Apparently We're In A Tournament...

The time was finally here! The Giora Festival was underway, and Kaito was ready to participate in its festivities. At every turn, there were stalls for games and food, people having fun, and more! Rina was accompanying Kaito to show him around, as this was his first experience with the festival.

“Whoa, there are so many more people than I thought there’d be,” Kaito said, shocked as he looked through the crowd of people.

There were tons of different people in the town. Strong-looking adventurers, different races, merchants, apparently the Giora Festival was a big deal.

“Giora isn’t known as the Town of Beginners for nothing,” stated Rina. “So what do you want to do?” Rina continued. “I usually lie low until the big events start.”

Kaito was in paradise. He would get to spend all day having fun, and alongside a girl at that. There were so many options he didn’t know where to start.

“Let’s go that way!” Kaito yelled in excitement as he started running without a clear idea of what he even wanted to do.

As Kaito ran, Rina followed him. He clearly wasn’t thinking straight as he maneuvered through the crowd. He was bobbing and weaving just to make sure not to hit anybody. Just taking the time to walk through the crowd would’ve been more efficient and safe. Through Kaito’s recklessness, he ended up bumping into another one of the festival goers.

CLANK!!!

The sound of Kaito crashing into a man wearing full plate armor could be heard by those in the vicinity. Kaito’s momentum was swiftly redirected as he found himself being plunged towards the ground.

“Whoa, you okay there, fella?” The man asked in worry as he lent his hand to help Kaito up.

“Kaito, the festival just started… slow down,” Rina said as she caught up to the scene.

As the armored man lifted Kaito from the ground, he turned towards Rina.

“Rina? Is that you?” The man said as he recognized Rina. “It’s been two years since we last met! Back then, you helped me learn the basics of adventuring!”

Rina, with a slightly annoyed look on her face, murmured at a tone only Kaito could hear. “This is why I lay low during the festival.”

“Just how many beginners did you help out before me?” Kaito questioned Rina before he slowly turned towards the man. “You aren’t going to fight me to prove some point, are you?”

“Ha ha, don’t worry,” the armored man reassured Kaito, understanding what Kaito was alluding to. “Sure, it’s surprising to learn the Lonely Queen rumours are true, but when we were partying together for that short time, I never intended to leech off of her until I got strong.”

Kaito had a short realization that he was technically leeching off of Rina as the man said, but decided to keep quiet to not expose himself. Plus, the man seemed nice, so he didn’t want to aggravate him for no reason.

“I’m Khrom by the way,” the armored man introduced himself, positioning his hand for a handshake. “And who, pray tell, is the lucky adventurer that befriended the Lonely Queen?”

“That lucky adventurer would be Kaito!” Kaito played on Khrom’s unique way of asking his name while he accepted his handshake.

The friendship between the two was apparent as they held their handshake with grit. Rina didn’t want to ‘ruin the moment’, so she let them have their man-to-man for a moment.

“Oh, I guess I should introduce my new companion,” Khrom announced.

Kaito and Rina were fairly confused as Khrom was the only other person in tune with their conversation. They looked around, even peering behind Khrom to see if someone had managed to hide behind his broad body, which was enhanced by the shield on his back.

“Wake up, Evona, I've got some people I want you to meet,” Khrom said as he lifted the shield on his back in a slight jump as if he were adjusting its position.

From between Khrom's back and his shield, a girl’s head slowly peered out. She looked extremely drowsy and had cat ears. Kaito and Rina were shocked as they weren’t expecting someone to appear from that small space.

“This is Evona,” Khrom introduced the girl. “She is of the catfolk race of the beast peoples and likes to sleep in the space between my back and shield.”

“Good morning~” Evona said in a slurred voice.

“It’s already past noon,” Khrom laughingly stated, correcting Evona.

“Who are these people?” Evona asked, finally not sounding half asleep.

“This is Rina, the adventurer I told you about who showed me the ropes,” Khrom answered Evona, introducing Rina. “Her new companion here is Kaito.”

As Khrom gestured towards Kaito, he looked extremely antsy.

“Hey Khrom, is it okay if I pet Evona?” Kaito strangely asked Khrom instead of Evona herself.

Khrom, not thinking too much into it, squatted down to a more suitable level for Kaito to pet Evona and responded, “Sure you can!”

As Kaito began petting Evona on the head, he could be seen to be in complete bliss. Kaito was antsy because he thought Evona was adorable and felt compelled to pet her. Rina, seeing how happy Kaito was to pet Evona, got curious about whether it really felt that nice, thus she also started petting Evona.

“Evona likes you two~” Evona said in a happy tone in response to their petting.

Kaito and Rina, having their fill of petting Evona, let her relax, which involved her peering out from the space under Khrom’s shield to look about the festival.

“So, are you two participating in the festival’s tournament tomorrow?” Khrom asked, steering the conversation in a different direction.

“Tournament?” Kaito said, confused. “I didn’t even know there was one. Though I’m taking this festival as a time to re-”

Before Kaito could finish his sentence, Rina cut him off.

“Yes, we are.”

Kaito turned to Rina, worried as he was not expecting that answer.

“Rina,” Kaito said in a kind tone as if he were trying to get on her good side. “I thought you said I would be free to enjoy the festival’s activities.”

“The tournament is a part of the festival’s activities, so you’d better enjoy it,” Rina said, solidifying that Kaito would be participating.

“So much for my time to relax,” Kaito said with a great sigh.

“If it makes you feel any better, there’s a grand reward for winning the tournament!” Khrom said as he tried to cheer Kaito up. “Evona and I will be participating as well, so if one of the four of us wins, we can share the reward!”

“Khrom, you’re a great guy,” Kaito stated as he started to feel more up to participating in the tournament. “I guess I’ll just have to get my fill of the festival before the tournament starts tomorrow!”

With Kaito feeling more amped up from Khrom’s gesture, the group took time to enjoy the festival together. They ate food from the stalls, played minigames, and attended the live shows held within the town. Kaito got his fill of fun and freedom and was now fully prepared for the upcoming tournament.