where did your brother go?”

“Uh, he should be back. Mom, I was thinking…there’s something that me and Tsukasa want to try out.” Sucking in a brave intake of air, Amane relayed Yashiro’s idea to his mom. He tried really hard not to trip over his words. He was rolling one of Tsukasa’s acorns between his fingers as some kind of encouragement.

“Hm, that sounds fine. Business has been slowing down a little bit. It’ll be good to have your brother help out too.” She gave him a wary smile before running a hand through his hair. “Just make sure to keep an eye on him. Just in case.”

“Uh-huh…I think he’ll be fine, though,” Amane said semi-confidently. Things will be fine, right?

Withholding a sigh from buzzing past his lips–lest he gets scolded by his mom–Amane mindlessly stared out over the rest of the festival that he could see. Memories of yesterday when he explored it all with Yashiro came rushing to his mind. His cheeks warmed remembering how great and fun it was.

It was nice to be able to spend it with someone.

Amane looked both ways down the aisle of stalls for any hide or hair of Tsukasa or Yashiro. Just where could they be? What were they even doing? Yashiro had babbled about “looking the part.” Whatever that meant. What does an advertising boy even look like? Amane pursed his lips together tightly.

Can’t they just hurry back?

The bitter thoughts didn’t have any more time to form before Amane could practically hear someone running down the path towards him. Finally. He tried to look as nonchalant as possible as he turned towards the two barrelling children. That nonchalance didn’t last long as he took in what was Yashiro’s supposed great idea.

“Amane-kun! Thank you for waiting. Sorry it took so long. It was a lot more difficult than I thought to find something to fit Tsukasa-kun,” Yashiro wheezed as she leaned against the beam to catch her breath. She then looked up with a determined face before throwing her arms out in presentation towards Tsukasa behind her. “Well, what do you think?”

Hearing his cue, Tsukasa smiled all big as he gave a big spin of the outfit. Somehow the two of them were able to find a yukata for Tsukasa and it was a beautiful soft white with light purple accents. It looked a little bit big but not too much so that it was unwearable. The deep purple hakama that was tied on top really fit the whole outfit together. They even went the extra mile to use a tasuki cord to tie up the sleeves with a big bow in the back with how long the cord was. Overall, Tsukasa looked really good.

He always looks really good in traditional outfits, Amane thought as he ran a hand up into his hair.

“Maybe you should…lose the mask. It doesn’t fit the theme,” was all Amane could say.

“See, that’s what I said too,” Yashiro agreed.

“No! The mask stays. It’s the most important part!!” insisted Tsukasa, looking at the two as if they were crazy for suggesting otherwise. Amane groaned a little in response. How could Tsukasa say something so embarrassing?

“What’s that?” Amane asked so that the embarrassing statement could pass faster. He pointed to the wooden board that was hung around Tsukasa’s neck.

“It’s where we’re going to write down the name of your family’s stall and some encouraging words to come visit,” Yashiro said as she carefully pulled the board off of Tsukasa. “It’s actually the centerpiece for the whole fit. See how you noticed it right away? It’s eye-chatching, isn’t it? As long as Tsukasa-kun is wearing this everyone will know that he comes from your stall.”

“Uh-huh,” mumbled Amane as he gave Tsukasa a once over. His brother just grinned in response and did another twirl for good measure. “You know, was it really necessary to have a whole outfit just for this job?”

“Of course it is! What better way to catch the eye of the public than fashion?” squealed Yashiro as she fiddled with the ties and bows of Tsukasa’s outfit. “Doesn’t it look so cute?”

“Yeah, I guess,” huffed Amane.

“Amane, you don’t think I look cute?” Tsukasa prompted while running up and getting in Amane’s face.

“You look like Tsukasa,” Amane grumbled in response as he pushed Tsukasa back.

Somehow this response only makes Tsukasa grin even wider. “That’s good! It’d be weird if I didn’t look like Tsukasa anymore.”

“Actually, sometimes clothes really can make you look like a different person. Like–”

Amane started to tune out Yashiro talking to Tsukasa about fashion in honor of writing on the wooden board. He wrote the name of their stall and then some of the items that he thought were their highlights. That should do it. Now all they had to do was debrief with Tsukasa on how exactly to do this whole advertising gig.

“Tsukasa, are you sure you’re up for this?” Amane asked as he beckoned his twin over so that he could slip the board back over his head. Tsukasa looked down at the board with twinkling eyes before he nodded enthusiastically. “Ok…so here is what you have to do.”

Tag teaming the debrief, Amane and Yashiro went over what exactly Tsukasa was to do while out advertising. It consisted of standing out in front of the stall and gathering attention to it as well as walking up and down the aisle and doing the same. The part that was most exciting to Tsukasa was that he was allowed to shout as much as he wanted. Amane reminded him to maybe keep it to like half his usual volume of shouting, though.

“You know what would be really good advertising?” Yashiro brought up as she tapped her chin. Both of the twins looked at her expectantly. “If you gave out free samples! I’m always a sucker for buying things once I have a little taste of something yummy. And Tsukasa-kun can hand them out while he’s out here.”

