#irodori festival

…such a blessing

I… I don’t know what to tell you guys. The irodori festival’s ending was very… inspiring. XD As for the second pic… My Moominvalley content deprived mind is desperate, okay??? TvT

-Bubbly

Irodori festival summary

Me: I want some Sara content

The Sara content:

Finally! A friend to blow stuff up with! (・`ω´・ ○)

klee and albedo: journey with a gentle breeze!

“Suikou”

if you ever feel bad about procrastinating just think about itto

I can see them, you know. The ripples of your beating heart within this realm of still waters.
- Kamisato Ayato

The Irodori Festival

Self-Insert, Ft. Thoma, Itto, Traveler and Paimon

Warnings:SPOILERS for a side quest in the “Hues Of The Violet Garden” event

(Photo found on Google.)

The closer I got to Ritou, the harder my heart started beating. From head to toe I was riddled with nerves, the good kind of nerves, the ‘I’m going to see him soon’ kind of nerves. These were the kinds of feelings my characters experienced in romance novels, but to actually experience them myself was kind of surreal.

Having a crush is both a great feeling and an awful feeling, if that makes any sense.

The plaza in front of the International Trade Association was decorated appropriately for the festival, not that I expected anything less from the Yashiro Commission. The shop owners looked excited to sell their festive goods and the countless stalls full of books made me curious and excited to explore new written worlds. Within the next few days, I’ll have to sit at a stall and sign my newest book for whoever decides to purchase it. I’ve never done an official book signing before, but hopefully all the hours I’ve put into those calligraphy lessons with Ayato will pay off.

‘Focus, Kare. You can browse books later.’ I reminded myself of the mission and tore my eyes from the stalls.

I found who I was looking for pretty quickly. Thoma stood a few meters away, discussing something with a vendor running a snack stall. The housekeeper was smiling and the kindness in that smile made my heart flutter, cheeks grow warm and palms start to feel sweaty. How could someone be so cute?

Too shy to walk over while he was in the middle of something, I pretended to browse a book stall while keeping my eye open for a chance to slip in.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t do this.’ The thought came to me as I picked up a book, sneaking a glance at the blonde as I pretended to read the summary on the first page. ‘Maybe I should just retreat back to the publishing house before he notices me.’

A heavy arm was suddenly slung over my shoulders. “Well, if it isn’t my favourite bookworm. Picking up a new story?”

I smiled at the familiar voice and looked up. Way up. “Something like that. What are you doing here? Is the gang around?”

“Yeah, they went to go snag a spot in line for that ‘Pretty Please, Kitsune Guugi?’ specialty drink everyone’s been talking about. Wanna join us?”

“Maybe later.” I glanced at Thoma again. He was still discussing things with the vendor.

Itto followed my line of sight, a stupid wide grin appearing on his face as he spit out a teasing laugh. “Oh ho hoooo, you’re finally gonna do it, are ya? Gonna tell the bus boy how you feel?”

“He is not a bus boy.” I said, deadpan as I picked up another book to look at. “And I’m going to do no such thing. I’m here to help out, that’s all.”

“Ohrealllllly? What are you hiding over here for, then?”

“I’m not gonna interrupt him while he’s busy, Itto. I can wait until he has a free moment.”

Thoma stepped away from the vendor just as I said this… only to be called be someone else a split second later. I sighed and dropped the second book, picking up a third.

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Itto patted my back, his touch a little on the rough side but I was used to it. “I’m gonna go check in on the boys. Come find me if you need me. I’m not Arataki ‘The Greatest Wingman Of All Time’ Itto for nothing.”

I playfully shook my head as he walked away. “When has anyone ever called you that?” I mumbled under my breath, but appreciated his encouragement nevertheless.

Looking down at the book in my hand, I actually took the time to examine this one. The cover of this one was unique; instead of plain leather like most books, this one had a hard cover with a tree painted on it. The tree was tall, detailed in every aspect and it’s trunk glowed with a soft yellow light. The style of the art allowed the brush strokes to be visible but by no means did it look sloppy. I wonder if Calx worked on this - he’s done illustrations for me in the past and this looks like something he would do.

The summary was on the back of the book instead of on the inside. The story was about an orphaned boy who was raised by a magical tree, and as he grew older the boy became a warrior and guardian of the forest. In this story he would face challenges and threats against the peaceful forest and must find a way to keep his home safe. Like with any book I opened it up and read the first page, immediately falling into a trance at how wonderfully the opening was worded.

“Find one you like?” A voice asked, one I recognized by the way it sent my heart hammering against my ribcage.

