Link's POV

"Miya-kun?" I hear someone say.

There's only one person who ever called me that. I look to my left. I knew who it was but I'm still surprised when I see her.

Her smile is big. She looks all grown up, how long has it been?

"It's Ruto," she says in Japanese. I almost bow to her but she opens her arms and gives me a hug. I hug her back, unsure how to react. I remember her name, I was just at a loss for words.

I break the hug to take a better look at her. She looks pretty in the yukata. Then I notice her hair. It's different, she cut it.

"Do you like it?" She asks. Shit, was I staring?

"Yeah," I don't know what else to say. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since graduation."

"How have I been? How have you been!? You had to go to the hospital?"

"You saw the news, huh?"

"All of Japan was talking about you. You were on TV, the papers, the radio! Everyone was worried about you."

They all hate me. "Wasn't a big deal," I brush it off with a shrug. "I'm fine now."

"Are you going to play sports again?" She asks excited.

"Yeah, maybe. Not sure yet. Enough about me though, how are you?"

"I'm doing great. I just started an internship at a good company."

"Here?" I ask surprised.

"No, silly, in Kyoto."

"Then what are you doing in Fukuoka?"

"Same as you: enjoying the festival!"

"Are you alone?" I ask and take a look around to see if I recognize anyone else from high school.

"I'm not alone anymore," she winks at me. "Joke aside, I came here with some friends. Don't tell my father, okay?"

Wow, I haven't heard that one in a while. It feels like forever since we last saw each other. Has it really only been two years? Feels more like seven.

Someone nudges me. "Link?" It's Zelda, holding our food.

Shoot, she must be so confused, she can't even understand us when we talk Japanese.

I take the food from her and introduce them to each other. "This is Ruto," I say in English but Ruto is distracted by Aryll. She's talking to her and patting her head. Aryll is excited to see her too. She was too young to understand why Ruto suddenly stopped showing up at our house.

"Ruto, this is Zelda," I now say in Japanese. Ruto jumps up as soon as she hears Zelda's name.

"You're the girl from TV!" Ruto says in Japanese and bows to Zelda. Zelda does the same, then she gives me a confused look. Before I can translate anything, Ruto says, "It's nice to meet you!"

Zelda actually understands that phrase now and tries to say it back. I don't think Ruto speaks much English, probably as much as Zelda speaks Japanese. This whole thing is a bit uncomfortable and I don't know how to carry the conversation in two languages.

How does Ruto feel about any of this? She doesn't seem mad anymore. She's smiling and seems genuinely excited to meet Zelda. But does she know that we're a couple? And has she been in touch with Mipha at all? I still feel like a dick for the way I handled everything back then.

"So you're back for good then?" Ruto asks me with a smile.

"No, just visiting for the summer."

"How long are you staying?"

"Another month."

"A whole month! Then we have plenty of time to go out for drinks!" I don't know what to say so I just give her a nod. "I'd love to catch up. Aryll is a bit young for osake, but you should bring Zeruda-san!"

"I'm not too young," Aryll butts in with a cheeky grin. "I've brewed sake with Obachan before!"

"Yeah but you're too young to drink it," I tell her.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yah-uh! They don't allow kids in bars."

"Still the same goofball, I see," Ruto giggles.

Zelda's POV

I don't understand anything they're saying but I can tell that Aryll likes that girl. A lot. She must be a family friend of some kind. Maybe even a relative? A cousin? But then why do I feel like a third wheel all of a sudden?

Ruto seems to be saying goodbye now and waves her hand at us before she leaves. I decide not to ask questions. I'm sure Link is hungry and would rather eat than explain how they know each other. Maybe he will explain who she is without me having to ask nosy questions.

As we walk down the path to find a less busy spot to eat, Link begins to translate some of their conversation.

"Ruto and I went to the same high school." Not a cousin then, I assume. "She invited us for drinks. We don't have to go though."

