The next few days passed exactly as everyone had hoped they would. Hanabi Island never seemed to run out of places to explore, food to try, or little surprises tucked away around its streets. Every morning began a little differently from the last. Sometimes everyone met for breakfast before splitting into smaller groups. Other times people disappeared the moment they finished eating, only to reunite later in the evening with stories of where the day had taken them.
No one worried about sticking to a schedule. The island itself became the itinerary. The beaches remained as lively as ever, filled with families, performers, and travelers from every district of Shioto. Music drifted through the streets from morning until well after sunset, blending with laughter, conversations, and the occasional applause that erupted whenever a street performer finished an act. Vendors competed for attention with colorful displays of sweets, grilled seafood, handcrafted souvenirs, and festival games that seemed impossible to walk past without trying at least once.
Odd Jobs tried everything. If there was a game, someone insisted on winning the grand prize. If there was food, someone wanted seconds before finishing their first serving. If there was an attraction, Kagura somehow convinced half the group to come along before anyone realized what was happening. Some evenings ended with everyone gathering around the hotel lobby to compare the strange things they had discovered that day. Other nights they returned exhausted, collapsing onto couches or beds without the energy to say much more than "goodnight." Either way, the laughter never seemed to stop for very long.
Hairene managed to remain sober far longer than anyone expected, though everyone quietly noticed she became noticeably more talkative with each passing day. She still carried herself with the same composed demeanor, but little by little, she found herself joining conversations instead of standing on the outside of them. Even she seemed surprised by how naturally Odd Jobs welcomed her into whatever ridiculous plan they happened to be discussing.
Jenna and Aoi spent much of their time exploring the island with Nicholas as well. Whether it was sharing lunch, wandering through a market, or simply walking together for part of the afternoon, the nervousness that had once made every conversation feel impossible slowly gave way to something far more comfortable.
Erika, Sylvie, and Esmarie made up for the time they had spent apart after graduating from the Academy, slipping back into the same effortless rhythm they had shared before. Their conversations bounced between memories, jokes, and stories about everything that had happened over the course of their Academy days, occasionally pulling Chifuyu into them whenever they reached a tale that involved him.
Jeremiah's family blended into the vacation just as seamlessly. His children disappeared into games with the others almost as soon as breakfast ended each morning, while the adults found themselves sharing meals, stories, and quiet moments overlooking the ocean whenever the opportunity arose.
Saturday welcomed another pair of familiar faces.
Miku arrived alongside her parents, and the moment she spotted Diego and Ariel from across the hotel lobby, she waved enthusiastically before jogging over to greet everyone. It didn't take long before she was laughing alongside the rest of the group as though she had been there since the beginning of the trip. Her parents quickly became acquainted with the others as well, and before the afternoon had even ended, they already looked like part of the vacation rather than late arrivals.
By now, nearly everyone invited had made it to Hanabi Island.
Only two guests remained.
They were scheduled to arrive on the final day.
The biggest day.
The day everyone on the island had been waiting for.
The last day of the Golden Festival.
From the moment they arrived, locals had spoken about it with unmistakable excitement. Decorations became more elaborate with each passing evening, new booths appeared overnight, and workers could be seen throughout the city making final preparations long before dawn. Performers rehearsed in open plazas, enormous stages neared completion, and banners stretched across streets that had somehow become even livelier than before.
Tomorrow, Hanabi Island would reach its peak.
The crowds would be larger.
The celebrations louder.
The fireworks grander.
It promised to be a day no one there would ever forget.
***
The Final Day of Golden Festival.
Morning hadn't arrived yet.
The room was still wrapped in darkness, the only light coming from the faint blue glow slipping through the curtains as dawn slowly crept over Hanabi Island.
Kagura's eyes shot open.
She sat upright before she even realized she was awake, her breathing uneven as her heart pounded against her chest.
For a few seconds…
She didn't move.
Her right arm remained stretched toward the ceiling, fingers trembling ever so slightly as though they were still trying to grasp something that no longer existed.
Someone.
Something.
A single tear rolled silently down her cheek.
She stared at her hand.
It felt… empty.
Whatever she had been reaching for had already slipped away.
All that remained was the ache.
Kagura slowly lowered her arm.
The room had returned to normal.
She turned her head.
Across from her, Shinatsu remained fast asleep, one arm resting over the blanket as she breathed quietly, completely unaware of the storm that had just passed through the room.
Kagura watched her for a moment.
Then she quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to wake her.
The wooden floor creaked softly beneath her feet as she crossed the room and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door until only a narrow sliver of light remained.
She stood over the sink and looked at herself in the mirror.
The cheerful girl who was almost always smiling wasn't looking back at her.
Instead, she found someone caught somewhere between sadness and uncertainty.
She turned the faucet.
Cold water rushed into her cupped hands.
She splashed it across her face once.
Then again.
Droplets slid from her chin into the sink as she exhaled slowly, gripping the counter with both hands.
Outside, the first rays of sunlight began spilling over the horizon.
The island was waking up.
Birds called in the distance.
The waves rolled against the shore just as they had every morning before.
Everything was peaceful.
Everything was ordinary.
Yet something inside her refused to settle.
She looked at her reflection one more time.
The question escaped her lips so quietly it almost disappeared beneath the sound of running water.
Kagura: "…There must be a reason why I was born."
The words hung in the empty bathroom.
No answer came.
Only the steady drip of water from the faucet.
