Chapter Text
“…There.”
Finally signing the last of the documents that had towered over his desk, Gorou hung his head and sighed, his sweat dripping onto the mahogany beneath him. Every day used to be strategizing, training, battling… But the Vision Hunt Decree was long over, and as such his adrenaline was beginning to fade. He felt like he wasn’t contributing enough to real issues anymore. He felt like he was disappointing those who laid their lives to rest for the cause he led. Was the life he was living now worth the sacrifice of so many?
His tail curled around his leg as he placed his head in his hands. “…I’ve probably just been inside for too long,” he muttered to himself. “I could check how training is getting along, I suppose.” Grumbling, he stood and walked to the opposite side of the room to look himself in the mirror nearby.
His ears and tail looked scruffy and matted. Dark circles hung under his eyes, which were contrasted by his rather pale skin. He hadn’t had much thought into taking care of himself recently, resulting in him looking a little worse for wear. “Maybe I should brush you today.” He whimpered, running his fingers through the fur on his tail. The tip began to wag a little, which forced a slight smile.
“Gorou? Is this a good time?” Kokomi’s voice, together with a knock on his door, caused his ears to perk up.
“Of course, Your Excellency!” Gorou shook his head to fix his hair a little before rushing to the door, greeting Kokomi with a bow of the head.
“Gorou, we’ve talked about this… Just Kokomi is fine.” She tittered, entering the room with a relaxed stride before closing the door behind her gently. “We’re friends, right? There shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Ah! Yes, of course… Kokomi…” Gorou felt somewhat embarrassed referring to her in such a casual way, but he supposed there wasn’t any need for formalities when they were alone. “What can I help you with?”
Kokomi took a seat, crossing one leg over the other. Gorou was glad that she felt comfortable enough around him to be so colloquial, but at the same time, it was quite a difference from the Kokomi he was used to seeing. “I was wondering if you’d like to accompany some of the troops and me to Narukami Island. I hear they have quite the exciting Winter Festival coming up, and I’d hate to miss it.”
“A festival?” Gorou couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to one. Sure, he had celebrated his comrades’ birthdays and such with small celebrations, but this was totally different. “Why do you wish for me to go? Besides, someone should stay behind and watch over Watatsumi. We don’t want to be surprise attacked after all.”
“I have already made the necessary arrangements.” Kokomi said firmly, but with a warm smile. “We’ve reached a peace agreement, but I have yet to see you enjoy it. Why not take a break from work to accompany a friend? You’d enjoy yourself~”
Ugh, she was so hard to argue against… Gorou sighed, his ears facing outwards as to concede defeat. “I… I guess if you’ve especially arranged for me to accompany you, then…”
“You know, I hear there’ll be quite a few food stalls. Dango… Sakuramochi… Cake…”
Gorou tried to hide his reaction to that statement, but his wagging tail almost knocking stacks of papers off his desk wasn’t helping. Turning around to try and grab his tail wasn’t helping either, in fact it only made him look more ridiculous. His face went red out of embarrassment as he turned around to pick up the few sheets that had been wafted away.
Kokomi beamed, wiping a tear from her eyes as she laughed. It was refreshing to see her enjoy herself after the stress she had been through; maybe this trip won’t be so bad… Even if it’s at his expense.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then. We shall leave at sunrise tomorrow, so be sure to be ready!” Kokomi stood up. “I shall hope to see you then, Gorou. Oh, and maybe brush yourself up before we go.” She giggled as Gorou averted his eyes out of humiliation, although he still nodded in response. Kokomi then took her leave, adopting a confident stride as she entered the gaze of the public eye.
Gorou closed the door behind her, resting his head on the cold wood. “…The Winter Festival, huh.” Maybe Kokomi was right; maybe he had been working too hard. Perhaps the best way to honour those who had laid down their lives… Was to enjoy what they had fought for.
-
The Sun had breached the horizon, signalling that the time to leave was upon them. The weather was breezy but reasonably mild – perfect weather for sailing across Inazuma. Around twenty or so soldiers were already at the port by the time Gorou had arrived. As such, he swiftly slipped through the crowd to join Kokomi aboard the boat, greeting her with a small bow.
“Lovely weather, isn’t it?” Kokomi said, the wind carrying her hair off to the side with grace.
