Chapter 37
A nice afternoon
The moment of the final combat had arrived. Itto and Kazuha, the two fighters, each stood at one end of the arena, each holding their champion in their hands. The spectators were gathered around both of them, expectant and excited, intoxicated by the heavy tension in the air...
Or, maybe not so much, actually. After all, it was just an onikabuto match organized by a group of children… and some adults who evidently had nothing more important to do that afternoon. As it was, the prize of one thousand two hundred moras was undoubtedly worth the interest.
"Are you ready, friend Kazuha?" Itto asked with overflowing confidence in his voice. "I hope you don't hold any hard feelings once I win you that huge prize."
"Not at all," Kazuha replied with a careless smile. "Let's have a fair fight, and may the best win."
"That's the spirit! Go then, Demon Warrior X!"
Itto crouched down, placing his beetle on the ground just inside the arena. Kazuha followed suit shortly after, placing Heron Princess in her respective position.
"You have done very well," the samurai whispered softly to the little blue beetle. "Just give me your strength one more time, please."
It almost seemed that the little insect raised its little head in his direction to look at him and even share an answer. It was evident to almost everyone that this was not the case, but Kazuha would not say so with such conviction.
The two fighters turned to face each other, initially standing still on their opposite ends but with their entire bodies tense, ready for combat. Demon Warrior X was certainly quite a bit bigger, making him look intimidating. But Kazuha had confidence in Heron Princess. As he had told Ayato, her name was a good luck charm.
Itto's onikabuto was the first to react, charging at his opponent, but at the last moment, Heron Princess moved to the side to avoid it. The red beetle soon turned on again before the blue beetle could counterattack. The heads of both insects collided, starting to push each other. Demon Warrior X's clearly superior size and strength began to outpace him, and Heron Princess's small body began to be pushed toward the edge of the arena, no matter how much the blue beetle resisted.
"That is!" Itto snapped proudly. "A little more, and we will have it!"
The spectators watched everything in silence, without even breathing. Could it be that the winner was decided so quickly?
Just when it seemed Demon Warrior X would push her entirely out of the arena, Heron Princess gracefully moved to the side, flipping the huge scarab around. Right after, she lunged at the red beetle's side, giving it several pushes in that area that caused the larger insect's body to inch to the side.
The match had taken a sudden turn, and this was reflected in everyone's shocked reactions.
Heron Princess continued to push her opponent towards the shore with zeal. Still, before getting him out completely, Demon Warrior X managed to put up resistance with his legs to prevent himself from advancing further. He shook the body right after, pulling Heron Princess off of him and pushing her back. They both faced each other again, and Demon Warrior X launched against him again, bumping their heads against each other.
"Hold on, buddy!" Itto shouted energetically. "You just have to push it a little more! We already have it!"
"You can do it, Heron Princess!" Shouta exclaimed excitedly. "Resist!"
"No! You can, Demon Warrior X!" Midori added from beside. "Make her pay for what she did to Cherry Tea!"
"Heron Princess won't lose so easily!" Daisuke added decisively.
"Come on, Demon Warrior X!" Shinobu's voice suddenly shouted with great zeal, taking the rest of his companions by surprise. "Don't give up! We need that money! Come on!"
It was strange for everyone to see Shinobu so excited about an onikabuto fight, but indeed it seemed that paying off the debts with the prize had convinced her to see everything with better eyes.
Shouts of support for both combatants echoed through the air like a loud bang. That had practically stopped being just a child's game and turned into something that brought together the vibrations of all those individuals. It was something indeed palpable and pleasant. Kazuha was able to understand a little why they liked it so much.
"Come on, you can do it," Kazuha whispered slowly, his attention fixed on Heron Princess. He then slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on letting his emotions and thoughts flow with the wind toward his scarab.
That day he had shared with Ayaka what he had learned in his time living in the wild. How everything affected and connected with each other. And if you concentrated enough, you too could become part of that balance. And in those moments, he felt able to see and feel things from Heron Princess's perspective. To be one with his fighter...
Suddenly, the blue beetle made a move that no one would have expected. As they pushed each other, in a split second in which their heads separated, instead of colliding with his opponent again, she climbed towards him, climbing quickly up his body until she passed over his great back. A movement that could only be possible thanks to Heron Princess's smaller and lighter body.
Demon Warrior X looked confused, not knowing where the other insect had gone. Heron Princess continued advancing through the red shell until she dropped to the ground just behind her opponent. And before he managed to react in any way or turn around, Heron Princess charged him with all her might from behind. Demon Warrior X's body spun around from the heavy blow, for a moment practically standing on his head, only to land squarely on his back on the ground, with more than half of his body out of the arena circle drawn on the ground. And there it stayed, with its legs in the air waving, unable to get back up.
