Whoosh~
After the final firework scattered across the heavens, the sky returned once more to its usual tranquility.
"Ah—so satisfying~!"
The girl leaning against her shoulder happily raised her arms and stretched. During the process, whether intentionally or not, she even rubbed her head against Shogun's chest a few times.
"Sure enough, nothing feels better than seeing the fruits of your own labor with your own eyes~!"
At last, the girl left her shoulder, then promptly flopped back onto the blanket spread over the grass as she sighed in satisfaction.
"...I can understand that."
Glancing at the girl lying there, Shogun quietly voiced her agreement.
"Hehe~ What about you, Shogun? Did you enjoy it?"
Yoimiya rested both hands behind her head and tilted it toward her as she asked.
"Mm. I also heard some ideas I hadn't expected. It gave me quite a lot to reflect on."
Shogun raised a hand to smooth the long hair draped over her shoulder and answered gently.
[Miss Yoimiya actually has her own understanding of "eternity." If you're interested, Shogun, you could try getting to know her.]
No wonder Ayaka had said something like that to her back then—
Yoimiya truly did have her own understanding of it... and a uniquely personal one at that, unmistakably her own. Shogun had originally thought this trip would yield nothing, but she had already discarded that notion. Whether it was this girl herself or her views, both had given Shogun something to contemplate.
"Hehe, of course~ It was beautiful, right? I planned the whole thing myself, after all. Ah... I was so moved I almost cried—huh? I didn't actually cry, did I?"
A little embarrassed, Yoimiya touched the dampness at the corner of her eye.
"Uh... my eyes just feel a little wet, that's all."
She rubbed the teardrop on her fingertip back and forth, then gave an awkward laugh.
"I really liked the firework you designed for me."
Shogun chuckled at the sight and brought up the purple firework from earlier, the one that had burst into the shape of the Electro Mitsudomoe.
"Ah, so you really were satisfied with it, right? Hehe~ Good. If you weren't, then I really would cry..."
Yoimiya scratched her head with a delighted expression, only for her face to shift adorably toward the end as she put on a deliberately dejected look.
"..."
Shogun watched her with a smile tugging at her lips, then turned her gaze toward Tenshukaku in the distance across the sea.
Would Ei have seen those fireworks just now?
—That thought surfaced in her mind.
She probably did, right? Maybe she's standing in the pavilion at the top of Tenshukaku right now, looking out over all of Inazuma?
Shogun actually felt a little regretful. She had always thought a fireworks display like this ought to be watched together with Ei, by her side, yet unfortunately that was not how things had turned out today.
Of course, that did not mean she had any issue with Yoimiya. The girl was wonderful, and Shogun had enjoyed herself immensely today.
"Actually, I normally don't talk while I'm watching fireworks. It's a habit of mine. When it's something I've made myself, quietly watching it rise into the sky feels ceremonial and almost sacred. But—today was different, because you were watching with me. And I thought that moment was the perfect time to tell you a little about how I understand 'eternity.'"
Maybe I won't get another chance to tell her after this... so I have to seize the opportunity while I can.
"Fireworks are the kind of thing that leave a deep impression on people. No matter how far you travel, what you encounter, whether you start to waver or simply grow tired, at the very least you'll still be able to remember the fireworks you saw today."
Yoimiya rose to her feet and walked past Shogun, gazing toward the night sky stretching over the entirety of Inazuma City. Her voice was filled with enjoyment and anticipation.
"A firework vanishes in an instant. It's the thing furthest removed from the eternity you once sought. But the feelings people entrust to it don't disappear. That's the reason fireworks exist."
Yoimiya spoke to her once more.
Listening to the girl's view, Shogun reflected that this child's idea of eternity really did run along the same lines as Makoto's. Perhaps that was also why Ayaka had wanted her to come here.
"I believe that after enough time has passed, this firework will become more and more beautiful in your heart, and more and more moving~!"
The girl turned around, clasped both hands behind her back, and tilted her head toward Shogun with a smile.