"Sounds like a nice idea," I say to his surprise. "She seems like a good friend." He doesn't correct me, so I assume I'm on the right track. "If you want to catch up with her, I think you should."

Link is hesitant to say more. He stops walking, making me stop as well to look at him.

"I think I should probably tell you beforehand though that her and I used to date. Just don't want it to come up later and look like I was hiding it."

I feel my muscles freeze beneath my skin. I always knew that he had more experience when it comes to such things but I never imagined a face when thinking of his past relationships. She is so beautiful and sweet. And cute. And extroverted. And good with kids. And why does this hurt so much?

I take a deep breath. My mind is set on reacting in a mature manner.

"Thanks for telling me," I say calmly.

"So is that okay?" he asks cautiously.

"It's in the past, right?"

"Obviously."

"Then of course it's okay."

I expected him to tell me more about their conversation but he doesn't. He just leaves it at that while a thousand questions flood my mind.

As we satiate our appetites with a delicious feast and indulge in mouth-watering desserts, the vibrant energy of the Natsu Matsuri beckons us to explore more. With our hands intertwined, we walk up a flight of ancient stone stairs, surrounded by intricate decorations and illuminated lanterns that infuse the atmosphere with a warm, inviting glow. As we climb higher, the enchanting beauty of Japan unfolds before us, enveloping us in its timeless charm and timeless traditions. Traditions I am not a part of... But guess who is.

And just like that, I am thinking about Ruto again.

I can't let this get to me. I don't want to focus my thoughts on that right now. I want to enjoy the festival and give Link a good time. Just because he's had relationships in the past, doesn't mean it's going to affect ours. We are happy, and that's all that should matter.

At the top of the stairs is a large field. Countless families have gathered with picnic blankets. Link tells me that the fireworks will be starting soon. I try to focus on that but I can't get that girl out of my head.

Ruto.

Although I expected him to have past relationships, I still hoped I was the first. Silly me. I will have to just find a way to deal with this. There's nothing we can do about the past and I surely don't want him to feel guilty or ashamed of anything that happened years ago. And I also don't want him to feel like he can't tell me about those things. I want him to be open with me.

Effortlessly, Link lifts up Aryll and sits her down on his shoulders, enabling her a better view while we pass through the crowd. Anticipating the colorful spectacle, Link, Aryll, and I squeeze past some people to get a better look at the scenery. A beautiful temple can be spotted close by but my eyes keep darting around to see if Ruto is here too.

"When would we be going out for drinks?" I ask, instantly feeling the need to change the subject.

"I don't know," he shrugs. "We didn't finalize anything. She just said we could meet and catch up. But again, if you feel uncomfortable with that, I totally get it and we really don't have to go."

"Would you rather go alone? I mean, I don't even know her."

"That's fine. She invited both of us."

"Do you want to go?" I ask.

"Not necessarily," he says, looking at the sky. I'm confused. And a bit irritated. Why can't he just give me a clear answer?

"So you don't want to go?" I ask to confirm.

"I don't really mind either way."

"You don't have a preference at all?"

"Not really. Do you?"

I ponder for a moment. I guess I do feel a bit uncomfortable with him hanging out with his ex-girlfriend. Even if I'm with them. But should I really tell him that? I trust him. And she seems friendly. Who knows, maybe they were friends for many more years. But would that really make it better?

"I'm not sure," I admit honestly.

"We don't have to plan it tonight. We can look into it another day." It's true, there's no need to delve into it tonight. "Hey, look!" Link exclaims, gesturing towards the dazzling fireworks that have just begun, and almost instantly, a loud bang fills the air.

I can't pinpoint why, but despite the beautiful spectacle aloft and the plentiful laughters of joy that fill my ears, I feel lonely and oddly misplaced. I don't belong here. That's evident. But... I look to my left to catch a glimpse of Link... Do I belong to him?

I feel like he should be noticing that I'm not feeling cheerful but on the other hand I am glad that he didn't notice my change of mood. I don't want to ruin the night for him and his sister. I will just try to pretend I'm as happy as them. That's the least I can do for them.

