Tokyo Side Story: Summer Festival (Part 2) Gods, please forgive me...
“Speaking of which,” Oberon suddenly interjected, “if you don’t want a few beasts coming after you, you should probably contact Chaldea.”
"Oh dear, I'm so confused!" Fujimaru Ritsuka's attention was also diverted, and she hurriedly reached out to open her communicator. "Don't let me find out who's behind this this time!"
The communication was quickly established, and through the projection, Little Da Vinci looked as if he understood everything. "We've figured out the situation here!"
“The culprit has turned himself in!” she said. “But Ritsuka, you’ll probably have to stay there for two or three days before you can come back.”
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...?"
What incredible speed! If we could deal with her this quickly every time there's a singularity, wouldn't we get so many more vacation days?
She gave little Leonardo da Vinci a thumbs-up, "I bet it's some repeat offender this time?"
“Bingo!” Little Leonardo da Vinci smiled subtly, holding up a pot. “The culprit is right here.”
A distinctly familiar background sound rang out, almost always present whenever trouble was brewing at Chaldea: "Ugh... Master, this humble monk has deeply reflected on his sins, has he?"
"Could you please put in a good word for those officials and ask them to release this humble monk?"
Ha, it's you again, Ashiya Dōman! And who are those other gentlemen...? Exchanging a glance with young Leonardo da Vinci, Fujimaru Ritsuka tentatively asked, "Who punished him this time?"
"Hmm, that's a bit too much... He was caught red-handed when he changed the purpose of the spirit transfer, wanting to spend a summer alone with you."
"The chances of survival are slim," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a sympathetic expression. "For example?"
"What Merlin saw with his clairvoyance was the people that Ishtar and Ereshkigal captured, and Kama, returning to his old ways, stuffing people into the jar."
Originally, these people planned to hang Ashiya Dōman on the deck of Chaldea, but Captain Nemo thought it would ruin the ship's aesthetics, so they settled for something else.
“…Wow.” Fujimaru Ritsuka’s mouth dropped open. This was beyond saving. “This is terrifying.”
Little Da Vinci then gave a few more instructions, and finally, making sure Ritsuka had fun, he hurriedly hung up the call. Fujimaru Ritsuka shrugged and spread her hands, "That's how it is now."
"Looks like you'll be staying here for a few more days?" Xia Youjie thought for a moment, then clenched his fist. "Want to travel with us?"
"That's right! Ritsuka is also a member of the vocational high school! Let's just say she graduated with us!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the two Servants. Artoria was naturally expectant, and Oberon surprisingly didn't object; she nodded with a smile.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked, "By the way, are there any summer festivals starting around here soon?"
Artoria immediately perked up her ears.
"Of course!" Gojo Satoru snapped his fingers confidently and said proudly, "Me, Jetsu, and Shoko are here for the Okinawa Summer Festival tomorrow!"
3.
The wealthy and generous Gojo Satoru immediately booked the same hotel for Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others. The three high school students were already having a great time at the beach, and these old friends who had come from afar had also just finished their summer vacation and were still wearing their swimsuits.
So, within minutes, the group became one, physically one.
Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru stood on the beach volleyball court, looking down at their opponents, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Artoria, who were playing volleyball on the other side.
The two girls were not nervous because of their huge size difference; on the contrary, they were even more determined.
"Hey~ Are you two okay? Jet and I won't hold back, you know," Gojo Satoru said cheekily. "Speaking of hand-to-hand combat, you two look so weak... cough cough! Shoko?!"
Shoko Ieiri elbowed Satoru Gojo, saying, "Don't underestimate the girls." She stepped back a little to act as referee, adding, "I bet Ritsuka and the others will win."
"That's right!" Artoria clenched her fists, her fighting spirit soaring. "Ritsuka, we must beat this arrogant man!"
“Of course, Artoria!” Fujimaru Ritsuka gazed at the blonde girl with bright eyes, raising her hand in the air. “Let’s do our best together! High five!”
"come on!"
Oberon chuckled as he watched the two spirited opponents, then found a recliner and leisurely watched the match. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the two Death Knights on the opposing team.