“Huh, I guess I never thought about that,” Amane mused as he reached over and adjusted the opening of Tsukasa’s yukata that was loosening. “I would have to ask Mom if it would be okay to take some food to sample out. Tsukasa, do you think you can find a tray or something to hold the samples? I think they have some supplies at one of the main festival tents.”

“Roger! I’ll be back so fast!!” Tsukasa saluted and ran off on his mission. Amane frowned when he noticed that the yukata he had just fixed had fallen open again.

“I'm glad you guys were so open about my idea,” Yashiro finally said after a while. They had been both staring in the direction where Tsukasa had ran off to. “To be honest, I felt maybe I was butting myself in a little rudely.”

“Nah. It's fine. I'm glad you brought up the idea. It's good that Tsukasa has something to do besides just sitting around.” Amane sighed. Of course, Tsukasa had the option to be running around the festival by himself. Amane glanced over to Yashiro and took in the pink of her cheeks. Warmth started to pool in his own. “I don't really mind…you butting in…”

“Really?” Yashiro's cheeks became even more pink that they almost matched her ruby colored eyes. Those eyes glittered and colored in the festival lights that they almost looked multicolored. It reminded him of seashells that shifted colors in the light.

“Yeah,” Amane lamely stated as he tore his gaze away. He cleared his throat. “I can't really say anything for Tsukasa, but I'm pretty sure if he wasn't willing to go along with things he would have said so.”

“I can see that. From what it sounds like he's pretty blunt,” Yashiro said with a little laugh at the end. It sounded like a pretty little wind chime to Amane. “Hehe, you know, it's been so fun the last couple of days. I look forward to coming here every day lately.”

The sounds of the festival washed over the two of them at that moment. Children laughing, stall owners calling for customers, and the distant thuds of drums hitting to an upbeat tune. Conversations were garbled together in the background, not making much sense as they faded in and out. The air still felt stuffy, but the smells of sweet and salty floating around was exciting in its own way.

“...It's too bad it's almost over,” Amane finally said as he looked over the crowds.

While Amane wanted nothing more to be rid of his responsibilities of tending to his family's stall, it also meant he wouldn't see Yashiro. Now that he thought about it, he never asked if she lived around here or if she was just here for the festival. He should really ask her. Before it's too late.

But…

He was a little scared of the answer.

What if she really was just here for the festival? That means that Amane would really never see her again. Thinking that made him feel sad and uneasy. It was better to not ask, Amane decided.

“Yeah. Though what matters is that we had fun,” chirped Yashiro. There was a cheeriness to her voice that had Amane's chest feeling tight and beat a little abnormally. “Which reminds me, I was–”

“I'm back!” Tsukasa screamed from quite a distance away, successful in startling multiple people along with Amane and Yashiro. Amane sighed while shaking his head at his brother. Something akin to fondness fluttering in his chest, he supposed.

“I'm going to ask my mom about the free sample stuff,” Amane said while pointing towards the inside of the tent. “Do you mind checking to see if the tray is suitable enough for Tsukasa to be running around in and such?”

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

Yashiro gave Amane one more little smile that gave him butterflies in his stomach before they parted ways.

Good news, the tray that Tsukasa was able to procure was the perfect kind to load with free samples. Amane had ruffled his brother's hair for even finding one that had a neck strap. This way if Tsukasa's arms got tired he wouldn't need to set the tray down somewhere and forget it. Or if he got tired of holding it and let go of it completely.

They decided to do a test run of just normal advertising before they incorporate the free sample part of the job. Amane and Yashiro watched as Tsukasa ran up to people and yapped about who knows what. Amane wasn't necessarily introverted, but compared to Tsukasa he might as well be. It was amazing how Tsukasa could just run up to anyone and say anything on his mind.

Most of the folks that Tsukasa approached were at first startled before they eased into the confrontation. It helped that Tsukasa had an infectious energy to him. Of course, not everyone appreciated that kind of energy. Though Tsukasa took it in stride it seemed and waved them off energetically.

It wasn't long that Amane couldn't stay and watch anymore as some people came flocking to the stall. Between customers, he looked over to Yashiro who grinned all smug and proud that everything was going swimmingly. She helped set up the free sample tray and handed it off to Tsukasa when he had trotted back for a big gulp of water.

“Buzz off, I don't want anything you're trying to give me.”

Amane had just cleared through the customers before he heard the hostile voice cut through the air. He came over to Yashiro's side where she was nervously fidgeting in place. He looked across the aisle and saw Tsukasa up against a very tall grumpy looking man. Tsukasa said something while holding up a sample and got shoved back.

“What should we do Amane-kun?” squeaked Yashiro as she looked horror stricken. 

Amane narrowed his eyes and took a moment to assess what was the right thing to do. Would their parents be mad if they started a brawl in the middle of the aisle? It was the second shove that had Amane throwing reason out the window and he started taking off his apron.

“...it,” Tsukasa's voice grew louder at the end as his head hung low. The older man scoffed and told him to buzz off again.

Amane stopped in his tracks when he saw Tsukasa's head rise up suddenly.

