The villagers, upon seeing Jotaro on the roof of the temple, were filled with excitement. Some shouted with joy, others jumped up euphorically. The surprise and happiness were contagious.
—Jotaro is back! —they exclaimed as they ran toward him.
Immediately, they began bombarding him with questions from all sides: why he had left, why it took him so long to return, and if something had happened to him. Jotaro calmly raised his hands.
—Calm down! I'll answer everything, but first, you all need to relax a little.
—Yes! —everyone shouted.
Jotaro looked down, thoughtful.
—I think I should get down from here —he murmured to himself.
When he climbed down from the roof, the villagers rushed toward him, eager for answers. To organize the chaos, Jotaro raised his voice.
—Please, form a line in front of the temple. I'll answer your questions one by one.
He sat down right in front of the temple entrance and began the curious Q&A session. One by one, he eased their doubts and satisfied their curiosity. When he answered the last question, the man bowed gratefully.
—Thank you so much for answering me, demigod Jotaro!
—You're welcome —he replied with a slight smile.
He watched as the last villager walked away and murmured:
—I guess that was the last one...
—And what about us? —said a female voice behind him.
Jotaro turned. In front of him stood Kira and Aiko.
—Oh, it's you two. What do you want?
—What do you mean "what do we want"? You're answering questions, aren't you?! —Kira protested.
—Right, sorry. What would you like to ask?
—We want to know... —Kira started, then bluntly added— where's the food?
Jotaro blinked in disbelief.
—That's all?
—Yes —she replied with complete seriousness.
—Well, as you can see, there isn't any...
—What?! Why not? —Kira protested, alarmed.
—Because no one came here to eat.
—But this is a celebration, there should be food! —Kira insisted.
—There's no food at this celebration.
Kira hung her head, clearly disappointed. Jotaro turned to Aiko.
—And you, Aiko? Do you have a question?
—Huh? Me... no, not really, hehe —she replied, scratching her head.
—Then, if there are no more questions...
Just as Jotaro was about to stand up, a middle-aged man appeared with a wide smile.
—Oh! Did you finish answering all the questions, demigod Jotaro?
—Yes —Jotaro confirmed.
—Perfect! Then we can start the celebration!
—Huh?
The man turned to the villagers.
—Everyone, we can begin the celebration now!
—Yes! —the villagers responded.
Jotaro watched, confused, as people started setting up tables, torches, and chairs, while others brought trays of food, beer, and liquor.
—What... what are they doing? —he asked, perplexed.
—Looks like they're preparing a feast —Aiko commented.
—A feast?! That means delicious food! —Kira exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
—Does food really excite you that much? —Jotaro asked.
—I haven't eaten anything all day!
—But you ate meat when we were at the guild —Jotaro reminded her.
—Yeah, but I'm still hungry!
Jotaro sighed.
—You're such a glutton.
Aiko let out a soft laugh.
—You two get along so well... you almost seem like a couple.
—You think so? I don't think so... —Jotaro replied, glancing at Kira.
He noticed she had turned red.
—Hey, are you okay? You're all red.
—Y-yes, I'm fine!
—Are you sure?
—I said I'm fine! —she snapped, turning her head away.
—Why are you reacting like that...?
Before he could finish, the same man from earlier approached again.
—Hey, demigod Jotaro, Kira! Come over! You too, miss —he said, pointing to Aiko.
—I'm happy to go! —Kira replied, shooting off toward the tables.
Jotaro and Aiko exchanged a look.
—Shall we? —he asked.
Aiko nodded with a smile, and they both walked toward the celebration.
The three of them enjoyed the feast prepared by the villagers. Cheerful music played, and the atmosphere was full of joy.
—This meat is amazing! —Kira said, chewing on a big chunk.
—Don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross —Jotaro scolded.
—And what do you care?
—I care because you might be bothering the others.
—Of course not! Right? —Kira asked the villagers.
—Not at all! —they replied, laughing.
—See? No one minds —Kira said, triumphant.
—Fine... do whatever you want.
Jotaro began eating as well. Just then, Aiko let out a soft groan.
—You okay? —he asked her.
—Yeah... I just burned my tongue on the soup. I forgot to blow on it first.
—You need to be more careful.
—I will.
At that moment, the man stood up with a cup in hand.
—Everyone, listen up! Today we celebrate the return of our dear demigod Jotaro. We went through two hard days without him, but now he's back, and we have nothing to fear anymore. If anything happens, he'll protect us!
The villagers applauded and cheered. After eating, many started dancing, including Kira and Aiko—who was dragged onto the dance floor by Kira. Some drank, others laughed, and a group tested their strength by punching trees.
Jotaro watched everything with a calm smile. Aiko approached him.
—Not going to dance?
—I'm not much of a dancer... Besides, shouldn't you be dancing with Kira?
—I tried, but I can't keep up with her —she admitted with a laugh.
—Then... how about we talk for a bit?
—Sure.
Aiko sat beside him.
—What do you want to talk about, demigod Jotaro?
—Why are you calling me that now?
—Well... now that I know you're a demigod, I thought it was more appropriate.
—Just call me Jotaro, like always.
—You sure?
—Yeah. It's fine.
—Then... I'll call you Jotaro like always —she said with a smile.
Just then, Kira appeared.
—What are you two doing?
—Just chatting, right Aiko? —Jotaro replied.
—Yeah.
—I see. By the way, Jotaro, don't you want to dance with me?
—Why don't you dance alone?
—I already did. But now I'm bored... plus, you're sitting awfully close to Aiko —she muttered.
—What was that?
—Nothing! Are you going to dance with me or not?
—I don't know how to dance...
—Doesn't matter, I'll teach you.
Kira grabbed his arm and started pulling him.
—I told you I don't know how to dance!
—Just follow the rhythm.
—And how do I do that?
—Let the music guide you!
—I don't get it...
Suddenly, a man looked at them and shouted:
—Everyone, look! Demigod Jotaro is going to dance with Kira!
The crowd gathered around, excited. The musicians switched to a romantic tune.
—Come on, Jotaro —Kira said, holding out her hand.
Jotaro smiled and took her hand.
—Alright.
And so, Jotaro and Kira began to dance. Their movements, awkward at first, slowly began to sync. Aiko watched them from a distance, silently smiling.