School Festival Pt. 1: The Heiwa High School Summer Festival Begins

Today was the day of the school Summer Festival. The entire school was filled with festival fever—food stalls operated by various school clubs and classes dominated the school ground; the classrooms were all dramatically transformed into shops, horror houses, restaurants, and the like; and everyone was intoxicated with delirium and couldn’t hold in their excitement for the school festival to officially begin. Everyone had gathered outside and stood at attention before a small stage on the school’s soccer field. The Student Body Council sat in metal chairs on the stage. In front of them was a podium and microphone. Once the entire student body was assembled, the Council President, Kurokomo Shizo, stepped up to the microphone.

Everyone cheered and swooned before the Council President. Shizo simply smiled and gestured for everyone to settle down. “Students of Heiwa High School,” began Shizo with a clear and commanding voice, “we are gathered here today to officially start the 15th Heiwa High School Summer Festival! Our school festival is one of Heiwa’s most treasured traditions. It is a time for fun and excitement, but also a time to test our bonds as classmates and the friendships we have cultivated during our time here. Our school festival is an event where we can all enjoy ourselves with the bonds we have formed and the friends we have made before we all must say our farewells for the coming Summer Break. There is no doubt that you all will have plans to spend Summer Break together doing fun things and living your youth to the fullest. But our school festival allows us a chance to spend our youth together as one school! We must not forget that we are all connected to each other due to our shared roles as students of Heiwa High School. The school’s Summer Festival was founded for that very reason indeed. It is to remind us that we are all students of the same school and therefore we share a deep bond together. And it is not just us students either, but the teachers and staff too. We are all connected in our identities as members of Heiwa High School. Remember that our bonds as students, teachers, and staff of Heiwa High School is something to be treasured. And so, without further ado, let’s get this Summer Festival started! Everyone, have fun and enjoy yourselves to the fullest! I declare the Heiwa High School Summer Festival officially open!”

Everyone went wild and applauded like crazy. Now that the school festival was officially open, the entire student body quickly ran to their places. It wasn’t long before the people started pouring in: family, friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.

Tatsuya’s class was doing a cosplay cafe. It had been decided that the girls will be the servers and the boys will be the cooks. The girls all dressed in cute costumes and the guys wore light costumes that didn’t get in the way of their cooking. Tatsuya wasn’t that much of a cook himself, so he decided to take the role of dish washer; he was cosplaying as a superhero and wore a red and black spandex suit and a red face mask with a black visor, which he had turned away from his face so that he can do his job. Sasuke and Daiki acted as the head chefs and they expertly prepared the meals and drinks for the customers; Sasuke cosplayed as an Olympian and had on a white tunic and a laurel wreath, and Daiki cosplayed as a ninja complete with a black one-piece suit and mask. Aika, Kanjomizu, and Arashi worked with the other girls as servers and they were quick to become popular with the customers. Aika was a vampire and dressed in a black gothic dress, a dark red jacket, and fake fangs. Kanjomizu cosplayed as an Edo Period woman and wore a blue kimono with fish and flower designs. Arashi was a catgirl and had on a white short-sleeve shirt, a green knee-length frilly skirt, and a pair of cat ears and a tail.

The only person who seemed to have received the short end of the stick was Manami. Since the class was doing a cosplay cafe, the girls of the class all came up with a very terrifying idea. To sum it up, Manami was forced to act as a server along with the girls and his costume reflected just that. He cosplayed, not of his own free will mind you, as a maid. He wore a very flattering black maid costume complete with a white apron, a frilly bonnet, and gloves. The girls had also beautifully decorated his face with just enough makeup to make his childish feminine appearance even more appealing than it already was.

The class became quite busy throughout the entire morning. It finally slowed down a bit and the boys were glad to finally have a little breather. A very familiar voice penetrated the atmosphere and drew everyone’s attention. “Hello, everyone!” announced the voice grandly. Everyone turned to see a very handsome young man with rosy skin, crimson red hair like living flames, and intensely blazing bright red ruby eyes. He was dressed in a dark red suit and wine-colored tie.

