Sayu is a ninja, so even without using her eyes, she can sense her surroundings, which is why she's not afraid.
[Sayu continued: "During the first round, I got startled by a big bull-headed monster that suddenly charged out, so I hurriedly hid behind a tree."]
Readers were shocked. Arataki Itto actually managed to scare someone!? But scaring a little kid like Sayu? Hard to praise him for that.
["I was going to close my eyes and hide for a bit, but it was too dark, and I accidentally fell asleep. I only woke up after the round was over…"]
["Then, for the second round, no one wanted to team up with me."]
How to put it—readers weren't the least bit surprised. But little Sayu is just too cute! For such an adorable girl to have no one willing to team up with her? I'll help you out! Forget teaming up—I'd even help you haggle on Pinduoduo.
The Traveler thought the same and came to assist Sayu. But before setting off, one question lingered: Why was Sayu at the test of courage instead of sleeping?
[Sayu explained: "I heard that getting scared can help you grow taller…"]
This dubious old wives' tale had readers suspecting Yae Miko's handiwork. Regardless, Sayu believed it and was willing to try any trick to grow taller.
As they entered the venue, Sayu was the most visibly scared of everyone. An Onikabuto was enough to send her running—literally running, vanishing with a ninja technique, leaving only a leaf as a "decoy" where she stood. The Traveler and Paimon chased after Sayu, arriving at the area with the "lavender melon ghosts."
It was very dark, and Sayu, being so short, could barely make out Paimon floating above, mistaking her for a lavender melon. She couldn't help but remark:
["Looking at it like this, Paimon's like a flying lavender melon…"]
Another person's official endorsement—Paimon really suits the nickname "Flying Lavender Melon." In the illustration, Paimon loudly protested, flying close to Sayu to make her see clearly and prove she wasn't a melon. The two little cuties stared at each other, falling silent for a moment.
Then it hit them: If Paimon was here, what was that in the sky?
[The two girls gasped, covering their mouths and exclaiming in unison: "Lavender… Melon… Ghost… It's here!!"]
Good thing the Traveler grabbed the two little ones, one in each hand, or they'd have vanished. After reading this far, readers finally got the most entertaining episode yet. None of the others had been this visibly scared. If anyone came close, Ayaka and Gorou were a bit frightened, but Ayaka suppressed her fear and didn't show it. Gorou? He wasn't scared of ghosts—he was terrified of Yae Miko, jumping at every shadow like he was surrounded by traps, as if Yae Miko had already "set the snare, laid the ambush, and was just waiting for the enemy to walk in."
Only Sayu was genuinely scared of ghosts, and Lucian's illustrations spared no effort in highlighting her fear. Her teary eyes and wavy, trembling mouth delighted readers. A little loli's tears? Just as delicious as a beautiful girl's tears.
The second round of the test of courage ended, and the Traveler went to find Itto. He was still reliable, having caught the three little youkai. Those three had been trailing the Traveler, responsible for many of the scary effects. But they were terrified of Itto because he's an oni, and they thought oni were fierce and would "eat youkai." Who spread such a ridiculous rumor? Well, these things usually point to Yae Miko.
The reason the little youkai scared the Traveler was absurd: They wanted to invite humans to the "Mikawa Flower Festival." Human adventurers drive away monsters, allowing the youkai to live peacefully in the mountains, so they wanted to thank humans with a festival.
The "Mikawa Flower Festival"—Kitsune Saiguu fondly recalled the name. Sadly, even if they wanted to hold it now, there weren't enough youkai left. It echoed Zhongli's words: "Wishing to buy osmanthus and share wine."
As for what the "Mikawa Flower Festival" was, that required telling the story of the "Akitsu Haneasobi." In the illustration, a hooded ronin samurai stumbled into the youkai's festival. Many youkai grumbled, but readers barely noticed, as their attention was drawn to a single figure. At a stall, Kitsune Saiguu stood with her back to the crowd. Though she occupied a small part of the image, readers spotted her. Unaware that Kitsune Saiguu had been revived, readers were thrilled to see her again, feeling like they'd watched another episode.
The youkai were debating whether to kick the human out when a Kamaitachi stepped forward.
[He laughed heartily: "Since it's our festival, the goal is to have fun. Why bother distinguishing between youkai and humans?"]
["Kid, can you hold your liquor?"]
He slung an arm around the ronin's shoulder, inviting him to join the fun and drink. His personality, especially that hearty laugh, was so much like Arataki Itto that you could call him Arataki Kamaitachi. The two roamed the festival, drinking and enjoying themselves, tying in the "Akitsu Haneasobi" competition.
A tie! A Kamaitachi isn't some minor youkai, yet this human matched his speed. The Kamaitachi took an interest in the human and proposed a deal.
[Kamaitachi grinned: "Let's make a pact. Every ten years, we'll have a rematch. How's that?"]
[The human samurai smiled gently and nodded: "Hmm… I look forward to it."]
A fitting lyric came to mind: Because I just happened to meet you, I'll hold onto this promise for ten years; if we meet again, I think I'll remember you.
At this, Baizhu's brow furrowed, sensing the faint whiff of mortality. Venti's toothy grin softened. A human friend… a contest every ten years… Venti took a sip of wine. Mr. Kamaitachi, you might come to regret this. How many decades does a human have?
When they met at the festival, the human samurai was about twenty-five years old.
The little youkai finished telling what they knew of the "Akitsu Haneasobi" story and moved on to their "Akitsu Yuugei." The game was going fine, with humans occasionally joining in, but after someone got trapped, no one came anymore. That incident was a complete accident, and even the youkai didn't know what happened.
Until… a blue-haired person arrived. He seemed to notice the little youkai. He left, and after that, the place became lively again.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Venti: About the Akitsu Kimodameshi
"The test of courage is fun, but… for Lucian to write a story like this… I'm honestly a bit hurt."