Chapter 42
Are You Ready?

Ayaka returned to the teahouse with her new kimono, quite excited to try it on, which anyone would find a bit confusing since her new acquisition was far from the type of fine kimonos that the Heron Princess usually wore. But that would be a special night because, for once, she wouldn't be the Heron Princess, Lady Kamisato, or any of those many names they used to refer to her with. The plan that night was to be just another girl walking at the festival, and that was a possibility that excited her greatly.

And the fact that that meant she could also go out and walk with Kazuha freely only made everything even better.

In terms of size, her new blue kimono fit her perfectly, which could only be thanks to the providence of the Archons. She complemented it with a dark blue obi and simple sandals. She pulled her hair into a simple ponytail, held in place with pink string. And as the only additional accessory, the two butterfly-shaped brooches on the locks that fell to the sides of her face and the matching ring. They didn't quite match the style of the rest of her outfit, but she didn't care. If there was one night she wanted to wear them, it was that one. Furthermore, no one outside the teahouse had seen her with them, so it was unlikely that anyone would connect them with her.

The only real problem was her vision. She couldn't carry it in plain sight as she usually did because someone could immediately recognize her from it, or if they didn't, in the worst-case scenario, some Tenryu guard would try to take it away from her. But she couldn't separate herself too much from it, so she would have to carry it hidden inside her kimono.

Once fully dressed, she stood in front of her full-length mirror, meticulously looking herself up and down and turning and tilting her body to better appreciate the details. She stayed there for a long time, probably longer than she was aware, until she saw Thoma in the mirror, standing at the room's door, observing her discreetly.

"Thoma," she pronounced happily. "What do you think? Do I look like any normal city girl?"

"You certainly look like a normal girl, my lady," Thoma commented with some humor in his tone, but this was still enough to make Ayaka happy.

"Perfect."

"But I'm afraid that even if you dress in those clothes or use those accessories, it's quite likely that people will still recognize you," Thoma noted with some regret. "I suppose the point of all this is precisely to prevent that, or am I wrong?"

"That's right," Ayaka agreed, still looking at him through the reflection. "But that doesn't worry me. Kazuha said he would take care of that."

"So, are you planning to go to the festival with Kaedehara?"

"Yeah," Ayaka answered quickly but then hesitated as she looked at her servant's thoughtful expression. "Why?" she asked apprehensively, turning to look directly at him. "Do you think it is not appropriate?"

"Well... I think it's an excellent idea for you to go out and have a little fun. After all, you were the one who was in charge of organizing all of this."

It was clear that there was more behind those words, but equally so was the fact that he didn't want to share it at that moment. Ayaka could have insisted but decided it was better to leave it at that. Maybe deep down, she was afraid that Thoma would give her a good reason to not do it, and that was the last thing she wanted to hear at that moment.

"Thank you very much, Thoma," she responded with a half-smile. "What will you do? Are you going to have some fun too?"

"Maybe. Since there will be no delivery of visions tonight, and if you don't need me for anything else..."

"Not at all," answered the young Kamisato, shaking her head. "Take the night off, please. You deserve it."

"Thank you, my lady. So I guess I'll see what I can do there."

"Will you visit Miss Naganohara?"

Thoma seemed surprised by the implication, although not too much, really.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, flashing a discreetly playful smile.

"I don't know," Ayaka answered surreptitiously and then turned back to the mirror to finish arranging her hair with her fingers. "I was under the impression you had mentioned something about it."

"Well, in fact, she did mention something about visiting her during the festival if I had the chance. Maybe I will, although I'm sure she'll be pretty busy."

"Say hi to her for me, please. And also send my good wishes to Master Masakatsu."

Before Thoma could respond, one of the teahouse employees approached the room's door down the hallway, crouching in front of it.

"Lady Kamisato, your swordsman friend is looking for you."

It was unnecessary to give more information to know who she was talking about.

"Please let him come in," Ayaka told her, and the young woman responded with a slight bow and returned to the ground floor.

"I'll leave then so you two can talk alone," Thoma said, stepping away from the doorframe. "Have fun, my lady."

"You too, Thoma."

Before leaving, the young servant stopped, hesitated a moment, and then spoke slowly:

"And… take care when you go out, please."

"Don't worry about me," Ayaka replied, smiling. "You know I can protect myself. Also, I'll be with Kazuha."

"That's just what I mean," Thoma added enigmatically, confusing its recipient a little. However, he did not allow her to ask for further explanation. "With your permission."

Thoma nodded slightly and also headed down the hallway towards the stairs. Ayaka followed him with her gaze until he disappeared from her range of vision. What had he meant by that? It almost sounded like Thoma wanted to tell her she should take care of Kazuha. Could it be that Thoma distrusted him in some way? Or… maybe it was something else.

