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The Hanabi Festival had begun a few days after the end of the PIFA, and two stars from the Nigerian U-20 team decided to stay in Japan to experience it.
The rental shops were filled with noise, confused tourists, and workers rushing from side to side while explaining how to properly wear an obi.
Onazi had disappeared behind a curtain as soon as they arrived.
Kuso, on the other hand, had been trying for almost ten minutes to understand why a yukata had so many layers for something that was technically «light summer clothing.»
From outside, he could hear Onazi’s voice blending with other people’s laughter.
“Does it go like this?” he asked innocently.
“No, no, the other way,” the worker replied.
“Oh! So I was dressed like a dead person then,” he said between laughs.
Laughter quickly filled the small shop.
A few seconds later, the curtain was pulled open abruptly.
Onazi came out first, still adjusting one of the sleeves of his yukata with an easy smile on his face. The deep green fabric contrasted with the golden details of the design, and although he clearly didn’t know much about traditional Japanese clothing, he walked with a natural confidence that made it look like he belonged there.
“This is way more comfortable than I thought! Although I still think that too many layers for summer should be considered a crime.” The worker behind him let out a tired laugh.
Onazi kept talking just the same, excited about every new detail.
“And look at this!” He slightly lifted his sleeve. “It has waves.. I think. Or clouds. I’m not sure, but they look elegant.”
“They’re waves,” the worker corrected automatically.
The man with green eyes smiled before walking toward the shop’s exit. The distant sound of the festival could already be heard outside: traditional music, mixed conversations, and the far-off echo of street games.
But even so, he didn’t fully step out yet—he stayed there waiting.
Leaning near the entrance while absentmindedly playing with the fabric of his sleeve.
Godwin took a little longer to come out.
And when he finally pulled the curtain aside, the first thing he did was check his yukata belt again, as if he was still convinced something was wrong.
And then he heard footsteps approaching quickly.
“Kuso!”
Onazi was already dressed and, honestly, it was impossible not to look at him.
The dark yukata made his too-easy smile stand out even more, along with his hair slightly messy from the summer heat. He looked completely comfortable there, as if the entire festival had been made for him.
But the forward stopped moving the moment he saw him.
Because Godwin looked adorably different.
Softer, maybe.
The yukata he was wearing made his straight posture stand out even more, and his slightly disheveled hair after changing gave him a less rigid air than usual.
For the first time all night, Onazi went quiet for a few seconds.
And then his signature smile returned to his face, but this time in a warmer way.
“You look... different.” The other man barely lifted his gaze.
“Different bad?”
“What?” He laughed a little. “Different good.” He took a step closer before raising his hands to his chest. “Wait...”
His fingers touched the collar of the yukata and adjusted it naturally, tugging the fabric just enough to straighten it.
The man with dreadlocks went still.
Too still.
Because he was close. Ridiculously close.
He could smell the soft scent of incense mixed with soap, and the warmth of his hands passing through the light fabric.
“There.” Godwin still didn’t respond.
He just looked at him.
Staring.
“... What?” the dark-haired man asked, his smile slightly tilted.
“... Nothing.” Onazi watched him for a few more seconds before finally stepping back.
“Good. Let’s go before the festival starts without us.”
Kuso only gave a slight nod.
And the moment they took their first steps outside the shop, both of them made a face at the same time.
The geta were awful.
The sharp wooden clack against the ground accompanied their clumsy attempts to walk normally through the crowd.
Innocent let out an incredulous laugh.
“How do people use these every summer?”
“I don’t know...” Kuso replied honestly, frowning slightly from the discomfort. “I feel like I’m training my ankles.”
The forward tried to move a bit faster, and the result was immediate—he staggered slightly to one side before recovering his balance with an offended expression.
The blond glanced at him sideways.
Then, without saying much, he shifted his arm slightly toward him.
Innocent looked down at the gesture for a moment and smiled faintly.
And he naturally took his arm.
As if it had always belonged there.
And honestly, walking became a lot easier after that.
The festival’s main street was lit by rows of warm lanterns swaying gently in the night breeze. Traditional music blended with conversations, laughter, and the constant noise of food stalls.
Onazi seemed to be absorbing everything at once. He looked everywhere with genuine curiosity, talking more than usual as they moved through the crowd.
“I still don’t understand how people can look so calm in this heat...”
“They’re used to it.”
“And they still wear layers. So many layers... Look at that kid, he’s wearing even more clothes than us.” Kuso let out something close to a short laugh through his nose.
The yatai stalls appeared one after another along both sides of the road; food, games, and small prizes hanging under warm lights that painted the entire street in orange and gold.
Innocent seemed incapable of staying focused on just one thing—he kept turning his head constantly, pointing at random stalls while still walking arm-in-arm with the other man.