“I said: Eat. It.” Tsukasa grabbed one of the samples and to Amane’s horror–and Yashiro's by the sound of her gasp–he shoved it against the man's mouth.

With the surprise of the action, the man had gasped on instinct and that was when Tsukasa unceremoniously pushed the portion of food inside. Amane could feel dread drop into his stomach. 

“Tsukasa! Stop it!!” Amane shouted as he jogged the distance towards his brother.

“You little brat–” The man was coughing and hitting his chest. Amane reached Tsukasa and tried to tug him by the sleeve but his brother was not budging. The man glared and Amane was afraid he was going to start swinging before he saw the man start chewing. “You know…that's not half bad. It's actually quite tasty! Where did you say your stall was, kid?”

“Over there! We have lots of those. So come buy some!!” Tsukasa demanded with a happy lilt to his tone. Amane was a little dumbfounded. It all…worked out.

The man scoffed a little but made his way over to their stall. It took Amane a minute to react before he realized he had to scramble back. He's the one who's supposed to be taking orders! He gave his mom a sheepish look as she had to step away from the food to tend to the customers who approached while Amane had been away. She gave him a wary smile that had him cringing. He sure hoped he wouldn't get scolded later. They traded places once he got his apron on and put on his best service smile.

While going through the mechanical dialogues and questions of customer service–something that Amane thought he was way too young to even be used to–he couldn’t help but glance over to where Tsukasa and Yashiro were. His brother had bounced back to the stall for another drink of water. He watched as Tsukasa downed the cup of water before letting out a little “phwah!” sound that had Yashiro laughing. She seemed to fuss over him when he tried to wipe the sweat on his brow with the sleeve of his yukata. Tsukasa had taken the towel from Yashiro with pouty lips before his eyes caught Amane’s stare. A brilliant toothy grin spread on his brother’s lips before he put up a peace sign. Tsukasa…was really working hard.

“Um, excuse me?”

“Oh! Sorry about that,” stammered Amane as he refocused on the customer in front of him. He sighed when he heard his brother snicker in the background. Despite the sigh, a smile couldn’t help but tug on Amane’s lips.

-

“Tsukasa-kun…is kind of intense, huh?” Yashiro stated as she munched on some chips. She watched as Tsukasa flitted about in the crowd. If she wasn't aware of what he was really doing, she would have thought he was being a menace. Honestly, maybe that wasn't too far off from the truth still. Yashiro offered the bag towards Amane to which he accepted and reached in for a couple pieces.

“Yeah…he can be,” agreed Amane as he tossed the chips into his mouth. 

It’s the second day that Tsukasa took on this advertising job. The first day had been so successful that Amane had told Yashiro his brother was quite eager to get back to it. He apparently had to endure a night of rambunctious retellings of conversations Tsukasa had while doing his job. Amane had punctuated the statement with a huge yawn. It must have been a long night.

“I was really scared that something was going to happen when he shoved food in that stranger's mouth,” Yashiro said while shivering at the memory.

“You’re telling me. I'm so glad that man didn't say anything to our parents. Our mom would have killed us,” groaned Amane. He directed what looked like a half-hearted glare towards his brother. “There were some close calls, but generally I think Tsukasa has an idea how pushy he can be now. I think. I hope.”

“Well, at least nothing too bad has happened,” Yashiro said with a laugh while crossing her fingers. Just in case. She beamed towards Amane. “Everyone who's here for the festival is here to have fun after all.”

There was a look Amane made that had Yashiro's smile faltering. Before she could decipher it, he looked away with a small smile that didn't quite look like a smile to her.

“Right,” Amane said simply.

Oh.

Right.

Embarrassment flooded onto Yashiro's cheeks at having realized how callous her statement might have seemed. Of course. Amane was here at the festival and he wasn't here to have fun. He was here working. All this time, Yashiro has been talking about how fun the festival had been for her all the while he was probably miserable. Slaving away in the heat and taking care of other's needs while completely ignoring his own. It's obvious that he wanted to be out here and enjoying his time too. He just couldn't.

She should apologize.

Yashiro watched as Amane stifled another yawn before he left her side to help a customer. A sigh fell from her lips at having lost the opportunity to say sorry. She should try being more mindful from now on.

By some mercy of the gods, today was a cooler day than it had been all week. It was a nice reprieve from the sticky humid air that generally swirled around the stalls of the festival. Despite this fact, Yashiro felt all warm on the inside as she watched Amane from the sidelines.

The way his face looked so serious as he put in an order and counted money. His brows knotted and nose scrunched up at trying to do math in his head before ultimately surrendering to using the calculator. The way the sunlight would hit his hair and bring out an auburn color to them. His choppy hairstyle somehow looked less like a mop and more boyishly cute the more she stared. The best thing though was when their eyes would meet. The gold color of his eyes would almost go molten the way they crinkled in amusement. As if he was teasing her for staring. Then when he was free of the shackles of service, Amane would give her this soft smile that would make her stomach flip and flip and flip. Like someone was making big fluffy sweet pancakes in her tummy.