Ayaka's cheeks flushed, and she instinctively brought both hands to them as if she wanted to hide them. It didn't take long for her palms to become warm as well.

She sat in front of the mirror, looking closely into her own eyes, taking a deep breath, and forcing herself to regain her composure before Kazuha arrived and noticed her disturbance. However, the calm she had managed to muster waned noticeably when the handsome, light-haired boy appeared at the room door, and she caught him by his reflection in the mirror.

"Kazuha!" Ayaka exclaimed out loud out of instinct, quickly standing up and turning to him.

"Good evening, Ayaka," the young man mumbled, a little hesitant about her reaction. He still allowed himself to enter the room with a cautious step. "I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

"No, no. I'm sorry; I was a little distracted."

Ayaka felt her heart pounding in her chest as she watched him approach, and she knew well that it wasn't just because of the shock from earlier. She then also noticed how Kazuha's gaze subtly focused on her outfit.

"How do I look?" the Heron Princess whispered, giving a small twirl so her friend could fully appreciate her chosen blue kimono. "Do you think it works for our purpose?"

Kazuha stared at her in silence for a few more seconds, inevitably making her a little nervous. She thought for a moment that perhaps she had made a mistake in her choice, and maybe he was looking for the right words to tell her. However, when Kazuha finally spoke, what emerged from his lips was a soft:

"You look beautiful," followed right after by a small smile.

And with that, he completely buried all Ayaka's calm and serenity, replaced by a tingling that ran through her entire body and almost weakened her legs.

"Ah, that... wasn't what I meant, but thank you..." she mumbled nervously, her face so flushed that she had to force herself to look away.

At that moment, she noticed a curious smell in the air, intermingled with the aromas of the food and tea in the house. At first, Ayaka didn't recognize it clearly, but upon paying attention, she noticed that it was something similar to soap and perhaps some floral essence.

"What is that scent?" she asked curiously.

"Scent?" Kazuha responded, somewhat lost. He then raised his sleeve and sniffed his clothes a little. "Oh, I think it's me. I stopped by the public bathrooms to clean up before coming here. I just wanted to be a little more presentable tonight after sleeping outdoors for so many nights."

"Oh, I see," Ayaka agreed, noticing that Kazuha's hair looked wet. "I also took a bath a while ago…" she suddenly blurted out by reflex, almost immediately questioning why it was relevant to say it. "Oh, what do you have there?" she exclaimed quickly, attempting to change the subject, pointing to a bundle wrapped in a dark cloth that Kazuha had with him under his arm. The boy seemed to remember at that moment that he brought it.

"I brought you this to complement your outfit," he explained as he unwrapped the mysterious package that, in reality, turned out to not be so mysterious.

"A mask?" Ayaka murmured, surprised. Kazuha held it out to her so she could get a closer look. Ayaka carefully took the mask and brought it close to her face. It was a white fox mask with red paint on the face that resembled the artistic representation of a kitsune.

"I'm sorry if I made you think my idea was something more elaborate," Kazuha commented with a half-smile. "But sometimes something simple is better, don't you think?"

"Actually, I was thinking why I hadn't thought of it," said the young Kamisato, looking excited. "Many wear masks during the festival, so it won't be strange for me to come out like that, right?"

Kazuha nodded, thus reflecting her approval of the comment. Ayaka didn't wait any longer and put on the mask, attaching it firmly to the back of her head. It completely covered her face, and even her eyes seemed well hidden behind it.

"How do I look now?"

"Still beautiful," Kazuha responded quickly without hesitation, and Ayaka was highly grateful to have that mask to cover her blush.

"Tha… thank you."

"I also bought one for myself so we could go matching."

Kazuha then took the other mask that was wrapped in the blanket and put it on. This one was made of tanuki, and unlike the kitsune mask, this one covered only the eye and nose area.

"What do you think?"

"You look adorable," Ayaka pointed out, accompanied by a small giggle.

"That wasn't exactly my intention either."

"Sorry, Sorry. You look fine, really."

Ayaka then pointed towards the full-length mirror so that Kazuha could see himself in it. He looked very elegant in his new haori, and the dark colors of the mask went well with the coat.

"Do you think we look convincing?" Ayaka asked, clearly excited.

"There will only be one way to know," Kazuha stated confidently, and without a moment's hesitation, she extended his right arm, offering it to her to take it. "Are you ready?"

Ayaka suddenly felt a small burst of nerves, and her heart began to race again. Even so, she ordered his legs not to even think about paralyzing at that moment, and so she managed to advance towards him and gently wrap her arm around his.

"Yes..." she answered, nodding slowly. Kazuha smiled gently at her, and even though he couldn't see it, Ayaka still smiled back.

