Golden Festival Day 44
Diego was at peace. No chaos. No yelling. No Odd Jobs. Just a quiet, warm afternoon stretched out endlessly in front of him. He sat in a chair that felt like it had been designed specifically for his comfort, legs kicked up, drink in hand, a breeze rolling through the air like the world had finally decided to give him a break.
Diego exhaled slowly: "Yeah… this is it."
For once, nothing was happening. And that was perfect.
Then—
A spider crawled into view.
Diego froze.
It was small. Harmless. Probably.
It didn't matter.
His entire body locked up as if something deep in his instincts had been triggered. His eye twitched. His grip tightened on the armrest.
Diego: "…No."
The spider continued forward, Diego slowly stood up, every movement cautious, controlled, like he was approaching something far more dangerous than it actually was.
Diego: "We can talk about this."
He grabbed something nearby, he didn't even know what it was. A book. A shoe. A weapon.
He raised it.
Prepared.
Then—
The spider spoke: "May death be kinder than man."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Color drained from everything, fading into black and white like reality itself had decided this moment deserved dramatic weight. The air grew heavy. Time slowed.
Diego stared at the spider.
Then at the object in his hand.
Then back at the spider.
Diego was overcome with emotions and at a crossroads for what to do. So he bawled his fists and yelled with frustration, agony, and regret.
The world shattered.
Diego's eyes snapped open.
The ceiling stared back at him.
He blinked a few times, breathing steadying as the remnants of the dream dissolved.
He glanced down.
A spider crawled across the floor.
Diego stared at it and sighed: "…Yeah."
He turned over, pulled the blanket over his shoulder, and went back to sleep.
***
Early morning, Chifuyu walked beside Kagura down their neighborhood, a leash in his hand and a small, overly energetic dog bouncing between them like it had infinite stamina.
Kagura jogged lightly to keep up: "Looks like someone has too much energy."
Chifuyu: "Says you."
Kagura looked down at the dog: "We're the same, you and I."
The dog barked proudly. They approached a small house at the end of the street, where an elderly woman stood waiting near the gate, hands folded and expression warm.
Old Lady: "You two are such a big help."
Kagura waved: "We've got you."
Chifuyu handed the leash over gently: "You sure you don't want us to walk him more? I think he has enough energy for 10 more laps."
The dog barked again while wagging its tail.
The old lady chuckled: "Oh no, you younguns have done enough. Doesn't it get boring? Boring little Odd Jobs like this?"
They both paused.
Chifuyu glanced at Kagura.
Kagura glanced back.
Then they both smiled.
Chifuyu: "Nope. It's just another day."
Kagura nodded, her voice softer than usual: "We don't need something big to happen every day." She looked down the street, where the sunlight stretched across the pavement. "I cherish every day just as much as the next."
The old lady's expression softened: "You two are kind."
Chifuyu scratched his cheek: "…We just do what we can."
Kagura grinned: "And sometimes we do a lot more." She ran over to the lady, "Let's do a few more laps with the little guy."
Old lady: "Haha. If you insist."
They then ran back off at an even faster pace than before.
—
Later that day, Chifuyu, Ariel, and Shinatsu went shopping at the mall. Yuji just ordered a suit online without caring about exact measurements. Diego gave them some fire suggestions for what to wear. Iris couldn't go with them so Shinatsu's picking out a dress for her. The mall was crowded as usual.
Chifuyu walked slightly ahead, hands in his pockets, scanning storefronts with mild interest.
Ariel walked beside him, eyes darting from one thing to another: "There's too many options. What if I just wear my vampire dress?"
Chifuyu: "Maybe you could, I think?"
Shinatsu: "The same outfit she wore when she first attacked Shioto? What if somebody recognizes it?"
Chifuyu: "Oh…"
Ariel: "I'm sorry I brought it up.."
Shinatsu: "I'm actually kind of looking forward to getting something nice, you should choose carefully Ariel. Put some thought into it instead of just ordering something online like Yuji."
