Chapter 12: Human Village, Moonlit Heart, the Resonance of Ren and Keine (Part 2)
The 'Human Village' was extremely lively tonight.
From the general store adorned with paper windmills to the shrine approach fluttering with colorful silks, various streets were decorated with goldfish flags and red lanterns of different styles.
A newly cast bronze wind chime hung in front of a blacksmith shop, currently ringing lightly with the wind;
The bellflowers drying at the entrance of the pharmacy were almost blown away, forcing the owner to gather them up.
Luke, seeing all this, stood at the west entrance of the 'Human Village'.
Here was a bridge spanning a small stream, which at this moment had also been hung with colorful ribbons by mischievous children, standing out quite prominently in the nighttime street scene.
Luke waited for Keine's arrival, simultaneously contemplating what to do next.
Before reaching a conclusion, he saw Kamishirasawa Keine appearing from the colors, silhouetted against the streetlights.
She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a dark blue pleated skirt.
The moment she saw Luke, she waved hello.
"You've waited long, Luke-san."
"I just arrived, Keine-san's timing is perfect."
"Then let's go, I want to visit the private school first."
"Mm."
Luke walked side-by-side with Keine, entering the bustling streets of the 'Human Village'.
The path along the way was paved with uniform bluestone slabs.
From both sides came the aromas of various delicacies, among which the scent of malt sugar was the strongest.
However, the two didn't stop to buy anything, but walked directly to the private school.
Although Keine wasn't holding classes, the private school was brightly lit, as bright as day.
"The children said 'since we're having a celebration anyway, let's decorate the private school'. Before I could agree, they started acting."
"Taking initiative is a good thing."
"That's true, but I plan to check it over once to ensure there are no problems."
Luke nodded in agreement, following Keine around the private school.
The only problem the two discovered was that the lantern hanging at the entrance was slightly crooked.
So Kamishirasawa Keine stood on tiptoe, adjusting the poorly hung lantern, while also straightening the fluttering tassels.
"More symmetrical this way."
Kamishirasawa Keine took half a step back to admire her handiwork.
At this moment, sounds of playfulness arose.
Children running out from the street on the right saw Keine and launched an 'offensive' towards her.
"It's Keine-sensei!"
"Keine-sensei is here!"
The children were extremely enthusiastic, rushing towards Keine all at once.
Seeing this scene, Luke subconsciously wrapped his arm around Keine's waist, steadying her body so she wouldn't be knocked down by the children.
"You all shouldn't fool around."
Keine patted the children's heads, simultaneously thanking Luke with her eyes.
After the small commotion ended, Keine's students also chatted with Luke about the delicious pastries from before, saying they would definitely bring their parents to visit his restaurant next time.
Luke, welcoming them warmly, responded by offering them a discount later.
He didn't dislike having more customers in the restaurant.
Youkai, humans, visitors from other worlds—as long as they didn't cause trouble, there was no problem.
After saying these things, Keine's students prepared to leave together.
Because they planned to participate in a group activity next, they didn't ask Keine to play with them.
This wasn't a bad thing for Luke.
"Be careful!"
Keine, reminding her students, waved goodbye, watching until the little ones disappeared into the alleyway submerged in streetlight.
"Keine-san, let's go take a stroll too."
"I saw a shop when I came just now, I want to go take a look."
"Sure."
Luke returned a smile, accompanying Keine to a dango shop.
The two ordered two skewers and started tasting them.
As Keine bit into the white dango, her nose got dusted with soybean flour, but she didn't notice at all, instead seriously comparing whether pickled cherry blossoms or black sugar syrup paired better with the glutinous rice.
"If Luke-san were to make it, what would you choose?"
"Probably black sugar syrup."
After saying this, Luke took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the soybean flour off Keine's nose.
"Ah... Excuse my impoliteness, Luke-san."
"Keine-san has a careless side too."
"Because it reminded me of the pastries Luke-san sent over before."
Keine then finished the remaining dango.
The two quickly left the stall and continued strolling through the lively 'Human Village'.
Intentionally or unintentionally, Luke led Keine onto the stream bridge where they had met earlier.
At this time, river lanterns floated down from upstream, like stars fallen from the night sky, gently swaying on the water's surface.
"We returned here without realizing..."
Keine sighed softly.
Hearing this, Luke, pretending to adjust his sleeves, looked towards the maple forest not far away.
Under three old trees, illuminated by moonlight and street lamps, the reflection faintly showed in the woods.
The next moment—
The double bass plucked first, startling the birds on the emerald green branches.
"Hm?" Keine was somewhat surprised, looking towards the forest ahead.
"Music?"
Luke also looked over.
"I invited them over."
Following the deep timbre of the bass, the melody of the trumpet rang out, like a dragonfly skimming across the water, melodious and light.
Soon, the rhythm of the keyboard joined in.
The evening wind happened to roll up fallen leaves in the trees; they rose from the ground, seemingly dancing, as if merging with the musical notes.
"Is it Lunasa and the others? Luke-san."
"That's right."
The Prismriver Ensemble, a band formed by the three Poltergeist sisters.
Bassist—Lunasa Prismriver;
Trumpeter—Merlin Prismriver;
Keyboardist—Lyrica Prismriver.
Commissioned by Luke, the three played a piece of music in the woods.
Listening to the melody, Keine's fingertips tapped lightly on the wooden railing along with the rhythm.
In an instant, the tempo changed.
The trio's ensemble was becoming brisk; Merlin's trumpet bounced with rhythm, Lyrica's keyboard turned into the laughing and chasing of children.
Luke came to Keine's side.
"A rare break time, you can enjoy it properly."
"The melody feels a bit familiar, seems like a song often played by everyone in the 'Human Village'."
Keine listened to the performance of the three Poltergeist sisters in the woods, closed her eyes, and began to enjoy.
Seizing the opportunity, Luke raised his left hand and wrapped it around Keine's shoulder.
The melody continued;
Tonight was not yet over.
Silvery moonlight now cast flowing silhouettes on the water surface through the gaps in the bridge railing.
And among these shadows were the two figures drawing closer to each other.
The warmth of lips and the playing of the melody.
The night... was still long.
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