# 643
Chapter 644: Festival
The three arrows floated lightly along three arcs—two of them completely missed the bronze壶 and hit the wall, while only one arrow struck the瓶口, but instead of falling into the pot, it bounced off to the ground.
Three arrows, not a single hit.
Hoshimi Shota沮丧地低下了头。
"My turn." The fox maiden smiled, grabbing the three arrows in front of her, about to throw them forcefully...
"Ah-choo!"
The fox maiden suddenly sneezed.
Her hand holding the three arrows trembled, and all three arrows scattered, falling several meters away from the bronze壶, not even touching it.
Hoshimi Shota froze.
The fox maiden rubbed her nose while speaking regretfully:
"Oh dear, my hands are shaking today... Didn't even touch the edge of the pot... Seems like it's been a while since Taisha won..."
Hoshimi Shota愣了许久，才回过神来，意识到自己真的赢了狐女之后，激动地从地上蹦了起来。
"Hahaha! I actually won!" He turned around,蹬蹬蹬地跑到了狐女身边，认真地开口，"今天，我要一条关于柚梨黑哲后人的预言！"
"No problem."
The fox maiden's eyes took on a hazy red glow. After a moment, she leaned close to Hoshimi Shota's ear and whispered something.
The next instant, Hoshimi Shota's pupils constricted sharply!
...
Evening.
Osaka Festival.
Bright yellow paper lanterns hung on both sides of the road, illuminating a corner of the dim sky. Bustling stalls were densely scattered along the stone-paved path, with the aroma of food filling the entire street—grilled squid, oden, takoyaki...
The shopkeepers stood behind their mobile stalls, black headbands tied around their heads with the characters "奋斗" written on them, sleeves rolled up, quickly preparing ingredients while calling out to passersby. Their voices mixed with the laughter of the crowd, creating a lively atmosphere.
The festival grounds were beside the Yodogawa River. On the opposite bank, a grand fireworks display was about to begin. Most pedestrians wore colorful yukata and wooden sandals, gathered in groups of two or three.
Yukata and kimono may seem similar, but kimono are more formal and suitable for ceremonial occasions, while yukata have more vivid colors and are generally worn at festivals or informal events.
Just then, the pedestrians at the end of the street seemed to notice something. They all stopped and started pointing and whispering about the几个人 walking slowly toward them.
At the end of the road, three men in bright floral-print yukata each held a red paper umbrella and walked slowly forward in wooden sandals...
On the backs of their yukata, black paper strips bore the logo of the Black Phoenix Club:
—Welcome to Black Phoenix Club!—Starting tomorrow, all drinks 5% off!
At the bottom of the paper, there was a long string of contact numbers and the address of the Black Phoenix Club.
Lin Qiye, walking in the center, wore a black and red floral-print yukata, holding a red umbrella, his expression stiff as stone!
At this moment, he desperately wished he could find a crack in the ground to disappear into. Beside him, Amemiya Haruki had already begun considering which posture would be best for jumping into the river without causing a commotion...
The color scheme of this floral-print yukata was called black and red, but pink was actually the dominant color, like cherry blossoms wilting in the night. Even at such a bustling festival, it could be described as aggressively flashy, easily attracting attention. Adding the red umbrella that was open despite no rain, the gaze-turning rate was practically 100%.
Amemiya Haruki's blue-gray yukata wasn't much better.
Little Jin, on the other hand, leisurely wore a white and yellow floral-print yukata, casually holding a red umbrella as he walked down the street. Compared to the stiff and restrained Lin Qiye and the other person, he was as relaxed as if he was actually just shopping, not caring in the least about others' stares.
About fifty meters behind the eye-catching trio, dressed in casual clothes, Kyosuke-san held Yuzuri Nana's hand as they穿梭在人群中, already laughing so hard they couldn't stop.
Look!
This is called a human billboard!
That gaze-turning rate, that image—after tonight, the Black Phoenix Club would surely become famous throughout Kansai!
Since they couldn't open for business tonight, taking a walk to the festival and doing some advertising along the way wasn't wrong either, right?
"Kyosuke-san, are you being too harsh on Qiya-ge and the others..." Yuzuri Nana hesitated to ask, "I just saw Qiya-ge's fist tighten. Maybe you should flee Osaka tonight? Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't survive my brother throwing a punch..."
"What are you saying?" Kyosuke-san puffed out his chest, feeling triumphant. "I'm doing this to boost their popularity! Look, how many girls are staring at them along the way? There's a whole crowd following behind them now!
And I think the clothes I picked are quite good-looking. Young people should wear flashy things! Be energetic!"
Kyosuke-san lowered his head to look at the new clothes on Yuzuri Nana and asked:
"By the way, little Yuzuri, how do you like the outfit I bought you? Is it comfortable?"
"It's comfortable, it's just..." Yuzuri Nana tugged at the hem of her clothes and quietly said, "It's just that it seems too expensive."
"Not expensive at all, they're knockoffs. As long as you're comfortable wearing it."
Kyosuke-san smiled, his gaze falling on a nearby stall. "Do you want to eat some takoyaki?"
"Yes!"
"Come on, uncle will buy some for you."
...
"So, what color gunny sack does Kyosuke-san like?" Lin Qiye walked forward while seriously turning to look at Amemiya Haruki.
Amemiya Haruki thought carefully. "I think deep red would be good. Even if it gets bloody, you can't see it."
"You make a good point... I'll check which stores have them."
"Little Jin, how are you not reacting at all?" Amemiya Haruki looked at the leisurely Little Jin beside them.
Little Jin pondered for a moment. "You get used to it. This isn't the first time I've worn this outfit. Relax."
"..."
"By the way, Little Jin, you don't seem interested in being a host, do you?" Lin Qiye recalled that every time they were open for business, Little Jin always had a lazy expression, and asked with curiosity.
"You guessed right." Little Jin smiled helplessly. "I don't like being a host at all... Hosts have to deal with all kinds of customers. It's troublesome."
"Then why are you still here?"
Little Jin tilted his head and thought. "Because of Kyosuke-san... He's someone very important to me. If he thinks I can be a host, then I'll be a host."
"..."
Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Another ignorant teenager who was tricked...
The three of them walked like this under the public's gaze for half a street. When Little Jin entered a figure shop and refused to leave, only Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki continued forward. After being stared at for so long, Lin Qiye's thick skin had developed, and he began to relax and observe his surroundings.
"What time is it now?"
"Eight-thirty. The fireworks display starts in about ten minutes."
Lin Qiye pondered thoughtfully. "Counting the time, Shen Qingzhu and the others should have started positioning their people... After the fireworks end, we'll find an excuse to leave."
"Yeah."
Ten minutes later.
Boom—!!
A loud explosion came from the opposite bank of the Yodogawa River. A solitary yet magnificent firework burst forth from the darkness and bloomed beneath the vault of heaven!
Then, like a wave of dense fireworks, they followed one after another, illuminating the entire night sky.