Autumn had been a slow time for me and Betsy work-wise. We hadn’t been moving much and instead we had just been hanging out in Sunjin. I had taken the time to strengthen my relationship with Niku and finally with her father. I had always felt kind of bad about not presenting myself to the angler father of the beautiful alchemist and cultivator, but we got along and he seemed to like me. He especially liked my strength when I helped him pull in nets full of flopping fish.

  That was actually what my plans for the day had been . I was just waking up in bed at the inn where I had been staying. The same one me and Amber had stayed in when I broke the news to her that we probably died in the lightning strikes that brought us here.

  I grunted and groaned and scratched myself before I climbed out of bed and stood on the hardwood flooring once more, missing the fuzzy little rugs I used to have in my truck. Just like back home, I slept in the buff, so it was easy to see myself in the mirror as I passed it on the way to relieve my bladder. I stood there and stared at myself while I rubbed at where my gut used to be. Even my dad's gut was gone, which made me kind of frown. Being a cultivator really built you up.

  I had always struggled with weight, but I was kinda happy with my dad bod. Shrek vastly outperformed Magic Mike after all, and dad bods were in. I smirked and shook the thoughts away as I went and got ready for the day. There were no showers, but there was a bowl and some washcloths for me to give myself a little bum bath before I slipped into the spirit silk robes Nakayasu had bought me when I first came.

  I left the inn and said thank you to the owner and her husband and walked through the town. The villagers were going about their business, gathering supplies or whatever they needed to get ready for their day of farming or whatever their other daily chores might have been. I said hello and greeted people until a farmer walked up to me grinning.

  I pulled my robe tighter around me in the chilly autumn morning air and looked around a little. The trees in the village had started to turn color, and I smiled. Spooky season was upon us. I idly thought of the goth girl’s back home who reveled in this time of year and then my mind went back to Niku with a grin. I had never seen her in anything besides her sect robes. Wait, was she in a sect? There was so much I still needed to learn about her.

  Even the smell of the air told me autumn was well on its way. The crispness in the air was wonderful and made me breathe in deeply. My stomach grumbled a little when I took the scents from the village bakery. I figured maybe I’d grab some treats from it on my way to Niku’s for her and her father for breakfast. I opened my eyes and continued walking along when someone stepped towards me.

  “Maikeru, don’t worry about Betsy,” he said before I could really say anything to him.

  I looked him over and knew I recognized him. I’m pretty sure he was the guy from when I first got here that helped turn my wagon right side up. He was older than me, not quite what I’d call “old,” but in his early fifties, maybe? He was bald and bulky, and he just grinned at me.

  “She came over and helped me in the field today. That, and the kids love her,” the man said, still grinning.

  I still struggled with what to say. It unnerved me that I didn’t remember his name, but Betsy was going to spend the day with him.

  He nodded at me and gave me a small bow. “The name is Komugi Noka, sir cultivator. You can just call me Noka. I hope it’s alright that Betsy helps? As I said, she just walked over…”

  I pointed at him. “You helped when I first ca- er, crashed my first wagon.”

  He laughed and bowed once more. “I did! It is an honor that you remember.”

  I waved that away. “Of course, I’m sorry I didn’t remember your name. You can just call me Maikeru; no need for the honorifics. I’m just a guy, you know?”

  “It’s alright. I don’t think we were ever properly introduced. So it’s alright if Betsy helps and plays with the children?” he asked, hopeful.

  I shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I don’t see why not if that’s what she wants to do. Just let her know I’m over at Ikoma Saburo’s house with Niku?”

  “The fisherman?”

  Noka cocked his brow, and I nodded in return.

  “Yeah, I’ve been spending time with them,” I explained to the man.

  He grinned for a moment and nodded in understanding before he grew serious. “They’re probably preparing for the Night of Returning Lanterns.”

  Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “The what?”

  His expression changed to surprise as his eyebrows lifted. “The Night of Returning Lanterns. That’s right, you’re from the west or something, aren’t you?”

  As if my pale skin didn’t give it away, but I still nodded my head. “Something like that.”

