The maid knelt outside the house, knocked lightly twice through the shoji door, and asked softly, "Young Master You, are you there?" ”

Young Master You didn't like the maid to call him to get up, and he rarely stayed in bed, plus there was no class this morning, so no one bothered the other party to rest.

But until noon, I didn't see him, including Young Master Xiuzhi, who was inseparable from Young Master You.

They couldn't help but think of the incident when the two young masters sneaked out around the guards some time ago, and their hearts suddenly tensed - you must know that after that, all the servants involved were severely punished.

“…… Young Master You? ”

The maid waited for a few seconds, but did not hear a response, and her heart chuckled.

She hurriedly opened the shoji door, and all she saw was an empty bed.

The maid's face turned pale, and she staggered to her feet and ran towards the Japanese room where the head of the house was.

……

Japan is a country with many festivals. Thanking the sea, celebrating the harvest, and worshipping the mountain gods...... Perhaps the reason why the geography of the island country has always been full of disasters and difficulties, every seemingly insignificant little thing deserves to be celebrated grandly.

Especially in the midsummer of August, no matter how hot the sun is, people can't stop people from looking forward to the celebration.

It was still some time before nightfall, and the streets were already noisy.

Men wearing short ceremonial kimonos with round ropes tied around their heads carry the wooden shelves that will be used to build their stalls. Dark red lanterns and glowing light bars are hung early, waiting for the night.

Today is the festival, and many foreign tourists also come to visit, adding to the lively atmosphere of the already enthusiastic festival.

Osamu Dazai was on the bench, watching the flow of people coming and going. He changed into the white shirt he bought when he went out before, and wore a short rat-gray yukama on the outside, and a dark lamp hakama underneath. The Japanese style and Western style are perfectly combined on his body, not abrupt at all, and with that pink carved face, it is no less than the child star model in the magazine.

Perhaps he exuded a strong sense of loneliness, which was incompatible with the world, which aroused the curious eyes of some people.

"That...... Kid, why are you sitting here alone? ”

A kind long-haired woman crouched in front of him and asked softly.

Osamu Dazai smiled, his soft face made people call cute, "It's okay, big sister, I'm waiting for a very important person to come over." Don't worry. ”

"Someone very important? Is it Mom and Dad? ”

"It's my brother."

"Ah, it's my brother." The long-haired woman breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and whispered, "Okay, stay safe." If you are in danger, be sure to go to the conductor. ”

"Hmm~Thank you, big sister~"

Osamu Dazai looked up and said sweetly. When the woman left, the expression on his face slowly faded again, and the initial dead silence returned.

Ah, a well-wisher. He kicked his feet, thinking about it in his head.

When will you be able to come?

Today is the Satake Festival......

……

"- Takedo Festival? What is that? ”

Aomori is not yet hot in mid-June, and the air is still clear at the beginning of summer. The corridor of the Japanese-style room has been hung with a sunny day doll, and I pray that the next day will not be rainy.

Hearing this somewhat unfamiliar name, Yuma Ichinose lifted his head from the book. To be honest, he had no interest in literary books, and his liberal arts were the worst in middle school.

Osamu Dazai was the complete opposite of him, and was interested in literature, especially about "human nature" and "disappearance".

Hearing Yu's voice, Osamu Dazai also put down the book and replied softly.

"In the Tsugaru dialect, Yubuta means nebuta. Huge lanterns are erected to honor the ancestors, so it is sometimes called the Lantern Festival. One says that the Shewu Festival originated from the Chinese Qixi Festival, and some say that it is the Midyear Festival. ”

"You know a lot." Ichinose Yuma couldn't help but say. These folklore textbooks don't teach them.

"......" Osamu Dazai rolled his iris eyes, turned his face slightly to look at Yuma Ichinose beside him, and said slowly, "The Sabuta Festival is the largest and oldest festival in Aomori Prefecture, and everyone in Aomori knows it. ”

His voice paused.

"How does the elder brother look like the first time I heard of ......"

"Ahem, ahem—"

Yuma Ichinose almost choked to death from her own saliva, coughing frantically and her cheeks flushed.

"Ahem, I just suddenly forgot about the Yuwu Festival. Besides, aren't these festivals all the same? There are all kinds of decorative lanterns and flowers, and some people are carrying the portable shrine while shouting 'そいやっさ', which is much the same. ”

"Well, that makes sense. But I've only seen these in books, but I've never been to them in reality...... Has my brother been to many festivals before? ”

The boy's voice was soft and waxy, and he was praised by the other party in such an envious and adoring tone, and Yuma Ichinose got carried away for a while. He lifted his chin and look, 'What's the big deal'.

"What is this. You must know that the festivals that my sister and I have gone to with my acquaintances are quite magnificent, after all, the big city is different from the countryside. Oh, I remember there was a shooting booth at the time, and the owner was really annoying, so I told me to practice more and come back. ”

Halfway through speaking, perhaps because he was not convinced, Yuma whispered a sentence.

