Kentaro and Minako

It was a warm and clear afternoon, or at least barely afternoon anymore as the sun was still in the sky but was due to set in a little while, on the day of the Mid Summer Fireworks Festival. On the day of the Fireworks Festival, there was music and dancing, games, food, and every year the whole mid summer event ended with a grandiose Fireworks Display on the Riverfront.

A mother and father brought their young daughter to the Festival.

"You know, Hanabi, this Festival is where your mommy and daddy first met!" Said the mother.

"Really, Mommy??" Said the little girl.

"Really, honey." Said the father, looking at his wife.

5 years earlier...

'Red Lanterns lined the streets, Acrobats put on a show for spectators, the sound of drums, shamisens, and reed flutes permeated the air.

20 year old Kentaro stood by a maple tree eating Pork Buns while waiting for a group of his friends when a beautiful woman in an extravagant red Kimono walked up to him. The woman winked at him and walked past, gesturing towards him with his finger. Kentaro, too entranced with her beauty to think clearly, followed her.

The woman weaved through buildings, then through the Pine Trees and Bamboo Thickets, and Kentaro followed.

The beautiful woman in the red Kimono stopped behind a shrine to the spirits surrounded by a small grove of Maple Trees. Kentaro followed her to the back of the shrine. She grabbed onto his hand with one hand, gently grabbed his shoulder with the other, and closed her eyes and ever so slightly leaned in for a kiss.

Kentaro closed his eyes too, and then he also leaned in for a kiss, but unbeknownst to Kentaro, as soon as he had closed his eyes, the beautiful woman in an extravagant red Kimono had literally vanished in a puff of smoke. Kentaro had waited a moment, no kiss, then another moment, no kiss, then yet another moment and still no kiss. Confused, Kentaro opened his eyes to see what the problem was, and saw a Fox Spirit rolling around on the ground laughing in front of a grove of trees.

"A Fox Spirit? I followed a Fox Spirit to this Shrine? Kentaro muttered to himself.

The Fox Spirit stopped laughing at the poor boy, got up on it's feet, and then turned into a ball of light and sped off into the woods. Kentaro kicked a nearby rock on the ground in frustration and embarrassment.

"I can never let my friends find out about how I got tricked like this. They'll never let me hear the end of it.... and to top it off, I don't even know where I am or how to get back to the Festival..." he muttered to himself.

Kentaro walked around the Shrine and started down the street leading back to the Fireworks Festival when a Girl about Kentaro's age walked out of the house across the street in Festival Robes.

Kentaro then shyly crossed the street and said to the girl "Excuse me ma'am, but I seem to have gotten lost on my way to the Fireworks Festival. May I please walk with you if you're going there?"

"Oh, sure! That's no problem for me! My Dad is selling Takoyaki at the Festival!" The girl said with a giggle.

So the Girl lead the way to the Fireworks Festival chatting with Kentaro, while Kentaro followed, happy to have someone to show him where to go. When they got to the Fireworks Festival entrance, Kentaro turned to the girl and said "Say, I don't believe I've caught your name yet. My name is Kentaro, and you are?"

The Girl giggled "My name is Minako. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too. Would you like to meet my friends, Minako?" Kentaro said.

"I'd be thrilled to, Kentaro!" Minako said.

So Kentaro escorted Minako to where his friends were waiting for him.

A male voice from the maple tree by the shaved ice stand said "Hey Kentaro, you're only just barely on time!"

"Hi. Shinichi, I just...got lost."

Shinichi shrugged.

Ryo said "Hey, Kentaro, who's that girl?"

Kentaro turned to Minako and said "This is Minako. We met on the way over here."

"Nice to meet you, Ryo. Nice to meet you Shinichi, Hikari. Hey, my Dad has a Takoyaki shop close by, would you like to meet him?" Minako said cheerfully.

"Sounds good, I'm hungry." Ryo said.

"Typical Ryo, always thinking about food!" Shinichi said with a snark.

"Hey!" Ryo shouted.

"Anyway I think me and Hikari will go to the Koi Pond instead." Shinichi said.

"Alright then." Kentaro said. He then turned to Minako. "Lead the way, my lady!"

Minako lead Kentaro and Ryo to the shop where her Father sold Takoyaki.

"Hi, Minako. Who's your friend? Said her father.

"Hi Dad, this is my friend Kentaro!" Minako answered cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Chou. Can I help you tonight?" Asked the Shopkeeper.

"Yeah, I'll have a bite!" Kentaro said, paying for his food.

"Coming right up!" Chou said.

And so, Kentaro, Minako, Shinichi, Hikari and Ryo ate street food, played Festival games, and watched the miniature shrine Parade leading up to the Fireworks display.

Before the Fireworks display, Shinichi, Hikari and Ryo took a number of steps back by a nearby Pine Tree so that Kentaro and Minako could be sitting on the grass alone together. The full moon hung low on the horizon. Bright, bold explosions of Red, White, Yellow, Blue, Green purple and Pink adorned the night sky in a dazzling array of shapes and sizes. Kentaro had found himself and Minako so absorbed in the Fireworks display in the night sky that they were both absentmindedly holding hands and blushed.

Later that night, when Kentaro got to his bedroom for the night, he slumped into his bed not sure whether he was tired, or lovestruck, or both.

Meanwhile, when Minako got to her room for the night, she slumped into her bed not sure whether she was tired, or lovestruck, or both.'

The Father and Mother smiled as their young daughter looked up at the pretty colors in the sky in amazement.