While Tomoe lingered around the festival, keeping a close eye on Nanami as she flitted about everywhere, he felt an absentminded sensation that he was being watched. Every so often, he would turn around behind him, only to see no one there. It was different from the collective staring older foxes would give him as they passed by in mass groups; it was just a simple stare from someone Tomoe couldn't find.

It wasn't a comforting feeling, and was hard to ignore for even Tomoe. In the end, he began to lose sight of Nanami as she drifted further away, biting his lip in irritation.

That damned snake had better not do anything stupid.

Granted, the festival itself was foolish. Who in the right mind holds a festival for simple recognition? Inari wasn't one for such large, elaborate social events in the first place, moreover, this sort of environment was dangerous for any human.

"The bastard's planning something," Tomoe muttered, giving a scoff.

҉

Leisurely looking at the stands with Mizuki, Nanami spotted an ofude stand. She looked over to Mizuki, giving a small wave with her hand. "I'll be back in a bit," she announced, running off.

The fox at the shrine stared blankly at her, holding out a small ofude. "Land goddess, it's on the house," he said indifferently.

Nanami nodded a bit of thanks, opening the slip of paper.

"You shall be given a worthless fortune for free."

Immediately frowning at the saying, Nanami crinkled the ofude up and tossed it aside.

Tomoe was right, some of these foxes are no good pranksters…

She glared directly at the stall runner, looking at the amount of ofude he had hanging by yarn. "Can't I have an actual one?"

The fox raised an eyebrow. "The ofude I gave you for free was accurate, wasn't it? That means it was the real deal, don't be spoiled and accept the fate that the gods have dealt," he stated. He pulled one down, waving it in front of Nanami. "If you want another, though, it's full price."

"I don't have any money."

"Sucks to be you, then."

This is how gods are treated here?

"Look," Nanami said. "I am not in the mood to haggle with you. I would just appreciate a better ofude."

"No money, no fortune," the fox snapped. "Now, you're holding up the line, girl, so just leave the stall. You're hurting my business. Go buy yourself a kimono or something other than those god awful clothes."

What did he just say?

Trudging away from the stall with an amazed face, Nanami observed her outfit subconsciously.

It's that bad?

True, she stuck out amongst the traditional clothing others wore, most looking respectable or sometimes even dignified. Looking around, she noticed a small area of clothing stalls. The area was almost empty of any customers, and the stall owners seemed to talking with each other.

Nanami looked down at her outfit a second time, and sighed in defeat.

I feel left out in this, somehow…

She hesitantly approached the stalls, somewhat going against the flow of the crowd as she walked towards it. She spotted Mizuki, who had a puzzled expression, but Nanami only waved with a carefree smile, mouthing that she would be back.

Reaching one of the stalls shortly after, Nanami had only scanned the collection of kimonos. Her shoulders slumped, admiring the intricate designs on them and giving a sigh. What was she thinking? She didn't even have any money to buy anything.

The stall owner smiled brightly, looking down at her. "Land goddess, you in need of something?" she asked.

Nanami nodded rigidly, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Y-yeah, but I don't have any money…"

"Have you not gone to any other stalls? First purchases are free for gods and goddesses," the fox explained, pointing at the array of kimonos. "So take your pick," she yawned.

Looking at the kimonos carefully, Nanami felt frustrated. She wasn't an expert at which kimono was no good or was amazing. They all had beautiful designs, in any colour she could imagine.

"Good god, you're indecisive," the fox laughed, tossing a kimono at her. "You're the flowery type, so take that one. No one wants it. There's an inn you can try it on at. It's one of the rare clean ones you don't have to get harassed at."

Nanami nodded, looking at the kimono somewhat suspiciously. It was well made, and had an interesting floral design. A white base, full of pink flowers and soft green leaves. Simple, but nice.

҉

Walking aimlessly about, Tomoe spotted a snake with an uneasy and impatient expression standing on his own near a stall.

At first, Tomoe thought it was just because the snake was so ridiculously sheltered and not used to these sort of events. However, upon further inspection of the scene, someone was missing.

"Mizuki, can I ask you something?" Tomoe asked, approaching the snake.

"Go ahead," Mizuki sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Where the hell is—"

"Well, I was with her until she went to buy an ofude, but all of a sudden she started heading in a different direction and I lost sight of her…" he said, taking a small bite out of taiyaki.

Tomoe glared down at the piece of food, snatching it out of Mizuki's hand, promptly throwing it at his head. "So you're telling me that instead of following and keeping an eye on her, you lost her."

Rubbing his head, Mizuki nodded. "That's right, but I couldn't help it, Tomoe-kun. Nanami-chan was a burst of energy and it was hard to keep up, plus the cro—"

"I don't believe this," Tomoe stated, shaking his head. "God knows the sort of trouble she'll manage to get in on her own… that idiot…"

Mizuki gave a sly smile, raising an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" Tomoe demanded.

