"So we gotta write down our wish here or something?"
"Yup!" the tiny girl exclaimed. A midget of sorts. "Then we all hang it up on the tree for the two lovers to see it and so they can grant our wish! Or that's how the legends go supposedly."
"But, if it's to celebrate the two lovers meeting, why would they bother with our wishes?" The rotund boy had always been the nosy monkey. He had to be careful not to accidentally appear knowledgeable to the geeky mechanic, lest he comes heaping more and more questions on him.
"Don't you get it, George?" the girl said. She wasn't a teacher, but the way she had her hands on her hips reminded him of one. "On this day, every year, their wish of seeing each other once again is granted to them. Ever since then, it was widely believed that, in the lover's happiness, they chose to grant the people's wishes as thanks for helping them reunite with each other."
"Ohh, I getcha."
A disturbance to his personal space. Looking to his side, the purple-haired noble was leaning forward in front of him. Her eyes were shining in the glow of their campfire. He didn't mind camping out in the wilderness, but their tiny leader insisted they do. As it turned out, she wanted to observe the stars tonight. Too bad it was cloudy.
"What'd you wish for, Towa?" the woman asked.
The girl erupted into a massive blush. That really got the woman's attention. She whistled and he blinked. The woman wasn't there anymore and had instead gotten the tiny girl in a headlock.
"A-Angie, noooo!"
"What's got you blushing, my dearie? The only OBVIOUS explanation is that you wished for a guy's heart, am I right?" The woman ruffled the girl's neatly brushed hair into a bushy mess, all while she whined like a helpless little puppy.
He did note that the woman could have easily stolen the girl's paper and read it herself. She chose not to.
"I-I just wished for my aunt and grandfather's health, that's all!" the girl shouted, probably as a desperate plea for the woman to spare her hair. "I won't be able to make it for the summer festival too, so I wished that they'd have fun without me…"
Oh. He himself wanted to enjoy the festival, but his tiny group was assigned several field studies for the coming weeks. No thanks to a lazy instructor of theirs. The fuchsia-haired woman said she had a date with a friend, though she kept mum about who.
Another figure in his space. This time portly. He had meat skewers in his hands, even though dinner was a couple of hours ago. "What about you, Angie?"
The woman smirked. Lustfully.
"Nevermind," the boy said immediately. He saved himself from dwelling on the thought by chomping on his skewers. "Aw, man, wish I could have wished for more of these skewers. They're-mpph- amazing."
"What DID you wish for, George." the girl said, hands patting away the tangled locks in her hair.
"Me? Well…" The boy pondered on it. The girls waited for his reply with gleeful anticipation.
With a swallow and a drink of his flask later he followed it up. "I already got my wish, so I just wished that I could continue enjoying my wish. If that makes sense."
"What do you mean?"
"We got these cool looking things straight from the forges of Reinford, right? I still get all giddy whenever I get to tinker with it."
"Ohhh. Gotta admit these "ARCUS" units are quite handy."
"And powerful too," the woman added.
"We're free to experiment on these babies all year round. I mean, I couldn't ask for anything better than that!" Another munch, and another skewer in the bin. "Except for giant robots, but they aren't real."
Giant robots weren't real. Riiiight…
Just as he was imagining how to break the news to the boy, three pairs of eyes were on him.
"What about you, Crow?" the Rogner woman asked him. By the way, her blue eyes were glimmering with the fire, he wouldn't be able to weasel himself out so easily. "What's your wish?"
He couldn't respond — because he hasn't written one yet.
"C' mon dude, we're waiting on you. Spill it," the woman said.
"Can't say I'm not curious myself," the boy added.
"I — "
"Guys, if Crow doesn't want to share it, then he has no obligation to. We shouldn't force him," the girl said to his rescue.
Not that he needed it.
The woman clicked her tongue. "Fine. I'll stop for you, Towa."
The boy was back to silently gorging on his food. A bit of disappointment was clear on his rapid chewing, however.
