Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

With a bang, the kitten turned into a human form again.

The blonde girl with a cat's tail, wearing colorful clothes, blinked her big eyes and looked at Qianzhi with a simple smile: "Sister Qianzhi, what a coincidence. Are you going to collect materials today too?"

Chizhi nodded, "Well, let's just leave it at that. Even though it won't bring any good results. What about you? Why are you here?"

As far as she knew, this Nekomata, named Kirara, was working as a courier in the city, and now should be her working hours. Could it be that she had finally grown tired of her job and was taking the opportunity to take a break from her busy schedule and come to the gates of Inazuma Castle to slack off?

"Oh!"

Qi Liangliang's eyes suddenly widened, and his tails stood up straight.

"Sister Qianzhi, could you please help me find someone?"

Chapter 62: Explosions in the City, Reporting to the Confinement Room

Human beings have always respected festivals since ancient times.

In ancient hunter-gatherer societies, humans had to fight tooth and nail just to survive.

Food, shelter, weapons... In an ecologically poor environment, people have to keep migrating. Only in the season of abundance do they have the opportunity to get together and celebrate that they have survived another year.

——Festivals are a hymn to life.

Even though civilization has developed to this day, and people living in cities no longer have to worry about where their next meal will come from, they still have the worries of this era. At festivals, they can sweep away those long-accumulated gloom and enjoy the present moment.

However, no matter what kind of festival it is, someone has to be responsible for the preparations.

Witnessing the venue being built bit by bit, and then people walking in with smiles on their faces, injecting their own joy into the scene, and then infecting the hearts of others - that is also a way of enjoying the festival that is different from ordinary people.

"Hello you guys!"

A blonde girl smiled widely and waved to Zheli and the others.

That smile was so bright, it felt more like summer itself than the sun. It seemed that as long as she was still smiling like that at the festival, summer would not end.

……

After meeting Kamisato Ayaka at Mulou Tea House, they didn't exchange pleasantries for too long and soon set off.

Just as Hiiragi Chinana had guessed, the main merchants at the festival, as well as many vendors, had already gathered near the plank road used for transporting goods, preparing to transport the goods down to set up the venue.

Linghua greeted the social affairs staff who had been waiting at the scene early, and then led everyone to the venue.

The girl he met there was the girl named "Xiao Gong".

Linghua introduced the group, "Ms. Yomiuri is the daughter of the owner of the Naganohara Fireworks Shop. She is the organizer of this year's summer festival and the fireworks display."

"Dad's hearing has been getting worse in recent years. It would be too much of a burden for you to ask him to prepare for the event." Xiao Gong chuckled a few times, then put his hands on his hips and turned up his nose proudly. "Besides, although my skills may not be as good as Dad's, I have quite a bit of experience in how to capture the audience's attention. Leave it to me."

Toyokawa Shoko blinked. "Hmm? Miss Linghua, we should be here for rehearsal today, right...?"

Linghua opened her mouth to reply when Xiao Gong gave her a look. Xiao Gong took over and replied, "Miss Kamisato asked me to design some fireworks for your stage. I figured since the fireworks show would be the last event of the festival, I would have some free time before then, so I agreed."

"Although you might not need large-scale fireworks, you can still add some decorations to the stage."

Xiangzi suddenly realized: "I see. Stage decoration..."

For example, live houses often have lighting displays tailored to the music, and outdoor stages often feature small fireworks displays in addition to lighting. I never expected Inazuma to have made such a contribution.

Kamisato Ayaka was surprisingly devoted to their performance. Although she felt a certain amount of pressure, she was more motivated than anything else: CRYCHIC Inazuma had such massive resources backing their debut, so as long as they gave it their all, how could they not succeed?

"Is it necessary to be so exaggerated?" Gao Songdeng was a little timid.

The stage was joined by a fireworks display. She had seen them on TV before, mostly large-scale concerts with tens of thousands of people... Could she, or they, CRYCHIC, really pull off such a spectacle!?

"No problem, no problem!" Xiao Gong said with a grin. She glanced at the lanterns again, as if understanding something, and said earnestly, "It's okay. We plan to see your performance first before deciding what fireworks to use. Hehe, we can hear this performance that even Miss Shenli praised before everyone else. Will our luck for this year run out here?"

"That's what she said." Nagasaki Suyo whispered to Deng.

Their lead singer is so weak that she even receives concern from people she meets for the first time. She's really unique.

By then, the Kanjo Bugyo, the men responsible for transporting Crychik and her friends' instruments, had already arrived at the venue with their carriages. One of the members greeted Chinana and led everyone to retrieve their instruments. The piano needed to be transported separately, so Toyokawa Shoko, having nothing else to do, stayed behind to watch the workers hired by the Bugyo as they built the stage.

