PROLOGUE
“The festival always feels so short when it’s happening.
“But pining for its return is what allows us to truly enjoy these celebrations throughout the year.”
The woman dressed in a riding suit listened to the poetic voice-over on the TV and started typing into her PDA.
“Festivals, huh…?”
“What’s the matter, Celty? You look so wistful.”
“I do? …How?”
The woman without a head, Celty Sturluson, could only turn to her partner and shrug her shoulders in a show of exasperation.
“I was only thinking that I’ve never really actively taken part in this festival thing…”
Her living partner, Shinra Kishitani, beamed and replied, “Is that right? I guess I never noticed. Every day living with you is like a festival to me.”
“Well, I’ve passed by them on several occasions, so I know in my head what they’re all about. It’s just…”
She glanced briefly at the footage of the holiday crowd on the TV and continued typing, with some resignation.
“Most of the stands there are serving food, right? And I don’t eat…”
“Food isn’t the only draw. There are games like shooting galleries, ring toss, fishy lottery drawings, and mold carving.”
“I see,” Celty replied.
Shinra continued, “And nothing’s quite as extravagant as the nebuta float parades, but plenty of localities put on their own parades and mikoshi shrine processions to liven things up. Some of them set up event stages where celebrities come to entertain. So there’s a little something for everyone.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize… What do you enjoy about festivals, Shinra?”
“Why, seeing you dressed in a yukata, of course!” he said, eyes sparkling with delight. Celty intentionally typed out ellipses to indicate a pointed silence.
“……………”
But he simply ignored her cold shoulder and continued to rave about his enthusiasm for festivals.
“Every time I hear the chanting of folk songs and the sound of fireworks, I let my imagination wander. I think, how lovely would it be to one day walk through a festival with you, dressed in a beautiful yukata? We could walk behind the shrine and watch the fireworks alone, giving in to our feelings, tearing loose our garments… Which reminds me, I happen to have bought you a yukata that’s sized just right to come loose off of your shoulders! Maybe you could try putting it on and then taking it oogf!”
She gave him a firm but casual punch to the gut, causing him to sink to his knees with a smile on his lips and a raised thumb.
“Oooh, oww… Even if you are the kind of heroine prone to bouts of random violence, I am more than willing to put in the work to be tough enough to take it! Look forward to next season!”
“Was that really ‘random’ violence…?”
“My real point is that I enjoy just being with you, even when it’s not a festival day.”
“Okay, that may be true for you, and I appreciate you saying so, but…”
Celty felt slightly put out, like this wasn’t exactly the conversation she was hoping to have.
“And it’s not just me,” Shinra added. “There are plenty of people who feel more at ease being around a crowd that’s there just for the heck of it. Then again, plenty of people feel the opposite, too.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and showed Celty a picture on the device. “Remember this? It wasn’t any special occasion in particular, but we all had a good time, right?”
Celty felt nostalgia flood through her. “Ah, yes… That was a fun time…”
It was a picture of the apartment they were in right now, only with the addition of some high schoolers, a man in a bartender’s vest, and a number of other casually dressed people, hanging out around a hot pot.
“I never would have guessed that Mikado would do what he did, just a few months after this…”
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