When someone had received kindness, even if they lacked sufficient strength, they would still want to repay it. They would use what little power they possessed to let others feel that gratitude, and even if accidents occurred, they would persist. She liked that kind of mentality very much.
That included the previous "Akitsu Yuugei." Although it had been modeled after the Akitsu Hazura of the past, their limited youkai power meant it was ultimately only a crude imitation. Yet in truth, everyone there, including her and Ei, had enjoyed themselves immensely. That was enough. Perhaps their intentions had already reached them.
[Mm... Akitsu Yuugei really was quite good. We enjoyed ourselves too.]
See? Even Ei had given it such an appraisal.
The "Akitsu Yuugei," built based on the legendary "Akitsu Hazura," had consumed a great deal of their youkai power to construct. The remaining youkai power had been used to set up several stalls throughout the forest to enhance the festival atmosphere.
"The reason they kept following us was because they wanted to see our reactions."
Ayaka said.
Following us?
I see...
"No wonder I sensed traces of youkai power trailing us when I entered the forest earlier. So it was them..."
She understood now.
In truth, for young youkai who had never interacted with humans before, questions like What do humans actually like? What do they want to play? were completely unknown problems.
The reason they had prioritized constructing Akitsu Yuugei was also because of a legend passed down among youkai.
"...A legend?"
Hearing that, she looked somewhat puzzled. What legend was it? She had no particular memory of one. Just then—
"It's a story from several hundred years ago, about youkai and humans meeting at a festival."
The young girl wearing a fox mask walked over to the two of them, seamlessly picking up the conversation.
"...?" ×2
She and Ayaka turned toward her in perfect unison.
"Um... Sorry. I saw the two of you here and came over to listen. Before I knew it, I just—"
The young girl lowered her head awkwardly.
"It's fine... Are you the kitsune Ayaka mentioned?"
The Shogun shook her head to show she did not mind and asked.
"Yes. I never expected the Shirasagi Himegimi herself to introduce me... It's so embarrassing."
The little kitsune fidgeted adorably.
"There's no need to be so respectful. Today, I'm merely a visitor here to enjoy myself, not the Shirasagi Himegimi of the Yashiro Commission."
Ayaka shook her head as well, indicating that there was no need for such flattery.
"All right... Then, th-this person must be... the renowned—"
The kitsune turned toward the Shogun, her voice beginning to tremble as though she were looking at some truly revered idol.
"That's right. This is the god of Inazuma, our beloved Shogun-sama."
Ayaka nodded and introduced her.
"So it really is! You're the Raiden Shogun... I've always wanted to meet you! Waaah—"
The little kitsune became excited.
"There's no need to be so restrained. I happened to have some free time and came out to wander the mortal world. When I saw this Akitsu Test of Courage, it caught my interest. I must say, you all did quite well."
She smiled at the girl and offered her praise.
"...///! Thank you for your praise!"
The little kitsune immediately flushed beneath the Shogun's breathtaking smile, even with the mask covering her face. Overwhelmed by the honor, she quickly bowed.
Pfft...
Ayaka laughed inwardly at the sight.
Perhaps this was simply the charm of her Shogun-sama?
"Miss Kitsune, the legend you mentioned just now... would you mind telling us a little more about it?"
Afterward, Ayaka returned to the matter at hand and reminded her about the interrupted story. She had also become somewhat interested.
"Of course... The legend is—"
[She should be talking about the Mikawa Flower Festival from several hundred years ago, the story of youkai and humans.]
While the girl was speaking, Ei suddenly spoke inside the Shogun's mind, drawing her attention.
'Youkai and humans?'
She was confused.
[Mm... I know this legend—]
It was said that several hundred years ago, during the Mikawa Flower Festival, a human samurai accidentally wandered into the gathering. For the youkai, who only assembled once every hundred years, this was an extraordinarily unusual event. They discussed among themselves whether they should drive him out.
But at that moment, another youkai appeared.
He had no intention of expelling the human. Instead, he wanted to become companions with him and enjoy the festival together.
Since this is our festival, shouldn't enjoying ourselves be what matters most? Why bother distinguishing between youkai and humans?
