It wasn’t yet midday, but Momo could already feel her back and forehead begin to drip with sweat. For some reason she’d thought the morning would be cooler than it actually was, so she’d worn a hoodie which had since been loosely tied around her waist. Apparently she should’ve thought to consult a weather app, but then again, her family came to this beach every summer— she probably should've learned by now how rapidly the late mornings heated up in this part of Japan.

Either way, Momo regretted not waking up earlier in the morning to walk the dogs before the sun climbed too high in the sky. She could tell that the heat was beginning to fatigue Boo and Dobby as well— their tongues lolled out of their mouths as they panted, and their pace had begun to slow. 

“This’ll make you feel better,” she cooed, offering them a bowl of cool water from her bottle. At least she’d had the forethought to bring one of those collapsible bowls with her— she rarely went out of the house without it for exactly this reason. She was a responsible dog mother, after all.

Boo and Dobby both eagerly lapped up every drop of water in the bowl, but even after they had finished, they stared up at Momo, unimpressed. Their expressions seemed to say, Can we go back home now, Mom?

“C’mon, guys,” she sighed, crouching down to rub both of them behind their ears. “I know it’s hot out, but it’s a beautiful day and we’re on the beach! We might as well enjoy it, right? You don’t want to stay cooped up inside all day in the air conditioning, do you?”

Dobby’s ear flicked, and Boo blinked at her slowly.

“You two are very hard to please, you know,” Momo grumbled, narrowing her eyes at her two sons as she stood. She folded the bowl back up, tucked it into her bag, and took a swig of water for herself. “Just a little bit farther, alright? Then we’ll go back home, because you know I can’t say no to puppy eyes.”

The trio continued further down the boardwalk, a little more pep in their step now that they’d all been rehydrated. Momo had set out to walk the entire stretch of the boardwalk since it was one of her favorite activities to do here, but she supposed they could always return on a day less scorching. They’d just go a little further down, maybe to one of the food stands so Momo could get an iced coffee, then they’d turn and go back home. 

Momo’s parents and their family friends that were staying with them had left at the crack of dawn that morning to go out on a mini day cruise. They wouldn’t be returning until late in the evening, so of course Momo had decided to stay behind since she didn’t want to leave Boo and Dobby alone for that long. She didn’t mind being left to her own devices for the day— it’d give her plenty of time to relax and unwind by herself. Being a full-time university student going into her final year, she relished any opportunity for a peaceful, quiet, stress-free day.

It was only a few minutes past 11 am, but the beach was already crowded with people— a combination of locals, Japanese tourists, and foreign tourists. Momo wasn’t sure where her and her family fit into those categorizations— they didn’t live in the area year-round, but they’d been going to the same beach since Momo was a toddler, so it was practically a second home to her.

As they passed the arcade booming with music and the screaming laughter of children playing games, Momo suddenly got a fantastic idea. “Wait a second!” she gasped, gently tugging on Boo and Dobby’s leash to get them to stop walking. “I know exactly what will cheer you two up! You can’t be grumpy if I get you a new toy, right?”

Both dogs tilted their heads inquisitively at her. (Momo swore that they understood Japanese— honestly, she thought dogs were much smarter than researchers gave them credit for.)

The girl led her two dogs to one corner of the arcade, and gestured with her arms to the three claw machines crouched in a row. “Ta-da!” She carefully inspected the contents of each machine— one was full of electronics, boring , another of rubber balls smaller than her fist, potential choking hazard , and the third had various stuffed plushies. Her eyes lit up when she spotted a half-buried Buzz Lightyear plush resting in one corner. “Perfect,” she whispered.

Momo leaned down to pat Boo and Dobby’s heads. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you two the Buzz toy in no time!” she declared in a sweet, overly cute voice. She straightened and turned to the machine, inserting 100 yen to start the game. “It can’t be that difficult, right?”

