Chapter 41: Star Festival
"Oh? Zee-Kun is waking up poyo!"
After the fight, Zero fell into a deep slumber. The demon has been using too much dream power that he became unconscious.
Thankfully, he isn't completely dead, simply went to a coma. It means he could wake up at any time.
And that time is now, it seems.
Zero 'opened' up his single eye, feeling stiff from lying down for who knows how long. He found himself inside a white room—a hospital room.
"What... happened?" Zero asked.
"Ah, Zee-kun! You're finally awake! I was worried that you won't wake up poyo!" Kirby said in relief. "And for what happened, you used too much dream power poyo."
"How... how long did I slept?"
"Hmm... I think about a month."
Silence.
"A... a month? That's... something," was Zero's response.
"Yeah..."
Kirby and Zero went to the throne room to tell their friends that yes, Zero is finally awake.
They saw the Beanbon, Bandana Dee here, Meta Knight and Dedede. They seem to be writing something.
"Hey! Zee-Kun's awake poyo!" Kirby yelled.
Bandana Dee turned towards the two. "Oh! Just in time! Tomorrow's the Star Festival!"
Zero simply tilted his 'head'. If anything, he isn't interested in festivals and stuff.
Then again, there are very weird festivals, like rolling a roll of cheese down a hill then you race after it. He heard that chaos (and pain) ensued because cheese (and that it's pretty hard).
Best part? Most of these festivals originated from a single planet: Shiver Star.
"Oh, you don't know?" Bandana Dee asked upon seeing that 'head' tilt. "Well, there was a legend about two lovers that are separated by the river of the heavens. This day is the only day where they meet again. And on this day, we write wishes on this tanzaku then hang it on the bamboo trees, and hope that it comes true!" He explained.
"I see. So what did you write?" Zero then took a look at the tanzaku.
"I want to be stronger!" is Bandana Dee's wish.
"I wish to make other people feel good!" is the Beanbon's wish.
"I wish that Popstar would be in peace" is Meta Knight's wish.
"I wish to be a better king!" is King Dedede's, while Escargon's wish is "to always be with your majesty".
"I want to befriend everyone!" is Kirby's. Zero is shocked that it isn't infinite food.
"I... thought that it's infinite food." Zero pointed out.
"He already wished for that at his first Star Festival." Bandana Dee said. "Anyways, wanna try?" He then suggested while holding a white slit of paper.
Zero took a closer look at the things that he had been given and wondered if he can do it.
'Can I even write?' He thought as he held the pencil.
He tried it by writing the alphabet. It was pretty bad, but he is getting there. Everybody is disappointed, while Dedede is a little mad.
"Oh... I forgot that you haven't learned how to write." Bandana Dee said. "Here, how about I write it for you?" He then added, taking the pencil and tanzaku.
"So what is your wish?"
The six of them went out to the bamboo tree at around the center tree and hung their tanzaku.
While there are no rules of where to put the slit of paper (except for hanging it at a branch), Zero can't find a good spot to put it. He knows that there are no rules of where to put it, but he still can't find a good spot due to the papers being crowded.
He looked for one, until...
"Zee-Kun! Over here poyo!" Kirby waved his hand.
Zero went where Kirby was and saw that he found a big empty spot. But there is something in the middle of it...
A tanzaku that is written in an unknown language.
"I ᔑリℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᒲᔑꖌᒷ !¡ ℸ ̣ ᒲ ʖ𝙹ℸ ̣ ᒷ," it wrote. Nobody knows who hung that, nor does anyone want to do something with that thing. It could have been a warning, for starters! The only thing they know is the "I". It seems like this person speaks English.
...except nobody speaks English around here. And even if they did, they still don't know what was written here.
"Can you even read that, honey?"
"No, I don't speak Minecraft enchanting table!"
"I have never seen those letters before!"
"What if it's not a wish, but a warning!?"
They hear whispers from people wondering what it is saying, and worrying for the safety of their town. The Beanbon is paranoid while Meta Knight is trying to calm them down. Dedede and Escargoon meanwhile are just goofing around. Apparently, they haven't seen that tanzaku.
The only one who can read it is Zero. He believes that everyone doesn't distrust him, so there is hopefully no worrying from the townsfolk. So, he took a look at the tanzaku and read it out loud.
"'I want to make up with my brother'. That's what it says." he translated.
Everyone sighed in relief as Zero looked at the slip closely, wondering if he saw those letters before.
Suddenly, he realized.
It was by his sister. The brother is him.
The little demon simply stared towards the little slip of paper, wondering why she would write that.
"Zee-Kun? How about your wish?" Kirby waved his hand in front of Zero's field of view.
"W-What? Oh, right."
He then hung his tanzaku far away from his sister's. He doesn't want to associate himself with her anymore.
He found a spot on the other side, but it seems like his friends hung their tanzakus already at that part. Except for Kirby, that is.
"Why don't you want to hang it there, poyo?" Kirby asked.
"It's... it's personal."
"Oh..."
And so, Zero hung his tanzaku on the bamboo branch.
"I want to be in peace," it wrote.
Does he need to put his name here? Sadly, it seems to be yes. But he isn't worried about that.
It's about his sister.
He looked towards her tanzaku. Is she telling the truth or is she luring him to a trap that could make him very mad? Like him, she can pull out a good lie and knows how to bring you to despair.
"By the way, what is your sister like?" Kirby then asked.
Bandana Dee ran towards the two, overhearing the conversation. "Yeah! What is she like? I bet that she's great!"
"Yeah... she is... great..." for some reason, Zero can't keep a straight face, unlike other times despite being a master manipulator. He just... can't do it.
And the two realized this.
"What's wrong?" Bandana Dee asked in worry.
"I'm... I'm fine. It's just... nothing." Zero insisted.
"Oh... I see. Well, if there's something wrong, just ask us!" Bandana Dee said.
"Poyup!" Kirby replied in agreement.
"Heh... thank you." Zero said, smiling.
Maybe... things wouldn't be that bad after all?
To be continued...