The sunlight broke through the hotel blinds, flooding every room with enough brightness to make sleeping in feel impossible. One after another, alarms were silenced, blankets were thrown aside, and the hotel slowly came alive as everyone prepared for the biggest day of the Golden Festival.
Today also happened to be Halloween.
The island had fully embraced it. Decorations hung from nearly every storefront, jack-o'-lanterns sat outside cafes, and people in costumes wandered the streets as naturally as if it were any other day. The plan was simple: costumes during the morning and afternoon festivities, then changing into yukatas before the evening celebrations.
A notification from a group chat of 4 people had appeared.
Shoyo: Gimmie one min, changing out of my jammies!!
Shinatsu: Are you serious?
Chifuyu: 26-year-old by the way.
Iris: Grown ass man.
Several seconds later, Shoyo responded with an image of a cartoon dog lying face-first on the ground, tears streaming from its eyes.
Across the hotel, 3 people burst into laughter. Iris had almost dropped her phone while typing. Chifuyu and Shinatsu were the ones who told her to type that.
Everyone eventually emerged from their rooms in costume.
The hallway suddenly looked like a convention rather than a hotel.
Pirates.
Witches.
Ghosts.
Heroes.
Villains.
The variety somehow suited Odd Jobs perfectly.
Then Shinatsu stepped out.
She wore an adorable black cat costume complete with little ears, a ribbon around her neck, paw-shaped gloves, and a tail that swayed slightly behind her.
Chifuyu looked at Diego.
Diego looked at Chifuyu.
Their lips trembled.
They tried to hold themselves back.
Then both of them exploded.
Chifuyu bent over laughing while Diego had to lean against the wall for support.
Diego: "I can't—"
Chifuyu: "What are you, a kid?!"
Shinatsu: "The key to life is to hold on to the kid inside you."
Chifuyu and Diego looked at each other one last time before bursting out in laughter again.
Shinatsu stared at them.
Expressionless.
Shinatsu: "…"
She slowly rested her hand on the handle of her sword.
The laughter immediately became quieter.
Shinatsu: "So."
She smiled.
A very small smile.
The dangerous kind.
Shinatsu: "Who wants to die first?"
Chifuyu immediately pointed at Diego.
Diego immediately pointed at Chifuyu.
Shinatsu: "I'm going to give you until the count of one."
Her blade left its sheath with a metallic ring.
Chifuyu: "Oh shit!"
Diego: "RUN!"
The two bolted down the hallway.
Shinatsu chased after them without hesitation, sword in hand and enough bloodlust to make passing tourists step aside before they even knew why.
Kagura watched them disappear around a corner, also trying not to laugh: "I wanted to tell her they would definitely make fun of her, but I just couldn't bring myself to."
Marlon: "Now you've doomed Chifuyu and Diego."
Esmarie is also covering her mouth: "Thank god I held my laugh in."
Several minutes later, once Shinatsu had reluctantly accepted that the idiots weren't worth catching, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby to figure out what they wanted to do first.
Kagura unfolded a festival pamphlet. Her eyes lit up almost immediately: "There's a Halloween morning party a few blocks away."
Nicholas smiled: "Sounds fun."
Esmarie raised her hand enthusiastically: "I'm in!"
One after another, everyone agreed.
There wasn't much discussion.
If Kagura found something interesting, odds were everyone would end up there eventually anyway.
The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived.
Music echoed through the plaza while costumed dancers moved across a temporary stage, food stalls lined the streets, and dozens of people laughed together beneath strings of orange and purple decorations.
The energy was infectious. Within minutes Odd Jobs had blended right into it. Diego needed exactly thirty seconds before he was dancing in the middle of a growing crowd. He committed fully, spinning, sliding, and somehow convincing complete strangers to join him until a circle had formed around him. Cheers erupted every time he pulled off another ridiculous move. Diego bowed dramatically like he had rehearsed for this moment his entire life.
Chifuyu: "He's in his natural habitat."
Ariel: "He sure is."
Not everyone was enjoying the attention. Yuji had unknowingly caught the eye of a girl dressed as a bloody nurse.
She approached confidently.
Girl: "Hey."
Yuji glanced over.
Girl: "You're pretty cute."
Yuji looked around. Then immediately grabbed Chifuyu by the shoulder: "Sorry." He pointed at Chifuyu. "This is my boyfriend."
Chifuyu slowly turned toward him: "…Excuse me?"
The girl blinked. Then smiled even wider: "That's okay."
Yuji looked relieved.
Until—
Girl: "I swing both ways."
The girl waited patiently.
Yuji slowly removed his hand from Chifuyu's shoulder: "Actually this guy's single."
Chifuyu: "HEY."
The girl laughed before wishing them a happy Halloween and disappearing into the crowd.
Diego had witnessed the entire exchange from the dance circle and dropped to both knees laughing while hitting the ground. Beatrice saw as well and just continued sipping her juice.
Kagura saw Miku looking eager and grabbed her arm: "Your turn."
Miku blinked: "Huh?"
Before she could object, the entire group gently pushed her into the center of the dance circle.
The crowd cheered.
Miku froze for exactly two seconds.
Then the music hit.
Something inside her switched on.
She started dancing.
The crowd clapped along with the beat.
Diego walked over with complete seriousness, removed his sunglasses, and carefully placed them on Miku's face.
Diego: "Show em your moves!"
Miku grinned. The sunglasses somehow made her look even cooler. The crowd erupted. Diego stepped back with his arms folded, nodding proudly like a coach watching his student surpass him.
There was only music, laughter, and another detour they would remember long after the festival had come to an end.