"So, from now on, Shogun, you're officially one of my customers~! Whether it's slips of paper or fireworks, if you ever need anything, just come find me. It'll be free~!"
The girl made her offer.
"It cannot be free... If I require your services, I should pay the proper price."
Shogun shook her head.
"Huh? It's fine... How could I possibly take money from the Shogun?"
Yoimiya puffed out her cheeks.
"Just as you said earlier, favors are favors and business is business, aren't they?"
Shogun asked in return.
"Urgh... Seriously~ You only remember the things that work against me~"
The girl's face reddened as she complained adorably.
"Pfft, that's not it. I've followed you around all day today, so I know how hard you work. I simply believe you deserve to be compensated for it. Consider it encouragement for one of my subjects."
Shogun answered gently.
"Mm... Fine. I can't win an argument against you anyway. But I'll give you a discount, and you're not allowed to argue anymore~! It's settled!"
Yoimiya planted her hands on her hips with the stubborn expression of a child who refused to listen.
"All right... I accept."
Shogun answered indulgently.
"Oh, right. Isn't the Akitsu event about to start? Are you going?"
Noticing the time, Yoimiya asked.
"I'm only going to accompany Ayaka."
Shogun answered.
"Oh. If you already have plans with Ayaka, then hurry along. I still have a few things to take care of, and I need to clean up after the fireworks. I might head over a little later."
Yoimiya pointed in the direction of Chinju Forest and urged her onward.
"...Are you sure? Do you need any help?"
Shogun asked.
"It's fine... This is all routine for me."
Yoimiya shook her head.
"Then I'll take my leave for now."
"Mm~ Bye-bye, Shogun."
Yoimiya responded with a smile, waving at her.
Shogun gave her one last look before turning around, picking up her oil-paper umbrella, and walking down the slope of Amakane Island. Under Yoimiya's gaze, her figure gradually receded into the distance.
"..."
Yoimiya stared silently after that increasingly distant figure. Recalling Shogun's earlier words about "having plans with Ayaka," she couldn't help feeling a little wistful...
With Ayaka, huh...
Hehe... Must be nice.
...
By now, it was also time for her appointment with Ayaka. Their agreed meeting place was the Kamisato Estate, headquarters of the Yashiro Commission, and reaching it required passing through Chinju Forest.
She had heard that this forest would serve as the venue for one of the event's activities. Yet this time, Chinju Forest felt subtly different from usual. She could sense that some kind of presence in the surroundings had grown unusually dense.
"...?"
She stopped, narrowing her eyes slightly before turning just enough to glance behind her and toward the dense woods at her side.
"...Was it my imagination?"
After murmuring softly to herself, she withdrew her attention and continued along the long staircase passing beneath row after row of torii gates. The Kamisato Estate lay above.
After her figure disappeared, three tiny figures suddenly emerged from a corner of the forest. They were short, almost childlike in stature, and all three wore youkai-like masks. One wore a kappa mask, another a one-eyed mask, and the last a kitsune mask. The child in the middle wearing the kitsune mask was clearly a girl, while the other two were boys.
"Whoa... She scared me to death..."
The kappa wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead, though his mask blocked his hand. Even his voice trembled.
"Her eyes were really scary just now..."
The one-eyed boy shrank in on himself.
"She didn't notice us, did she? I felt like she looked straight at me."
The kitsune murmured softly.
"Huh? She probably didn't notice us, right? Otherwise... she wouldn't have left."
The kappa answered.
"Maybe she's a visitor here for the Test of Courage?"
The kitsune wondered.
"I sure hope so... Otherwise, we're in trouble."
The one-eyed boy was still trembling.
"B-But... there's no way I'm brave enough to scare her later..."
The timid kappa shook his head vigorously.
"Let's not worry about that for now. The Test of Courage is about to begin. You still remember what we're here for, right?"
The kitsune was the first to regain her composure. She turned around and encouraged her two companions.
"Mm!" x2
The two of them nodded as well.
"It's not just here. We need to make sure the games are ready too."
"Leave it to us~!" x2
We can't let the people who came all this way leave disappointed!