Kapitel 195: Moon Weaving Event (3)

The early light slipped through the windows as Yasushi, Jingliu, and Yinhaie sat alone in the quiet dining room. The rest of the household still slept. Yinhaie broke the silence first, her voice low, but curious. "So, mind telling me why that goddess was sticking close to you, Yasushi?" she asked, filling his cup with coffee.

He took it, nodding in thanks, before exhaling deeply. "It happened during that snowstorm. That's when I met her for the first time. We talked a little, nothing big. Then there was that Garbage Collection event. We exchanged a few more words, but after that? I didn't see her again…not until we did that thing with Xinyi."

Yasushi paused, tapping the edge of the cup before continuing. "Then I ran into Hachiman, the War God, and her again. She mentioned the meeting, said I could bring others. And, of course, I saw her last night. Honestly, I didn't expect her to show up just because I called for her. It caught me off guard," he admitted, taking a long drink from his coffee.

Yinhaie gave a slow nod and settled into the chair across from Yasushi after setting down the coffee in front of him and some tea for Jingliu. She folded her arms on the table, looking him over before speaking again. "So, I take it you're clueless about this meeting? You don't exactly look like you're on top of things right now."

Yasushi leaned back a bit, letting out a low laugh. "Yeah, I don't know shit about it. They've been keeping it all under wraps, so I guess there's no point in dwelling on it." He shrugged, glancing at his cup before adding, "But if I had to take a wild shot, maybe it's got something to do with me remembering a past life or something like that. You know, reincarnation and all that crap. Although, the memories are all foggy. Maybe I was some kind of badass warrior back in the day, heh."

He was spewing random bullshit, none of it true — well, not entirely. The whole reincarnation thing was real enough, and yeah, the memories of his past? That part checked out. But pretending to not know anything about it? That was a flat-out lie.

He knew damn well what was going on. He'd been pulled into this world from another universe, and the gods had taken notice. That was the real reason they were forcing this meeting on him, making him face them after everything that happened during the Moon Weaving event.

Yinhaie let out a small laugh, but the conversation didn't go much further. They tossed around a few ideas, but there wasn't much to go on besides speculation. It didn't take long for the topic to fade out.

Soon, the rest of the household started waking up, the usual sounds of people moving around filling the space. They began helping out, getting things ready for breakfast, each person taking on small tasks here and there. Jingliu and Yasushi eventually stood up, knowing they had to head out. They had a list of things to get for the Moon Weaving event and were also preparing for the upcoming meeting with the Japanese gods, a looming task they couldn't avoid.

+-+

Time drifted by, and soon enough, the Moon Weaving event kicked off. Yasushi and his friends had decided to meet up at the park before heading there together. They waited in a loose circle, the group complete except for Furuya and Catherine.

Xinyi was the first to speak up, tapping her foot impatiently against the ground. "Where the hell is he? Catherine's with him, so there's no reason they should be running this late." Her voice had a sharp edge, the irritation clear.

Everyone else had made it on time. Furuya and Catherine being late? That never happened, especially not when Catherine was around to keep things on track. But today was shaping up to be one of those weird days where things didn't make sense.

Then they spotted them — both of them running toward the group. Furuya looked like he was having the time of his life, grinning like a madman, while Catherine...well, she looked like she was barely holding it together.

Laura opened her mouth, words already forming, but before she could get them out, Furuya interrupted, waving his hand as he rushed past. "No time for questions, you'll get it soon enough!" he yelled, not breaking stride, already moving ahead. "Just follow me!"

They exchanged confused looks but didn't hesitate, following after Furuya as he led the way. Xinyi, always the curious one, kept pace with Catherine and shot her a questioning look. "What the hell happened?" she asked, not wasting any time.

Catherine sighed, rubbing her temple. "Well, we went to the park where the event is being held, like we planned. On the way back, we saw a car accident. Nothing major, just weird. The cars only hit at like 10 miles per hour or something, but it was still enough to hold us up."

That bit of information got their attention, so they all picked up the pace. After a couple of minutes, they reached the scene. And there, standing in the middle of a mess, was their homeroom teacher, Senbarisu, yelling her head off at the other driver. Of course, the other driver was yelling right back at her, the argument loud and heated.

Reina's brow furrowed as she took in the sight. "Wait... Miss Senbarisu? What's she doing here? Doesn't she live somewhere else?" she asked, clearly not expecting to see their teacher involved in something like this.

Before things could spiral out of control, the police arrived. The officers separated the drivers, hauling them off along with the cars, which got towed away soon after.

Xinyi, standing by with crossed arms, let out a sigh. "I figured something crazy might happen, but this... I guess I'm expecting too much from real life," she muttered, sounding almost let down by how uneventful it turned out to be.

Yasushi gave a shrug, not dwelling on it. "Whatever. Let's just get moving before we're any later than we already are," he said, glancing around at the others. Without another word, they set off toward the park, picking up their pace to make up for the lost time.

As they made their way down the street, Yasushi's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. A message from Yinhaie popped up.

