Begin!

~Normal POV

8/6 - Sunday

The festival was already bustling with activity this evening. Food stalls and games lined the sidewalks, while the area was illuminated by streetlights and strings of paper lanterns. The boys had finished getting dressed up first, and were waiting for the girls at the entrance. Akira was wearing a black yukata with a red sash. Ryuji had managed to get himself a yukata this time around too; his was beige with an added mask on the right side of his head. Yusuke wore a different one this time; opting for a white yukata with black web-like designs on it, black ombre on the bottom, and a blue sash. Akira still had to carry Morgana in his bag, but he knew that wouldn't be an issue soon. He already made the cat promise to leave him and Ann alone for a while tonight at some point.

"Dude, check out all the booths!" Ryuji said, eagerly.

"As one might expect from Sendai's Tanabata Festival." Yusuke said, "It's quite lively here."

"Apparently, the locals call it Tanabata-san." Sophia chimed in. (Akira was holding his phone out so she could see too.) "It's said to have originated from back in Date Masamune's time."

"The dude from the statue," Ryuji said, quizzically.

"He's not a dude." Yusuke said, glaring at his friend. "He is Lord Date Masamune, the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu."

"Geez, what are you, his retainer or something?" Ryuji said.

"I don't know, Ryuji, we've seen how deadly Yusuke is with a katana; he might very well be," Akira remarked, playfully.

"Ohh, you got a point there," Ryuji replied, chuckling. Yusuke merely smirked a bit at the flattery.

"There's so many booths! It's hard to pick what to see first! What do you think, Akira?" Morgana asked.

"I told you we're waiting on the girls before we do anything." Akira answered. "Because you are gonna go with Futaba, remember?"

"Right… I know…" Morgana said, sheepishly. "Just out of curiosity, what are you guys planning to do with me once Futaba finds a boyfriend?"

None of them wanted to answer that question, nor did they have an answer to give anyway.

"We're here!" They heard Makoto say.

The four girls walked up to join them. Each of them was wearing a brand new yukata for the occasion as well. Ann was dressed in a red yukata with white and pink flowers on it, and a yellow sash. Haru was wearing a white yukata with a purple cherry blossom pattern and an aqua blue sash. Makoto had a blue yukata with a white and pink flower pattern and an orange sash. And Futaba had been convinced to wear a yukata as well, despite her usual attire choices suggesting she didn't care to wear such clothes. She was dressed up in a dark green one, with a white flower pattern, and an orange sash. It was no surprise that they all looked stunning.

"Sorry for taking so long," Haru said, sheepishly. "Tying the obi took quite some time."

"My lady, looking fine," Ryuji said, grinning. Haru blushed and wrapped her arm around his.

"You all look exceptionally picturesque," Yusuke said, sincerely.

"Thank you, Yusuke," Makoto said, appreciatively.

"Ann, you look wonderful," Akira said, softly, so only she could hear.

Ann smiled brightly. "Thank you, Akira!" She replied, sweetly.

"Wow… you all look so different in yukata," Sophia said, curiously. "I wonder what it'd be like to wear one…"

"Maybe you'll get to someday, Sophia," Futaba said.

"Ahem, Futaba, could you-?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got him." Futaba said. "Come on, Mona, there's a yakisoba stall down that way that is calling my name!" Morgana obediently jumped out of Akira's bag and onto her shoulder.

"I'll come with you, so you don't spend all your money on food," Makoto said. "Yusuke, would you care to join us?"

"Hm, that does sound delicious," Yusuke said, "I'd be glad to stop there first."

They took a group picture together before splitting off to explore in different directions. Akira and Ryuji wanted to try the shooting gallery first, so the two couples headed that way.

This decision let Ann and Haru watch in amusement as their boyfriends made a bet on who could win a prize for their girl first.

"You can't deny, they're goofballs…" Ann said.

"And yet, you'd never think it from watching them in the Metaverse," Haru said, giggling, "Strange, isn't it?"

"Are they always like this," Sophia asked. (Akira had handed his phone off to Ann while they played.)

"Nah, they're just doing it for fun," Ann answered.

While they waited, Sophia asked to see some of the nearby attractions. One of which particularly interested her. It was a strength tester type game where the object was to hit the target with a hammer as hard as you can to see if you can ring the bell.

"Fascinating…" Sophia said, curiously. "Could you demonstrate, Haru?"

Haru blushed. "What?!"

"I asked because you can wield heavy axes; logically you would be the best candidate to take such a test." Sophia said, simply.

Ann laughed. "Yeah, Haru, try it out. If you can swing an axe, then you can break that bell."