Gorou nodded. “I’d prefer a little less wind though. I just groomed myself, but I feel like the effort was futile...” He tried to hold his fur down against the wind’s wishes, but it was a losing battle. It certainly looked a lot cleaner and softer than before, though.
“Nonsense! You look fine, Gorou.” Kokomi smiled as she signalled for the rest of the soldiers to come aboard. They were clearly looking forward to the festival; they had already begun singing, chanting and drinking as they were stepping onto the ship, some clearly drunk already as they struggled to keep their balance climbing the steps.
“Fufu, it’s nice to see them enjoy themselves, is it not?” Kokomi turned back to Gorou as the boat began to leave the port, followed by the roar of cheering by the roused crew.
“Indeed. I hope they don’t cause too much trouble at the festival.” Gorou laughed, despite only half-joking.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine. I hear Narukami Island has its fair share of petty troublemakers; a few rowdy soldiers shouldn’t stir up any issues. I’ll be sure to watch over them though.”
“Petty troublemakers, you say?” Gorou tilted his head slightly.
“Well... Have you heard of the Arataki Gang?” Kokomi asked, causing an immediate reaction from Gorou. He sighed as his tail fell between his legs. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
“I’ve... seen them around once or twice.”
He remembers their leader, Arataki Itto, quite well. Whether it was the Oni referring to Gorou as ‘doggy general’ or calling himself Ms. Hina’s ‘biggest fan’ in his submissions to the infamous That’s Life article, he certainly made himself known. Perhaps not always in the best light, but Gorou could tell from his letters that he wasn’t a bad guy. Normally the letters were supposed to be anonymous, but Itto’s letters were quite... Distinct.
“I don’t think they’re bad people. They’re just excitable. And loud.” He scratched the back of his head as his ears wilted. Even thinking about being called ‘doggy general’ was making him feel embarrassed.
“Ah, is that so? Well, according to my sources, there have been quite a few thefts recently around Narukami. Apparently their gang are the main suspects, but we should be cautious nonetheless.” Kokomi trailed off into a more serious tone near the end there. Even after peace was achieved, her inner strategist never had a moment to rest.
“Hm?” Gorou’s ears perked up. “I’ll make sure to keep watch, then.”
“Now now, Gorou. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, remember? There’s no need to go looking for trouble when it’s not necessary.” Kokomi places a hand on Gorou’s shoulder to ease him a little. “I just wanted you to be wary is all.”
“...I understand.” Assenting to her statement, Gorou’s ears went back to a neutral position. “Oh, by the way, where will we be staying during our trip? I hear the festival isn’t for another few days.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve arranged for a friend to take us in. They were more than happy to host us.” For whatever reason, Gorou didn’t feel the need to ask more than that. They spent the remaining moments of the trip taking in the fresh ocean scent in silence as they drew closer and closer to their destination.
-
The boat had arrived at Ritou, the entry point to Narukami Island, causing an uproar of cheers from the hearty soldiers aboard. As the boat came to a halt at the dock, those aboard began to exit and make their way towards Inazuma City, the heart of the upcoming festivities. Gorou, Kokomi and the Captain were left behind to witness the stampede rush off into the distance. The Captain insisted on sorting out all necessary arrangements with the Tenryou Commission, allowing the other two to join the others. Kokomi protested, but to no avail, and as such they were soon setting off to witness the festival for themselves.
Whilst most of the events were still a few days away, many stalls were already being set up around the centre of the city, selling food, refreshments and other souvenirs. Lights and lanterns were hung along the main street, and whilst it was reasonably light outside, they could still appreciate the beauty of the decorations. There were already quite a few people exploring the area, far more than anyone was used to seeing wandering the streets of Watatsumi Island. It was a refreshing difference to see so many people having such a good time.
Kokomi grabbed Gorou’s arm and pulled him to one of the stalls. “Gorou! Let’s get our fortunes taken!” Her face lit up at the sight of the festivities; it was like her inner child had been released as soon as they touched the ground here. Gorou closed his eyes and accepted his fate as they reached the stall, the Shrine Maiden positioned there greeting them with a friendly smile.
“Welcome! Would you like to take your fortune?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever done this before... How does it work?” Despite Grand Narukami Shrine basically being on his doorstep, Gorou had never taken the leisure of having his fortune taken. He didn’t particularly believe in it either, but there wasn’t any harm in doing it for Kokomi’s sake.
