As we had expected, the lower-level is large, and even if we were to head straight for the middle-level, we would still need to walk a considerable distance. There were also a good number in our group, and with each of us taking interest in stalls along the way, our progress has been rather slow.
Though I say that, we weren’t really in a hurry, so we proceeded at a leisurely pace, enjoying our time with each other.
At the beginning of the festival, we were faced with two stray children, Tre-san and Fors-san, but no matter how big the festival was, it wasn’t so often you’d meet someone you knew at a large, crowded venue.
Of course, with a festival of this magnitude, many of my acquaintances would definitely attend, but I’ve already met two of them, so meeting a third is rather……
[……Welcome. I’m the best when it comes to compatibility readings, you’re in the right place.](T/N: She says “Okaerikudasai”)
[……Ah, that’s right. Excuse me———]
[Ahh, she’s telling people’s fortunes! That looks interesting! Kaito, let’s have her check our compatibility!!!]
When my gaze happened to turn towards a stall, my eyes met with the owner, who was my acquaintance, and for a moment…… after having this very unpleasant look for just a moment, the sales smile on her face returned and she indirectly……No, she rather straightforwardly told me to “go home”.
(T/N: Kaito interprets it as “Kaerekudasai.)
Knowing Elise-san’s personality pretty well, I thought I’d just pretend I didn’t notice her stall…… but at that moment, Tre-san suddenly appeared.
Just like that, Tre-san pulled the hand of the surprised me and walked towards the front of Elise’ store.[Welcome!]
The look of murderous intent on her face that I saw just now for just a moment might have been a hallucination, but the way she greeted me with her radiant smile made me feel like I had just witnessed the brilliance of a businesswoman.
[I’d like to have our compatibility read.]
[It will be 2R. Yes, indeed…… Please pick out what you like here.]
[……What’s this, a heart? Then, a crescent moon? Anyhow, this is quite a large cookie……]
[It’s called a fortune cookie, a cookie with a piece of paper inside that has the results of your compatibility reading written on it. It can be divided into two halves right in the middle, so both of you can also eat the cookie afterward.]
[Heehhh, that sounds interesting! Well then, you choose, Kaito.]
I see, a cookie with a piece of paper with the result of fortune-telling written on it beforehand…… It kinda feels like the omikuji fortune-telling at the shrines back in Japan.
This way, even at a crowded festival, she would be able to spend less time per couple, and at about 200 Japanese yen, it’s affordable and people wouldn’t mind buying it.
The cookies were individually wrapped in translucent plastic-like wrapping, which were apparently hygienically safe, and the wrapping also had cute patterns on it that women would like.
Elise-san did mention that her store was quite prosperous, and indeed, it seemed like she had a good business acumen.
(T/N: It’s those paper slips given in shrines when you draw a bamboo stick lottery from a shrine maiden)
[Errr, I choose this then…… We’ll be a nuisance if we open it here, so let’s go back to the others before opening it.]
[Alrighty, I’m looking forward to it~~]
For the time being, I could feel Elise-san’s emotions gushing towards me, telling me “to quickly get out of here”, so I left the stall with Tre-san and returned to where Lilia-san and the others were.
Even so, it’s rare to find someone like Elise, whose radiant smile and the emotions conveyed were completely different. Her sales smile is quite an impregnable fortress.
As I had these thoughts in mind, I split the cookie in two and handed the paper I took out from inside to Tre-san. I wonder how they put the paper inside this though?
Whether she put the paper in before baking the dough, or she put the paper in after baking it…… I don’t really know, but this was kinda interesting.
[Ahh, look here, Kaito, it says we’re perfect for each other! I knew it, this really is fate! With that being the case, should we go look for a wedding venue?]
[I’m not going.]
[That’s strange. Even though the fortune-telling said we’re perfect……]
[Rather, it’s written on the paper, isn’t it? “Forcing it is a bad idea, just take your time and develop your bond”.]
[……That’s right. I guess we’ll have to take it slowly. Well then, for the time being, how about we start as lovers?]
[No, no, that’s too fast of a start! Aren’t you supposed to say “How about we start as friends” here?]
[Fumu, well, if that’s what Kaito says, Big Sister will concede. It can’t be helped, Kaito is still inexperienced after all.]
[No, no, why are you nonchalantly making it look like I’m the one being selfish here?]
I really can’t be too careful around her…… Well, I could see the teasing smile on Tre-san’s face, so I guess she was enjoying her interactions with me.
Well, to be honest, I also think this kind of exchange is quite fun.
[Anyway, sorry for the detour…… Let’s go?]
And so, we started walking towards the middle-level again…… is what it should have been, but the girlish Hina-chan and Aoi-chan apparently also liked fortune-telling, so the two of them brought me back to Elise-san’s stall again.
The two of them had normal fortune-telling, and they also started buying the accessories that were sold together.
That in itself was no problem at all, but the whole time we were in front of the store, Elise-san was giving me this “You again!” kind of feeling, so standing there while the two shopped made me feel troubled.
She still had this radiant smile on her face, and her tone was cheerful and polite…… but well, she gave me a misanga bracelet-like accessory as a bonus, so I guess she really isn’t mad at me.
<Afterword>
Encounter ③
Elise, who had applied to open a stall on the lower-level as a chance to earn money.
※ In addition, unable to talk frankly to Kaito because they’re under the public eyes, she unleashed a “Get your ass out of here” aura, but she was happy to have met him by chance.
Serious-senpai : […..It feels like he’d also meet up with the others.]