As it turned out, claw machines were a lot more difficult to maneuver than Momo had anticipated. Every time Momo thought she had the claw aligned perfectly , and then it’d drop and catch the corner of Buzz’s wing or his head, but as soon as the claw started to lift, the plush dropped back into the pile. By her fifth try, Momo was starting to get frustrated, but she refused to quit— out of personal stubbornness, but also because she was determined to get her sons a new toy. By her fifteenth try, Momo was ready to start trying to snake her arm up into the machine because that felt like the only plausible way she would be able to get that toy.

Boo released a sharp, sudden bark, and she felt Dobby paw at her ankle. 

“I know , guys,” Momo whined, “I’m trying my best, okay? But I swear, it’s harder than it looks!”

A few moments later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Having been focused on the game, Momo squeaked in surprise, whirling around to face whoever had been trying to get her attention.

“Sorry,” a young woman giggled, “I didn’t mean to scare you or anything.” 

Momo’s mouth went dry. The girl in front of her looked to be about Momo’s age— maybe slightly taller, with cute cheeks and orangey-brunette hair tied in a bun. The stranger was gorgeous , and Momo suddenly felt a rush of embarrassment at 1. the fact that she was sweaty and bare-faced, and 2. the fact that said gorgeous stranger had probably just heard Momo baby-talk to her dogs. .

“I-It’s fine,” Momo eventually stumbled out once she had found her voice again. “Um, can I help you?”

The girl’s eyes seemed to twinkle, and her lips curled in a smile. “Nope,” she replied brightly, “but I’m pretty sure I can help you !”

Momo’s humiliation was replaced with curiosity. “What do you mean?” she asked slowly, glancing down at Boo and Dobby who were also both staring at the newcomer.

“With this,” the girl explained, gesturing to the machine. “I don’t mean to be creepy or anything, but I was walking by and stopped because you- uh, your dogs are super cute, then I noticed you were playing on the claw machine and I wanted to see if you won anything. But you seemed to be having trouble, so I thought I might offer my services!”

Now Momo just felt even more mortified, knowing that this pretty stranger had been watching her struggle the entire time. “Wow,” she laughed out awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, “I’m that bad, huh?”

The girl giggled again, shaking her head. “It’s not that you’re bad , it’s just that it’s almost impossible to actually win on these things. I’m pretty sure the companies rig them to intentionally scam people out of their money.” She rolled her eyes. “ But , lucky for you, I’ve found that I tend to have the golden touch with these sorts of things.”

“Golden touch?” Momo repeated, a little skeptical.

“Let me prove it!” the girl insisted, her lips pouting indignantly, and Momo swore her heart fluttered.

Damn it, I really am useless. “Alright,” she agreed, stepping back from the machine since she’d already inserted another 100 yen. “Go for it.”

The other girl hummed, taking Momo’s place in front of the controls. Before she started maneuvering the claw, however, she first crouched down to address Boo and Dobby. “I’ll get you that toy, I promise,” she vowed to them, her serious expression breaking into a grin when the dogs lunged forward to try and her face.

“Boys! Manners!” Momo scolded, pulling them back by their leashes, but the girl didn’t seem to mind.

Once the girl returned to the machine, Momo pointed out the Buzz Lightyear toy she was aiming for. She watched the stranger carefully, hoping to get a few pointers on how to win in the future. The girl didn’t offer up any tidbits of advice, though— honestly, nothing about how she fiddled with the joystick seemed particularly impressive at all. (Though the way her tongue poked out in concentration was pretty cute.) The girl reached out to press the button that lowered the claw, and Momo was about to complain about her wasting Momo’s money since the claw seemed nowhere near the toy, but then all of a sudden Buzz was being lifted by a leg into the air and was dropped into the prize box.

“Holy ,” Momo gasped, stunned at the fact that this girl had managed to do in one turn what Momo hadn’t been able to do in fifteen.

The girl shrugged coolly. “Told ya I have the golden touch.” She removed the toy from the box in the machine and when she offered it to the dogs, Dobby immediately snatched it up. “Aw, now this little guy doesn’t have a toy,” the girl pouted, patting Boo’s head. “One sec.”

Before Momo could argue, the girl was pulling her own money out of her wallet, and within a minute she was presenting Boo with a matching Woody plush.

