438 - Extra Chapter: Tanabata ~~ Her Small and Cute Wish ~~
This is a seasonal extra chapter.
The timeline of the story is set to be after the end of the main story.
(T/N: Tanabata is a j.a.panese festival celebrated on July 7. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, which according to legend, were lovers separated by the Milky Way, and are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunisolar calendar. Thinking about Hikoboshi makes me want to watch Steins;Gate again.)
(P/R: The Chinese also had their version of Tanabata called Qixi Festival.)
It was the seventh day of the second Fire month. As I finished my daily routine of brushing Bell and was thinking about what to do now, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.
(T/N: Just as I stated on Chapter 0-0-0, they have 12 months there too, but the names of the 7th to 11th months were just repeats of the 1st to 5th months.)
[Kaitokun-san! Kaitokun-saaaaaan!!!]
[……Raz-san? h.e.l.lo.]
[h.e.l.lo! Kaitokun-san, l- l- listen to this! Listen!!!]
[I- I’m listening. What’s the matter? For Raz-san to be that fl.u.s.tered……]
When I saw Raz-san’s small body moving about to show how big the trouble was, I tilted my head and asked.
Thereupon, Raz-san warily looked around before coming close to my ear and whispered.
[……Raz, you see…… R- Raz found something big.]
[……Something big?]
[……Yes. Raz is only telling this big thing to my favorite Kaitokun-san.]
[I- I see, thank you?]
I still couldn’t tell what she intended to tell me, but I could tell from Raz-san’s demeanor that it was something really important.
Feeling a bit nervous, I waited for Raz-san’s next words.
[……R- Raz was actually surprised when she first heard this…… It seems that today…… is “the day when your wishes come true”!]
[……Huh?]
[Like Raz said, today is the day when your wishes will come true!]
[……I- I see……]
What is she saying? Also, Raz-san, it sounds like you’re trying to keep it a secret, but your voice is getting louder, you know? Are you okay with that?
N- No, well, it wasn’t really unusual for Raz-san to say something out of the blue……
[……They apparently call this day “Tanabota”!]
[……Do you mean Tanabata?]
[Do you know about it, Kaitokun-san!?]
[Y- Yes…… It’s an event back in my world……]
I see, Tanabata huh…… It’s true that after the Light month ended, it’s now the second half of the year. The second Fire month…… if I apply it to the Earth’s calendar, it would be July.
Now then, what should I do…… I think she was referring to the tanzaku, but there’s no proof that one’s wish will come true, right?
[I see…… It’s a “ritual” in Kaitokun-san’s world huh. That gives it a looooooot more credibility!]
[………………….]
Rather than having more credibility, wouldn’t it be less instead? I mean, the world I was in didn’t have crazily strong people compared to this world…… No, well, there’s Eden-san, but that person basically doesn’t interfere in human life……
[Kaitokun-san! Please tell me, how can Raz make her wish come true!?]
[E- Errr…… You write your wish on a tanzaku and hang it on a bamboo branch……]
What should I do? I couldn’t bear to ruin Raz-san’s dream by saying something inappropriate, but I couldn’t just irresponsibly say that this would make her wish come true.
I wonder if this is how parents feel when they have to explain to their children that believe in Santa Claus?
[Tanzaku? Bamboo? W- What are those things!?]
[Errr, tanzaku is a long, thin piece of paper…… Bamboo is a tree.]
[I- It’s the first time Raz heard of such things…… I- If you don’t hang it on Bamboo-san, will Raz’s wishes not come true?]
[I- I guess so. A- As expected, I’m not really certain…… if it would work if it’s not hung on a piece of bamboo……]
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen bamboo in this world. I- Is that evasive answer good enough? It should be good enough to say that it wouldn’t work for certain if it wasn’t hanging on a bamboo branch, but it may work with other trees, just with less effectiveness.
It would give Raz-san some peace of mind, and make her experience Tanabata. As for her wish, if I can somehow grant it myself, I’ll just try to make them come true.
[If it’s bamboo, I have so——— Fugyaaahhh!? W- Why are you hit——– Migyaaaahhh!?]
However, reality is a cruel mistress. An idiot who can’t read the mood…… The shopkeeper of a miscellaneous goods store that can supply almost anything, courteously appeared, carrying bamboo branches.
[Yayyy! Phantasmal King-sama, thank you!!! Yaaayyy, with this, we can do the Tanabata~~]
[………………….]
I’m screwed. There’s no way I could dodge doing Tanabata now.
After giving Alice a resentful glance as she left the bamboo branches nearby and disappeared, I let out a big sigh and turned to Raz-san.
[……Shall we have the Tanabata then?]
[Yes!]
Ahh, what a great smile, she had. I feel like running away from here……. Oh G.o.d, please let the requests that Raz-san writes on her tanzaku be something that I can grant……
Once we had set up the bamboo, all we had to do was prepare the tanzaku, which is something that didn’t take much time.
Raz-san, looking as jolly as ever, wrote her wish on her tanzaku and just as I had taught her, tied it to the bamboo branch.
[With this, my wish will come true! I’m so happy!!!]
[……R- Raz-san.]
[What is it?]
[I actually have cake that Theta made for me, would you like to eat it with me?]
[Cake! Raz wants!!!]
[T- Then, please come inside…… I’ll just make sure that the bamboo is properly set up, okay?]
[Okiiiiieeee.]
Looking at Raz-san as she cheerfully raised her hand, not doubting my words at all, before she walked into the house…… Now’s the time!
Quickly reaching for her tanzaku tied to the bamboo branch, I checked its contents. Please, let it be a simple wish……
But her writing is too small! N- No, well, considering Raz-san’s size, I guess this should be obvious huh? If I put my face close to it, I should be able to read it……
“I hope that Kaitokun-san and Raz will be best friends forever!”
……Eh? Arehh? W- What’s with this surprise attack…… Eh? This is Raz-san’s wish?
When I saw her wish written in small letters, I was dumbfounded and stiffened up…… Raz-san came out of the house and approached me, as if she was curious why I hadn’t come inside yet.
[Kaitokun-san? What’s the matter?]
[……Raz-san…… Errr, can I ask you to turn to your normal human size for a moment?]
[Ehh? It’s fine with me.]
Hearing my mumbled words, Raz-san tilted her head and followed.
After Raz-san’s body was enveloped in light, her body changed to the size of a human child.
[Raz-san! I’m sorry, let me embrace you once!]
[Wawha!? K- Kaitokun-san!? W- What’s the matter? R- Raz is happy about it but….. the sun is still up, you know!?]
Raz-san was so cute that I couldn’t resist hugging her tiny body as tightly as I could.
She sounded confused at my sudden action…… but she didn’t resist.
I engrossed myself in Raz-san’s warmth and her scent that smelled like flowers for a while before I separated from her.
[……Kaitokun-san?]
[Ah, errr, I’m sorry……. I couldn’t help myself. You must have been surprised.]
[Yes. Raz was surprised…… But Raz was happy to be tightly hugged by Kaitokun-san!]
[……………….]
[Wawawawa!? Hug again!? T- Today’s Kaitokun-san is very aggressive……]
What is this cute creature……
I’m pretty sure that her rising loveliness was thanks to the fact that I saw Raz-san’s wish. At least, the wish that she wanted to come true…… It’s something she won’t need to pray to the heavens, for it’s something I can definitely grant.
T/N: 22/269
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