The Spirit Festival’s Hearty Date
“Raina! Look, this outfit looks better on you!”
“Eh- but……”
“No buts! This one is definitely cuter! Don’t you agree, Jona?”
“I may not know the latest trends like Ulrika, but I think Raina can pull off outfits like that too. It gives off a youthful vibe.”
“Well… but isn’t it a bit strange for me to dress like this?”
“No, not at all! Come on, it’s a festival! You’ve got to dress up a little, right? Here, go out there with confidence!”
“Ulrika-senpai, you’re so mean… Alright, I’m going.”
“Good luck!”
***
Just by looking at the morning street, I was convinced this year’s Spirit Festival would be crazy.
The excitement has been building up year after year, but this year felt distinctly different. It was clear that not only locals but a lot of tourists had come as well.
“I wonder if I’ll get my share of the free booze…”
Staying extra vigilant against pickpockets, I waded through the crowd at a slower pace than usual.
Even households that don’t normally open stores were selling random items outside. Crude stuffed dolls made by continuously tucking cloth scraps inward were among the typical souvenirs, yet somehow these shoddy items still sold well. Not that I need any of that junk.
“Um, Mongrel-senpai, over here…”
“Oh, Raina…”
When I arrived at our meeting spot in front of the “Forest Bounty Inn,” an unfamiliar girl was waving at me.
Taking a closer look, it was Raina.
Instead of her usual shorts, she was wearing a breezy light-yellow onepiece dress today. The sight of Raina in a skirt almost made my brain glitch.
“Um… do I look strange?”
“Nah, it’s just an unusual look for you. I’m so used to only seeing you in work clothes, so this is refreshing.”
“Unusual?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cute actually. That demure style suits you.”
“……I see.”
I complimented her since she seemed to want praise, and truthfully, I did find her adorable. But her reaction was unusually restrained. Aren’t kids her age supposed to be more enthusiastic about compliments?
Well, whatever. It’s a special festival day, so we might as well enjoy it to the fullest.
“Alright, let’s start exploring from this end!”
“Got it!”
“Oh, what are we eating today?”
“Anything is fine with me. Ah, if possible I’d like to eat something sweet.”
“Something sweet, huh? Hopefully we find some tasty treats.”
I did work hard to save up money, so I can afford to splurge for a day.
Well, if I splurge today, I’ll just have to work to earn more later. But it’s a festival, so I shouldn’t worry about that right now. Let’s just go with the flow.
Decorated jelly slimes wobbled heavily in the air, and passersby gazed upwards at these fake moon spirits.
Perhaps owing to that, the flow of people was naturally slower, trudging at a sluggish pace even through areas they’d normally rush.
But by walking so leisurely, our eyes were drawn to the nearby food stalls, and before we knew it, we too had fallen into that relaxed gait.
“Hey Raina, look at this laurel tea.”
“Eh, is it tasty?”
“I got us a cup to try. It’s super bitter, here, have a sip.”
“Eh, if it’s that bitter then no thanks… Well, maybe just one sip… gulps Ugh!?”
“Laurel sure is crazy bitter, huh.”
“How much did you pay for this?”
“50 zenny.”
“Ugh…”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
For every tasty treat, there was an unappetizing one too.
There were also plenty of random souvenirs like crudely made stuffed dolls, leather decorations imitating mantises, tiny wooden carvings, and so on.
Part of me wonders if I should’ve made souvenirs to earn money too, but I probably wouldn’t have been motivated to make anything impractical.
It’s more fun being on the customer side experiencing the festival than being a vendor anyway.
“Senpai, I heard there’s a tasty candy stall around here.”
“Oh, really?”
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah”
“then, let’s go.”
But for me, buying and sampling all the food is definitely the best part of festivals.
Even in my past life, festivals meant gorging myself.
“Dried fruits mixed into candy… well, it’s way more sensible than just throwing in apples, I suppose.”
“Mm- ! It’s delicious!”
Sticky dates were the center, coated in a soft, stretchy candy reminiscent of molten sugar.
