The cold air blew against my face, pressing against my cheeks as I looked around the crowd and yawned.

  Lantern lights dimly lit the area, glowing like something from a dream I once had but couldn’t seem to bring myself to recall at the time.

  Stalls were being set up all around, the subtle smell of fried foods filled my nostrils as i took in a deep breath.

  Exhaling a small frosty cloud of hot air, I adjusted the scarf Mia lent me and pulled my hood over my head. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, pulling out my phone and checking the time.

  [5:29pm]

  The sun had already begin to set in the distant horizon, leaving behind a beautiful purple hue in the sky above.

  Another cool breeze blew against me, nearly knocking my hood off my head and blowing my hair into my face.

  ~Should I have worn more layers?

  I thought of this as I began circulating mana throughout my body, expelling small amounts to generate heat to warm myself.

  It wasn’t that I needed the extra layers— it was more like I realized how suspicious I might look with just a black hoodie, scarf, and pants on in this cold weather.

  “Winter, huh.” I mumbled under my breath.

  I felt a tug on my elbow.

  “Winter…?” A soft voice repeated.

  I quickly turned, almost jumping away. I breathed a sigh a relief as I saw the pale blonde hair and glimmering hazel eyes. It was Rea, the one I had been waiting for.

  “You’re early, Yoiya…” Rea spoke softly, her face a bit flushed. Whether it was due to the cold or something deeper, I knew not.

  She adjusted her red scarf and thick sweater with one hand. In her other… a small white bag?

  “I am…?”

  I glanced at my phone once more, ignoring the bag for now.

  [5:26]

  ~Huh…? Did I misread it?

  “Oh… I guess I am.”

  Rea’s breath formed a small cloud as she looked down at her boots.

  “I… didn’t mind,” she murmured. “I was excited too.”

  The words hit harder than they should have.

  Or maybe it was just the cold.

  “H-huh… R-really…?” I said, averting my gaze to the stalls. “Uh… Sh-should we head for the shrine first?”

  “...Sounds… good.” Rea nodded and gave me a tiny smile. “Let’s do that…”

  We walked through the crowd and up the small steps side by side, reaching the donation box at the end.

  Rea pulled me over towards a water basin, where she rinsed herself. Left hand first, then right. Mouth, without touching the ladle. Left again. She let the rest of the water drain through the handle.

  She seemed to flinch a bit every time the water touched her, yet her face seemed determined not to let it bother her.

  ~The typical purification ritual, huh. I wonder if this actually does purify anyone of anything. I’m sure in some worlds, it must. But magic doesn’t exist here so—

  Rea tugged at my sleeve. “Your… turn…”

  I snapped back to reality, smiled at her, and gave a nod.

  I stepped up to the water basin, or temizuya as some may call it, and began to repeat the steps for purification.

  Rea watched me from behind, once again adjusting her scarf and rubbing her hands together.

  ~Wow. This water is cold.

  I muttered as I poured the water onto my left hand. But it sizzled and evaporated as soon as it touched it.

  Rea’s eyes went wide for a moment, but she said no words.

  ~Oops. Forgot about I was circulating mana to keep myself warm…

  I let out a small sigh and continued to complete the purification.

  We then walked over to the shrine, where the donation box sat.

  Rea latched onto my arm as we made our way through the crowd.

  My heart stumbled in my chest, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

  “You’re… warm…” She whispered softly.

  Heat rushed to my face. It definitely was not the cold.

  In anything, the winter air felt warmer with her leaning in so close, smiling up at me like that.

  The shrine bells jingled as the wind blew against them and little yellow lights lit up the lining of the shrine’s rooftop.

  The small white bag rustled softly as Rea stepped forward, but she didn’t mention it, and I didn’t ask.

  She leaned over and slotted a small banknote into the box.

  ~Ah right. I need to pay some Inner Gods to get their blessings as a sort of equal trade. Many of the gods on Earth seem to take money as offerings these days.

  I fumbled around and dug into my pockets.

  ~Mia gave me an allowance. I should have it somewher– Ah. Right it was this pocket.

  I dug into my backpocket, pulling out a wallet. Quickly, I grabbed a banknote and slotted into the donation box.

  ~Now what was the routine?

  Rea rang the bell.

  I rang the bell.

  Two bows. Two claps. Pray.

  I closed my eyes, clasping my hands together.

  The faint smell of incense wrapped around me and I could hear the distant laughter of the crowd.

  ~What should I wish for? Should I even wish for anything at all? If I do, the gods of this world may notice me and I may be targetted.

  The smell of incense started to burn my nostrils as if I were sniffing charcoal instead and the noises in the background started to grow distorted, leaving only the clear sound of the water basin echoing in my ears.

