Even the traditional holidays resulted in rushes, Yosuke grumbled to himself mentally. Who the heck needed to buy something on Boys' Day?! Some of the Chinese showed up last summer before he moved to buy things for a festival they had where they sailed dragon boats out on the water. It was real big in Nagasaki, he heard, but in Inaba they just had two Chinese families in town, so Yosuke didn't think he'd ever get to see it performed at the river here. Because of course Inaba never got to have anything fun. The shops were slower that day, but he had to take lots of pictures of families with their eldest sons. Too bad even that couldn't be easy.
"You three all look good!" He smiled. The parents just stood there sternly, both in kimono, while their son tried to run around in shorts and a dress shirt. "Can you sit for me? Look at the camera!" Yosuke tried to coax, moving his hands around in vague directions. The tarp was heavy and hot. He couldn't even see where the boy was, just hear his light steps kicking the dirt up.
"I'm a dragon! Look at me fly!" The boy had a snot bubble Yosuke was begging himself to not look at.
"Hiro-kun, come over here!" The father said, and the boy ran back over, sitting properly on the stool provided for him, making sure to keep his back straight. Yosuke waited a few minutes before the picture was ready to take, squeezing the bulb and capturing them forever. He threw the tarp off with a relieved sigh.
"Give us a few weeks, then it'll be ready. Would you like it to be colored?" He asked the parents professionally.
"No thank you." The father declined. "Thanks anyway."
He smiled still, the little boy running around him. He finally grabbed Yosuke's happi and blew his nose on it, laughing.
"Y-You little brat!" Yosuke groaned in disgust. The boy just laughed and ran to hide behind his mother, who gave Yosuke a dirty look. "Just perfect," He headed back over to the main entrance, trying to wipe off as much of the snot as he possibly could, flicking his hand to the ground.
Just five more hours of this and he could finally be free!
"Where's the fish?" A pushy housewife that smelled of the earth demanded, not thanking him when he pointed out the direction to her.
The next housewife who walked up Yosuke stopped and stared at for a second, thinking she looked as lost as he felt. She wore a soft peach and lavender kimono with a green obi, but that wasn't the odd part. With her kimono she wore pink heeled shoes more fit for dancing along with small gold earrings and a matching necklace. Her most notable feature was her giant purple hat adorned with exotic green and gold feathers. She stared straight ahead, past him, a gloved hand at her neck.
"May I help you?" He asked her anyway to get her attention.
"Do you sell things for…Boys' Day?" She asked slowly, struggling with the term.
"Of course! You got some little sons at home?" Yosuke offered her his polite smile.
"Just one, and he's just my stepson." She frowned at that. "He doesn't like me much, so I thought if I did this, it'd at least show I want him to be strong,"
He led her through some of the stalls. "Oh, do you have iris already?"
She nodded. "One of my neighbors gave me her leftover ones and told me I had to soak with them in the tub."
Yosuke stopped at a stand selling ingredients for the special food made that day and cloth. He picked up an extravagant doll modeled after a samurai, and she stared at it. It had a black suit of armor on, complete with a sword, and also had a very detailed face, painted with care.
"Do you have koinobori made already?"
"Yes. Yuuta-kun helped make them with his father yesterday." She took the doll without question. "Everyone here is superstitious, hm? Not like I'm much different. Have you ever heard of Tarot? It's super popular overseas,"
"Do you have mochi at home?" Yosuke asked to keep the conversation moving along. He really didn't have time to just leisurely chat with everyone. She nodded. "Great, so you make kashiwa mochi by filling a ball of mochi with amazake then wrapping an oak leaf around it."
"I just hope this'll make him happy, if nothing else." The woman sighed as Yosuke walked over to their only cash register up in the front, pressing the numbers to add up her total. She handed over the money easily and cradled the doll in her arms.
"This your first Boys' Day? Just don't worry about it. All sons love their mothers who work for them!" He tried to cheer her up.
"My husband works all the time so it's just the two of us alone in a big house. I never know how to relate to him." She sighed. "Thank you for your help today." She gave him a bow before leaving.
Her accent placed her as a city-dweller, which also helped to explain her unusual fashion. He caught himself wondering what kind of man she married. Maybe some wealthy Westerner. The practice was far more common a decade ago but still done by some people. A rich guy from overseas married some Japanese girl and spoiled her, not knowing how things worked in Japan. Despite being from the city, Yosuke hadn't actually met any mixed kids, ones who were half-European or American. He bet the mixed girls in particular were gorgeous.
"Mister Worker, some kid threw up," A girl wrinkled her nose at him, making him sigh.
Five more hours.
Chie was so shocked by her parents' suggestion that morning that she mistakenly poured too much broth into Yakiniku's bowl, which he yipped eagerly at. "Visit the city?"