Zhe Li also stayed where he was, watching the workers hammering nails into the wooden boards. "Fireworks..."

It always feels ten or even nine out of ten that it's dangerous to put on a fireworks show on a small stage in a crowded place like this.

"Ah, it seems the store manager has the same question as me." Xiangzi smiled at Zheli's thoughtful face, then turned to Xiao Gong, who was waiting nearby with equal interest, and said, "Miss Xiao Gong, considering the scale of the stage, wouldn't it be a bit dangerous to use fireworks?"

"Miss Xiangzi has a point. But I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"...?"

Xiao Gong acted as if it was a matter of course, which made Xiangzi a little confused.

Seeing Xiangzi's confusion, Linghua took over the conversation and said with a smile, "Hundreds of years ago, the Tenryo Bugyo formed the 'Fire Brigade' under the order of the Shogun, and they are still responsible for maintaining fire safety in Inazuma. As such, large-scale festivals held in the city require the Tenryo Bugyo's supervision. As long as the Tenryo Bugyo passes the inspection, there is no need to worry."

Princess Bai Lu's tone was as calm as ever.

But Zheli didn't know why, but he could sense a hint of gloating in her choice of words...

It was said that the Tenryo Bugyo was responsible for public security throughout the Inazuma region and was also the de facto controller of the Inazuma shogunate's army. Not only civilians, but even the shabugyo and kanjobugyo, who were also among the three bugyo, had to be supervised by them when they occasionally performed their duties.

Kujo Sara, the adopted daughter of the Kujo family and the current general of the shogunate army, was even ridiculed as "the shogun's dog" in gossip in the alleys, which shows how bad the reputation of Tenryo Bugyo was.

However, is it true that even this young lady, who has always given me a gentle impression since we met, is like this?

"In other words, Miss Xiaogong can't guarantee that there won't be a fire, but she can guarantee that someone will deal with it even if it does." Zhe Li concluded.

Xiao Gong rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "Ah. If you must put it that way, it's not wrong."

"This. Um... Miss Xiao Gong really has a unique personality." Xiangzi was speechless for a moment.

But she wasn't worried about who would be held responsible, she was worried about the performance being interrupted...

Is this really a world of superpowers? Their view of fire is quite flippant. But then again, if a few people in a crowd can summon flames, frost, or hurricanes with a wave of their hands, a small fire wouldn't be a big deal.

A few of them chatted while waiting for China and the others to return.

Not long after, Zhe Li suddenly heard a faint sound.

He looked back. Instead of the familiar soft sound, he heard another round of crisp footsteps.

"————."

A young girl came with light steps, but her sharp eyes showed a strong presence.

Zhe Li's gaze rested on the kitten in her arms.

...Oh my? Why is the little one here too?

Chapter 63: The entangled fate

"Is this the person you're looking for?"

Chizhi lowered her head and asked the kitten in her arms.

Qi Liangliang answered seriously: "Meow meow!"

Hmm. I don't understand at all.

At first, the kitten was still as noisy as usual, walking from the gate of Inazuma Castle to Hanamizaka and back to Tenryo, accompanying Chiori for a walk home while introducing her to the so-called "person who needed help finding".

From Kirara's somewhat trivial words, Chiori got to know the owner of a cafe on an outlying island.

Business was usually slow, but the atmosphere in the shop was good, with many regular customers who were as friendly as the store manager. This time, Kirara also heard that they were planning to participate in the Hanamizaka Festival.

Chiori then learned that the shop's black tea, when mixed with a spoonful of sugar, would have a deliciously sweet and sour taste. Then, she tried to imagine what hot, steaming rice with cheese, mayonnaise, and scrambled eggs would taste like. Later, from the kitten's vivid description, Chiori pieced together the sound a "larger-sized shamisen" would make.

But until she was about to go home, she still didn't understand why Qi Liangliang was looking for this person.

Just as Qianzhi was about to ask, the jumping girl beside her suddenly shrank into a small ball with a bang, and her original chattering words turned into bursts of meows.

It wasn't until Koneko was able to speak again that Chizhi finally understood why she needed to find someone.

"You can't transform into a human form as long as he's nearby?"

"Yeah. I don't know why..." Qiliangliang maintained his cat appearance and lowered his tail in frustration.

It wasn't that she disliked spending time with Bao Deng Zheli. Rather, being able to lazily eat, drink, and nap while listening to the interesting conversations among the people in the shop reminded her of the carefree days at "Grandma's" house, before she had a second tail.

But this is a different time. Suddenly being unable to maintain my human form in the middle of a task is somewhat troubling...

