Teach pre-k to read
Pre-K: Getting Ready to Read and Write
Parents, caregivers, and preschool staff play a critical role in preparing young children for school and life success. In addition to a warm and nurturing environment, the adults in children’s lives should also focus on the building blocks of reading and writing.
This overview is designed to walk you through key pre-reading building blocks, including sounds, oral language, print awareness, and letters. Within each section, you’ll find easy to read and use resources for learning more, and for trying some activities within your setting. Short videos bring concepts to life, booklists provide ideas for extension, and we provide guidance about when to have concerns about a child’s development.
Creating literacy-rich environments
There’s no doubt that building skills in a few areas during the preschool years can make a huge difference when a child enters school. Browse through to learn more about helping preschool children learn about sounds, print, letters, and words. Finally, learn how to choose and read children’s books that will help you enjoy reading together for years to come.
Learn about each of these key areas
Sounds in speech
Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers can learn to have fun with sounds! Figuring out words that rhyme, coming up with words that share a beginning sound, and saying silly words all help build a child’s phonological awareness; that is, the ability to notice, think about, and play with sounds in words. These skills will be used every time your child reads and writes!
Fun with Phonemes
One family in Raleigh, North Carolina, shows how playing word and rhyming games puts their child on the road to reading success.
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Children's Books to Read Aloud
If You Have Concerns
Print awareness
Print awareness is understanding that print is organized in a particular way — for example, knowing that print is read from left to right and top to bottom.
It is knowing that words consist of letters and that spaces appear between words. Print awareness is a child's earliest introduction to literacy.
Becoming Aware of Print
Mira is two-and-a-half years old. Watch how Mira's parents help her become aware of print.
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Educational Apps
Children's Books to Read Aloud
If You Have Concerns
Letters and the alphabetic principle
One strong predictor of success in reading is a child’s familiarity with the letters of the alphabet. This includes knowing a letter’s name, shape and sound. Most good alphabet activities help kids get practice in each area.
The Alphabetic Principle
In Houston, the teacher of an advanced kindergarten class connects letters and sounds in a systematic and explicit way.
The Importance of the Alphabetic Principle
Renowned reading researcher Dr. Louisa Moats explains the need for understanding the alphabetic principle.
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Educational Apps
Children's Books to Read Aloud
If You Have Concerns
Reading together
Sharing books with your child can be among the most special moments of the day. These moments with books teach your child many reading readiness skills. Our resources in this section describe the why's and how's of reading with even the youngest child.
House Calls for Literacy
Watch as an early literacy educator visits a family at home to demonstrate and support interactive readalouds.
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Children's Books to Read Aloud
If You Have Concerns
Writing
Children, even our youngest learners, enjoy putting crayon to paper. What often starts as scribbling ends up being important clues to a child’s understanding that print carries meaning. Four-year olds often enjoy “writing” their name and other special words like Mom, Dad, love, and you. Helping your child develop writing readiness skills includes making the most out of everyday writing and providing lots of opportunity to practice!
First Marks
Writing expert Dr.
Jane Hansen describes how powerful it is for very young children to realize that they can communicate through oral language — and by making "marks" on a piece of paper.
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Children's Books to Read Aloud
Educational Apps
If You Have Concerns
Developmental milestones
Find out what language accomplishments are typical for most children from birth to age three. If you have questions or concerns about your child's progress, talk with your child's doctor, teacher, or a speech and language therapist. For children with any kind of disability or learning problem, the sooner they can get the special help they need, the easier it will be for them to learn.
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If You Have Concerns
Having fun with words
This brief Parenting Minute video from WNET talks about how parents and caregivers can help build their children’s language skills through storytelling, talking, singing, playing rhyming games, as well as by pointing out and discussing things throughout the day.
(Video also available in Spanish, Bengali, and Chinese)
See also
Teaching preschoolers to read - The Measured Mom
PSPKK123March 18, 2021 • 3 Comments
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We’re in the golden years of parenting.
Right now, in 2021, our family is between diapers and dating. And I love it.
Things are still wild and crazy (and LOUD), but that’s to be expected with six kids ages 5-13.
I admit that I don’t miss the Exhausted Years … the years I had a preschooler, baby, and toddler all at once.
I can’t count how many times I pushed a shopping cart with a baby seat in the cart, a toddler in the front, and preschoolers pulling on my coat.
Many shoppers couldn’t resist remarking, “You’ve got your hands full.”
