New Year:

It was the New Year, and I was waiting for Mai in their living room while Granny was helping her get ready for the evening. The plan was to go to the festival and watch fireworks later on. Mom was in her bedroom and wasn't going to come out anytime soon. As I was too worked up, I decided to play with Mai in the meantime.

Who knew that Mai also took a ton of time to finish her makeup, I was depressed because she was just like mom and the other ladies. Because I only need like ten minutes; I didn't understand them. A quick shower, and choosing proper clothes works fine for me. Apparently, dad and grandpa were too experienced with this delay and were silently doing their jobs as they knew that mom wouldn't be out anytime soon.

When I yelled at mom in irritation, my dad preached that all girls need a lot of time and it is kind of thing they can't control. So he told me that there is no point in getting irritated. Grandpa nodded in approval and seeing the both of them conclude this fact with such certainty; I mentally noted down to never get angry at Mai.

And half an hour later, the door finally opened, and Mai stepped out wearing a cute yukata with printed peaches and a baby panda. I stare at her in shock and granny is apparently satisfied with my reaction, so she smiles and let us go.

The festival is near a shrine, and unlike us young ones, neither grandpa nor granny are excited because they have just seen too many festivals. So it was decided that dad will take us first and then mom will join us later along with grandpa and granny.

I hold Mai's hand and make sure to walk slowly. Now, this was something my dad taught me a while ago. One day he saw me running ahead of Mai like a monkey and leaving her behind. So that day, he called me to his study and told me that girls are by nature slower than boys because they come with smaller bodies.

It is a man's duty to slow down and let them walk at their pace. Since then, I always make sure to watch Mai's steps and match mine with her so that I don't lose her. Dad followed behind us with a smile.

It was Mai's first time watching a festival in a city; apparently, festivals here are a lot grander than those held in towns because of substantial funds collected from various sources. I made sure that Mai doesn't leave me for even a second because I was too afraid to lose her.

At the same time, I also kept an eye on dad because I was scared that he'd lose us. I was a little shocked at myself; when did I become so cautious? I didn't know. The last time I was here, I was running here and there like a squirrel, and now I was taking such precautions.

Although a little sad, I convinced myself that I'm doing it for Mai. There are always reports of missing children after a new year. Even adults were kidnapped or reported as missing; I don't want even to think of such a scenario.

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Unaware of my worries, Mai is like a little smiling Buddha. She smiled from ear to ear and watched everything with wonder. Seeing her expressions, I laughed, and Mai pouted in adorable anger that I was making fun of her.

Hoping to get her to forgive me, I promise to buy her a cotton candy, the large one which is bigger than our heads. She also wanted to pay and took out the coin granny gave her, but I refused. There was no way I was going to accept this, even if it was Mai, I wasn't going to back down on this one issue.

Now this is something I learned by myself. Never let a girl pay for you. And this rule becomes ironclad if you like her. I refuse to let Mai pay for something and certainly not when I'm with her.

My dad who was walking behind us was amused as if we were a pair of rare animals and burst out laughing at our bickering. He said that he'd buy us whatever we want and we should forget about money. As we were still kids, he stated that he should pay and we should enjoy ourselves.

With no way out, I decide to go along with my father's decision. Since I can't let Mai pay for her share, it's better if my dad pays for both of us. Since Mai can't argue with dad, it's an acceptable deal.

Soon; mom, grandpa, and granny join us, and together we go to the shrine. Mai and I are in the middle while mom and granny stand behind us, dad and grandpa guard us from either side. So amidst a huge crowd, we walk up to the shrine and pray for a prosperous new year.

Now if you're wondering why our customs are so diverse, I only found this later on but apparently my dad's side are Christians while my mom is a Buddhist and even more amazingly my grandmother was a Hindu.

My family was first torn between three religions. And, after much thinking and discussions decided to adopt a multi-religion system in our house. All religions and their customs were respected. It's pretty crazy, but because of that, I get to celebrate a ton of festivals, and that means a lot of good food and gifts.

Lucky me.

******

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Thank you,

Kanna.