A Strange Party

Rain pattered down without end, yet even in weather like this, people were still traveling.

It was a strange party.

At the front walked a boy with a youthful face, dressed in a red robe. He had dog ears atop his head and a sword at his waist. Raindrops fell on him and slowly trickled away... He was completely soaked, but seemed not to care at all.

Beside him was a young man who looked like a monk. He was quite handsome, too, and wore red... plastic gloves, something that didn't exist in this era. A closer look revealed that raindrops falling on his bald head naturally ran down the outside of his body, then slid away without wetting him. That was exactly what "not getting wet" meant.

Behind them was a male figure in a "robe," his face almost impossible to see. Much like the bald man in front, the rain struck his "robe" and slid to the ground thanks to its "waterproof" qualities.

Walking beside him was a woman holding a paper parasol and wearing a flashy kimono. She looked somewhat alluring, and her bare, pale feet moved freely across the soggy ground, without the slightest fear of getting dirty. She even had a bit of a little-girl air about her.

On the other side was a woman in a kimono, holding a nylon umbrella that didn't belong in this era. Her shoulder-length crimson hair, long neglected and "uncared for," had nearly reached her waist. Her fearsome curves made the otherwise respectable-looking kimono seem rather colorful.

At that moment, she looked just like an ordinary Japanese girl... Not that there were any red-haired girls in Japan.

What's more, she carried a giant axe on her back... one that looked even bigger than she was. It was a particularly