Reimu Hakurei was relaxing in her shrine one Friday afternoon with a cup of tea. Her TV was tuned to Tetsuko no Heya, and Reimu took a quick glance around the room. Everything was peaceful, cherry blossom trees were scattered around Gensokyo, and one was planted in her room. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Reimu rushed to see who it was.
Two young Japanese children stood on Reimu's porch. "And who might this be?" Reimu asked the kids. The girl introduced herself. "My name is Akane Kobayashi! I am seven years old," she said. "Oh," Reimu said to Akane. "This is my big brother Yuuta Kobayashi," Akane said, pointing to the boy. Yuuta exclaimed, "I'm ten years old and in the fifth grade! I have an NES that can bring characters from the game world to the real world!" Reimu gasped. "Wow," she said, "and why are you here, Yuuta and Akane?" Akane replied, "Tonight is the Japanese festival! And we want to bring Mega Man and Roll to the festival!" "I see," Reimu giggled. "My friends Keine and Yukari go to those festivals. They're not going this year, though..." Yuuta responded, "That's okay. Mega Man and Roll are from the game world and they don't know what a Japanese festival is!" "Meet us at 4pm outside Room 305 at the Heiwana-Shizukana apartment building in Tokyo," Akane told Reimu. Reimu answered, "I'm right on it." Akane and Yuuta ran off.
Is this really what I'm doing? Reimu thought to herself as she flew over the skies of Gensokyo. She wasn't dressed in a yukata, she was wearing her regular red dress with the yellow neckerchief and the big red bow on her head. It was 3:45 pm, and she was flying to the Heiwana-Shizukana apartment to meet Yuuta and Akane so they could take Mega Man and Roll to the Japanese festival. "There it is!" she exclaimed as she flew down to a large blue-and-silver building. She was armed with her amulets, Ying-Yang Orb, and gohei just in case. When she landed, she slipped off her shoes and ran into the building. She took the elevator up to floor 3 and arrived in front of the door to the fifth room.
Yuuta and Akane just finished getting their yukatas on. They ran to the TV, turned on their NES, and pressed start on the title screen of the game that was in the NES, Mega Man 5. The first level was chosen, and when Mega Man appeared on screen, Yuuta and Akane paused the game and shouted "Mega Man! Hey, Mega Man! Mega Man!" There was a blinding flash as Mega Man and his sister Roll were sucked out of the TV. "It's Yuuta!" Mega Man said. "And Akane," Roll added. Yuuta told them, "Sorry for interrupting you, but my sister and I have something really special to show you!" Akane chimed in, "You'll really like it, dear guests!" "Huh?" Mega Man and Roll both asked in unison, looking at each other. "Let's go, it'll be really spectacular," Yuuta exclaimed. He turned off the NES. Then Mega Man and Roll followed Yuuta and Akane out of the room into the hallway, where Reimu was waiting. "Who is that?" Mega Man asked, pointing to Reimu. "Oh, hello there," Reimu introduced, "I'm Reimu, and I'm a friend of Yuuta and Akane. You must be Mega Man and Roll, right?" "Yep," Roll stated. "Now let's go!" Akane cheered. The five friends ran down the hallway, took the elevator, and ran out of the building. They put on their shoes outside, and took off down the street.
Reimu, Yuuta, Akane, Mega Man, and Roll arrived at the city of Tokyo. The streets were crowded with people, the smell of yakisoba wafted through the crowds, and the sound of taiko drums filled the air. "Come on, Mega! I want to show you something great!" Yuuta told Mega Man. The boys ran off. Reimu, Roll, and Akane picked up some fans and waited. "This is a Japanese festival," Akane told Roll. Suddenly, a bell rang and a giant omikoshi paraded down the street. "A parade!" Akane exclaimed. Chants of "Wasshoi, soya wa! Wasshoi, soya wa!" were heard as the omikoshi was tossed and lifted through the streets of Tokyo. "Wow, I've never seen a Japanese festival before! And I like what you're wearing," Roll told Akane. "Oh, this traditional festival outfit is called a yukata," Akane explained as she lifted her hands. "Would you like to wear one?" "Yes," Roll said. Akane continued, "In the autumn, there's a festival called Shichigosan. The people at that time wear pretty kimonos, and you can wear one too!" "Thanks Akane," Roll replied, "you're a good friend." "Hey," Reimu called to Akane, "there's Yuuta and Mega Man!" "Hi!" the girls all said.
Mega Man and Yuuta were carrying the omikoshi. "This is a Japanese festival," Yuuta told Mega Man. "And this is what they call an omikoshi?" Mega Man asked. "Yes, this is an omikoshi," Yuuta answered. "Everyone carrying an object and sweating means that they're having fun." "But I'm a robot, so I can't sweat," Mega Man complained. "Oh," Yuuta quipped. "But I can still have fun!" Mega Man cheered. "Wasshoi, wasshoi!" everyone chanted. Reimu, Roll, and Akane were watching on the curb. "I'll make a promise with you," Akane said. "I promise you that you will wear a kimono on Shichigosan." "Hooray!" Roll exclaimed as she waved her fan in the air. Soon, a clapping sound was heard and the parade was over. Mega Man and Yuuta ran to the girls and told them about the parade. "Oh, that's very nice of you, Yuuta, to have Mega Man participate in the parade!" Reimu thanked Yuuta. Dancers then arrived on the street and performed an ensemble dance.
