Sparklers of Love
The sound of fireworks rang out clearly. Those bursts of light exploded beautifully in the sky, inspiring awe in those who saw them.
“Tch, what is this? It's so cold!” Except for one person, who was grumbling while holding a plastic bag filled with sparklers.
“I'll spare time to play sparkles together with you. HA! WHAT A LIAR!” Shii grumbled loudly. Her eyes looked up at the sky decorated with blossoming lights, dancing beautifully, yet in her eyes, they seemed to mock her loneliness.
“I regret turning down the others' invitation to have dinner together. Damn it, Hakaze, I really am going to kick your shins, replace your shampoo with your expensive facial cleanser, and then—”
“Ah, so you're the one who replaced my facial cleanser with shaving cream, Shii-chan?” Her tirade was cut off by a voice from behind her. She was startled, of course, but what was even more terrifying was how she was going to explain what she had just said.
“A-ah, Kaoru, you came after all,” Shii said, forcing an awkward smile.
“Mmm, I hurried here, but my taxi got stuck in traffic, so I decided to run,” Kaoru wasn't lying. His breath was still a little ragged, and his hair was damp with his own sweat.
“O-oh, you should take a bath as soon as you get back, then. You could catch a chill if you don't wipe off your sweat,” Shii warned, taking out her light-brown handkerchief and wiping Kaoru's face.
“As long as you don't replace my shampoo with my facial cleanser.” Shii immediately pulled her hand away from Kaoru's face.
“Hah? What are you talking about? I don't understand,” Shii's “playing dumb” tactic finally emerged at a time like this. Hopefully, Kaoru would buy it.
“Hmmm?” Kaoru leaned his face closer to Shii's, forcing her to step back.
“Okay, okay, sorry! I won't do it again. Stop intimidating me like that,” Shii finally surrendered.
“Fufu~” Kaoru just laughed lightly while ruffling his girlfriend's hair. Teasing her once in a while did wonders for his mood.
“Did you bring the sparklers?” Kaoru redirected his attention to the bag Shii was holding.
“Yeah, I brought a few, and I have the lighter, too. Ta-da~” Shii's expression instantly brightened as she showed off what she had brought.
“Come on, hurry, let's light them. It's already past midnight!” Shii wasn't wrong. When the year changed earlier, Kaoru was still on his way, and Shii was busy grumbling, so they had missed the countdown moment.
Their sparklers began to spark to life, each of them holding two sparklers side by side.
“The sparklers are beautiful.”
“Mmm, they really are so beautiful.” They watched the small sparks emitted by their sparklers, a wisp of thin white smoke curling upward.
“Guess what I'm drawing right now.” Shii moved both her hands, tracing patterns in the air with the sparklers.
“Mmmmm...” Kaoru furrowed his brow, trying to guess, but nothing came to mind.
“A mouse?” Shii immediately glared at him sharply.
“It's a bat!! The symbol of Undead, how can you not recognize your own group's logo?” Shii mocked him sharply.
“Ahaha,” Kaoru laughed dryly, a little afraid Shii might jab him with the sparkler. It would be trouble if his jacket caught fire.
“Alright then, how about you guess what I'm drawing now?” Kaoru began moving his own sparkler.
“Hmmm?” He raised an eyebrow at Shii, signaling her to answer.
“Tch, you playboy. You're drawing a heart, aren't you?” Kaoru burst into laughter upon hearing Shii's accurate guess, his laughter was genuine and soon drew a laugh from Shii as well.
This New Year's Eve held nothing special, no grand celebration. They hadn't even counted down together. But just this simple, warm moment between the two of them was enough for them to feel grateful for the arrival of the new year. Silently, they whispered the same wish in their hearts:
'I hope this year, I can love you more.'