My head snapped up before I was ready, cheeks burning intensely and I could only pray they weren’t visibly red. Those unique and beautiful green eyes, that ever friendly and welcoming smile, how confident and put together he always seems to be, what was there not to fall for?

“Hi, Thoma.” I said, butterflies dancing in my stomach as I closed the book and set it down. “I-I’m sorry, I hope I’m not in your way.”

“No, not at all.” The kindness in his tone knocked the breath out of my lungs. “So, what brings you to Ritou today? Checking on things for Lady Miko?”

I shook my head. “Not this time. Actually, she told me to take it easy until the book signing but the festival excitement is heavy in the air and I can’t seem to sit still so I decided to come here. It’s kinda hard not to think about the festival when everyone in the city is talking about the festival.”

‘Get to the point, Kare.’ I reminded myself mid-tangent.

“Um, is there anything I can do to help? I’m sure you- the Yashiro Commission has been running around like crazy these last few days. If there’s anything I can do to ease the load…”

Thoma flashed a reassuring smile. “That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ve seen you running around just as much. You should take this time to rest. I’m sure a lot of people will be lining up to have a book signed by you.”

Feeling shy, I cast my gaze to the ground and failed to contain a giddy smile. “I doubt it, but really, I’d love to help. B-But if it would just make things more complicated, feel free to tell me to get lost, haha…”

Ireally have to stop cracking panicked jokes when I’m nervous. They only ever make things more awkward.

“Well, if you insist, I won’t turn an extra set of hands away. Would you mind dropping by the stalls outside the International Trade Association and checking in on everyone? I’ll take care of the shops surrounding the Five Kasen Plaza. Come find me if you need anything.”

Excited to be useful, I nodded and folded my hands behind my back. “You got it!”

