An old beaten-up guitar strummed a C-sharp minor, followed by a D minor, then an E minor, the notes resonating through the air as the player called into the microphone from a hoisted stage. The musician’s strums officially marked the beginning of the 60th anniversary celebration, as night began to fall on the ever-lively minor-city of Lanai.
Stalls lined the main street of the large community, vendors selling foods and trinkets, offering entertainment and quick games, drawing in people—both residents and those passing through—who packed the small city streets. Colorful lights in shades of red, blue, green, orange, yellow, and purple illuminated the scene as the sun set. Children ran around with their families, couples held hands while their pictures were taken. Everyone was dressed in their nicest ceremonial attire, except for those just passing through, who instead opted for one of the ceremonial masks sold throughout the festival. The music from the stage echoed through the city streets, even reaching the prisoners locked in the walls that surround the city, who occasionally danced and were offered food from the stalls by whoever felt polite enough to share.
A loud, abrupt sneeze broke the silence that had developed between Urasadi and Hotonashi. Hotonashi, a young woman dressed in a light-colored tsukesage kimono adorned with motifs of a red forest and along its front-left shoulder and front-left sleeve, symmetrically along its hem, a rather pretty depiction of a dark smoke-like therianthrope which represents the kami of mystery; sometimes also believed to be the kami of romance, gave her friend a prayer, to which he thanked her. Urasadi, a young man with notably dark skin for the region—often questioned if he was actually from the S.S.F., a country of mixed cultures and people—raised his hand, causing his formalwear’s sleeve to slide back, revealing a series of tribal-esque tattoos unique to him in the region, hinting at his punk-like history. He held a large stick of food, reminiscent of a cob of corn, covered in a brown, honey-like condiment.
Stepping away from the food stand they had stopped at, Urasadi wrapped an arm around Hotonashi’s shoulders and took a big bite from his food before questioning with a mouth full, “This guy is pretty good, but from what my brother said, Rib-ter and—” pausing for a moment to swallow, he continued, “and Vos-Taurtul are supposed to play tonight.”
“Taurtul? Really?” Hotonashi questioned as a child split them apart, running between them.
“Yep, though I think I heard Incubation left a few months ago, so we’ll see how the new bassist is. Still can’t wait to see them in person!”
As they resumed their conversation about music, they passed another, much smaller stage where a group of interpretative dancers performed in line with the music, forming a type of silent play. This caught the attention of Chikai Bunkara, one of Hotonashi and Urasadi’s peers who had mostly kept to himself over the years. Watching the dancers intently, a smile crept across his face as he brushed his longer hair out of his eyes. A small scar marked the bottom half of his chin. His formal attire, an oddly chosen mix of maroon and gray with no specific designs, somehow suited him.
Further down the street was a water gun festival game where the contestant who hit the target the longest won. Among the twelve contestants for this round were Naruhatsu, wearing a short-skirted, long-sleeved white kimono with a red cloud crest, a red waist sash, and a red and yellow stole that contrasted with her unmistakably natural long blue hair and pale skin. Beside her was Richaku, who had been dragged there by Naruhatsu and wore shin-high gray pants with a faded green vest over a light gray t-shirt with a large collar, not taking part in the festive attire.
His facial expression showed his boredom. He’d have been perfectly content lying on his bed, eating a bag of crunchion-sticks, and reading. As the game vendor gave the signal to start, Richaku looked over to see Naruhatsu smirking, her orange eyeliner highlighting her unusually pale face. She was about to cheat, controlling the heat and pressure of the gas in her gun to maintain a perfect balance that allowed her to stay on target. A small child, jostled by the normal power of the water gun, fell from the stool holding him and crashed to the ground, crying more from shock than pain. Naruhatsu, distracted by the child, missed the target just long enough for another contestant to win, causing her to cover her face with a hand.
“Uh-oh,” Dobutsumé said, hearing the child’s whines from the next street over. Her acute hearing faintly picked up the parents dismissing a passerby, claiming the child was simply overreacting.
“What?” Kanako, Dobutsumé’s mother and a beast of a woman with broad, muscular shoulders and toned arms, questioned. She was interrupted as a customer stopped by their stall, asking for one of their specially made biscuits for their pet—a small, four-armed lemur-like creature with a pronounced snout and eyes on antennae, a Kiarui.