It's important to know that Servants' physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people. Even E-rank is a peak that most people would find difficult to reach in their entire lives, let alone Artoria, whose strength is B-rank—she's definitely a superhumanly strong woman.
The first ball. Fujimaru Ritsuka took a standard starting shot, the ball went over the block but was blocked by Natsuyuki, who jumped up and spiked it back. Ritsuka quickly retreated and slid in to tip the ball back.
"Artoria!"
The blonde girl caught the pass and launched it into the air. She leaped high, her toes barely touching the ground, and in that instant, her fairy eyes saw the thoughts of the opposing DK players. She adjusted her angle, raised her hand, and forcefully slammed the ball down.
"Bang—!"
The volleyball spun rapidly, grazing Wu Tiao Wu's hands at a tricky angle before crashing into the beach. Soft white sand flew up to a height of one person, covering Xia Youjie, before slowly falling back down.
Their palms clashed, producing a crisp sound. These two individuals, in every sense, shouldered the responsibility of saving a world, and at that moment, they resembled ordinary high school girls, their smiles similar, celebrating their simple victory.
"We won! Ritsuka, we won!" Artoria exclaimed excitedly, turning to meet Fujimaru Ritsuka's gaze. Her golden eyes also shone with the joy of victory, brighter than the sun.
Ritsuka raised the back of her hand and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. She looked at the volleyball in the sand, suppressing all the miscellaneous thoughts in her mind, leaving only the desire to win.
"Not bad, you guys." Gojo Satoru scooped up the ball and held it up, his competitive spirit ignited, and his aura instantly became imposing. "But don't get cocky, I'm about to get serious!"
"Jay, we have to win and show Shoko!"
"certainly!"
The second ball. Gojo Satoru started, unlike Natsumi Yoshiyuki who tentatively spiked the ball. He weighed the ball's strength and spiked it with maximum force towards the opponent.
The ball, spinning like a top, hurtled towards Artoria, who fearlessly raised her hand to catch it easily. She then used the ball as a springboard to try and defeat Gojo Satoru and Natsume with the same move.
But this time she failed. It seemed that Gojo Satoru had anticipated the trajectory of the ball and did not act according to his plan. He blocked the ball and spiked it into the sand.
The third ball... the fourth ball... the fifth ball... the game gradually began to change, with both sides aiming to hit the opponent's head instead of just clearing the block. Even Oberon, who was lying down eating a popsicle, sat up.
"Wu! Catch!" "Cang!" "Emergency dodge! Artoria, to the left!"
"Then the warm-up is over!" Artoria raised her hand, and the ball emitted a blue light in the air. "Grand Ritual against Calamity, open the gate. From Rungomminiad, transform into the Sword of Excalibur. Holy Sword, draw your blade!"
"Gods, please forgive our sins—!"
Ha, ha ha ha ha! What calamity, what god! Gojo Satoru raised his chin and made a spell gesture. His azure eyes revealed extreme excitement and aggression.
"Domain Expansion—Boundless Void!"
The extreme collision of energy caused the sand grains at the center to spin, like a relentless sandstorm, with the intense burst of light far surpassing the summer sun overhead.
When all the energy subsided, Ieiri Glass declared the match a draw, because the most important ball in beach volleyball had been extinguished by the head-on collision between two hot-headed individuals.
Oberon clicked his tongue in disdain, picking up two towels and a glass of water. "Are you two three-year-olds? You're beating around like the great Chaldea Master is fixing a singularity."
Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. She took the thing Oberon handed her, and the instant she touched his hand, the heat on her body vanished, replaced by a cool sensation.
Oh dear, she looked at Oberon and smiled even more brightly. Oberon immediately turned his head away, looking like he was about to vomit.
At this moment, the three from the high school also came over. Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru took the water that Ieiri Shoko handed them, and squeezed Shoko, who had a pained expression, on one side, and almost carried her to Ritsuka and the others.
Time flew by, and the honey-colored sunset turned the beach into a flowing lake, the tide overflowing the sand pits they had created while playing volleyball.
Facing the sea breeze, young men and women laughed and played, leaving footprints of varying depths on the beach.
Not far away, the string lights on the palm trees shone with a warm yellow light, and the melodious sound of a guitar drifted from the open-air restaurant.