“I think I’m in love with you, oh my god,” Momo blurted out. As soon as she realized what she had said, her face turned bright red and she slapped a hand over . “Uhhh what I meant to say was, that was really awesome, thank you!”

Luckily the girl only giggled and shrugged, “No problem, I’m happy to help. My name’s Sana, by the way.” She offered her hand and Momo shook it, hoping her palm wasn’t too sweaty.

“Momo,” she supplied. “And this is Boo and Dobby.” She pointed to her dogs in turn, her heart melting in her chest when she saw how happy they looked with their new toys, their tails wagging a mile a minute.

Sana’s eyebrows raised. “Boo, Dobby, Toy Story… I’m sensing a theme here,” she joked.

“I guess I’m still a kid at heart,” Momo agreed with a grin. After a moment, she was struck by another idea. “Hey, let me buy you a coffee or something as a thank you. If you’re not busy, that is.” 

“Well, you’re forward,” Sana commented, smirking. “First telling me you love me, now asking me out on a date? I’m a romantic, but this seems a little fast.”

Momo once again felt herself go completely red, and she was sure it wasn’t because of the summer heat. “O-Oh, uh, I didn’t-“

“Relax,” Sana laughed, playfully swatting her arm. “I’m just teasing you. Sure, I’d love a coffee. That’s where I was headed, anyway.”

Part of Momo was worried that getting coffee with a stranger would be awkward— she was usually pretty shy around people she didn’t know well, after all— but conversation with Sana came surprisingly easy. As they walked to Momo’s favorite coffee shop on the boardwalk, they mostly talked about Momo’s dogs. Sana wanted to know everything about Boo and Dobby— how old they were, what breed, how long Momo had had them, those sorts of things.

It wasn’t a long walk to the coffee shop, and it felt even shorter since they were absorbed in conversation. Once they were there, Momo tied Boo and Dobby’s leashes to one of the tables while they ordered. Sana also got an iced coffee, though it made Momo’s eyebrows raise when she heard how much cream and sugar Sana requested in her drink.

“Did you want any coffee with that?” Momo teased, laughing when Sana pouted and pushed her arm.

They settled into the chairs at the metal table once they had their orders, Momo leaning down to empty a cup of ice into her collapsible bowl for Boo and Dobby.

“Are you from around here?” Sana asked suddenly as they sipped their drinks. The girl was smiling at her intently, elbow propped on the table and her cheek resting against her hand.

Momo shook her head. “My family rents a beach house here every summer, so I’m staying with them while I’m on break from university. It’s been pretty boring, though… I only have these guys for company since my sister didn’t come this year,” she explained, unsure why exactly she was sharing so much with a stranger. She supposed there was just something about Sana that made Momo feel like they were already close friends.

Sana hummed, “Yeah, I’m on break from university, too. What do you study?”

“Nutrition,” Momo replied, then added with a shrug, “A minor in dance, though. That’s what I’m really passionate about, but… Y’know, my parents want me to have a real career and all that.” She released a shy laugh. “I’d love to run my own dance studio someday, though.”

“Dancing, huh?” Sana’s smile was almost mischievous as she asked, “Can I see?”

Another blush spread across Momo’s cheeks. “Uh, right now?”

Sana giggled. “Do you have any videos?”

Even though Momo was a little embarrassed to show a beautiful girl she’d just met videos of her dancing, she couldn’t find it in herself to say no. She had about a million videos in her camera roll of her dance covers, but she eventually chose her favorite one she’d done— a cover of Ariana Grande’s “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” that she’d been working on for months and had filmed a few weeks ago. 

She went to hand Sana her phone, but the other girl just scooted her chair closer to Momo, leaning in to watch. (Her hair smelled like cherry blossoms, Momo noted.) The clip was only a minute long and Sana was quiet the entire time, watching intently. 

Once it was finished, Momo pocketed her phone and gave the other girl a self-deprecating smile. “It was just something my friends and I came up with for fun,” she explained. “It’s not really my best.”

