Memories (Qixi special)

849, Trost District, Training Corps Garrison.

"Tomorrow's another day off, what should I do?" Yago rubbed his chin as he looked at the calendar.

Just then, Franz, who lived next door, came to Yago's dormitory. "Yago? You're here right now, can you help me out?" Franz was happy to see Yago in the dormitory.

"What kind of help is it? Let me make it clear first, I'm not going to run errands," Yago said, raising his hand.

Franz: "No, I wanted to ask you to help me see if this new dress looks good on me." As he spoke, Franz took a dress out of the bag he was carrying.

Yago reached out and took it, admiring the excellent workmanship. "Great, Franz, it looks really good. What are you planning to do dressed like that?"

Franz asked, somewhat surprised, "Don't you know what day it is tomorrow?"

Yago: "Huh? Should I know? Tomorrow... isn't it a day off?"

Franz: "Tomorrow is the triennial fireworks festival in the Trost District!" (Fireworks)

Yago paused for a moment. Fireworks Festival? This... I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before. It seems like Lucia's mother mentioned it before.

Seeing Yago's bewildered expression, Franz sighed and then explained the origin of the Fireworks Festival (Paradis Island) to Yago in detail.

Yago: "Hiss~... Whoa!... Eek... Ah? Hmm... Heh!... Oh!!" Yago suddenly realized, so that's what it was! I never expected there to be such a custom.

Franz gave Yago a knowing look, "Hehe, wearing this to the fireworks festival with Hannah, just thinking about it makes me happy." With that, Franz happily prepared to leave.

But Yago called out to Franz, hesitated for a moment, and then asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Um, Franz, where did you get your clothes made?"

In the evening, the Training Corps's theoretical course ended, and the Training Corps scattered after the Instructors left. Sasha, drooling, led the charge, like an arrow released from a bow.

As usual, Yago followed Annie at the back, but Yago declined Armin and Eren's suggestion to go for a barbecue together on their day off.

Yago rubbed his hands together, following behind Annie with a conflicted expression, looking like he didn't know how to start the conversation.

Finally, Annie noticed that something was wrong with Yago and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Are you constipated? If you're constipated, eat more bananas."

Yago nearly choked on Annie's mention of constipation, "Pah! Who's constipated! I'm perfectly fine!"

Annie: "Then why are you acting so sneaky?"

Yago swiftly pulled a fireworks festival ticket from his pocket and shoved it into Annie's hand. After doing so, Yago's voice trembled slightly as he said, "Um, please, please watch it with me. This, this thing is very expensive." With that, Yago quickly walked away, his face slightly flushed.

Annie was left looking completely bewildered.

The following night, Yago stood outside the gate of the fireworks festival, wearing the last dress he had snatched from the dress shop. Because it was the last one, the size was not quite right, and he felt very uncomfortable wearing it.

Yago tugged at his sleeve, his eyes scanning the crowd. Almost everyone at the fireworks festival was in a couple; the boys were mostly wearing custom-made formal wear, and the girls were dressed in various beautiful gowns.

Soon, Yago's eyes lit up as he found his target in the crowd. Among a group of girls dressed in brightly colored clothes, Annie, wearing only a simple white sweatshirt, stood out from the crowd.

Annie was also very puzzled by the large number of people in front of her. She was not from Paradis Island, so she naturally did not know about the Paradis Island Fireworks Festival.

"Hey! Annie! I'm here!" Yago squeezed in front of Annie, deliberately striking a cool pose, but Annie looked at Yago as if he were a weirdo.

Uh, why are you looking at me like that?

"Your clothes are so ugly, and they're too small; they're all squeezed onto you."

Crack! Annie's words were like a heavy hammer, shattering Yago's pride.

Soon, Yago, who had taken off his tuxedo and was only wearing a shirt, walked into the fireworks festival gate with Annie, looking dejected.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a triennial fireworks festival; it was packed with tourists and vendors selling a dazzling array of goods: sweet cakes, candies, fried snacks, balloons, dolls, plush toys...

There are also various amusement rides, such as ball throwing, ring toss, goldfish scooping, and simple drama.

Not to mention Yago, Annie was also shocked. The two of them looked around like country bumpkins visiting the city, finding everything strange and wonderful.

As people came and went, Yago noticed that many young couples were happily holding hands. Yago looked on with envy, then glanced at Annie without making it obvious. Unfortunately, Annie's hands were both tightly tucked into her hoodie pockets.

Yago could only sigh regretfully, but soon Annie took her hand out because Yago had bought her a big, round apple candy (which is like a candied apple skewer).

Apple candy, ice cream, sweet cream, fried rice cakes, and all sorts of sweets were fed to Annie by Yago. They also enjoyed playing various games like goldfish scooping, ring toss, and ball-bouncing counting.

Soon, Yago had spent the last copper coin in his pocket, and it was quickly past midnight.

Annie's face was flushed, she was holding a goldfish she had just caught in one hand and a toy prize she had won with Yago in various games in the other.

The unprecedented relaxation made Annie almost forget her mission. At this moment, all she wanted to do was sit on the grass with Yago, who was also tired from playing, and watch the fireworks display that was about to begin.

Whoosh! Bang!

As the first firework shot into the sky, exploding into a colorful flower pattern, the people on the grass exclaimed in unison. Then, one after another, dazzling fireworks exploded in the air, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

Yago turned his head, and the girl beside him stared wide-eyed, afraid of missing any of the beautiful fireworks. Her light blue eyes reflected a kaleidoscope of colors. Although they hadn't held hands, he rarely saw Annie so happy, so this was fine too.

Yago smiled and looked up at the fireworks in the sky. He didn't know how much time had passed when Yago suddenly felt a slight weight on his shoulder. He looked over carefully and saw a small Blonde bun that had been resting on his shoulder.

With soft, even breathing, Annie gradually loosened her grip on the goldfish bag. The little goldfish seized the opportunity to splash and escape from the bag, leaping successfully into the pond by the grass. Gazing at the sleeping Annie with a slight smile on her lips, Yago wished this moment could last forever.

(A special Qixi Festival episode, dedicated to all my fellow lonely friends.)