I couldn’t help but feel a little selfish as I skipped towards the trade association with a spring to my step. Truthfully, my main motivation for being here was because I wanted to be close to Thoma but obviously I couldn’t tell him that. I could barely look him in the eye and speak properly, let alone admit I wanted to spend time with him. Even though I wasn’t here for a completely selfless reason, I was still gonna work hard to make sure the job got done well.

~~~~~

“Here you are.” I said, flashing the woman standing behind the counter a smile as I set a box of books down. “Is there anything else you need?”

She shook her head and returned the smile. “No, that should be enough for now. Thank you so much!”

“Of course. Take care, now.” Moving onto the next stall, I checked in on the man arranging the display of newly released light novels. “All okay over here?”

“Yeah. Actually, can I get your opinion on this arrangement?”

Folding my arms, I pinched my chin between my thumb and index finger as I looked over the display. This particular stall was selling three books: ‘Earth, Fire and Water: The Trio Of Trinity’, ‘Hell, High Water and Star-Crossed Love’, and ‘One, Two, A Thousand Times Over Again’.

“I don’t have the best knowledge in business, but I know ‘Hell, High Water and Star-Crossed Love’ is a highly anticipated release for the young adult audience. Considering that all these novels are geared towards young adults, I would put ‘Hell, High Water and Star-Crossed Love’ in the middle instead of ‘Earth, Fire and Water: The Trio Of Trinity.”

“Now that you mention it, I do have more boxes of ‘Hell, High Water and Star-Crossed Love’ than the other two. That’ll work, thanks!” The man said, moving to promptly rearrange the display.

Stepping away, I put my hands on my hips and looked around the venue. All the stalls had been visited and no one else appeared to need help, so I headed back to the plaza in search of Thoma for a new job.

“Hey.” I said, nervously crossing my arms as I walked up beside the housekeeper. “Everything’s good to go in front of the trade association.”

Thoma smiled as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thanks, Kare. You’ve been a big help. Why don’t you take a break? The food vendors are selling some limited time dishes you might not get the chance to try again.”

The word ‘break’ made me tilt my head to the side. “Maybe later… have you taken a break yet?”

He scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. “No, not yet, but I will soon. I just have to deal with some trouble by the Tanuki photo board first.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “What kind of trouble can someone get into with a photo board?”

“Thoma! Kare! Over here!” A high-pitched voice called.

Looking in the direction of the voice, I found Paimon waving at us from her place beside the traveler. I was a little surprised to see them but perhaps I shouldn’t have been; those two always seemed to be everywhere at once.

“Hey, Traveler and Paimon!” Thoma greeted, approaching the pair with myself in tow. “What a nice surprise meeting you guys here.”

“Enjoying the festival?” I asked, flashing them a smile.

Paimon looked back and forth between Thoma and I. “Strange seeing you two casually walking around together. Are you guys on a date or something?”

My cheeks burned so badly I thought my skin was gonna peel off, heart beating faster then the wings of a hummingbird. “N-No! We’re working, Paimon.”

Thoma chuckled and loosely crossed his arms. “That’s right. As a matter of fact, I just heard a certain well-known individual had made an appearance at the festival and taken quite a liking to the Tanuki photo board. Since the Yashiro Comission is the host of this festival, I should probably handle this matter before it gets out of hand.”

Following Thoma’s gaze to the photo board, I spotted four faces I knew well. In fact, I had seen one of those faces earlier today.

“Itto!” I exclaimed, dashing over to the gang. “Please tell me your not the one people are complaining about.”

The oni grinned and playfully pinched my cheek, pulling it as if I were a child. “No need to worry, my little Karebear. The Traveler and the Arataki Gang are gonna settle things with a duel soon enough.”

“A duel- You can’t fight here!”

“No, no, no, no, not a battle kinda duel. Come on, Kare, do you really think the boys and I would be reckless enough to fight in a place full of people?”

He had a point. While Itto and the gang often got into trouble they wouldn’t put anyone at risk of getting hurt. “Well, no, but… What kind of duel are you having, then?”

“That’s what we’re trying to decide!” Paimon exclaimed, stomping her foot in the air out of frustration.

“Oh… a duel…” Thoma came up beside me just then and the butterflies that settled seconds ago came to life again. “In that case, I have a suggestion. Since your duel is taking place at the Irodori Festival, why don’t you have a volunteering competition? Then you can both do your part for the Irodori Festival while settling your duel at the same time. What do you think?”

I bit the inside of my cheek to hide a laugh. Not because I thought the idea was silly, but because it was plain genius.

Itto crossed his arms, the fingers of one hand pinching his chin. “Volunteering competition? Hmm, sounds a little low-key. Not quite hard-core enough for the Arataki Gang… I give this idea an interest rating of two- no, two and a half points. One for the Traveler, one for Thoma, and half for Kare.”

I raised a brow. “Why am I only a half?”

My question went unanswered as Mamoru elaborated on what Itto said. “Boss means, uh… two and a half points out of a hundred.”

‘So much for being a wingman.’ I thought, crossing my arms in displeasure.

Thoma chuckled lightheartedly. “Yeah, this job isn’t the most high-stakes, that’s for sure. It just takes a little patience and responsibility. Also, since it’s volunteering, buy definition there is no remuneration. All you’ll get is this special edition drink from Sailing Breeze as a small token of appreciation… On second thought, this is nowhere near enough for the prestigious Arataki Gang. I don’t know what I was thinking. Kare, any suggestions?”

Suddenly put on the spot, I fell back into a flustered state. “Well-”

“Wait, wait, wait a sec… What was that part about the, uh, token of appreciation?” Itto asked, suddenly sounding very interested.

“Oh, it’s just a special edition drink produced by Yae Publishing House and Sailing Breeze. It’s really nothing special.” Thoma explained.