Sana shook her head. “You’re really, really talented, Momo,” she said, and the earnestness of her voice and her gaze made Momo want to melt.

“Thanks,” Momo said weakly, not sure what else to say. Wanting to shift the conversation away from herself, she added, “What about you, though? What do you study?”

“Me? Psychology. I’m from Osaka, but I go to university in Seoul.”

Momo perked up, “Oh, cool. I’m from Kyoto. Are you back here for the entire summer?”

“Today’s my last day here, actually,” Sana said with a pout. “My friends from university wanted to see Japan, so I thought I’d take them on a mini vacation to see some of the sights.”

The older girl couldn’t explain why she was almost disappointed that today was Sana’s last day here. “Oh, that sounds fun,” she said, taking a long sip of her iced coffee. A sudden thought occurred to her. “I hope I’m not keeping you from them… It’s okay if you need to get back to your friends, I mean-”

Sana gently interrupted her, “No, it’s fine. I’m here with two couples, and today’s ‘date day’.” She rolled her eyes playfully, “I’m pretty used to being the third wheel, but I figured I should let them do their fun couple-y things today in peace. Do you need to get back to your family?”

Momo shook her head. “Nah, they’re out for the day, too.” Shyly she added, “I’m having more fun with you, if that’s okay.”

The smile that appeared on Sana’s face was positively beaming. “That’s more than okay. I’m having fun, too!”

————

Since neither of them had any other plans, they ended up walking along the beach together. At one point Sana linked her arm into Momo’s— it felt so natural that Momo hardly even noticed when it happened. 

They walked along the surf, Sana screeching at the cold temperature of the water on her bare feet when the tide came in. Momo huffed out that it wasn’t even that cold, which she soon regretted as Sana bent down to splash her with a handful of water. They both ended up dissolving in giggles, chasing each other into the waves with Boo and Dobby at their ankles, yipping and joining in the fun with their new toys clamped in their mouths.

Later they combed the beach for seashells, getting into their own mini competition of who could find the most impressive one. At one point Momo discovered a beautiful white and pink-hued conch shell, and without second thought she turned to offer it to Sana. “This one’s for you,” she said, even though she realized how silly it was as soon as the words left — what was Sana going to do with some seashell given to her by a stranger?

But Sana had beamed at her again, throwing her arms around Momo in a tight hug like it was the best present she’d ever received. “I love it,” she squealed into Momo’s ear. 

Late into the afternoon they got pizza for lunch and then ice cream for dessert. Afterward they settled onto the beach, just relaxing and talking. Momo didn’t even realize how fast the day had gone by until the sky started to change colors.

As the sun went down, the crowds thinned out and the air rapidly cooled down. Momo spotted Sana rubbing her arms so she didn’t think twice before handing the girl her sweatshirt. Sana accepted it with that bright smile of hers, slipping it over her head and then leaning into Momo’s side. Momo hesitantly rested her arm around Sana’s waist, slowly so Sana could shift away if she wanted to.

They sat like that for a while, silently watching as the blue sky bled with blazing oranges and pinks. Momo smiled at the sight of Boo and Dobby curled up asleep with their new toys still in their mouths, evidently tuckered out after a long day of fun. She knew she should probably get them back home soon, but she didn’t want to move from her current position. Momo turned her head to glance at Sana next to her, surprised to see that Sana was already looking at her.

As they locked eyes, Momo was suddenly aware of a tension crackling between them.

Sana’s gaze lowered somewhat, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. Her eyes returned to Momo’s as she asked quietly, “Can I kiss you?”

Definitely not having expected that question, Momo just nodded.

Slowly, slowly, Sana leaned in and touched their lips together, Momo meeting her halfway. The kiss was soft and gentle, Momo’s hand curling around Sana’s hip and Sana’s hand resting at her jaw. After a few seconds Sana pulled away, leaving Momo breathless even though the kiss had been pretty tame. 

Momo offered Sana what she was sure was a dopey smile, and the girl giggled in response. “You’re so cute,” she murmured, kissing Momo again. 

