~~ • ~~

We finally resumed our walk through the festival.

Paper lanterns swayed gently overhead. The lively festival music, the laughter of the crowd, and the calls of the stall vendors all blended together.

It wasn’t long before we stopped in front of a shooting gallery stall.

All sorts of prizes were lined up on wooden shelves.

Teddy bears.

Keychains.

Little toys.

And an ornamental little bell, hanging all the way up in the top corner.

The rules were simple.

Knock a prize down, and you get to take it home.

I stared at the stall for a moment.

Then, I turned to Misaki.

"Do you want to give it a try, Misaki?"

"Huh?"

She looked a bit surprised.

"What about you?"

"I’m going to play."

"In that case..."

A small smile touched Misaki’s lips.

"I’ll play too."

I stepped right up to the front of the stall and paid.

The stall owner handed over a toy rifle and three pellets.

By the time I received my gear, Misaki was already standing right beside me.

_

I glanced over my shoulder.

Yuna, Mika, and Hana were standing a few steps back.

"Don’t wander off, you three."

"Okay!"

They answered in near unison.

I turned back to the stall.

Then, I took a good look at the distance.

"Wait..."

"Was it always this far?"

The targets were set about five meters back from the counter.

Not incredibly far.

But not exactly close, either.

"Having second thoughts, Itsuki?"

Misaki’s voice came from beside me.

I looked over.

She already had her rifle raised, carefully taking aim.

Her posture was surprisingly serious.

She looked like a sniper locking onto a high-priority target.

I let out a soft laugh.

"No."

"If anything, this just makes it more of a challenge."

I raised my own rifle.

The toy gun was modeled after an old bolt-action rifle.

It looked like a simplified version of something from the World War era.

Though it was just a toy, it felt like it had decent accuracy.

My eyes scanned the prize shelves.

"That teddy bear over there..."

"It looks pretty light."

"A slight hit should be enough to knock it down."

I aimed right at a small, pink teddy bear.

Dead center on its head.

Before I knew it, the corners of my mouth curled up slightly.

"Perfect."

*Click.*

I pulled the trigger.

The pellet flew.

*Smack.*

It clipped the bear’s ear.

The plush toy wobbled for a second.

Then, it toppled right off the shelf.

"Oh?"

The stall owner raised an eyebrow.

I gave a small, satisfied smile.

"Haha."

Then, I turned to Misaki.

"How are you holding up?"

Misaki didn’t reply.

She was still entirely focused on aiming.

A few seconds later—

*Click.*

The pellet flew.

And...

It missed completely.

By a mile.

It didn’t even hit the shelf.

"Itsuki..."

Misaki turned her head slowly.

"You ruined my concentration."

I burst out laughing.

"Hahaha." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Alright, alright."

"I won’t distract you anymore."

Misaki gave a soft hmph.

Then, she loaded her next pellet.

I did the same.

The second pellet slid into place.

I raised my rifle once again.

"Alright..."

"Another bear."

"Target locked."

I pulled the trigger.

*Smack.*

The pellet hit the toy square in the chest.

It instantly tumbled off the shelf.

I gave a satisfied nod.

"Hm."

I turned my gaze back to Misaki.

Right at that moment, she pulled her trigger.

*Click.*

The pellet shot in a straight line.

It nearly grazed the little bell hanging at the very top.

But it still missed.

I immediately laughed.

"Hahaha."

"A miss again."

Misaki furrowed her brow.

"I think you should aim for something a bit bigger."

"That bell is way too small."

"No."

Misaki replied without a second of hesitation.

Her eyes remained fixed on the top shelf.

On that exact same bell.

"I want that one."

"Hm?"

"So I’m going to get it."

I stared at her profile for a few seconds.

Then, I let out a soft laugh.

"Alright."

"If that’s what you want."

"Have it your way."

Behind us, Yuna, Mika, and Hana were now watching with intense focus.

They seemed far more invested in Misaki’s stubborn quest for that little bell than in my actual string of successes.

_

I raised the toy rifle once again.

Same target.