"I'm so sorry for their behavior, Crow." Sighing, the girl shook her head. She addressed him with a kind smile. "You haven't written one yet, right?"
How did she know? "Uh… yeah. Sorry."
"That's fine. Tell me when you do, and we'll hang up ours together."
...Not calling them by names was getting annoying. "Sure. Thanks, Towa."
"Ehehe, you're welcome."
"Actually…" It was cheesy, but it was better than nothing.
"Hm? You're writing one now?" Towa asked.
It was one word. Written boldly across the tiny piece of paper. He handed it over to Towa.
She looked at him pensively, but his curt nod told her he was fine with it.
Friends.
"...Wow. I didn't peg you the type for cheesy stuff like that, Crow," George said.
"Do you even HAVE friends— "
"Angie!" Towa yelled scoldingly.
" — outside the three of us, I mean. I'm honestly curious."
"Same here."
"C' mon guys, don't pressure him," Towa said. "I'm sure Crow has some, and he has his reasons."
"That'll do right?" he said. He didn't mean anything deeper by it. Safety for his comrades and all that. He wasn't in the mood to spout sappy stuff like that.
Towa smiled cheerfully. "Yup."
Obviously, they can't plant a tree themselves, so they took some time off from their studies to go hunt for the perfect one. The one their leader wanted was a clearing away from their camp, but no one had the guts to really argue with Towa about it.
The girl's cheerful smile grew brighter as she hopped over to their makeshift tree. Angelica and George's papers were already there on the top half, leaving the lower half for their petite friend. It was thin; Towa explained that it looked similar to a bamboo tree from Calvard.
None of them had seen one, and Towa confessed she only saw one from her books. It would have to do, regardless.
Towa folded his wish paper delicately and gave it back to him. "As promised, let's hang them together, Crow."
They did so. He didn't expect Towa to complain, though.
"H-hey… put them together! Mine will get sad all alone like that."
Wishes can get sad? Still, her pouting was enough to convince him to tie his paper right next to hers — on the highest branch the tiny girl could reach. The bouncing smile she gave him was just the icing on the cake.
"Ah— !"
A gust of wind blew past them, rustling their tree. The papers held, but that didn't stop the girl beside him from getting worried.
Another one, this time magnitudes stronger. The tree stood strong, but Crow heard a whimper.
"I hope it doesn't rain…"
"What happens if it does?" he asked.
Towa bit her lip. Her once shimmering eyes dimmed. "The legends say that if the weather today is bad, then the two lovers wouldn't get to see each other."
"That's it?" No celestial disasters or something?
"It is. Even so, it's still very sad!" Towa pouted. "They only get to see each other once every year, and to have it ruined by something like that…"
"But it's been sunny all day."
"I know… but I wanted to see the stars too… Ah— !"
As if on cue, a droplet of rain splashed on her nose. Her yelp was drowned out by the downpour that came soon after. The other two were already frantically packing their camp.
Both of them were drenched, and he never thought he'd see so much panic on the small's girl's face. "No…!"
Firmly, he gripped Towa's hand and tried to pull her away.
She wouldn't budge.
"Towa, Crow! Let's go!" George shouted from behind them, barely audible from the rain.
"...You guys go on ahead. I'll take care of Towa."
He thought he heard George agree, but his focus was on the girl whimpering before him. He saw a cave nearby, so he took her into his arms and carried her there. "You okay?"
"Our wishes…" she said weakly.
They were gone. As easy as that. Soaked slips of paper barely hanging on the tree. The lovers may be powerful spirits, but he doubted they can read that.
He really didn't care. It was just superstition, anyway.
...That felt bad. Especially with how Towa was crying on her knees.
Without thinking, he draped his blazer over her head. It was one of those moments he preferred wearing his winter uniform to his summer one.
"This day's the worst!" Towa shouted. That was the second time he heard her complain about something, like, ever. More noticeable because it echoed in the small cave. "First, we couldn't watch the stars, and now our wishes are ruined."