These days, even though my eye bags are worsening, my wrinkles are deepening, and my hair is graying, I am getting sleep.
(And I am SO thankful for it!)
But you know what I do miss about those early years?
Teaching my kids to read.
Thankfully, I have one preschooler left. He’s five years old, and he’ll start kindergarten in the fall. I’ve been teaching him to read for a few months, and it’s been So. Much. Fun.
But is this necessary? SHOULD you teach your preschooler to read?
It depends.
You shouldn’t teach your child to sound out words until s/he has important foundational skills.
Then, and only then, should you move on to decoding words and reading decodable text.
How to teach preschoolers to read
READ TO YOUR CHILD AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN
While reading to kids is not teaching reading, and does not guarantee that your child will be able to read successfully, it does build language comprehension … and this is a key piece of the reading puzzle.
Browse all our book lists here.
TALK ABOUT BOOKS AS YOU READ ALOUD
As you read aloud to your child, ask thoughtful questions and have a discussion. This post about interactive read alouds will show you what kinds of questions to ask.
TEACH YOUR CHILD THE ALPHABET
Some people think you should start with letter sounds before teaching letter names, but I disagree … although there’s nothing wrong with teaching both at once if your child is up for it. Should you do letter of the week? Maybe. Be sure to use a fun, flexible curriculum, and teach multiple letters each week if your child can remember them.
TEACH LETTER SOUNDS
Since I taught my kids their alphabet when they were two or three years old, most of them weren’t ready to learn sounds that early.
So I taught letter sounds after they knew their letters. Here is my favorite printable for teaching letter sounds.
TEACH RHYMING, CONCEPT OF WORD, AND SYLLABLES
These are all elements of phonological awareness, which basically means that kids can play with sounds in words. Search my website for free resources, or buy these packs that have everything you need at your fingertips.
- Use my Nursery Rhyme concepts of print packs to teach the concept of word.
- Use my Rhyming Activities pack to build this important skill.
- Use my Syllable Activities pack to help kids count and identify syllables in words.
SPEND A LONG-ISH TIME TEACHING PHONEMIC AWARENESS
Phonemic awareness is the ability to play with sounds in words. In recent months I’ve done a lot of study on this, and I’ve learned that this really is key in helping kids become proficient readers. The good news is that it’s easy to teach, and it only takes a few minutes a day.
But you need to do this for some time, and it should continue even after you start teaching reading.
It helps to have a curriculum that you can follow. If you have a budget for it, consider purchasing Heggerty’s daily curriculum for preschool. Or download and print the free lessons from Reading Done Right. Looking for a more play-based approach? Get Marilyn Adams’ Phonemic Awareness curriculum.
ASSESS YOUR CHILD’S PHONOLOGICAL/PHONEMIC AWARENESS
Give your child a phonological awareness assessment to see if you should move on to teaching reading. I have a free assessment here. If you give the assessment and aren’t sure what your next steps should be, contact me via the Contact tab on the website. I’m happy to help!
TEACH BLENDING USING SUCCESSIVE BLENDING
Ready to read? Awesome! It’s time to get started with preschool phonics activities.
I find it helpful to start with successive blending (sometimes called cumulative blending). The above activity worked wonders for my youngest two kids. You can get the free printable (and how to use it) in this post.
PLAY CVC READING GAMES
As your learner is catching on to sounding out words, play lots of CVC word games. CVC stands for consonant-vowel-consonant. I have found that diving right in with decodable texts in preschool can be overwhelming. Consider start with games to build confidence.
- Our free matching games are great for beginners.
- Kids also enjoy our four-in-a-row reading games.
- Our word slider cards are another great tool.
- If phonemic awareness is solid, but sounding out words is still tough, consider using word families to start. I like our word building cards.
TEACH A HANDFUL OF BASIC SIGHT WORDS
How are things going? Is your learner getting better at those CVC words? It’s not necessary (or even helpful) to teach loads of sight words to preschoolers.
However, I recommend introducing just a few sight words in preschool so that your child can be successful with quality decodable texts. I recommend teaching these words in a multisensory way using my free sight word lessons and books.
Here are some good words to start with: a, I, see, the, is
START HAVING YOUR CHILD READ DECODABLE BOOKS
“Decodable” means something different to every reader, because it means that the child has been taught the phonics patterns for most of the words.