  A tug on my sleeve. A soft hand being placed against mine.

  I could tell who it was without even looking or opening my eyes, it was Rea. I took in a deep breath and exhaled.

  ~I’m not sure which god this is, but I think I know what I’ll wish for.

  I parted my hands and grabbed hers with one, opening my eyes to look at her.

  I gave my final bow to the shrine, to the god who was watching over us in that very moment.

  ~All I wish for right now is her eternal happiness.

  “Come on… let’s check out the stalls.” Rea murmured with a smile.

  “Okay.” I gave a calm and gentle reply, returning her smile.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  We walked down the steps, and a familiar figure passed by us. Light brown hair, hazel eyes that sparkled like emeralds.

  I looked over my shoulder, but the crowd closed in, erasing the figure as if they’d never been there.

  It felt like they turned away too.

  A quiet ache stirred in my chest, without a reason I could grasp.

  “What’s wrong, Yoiya?” Rea asked me, latching onto my arm once again.

  “Oh… It’s nothing… I think?” I said, unsure of whether or not I should be concerned about it.

  ~That was Ake, right?

  I looked at Rea’s face — her quiet concern, her lightly blushed cheeks, the way she tilted her head just a little.

  My heart raced.

  And in that moment, I decided to enjoy today.

  “Anyways.” I stepped forward. “Let’s go check out the stalls.”

  We walked down the path, slipping through large gaps between groups moving towards either side.

  The light tapping of feet, the rustle of the wind blowing against fabric, the smell of fried goods.

  It was just like a festival, or at least what I imagined one to be.

  Rea lightly tugged at my shoulder, pointing over to one of the food stalls.

  “Are you… hungry…?” She asked me.

  “...Yeah.”

  She lightly pulled me up to the stall and raised her hand to the vendor. With two fingers held up, she spoke.

  “Two please.”

  I looked down towards the food. They appeared to be round fried dumplings of sorts.

  “Takoyaki?” I guessed.

  “Mhm.” Rea nodded her head, confirming my suspicion.

  ~Fried octopus dumplings, I believe they were? I guess humans have invented all kinds of cuisine. It is rather intriguing.

  “Here you go, little lady.” The vendor gave two sticks of takoyaki to Rea with a big smile on his face. Each stick had four large dumplings on them.

  Rea held both of them towards me, her other hand clutching the small white bag she’ve been holding during the entire visit.

  I carefully plucked one from her fingers and took a bite of one of the dumplings.

  ‘Wait it’s probabl-”

  The heat swelled in my mouth. I winced a bit at the sudden change in temperature as it was a bit more painful than I expected. I blew out a little air frosted with ice-imbued mana.

  With a gulp, I swallowed the dumpling.

  Despite the pain, it was quite delicious.

  “Are you… okay?” Rea looked at me, her brows slightly furrowed.

  Rea held her own stick of takoyaki a little closer to her chest, as if unsure whether she should take a bite or keep watching me.

  “You really scared me for a second…” she murmured, her voice barely audible over the chatter around us.

  “I’m fine,” I said quickly — maybe too quickly. My tongue still throbbed. “Just… hotter than I expected.”

  Her lips curved into a tiny smile, the kind that tried to hide amusement but failed completely.

  “You didn’t… blow on it first,” she said, almost whispering.

  I blinked. “I—”

  She took one of her dumplings, gently blew on it, then took a small bite. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, and she nodded in satisfaction.

  “See?” she said, still chewing. “Like that.”

  My heart did something strange again — a soft, warm flutter that had nothing to do with the food.

  The lanterns above us swayed in the wind, casting shifting gold across her face. The crowd moved around us in waves, but for a moment it felt like we were standing still, tucked into our own little pocket of warmth.

  “Come on,” she said, tugging my sleeve lightly. “There’s more to see.”

  And just like that, she pulled me back into the flow of the festival

  After the next food stalls, I got really into the festival spirit. I tried out a bunch of fried foods and sweets I’ve never had before— fried squid, yakisoba, dango, taiyaki, and many more.

  “You sure eat alot, Yoiya…” Rea stifled a laugh as I crunched on a candy apple. “Where does it all go?”

  Her speech seemed to be more coherent and relaxed, as there weren’t as many pauses in between her words as we continued to wander about.

  I thought about how to respond. I couldn’t exactly say it all just gets turned into mana for me.

  ~Ah. That could work…

  I smiled at her as I thought up a response. “I just have a really fast metabolism.”

  “I see.” Her reply was short and gentle. She tugged me a little closer and pointed onwards. “Let’s go try out the game stalls next.”

  The first game stall we went to was a shooting range.

  I was a bit skeptical at first as I thought the gun they gave me was real but Rea and the vendor assured it me was fake.