There was a moment of absolute silence. Everything had been so fast that they needed a few seconds to process it. But there was not much room for doubt: the winner was already decided. And once that was clear to everyone, the shouts of excitement, the jumps, and the applause were immediate.
"That was amazing!" Daisuke exclaimed, brimming with emotion. "This is by far the best onikabuto match I've ever seen!"
"I must admit, it was a bit exciting," Shinobu muttered, clearing her throat a bit and trying to regain the composure she had so noticeably lost during the fight.
For his part, Itto sighed with an inevitable resignation after being stunned for a few moments after such an abrupt ending. Right after, however, one of his broad, affable smiles spread across his lips, and he circled the arena to approach Kazuha.
"Well done, friend Kazuha," the oni pointed out, extending a friendly hand. "You seem to be a born warrior, even with onikabuto. That's why I don't feel bad at all about losing to you."
"Thank you, Itto," Kazuha replied, instantly shaking his hand in return. "It actually turned out to be a lot of fun in the end."
"But don't think I'll let this stay like this!" Itto declared fiercely. "Someday soon, you and I will have a rematch, and I won't take no for an answer!"
Kazuha laughed, amused.
"I guess we can work it out somehow."
Among all those voices, the loud sound of Ayato's hands resounded, clapping energetically. Kazuha, already with Heron Princess in her hands again, turned to look at him when he noticed he was approaching him from the side.
"Excellent fight, Mr. Kazuha," Ayato pointed out eloquently. "You won the prize in a more than fair way. Don't you think so, miss?" he asked right after, turning to Midori standing beside him.
"I guess so," she sighed resignedly. "Give the moras to the stranger..."
Kouichi was in charge of taking the almost bursting leather bag where they had kept the one thousand two hundred coins and approached Kazuha to hand them over.
"Congratulations!" the boy exclaimed, holding out the bag. "Hopefully, we can play another day again."
"Maybe," Kazuha murmured with a half-smile. He then held Heron Princess in one hand and took the bag with the other. Everyone burst into applause and cheers once more. Kazuha had certainly gotten out of the habit of being the center of attention to that level, but he didn't find the atmosphere uncomfortable at all.
"Everything is fine, but we still have our dice debt," Genta sighed heavily and stopped clapping just after.
"And we have to pay for the damage to the restaurant," Akira pointed out.
"Why are you bothering about such nonsense now?!" Itto snapped, turning towards and looking at them firmly. "The important thing is that we fight to the end with honor and courage, standing up for justice as true heroes do."
"Don't exaggerate it, boss," Shinobu muttered. "It was just child's play with beetles..."
"And what shall we do with our debts then?" Mamoru questioned, concerned.
"We'll figure it out somehow," Itto declared with conviction, placing his hands on his waist and looking up at the sky. "We always do, so don't worry!"
"Itto," he suddenly heard Kazuha speaking behind him.
The oni turned around quickly, as did the rest of his companions. The swordsman approached them, holding the bag of coins, while Heron Princess settled on his shoulder. He then rummaged through its contents, pulling out only a few moras. Then he closed the bag again and, to everyone's surprise, extended it to Itto.
"I only require one hundred and fifty moras to buy a gift," Kazuha explained. "I really don't need the rest. You can have it."
This made everyone jump with confusion and excitement. Was he really giving them the thousand moras that way? How could he say he didn't need them? What kind of person didn't need a thousand and fifty blackberries? From his clothing, footwear, and general appearance, it was clear that he did not have money to spare, as was evidently the case with the individual who had donated said prize.
Regarding this, Ayato was indeed also a bit surprised by that act, although said feeling became much less evident on his face. Was he just doing it in an attempt to impress him? For some reason, he didn't think that was the case; it really seemed like a sincere act. Was this a sample of the person he had become after all those years?
For his part, Itto silently observed the bag offered to him with a stern expression.
"No," he pronounced emphatically after a while, crossing his arms and turning his face to the side. "In no way will I accept money that I did not earn fairly..."
"Oh, of course you will!" Shinobu scolded from beside him, making Itto jump. "That hole in the restaurant isn't going to fix itself! Pride is for people with money, work, or no debt. So take it."
"Okay, okay," Itto answered quickly, slightly nervous.
Kazuha couldn't help but smile in amusement upon seeing such a scene. It made one wonder who the gang leader really was.
With no place to choose something else, Itto had only to take the heavy bag of coins.