“I want to try everything...”
“Financially, that would be a bad decision...” he murmured.
“For your information, I exchanged enough Naira for Yen before coming.” Kuso raised a brow slightly.
“You planned this?”
“Obviously. This is an important event!”
“It’s a festival.”
“... Same thing. Important.” he said, then proudly smiled before pointing directly at one of the food stalls. “First, Japanese food!”
A few minutes later, they had stepped slightly away from the crowd with food in their hands.
The forward held a small tray of takoyaki, still steaming hot.
Godwin, inexplicably, had chosen an enormous cotton candy. The other glanced at it the moment he noticed its size.
“... That’s ridiculously big.”
“It was the only size available.”
“Liar. I literally saw smaller ones.”
The man with dreadlocks went silent.
Because he had no defense.
Onazi let out a laugh before poking one of the takoyaki with the skewer.
“Look at this... It looks amazing,” he said, licking his lips slightly.
“It’s still hot... You should wait a bit.”
“Don’t exag—” And he immediately put it in his mouth. The regret was instant. “Mmgh—HA—!”
He covered his mouth, bending forward slightly as he desperately tried not to spit it out in front of everyone.
The other man watched him in silence for two seconds.
“I warned you...” His companion pointed at him accusingly with the skewer while still suffering. “It’s lava! Why do people eat this like that?!”
“They wait for it to cool down...”
“Japanese people are weird...” Godwin let out another low laugh.
“Oh! Did you see that?” he continued immediately, pointing toward a group trying to catch goldfish.
Before Kuso could ask anything, he felt Onazi take his hand.
Directly.
Without thinking too much.
“Come on, come on!”
The other man only took a second to react before following him into the crowd.
The stall was full of children and couples trying to catch goldfish using delicate paper scoops.
Innocent watched the game with complete confidence.
“This looks easy...”
“The paper breaks in water.”
“Don’t discourage me! Let me try.” He handed him the takoyaki tray. “Don’t move...” he ordered before kneeling in front of the small pond.
The first attempt lasted exactly three seconds—the paper broke the moment it touched the water.
Innocent stared at it.
“Tch...” The stall worker let out a laugh.
“Slower,” he suggested.
“Yes, yes, I got it!”
The second attempt was worse.
The third ended with the fish literally escaping right in front of him.
The forward started taking it personally.
“Why are they so fast...?”
“They’re fish,” Kuso replied.
“You’re not helping! Let me see...” Finally, on the fifth attempt, Onazi managed to catch a small one. “HA! Did you see that?”
He lifted the scoop victoriously just before the paper broke as well.
The worker handed him the small bag of water with the fish inside while Onazi smiled like he had just won the World Cup.
“I’m incredible...”
After a moment, he immediately turned to his teammate.
“Your turn!”
Innocent snatched the food from his hands, looked at him for a few seconds, then crouched in front of the pond.
Kuso took the scoop and watched the movement of the fish.
He waited.
And caught one on the first try.
Onazi stared at him.
“Ah...” Godwin lifted his gaze slightly, while the worker also handed him the bag.
“You said to try it.”
“But not that well! What the hell? You didn’t even hesitate!”
“I just observed patterns.”
“They’re goldfish! What patterns?!” he growled, but his mild frustration quickly disappeared when something else stole his attention. “Look!”
The man with dreadlocks followed the direction of his finger.
A shooting game stall.
“Let’s go there!”
“Ah, I think we should—” But his teammate was already walking toward the stall.
The attendant handed him the cork rifle and quickly explained the rules.
He nodded confidently.
“Got it!” he said, raising the rifle and aiming at his target, preparing to shoot.
And missed.
The shot went several centimeters off target.
Kuso simply watched the green-eyed man in silence, admiring his concentration.
Second attempt.
Missed again.
Third attempt.
Even worse.
Despite everything, he never stopped smiling.
Each time he missed, he simply tried again with the same enthusiasm, adjusting his stance or changing the angle.
Godwin didn’t understand it at all, because normally Innocent was competitive.
But this was different.
He didn’t look frustrated.
Not even when he spent more money than they had.
He just kept trying.
With the same bright determination he showed when facing entire defensive lines during a match.
“You know...” he said while loading another pellet. “When I was a kid, at the orphanage, I never won anything. There was always someone better.”
He shot.
Missed again.
“But my brothers still celebrated whenever I tried.” Godwin narrowed his eyes slightly, Onazi smiled faintly as he reloaded. “So I guess I got used to it.”
Another shot.
This time, the prize moved slightly, and the forward’s eyes lit up.
“Did you see that?!” The man with dreadlocks quickly opened his eyes.
He hadn’t.
His gaze had never been on the prize.
It had always been on Onazi.
“Ah, yeah.” Still, he decided to lie.
