Unlike the third day, which had passed with a frenzy, the fourth day of the Earth Spirit Festival was filled with a strange hustle and bustle, as if people's voices were echoing in the wind from a distance.
　Normally, it would be a day where everyone would return to their normal routine. Naturally, not many of us would be able to attend the entire week-long Earth Spirit Festival, and a few would leave Kusatsu here and there.

　Nacht, who had decided to take a break during his stay in the Land of Harmony, was still relaxing in his room, even though the sun had long since risen.
　A room in a high-class inn with a blue hot water filled with faint magical power had a good atmosphere, and just spending time in a daze was fun, just like watching his nostalgic hometown.

　Since Haruka of Mado Taisha had taken care of everything from the magic carriage to arranging accommodations, Nacht could only relax.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal of information on the subject.

Are you bored, Shtel?

　Shtel shook his head full-force.

'Do you want to go and see this girl called Hyuki?
　Nacht gets to the heart of the matter, easily.

'Ai!'

Then we must act. Aisha has a good night, and we can get out of there now, Shtel.

　Act immediately when the idea strikes you.
　Nahat's philosophy on life is to move first instead of worrying about it.

　Aisha's journey must have been truly turbulent from the moment she met Nacht. Aisha was sleeping peacefully and happily in Nacht's lap, which had been recently occupied by Shtel. In light of her experiences in her previous life, there was nothing more comfortable than sleeping twice on holiday.

...

　He had just caused a problem yesterday, today, and if he repeated it again, there was no doubt that Aisha's thunder would rain down like never before.
　Shtel was properly remorseful and restrained himself from making the same mistake twice.
　If it was Aisha who had her eyes open here, she would praise Shtel and think of another way to deal with it. Nacht thinks that if he can contact the area around Harka and get his hands around it, it will take some time, but he can make contact with her.

　But it's Nacht who is in front of Shtel.
　There was no way Nacht, who seemed to be the embodiment of the sycophant, would choose such a sluggish and reluctant method.
　Nacht controls the transmission of sound by using wind magic to keep Aisha awake.

'Hmmm - no problem. When Aisha wakes up, I'll let her know. So Shtel won't go off on his own.

　On the contrary, it was Nacht who tried to remove the fetters of his daughter's reason and self-control, the fetters that barely remained in place.
　There is no way that Shtel, a newborn and still young girl, can resist the temptation of the devil (Nacht). After all, one of the most trusted and important family members approves of Shtel's actions.

...

　Aisha's sermon must have been very scary, because Shtel still gave a second look.

'Listen, Shtel. There's a word for the world I was in--'

　Nacht softly brought his mouth softly to Shtel's long, soft ear.

'-- It's not a crime if they don't find out.

　Shtel's body shook as if exposed to lightning.
　Yesterday, Aisha had blamed Shtel's actions on this.

You know what, Shtel? I'm sure you've been given a very, very strong boost from meeting Nacht-sama, but you don't take it lightly. But if you continue to wield it lightly, oppress others, and do whatever you want, people won't like Shtel. No one will open up to you. Aisha thinks that such a world would be terribly lonely.'

　Then what Nacht should teach Shtel is the proper means and use of force.

As long as no one finds us. That's what Shtel can do, and no one will find out. Then there won't be any problems, and Shtel won't be angry with anyone.

　It's a convenient excuse, some would call it a complication.
　But if this is the case, it's Nahat who gets pissed off, spouting unwanted things to Stel.

Are you sure?

　Shtel's eyes are bright.
　They are the same as Nacht's, with eyes that look forward to the fun and excitement.

"Don't worry. "Don't worry, Shtel and I are now partners in crime. "Don't worry, I'm an accomplice to this, I'll reap all the benefits.

　Nacht will be responsible for what happens if this happens.

Now go forth - go forth and prove that there is no wall in this world that stands in our way!

Aye!

　With a cheerful reply, Shtel turned to run off.
　And then

Another evil plot!　

