Chapter 438: Extra Chapter: Tanabata ~~ Her Small and Cute Wish ~~ (1/2)

This is a seasonal extra chapter.

The timeline of the story is set to be after the end of the main story.

(T/N: Tanabata is a Japanese festival celebrated on July 7. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, which according to legend, were lovers separated by the Milky Way, and are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunisolar calendar. Thinking about Hikoboshi makes me want to watch Steins;Gate again.) (P/R: The Chinese also had their version of Tanabata called Qixi Festival.)

It was the seventh day of the second Fire month. As I finished my daily routine of brushing Bell and was thinking about what to do now, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.

(T/N: Just as I stated on Chapter 0-0-0, they have 12 months there too, but the names of the 7th to 11th months were just repeats of the 1st to 5th months.)

[Kaitokun-san! Kaitokun-saaaaaan!!!]

[……Raz-san? Hello.]

[Hello! Kaitokun-san, l- l- listen to this! Listen!!!]

[I- I'm listening. What's the matter? For Raz-san to be that flustered……]

When I saw Raz-san's small body moving about to show how big the trouble was, I tilted my head and asked.

Thereupon, Raz-san warily looked around before coming close to my ear and whispered.

[……Raz, you see…… R- Raz found something big.]

[……Something big?]

[……Yes. Raz is only telling this big thing to my favorite Kaitokun-san.]

[I- I see, thank you?]

I still couldn't tell what she intended to tell me, but I could tell from Raz-san's demeanor that it was something really important.

Feeling a bit nervous, I waited for Raz-san's next words.

[……R- Raz was actually surprised when she first heard this…… It seems that today…… is ”the day when your wishes come true”!]

[……Huh?]

[Like Raz said, today is the day when your wishes will come true!]

[……I- I see……]

What is she saying? Also, Raz-san, it sounds like you're trying to keep it a secret, but your voice is getting louder, you know? Are you okay with that?

N- No, well, it wasn't really unusual for Raz-san to say something out of the blue……

[……They apparently call this day ”Tanabota”!]

[……Do you mean Tanabata?]

[Do you know about it, Kaitokun-san!?]

[Y- Yes…… It's an event back in my world……]

I see, Tanabata huh…… It's true that after the Light month ended, it's now the second half of the year. The second Fire month…… if I apply it to the Earth's calendar, it would be July.

Now then, what should I do…… I think she was referring to the tanzaku, but there's no proof that one's wish will come true, right?

[I see…… It's a ”ritual” in Kaitokun-san's world huh. That gives it a looooooot more credibility!]

[………………….]

Rather than having more credibility, wouldn't it be less instead? I mean, the world I was in didn't have crazily strong people compared to this world…… No, well, there's Eden-san, but that person basically doesn't interfere in human life……

[Kaitokun-san! Please tell me, how can Raz make her wish come true!?]

[E- Errr…… You write your wish on a tanzaku and hang it on a bamboo branch……]

What should I do? I couldn't bear to ruin Raz-san's dream by saying something inappropriate, but I couldn't just irresponsibly say that this would make her wish come true.

I wonder if this is how parents feel when they have to explain to their children that believe in Santa Claus?

[Tanzaku? Bamboo? W- What are those things!?]

[Errr, tanzaku is a long, thin piece of paper…… Bamboo is a tree.]

[I- It's the first time Raz heard of such things…… I- If you don't hang it on Bamboo-san, will Raz's wishes not come true?]

[I- I guess so. A- As expected, I'm not really certain…… if it would work if it's not hung on a piece of bamboo……]

Come to think of it, I've never seen bamboo in this world. I- Is that evasive answer good enough? It should be good enough to say that it wouldn't work for certain if it wasn't hanging on a bamboo branch, but it may work with other trees, just with less effectiveness.

It would give Raz-san some peace of mind, and make her experience Tanabata. As for her wish, if I can somehow grant it myself, I'll just try to make them come true.