The festival was alive with the scent of grilled dango and roasted sweet potatoes, paper lanterns swaying in the warm evening breeze. Stalls lined the path, their colorful curtains fluttering, voices overlapping in a cheerful symphony of bargaining and laughter.
At the mochi stand, a girl stood apart from the crowd — though she didn't seem to notice. Her long black hair, tipped with soft purple that caught the lantern light like twilight on water, danced behind her as she turned to greet each passerby. A crescent moon mark sat upon her forehead, pale purple and faint, like a whisper of starlight.
She laughed — bright, unguarded, warm — as she handed a small paper bundle of mochi to an elderly woman whose hands trembled with age.
Elderly Woman
Bless you, dear. Bless you.
???
bowing her head with a smile that could rival the sun Enjoy it, Obaasan. I saved the sweetest one for you.
On her shoulder, a fluffy white crow perched with regal poise, a tiny handcrafted hat perched between her ears. The crow tilted her head, watching the crowd with sharp blue eyes, then leaned down to accept a sneaked bite of mochi from the girl's fingers.
Ochako Uraraka
muffled, beak full Mmm. You spoil me, Mitsuki.
???
giggling You deserve it, Ochako.
The girl turned back to the stall vendor, counting coins from a small coin purse, her eyes alight with delight as she selected another bundle — strawberry, her favorite. The wind picked up, catching her hair and sending it streaming behind her like a banner of silk and starlight.
Across the festival grounds, five figures emerged from the throng of festival-goers. They'd just returned from a long mission, dust and fatigue still clinging to their haori. The Mist Hashira brothers walked side by side, identical faces blank as still water. Beside them, the Ice Hashira — Akari — was mid-sentence, gesturing animatedly.
Akari
—and honestly, boys are just so much more genuine, you know? Girls are always so competitive and catty. I just can't—
No one was listening.
Muichiro's footsteps slowed. Then stopped. Yuichiro mirrored the motion, his vacant eyes suddenly sharpening like a blade being drawn from its sheath. A tremor ran through both brothers, visible even beneath their uniform haori.
Akari
—and don't even get me started on the way they giggle when—
Giyuu Tomioka had frozen as well — but his stillness was different. His breath caught, a sharp inhale that barely escaped through parted lips. His face, normally so impassive, flushed a deep, impossible red. Something bloomed in his chest, sudden and overwhelming, like a dam breaking all at once. The Water Hashira, who had weathered countless battles without flinching, could not tear his eyes away from the girl at the mochi stand, who was laughing at something her crow had said.
Mitsuri Kanroji
gasping, hands flying to her cheeks Ohhh! Look at her! She's so — so — sparkly!
Akari
finally noticing no one's listening Hello? Anyone? I'm talking about—
No one looked at her.
Mitsuri was practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she watched the girl feed her crow another bite of mochi, then turn to help a small child who'd dropped his coins in the dirt. She knelt without hesitation, gathering them up and pressing them back into his tiny hands with a smile so warm it seemed to light the space around her.
Ochako Uraraka
fluffing her feathers proudly That's my girl. Best human in the whole village.
Across the way, Yuichiro's hand found Muichiro's sleeve. His grip was tight. Trembling.
Yuichiro
voice barely a whisper Mui... tell me I'm not seeing things.
Muichiro
staring, unable to blink ...I see her too.
The wind stirred again, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms and fresh mochi. The girl straightened, brushing off her yukata, and for a moment — just a moment — she looked up.
Her light purple eyes met the twin gazes of the Mist Hashira brothers across the festival grounds.
???
recognizing them instantly, breath hitching ...Nii-chan...?