That μ's concert was amazing, wasn't it?

Yes. The way they put the stage so close to the audience gave the show a real sense of intimacy.

And while that style of live show isn't so unusual, I have to say the atmosphere really did feel different.

I think that having so many people in attendance from the members' hometown was a big factor.

They've known so many of those people for such a long time. For μ's, it must've felt like a homecoming.

I thought so, too. Like the vibe was just bursting with friendliness, or something…

In other words, kind of like when everyone's watching neighborhood kids do a recital?

Kind of like that, yeah!

Of course the show was awesome, but the Daikoku Festival was a blast too. I felt like such a fool for never having gone before.

I always thought those traditional ceremonies had nothing to do with my life, but in retrospect, I realized I just never made an effort to learn about them.

Uh, that little hammer that they waved over my head? I thought that was interesting.

I felt some kind of power when they did it to me!

And then you pulled a really positive fortune, Lanzhu! That just proves how lucky you are.

Yes. And that fortune is something I will always treasure.

I think we're even bigger fans of festivals now than we were before!

I certainly feel that I have a better appreciation for festivals after this experience.

They are about so much more than simply people getting together to have fun.

I left believing that it's the deepening of the bonds between the people, as well as their connection to their local community, that makes the festival fun for all.

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

I'm not usually great with huge crowds of people, but I wouldn't say no to another festival like that one.

I also want to attend many different kinds of festivals!

Traditional festivals… Even a basic search brings up so many results.

What kinda results did you get?

Curious about this one. The Ryusei Festival in Saitama.

Does it have its own traditions?

People craft rockets by hand, and then launch them.

Sounds like a very futuristic festival to me.

Says here that people in the area have been making rockets and launching them for centuries.

That's out of this world!

Yeah… I can't help but be curious to see that.

It's so romantic! A lovely tradition handed down for generations. How torrid!

So what about Odaiba? Doesn't it have its own festivals?

Well, there's the big celebration hosted by the TV station during summer break.

That's not what I'm talking about. I mean shrine-based festivals that have been happening forever!

Do we have festivals like that?

I dunno… Any of you all know of one?

Now that you mention it, I'm not sure I've ever heard of any…

Umm, actually, I got curious about that yesterday and did a bit of research.

Apparently Odaiba is a relatively new town built on reclaimed land, so it doesn't have much history or tradition yet.

Which is also why there aren't any local gods that people have been worshipping since olden times.

There is one shrine in Odaiba at Aqua City, but it hasn't got any festivals associated with it.

That's too bad…

But if you think about it, Nijigasaki doesn't really have too many local students. I mean almost everyone, including me, comes from other places.

Shizuko, you're from Kamakura right?

Yup.

With the town itself being new, it stands to reason there aren't many people living here, you know?

Even now, there's stuff under construction everywhere you go… It's like the place isn't even finished being built yet.

That's kind of sad to think about…

Yeah, it feels a little melancholy.

But on the other hand, you could also say that Odaiba's being built up into a brand-new place for people to gather, couldn't you?

That's true. It brought us together, after all!

Yes, nicely said.

A new gathering place… Thinking about it like that makes me love Odaiba even more…

I know! Since we're all here today, why don't we do a bit of Odaiba sightseeing together?

Let's do it!