"Yu! Eriri! Over here!"
Not long after separating from the yokai group of the Nura Clan, Nakano Yu and Eriri quickly ran into Ichika, who was with Sawamura Sayuri and the others.
However, at this moment only Ichika was there alone. When she spotted Nakano Yu, Ichika, who had been watching others play darts in front of a stall, quickly swallowed the takoyaki in her mouth, waved at them, and ran over.
"Ichika, why are you here? Where are Mother and the others?"
Seeing that Ichika was alone, Nakano Yu looked somewhat confused. He remembered that before leaving, he had told Ichika to stay with Nakano Reina and the others.
Could it be that Maruo sent Ichika away so he could stay alone with Reina?
Hiss~
That really does sound like something Maruo would do, but just sending Ichika away probably isn't enough, right? Where is Sawamura Sayuri?
"Yu, you're the last person who should say that! A little while ago Spencer came, said he was Sawamura Sayuri's husband, and took her away on a date. Then Father gave me 100,000 yen and told me to go have fun by myself."
When Nakano Yu asked about it, Ichika became annoyed. She was also part of the family, but when Father gave her the money, the expression full of dismissal and contempt on his face really made Ichika feel hurt. Even though 100,000 yen was comforting, Ichika was still sad.
They hadn't seen Mother for a long time, and their longing for Mother was no less than Father's. But Nakano Maruo had simply driven her away like this. If he did this again in the future… he would have to pay more!
"Father came too?"
Hearing that, Eriri looked somewhat surprised and asked.
The Spencer Ichika mentioned was none other than Eriri's Father, Leonard Spencer, a British diplomat stationed in Nihon. However, because of differences in status and customs, many people preferred to simply call that friendly diplomat Spencer.
In Eriri's memory, ever since her Father came to Nihon, he had constantly been busy. Although he always found time to be with her and even helped her sell some of the doujinshi she drew, her Father usually did not attend major events like fireworks festivals. So why today?
"Yes, Eriri's parents seem very much in love."
Nodding, Ichika said that with a smile. She truly thought so. After all, a diplomat must be busy, dealing with many people every day, yet he could still make time to accompany his wife to a fireworks festival.
Clearly, Ichika and Eriri were surprised by the same thing, but Nakano Yu didn't think there was anything strange about it, because people always need to rest.
"That old man really did something like that."
Rubbing his forehead helplessly, Nakano Yu quietly sighed. Nakano Yu had already guessed that Maruo would find an excuse to send Ichika away. After all, a fireworks festival is the most convenient time for couples to be alone. Of course, the same applies to married couples.
"Yu! I finally found you!"
At that moment Yotsuba's voice sounded from not far away. Nakano Yu turned around and saw Yotsuba running toward him while hugging a huge stuffed rabbit doll.
Not far away, in only a single breath of time, Yotsuba arrived in front of Nakano Yu and the others. Holding the rabbit by the hand, Yotsuba seriously greeted Nakano Yu:
"Good evening, Yu, I am Mister Rabbit~"
"Yotsuba, where did you get that?"
Seeing the rabbit, Nakano Yu was surprised, then looked at Yotsuba and asked.
He remembered that Yotsuba had gone to play goldfish scooping with Itsuki and Tsurara, right? So how did she get a rabbit? Did this girl go shoot at the shooting gallery? That didn't seem likely either. Yotsuba had excellent athletic ability, but her talent for shooting was simply difficult to describe.
"Oh! This? The older sister at the goldfish scooping stall gave it to me! She told me to take the doll and hurry away, and leave the goldfish behind, so then I got it."
When Nakano Yu asked about it, Yotsuba proudly raised her head and said with a giggle.
Although, actually, she hadn't caught the goldfish herself.
Just like with shooting, Yotsuba actually wasn't very good at it, but it didn't matter because Tsurara was there!
Tsurara secretly blew into the water, and the goldfish stopped moving. Then Yotsuba really did catch every one on the first try, but that was somewhat unfair to the older sister running the stall, so Yotsuba still paid before taking the rabbit.
"Yotsuba, seriously, run a little slower!"
At that moment Nino's voice sounded, and then Nino appeared from the crowd behind Yotsuba, together with Miku, Itsuki, and the snow woman Tsurara.
"Yu, here."
Miku walked over at that moment and brought the candied apple she bought to Nakano Yu's mouth, looking at the young man with eyes full of anticipation.
"Thanks, Miku."
Seeing that, Nakano Yu thanked her, took the candied apple, and licked it. The sugar coating immediately filled his tongue with sweetness mixed with a faint fruity scent.
"You're welcome, as long as Yu likes it."
Miku smiled gently, her fingers intertwined in front of her lips, her face full of unconcealed happiness.
"Let's see, now that everyone is here."