"Nothing~."

Tomoe eyed the snake carefully, dropping the rant he had started into the air. "Dammit… that girl's –"

"I'm what?"

Nanami had staggered her way back to Mizuki in the kimono. It fit her decently enough, but the hem was too long, and she feared that she would trip in the crowd. She took small, careful steps to avoid doing so, however, as she reached Mizuki, she could overhear Tomoe as well, giving the usual sharp scolding to the snake, and, if Nanami heard him right, his ridiculing a certain land goddess's intelligence. When she had asked "I'm what?" the fox only jumped and turned over to Nanami with a blank face.

The familiar seemed to ignored Nanami's indignant expression, and sighed as he rubbed his temple. "Nanami, where were you?"

Nanami pointed ahead at the clothing stalls. "I was over there."

Hasn't he noticed?

Mizuki gave a wide, surprised smile as he walked toward Nanami. "So you got something, Nanami-chan?" he asked.

She nodded, admiring the pattern on her kimono. "I got it for free after I found a decent stall," she explained. She turned expectantly to Tomoe, who had an attentive look on his face. Nanami tilted her head, biting her lwer lip. "Tomoe?"

"Hmm? Oh, right…" he said, looking around the festival. "N—"

"So this is where you three have been!"

The flamboyant voice belonged to Ryukichi, who was approaching the three casually amongst the crowd. "I was looking for ya three, yet you didn't even get too far away."

Mizuki laughed, perfectly at ease with the messenger as he waved. "I've yet to reach any drinking stalls, but I'm enjoying myself. Ryukichi, this festival is impressive."

The messenger nodded in agreement, holding a drink in his hand. "Don't know what ya missin'. Miss Land Goddess, mind if the snake and I have a bit of wine tastin'?"

"Wine tasting?" Nanami responded, a clueless look on her face.

"Nah, actually, I'm just kissin' up to the lil's snake 'cuz one of the stalls lost some customers. So was hopin' Mizuki here would be a good person and sell his sake, it'd rake up some good money. 40% of which will be offerings to the shrine, courtesy of Inari's messengers."

Nanami blinked in confusion, but nodded with a good-natured laughed. "Mizuki, do you mind that? I've never had it, but people always say you make good sake, so it could fun."

The white-haired snake gave a short nod. "Oh dear… it seems I have no choice," he said. "So where's this—"

Before finishing his sentence, the snake was dragged away by Ryukichi to the stall, disappearing into the crowd.

Watching on, Nanami smiled slightly, enjoying the light mood surrounding her. "Tomoe, have you done anything yet?" she asked, following the fox as he began walking away.

"Not really," he replied blankly. "I'm just trying to find a place to sit down and relax. I don't like all these people surrounding me so ruthlessly…"

Smile dropping smile, Nanami watched Tomoe's expression carefully. He seemed somewhat tired, almost annoyed as he walked quickly through the crowd. Had something gone wrong earlier? Or was he just tired of the crowds? Nanami could only look down, unable to ask anything.

Tomoe seemed to know where he was going, walking with a certain urgency in mind. However, the familiar also seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the festival itself.

"Tomoe, where're we supposed to be going?" she questioned, struggling not to trip.

Placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her balanced, Tomoe looked ahead. "There's a shed around here that most people come to in order relax. I can barely remember doing so a few years back, but never during a festival," he explained.

The land goddess tilted her head with curiosity, looking around as the festival's entrance was behind her, and nearly tripped. "How far is it?" she asked.

"It should just be around here and…" he trailed off, watching Nanami with a raised eyebrow.

The girl struggled to regain her balance, straightening the kimono out. "Hmm?"

Tomoe smiled slightly, resting a hand back on her shoulder once more. "Why did you buy something you can't walk in?" he asked, assisting her walk.

Does he even pay attention to what he's doing? Nanami wondered, trying to hide a faint blush. His hand on her shoulder was painfully noticeable, warm and firm.

"You can't possibly be 'cold' like earlier," Tomoe commented.

Covering her face, Nanami gulped in a fluster. "I…"

҉

Really, she wasn't taking the hint.

Granted, the fox himself wasn't thinking twice about his actions. This damned village seemed to make everything looser than usual. Yet somehow, Nanami was encouraging all this relentless teasing.

It's that face of hers… if she weren't so obviously self-conscious then I wouldn't be in this situation.

"Anyways, I'm not cold," Nanami insisted suddenly.

"Obviously so."

Something is off right now.

Tomoe could see the shed now, sighing in slight relief.

"Tomoe…"

"What is it?"

The girl's face was a red mess as she stared at the ground. "I can walk just fine, so…" she trailed off, gently shrugging her shoulder.

Hint urgently taken.

Tomoe retracted his hand sharply, a bitter smile on his face in response to Nanami's comment. "Right. Just buy something that fits your short height next time, instead of something so inconvenient," he said.

