Hairene insisted she wasn't hungry: "I'm just sampling."
Everyone accepted that answer. For approximately thirty seconds. Then… She sampled Chifuyu's takoyaki. Nicholas' yakisoba. Kagura's chocolate banana. Diego's grilled squid. Caesar's taiyaki. Half of Iris' shaved ice. By the time anyone realized what had happened… Hairene had been basically eating off them.
Kagura folded her arms: "I thought you weren't hungry."
Hairene looked genuinely confused: "I'm not."
Sylvie: "You're basically eating off everyone's food. And half of my caramel apple!"
Ariel: "And my donuts!"
Hairene: "They were just samples."
Chifuyu: "Well you're banned now!"
Hairene: "…"
***
Yuji quietly walked beside everyone, eating at his usual pace. At one point he reached over and picked up a mochi from Chifuyu's tray. He ate it and kept walking. Chifuyu noticed it, but chose not to do anything for now. Yuji kept looking forward. A full minute later, Chifuyu casually grabbed one of Yuji's dumplings and quickly ate it. Yuji clicked his tongue. The balance had been restored.
Noah excused himself for a few moments. Several crows perched along a wooden fence overlooking the ocean. The moment he approached, they hopped closer without fear. He broke off pieces of his taiyaki. One by one, they accepted the offering. Noah smiled.
Further ahead, Beatrice and Sylvie found themselves staring at the ultimate churros, over 3 feet long.
Beatrice looked at Sylvie.
Sylvie looked back: "I don't think I could finish one."
Beatrice: "…Neither could I."
They exchanged another glance. Then nodded. One purchase. Two owners. Problem solved.
Their next stop happened almost by accident.
A ring toss game.
Dozens of prizes hung behind the booth.
Most were ordinary.
Except one.
A giant stuffed penguin.
Shinatsu's eyes drifted toward it.
Only briefly.
Maybe half a second.
She didn't say anything.
She simply looked.
Then looked away.
Unfortunately…
Caesar saw. He stepped forward: "I'll win it."
Shinatsu blinked: "…You don't have to."
Caesar: "I know."
He paid.
Missed.
Paid again.
Missed again.
Diego folded his arms: "…Brother."
Shinatsu: "You've spent more than the penguin is worth."
Nicholas: "Maybe call it."
Caesar: "No. It's about honor now." He grabbed another handful of rings. "This penguin is coming home."
Ten attempts later…
The booth owner quietly adjusted the penguin a little closer and gave an assuring smile: "…Just this once."
Caesar threw. The ring landed perfectly.
The booth owner smiled: "We have a winner."
Caesar picked up the penguin with the satisfaction of someone who had conquered a mountain: "Here."
Shinatsu accepted it: "…Thank you."
Caesar smiled proudly. His mission was complete. He wanted to do one last good deed for Odd Jobs before everything came crashing down for them.
A few moments later, Jeremiah's young daughter wandered over, unable to take her eyes off the penguin.
Shinatsu noticed. She smiled softly then knelt: "Would you like it?"
The girl's eyes widened: "…Really?"
Shinatsu nodded.
She accepted like it was treasure.
The next competition drew an even larger crowd.
A shallow pool stretched across one side of a booth, dozens of tiny goldfish darting beneath the surface while paper scoops rested neatly along the counter.
A large sign overhead read:
20 SECONDS
MOST GOLDFISH WINS
Kagura cracked her knuckles: "I was born for this. The one with the fastest hands catches the most." She snaps her fingers with a smirk, "Am I wrong?"
Iris: "I don't think speed is how this works."
Shinatsu: "I don't think she cares."
Sylvie: "These are all about technique, Kagura!"
Erika: "I'm up next!"
The timer started. Kagura immediately became a whirlwind. Water splashed everywhere as she tried scooping three fish at once, tearing through her first paper scoop within seconds. The attendant laughed as he saw this coming.
Kagura: "This one's defective!"
Attendant: "That was all you miss."
Kagura: "I refuse to accept that."
Erika stepped up: "Let me show you how it's done."
She patiently waited for openings, dipping her scoop beneath individual fish instead of chasing them. Every successful catch earned a quiet smile.
On the opposite side, Shinatsu hardly seemed to move at all. Her scoop entered the water so gently it barely created a ripple. One fish. Then another. Then another.
Children began gathering around the booth, cheering every successful catch regardless of who made it. By the end, Iris had caught the most gold fish. She looked toward the children who had been watching with sparkling eyes.
Iris crouched down: "Would you like them?"
The children looked at each other: "…Really?"
Iris smiled: "So long as you'll take good care of them."
The excitement that followed was somehow louder than the competition itself. Little hands carefully chose their favorites while parents thanked the three of them over and over.
As they walked away, Iris smiled.
Shinatsu: "Those fish are dying in a few days, Iris."
Iris: "Eh??"
Caesar: "How cruel, don't you have a human heart?"
Erika: "Hehe. They're gonna be heartbroken."
Iris: "I-I didn't know."
***
Music drifted through the booths of the festival. A dance troupe had gathered in the center of the square, drawing an enormous crowd with synchronized choreography and infectious energy. Every beat was met with cheers, clapping, and people dancing wherever they happened to be standing. Diego didn't stand a chance. One of the performers spotted him in the crowd, pointed, then motioned him forward.