“Oh, it’s quite simple really! Simply shake the box and take out a fortune slip.” She placed her hand on a red cardboard box with a large slit on the lid.
“How much is it?” Kokomi asked, reaching for the pouch of Mora she had brought with her.
“Oh, for you two? It's on the house. It’s the least I can do.”
“Nonsense, here.” Kokomi slid 1000 Mora onto the counter. “Consider it a donation to the Grand Narukami Shrine.” She smiled as the Shrine Maiden bowed her head to thank her, putting the money away in a wooden box.
“You can go first, Kokomi. You did pay for mine after all.” Gorou gestured to the box as she excitedly took it into her hands. As a Divine Priestess, she should surely be blessed with a positive fortune, right? She shook the box eagerly, causing Gorou to snicker at her passion. Taking out a paper slip, she held her breath as she opened it.
“...Ah! Rising Fortune.” She looked somewhat disappointed, but it could’ve been much worse. Rising Fortune literally meant that her fortune is going to get better, after all. She tucked the paper slip into her pocket, presumably keeping it as a memoir of their visit.
“I guess it’s my turn now.” Swiping it from Kokomi’s hands, Gorou swirled the box around a few times before reaching in to grab a slip.
“So? What’d you get?” Gorou carefully unfolded the paper slip, slightly uneased by the Priestess next to him fervently staring daggers into his skull.
“Hm. I got ‘Great Fortune’.” He didn’t really have much of a reaction, so Kokomi got excited for him, patting him on the shoulder a few times.
“Fufu, maybe this trip really was what you needed, Gorou.”
He still didn’t believe that the fortune meant much, but even if it meant nothing, it's always nice to think ahead positively.
They both thanked the Shrine Maiden before going off to explore the other stalls. The hoard of soldiers they had brought with them had demolished quite a few food stalls already, so there probably wouldn’t be much to choose from until tomorrow.
“I suppose it’s true; a soldier’s appetite really is bottomless.” Kokomi giggled.
They walked up to a small group of soldiers that were hanging around one of the food stalls, chatting, laughing and stuffing their faces with dango. As Kokomi greeted them, they seemed to tense up a little, transitioning to more formal personas.
“G-Good evening, Your Excellency!” They spoke in unison through muffled, dango-filled mouths.
“Ah, please, you can call me Kokomi.” She smiled, holding a hand on her chest. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves, right? There’s no need to be official.”
Gorou watched as the soldiers looked at each other in confusion. Somehow, he felt relief in knowing that he wasn’t alone anymore.
“Hey, have you checked out the fortune telling stall?” She pointed the soldiers towards the stall they had just visited. “Me and Gorou just had our fortunes taken, we can walk you over if you’d like.”
“We’d love to, Yo- Kokomi!” The group finished their dango, tossing their sticks away before joining the two on their way back to the Shrine Maiden.
“By the way, how was the dango?” Gorou questioned. While the question itself was light-hearted, his eyes showed how serious he was when it came to confectionary.
“It was amazing!” One of the soldiers replied, licking some crumbs off their lips as they spoke. “I heard they restock tomorrow. You two have to come back and try some.”
“Hehe, duly noted~” Kokomi giggled, watching as Gorou’s mouth began to water.
As they neared the end of the street, something peculiar had caught Gorou’s eye: a figure hiding behind an abandoned stall, crouched beneath the countertop. Whoever it was was obviously trying to stay hidden, albeit not very well. Perhaps it was the thief Kokomi had mentioned earlier?
They were clearly suspicious, it’d be against his conscience if he were to just let him be. Whilst the group of soldiers distracted Kokomi, he took the opportunity to investigate. Slowly edging closer to the stall, he tried to get a better look at the figure.
They were clearly very tall, which is why they struggled to hide, but surely they would’ve realised that? It had gotten too dark outside for him to make out any other details; they had been looking around the festival for quite a while, after all. Nevertheless, he took another step. And another. Until...
“Hey, what are yo- OW!”
The ‘thief’ yelled in pain as Gorou pounced on top of them, pinning them to the ground by their arms. They tried to squirm out of his grasp, but the general was surprisingly strong considering his size, and catching them off guard certainly helped.
He was planning on questioning them like this, but from this distance the mysterious figure was beginning to look more and more familiar. The figure’s eyes widened as they recognised who Gorou was, and by that time Gorou had also realised who was beneath him.
“Doggy general!”