This time, their kiss was interrupted when Momo felt a tongue that was definitely not Sana’s lapping at her cheek. Whining, Momo broke away from Sana, guiding Boo off her lap. “Come on, seriously?” she groaned, glaring at her oldest son. Boo just barked at her, clearly not caring about his responsibilities as wingman in the romantic exploits of his mother. 

“I think he’s protective of you,” Sana teased, reaching out a hand to pet Boo’s head. “Doesn’t like his owner getting too cozy with someone he doesn’t know.”

Momo felt her cheeks warm up. “Well, I don’t exactly make a habit of kissing girls I just met a few hours ago,” she admitted. “I mean, with the exception of a few times at parties, I guess.”

“You’re cute,” Sana cooed again, her hand dropping to rest on Momo’s forearm. “I don’t make it a habit either, by the way. There was just something about you.” She tilted her head, her eyes twinkling as she smiled at Momo.

Before Momo could think of an adequate response, she heard a phone buzz. Automatically she reached for her own before she realized it was Sana’s.

The girl dug her phone out of her purse and sighed when she saw the caller ID. “It’s one of my friends,” she explained. “One sec.” She answered the call and began to speak into the phone, though Momo didn’t understand anything that was being said since Sana spoke in Korean. After a minute Sana hung up, looking back at Momo with a disappointed pout. “They were calling to see where I was.”

Momo’s heart fell when she realized that this was it. Time for goodbye. “I should get these boys back home, anyway,” she said with a shrug, pushing herself up and brushing the sand off her clothes. She held out a hand to Sana, helping the girl up as well. 

For a few long seconds, they just stared at each other. It was obvious neither of them wanted their day together to end just yet.

“I have an idea,” Sana said, lips curling. “Follow me.”

————

Sana ended up leading her to the photobooth back at the arcade. 

They sat together in the cramped booth, thighs touching with Boo and Dobby balancing on their laps since Sana insisted they needed to be in the picture, too. The camera took a quick succession of photos of the girls in various poses— peace signs, then their tongues out to mimic Boo and Dobby, then their faces pressed close together, then the last one was Sana kissing Momo’s cheek, catching the older girl by surprise. 

Once they climbed out of the booth, Dobby tugged at his leash, trying to pull Momo in the direction of a patch of grass near the boardwalk. “I think he needs to go to the bathroom,” Momo explained. “I’ll be right back.”

After Dobby had done his business, they returned to the arcade where Sana was holding the printed photos. The girl handed one to Momo, saying lightly, “There, that way you’ll remember me ‘til the next time we see each other.”

Hope fluttered in Momo’s chest. “I thought you said you’re leaving tomorrow?”

Sana nodded, “Yeah, we are. But… I’m planning on moving back to Japan next spring after I graduate. Maybe once I get back, I could ask you out on a real date.” Her eyes twinkled underneath the carnival lights of the arcade, a smirk playing at her lips. 

“O-Oh,” Momo stuttered out, yet again not having expected that. “I mean, yeah, sure. That would- that would be cool.”

“Cool,” Sana echoed, rocking on her heels. “Oh, I almost forgot about your sweatshirt.” 

Before Sana could take the hoodie off, Momo interjected quickly, “You can keep it if you want.” At Sana’s questioning look, Momo rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Something to remember me by, you know?”

The girl giggled, leaning in for another brief peck. “I’ll see you around, then.” 

“Wait a sec,” Momo called out suddenly, almost panicked. “How will I get into contact with you? I don’t even know your last name.”

Sana laughed again, winking at Momo as she started to walk backward. “It’s Minatozaki, and don’t worry… I think you’ll figure it out soon enough.” Without another word, the girl was turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

Confused, Momo stared down at the photobooth picture for a few seconds until it occurred to her to flip it over. There, written in purple pen, was a scribbled note:

 

Thanks for making my vacation magical Momoring!! 

♡ Minatozaki Sana ♡

6 xxxx xxxx

 

All Momo could do was release a surprised laugh, shaking her head. Smiling like an idiot, she looked down at Boo and Dobby staring up at her and said, “I think I just met my soulmate, boys.”