“It moved, that means I can do it!”
Godwin never understood how someone could lose so many times and still look that happy.
Maybe that was exactly why an entire Nigeria trusted him.
Because even when the odds were against him, Onazi kept believing.
And somehow, he ended up pulling others along with him.
And that was what he liked most about him.
The next shot hit dead center.
“I DID IT!” he shouted, jumping in excitement.
It was so sudden that he lost his balance upon landing in the uncomfortable geta.
His body tilted dangerously backward.
But before he could fall, a steady hand caught him at the lower back.
The forward found himself looking straight at his teammate.
“Careful.”
“I had it under control!” he said between laughs.
The man with dreadlocks let go after barely a second, and the other immediately ran toward the counter to claim his prize.
Only then did Godwin truly notice what he had been trying to knock down for the past fifteen minutes.
A small plush coyote.
Its ears were too big for its head, and it had a strangely serious expression.
It looked like it was permanently judging someone.
For some reason, it reminded him of himself.
The thought felt absurd.
“Here you go,” the attendant finally handed Onazi his prize.
And the smile that appeared on his face made all the effort feel worth it.
“I got it!” he came trotting back, holding the plush with both hands like a treasure.
Godwin looked at the coyote.
Then at Onazi.
Then back at the coyote again.
He still didn’t understand why he had been so obsessed with winning it.
“Here!” Before he could ask anything, the plush was pressed against his chest.
“What?”
“I won it for you.”
“.. For me?”
“Yes.”
“But you wanted it.”
“And I got it.” He gently pushed it against his chest again. “Now it’s yours.”
Innocent was already smiling again, proud.
As if the real prize had been giving it to him.
Godwin just stood there, staring.
Because he wasn’t used to this.
Unexpected gifts.
People thinking about him like that.
Onazi.
Especially Onazi.
He slowly lowered his gaze to the coyote. The plush was soft, its ears slightly drooping to the sides.
Without realizing it, he adjusted it into his arms, pressing it lightly against his chest, holding it more carefully.
The gesture was so small that most people probably wouldn’t have noticed.
But the forward did.
And his smile grew even warmer.
For some reason, Kuso felt a strange heat settling in his chest.
Something hard to analyze.
Something he didn’t have a strategy for.
“Thank you.” he finally said.
“You’re welcome.” And before Kuso could fully process what had just happened, Onazi was already looking elsewhere.
The crowd seemed to be moving slowly in one direction.
Entire families, running children, couples walking together, groups of friends.
All heading toward the far end of the festival.
“Hm?” Innocent tilted his head slightly.
“Looks like everyone’s going to the same place,” the man with dreadlocks followed his gaze. In the distance, beyond the illuminated stalls, the riverbank could be seen.
People were starting to gather there.
“Fireworks,” he concluded.
“Already?!”
“Probably trying to get a good spot before they start.”
Innocent watched the steady flow of people for a few seconds.
Then he smiled again.
That warm smile that seemed to appear whenever he was sharing something with someone.
“Then we should go too.” And without thinking twice, he grabbed Kuso’s wrist again. “Let’s go! I’m not missing the best spot just because we’re standing around.”
Godwin allowed himself to be pulled through the crowd.
With a coyote plush tucked under one arm.
And a strangely pleasant feeling settling in his chest that he still didn’t know how to name.
The crowd grew denser as they got closer to the river.
The stalls disappeared behind them, replaced by long lines of people all walking in the same direction.
And unfortunately for them, the street kept getting narrower.
The forward was the first to notice.
“I think it’s getting more crowded...”
“It’s because everyone’s going to the same place.”
“I wasn’t talking about that.” The other raised a brow slightly.
Then he felt a shoulder bump into his.
And then another.
Because the space between them had practically disappeared.
Now they were walking side by side.
Too close to keep their usual distance.
Their yukata sleeves brushed against each other from time to time.
Their shoulders too.
And his teammate still seemed completely unaware of it.
“... Do you think we’ll still find a good spot?”
“... No. You spent half an hour shooting at a coyote.”
“And it was worth it.” The man with dreadlocks lowered his gaze involuntarily to the plush he was still holding.
The other only smiled faintly when he saw it.
He didn’t say anything.
But the smile stayed.
Then the geta betrayed him again.
His foot landed wrong on a stone, and his balance disappeared immediately.
“Wh—whoa—”
Before he could finish, a hand was already firmly holding his arm.
Godwin steadied him so naturally it looked like he had done it hundreds of times before.
“... Thanks.”
“Watch where you’re going.”
Still, when they started walking again, neither of them rushed to increase the distance between them.
By the time they reached the riverbank, most of the best spots were already taken. People sat on blankets, families gathered under trees, groups of friends laughing while they waited.
“Great...” Onazi said. “We’re last.”