"You like it?" Link asks, taking my hand.

I nod at him with a smile. He looks so content and free of worries. His smile is contagious and I begin to feel a sense of happiness again. I just love seeing him happy and the way he is taking care of his little sister warms my heart. I feel like I'm warming up to her too. One day, maybe she will like me as much as Ruto.

Hey! Stop thinking about that girl, I tell myself. It's in the past for a reason. Link loves me. And I love him. Period.

But images of them together flood my mind. Vivid, graphic images! Images that sting my heart. Is she the reason he has a condom?

"Let me take some photos of you guys," I say to Link, trying to focus on something other than my immature emotions.

I bring up my phone to take a video but when I spot the Instagram notification on my lock screen, my heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach. Immediately, I feel lightheaded and sick. Somebody texted me. Nobody ever texts me on Instagram!

It's Karusa. It's got to be...

Link and Aryll pose for the camera. I manage to take a couple of pictures until he asks me to see them. I don't want to give him my phone right now, I fear he will see the notification and find out what I did.

"Let me take some more," I say to avoid handing him my phone.

"Let me take some of you," he smiles. "For your dad and Impa."

Before I know it, my phone is in his hands and he is taking photos of me. I didn't even notice that Aryll was standing next to me until I felt her hugging my waist. She's hugging me? And she is... Smiling? When our eyes meet, her smile remains spread out on her face and I wonder if she is finally starting to like me. I return the smile and place my hand on her shoulder.

"So cute," Link grins, pulling my eyes back to him. He's doing something else on my phone now. I don't like where this is going at all.

"What are you doing?" I ask nervously.

"Looking at the pictures you took today."

He will see the screenshot I took of Karusa's chat!

"Let's look at them tomorrow," I say, reaching for my phone.

"Oh snap, the ones you took of me and Aryll came out blurry."

"Let me take more!" I hold my hand out to get my phone back but he keeps swiping toward that stupid screenshot! He's getting closer and closer and oh no–he doesn't leave me a choice! I snatch my phone out of his grip.

"Let me take another one of you and Aryll," I spit hectically.

"Uh.. Okay," he raises a brow but doesn't question it. Is he on to me? Can he tell I'm sweating? I have to act normal. I'll just delete the message and the screenshot and block Karusa and everything will be fine.

Link lifts Aryll up again and waits for me to take pictures. But first, I have move the screenshot to my hidden folder, which requires my password to access. I should have done that to begin with. When I swipe left, however, I don't find a screenshot of our chat, I find cute selfies of Link. He must have taken these while I was still asleep. I can't believe he took my phone without my permission. Well, it's not like he was snooping around. He actually did something nice and silly.

He's a good boyfriend and I feel like the worst girlfriend ever. I shouldn't be hiding things from him... I shouldn't even feel the need to text Karusa in the first place. After what his awful team did to me and my friends, he should be in jail with Ganon. I was naive to think he was looking for a mature conversation and even more so to believe he would kindly provide me with proof of cyberbullying.

"Fun fact, fireworks are called hanahi in Japanese, which basically translates to fire flower," Link tells me as I try to take steady photos despite my quivering hands.

"That's a really cute name," I say with a weak smile.

"I should have brought mats to lay on. I completely forgot."

"Next time," I assure him, taking one last photo of him with his sister.

As they watch in awe at the burst of colors in the sky, I seize the opportunity to sneak away from the group. The sounds of the explosions, the smells of the gunpowder and spices from the food stalls, and the sea of people surrounding me were overwhelming. I could feel myself drowning. My emotions are swirling and my head is spinning, making it difficult to catch my breath. I can't afford to have a panic attack in the middle of the crowd, not with Link present.

I scan my surroundings, looking for a sanctuary where I can contemplate my next move in response to Karusa's text. I need a place to clear my mind and focus on the task at hand. A place where I can take a deep breath and let my thoughts flow.

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