The Giora Festival

It has been some time since Kaito and Rina returned to Giora safely. Kaito has been steadily caring for the dragon egg as he and Rina have been training and taking on various missions. Now, Kaito is sitting on a bench, taking a breather while he accompanies Sid on his break.

“I feel like my body is going to stop working with how much Rina is training me,” Kaito states, releasing his stress.

“I feel ya. Elise likes to hand off a lot of the paperwork to me at the guild,” Sid adds to Kaito’s statement.

The two relax and sigh in unison as they enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Giora.

“I still love her, though. How she relies on me and all.” Sid clarifies his slight complaint.

The two took another moment to relax, but this time, Kaito broke the silence. “Man, you’re so lucky to have gotten Elise. I want a girl of my own.”

“What are you talking about? You got Rina.” Sid responds, aiming to amp Kaito up.

“Nah, no way I have a chance—” Kaito stopped himself mid-sentence as he remembered how Rina was worried about him back in Nakamura.

“Oh? It looks like to me that you do have a chance!” Sid said, noticing Kaito’s realization.

Rina, noticing the two relaxing on the bench, approached them, but as she approached from the side, they didn’t notice her.

In a giddy smile, Kaito leaned forward into a thinking pose and whispered, “Heh, maybe I do have a chance.”

“Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?” Rina jumps in seemingly out of nowhere.

“Oh, Rina!” Kaito slightly yelled, not expecting her to be standing right next to him.

“Sup,” Sid greeted Rina.

“Come on, Kaito, we've got some training to do,” Rina orders Kaito.

Kaito, getting up from the bench wobbly as if he was in pain, responds, “Can’t I get any time to relax? We’ve basically been training daily since getting back to Giora.”

“No,” Rina answered in a stern tone. “You still need a lot of training and discipline for the adventure we’re trying to take on.”

Rina’s response visibly hurt Kaito. The routine daily life that Kaito hated in his previous life was starting to catch up to him in a way he didn’t expect. Seeing Kaito’s pain, Sid put in an effort to ease Kaito’s soul.

“So, are you two going to attend the Giora Festival?” Sid asked the two of them, also partially aiming to wingman for Kaito.

“Oh, is that what everyone seems to be preparing for?” Kaito said as he looked at some people preparing for the festival.

Rina, not surprised by Kaito’s ignorance towards the festival, started a brief explanation:

The Giora Festival was an annual festival held in Giora to commemorate where most adventurers started their journey. The area around Giora is known to be very beginner-friendly, so many adventurers start their journey here and branch out as they get stronger. The festival was a way for everyone to meet up with old allies again and see how strong everyone has become. There will be tons of food, shows, and competitions for everyone to enjoy.

“If you want, this can be the time you get to relax,” Rina concluded her explanation.

“Yes, please…” Kaito pleaded with Rina, finally getting an opportunity to relax.

“Good, we can keep training daily until then,” Rina said, solidifying their upcoming training routines.

Kaito just realized what he had unintentionally agreed to. The days until the festival were about to be hell.

“Good luck, Kaito,” Sid said, consoling Kaito’s upcoming struggles.