There was no question on whether she wanted to be right here or out on the festival grounds. Going around the festival was fun and being around everyone’s infectious energy was good in its own way. It was also incredibly lonely when she had no one to share it with. If she hung around the games or events then surely eventually she’d find someone to hang out with. Yeah, sure, she could probably find some other kids around her age to hang out with and get to know. But…she already got to know Amane. And now she even got to know Tsukasa a little bit too.

Previously, Yashiro had tried to invite Amane out only for him to be weighed heavily with responsibility. Even Tsukasa didn’t seem interested in going about the festival unless it was to get things to bring back to his brother. It felt more like running around doing errands on a mission than hanging out and having fun. Plus…it felt wrong to hang out with only one of the twins when it meant one of them would have to be left behind to work. If she could, Yashiro would want to whisk the both of them away from their family’s stall so that they could frolic about the festival to their hearts content. 

It was a nice dream.

“Yashiro?”

“Huh?!” Yashiro exclaimed while jumping a little in her seat. Amane backed off with his arms raised in surrender. “Y-Yeah? What’s up?”

“Sorry, I was calling your name for a while and you weren’t answering.” Amane scratched the side of his cheek before another yawn ripped through him. He looked so sleepy. It was cute.

Wait! Yashiro held her hands to her head as a revelation came to her. Has she really been thinking recently that Amane was kind of cute? What was up with that?! Cute, as in he’s younger than her, kind of cute right? Right?!

“Yashiro? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Yashiro’s voice came out just a little too high and her words were said just a little too fast. Clearly not the epitome of “fine.” She started flailing her arms about as the heat of her cheeks spread across all over her face. “I am fine! I just feel a little woozy is all.”

“Hm, I see,” hummed Amane as he sleepily rubbed at his eyes. He looked thoughtful for a moment before his tired eyes found Yashiro’s. “Do you want a magic spell to help with that?”

“A magic spell?”

It felt like the wind had swept up around them when Yashiro watched Amane lean in towards her. She was so mesmerized by the smooth motion of his movements that she didn’t think to react or pull back until she felt something soft against her cheek. Soft and warm. Amane’s lips pressed gently against her cheek in a ghost of a touch. It was something so small and yet so big at the same time.

“W-Wh-What?!”

“A spell to help make you feel better.” Amane said simply with an easy grin on his lips. Those lips that had just touched Yashiro’s cheek. “Did it work?”

For the next few minutes, Yashiro found herself throwing heated words of embarrassment at a bewildered and now very awake Amane. Even to herself it was hard to understand what exactly she was saying. She was kicking up such a fuss that she saw Amane’s parents glancing over and even Tsukasa was heading over back towards them. As if she was waving a metaphorical white flag in the air, she quickly excused herself and ran as fast as she could from the stall. She just barely caught Amane waving at her with wide confused eyes. 

Yashiro just couldn’t face anyone with how fast her heart was beating and with the confusing swirling thoughts she was having. It was the heat. The heat had seeped into her brain and was melting it!

Yashiro passed by Tsukasa and quickly looked away from his wide prying eyes. It was unfair that it felt like he saw right through her. What he saw though…was a mystery even to herself.

-

It was the last day of the festival! There were so many people around that Tsukasa had to really dodge and weave in between them as he ran around shouting about their stall. It was still pretty early and there were this many people. Everyone must be so excited.

Tsukasa was excited too. 

After today, it meant that Amane and him didn’t have to be working for their family’s stall anymore! They could finally enjoy their summer as leisurely as they wanted. Doing anything it was that they wanted. Amane didn’t have to take care of people and Tsukasa could finally have as much of his attention as he wanted. As much as Amane was willing to give him.

“I can’t wait!” Tsukasa shouted over the crowd, making several people jump and stare at him. He let them stare as he jogged up to a couple of people and rambled on about the delicious food they had at their stall. Did they know that their stall was the only stall that had this special type of drink? It’s because they made it themselves. They should totally come by and try some!

Waving off a group of people who promised to stop by, Tsukasa grinned big and started heading back to his stall. He needed some more samples to give out. That means he gets to see Amane! He wondered if Amane missed him now that he’s been doing this job. Tsukasa really missed Amane. The absence was worth it though because of how excited he got when he could finally get back to his brother.

“Amane!” shouted Tsukasa when he was finally able to spot said boy. Amane’s eyes grew big as he caught Tsukasa with a certain calculated ease that only came after having to deal with a brother such as himself all his life. “I need more food to hand out! I’m all out. Can you ask Mom to make me more?”

“Already? That was really fast. Also get off of me. The tray is crushing into me!” complained Amane as he tried to push Tsukasa off of him. He grumbled even louder when Tsukasa did not in fact stop crushing the tray into him. “Also, you can ask Mom yourself to get more food!”

“I could…but why do that when I can have you do it?” Tsukasa laughed at Amane’s irritated expression before he finally detached himself. “I'm just kidding, Amane! I have my own two feet and my own mouth. I'm going, I'm going. Mooom!”

Tsukasa sidled up to his mom and whined for more food. He was being vague and whiny enough that she couldn’t tell if he was asking for food for himself or for the samples. It worked in his favor because it got him both food for the samples and an extra little treat for himself. An extra fried and crispy tempura shrimp!

