The sun was setting, and night was coming. The orange hues lit up the sky, and I smiled. We had gotten everything together that Saburo had planned and were now just relaxing on his front porch. Niku and her father were sitting on the rocking chairs, and I was sitting on the top step that led up to them. They had both changed into what they called yukatas. Which I thought just looked like kimonos but apparently was different.

  A yukata was cotton and apparently more of a leisurely garment, while the kimono was silk and considered more ‘dressy.’ The angler was wearing more of a reserved outfit than his daughter. He wore a blue-black flannel pattern robe, whereas she wore a deep blue with pink flowers all over it. They had both made sure they cleaned up from working all afternoon, and Niku had even put on some makeup and had had a flower that matched the design on her clothing holding her ponytail.

  I, as the outsider and cultivator, was still just wearing my black and gray cultivator robes. I still felt like I belonged in a space opera with light swords, but eh, they were comfortable, so whatever. The dark colors matched the somber tone the evening brought, so I didn’t feel too out of place. I did leave my hat back in the room at the inn.

  I looked over at a small crate that was up on its side with some cloth lying around it. On the cloth were various vegetables and different foods, all with pieces of wood in them to make them look like horses.

  “So, what’s the point of making the food look like horses?” I asked and pointed at a zucchini.

  Saburo, who had been steadily watching the lanterns, turned towards me. Seriously, I don’t even think the guy had blinked in the time we had been sitting here. “They’re horses to help the spirits cross over and come back to the mortal plane. I only wish I had more, but hopefully the holy people will come back and offer more.”

  Niku smiled at me and nodded and then looked over at the sky. “Come Maikeru. Want to go see the town square? If anything happens with the lanterns, it won’t happen until night has truly set in.”

  I looked between her and her father. Saburo eyed his daughter and looked like he wanted to say something but eventually looked at me and nodded with a sad smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Your mother would want you to enjoy the night with your friend anyway. Go and see Maikeru. It’s probably closer to what you’re used to.”

  Niku stood from the chair and gave a soft bow towards her father. “Thank you, Papa.”

  “Just be sure you’re back before nightfall, yes?”

  “Yes, Papa, I promise,” she said and climbed down the stairs.

  Just in time, Betsy came over. After I had left earlier, I made plans with the woodworker, seamstress, and Noka, and everyone had come through without a hitch. Noka the farmer was walking alongside Betsy, holding an outfit for me, and Betsy had a giant turtle shell on her back as well as some other things to make sure she looked like a majestic dragon-turtle. Betsy, going along with the idea, had even been cycling her mana to make her eyes glow softly.

  Noka had changed from his farmer’s robe into a black and white yukata and also seemed to have a shine on his bald head.

  I grinned broadly, unsure of how she’d really look with the outfit on, and Niku laughed.

  “What in the world is that?” I heard Saburo ask.

  “Maikeru? Why is your ox dressed like that?” She asked while she giggled softly.

  “Niku, Saburo, let me introduce you to the majestic turtle Orthos. Protector of the Aurielus family and Blackflame spirit turtle,” I explained and patted Betsy on the shell.

  Saburo laughed. No, let me explain. Saburo didn’t just laugh from his seat, but he did a full-on belly laugh that had him doubled over in his chair and choking from the lack of air.

  “That’s perfect!” he choked out.

  I just looked at him questioningly. Was Cradle a thing here too?

  Niku leaned up and whispered in my ear. “The Genbu is a black tortoise. A guardian spirit and its shell are said to symbolize the heavens and the Earth. If any spirits are going to come, they might feel better with such a strong guardian here and may have an easier time bridging the gap.”

  I looked at Niku and gaped. “Well, now my costume is just going to be dumb.”

  “What’s yours?” She asked with a raised brow.

  I held up a finger at Niku and took the stuff that Noka was carrying. “Thank you.”

  He grinned and nodded. “Thanks for letting Betsy help us all day. It was my pleasure. I gotta get going.”

  I nodded and thanked him again before I went inside to change. It didn’t take me long, but once I was done and had all the arms and extra legs that just kind of dragged along, I stepped back outside. In my hand was a bow, and on my hip was a quiver with arrows. I lamented they didn’t have any mirrors inside so I couldn’t make sure the antennae were right, but they felt okay.

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  Niku just stared at me. Saburo had stopped laughing and gave me a hard stare. I blinked.

  “What, do ants mean something too?” I asked, confused.

  “Um… no,” Niku said in thought.

  “Well, no, but just be glad you aren’t carrying a sledgehammer,” Saburo offered.

  “What is this?” Niku asked.

  “My name is Bird, and I love birds!” I sang, giving my best impression of easily the greatest character from that series.

  They both just stared at me.

  “I’ll go take it off,” I said and turned back around.

  Not long after that, Niku, Betsy and I were plodding along towards the middle of town. There were bright lights and music coming from the town square, and I could tell from here that even though the village was small, they knew how to party.

  “What’s wrong with Betsy? Is she haunted?!” one of the village kids yelled out as they ran by.

  “Her eyes are glowing like she’s a spirit!” Another one shouted until they circled back and stood around the ox.

