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“ Shinri, may I ask you a question? ”
Shinri looked up from his coffee. Standing next to him in the Guild kitchen was a young woman in a yellow traditional dress. The swaying tail indicated to Shinri that it was not an urgent question nor was it something that was concerning the Koipanion. He pulled out the chair next to him and motioned for her to sit.
“Of course, Lien. What do you need?”
Lien slipped into the seat and scooted in, folding her hands on the tabletop. “ What is Easter? ”
Shinri paused from sipping his coffee to look at her. “Why do you ask?”
“ A lot of shops were advertising Easter sales while many recreational centers advertised … Easter egg hunts. There’s a lot of conflicting images as well. I tried looking at my sources, but there’s no consensus on what it is and Vesper has closed off access to the library for the day. ”
Ah right. Vesper wanted to have sole access to the library for his zatsudans. But that means he needs to explain the intricacies of a complex holiday to Lien. Shinri held his mug with both hands while he pondered how to respond to the Koipanion’s inquiry.
“Well,” Shinri started, watching as Lien leaned in a little to listen, “it was initially a Christian celebration, but the holiday itself transformed to a … secular event. A common event is to have an Easter egg hunt.”
“ Easter egg hunt? ”
“A scavenger hunt, but for eggs. It’s common for kids to participate in an Easter egg hunt looking for eggs that hold candy.”
“ So that’s why there’s a lot of sales related to candy. But what about the bunny imagery? ”
“Well, a common story is that the eggs for the hunt are hidden by an Easter bunny.”
“ Shinri, that makes no sense. Why would a rabbit hide eggs? ”
Shinri chuckled at the bewildered look on Lien’s face. “I can’t answer that myself. Maybe someone else can explain the history behind that, but all I can tell you is that’s considered tradition now. But for the most part, it’s a way for families and friends to have fun. Consider it another excuse for humans to get together and have a party.”
Lien nods while looking pensive. She seems to be considering something, though she may simply be interacting with the Koillective in some way. Shinri doesn’t quite understand it, but he learned that when Lien has that look in her eyes while her hands are fidgeting, it has something to do with the supernatural connection that the Koillective possess. One day, he’ll ask about this connection further.
“If you want, I think Vestea is in the archive room. They might have some answers for you.”
Lien nods once more and stands up, giving Shinri a little bow. “ I’ll ask them then. Thank you for your help, Shinri. ”
“Oh no worries! I’m sorry I can’t be much help.”
“ You were plenty help. I just want to confirm a few things with Vestea. ” Lien gave him a little wave before exiting the kitchen in the direction of the archive room.
Shinri returned her wave before going back to his coffee. He has some time before the meeting with the other Vanguard boys, so he’s just gong to take his time in the kitchen before he has to go.
A few days later, Shinri woke up to a commotion outside his window. Stepping over to take a look, he’s surprised to see a lot of Tempuras running around the Guild grounds. Every one of them seem to be holding a basket while looking through the bushes. He watches as a Magmite scurries down from a tree with…an egg in its mouth?
A quick rapping at his bedroom door brought Shinri over to see Altare looking at him confused.
“Do you know what the Tempuras are up to? None of the Altventurers would stop long enough to give me a concrete answer.”
“I don’t know. Let me get dressed and I’ll try to find out myself.” Altare nodded at Shinri’s response and went off, probably to try and ask the other Guild members if they knew anything about it.
Soon, Shinri was outside the hall trying not to trip over the Tempuras darting around. As he circled around the back of the hall, he noticed a stage where 8 Tempuras were standing and talking with each other. One of them noticed him approaching and went to grab something from a box before jumping down and trotting over to him.
As they got closer, Shinri saw that it was Lien, but she wasn’t in her usual attire. Her normal yellow ao dai was replaced with a baby blue one with Easter lilies printed on them. Instead of her wide-brim hat, she was wearing a bunny-ear headband that matched the black of her hair. And she was approaching him with one such headband in her hands.
“ Koi~nichiwa, Shinri! ”
“Ah, good morning Lien.” Lien raised the headband in her hands while tilting her head. Despite his confusion, Shinri still lowered his head to let her place the headband on his head. He adjusted it as he straightened up, tilting his own head in confusion. “What’s going on?”
“ We’re having an Easter egg hunt! ”
“An Easter egg hunt?”
“ Yes! I was thinking about the hunt seem to be more about the camaraderie that comes with a friendly competition, so I asked Vestea and a few other Tempuras about organizing one such event for all Tempuras! ”
“I see~ And what is your role? You aren’t participating in the hunt?”
“ I’m the Koipanion emcee and one of the counters for the Koillective. The competition is still going on, but we’re also waiting for the oshis to come in for other events. And it looks like they’re all coming now. ”
Turning around, Shinri watched as the other Tempus boys were approached by their respective Tempura with bunny ears of their own. Each of them had their own baffled expressions, but it looked like they were also being briefed on the event.
“ Come over to the stage! I’ll explain what we have planned for the rest of the day! ”
As Shinri followed her, a few Koipanions that were participating in the hunt quickly shouted a “Happy Easter, Shinri!” while sprinting off to who knows where. He can’t help but chuckle to himself. It looks like the Tempuras were having a lot of fun. And if the clipboard in Lien’s hands is anything to go by, it looks like there’s an opportunity for Tempus to have fun as well.
Maybe this can be something they do every year.