  He nodded in understanding. “The Night of Returning Laterns is a somber celebration where we honor our ancestors and the dead. Saburo takes it pretty seriously and hangs extra lanterns in hopes his wife’s spirit will visit him.”

  My eyes grew wide at this piece of information.

  “Yeah. So, it wont be a normal day over there, I don’t think, but yes. I’ll be more than happy to tell Betsy of your whereabouts and lead her the way. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help,” Noka told me, still smiling.

  I nodded and said goodbye before I headed over to the bakery. The farmer went off in his own direction, probably towards his farm. I secured some pastries from the bakery and was well on my way to Niku and her father’s house. There was only one problem.

  I know I shouldn’t have been thinking about it, but knowing that today was the Night of Returning Lanterns and with it being fall, I couldn’t help but think about it. Halloween. This weather signaled the beginning of the spooky season back home, and I couldn’t help but try to think of some Western Earth flairs we might be able to do for their festival. Give it a little Halloween touch, you know?

  I walked up to the house by the river and smiled, seeing Niku and her father work on hanging lanterns from their porch. They both looked somber and serious as they hung the paper lanterns. I smiled and waved at Niku when she saw me, and she smiled and waved back.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The house itself didn’t look all that different from a country house you’d find in some rural farm area back home. The outside was painted white with a faded blue trim, and the porch was small and even had a couple of rocking chairs sitting on it with a small table between them. I smiled and thought of Niku’s mother and father sitting out here after a long day.

  While she was in her robes and looking as beautiful as she always did, her father was dressed simply. He wore the simple grey robe of the farmers, but there were more robes under it, unlike the farmers.

  “Hey Niku, Mr. Ikoma,” I greeted them both and even offered a soft bow to the old fisherman in greeting.

  “Maikeru, I told you. You don’t have to call me that. You’re a cultivator and friend to my lovely Niku. Saburo is fine,” he said this with a sigh after he finished hanging the lantern he was working on.

  The lanterns all looked good and intricate, with various styles of art. Though they were all floral patterns of different trees. Honestly, the entire house looked nice. It was a decent sized one-story house. Niku had told me her father made a decent living as a fisherman, nowhere near as decent as someone like Nakayasu obviously, but good enough to give him and his family somewhere decent to live. Plus, he lived right on the water, so extra bonus.

  The plot of land had nothing in the way of a yard or anything. There was just the natural landscape of living on the edge of a lake aside from the single large tree. The porch was facing away from the water which, in my opinion, was a bit of a disservice but I guess Niku’s mother didn’t want to look at the water while she was trying to relax after a day or working it, which was fair.

  “Yeah, sorry. Just you know, with Niku,” I stopped and looked over at her.

  She was wearing her usual robes and standing on a short ladder, working on hanging lanterns from the branches of the tree.

  Saburo grew serious and nodded his head.

  “It’s just, you know,” I trailed off, not really sure what to say.

  He smirked and clapped me on my shoulder. “I get it. I was a wreck when I was courting Niku’s mother. You’re fine.”

  He turned and looked over at his daughter, with me, and nodded his head. “By the kami, I have a daughter who’s not only an alchemist but a cultivator.”

  I nodded along with the man while he watched his daughter. I kept my eyes on him, and he leaned against the banister of his porch.

  “...and you’re a cultivator, but…”

  He continued, and then stared at me, and then grew serious.

  “I’ll still show you what’s what if anything happens to my daughter’s virtue.”

  My eyes went wide, and I stared at him before I waved my hands around. “No, no. It’s nothing like that.”

  His serious visage cracked, and he smiled. “Yeah, I know. Come on, we’re just about done. Do you know about the festival?”

  He patted me on the shoulder, and we both went over to where Niku was finishing up.

  “Uh, the farmer Noka told me a little about it,” I explained.

  Saburo nodded again. “My wife, Niku’s mother, left us a few years ago. We hang the lanterns as a way of knowing if our loved ones are visiting us. I think I might hang out more this year.”

  “We kind of do something similar back home, actually. Not with lanterns, but graveyards and the like to hold a special place around this time of year. We use pumpkins,” I explained and grinned when Saburo eyed me.