They both began to walk side by side towards the stairs, to leave the teahouse together, without any fear that anyone would see them.

They were greeted head-on by the noise and lights from outside as soon as they set foot outside. The sun had already begun to set, and it was clear that the real movement of the festival was beginning. From the teahouse, it was clear that the main street was already filled with people, and their footsteps, voices, and music filled the air. The lanterns hanging above the heads of the attendees had already been lit, covering everything in a beautiful golden glow. And, of course, the delicious aroma of the different food stalls could not be missed; an absolute delight for their noses.

Kazuha and Ayaka began to advance towards the main street, at first with a cautious step, especially from her. However, as they advanced and it became more evident that no one was looking at them or even noticing them, Ayaka began to feel more secure. Then, she was able to appreciate everything around her in more detail.

Ayaka had participated in planning every aspect of that festival: every light, every stall, decoration, game, attraction, etc. Even so, it was different to be able to appreciate everything directly with her own eyes and from the perspective of just another visitor to the event. It was an incredible experience; surely, most would not understand why it caused so much emotion in her.

Kazuha couldn't see her face, thanks to the fox mask, but it was still clear to him that his companion was smiling. And how she turned her face to each side and clung to his arm even tighter only made it more evident how happy and excited she was.

"What do you want to do first?" the swordsman asked her curiously.

Ayaka thought about the question a bit. Just then, they were passing a ramen stand under the name Shimura. Ayaka remembered that among the applications for food stalls, Mr. Shimura Kanbei had filled out the paperwork to set up two stalls at different points of the festival, one of them being precisely of ramen. Although her mind, and later also her stomach, were more focused on the delicious aroma from that place, rather than on the paperwork that may have been involved.

"Well, I haven't really eaten," she mentioned, pointing a finger toward the stall. "How about if I buy you some ramen? This will give us strength for the rest of the night."

"I think it's a good idea," Kazuha agreed. "But…"

Kazuha looked at the ramen stand, or rather at the long line of people that had formed right before it, which Ayaka only noticed until that moment.

"Oh, indeed, Mr. Shimura's ramen has always been very popular," Ayaka murmured regretfully. The thought occurred to her for a moment that Mr. Shimura always gave her preference when she went to his restaurant, and surely he would do so too if she asked him…

No, Ayaka. They would give preference to Kamisato Ayaka, but tonight, you are just another assistant; remember that! She said to herself in her mind while shaking her head frantically. It was painful to realize that, although she did not even know it, she had some bad habits derived from her position.

"It's okay, we can wait," Kazuha commented suddenly at her side.

"Are you sure?" Ayaka asked, somewhat worried.

Kazuha turned to look at her and smiled nonchalantly.

"Of course. After all, the night is still young, right?"

Ayaka nodded, and beneath her mask, she also smiled.

As agreed, they waited patiently in line for their turn. Luckily, it wasn't as long as they feared, but they still had to stand for a relatively long time. After this, both finally managed to sit at the bar, one next to the other. The person in charge of taking the orders, who looked just as busy as all the other employees, took a while to approach them to ask them what they wanted since she was in a hurry bringing their dishes to other customers and also helped a little in the preparation.

Ayaka reflected on how, at any other time, the employees, upon seeing her, would have immediately rushed to serve her, perhaps ignoring all the other customers for a moment. And, in fact, they would indeed have made her go ahead of everyone else in line, no matter how much she refused. And that was just the kind of situation she wanted to avoid, so it was good to see her outfit working. And it still seemed interesting and refreshing to see things from that side.

They had to wait a while for them to be served and another for their dishes to be brought. However, when they arrived, their aroma alone was enough to know that the wait had been totally worth it.

"Thank you very much," Kazuha said with a nod as soon as that steaming plate was placed right before him.

"It smells delicious," Ayaka pointed out, making her appetite more evident than she would like in her tone. As soon as she took the chopsticks and brought them to the plate, however, she was aware of a small problem. "It's going to be a bit problematic to eat with this on," she mentioned, delicately touching the mask with her fingertips.

"You could take it off just to eat," Kazuha commented.

Ayaka discreetly looked around. There were at least five more people sitting at the long bar that had been placed, plus the employees, the people in line, and those passing by on the street. All it took was for just one person to recognize her for the plan to be ruined...

"I'd rather not," she responded, quickly denying.

Ayaka then tried another strategy, lifting the mask just a little with one hand, enough to expose her mouth, while with the other, she took a bite of noodles using the chopsticks. It turned out to be a little more troublesome than expected, but she did it in the end. It wouldn't be the most efficient way, but she would have to adjust.

