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The tea sat on the table, steam drifting towards the ceiling. Next to the teapot, a fan, folded and placed precisely, lay next to it. Teacups with delicate patterns were placed in front of two women.
If a person were to gaze at the scene, they would likely assume it was a formal event: the Shirasagi Himegimi and the heir to the esteemed Naganohara fireworks. A business meeting, perhaps, as the Kamisato clan may be expanding on its enterprises.
That couldn’t be any further from the truth.
For anyone who knew the two women, it was a casual conversation filled with laughter and light tones. Looking deeper, you could see how they leaned toward one another, gazes filled with affection and care.
A fireworks maker and a noble lady. One lives at the foot of a mountain, the other in the capital city. Meeting once a week (at least) to simply spend time together, nothing more than that.
Those times were greatly valued in Naganohara Yoimiya and Kamisato Ayaka’s lives. After all, with their distance and different social standings, it was no easy feat for the two to meet.
Yet, they found a way.
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“Yoimiya, please… Don’t track gunpowder down the halls; I just cleaned them”, sighed Thoma. Yoimiya, ever considerate, tried to minimize the mess that she was making.
“Sorry! I just got really excited and wanted to show Ayaka. I also—", “Just go. I’m sure that she’s excited to see you”.
Yoimiya cheered, “Thanks, Thoma!” Then rushed down the hallway and out of sight.
Running through the hallways of the Kamisato estate, Yoimiya had only one thought racing through her head: seeing Ayaka! It had been over a month since they last saw each other during one of the Kamisato’s trips to Inazuma City. Even then, it had been brief due to some political business Ayato needed to attend to.
Excitedly opening the door to Ayaka’s study, Yoimiya yelled, “Ayaka!”. Yet there was nothing but silence.
Yoimiya stepped into the room to investigate, carefully avoiding the books piled high on the nearby table. “Ayaka, I’m here. Is everything alright? Your brother and Thoma said that I could find you here”. Still, there was nothing but the faint sound of the wind outside.
Then, rather abruptly, Yoimiya heard a rustling behind a curtain. Smiling as her worry disappeared, she slowly crept to the curtain, being as quiet as possible.
“Boo!”, Yoimiya shook the curtain, causing a startled shriek to escape from Ayaka as she tumbled to the ground. “Hehe, gotcha!”
Ayaka, lying slightly dazed on the ground, only stared at Yoimiya blankly. It seemed that her plan had been foiled!
Yoimiya held out a hand to help Ayaka up, but was roughly pulled down to lie beside her. Hmph, Ayaka even had the audacity to giggle at Yoimiya’s expression! A half-hearted scowl painted Yoimiya’s features, none of it genuine. She mentally apologized to Thoma, though, since the two had made a bit of a mess.
Still smiling, Ayaka stood and waited for Yoimiya to get up. Hands clasped behind her back, Ayaka let out a chuckle as Yoimiya stumbled as she got up. “Sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to surprise ya! It’s been a bit since we’ve hung out, so I thought it would be nice”.
At this point, all agitation at the trick had faded from Yoimiya’s mind, replaced with an almost giddy feeling. “It’s all right, I was just a bit concerned, no need to apologize”. Yoimiya walked over to Ayaka, hugging her from the side. “All that we need to worry about is what we’re going to do on our date! Though I think we need to clean up a bit first”.
The pair looked over the room, seeing the sorry state of the study. Books and papers were strewn across the floor, the curtains were rumpled, and the desk itself was a mess.
The two shared a look and promptly started to clean the room. It seemed like neither of them wanted to get chewed out by Thoma later for causing such a mess. Books were put on the desk and the shelves. Papers were made into neat piles. The curtains were straightened and put back into place.
By the time the two women were done, it was already dusk. Both were exhausted from all the work they did. Unfortunately, it was too late to go out like they had initially planned.
Ayaka let out a sigh as she looked out the window. “I’m sorry that we weren't able to go out today. I didn’t intend for my trick to create such a big mess”. With an apologetic expression, Ayaka turned to Yoimiya. However, while Ayaka seemed distraught, Yoimiya looked ecstatic.
“Why are you so happy?” Ayaka hesitantly asked. Grabbing Ayaka’s hands and shaking them vigorously, Yoimiya replied, “We can have a sleepover! Think about it! We can get snacks, hang out in the courtyard, and maybe even play the hotpot game!” Yoimiya paused for a moment, then added, “As long as Thoma doesn’t get carried away if he decides to play”.
Realizing why Yoimiya was so excited, Ayaka’s face lit up into a smile as well. “That’s a great idea! I have some sleepwear that we can change into. Maybe we can rope in my brother to hang out too!”
The pair rushed to Ayaka’s room, giggling the whole way. When they got there, Yoimiya flopped onto Ayaka’s bed. Laughing at her girlfriend’s antics, Ayaka got out a set of pajamas for both of them.
Ayaka’s pajama set was light blue with a pattern of navy flowers, while Yoimiya’s was peach-colored with bright orange flowers scattered across the fabric. In a way, the two sets of sleepwear matched. For a moment, Yoimiya wondered if it was intentional.
As the pair were about to leave, Ayaka’s door opened to reveal a smirking figure, with a rather sheepish-looking Thoma behind him.
With a deadpan look, Ayaka simply said, “Ayato”. Not responding, he stepped into the room and let out a chuckle. “If I had known that we would have a guest, I could’ve planned to have my own… happenings tonight”.
Simultaneously, Ayaka and Thoma’s faces became bright red, and both whipped their heads around to stare at Ayato. He merely chuckled, not a hint of shame or embarrassment on his face. Poor Yoimiya, at the moment, she didn’t have a clue as to what Ayato was referring to. And honestly, neither Ayaka nor Thoma would explain it to her.
Despite the crude implications of the comment, Thoma brushed it aside and went to grab some supplies for the night’s activities.
The rest of the evening and well into the night was filled with laughter as the group played game after game, told story after story. Yoimiya and Ayaka seemed glued to each other, never leaving the other’s side.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Thoma was feeling ill and had to retire to bed earlier than intended. Ayato followed suit, saying that he would care for Thoma should things worsen. (Ayaka just giggled and commented that someone shouldn’t have slipped an onikabuto in the hotpot.)
The absence of Thoma and Ayato left the two women alone. Yoimiya stood and gently grabbed Ayaka’s hand. She led Ayaka outside, softly smiling. On the terrace, there were two tatami mats and a small table next to them. The women sat on the two mats, the exhaustion from the day’s events finally catching up to them.
Yawning, Yoimiya laid her head on Ayaka’s shoulder. Looking down at her girlfriend’s face, Ayaka softly smiled before kissing Yoimiya’s head. Yoimiya’s lips twitched upward. She sleepily pulled Ayaka down with her onto the mats.
Wrapping her arms around Yoimia, Ayaka slowly yawned. Gradually, the firework maker and the shirasagi himegimi fell asleep in each other’s arms. All underneath a brilliant, starry night sky.