Artoria immediately grabbed Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand and ran towards the light. Their hair fluttered in the wind, as if they had caught up with the whole summer.
The meat sizzled on the grill, steam rising like a hazy, warm veil.
"So, for reunion and meeting, for graduation trip." Ieiri Shoko raised her glass first, the sake swirling in an arc with her carefree movement.
Cheers!
Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her eyebrows and eyes, also raising her glass. The flames on the grill leaped high, reflecting a sparkling starlight in her eyes.
Oberon tilted his head and obediently raised his cup. Artoria, meanwhile, stood on tiptoe and held her drink higher than Oberon, her twin tails swaying gently with the movement.
A bright smile spread across Gojo Satoru's face. Xia Youjie stood up with him, his wet bangs casually falling over his forehead. They, along with everyone else, clinked their glasses, making a crisp, tinkling sound.
"cheers!"
4.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the setting sun dipped below the horizon, dyeing the clouds a deep orange-red. Gojo Satoru and Natsuyugi had already circled the entrance to the summer festival for the third time with Oberon.
Carp streamers on the lantern stand fluttered in the summer night breeze, mingling with the rising and falling sounds of taiko drums. Children in wooden clogs ran past them, carrying takoyaki, their aroma filling the air.
"This is the summer festival?" Gojo Satoru casually put his hand on Natsuyu Suke's shoulder. "It's pretty lively! I made the right choice in picking this place!"
Xia Youjie smiled politely: ...It seems Wu has accidentally forgotten that he wrote the entire travel guide.
—If they had really followed Go's impulsive ideas, they would have been sleeping on the streets from the very beginning, let alone the summer festival.
Not receiving praise from Xia Youjie, Gojo Satoru turned his gaze to Oberon, whose impatience was written all over his face. His black hooded sweatshirt made the Servant's expression even more displeased.
"Wow! Your face is as sour as when Ashiya Doman was begging Ritsuka! This place isn't that bad, is it?"
"Hahaha, unbelievable. You think I came here voluntarily?"
Oberon, with a sullen face, no longer needed to use that harmless face to deceive people in this world, so he unscrupulously revealed the true face of the King of Insects.
"Summer is hot and annoying enough, and those two brats just have to come to crowded places like this... They're hopeless."
He originally refused to come to a place with even more humans than the Servant Festival, but a certain Master actually tempted him with melons and popsicles!
Of course, he wasn't tempted by them, nor did he come because he saw the Master's pitiful pleading. It was just that it was really unfair for the Master to get injured in such a place.
But why haven't Ritsuka and Artoria arrived yet?
As dusk settled over the sky and the lanterns lit up one by one, Gojo Satoru's patience was wearing thin. He tapped his phone screen, wanting to message Ieiri Shoko, but was stopped by Natsuyuki Suke, who insisted that girls needed time to get ready.
"Wait patiently a little longer, Wu."
"Ha, I've been very patient... Hmm?" Gojo Satoru suddenly stopped complaining, his impatient expression turning into that of a white cat seeing a fun ball of yarn.
"Click".
The sound of wooden clogs clicking on the bluestone slabs came as Ieiri Shoko walked over first. She was wearing a simple and elegant navy blue yukata, with a crane-patterned sash woven with gold thread around her waist, and she raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Gojo Satoru was taken aback for a moment, then whistled happily, "Of course not, right, Jie!" He nudged Xia Youjie's arm, and Xia Youjie nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
Then he looked around, "Oh right, Shoko, where are Ritsuka and the others?"
"Those two girls weren't used to wearing shoes, so they were delayed for a while... Well, they're here."
Oberon was staring blankly at the leaves above his head when he heard Ritsuka's name and instinctively turned around. Time seemed to stand still for that second as he slightly widened his eyes.
Amidst the cicadas' chirping on a summer night, against the flow of pedestrians, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Artoria ran hand in hand, stepping through the dappled shadows of the trees towards them.
Ritsuka's moon-white yukata resembled silk formed from moonlight, with butterflies embroidered on the cuffs fluttering as she ran, seemingly about to take flight. Artoria, on the other hand, wore a light blue yukata, awkwardly covering her collar, with two fresh bellflowers tucked into her hair.
They ran, just like any other teenage girls.
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