Again, Sayu belongs to JCWine!  Ren's mine on the other hand ~!

"Travel through Time?" Sayu asked, bewildered.

"That's right!" The blond haired girl in glasses and braids nodded, fingering her necklace crafted with azure blue feathers and beads of strange swirling patterns.

Her voice seemed to echo around Sayu, sounding like the melodic ringing of church bells. And Sayu wondered what kind of magic did it have to smoothen her jittery nerves.

"Where can it take me then?" Sayu's eyes glittered with excitement, feeling curious about the new adventure that she's going to.

"Anywhere! The past, the present or maybe even another world as long as it connects to your Time!" The girl did a curtsey with her blue uniform skirt, and lifted her hand towards the entrance of the wooden door in the dull cave.

The door opened on cue, revealing a dark and narrow passage. As Sayu was familiar with magic, she noticed a couple of brightly coloured patterns glowing faintly in the inky blackness.

"May I ask, who are you anyway?" Sayu turned back to the mysterious girl of the same age.

"I am known as the Angel of...  Oh, the time! There's no time to dally away, or else you'll be late!" The girl yelped in alarm, gently pushing Sayu towards the door and into the passage.

"Wait a minute!" Sayu exclaimed, catching the Angel by her wrist before she closed the door.
"What do I do here? What happens after that? Why-"

"Too many questions, my dear! You'll choose the right way that you believe in and the rest you'll find out!" The girl smiled, holding Sayu's hand reassuringly.

"Everything is connected... By here!"

Sayu let go of the young Angel's hand, realising a warm feeling within her where the girl had tapped on.

The door slammed shut, and Sayu turned towards the passage with a new sense of confidence in her.

Sayu's light footsteps echoed as she gazed about the corridors of the passage in awe. There were so many unknown magic symbols lighting the way, and she admired the beautiful colours gave off an ancient feeling to them.

"What kind of magic is this? I've never since them before!" Sayu gave a delighted gasp as she traced the symbols crafted into the walls. This continued for a while as she walked along the passage.

Then the crossroads. Sayu turned to peer through the entrances of the different ways. On the left, there was more of an orange glow from the symbols, Sayu noticed.

The front was a mixture of blue and green, the same colour of the Angel's necklace and the refreshing green grass in summer.

The last, the passage on the right was strangely, filled with warm colours of red and pink. Which felt like a parade of fireworks or something fun.

"Well, if I'm supposed to choose what my heart say..." Sayu grinned, turning to the right passage with the red and pink symbols.
"Let's do something fun then~!"

Sayu skipped down the passage and the symbols fade into the background until the walls seem to be made of greyish plastic or metal.

The area was like a maze, Sayu noted, wandering around the strange metallic machines and huge storage tanks with lots of pipes connected to the others.

"Where is this?" Sayu frowned, looking around for a friendly face.

"Huh? A customer?" A male voice asked out and Sayu turned, seeing a boy about 14 years smiling curiously at her.  He wore a medical eye patch around his right eye and his untamed hair curled around his face as he brushed them away from his eyes.

"I'm not a customer! Umm... Have I seen you before?" Sayu asked, wondering why did he seem so familiar to her.

"I don't believe we met." The boy laughed, tilting his head as he looked into Sayu's eyes.

"After all, I would have been blessed if I can meet such a beautiful girl like you more than once!~"

"Really?" Sayu giggled, covering her mouth, a light blush on her cheeks.
"You're pretty smooth!"

"It's true though." The boy said, putting on a serious expression.
"I would be pretty lucky, especially since I don't go out that much."

"Come with me! You'll probably get into trouble if anyone sees us here."

"Right." Sayu reached out to hold the outreached hand, and she let the boy guide her out of the maze.

Sayu followed the boy as he turned into a sharp bend, and he paused at a door to an office with the name "Sonozaki Ayumi" written on it.

"Well... You look like you might need help, so I bought you to see someone." The boy turned to Sayu, who was stare at the name intently.

Sayu frowned, worrying her bottom lip. She felt like she had known the surname, how familiar it was on another person's.

"Do you have any other family members?"

"Eh?" The boy looked up at Sayu through his messy bangs, startled by her sudden question.

"Sure. Just that I've never met them before. Why do you ask?"

"It's just... Never mind." Sayu shook her head, and the boy smiled, a little confused. He then rapped on the door, and entered it.

A young woman was rearranging files on her desk in the office.

The office was cosy, with several sofa-chairs and a coffee table at the side of the large desk and shelves full of files and books at the back.

"Mom! Didn't I told you that I'll sort those out!" The boy whined, walking towards the lady and snatching away the flies.

Sayu held back a gasp of disbelief. Mom? But she seemed so young.

Sayu watched the boy's mother gave a pout and sighed when her son had "robbed" her of the work she was doing.

"Geez, Ren! It's fine, I can handle this by myself!"

And just when Sayu thought things couldn't get more surprising.

