#07: The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls
Three hundred sixty-four days and twenty-three hours ago.
– "For those cold late-night outings... I made it myself. You didn't know I was so handy, did you?"
Renko eagerly lifted the scarlet-colored accessory out of a scarlet-colored box, feeling the softness of the thickly-crocheted thread between her fingers.
– "Wow, it's so long! I'd bet two people could fit in it."
She said this as she wrapped it around her own neck several times.
– "That's the idea. You could say it's made out of the legendary red string that binds two people together."
– "It is? That makes it really special!"
– "Hee-hee."
– "I love it. Thank you, Merry."
She had already made herself perfectly at home in her new apparel, as she brought forward a gift of her own.
– "And for you! Merry Christmas!"
Merry brushed off the joke that had been made a dozen times that week, reaching quickly into the bag being handed to her. She withdrew, already unwrapped, a solid-colored hardcover book with a vaguely nostalgic title. It appeared old, but in surprisingly good condition.
– "What's this?"
– "It's a rare book of ghost stories and paranormal records! It entered public domain over a century ago, but it's been buried under so much in the digital archives that it was more worth it to spend the time searching for a hard copy."
– "It must have been tough to get your hands on. This edition isn't even Japanese."
– "Yeah. I hope I'm not wrong, but this language... you can read it, can't you?"
– "Mm-hmm. I've gotten used to Japanese by now, but I think I still can."
– "All right! Perfect!"
– "Why, I can't believe the president is assigning me homework over the holidays."
Merry was teasing, but she was actually pleased. It was a very Renko-like gift.
– "No, it's not like that. Not even I have read these yet, so I want to learn about them together!"
– "Together?"
– "Because... I never want our club to run out of adventures! You feel the same, right?"