In the past I’ve always resisted decodable books and recommended leveled readers instead. However, after a lot of study I realize that leveled books for our earliest readers are not a good choice. This is because they contain many words students could not read in isolation, so they must use context or pictures to figure out the words. In order for them to cement the words into their brains for future retrieval, it’s important that our students connect the sounds to the letters – in other words, sound them out.
This feels like slooooow going at first, when kids have to sound out every letter, but if they have a strong phonemic awareness foundation they will get it.
There are many decodable books to choose from. When starting with brand-new readers, I recommend books that move at a slow pace and have a variety of books for each level. Here are some of my favorites for very beginning readers:
- Reading for All Learners: I See Sam books
- The Alphabet Series books
- Half-Pint Readers: These are very affordable. The stories are cute and simple, but they still have a plot. Highly recommended!
- Power Readers: These are very inexpensive because they are meant to be written in. Not as engaging as some of the other books, but good to have.
TEACH OTHER PHONICS PATTERNS AND MOVE ON TO MORE CHALLENGING BOOKS
It may be best to keep going with CVC words until kindergarten. Developing automaticity with these words (so that your child can read each word without sounding them out letter by letter) is a wonderful goal, but it can take some time.
However, if your child is breezing through your CVC decodable books and is ready for the next step, teach beginning blends and digraphs. Then move on to CVCE words.
REMEMBER TO KEEP READING ALOUD TO YOUR CHILD
Sometimes, when we’re teaching our kids to read, we forget to set ample time to read to them and discuss the books. Since early books aren’t very “deep,” we need to use other literature to build vocabulary and comprehension.
I hope this post was helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below or send my team a message via the Contact tab if you need more support.
Free Reading Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade
Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension resources ... all free!
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Filed Under: Reading, Structured literacy Tagged With: preschool, kindergarten, Pre-K
You May Also Enjoy These Episodes:
Sight word lessons and sight word books
Free decodable nonfiction readers
Reader Interactions
The Modern JavaScript Tutorial
The JavaScript Language
Here you can learn JavaScript from scratch to advanced concepts like OOP.
We'll focus on the language itself, adding occasional notes about its runtime environments.
Introduction
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Introduction to JavaScript
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References and Specifications
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Code Editors
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0 Developer Console0005
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Extension of the built -in classes
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Class Verification: "Instanceof"
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impurities
Custom errors, extension Error
Promises, async/await
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Document
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Browser environment, Specifications
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Dom-drive
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TECHNITIES, QUERYSELECTOR*
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Introduction to events
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Mouse Event Basics 9$, flag "m"
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Word boundary: \b
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Escaping, special characters
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Quantifiers +, *, ? and {n}
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Greedy and lazy quantifiers
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Search for a given position, Flag "Y"
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REGEXP and String
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Ready translation デート・ア・バレット / Date A Bullet / Rendezvous with a Bullet: Simple war games have their colors too :: Tl.Rulate.ru
And now it's time for a real mahacha.
The military component of the Banuin Palace had no intention of laying down their weapons in front of the enemy, even though they had lost their main advantage - Tokisaki Kurumi.
And Jugasaki, it's better to keep silent! Together with Hibiki and his rampaging army, they have already filled the beach.
— Wow... they know their stuff....!
— Hurt!..
Yes, one after another, the targets of the Banuin fighters scattered: Jugasaki herself deigned to jump from the rear straight to the front line.
And, of course, such a strong aura could not but affect the opposing army.
- Do not write! Rush forward and laugh heartily!
Even if not everyone hears her, even if not everyone understands, Jugasaki would not stop screaming furiously at the soldiers—her every move made the hearts of the rebels inflame:
powerful, heroic, brave, and beautiful—all the qualities of the wild charm of an incredible girl on the front lines.
— Over here…… We can!
"Keep your guard up," Hibiki called out to them.
She also had no doubts about their triumph, because the winner should feel alive, feel a surge of strength from the craving for the fight. However, this also applies to the losers: out of the desire to live, they also literally tremble with strength.
Like Ouroboros, the two opposing forces faced each other again and again to taste this happiness.
The defense of the palace was shaking, so the main squadron of Banuin entered the battlefield: the rebels, who had already created a fortified position in the palace itself, moved towards them. Consequence - they had to fight right within the walls of the palace.
- Kareha!!! Show yourself!!!
And so, the girl went straight to the call of Jugasaki: the imposing call of the majestic Retsumi against the mesmerizingly charming Kareha.