  “Pumpkins? Where did you say you were from again?” He cocked an eyebrow.

  “What’s in the box?” Niku finally climbed down from her small ladder and pointed at it.

  I had almost forgotten about the pastries, and then I perked up and lifted the box up. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I brought some breakfast treats from the bakery.”

  This made Saburo grin. The muscular guy didn’t look like he ate too many sweet treats. “Alright then, come on inside. We’ll have some tea, and you can tell us more about your customs. Then…”

  He paused and looked around a little. “Niku, I have some rope we can tie from the tree to the porch roof. Hang some more lanterns?”

  Niku looked at me and then at her father. She didn’t seem like she wanted to, but she closed her eyes and nodded her head. “Yes, Papa.”

  She rushed inside before we did. I presumed she was going to start the water for tea. The fisherman smiled at me and motioned for me to take the lead to go inside. I did and stepped up the wooden steps and through the screen door into his humble abode.

  The house matched the exterior. It was old but well kept, and it reminded me a little of my grandmother’s place. It was very unlike any other house I had seen since I’d been here.

  “I don’t like the mats most people have,” Saburo explained to my mystified face.

  “All day bringing in fish on the boat or from shore. I’d rather be able to sit up. Also, my clothes are usually wet and salty, and it just doesn’t do well,” he continued to explain to me.

  I nodded along as if that made perfect sense. Which, it could. What the hell did I know? The floors were hardwood but had little bits of carpet over here and there, and there were some spots that I took for salty water damage on them. A whistling noise from the kitchen interrupted my looking over the various knickknacks and other homey touches that were obviously put there by a woman building a home.

  “Come, Papa, Maikeru. The water is ready,” Niku popped her head from an opening on the far side of the room.

  “Excellent, so what did you decide to treat us with, Maikeru?” Saburo asked as we walked through the house and into the kitchen.

  I set the box open after I sat it on the table and looked over the three fish-shaped pastries I was told were filled with a sweetened bean paste.

  “Oh, I love those! Thank you, Maikeru,” Saburo said as he went to one cabinet and grabbed three wooden plates.

  Niku was working on gathering small teacups and finishing the tea. I just sat down and felt a kind of awkward as the pair went about getting situated. I had tried to help Niku with the tea, but she just kept softly slapping my hands away and told me to sit.

  “You are the guest, and you brought us snacks. Just relax,” she’d chide me.

  It didn’t take long before the three of us were having our taiyaki. Sweetened red bean paste did not sound as good as it actually was. The stuff was delightful. Earthy, nutty and just a little sweet that paired so good with the still crunchy fried fish shaped outside. Whatever sort of tea Niku served was a perfect companion that just added to the depth of the flavor of the snack.

  “Man, Grandma Azai over at Asahi Pan has not lost her touch,” Saburo said as he ate.

  I couldn’t help but nod. I wasn’t even sure what the name of the bakery was that I had gone to, but with the size of the actual village I supposed there must have been only one bakery.

  I nodded along and listened to Niku and her father make plans for the day to get ready for the festival tonight.

  “There will be dancing tonight, and a small sort of parade where the more holy will come around the village and offer food as an offering for the spirits. In the town square, there should be games and stuff like that. I’ll be home though, waiting to see if any of the lanterns light up,” Saburo explained.

  I listened and smiled. “Kids would usually dress up and go house to house dressed as different things. Sometimes skeletons or ghosts and then people would hand out candy to them.”

  I grinned and got an idea for me and Betsy. “Is there a village woodworker or something?”

  Niku raised an eyebrow but nodded. “There is, right in the town square by the seamstress. At the end of the row of shops.”

  I stood and thanked them both before I ran from the house, explaining I would be back shortly to help hang more lanterns.

  “That was odd,” Saburo blinked and looked at his daughter.

  Niku just gave a small smile and nodded her head. “Yes, he is a little odd.”

  Her father gave his daughter a knowing smirk.

  They're mostly just for the holidays, cause I like writing them, and to give more world building stuff.

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