''Ummm, it's my Aisha to go into this in your sleep.........''

　Shtel and Nacht were both in a cold sweat.






◇






"You two are playing nice together-- Uh-huh, you're not very nice, are you, Nacht?

　Before noon, Aisha, who had been completely asleep, woke up.
　Aisha, who confirmed that Shtel was not in the room, somehow did not consider all other possibilities and saw that Nacht was evil.

'No, no, no, Aisha. Shtel was just out for a bit of fun, yes.

Na-ha-tah-tah-tah-mah!

　Nacht has no choice but to be honest with Aisha, who has a face of prajna.

''Yes, I'm sorry........''

'Utterly, you should be reminded that the normally overprotective Lord Nacht-sama would let Stel do something so dangerous!

'Yes, I'm sorry... but not without a hint of disquiet - at least the inhabitants of this village who can do something about Stell. No. If you want, I can have Levy keep an eye on you now.



If he gets serious about this, the Land of Wa might just disappear off the map.

Don't make him your errand boy!　Isn't there anyone better than that!

'There are some, but I don't want to call Astaroth, and that Satanakian guy is out of the question. He's not going to let Aisha and Shtel near him!　Absolutely!
　Aisha jolted at Nacht's strong words.

''Well I mean, Nacht-sama's demons can't be used, and...''

We can use him as an asset, but he's got some personality issues. Levy's a relatively quiet guy.
　Originally, I just wanted a wallflower for Nacht, a magician, when he was fighting on his own, but I still regret that I should have found someone a little more decent and put him under my command.

''Let's seal off the demon summoning skill (skill).
　Nacht nodded at Aisha's words, which she affirmed unequivocally.
　Even though he made her succumb, it's dangerous for anyone other than Nacht to try to rely on the demons. Basically, those guys are beings who want people to be negative. Most of all, though, it's the unbearable character difficulties of the two of them that Nacht fears, not their power.

'Right. 'Well, I've given strict orders for Shtel to be back by five o'clock, and she'll be fine. Let's trust our daughter to grow up, shall we not?

　He says it as if he's letting Shtel off the hook with his mouth, but the overprotective Nacht keeps track of his every move with his soul-sensing (soul search). If anything goes wrong, he'll be able to rush over in ten seconds.

''Don't let it grow in a bad way!　I'll be preaching to you when I get back, you two together!

I'll be ready for it.

　It's a blessing to have someone to scold.
　And moreover, no one but Aisha would be able to lecture Nacht, who had the power to be able to say that he was an absolute in this world, head on.
　That fact was terribly comforting to Nacht.

'-- Huh, it's Nacht-sama anyway it's for Shtel's sake, isn't it? --

'I love to let you do what you want to do, as much as you want to do it, because that's what I love to do.

You're just coddling them.

I'm the candy and Aisha is the whip, just in the right place at the right time.

That's the part that Aisha hates, isn't it?

　Nacht smiles happily.
　Shtel is a bright kid. It's impossible not to feel more love than Nacht, which Aisha pours out.
　Nacht was sure that there was no way in the future that Shtel would ever dislike Aisha.

'And that's not the only reason you let Shtel go.

　Nacht is gingerly approaching Aisha.
　Aisha wasn't able to react as if to Nacht's sudden closing of the distance.

''Huh?　Hey, Nacht-sama...?

　Nacht squeezed Aisha's hand, warm and soft.
　It was just a hand on top of her own, but it filled Nacht's heart greatly.
　He hugs Aisha, who is turning red, and drops a kiss on her beloved ear.

'It's been a long time since we've been alone together, hasn't it?　I'm selfish, and sometimes I just want time with Aisha irresistibly.

　The time she can flirt with Aisha is precious to Nacht because she acts as a mother as much as possible when Shtel is around.
　In order to create that opportunity, Nacht lets Shtel go out to play.
　It's all a clever plan.

'Hee, ah....wait....well...well...it's still lunchtime...' ...Yo........Nacht.......