“Big brother?!” shouted Aika in surprise.

“Ah, Aika! I’m here!” announced Nobi in a sing-song manner. His presence immediately attracted the female students, who swarmed around him in a huge circle like fangirls to an idol. They all swooned and giggled amongst themselves like foolish little girls. Nobi didn’t mind the attention and casually initiated small talk with the girls around him.

“That’s the prince of the Draco Tribe, isn’t it?” said Sasuke.

“Yep,” confirmed Daiki.

Tatsuya had also stopped his work to see the prince being surrounded by his classmates like a celebrity. Meanwhile, Aika tried hard to break through the wall but couldn’t even make a single dent. ‘Human females are scary,’ she realized after her fifth try.

“Is that your big brother, nyan?” asked Nekoyashi. She appeared next to Aika and was dressed in a black catsuit and high heels and a ponytail, though her cat ears were still present—she was cosplaying as a spy heroine.

“Yes,” replied Aika with an exasperated sigh.

“Are you not happy that he’s here?” wondered Nekoyashi innocently.

“Oh, you have no idea,” replied Aika with a scowl.

While Nobi was being mobbed by female students, three new guests appeared. “Ahem,” said one of the guests in a loud and clear voice. Everyone quickly turned their attention to the new guests—Ingrid, Umi, and Sylphie. Ingrid walked up to the circle of girls and they quickly formed a path for her to enter. She walked up to Nobi and frowned. The prince chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Ingrid quickly grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away from the group of girls. Nobi didn’t fight it and took it like an ashamed child. Tatsuya, his friends, and Aika were all surprised by this and were speechless.

Arashi quickly stepped in and said, “All right, girls, let’s get back to work.” She smiled and clapped her hands for them to disburse. The girls followed her instructions and the cosplay cafe was back in operation.

Ingrid led Nobi to where Aika was and let go of his ear. “Prince Nobi,” she began in a cold voice, “please remember that you are here to see your sister in action, not to be hounded by a bunch of teenage girls.”

“Yes ma’am,” acknowledged Nobi with a nod. He then quickly sprung back into his usual cheerful self and said, “Aika!” with his arms wide open. He looked her over and nodded approvingly at her vampire costume. “You look really good, little sister!” he told her. “I approve!” he said with a thumbs up and a wink.

“I don’t need your approval, big brother,” huffed Aika.

Nobi couldn’t contain himself anymore and threw his arms around Aika and pulled her into a big hug. “My little Aika, I’m glad that you’re having a good time and making a lot of friends! Oh, mom and dad will be so proud of you once they hear this! I can’t believe how grown up my little sister have become!”

Aika desperately tried to push away and said, “You’re smothering me, big brother.” When it seemed that Nobi wasn’t lessening his grip any sooner, Aika channeled all of her strength and finally broke away. She then slapped him hard across the face and screamed, “You idiot!”

Nobi rubbed his face and simply said, “Fiery as always, Ashira-tan.”

“Ahem, Prince Nobi,” said Ingrid near his ear.

“Oh, right, how foolish of me,” said Nobi, realizing his error. He then turned his attention to the maid and said, “Thank you, Ingrid, for helping Aika all this time. I am lucky to have a pretty, strong, and smart woman like you to care for my little sister.”

Ingrid’s cheeks turned a bright rosy color upon hearing his words. She turned her head away from him and raised her fist to her lips. “T-T-T-Thank you,” she told him bashfully.

Nobi simply nodded at her with a smile. “Now then, where is Tatsuya-kyun?” he asked aloud.

Sasuke, Daiki, and Manami turned to Tatsuya with confused expressions. “Tatsuya-kyun?” they asked him in unison.

Nobi quickly took notice of Tatsuya’s position and rushed up to give him a hug. He wrapped his arms around the Dragonborn and pulled him into a very tight embrace. “Ah, Tatsuya-kyun! How is my favorite brother-in-law doing? I can’t wait for your wedding! Oh, I hope that Aika has been treating you right! My precious Tatsuya-kyun!”