Chifuyu: "That idiot. He can't try on something he gets online. I'm gonna laugh in his face if it doesn't fit him."
They stepped into a store.
Clothes lined the walls, neatly arranged, polished, expensive.
Diego's voice echoed in Chifuyu's head: "Trust me. Go sharp. Clean. Don't play it safe."
Chifuyu picked up a suit.
Ariel tilted her head: "That's very you."
Chifuyu: "Is that good or bad?"
Ariel: "Both."
Shinatsu scanned over dozens of dresses: "This."
Chifuyu glanced over: "For you?"
Shinatsu shook her head: "Iris."
Ariel smiled slightly: "She'll like that."
Shinatsu: "If she gets meek about putting it on, I'll force it on her."
From outside the store, a group of guys watched them.
Guy #1: "That's them."
Guy #2: "Odd Jobs."
Guy #3 smirked: "Easy money."
They moved.
Guy #1 stepped forward and bumped into Chifuyu hard enough to look convincing, then immediately threw himself backward, crashing to the ground with exaggerated force and causing a line of clothes to fall over.
Guy #1: "Ah—!" He grabbed his ankle. "My leg—!"
Chifuyu blinked.
Guy #2 rushed forward, grabbing Chifuyu's shoulder aggressively: "What are you going to do about this?!"
There was a pause.
Then—
Chifuyu flopped. His body twisted as he fell to the ground like he had just taken a devastating tackle from a 270-pound all-muscle linebacker, rolling dramatically before clutching his shoulder with intense, exaggerated agony: "AAAH—MY SHOULDER—!"
The entire scene froze.
Guy #2 stared down at him: "…What."
Shinatsu stepped forward calmly, crossing her arms: "You just injured a Hunter." Her tone didn't rise. If anything, it became more dangerous because it didn't need to. "What are you going to do about this?"
Guy #2 blinked rapidly: "I—I barely touched him."
Ariel stepped in, eyes sharp: "No." It looked like she wanted to kill him. "I clearly saw a left hook." But she was just jesting.
Guy #1: "…A left hook?"
Chifuyu writhed on the ground like his life was flashing before his eyes, one leg kicking slightly for added effect as he clutched his shoulder tighter: "It came out of nowhere… I didn't even see it…!"
Shinatsu nodded once, completely serious: "It was so fast, they might be assassins." She thumb nudged the sheath just enough to show her blade, "We might have to draw our blades."
Guy #2 looked between all of them, his confidence crumbling by the second: "What are you even—he fell on his own!"
Guy #3: "Alright, that's enough!"
He touched Ariel's arm and barely made contact yet.
Then—
Ariel flung herself wildly. Her body went limp as she flew across the floor, one hand dramatically reaching out as if grasping for the last threads of life: "Ah…I'm dying."
A crowd had begun to gather and stared.
Shinatsu looked down at Ariel, then back at the group, completely unfazed: "Two victims. This is getting worse for you."
Guy #2: "…We should leave."
Guy #3 shook his head rapidly, panic setting in: "No, no, we didn't even get anything yet—"
After hearing all the commotion, security showed up.
Security Guard: "What's going on here?!"
All three guys froze.
Their eyes met.
A silent agreement passed between them instantly. They full sprinted out of there in a second.
The security guard blinked, watching them disappear before looking down at the scene in front of him.
Chifuyu still on the ground.
Ariel still dramatically reaching toward the ceiling.
Security Guard: "…Are you two alright?"
They both got up at the exact same time.
Chifuyu rolled his shoulder once: "Yeah, I feel totally better."
Ariel brushed herself off: "Same. Phew, that was scary."
The security guard stared at them confused.
Shinatsu: "…We're fine."
Security Guard: "…Got it."
He slowly walked off, clearly deciding if this was worth the paperwork.
Chifuyu: "Hehe. I've always wanted to do that."
Ariel threw her hands up in a shrug and smiled: "They couldn't even follow through. What a bunch of babies."
Shinatsu: "Let's finish shopping."