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The matsuri is in full swing around Serizawa. Folks wander from one stall to the next, dressed in yukatas like the one Serizawa wears, ordering food and selecting a game to play. He sighs happily, enjoying the festival’s atmosphere.
He glances up from beneath a tree, watching the sun drop below the horizon. The fireworks will start soon. I should get ready to meet up with Reigen-san and the others. Which way is the viewing area in the park…?
He lowers his gaze and suddenly locks eyes with a spirit floating in front of him.
It takes on the form of a man with milky white skin, wearing a tattered yukata.
Serizawa stares for a moment longer, searching for any malevolent energy. The spirit stares back. Then, he smiles.
“Hello,” he says. “Would you like to play a few games together?”
Serizawa raises his eyebrows in bewilderment. “You want to play the festival games with me?” Could this be a trap? He doesn’t sense anything out of the ordinary.
“I do.” The spirit waves his hands around. “I don’t mean any harm. You can call me Katsuo.” Katsuo rubs the back of his neck. “You see, I loved coming to festivals to enjoy the games when I was alive. And I just want to play them with someone again before I pass on…”
Katsuo sounded genuine enough…Maybe he could help his soul rest if he agreed.
“I’d be happy to play a few games with you,” Serizawa says. “I’m Serizawa Katsuya.”
Katsuo beams. “Thank you so much, Serizawa-san!” He grabs Serizawa’s hand, giving it a firm shake. His touch is ice cold and blistering hot, the sensation traveling up Serizawa’s arm and through the rest of his body. It’s gone a moment later.
“Let’s go!”
The first game Katsuo picks is katanuki. Serizawa purchases a few small pink candy molds and carries them over to a nearby cluster of picnic tables. He pauses, spotting Reigen hunched over one of the tables.
Reigen is deep in concentration, using a toothpick to carve out the shape of an umbrella. Several broken molds are littered across Reigen’s table.
Serizawa approaches him. “There you are, Reigen-san,” he says pleasantly.
The blond yelps, jolting in his seat. Something snaps. Slowly, they peer down at the mold. A crack divides the umbrella handle from the rest of the shape.
Serizawa pales. “I-I’m so sorry, Reigen-san! Let me buy you a new one. Here, I think I have an extra one—”
Reigen sighs, rising. “Don’t worry about it, Serizawa-san,” he says, waving away the gesture with a hand. “I already cut out a couple of shapes earlier. I was just doing it for fun.” He brushes the pile of candy remains into his hands. “Good luck, have fun. Oh, and remember, the fireworks start in half an hour.”
“Thank you, Reigen-san. Sorry again.” Serizawa waves as Reigen walks away sulking.
Katsuo lowers himself to look as though he were sitting. Serizawa passes him molds at random along with a toothpick and sits down across from Katsuo.
“Let’s make this interesting with a competition,” the spirit says. “The first to cut out three molds wins. Does that sound okay?”
“Oh, that sounds fun,” Serizawa says. “I don’t mind at all.”
Katsuo smiles. “Are you ready? Set. Go!”
Serizawa’s jaw drops. Katsuo carefully breaks the larger edges of his fish mold off, then starts digging into the outline with his toothpick, all in a matter of seconds.
Ah! Serizawa shakes his head. I need to focus. Serizawa gets to work, scratching out his shape of a rabbit.
Not long after, Katsuo lets out a triumphant laugh. He holds up his mold of a fish, perfectly intact.
“That’s incredible,” Serizawa says, eyes wide with amazement.
“You could say I’m an expert at this game,” Katsuo says as he begins on a flower mold.
Serizawa hurries to catch up. Before he knows it, Katuso moves onto his final mold, an airplane. Serizawa abandons his toothpick and tries tearing at the edges. He tugs at a piece too quickly, and the bottom half of the rabbit breaks off.
“Aha!” Katsuo lays out his shapes on the table. “I win!”
“Congratulations,” Serizawa says, smiling. A burning chill, similar to what he felt when Katsuo shook his hand, settles over him.
The spirit motions for him to follow. Serizawa rises, cleaning off the table, trying to shake the feeling off as they go.
Katsuo stops in front of a few low plastic bins for their next game, goldfish scooping. Players kneel at the bins and lean over the ledge, observing the small fish that populate the shallow water. Tome and Dimple hover over a bin when Serizawa and Katsuo arrive.
“Are you planning on bringing all of those home?” Dimple asks, an eyebrow arched. Five goldfish swim around in Tome’s bowl of water.
“Nope!” Tome replies. “But it’s still fun to try and catch them.” She scoops another one into her bowl. “Dimple-chan, help me pick one to keep.”
Serizawa pays for a handful of pois, then walks over to the bin Katsuo is standing by. They crouch down, and Serizawa passes some of the paper scoopers and a bowl over to the spirit.
“This time, let’s do first to a dozen goldfish,” Katsuo says, his eyes tracking the movements of the fish. His form seems a little more solid, his skin taking on a bluish tinge. Fewer frays and holes on his yukata are present.
Serizawa nods, rubbing his chilly arm. Kingyo-sukui isn’t a particularly difficult game. You can only catch so many goldfish with the poi before the paper net breaks. He’s certain he has a good chance of beating Katsuo this time.
“Ready? Go!”
In seconds, Katsuo manages to capture two goldfish. Then a third, and a fourth.
“You’re really good at these games,” Serizawa says, grimacing. He swishes the poi around, lifting goldfish into his bowl. But it’s not long before Serizawa is neck-and-neck with Katsuo.