While eating the candied apple, Nakano Yu's gaze swept over the circle of beautiful girls, confirming that everyone who had come out this time was present except for the Nakano couple and the Sawamura couple. Thinking that they had their own things to do, Nakano Yu didn't bother trying to find them.
"So where should we go now?"
Pulling back his gaze, Nakano Yu asked. Previously he often went out with the Five Sisters, but this was his first time attending a fireworks festival with so many people. Before, when he went with the Five Sisters, there were only six of them.
This time, counting Eriri and Tsurara, as well as Nakano Maruo and the resurrected Reina, plus Sawamura Sayuri and Spencer, there were already ten people. With so many people, Nakano Yu didn't know what to do with them.
"The fireworks should start in ten minutes. How about we go to the shrine?"
Ichika checked the time and suggested it. She actually really wanted to go to the shrine with Nakano Yu. Even though the deity worshipped at that shrine was Ebisu, she had heard that prayers for safety there were very effective.
Ichika knew that Nakano Yu fought against Heretic Gods, and that those gods were not good gods, but what if some benevolent god could help Nakano Yu at a crucial moment?
Ichika's idea was simple: she didn't want Nakano Yu to get hurt.
"That shrine, ah, we just came back from there, right, Eriri."
Hearing Ichika's suggestion, Nakano Yu's expression wasn't very good. He had just killed that shrine's divine beast, so it wouldn't be good to go there now with Ichika.
Besides, he was a [Campione], a Godslayer. Ichika obviously wanted to visit the shrine, and if he went there with her, he felt that wouldn't look good. Moreover, Nakano Yu didn't believe that those gods still protected people in this era.
"Ah?! Mm-hmm! That shrine… there's nothing interesting there."
Seeing how Nakano Yu suddenly looked at her, Eriri, who until now hadn't managed to find an opportunity to speak, quickly came back to her senses and nodded in agreement. But while speaking, the manga she had seen at the shrine passed through her mind.
"I see."
Hearing that, Ichika nodded, sharply catching the information hidden within Nakano Yu's words. She knew Nakano Yu had previously gone to look for the missing Eriri, and now the two of them were saying they had come from the shrine. Didn't that mean the person who kidnapped Eriri had been there?
Although she knew Nakano Yu had probably already dealt with that person, it was still better not to go to that shrine.
"Um, should we go there? It looks like there's a small plaza there, and we should be able to see the fireworks from there too."
At that moment Tsurara raised her hand and suggested it. She was quite familiar with this area, mostly because Yotsuba had dragged her all over the place earlier, so she had seen quite a lot.
If Nakano Yu and the others wanted to watch the fireworks, it would be best to watch them from that plaza. There were no tall buildings there, so the view of the fireworks wouldn't be blocked.
"That sounds great! Let's hurry!"
Feeling that Tsurara's suggestion was good, Ichika's eyes lit up. After saying that, she immediately linked arms with Nakano Yu and headed in the direction Tsurara pointed.
"Fireworks! Fireworks! Let's go!"
Yotsuba also happily followed after them. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed themselves like this. Ever since Nakano Reina came back to life, they had personally experienced how wonderful it was to have a mother who was a high school teacher.
Seeing Yotsuba leave, Miku and Nino also followed after them. Itsuki, who was still waiting for her giant takoyaki at a nearby stall, panicked. She looked at the takoyaki on the grill, then at the figures moving farther away, and shouted:
"Eh?! So fast?! Wait, my takoyaki isn't done yet!"
"Is this the current human world? Truly prosperous, but desires have also reached an unprecedented level."
Above the bustling Ukiyoe Street, among the clouds, an old man who at first glance appeared somewhat lecherous, with walrus-like mustaches and dressed in luxurious silk, sat atop a dark purple dolphin. He looked toward the shrine below and muttered.
"Now that I think about it, humans are not much different from those gods of Takama-ga-hara who pride themselves on being good and holy. Once… I even thought they were pure and good."
The old man stroked the dolphin beneath him, and as the dolphin listened to his muttering, a drop of bright red tears fell from its eye.
If someone looked more carefully beneath the shining moonlight, they would see that the dolphin was covered in wounds — some from harpoons, some from fishing boats, and even red marks from a tight collar around its neck.
The dolphin did not speak, nor could it. It could only silently shed tears, waiting for what? Nothing more than waiting for their God to teach these corrupted humans a lesson.
"Now let's go, little one. It's time for these ignorant humans to understand that above the sea, there are also Gods!"
The old man patted the scar-covered, somewhat terrifying head of the dolphin, his aged voice gentle yet filled with coldness.
Receiving the command, the dolphin did not hesitate. Swinging its tail, it carried the old man and flew toward the city filled with tall buildings.
At that moment, Wind suddenly blew above the sea. The storm wind went wild, and within a single breath raised a hundred-meter-high wave that crashed toward the shore.
At that moment, the wrath of the God, the Wind of the sea… rose!