Just a bit away from the stall, Sabani stood with his hands clasped in front of him, bowing and whispering a prayer for his ancestors to rest but guide him if he veered off his destined path. After a moment, he straightened himself and blew out the candle, finishing the prayer. As its smoke slithered through the air, a masked man stood just a few meters behind the shrine, watching Sabani, who stared back for a moment, annoyed at the stranger’s lack of respect. Scoffing, he walked away, shouldering a few passing tourists and raising a stick of meat he’d picked from one of the stands, not paying. As the music shifted to a more hard rock/grunge band, Sabani bobbed to the beat, chuckling as a familiar voice shouted for participants in the Yuwa-Kenka—a style of sparring similar to Sumo Wrestling but meant for lighter participants.
Maneuvering through the growing crowd, Sabani watched as Nomi, now wearing a mask covering the top half of their face with an afro wig and a white cloak with sharp black patterns, called out to their fans in a borderline offensive accent, imitating a Timitian historical figure they had watched just a few nights prior.
“Don’t worry, Lanai! I’ll stop these… these villains from harming our reputation and our beautiful home, for I am… Mi-gea Abund-ance-Oh!” The crowd clapped, while Sabani laughed harder than the rest. Nomi’s opponent stepped into the ring, wearing more typical Yuwa-Kenka attire of tight shirts and shorts. The referee smacked his hands, signaling the start as Nomi ran for their opponent, jumping at the last second, sending their knees into the tourist’s chest, bouncing back into a handspring, and landing back on their feet. The opponent fell from the lifted ring onto the surrounding cushions.
“Mi-gea Abund-ance-Oh!” the crowd exclaimed, cheering the short but fun spectacle as Nomi bowed.
“Whoa, that was fast!” the referee said. “I hope the rest of the matches tonight don’t go by that fast, otherwise I spent more time setting up than actually showing.” His joke fell flat as the crowd deadpanned him.
Sabani took another bite from his stick as the next opponent climbed into the ring, raising a flag to show he was from another settlement, causing the crowd to boo, which Nomi used as fuel, expressing intense disdain.
“I’ll snatch that flag and cover it with dirt before I really start giving you trouble!” Nomi barked in the questionable accent.
“Do you really think you could defeat me, Mi-gea!?” The opponent sneered, putting on a more believable accent that caused Nomi to rear and gasp, before ripping off his mask to reveal himself as Okatara-Mun, a Mumistian with canine-like features and a fur mix of black and white which was covered by his orange, gray, and red clothing.
“O-Okatara…Mun!?” Nomi stuttered, shaking.
“You did well against that no-name, but could a neophyte like you give me a real fight?” Okatara-Mun challenged. His false accent forcing ‘real’ to sound like ‘rio’.
“W-wh-well-why, y-yes… Yes, yes, I can… A-and I will! As a matter of a fact, it’s I that should be questioning you, Okatara, should I go all out, or hold back, as I did with the last one I cast from my territory?”
Missing the referee’s clap to start the match, Nomi was shocked by Okatara-Mun’s speed. He flew across the ring, bit onto Nomi’s cloak, twisted around, and slammed Nomi into the center of the ring. “You forgot the Mun,” he whispered in a broken accent. Nomi let out a wheeze as he was tossed from the ring, past the cushions, and into the crowd. Flailing in slow motion, Nomi questioned the series of events before looking down to see Okatara-Mun standing on all fours, pushing off the ground to become bipedal again.
“Ah-hahaha! Okatara-Mun, the Great and Powerfuru, wins another match! Is there no one else who can challenge me-uh?” Sabani laughed loudly at the quick failure of the ‘Hero of Lanai;, joined by a higher-pitched laugh which caught his attention. Curious as to who else held his humor, he looked for the source and saw Airakase, another peer, dressed eerily similar to him, in a red kimono with a pink floral pattern and gray highlights. Her bright blonde hair, catching the festival lights, hung past her waist as she bellowed a deep hearty laugh that was rare from her.
The sight of her caused Sabani to grow red, lowering his head and clearing his throat before taking another bite from his stick, however Kaorai, offended by her laughs, rushed to Nomi’s side, clutching their hands in his, as Nomi looked to him.
“Go.. And avenge.. Mi-gea, Kubo.” Letting go, Nomi dramatically acted out a death scene, causing Kaorai to look to the sky and give out a cry.
Climbing onto the ring, Kaorai donned Nomi’s mask and assumed their pose before declaring in an exaggerated accent, “Mi-gea Abund-ance-Oh! Will fight you… Okatara Mun!”
“Oi,” Okatara-Mun barked, snarling. “Another one? Haven’t you learned? No matter how much you try, you’ll never beat me. Now go home before I take you out too!”
