Sendai Tanabata Festival

"Do you think he's here by himself?"

"I don't know. You go ask him!"

During the afternoon in a plaza near a station, there were girls wearing yukatas to match the festive atmosphere and they couldn't help but glance at a guy standing near a pillar.

He wore a black yukata and the obi that wrapped around his waist was a solid gray color. He was currently looking at his phone with focus and had an absent minded look which somehow made a vibe around him that girls loved.

'I wonder when I could eat another mango of that quality.'

Haruto looked at a website that sold the mangos his mother got for them and felt his heart ache when he read the prices. He remembered the natural and juicy flavors it had when he ate it with ice cream a few days ago and couldn't help but look back on it.

'But she's really taking her time with Mahiru."

He thought back to his mother who heard that they were planning to go to a festival for their date and couldn't help but get involved.

She told him that she wanted to dress Mahiru up and he relented since it seemed like Mahiru also wanted to look good for their date.

He was given his own yukata and was told to wait for her near the station that was next to the festival and he noticed that it was about to reach their agreed time.

He placed the phone in his pocket and waited patiently unknowing that a group of girls were about to approach him.

"U-Umm excu-..."

"Sorry for the wait!!"

The girl who was leading their group to approach Haruto cut her sentence short when she heard a gentle voice yell out loud next to them.

Approaching Haruto was Mahiru who was jogging mildly trying to catch up to him who she saw waiting nearby.

She wore a white based yukata which was adorned with Hydrangea flowers of various shades of blue. The obi that wrapped around her waist was purple and overall gave a fresh and alluring look to her outfit.

Her hair was neatly tied up and was held together by a silver pin that was decorated with a dark blue gem attached to a silver chain.

"Sorry, the drive here was kinda long since the streets were busy. I hope you didn't wait long."

"It's fine, I would wait here for a while longer if it meant seeing you dress up to be this beautiful. It really suits you Mahiru, you look lovely."

Hearing him state his thoughts on her outfit, Mahiru began to fiddle with her bangs as she felt bashful from his compliment and a rosy glow appeared on her face.

"You also look very handsome in your yukata…"

"I'm glad it was able to suit your tastes."

Mahiru saw the cheerful grin on his face and continued to look at her boyfriend's outfit since it was the first time she had seen him dress in one.

'Hmm? His chest is kinda…'

She narrowed her eyes after seeing that the fold near his chest was able to leave a small gap and his muscular chest was almost visible through that opening.

Mahiru got closer and adjusted his clothes to prevent his body from getting exposed and nodded in satisfaction after seeing her work.

"You should really learn how to adjust your clothes, you know."

"It's been a while since I last wore one so it slipped my mind."

"You need to be careful since you always seem to catch a lot of attention."

Mahiru mumbled under her breath but Haruto was able to catch a few of her words and noticed the stares that came their way. Majority were from girls but he wasn't slow to catch the ones that were being directed towards Mahiru.

'You shouldn't be the only one to talk.'

He thought as he formed a wry smile and looked down to see Mahiru smiling happily as she folded the last few bits of his outfit.

Seeing that she was finished, he bent down and gave a small kiss on her forehead as a sign of gratitude and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Let's go since we seem to be the center of attention right now."

"Hm-mm.."

Mahiru hummed in approval and beamed with delight as she got closer into his embrace, making it known to others that Haruto was with her.

"That was something…"

"I wish I had someone like that."

""Same.""

The girls who attempted to invite Haruto felt their faces flush as they witnessed the couple's display of affection. Watching their backs get further away, they began to imagine what it would be like to experience a situation like that.

***

After walking a bit they were able to reach an area where lots of people started to gather around. They reached the entrance of the festival where in big bold letters it says [Sendai Tanabata Festival].

"We made it to the right place."

"Yeah.."

Haruto looked to his side and saw Mahiru who was entranced by the various decorations that were placed around the area and couldn't help but smile at her.

The festival was in full swing as they noticed the growing amount of people entering the area that they had to quickly make their way in.

As they entered the festival, sounds of people promoting food and games reached their ears. The smell of various foods also became more prominent with many stalls being lined up near the entrance to gather more people into choosing their stalls.

"Do you think there's takoyaki because the ones from the last time were really good."

"I'm not sure if they're the same quality but there should be some takoyaki somewhere."

Mahiru felt her nose twitch as she tried to locate where the takoyaki stall was by its smell. Haruto squinted his eyes and brightened up as he was able to find one and brought her to buy some.

Haruto pulled out his wallet and bought some takoyaki for the both of them and also pineapple drinks since he wanted to prepare himself, just in case he burned his mouth again.

"Make sure not to burn yourself again..."

"Heh I learned from my mistakes so just watch."

Mahiru didn't know what to say after seeing his smug grin and held a tissue and a drink just in case. He blew on the takoyaki ball for quite a while before chewing on it and felt bliss after tasting the flavors of freshly cooked street food.

During his time of admiration for the food, Haruto still managed to somehow smear some sauce near the corner of his mouth.

Mahiru gave a sigh of relief seeing he didn't burn his mouth but gave a funny giggle seeing his clumsy actions and helped him wipe the sauce off.

"I'm not sure if it's the same as last time but I would say these are pretty good."

"Really? Well I guess it does taste good with the way you're reacting."

"Here, try some."

Haruto blew on a piece cautiously before gesturing to Mahiru to come closer to have a bite. She saw the piece he was offering and tucked her hair behind her ear to avoid getting it in the way.

She bit into the piece and her eyes glowed as she chewed, tasting the flavors.

"I like these flavors more compared to the other ones from before. The subtle flavors are more my style."

"Oh really? I swear these were similar in taste but I guess I can't argue with a seasoned chef's tongue."

Mahiru rolled her eyes at his dramatic words and continued to eat the plate of takoyaki while looking around for more food and admiring the location.

Finishing the first items of food they bought, they managed to reach an area where some of last year's decoration winners were placed.

Each one was magnificently made with traditional motifs of stars and cranes that matched the theme of the festival.

"How long do you think it took them to make one of these?"

"Probably a decent amount of time since each part of the streamers are folded carefully. See, look at this part over there."

Mahiru pointed to one part of the streamer and Haruto narrowed his eyes to see how it was folded very carefully.

"Excuse me, do you mind… Oh! Are you perhaps that couple from back then?"

As they admired the decoration they heard a voice call out to them and saw an elderly couple that seemed familiar.

"Oh! We met during the cherry blossom festival, right?"

"Oho, it's nice that you remembered us from that time. It seems you listened to my advice from back then."

The elderly lady smiled gently towards the couple and Haruto gave a slight nostalgic look, remembering that time where the two of them just started to really know each other.

"Yeah that advice was one I took to heart and I always try my best to show how much I love her."

"Eh, Haruto!?"

"Oho, it seems like I don't need to worry. Honey, don't they remind you of how we were when we were younger?"

The elderly lady seemed to smile even more after seeing how Mahiru was red with embarrassment listening to Haruto's sudden words to the old couple they met in the past.

"You…"

"You look really cute right now."

Haruto smiled and did his best to avoid Mahiru's soft punches while the old couple laughed out loud listening to their playful banter.

***

Sugar for everyone lol. I hope you enjoyed it. Peacu.