Hotarubi no Mori e Afterstory (ONCE AGAIN)

The Trade

Gin's POV.

It was winter. I wore the muffler Hotaru gave me.

It's warm.

I removed the mask and saw my breathe when I exhaled.

I want to see Hotaru.

I want to be by her side.

I am going to meet the Mountain God today. I'm going to trade with him whatever it might be just to let me live.

"Gin." A deep voice talks to me. It's the mountain god.

"Are you sure about this? Even though you'll die?" I just nodded. I know that the chances are very slim and I might lose my life in the process but I am still willing to do everything just to be with Hotaru.

2 japonica (red ornamental quince)
Keep my mask safe until I reunite with it again. It will hold the memories of when I am still a spirit.

Those are the terms the mountain god asked of me.

If I fulfill those, I can live as a normal human.

I went all over the mountain searching for japonica. It took me almost a week looking for the plant. Even if the snow pilled up so much and the weather so cold that even the mountain god joked that he'd freeze any time soon. Still, I didn't stop to look for the flower.

Days and weeks passed by so slowly. I am out of things to do while waiting for her.

Finally, summer came. I can see Hotaru again. She looks so grown up now. I realized how I've watched her grow from a cute energetic child to a beautiful woman.

"Hotaru. Do you want to try to go to the summer festival held by the spirits?" I asked her as we are fishing. I didn't bother to look at her, afraid to be rejected.

"Spirit festival?" She replied with curiosity.

"No, a summer festival held by the spirits."

"There's not much of a difference."

"The nuance is completely different!"

"Nuance?"

I sighed a bit. She really is Hotaru. "When you were little, I thought you might get scared, so I didn't invite you. But tonight, can you sneak out of your house? I've wanted to go with you for a long time."

"I want to go!" She said with excitement on her voice.

"Meet me at eight at our usual place."

"But a festival filled with spirit sounds a little unnerving... On top of that it's at night."

I can understand how she would feel, talking about a place filled with youkai would really creep out any human.

"Don't worry. On the outside, it's not very different from a human festival. It's supposed to mimic human festivals after all." I assured her. "And I'll protect you, Hotaru." I said as I remove my mask to let Hotaru see how serious I am in protecting her.

"When you say things like that, it makes me want to glomp you." She cutely said that I feel I really want her to do that.

"Do it. Seriously." I shyly said then looked on the lake in front of me. I gripped the fishing rod tightly controlling myself from hugging her. I really want to touch her. I want to be hugged by her.

Summer festival. I want to hold her hand but I can't so I'll just be satisfied with a cloth binding us together. Just for this day, I'll try my best to make Hotaru happy.