It was already dusk when I came out of the grocery store.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

My brother and I bowed to the proprietress of the grocery store and said.

My brother walked a few steps and then stuffed three candies into my hand with a nonchalant look on his face: "Today is not bad."

"Thank you, brother!" I couldn't help but feel happy.

"You guys...wait for me..." Lantern Ghost hung his tongue behind him and wandered out of the grocery store, "I've done so much for you..."

I turned around and threw a candy to the lantern ghost, and it caught the candy accurately. When I turned around again, I looked into my brother's green eyes, and I instantly suppressed my smile. I knew that my brother didn't like me, so I just listened.

I was very happy when he said he would bring me to the grocery store to help.

The summer sunset cast long shadows on my brother and I. When I thought of what the landlady said today, I couldn't help but turn my head and glance at my brother.

I thought he didn't pay attention, but he asked without changing his expression: "...is something wrong?"

"Eh?" I quickly turned my head and looked at the setting sun on the horizon, hiding my guilty conscience and feeling a little hot on my face, "No, it's okay..."

After answering like this, I felt a little unwilling, so I turned around and ran in front of my brother: "Well... is my brother free tomorrow?"

"..."

"Tomorrow... tomorrow is our... birthday, I think..." I hesitated to organize my words, and I was so nervous that I couldn't hear my voice.

I'm actually quite afraid of my brother. Although my brother and I are twins, he never gets close to my father's shikigami, those monsters, and he seems extremely indifferent to my closeness.

Even so, my brother is still the most powerful. My father also taught us Yin and Yang, and he can always do it better than my father.

My father is an onmyoji, but his onmyoji is not top-notch, so in the village, even some people who want to ask his father will hesitate.

I always felt indignant about this, but my father enjoyed it and often said things like "It's good to be alive" to us with a smile, and then he would stay drunk all day while holding a wine bottle.

"Miss Azi, Master Xi has left."

The lantern ghost suddenly appeared in front of me, with its fiery red tongue sticking out. It looked scary. Since it was already dark, I opened the lantern ghost with one hand and turned around to catch up with my brother.

"Ah, don't come out suddenly like this and scare people!"

It was knocked unconscious by my hand, and then it instantly stuck out its big tongue, flew to my side and said: "Miss Azi is an idiot!"

I don’t have much hope that my brother didn’t hear what I said. Because he may not like me. However, this does not prevent me from liking him. Because as soon as I get home, all the uneasiness will disappear.

Clean and tidy.

"Ah, Mr. Xi and Miss Azi are back." There was a little paper man standing at the door, holding a lantern, waiting for us. When he saw us coming back, he bowed to us.

"Xiao Lu!" I stood on tiptoe and stretched out my hand, letting it slowly fall into my hand. "Are you feeling better?"

Xiao Lu jumped on my hand and said, "Yes! Master Xi fixed it for me."

I turned around and was about to thank my brother, but I saw that my brother was not waiting for me. He pushed the door open and entered the entrance hall alone.

My father's shikigami Guhuoniao had already prepared dinner at home. When I saw a little paper figure carrying the food out of the room, I knew that my father had not left the house that day.

"elder brother!"

I rushed into the room and was about to talk to my brother when I saw him walking towards me with his own food in his hand. His expression could not be said to be happy or angry.

My brother stopped when he passed me, but he just stopped and didn't speak.

I just wanted to say thank you, but for some reason I couldn't say it. I had no choice but to shake my head and watch my brother leave the room. Although I was a little unhappy, I still cheered up and invited everyone to eat together.

I don't like the room to be empty, so even if my father's shikigami are only the bird and the lantern ghost, I let them sit down and eat with me.

My brother never eats with those shikigami unless requested by his father. I don’t know why my brother doesn’t like monsters, and I don’t know where his inexplicable dislike comes from.

"Lantern ghost?" I poked the lantern ghost's head, "I told you not to drink father's wine randomly."

After hanging the drunken lantern ghost at the door, I talked to the little paper man in the courtyard and then went to my room to sleep. Speaking of this big house, the previous owner seemed to give it to us because of its strangeness. In fact, it was strange.

It's just that the Lantern Ghost is being naughty in the house.

Having said that, I would be scared at night, and at that time, I would beg to sleep with my brother. I still remember him with a straight face, saying that I smelled like a monster and asked me to wash it off...

"Clean up and come in."

Just like now, he shuts me out. In desperation, I can only fetch water to take a bath myself. The well water is cold in summer, but there is a chill behind me, and I always feel like a pair of eyes are staring at me.