“Something you obviously haven’t figured out during your short stay here, Okatara-Mun… Is that we are all Mi-gea! Because we all hold the Abund-ance inside of us, OH!” Kaorai says, attempting to copy the awful accent that Nomi had put on.
The referee clapped his hands to start, and the two ran for each other, taking fighting poses as they neared. Okatara-Mun attempted the same tackle but missed. Kaorai ducked, dodged, rolled, and slid past the dog-like opponent, only for Okatara-Mun to spring off the rope, shoulder-checking Kaorai and sending him sliding back to the center. Standing, Kaorai returned to his fighting pose as the crowd cheered.
Kaorai steadied himself, his heart pounding with anticipation. The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers echoing through the night. Okatara-Mun’s canine features twisted into a sneer, showing his disdain for yet another challenger.
“You think you can beat me?” Okatara-Mun growled, his voice dripping with contempt.
Kaorai adjusted Nomi’s mask. He adopted a pose, mimicking the dramatic stance Nomi had used. “Mi-gea Abund-ance-Oh! will defeat you, Okatara Mun!” he declared, his voice booming over the noise of the crowd.
The referee clapped his hands to signal the start of the second round, and the two combatants charged for each other. Okatara-Mun attempted the same tackle, but Kaorai was ready. He ducked, rolled, and slid past Okatara-Mun with surprising agility. The crowd’s cheers grew louder, their excitement palpable.
Okatara-Mun quickly recovered, springing off the ropes and aiming another shoulder check at Kaorai. But this time, Kaorai was prepared. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and countered with a swift kick to Okatara-Mun’s midsection. The canine-like opponent staggered back, momentarily winded.
Seizing the opportunity, Kaorai launched a series of quick, precise strikes, each one landing with a satisfying thud. Okatara-Mun growled in frustration, attempting to land a hit of his own, but Kaorai was too quick, evading each attack with practiced ease.
The crowd was on the edge of their seats, their eyes glued to the ring. Sabani, still munching on his food, watched intently, his earlier laughter replaced with genuine interest. Airakase, who had been laughing heartily at Nomi’s earlier defeat, now cheered for Kaorai along with the crowd.
However, it wasn’t enough, as Okatara-Mun’s signature, the ‘Dogu-Kicku’, was finally used. Okatara-Mun raised his paw and gave a bark, quickly turning and lowering his body, sweeping Kaorai’s feet and sending him tumbling into the ring, where Okatara-Mun pounced and gave a final kick which sent Kaorai off the ring and into the cushions below.
As Kaorai held onto his chest from the kick, Okatara-Mun looked amongst the crowd who cheered. Realizing that Kaorai’s point wasn’t to beat him, but was to show that Mi-gea, and by extension, Lanai, could take on, maybe not yet defeat, but at least stand up to what the outside world has to offer. Before the next challenger entered, Okatara-Mun, as well as Sabani and Airakase, looked to Kaorai and gave him a nod of respect, with Nomi, now recovered from their terrifying defeat, rushing to their friend’s side, congratulating and thanking him for not letting Mi-gea go down so easily.
As the evening wore on, Urasadi and Hotonashi found themselves in a stall selling traditional festival masks. Urasadi picked up a mask decorated with intricate patterns and held it up to his face. “What do you think?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled.
Hotonashi giggled, adjusting the mask slightly. “It suits you. Very mysterious.”
Urasadi grinned behind the mask, slipping it into his bag before they continued their stroll through the festival. The lights twinkled overhead, casting a warm glow over the streets. They passed by stalls selling everything from handmade jewelry to delicious street food, the scents of various dishes wafting through the air.
Almost three hours into the festival, just after Vos-Taurtul finished their performance, the announced dance commenced. Kanane and Kotaru, two more students, set the mood with their singing and bass playing respectively, Kotaru occasionally offering soft, deeper backing vocals. Among the crowd was Hayashi, Kanane’s cousin, who smiled at his kin’s performance, being taken on a nostalgic trip when he heard her begin to play a pair of small drums that oddly complemented their duet. As usual, Hayashi said nothing and didn’t particularly look at the passing people, simply leaning against a light pole and watching the stage.
Nearby, Gaidoshu, dressed in a white hazmat jumpsuit adorned with hand-drawn colorful cartoon characters, let out a rattling noise through his half-face respirator. “This isn’t so bad,” said Kuremu, another student standing beside the hunched Gaidoshu. He smiled as he watched Kowasuki, dressed in a red and black kimono with purple and navy blue firefly patterns matching her dark blue hair, dance with Kakkonosu, whose attire matched hers with dark blue and black colors and a light blue and white grasshopper pattern.
