Chapter 164: Daily Life: Water Lily and Invitation to the Fireworks Festival
After a long time, he stepped into this Stigmata Space. It was still the same as the last time he came here, a world surrounded by the greenery of the forest.
Lush trees stood tall, and the gentle sunlight shone through the mountains, adding a peaceful atmosphere to the place.
However, unlike what he expected, this time he did not teleport directly to the vicinity of their cabin... Why was that?
While Kirataka was thinking about the reason, he looked up and saw the conspicuous cherry tree on the hillside through the shadows of the trees.
Their house was right under the cherry tree, so he decided to walk slowly toward it.
Kirataka thought about it and started to move up the hillside along the slowly flowing stream.
He walked upward, admiring the scenery along the way.
The scenery here was quite nice, as if an exquisite painting was unfolding before his eyes.
The branches of the trees swayed gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound.
The water in the stream was so clear that you could see the bottom, like a mirror. You could see the details on the bottom of the water and the fish swimming in it.
You could also smell the birdsong and the fragrance of flowers among the trees.
The person in the stream was also very beautiful...
'Huh? Wait, a person?'
Kirataka paused.
Not far away, a cherry-colored girl was standing in the slowly flowing pure stream. She scooped up a basin of water with a shallow wooden basin and poured it over her head.
She used her free hand to touch her wet hair. The soft and smooth cherry-colored hair was wet by the water droplets and stuck to her ears.
Seeing this scene, Kirataka suddenly thought of an idiom: lotus emerging from water.
The girl was only wearing a thin piece of clothing, which had become somewhat transparent due to being wet by the stream water. Even without looking carefully, her proud curves were barely hidden by the clothing.
The beautiful girl closed her eyes and felt the stream of water flowing over her body, using this method to wash away the dirt that had accumulated on her body.
Her expression was calm and peaceful as if she was enjoying the cleansing.
Yes, that's right, this is how people in the Far East bathed five hundred years ago.
Without modern water heaters and showers, people in ancient times could only go to the stream to fetch water for bathing...
Kirataka admired it for a second or two, then looked away.
'Hmm... If I want to come next time, shouldn't I let them know in advance...'
"...Kirataka?"
After the water in the wooden basin had flowed away, the cherry-colored girl opened her eyes, and her deep blue eyes also caught sight of the visitor by the stream.
This was indeed something unexpected. The cherry-colored girl's cheeks turned slightly red, but when she noticed that the other person's eyes were not looking in her direction, she did not deliberately cover anything.
"Well, long time no see, Miss Sakura."
"Um, sorry... please wait a moment."
She had just begun her bath and it would be a bad idea to stop it halfway.
Kirataka simply hid in the woods, turned his back to the stream, sat down against a tree trunk, listened to the pleasant sound of flowing water, and waited for the girl to finish her bath.
…
After a while, Yae Sakura, who had finished bathing, walked to the shore, first wiped off the water droplets on her body, and then began to put on her clothes one by one.
Black undershirt, witch costume, plaid skirt, and white stockings...
The girl put on her clothes one by one.
Finally, there is the purple scarf and clogs.
"It's OK, Kirataka."
As Sakura finished speaking, he slowly walked out from behind the tree.
Then, he and Yae Sakura started walking up the mountain together.
"...Fireworks Festival?"
After hearing Kirataka explain the purpose of his visit, the cherry-haired girl asked curiously.
Fireworks were introduced from Shenzhou to the Far East around the 16th century, which was the era when Yae Sakura lived, so she was not unfamiliar with fireworks.
However, in her time, there was no such ritual as the "Fireworks Festival."
——In that age of war and superstition, fireworks were used more as a weapon or exorcism tool.
It was not until the middle of the Edo period in the 18th century that fireworks displays became popular, as people believed that they could honor the souls of those who died from disease and famine.
"Well, shooting fireworks into the sky to form all kinds of beautiful patterns, and holding festivals on the ground is a custom of this era."
Kirataka patiently explained common sense to this ghost from the Far East five hundred years ago.
"Is it a kind of celebration? It's not impossible..."
Yae Sakura thought about it for a moment, but she still had some concerns.
"Are you worried about Rin?"
"Well, after all, that child is not a real human being, unlike me. If she wants to show up in the real world, it may not be that easy."
She said with some concern.
Since they are going, they should be together and not go alone.
"Don't worry, it's not a big problem."
Kirataka said with a smile.
