"Come on, I'll take you to see the festival."
Tsukuyo's coaxing tone held an indescribable innocence.
She was young and beautiful, like a fresh, juicy white peach. Today, Bai sensed an allure from her that could only be described as strangely captivating.
For a long time, Bai had grown up under strict doctrines. Even within the Bai clan, the hierarchy was rigidly stratified. Within that clearly tiered family structure, Bai had faced numerous setbacks. Living such a humble existence, Bai had learned harsh realities early on, making him more reserved than others his age.
But after meeting Tsukuyo, Bai experienced feelings he never had before. This vague, captivating feeling made Bai reluctant to miss any chance to be close to Tsukuyo.
Like an innocent child, Tsukuyo laughed brightly as she made the suggestion, then carelessly grabbed Bai's hand without a second thought, completely ignoring whether he might refuse. Her movements were swift, and despite her slender fingers, her grip was strong—physically difficult to resist. Bai tried to pull his hand back but couldn't; he could only let Tsukuyo drag him into the festival grounds set up by the Senju clan.
The sensation was quite novel, and Bai gave up resisting.
Naka River Forest.
Inside Wakama Senju's secret base.
After six consecutive days of being relentlessly beaten by his younger sister, Wakama felt he'd made significant gains, finally managing to stand tall in front of Yuki Uchiha. An hour later, their "game" finally concluded only because Yuki Uchiha pleaded for him to stop.
Wakama's voice echoed in the space, "Yuki, you should just... fake your death and come to the Senju clan."
Yuki Uchiha leaned against Wakama's chest, silent. That was just her personality. She wouldn't keep things bottled up if she had something to say, but she wouldn't necessarily respond to Wakama immediately.
But Wakama continued, "I'm worried you might be pregnant..."
Over these past six days, Wakama hadn't just been getting beaten up by Tsukuyo. While "correcting" him, Tsukuyo had also discussed the potential problems Yuki could bring. Because of Miyu's precedent, Wakama didn't see any issue with Tsukuyo's concerns. Tsukuyo had told Wakama that if they had continued as before, just meeting for tea and doing nothing more, the trouble wouldn't have been significant.
But things were different now. Although still young, they had both entered puberty to some extent. Girls naturally mature earlier than boys. Plus, Wakama's body had been modified by Tsukuyo. Neither Wakama nor Yuki were adults yet, but what would they do if she actually got pregnant? Faced with this question, Wakama himself didn't know what to do.
So Tsukuyo had advised Wakama to take responsibility properly and persuade Yuki to change her identity and come to the Senju clan. There was no other way. Within the Uchiha clan, Yuki was known as a male. If she really got pregnant and the Uchiha clan found out... Even if the Uchiha didn't know the child was Wakama's, her fate wouldn't be pleasant.
Wakama had planned to make things clear with Yuki today.
However...
"It won't happen..." Yuki's voice was soft.
"What?" Wakama looked astonished.
"My mother... to let me live longer under this identity, she made me ingest certain things when I was young... It's impossible for me to have children." Yuki's voice was light, as if discussing something trivial.
Wakama was silent for a few seconds.
Good grief...
Whenever faced with a situation he didn't know how to handle, Wakama found himself wanting to go back and ask Tsukuyo.
But before that...
Wakama held Yuki tighter, his voice gentle, "Having children can bring hardship to the mother; there are benefits to not having them too. Besides, you haven't tried, have you? You can't be certain the medicine your mother gave you will definitely have that effect, right? What if you still got pregnant?"
Yuki stared, still silent, but her dark pupils uncontrollably shifted from black to red. Her Sharingan had activated involuntarily. No words were spoken, but her emotions were clearly turbulent; Wakama could feel her pulse racing wildly.
"So... Yuki, if you face any hardship you can't handle alone, don't bear it by yourself. I'll help you," Wakama murmured softly.
Yuki leaned into his embrace, her feelings indescribable. After some time had passed, Yuki softly replied, "Mm..."
Perhaps these were just sweet words, but they sounded so good... she still wanted to believe them...
The Senju Clan's Grand Feast Festival.
The area was easily accessible from all directions, connected to various hot spring villas. The inns within were named after traditional aliases for the twelve months: Nenrui (Year's Fortune), Umemi (Plum Viewing), Hanami (Flower Viewing), Seiwa (Clear Harmony), Sanae (Rice Seedling), Kazamachi (Wind Waiting), Fumiho (Letter Report), Karikari (Wild Goose Arrival), Momiji (Autumn Leaves), Shigure (Autumn Rain), Kagura (Godly Entertainment), Harumachi (Spring Waiting).
Although it involved dividing the area into twelve zones, which could have simply been numbered, the Senju clan chose elegant names instead. This made it easier for Senju staff to distinguish between zones, while also satisfying the guests' appreciation for refined taste.
Guests checking in was referred to as "entering the grid" (Nyūkaku). There were three types of rooms: Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, and Independent Villas. The Independent Hot Spring Villas offered lodging with a private courtyard featuring a man-made hot spring, creating a secluded scene. The interior also had a hot spring bath, allowing guests to soak and bathe freely behind closed doors. Additionally, specialized Senju staff would visit regularly for health consultations.
Along the way, Tsukuyo explained the lodging and dining procedures to Bai. Before they knew it, Tsukuyo had led Bai to the main festival area. The architecture here was a blend of simplicity and splendor, bustling with a lively crowd. The festival stalls opened three times a day, coinciding with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The abundance of food and games was dazzling.
And it was here that Bai witnessed Tsukuyo's unparalleled skill at extracting money.
The Senju clan's festival featured a unique "gambling" game. It was different from the dice throwing and betting on high/low found in typical casinos. Here, the Senju offered a "lottery" game. Playing mini-games at the festival could sometimes earn you prize tickets. Upon receiving a ticket, guests didn't simply exchange it for a specific prize at a designated counter. Instead, they took their tickets to a special area to try their luck in a draw.
The tickets were divided into three tiers: Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, and High-Grade. These three ticket tiers corresponded to three prize pools. The Low-Grade pool had fifteen stages. The Mid-Grade pool also had fifteen stages. The High-Grade pool had twenty stages.
At each stage, four "blind boxes" were presented. Three of these boxes contained prizes, while one held an item that would "End the Draw". There was a one-in-four chance of picking the "End the Draw" item.
If a guest either chose to stop playing or cleared all stages without picking the "End the Draw" item, they would receive all the prizes they had accumulated. If a guest picked the "End the Draw" item, they had only two choices:
First: Stop the draw and forfeit all prizes acquired so far.
Second: Spend silver coins to continue playing.
People are inherently greedy; the desire for more often leads to greater losses. Unconsciously, chasing after seemingly generous prizes, many guests got hooked on the lottery. As long as they eventually secured a prize, the extra money spent seemed insignificant.
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