“Thank you mom!” gushed Tsukasa as he took the morsel gratefully. His mouth watered just imagining the taste. There was a skip in his step as he headed back to the front of the tent. He was going to eat half and give the other half to Amane!

This time Tsukasa didn’t pounce on his brother because now he had precious cargo with him. Delicious food and most importantly the fried shrimp he was going to share. When he got closer he noticed that someone was chatting with Amane.

“Nene-chan! Woah, woah, you look so pretty!” shouted Tsukasa as he came to a screeching stop right next to Amane. He gawked at the girl until his brother elbowed him in the ribs. “Ouch. My ribs…”

“Tsukasa, it’s rude to stare like that,” chided Amane. Yashiro’s tinkling laugh coming right after. 

“It’s not my fault! Nene-chan has never come to the festival with a yukata before! And it’s super, duper pretty! Just like her!” Tsukasa pouted and continued on when he saw the red flush onto Amane’s cheek. “Don’t you think so, Amane? Isn’t Nene-chan pretty? Hey, do you think the yukata is pretty or Nene-chan? Maybe both?!”

“Shut up, Tsukasa!” screeched Amane, his cheeks fully red now. The color being very flattering on his brother. “That’s too many questions…”

“But you didn’t even answer any of them!” pressed Tsukasa. Amane was really weird and funny.

There was a moment of quiet as Tsukasa looked between Amane and Yashiro. The girl’s cheeks were also flushed a soft pink and her eyes held this expectancy in them.

“It’s pretty…,” Amane finally said.

“‘It?’” repeated Tsukasa. He grinned gleefully at the heated look Amane shot at him. He floundered for a second more.

“Looks good on you…Yashiro,” was what Amane managed to get out instead. Good enough.

“Hehe…thank you, Amane-kun.” Yashiro’s smile was so soft and sweet. Like cotton candy.

There was a pregnant silence going on when Tsukasa took the opportunity to bite into the tail end of his shrimp tempura. He pressed the rest against Amane’s mouth. A treat for being able to say anything. After the initial surprise, his brother wordlessly accepted the offering.

“So, what are you up to, Nene-chan? Why are you so dressed up?” asked Tsukasa as he licked his fingers. He ignored the way Amane cringed next to him. “Could it be that you’re going on a date?!”

“Wh-What?! No, no, nothing like that,” stammered Yashiro as she waved her hands frantically in front of her. Her eyes flitted between the two twins. Very interesting. Tsukasa could feel Amane bristle beside him. “...It’s because the fireworks are tonight. You know, because it’s the last night.”

The twins both looked at Yashiro with blank stares before their mouths fell open in realization.

“Oh yeah! I forgot that happens,” admitted Tsukasa. It must be because it really didn’t feel like festival time for him. Well, him and Amane. That’s why Mom was insistent on wearing yukatas for today.

“I’m sure they’ll be amazing when you see them,” Amane said with a big smile on his face. Tsukasa frowned because since he was trained in Amane language he could hear the strain in his voice. Hmm.

“A-Actually, I wanted to ask a really big favor,” Yashiro said with a wavering voice. She looked pretty determined though. “I wanted…to ask if you and Tsukasa-kun…could come with me and see the fireworks…together.”

It was the second time that the two twins were caught off guard.

“R-Really?” Amane sounded excited.

“Yeah! Let’s do it! We’ll go, we’ll go!” Tsukasa had said the same time as Amane spoke.

“Wait, Tsukasa. We have to ask Mom first…,” Amane’s voice tapered off worriedly, which Tsukasa didn’t like very much. He grabbed Amane’s hand and gave him a very serious look.

“Maybe, if we ask her together then she’ll say yes! We’ll be right back, Nene-chan!” Tsukasa called over his shoulder as he tugged Amane along with him. They stumbled over to their mom and nodded to each other. They’re about to put on the best puppy dog act that they could muster. “Mooom, can me and Amane go to the fireworks show tonight?”

Cue the big eyes and wobbling lips as their mom turned to look at them.

“You boys are getting a little too old for that kind of act,” sighed their mom. The way her eyes softened said otherwise. “I’m sorry to say, boys, that I don’t know if it’s going to be possible. It’s the last day and that means a lot of people will be here. Your father and I will need all the help we can get…”

“But mom! Amane’s been working so hard all week!”

“It’s only for one night. Can’t we have that?”

The two boys started talking over each other as they tried as hard as they could to convince their mom. Her eyes looked at them with sympathy as she turned the options in her head.

“I really am sorry, boys. The money we’re getting from this stall will really help with the hospital bills that we still have.”

Amane flinched so hard that Tsukasa could feel something hot flare in his chest.

“That’s not fair!” Tsukasa’s tone almost took on a snarl before he felt Amane squeeze his hand.

“I know it’s not fair, Tsukasa-kun,” their mom said with a harder tone to her voice. There was a tense moment before she finally sighed. “Let’s put it this way, if we get slower later in the night…then you and Amane-kun can scamper off. Okay? If not then it’d be really helpful if you both helped out as much as you can.”

“But–” Tsukasa started before he was cut off.

