A Thousand Cranes for a Wish (USHIJIMA X OC)

An Elder's Advice

The paper lantern festival was bustling with chatter and unrestrained joy. The carefree laughter of children and adults alike circulated around the pair. A multitude of different stalls lined the street, everything from snacks to games and even souvenirs, despite all this noise it was pleasant. An unrelenting mixture of delicious smells filled the air. I'll visit that stall later. Umeko vowed internally as she walked past it.

"Ah, look!" Umeko pointed towards the goldfish scooping game and began to walk towards it, Ushijima in tow. The stall was brightly colored as it was, but the owner went even further and added neon signs, it was definitely an eye-catching attraction. "That looks like fun." Umeko watched as a couple of children attempted to capture the goldfish. The aim of the game was simple. Using the scoop, the player has to find a way to move the fish from the small pool to their water bowl. The prize was the captured goldfish. In theory it sounded easy however the difficult portion was using the paper scoop the stall provided.

"Festival goldfish will die in a week." Ushijima deadpanned. He knew from experience that there was no way the fish would live any longer no matter how well it was cared for.

"Don't say that!" Umeko pouted. "It's the experience which makes it worth it, and besides..." she glanced at the preoccupied children. Judging by their lack of reaction they didn't hear Ushijima's prior comment. "We can't just crush dreams like that."

"We did it!" Both boys had successfully managed to catch one goldfish each and proudly showed their spoils to their parents.

Umeko smiled smugly and looked up towards Ushijima. "See?"

Ushijima sighed in defeat, "That is the case." When it was finally their turn the pair bought five scoops each and began their own goldfish hunt.

Unfortunately, after breaking four out of the five scoops it became very apparent that neither Ushijima nor Umeko had any talent for the game. Umeko looked at her last scoop. "Ok. Last one." She furrowed her eyes in concentration as she focused in on one fish in particular. "This time for sure." Keeping in mind the prior failed attempts Umeko swiftly slipped her scoop under the goldfish then flicked upwards. This time her efforts weren't in vain. "I did it!" Umeko cheered as she showed off the single fish in her bowl of water.

Ushijima stifled back a chuckle at Umeko's overly enthusiastic response. She had a tendency to become incredibly excited over the littlest of things; from a more negative perspective it could have been interpreted as childish, but for Ushijima it was rather endearing. "Good job."

The pair thanked the stall owner then left hand in hand with their spoils of victory. Not even five minutes after they left the stall Umeko found herself leading Ushijima to a different stall. She followed the mild sugary smell towards a different stall not too far away from where they were prior. Unlike the goldfish stall this one was a bit smaller and was decorated with less obtrusive colors.

"Do you like candy apples?" Ushijima realized the direction that Umeko was headed in and matched his pace with hers.

"Is that what the smell is? I've never tried them before." Once she could see what was being sold, her eyes widened. It was a small red apple on the end of the stick and coated with honey hued hard candy. The sugary outside made the apple seem to shine in under the light.

While Umeko was busy admiring the food item Ushijima took it upon himself to buy one. "A regular one, please." He handed over the money and received the candy apple. "Ume."

"Yeah?"

He held the apple in front of her and close to her mouth. "This is for you. It might take a while to reach the apple."

Umeko's smile was hidden behind the apple as she thanked him. Needing no further prompting she tentatively licked the sugary shell of the apple. She expected it to be a stronger and sweeter flavor but contrary to that belief, despite being candy it was a lot more mellow than she originally thought I would be.