Golden Festival Day 56
The morning flight touched down smoothly, one by one, passengers filtered out through the gates, among them was a group of familiar faces.
Shoyo stepped out first, hands in his pockets with an excited smile, his presence as relaxed as ever but grounded in something steady beneath it. Behind him were Chifuyu's parents along with Iris's father followed with her younger sister close by, they'd finally gotten the chance to get acquainted on the plane. Her mother couldn't make it, work holding her back, but her absence didn't weigh too heavily in the moment.
Erika arrived with her mother, stepping through the terminal with that same bright energy she always carried, her eyes scanning the area almost immediately. It didn't take long.
She saw him.
And just like that, the distance of time didn't matter anymore.
Chifuyu had already been waiting outside with the others, but the moment his gaze landed on her, something shifted. Not dramatically. Not loudly. Just enough.
Erika closed the gap first.
They didn't say anything at the start. They didn't need to.
The smile said enough.
There was familiarity there, something easy and unforced, like no time had passed at all. Chifuyu scratched the back of his head out of habit, letting out a small breath through his nose as he returned the smile, and Erika laughed softly like she always did when he did that.
Behind her, her mother approached, her expression warm as she looked at him.
She hadn't seen him in well over a year.
And yet, the first thing she noticed was how much he had changed.
She greeted him with genuine relief, glad to see that he was doing well, and Chifuyu responded respectfully, a little more composed than he might have been before. It was subtle, but it was there. Chifuyu's parents hadn't seen Diego in an even longer time, so they greeted him warmly.
Nearby, Sylvie stepped forward, and Esmarie didn't hesitate to pounce on her for a second. The reunion between the three of them, Erika, Sylvie, and Esmarie was full of life, their voices overlapping as they caught up all at once, laughter slipping easily between them like it always had. There was comfort in that reunion, something that hadn't changed despite everything that had happened since their time at the Academy.
Marlon's mother greeted her son, she's the overbearing kind but Marlon doesn't mind at all. Esmarie's parents followed, both of them already amused by the energy surrounding Odd Jobs before they had even fully settled in. Introductions were exchanged naturally, conversations forming and shifting as more people gathered into the same space.
Noah tagged along as well, it was hard to turn down this invite. Soru and Dallas came too, the contrast between them as clear as ever. Dallas remained composed and observant, greeting the group calmly, while Soru looked like he was already enjoying himself before anything had even started.
Hairene showed up surprisingly sober. She looked around like she was assessing the situation before casually inserting herself into it, greeting Iris in a way that was far too familiar for the short amount of time they had known each other. Lastly, Jenna came out with her friend Aoi, Jenna felt a bit out of place, but Aoi blended right in. It didn't take long for Jenna to find Nicholas, who greeted them with the same gentle warmth he always carried, easing whatever tension she had brought with her.
With everyone accounted for, at least for now, the group began to move together, transitioning from the airport toward the hotel. The island welcomed them without resistance, the path opening up into wide streets lined with palm trees and open skies, the ocean never too far out of sight.
Brunch came soon after. Tables were pushed together, chairs filled quickly, plates arriving one after another as if the kitchen had already anticipated the scale of the group. The food was abundant, varied, and gone just as quickly as it appeared, conversations overlapping in that familiar rhythm that only came from a group this large and this connected.
Chifuyu found himself seated near the center of it all, glancing around at the people who had gathered here. His parents. His friends. People from different parts of his life, all in the same place.
It felt… full.
Shoyo's voice cut through the noise briefly, quieter than usual but clear enough for Chifuyu to catch.
There were still people searching.
For Dakota.
The reminder didn't weigh the moment down, but it grounded it. Kept it real.
Chifuyu smiled slightly, nodding as he responded that he knew.
Because he did.
Noah added to it without looking away from the sky outside, mentioning that even here, even now, his crows were still out there searching.
They spent the day wandering through Hanabi Island like a moving storm of energy, drifting from lively streets filled with shops and food stalls to quiet scenic paths that overlooked the endless ocean. Sometimes they stuck together, a loud, unmistakable group turning heads wherever they went, and other times they split into smaller circles that explored at their own pace before naturally finding each other again. There was no real plan—just curiosity guiding them from one place to the next, laughter carrying between groups, and the feeling that no matter where they went, they weren't missing anything as long as they were together.
The evening somehow ended in a cook-off.
No one could pinpoint exactly when the idea stopped being a joke and became an event, but before anyone could question it, stations were set, ingredients were gathered, and everyone had somehow become a contestant. What started as a simple dinner turned into a full-blown competition.
Still, even in the chaos, a few stood out immediately.
Chifuyu's dad moved like this was second nature. There was no flashiness to his cooking, no unnecessary flair, just confidence in every motion. Erika's mom matched that energy in a completely different way, her cooking was elegant and deliberate, every step flowing into the next like she had already visualized the final result before she even began.
Shinatsu kept up with them. Her posture stayed straight, her movements sharp, and her focus unbroken. She didn't react to the noise, didn't engage with the banter, she simply cooked.
Dallas barely looked like he was trying. He worked at his own pace, unbothered by the frenzy around him, his hands moving just enough to get things done without wasting effort. There was something almost irritating about how composed he was, to Shoyo at least.
Shoyo turned it into a performance. He moved quickly, confidently, occasionally glancing around like he was in direct competition with everyone at once. He added ingredients without hesitation, adjusted things on instinct, and at one point nodded to himself like he had just made a breakthrough no one else could understand. Whether it was genius or complete nonsense wasn't clear, but he acted like it was intentional.
Around them, the rest of Odd Jobs and their guests filled the space with pure chaos.
Kagura was loud from the start, hyping up everyone equally while also declaring herself the winner before she had even finished. Diego treated the entire thing like a televised event, narrating dramatic play-by-plays of people chopping vegetables. Caesar cheered on Chifuyu as he assisted him and Ariel. Yuji kept things grounded, observing like he was silently judging the entire competition.
Esmarie bounced between stations, offering help that ranged from genuinely useful to completely unnecessary. Marlon stayed off to the side at first, but even he got pulled into it eventually.
Nicholas tried to maintain order, which lasted about thirty seconds before he gave up and focused on his own dish, smiling through the chaos. Jenna and Aoi helper with his dish, while Hairene hovered in and out of the action, occasionally tasting things without permission and offering blunt commentary that no one asked for. By this point she had gotten herself drunk.
Somewhere along the way, something almost caught fire. Diego was blamed.
Despite the noise, the overlapping conversations, and the constant interruptions, dishes slowly came together. Some were simple, some overly ambitious, some clearly improvised halfway through, but each one carried the personality of the person who made it.
When everything was finally plated, the energy shifted, not into seriousness, but into anticipation.
Everyone gathered.
Tasting began.
Some dishes earned genuine praise, others sparked confusion, and a few created debates that lasted longer than they should have.
Through it all, the five who had stood out earlier held their ground.
Chifuyu's dad delivered something clean and balanced, the kind of dish that didn't need explanation. Erika's mom presented something refined and comforting, quietly impressive. Shinatsu's was a standout. Dallas's dish spoke for itself, simple in appearance but unexpectedly layered. And Shoyo's was bold, but undeniably good.
In the end, no one could agree on a winner.
Arguments turned into laughter, claims of victory overlapped, and any attempt at a final decision dissolved into noise. Everyone had their favorites.
The night carried on with full stomachs, lingering laughter, and the kind of warmth that didn't come from the food alone.