"Why not? If you go out more, you'd be getting more male eyes on you."
"Not too much though! Don't attract a rich pompous city dandy even you're too good for!"
It always went back to marriage. Chie had little interest in it outside of just acknowledging it was expected of her. Yukiko may not have liked any of them, but she still had options. Chie knew she was stuck marrying whichever man proposed first, no matter who it was.
"Can Yukiko come with me?" She asked instead, making them look over at her.
"She'll make the boys stare at her, not you."
"I'll bring a chaperone!" Not really waiting for an answer, she stormed outside with a sigh, wearing her usual green swallow kimono.
As expected, Yukiko was a bit hesitant over the thought. "The neighboring city? On foot?"
"We could try taking a train, but I doubt they travel that short of a distance." She frowned.
"I can't go that far without a chaperone." Yukiko shook her head and returned to plucking her koto. She wore a pink and white peony kimono. Chie frowned more. She really didn't dare going alone, she wasn't about to ask Yosuke, and she had no clue where Yu was. She then gasped in realization.
"Why don't we rent a rickshaw?! We both have the money."
"A rickshaw?" Yukiko repeated. "Some can be awfully expensive…but if we get a tiny plain one there shouldn't be a problem." She went inside to put her koto up, then the two walked along the roads until they reached the vehicle station close by the train station.
Most of the horses were out, and the workers stood around chatting until one noticed them and ran over. "What is it, ladies?"
"A plain two-seated rickshaw, please." Yukiko recited, reaching into her sleeve and pulling out a few bills. He nodded, counting the money before whistling and summoning a man over, dressed in a peasant's straw hat and shorts who bowed at them. He took Yukiko's hand and helped her sit down, while Chie took her own seat. The man grabbed the bars and took off running, making Chie gasp and Yukiko giggle when their hips bounced and rubbed up against each other.
"It's been a while since I rode in one of these!" Yukiko laughed.
The fields of farmland quickly gave way to big houses and white store-fronts all in a row, with actual boards on the street instead of just dirt roads everywhere. Chie gave the man a coin, told him to be back in an hour or two, then the two girls walked off. They walked steadily on the boards, lifting the hems of their kimono up ever-so-slightly to avoid the muck. Most women in the city wore big and bright European dresses, sitting on corners reading or peering through shop windows curiously. One even wore a full bird on her hat. There were smells of coffee and other unrecognizable things streaming out from a European restaurant, where well-dressed foreigners happily ate, and the performance theater sat empty.
Chie kept walking, toying with her braid. Nobody stared at her, but for once, nobody stared at Yukiko either. It was a strange feeling. "Want to try some coffee? I have some money left to buy some with."
"What does it taste like?" Yukiko blinked.
"Uh….I don't know. But it smells good, doesn't it?"
She just sighed. What was the point of this excursion?
The two walked along until they spotted Yu's familiar face with Marie, and Chie brightened and ran over to them. "Yu-kun!"
"Hi! I'm showing Marie around the city. She's one of my friends." He spoke.
"Sure." Marie tugged on her choker.
"Is she from the city like you too? You never actually said." She then turned to look at Yukiko and found a look on her friend's face she thought she'd never see otherwise. "Er, this is Marie. You don't know her, but I had lunch with her once."
"Hello." Yukiko bowed stiffly, her eyes shining. She had fallen hard in love.
"You're pink." Marie said suddenly.
"W-What?!" Yukiko blushed heavily.
"You're green, she's pink."
Chie blushed too, remembering she wore her green kimono top and ribbon the first time she met Marie. What could she say, she liked the color.
"Green and Pink. It looks good on you two." Marie decided.
"Thank you. You're really nice," Yukiko managed to smile. She fiddled with her kimono sleeves.
"Do you only wear green? Even now you're all green."
"You're blunt." Chie sighed. "But it'll soon be summer so maybe something more seasonal is in order." She didn't really need anything new, but they could all just look, right?
"I don't need anything; my clothes are all picked out for me. Plus, it's rude to just drag Yu-kun along, he might've had other plans." Yukiko scolded, seemingly down from her lovesick high.
"I don't mind. Back home I never knew any girls so I'd love to see how they spend their time!" Yu smiled at her. He wore a simple grey suit and cap with a matching cotton jacket, yet he looked right at home, way better than he did in his kimono. She wondered if he always dressed like that in the city back home.
"That's what humans do, right? Then I'll go."
"Great!" Yukiko walked ahead, smiling at Marie. Chie just shook her head and walked with Yu.
"Marie's a bit weird."
"You think so? I think everyone's a bit weird." Yu said. "You two and Hanamura-kun are weird."