—that was what the youkai said.
He possessed considerable prestige among the youkai. Once he spoke, the surrounding youkai all fell silent, and no one continued suggesting that the human should be driven away.
The youkai and the human samurai drank together, wandered through the festival market, and then fought an exhilarating match during the festival's grand finale, the Akitsu Hazura.
In the end, the match concluded in a draw, and the two formed a deep friendship—
When the youkai learned that the human samurai was skilled with a sword, he made a promise with him to "have another match every ten years." The human samurai happily agreed.
And thus... a promise belonging to the two of them, to two different races, to youkai and humans, was forged there.
[The Mikawa Flower Festival lets its participants leave fully satisfied, while Akitsu Hazura symbolizes friendship.]
Ei continued telling her the story.
"So when we decided to hold a festival here, the first thing we thought of was recreating Akitsu Hazura."
The young youkai girl happened to pick up exactly where Ei left off. Although she could not hear Ei, the story she told was completely identical, including the tale of the youkai and human and the meaning behind the Mikawa Flower Festival and Akitsu Hazura.
"Unfortunately, the true Akitsu Hazura has already been lost. What we built was only based on a version we heard from passing merchants, so we changed the name to 'Akitsu Yuugei.'"
However, hearing that reminded the Shogun of what Shikanoin Heizou had reported earlier... Her slender brows unconsciously furrowed.
"The Tenryou Commission said... there have been occasions when your Akitsu Yuugei trapped visitors inside and prevented them from leaving. Were you aware of that?"
She asked.
"Huh? They couldn't get out? We... we didn't know about that either..."
The kitsune froze in surprise. Judging from her reaction, she did not seem to be pretending.
"The Tenryou Commission? Shogun-sama, did someone from the Tenryou Commission come to see you?"
Ayaka asked with concern.
"Yes. It was Shikanoin Heizou. Do you know him?"
She asked.
"Mm. He's a detective with the Tenryou Commission. I've had some dealings with him before."
So the matter truly had happened...
Ayaka understood.
"We really weren't responsible for that... Please believe us."
The kitsune took a step forward and spoke nervously.
"Please don't be nervous... We aren't blaming you."
Ayaka immediately reassured her in a gentle voice.
"Actually... we don't know where the problem is either. Some time ago, we deliberately shut down Akitsu Yuugei and carefully inspected it for malfunctions."
"But..."
The kitsune looked troubled at this point.
"We couldn't find any problems. Maybe the youkai power was unstable at the time and caused some unusual phenomenon..."
"..."
The Shogun silently folded her arms and thought for a moment before instinctively looking toward the person beside her.
"Ayaka... what do you think?"
She asked with trust.
"I don't think Miss Kitsune is lying."
Ayaka answered.
"What about you, Shogun-sama?"
She asked in return.
"...I agree. In my view, this matter isn't so simple. There are still some unresolved points of suspicion."
For example... why had Arataki Itto fallen unconscious back then? She had a feeling his collapse had not been caused by these three. Their youkai power was simply too weak.
"After that incident, no one was willing to come play anymore. We felt rather guilty about it. But the next day, a blue-haired older brother came here. His eyes were very sharp. I think he noticed us. Oh, and his facial features looked somewhat similar to yours, Shirasagi Himegimi."
The kitsune looked toward Ayaka.
"Was it Brother?"
Ayaka immediately understood who it had been.
"But after noticing us, he didn't say anything and left soon afterward. Then, for some reason, lots of people suddenly started coming to Chinju Forest... They all looked like they were here to have fun. People began visiting Akitsu Yuugei again too. We... were really happy!"
"Wait... the 'three ghosts' Arataki Itto saw back then. Was that you?"
The Shogun asked with interest.
"Um... yes. We were walking along the roadside at the time when this huge red oni suddenly jumped out. He scared us badly, so we immediately ran away. But for some reason, he didn't chase after us. We even heard him scream afterward."
The kitsune explained awkwardly.
"..."
Could it be... that idiot tried to scare them, only to get frightened by these three youkai instead?
And the three of them were frightened by him at the same time, so both sides ended up running away from each other?