I don't know whether it was because of the sudden fear or because what I was going to talk about later made me feel guilty. I quickly slipped into my brother's room and lay down on the bed. My brother slept next to me with his back to me.

"...Brother, are you asleep?" I turned around carefully and asked, "Do you remember? Tomorrow...tomorrow is our birthday...after tomorrow, we will be five years old."

My brother ignored me. I don’t know if it was because of the late night, but I felt even more lost than during the day.

"...I heard from the landlady that there will be a summer festival nearby tomorrow..." I slowly shrank my body, "Hey, let's... go together, okay?"

What was waiting for me was still silence. I wanted to see if he was really asleep, but my brother would hate this, right? I stared at my brother's back for a long time, even though I knew if he turned around or not.

It was possible, but I still didn't want to give up. It wasn't until the bright moonlight dimmed that I fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, my brother had breakfast as usual and took me to the grocery store in the town.

Just as the help from the grocery store was about to end, the proprietress of the grocery store waved to me, but looked at my brother: "How's it going?"

"...It doesn't seem to work." I was a little disappointed, "It's my fault too. I should have made it clear to him on the road yesterday, but I didn't tell him until last night... Boss lady, I'm sorry... The yukata I prepared may not be used...

…”

"Eh? I think there is still a chance." The landlady narrowed her beautiful eyes like a cat, "Look."

I turned around and found my brother walking towards me. His expression was a little strange, but not ambiguous.

He stopped next to me and glanced at me: "Mrs. Boss, I heard there is a summer festival here today. Is there a yukata she is wearing here?"

When my brother said this, he looked at me. This was something I didn't expect.

"Ah, if they are for children, I do have a few." The landlady replied with a smile.

This situation happened too suddenly. After I changed into my yukata, my brother held my hand. After leaving the store and walking for a while, I felt my brother's warm hand. Looking back at the proprietress who waved to us, I always felt that this

Everything feels like a dream.

"What you said last night...I heard it." My brother also put on a striped yukata, and his medium-long blue hair was blown randomly by the evening breeze.

"...Yes, really?" I couldn't help but hold his hand tightly, but I was too nervous to look up at him, "Actually...I'm very happy that my brother can come with us!"

My heart was beating loudly in my body. I was both excited and nervous. I always wanted to say something, but couldn't.

"...Are you so happy just because of this?"

"Of course!"

While fishing for goldfish at the Summer Festival, I squatted aside and watched my brother intently. On the brightly lit and noisy street, I saw a little redness on the tips of his ears.

"Brother, you..."

I was about to say something, but he stuffed the paper net with two goldfish in it into me, got up and walked away. I hurriedly asked the boss to put the goldfish in, and then followed behind my brother.

The shops I passed along the way stopped me in my tracks.

"Brother--" I subconsciously pulled on his sleeve.

My brother turned back to look at me.

"Um -" I retracted my hand holding his sleeve and pointed to the stall selling masks on the left, "I have always wanted... can... that... I will work hard in the grocery store!

"

I looked at him quite nervously.

"...No matter what, don't drag me along."

This is considered acquiescence... right? In any case, it is a very happy thing. Although my brother usually indulges me, maybe the excitement of the summer festival makes me happier.

Just when I picked out two fox masks and wanted to turn around to look for my brother, I found that there was no familiar figure around me. I stood there holding the mask, looking at the streets with people coming and going, and suddenly panicked.

Under the light, people's yukata were dazzled, which made my eyes hurt. When I blinked again, the light in front of me began to blur. Not only that, everything around me began to blur. For this reason, I squatted down habitually.

The crowds of people are surging, and the swarming hands and feet have become a blurry scenery to look up at.

"That sucks."

Someone said this. I raised my head slightly, and then I saw a hand picking up the fox mask. After a period of darkness, I saw the light again.

A small hand stretched out in front of me. The owner of the hand was wearing a fox mask, and the other hand was holding a candy apple. His green hair hung down to his chest. Those green eyes were shining brightly under the light.

.

I was stunned for a while, and then he pulled me up. I didn't care what my brother would think of me or how he would dislike me later. I just wanted to hug him now. I hugged him tightly and rested my chin on his

on the shoulders.

"Wow! I thought... I thought my brother didn't want me anymore!" I pushed the fox mask to the back of my head and whispered.

My brother's body was a little stiff, and his voice was unexpectedly not as cold as usual: "Don't you want to eat apple candies? So I went to buy them."

I was about to say something, but at this moment, the sky above us suddenly made a "pop" sound. I slowly let go of my hand, and my brother put the apple candy into my hand, as if he couldn't see me.

Then he wiped my face with his sleeve.

But I smiled: "The Fireworks Festival has begun."
To be continued...