Licking it revealed a mellow sweetness coupled with a pleasantly gooey texture – surprisingly not bad. I wouldn’t mind trying a mango flavor.
Though I did browse around, it seems they only had date, raisin, and various berry flavors, no mango.
Since the candies were small, Raina and I went ahead and tried every flavor, and the tart berry one ended up being the tastiest.
“Senpai, senpai, I hear music over there!”
“Must be a street performer or a minstrel… let’s go check it out. We can rate them out of 10.”
“You have such a mean personality… zero is the lowest score, right?”
“You’re into this, aren’t you?”
Taverns occasionally have minstrels come to perform songs, but festivals must be their biggest earning opportunities.
Singing praises of Legol or its historic figures, popular tunes, and the like – accompanied by lutes or small violin-esque instruments – they put on an energetic show while soliciting rewards.
Listening to these performances really highlights how much higher quality street performers were in my previous life, as many here play rather sloppily. But I suppose it’s a festival, so there aren’t too many outright terrible ones either.
“And then! The ‘Sword of Harvest’ was raised, and the great mantis shrieked! Its massive body kicked up dust as it fell, and the cheers of the men echoed through the forest… Legol’s brave warriors raised their scythes, marching back in triumph…!”
Already merry from drinking, the audience tossed coins into the performers’ pouches.
Raina and I exchanged glances, muttering “maybe 3 points” or “more like 2 points,” before tossing them a zenny each.
Free street performances are about that level of quality.
“You know, I used to play an instrument myself back then.”
“Eh, seriously? I didn’t know you could do that, Mongrel-senpai.”
“Yeah, something like a lute. It was so long ago though, I’m not sure if I still can.”
I was actually in the light music club back in school.
I’d often visit the manga research club just to read manga, and one day I happened to read K-ON! which inspired me to start playing guitar.
But for some reason, the guitar I ordered online ended up being an acoustic guitar… I tried filing a complaint, but the company would only respond in broken Japanese mixed with Chinese, so it was hopeless…
With no choice, I joined the light music club lugging that acoustic guitar, and somehow ended up forming a folk band with the other members who were also hanging around aimlessly.
Our culture festival live show was wild… the teachers were incredibly hyped, but the actual students’ reactions were like they were at a wake… Still, it was fun.
Anyway, I eventually got bored of that guitar hobby and quit by high school.
“A few years back, I actually did a silly little solo minstrel performance at the guild, you know.”
“Eh-? ! I didn’t know that! What kind of performance was it?”
“You didn’t know, Raina? That time I got pelted with tons of thrown rewards for my live singing?”
“Thrown rewards? Just what were you performing?”
“An original heroic ballad called ‘The Crimson Ragnar’ or something like that. I can play it for you again sometime, I still kinda remember it.”
“……Part of me really wants to hear it, and part of me really doesn’t…”
The guild folks back then had a similar “Eh? Eh?” reaction too.
I just found their reactions hilarious and cracked up laughing.
“Yo Mongrel. Oh!? Could that be Raina over there! Well well, looking quite different I see.”
“Yo Barlgar, drinking already?”
“Hey there, Barlgar-senpai.”
“Of course I’m drinking! It’s a festival, ain’t it? You two youngsters are a lively pair, eh.”
As we were walking, we ran into the merry Barlgar.
He had skewered meat and booze in hand, already in a festive spirit.
“Hey, did you hear, Mongrel? The guild tavern is giving out free booze this year. But only for guild members!”
“For real? That’s awesome!”
“No way, seriously!?”
“Yeah, it’s been so crowded they can’t have everyone lining up in one place. After you’ve enjoyed the outdoor festivities, you two should come by the guild! Today we drink!”
“Sounds like you’ve already started drinking though.”
After sharing the juicy tip, Barlgar staggered off down the street.
Just don’t go picking any fights, alright? Then again, he’ll probably be fine…
“After we’ve seen the plaza dances and all, shall we head to the guild, Mongrel-senpai?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Getting to drink good booze for free at the guild sounds great.”
“Right?”
We can stock up on some tasty bar snacks from the stalls too.
Price is no object. It’s a festival day, after all!
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