"I'll be waiting near the event. Once it's done, I'll meet up with you and Lady Jingliu."

He typed out a quick response, "Yeah, sure, I'll catch up with you after," then stuffed the phone back in his pocket. As they continued walking, the snowfall thickened, the streets slowly disappearing beneath growing piles of snow, making the city look like it was getting buried inch by inch.

+-+

The park was packed, a sea of faces from different high schools filling the space. Most of them were seniors, carrying bags stuffed with food and drinks, clearly here to let loose. A few college students mingled among the crowd, but the majority were teenagers, seventeen or eighteen, looking forward to a night of fun.

The decorations were everywhere, hung up by the event organizers. Large snowflakes dangled from poles, oversized cardboard cutouts of Snowelon were scattered around, along with other cheesy winter and Christmas-themed displays. It was clear a lot of effort had gone into making the place look festive, even if some of it came off as ridiculous.

A stage had been set up, somewhere between the middle and the back of the park. Microphones stood ready, lined up for the speeches later on. Tents dotted the area, likely set up for the staff to work behind the scenes. The air buzzed with energy, the chatter blending with the sounds of people setting up or getting things ready.

Alicia scanned the scene, taking it all in. "It's a lot livelier than I thought it'd be. I was expecting something smaller, but this... definitely didn't see this coming," she said, glancing around, the surprise clear on her face as the others did the same.

"Well, let's head to the stage," Furuya said, glancing around. "It's about to start. The speeches don't take long, maybe five minutes, and then the music kicks in. After that, we can hang out, play some games at the stalls behind the stage."

He pointed toward the back where people were finishing up the setup of stalls with goofy games and small prizes lined up. It wasn't much, but enough to keep the crowd entertained.

"We have to pay for the games, right?" Xinyi asked, narrowing her gaze at him, unsure about the whole setup.

"Yeah, just a few yen," Furuya replied with a grin. "Not enough to make anyone broke. But you're rich, so what's it to you?"

Xinyi shot him a glare, clearly unimpressed by the jab.

Before it could turn into something more, Yasushi stepped in. Without warning, he gave a light karate chop to both of their heads. "We're here to enjoy ourselves. No point starting shit. You know they'll kick us out if anything goes down, right?" he reminded them, stepping ahead as if the whole thing was already over.

The group followed the growing crowd gathering near the stage, but they avoided pushing too close to the front. It felt cramped enough already, and sticking to the back gave them some breathing room. They stood together, waiting for things to kick off as more people filed in.

After a short wait, a few people stepped onto the stage, positioning themselves in front of the microphones. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement, the kind you get when you're part of something larger, something that might be ridiculous but still makes you feel connected.

"Everyone!" one of the men on stage shouted, his voice booming through the speakers. He wore a hat and looked like he was enjoying himself way more than he should. "Welcome to this year's Moon Weaving event! For those who've been here before, you know the drill. For those new to it, well, it's just a giant party for high school seniors and some college students. So relax, have fun, and don't overthink it!"

He paused, then held up a bucket, grinning like he was about to unveil the highlight of the evening. "Now, we've got something new for you this year! Everyone here will be throwing their toothbrushes into this bucket — yes, you heard me right, toothbrushes. Our team will turn this into a floating masterpiece that'll rise into the sky, symbolizing new beginnings for the god we made up just for this: Trin!"

There were a few chuckles in the crowd, but most just stared, confused or amused. It was clear they didn't give a damn if it made sense. It was all part of the ridiculous fun, and for some reason, that made it better.

The speeches dragged on, just like Furuya said. No one on stage seemed to have much to say, but they filled the time anyway. After about five minutes, the speeches ended, and the event kicked into full gear.

People scattered across the park, heading off in different directions. Some grabbed food and drinks, some danced to the music blaring from speakers, while others laid out blankets and looked up at the snow-covered sky. Meanwhile, the rest found themselves playing the games set up by the event organizers.

Yasushi glanced around at his friends, hands in his pockets. "So, what's the plan now?" he asked, not bothering to hide the slight boredom on his face.

"Stick to the original plan," Furuya said, rubbing his hands together, clearly excited.

Yasushi nodded, stretching a bit. "Alright, sounds good. Let's split up for now, meet back in an hour or two, and then we can all eat together. After that, we'll check out more of the event, then head home."

Everyone nodded in agreement and quickly went off on their own. Jingliu, Yunxue, and Layena stayed behind, watching Yasushi as he turned to them, ready for the next move.

Yasushi noticed Yunxue staring off toward one side of the park. Following her gaze, he saw a group of college-aged guys gathered there.

"Something bothering you?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Yunxue shook her head, though her frown lingered. "No… I think it's nothing. Just my imagination. Let's try to enjoy the event," she said, but her expression didn't quite match her words.

Yasushi didn't push it. He nodded, though his mind held onto the sight of those guys. He made a mental note of their faces, deciding to keep watch if needed. Gently, he turned Yunxue away from them, guiding her toward another part of the park, hoping to distract her for now.