Although Chizuki couldn't use a bow right now, she couldn't help but admire the training bow in her hands.
Not being able to use it now didn't mean she wouldn't have the chance in the future.
She still remembered the first person she saw when she opened her eyes on her first day in this world.
She would definitely grow as big as Yae Miko someday!
For now, it was just a matter of time.
Chizuki could already picture herself in human form, pulling back the bowstring with one hand and nocking an arrow with the other—how cool would that be!
But wielding dual swords seemed pretty awesome too.
Two blades united, unstoppable force!
Though perhaps these thoughts were still a bit premature.
Chizuki pulled her mind back to reality.
"Since the mask has been found, I should head back now." Chizuki waved her tiny paw at Shimamura, preparing to leave.
"Won't you stay and play a little longer?" Shimamura tried to persuade her.
"I have things to do." Chizuki insisted, ready to go.
"Alright." The child waved back. "Next time you visit, I'll treat you to berry tree water dumplings."
"Is it a dessert?" Chizuki suddenly perked up with interest.
"Mm! It's a sweet treat with a refreshing, cool taste."
"Great, I'll look forward to it then."
Chizuki had already planned her schedule from morning till afternoon.
First on the list was helping the little umbrella spirit Tang Tang make a festival mask for the one-eyed boy, Danro.
Though she wasn't exactly skilled at making masks—maybe she could offer some guiding advice from the sidelines.
"Hint: Work with the umbrella spirit to craft a mask for the one-eyed boy. Reward upon completion: Attribute Points *5."
Chizuki: "..."
Looks like I have no choice but to step up.
"Hint: Materials have been prepared for the host. Please check the system space to collect."
Chizuki let out a sigh of relief.
If she had to start from scratch—finding wood, designing the mask shape, and so on—she probably wouldn't finish by the end of the day.
"Why are there so many one-eyed masks and only a few regular ones?" Chizuki paused, staring at the materials that had appeared in the system space.
One-eyed masks *10.
Regular masks *3.
"Answer: Please complete the task reasonably according to the objective."
Well, it made sense—Danro only had one eye, so a one-eyed mask suited him perfectly.
But the comparison still made Chizuki feel like she was the unloved one.
Grumbling aside, Chizuki quickly made her way to Kannazuka.
"I've got the materials ready. Now we just need to paint the masks." Chizuki placed one of the one-eyed masks in front of Tang Tang.
"That's wonderful!" Tang Tang was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Chizuki. Now we can give Danro a brand-new mask."
"Ever since I first met Danro, he's been wearing the same mask—for nearly a hundred or two hundred years! A new one will be great!" Tang Tang chattered away while preparing the other steps for mask-making.
She had prepared three different colors of paint: red, yellow, and blue.
"Looks good."
"What kind of design should we paint on the mask?" Chizuki picked up a one-eyed mask too—after all, she could also gift one. There was no conflict in that.
She dipped her paw in paint, pressed it onto the mask in just the right spot, and there it was—a perfectly formed plum blossom, quite lovely.
Chizuki looked at her plum blossom design, quite satisfied.
"What pattern are you painting?" Chizuki turned her gaze to Tang Tang after finishing her own.
"An oil-paper umbrella," Tang Tang replied, painting one dominated by red hues.
"Why that?" Chizuki couldn't help but ask.
"So when he wears the mask, he'll think of me," Tang Tang said with evident pride, spreading her umbrella open to further express her emotions.
"Nice touch," Chizuki agreed.
As the sun began to set, Chizuki prepared to set off with Tang Tang to the designated spot for the festival Tang Tang had mentioned.
"Since I didn't want to waste too many ingredients, I just made rice balls." Chizuki hadn't forgotten last night's talk about the festival having delicious food and fun activities, so naturally, she needed to bring something to share.
She borrowed a pot from Tang Tang's house to prepare some simple food.
By nightfall, the two of them arrived smoothly at the meeting point.
"You two are the last ones missing," He Yu, the kappa, waved at Chizuki and Tang Tang from a short distance away.
"So, what's there to do at the festival?"
"Akitsu-hane games! It's the grand finale from festivals of old," He Yu explained softly to Chizuki, then pulled out a pair of hagoita paddles prepared in advance.
"Use the paddles to hit the target—it tests speed, endurance, and control of direction," He Yu repeated the explanation she had heard many years ago.
"I see." Chizuki glanced at her short legs and nodded, though she still felt the game wasn't quite suited for her.
"Are there any other activities?"
From any angle, it seemed impossible for her to complete this game.
First, her height was an issue, and then her hands.
She'd have to see if there was anything else fun.
"Can you drink?" Danlu brought out a sake barrel and patted it lightly.
Chizuki: "Well… actually, I'm only a little over a year old."
Chizuki shook her head vigorously.
"Ah…" Danlu froze.
A one-year-old Nekomata, huh.
That really wouldn't work.
"I'll take Chizuki to get something to eat," Tang Tang finally spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.
"I'll take you to try He Yu's beast-bone ramen—it's really good."
"My dorayaki is also delicious!" Danlu hastily added as Chizuki was being led away.
Steaming hot noodles. Thinly sliced, slow-cooked beast meat laid atop the noodles, the savory-sweet broth seeping into every strand. A bowl like this could lift one's spirits even when exhausted.
"I also made rice balls!" Chizuki finally had something to contribute.
She slurped up the noodles enthusiastically while speaking, then brought out the rice balls.
"But isn't dorayaki delicious no matter how it's made?" Chizuki turned to look at Danlu's food.
At least the presentation looked decent.
"If you ignore that lump of dough, the taste should still be okay, right?" Chizuki tried to convince herself.
At the very least, as a Nekomata, the only joy she could find in this dish was the fish.
"Maybe you should try making some other food next time?" Tang Tang said helplessly, taking out a pre-prepared mask and handing it to Shan Lu.
"This is a new mask I made, a gift for you."
"Eh? Thank you." Shan Lu smiled.
Chizuki: As someone fully focused on eating, I can't see anything at all!
TL: It's my first time translating! Please don't hesistate to point out where I made mistakes. You can also comment certain books you want to see translated and I'll see what I can do. :)