"Mhh, yeah. Seems like it." He's had worse.
"And now… the lovers can't meet each other. Even when they really wanted to…"
"...Wouldn't they get stranded instead?" he asked hypothetically.
"Eh?"
"It's midnight. They had all day together, and it's about time for them to go their separate ways. But they can't travel in the rain, so doesn't that mean they get to stay with each for much longer?"
Towa gaped. His blazer slipped to her shoulders as she tilted her head. "Uhm… I'm not sure."
"Just because they're forced apart, doesn't mean that they can't spin some stuff to their advantage. Make the most of their time together. Get what I'm sayin'?"
They were already together. Why would they not?
"That's the first time I've heard someone think of it like that…" Was it? The girl really needed to get out more.
"And besides," he added. "They meet every year, for pretty much all eternity. What's one year compared to that? Wouldn't they have even MORE to talk about after being apart for longer?"
"Crow…"
"What I would give to see Gramps for one more day... "
"Your Gramps?"
Shit. "...Forget it."
"No no. Tell me!" Towa pleaded. Clear, pearly beads trickled down her cheek, and he was reminded how determined the small girl could get if she wanted to. Wasn't she the one who said that if he didn't want to share, they can't force him? What happened to that?
Apparently, Towa realized her hypocrisy a moment too late. Her eyes widened and she covered her gasped mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Crow! I shouldn't have asked— "
"He's dead. Killed."
Dude. What the hell.
"O-oh… I see…"
Towa dropped the topic after, thankfully. Not much else to do except sit and wait, he huddled right next to her. The rain was still roaring outside, and bathing in the rain wasn't in their field study itinerary.
Neither was having to comfort a cute girl. "Why is celebrating this so important for you, anyway?"
"…"
"Hey. Don't go quiet on me now. You got me opening up more than all year. Least you could do is throw me a bone here."
Towa blinked. "I did?"
"Uh, duh?" Was she seriously this dense?
"Oh… hehe."
"Shut up. Don't make me regret it."
"Oh?" Her eyes squinted teasingly. "Shut up? Didn't you say you wanted me to open up too? I was about to go on and on about my family. Personal secrets, and all that~."
"'Gelica taught you how to tease. Splendid." Goddess, please don't give him a mini-Rogner to deal with. One would last a lifetime.
"Then, I guess it's only fair I should start with my family. I'm…"
An orphan, like him. Lost both from a plane crash years ago. Granddaughter of a famous astronomer. Now class president and unofficial leader of their merry little band of misfits.
And misfits did fit them quite so. Not at his request, Towa also let slip some secrets about the other members of their group.
Angie had been exactly what he'd thought she was. Rousey, hormone-driven and estranged daughter of Marquis Rogner. She was from a different class; Class I, but acted as if she was a commoner like them.
He had to agree. She wasn't exactly the most typical of noble ladies. Take away the boobs, and she'd practically be a man in personality alone.
Have it or not, it had actually been Towa that first broke the ice with the noble. He thought it was the other way around, considering the raging lesbian was infatuated with her.
He'd ask more about how, but Towa squeaked and clammed up.
George though, he didn't expect to be the secretive type. No memories of his childhood nor his birth parents. Not like they believed that. His chipper personality and friendliness made it difficult to broach the subject, so Towa let it be.
He wasn't in a position to argue.
"Oh yeah, I haven't actually answered your question, huh? Sorry," Towa said after what had been minutes since he asked.
"Uh…" He forgot what it was himself.
"If I'm honest, the reason I had us do this… was so that we could get closer to each other."
That was… direct. He suddenly found himself quite conscious of the fact that they were mere riges from one another. Towa noticed too, went red, stammered but thankfully didn't scream.
She coughed her blush away. "I meant all FOUR of us. Closer, as a group."
"Start with that next time 'mkay?" He had to remind his beating heart that the midget was a minor.
"A-anyway, you know how I said that on this day, lovers from distant stars come together right? Well, I figured they could help us out too."
"Uh huh." And they called HIM cheesy.