"Wait a minute, your name is Ren?!" Sayu exclaimed, and the other two were shocked by the sudden outburst from her. Sayu covered her mouth in embarrassment, blushing shyly.

"... Yeah, that's my name." Ren sheepishly rubbed his head, smiling at Sayu.

And that's when Sayu realised that she was in Ren's past, and the boy in front of her was the younger Ren.

Both of them had the same smile, one that was cheerful but the present Ren seem to be hiding a hint of sadness behind it as compared to his younger self.

"... What's your name?" A voice broke Sayu out from her thoughts and she snapped back to reality just to see Ren staring at her with his face almost touching hers.

"Oh!" Both of them backed away at the same time, realising what were they doing when Ren's mother, Ayumi  smiled knowingly at them.

"I'm Sayu. Actually, I'm kind of new here to this place-"

"A foreigner?" Ayumi asked, and she then smiled at Ren.
"It seems like you know about my Ren, so why not take this time to learn a little more? Ren will show you around, okay?"

"M-me? Okay then." Ren exchanged a glance with Sayu, and she smiled back at him. His face seem to redden a little and he turned away, much to Sayu's confusion.

That was how Sayu ended up taking a stroll outdoors with Ren. The younger Ren that was more innocent and shy than Ren in the present to be exact.

"This is awkward, isn't it?" Sayu asked, and Ren nodded beside her.

"Yeah..." And they lapsed into another uncomfortable silence.

Up in front of the streets, colourful decor hung from the roofs and even bamboo trees. People were busy setting up banners and stores, getting ready for an event.

Sayu stopped to look at the commotion, admiring the scene.

"Tanabata Matsuri..."

"Huh?" Sayu turned to Ren, who suddenly spoke beside her, staring at the festival.

"Tanabata means 'Evening of seven' and is celebrated in July. It's basically a festival here." Ren replied, as if he could read the question in her mind.

Ren noticed how Sayu was trying to hide how much she wanted to go to the festival. Of course, that was easy to tell when she kept stealing glances back and when she was reluctant to walk away from the festival.

"Let's go then."

Sayu perked up, unable to contain her joy and delight and she looked up at Ren with bright eyes.

"Really?!~"

"Yeah! After all, you can't say you visited Japan without going to a festival! ~" Ren chuckled, offering his hand as he turned towards the festival area.

"Yes!~ Thank you, Ren!~" Sayu enveloped the boy with a hug, not realising how Ren froze and had turned his head away.

Ren felt his face warm up, feeling embarrassed for some reason. His heart was racing, even though it was just a normal hug. Why was that?

Sayu's hair felt really soft. And how warm she was... Ren shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Umm... Well... Let's go then." Ren took a bewildered Sayu's hand, leading her towards the festival.

A delicious aroma wafted in the air, and the excited chattering from the crowd added to the liveliness of the festival.

Sayu wandered about, gazing about the different activities from the lanterns to the masks to the games in amazement. She bounded up to Ren, pestering him with questions.

Ren calmly answered them, and even got snacks like taiyaki, takoyaki and things on sticks for them. 🍡🍢

They sat on a bench, enjoying the tasty treats, while the crowd of people increased, as the sun was setting.

"Those girls look cute in the costumes," Sayu mumbled, observing a group of girls dressed in traditional clothing.
"I kinda wish I'm wearing that too..."

"Why don't you try? There's a rental shop here." Ren said and nodded at the direction after finishing the sweets he bought.

"Are you sure? But we've got so much." Sayu looked at the takoyaki boxes that she had finished.

"Hmm... Then you'll have to choose a nice gift in return!" Ren stood up and beamed at Sayu, gesturing to the souvenir shops around them.

"I don't know what kind of things girls like, so what better person to ask than you?"

"For who?" Sayu asked, sensing an opportunity to find out who (present) Ren like, seeing how he was always so flirty but he was never taken.

"My mother, and one more." Ren didn't answered any further but placed his finger on his lip, winking at Sayu cheekily.

"But first! Let's get you dressed up."

Sayu soon found herself being overwhelmed by the shop assistants holding out different fabrics in front of her.
And the yukata was hard to wear with the obi (the ribbon in the middle) wrapping around her like a present.
When Sayu was done, she tried to take a big step out.

Bad idea that was. The yukata allowed only tiny steps to be taken, and Sayu tripped over the skirt and her feet.

Just as she was about to fall over, a pair of arms caught her in time and Ren snickered. "Why, I didn't know you're that clumsy!"

"Am not!" Sayu stuck out her tongue, pouting.
"This is just really hard to walk in!"

"No excuse, I'm wearing the same thing after all." Ren smirked looking at his navy blue yukata. Sayu then realised she was still clinging onto him and stepped back shyly.

"Wow..! Now that I take a closer look at you..." Ren widened his eyes, looking at how the sweet pastel colours of the yukata and cherry blossoms fitted Sayu well.

