It was past six in the evening, yet the sky was still dazzlingly bright. The sun had begun its descent to the west but refused to temper its brilliance, dyeing the entire sea of clouds a vibrant orange-red.

Layers upon layers of fiery sunset clouds spread across the horizon, a sight so splendid it was impossible to look away. A quick snapshot would produce a perfect, unedited wallpaper.

"Here you go."

At the back of the massive crowd in the central square, Lucoa handed three servings of Ascending Dragon Dumplings to Tohru, Kanna-kun, and Kobayashi respectively.

"Thank you!" they both said.

"You're a lifesaver, Lucoa!" Kobayashi gratefully accepted her portion, a smile on her face as she held out 6,000 yen. The queue was truly intimidating; a single glance was enough to make her scalp tingle. Thankfully, she had a friend who could help her buy them.

"Ryohei-kun said to give you a friendship price. 3,000 yen is enough," Lucoa said with a grin, holding up three fingers and giving them a little wiggle.

"Oh, wow—! I'm so grateful!"

Pleasantly surprised by this unexpected kindness, Kobayashi took back her money, swapped a 5,000 yen note for two 1,000 yen notes, and handed them over again. "Please thank Ryohei-kun for me," she said.

"You can count on me!"

Lucoa tilted her head, planning to find an opportunity later to give Ryohei a little "bonus" of her own. She wasn't one for empty gestures; when she said she'd thank someone, she meant it with concrete action. She was all about keeping it real.

With that thought, Lucoa straightened her back and gave her world-class bust a little pat, causing the ample curves to jiggle in a way that seemed incredibly reliable.

Kobayashi felt a bit dizzy, her eyelid twitching. She cast a suspicious glance at Lucoa—did she seem a little too serious about this? Was it just her imagination?

But she quickly dismissed the thought. After all, she had only asked Lucoa to pass on a message of thanks. How could something so simple possibly lead to anything more? Impossible!

With complete trust in Lucoa, Kobayashi lowered her head and looked at the Ascending Dragon Dumpling. The dumpling's design was truly unique, maintaining its "dragon raising its head" posture. The shrimp head was clearly carved, bearing a striking resemblance to an Eastern dragon. The translucent skin revealed the reddish filling within, and its tail was a vibrant red shrimp tail. The entire dumpling emanated a golden glow and was wreathed in steam, looking as if it might break through the air and fly away at any moment. It was a rather magical sight.

"This dragon doesn't look like you, Lucoa. Does he have other dragons on the side?" Tohru asked suddenly, looking up from the dumpling in her hand.

"What? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?" Kobayashi gave Tohru a deadpan look, completely speechless. Tohru simply looked back at her, tilting her head in confusion.

Lucoa waved her hand at Tohru and said with a smile, "No, he doesn't have any other dragons." She paused for a moment to explain, "Ryohei-kun said that you should at least be able to tell what kind of ingredient was used, so he designed this himself..."

"Besides, my true form is green. If he used me as a model, he'd have to dye it, which wouldn't be right."

"I see—!" Tohru exclaimed, a look of sudden understanding on her face.

'She's actually explaining it so seriously...' Kobayashi thought with a hint of bewilderment. 'So they did consider using you as a model at one point?'

"Aaaahm—!"

Beside them, Kanna-kun, the dragon of ravenous hunger, paid no attention to their conversation, her eyes fixed solely on the food. She forsook the chopsticks, picked up the Ascending Dragon Dumpling with her short, slightly chubby fingers, and tilted back her little face with its hint of baby fat. Opening her mouth wide, she took a huge bite, tail and all. Her cheeks immediately puffed out like a squirrel storing food.

Crunch, crunch... mmm...

After a few gentle chews, Kanna-kun's eyes squinted in bliss. "Amazing! This dumpling is so yummy!" she declared in her sweet, childish voice.

Her words brought Kobayashi and Tohru's attention back to their own dumplings, and they too lowered their heads to take a taste.

...

Back at the stall—

"We're back."

Jashin-chan, a wallet hanging around her neck, and Minos sauntered back, each carrying some of their spoils.

Ryohei Tanaka looked over and noticed that four people were missing. "Where are the Second and Koorime?" he asked casually. Yusa also looked over with concern.

"They're still walking around," Minos said cheerfully, showing off the fried chicken pieces skewered on a stick. She held up the bag in her hand and generously offered, "I bought a lot of food. Want some?"

"Sure, what did you get?" Ryohei asked, leaning in curiously.

"Okonomiyaki, grilled beef tongue, grilled scallops, kabayaki eel, soba noodles, ice-cold beer, plum wine, and chocolate-covered bananas," Minos listed, looking down into her bag. She had indeed bought quite a lot.

"I got pretty much the same," Jashin-chan added, holding up her own bag.

"..."

Ryohei, Yurine, and Yusa helped themselves to some of the grilled food from Jashin-chan and Minos. After they had eaten, they handed the stall over to them and called Lucoa to go find more food and properly explore the festival.

The festival wasn't just about food. There were also craft stalls selling traditional Japanese items like lacquerware, origami, and wind chimes. There were performances showcasing traditional arts like drumming and dancing. Ryohei was even surprised to see a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.

There were also fun games like goldfish scooping and shooting galleries.

The group walked, ate, browsed, and played, having a wonderful time.

Along the way, they ran into the two angels and two demons coming from the other direction. They seemed tired from their walk, so after a quick greeting, they headed back to the stall.

Ryohei's group, however, continued their exploration, not stopping until it was dark and they had played to their hearts' content. Only then did they return to the stall for the final hours of business.

~~~

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