Projecting something that does not exist in the real world to carry out activities is one of the abilities of the Herrscher of Corruption.
If it is not used for combat, but simply to allow Rin to move around in the real world, then Higokumaru should be able to do it now.
Afterwards, Kirataka and Yae Sakura walked up and came to a hillside where cherry trees were in full bloom.
From afar, on the grass under the cherry tree, two figures, one pink and one purple, were sitting there, seemingly studying something.
The purple girl frowned, her hands busy, looking like she was in a tough battle. The pink-haired girl beside her looked at her with a faint smile.
Judging from what they were doing, Rin was probably teaching Sirin how to make rice balls.
Rin looked up inadvertently and saw the figures of Yae Sakura and Kirataka, so she waved her hand and greeted them enthusiastically:
"Little Shiro~Long time no see."
"Long time no see, Rin, Sirin."
The two came to their side and sat down.
"Come, Little Shiro, try the rice balls I made."
Rin handed over the rice ball she had just wrapped.
She is an expert at making rice balls, and the finished products are as pleasing to the eye as works of art.
Kirataka took the rice ball, tasted it without hesitation, and gave it a full thumbs up:
"Mm, delicious."
However, before he finished eating the first rice ball, a certain pufferfish lady handed him the "rice ball" she had just finished.
At the same time, she whispered awkwardly:
"…Try what I made, too."
"This is…"
Kirataka's eyes fell on the girl's hands.
It's crooked and bumpy as if it was punctured by something and then glued together again.
To be fair, it is hard to call this appearance a "rice ball." Compared with Rin's finished product, it is a world of difference.
"No, forget it if you don't want to eat!"
Seeing his suspicious expression, Sirin became a little angry and puffed up her cheeks, intending to take her hand back.
However, Kirataka was a little faster than her. He picked up the "rice ball" before she could take it back and put it into his mouth.
"Well, it's a little worse than Rin's, but it's still pretty good."
Kirataka commented.
Although the appearance is not very good, the taste is still good.
Well, after all, it's just rice balls…
"I didn't ask you if the food tasted good!"
Sirin turned her head and scolded.
However, even though she said this, the corners of her mouth still curled up in a cute arc.
Rin, who was standing by, covered her mouth and chuckled. After Kirataka finished cleaning up the two rice balls, he asked softly:
"Little Shiro, is there anything you want to do here this time?"
"Well, I wanted to invite you to go to the fireworks festival outside."
Kirataka nodded and repeated what he had just said to Yae Sakura.
Although it's nice here, you still need to go out for a walk occasionally.
"That's great~ if I can go to the festival with Little Shiro."
Rin agreed without any surprise.
"So... is Sirin going?"
Having obtained the consent of the Yae sisters, Kirataka looked at the last girl with a smile.
"…"
Sirin turned her head away and did not answer.
"Does this mean you don't want to go?"
Kirataka touched his chin.
After all, she is a genuine Herrscher of the Void and did not leave many good memories in her original world.
Her current attitude towards ordinary humans...is indeed worth discussing.
Is it the "good" side that leans towards Kiana, or the "evil" side that leans towards the Queen?
Seeing this, Rin blinked, moved closer to Kirataka, and whispered in his ear:
"Sirin looks like she really wants to go."
After all, having lived here with Sirin for some time, they have become quite good friends, and Rin now has a full understanding of Sirin's character.
In short, it is "tsundere."
Even if she likes something very much or wants to do something, if the other party brings it up, she still likes to act cold or unwilling to hide her true feelings.
"So you're going?"
"...Um."
Sirin replied in a low voice.
"That's good... But if you go, Sirin, you have to bring this with you."
Kirataka took out a mask and handed it to the purple-haired girl in front of him.
——Su helped him build a magical prop that can distort other people's perception of himself.
The cognitive distortion effect of this item is not limited to what the naked eye sees. Even images recorded by electronic devices will be affected by the distortion when observed. It is a magical tool that can actually hide one's identity.
This is a necessary thing for Sirin, who wants to appear in the real world.
Otherwise, if a certain Bishop of Schicksal who has spies everywhere saw "Sirin's resurrection," things would probably become chaotic.
Sirin took the mask and looked at the prop curiously.
She had also come into contact with the female Su and could feel her power remaining on it.
Seeing that the three of them had already agreed to the invitation to the fireworks festival, Kirataka smiled and said:
"Okay, get ready, I'll take you back."