The pink teddy bear sitting right at the front.

Beside me, Misaki was still stubbornly aiming for the little bell hanging way in the back, past the rows of prizes.

I took a slow breath.

Then, I pulled the trigger.

*Click.*

The pellet shot straight and true.

Hitting the teddy bear dead center on the forehead.

The plush toy wobbled for a second, then tumbled right off the shelf.

I lowered my rifle.

"Here you go. Congratulations."

The stall owner smiled, handing over the three teddy bears I had managed to knock down.

"Yeah, thanks."

I took them.

Then, I looked over my shoulder.

"Yuna."

Yuna, who had been watching the whole time, immediately jogged over to me.

"Yes, Papa?"

"Here. For you and your friends."

I handed her the three bears.

Yuna accepted them with both hands.

Then, she turned around.

"Mika, Hana."

She handed one bear to Mika, one to Hana, and kept the last one for herself.

"These are for you. From Papa."

"Thank you, Yuna! Thank you, Mister!" Mika cheered with a wide smile.

Hana, meanwhile, gave a polite little bow.

"Thank you."

I gave a small nod.

Then, I looked back at Misaki.

She was still standing in the exact same spot.

One eye squeezed shut.

The other narrowed in intense focus on her target.

Her expression was dead serious.

"Misaki."

I called out to her.

Misaki reflexively turned her head.

And at that exact moment—

Her finger accidentally squeezed the trigger.

*Click!*

The pellet flew.

I wasn’t even sure where it went.

Then—

*Ding!*

The little bell let out a sharp, clear ring.

Everyone standing around the stall immediately turned to look.

I blinked.

Misaki blinked.

The two of us stared at the bell for a moment.

Then, we looked at each other.

"Whoa."

I raised an eyebrow.

Misaki was still staring at me.

As if her brain hadn’t fully processed what had just happened.

Then, she brought both hands up to her chest in tight little fists.

"Yay..."

It was a remarkably small celebration.

Incredibly restrained.

But it was obvious she was happy.

The stall owner hurried over.

In his hands were a gift card and the little bell.

"Congratulations."

He handed them over to Misaki.

"You’ve won the grand prize."

Misaki took them slowly.

"A prepaid gift card... for ten thousand yen?"

Her eyes immediately widened.

She flipped the card over a few times.

Then, she checked the printed amount again.

"Haha... I didn’t think I’d actually hit it."

Her voice sounded like she still couldn’t quite believe it.

I let out a soft laugh.

"Haha, snap out of it. You won."

I kept my next thought to myself.

Even if it was pure luck.

Misaki kept staring at the card for a few more seconds.

As if calculating exactly how many things she could buy with it in her head.

Then, she walked over to me.

"Here."

She held something out.

The little bell that had been the grand prize target.

I looked down at it.

Then, I looked at her.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Why?"

Misaki seemed to think about it for a second.

Then, she shrugged.

"I don’t know."

"I just felt like giving it to you."

"That’s all."

I stared at the bell for a few seconds.

Then, I took it.

"Alright."

"I’ll gladly accept it, then."

"Don’t lose it."

"I won’t."

Misaki gave a small smile.

Then, she started walking again.

I walked right beside her.

Her hands were still gripping the gift card tightly.

"What’s with that look?"

"Why do you look so thrilled just over a prepaid card?"

Misaki immediately turned to me.

"You really don’t get it, do you?"

"Guess not."

"With this, I can go shopping without spending a dime."

She held the card up high.

"It’s free, Itsuki."

"Free."

"Haha."

I chuckled.

"Alright, alright."

"Now I get it."

Misaki looked satisfied.

She went back to gazing at the card as she strolled leisurely.

And it was only a few steps later that—

I realized something.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

I looked behind us.

No Yuna.

No Mika.

No Hana.

I stopped in my tracks.

"..."

Misaki stopped as well.

Then, she slowly turned around.

Her gaze went blank for a few seconds.

Then, her expression shifted.

"Itsuki..."

"Yeah."

"Where are they?"

~~ • ~~