By the time Shin realized it—
it was already too late.
The festival had begun.
Lanterns glowed overhead, casting warm light across the streets.
Stalls lined both sides, filled with food, games, and noise that refused to settle.
Laughter echoed.
Voices overlapped.
Fireworks cracked faintly in the distance like promises waiting to happen.
And in the middle of all that chaos—
stood Shin Hitori.
"…I shouldn't be here," he muttered.
Beside him—
Minato looked completely at home.
Eyes shining.
Smile wide.
Energy unmatched.
"Ohooo… look at this place!" he said, turning in a full circle. "This is what life is supposed to feel like!"
"…This is what noise feels like," Shin replied.
Minato ignored him.
Of course he did.
"Ah! There they are!" Minato suddenly waved his hand.
Shin's eyes followed.
A group approached.
Three boys.
Five girls.
All smiling.
All talking.
All looking—
at him.
"…I'm leaving," Shin said immediately.
Minato grabbed his sleeve.
"No, you're not."
"I warned you."
"And I ignored you."
"…Let go."
"Absolutely not."
The group reached them.
"Minato!" one of the boys called out.
"Yo!"
Then—
almost in sync—
their attention shifted.
To Shin.
"Is that him?"
"He really is handsome…"
"Wow…"
Shin closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"…This is a mistake."
Minato leaned closer.
"Relax. Just exist."
"I don't want to exist here."
Too late.
"Hi!" one of the girls stepped forward, slightly nervous. "You're Hitori, right?"
Shin opened his eyes.
"…Yeah."
"Nice to meet you!"
Another girl whispered loudly to her friend—
"He's even better up close…"
Minato tried very hard not to laugh.
Very.
Hard.
Shin looked at him.
"…You're enjoying this."
"A little."
"…I will remember that."
"Please don't."
Before things could settle—
Minato clapped his hands.
"Alright everyone!"
Oh no.
"Let's enjoy the festival!"
He pointed dramatically—
again.
"With our handsome Hitori!"
"…Stop doing that," Shin said flatly.
Too late.
Again.
The group moved forward.
Dragging—
yes, dragging—
Shin along with them.
Food stalls.
Game booths.
Bright lights.
Minato walked beside him, clearly pleased with himself.
"See?" he said. "Not so bad."
"…I want to go home."
"After fireworks."
"…No."
"Yes."
They stopped at a game stall.
"Try this!" Minato said, handing Shin a ring.
"…Why?"
"Because if you win, you look cool."
"And if I don't?"
"You still look cool."
"…That doesn't make sense."
"Nothing here does."
Shin sighed.
Then—
without much effort—
threw the ring.
Perfect.
It landed cleanly.
A prize.
"…See?!" Minato grinned. "Main character energy."
Shin stared at the small prize in his hand.
"…This is useless."
"Give it to someone."
"…Why?"
Minato leaned in.
"…Because they'll like you more."
Shin looked at him.
Then at the group.
Then back at the prize.
"…No."
Minato sighed.
"Unbelievable."
The night continued.
Noise, laughter, chaos.
And in the middle of it—
Shin remained the same.
Calm.
Distant.
But not alone.
Not completely.
Minato glanced at him once.
Then smiled.
This time—
just a little more real than before.
The lights shimmered like they were trying too hard to impress.
Voices overlapped, laughter spilling from every direction, blending into a single restless rhythm that refused to quiet down.
Shin stood in the middle of it.
Unmoved.
Unchanged.
"…Yeah. This is the perfect festival of my life," he said.
But there was no warmth in it.
No excitement.
No hidden smile.
Just a flat, uninterested tone—
as if the words had been picked up and used without meaning.
Minato glanced at him.
He knew.
Of course he knew
"…You don't mean that at all," he said.
"I don't."
And that was the end of it.
Before anything else could settle—
a voice cut through the noise.
"Hitori!"
Then another.
"Hitoriii! Over here!"
A few girls waved at him from ahead, their faces bright, full of energy that didn't belong to him.
Shin looked at them.
A brief pause.
"…Yeah," he replied simply.
"Coming."
No hesitation.
No resistance.
He started walking.
Minato blinked for a second—
then smiled.
"Well, look at you," he muttered, following after him.
The group moved together again.
Not in any perfect formation—
but naturally,
messily,
like pieces that didn't quite fit
yet somehow stayed together.
They were pulled into the crowd.
Shoulders brushing strangers.
Voices fading in and out.
Lights flickering across moving faces.
Someone laughed loudly.
Someone complained about losing a game.
Someone insisted on trying another stall.
Minato got dragged into an argument about food.
One of the boys declared himself an expert for no reason.
The girls kept circling around Shin—
talking,
asking,
laughing—
And Shin—
walked among them.
Listening.
Answering when needed.
Falling silent when he wanted.
Uninterested.
Yet present.
Like someone standing in the rain without getting wet.
At one point, Minato looked at him again.
Shin didn't smile.
Didn't react much.
But he didn't leave either.
And somehow—
that felt like more than enough.
The crowd swallowed them whole.
And under the festival lights—
they disappeared into it,
laughing,
chatting,
moving forward—
together.