“Well, I played them all the time when I was alive,” Katsuo says as he captures his fifth fish. The paper net tears, and Katsuo replaces his poi. “You see, every opponent I’ve gone up against has lost at my hand.” Six, seven, eight, nine. “I’m an undefeated champion when it comes to the matsuri games.” Ten, eleven. “And I intend to keep that title even in death.”
Just as Serizawa reaches for his last fish, Tome suddenly yelps.
Others follow suit, backing away with wide eyes. Serizawa leaps up. He watches as one fish in each of the bins grows at an alarming rate, orange-gold scales shifting to a deep blue.
Serizawa drops his poi and throws an arm up. His power bursts around him, exorcizing the strange and yet familiar energy festering within the fish. Slowly but surely, they shrink back down.
Katsuo. Before Serizawa can turn on the spirit, he doubles over, gripping the edge of the bin as he feels his energy rapidly drain from his body. Fatigue hangs over his thoughts like fog. Too late, he realizes. A curse.
“Ha!” Katsuo grins madly, holding up his bowl. “I win!” He deposits his fish back into the water.
“Serizawa-san!” Tome bounds towards him, holding a plastic bag with a goldfish in it. “Did you just see what happened to the fish? What do you think that was?” Her eyebrows furrow as she scans Serizawa’s face. Dimple floats near Tome’s shoulder, scowling. He must’ve spotted Katsuo, Serizawa thinks.
He locks eyes with Dimple. Silently, they come to an agreement.
“I’m not sure,” Serizawa lies. He musters a smile. “Kurata-san, are you hungry? You and Dimple should get something from the stalls. Here.” He digs into the sleeve of his yukata and pulls out his wallet.
Tome gasps, her eyes twinkling. “This is why you’re my favorite coworker, Serizawa-san! A true grown-up who looks after the next generation!”
Serizawa laughs. He drops a few coins into Tome’s free hand, and she grins. But she hesitates, trying to read Seizawa’s expression again.
“Go on,” Serizawa says, waving a hand. “I’ll catch up with you for the fireworks soon.”
“You heard him,” Dimple says encouragingly. “Let’s get something to eat.”
Tome nods. “Thanks, Serizawa-san! See you soon!” Dimple shoots him a concerned look before he goes. Once they’re out of earshot, Serizawa turns to face Katsuo.
“One more game!” the spirit says. His kimono, spotless, and sleek, billows, his skin now ice-blue. The air around him is heavy with spiritual energy.
Serizawa tries to summon his powers, but nothing happens. He looks at Katsuo again carefully. He didn’t get that energy from nowhere. The curse must be draining my life force. He doesn’t have enough energy to exorcize Katsuo. But he doesn’t think he can afford to lose this last game either.
Katsuo grins wildly. “Since you’ve been such a willing opponent, I’ll let you choose the last game we play. Not that it matters, you know, since I’ve already proved how skilled I am. Your defeat is inevitable.”
Serizawa racks his brain for possible festival games to play. Ring toss, shooting, super ball scooping…He was close to beating Katsuo at kingyo-sukui, but the spirit still managed to win. Which game offered him the best odds?
Then, Katsuo’s words hit him again. Skilled.
Serizawa points to a stall where a number of ropes dangle from a tarp ceiling. “Let’s play senbonbiki,” he says.
Katsuo sneers. “Rope lottery? That’s a child’s game.”
“Then it should be easy for you. You said you’ve never lost a game against anyone.” He pauses. “Unless you’re afraid of losing. I can pick a different game if you’d like.”
The spirit grits his teeth, eyes narrowing. “No. We’ll play senbonbiki.”
“Whoever wins the biggest prize is the winner,” Katsuo says.
Serizawa nods. The prizes lay across a flat surface, tied to the bundle of hanging ropes they can pull on. Most of the prizes are candy, toys, or random trinkets like pencils and hair clips. But at the center rests the grand prize: a teddy bear with a bright red bowtie.
Katsuo tugs on the rope closest to him. Several more ropes follow. The teddy bear doesn’t move.
Serizawa stares in disbelief. “You’re not going to try to play fair anymore? You’re cheating like you did during the last game.” He selects a rope. He’s rewarded with a chocolate bar.
“I played katanuki fair and square,” Katsuo snaps. “And I would’ve won kingyo-sukui anyway. No harm done. But nothing about senbonbiki is fair. It’s an utter sham of a game.” He goes again. Nothing. Three ropes and the teddy bear remain. He scowls. “Don’t you see?”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to play competitively,” Serizawa says. “But you should think about playing something different if you’re this upset about the matsuri games. You’re supposed to have fun, even if you don’t win.” He considers the ropes left. With his heartbeat drumming in his ears, he pulls on one at random.
The teddy bear rises.
“No!” Katsuo screeches.
A surge of energy rushes through the esper, and he lifts a hand towards Katsuo. In a flashing spectacle of light, the spirit is gone.
Serizawa exhales, tilting his head up to gaze at the night sky.
Night?
Ah! The fireworks! They’re about to start!
He bolts. He spots a moving crowd and follows them towards a clearing. People lounge on picnic blankets or towels, chatting while they wait. Mindful of where he’s stepping, he scouts for any familiar faces.
“Oi! Serizawa!” Someone from above says.
Serizawa glances up to see Dimple waving, hovering a little ways off. “This way!” Serizawa laughs, relieved. He follows close behind, and a few moments later, Reigen and Tome come into view. Serizawa hastily takes a seat beside them just as the first firework shells whistle overhead, bursting into streaks of gold.
Beside him, Tome offers him a takoyaki. Serizawa accepts one with a smile.