  Niku just giggled softly, and I stared at ne'er-do-wells.

  “No, she’s just a majestic turtle. Guardian of the Heavens and Earth, or something,” I muttered the last part.

  “I don’t know Maikeru she seems haunted!” The first yelled before the small group of kids took off.

  Betsy just gave a soft, amused bellow and nodded her head as she cycled her mana quicker.

  “Easy girl, it’s supposed to be black fire. Your lightning is showing,” I chided with a smirk.

  “Mrrr,” she nodded.

  We walked along, and Niku started to look around a little. “I wonder if Master Moritoshi is around here. I could use his help with something.”

  I groaned as we walked and looked at the various games the village had set up. I felt like I was standing right in the middle of the midway at any of the various county fairs that would pop up. People were throwing balls at stacks of jugs. Targets were set up with slingshots to shoot at them. They even had a dunking tank.

  “It’s nothing big. Just had an idea for something, and I want to see if he can do it real quick,” Niku explained.

  “Yeah, yeah. Alright,” I said, not looking forward to seeing my nemesis and cockblock. Alright, that was a bad way of putting it since I was obviously more interested in Niku than just that. It still fit.

  She patted my shoulder and then ran off. “There he is. Play a game, and I’ll be right back.”

  I nodded and went about inspecting stuff. I tried to play a few games while she was gone, but with my cultivator strength and senses they were all too easy. Even if they were rigged like the midway games back home, I’d have been able to knock them out of the park and get a big stuffed bear. Though they didn’t have any overly large stuffed animals like you’d see back home, they did have various stuffed creatures.

  When Niku came back, I gave her the stuffed bear prize, and she hugged it softly as we walked around. We spent some time watching a small play and listening to a group of musicians. About an hour had passed since we came down, and Niku sighed.

  “I should be getting back home with Papa. I don’t know if I believe in any of the spirits returning, but he’ll be mad if I’m not there,” she said and looked off toward her childhood home.

  I nodded and called Betsy, who was busy playing with the kids. They had fashioned a sled, and she was pulling it along in the dirt. As she walked over from the large open field by the square, I could hear almost laughing through our link. That’s when I realized her eyes weren’t the only ones glowing.

  “Look, Maikeru!”

  “Yeah, look, she turned us into spirits too!”

  The dozen or so kids all had glowing translucent eyes and were dancing about. I couldn’t help but stare and wondered what the hell Betsy did to the kids. I looked in horror as the kids started to act like ghosts and waved their arms about and made spooky noises.

  Niku couldn’t hold it any longer, so she laughed. I stared at her with my mouth hanging open.

  “That’s what I wanted to see Moritoshi for. I got him to make some pills for the kids to make their eyes glow. It’s nothing. The aura will cycle out of them by morning,” she explained.

  I stared in horror. Why was she giving kids pills?

  This just fueled her and made her laugh more. “Stop, it’s fine. Come on.”

  I walked behind her as she led the way back to her house. Betsy still ran carefully and jumped here and there and played with spirit like children. Eventually they filtered away as parents came and got them. They all said hi and thanked me and met them all. Niku explained to them all about the glowing eyes, and more than one parent didn’t seem happy about it, but they didn’t question the alchemist.

  “Good, come sit,” Saburo urged us as we walked back up to the house. The man had still been just sitting there watching the lanterns, and I felt kind of bad for him. I knew what it was like losing a parent, but a wife? I looked over at Niku, and she just smiled softly at me before she made her way to the chair next to her father.

  It didn’t take long after sunset before we heard chanting. I looked out towards the road the house was on and saw a large procession of what I could only guess were priests and holy men, or maybe monks was a better term? They wore burnt-orange robes in the style of the Buddhist monks and were chanting and dancing around. The dancers wore a mix of black and orange, while the ones chanting just dressed in orange. It was a slow dance, methodical and ceremonial in nature as they worked their way down the street.

  The three of us on the porch and Betsy all watched with interest until one of them moved over with a small crate towards us. Saburo stood and greeted him quietly. So quietly I didn’t even hear the man’s name. This was a very different feeling from the festival in the town square. In a quiet exchange between the two men and the fisherman walked away and added some more food to his offering.

  We sat in silence and listened to the procession move along down the road to the next house and watched the lanterns. It must have been hours before Saburo finally sighed loudly. I heard Niku reach over and speak to her father softly. She was offering him words of comfort and explaining that it didn’t mean anything. His wife and her mother still loved them, even in the afterlife.

  It was my turn to sigh and lower my head. I felt bad for the guy. He had worked so hard on all of this, hoping for some kind of sign. To this day I don’t know if I did the right thing. It wasn’t a big thing; I didn’t think, anyway. I cycled my mana and concentrated on a lantern that was further away. Closest to the tree, so far away that if he went to investigate, it might have been too long before he could have found anything.

  The lantern began to glow softly in the night, and I heard the commotion behind me. It was instant. Saburo jumped to his feet. “Shioko!”

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  Do you want single longer holiday chapters, or break them up so they're about the avg length of the others?