Aika placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder and glared at him with scary eyes. “What do you think you’re doing, big brother?” she asked in a threatening voice. Nobi glanced back at her and immediately let out a yelp. “Take your hands off of him now,” ordered Aika. Nobi nodded and did as she told him.

Ingrid bowed before Tatsuya and said, “I apologize for the prince’s behavior.”

“That’s quite alright,” said Tatsuya with a small laugh. “I see that you and the others came to see our school festival.”

“I hope that we aren’t a bother,” said Umi, standing right beside Ingrid with Sylphie.

“Not at all,” Tatsuya told her with a smile.

Manami brought over a cup of tea and presented it before Umi. “A cup of tea for a beautiful lady,” he told her in a dashing voice. Umi was a little surprised by his gesture and didn’t know how to respond.

“My, I didn’t know that you chose to cosplay a maid,” said Sylphie with a smile. “Perhaps you enjoy wearing the costume too? I especially enjoy how it gives you room to breathe in the lower regions.”

The maid’s words struck a sore spot and Manami quickly entered a depressive state. After a few seconds of self-pity, he threw his head up and cried, “This is not what it looks like!”

Sylphie placed a hand on Manami’s shoulder and said, “It’s alright. I understand your feelings.”

Manami let out a distressed scream and cried out, “You don’t understand at all! I had no choice! Why does God hate me so much?!”

Daiki appeared behind Sylphie with a plate of cake and tapped the maid on the shoulders. “Here you go,” he told him, “Enjoy.”

Sylphie took the plate and smiled. “Thank you very much.” Daiki shifted his head down and his cheeks turned a little pink. He then quickly walked back to his station in the kitchen.

Nobi appeared next to Tatsuya and wrapped his hand around the latter’s neck. He then wrapped the other around Aika and brought her in. “Say, why don’t we three have fun together at the school festival?” he suggested.

“Well, I have to work,” protested Tatsuya, shrugging off Nobi’s arm off his shoulder.

“That’s alright!” said Sasuke. “You go have fun, Tatsu. It’s been kinda slow lately and we have more than enough people around to work.”

“But—,” protested Tatsuya.

“We can help,” volunteered Umi. Ingrid and Sylphie nodded along.

“Thank you very much, ladies and gentleman,” said Sasuke with a smile. Before Tatsuya could protest, the maids began to get to work serving customers. “It’s time for you to enjoy your youth,” Sasuke told Tatsuya, referencing the Council President’s words.

Daiki and Manami had also pushed Arashi and Kanjomizu to join Tatsuya and quickly flashed their friend a thumbs up. And so, having no choice but to go along with his friends and their ideas, Tatsuya joined Aika, Arashi, Kanjomizu, and Nobi on an adventure to enjoy the school festival.

“Say, wanna go check out what Sunaji’s class is doing?” suggested Tatsuya. The group walked over to the next class over. Two students stood outside the classroom with flyers and invited customers inside. Tatsuya and his group entered the classroom. Unlike Tatsuya’s class’ cosplay café, the students in Sunaji’s class were dressed in black suits and ties and dresses. The student-hostess led Tatsuya and his group to a table. “Is Sunaji here?” Tatsuya asked the student.

The student nodded and walked off to the back of the class. A few seconds later, Sunaji appeared before the group. “May I help you all?” she asked them gracefully.

“Hey Sunaji,” greeted Tatsuya. “It looks like your class is doing very well with your restaurant,” he told her with a smile.

Sunaji bowed and said, “Thank you for your compliment.”

The group took a look at the menu on their table. Nobi was amazed to see so many choices. “My, what would be good here?” he asked aloud.

“I recommend the hayashi rice,” offered Tatsuya. “I had some before and it’s pretty good. Sunaji is a very great cook.”

Upon hearing Tatsuya’s compliments about her, Sunaji blushed a deep shade of red. Unbeknownst to her, some of her classmates took notice of her reaction and came up with a plan. One of the girls came up to Sunaji and whispered into her ear, “Why don’t you take the day off and spend it with your friends?”

Sunaji was surprised to hear this and quickly disputed with, “But I must stay and help you all.”

“To be honest, you did more work than any of us,” admitted the girl. “This is your chance to have some fun and enjoy your youth.” She then lightly jabbed Sunaji in the rib and added with a wink, “And you can use this chance to get closer to you-know-who.”

“Come again?” said Sunaji in confusion.

The girl simply gestured with her chin to Tatsuya. Sunaji quickly turned a bright red cherry color. She was about to heavily protest against this, but the girl took her by the shoulders and quickly said, “Say, can Sunaji-san join your group and enjoy the festival with you all?”

“Sure,” agreed Tatsuya.

“Just for that, your meal is on the house!” announced the girl. She flashed a wink and thumbs up to her friends in the back.

After finishing their free meal of hayashi rice, Tatsuya and his group, now joined by Sunaji, wandered through the school and took part in many of the other festivities that interested them. They participated in a haunted house by another second-year class, a puppet-play by a third year class, an intimate concert by the school’s light music club, a poetry reading by the school’s literature club, and an exhibition match held by the school’s basketball club. After having enough fun for the time being, the group took a break in the school’s cafeteria.

“What should we do next?” asked Aika after a good ten minutes had passed.

Nobi brought out a pamphlet from inside his suit and glanced over it. The pamphlet was given to him at the school’s entrance and contains a list of the festival’s various programs. “Ooh, listen to this,” he said excitedly, “there’s a food eating competition happening right now. It’s being hosted by a first-year class.”

After resting for another three minutes or so, the group got up and headed towards the first year class hosting the food eating competition. Upon arriving at the classroom door, a giant sandwich board stood in front of them with a giant red arrow painted on it and the words: “Heiwa High School Eating Competition! Only 75 yen (about $0.52 USD) to enter! Finish an extra large plate of yakisoba or an extra large bowl of ramen in under 15 MINUTES and win a prize! This is your chance to win an extremely rare replica of a Japanese Treasure! Viewers are welcome and free to enter!”

Tatsuya and the group entered the classroom to take a look for themselves. Inside, there was a huge crowd watching the entire competition. In the middle of the room was a long table. There were six contestants in total. Tatsuya looked over the table and couldn’t believe his eyes when he came upon the third contestant.

Shurai sat before a very large bowl of ramen, larger than her entire head, with a very blasé expression on her face. On either side of her were huge men with muscle-bound bodies and ravenous smiles. The student-referee in charge of the competition announced the start of the round and started their timer. The contestants tore through their bowls of ramen like a herd of famished cattle. Shurai, on the other hand, ate at her own pace and absorbed the noodles quickly into her abyss of a stomach. While her competitors tackled their dish like mad beasts and had barely reached halfway in their bowls, Shurai was drowning down the last few drops of her soup. She set down her bowl and raised her hand to announce her completion of the dish. The referee stopped the timer and announced that the round was done. “Amazing! A new record!” announced the referee. “58 seconds!” he announced to the crowd. He walked over to Shurai and raised her hand in the air. “Our undefeated champion, Denkoryu Shurai! Her record is now 17 wins and 0 losses!”

Shurai nodded and threw a thumbs up at the audience. The crowd went wild with their cheers and applause. She spotted Tatsuya from the corner of her eye and turned her face in his direction. “Tatsu-kun,” she muttered under her breath.

“Is there anyone who will attempt to challenge our undefeated champion?” asked the referee.

Shurai broke her arm away from him and said, “I’m done for today.”

“Excuse me?” asked the referee, a little taken aback by Shurai’s words.

Without explaining herself any further, Shurai exited the center of the room and met up with Tatsuya and his group. “Tatsu-kun,” she called to him.

“Shurai!” said Tatsuya. “Hey, that was pretty good,” he told her with a smile.

“I ate a lot of food today,” Shurai told him bluntly. “It was very fun. Food competitions are where its at.” She nodded to herself affirmingly with a serious face.

“Right,” said Tatsuya slowly with a laugh.

“What are you and the others doing, Tatsu-kun?” asked the dragon princess.

“We’re just going around and checking out the festival,” Tatsuya told her.

“Me too!” she said.

“Eh? But don’t you need to be here for the food competition? I mean, you’re the champion, right?” reasoned Tatsuya.

“Undefeated champion,” corrected Shurai. “It’s okay,” she reassured him, “I already ate a lot of ramen and yakisoba. I want to go try the other festival foods.”

“Of course,” sighed Tatsuya with a smile.

The group, now joined by Shurai, made their way outside. For the first half-hour, the group partook in the festivities together. They played games, enjoyed good food, and took pictures together like a group of close friends. After their time together as a collective, Nobi suggested for Tatsuya to hang out with Aika as a couple. This idea was immediately vetoed by the other girls. An argument broke out between Aika and the other princesses. Five minutes or so had passed and they finally settled on “sharing” Tatsuya by taking turns and spending no more than fifteen minutes each with him alone.

Nobi put the back of his hand to his mouth and moved close to Tatsuya and said, “You lucky dog, you.”

Tatsuya sighed displeasingly at the prince’s words. It wasn’t like he wanted this to happen. But then again, when did things ever go his way ever since the dragon princesses entered his life?

First up was Aika. Tatsuya and the Draco princess walked through the festival together with the latter clinging tightly onto the former. Aika energetically took the lead and was deeply captivated by the bustling festivities. She found herself in the center of a big event full of wonderful energy and took it all in with the innocent bright eyes of a child. The couple eventually approached a fortune telling booth and Aika wanted to participate in it. Tatsuya didn’t really want to but he gave in to her request; since she was only spending a set amount of time with him, he wanted her to enjoy it while she can.

Aika sat in the chair and handed her palms over to the fortune teller. The fortune teller read her palms and told her her fortune. According to the fortune teller, Aika is destined for success and glory and will find prosperity in wealth and love, however she must be cautious for those who will try to oppose her in her journey. Aika listened to the fortune teller’s words and genuinely believed them to be true, especially those concerning her love life. Tatsuya was a little amazed to see her so earnestly reeled in by the student-prophet’s words.

Once her turn was done, she got up and urged for Tatsuya to take a turn at it. Tatsuya didn’t resist and sat down in the chair. He handed the fortune teller his palms and let her read it. According to her, Tatsuya is destined for greatness and will be called upon to play a role that will determine the course of his future and those of his closest friends. Apparently, she could foresee an obstacle coming his way that he must conquer if he wants to achieve the greatness she foretold.

When the reading was finished, Tatsuya got up and paid the booth for their services. He honestly didn’t believe in fortune telling and only did it to please Aika. The couple then walked away from the booth and continued their festival adventure. Tatsuya bought cotton candy for Aika and a drink for himself.

“Thank you, Darling,” said Aika, taking a bite out of her cotton candy. The sweet flavor immediately captivated her taste buds and gave them a pleasure they had never known before. The soft yet addicting feel of the shrinking and disappearing candy as soon as it entered her mouth intrigued her senses. This entire treat opened up a whole new world of intriguing textures and flavors for her. She had never eaten anything like this in her entire life! “This is delicious!” she happily announced. “The way the candy disappears as soon as it hits my tongue is interesting and fun at the same time!” She smiled brightly as she beheld the cotton candy in her hand with sparkling eyes of intrigue as if it was a treasure.

“You’ve never had cotton candy before?” asked Tatsuya.

Aika shook her head. “There is one thing back in the dragon realm that is pretty close to this,” she told him. “This cotton candy reminded me of it. Back in the dragon realm, we had a treat called Flying Nimbus. It’s basically a candy-like treat that takes the form of a soft and fluffy cloud and is normally served in cups. It has a similar texture and effect to cotton candy.”

“Really,” said Tatsuya with an impressed nod.

“Oh, Tatsuya!” a familiar voice called to them. Mr. Urushihara appeared before the couple with his hands full of food and prizes. He wore a very happy and excited smile like a free man who is enjoying himself to the fullest without a care in the world. “How are you two doing?” he asked them.

“Ah, we’re doing just fine,” answered Tatsuya with a small laugh. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself too,” he said to the teacher.

“Well, what can I say,” said Mr. Urushihara with an embarrassed laugh, “I’m very bad when it comes to festivals.” He then looked at the couple and was a little surprised to see just the two of them alone together. “Say, where are the others?” asked the teacher. “All the girls usually hang around you like bees to a flower.”

“We’re taking turns!” announced Aika unashamedly.

“I see,” said Mr. Urushihara with a laugh. “Well, I wish you the best of luck, princess,” he added with a bow.

“Thank you,” said Aika with a curtsy.

“Now, I should really leave you two alone so that I don’t waste any more of your precious time together,” said Mr. Urushihara, bowing out.

The couple was ready to move on when Kanjomizu suddenly appeared and clung lightly onto Tatsuya’s other arm. “Mizu!” exclaimed Tatsuya in surprise.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” asked Aika angrily.

“It’s time, Aika,” informed the Naga princess.

“Already?!” exclaimed Aika in disbelief. She smoldered for a bit before reluctantly relinquishing her hold on Tatsuya. Without a word, she stomped away and allowed Tatsuya and Kanjomizu to spend their designated fifteen minutes together.

Kanjomizu wasn’t particularly that focused on the festivities and simply went with the flow. It seemed that she enjoyed herself regardless since she was able to spend time alone with her Love. She didn’t seem swayed by the lively festivities and stayed close to Tatsuya. Although she herself wasn’t that fond nor capable of large social gatherings like this schoolwide event, as long as she was with Tatsuya she’s okay. The couple came up to a game booth hosted by one of the third-year classes—bouncy ball scooping.

“You want to play?” asked Tatsuya.

“If My Love is playing, then I shall too,” answered Kanjomizu with a small smile. She went first. Kanjomizu picked up the scoop and dipped it into the water. She swept it towards a blue ball and placed the scoop under it to pick it up. When she tried to lift up the scoop with the ball on top, the ball fell through the thin plastic film of the scoop and plopped right back into the water.

Tatsuya took a turn and showed the dragon princess how to do it. “You have to be very gentle when picking up the ball,” he told her, bringing the scoop under the same blue ball and carefully picking it up. “Instead of picking it straight up, shifting the scoop a little bit inwards allows a better hold on the ball. And when it’s on the scoop, you have to slowly but surely pick it up with just enough force to not drop it through the film.” He picked up the ball with perfection. “See? It’s pretty easy once you know the trick behind it.”

Kanjomizu nodded and tried one more time. She followed his instructions and did it as he had showed her. She carefully placed the scoop under a red ball and tilted the scoop a bit to better grasp the ball. She then carefully but surely picked up the ball with just the right amount of force and lifted it up perfectly out of the water.

“Good job!” praised Tatsuya.

Kanjomizu was a little surprised by her success but was nevertheless glad that she had succeeded. She smiled and said, “It’s only because My Love is a very good teacher.”

Her words made Tatsuya blush. He cleared his throat with a nod and said, “W-Well, why don’t we go do something else together?” Kanjomizu agreed to his suggestion with a nod. The couple came upon another game, this time hosted by the school’s wrestling club—a strength test hammer game. According to their sign, winners of the game are given prizes ranging from stuffed animals to action figures to collectibles.

Kanjomizu had her eyes on a stuffed dolphin hanging among the other stuffed animal prizes. Tatsuya noticed her gaze and could tell that she definitely wanted it. Determined to get it for her, he paid his fee and approached the tower and grabbed the hammer with both hands. He flexed his fingers before wrapping them tighter around the hammer and took two-three deep breaths. With all of his might, he lifted the hammer above his head and brought it down on the lever with a magnificent pound. The puck shot straight up the tower and struck the bell. For his win, he chose the stuffed dolphin as his prize and gifted it to Kanjomizu. “Here you go, Mizu,” he told her with a kind smile. Kanjomizu graciously accepted the stuffed dolphin.

“Thank you,” she told him with a blush.

“Of course,” replied Tatsuya.

As Kanjomizu looked at the stuffed dolphin in her arms, a thought had occurred to her: what if she could also win her Love a prize too as thanks? This could be her chance to show Tatsuya that she is not the same fragile girl as before who only took his kindness for granted. It was time for her to show him that she too can take the initiative and achieve something by herself. Determined in this venture, she handed Tatsuya back the stuffed dolphin and stepped forward to the tower.

“What are you doing?” asked Tatsuya worriedly.

“I want to give it a try,” she told him with a serious look.

“But, what about your condition?” pointed out Tatsuya. “Be careful not to overdo it.”

Kanjomizu nodded and gripped the hammer with both her hands. She raised the hammer above her head with all her might and brought it down like a mighty woodsman’s axe. The hammer struck the lever and the puck shot straight up the tower, missing the bell by only a few centimeters. ‘Impossible!’ exclaimed Kanjomizu with a look of disbelief. Her body suddenly grew light and weak and her head became airy and lightweight. Her vision slowly turned black and the color from her face and skin began to pale. She fell to the ground as her condition consumed her.

“Mizu!” cried Tatsuya. He quickly rushed to Kanjomizu and carefully carried her to a nearby bench to escape the action around them. He gently put her down and sat next to her, letting her head to rest on his shoulder. A few minutes had passed and Kanjomizu finally became conscious again. “Are you okay, Mizu?” asked Tatsuya.

“W-What happened?” she asked him.

“You passed out after bringing down the hammer,” Tatsuya told her. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she told him with a small nod. Kanjomizu couldn't believe it. Her condition had gotten in the way of her chance to prove her growth. She slumped her shoulders and stared at her feet. She looked like she was about to cry but held in her tears—if she wasn’t able to show her Love her growth physically then she could at least show him emotionally.

Tatsuya noticed that the dragon princess looked down and got up from his seat. “Wait here,” he told her, “I’ll get us something to eat and drink. You must be hungry and tired. Maybe a little food will help you recover your energy.” He then left for the food stalls in a hurry.

Kanjomizu heaved out a pained sigh. Her condition was the bane of her life. Hollow, as it is known in the dragon realm, is a chronic disease that weakens a person and fatigue them if they exert themself beyond a certain limit. Dragons afflicted with Hollow are typically looked down upon and perceived as weaklings due to the disease restricting them from using their full power and potential. It is not entirely sure what causes Hollow, but it is more common than one would think. The disease had negatively influenced Kanjomizu’s life from the very beginning: her education in magic and combat was heavily truncated because of the disease, forcing her to focus solely on academics; her magic potential is half that of other dragons and she can’t use spells stronger than simple water spell lest she succumbs to the disease’s effects; her own physical attributes is weak and she cannot engage in any physical activity continuously for longer than thirty minutes, depending on the activity of course; her own dragon powers are feeble compared to that of her own kind, with the only powers she can use that will not force her to exhaustion being healing powers and basic water manipulation; and her only way of defending herself is by using her Dragon Regalia, which does not take up much energy, but her lack of combat skills make her little of a threat to experienced fighters.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she lamented her condition. “If only I wasn’t like this,” she bemoaned in quiet voice. She wiped the tears away and sniffled. Once again, she had made her Love worry about her. And once again, she failed to surpass herself because of the disease. It all brought back sad childhood memories of her many failures as a dragon and a princess.

“Are you alright?” came an unfamiliar voice.

Kanjomizu looked up and found herself in the presence of a young child with medium length golden yellow hair, green-gold eyes, and a slight golden complexion—no, not a child—a dragon! His scent told her that he was a Lindworm. She had never seen him before, therefore she knew that she must be very cautious about him. “I-I’m okay,” she told him with a sniffle.

The child (Aris) leaned forward and tilted his head. “Could you possibly have the Hollow?” he asked her. “I saw you passed out after playing that hammer game,” he explained.

“H-How did you know?” asked Kanjomizu in surprise.

“Well, seeing you pass out from that game wasn’t enough to prove my theory,” began the child with a shrug, “but of course, I know more about you than you think, Princess Kinara,” he concluded with a knowing smile. “I remember hearing that the princess of the Naga tribe had been afflicted with a disease since birth. It was because of this disease that she was forced to withdraw from the Royal Academy (the preeminent academic institution created by the cooperation of the thirteen tribes for educating royals, nobles, and aristocrats) after her first semester. Of course, many of the students believed that the only reason for this could only be that she was afflicted with the Hollow. The rumor was quickly dispelled by school authorities, which only made the students more firm in their belief.”

Kanjomizu was quickly getting scared of the dragon before her. ‘How did he know of all this?’ she wondered fearfully to herself. His words felt like a knife cutting deeper and deeper into the wounds of her past. Her breathing had quickened a bit and her heart sped up. She feels as if she’s living her worse nightmare here and now. “Who are you?” she asked him apprehensively.

“My name is Aris,” said the dragon with a bow. “I am the son of Duke Dravos and current owner of Fafnir Bank.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Kanjomizu suspiciously.

“Oh, just taking a stroll and enjoying a human festival,” said Aris with a smile. He reached into his pants pocket and brought out a vial of blue liquid. “What if I tell you that I can help you with your condition?” offered the Yellow Terror. “It appears that you want to do your best to impress your boyfriend but your condition is holding you back. Your problem will be solved once you take this medicine.”

“M-Medicine?” squeaked Kanjomizu.

“You’ve heard of Dracolax, right?” asked Aris evilly. Kanjomizu almost jumped out of her seat upon hearing that word. “Don’t worry,” he quickly reassured her. “Of course, Dracolax is a well-known solution for people affected with the Hollow. It improves one’s physical attributes and allows those afflicted to live normal lives without fear of succumbing to crippling fatigue. The drug becomes the fuel that is consumed by the disease instead of your own energy. However, it is also a very dangerous option and typically looked down upon because of it’s addictiveness. And then, well, you what tends to happen next. But don’t worry, this Dracolax is refined and improved. It will give you all the benefits of normal Dracolax with none of the side effects.” He handed it to the princess.

Kanjomizu stared at the vial in his hands. She wasn’t sure if she trust his words. She knows just how dangerous it is and does not want to be part of the problem. “I—,” she began, but was quickly cut off by the Lindworm.

“I am sincerely trying to help you, princess,” he said with fake, yet convincing, sincerity. “This is all for your sake.” When he noticed that the Naga princess was still hesitating, he smiled mischievously to himself and added in an innocent voice, “Think about how much you can do for your boyfriend once your disease is put at bay! All it takes is just this one vial to solve all of your problems.”

His words nestled in her ear and swayed her mind to accept it. She took the vial with a grim expression. “Will this really help me?” she asked him.

“Of course!” declared Aris happily. He then produced a folded slip of paper from his pants and handed it to her. “In order for the drug to work, right after you take it, you must read this paper,” he told her.

Kanjomizu took the paper and curiously asked, “What does it say?”

“Only open and read it once you take the drug,” he told her. “Otherwise it won’t work. I know it’s weird, but this drug was invented by Bakunawas. You know how detailed and extra they can be when it comes to their inventions and spells.”

“Right,” said Kanjomizu with a nod. Aris said his farewell and left the princess alone once again. Kanjomizu eyed the vial in her hand. She was highly hesitant to go through with this, but the things Aris had told her stuck inside her mind. She nodded to herself and placed the vial and slip of paper in her sleeve pouch.

“Oi! Mizu!” called Tatsuya, returning back to her with a pair of dango skewers. He handed her one of the skewers and apologized for taking too long. “You must’ve been lonely,” he said with a small laugh.

“Actually—,” began Kanjomizu, but then she caught herself. She didn’t know if she should tell Tatsuya about who she had met; she decided not to tell him for fear that it will only cause him to worry about her. She shook her head and said, “Mm-mm. I feel better now after sitting down for a bit.” She then stood up and moved closer to Tatsuya and added, “And I’m very happy that I can spend the day with My Love.”

Her words made Tatsuya blush. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, why don’t we check out more of the festival?”

“Okay!” agreed Kanjomizu.