Summer festival

Four days flew by. The six of them changed their clothes, slipped on wooden sandals, and headed out together to the Kyoto Gion Festival that evening.

Lights glimmered beside the bridge along the river.

Both sides of the bridge were lined with stalls selling toys and snacks. In all the time since Naomitsu had crossed into this world, this was his first taste of such a lively atmosphere.

"Now this is what it means to be alive!"

His taut nerves gradually relaxed amid the laughter and chatter. He glanced at Naoya Zenin beside him. Somehow, the boy had gotten his hands on a Kappa mask.

"Hee-hahaha!"

He bobbed his head around, making scary faces to frighten everyone. Naomitsu and Megumi Fushiguro both rolled their eyes, while Maki and the girls burst out laughing.

"That's hideous!"

"Yeah! It's not scary at all! Even a cursed spirit would be scarier!"

After the string of put-downs, Naoya Zenin dejectedly tossed the mask away. Before long, though, something new caught his attention.

I never realized this little guy was so playful. But that makes sense. At the end of the day, they're all still kids.

As planned, the six of them went for snacks first. Since everyone had different tastes, they each chose different things to eat.

Maki had takoyaki, while Mai had okonomiyaki. Naoya had grilled chicken skewers, and Megumi Fushiguro and Tsumiki had grilled squid and fried potato patties.

Naomitsu chose fried noodles, something that would fill his stomach.

Of course, those alone weren't enough to fill them up. Afterward, everyone also had desserts like shaved ice, taiyaki, candied apples, and chocolate cake.

By the time they finished browsing, they had pretty much eaten their way through the snack street. Their next stop was the games.

The game stalls were across the bridge, mostly offering goldfish scooping, balloon shooting, and ring toss for stuffed toys.

For Naomitsu, who had played video games before, these held no appeal. But Maki, Tsumiki, and the other girls found them endlessly entertaining.

In the end, Naomitsu, Naoya, and Megumi Fushiguro became their baggage carriers.

The goldfish the girls scooped up, the stuffed toys they won at ring toss, and the prizes from balloon shooting all ended up hanging off the three boys.

"How did it come to this..." Naomitsu was starting to regret coming to play games.

"Because we're the younger brothers!" Megumi Fushiguro said matter-of-factly.

"You're the younger brothers! I'm not! Damn it!" Naoya suddenly felt like dumping everything he was carrying.

"But I'm your boss. If even your boss is carrying things, are you going to run away, little underling?"

Under Naomitsu's tyranny, Naoya trailed behind like a walking corpse, wishing he were dead.

Fortunately, they didn't spend too long on the games. After about an hour, the girls had had enough. The three brothers-in-arms, however, were worn out.

After that ordeal, the three of them grew closer.

"Mitsu-chan! Where are we going next?"

Naomitsu and the boys had barely rested on the park bench before the three girls eagerly prepared for the next activity, as though their energy would never run out.

"We'll rest a bit, then walk around and watch the fireworks. After that, we'll go soak in the baths. Once we're done, we'll head home, and that'll wrap up today's summer festival."

"That sounds great!"

The girls beamed, completely ignoring the exhausted looks on Naomitsu's and the other boys' faces. While Naomitsu rested, the girls kept admiring the scenery.

Thankfully, they didn't have phones. Otherwise, they would have dragged the boys off to take pictures during their break, too.

Ten minutes later, the fireworks display began. The six set off again and reached the bridge, where they watched brilliant fireworks light up the starry sky.

"They're so pretty!"

"Mitsu-chan! Look!"

Maki and Mai kept exclaiming in delight, and Naomitsu nodded with a smile. Relaxed, carefree days like this were what life was all about.

If being born into it hadn't meant facing a life-or-death crisis from the start, perhaps the Zenin Clan would have been a decent choice.

After all, it was a great clan that had existed since the Heian era. At the very least, money for food, drink, and entertainment was never a concern.

The only worry was the competition within the clan.

"Wow! That one's purple! Mitsu-chan, look!"

Mai bounced up and down, holding Naomitsu's hand. Little girls were wonderful at this age: affectionate and obedient, with smiles that soothed the heart.

The fireworks display didn't last long, ending after about five minutes. All six of them were left wanting more.

On the way to the baths, they were still talking about the fireworks.

Naturally, the baths weren't mixed. The sisters and brothers split up, and Naomitsu finally enjoyed a little peace and quiet.

In the steaming bath, Naomitsu relaxed both mind and body, reclining in the water with his eyes closed.

All his accumulated fatigue washed away.

"This feels so good. I'll have to come here more often. Boss, I'll bring you along next time."

Naomitsu waved a hand. "After this outing, I won't be going out much anymore. That'll have to wait until I start school."

Naoya Zenin's mouth fell open in surprise, and Megumi Fushiguro gave Naomitsu a puzzled glance.

Seeing their looks, Naomitsu grinned.

"Don't worry. I won't let you sit around doing nothing. You'll have plenty of work as my sparring partners from now on."

Ultimately, Naomitsu would hone all his combat experience by practicing against these two little guys.

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy the bath first. We can talk about troublesome stuff like training later."

Naoya Zenin shook his head and submerged himself up to his neck.

Half an hour later, Naomitsu and the boys emerged from the baths with steam rising from their bodies. Their skin was bright red from the heat, but they felt thoroughly refreshed.

Maki and the girls soaked for another half hour. When they came out, their flushed little faces looked adorable.

"Let's go! Time to head home!"

As the summer festival drew to a close, Naomitsu and the others saw a large group returning from the mountain on their way home.

The people wore unusual outfits and held torches, chanting something as they walked. They were probably performing a ritual.

Not long after the group left, the six spotted a girl flying toward them on a broom.

The girl was six years old-Momo Nishimiya, who would one day attend Kyoto Prefectural High School. Dressed as a witch, she stopped in front of Maki and the others.

"You're from the Zenin Clan, right?"

Maki and Mai exchanged a glance, then nodded at Momo Nishimiya.

"A cursed spirit appeared over there! I can't handle it alone! Could you help me exorcise it?"

Naomitsu was a little surprised to hear about a cursed spirit. They weren't far from the Zenin Clan estate. How had one appeared here?

"What grade is it?"

If it was below Grade 2, there was no need for him to act. If it was Grade 1 or above, there was no point in going over, either.

All in all, Naomitsu had no intention of going.

"It's a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit. It hasn't hurt anyone yet. The Procession found it, and I was tasked with notifying the clan so someone could come deal with it," Momo Nishimiya replied.

"All right, got it. I'll be over in a bit."

Naomitsu waved a hand, telling Naoya Zenin to take Maki, Megumi Fushiguro, and the others home first.

"Boss, you didn't bring your sword! Will you be okay?"

Naomitsu grinned. "You little brat! You dare underestimate your boss? Go on home! Make sure you protect Maki!"