"You're really beautiful.".   Sayu stared at Ren, wondering if she could burst with happiness. It was worth the troublesome way that she needed to walk, and especially how Ren had seemed so cool catching her when she tripped-

Sayu smacked her face, shaking away the thoughts. No good getting attracted to him, she would need to leave him in the end...

Sayu sighed sadly, watching Ren thank the cashier. Why didn't they meet earlier this way? It seemed more fun with Ren being so nice...

"Here, for you." Ren's voice interrupted Sayu's thoughts and he held out a shiny pink hair pin with the same blossoms on her yukata.

"It's pretty!" Sayu picked up the delicate pin and held it up, letting it glitter under the light. She then retied her hair into a bun, using the pin that Ren gave.
"Thanks!"

Ren nodded, scribbling something on a piece of paper. He then gave Sayu one of the slips and explained that they were wish-slips that would be hanged onto the bamboo trees so that they'll come true.

"A wish huh..?" Sayu penned down her wish and kept it with her, even when they had walked out of the store to choose the gifts, visited the temple (Sayu must had fun ringing the bells!),  and played the games around the festival.

Everything good always had to come to an end. But just let it be for a little while, just one more moment.
  Sayu pleaded to the Angel, leaning close to Ren as they headed away from the festive crowd. Ren placed his arm around her, looking away from her again.

Ren suddenly came to a stop at a isolated grass patch just outside the factory and the festival.

Sayu glanced at Ren in surprise, wondering why did they stop here. In response, Ren took out the wish slip that he made and unfolded it.

"What's your wish? I'm guessing you didn't hang it up either, since it won't happen right?"

Sayu nodded, taking hers out and Ren held his out beside hers. Both of them had wished for the same thing: to spend more time together.

Ren smiled shyly, passing his wish slip to Sayu. "Take this for me."

"Why?" Sayu stared at the words on their slips, before looking up at Ren.

"I'm already here with you, even if it's for a while. Also, maybe next time we meet, I'll get this back from you and our wishes will be granted right?~"

Sayu paused, blinking back the foreign tears in her eyes.
Why was she crying? She wiped them away with her sleeve, and Ren gently pulled her into a hug.

Phew! Bang!

A shower of colourful sparks lit up the night sky. The fireworks had already started.

Sayu sat beside Ren, admiring the beautiful sparkles together with him. They pointed out the different patterns or characters that the fireworks formed and Sayu sworn that she had seen one that looked like Billy.

She giggled, before wondering if that was a sign that she was going to go back already. The next thing she knew was that a hand was dangling a small blue puppet that she had spotted in one of the stores that she thought was cute.

"Cheer up! This guy is supposed to prevent the rain if you hang him outside the window, so I don't want you to 'rain' either." Ren said, smiling at her with the fireworks still going on. Sayu held it up, seeing the sweet smile on the blue rain puppet and she returned the smile.

She turned around to thank Ren, and they stopped, looking into each other's eyes.

Sweet. That was what she tasted when their lips touched.
Her heart felt like there's a mini fireworks parade, bursting with happiness, excitement and just pure bliss.

The warmth of him holding her tight comforted her, and the kiss felt just right. As if it was enveloping them in a strange dizzying world, and Sayu didn't mind that at all.

Her face was probably flushed that time, she didn't remember whether Ren had that same nervousness with her eyes closed most of the time.

It didn't matter if it was just that one moment, as long as he was there.

Epilogue:

After that little trip, Sayu came back to her reality seeming a little dazed. She was always staring into blank space, daydreaming, until she blushed and start giggling or fangirling for no apparent reason.

Of course, only Sin probably guessed the real reason behind her disappearance for that few minutes and her behaviour.
Though the nagging question lingers in Sayu, was whether Ren had still remembered.

Clutching the wish-slips from that time, Sayu walked up nervously to Ren who was gazing out at the window.

"Umm... Ren?" Sayu asked, and holding out the wish-slips to him. "Do you remember this?"

"Hmm?" Ren turned around and stared at the paper. 
"... Say, are you still raining?"

"Huh?" Sayu was confused by Ren's response, and he grinned at her.

"Probably a nope?~
Oh, look over there! A lizard!"

Ren took the opportunity to slip off from the conversation and escape.
And Yuuta found him staring outside of the window in a quiet stairway, being able to hear everything about the conversation.

"You're such a liar."

"What are you talking about, Yuu-kun?~" Ren laughed mysteriously. He then held out a light pink rain puppet, one that was weathered by time being dirtied and old.

"You know, I bought the pink one that she was looking at back then," Ren mused, looking at it while chatting causally.

"I couldn't stand that she was looking at something that wasn't me. So I kept this one, and for some reason, it never let me "rain" even after all so much had happened."

"Ren..."

"Don't say a word. I know that. But I want to leave everything up to time to decide." Ren stood up and pocketed the rain puppet before turning to beam at Yuuta.

"So, we'll see then!~
I'll wait just a little more for the sun to dawn on her!~"