"Yeah, but most people hide it!"
"I don't think that's good. Embrace your weirdness!" He pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at her, making her push him playfully.
"Stop that!"
The clothing store was pink and reeked of strong perfume with models of primarily Western gowns hung up or laid out everywhere. On one stool was a collection of shawls made from fur with the animal heads attached. Yu wandered off to where Marie was and Chie sorted through the shelves, finding Yukiko looking lost.
"There's so much stuff here to think about! Little bags to hold your stuff, matching jewels for every limb, and look at those shoes! Some are so high, and look at the buttons on those!" She exclaimed. "I don't want or need these things,"
"Western fashion is weird, huh?" As much as she disliked her kimono at times, they still made sense. "Marie, what color do you like?" She asked the girl, who wandered over to stare at the shoes too. "Blue, right?"
"I don't have one." She pulled one of the boots off the display and looked it over. "How are you even supposed to put this on?"
Yukiko stifled her giggle. "They are rather silly, aren't they?"
Chie looked instead at the jewelry displays, finding a green ribbon choker she liked. "How about this?"
"It's green." Marie commented. Chie hung her head.
"Yeah…"
"Find anything nice?" Yu wandered over with a smile.
"They don't have anything in my style." Yukiko shook her head.
"Same. Even the jewelry's too flashy for me." It felt weird to just look around and touch stuff without buying any of it though.
"Let's come again during the summer. Maybe they'll have better stuff then." Yu led the girls outside.
"You'd take me again?" Marie asked in surprise, her eyes wide. Chie smiled at her.
"Yeah! We're friends now!"
"We are?"
"Didn't you have fun with us?"
"What are….friends? There's meaning to that?"
"I think so," Yukiko fiddled with her sleeves again, not making eye contact. "Friends are a very important thing to have. And when we go back next time, we can try getting a comb for your hair!"
Marie frowned at that. "I don't want a comb and I don't think I need friends."
"I had fun," Chie tried to say. "We should be getting back." She led Yukiko away, meeting back up with the rickshaw man. Neither spoke for the ride home, and Yukiko sighed once her inn came into view.
"You like her!" Chie teased her friend as she walked up the steps, blushing.
"Huh?!"
"Marie! Your eyes lit up so much when you saw her!"
"S-She is pretty…." She frowned. "I've never once considered my life as mine. I always thought I'd be pushed to marry some man I didn't love and inherit an inn I didn't want. Marie can do whatever she wants."
Chie waited. Yukiko opened the inn doors, stepping in. "I….I don't think I like men. And I don't know what I want to do."
She took her hands. "We can figure it out together! As friends!"
Yukiko smiled and squeezed her hands. "Yes, as friends."
-The holiday Yosuke's alluding to is the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Double Fifth Festival, a Chinese festival held in the spring most famous for races of boats shaped like dragons, hence the name. The festival is Chinese but celebrated in areas of Japan where there's a sizable Chinese diaspora. Honestly, I first read a description of the festival from the book Kiku's Prayer and was enamored with it and wanted to mention it somewhere.
-Koinobori's the name of the colorful carps seen flying around Japan for Children's Day. They got their start in the early Edo period(1603–1867) where samurai families would set out banners with their family crests on them but they gradually turned into the fish banners we know today. They started to become more colorful during the Meiji era. The carp references the myth of a golden koi that swam upstream and became a dragon so it references the belief of wanting boys to grow up strong and healthy. Traditionally only the males were shown through the carps with the big black one being the father, the big red one the eldest son, and other colors being the other sons. Nowadays the red/pink carp is the mother while the little fish represent both sons and daughters.
-Boys' Day, otherwise known as Tango no Sekku, is one of the five annual archaic holidays to represent each of the seasons. Nowadays it's known as Children's Day but historically it was just a holiday for boys to pray for their health. Originally it was just a day where samurai would lay out their full suits of armor to protect them from the rainy season before it evolved and became a day for young boys. Aside from hanging up the koinobori, families would display extravagant samurai dolls and prepare kashiwa mochi in the hopes their sons would prosper. Irises were seen as having medicinal qualities as well so people often soaked with them in the bath on this day. The holiday would be renamed Children's Day after WW2 and encompass all members of the family. Girls were given Girls' Day instead as this holiday's counterpart which I'll go into much more detail about when we reach that date in this fanfic.
-Rickshaws were used throughout Asia in the 1800's, though they're most commonly associated with Japan where they enjoyed the most popularity. They were used as a cheap form of public transportation and were small carriages with wheels where a man would grab the handles in front and run the carriage to where-ever they needed to go. They were used up until the end of WW2, though more advanced forms of transportation in major cities made most obsolete by the turn of the century. Some rich families had their own rickshaw man.