The town’s annual lantern festival always began at dusk. As the sky darkened, families gathered by the river with paper lanterns. Kaito wanted to practice launching his lantern earlier, but the lantern’s thin paper looked dull in daylight. His grandmother handed him a match and said, “Wait for the dark.” When the first stars appeared, Kaito lit the candle inside, and the lantern glowed warm. He finally understood why the festival started at dusk.