"But one day, I will pay you this debt in full," Itto stated, pointing at the bum directly as if he were more of some kind of threat.
"I'm sure so," Kazuha agreed.
Settling that little exchange, Ayato took a few steps towards them, speaking loudly to get their attention.
"This was really fun, guys," the blue-haired man pointed out, his smile widening slightly. "But I'm afraid it's time for me to go."
"So soon, friend Ayato?" Itto asked with disappointment.
"Yes, at least stay and buy us a few drinks..." Genta muttered, earning him an elbow from Shinobu on his right side that made him double over a little. "I mean, for us to buy you a few drinks..."
"It will be another time," Ayato excused himself, followed by a slight nod. "It was a pleasure to see you. And, Mr. Kazuha," he turned to look directly at the light-haired swordsman. "We will continue talking another time."
Kazuha didn't reply, and the truth was, he doubted he needed to do that.
Saying nothing else, Commissioner Yashiro began to walk back toward the city, and everyone silently watched his back as he walked away.
After hanging out at Yae Publishing, Ayaka, Chisato, and Sara went on a tour of the shopping district, checking out practically every one of the kimono shops located on the main street. Chisato, who was the most interested in finding a new model to wear during the festival, seemed skeptical about any of the ones she saw. She came from Ritou, after all, the import point through which the finest and most colorful fabrics coming from abroad passed, so it was much easier for her to get a wide variety of patterns and prints there. But she was far from Ritou, so she had to get something from Inazuma City's offer.
Ayaka had left Ogura Textiles & Kimonos as the last place to visit, assuring Ritou's visitor that it was the best kimono shop in town. She even told her that that was where she had all her kimonos made to measure. That encouraged Chisato to take a look.
Ogura Mio, the store manager, greeted the three with a broad smile and served them quite diligently. She was used to receiving the visit from the young Kamisato, but having the Hiiragi and Kujou clan's daughters at the same time… just a rumor of this fact would definitely draw people's attention to her shop.
Chisato walked through the entire venue at least three times. Indeed, the variety she found there seemed to stand out from the previous stores. Some of the fabrics on display there, Chisato remembered seeing in Fontaine's last shipment. The Ogura family must have had good contacts with the Kanjou Commission to have such models available so soon.
Among all the kimonos, the first one that caught her eye was a black one decorated with red roses. They weren't camellias, cherry blossoms, or lycoris; they were definitely roses.
"How unusual to see roses on a kimono," Chisato pointed out, intrigued. "And especially red... It's a somewhat daring design, don't you think?"
"Roses are a common decoration in Fontaine's dresses," Ogura Mio mentioned solemnly. "Some Inazuma noble women and men have been struck by starting to use them on their clothing, though it's not a practice that's become too widespread yet."
"I think it looks good," Ayaka pointed out, looking over Chisato's shoulder at the kimono. "But I don't think that's your style."
"Definitely not," Chisato laughed. "It would surely kill my father if he saw me in something so flashy. What do you say, Sara?" she asked, turning to see the General. "With your hair and skin tone, perhaps something black and red would suit you."
"I don't think I need a kimono," Sara pointed out seriously. "During the festival, I will be patrolling."
"You won't even take one night?" Chisato asked, surprised.
"I don't believe it. I've already taken a lot of time off for this afternoon," the tengu stated with marked assurance as if what she was saying was actually quite obvious.
"Well, Kamaji is going to take at least one night," Chisato stated out of mere reflex, covering her mouth the moment after realizing what she had said.
"My brother?" Sara pronounced, a bit confused. "Did he say that to you?"
"Well, well... I..."
"Look, Chisato," Ayaka said suddenly, pointing at another kimono to try and save her. The fabric was in aqua tones, but at the bottom, it had an engraving of blue waves of the sea and even whales jumping out of the water. "It has whales; aren't they cute? I bet you've never seen anything like it. It seems pretty original to me."
"Yeah, I think so," Chisato stated with a half-smile, trying to regain her composure and silently thanking Ayaka for her intervention.
"The design of this kimono is inspired by the folk paintings of the artist Hatsushina Kokusai," Mio informed them. "You can see that the level of detail in the waves is unique to the patterns often seen on a kimono."
"That's true," Chisato mentioned, watching the billows of the kimono more closely. "They look almost real..."
They continued to walk through the store under the observant eye of the manager in case any item of clothing caught their eye. Chisato was undoubtedly a demanding customer.