— How booming. Jugasaki-san, are you thinking of playing again?
- Idiot! We are here to win! Even if it's the tenth time, I'm sure of myself!
— Yes.
.. Now you have five times more chances... It looks like the palace really fell.
Until now, the rebels have been losing every now and then: they usually fled in disgrace before even reaching the palace... Banuin's defense and vanguard didn't even give them a chance.
However, this time they managed to take the palace and even get here: now they should take care of the building itself.
In addition, both sides had approximately the same number of fighters left: with the exception of Kareha herself, her soldiers, to put it mildly, lacked combat experience.
This became the basis for the concession of the palace.
However, Kareha did not flinch:
— But... We are not so out of hand to yield to such rabble. So right? she smiled softly, shuddering at her fighters.
And it happens: sometimes fear not only terrifies people, but also inspires them to exploits... For the sake of it, they will go through any trials.
Their mistress' gaze was full of power: for the sake of victory, her soldiers called to the heavens.
Without a hint of confusion, the rebels one by one began to transform their Unsigned Angels into water pistols:
— Now we will wrest victory! - Jugasaki.
- Now you are shamefully disappearing again. — Banuin.
The roar of inspiring victorious trumpets strove to drown each other out.
- Attack!
- Get rid of them already.
A war in which no one dies...
“Mizuha-san, you can see better from here,” Kurumi waved at her from the cliff.
— Tokisaki-san, aren't you with them?
“……Yeah… It happens sometimes…
“Mizuha-sama,” Sagakure, who was standing next to her, whispered in her ear.
Mizuha suddenly gasped and dejectedly addressed Kurumi:
“I'm sorry, Tokisaki-san.
— It's all right...
Such a harsh apology could not help but make her explode and raise her weapon... Some Rinemu would definitely laugh with the words "Ha-ha-ha" and "Seduced".
— Well, if you think about it.
.. The rebels still have the advantage.
— B-But... Kareha-sama is amazing...
And right in the middle of the battle, all her soldiers gathered around Jugasaki, who did not stop their furious fire: the army with the furious horse, Kareha, sowed destruction and destruction. Although Cistus was also with the rebels, all the power of Karekha was still felt. As soon as she waved her fan, sakura petals flew in the wind: each of them is capable of piercing a paper target.
- Protect yourself! Defensive formation! Surround Kareha-san and focus on defense! - gave the order to Hibiki's subordinates.
Although this shield is rather obscene... Still, the metal perfectly held back the sakura petals.
- Move forward and wait!
— That's right, miss!
And so, the soldiers hurriedly surrounded Karekha.
- Colonel Higoromo! Stop advancing! Kareha is about to get mad!
Hibiki was about to listen to Juugasaki... However, she was only one step too late.
..
- Okay, okay. I might overdo it a little, so please bear with me for a bit…” Kareha said and walked over to the iron shield.
And then, as soon as she poked it with a fan, it fell apart in a matter of seconds...
— Eh......Eh!?
No wonder that all the soldiers were shocked, because the girl easily broke through their defenses.
- Follow me! Spread around!
However, due to the incredible charm of Karekha, the soldiers could not even move...
- I'll figure it out! Just surround them already! Jugasaki called out to them and rushed to Kareha, "Colonel Higoromo, I leave the command to you!" Everything will be fine! We've already crushed half of it! Just follow my commands!
- Accepted!
And finally, Retsumi was able to address Kareha herself:
“Well hello… Die!”
- Still as vulgar as ever!
And she rumbled with a machine gun... The target was a paper strip on Karekha's head.
However, with a fan, she cut all the bullets .
..
Inside the shield barricade, they were left alone...
- This time we will win! Retsumi shouted like a small and naive elementary school student before a race.
- Victory will be mine again! Kareha answered her smugly.
Water from a minigun, petals from a fan... Jugasaki dodged and approached Kareha: no one could interfere with the violent tornado of their duel.
They just want paper teddy bears... But they fight so wildly, it's like they're trying to kill each other.
No wonder their fight inspired Kurumi too: even if they shoot water and flowers at each other, with such destructive power, they can still cripple each other. Mizuha watched the whole action and prayed...
"Sagakure-san, who do you think has the advantage?"
“Um…” she muttered and looked at her, and when she saw her approval she continued, “For Jugasaki-dono.”
— Yes... I agree.
— Kareha-san is too distracted... As if... She doesn't care about defeat.
