1. The opening chapter

Summer is coming, and in the blink of an eye, the banquet time is approaching, and no matter how you get the invitation, you can't help but start looking forward to it, looking forward to the invitation that is beginning to radiate a hazy brilliance in your hand. The banquet, which only comes once in ten years, is indeed worth the expectation of all youkai. Especially for the spirits who have not yet become demons, as long as they participate in the demon feast, they can save them decades of hard cultivation.

......

On June 3, the thick clouds were pressed by black, which made people's mood a little gloomy.

There was a burst of soft music in the No. 1 Affiliated Middle School of Wutong College, and after school, the day's schoolwork was finally over. Aoba hugged the pile of books softly after the teacher left the classroom, squinting slightly.

"Aoba Aoba, aren't you going back today?"

"No, no, there is still a night of self-study in the evening, and I have no motivation to go back at all. ”

"Hehe, I know, let's go and have fun together, the gymnasium next to it is holding a comic exhibition. I heard that there are a lot of handsome guys playing cosplay over there, let's go together~"

"No, I don't want to ......move at all" Aoba was still leaning on the book softly, looking unenergetic, she opened her eyes slightly, looking at the snow and annoyed: "It's snowing, come back early, help me bring a loaf, I'll take a nap first......"

"It's boring, Aoba is just too unsociable. Although he had known the reaction of his tablemate, he was disappointed by the snow...... Although the two have been at the same table for two semesters, except for class time, the number of times the two go out shopping together is really pitiful.

“...... It's snowing, bread ~ "Aoba who still closes his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I remembered, there's still milk, right~"

“niec~”

......

Just like the snow, the students in the class also went to the gymnasium early to watch the comic exhibition.

After everyone left, Aoba stretched out her fingers, and a ray of cyan light flowed from her heart, like a living light, swirling around her index finger. Aoba brought her index finger close to her mouth and exhaled softly, the cyan glow as if protesting, like a summer starry sky, shimmering with a charming sheen.

Under the light of this cyan glow, new shoots slowly sprouted on the wooden table.

"Oops, this isn't where you grew up. Aoba ran his index finger through the base of the newly grown sapling and pinched the sapling in his hand. Seeing that there was no one around, she left the classroom and walked towards the old playground.

At this moment, the sycamore in the center of the old playground has long been replaced by a new one, more than ten meters high.

Within a few minutes of walking from the classroom to the old playground, the newborn sapling in Aoba's hand had already grown a slender and long root system, wrapped around her index finger, tightly wrapped around her, as if she wanted to grow the root system into her body and absorb the infinite vitality.

"That's not going to work, I have a guest here, you have to grow up yourself. Picking up the sapling wrapped around her index finger, she picked up a dead branch from the ground, dug a small pit in an open field next to the old playground, planted the sapling in it, and covered it with soil.

After the little sapling left her, the branches trembled, and the new leaves fell without spirit, as if they were reluctant to let go of the infinite vitality that gave birth to them.

"Good boy, good boy," thought for a moment, and a drop of pale cyan blood fell from the tip of the index finger of the green leaf, landing on the newborn leaf. Watching the little saplings roll up with leaves like a treasure, and the green leaves of the branches smiled faintly, watching more leaves grow from the new branches, swaying in the breeze, and the new leaves seemed to cheer and celebrate their new life.

It wasn't when a figure in an inappropriate robe with a discernible face walked into the old playground.

It came to the new plane tree, looked quietly, and seemed to see the pain of the child being cut off by someone's waist. Around it, there seemed to be a faint sadness.

In the past, it saw the figure of that person, maybe this is the luck of the friend.

It came up behind Aoba and asked softly, "Lovely Miss Sycamore, are you interested in attending a banquet?"

"Sycamore?"

"Well, it's like yin and yang with you, and at this moment you are like a coin named Sycamore Monster, but from the yin side to the yang side. You like this are the sycamore monster in my eyes. ”

"You're a youkai too?"

“...... yes,"

"Is it a friend?"

"Friend, maybe not. ”

“？”

"Don't be surprised, when you planted it, it was just a very ordinary sapling, just like the one you plant now. You know, maybe you're doing what I used to do right now. Thousands of years later, this little sapling you planted will also open the door to wisdom and give birth to elves......"