“Should… have asked her,” Gaidoshu stated after a few seconds, prompting an awkward laugh from Kuremu.
“No, I… You think?” Kuremu questioned for a second before shaking his head and continuing, his thoughts bringing him down. “No, I… They look much better. I mean, I didn’t even dress for the occasion.” Kuremu said, giving a quick glance to his regular clothing, a deep blue short sleeved shirt, with orange seams “Plus, I don’t really know how to… dance, just kind of… waddle back and forth.”
Gaidoshu stared at his friend, knowing more was about to come. His short wavy hair was split and wet as always.
“And you know, they’re a lot closer. I get along with Suki, but she and Konosu are always together. It would have been strange to walk up and have him just kind of watching while I got rejected, you know? No, this… this isn’t so bad.”
“You already… said that.”
“Did I? Well… just reiterating it, I guess. It isn’t. Nice food, fun games. Music’s been pretty good, really cool seeing a bunch of bands live. We’ve never seen that in person. I haven’t ever seen a Hosoda and Ichihara on stage together. And look, I won this little thing.” Raising a transparent plastic-lidded cup, Kuremu showed a small idiosyncratic creature with an elongated, worm-like torso, a strong, thick tail, an elevated head on a thick neck, and a set of round eyes that stared ahead. It coiled around a stick, its ape-like arms holding onto it, taking a defensive posture with a flick of its forked tongue. “Huh, guess it doesn’t care for you?”
“It’s… like a… reptile?” Gaidoshu questioned, his respirator letting out more rattles as he took heavy breaths between words. He recognized its neon-blue striped pattern on a black and red background of keeled dorsal scales, a sign of toxicity.
“No idea, I’ll have to ask Yoshisawa later. For now, all I know is it’s really cool, and I’ve never seen anything like it. The guy I won it from said it eats most living things, from insects to mammals. Called it a curious little bastard that can be fairly destructive if left unattended and said it’s as easy as it is difficult to befriend.” Looking at the creature through the cup, Kuremu smiled. “I don’t know, I think it’s kind of cute.”
As Kanane and Kotaru finished up their act, they introduced onto stage, Getsueikiritel, a large, intimidating bald headed man who happened to be the head of the city’s military. All of the named characters thus far have been under Getsueikiritel’s indirect tutelage the past five years of their lives, working towards the opportunity to be sent to Caipat as envoy’s for Lanai.
“First of all, on behalf of myself and my brother. Thank. You. For participating in Lanai’s sixtieth foundance-day.” Getsueikiritel’s rough, hoarse voice broke Sabani’s soul, as he was on his way to finally ask Airakase to dance, only to be reminded of the years of favoritism he had been shown with frequent beatings and punishments at the hands of Getsueikiritel. “For the guests and migrants, I. Am. Getsueikiritel Entenryu, the brother of this settlement’s leader. Normally, he handles these events. But… He’s busy.” Emphasizing ‘busy’, Getsueikiritel explained he would name the children who held the top scores in the city and were therefore chosen to be the twenty sent to the capital of the country, Caipat. Most festivities halted out of respect for one of the settlement’s leaders and the first generation of Lanai Initiates, who had trained hard to be prepared for the outside world.
“Bunkara, Chikai,” Getsueikiritel started, causing Chikai to pause his conversation with one of the dancers he had been watching earlier and smile, proud of passing when he had been certain he wouldn’t. “Histori, Urasadi,” led to abrupt laughter from Sabani and Airakase, ignored by Urasadi, who hoisted Hotonashi into the air and spun around, yelling in victory. “Hosoda, Kotaru,” caused a loud and piercing scream just off the stage, which the mic echoed. Hayashi lowered his head and turned to walk home, smiling when he heard both his and Kanane Ishihara’s names called. Sabani, with a face of pride and fake humility, let out a few “Calm down, yes, I’m Sabani Jaidai, but calm down now,” leading to applause, as his name was called next.
“Kaminaga, Kakkonosu,” came as no surprise as he had held top scores through the academy. Wrapping his arm around Kowasuki, he gave the crowd a forced smile, not holding any actual joy in his passing. Hearing his name, “Kichirou, Kuremu” clapped with everyone else as Gaidoshu placed a congratulatory hand on his shoulder. When Getsueikiritel called “Makita, Richaku,” Naruhatsu screamed in excitement, having been worried his lack of interest and laziness would have too lowly affected his scores for him to pass, before she jumped into a hug with him. “Mashimo, Kowasuki,” received the loudest applause, the younger sister of Goushida Karakai-Hōdan, a war hero of Lanai, as well as its most famous resident. Letting out a breath of relief that she had been holding for weeks, a wide, colorful smile ran across her face as Kakkonosu embraced her in a hug, her eyes becoming misty from joy. “Royama, Gaidoshu,” was called, but overshadowed by applause for Kowasuki, with only Kuremu offering him a high-five, reciprocated with a hidden smile.
