Encourage her to organize a festival
[player]I think you should do it. More and more people have been coming to pray at the Temple of Moons, so a festival would be very lively.
[player]And the old people who come to the activity room were also guessing whether there would be a temple festival this year.
[Mai Aihara]Is everyone looking forward to it so much? Hmm... but I'm still a little concerned about what grandpa said.
[Mai Aihara]I've only inherited the shrine for a few years... Many operational matters are carried out according to grandpa's will... and everyone at the Mahjong Soul Shrine has been helping me... That's why everything has gone well so far. That's why I don't dare to make such a big decision...
[player]It's alright. It's a lot of work to organize a festival, so it can't hurt to be prudent.
[Narration]I comfort Mai because she is looking a little depressed. Unexpectedly, her eyebrows relaxed soon, as if she thought of something important.
[Mai Aihara]The Mahjong Soul Shrine... That's right, Ichihime and the others might know why grandpa said festivals were unnecessary.
[player]Is that so?
[Mai Aihara]Yes! The Temple of Moons and Mahjong Soul Shrine have a lot of shared history, and grandpa and everyone from the Mahjong Soul Shrine had known each other for a long time. Maybe he had mentioned something to them.
[player]Sure, let's go over and ask about it after dinner.
[Narration]Mai and I make plans to go to the Mahjong Soul Shrine together after dinner and ask Wanjirou about the past.
[Wanjirou]As far as I know, the old priest didn't want to organize any festivals because he was afraid of being reminded of his deceased wife, woof.
[Wanjirou]Mai's grandma loved festivals. No festivals have been held there since she passed away.
[Mai Aihara]So when grandpa said: "the Temple of Moons doesn't need any festivals now," he meant that he didn't want to get emotional at the festival?
[Ichihime]Yes, nyaa. Before that, the Temple of Moons always held festivals, and even I took part in them, nyaa!
[Mai Aihara]Now that you mention it... I seem to have a little impression of that.
[Wanjirou]You should have been around three years old at that time, woof.
[player]Three years old? That's exactly 15 years ago. It matches what Osamu said.
[Mai Aihara]I see, so grandpa doesn't hate festivals... He just misses grandma too much...
[Ichihime]Osamu invited the Mahjong Soul Shrine too, nyaa. Wanjirou already agreed to it, right?
[Wanjirou]There will be lots of interesting booths if there's a festival, and we can make a lot of money too!
[Ichihime]Mai, if you say yes, we will be able to organize a festival together, nyaa!
[Mai Aihara]Should we hold a festival together...
[Narration]After hearing Ichihime and Wanjirou's words, Mai lowers her head and purses her lips... After a while, she raises her head again.
[Mai Aihara]What do you think, Master? I... Part of me wants to organize a festival.
[player]I think that if the old priest stopped holding festivals because he was afraid of evoking past memories, then this is the time to start organizing them again. Your grandma would be delighted too if she could see you organizing festivals again.
[Wanjirou]I think so too, woof!
[Mai Aihara]If the Mahjong Soul Shrine is participating, the Temple of Moons should join too... Yes! I've decided that the Temple of Moons will also organize a festival!
[Narration]Mai once said that the two shrines had some shared history. Perhaps that's why she changed her mind.
[Ichihime]This is great, nyaa! I'm going to have cotton candy and grilled squid at the festival! And play lots of games, nyaa!
[Narration]The Mahjong Soul Shrine is as lively as ever, but perhaps this is the exact kind of carefree atmosphere that can help Mai overcome her worries.
[Narration] In the next few months, together with Ichihime and Wanjirou, we began to prepare for the festival with Osamu's help.
[Narration]It is soon the evening, and it is time for the official opening of the festival jointly organized by the Temple of Moons and Mahjong Soul Shrine.
[Kaavi]Here visitor, please draw a lot to divine your fate.
[Visitor A] Yay! It's a "great blessing!"
[Visitor B]*Sighs* Why did I have to draw a "misfortune!" What should I do?
[Kaavi]Unfortunately, fate isn't something that can be changed that easily.
[Visitor B]Eh? I can't change my luck?
[Kaavi]You can consider hanging it on the sacred tree if you want to put up a meaningless fight against it. Now you can pay the fee here.
[Narration]Mai and I are watching over the ema booth. We can see that Kaavi is helping the visitors draw lots.
[Mai Aihara]It's been a long time since there have been so many visitors here at the Temple of Moons.
