Reunion above the starry night

Scroll of starry night

The nobles scattered all over the country will only gather together in the palace for national affairs. The Tanabata Festival was one of the grand festivals that brought the nobles together.

On the night of the Tanabata Festival, the shrine maidens would ascend the stage surrounded by nobles, celebrating the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi, and seeking the blessings of these two deities as they danced in the sacred Kagura dance.

But amidst this lively and grand festival, the frequency of two people's gaze meeting gradually increased over the years.

Whenever the northern nobles gathered in the palace, they were always accompanied by a group of guards, showcasing their mighty strength.

Among these guards, there was a young man named Len, who almost always accompanied his master to important gatherings, especially the annual Tanabata Festival.

The reason was that a few years ago, when he was still a novice guard, he lost his way in the huge palace for some reason on the night of Tanabata Festival. Accidentally stumbling into a small garden, he saw a shrine maiden standing on a crimson bridge, holding a sky lantern.

Her golden hair shimmered under the light of the moon and stars, her azure eyes, like a lake, glanced somewhat uneasily at the sky lantern in her hand. Everything about her made him dumbfounded, unable to resist taking a step closer to get a better look at her.

In the process, he accidentally snapped a twig under his foot, disturbing the shrine maiden who was lost in thought.

"Who's there...?"

"Ah... I didn't mean to startle you."

Len hurriedly explained himself, but when he saw her wary expression, he became even more flustered.

"I-I accidentally got lost because this is my first time coming to the palace. I happened to see you looking very troubled, so I wanted to know if there is anything I can do to help. If you don't want me to stay here, just say the word, and I'll leave immediately."

Faced with the earnest young guard, the shrine maiden couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter, like the tinkling of bells, made his heart skip a beat.

"I'm not angry with you, don't worry," she said with a smile.

"That's a relief. May I ask why you're here alone? Aren't you supposed to be one of the shrine maidens dancing at the festival tonight?" Since she didn't seem angry, he curiously asked.

"And aren't you a guard responsible for escort? How did you end up separating from your group?" The other party asked with a smile.

"I... I just wanted to get some fresh air and ended up getting lost."

He didn't want to explain that he left secretly because he felt that the music of the festival was too loud and the drunk nobles were too annoying. After all, it didn't quite fit the image of a guard.

"I understand. Sometimes everything at the festival can feel a bit overwhelming, right?" She didn't tease him further, just smiled with a hint of resignation.

"What about you? Why are you standing on this bridge with a sky lantern?"

In response to the guard's question, she glanced at the sky lantern in her hand. The wish slip hanging from its bottom swayed gently, much like the uncertainty in her heart.

"It is said that sky lanterns can carry people's wishes to the heavens, so that the gods can know our prayers and fulfill them. I also have something I want to wish for from the gods." She gazed at the distant starry sky and slowly raised the lantern.