Reimu thought to herself, This is actually pretty fun. There are no incidents around. "Oh, look!" Reimu hollered as she pointed to the street corner. She ran over and the kids followed her. Marisa Kirisame, Reimu's friend, was at the festival. "Hi, Reimu!" Marisa said. "Who are those?" she asked, pointing to Yuuta, Akane, Mega Man, and Roll. "They're my new friends," Reimu told Marisa. She proceeded to tell her about what happened earlier. "Aw, how sweet of you!" Marisa praised to Yuuta and Akane. "Let's go to the ondo gasso!" Yuuta chimed in. "Okay!" Mega Man and Roll responded. Mega Man, Roll, Yuuta, Akane, Reimu, and Marisa all walked down the street to a large stage.
At the stage, the six friends found Sanae Kochiya, Reimu's best friend, waiting for them. "Ready for the ondo?" Sanae asked Reimu. "Of course," Reimu exclaimed. The music started, and the two shrine maidens went upstairs to join other mikos. The shrine maidens danced the ondo to the beat of a shamisen. When the dance was over, everyone clapped and cheered. Reimu and Sanae ran off the stage to join Marisa, Roll, Akane, Mega Man, and Yuuta. "There are rides! Let's go on them," Yuuta said. "Yay!" the kids shouted as they walked off.
After a Ferris wheel ride, a swinging-ship ride, and a rollercoaster, everyone was feeling good. "Oh! A show is starting soon," Akane said. "Hooray!" the kids cheered. The seven of them raced to the center of the street and sat down on the curb to watch.
"Hey," Marisa said, "Sakuya Izayoi and Youmu Konpaku are over there." Sanae and Marisa walked to another part of the curb to sit with them. The show started. People in masks dancing to music being played on kotos, shanais, shamisens, shakuhachis, and taiko drums. One of the drummers was Raiko Horikawa, a friend of Reimu. Yuuta, Akane, Mega Man, and Roll all danced to the music as Reimu clapped along. The people in masks chanted a poem that Reimu knew for a long time. "Jinsei wa, iki tsudzukeru shikashi, nani mo eien'nitsudzuku n! Dakara, anata ga motte iru mono ni manzoku shite, soshite itsunohika, nanika ga eien'nitsudzuku!" When the show ended, it was already night time. Yuuta said, "I'm gonna get something to eat now." Mega Man came with Yuuta.
After Yuuta and Mega Man ate chicken teriyaki, the kids went to the shops. Reimu ogled soaps and towels in one stall. "At night time, festivals get even better!" Yuuta told Mega Man. "There are lots of shops," Mega Man said. "And so many food to eat," Yuuta added. Roll and Akane ran down the street. "Come on, Roll! Just wait until you see this!" Akane exclaimed. "Wow," Roll gasped. They ordered some cotton candy. Reimu ordered some noodles to eat with Sakuya nearby. "Excuse me, coming through!" Akane told some people. She and Roll saw Yuuta and Mega Man and ran to them. "Mmmm..." Yuuta and Akane said as they ate cotton candy. "Hey, no fair!" Akane jokingly said as Yuuta took a bite. "This is called cotton candy," Akane told Mega Man. "Would you like to have some?" "The only thing I can eat is life energy," Mega Man said. "Oh, that's right, you're a robot," Akane replied. Roll ran somewhere as Reimu came back to the kids. "Hey, did you see where Roll went to?" Yuuta asked. "She's over there, playing a game," Akane responded, pointing to a stall. Roll was playing Japanese Whack-A-Mole. "Take that! And this! And that!" she cried as she hit moles with a mallet. Mega Man ran over to the stall and joined in the game. "Take that, and that, and that, and that!" he shouted as he hit moles with his mallet. "So, Akane, did you think it was a good idea to take Mega and Roll to the festival?" Yuuta asked Akane. "Of course, they're having lots of fun!" Akane answered. A fireworks display started. "Hey, Roll! Hey, Mega Man!" Yuuta called out. Mega Man and Roll came running to Yuuta. "Let's watch the fireworks," Akane exclaimed. "The fireworks," Roll said. She thought for a second. "Sounds like a great idea!" she finally spoke out. "Hooray!" the kids cheered as they dashed over to the bleachers. Reimu followed them.
At the fireworks, the kids and Reimu all joined the crowd in the bleachers. Akane told Mega Man that Roll made a promise with her about wearing a kimono on Shichigosan. Yuuta chimed in, "On the day of Shichigosan, I'll pull you out of the game world and we'll all head over to the shrine to watch the ritual. Roll will wear a kimono!" Then they sat back and admired in awe at the explosions of light. When the fireworks ended, the crowd clapped and cheered. "Well, that's the end of the festival," Akane said. "Now let's go home!" Reimu added.
Mega Man, Roll, Yuuta, Akane, and Reimu all walked back down the street to the Heiwana-Shizukana apartment. They took off their shoes and went up the elevator to floor 3. At the fifth room, Yuuta, Mega Man, Akane, and Roll went inside. Yuuta and Akane turned the NES on and put Mega Man and Roll back into the game world. "Goodbye!" Yuuta shouted. "Oh, and goodbye to you," Yuuta and Akane said to Reimu after Mega Man and Roll were gone. "Bye," Reimu stated. She waved as she closed the door. She took the elevator down, went outside, and put on her shoes. She flew back to Gensokyo.
Reimu thought to herself as she entered her shrine for the first time in hours, Woah, that was crazy yet awesome. A festival with a parade, games and a fireworks display. She made some rice cakes and turned on her TV. She slipped off her shoes and started watching Oyaji no Senaka. "I'll never forget what happened today," Reimu said out loud as the episode started. "I'll never look at a festival the same way again."
The End