- Right. But do we have the right to think so? After all, Kareha-san demonstrates all his strength and gives all the best.
— Huh?
— She waited so long...
She wasn't always so strong.
Suppose there is a girl who is trying to be strong for someone: what if, after all this bloody work, someone came after her?
Do everything possible not to yield to strangers...
However, now she has the opportunity to fall at the hands of her comrade...
“It really is so strong…” Kareha admired.
In truth, if they fought seriously, she would have died four times already, no less... A lot of strength went into just protecting her teddy bear...
Never give in to anyone but her... The girl worked so hard just for this moment...
However, it's too late...
She was both happy and somewhat sad...
Juugasaki might look like she's weakened, but it's actually the other way around: she's just not able to fight at full strength.
— That's all I am...
To be so exhausted, so exhausted... And all for the sake of such a life... For the sake of Mizuha, the girls who admire her, for her own justice...
Why not just not live as before? After all, just being yourself is enough.
Cleanse all hardships, come to catharsis, and finally end with the chirping of cicadas...
A petal, followed by another and another, with incredible accuracy, Jugasaki avoided them all... Feeling as if she sees Kareha through and through... Although, rather, it is so... She dodged again and again, as if she had watched a movie with her - no matter how you attack, she will definitely find a way out, and then she will cunningly dodge and think over an incredible counterattack...
She was just tearfully happy...
However, this was not the kind of obsession that could afford to last forever...
There is an end from the beginning and a beginning from the end...
And Retsumi, and Kareha herself knew perfectly well that this could not go on forever.
..
— Ogai Sange.
And so, in their duel surrounded by shields, a real tornado broke out, which one after another took the petals with it ... Where is the paper teddy bear ... Her whole body can simply be torn apart. However, in spite of everything, Kareha went for broke.
— I already saw through your tricks! Retsumi smiled fearlessly and activated her Unsigned Angel, “Vajrantana!” Mode ...... gun.
At the girl's order, in an instant, her machine gun began to change shape: the wider the barrel became, the larger the caliber became.
- Spread out! she called to her soldiers.
Even if they're used to Hibiki's commands, they'll recognize this voice from a million! Therefore, the girls were immediately distributed around the district.
Jugasaki knew full well that with all the spiritual power invested in this tornado, Kareha wouldn't be able to move.
......But she can't relax either, because a single razor-like petal can slice through her body.
.. Not to mention a tornado...
However, Juugasaki has a cannon!
Even if she couldn't see anything on the other side of this horror...
— I know you're there, Kareha! THE FIRE!!! RIP!!!
And so, paying no attention to all this whirlwind, a huge water projectile rushed towards the girl...
— Ah...
What a familiar feeling... There is no doubt that this projectile will not only destroy her target, but also destroy her. And when she eased her tornado a little, she noticed utterly fixed and pleading looks... Yes, her paper target was destroyed.
“I lost,” she said in a calm and serene tone.
And after a couple of moments joyful cries and exclamations were heard...
“She really... lost...” Mizuha slowly fell off her feet.
Yui Sagakure immediately rushed towards her.
— So now the Banuin army will take the place of the rebels?
— Yeah... Many will turn their backs on her after such a defeat, but.
.....
Anyway, this defeat was solely due to one mistake... And there was one big nonsense.. It's most appropriate to think of this as just an accidental win.
— But... Kareha-san is happy?
— Eh? The dumbfounded Yui and Mizuha looked back at the battlefield.
Kareha dusted herself off and turned to Jugasaki.
“Gods, I finally lost,” she said with satisfaction.
— Did you see?!
- Yes, yes, you won. Banuin Palace is now Jugasaki Palace.
— Huh? Truth?
- So for? Kareha tilted her head to one side in surprise.
— Well, how about... Win... But then I didn't think what to do...
However, she looked at her, as if running into "Are you kidding me?!" and shook her head again:
— Okay, I'll teach you how to be a Dominion.
— Eh...... Am I Dominion?
— Logically, you won. And you have to take responsibility for winning. Otherwise, what will you say to the girls that followed you all the time?
Jugasaki turned away from her in complete confusion.
From such an attack of a small child, Karekha could not restrain herself and laughed:
— Listen to everyone. I lost and admit defeat. If anyone does not agree, let him fight Jugasaki personally.
And now, after her words, there was an uproar: it seems that no one expected such a confession from her.