“Got it, Mom. Come on, Tsukasa,” said Amane as he tugged Tsukasa away by the hand. Tsukasa pressed his lips in a tight line as the red hot feeling in his chest traveled up to his ears. And not in a pleasant way. “Let it go, Tsukasa.”

“But it’s not fair. We didn’t get to do anything during this festival.”

“...One of us did.”

Tsukasa stopped dead in his tracks as something hard and heavy settled in his chest. He looked at the back of Amane’s head with wide eyes. His ears felt hot and cold at the same time as a pressure settled behind his eyes. It was getting hard to breathe when Amane wouldn’t look back at him.

“...I’m sorry. That–I didn’t mean that,” Amane finally said as he looked back at Tsukasa with sad eyes. Tsukasa couldn’t find it in himself to respond right away. He watched as his brother sighed and turned fully around to ruffle a hand through his hair. “I am sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I was being…bitter.”

“...It’s okay,” Tsukasa said when he finally found his voice. The pressure in his chest was slowly letting up. It wasn’t very often that Amane verbally apologized to him, after all. He wondered if he should apologize too. He didn’t get to dwell on it too long before Amane was pulling him back towards where Yashiro was.

Half listening to Amane explaining their ordeal, Tsukasa’s mind was racing over ideas or schemes that could help them escape this prison of a stall. What if the tent burned down? No, then it would probably ruin the whole festival. What if he threw all of their food prep into the woods? No, Tsukasa didn’t like the thought of wasting food. What else?

“...So that’s the situation,” he heard Amane say to Yashiro. Tsukasa eyed the girl who looked sadly down at her feet. He could feel his brother squeeze his hand tightly before he looked away from Yashiro. There had to be a way.

“Ok. Um, I’ll be waiting. If you and Tsukasa-kun can really pull away then I’d be happy to see you both there.” Even Yashiro’s smile seemed sad. Her eyes swirled with colors in the light. “I’m going to be busy today so I won’t see you until night. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the fireworks together. Bye!”

With Amane’s hand trembling and squeezing his tightly, Tsukasa swore that he’d find a way to make things work out.

-

“Here, I got it right here for you!” Tsukasa shouted as he handed off a drink to a customer. He zipped around Amane to prepare more drinks to hand out as his brother continued to take orders.

It was so. Dang. Busy!

Maybe all the advertising was really coming to bite them in the butt. It was already late afternoon and there was so much foot traffic that they hadn’t even had time to rest. Tsukasa had never really noticed how busy the last day of the festival really got before. It never really mattered until now. He wasn’t even out advertising because Amane needed him here to keep up with the orders. This was getting ridiculous.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the crowd died down. Tsukasa overheard his parents talking about some kind of closing ceremony happening. Tsukasa didn’t care. He wiped at the sweat on his brow with his yukata sleeve before he noticed Amane staggering behind the tent. Worried, Tsukasa immediately went after him.

“Amane?”

His brother had his head in his hands as his shoulders shook uncontrollably. Now, Tsukasa was really worried. He approached Amane carefully before he cupped his face in his hands to make him look up. Big fat tears were falling from his eyes. He tried ripping his face away but Tsukasa held him steadfast.

“We’re not going to make it…to the fireworks,” blubbered Amane. He tried to wipe his eyes but Tsukasa’s hands were in the way. So, he gave up. “It’s too busy and more and more people just keep coming. We’re going to be stuck here and we won’t be able to see Yashiro and then she’ll be gone. I never got to ask her if she lives around here.”

Amane’s tears. The way Amane’s brows scrunched up in agony. The red flush to his cheeks. Even the snot that was threatening to fall from his nose. Tsukasa took it all in and was captured by it. So captured in the way Amane lost himself to the emotions he usually let bubble underneath.

It’s been a long time since Tsukasa’s done this. He leaned in towards his brother and licked at the salty tears that fell down Amane’s cheeks. His brother was startled at the sensation, but ultimately resigned himself to the action. When Tsukasa pulled back, he looked into Amane’s glassy eyes with a grin on his face.

“Don’t worry, Amane. I have a plan. I’m going to make sure we’re going to see those fireworks.”

“No, Tsukasa, it’s not going to work. It doesn’t matter. The festival is over and it’s ruined,” stammered Amane as he tried to push Tsukasa’s hands off of his face.

“Hey.”

Tsukasa made Amane look him dead in the eyes and it worked in shutting him up. His heart swelled as he committed everything of this moment to his memory. He really loved Amane. He loved it when he was happy. Loved it when he was sad. Loved it when he was angry. He loved everything about him. He wanted to give him everything. And everything is what Tsukasa planned to give him.

“I got this. I promise, Amane.”

He pressed a quick kiss to his brother’s lips. A new color of pink flushed in Amane’s cheeks.

“Festivals are supposed to be fun, right?”

-

“I don't know, Tsukasa,” mumbled Amane as Tsukasa adjusted the board around his neck. He fiddled with his festival mask on his head before he grinned and did the same for the one Amane wore. It made Tsukasa so happy that they had matching masks.

“Relax, Amane. Leave it to me,” Tsukasa said as he interlocked their hands and gave a little squeeze. There was an uncertain look on Amane's face, but Tsukasa only grinned back in response. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away from his brother and waved. “Ok, I'll be off now.”

