Today is a normal day with clear skies and the fresh morning breeze, which barely warmed up as you walked upwards.
You start the day with a trek to the Grand Narukami Shrine with Thoma. While Thoma barely broke a sweat as a polearm wielder and a helper of the Yashiro Commission himself, you had to pause as you catch your breath when you are merely a torii gate away from the shrine.
As for your agenda in the shrine, Thoma himself suggested for you to "check your luck" to see if you should continue your internship at the Yae Publishing House or travel somewhere else. If you got a favorable slip, as suggested by Thoma you decided to stay for a bit longer and try your luck for your assignment for this one last time—to look for prospective writers that you could aid in the publishing process while you are stuck in a writer's block yourself.
"Okay! Here's your fortune slip!" Gendou Ringo wore a sweet smile like the fresh scent of Sakura Bloom that scattered throughout the Grand Narukami Shrine.
There's something unusual about this Gendou Ringo that you knew. The last time you visited, which was with your friend Thoma like always, she was completely stoic and used few words. If that Gendou Ringo ever showed emotion, it was but a death stare to the privy patrons of the fortune slips.
You stared at Gendou Ringo's face... The hair is exactly as you remember it, and surprisingly the features seem quite close, too. It's just that this Gendou Ringo seems to have a nose that appears to have a pleasant shape—one might think that it was an excellent nose job—and that her eyes are not heavy monolids unlike the Gendou Ringo that you knew. Such details became imprinted in your mental notes, and before you could verify it in your mind, Gendou Ringo's voice took you back to reality.
"Is... something the matter?"
This Gendou Ringo's voice sounded sweeter than the one you're used to, too.
You quickly glance away at your fortune slip, where you glimpsed the word "Great Fortune". "Ah, thank you... there's no problem!" You looked back to see a queue of other people holding bamboo sticks to exchange for fortune slips.
As you walked close to the Sacred Sakura, you caught sight of Thoma hanging his fortune slip, the latter brushed off a shy laugh and then walked towards you.
"Hey!" Thoma waved a hand, "since I got the Misfortune Slip today, then I suppose lunch is on me."
There are various food stalls and restaurants along the streets, but not a single prospective writer in sight... yet.
"It's fine... Hmm, perhaps this time, we'll have to check out a place with a menu we haven't tried yet?" Thoma paused for a while, as it seemed that his accompanying you had grown to become a food trip to make up for the times you were both busy with your respective occupations, "how about... I treat you to a Kushikatsu this time? "
Usually you would have gone for either sweet snacks such as Dango Milk or manjuu, or with Yoimiya and Itto when you play a game of hotpot... or perhaps most of Inazuman local dishes so far.
But inside the shop, there appears to be no one else save for Itto and... Kaedehara Kazuha whom you only knew through the rumors about him parrying the Raiden Shogun's blade, and is now playing a little melody with a leaf. Your senses easily caught the smell of fried food, a scent that had only gone as far for fried eggs and tempura that you cook for yourself or with friends.
"Ooh, good to see you, my bro, the esteemed Arataki Itto!" Thoma waved a hand, and you followed suit to greet.
"Aha! Hahahaha, so my compadres, you're looking for me! So you need some help, huh?"
Itto beams with a sheer willingness to help, and thus you thought, perhaps he's the writer you are looking for...
"Well, my friend over here is looking for a prospective writer who wishes to get published. It could be fiction, some true stories, or a set of poetry..."
