---
The next morning came like a sigh of relief.
No smoke.
No spirits.
Just the bright summer sun and the sound of cicadas singing in the trees.
They were back in the town, safe and exhausted, crammed into a small café near the train station while their laundry spun in machines down the street. The table was cluttered with cold drinks, empty bowls of shaved ice, and the occasional flicked rubber band from Daichi’s boredom.
Riku stretched with a yawn. “So… can we talk about how Jack literally got possessed?”
Jack groaned, face hidden behind his iced coffee. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” Sora chirped, fanning herself with a paper menu. “Because I need to process the trauma and also because it was kind of hot.”
Jack choked. Luna giggled into her glass.
“It was not hot,” Jack muttered, cheeks tinged pink.
“No offense,” Daichi added, “but I’m still recovering from seeing a centuries-old ghost girl floating toward us like we owed her lunch money.”
“She just wanted peace,” Yumi said softly, sipping her tea. “She needed to be remembered.”
Jack looked across the table at Luna.
She hadn’t said much this morning. But her eyes looked lighter — as if something had finally uncoiled inside her.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
Luna blinked at him. “I think so,” she said. “Better than I’ve felt in years.”
A soft smile passed between them.
Then Sora clapped her hands. “Okay but enough ghost girl sadness! Tonight is the summer festival, and we are going. No debate.”
Riku groaned. “Isn’t that gonna be packed?”
“Exactly! Energy! Food stalls! Lanterns! Fireworks!” she squealed.
Luna perked up. “I’d actually like that.”
Jack hesitated.
He’d never been to a real Japanese festival before.
But something about the idea of warm lights, cool breezes, and seeing Luna laugh without shadows behind her eyes…
“Okay,” he said.
“Let’s go.”
---
The sun dipped behind the hills by the time they reached the festival grounds.
Everything glowed.
Lanterns lined the paths, swaying gently in the wind like little floating suns. Stalls buzzed with people and color — grilled corn, goldfish scooping, yakisoba, cotton candy. Music from a nearby stage drifted through the air like magic.
The group scattered instantly.
Sora dragged Yumi to a yukata rental.
Riku and Daichi challenged each other to a takoyaki-eating contest.
Luna and Jack stood in the middle of the crowd, slightly overwhelmed.
“You want to try goldfish scooping?” Luna asked.
Jack looked at her, a grin pulling at his lips. “Only if you’re okay with me absolutely destroying you at it.”
“Oh please,” she said. “You’ve got ghost-trauma energy. I’ve got years of experience.”
---
They both lost.
Horribly.
“Why is it so hard?!” Jack laughed as the slippery little fish evaded him again.
Luna leaned on the edge of the stall, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “You’re so bad at this!”
“You didn’t catch a single one either!”
“Yeah, but I made it look good.”
Jack grinned.
And suddenly — time slowed.
The light from the lanterns danced on her face.
Her smile was real. Unfiltered.
And he felt his chest ache in the most unexpected way.
---
Later, they found a quiet patch of grass away from the crowds.
Everyone else had split off to chase food, fireworks, or each other.
The night air was soft. The stars shimmered like the world had turned into a painting.
They sat in silence for a while, Luna picking at a dango skewer.
“You know,” she said after a beat, “when I told you the truth back at the inn, I thought… it would make me feel worse.”
Jack looked at her. “And?”
“I feel lighter,” she said. “Like I can finally breathe.”
He nodded. “I get that.”
She glanced at him. “What about you? After what happened…”
Jack took a breath.
“It wasn’t just the ghost’s grief I was carrying,” he said. “I think… some of it was mine. Stuff I never faced.”
“Your mom?”
He nodded.
“I never said goodbye,” he said quietly. “I didn’t even go to the hospital that day. I had a fight with my dad and left the house angry. And when I came back…”
She reached over.
And gently, without saying a word, took his hand.
Their fingers laced together like it had always been meant to happen.
“You’re not alone,” she said.
The first firework exploded above them.
Brilliant gold lit the sky.
Then pink.
Then blue.
Each burst reflected in her eyes.
Jack looked at her — really looked.
“I think I’m falling for you,” he said.
Her eyes widened.
But she didn’t look away.
She smiled.
“Good,” she whispered. “Because I’ve been falling too.”
The fireworks danced overhead.
But neither of them looked up.
---
Sora and Yumi found them later, cheeks flushed, waving kakigōri in victory.
“We saw you two sitting together under the fireworks like a literal romance anime,” Sora said. “Don’t even deny it.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “We weren’t— okay maybe a little.”
Jack looked away, rubbing his neck.
Riku and Daichi joined a moment later, dragging a prize bag and matching headbands that said “Festival Kings.”
“Next time we go ghost hunting,” Daichi said, “can it be in like… a theme park or something?”
Yumi giggled. “I think we’ve earned a break.”
They all sat on the grass together, a little too close, a little too loud, and completely exhausted.
The summer night wrapped around them like a blanket.
And for the first time in days — maybe weeks — maybe longer —
Jack felt peace.
---
End of Chapter 5
---
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 34 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments