A red umbrella floated quietly in the air, appearing even paler under the cold moonlight.
At the center of the red umbrella was a single eye, blinking as it stared at Chizuki.
"Damn it! Tang Tang, don't just pop out like that and scare a cat, okay?" Chizuki felt a cold sweat break out, her back instinctively arching and her tail shooting straight up.
"Uh… I just wanted to say a quick hello." The little umbrella spirit, Tang Tang, gave an innocent smile.
"I heard you were looking for me. What's up?"
"Walk a few steps for me first." Chizuki needed to confirm her suspicions.
"Huh?" Tang Tang hopped backward a few steps, then forward again, tilting the umbrella slightly in confusion. "Is there a problem?"
But Chizuki's attention was fixed on the footprints in the sand.
"Tell me the truth—did you secretly take a raccoon mask from a kid in Higi Village?"
Tang Tang's expression immediately changed at that. Sticking out a long tongue in an exaggerated attempt to look scary, she gasped, "How did you know?! And I was planning to return it in a few days—how is that 'secretly taking'?"
"Then why did you take someone else's raccoon mask?" By now, Chizuki pretty much knew who the real culprit was.
The actual troublemaker was standing right in front of her.
"Tomorrow night is the traditional festival for us spirits. And I thought Danro's been wearing that same one-eyed mask for ages, so I wanted to give him a new look."
"I was gonna return the mask after the festival." Tang Tang laid out the whole story.
Chizuki tapped Tang Tang's umbrella with her tail, sighing in exasperation but keeping her tone instructive. "Don't you know it's wrong to take things without permission?"
"Besides, Danro only has one eye, but the raccoon mask has two. Even if you gave it to him, he couldn't use it properly."
Tang Tang: "Hmm… I guess that makes sense."
"But I wanted to give Danro a nicer mask."
"If there isn't a suitable one, you could always make one for him." Chizuki's quick-thinking mind immediately offered a new solution.
"Fine. Then you can return the mask for me." After some hesitation—though still looking a bit reluctant—Tang Tang finally handed the raccoon mask over to Chizuki.
What a happy ending!
"In that case, I just need to make a trip to Higi Village tomorrow. Return the mask to Shimamura, and I'll get the system's reward."
"Are you coming to the festival tomorrow night?" Tang Tang asked, curious about her thoughts.
"What festival?" Chizuki had no idea.
She'd only been in this world for a little over a month, and even her original body had barely been alive for a year. These things were completely beyond her knowledge.
"The festival is an old tradition passed down through generations." Tang Tang stood on tiptoe, trying to appear taller, tilting her umbrella back like a wise elder explaining things. "But after the war, a lot of spirits disappeared. So the festival hasn't been held in a long time."
Everyone likes to put on an air of "I know everything" in front of others.
"So, Chizuki, do you want to come hang out with us tomorrow night?"
"What kind of activities are there at the festival?"
"Eating and drinking, but honestly, it's more like a small gathering among us."
"But don't you think calling it a festival sounds more fun?" Tang Tang liked to open her umbrella just a little when she laughed cheerfully. She believed it better expressed her emotions.
"Alright, I'll come." Chizuki nodded.
The next day.
"Hint: Daily Commission detected: A young warrior living near Tatarasuna has been troubled by injuries from recent battles. Please bring him some food. 3/3."
"Would dried grilled sweetfish be a good choice?" The moment Chizuki saw the commission, the idea of this dish popped into her head.
It was absolutely not because the recipe was simple—requiring only fish and salt—that she decided to make it!
What's wrong with a cat wanting to share her favorite fish with others?
After fiddling around at the stove for a while, Chizuki managed to make three portions of dried grilled sweetfish.
What's that thing on the table next to it that looks like firewood?
Chizuki glanced guiltily at the failed attempts among the ingredients.
Another waste of food.
The fish had been slow-roasted over charcoal until every last drop of moisture was mercilessly stripped away, leaving a texture so dry it was hard to distinguish between the flesh and the bones.
"It's... it's fine. At least it's cooked." Chizuki placed the oddly shaped dried grilled sweetfish on the table, thinking she could eat them later when she was too lazy to cook.
"Rice balls are definitely more my style." Remembering the Nekomata survival meal she had successfully made earlier, Chizuki concluded inwardly.
She packed the three decent-looking portions of dried grilled sweetfish into her bag and set off to complete the commission.
"Another three attribute points in the bag. Sweet."
After finishing the Daily Commission, Chizuki sauntered leisurely toward Higi Village, her tail swaying with each confident step.
"You—you're finally here!" Seeing Chizuki, Shimamura let out a sigh of relief and stared at her eagerly. "Chizuki, did you find my mask? My tanuki mask!"
She circled Chizuki three times to the left and three times to the right, searching for any sign of the tanuki mask.
"Magic cat is about to perform magic!" Chizuki said mysteriously. "Now, please close your eyes."
"Ta-da!"
Shimamura opened her eyes to see the tanuki mask hanging around Chizuki's neck.
"Thank you, Chizuki!" Shimamura excitedly rushed forward and hugged her, squeezing her neck.
"I—I discussed it with my family and prepared a gift for you."
"A gift?" Chizuki's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Ta-dah!" Shimamura ran back into the house and returned with a bow.
Hunter's Bow!
A well-worn yet meticulously maintained bow, aged by time, as if it moves in perfect harmony with its archer.
"So, Chizuki, do you like it?" Shimamura's eyes sparkled with childlike innocence, eagerly awaiting her answer.
Chizuki: "Mhm, I really like it."
But has anyone considered the issue of how she's supposed to use a bow in her Nekomata form?!
Still, getting a new weapon seems pretty nice.