Year 849, Trost District, Training Corps barracks.
"Tomorrow's another rest day… what should I do?" Yago muttered, rubbing his chin while looking at the calendar.
At that moment, Franz from next door barged into their dorm.
"Yago? Perfect, you're here—do me a favor, will you?" Seeing Yago inside, Franz looked delighted.
"What kind of favor? Let me say this first—I'm not running errands," Yago raised his hand and said.
Franz replied, "Of course not. I just want you to take a look at this new outfit I bought and tell me if it looks good."
As he spoke, Franz pulled a piece of clothing out of the bag in his hand.
Yago took it and examined it—it was indeed well made.
"Not bad, Franz, it looks great. What are you dressing up for?"
Franz looked a little surprised. "
You don't know what tomorrow is?"
Yago: "Huh? Should I? Tomorrow… isn't it just a rest day?"
Franz: "Tomorrow is the once-every-three-years Fireworks Festival held in Trost District!" (Fireworks = fireworks display)
Yago froze for a moment. Fireworks Festival? That… sounded familiar somehow.
Seeing Yago's completely clueless expression, Franz sighed and then carefully explained the origins of the Fireworks Festival on Paradis Island.
Yago: "Hiss~… whoa!… huh… ah?… mm… heh!… oh!!"
Yago suddenly understood. So that's what it was! He really hadn't expected such a custom to exist.
Franz gave Yago a knowing look.
"Hehe, wearing this and going to the festival with Hannah… just thinking about it makes me happy." After saying that, Franz happily prepared to leave.
But Yago called out to him. After hesitating for a moment, he awkwardly asked,
"Um… Franz, where did you get that outfit made?"
Evening arrived. After the Training Corps' theory class ended, the trainees scattered the moment the instructor left. Sasha, drooling, charged ahead like an arrow released from a bow.
As usual, Yago followed Annie at the back, though he declined Armin and Eren's invitation to go barbecue together on the rest day.
Yago rubbed his hands and walked behind Annie, his expression conflicted, clearly unsure how to speak.
In the end, Annie noticed something was off and asked suspiciously,
"What's wrong with you? Constipated? If you are, eat more bananas."
Yago nearly choked on her blunt comment.
"Pfft! Who's constipated?! I'm perfectly fine!"
Annie: "Then why are you acting so sneaky?"
Yago suddenly pulled a Fireworks Festival ticket out of his pocket and stuffed it into Annie's hand. After doing that, even his voice trembled a bit.
"Th-that… please… come watch it with me. Th-this thing was really expensive." As soon as he finished, Yago quickly walked off ahead, his face slightly red.
Leaving Annie standing there, completely puzzled.
...
The next night, Yago stood outside the entrance of the Fireworks Festival. He was wearing the last outfit he managed to snatch from the clothing shop. Since it was the final one, the size didn't quite fit, and it felt extremely uncomfortable.
Yago tugged at his sleeve, scanning the crowd. Most of the people coming to the festival were couples. The boys were dressed in tailored outfits, and the girls wore all kinds of beautiful dresses.
Soon, Yago's eyes lit up. He spotted his target in the crowd. Among a group of brightly dressed girls, Annie—wearing only her simple white hoodie—looked completely out of place.
Annie stared at the crowd in confusion. She wasn't from Paradis Island, so naturally she had no idea what the Fireworks Festival here was like.
"Hey! Annie! I'm over here!" Yago squeezed through the crowd to her, striking a deliberately cool pose. But Annie looked at him like he was some kind of oddity.
"Uh… why are you looking at me like that?"
"Your clothes are ugly. And too small—they're all squeezed onto you."
Crack! Annie's words hit like a hammer, shattering Yago's self-esteem.
Very soon, Yago took off the outfit and walked into the festival gate with Annie, wearing only his shirt and looking utterly dejected.
It had to be said—this once-every-three-years Fireworks Festival truly lived up to its reputation. There were people everywhere, stalls everywhere, selling all sorts of things. It was dazzling to the eye: sweet cakes, candy, fried snacks, balloons, dolls, cloth toys…
There were also all kinds of games: ball tossing, ring toss, goldfish scooping, simple stage plays.
Not just Yago—even Annie looked astonished. The two of them wandered around like country bumpkins entering a city for the first time, finding everything fascinating.
Amid the bustling crowd, Yago noticed that many couples were happily holding hands. He looked at them with envy, then secretly glanced at Annie. Unfortunately, both of Annie's hands were tucked firmly inside her hoodie pockets.
Yago could only sigh in disappointment. But soon, Annie's hands came out—because Yago had bought her a big, round candied apple.
Candied apples, ice treats, sweet cream, fried rice crackers—Yago kept feeding Annie all kinds of sweets. They also played goldfish scooping, ring toss, ball-counting games—enjoying everything to the fullest.
Before long, Yago had spent the last copper coin in his pocket, and time quickly reached midnight.
Annie's cheeks were flushed red. In one hand, she carried the goldfish she had just caught; in the other, she held the toy prizes they had won from the games.
For the first time, she felt completely relaxed—so much so that she almost forgot her mission. At this moment, all she wanted was to sit on the grass with the equally exhausted Yago and watch the fireworks show about to begin.
Whoosh! Boom!
As the first firework shot into the sky and burst into a brilliant flower of colors, the people on the grass all gasped in admiration. Then, one after another, dazzling fireworks exploded overhead—the view was breathtaking.
Yago turned his head. The girl beside him had her eyes wide open, afraid of missing even a single beautiful firework. The colorful lights reflected in her pale blue eyes. Even though he hadn't managed to hold her hand, it was rare to see Annie this happy. That alone was enough.
Yago smiled and looked back at the fireworks in the sky. He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt his shoulder sink slightly. Carefully glancing over, he saw that at some point, a small golden bun had leaned against his shoulder.
Accompanied by her soft, even breathing, Annie's hand holding the goldfish bag gradually loosened. The little goldfish seized the chance, wriggled free, and successfully jumped into the pond by the grass.
Looking at the faint smile on Annie's sleeping face, Yago wished this moment could last forever.
(A/N: Special Chapter, dedicated to all the lonely friends out there)