With his brother's dampened expression in the forefront of his mind, Tsukasa set off on his very important mission. Time to mess shit up.

There was already a crowd of people that had started to form around their stall. People that Tsukasa vaguely recognized to people that were completely foreign to him. He wouldn't tackle anyone who was already at the stall. Not yet. Instead, Tsukasa ran up to the next approaching group of people and set out his plans.

“Hey, hey, have you heard about our stall?” chirped Tsukasa as he held out his board for the folks to see. They smiled at him and shook their heads. Nice people. His eyes crinkled in mischief as his smile took on a sharper edge. “You should totally head over there since it's safe right now. I think we finally fished out all the bugs we had in the batter!”

Watching their faces contort into confused horror was so funny!

Tsukasa didn’t explain any further as he grinned big at them before skipping away. The fun memory of shocking them became short lived as it already slipped from his mind. He located his new targets and made a beeline for them.

“Hellllo! Are you guys looking for something to eat or drink?” exclaimed Tsukasa as he came to a screeching halt right next to the group. One of them yelped as they turned to look at him, making him grin cheekily. “You all look kind of hungry or thirsty! I come from this stall. See my sign? I think we have some really yummy drinks. I like to stick my fingers in the mix a little bit before we give them out to people. Oops.” Tsukasa theatrically slapped a hand over his mouth. “You didn’t hear that! Anyways, make sure to come by!”

And on to the next.

“We check if the bread is still good by opening the packets and then reseal them ourselves. Isn’t that great?” That had earned him some shocked gasps.

At some point he decided to change up his strategy and straight up warn people.

“See this stall? You have to be careful when ordering here. I’m running around spreading awareness that they all have colds and everyone who ate there has been getting sick!” There had been audible gasps and looks of concern exchanged between the group.

After running around at top speed for the last 30 minutes or so, Tsukasa wiped at his brow and decided it was time to head back. He asked a stall owner for the time. It was about an hour before the fireworks started. Yeah, he had to get back to Amane right now. Sucking in a big gulp of air, Tsukasa ran all the way back to his stall in hopes that his plan worked.

He ignored the little dreadful feeling that was nagging in the bottom of his stomach as he rounded the corner. The feeling didn’t stay as his stall came into view and he saw that there was little to no one crowded around it. Yes! It worked!! It really worked. Tsukasa’s grin grew even more when he got even closer and he saw Amane help the last customer. Their eyes met and there was a glow to his brother’s eyes as he watched him smile big. It made Tsukasa’s insides warm instantly.

“Tsukasa,” Amane said while opening his arms automatically as if he already knew Tsukasa was about to throw himself on him. Which he did. He couldn’t help giggling as Amane hugged him and he curled around him happily. His brother’s next words came out in a whisper. “You did it. I don’t know how you did it, but business has been really slow. Almost bad! How did you do that?”

There were stars in Amane’s eyes as he pulled back to look at Tsukasa. Tiny little pinpricks of lights that came from the festival glittered in them. Tsukasa wanted to lean in and kiss the lids of his brother’s eyes just to see if he could taste those sparkling lights on his lips. There were more important things to do, though.

“Let’s go ask Mom! She’s gotta let us go now. There’s no one coming here,” Tsukasa said as he clambered down from Amane. His brother laughed and it was his favorite kind of laugh. The one that sounded wispy and breathless. It usually happened when Amane realized that he could get something that he wanted. And Tsukasa loved that.

When the two boys approached their mom, it was almost as if she knew exactly what it was they were about to ask her. Tsukasa had to steel himself just in case he needed to push back. He would do it. She looked over the boys and then to the empty front of the stall before sighing.

“You boys are free to go. Thank you so much for helping for the night,” she said with a small smile. There was weariness there but Tsukasa didn’t care! She said yes! He turned to Amane who in turn looked at him with those glittering eyes again. They cheered and whooped and didn’t care to hide it.

Tsukasa started tugging at the strings of Amane’s apron making him squeal in laughter and light hearted complaints. Their mom had said beforehand that they could scamper off and scamper off they did. They laughed and laughed. After making sure their yukatas looked good and set–mostly it was Amane who wanted to make sure–Tsukasa let his brother tug him through the crowds. 

They weaved through the brightly lit stalls and it felt so nice to be here, with his brother, and going through the festival. They even had time to stop by a couple of stalls for fun. How amazing was that! They fished for water balloon yo-yos–which Tsukasa broke his right away in his excitement–and Amane bought a red candy apple to share between them. Tsukasa paused their journey as his eyes caught the katanuki stall. He gave it a longing stare.

“We can come back after the fireworks, if you want,” Amane said. He must have followed Tsukasa’s gaze to the stall. Warmth creeped onto his cheeks as his hand fidgeted with Amane’s fingers that he was holding. “Hey, I like katanuki too. I might not spend hours on it like you do…but I like it. Let’s come back later.”

“...’Kay!” He couldn’t stop the grin that plastered itself all over his face.