“Boss! That’s the one!” Akira exclaimed in a rather excited tone.

“If we take this gig, we’ll get that drink!” Genta added.

Confused, I titled my head. Didn’t Itto say earlier that the gang was in line to buy one of those drinks? Did they not end up getting one? Must be the case if they’re so excited about it now.

Itto was quick to cover his ass. “Oh… so, uh, Thoma, my bro, my guy, my dude, maybe I didn’t explain properly. When I said two points and a half points, that’s out of a total of two and a half. If there’s one thing the Arataki Gang is known for, I kid you not, it’s our patience and responsibility! It’s an awesome idea, totally hard-core. Practically tailor-made for me!”

If he didn’t know about my crush on Thoma, I’d totally call him out for that statement. The Arataki Gang known for patience and responsibility? Where was that patience when he stole his Vision off the statue of the Omnipresent God? No, that’s not fair - the Vision Hunt was awful. I probably would have done the same if mine got taken.

“If it’s decided, then allow me to take the role of your judge.” Thoma said, proceeding to explain the rules of the duel. “The volunteer work is simple. You just need to give your help to people who need it during the festival. I will assign some job requests that I’ve already received to you. If you’re ready, we can begin.”

With that the gang and the traveler took off, leaving Thoma and I alone next to the Tanuki board.

“I gotta say, Thoma, you’re brilliant. I never would have thought this could be an opportunity to get the Arataki Gang to haul some weight around here. How’d you know they were after those drinks, anyway?”

“We’re offering them as thanks to volunteers anyway so it’s not like I had to pull any strings, and the employees of Sailing Breeze brought it to my attention earlier. The winner of the duel would need a prize and I figured if it was something the Arataki Gang already had their eyes on, it would sweeten the deal.”

“Still, it was very smart of you.” I put my hands on the stone ledge and lifted myself to sit on it. “I’m sorry for the trouble. Itto and the others have good hearts, they just go a little overboard sometimes.”

Thoma flashed a reassuring smile. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, really. If I knew you were familiar with the gang, I would have asked you to help me sort this out sooner.”

I laughed a little. “A lot of people look surprised when they find out the gang and I are friends. Well, I’m more Itto’s friend, but the others are nice and we get along well. Back when I was first starting as an author, I sought Itto out because I wanted accurate information on Oni. We hung out for a couple days and we just seemed to click. He’s my best friend, and the brother I’ve always wanted but never got. I have two younger sisters.” Realizing I just went on a tangent, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”

“I don’t mind. Actually, I’m a little jealous of how relaxed you seem to be around him.”

My heart skipped a beat, cheeks burning for the… I have no idea how many times I’ve blushed today. “Y-You are?”

Thoma scratched the back of his head. Was he nervous? “Yeah. I know you’re pretty shy and that you don’t play around when it comes to work so I haven’t had the chance to get to know you all that well. To be honest, I used to worry that I made you uncomfortable.”

I quickly shook my head. “T-That’s not it! I’m just… I have a lot of respect for you, so…” Clearing my throat, I averted my gaze, pretending to look for the competitors. “So, what’s this specialty drink made of, anyway?”

“I’m not sure of the exact recipe, but from what I recall there’s lavender melon, mint, soy milk for the main base-”

My head snapped towards him, eyes growing wide. “Soy milk?”

My reaction visibly caught him off guard. “Yeah, I believe so.”

Oh no.

Leaping off the ledge I dashed in the direction of Sailing Breeze, praying that Itto hadn’t gotten there yet. Unfortunately, I rounded the corner just in time to see Itto collapse.

“Itto!” I shouted, dropping to a crouch in front of him and grabbing his arm. “Itto, can you hear me?”

The oni groaned. “I don’t feel so good.”

“What’s wrong? Can’t Arataki Itto drink soy products?” Thoma asked, finally catching up.

“He’s allergic to beans!” Akira exclaimed.

“Oh, my goodness… Okay! Quick, grab Itto and follow me. I’ll get a doctor - I sure hope it’s not too serious.”

Rising to my feet, I tried to pull Itto up. “Come on, big guy.”

The rest of the gang came to my aid, helping support Itto as we hauled him towards the doctor stationed on Ritou for the festival. Thankfully there was no one else needing aid, meaning the doctor could give Itto his full attention.

Thoma pulled me to the side after we dropped the oni off. “I’m so sorry, Kare. I didn’t even consider this possibility. This is all my fault.”

Shaking my head, I placed a hand on his arm. “No, it’s not. You didn’t know. I tell Itto all the time to ask what’s in something before he eats it. It’s not on you to keep track of everyone’s allergies.” In an attempt to make him feel better, I smiled. “Thanks for leading us here. I didn’t even realize we had a doctor on standby.”

“Don’t mention it. Oh, here, before I forget.” Thoma handed me a book from seemingly thin air. “This is the one you were interested in, right?”

“Thoma…” I breathed, running my fingers over the tree on the cover. “When did you…? I can’t accept this.”

I tried to give it back to him, but he wouldn’t take it. “I insist. You were kind enough to help me out on your day off. I should thank you properly.”

“I offered to help because I wanted to, not because I wanted anything out of it.”

His smile stole my breath for a moment. “I know, but I still want to thank you. If not the book, how about one of the drinks from Sailing Breeze?”

“I’ll take the book.” I said, glancing at Itto. “Thanks, Thoma. I can’t wait to read it.”

“I hope you like it.” A man in the distance suddenly called out to Thoma. “Duty calls. I’ll see you around?”

I nodded, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Yeah.”

Hugging the book to my chest, I bit back a squeal as I watched Thoma walk away. Turning towards where Itto was being treated, I skipped to the empty chair next to his cot and took a seat.

Itto glanced at me, wearing the look of a man about to lose his lunch. “Thomas gave you a book?”

“His name’s Thoma.” I corrected, tucking my legs up and opening the book to the first page. “Rest up, big guy. We’re gonna be here a while.”