Chapter Text
Kamisato Ayaka is the eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission. As the Shirasagi Himegimi, she is held (primarily by herself) to high standards of elegance and perfection.
After the abolishment of the Vision Hunt Decree, accomplished in no small part thanks to the Traveler and a certain Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Ayaka had some time to herself for once. Time to act like an actual teenager and spend time in Inazuma City without the constant guilt that had weighed on her daily for those who had lost their precious visions.
Due to her time spent in Inazuma City, Ayaka has come to know a certain eccentric fireworks maker very well: Naganohara Yoimiya. She first approached the Naganohara Fireworks shop when the Yashiro Commission was in need of, you guessed it, fireworks for an upcoming festival.
However, while she expected the well-crafted fireworks, what she hadn’t expected was a friendship with the daughter of the fireworks shop owner.
Ayaka and Yoimiya got to know each other very well over the summer, and when fall rolled around, Yoimiya made Ayaka the best and biggest firework for her birthday she’d ever seen. When it exploded in the sky, Ayaka noticed it was shaped like her cryo vision, but with all the colors of the rainbow over the normal light blue glow. As the two girls laid back and stared up at the colorful sky from a grassy hill on Amakame Island, a sudden realization dawned on Ayaka.
She was totally crushing on Yoimiya.
The only problem was that Ayaka had never had a crush before. Well, there was that one time with Lumine, but Ayaka chalked that up to her own confusion between platonic and romantic feelings.
This, though, this was different. It seemed like everything Yoimiya did or said to her made her heart pound in her chest and her usual composed demeanor crumble as she was far too easily flustered by attention from the girl.
Oh, she was in way too deep now. Ayaka didn’t know how to handle these feelings, but she was sure she had friends who did.
“Thoma! Brother! There’s a situation,” Ayaka said, rushing into the Komore Teahouse one day. It was early afternoon, and her friends were sitting at the front of the teahouse, hanging out with Taroumaru. Ayato immediately stood up, worried by his sister’s urgent tone.
“What is it, Ayaka? Did something go wrong with the festival preparations? If that is the case, I will be sure to handle-” He was cut off by Ayaka’s immediate “no” headshake. Curious, Thoma had also turned his attention to the young lady of the clan standing nervously in the entryway.
“It’s nothing like that. I just, I think I have, well-” Ayaka struggled to find the words to describe what she was experiencing. After all, it was a little awkward having to explain your sudden crush on a girl to two male friends who, needless to say, didn’t experience that kind of attraction to women, generally.
“I have a crush on a girl and I don’t know what to do about it and I don’t really know who else to tell because Lumine isn’t here and honestly I wish they were because she’s probably way better at this than the two of you are, no offense, and,” Ayaka was rambling, talking so fast her own brother could hardly keep up. Thoma, on the other hand, only smiled softly.
“My lady, I understand, don’t worry. Calm down, I’ll brew you some tea and you can tell us about this crush of yours, okay?” Thoma offered, calm as always. Ayaka breathed for the first time in probably two minutes and nodded gratefully.
The trio spent a couple hours unpacking Ayaka’s emotional turmoil about the situation, but the conversation quickly took on a lighter tone as Ayaka began speaking fondly of Yoimiya, telling her friends all about the girl and her job, how she made her a firework for her birthday, that one time they held hands…
“Wait, she held your hand?” Ayato interrupted Ayaka’s incessant gushing about the fireworks maker, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.
“Um, yes? It was just once, or twice, I think…” Ayaka trailed off, seemingly lost in thought staring down at her tea. Meanwhile, Ayato and Thoma exchanged a glance before Ayato burst out laughing. Ayaka looked up at him, setting her empty tea cup on the counter and giving him a very unamused expression. “What is so funny?”
“Ayaka, you really-” Her brother started to speak, but couldn’t get his sentence out before he started laughing again. Ayaka had no idea what had gotten into her brother, but she was almost certain this joke was at her own expense.
“What he means is, well, it may be unnecessary to concern yourself with whether or not the feelings are mutual between you and Yoimiya. It seems to me like she’s made her interest in you pretty clear, my lady.” Thoma offered kindly, smiling at the girl and dutifully refilling her tea cup. Ayaka thought for a moment, before nodding slowly and beaming at Thoma.
“So… how do I tell her?”
Having devised a plan, the two men usher Ayaka out of Komore Teahouse, having encouraged her to go find Yoimiya and “just tell her everything” (okay, so, not the most thorough plan, but Ayaka had turned down any of her brother’s more elaborate schemes).
It was close to sunset by then, so the young lady of the Kamisato Clan rushed down to Naganohara Fireworks from Komore Teahouse, a route she’d become very familiar with, nodding politely to the few Inazuma citizens left roaming the streets, those who had not yet returned home for dinner with their families.
However, when she arrived to the fireworks shop, she was greeted by Naganohara Ryuunoske, but Yoimiya was nowhere in sight.
“Mr. Naganohara! Would you happen to know where Yoimiya is?” Ayaka politely asked the man, her voice probably an octave louder than necessary, but she really didn’t have time to repeat herself to the mostly-deaf man. Normally, she wouldn’t mind, but her confidence would surely run out if she waited too long to tell Yoimiya how she felt.
“Ah, if it isn’t Kamisato Ayaka! I’m not surprised you came to find Yoimiya,” the man chuckled heartily, “she left for that beachy-area nearby after finishing work today. You should be able to find her there. Please, make sure she doesn’t stay out too late,” he said. Ayaka nodded and thanked him before rushing back to Komore Teahouse. After all, she didn’t want Thoma and Ayato to worry (they wouldn’t have, she knew, but she didn’t need them coming after her and ruining the moment with Yoimiya should they worry about her whereabouts).
“I’m heading down to the shore to find Yoimiya, please do not follow me, and I’ll be back tonight!” She announced, her head barely in the door. However, she paused and shut the front door behind her when she saw the state of her friends. Thoma’s ponytail had been undone and Ayato’s shirt seemed, lopsided? Plus, the two were sitting much closer now than when she had left mere minutes ago. Ayaka simply pushed these thoughts to the back of her head, for now. She had much more important things to worry about, namely a certain strawberry blond.
“If you’d like me to accompany you to ensure your safety, my lady, I’d be happy to,” Thoma offered, but Ayaka simply shook her head and held up her vision, as if to prove she’d be perfectly fine on her own, even if a few treasure hoarders or Kairagi tried to get in her way. Thoma laughed, rather awkwardly as he scooted further away from Ayato on his chair, and nodded towards the young lady.
“Very well, best of luck with Yoimiya,” he said, and Ayaka rushed back out the door, giddy with nerves and excitement. She only hoped the girl would still be at the beach by now.