Hibiki couldn't help but raise her hand and ask,
“Um…. So what does that mean?”
— So....
However, before Kareha could answer, Retsumi immediately interrupted her:
— Party!
— ......Party?
- Well, we won! So our armies are changing places!
— ...... Did you mean to say that your war games will finally end? Kurumi, who had just arrived, interrupted.
“Well, think what you like…” she tried to avoid answering.
— ..... I think you can forget about it, because now you are the Dominion. This means that the defense of the region is shifted to you, so you will have to fight anyway.
“Eh… How troublesome…” Karehi Retsumi closed her eyes at such pressure… “Okay, okay, I will bear this responsibility.
As my first order, let's throw a party where Banuin can hang out too!
Even despite some contradictions, everyone solemnly agreed with her.
The war has come to an end: yes, sooner or later you will have to face it again, but now you can make some noise!
◇
They chose the beach for their party. It would be strange to have fun at the last place of their battle, and the palace is unlikely to accommodate everyone ...
Therefore, the choice fell on the beach and barbecue!
Those same summer days... Swimsuits, water pistols... At first, there was some awkwardness between the rebels and Banuin, but the fact that they all survived quickly dispelled doubts, so the whole girlish atmosphere gradually began to gain momentum.
Kurumi and Hibiki. Finally, they got close again.
— Wow, here we are again!
— Yeah, yeah... Do you remember my torn bathing suit?
— No, not at all...
Just as naturally as running water in a stream, Kurumi began questioning her about her swimsuit.
Suddenly, Hibiki remembered that if she even pretended, she would lose her life in the blink of an eye...
— Hmph. Okay... Finally it's over...
— I agree... God forbid I become a colonel again...
— Didn't you like it? Colonel Higoromo could lead a happy life here.
“Ha ha ha, no way,” Hibiki said and pointed to Kurumi at the fireworks they prepared especially for this party, “So are you going to set it off?”
“Well, since they are so elegant… Of course we will,” she beamed.
Red, yellow, blue — bright lights filled the night sky in an instant.
- A-ha-ha-ha! So funny! Hibiki picked up one of them and circled around.
She must be really happy about the end of the war...
— Don't swing like that!
However, forgetting her remark, Kurumi also picked up the fireworks and started throwing some symbols in the air... The problem is that she doesn't understand their meaning: the name, she still can't remember his name.
..
— Forget... Don't give up...
The path to it is still full of dangers...
However, thoughts about the young man didn't even think of leaving.
It was only this clean and serene world that allowed her to plunge into dreams for a while... Even thoughts arose, why not rest here for a little while?
- Hibiki-san, the fireworks are almost out.
“Eh,” she grunted and threw hers into the bucket.
— I will ask the new Dominion, Jugasaki, to open the gates to the Seventh Region. Here... The more I sit, the more I relax... rose-colored glasses: any torture of your body will not affect your health in any way; there is no meat here, no songs there, and even more so fatigue.
Anyway, summer itself is a huge plus.
All this heat lasts here forever, which literally urges them to stay and rest. Whether it's dawn or evening cicadas, even the stillness of the night - all this reminded them of summer holidays.
Kurumi-san! Fireworks! Fireworks!
— You already started your.
..
However, Hibiki ran up and energetically turned her head towards the sea. And then Kurumi realized what she wanted to convey:
— And when did you first think of it?
— Well, it looks like they were prepared just in time for the victory... Apparently, another squad heard our exclamations and took them from the warehouse.
And, in time with them, the whole sky was colored with bright sunflowers...
The girls clapped their hands.
Right now it doesn't matter which one of them belongs to which army...
The mere contemplation of this violent and stunning beauty is what saturates their hearts with incredible happiness.
Let's go.
- Do you want to watch it? ..
"There's no time for that now," Kurumi said in her mind.
After all, the young man with whom she wants to look at them together is not with her now...
And what is most important, such a spectacle should not beckon her to hesitate and linger here.
"Jugasaki-san is here?" she said to the Half-Spirits watching the fireworks.
- Our leader seems to be chatting with Kareha-san at the tea house.
- Ara.
- Are you going to meet Jugasaki-dono? the Ace of Spades rose from the sand.
— Yes, that's right. Ace of Spades wants to join us?
The playing card agreed and nodded at Hibiki's suggestion. That is to say, slightly bent the corners of the map...
— What is this.... It's bad...
If you look closely, every part of her body was burned to blackness... It looks like it's all fireworks ...