“…… If it weren't for □□ but a bow and arrow, I wouldn't be so bad. ”

In fact, Yuma's head was hot, and he spent almost 3,000 yen on the stall, but he didn't get a prize, and the boss couldn't stand it anymore and was ready to persuade him to give up. In the end, it was my sister who helped find the field, so I didn't go home empty-handed.

Osamu Dazai's eyes became deeper and deeper under the other party's narration, and the smile was not as good as the bottom of his eyes.

"Eh~ Did you go with someone else? It turns out that my brother has other friends. ”

"-Huh? What do you mean to feed! ”

Is this a mockery that he has no friends! Ichinose Yuma suddenly exploded, turned his head and retorted angrily, "Of course I will have friends, okay!" ”

"It's just that I've been staying with my brother, but I've never seen an acquaintance in my brother's mouth, so I don't know when I'll be able to see each other."

Osamu Dazai stared intently at the brother in front of him, his dark eyes could not see the brilliance, and it was even more difficult to figure out what his master was thinking at this time.

…… Worst. Ichinose Yuma was annoyed that he had slackened for a while, and he got carried away and leaked his mouth.

"Well, by the way, she's not here now."

"She? Ah, I didn't expect it to be a girl, is she the person my brother likes, or is it the object of affection? ”

Osamu Dazai keenly extracted the key information, raised an eyebrow, and asked.

What are these questions? As if he had been stepped on by his tail, Yuma Ichinose retorted loudly without thinking, "What are you thinking, hey, that's just my sister!" ”

"Sister?" Osamu Dazai was stunned. He thought for a moment and threw out his personal name, "Is it Sister Mimako?" ”

Who is this...... Yuma Ichinose wanted to ask, but swallowed it back into her stomach. Osamu Dazai must have mistaken the sister he was talking about for some woman from the Tsushima family. Thinking so, Yuma Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, yes."

As if he had known that he would say this, the expression on Osamu Dazai's face was like a smile.

"But, didn't Sister Miako already marry in Kyoto the year before last?" He clenched his fist and knocked on his palm, making a sudden realization, "Ah! Could it be Sister Mei Yi? ”

- Caught the trap again.

Even the guy who reacts slowly can see that Osamu Dazai is doing it on purpose.

After this period of time, Yuma Ichinose has a new understanding of the character of Osamu Dazai - what cute and well-behaved brother when they first met, all of them are fake; The little devil who likes to play tricks on people is real.

Yuma grinded his back molars in his heart.

But no matter what, the truth is impossible to tell Osamu Dazai.

An idea popped into his head - what if the NPCs in the game were told that they were just a mess of electronic data, and that the world was never real?

…… What a dangerous idea, the game world is going to fall apart, right?

There was a force that prevented him from thinking any further.

But in the eyes of the outside world, his silence was because he was sulking because of the teasing he had just made.

Osamu Dazai's thoughts converged slightly in his eyes, and he didn't ask too much, but pulled up his brother's sleeve, leaned over and said coquettishly in a sweet voice.

"I'm kidding. Brother, don't be angry with me anymore, okay? ”

He'd long since discovered Yuma's weakness - that is, he was very coaxing. Although he often gets angry and fries his hair when he teases, as long as he combs his hair, he will soon recover as before.

It's so cute...... Ah, if you say it, you'll be angry again.

"I'm just a little envious...... I haven't been to a festival with my brother yet. ”

Yuma was as he expected, and his expression softened. Facing his brother's lonely eyes, he touched his nose a little awkwardly and whispered,

"Hey, then, let's go together next time......"

……

"Let's go to the festival next time."

The sun sank completely into the western horizon, and the inky black climbed into the sky, and the thick clouds could not see any stars behind it.

The sky was black, but the ground was like day. The lights of the street were turned on to dispel the darkness for passers-by, and then the lanterns lit up one after the other, stretching for miles like the Milky Way falling to the ground.

The people began to cheer, smiles on their faces, and the gongs and drums were beaten in the hands of the players.

Osamu Dazai stood up in the midst of this hustle and bustle, and walked alone against the direction of the flow of people.

He came to the station, handed the ticket he had bought long ago to the conductor who had been keeping his head down, and entered the carriage alone.

The wheels of the mechanical structure made a slight metallic grinding sound and trembled slightly. There were no other guests in the green wagon, empty, and the noise outside was even more distinct.

He stood in the middle of the aisle of the carriage, and the next second, there was a sudden sound of footsteps behind him, followed by the sound of the door being opened.

Osamu Dazai's eyes lit up and he turned away.

“——”

……

"The head of the family, Young Master Yu and Young Master Xiuzhi, they-"

The maid looked at the familiar black figure in the room in a daze, and her voice quietly stopped.

The black-haired boy in a kimono was kneeling in the center of the Japanese room, looking down at the tea stalk in the cup spinning and sinking to the bottom of the cup, not even when his name appeared in the mouth of the other.

It's just that today he looks ...... Extraordinarily lonely.