'Don't worry, I won't do anything like Aisha imagined. I'm just going to touch your ears a little bit. Aisha said you can touch it any time you want.　

"Huh ... that time I couldn't help but say ... not now, Nacht-sama, stop ... ah ... --

　And so Nacht enjoyed the time alone with Aisha's ears.






◇






'Huh....I'm tired........'

　Lying sluggishly and groggily on the cushions she usually used as a pillow, the hiyuki let out a sigh.
　Although the princess maidens are the main actors and symbols of the earth spirit festival, it is safe to say that they are rarely driven to practice and run the festival. If the days were the same as usual, dancing the kagura, praying, and carrying out the training, the hiyuki would not be exhausted.

　But today, I had an unofficial meeting.
　An important meeting for the fulfillment of Hyuki's mission. There, he met with people he didn't want to meet and was subjected to all sorts of complaints and whines and things he didn't understand.
　No matter how much abuse is heaped upon her, it is already decided that she is a princess maiden. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything but complain.

(A habit of being younger than me.........)

　The beautiful hair, which had been dyed white by the magic of its birth, was now just dying of pigment and drooping like a wilted flower.
　There are only three days left until the Great Festival.
　When I think of it, I get depressed and my mood sinks.

''I won't admit it!　I will never admit that you are a princess miko!

If I could, I'd do it for you.

　As an adopted child, hiyuki, who only signed a contract with her mother-in-law, has no pride in being a warrior. On the contrary, she can't even understand it.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get a new job.

　--The Wa no Kuni is to be governed by the blood of the warrior family.

　The traditions of the Wa no Kuni are sometimes compared to the ways of the continental aristocracy in the outside world, but this is a big misunderstanding.
　The blood of a samurai family does not mean blood in the veins.
　It literally means the blood that is shed.

　The current shogun's family, led by Tachibana and the princess maidens of the three worlds, who continue to stand on the front lines of defeating demons, have shed enough blood to be worthy of their privilege and status, and they are proud to have protected the people who live in the rich and even harsher island nation.

　But Hyuki doesn't have that.
　So I hate it, I'm scared, and I want to run away.

　Still, I can't do that.
　The only reason I am alive now is because of the rank of the princess miko.
　That's why the hiyuki dances and dances around the sadness, the anxiety, the fear, so that she can make hope out of it all.

........)

　I've got talent.　
　I'm good.
　Master Halka is alive.
　I'm not going to die.
　Not one person has died in the last 600 years.
　I'll be okay.
　Everyone else is helping us. We'll be fine.
　Because you're not alone in this.

Really...?

　Tell him.
　Tell him.
　Tell it to him.
　It still won't go away, so Hibiki lies down with her eyes hidden by her sleeve.
　When she wakes up, it will be different now, she says to herself, and closes her eyes.


　It's just after noon when the sun sits at the top of the sky and begins to pour out the annoying sunlight unceremoniously. Hyuki opened her eyelids, which had been completely closed, slightly.

　Her eyes were slightly reddened and a stabbing pain came over her just to accept the sunlight.
　It was the worst awakening I've ever had.
　There was no point in escaping reality after all, it was like a nightmare, and when I opened my eyes after a nightmare, the reality I had been fooling with would attack me in the night.
　I slept, but nothing has changed.
　Yes, it was supposed to be the same.

"-- Are you OK?

　A voice echoed in the room, which was supposed to be empty and alone.
　One day, no, it was a voice I had only recently heard. A high, lisping little girl's voice.

'Have you seen a scary dream?　Then--

　The height, the hair, and the adorable limbs were the same as the child she had seen yesterday, Hyuki thought.
　Most importantly, though, the face was covered by the dragon masks sold at the festival stalls.
　However, the figure and voice are etched in the memory of the painful impression. So it was at that moment when Hyuki was sure that the someone in front of her must be her.

''--The dragon emissary will listen to you specially, right?

　She said this in a pretentious voice, as if she were putting up a leading role on stage.