Applause and whistles calmed, only for a moment before rising again as “Sakatani, Tensakami,” is heard over the speakers. While the applause is loud, it comes to surprise no one as Tensakami was considered by most in the settlement that knew him to be the best of his peers, surpassing everyone generally and only being rivaled by few in their specific fields. Naruhatsu Sakurai’s name was overshadowed by the respect for Tensakami, similar to Gaidoshu’s previously, even Richaku looking away at the crowd around, ignorant to her name being called. “Sanjo, Hotonashi” was once again lifted in the air by Urasadi who celebrated her reveal more than she did, however both stop and become slightly depressed as they hear, “Sanjou, Airakase”, which causes Sabani to fist pump before freezing as he noticed her laughing at his expression.
As “Seiki, Kaorai,” was called, Sabani was hit with pie, unaware of Kaorai’s preparation, having known that his name was coming up. Shaking and wiping the pastry from his face and giving a hard blow from his nose to get the bits that flew in, stares intently at Kaorai who celebrates with a small dance before pointing at Sabani and calling out loudly,
“If you were a betting man, eh, Sab?! Well, looks like you would have lost!”
Gritting his teeth, Sabani expressed “Whatever” before walking away, done with Kaorai’s taunting.
While still getting an applause, the name “Yoe, Ara,” is called but is mostly met with questions as to her identity. Only Richaku had even noticed her standing on the balcony of her apartment earlier. He was the only one in the whole settlement that bothered trying to get to know her, as she made it clear several years ago that she wanted nothing to do with anyone.
The Yoshisawa stall explodes in cheers as Dobutsumé’s name is called, her parents squeezing her in a hug as her mother takes a moment to say in a warm, heartfelt embrace, “I’m so proud of you, Sumé!”
With only the name “Yujinko,” leaving Getsueikirite’s lips before Kaorai pointed and laughed at Sabanai again, as the announcer finished “Nomi,”
“That’s two for two, if I was a casino, I’d kneecap you right now for losing and being in so much debt!” Gritting his teeth by Kaorai’s joyful taunt, Sabani rolls his eyes. A lot of the other studnets gave expressions of disappointment and sadness, causing a direct statement from Getsueikirite.
“I see a lot of sad warriors in the crowd, as you realize I’ve gotten to the end of the list, alphabetically. To those of you that failed… Classes resume next month. Do. Better.” Stopping himself, he lets the crowd finish their celebration for those who passed before explaining “To those who can count, this was only nineteen names. While his scores weren’t good enough to pass… I personally am going to pass just one more student.” The crowd grew silent, several of the failed students lifting their heads, hoping for it to be them. “Gakizuka, Shisei.” is a name that no one, especially the trainers of the academy expected as not only gasps escape the crowd but questions, not just of the decision but of the military leader himself. Even Urasadi and Hotonashi who spend almost everyday with Shisei pause out of surprise as no applause is given.
“Next up is Missing-Trees.” Getsueikiritel stated, leaving the stage to a silent crowd, broken by Kuremu’s hesitant claps, not wanting to bring attention to himself, but swallowed his anxiety and gave a few more harder claps, before Kowasuki began to clap with him, quickly leading to Kakkonosu to join as well, with more and more of the crowd slowly growing to give a couple of soft claps, but not nearly as much as they had for everyone else. A few last minute cries as some of the failed students couldn’t believe they had been out shined by Shisei, of all people.
“Hey… where is Shisei anyways?” Hotonashi questioned as Urasadi shrugged.
“Probably at the gym.”
The night continued to buzz with excitement, the festival in full swing despite most students having failed. Music by the Missing-Trees, laughter, and the clinking of glasses filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere of celebration. The residents of Lanai and visitors from beyond mingled, enjoying the festivities and the sense of community that permeated the event. The vibrant lights, the joyful faces, and the rich sounds of the festival created an enchanting scene, one where the hardships of the day were momentarily forgotten, replaced by a shared joy that bound everyone together. As the night deepened, the sense of unity grew stronger, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all who were present.