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“Seriously, where the heck did Mamoru run off too?” Ryota huffed as he tried to look around the market town for Mamoru, but the market was more crowded than usual today with the approach of the Autumn Moon Festival. Ryota hadn’t planned on going out of the peaceful comfort of his manor, but Mamoru insisted that it would be fun to see the market during the festival.
But now Mamoru was nowhere to be found and Ryota was getting more irritated as he was feeling lost in a sea of people.
Ryota was about to ditch Mamoru and head back to his manor, but suddenly someone roughly bumped into him, causing Ryota to fall forward.
“!!!” Ryota braced himself, but a fast, steady arm caught him. He slowly opened his eyes and turned around to see cool gray eyes like smooth pebble stones staring at him. “Kou?!”
“Are you alright, Ryo?” Koki asked as he carefully helped Ryota steady his balance.
“I’m fine,” Ryota said as he fixed the fabric of his clothing.
“Are you alone?” Koki wondered.
“I was with Mamoru, but we got separated,” Ryota told Koki. Somehow, all the irritation Ryota had felt dissipated when he looked at Koki.
Koki chuckled. “No wonder Ken ran off. He mentioned he smelled Mamoru’s scent in town and hurried off to find him.”
“It’ll save me from having to look for Mamoru,” Ryota said. “The market is too busy for my comfort.”
“Is there something going on today?” Koki asked curiously.
“Oh right, you wouldn’t know.” Sometimes Ryota forgot that Koki was not a jinzoku, but a gokuzoku. “The town is celebrating the Autumn Moon Festival tonight as a celebration for the coming of the autumn season.”
“I see. The autumn moon is really pretty at this time of year,” Koki agreed. “I’ve seen many in years past from many places around the world.”
“Really? It seems all the same to me each year from the view on my balcony,” Ryota commented. “It’s not like the moon changes.”
“Perhaps it will look different for you this year,” Koki added with a hidden smile behind his wide sleeve.
“Huh?” Ryota wondered why Koki said that.
Koki took hold of Ryota’s hand and immediately started pulling him through the crowd. “Let’s go, there’s a place I want to show you.”
“Wait-Kou!” Ryota couldn’t resist being pulled along. Koki’s hold on his hand was strong, but it didn’t hurt. If anything, it felt comforting to Ryota.
Soon Ryota and Koki were out of the market crowd and taken into the bamboo forest. Since it was getting dark, Ryota couldn’t see very well in the forest. He hesitated for a moment, afraid he would trip on his feet.
Koki felt Ryota pulling back in the opposite direction for a moment. “Ah, sorry Ryo. Was I moving too fast?”
“No, but it’s hard to see in the forest at night. We should get a lantern to see,” Ryota suggested.
Koki thought for a moment and smiled in reassurance. “I can see clearly at night, but you’re right it would be hard for you. Would it be okay if I pick you up then?”
“HUH?!” Ryota wondered where that idea suddenly came from.
“It would be faster if I carried you on my back,” Koki offered.
“But, even if I’m smaller than Mamoru, I’m not quite lightweight,” Ryota admitted.
Koki chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m strong enough. Trust me?”
Ryota sighed and decided to trust Koki. He climbed onto Koki’s back, carefully placing his hands on Koki’s shoulders for support.
The moment Koki took off running, Ryota felt like he was flying through the sky. The wind cut through around them like a fast breeze, but it didn’t feel unpleasant. Compared to the noisy market, the forest was peacefully quiet. Ryota could even see the loose strands of golden hair that danced with the wind against Koki’s neck.
“Ryo? We’re here,” Koki announced.
Ryota blinked and saw they had arrived at a small pond next to a tiny shrine in the middle of the forest.
“This place is…?” Ryota wasn’t familiar with the area, but then again he never went out much so anywhere in the forest would be unfamiliar to him.
“This is my favorite place to admire the Autumn moon,” Koki said as he helped Ryota stand back on the ground.
Koki sat down on the soft grass by the pond. Normally Ryota would fuss about sitting on the ground because it would get his clothes dirty, but he didn’t seem to mind when Koki patted the space next to him for Ryota to sit. Ryota sat down next to Koki with his legs folded up in front of him.
“Look, Ryo. The moon is shining really bright,” Koki pointed up.
Ryota looked up and saw the moon shining in the night sky. It really did look bright, brighter than Ryota had ever seen before. Whether it was because they were seeing it in the middle of the bamboo forest away from the town lights, or another reason, Ryota felt happy inside.
“It really is beautiful,” Ryota said.
“Ryo looks beautiful like the moon too,” Koki said.
“Wha-?!” Ryota quickly turned and stared at Koki with surprise. “M-Me?”
Koki carefully reached out his hand and delicately touched some loose strands of Ryota’s hair, tucking it behind his ear.
“Your hair shines in the light like the moon,” Koki described. “When I look at you, it feels like I’m staring at the moon.”
“O-Oh…” Ryota wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
Koki leaned close to Ryota’s face, and Ryota felt like his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out.
Koki smiled and leaned back to a comfortable distance between them.
“We should head back to town before you catch a cold. Thank you for accompanying me tonight, Ryo.”
“Y-Yeah.” Ryota calmed down.
Ryota stared as Koki stood up and held his hand out to Ryota to help him up.
“If I’m like the moon, Kou shines like the sun…” Ryota whispered.
“Hm? Did you say something, Ryo?” Kou didn’t hear.
Ryota smiled and shook his head as he took Koki’s hand. “Mm-mm, it’s nothing.”
Koki was right. The moon really did look different tonight compared to all the past times Ryota looked up and stared at the moon from his own room at the manor.
Ryota will never forget watching the moon with Koki. It was a memory between them.