Through this mysterious phenomenon, Kirara can judge the distance from the store manager; from the safe range where she can maintain her human form, to the warning distance where her demon power will begin to become unstable and she must return to her two-tailed cat-shaped form, and then to the dangerous distance where she will lose one of her tails and will not be able to speak.

Thinking that she had nothing to do anyway, Chizhi collected the fabrics and messy drafts in her hands, and went out with Qiliangliang. Following her instructions, they arrived at the venue of the summer festival.

……

"Hello. Are you the owner of this little fellow?"

Seeing the girl holding Qi Liangliang walking straight towards him, Bao Deng Zheli asked first.

"Owner? No." Qianzhi slightly widened her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and said, "Qiliangliang is my friend."

"Qiliangliang? Ah, so that's the little one's name."

Zhe Li lowered his head and met the kitten's green eyes.

It was a known fact that the kitten, who had become acquainted with him, didn't speak human language. Zheli had once given it paper and pen, hoping to see if it could communicate through writing. The little one was willing, but her cat-like body struggled to hold a pen. Then she used the tip of her paw to dip in ink and write... After sacrificing several sheets of torn paper, Zheli finally realized his mistake.

Being able to write does not mean that others can understand what you write.

What's more, even if he guessed it right, Zhe Li had been unable to communicate with the other party from the beginning, and he didn't know how correct his guess was, so he gave up this approach.

"You don't even have a name—hmm." Qianzhi raised an eyebrow and was about to ask a question, but she quickly fell silent.

Since Qiliangliang couldn't even speak in front of Zheli, it was natural that Zheli had never heard of the other person's name.

"Miss, what's the matter with you bringing Qi Liangliang to see me?" Zhe Li asked proactively.

The girl holding the kitten in front of him did indeed look very similar to its owner. However, considering that the little creature named Qiliangliang was not an ordinary kitten, but a cat demon, then the word "friend" might be true... Zheli was reluctant to reveal the little creature's true identity, so he decided to test it a little.

Qianzhi shook her head. "She wanted to find you. But now I don't know what she wants to do next."

"Meow..." Qiliangliang showed a very human expression of distress.

It was one thing to need to confirm Zheli's location, but to be honest, she really didn't know what to do next... She couldn't just kick the store manager out of the city, could she?

"Mr. Manager, who is this?"

When Hoto Oori turned to greet Chiori, Shoko and the others cast curious glances over. After the conversation between the two came to an end, Toyokawa Shoko took a step closer and asked.

Qianzhi realized that the girl was looking at her with a look that was similar to scrutiny, which made her feel a little unhappy.

Those famous "teachers" often look at her designs with such eyes.

But the girl in front of him was essentially different from the "teachers".

If her former teacher, due to his established track record and unwillingness to abandon his baggage and try a new and innovative path, had a kind of rejection that had arisen from this, then this blue-haired girl, who looked several years younger than Chiori herself, was simply someone who had "only known how to look down upon everything since birth."

For example, the powerful people in the shogunate would occasionally display such an attitude.

However, Qianzhi's impression of the "Three Priests" is not bad -

"Huh?" Kamisato Ayaka's gaze lingered on Chiori's face for a moment, and a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Ms. Chiori!"

Qianzhi's always cold eyes softened a little after Linghua's greeting.

It can be said that her good impression of Sanbugyo came almost entirely from this old acquaintance of the Kamisato family.

"Ayaka, it's been a while. Are the preparations for the summer festival going well?"

"Yes, thanks to you." Linghua pressed her chest, nodded slightly to Qianzhi, and smiled slightly: "It's been a long time since we last met. Miss Qianzhi has a new inspiration. Compared with last time, it's even more amazing."

Linghua didn't recognize Qianzhi at first because she had a different hairstyle than she remembered: the high ponytail was carefully curled into curls and fixed with a big bun. Instead of caring about her usual dull and almost cold expression, people were more attracted by the flamboyant hair accessories.

With her kimono in a Fontaine style, Linghua initially thought she was Mr. Oreki's friend!

"It's not a big deal." Qianzhi shook her head.

This outfit of hers was her best work in recent days, but even so it still couldn't break through the strong wall of tradition in the hearts of the "masters".

"So..." Qianzhi slowly shifted her gaze back to Zheli.

The momentary gentleness when facing Linghua disappeared like an illusion.

"Let me ask for the child. How long will you be staying here?"

Chapter 1 of the Box: Autumn Frost and Falling Maple Leaves, Snow Clears and the Plum Blossoms Appear: Chapter 64: Trends

"How long? Probably until the evening." Baodeng Zheli responded.