“Told you.” The other man let out a soft laugh.
They ended up standing behind the crowd, where they could still see the sky above everyone’s heads.
It wasn’t the best spot.
But it wasn’t bad either.
And after all, they were together.
A whistle cut through the air.
Everyone lifted their heads at the same time.
And a second later—
BOOM.
The explosion shook the night.
A huge blue chrysanthemum bloomed over the river, spreading its light in all directions before slowly fading back into darkness.
Reflections danced on the water.
The crowd let out amazed gasps.
And just a few seconds later, the smell arrived.
Gunpowder.
Soft at first.
Then stronger as new explosions began filling the sky.
Innocent’s eyes lit up immediately.
“Did you see that?!” His eyes were bright, reflecting the colors of the display.
“Yes.”
“It was huge!”
Another explosion.
This time gold.
Thousands of sparks seemed to spill from the sky like liquid rain.
The roar reverberated through the ground beneath their feet.
Through their ribs, through the humid summer air.
The fireworks reflected across Onazi’s face as he looked up.
“That one was better! No, wait—THAT one was better!”
Kuso didn’t respond.
Because technically, he was watching the fireworks.
But only technically.
Most of the time, he was watching Onazi.
The way he smiled, the way his eyes followed every burst of light, the way he seemed to marvel at everything like it was the first time seeing it.
“Look at that one!” A red bloom followed behind another. “And that!” Then a green one. “That one looked like a flower!” Then several at once. “Oh my god, THAT ONE WAS DEFINITELY THE BEST!”
Kuso barely registered the colors, because all his attention was still trapped on the man beside him.
It was strange.
He had come to see fireworks.
And yet he couldn’t stop looking at something brighter.
Something he had been watching for months. Long before that night.
Onazi kept talking without noticing anything, completely absorbed in the display.
Meanwhile, Godwin silently held the small coyote against his chest.
And for the first time in a long while, he wasn’t thinking about tactics, or football, or the next match.
Only the sound of Innocent’s voice blending with the explosions of light in the summer sky.
A new golden burst lit up the heavens. It was so bright that, for a moment, it felt like it turned night into day.
The crowd gasped again in awe. Children pointed upward. Some people even started recording.
But Godwin didn’t even look up.
He was already watching the most beautiful thing of the night.
The reflection of fireworks danced across Innocent’s face as he kept looking at the sky.
Marvelling at every explosion like it was the first time.
And for the first time in a long time, Kuso stopped trying to analyze what he felt.
He simply accepted it.
“Onazi.” The name was almost immediately swallowed by another explosion.
Still, the forward slightly turned his head toward him.
“Hm?” His eyes were still glowing, reflecting small patches of blue and gold.
The other man opened his mouth.
And went silent.
Because saying it in his head had been much easier.
His teammate waited, even thinking he might have misheard.
That maybe he had already forgotten what he was going to say.
Then he finally spoke.
“I think... you’re the only good thing this World Cup left me.”
The other’s heart gave a small jolt.
But before he could respond, another explosion filled the sky.
And for a moment, he thought he meant the night, the festival, or Japan.
The entire experience.
“I’m going to miss this too,” the man with dreadlocks said softly.
The other shook his head slightly.
And when he spoke again, his voice was lower.
More sincere.
More vulnerable than Onazi had ever heard it.
“.. I don’t mean the festival.”
His teammate’s smile wavered.
“.. What?”
Godwin lowered his gaze slightly.
The small coyote was still trapped in his arms.
As if that gave it some kind of value.
And then he said what he actually wanted to say.
“I don’t want this to end.” Another firework shook the air with its explosion.
But neither of them looked up.
“Because I’m with you.” He added.
Silence.
For the first time all night.
Silence.
Onazi’s smile disappeared.
Just for a second.
As if he needed time to process what he had just heard.
As if all the pieces were finally clicking into place at once.
The glances. The coyote.
The way Kuso had been watching him all night.
The way he always watched him.
And then he smiled again.
Wider, even showing his teeth.
As if the sun had decided to rise in the middle of the night.
His eyes shone so brightly that the fireworks felt insignificant in comparison.
And before Kuso could start getting nervous about what he had just admitted, he felt fingers gripping his hand.
Firmly, as if Onazi had no intention of letting go.
“Then let’s make sure it’s not the last.”
Godwin looked at him, and for the first time since he had known him, he had no clever answer.
Only a warm feeling slowly spreading in his stomach.
Then the final firework arrived.
The biggest of the night.
The entire sky exploded in gold.
Thousands of lights fell over the river like a shower of stars.
The crowd cheered and children shouted in excitement.
And as the show came to an end, neither of them was looking up.
Because, somehow, both of them had found something more important than fireworks.
Something they hoped would last far longer than a single summer night.