Aoba stroked the little sapling, looking a little distracted: "Is it really possible?"

"Who knows, the future is never certain, but it's off to a great start. The man in the anachronistic robe smiled freely, what is the future, whether the sycamore it planted is life or death, the little sapling planted by the green leaves is life or death, and it doesn't matter if it lives or dies along with itself, everything can't leave a mark on its heart, and it's not too important.

"Lovely Miss Sycamore, are you going to a banquet belonging to youkai, this is an interesting banquet. ”

"When?" Aoba thought for a moment with her head down.

She did not refuse, the world of youkai, the banquet of youkai.

Since it was this person who invited it, then ...... I won't hurt myself.

"It's just in the evening, if you want to participate, you won't have time for evening self-study. The man chuckled lowly.

"It's okay. ”

"Well, have fun. As soon as the words fell, the man in an unseemly robe disappeared in Aoba's eyes, whether in the human realm or in the yokai horizon, it disappeared.

Only a black invitation floated down from the sky and landed on Aoba's hand.

On an ordinary card, the pitch-black shading does not make it clear what the material is.

In her eyes, on the card that should have been pitch black, two gilded characters were clearly printed: Demon Banquet

The small print in the lower right corner reads: Invite the lovely Miss Sycamore.

"Really, I haven't told me where this banquet is taking place, how to get there... ”

Looking at the invitation in his hand, he rummaged through it a few times, and Aoba was sure that there was no address on the black card. It's too embarrassing, or rather, actually......

......

Early in the morning, Chu Xiaoyan got up early and sat for breakfast.

Since she came, Xiaowu has had a lot less chance to make her own breakfast...

"Welcome to the morning news, this is Xinmao. Today's first article is a special reporter from the suburban town sent back a report, everyone believes that the gods pray, in the deep mountains of this ancient town, there is a temple with a long history, since the beginning of this year, the town has been circulating legends about it......"

"Today, the Meteorological Observatory issued an orange alert for high temperatures, and it is expected that the weather will be dominated by hot and sunny weather in the near future. It is expected that from next week, there will be heavy rain in Fenghua City, Xin Mao is the same as everyone, I hope this heavy rain will come as soon as possible, it is really hot........."

Eating a simple breakfast, the familiar morning news comes to my ears.

"Smiling. ”

"Huh?"

"I'm going out today, can I ask you to look at the store?"

"Yes...... When is Xiaowu leaving?"

"Not in a hurry, at night. Xiaowu explained softly, then stopped, carefully paying attention to Xiaoyan's expression, and asked timidly, "Do you want to be together?"

“...... No.. After staring at Xiaowu for a while, Xiaoyan finally let her go.

"Smiling, the omelette is delicious!" said Xiaowu, who had been silent for a while, after thinking for a long time.

"Even if you say that, I won't give it to you!"

...... Sure enough, I still care.

Usually when I say this, Smiling will give her half of my fried egg...

......

Walk three hundred meters to the left at the entrance of Fengsan Middle School, turn into an alley in the direction of the traffic light, take dozens of steps forward, and then turn a corner. A small courtyard stands, like an old man immersed in the past years, although the courtyard is not dilapidated, but with a sense of twilight.

On this day, Zhou Yu closed the door early, and she sat in the corridor of the small courtyard.

It was a little hot, and she leaned gently against the doorrail with an old fan.

Looking forward to the party?

Perhaps.

As long as you participate in the banquet, you will soon become a real youkai, and you can no longer have to worry about the wishes of others and live according to your own heart...... As it should be.

I don't know why, she always felt that there was something very important that she hadn't noticed......

Pick three or four dates and taste them in small bites.

......

PS: The guests of the banquet in Fenghua City have all been written, these people, these stories, which one do you like?

A man-made paradise, a small shop full of flowers, a place where the years have passed, a house for cats and mice, or a spring of dead wood?

Nanhua's most satisfying, favorite and proudest article is a small shop overflowing with the fragrance of flowers.

Xiaowu and Chu Xiaoyan are also my cutest pair of cps.