As expected, nothing happened between Artoria and Eichi after they finished drinking.
The two left the hot pot restaurant as usual and arrived at the Summer Festival under the brilliant starry sky.
Although it was already night when the Summer Festival officially began.
However, the large number of streetlights, lanterns, and colorful signs at the foot of the mountain illuminated the night like day.
"Boss, two candied apples."
"Alright, two for 500 yen."
Because Eichi had seen candied apples at Summer Festivals in anime before, he bought them as soon as he spotted them.
Perhaps Eichi had too many anime-inspired fantasies about candied apples.
After tasting the candied apple, he was a bit disappointed.
"It's just a normal candy, similar to a lollipop."
The next second, Eichi thought of Artoria, worried that she might be disappointed by the taste of the candied apple.
He turned his head and saw Artoria extending her small tongue, licking the candied apple bite by bite.
"Good, it looks like Artoria doesn't dislike candied apples."
"What's wrong, Eichi?"
Artoria, who noticed Eichi looking at her, raised her head.
When she first noticed Eichi looking at the candy in her hand, Artoria thought he had finished his own candy and wanted hers.
She was still hesitating whether to share half with Eichi.
Then she saw the whole candied apple in Eichi's hand.
"Nothing, how does the candy taste? If you don't like it, there's plenty of other delicious food here."
For some reason, Eichi suddenly felt like he had been caught doing something bad.
He felt a little inexplicably guilty.
"It tastes pretty good."
Artoria replied with a smile.
"That's good then."
The two walked side by side through the bustling Summer Festival.
They only stopped when two familiar voices reached their ears.
"It's all your fault, Big Sister, why did you win so many?"
"It's because you said you liked them, so I wanted to win them all for you."
"They won't fit in my bedroom."
The troubled voices of two young girls appeared near Eichi.
Eichi instinctively turned his head.
Mai Zen'in and Maki Zen'in appeared not far from the two.
"What happened to you two?"
Eichi brought Artoria over to them.
He curiously observed the large number of stuffed animals they were holding, with several bags also in their hands.
"It's all Big Sister showing off, she shot down all the stuffed animals at the shooting gallery."
Because it was a rare Summer vacation, and everyone around them was discussing the Summer Festival.
Maki thought of bringing her younger sister, Mai, to play as well, to prevent her from being cooped up in the lab and High School every day.
Although she wasn't interested in gossip.
Maki was very interested in taking her sister out to play.
Just now, when Maki noticed her younger sister Mai's gaze was drawn to the stuffed animals at the shooting gallery, she immediately decided to win them for her sister.
Because she wasn't sure which ones Mai liked.
Maki directly pulled out several Fukuzawa Yukichi and then raised her gun and fired.
Amidst the stunned expressions of the onlookers and the bleeding heart of the shooting gallery owner.
Maki fired continuously, directly shooting down all the stuffed animals from the display at the stall.
Watching all the bullets being used up, the shooting gallery owner, with the fastest speed in his life, packed all the stuffed animals and shoved them into the girls' arms.
Then he politely asked the two to leave, even secretly returning the Fukuzawa Yukichi that Maki had just put down.
Just like that, Maki and Mai were blacklisted by all the Summer Festival shooting gallery owners.
The only thing the shooting gallery owner could be thankful for was that seeing a young girl easily win so many stuffed animals at his stall.
This made the people around think that the owner's gun wasn't tampered with and was easy to hit.
So tonight's business was even more booming than other shooting galleries.
"Hey, hey, it's my fault, I got carried away because it was too easy."
Facing her sister's chiding, Maki repeatedly admitted her mistake.
"I forgive you."
Mai wasn't really blaming Maki; she just enjoyed the feeling of being cared for and doted on by her older sister.
"It's inconvenient for you two to carry so many things, just leave them with me for now."
Eichi, who had clarified the situation, looked at the close sisters with an amused expression.
"Then we'll trouble Eichi-sensei."
The two immediately nodded.
It was impossible to enjoy the Summer Festival properly while carrying dozens of stuffed animals.
So Eichi, under everyone's gaze, led the three beautiful girls into the nearby grove.
After all the stuffed animals were sent into Eichi's shadow, Maki and Mai's appearances were fully revealed to Eichi.
Maki wasn't wearing glasses; ever since her Awakening into a complete Heavenly Restriction, Maki could sense Cursed Spirits.
Currently, Maki was wearing a simple yet elegant white floral yukata that highlighted her Aura, with a Thousand Machine Umbrella, also predominantly white and red with gold accents, strapped to her back.
Her hair was not tied up, but fell straight down her shoulders like a waterfall.
Her originally strong aggressiveness was softened considerably by the yukata and Thousand Machine Umbrella, transforming into a striking heroic Aura.
Coupled with the doting glances she occasionally cast at Mai.
This made Maki look like a cool older sister who cherished her younger sister.
Mai was wearing an orange kimono, embroidered with large, blooming sunflower-like flowers.
Making her whole person appear sunny and cute.
Outside the grove, several boys whose eyes had been on Mai and Maki since the shooting gallery started, instantly became agitated when they saw Eichi lead the two into the grove.
"He's taking three beautiful girls into the grove, damn normie."
"Exactly, exactly, normies should all explode."
...However, before their inner indignation had fully vented, the four returned to the Summer Festival street from the grove.
"Ah? That fast?"
"It's only been a minute or two, hasn't it?"
Slap, slap.
Their companions immediately gave them each a big slap.
"Enough, didn't you see they just went to put away the stuffed animals?"
"Damn it, we should have seized the opportunity to go help them just now."
Watching the four separate after only a few words upon emerging from the grove, the boys immediately regretted not seizing the moment.
"Don't say that, we still have a chance now."
As if having made some kind of decision, the boy, whose head was clouded by beauty, mustered his courage and walked behind the two girls.
"Beautiful ladies, I'd like to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was intimidated by Maki's terrifying Aura.
"You."
Maki looked the boy up and down, who had suddenly appeared and was now standing motionless.
With just one glance, Maki categorized the boy as one of the annoying flies that needed to be chased away, the kind that would buzz around Mai.
"Excuse me, I apologize!"
The boy immediately stood at attention with his hands at his sides, bowed deeply, and then ran off without looking back.
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