"Don't laugh! It was a great idea!" Towa exclaimed. Her rare, stern expression came with a force. "I hope you know I did this primarily for YOU, Crow."
"Me?"
"Yeah, duh. It's been almost half a year now and you're still the only one that we feel left out. Haven't you noticed?"
More like didn't care.
"Well… I guess it doesn't really matter. I got my wish," Towa said.
"Hm?"
"Truth be told, I lied. Teehee~."
"Spill."
"I wished for a chance to talk to you, Crow. And after reading yours, it made me really happy you felt the same way."
...
She huddled her tiny legs closer, hiding her wide, goofy grin in her knees. "The lovers heard our pleas and they granted it. Told you the legends were real."
"...I didn't do much talking though."
"That's true." It sounded disappointed, but her voice was beaming with optimism. "I suppose there's always next year."
"Yeah… Next year..."
"And the year after, and so on and so forth. I'll get you to talk a lot someday, mister. You can count on it!"
...This really wasn't on the itinerary. At this point, he'd rather get washed up somewhere far, far away.
But of course, his luck ran out when the rain outside stopped.
"We should probably get going. Angie might get sick worrying about us," Towa said. She absentmindedly pushed her arms into the sleeves of her jacket and dusted herself off.
His blazer, he was too exhausted to even point out. Whatever.
"And Crow?" She stopped at the entrance and turned towards him. Her hair clung to her forehead and she was shivering, but the girl was radiating a glowing warmth.
"Thanks," she said softly.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Hehe. No reason." Towa kept giggling even after they left the cave. Much as with the witch, women were hard to read sometimes. He shrugged and followed her. It didn't take long for the other two to find them, afterward, completing their tiny little study group.
An estranged daughter of a noble.
A boy with no memories.
An orphan trying to find her place in the world.
And him, a terrorist pretending to be a student.
Crow Armbrust laughed. They really were a bunch of misfits. He'd fit right in.
Friends, huh…?
"Crow?"
"Hm?"
"What're you doing? Tie your wish already," Instructor Towa scolded. "Don't tell me… you haven't written it yet, huh?"
He chuckled and grinned at the woman. Even years later, he still didn't know how she knew. "Yeah yeah, I'm writing it."
"What's it gonna be this time, Crow? More girls?" Angelica said.
George gawked at her. "Angie. Seriously?"
"What? I don't mind the competition."
"Oh shush, you two. Let him think!" Towa was still the shortest of them, but her attire, personality, and strict scolding were really befitting of their leader.
Some things never changed.
"Here."
Towa's face scrunched, puzzled at the tiny slip of paper containing his wish. "Uh, Crow? This is blank."
"No. I definitely wrote it down. It's in invisible ink."
"Uh huh. Nice try."
"Just hang it like that. I already got my wish anyway."
"You sure?" Towa asked. A knowing smile crept up her lips.
He returned it with his own. "Yup."
Towa did so. On the branches far above was 'Gelica and George's in violet and yellow paper, respectively. And down below was theirs. Blue and pink, tied together neatly in a bow. It was a quiet midnight, normal people milking the most of the sunday night for sleep before work beckons them tomorrow. A small part of his heart wanted some festivities, parades, games and food. But, sometimes the best celebrations are those done in small groups.
Like their merry little band of misfits.
"Sooooo… what DID you wish for?" Towa asked him, her head tilted playfully.
"Girls."
"Oh haha. Fine, keep it to yourself. I wasn't interested, anyway." Her eyes narrowed, but her jealous expression never left. "I'll get you to admit it next year."
"And so on and so forth. Talk about deja vu."
"Not gonna stop until you start talking, mister."
Crow winked. "And, I'm counting on that."
"Damn right!"
Because that's what friends do. Right?
Fragment Chapter - A Blank Wish
Literally woke up, realized it's Tanabata and wrote this all day. Sorry for the lack of editing. Happy Star festival.
Reviews, favs, follows are appreciated.
See ya.