The audience immediately joined in.
"Go!"
"Come on!"
Diego placed a hand over his chest: "…Me?"
The performer nodded enthusiastically.
Diego looked around: "…Well." He adjusted his sleeves, "I can't disappoint the people."
The music shifted.
The crowd erupted.
Diego matched the dancers far better than anyone expected, seamlessly slipping into the routine before throwing in several moves that definitely hadn't been rehearsed. The audience loved it. People clapped along with every spin and slide.
Shoyo held his phone high above the crowd, recording every second: "This is going on the Odd Jobs page!"
Diego pointed dramatically toward the camera mid-dance: "Tell my story!"
Shoyo: "I am!"
Diego: "This'll be our new promotional video!"
Not long afterward, several of the families passed by another portrait artist.
Jeremiah's family went first. His son refused to stand still. His daughter smiled perfectly. His wife gently fixed everyone's posture while Jeremiah laughed through the entire process. The finished portrait somehow captured all of it.
Next came Chifuyu. His mother happily stood beside him while his father folded his arms with the expression of a man who knew resistance was pointless.
Chifuyu's mom: "Smile."
Chifuyu: "I am."
Chifuyu's mom: "…That's your smile?"
Chifuyu: "It is."
The artist looked between father and son: "…Runs in the family."
Next, Iris stood beside her father and younger sister. The three naturally leaned toward one another without anyone asking. Simple.
When Esmarie's family finished theirs, her mom immediately asked if they could order several extra copies. One for the house. One for grandma. And one her office.
Eventually, Noah slipped away from the crowd.
Not because he wanted solitude.
A small overlook sat beyond the festival, overlooking the ocean and a stretch of nearby forest. He leaned against the railing for a moment before reaching into the paper bag he'd been carrying.
The first crow landed almost immediately.
Then another.
Then five more.
Noah broke apart the last of his bread, offering each bird a piece as they gathered around him: "…You guys always know where to find me."
One crow landed on the railing closest to him.
Unlike the others, it didn't eat immediately.
Instead, it stared toward the forest.
Its posture changed.
More alert.
Noah followed its gaze.
The trees swayed gently in the breeze.
Nothing looked unusual.
After several quiet seconds, the crow spread its wings.
It flew toward the forest without making a sound.
Noah watched until it disappeared beyond the treeline. His smile faded. Only slightly.
The remaining crows took flight one after another.
Then he turned around and headed back toward the festival. He hadn't even reentered the crowd before three familiar voices echoed across the street.
Erika: "Sensei!"
Esmarie: "SENSEI!"
Sylvie: "Sensei!"
The three practically swarmed a newly arrived man before he had the chance to take two steps.
He laughed warmly as they surrounded him: "I wasn't expecting such an enthusiastic welcome."
It was Emelio. Standing beside him was Hakim, who merely shook his head with an amused smile.
Hakim: "Color me surprised. Your students love you."
Emelio: "Of course they do."
Esmarie puffed out her cheeks: "Of course we do!"
After several minutes of catching up, Erika suddenly remembered something: "Oh!" She looked around. "Chifuyu!"
Chifuyu walked over: "What's up?"
Erika stepped aside: "This is Emeliosensei. The one I've told you about."
Chifuyu immediately bowed politely: "It's nice to finally meet you."
Emelio smiled: So… You're Dakota and Erika's friend. The pleasure is mine."
Emelio's eyes briefly settled on Ariel standing nearby: 'So that's the Vampire Lord, and this boy is the half-vampire.'
Erika: "Let me introduce you to everyone!"
Emelio: "I can't wait."
The festival carried on around them, as though it had all the time in the world.
***
From the rooftop of a hotel, Lily watched the festival below. The streets were overflowing with people. Laughter drifted through the air alongside music, the scent of festival food rising between rows of brightly colored stalls. Families wandered together. Children ran ahead of their parents. Hunters who had spent their lives fighting now laughed like ordinary people.
Lily smiled: "What a wonderful stage."
Her crimson eyes swept across the crowd until they settled on a familiar head of silver hair.
Lily: "There you are, Ariel.
Even from this distance, Lily recognized her immediately. She always would. She rested her chin in her hands, swinging her legs idly over the edge of the rooftop.
Lily: "You've gotten prettier."
The words left her lips almost affectionately. She had admired Ariel for as long as she could remember. Some would call it admiration, others would call it obsession. When Lily was little, stories about the silver-haired vampire had spread all over.
Lily looked down, letting one silver strand slide between her fingers as she caressed her hair: "Maybe it was fate." The thought made her giggle. "What are the chances we both have silver hair?!"
Lily's smile widened.
Below, Ariel laughed softly at something Miku had said.
Lily's eyes softened for the briefest moment: "You really do look happy. I hope it doesn't disappear."
What would Ariel feel by tomorrow? That uncertainty thrilled her. People were the most entertaining right before they broke. You could spend years watching someone smile. But show them true despair and suddenly they became someone completely different. Lily didn't want to see Ariel with a face of despair, but she didn't mind. Simply because she'll be beautiful to her no matter what face she makes. She stood, smoothing out the skirt of her gothic dress before placing a finger against her lips.
Lily: "I almost don't want to ruin your vacation."
A beat.
"…Almost."
She couldn't wait to see what kind of story Ariel would write.