- Paper is highly flammable...
- Well, why am I not at least plastic ..! she screamed and bent her knees.
Or rather, she folded the card in two...
◇
As a rule, on the verge of extinction, Half-spirits leave all their regrets and grievances until they sink into oblivion...
However, such Kareha cannot stand it:
— Retsu-chan!
In an instant, flying up to each other, the girls began to hug.
.. Touching her cold skin literally made her hair stand on end, and the Astral Robe began to evaporate...
— Hold on! Retsu-chan...... Hey!
The attack occurred from where they were obviously not expected:
Kareha called Jugasaki to the empty tea house, because all the Half Spirits were barbecuing and hanging out around.
— I would like to finally get away with Karekha...
— I also want to, but first I need to teach you something.
How to be a Dominion, how to solve problems, how to properly build relationships with other Dominions, and so on...
— Horror...
— But if you return to your rebels again, why fight then? It's easier to just turn everyone into Hollows.
Jugasaki pouted... Even though the girl in front of her kept hustling and wailing, she was quite serious.
— How about a defensive war next time? Shared with another region and our conditions.
— And what will change?
— It will change… Well, uh……
— Aw… Even I could think of you faster.
This time, it was Karehi's turn to sulk.
— How long have we not chatted like this! Retsumi called out bluntly.
“Yeah… You need to blow less air…” the girl teased her.
— But now I have won.
— Yes, yes... Awesome...
"Bach"
Suddenly, a roar was heard from the direction of the beach, which immediately attracted their attention.
— Wow...
— Ha...
At first, the girls opened their mouths at such an action, and then burst out laughing...
— Just think...
— They were specially prepared for this day! Jugasaki puffed out her chest.
That brightest smile was too blinding for Karekha...
— By the way, the Eighth Region is under your control, isn't it?
- Well, yes.
— So why not... Change summer into autumn, for example?
However, noticing how the girl immediately clenched her fists and got angry...
— P-Sorry! Forget! and hastened to apologize.
However, Kareha just shook her head.
summer...
— And how much you are already enjoying like this...
— Well, I like it.
— Isn't it too hot to put on like this?
- Is it hot? But I like it very much,” Kareha laughed.
"Let's hug," Retsumi didn't wait for an answer and clung to her.
— What... Stop! Let it go!
— Uh-uh...... It's really not hot at all.
- Are you sure? ……Now will you let go?
- What a nice little shampoo... Kareha tried to push her away from her.
However, she didn't even think to obey...
And so, in the end, the girl gave up and put down her fan...
“Kareha-chan, are you hiding something from me? Retsumi asked surreptitiously.
Suddenly the girl shuddered, as if it had pierced her to the very heart...
— Of course...
— You don't want to talk, or you can't? Or do you not trust me? M?
— I trust you, but I don't want to talk.
— Hmm... Well, okay. By the way, I have no secrets from you at all! Jugasaki released her.
- Yes, yes. I have no doubt...
— So you believe!
Such a sweet smile couldn't help but make Kareha smile back...
Hope... Cling to her and not let go... To eventually realize that she doesn't exist at all...
But even so , Kareha...
“To be honest, I...” she tried to squeeze out of herself.
However, something happened that she certainly did not expect... A gun appeared... Not a water one, but a real Unsigned Angel.
- Get down! Jugasaki pushed her.
Immediately, five heart-rending shots were heard that hit Retsumi...
Literally, the entire area around Karehi turned red... And after that, her hope was completely extinguished.
— There's more to come! Kill her!
Not long ago, Kurumi told me that among the two armies, someone who seriously intends to kill the Half-Spirits is swarming... Kareha didn't even know her name... Todou.
They wanted to bring peace and order to this region without even participating in their peaceful war.
..
Maybe someone from outside sent them?
Whatever the case, they didn't hesitate to shoot even Jugasaki, their representative...
No matter the reason, they shouldn't let go!
- Banuin Kareha! Now it's all over for you!
- Fools... Scatter! she shouted and threw up her weapon, which did not fit into any framework, - Ogai Sange - Kamikirimushi.
And in an instant, cherry blossom petals came to life in an instant surrounded all five...
“Wh-what?!
Without the slightest compassion or any pity, she tore them to pieces, and then completely lost all interest in them.
- Retsu-chan! echoed her scream.
In the meantime, Kurumi's company was moving slowly and carelessly towards the tea dock.
