As the sun set behind the mountains, the sky gradually darkened.
The town remained bustling and brightly lit.
The boy, carrying a bag, walked through the bustling crowd, his smiling face masking a strange and complex mix of emotions.
The people of Kambara Village are holding a festival.
They were wholeheartedly celebrating the day of sacrifice tomorrow.
A child is holding an adult's hand, while his other hand is restlessly waving a cotton candy, looking very lively.
He asked, "After tomorrow's Day of Sacrifice, will the gods bless me so I can pass my exam?"
The woman laughed and ruffled his hair, saying, "The gods don't care about these things; you still have to rely on your own efforts."
But the gods will bless you so you can grow up healthy.
The woman's smile was gentle and kind as she spoke. If one disregarded the fact that the so-called Day of Sacrifice was stained with the blood and souls of the Kanbara Clan, this would have been an ordinary and heartwarming interaction between mother and child.
Such incongruous scenes are almost everywhere; on the surface, they even appear to be very simple and kind.
And none of this was feigned; Su Qing'an, who had some experience with acting, could tell that the villagers' reactions were genuine.
After ruling out the possibility that all of them were master actors, thus creating a Truman Show-like world to keep him in the dark.
This sincerity only seemed more terrifying to Su Qing'an.
That's like a child laughing as they crush ants, taking it seriously as a game—a naive understanding.
The villagers' attitude towards the Kambara Family was like a twisted form of goodwill, which manifested in reality as pure malice.
According to the villagers, the Day of Sacrifice is a beautiful festival to allow the incarnation of the gods on earth to be reborn and to wash away the calamities that have befallen the village.
At this moment, the professional team that Kambara Shuichi hired from the fireworks company was preparing for the fireworks display in an open space.
Dozens of technicians arrived in Kambara Village yesterday, shortly after Kambara Shuichi arrived, and began setting up the site.
They arranged the fireworks like building blocks.
By tonight's celebration, all that's left to do is for the explosives department personnel to prepare the fuses, fill the gunpowder, and finally ignite the explosives.
These exquisite fireworks, 70% of which are handcrafted, are seen by the villagers as Kambara Shuichi prepared for the festival, a compromise with custom and Living Doll.
But in reality, it was just something a father did to make his daughter happy.
After the ignition, the countdown to the fireworks' ascent began.
After directing the crowd, Kambara Shuichi walked alone to Su Qing'an's side, silently smoking a cigar and looking up at the dark, boundless night sky.
"Mr. Kambara, aren't you going back to be with Miss Yu?" Su Qing'an asked.
For some reason, at a certain moment he felt that the way Kambara Shuichi smoked was strangely similar to that of Nishikujo Sara. It wasn't the action or the expression, but something else that overlapped.
Is it a sense of vicissitude and maturity?
It was that same heavy and sorrowful experience.
"Xiao Xi is being accompanied by Kitahara and Ms. Sato. As for me, I need to get these unrelated people out of Kambara Village later to avoid getting them involved in this battle. After all, I can't let them be in danger because of my willfulness."
Kambara Shuichi's words were exhaled along with the smoke in his throat. He looked at the fireworks blooming in the sky, the white mist obscuring his face, making it difficult for Su Qing'an to see his expression for a moment.
But she was probably smiling.
In Kambara Shuichi's heart.
These thousands of fireworks were set off just for Kambara Yuu.
Kambara Ancestral Home. Courtyard.
Kambara Yuu gazed at the night sky ignited in an instant, her eyes shone brightly, reflecting the scene.
The girl was quite excited.
Only now did she understand what the surprise that Kambara Shuichi had said he wanted to give her before he left last time was.
This fireworks display was just as grand and magnificent as the fireworks at the large celebration she remembered.
Moreover, her father put it there for her.
Just thinking about this fills Kambara Yuu with a small sense of pride, like a child showing off their parents' accomplishments.
Kitahara Shin stood behind the girl, his solemn face softening upon seeing Kambara Yuu's understanding expression.
After spending ten years together, he was no longer fighting simply for Kambara Shuichi.
Kambara Yuu watched the fireworks, somewhat dazed.
She remembered that a few years ago on her birthday, Kambara Shuichi was too busy to come back and celebrate with her.
Although the girl wasn't angry, she was still a little disappointed and squatted in the corner of the bed, not going to bed early as she used to.
After rushing back, Kambara Shuichi carefully knocked on the door and asked if she was asleep.
The girl immediately ran over happily and opened the door.
For her, seeing Kambara Shuichi on this day was more important than any birthday gift.
And it has to be on this day; anything past midnight doesn't count.
This is a rare little bit of persistence in a girl's heart.
The man awkwardly pulled a few sparklers from his pocket, patted the girl's head, and apologized, saying that these were the only gifts he had.
Afterwards, the father and daughter squatted in the courtyard and lit sparklers.
Although she seemed a little silly, Kambara Yuu was still very happy.
The sparklers seemed to burn for a very, very long time before finally going out that day.
Because that day was very, very far away from the Day of Sacrifice that was to come the next day.
Fireworks, one after another, sublimate into magnificent light and sparks.
After a short time, all the thousands of fireworks burned out.
More than ten hours of preparation were all for this short five-minute spectacle.
Five minutes is much longer than a sparkler's burning time, and these fireworks are much prettier than sparklers.
But Kambara Yuu still felt it was a bit short; she suddenly and impulsively thought the sparkler from that day was prettier.
Am I being too greedy? This is already quite good enough.
Looking at the night sky that had returned to darkness, Kambara Yuu felt a pang of sadness.
Then a hand was placed on her head; it was Satou Yunona.
She smiled and gently stroked the girl's head, saying:
"Cheer up, Xiao Xi!"
"I will help you kill that Living Doll and prevent it from harming you. It's a promise."
After all, I wore your Kyo-Yuzen, so I should take responsibility for it. Satou Yunona made excuses for herself.
Developing excessive emotional ties with the client is unnecessary and carries a risk of instability.
But both Su Qing'an and Satou Yunona clearly no longer treated this as a normal mission.
Is this due to the unique personal charm of Kambara Shuichi and Kambara Yuu, or simply their youthful spirit?
"Okay, this is for you." Satou Yunona said with a smile, putting her hands behind her back.
She used her power to create a cluster of blue baby's breath that emitted a gentle glow, and handed it to the somewhat disappointed Kambara Yuu.
"Wow, where did this come from?" The girl blankly accepted the somewhat dreamlike bouquet.
"Sister Yunona, that's amazing. Is this the legendary magic?" Kambara Yuu looked at the starry sky with delight, then looked up at Satou Yunona with earnest admiration and said.
"Yes," Satou Yunona nodded in agreement.
This shouldn't be considered cheating, probably.
Satou Yunona easily accomplished what Kitahara Shin, who was bad at talking, and Su Qing'an could not.
And the Demon Hour is drawing ever closer amidst this peaceful daily life.
This time, Satou Yunona didn't want to lose.