~~ • ~~

A short while later, we finally arrived at a candy apple stall.

Candy apples were lined up neatly across the wooden counter. Their glossy red sugar coats caught and reflected the glow of the paper lanterns strung along the street.

"Sis..."

Mika looked up at Misaki, her eyes full of hope.

"Alright, alright."

Misaki let out a small sigh and stepped forward.

I glanced over at Yuna and Hana.

The two of them were standing a short distance away. Every now and then, their eyes would dart toward the candy apples before quickly looking away, pretending they weren’t interested.

Even though it was obvious they wanted one.

It has to be fair, I thought to myself.

I stepped forward and stood next to Misaki.

"We can’t just let one of them enjoy it alone," I said softly.

Misaki turned to me.

"But what about the money?"

"Forget the money. It’s about letting them share the moment."

"Hm..."

Misaki gave a small nod.

"I understand."

She turned back to face the stall owner.

"Three candy apples, please."

But before the stall owner could even move, we both felt a sudden tug on the hems of our clothes from behind.

We turned around at the same time.

Yuna and Mika were standing there.

Each of them was lightly gripping the edge of our clothes.

Hana stood right behind them.

"Sis..."

"Papa..."

Yuna shook her head slowly.

"You don’t have to buy one for me, Papa."

Mika nodded in agreement.

"Just one is fine, Sis. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to finish it by myself."

She glanced back at Yuna and Hana.

"We can split it three ways."

Hana, standing behind them, immediately nodded in agreement.

Misaki and I looked at each other.

We were close enough that I could see the warm glow of the lanterns reflected in her eyes.

Then, a faint smile graced Misaki’s lips.

"Itsuki, look at them."

"Yeah."

A smile mirrored on my own face.

"Turns out they’re smarter than we thought."

"Right."

A warm, indescribable feeling welled up inside me as I watched them.

There was no arguing.

No selfishness.

Instead, they were putting each other first.

Misaki turned back to the stall owner.

"Cancel the three."

She smiled.

"We’ll just take one."

"Could you slice it into three wedges, please?" I added.

"Right away."

The stall owner immediately got to work.

Taking a candy apple from the display, the owner first removed its wooden stick.

Then, the apple was carefully sliced into three nearly equal wedges.

After that, each piece was pierced with a shorter wooden skewer.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Misaki paid, then received the three slices of candy apple.

She handed them down to Mika.

Mika immediately jogged over to Yuna and Hana.

"Here."

She handed one slice to Yuna.

Then another to Hana.

"Thank you, Mika."

"Thanks."

The three of them stood close together.

Then, I don’t know who started it, but—

"Let’s try putting them together."

The three small hands reached out.

The separated slices were pressed back against each other, forming a single, whole apple once again.

They stared at the result for a few seconds.

Then—

"Hahahaha..."

"It actually fits back together!"

"Even after it was cut apart!"

"It looks so funny though."

Their laughter blended into the lively clamor of the festival around us.

The paper lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze.

People continued to pass by in every direction.

But for a fleeting moment, our attention was entirely captivated by the three children, laughing happily simply because they had managed to piece an apple back into its original shape.

Misaki glanced over at me.

"So this is what their friendship is like."

I nodded slowly.

"Haha..."

My gaze remained fixed on them.

"It reminds me of my own friends from when I was a kid."

"Whenever we got a treat, we’d always split it just like that."

"Even though, looking back now, it would’ve been much easier if everyone just got their own."

Misaki let out a soft laugh.

"But it wouldn’t feel the same, would it?"

"Yeah."

I nodded.

"It really wouldn’t."

_

After that, we continued our stroll down the festival street.

Up ahead, Yuna, Mika, and Hana walked side-by-side in their yukatas. They each still held the slice of candy apple they had shared earlier.

Paper lanterns hung overhead.

Their warm glow illuminated the street packed with festival-goers.

Meanwhile, Misaki and I followed a few steps behind.

From time to time, the girls would stop at the various stalls.

Browsing.

Asking questions.

Then walking on.

And before I knew it, the amount of snacks in their hands had grown.

Nothing excessive.

Just enough to show how much they were enjoying the night.

At one stall, Hana bought a cotton candy with her own pocket money.

The cloud of white spun sugar was almost as big as her head.

"Whoa..."

Mika stared at it in awe.

Yuna leaned in to look, too.

Hana smiled shyly.

Then, without a second thought, she tore the cotton candy into pieces.

"Here."

A piece for Mika.

A piece for Yuna.

And the rest for herself.

"Thank you, Hana."

"Thanks."

Hana simply gave a small nod and a gentle smile.

Not long after, Misaki bought two Kiko ice pops. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

She snapped them in half, making four pieces in total.

Then, she handed them out one by one.

One for Hana.

One for Mika.

One for Yuna.

And the last one for herself.

"Sorry, Itsuki."

Misaki chuckled.

"There were only enough pieces for the four of us."

"It’s fine."

I shrugged.

"I don’t really eat ice pops anyway."

"Really?"

Misaki looked mildly surprised.

"Yep."

Yuna chimed in before I could answer.

"Papa likes coffee."

"Oh..."

Misaki glanced at me.

"I didn’t know that."

Yuna suddenly held up her ice pop.

"Papa, you can have a bite of mine if you want."

"Here."

She offered it up to me.

"There’s no need."

"Come on, just a little bite."

I let out a soft sigh.

"Alright."

I leaned down slightly and took a small bite from the tip of the ice pop Yuna was holding.

A burst of cold hit my tongue.

Immediately followed by the strong, sweet tang of orange.

"Orange."

I gave a small nod.

"Not bad."

"Hehe."

Yuna looked satisfied, a bright little smile spreading across her face.

We resumed our walk.

Not long after, a takoyaki stall caught my eye.

The savory aroma wafting from the hot grill, mixed with the scent of sweet sauce, instantly caught my attention.

I stopped.

And bought a portion.

It came with six pieces.

As the stall owner handed over the paper boat, I turned back to the others.

"Here."

I offered the container to them.

"Try some. Take one each."

The three of them quickly gathered around.

They each picked out a piece.

"Ah... it’s hot!"

Mika blew gently on her takoyaki before taking a bite.

"But it’s so good."

"Mhm."

Hana nodded slowly.

"It really is."

"Yeah."

Yuna nodded in agreement, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.

I glanced over at Misaki.

"You should have one too, Misaki."

"I’m fine."

She shook her head.

"I’m already full. I ate earlier."

"Here."

I pierced one with a skewer.

Then I held it out to her.

"I told—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

"...Alright, fine."

Misaki finally gave in.

She leaned in slightly.

And took a bite of the takoyaki right off the skewer I was holding.

"How is it?"

"It’s actually really good."

"Told you."

I gave a faint smile.

For some reason, this entire atmosphere felt incredibly comforting.

The paper lanterns.

The bustling festival.

The girls laughing just up ahead.

And these simple conversations, far away from the stress of work.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind.

I never would have imagined I’d be spending a night like this.

I took another piece for myself.

It was still warm.

A rich, savory-sweet flavor flooded my mouth the moment I bit into it.

The texture was perfectly soft, with a pleasant chewiness on the inside.

"Hm..."

I nodded.

"Not bad at all."

There was only one piece left.

I turned to Misaki again.

"Here."

I offered it to her.

"For you."

"There’s still some left?"

"The last one."

Misaki let out a soft laugh.

"I’ll take it, then. Thank you."

She lightly grasped my hand holding the skewer, leaning in to take the final bite.

After that, side by side, we continued our stroll through the lively festival crowds.

~~ • ~~