During the search, Ayaka's gaze suddenly caught not a kimono as such but a fabric on display, hung so that its pattern could be fully appreciated. The base of the cloth was dark, somewhere between black and dark brown, on top of which stood out an orange pattern of waves that Ayaka thought simulated the movement of the wind. And this one also had designs of yellow, orange, and red colors with the distinctive shape of maple leaves swaying slightly as they fell to the ground. In fact, the entire design seemed to try to emulate that same image of falling reddish leaves, and it succeeded very well.
Out of mere reflex, Ayaka quickly approached the cloth to inspect it closely, poring over the pattern, even allowing herself to touch the fabric. It was thin and light, as well as very soft.
Maple leaves, like the Kaedehara Clan's crest, Ayaka thought, were somewhat fascinated. And besides, those warm colors inevitably brought Kazuha to mind as soon as she saw them. She could even swear to have seen him in a kimono with a similar pattern as a child.
"It's nice," Chisato pronounced from behind her, making her jump as she was jerked out of her thoughts. "But the colors are more autumn than spring, don't you think?"
"Yeah, sure..." Ayaka murmured with a small, nervous smile.
"Well, I think I want to try the one with the waves and the whales," Chisato pronounced, then turned to the manager. "Could you bring it to me?"
"Right away, my lady," Mio replied with a slight bow, hastening to comply.
"What do you say, Sara?" Chisato added right after. "Don't you want to try the one with the roses?"
General Kujou seemed to stiffen a bit at the proposal.
"No, I don't think so…"
"C'mon, I just want to see what it looks like on someone to decide. Yes?" Chisato proposed pleadingly.
Similar to what had led Sara to agree to that outing in the first place, the thought of disappointing her by refusing a request like that forced her to respond:
"I guess it won't hurt..."
Followed by a deep sigh.
"I'll bring them to you as well," Mio said without waiting. "The dressing rooms are in the back."
Chisato and Sara went directly to where the manager had told them, waiting for her to bring them their respective kimonos. With any luck, at least one of them would come out of there with something good.
While her companions retired to the dressing rooms, Ayaka remained attentively observing the fabric with the maple leaves, absorbed in it and in the ideas that came to mind when she saw it.
"Are you interested in a model, Ms. Kamisato?" Mio asked behind her back while she carried both kimonos that had been requested in her arms.
"No, I'm fine," Ayaka hurried to reply with a carefree smile. "I don't know yet if I will attend the festival or not. But, Ogura..." she then hastened to point to the maple leaf cloth. "If I commissioned you to make a custom outfit out of this fabric, do you think you could have it ready before the festival's first day?"
Mio looked at the cloth in question, a bit puzzled.
"From that cloth?" she asked quietly, a little hesitantly. "Well, we have a lot of orders for just before the festival, but... when it comes to you, we can give you preference, my lady."
"I don't want to be a bother."
"It's none, really," Mio pointed out quickly. "I personally will take care of having it ready. But would it be for you? They are not the colors you usually wear."
And it was true. The clothes that Ayaka used to order were cooler colors, primarily blue, purple, or pink. The colors of that cloth were almost entirely the opposite of what people were used to seeing on the Heron Princess.
"No, it wouldn't be for me," Ayaka pointed out. "It's for a gift. In fact, it would be for a men's yukata and perhaps a haori. Do you think it would be possible?"
"For men?" Mio muttered, tilting her head to the side.
That was certainly an unusual request. Mio doubted it was for Lord Kamisato, but… perhaps for that boy who was her servant, that Thoma guy. They looked more like his colors, certainly.
"Of course, my lady," the manager agreed confidently. "I don't think there's any problem."
"Thank you very much," Ayaka pronounced with a visible smile of emotion.
After Ayato left, Midori and the other children soon followed suit. After all, they had to get home before it was time for dinner. On their side, the Arataki Gang and their new friend, Kazuha, headed back to the nearby trees to return the beetles where they had taken. Kazuha was especially careful to place Heron Princess in the exact spot from which he had picked it up.
"Thank you very much for your help," the swordsman whispered slowly, crouching before the beetle. You fought like a true warrior. I hope now you can have a well-deserved rest."
Again it felt as if the beetle was watching him and giving him a response that only he could catch. After a few moments, the insect turned around and began to move towards a tree until it began to slowly climb up its trunk.
Nature returned to its natural balance again.
"It's time for me to retire as well," Kazuha informed as he sat up again, looking at Itto and his friends.
"Are you sure you have to go now?" Itto muttered with disappointment, the same one he had shown to Ayato's departure. "Come on, stay with us a little longer. We will buy some sake and drink together to celebrate this great tournament."
"What?" Shinobu whispered in a menacing voice. As she turned to look at him, her eyes seemed almost to radiate fire.