"We'd like to see it, too," They heard Ryuji say. The two boys had rejoined them from finishing at the shooting gallery. Each was holding a prize for them. (Haru's was a plush white cat with a purple bow, and Ann's was a yellow bear with a red shirt from a Destiny movie she loved.)

"Come on, Haru, you're not gonna turn Sophia down, are you," Akira said, smirking.

Haru looked nervous. "Oh, I- um…" She then sighed. It would have been rude to turn their friend down. This was her first festival, after all. And as much as it was embarrassing, she knew could do such a test with considerable ease. "Fine… I just hope I don't get in trouble…" She approached the man running the game and asked to try it.

The man gave her a skeptical look and shrugged. "Well, it's your money…" He took the fee and handed her the hammer. "Have at it, little lady."

Haru positioned herself properly, channeling the same energy she put into slicing down Shadows in the Metaverse. And in one swift motion, she ended up hitting the target so hard the bell got cracked from the force. The man running the game stared slack-jawed in shock.

"How- you-"

"Oops…" Haru said, sheepishly.

"That was an impressive demonstration," Sophia said.

"Yeah, Haru, that was awesome!" Ann gushed.

"That was so cool…" Ryuji said, staring at his girlfriend with a dopey grin.

"I think you made the guy cry…" Akira pointed out.

"I'm so sorry, sir," Haru said to the stall runner. "I can refuse to take a prize, since I broke it-"

The man handed her a purple Featherman mask and quickly said. "Just take it and go…"

~...

After a while the two couples split off to look at different sights. Akira and Ann ended up trying lots of different stalls and games because Sophia kept asking for demonstrations. At least she was having a great time.

At the moment, the two teens were watching the stars on this gorgeous night, not far from the activity of the festival.

"Mm… beautiful view…" Ann said, softly, leaning on Akira's shoulder.

"Absolutely stunning."

Ann glanced up at him. "Stop staring!"

"Why? You look amazing in that yukata." Akira replied, casually. "You should keep it."

Ann giggled. "You think I look great in everything."

"But… you do."

She rolled her eyes at his behavior. "Well, you look great in yours, too… Very cool. Is this the one you brought from home?"

"Yeah, I remembered to bring it along, just in case," Akira answered, sheepishly.

The two kissed under the romantic moonlight. This was one of the few times on this trip so far where they've had a bit of time to themselves. It was best to use it while they had the chance. It wasn't like their friends were going to come looking for them anytime soon either.

~...

It was late when everyone returned to the campsite. Futaba was carrying a bag full of prizes she won at the stalls. Morgana had a new red bow tied around his neck over his scarf. Yusuke had bought a Tanabata souvenir ribbon for the camper. Makoto had bought a few souvenirs for herself, as well. Overall, this festival went a lot better than they were expecting, everyone had a great time.

"Where'd you get the bow," Ryuji asked.

"Futaba bought it for me…" Morgana said, dryly.

"Yeah, now you can look all dressed up too, Mona!" Futaba added, cheerfully.

"Nice prize, Yusuke." Akira commented.

Yusuke was carrying a plush dragon. "Thank you. I promised Mei I'd bring her back a souvenir. I would have gone with a more obvious choice, but she likes dragons. And it seemed appropriate, since it's coming from Sendai."

Sophia chimed from Akira's phone saying. "You're getting a call from Zenkichi."

Akira sighed and answered it. "Hello?"

"Yo." Zenkichi said on the other end. "You guys having fun?"

"We did; we just got back to camp."

"Oh, yeah? Good to hear." Zenkichi replied. "Listen, I have a favor for you guys. I'm already investigating in Sapporo, but before you leave Sendai, could you stop by Toho University? Tomorrow there's gonna be a session at the Mount Aoba campus. The CEO of Madicce is holding a lecture there."

Akira's attitude dropped slightly at that information. "That's quite the lucky timing."

"Agreed. I'm still looking into them at the moment, but the more info we have the better. Can you attend the lecture in my place? See what you can get out of him?"

"We can do that." Akira said, simply. "But we won't be able to get close. And he's not likely to spout anything about an evil plot publicly. What's his name?"

"Akira Konoe." Zenkichi answered. "He looks like a capable CEO, I'll give him that. I'll be counting on you kids. Don't get carried away, alright?"

"We're professionals, inspector." Akira said, casually. "We got this." He hung up. "Guys, we got a lecture to attend tomorrow."

"A lecture," Ann said, quizzically.

"Yeah, at Toho University. Because as luck would have it: The CEO of Madicce is gonna be in town."

~End of Chapter