Night fell, and the main event of the Treasure Tree Festival began.
The central square of Rigforresia was beautifully decorated and bustling with a massive crowd of people. Perhaps it was because the hunting competition had been canceled this year, or perhaps it was because I stood as the sole winner instead of the usual two, but I was absolutely besieged by guests.
To be honest, I had naively assumed that with so many people around, it wouldn't be easy to pick me out of the crowd. However, the medal I was required to wear on my chest made my status as the champion painfully obvious.
“Congratulations on your victory! It was truly magnificent. By the way... my daughter is about the same age as you...”
“No, uh, that’s...”
For some reason, an older male elf was desperately trying to introduce me to his daughter.
“Um, I’ll be heading to the Royal Capital soon. If you’re interested, perhaps we could... have dinner together?”
“Huh? Oh, uh...”
A young female elf with flushed cheeks approached me with a dinner invitation.
“Miyama-sama... For a lowly worm such as myself to even think of challenging you was the height of folly. Please, forgive my arrogance!”
“...I’m sorry, but who are you?”
A woman who appeared to be a Spirit Mage suddenly dropped into a full dogeza right there on the street, despite us never having met before.
Everything was descending into chaos, and I was far too bewildered to handle the situation properly. But just as I reached my limit, an unexpected savior appeared.
“Rude lout! Do not speak so familiarly to my Master! I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
“...”
Anima made a surprise appearance and was doing a stellar job. She moved with incredible speed, acting as a human breakwater to hold back the tsunami of people surging toward me.
I’m fairly certain I saw several people being punched into the distance, but the relentless barrage of questions finally stopped, so I was truly grateful.
“Thanks, Anima. You’re a lifesaver. I’d appreciate it if you could go a little easier on them, but keep it up.”
“Master! Yes! Your humble servant Anima shall give her very soul to the task!”
Clearly delighted by the praise, Anima gave me a beaming smile before turning back to the crowd with even more vigor. I felt like the number of people being sent flying actually increased after that. Did she even hear me tell her to go easy? Ah, there goes another one...
Watching Anima’s “success”—which felt more like a full-scale rampage—I made my rounds to greet the elven dignitaries. Thanks to my connection with Lilliwood-san, everyone treated me with great kindness, and the greetings proceeded smoothly.
“Kaito-kun-san! Congratulations on your victory!”
“Raz-san, thank you very much.”
Raz-san offered her congratulations, and I thanked her in return. It was then I realized that Noin-san, who was supposed to be with her, was nowhere to be found.
“Um, Raz-san. Where is Noin-san?”
“...Well, Noin’s acting strange again.”
“Eh? Did something happen?”
“I’m not entirely sure. She perked up on the first day of the festival, but she’s been acting odd ever since. Hey, Noin! Come over here!”
Hearing that Noin-san was in a strange state made me worried. Raz-san called out toward a nearby building. Following her gaze, I saw Noin-san peeking out from behind the corner.
She caught my eye and immediately began moving in a panicked, flustered manner—though it was hard to tell for sure through her armor—before slowly, tentatively shuffling toward us.
“Noin-san?”
“—?! K-K-K-Kaito-san! G-G-G-Good m-m-morning-chu!”
“...It’s actually night, you know?”
“C-C-Congratulations on your v-v-v-victory!”
“Y-Yes... thank you. Um, Noin-san, are you feeling alright?”
“Hyai?!”
Something was definitely wrong with her. She seemed incredibly flustered, and she was tripping over her words at every turn. I wondered if she had come down with something. Could she be sick?
“Noin-san, do you perhaps have a fever or...”
“Awawa... K-Kaito-san... your face is so c-c-close... P-P...”
“P?”
“Please excuse me!!”
“Wait, Noin-san?!”
When I took a worried step closer, she panicked even further and fled at an unbelievable speed. Raz-san and I were left behind, staring at the spot where she had been.
“...What in the world is wrong with her?”
“Who knows? Ever since she last saw you, she’s been muttering weird things like ‘pre-marital relationship’ and ‘wedding’ under her breath.”
A wedding? Did she mean a marriage ceremony? It made no sense for marriage to come up in this context, so she must have meant something else.
I was concerned, but I decided to leave her in Raz-san’s hands for the time being. I continued my rounds, said a few more words to Raz-san, and then we parted ways.
Leaving the noisy, festive atmosphere of Rigforresia behind, I walked alone through the Spirit Forest.
Apparently, the Spirit Race had their own protocols. Unlike the massive swarm that had followed me during the day, only a few spirits acted as my guides tonight. Following them deeper into the woods, I eventually came across a shrine—though it looked more like a cave.
“This is... more rugged than I imagined.”
It looked like it would be a very difficult place to get any sleep.
I stepped inside and found a circular hole in the ceiling that allowed moonlight to pour in, creating a dreamlike, ethereal scene. Spirits were lined up in neat rows along the walls of the shrine.
There must have been a ritual element to this, as the countless spirits remained perfectly still within the large cavern. I wasn't sure what to do. Was I really just supposed to sleep right in the middle of this?
Perhaps the true purpose was simply for the champion to show his face to the spirits. I had seen Lilliwood-san followed by a mountain of them, so my sense of scale might have been skewed, but normally, seeing this many spirits at once would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I gazed at the moonlit interior of the shrine for a while before looking down at my feet and sighing. Regardless of how beautiful it was, sleeping here was going to be rough for a child of the modern age like me.
The ground was dirt. No matter how you looked at it, this was a bed of sand. I couldn't decide if I should be relieved it wasn't solid rock or if I should bury my face in my hands at the absurdity of the situation.
“My body’s going to be so stiff tomorrow... A single blanket isn't going to cut it.”
“In that case, do you want me to lay some tatami mats down?”
“Ah, yeah, that’d be a big help... wait, what?”
“Hmm?”
I thought I had been muttering to myself in despair, but for some reason, I heard a reply. It wasn't the spirits speaking—no, it was a voice I recognized all too well. It was a voice I heard almost every single day.
“...Kuro, why are you here?”
“Ehehe, I decided to come visit.”
Kuro answered with a bashful smile. Framed by the moonlight streaming into the cave, she looked as though she were glowing.
Dear Mother, Father—
As the winner of the Harvest Festival, I’ve been tasked with spending the night in the Spirit Forest. And there, for some reason, Kuro was waiting.
She’s here.