  After learning the rules, I took the fake rifle into my hands.

  Remembering the training that I inherited from another me’s memory in the dream, I cocked the gun and took aim at a blue penguin plush that Rea seemed to be eyeing silently.

  One shot.

  Bullseye.

  The vendor seemed a bit shocked. But he quickly collected himself and smiled at me. He grabbed the penguin plush and handed it over.

  “For you, kid. Nice shot.”

  I blinked, unsure of what to do with it. Before I could say anything, Rea gently took the plush from my hands. She held it against her chest, her fingers brushing the soft fabric.

  “…Thank you.” She said quietly.

  Her voice was small, almost swallowed by the festival noise — but the way she held the penguin made something warm bloom in my chest.

  We drifted from stall to stall after that. The details blurred together: the clatter of wooden blocks at a stacking game, the clinkering of rings at a ring toss, the dong of a bell cracking in a strength test, the soft glow of lanterns swaying overhead, Rea’s sleeve brushing mine every time she leaned closer to look at something. I won a few more prizes without really trying. Rea laughed more than I’d ever heard before — soft, breathy, like she wasn’t used to letting herself.

  At some point, she ended up with a small collection of trinkets tucked into her white bag, the penguin plush peeking out from the top.

  By the time we stepped away from the last stall, the crowd had thinned a little. The path ahead was quieter, lined with lanterns leading toward the shrine steps. The air felt colder here, but Rea stayed close, her shoulder brushing mine with every step.

  We walked side by side, the festival noise fading behind us..

  For a moment, neither of us spoke.

  Rea’s hand brushed against mine again — not quite holding, not quite accidental.

  Then the question slipped out of me before I could stop it.

  “Rea…?” I said quietly.

  She looked up at me, her eyes reflecting the lantern light as she tilted her head. “Mm…?”

  I hesitated. My heart thudded once, hard.

  “…Is this a date?”

  Rea blinked once. “A date…?”

  She looked forward again, thinking.

  “…Maybe.”

  My heart lurched. “Maybe…?”

  She nodded, cheeks faintly pink. “I don’t mind… calling it that.”

  “So… if this is a date…” I swallowed.

  “…does that make us… girlfriend and boyfriend?”

  Rea’s steps slowed.

  She looked up at me, eyes wide but not alarmed.

  “…Perhaps,” she murmured.

  “Maybe… if you want it to.”

  My breath caught. “So… we’re dating?”

  Rea gave a tiny nod.

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  She looked away, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “…I’ll take care of you for now.”

  My face warmed up, I could feell my cheeks turning red— it felt I could almost even see it even without a mirror.

  “Oh!” She let out a small yelp, placing her fingers gently against her mouth before fumbling at the white bag. She dug under all the little trinkets and plushies I won for her and pulled out a single book. She held the book up to me.

  “...For you.”

  I took the book, looking at its cover. It was a manga titled “A Spark within the Depths”. On the cover stood a white-haired girl with a blade that shined like pure sunlight standing infront of a golden castle. The rest of the background was completely dark, however.

  Scanning it from top to bottom—

  Author: Reama Frantz

  Artist: Eliba Cerubi

  ~Reama Frantz? Must be Rea’s penname…

  I flipped the book to its back.

  The synopsis wrote that the story was about a girl borne within a realm of darkness beneath the earth, where only certain crystals lit the sky like tiny stars. She dreamed of the outside world and seeing the sun but nobody in her kingdom dared to venture upwards. They all deemed her delusional and called her a fool, but she strove to reach that place anyways and became a spark for a new beginning.

  Under that, there was a note.

  [ Brought to you by the Tea Time Book Club! - Mashiro Kiwusawa ]

  My face relaxed as I tried to keep myself from making an annoyed grin. It was just like something that crazy girl would put.

  I looked up at Rea. She seemed a bit nervous, twiddling her index fingers together and occasionally pressing them together.

  “It… was my first time… writing a fantasy story… And… you said you liked fantasies… and wanted to read our Comiket submission from last year… So…”

  I gave her a smile.

  “Thanks. I’ll be sure to read it when I get home.”

  “Okay…” She looked up at the sky. “Ah… it’s pretty late now. I guess I should head home before my dad gets worried.”

  She quickly gathered her things and ran off towards the crowd..

  “Yoiya…” She said after she ran a distance away. “I had fun today. I’ll see you later, okay?”

  “O-okay…” I slowly waved. My mind and heart still racing too fast for me to process the fact she was leaving.

  After she disappeared into the crowd, I looked down at the manga in my hands again.

  ~Someone born in darkness who reaches out for more, huh.

  A small laugh escaped me. “Sounds familiar.”

  I lifted my gaze toward the night sky, the lantern light fading behind me.

  “…Time to go home for today.”