"Ca... calm down, Shinobu," Itto muttered a little nervously. "We won't spend the prize money on that. Akira will invite us."
"What?" the robust boy from the gang exclaimed in surprise, being surely the first time he had heard of that.
"That would please me," Kazuha murmured. "But I need to go buy the gift I mentioned before it's too late. In addition to continuing to search for Tama, the cat I lost, and reuniting with my partner. And it seems to me that you have a wall to repair."
"Yes, that's true," Itto whispered heavily, placing a hand behind his head. "I guess there is no other way. I hope we can meet again soon, my friend Kazuha. Now you know you can count on the Arataki Gang if you need anything."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kazuha agreed. "Thank you all. The truth is that it had been a while since I had fun like this, and I had a nice time with people… well, normal."
"Did he tell us normal?" Mamoru whispered to Genta. "Is that a compliment or…?"
"I think I'd forgotten what it was like to spend an afternoon like this," Kazuha muttered slowly, letting it go like a thought gone with the wind.
The truth was, he couldn't remember feeling this way in a long time. It was almost like the calm afternoons he spent with Ayaka eight years ago. Even for a moment, he had felt like that little carefree child again. It had been a pleasant memory; the only thing missing was having his favorite playmate by his side. Perhaps in part, she had been, in the form of a little blue beetle named Heron Princess.
"Thank you all," he said, leaning his body respectfully toward them. "Take care, and please stay out of trouble."
"That will be difficult," Shinobu muttered bitterly.
Kazuha turned and then began to walk back to the city, while behind him, Itto waved a hand in the air and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"You don't get in trouble either! And remember that we have a pending rematch! The Great Arataki Itto leaves no debt unpaid!"
He finished off his comment with a high-pitched, sonorous laugh.
In the end, Chisato decided on the kimono of the waves and the whales. It wasn't exactly very glamorous, but Ayaka was right: she had never seen anything like it before. It would certainly attract attention, plus it looked pretty good on her.
On the other hand, as much as they tried to convince Sara to buy the black kimono with red roses, the tengu remained reluctant. Chisato really thought it looked really good on her, but she didn't want to insist too much and make her angry.
Ayaka, for her part, was defining the details of her secret assignment with Mio while her companions tried on their kimonos, agreeing to return the next day to settle any remaining points. So, in a way, she didn't come away empty-handed, even if the other two didn't know about it.
"I thank you both for accompanying me on my quest," Chisato said, respectfully bowing to Sara and Ayaka. "Sorry to have been a bother, but the good thing is that I already found what to wear. What do you think if to close this afternoon, and relax a bit after so much shopping, we're going to have a cup of tea? And there is undoubtedly no more delicious tea that I have tasted here in Inazuma than the one of the Komore Tea House. Of course, if they let us in now..."
There was reproach in his voice, as well as in the sidelong glance towards Ayaka as she said that. The young Kamisato laughed in amusement.
"I think we can fix it this time," Ayaka replied. "Would you like to have some tea too, General? It's also past lunchtime, and I don't think we even noticed. I can ask for something to be made for us to eat with our tea."
"I think it would be likable to eat something before going back to the headquarters," Sara replied quietly, looking thoughtfully toward where the Tenryou Commission headquarters were located.
"Okay, let's go then," Chisato suggested excitedly. "I also want to rest a bit. My feet hurt from walking so much. It makes me miss the palanquin a bit," she said jokingly, or perhaps not entirely jokingly.
The three girls started walking in the direction of the Komore Tea House. Ayaka and Chisato advanced in front while Sara stayed a few steps behind.
"If you want to talk to her about Kamaji, your last chance will be in the Tea House while we eat," Ayaka murmured slowly to Chisato, moving closer to her so the third group member wouldn't hear them.
"I know, I know," Chisato sighed. "How do you think everything has gone? Do you feel like she had a good time? I feel like she's wanted to come home since we started."
"I think it was okay," Ayaka agreed. "Kujou Sara isn't that expressive, but I don't think she had a bad time. And even if it were, I assure you that that would not be a reason for opposition between you and her brother."
"I hope you're right..."
And certainly, Ayaka expected it too.
Author Notes:
I don't know precisely how to narrate onikabuto fights, so I imagined them as if they were Pokemon fights only without powers, hahaha. I know there was recently an event mainly focused on this, but… I didn't play it, so, well…. I hope they turned out well. Still, I don't think it's something we'll see around here again.
And well, I don't want to spoil anyone, but a certain Miss Kamisato and a certain young Kaedehara may or may not meet fleetingly in the next chapter... But I didn't tell them, okay?