It was mid-morning, and Ririsa stood in front of the Shio house. She knocked on the door softly and stood waiting for someone to respond.
When the door was opened, it was by Miyuki. She welcomed her inside and took her to Kanami's room.
There, she sat with little Haruno in her lap, and beside her was Hyogo, who was carrying baby Airi.
"Ayako isn't here?" she asked, confused.
"She left to take care of something," Kanami replied, "but she said she would be back soon."
"I know you're already here, but is it really okay for you to waste your night here with me?" Kanami asked her. "I can take care of the babies fine by myself."
"You say that, but just wait until you get overwhelmed. Then you'll be glad that I'm here," she replied.
"I guess you'll have to look after Airi then," Kanami said. "Haruno is so clingy that I can't get away from him for two minutes without him crying."
"Boys sure do love their mothers," Ririsa said as she took Airi from Hyogo,"but I'm sure he'll loosen up eventually."
"Now that I think of it, Ayako was very clingy too," she said. "Whenever anything went wrong, she would crouch behind our mother and cover her face in her robe. If he's anything like she was, then it's going to be a long time before I can get some peace of mind."
"Anyway, I'll be going," Hyogo said. "You have fun talking about whatever it is you girls like."
"See ya," Kanami said while waving the baby's hand at him.
Once he was gone, she turned to her and said, "I'm glad you came. I wouldn't want you to be wandering around tonight."
"Why not? It's the second night of the festival tonight. It's not like it's unsafe or anything," Ririsa replied.
"I can't go into the details, but it really isn't a good night to be outside," Kanami said. "Think of it as a bad omen or something. We have to avoid those, don't we?"
"I guess," she replied. "I know you're hiding something, but I won't ask if you won't tell me."
"Since I'm already here, it doesn't matter anyway," she said while raising Airi up into the air.
While listening to the baby's soft laughter with a faintly worried look, she said, "Let's just hope that the omen passes."
Elsewhere, in Nishimura's blacksmith shop, he was busy squeezing in some extra work amid the festivities.
He was just about to wrap up when the door slid open. He came out from the back expecting a customer, but he met Ayako.
She had a faint look of worry on her face, but she brushed it off as she greeted him.
"How are you doing, Mr. Nishimura?" she asked in her usual voice, but he had already noticed her distressed look.
"I'm fine, but how about you?" he asked. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened," she replied. "It's just that I'm here to pick up that item that I had you hide for me."
Her tone suddenly turned hesitant as she said, "I think I've kept it away from its owner for too long."
"Why the change of heart?" he asked. "I thought you intended it to be left here to be forgotten."
"I couldn't bring myself to keep going with that plan," she said. "It's better if I just give it back and fess up."
"Is that why you are worried?" he asked.
"I guess it's part of it," she replied. "But today isn't really the most carefree of days, is it?"
"I thought that it was?" he said. "Or did I miss a date?"
"You didn't," she replied, still tense even after his attempt to lighten the mood.
"I'll go wrap it up for you," he said before turning to go to the back room.
Before long, he came out with an item covered in fabric. The fabric was so tightly packed that it concealed the shape of whatever item it was, which is how he assumed she wanted it.
Once he handed it to her, he didn't hear any complaints, so he was sure it was okay.
But before she could leave, he said, "Like I always say, please don't get yourself involved in any trouble, Ayako."
"I won't if you do me a favour too," she replied.
"What is it?" he asked.
In a low, calm voice, she said, "Stay away from the shrine tonight. Better yet, don't leave your house at all."
"Where is this coming from?" he asked.
"Like I said, this isn't a carefree day," she replied before turning around to leave.
He didn't know what to say and just watched as she walked out of his shop. The look in her eyes was definitely a serious one, the kind you didn't get from carefree girls like her, so he decided to listen to her and close up the shop and head straight home.
The sun set, and once again, the light of the orange lanterns filled the streets. The food stalls and games were less populated than the previous night, though.
But by the town square, where the building that served as the Doshin headquarters and the council meeting chamber was located, the area was buzzing with guards who were enjoying themselves as they ushered in the new year.
Inside the building, in their meeting room, the council members were having a party of their own, though the specifics of what was going on were lost to the guards.
Some of them did take time off to be with their families, so you could consider what they were doing there work, but all they had to do was ensure the council members' safety, which was almost guaranteed with how many there were. So they kicked back and relaxed without a worry in the world.
Standing by the gate was the unfortunate guard who was forced to do guard duty since he lost a round at their gambling game. He just stood there cussing them out and complaining about how unfair the matchup was.
Just as he stood there mumbling to himself, a man wearing a hooded cloak walked past him and in through the gate.
It happened so fast that he didn't even notice at first, but when he did, he turned back and yelled, "You there! Get back here. This place is strictly off-limits tonight."
He stopped in his tracks and didn't answer, which prompted the guard to close in on him. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or I'll have to force you out."
It was only then that the cloaked figure turned back slightly, only enough for the guard to make out the colour of his hair beneath his hood.
Then, in a soft voice, he mumbled something to him before turning to walk inside.
He didn't want to believe him, but at the same time, he did. The conflict that arose from that single outrageous murmur left him standing in place, paralysed, unable to decide what to do next.
Was it what he said, or how he said it? Or was it because of the vibe he gave off? What was it that made him want to believe it?