[Warning 15+]
Part Four
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 161
Man, I've Straight-Up Wanted to Try Luggin' That Thing Around at Least Once, Y'Know!
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 161
Man, I've Straight-Up Wanted to Try Luggin' That Thing Around at Least Once, Y'Know!
◇◇◇
In the middle of a solemn-*ss air where the tension was pulled straight-up tight, the Chief Priest, who is Saki's Dad, was offerin' up sacred food and ritual prayers to the main Deity.
It was a sacred-*ss ritual done only by the Shinto Priests and a handful of chosen-*ss people.
So naturally, both Saki and Shinta were right-*ss there in the mix.
Haruki, along with everyone else, was watchin' the whole-*ss scene unfold from a distance.
"O Most Awesome and Dreaded Deity—"
The Festival rituals straight-up kept movin' forward.
Before long, Shinta, looking tense as heck, accepted a tray piled with several-*ss sacred food offerin's from the Chief Priest.
They'd offer these up at the small shrines scattered all over Tsukinose to pray for a massive-*ss harvest this year.
Originally, this Festival used to go down after the autumn harvest, but Haruki had overheard that since the Meiji Period, a ton of people started leaving the countryside for seasonal-*ss work, so they just lumped everythin' together durin' the Obon Season.
Shinta was straight-up one of the main stars of this year's Summer Festival.
Word on the street is that in the Tsukinose Festival, there's a custom where they put seven-year-old kids up on the Festival float.
It's supposed to count as welcomin' them as a full-*ss member of the countryside at that age, while also doublin' as a report to the Deity about it.
Shinta climbed up onto the Festival float along with the tray of sacred food offerin's.
Haruki was watchin' the whole vibe, feeling low-key hyped and excited.
"Whoa, Shinta-kun is straight-up so d*mn lucky…"
"Yeah, I totally-*ss get how you feel. I low-key wanted to try ridin' on that thing back then too."
"Huh, you didn't get to ride it back then, Hayato?"
"Well, that float is straight-up only for families tied to the Shrine or specific-*ss lineages that—"
The moment Hayato shot that reply back to Haruki's sharp-*ss question, he instantly-*ss made a sour-*ss face like, "Oh cr*p, I screwed up big time."
"Oops, the Festival float is straight-up startin' to move, I gotta bounce!"
"Hey, hold up a sec! Hayato—!"
And just like that, Hayato hauled *ss over to the Festival float like he was straight-up runnin' away. It happened in the blink of a d*mn eye.
Left all alone, Haruki stood there with a straight-up annoyed-*ss look on her face.
While Haruki was poutin' her lips wild, Hayato smoothly-*ss slipped right into the crowd of locals and helped shoulder the Festival float that Shinta was ridin' on. Apparently, on the downhill slope leadin' from the back of the shrine to the foot of the mountain, they don't pull the float—they straight-up carry it.
Haruki tried to run after Hayato—but her feet straight-up refused to move.
Haruki's mind kept replayin' the words that Hayato had just bitten back.
"…"
The former Shōya, the Nikaidō Family.
Just maybe, Haruki might've been the one ridin' up on that thing.
But, Haruki didn't get to ride it.
Shinta, wrapped up in that girl's outfit, had a straight-up scared-*ss yet amazed look, his eyes sparkling wild with excitement.
As Haruki stood there completely-*ss frozen in place, their retreatin' backs gradually-*ss grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
—Was it really-*ss okay for someone like Nikaidō Haruki to step right into that kind of place?
Haruki knew she was accepted by everyone, for sure. But that exact-*ss hesitation in her mind was what kept her feet straight-up nailed to the ground.
Poutin' her lips tight, right as Haruki was about to press her clenched fist against her chest—
"Let's straight-up go get in on the action too!"
"Saki-chan!?"
Haruki's hand was suddenly-*ss grabbed from behind by Saki, who had just rushed over.
For some wild-*ss reason, Saki was wearin' a Festival Happi coat right over her Miko robes.
With that exact-*ss momentum, Saki started draggin' Haruki right toward the Festival float.
Haruki's feet, which had felt heavy as heck just a second ago, easily-*ss lifted off the ground and started movin'.
"Um, wait, hold up, Saki-chan, is it straight-up okay for you to leave the shrine right now!?"
"My turn isn't until the very end, though! Oh, and here's a Happi coat for you, Haruki-san!"
"Huh, yeah, thanks…?"
"Fuhu, I've basically-*ss been cooped up in the back rooms until now, so I've straight-up wanted to try luggin' that thing around at least once, y'know!"
Saying that, Saki whipped her head around and flashed Haruki a pure, straight-up massive-*ss smile.
Haruki's mind was still a tiny-*ss bit scrambled.
But, there was just one single-*ss thing.
Haruki could tell for a straight-up fact that Saki was genuinely trying to enjoy the Festival from the bottom of her heart.
—Right along with Haruki.
Haruki's heart straight-up skipped a beat.
So Haruki beamed a smile back at her.
"…Yeah, me too!"
Then, holdin' hands, they straight-up bolted into the middle of the Festival action.
From behind, Himeko, wearin' a Festival Happi coat, screamed, "Wait up, me too!" as she scrambled to chase after them, terrified of being left behind.
Somehow, that image straight-up overlapped with the Himeko from back in the day who used to always chase after her back, and Haruki locked eyes with Saki and let out a huge-*ss laugh.
◇◇◇
Framed by the mountains, the midsummer sun was shinin' down in all its glory onto a canvas of sky so blue it looked like you could punch straight-through it.
Up there, fluffy-*ss clouds were bobbin' along, swimmin' at a height so low it felt like you could reach out and touch 'em, as if they were low-key curious and peering down at the rowdy-*ss Tsukinose.
"""Heave, ho, heave!"""
"""Heave ho, we got this!"""
Across the lush green fields, the sound of wheels turnin' and turnin' merged with the cheerful-*ss shouts of the crowd.
It was a once-a-year sight that had played out count-*ss times in this land.
But this year, the vibe was just a little-*ss bit different.
Leading the charge were two beautiful-*ss girls: Saki, still dressed in her Miko robes when she should've been waitin' at the shrine, and Haruki, with her long black hair flowin' in the wind.
They've pretty much-*ss been pressured by everyone around them to take the front because, well, why not?
Two vibrant, delicate flowers—shinin' just as bright as the flashy, antique-*ss Festival float—blossomed as they strutted through Tsukinose, as if they were literally-*ss showin' themselves off to the mountains, the river, the trees, and every-*ss person they passed.
Even though both Haruki and Saki were blushin' with embarrassment, they still kept their voices hyped, shoutin' ""Heave ho, we got this!"" as they marched through Tsukinose.
The giant tree at the foot of the mountain, the riverside by the bridge, the massive-*ss rock smack-dab in the middle of the countryside, and the tiny-*ss shrine sittin' right in front of it.
That's where Shinta went, making offerin's of the sacred food entrusted to him from the main Shrine.
Along the way, they pulled up and took a breather a couple-ass times in front of the locals' houses.
The skewers of dango and tea they'd prepped beforehand, and even a little-*ss bit of beer were handed out, makin' the Festival vibes straight-up wilder and wilder.
By the time they finished hittin' up every single shrine, they'd pretty much-*ss made one full lap around Tsukinose.
With everyone ownin' a car bein' the straight-up norm around here, Tsukinose was actually-*ss huge.
By the time they wrapped up their reports and thanks to the Deities of Tsukinose and headed back to the shrine, the sun had straight-up gone down completely.
Author's Notes:
Yip.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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