His grin didn’t lift off his face as he felt Amane tug him out in the open field where everyone was gathering for the fireworks. Now, all they had to do was look for Yashiro. It should be easy. Yashiro’s pretty hair was so distinct…as well as her ankles! It should be easy to find her. Tsukasa looked into his brother’s face then and saw the nervous excited energy practically radiating off of him.

Amane really liked Yashiro. Tsukasa liked Yashiro too, but Amane really, really, liked her. He hoped that they would find her soon. Otherwise, if they didn’t then Amane would be sad. And then all of this would have been for nothing.

Not that it was nothing for Tsukasa. Being able to be here with Amane was enough for him.

“Amane-kun! Tsukasa-kun!”

Both twins snapped their heads to and fro to locate the person who was shouting their names. It took a couple seconds, but they were finally able to spot Yashiro a couple feet away. She had a nice spot picked out on top of a hill with a mat and everything. Tsukasa wondered how long she had staked the spot for. He squeaked a little when Amane pulled them forward in a run towards where Yashiro was. His excitement was making Tsukasa excited too.

“I’m so glad. I’m so happy to see you guys make it,” Yashiro said while clasping her hands together as if in prayer. Her eyes were all glassy and sparkling with the festival lights. 

Was she going to cry? Was she that happy? Was she so sad that she was going to cry, but now she was happy? He didn’t get to ask his questions because Amane pulled him down onto the mat that Yashiro had laid out. Yashiro sat down with them elegantly.

“We’re happy to be here too, right Tsukasa?”

“Yeah!! Our stall became a total dud so we were able to escape and come here!!”

“A dud?” asked Yashiro as a concerned look crossed her face. The look passed fairly quickly though as she smiled. “Well, if it means that you both could come out and enjoy the fireworks then maybe it was a blessing.”

“Yeah…it really was,” Amane said as he cast a soft look towards Tsukasa. It reached in and seized something in Tsukasa’s chest. His cheeks felt warm and he tried to hide his silly grin behind the sleeves of his yukata. Ah, that reminds him.

“Amane, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Nene-chan?” Tsukasa asked while elbowing his brother in the side. Amane wheezed before grabbing his side and elbowing Tsukasa back. It was Tsukasa’s turn to wheeze but it quickly dissolved into giggles. When Amane didn’t say anything, Tsukasa practically crawled over his lap to get in Yashiro’s face. “Nene-chan, do you live in this city? Or are you here visiting for the festival? If you’re living here then what district do you live in? Do you think you’d want to hang out some time this summer?”

“Tsukasa,” Amane grumbled as he tried to push Tsukasa off his lap. “Too many questions. And you’re crushing me! Yashiro, you don’t have to answer any of that if you don’t want to.”

“What?! But Amane you want to know too, don’t you?”

“Tsukasa!”

“You do, don’t you? Or are you saying you don’t? Which is it?” pressed Tsukasa. Amane had to make a choice. There was a moment where Amane looked down hard at the ground as both Yashiro and Tsukasa awaited his answer.

“...I guess I…wanted to know if we’d keep seeing you around.” Amane’s voice was small, but Tsukasa was happy that he finally got to say something he wanted to say. Yashiro looked like she was happy to hear Amane’s words too.

“I guess I never told you both. I just moved here, so yes you’ll be seeing me around.” Yashiro twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers before bringing them to her lips. “Uhm, and if you want to, we can definitely hang out while we still have the summer left.”

“That’d be great,” blurted Amane. Both Yashiro and Tsukasa were taken aback at the intensity of his outburst. Pink colored his cheeks before he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Tsukasa giggled as Amane absentmindedly began to pet his hair as he was still half laying in his brother’s lap.

The sound of cheering brought the trio’s attention to the front. A sharp whistle pierced the air before a string of light shot up into the sky, exploding into millions of colored sparks. The sound was loud and echoed in Tsuksa’s ears. It was almost as if he could feel the impact of the explosion vibrate throughout his whole body. He stared up in awe as more whistles pierced the air and more colors seemed to rain down on the crowd below them.

There was a sound of shifting that distracted Tsukasa in his admiration of the explosions. He tilted his head up slightly to see Yashiro lean in towards Amane. They were leaning against each other with their cheeks flushed pink. The exploding lights were like tiny little stars that seemed to bounce off them. Some of them fell into their eyes and had Tsukasa feeling speechless.

Somehow, he felt like maybe these stars weren’t meant for him.

Fidgeting, Tsukasa slowly pulled himself out of Amane’s lap and sat up a little ways away. That’s when a hand clamped on top of his and kept him in place. He was a little surprised and looked over to Amane. His brother wasn’t facing towards him but when he looked at him from the side, his eyes held him captive in an intense lock. Those little colored sparks of stars fell from Amane’s eyes and dropped right on top of their joined hands. Amane threaded their fingers together and that was enough to warm Tsukasa’s insides and bring heat to his cheeks. 

Tsukasa smiled as he squeezed his brother’s hand. Happy to think that he was able to have some stars to himself.

-

Later on, Amane, Tsukasa, and Yashiro all visited the katanuki stall. They had to pull Tsukasa away when it hit the one hour mark. The festival was closing, after all.