"I will…"

The pair had made their way to the shed's porch, and Tomoe casually sat down, and could only hold back a smile of amusement as Nanami struggled to walk towards her. "You sure you can walk?"

The girl gave a stubborn look. "I'm fine, see?" she replied, sitting down just barely. "Just fine."

Tomoe nodded as he listened carefully. "Incredibly convincing," he said sarcastically. "You have little balance anyways, don't tell me otherwise. And your face is still red."

Nanami looked away, clearing her throat. "So what? It doesn't mean anything. And I hear something."

"Changing the subject," the fox pointed out, looking at the sky. "It's just the fireworks starting. They must have announced some sort of show earlier and I just didn't pay attention. So why's your face red?" he urged, keeping his eyes on the sky.

"Enough of that!"

҉

This is painful. He really isn't getting the mood.

Nanami sulked childishly with her arms crossed and pouted, staring at Tomoe cautiously.

The fox had his eyes staring up at the night sky, the fireworks reflecting in his eyes brightly.

She had to admit, Tomoe looked captivating under the moon's glow. Obviously more relaxed than he was at the festival, just barely smiling

"So… um, Tomoe? Is this your time seeing this festival?" Nanami asked, tilting her head.

Tomoe nodded, keeping his gaze on the fireworks. "It is. In fact it's my first in here since the Kyushu period," he replied.

Nanami nodded, fiddling with the tassels on her kimono, she looked up herself, watching the spectacle with a smile on her face. "It's really pretty, actually…"

"I've been meaning to ask, why'd you get that kimono?"

Blinking, Nanami shrugged with a dismissive laugh. "Oh, some fox at an ofude stall had complained about my clothes, and it kinda bothered me," she explained. "I started to feel a bit left out, so a fox at a clothing stall gave it to me."

"Hnn…" Tomoe replied.

Giving a loud sigh, Nanami looked over at Tomoe. "You know, you could be a little more enthusiastic. These fireworks are really pretty, so at least pretend to enjoy yourself."

Tomoe gave a wide smile as he turned to Nanami. "These fireworks are intoxicatingly beautiful, I can't enough of them," he said, suddenly dropping his smile. "We both know that those words coming out of my mouth aren't happening genuinely. Just because I don't say it, doesn't mean I'm not enjoying myself."

"If you don't enjoy it then just leave," Nanami spat.

"What did I just say? And if I leave you'll just complain more."

"I will not!" Nanami protested loudly.

"You will."

"I won't," she repeated.

Tomoe only scoffed in doubt, keeping a close eye on Nanami. "You're still red," he pointed out.

Giving a huff, Nanami rolled her eyes. "If you don't like it, leave, I don't care if you do. You'll probably just sleep the night away in the first place. Stop being so—"

Before she knew it, the fox was staring her directly in the eyes, the distance between them greatly reduced.

"Maybe I don't want to leave. I'm just fine right here."

Inching her face away, Nanami sucked in a breath. "Th-there's no reason getting in my face like that," she scolded.

Despite the scolding, however, something significant was different about Tomoe.

He'd leant over near Nanami, staring her in the eyes firmly, silent and impassive to her words. Something about the whole situation made Nanami self-conscious, but she found difficulty in trying to look away. She could feel the vaguely familiar fuzzy numbness in her mind coming back and her heart beating callously.

Really, she couldn't help but notice Tomoe's sharp, unyielding gaze. It was just there, in her sight, never letting her out. Gulping involuntarily, Nanami shifted slightly under his watch.

"Stop being so what?" Tomoe questioned.

Was he unaware of Nanami's reaction now? Or was he just ignoring it, dismissing it as her being "delusional" or something? Surely he at least noticed how close he was to the girl, and if she could hear own heartbeat, then she wouldn't doubt the fox hearing it too.

In a way, it frustrated Nanami.

Here she was, trying her best to keep her unrequited feelings at bay, while this fox just acted as he pleased when speaking to her at such a setting. She had hoped that the festival had gone a different direction. Light-hearted, enlightening, even fun, yet here she was, pushing her feelings to the back of her mind.

Why is this so difficult for me?

Questioning herself, Nanami felt a tug at her arm, Tomoe closer than he was just five seconds ago.

"Ah…" she squeaked, flustered.

"What were you going to say, Nanami?" Tomoe pressed sharply, leaning closer, as if to make sure she heard.

Nanami could see the look in his eyes increase with intensity, her heart pounding helplessly under his insistence.

"I…" she trailed off.

The distance between her and Tomoe had almost completely closed as the fox pressed on. "You what?"

Nanami shook her head with a blush.

I can't… I can't find the words…

"Why can't you answer me?" Tomoe questioned, irritation showing in his tone.

Again, the girl only shook her head, still locked in Tomoe's gaze.

I feel as if my stomach's sick or something… it's doing flip flops.

Tomoe scowled. "You won't answer me either way, huh?" he commented.