[player]Yeah.
[Mai Aihara]I... really like this kind of lively atmosphere.
[Osamu Saitou]Please give me an ema. Thanks.
[Mai Aihara]Y-You're welcome!
[Narration]Osamu, who had been extremely busy since three days before the festival, suddenly appears in front of our booth. His assistant isn't accompanying him, so it seems that he is just walking around enjoying the festival instead of working.
[Mai Aihara]Um... Thank you for helping us with this festival! H-Here's the ema you wanted!
[Osamu Saitou]You're welcome. Miss Aihara, your popularity has played a big role in promoting the festival to make it such a grand occasion. I think it's very rewarding to organize a festival that brings smiles to people's faces.
[Narration]Osamu smiles, then he seems to remember something. He looks at us and continues talking in a serious tone.
[Osamu Saitou]It's just as lively here today as it was 15 years ago. I'm going to check out other booths now, so I'll leave you to it then.
[Narration]Osamu hangs up the ema and turns around to leave. I look at the ema hanging beside me. His hopes for the future are written with strong and powerful strokes, which are very much his style.
[Narration]Thinking back on what Osamu said, I'm a bit curious about the festival they keep mentioning.
[player]They keep mentioning that festival. It must have been very grand.
[Mai Aihara]Actually... It's not like I don't remember anything about it at all, just that I feel like I'm resisting it whenever I recall anything.
[player]Eh? Why is that?
[Mai Aihara]Because... I will think of my mother.
[Narration]The cheerful atmosphere of the festival continues to flow around her, but Mai's expression has become sorrowful.
[Narration]I know she was separated from her mother when she was very little. Maybe she is bringing up this topic because she has remembered some painful things about her past.
[Mai Aihara]Originally, my mother, should have inherited the Temple of Moons, but... due to some accidents, she left soon after I was born and has almost never come back to see me...
[Narration]Mai said that the only time she met her mother after her mother left was at her grandma's funeral.
[Narration]When Mai saw her, she thought she was just a woman wearing black business attire. She came to the mourning hall alone to pay her respects. During this time, she kept her head low, didn't speak to anyone around her, and appeared very indifferent.
[Mai Aihara]She left in a hurry after the funeral, and I only received letters from her every year for the next ten plus years.
[Narration]As Mai told me about her memories, I could feel how helpless she felt. All words of consolation seemed a little empty to me at this time.
[Kana Fujita]Hi everyone, I've finally arrived! I'm sorry I'm late, but there were just too many people at the autograph session just now!
[Narration]Just when the atmosphere became a little heavy, Kana, who is here to change shifts with us, appears in the nick of time. She is an artist under Osamu's company, and she has come to participate in idol events at the festival today.
[Narration]Kana's work requires her to meet her fans at autograph sessions, as well as to shuttle between booths and interact with visitors as a temporary staff member.
[player]Kana, you're here. Don't worry about that. Thank you for agreeing to help us with the booth even though you're already so busy.
[Kana Fujita]Hehe, although this is my work, I feel like I'm bursting with motivation after hearing you thank me, PLAYER!
[Kana Fujita]But... I can feel the heavy atmosphere here. This atmosphere is a disaster for an idol! PLAYER, did you bully Mai?
[player]We were talking about some serious topics, but we feel better now that you've arrived, Kana. Isn't that right?
[Mai Aihara]Y-Yes... Master is always gentle to me...
[Kana Fujita]Eh? That sounds suspicious. Could this be the aura of love that is absolutely forbidden to idols?
[Fan A]Hey, isn't that Kana? Kana has come to the festival!
[Fan B]Oh my! Kana, please give me an autograph!
[Kana Fujita]Ah... I guess that's the end of my break. Mai, you need to perform the Kagura dance later, so leave this ema booth to me!
[Narration]The Kagura dance is an important part of this festival. I've been looking forward to it since the festival started.
[Kana Fujita]Go and have some fun while you still have time. I checked out quite a few booths this afternoon and had so much fun!
[Narration]Kana then starts working. With an idol promoting the booth, people waiting in line to buy ema doubled in an instant... Such terrifying charisma... I concede defeat.
[Mai Aihara]M-Master... Where should we go?
[player]Ah, let's forget all that complex stuff and enjoy ourselves thoroughly at the festival! What do you want to play?
[Mai Aihara]I... want to play the things you want to play. Please introduce them to me.
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