Ah, Kurumi-san. Kareha-san and Jugasaki-san...
“Girlfriends, you mean? Yes, yes, I've already heard...
- They fight all the time ...... Probably hard...
- I would like to believe, but...
Sooner or later, Kareha will have to leave Jugasaki, no matter how much it hurts her.
..
“Summer will be over, right? Hibiki, who had forgotten something, intervened, “With the advent of the new Dominion, the time of the year should also change?
— Maybe... After all, this summer only lasts so long because of Karehi-san's whim.
— But to be honest, Karee-san seems to really like this time of year, since she wears a kimono even in this heat...
— I like it too, even though I don't quite agree with her.
— Yes?
— Yeah... And why did I understand this only in this region? I like summer.
Does she like it from the very beginning, or only after this region? And if the latter, then why?
A vague truth that can't be caught...
“That's how it is… I wish autumn would come soon,” Hibiki muttered, pouting a little.
— To be jealous of me even by the time of the year...
— I'm not jealous!!!
Suddenly...
- Retsu-chan! came a cry from the side of the tea house.
Kurumi immediately rushed forward and Hibiki rushed after her.
A few seconds later, the Ace of Spades joined in.
Kurumi had an unpleasant premonition...
And she also remembered what Kareha told her...
— Finally, I managed to move, because that way I will definitely become a Hollow faster! But the pain is still not enough... And besides, I still need to try not to give myself away... Before that, I would like to lose again... But you can’t give up on purpose? How can you not put all your might into battle? Then maybe I can finally leave this region…” Kareha said to herself as if in a fleeting dream.
Yes, something unexpected happened... Something that should never have been allowed to happen...
“Kareha-san!
— Tokisaki-san...
Kareha appeared right in front of them, holding the bloodied body of Jugasaki...
— Zafkiel — Dalet!
Before they could even say the words, the girl immediately fired a time-reversing bullet at Jugasaki, the bullet wound healed, and the blood filled her body again.
However...
"Retsu-chan...!?" Hey, wake up... wake up...
— Maybe... We're already too late...
By the way, all the Half-Spirits in the Near World, including Kurumi, are not made of flesh and blood: their body is made up of spiritual power, which in turn is clumps of matter. Consequently, even a bullet between the eyebrows will not incur inevitable death... However, the life of the Half-spirit is supported only by a fragment of Sephira in their body - something like the center of the nervous system.
And so it turns out: the spiritual force supports the physical body, and information about, say, a scratch on the finger is transmitted to the body through a piece of Sephira.
That is, if you eliminate physical damage, the nervous system will return to normal.
However, the whole problem with Jugasaki lies precisely in this piece of Sephira: if he insists on death by a bullet, it will not be possible to return it back.
Death cannot be deceived.
..
Therefore, now the girl is on the verge: life or death will ultimately choose the Sephira fragment? Retsumi's choice.
— Now she's not with us... Whether she wakes up or not, it's fifty-fifty here.
"......Retsu-chan... Saved me..." Kareha collapsed to her knees.
And so, her hair color began to change in time with the night breeze...
— What...
The Banuin army and the rebels already saw everything and rushed to them....
Damn it.
Kurumi cursed her mistake. Should have sent Ace and Hibiki to hold them back from the beginning...
But now it's too late because they noticed...
They spotted Jugasaki Retsumi lying down and Kareha with white hair...
Apparently, the last support for the latter was just the first... This allowed her to stay afloat and not turn into an Empty...
But this support also disappeared.
And worst of all, the rest of the Half Spirits must have misunderstood..
.
— ......Kareha-sama...Did it......Is this... With Jugasaki-sama? Someone shouted something that clearly shouldn't have been said.
— Please stop! Kurumi called out to them and immediately shot in the air, "Kareha-san begged me to help her!" Leave your guesses already and think about them!
- Kurumi-san!
However, from Hibiki's cries, Kurumi realized that she had made a mistake again... After all, from the very beginning, she should have thought about Kareha...
“Sister! Mizuha ran up to her.
Everyone immediately looked at her.
Kareha jumped up and ended up right on the roof of the house... And her snow-white hair gave off a shine... Even the kimono was transformed...
Unbelievable...
Charming beauty...
— Are you going to run?
However, Kareha only grunted in response:
— It is unlikely that anyone will believe now that I did not touch her.
— So what? Is it better to blow your feet to dispel all doubts?
— It doesn't matter.