"Allow me to help you," Kazuha mentioned at her side, delicately taking Ayaka's chopsticks from her hand. This confused her a little until she noticed how the swordsman used those same chopsticks to take a piece of pork from Ayaka's plate and carefully extend it in her direction.

Ayaka tensed as she saw the food near her face and felt the heat emanating from it. She had read similar scenes in some of her novels, scenes of couples where one fed the other in the mouth, and it had always seemed like a tender act... that she had not imagined being able to experience on her own.

"Thank you..." she murmured nervously and then began to carefully blow on the piece of meat before daring to take it delicately in her mouth. She knew it didn't make sense, but for some reason, the fact that Kazuha had fed her made that bite taste much more delicious than any other time she had eaten something similar. It must have been her imagination, but she wouldn't be the one who would put much effort into correcting herself.

"Maybe I should have foreseen this and gotten you a mask more similar to mine," Kazuha declared, embarrassed, as he handed her another bite.

"Don't worry," Ayaka replied confidently. She definitely wouldn't have changed anything to prevent her from having that little experience.

Kazuha continued helping her for a while, but then Ayaka decided to continue on her own as long as he could eat too, especially before his respective dish cooled down.

"It's delicious," Kazuha commented, happy when he tasted it.

"It's the best in the city," Ayaka replied similarly.

After eating and being quite satisfied, they both returned to the main street to visit the different stalls and continue with the evening that awaited them.

"So, what can we do now?" Ayaka asked excitedly, clinging to Kazuha's arm. He looked around thoughtfully and soon realized they had reached a part of the festival where most stalls were for games. He immediately recognized the games of target shooting, hoops, catch the fish, surprise boxes, and several others.

"Would you like to play some games?" Kazuha proposed. "Maybe we can win a prize."

"Yeah!" Ayaka responded quickly, with so much emotion that she raised her voice much more than she wanted to. She was clearly embarrassed by this, so she quickly forced herself to mitigate her excitement. "I mean, I think I'd like to try it..."

And certainly, so it was. Whenever she saw the different game stalls registered for the festivals, she was very curious to know how exactly each of them was played and, of course, to try them herself.

But perhaps it was a little childish that this excited her so much, and she feared for a moment that Kazuha would think badly of her. However, despite not being able to see his entire face thanks to the raccoon mask, the single smile he shared with her and the candidness of his crimson eyes were enough to make Ayaka feel more than welcome in her feelings.

"Let's do it then," Kazuha indicated, nodding, and they both began to approach one of the stalls.

"Hey!" they heard a deep voice say with notable zeal behind them, making itself noticeable among all the other noise. At first, neither of them paid much attention to that until the same voice said shortly after: "Did you think you could hide from me, friend Kazuha? But I recognize that pair of masks well."

They both stopped simultaneously and turned back in the direction those words had come from. Through the crowd, they saw how the tall, burly figure of that man with white hair and red horns was approaching, waving one hand in the air to be noticed. That guy was also accompanied by at least three other people behind him. Ayaka became noticeably nervous, but at least Kazuha managed to relax as soon as he recognized them.

"Ah, it's them," he whispered with relief.

"Do you know them, Kazuha?" Ayaka murmured urgently.

Kazuha nodded. After all, the Arataki Gang was hard to forget, especially their peculiar leader.

"They're some guys from Hanamizaka that I met a few days ago," Kazuha explained in a low voice. "They're a little... quirky, but they're good people. Don't worry; continue in your role, and they will surely not recognize you."

"Okay..." Ayaka murmured, not really sounding very convinced.

Kazuha was tempted to comment that they might not recognize her, even without her mask, since even her brother, Lord Kamisato, seemed to know them, and they had no idea who he really was. But he decided it was better to leave that conversation for later.

"Itto, guys," Kazuha greeted them respectfully once they were in front of them. "Good evening."

Itto's three friends soon returned the greeting in the same way.

"So I guess this is the lady you wanted the fox mask for, huh?" Itto asked, looking at Ayaka at that moment. She flinched a little but forced herself to remain as calm as possible.

"Good evening," she greeted them with a firm voice, offering them a subtle bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am…"

She quickly tried to think of a name since, of course, using the real one was not an option. However, her thoughts wandered quite far from that mission the moment she stood up straight again, and she noticed that in addition to the Oni and the three men behind him, there was a fifth person with them: a tall woman wearing a beautiful yukata of black fabric with a red rose print, with short dark hair, white skin, and golden eyes that at that moment looked indifferent towards the stalls to the side.

Ayaka felt her breath run out of her when she looked at that woman and, of course, she recognized her instantly.

"Oh no! It's Kujou Sara...!" she thought, nervous. And almost as if she had shouted it out loud, that woman's face turned in her direction at that moment, looking directly at Ayaka.