Chapter Text
“They lite it! Look, look!” Jun’s enthused cry made Nasutei chuckle.
“Yes, Jun, we see,” she said with a smile as the little boy bounced on his heels next to her. She was going to blame Touma for that; she had warned him the treats he had picked for them all were way too sugary and here were the results: a little boy on sugar high who would need to be carefully corralled for the rest of the evening.
But, the young woman amended, glancing at the Troopers who were spread out around her, watching the bonfire on Daimonji-Yama with interest, calm or delight rivaling Jun’s, she couldn’t find it in herself to scold anyone tonight.
It wasn’t so often that the seven of them (eight, if you counted Byakuen who had made himself scarce tonight as to not frighten festival goers) had a chance to properly see each other now that Arago was defeated once for all. Invitations had been sent but it was hard to find the right time to meet. Each of the boys and even herself had social obligations they couldn’t avoid – school, work, kendo competitions, families who weren’t in a hurry to let them go now they had their sons back in one piece despite the odds,…
Tonight was different, though.
After all, when invited to come down to Kyoto to see the Gozan no Okuribi, who could even say ‘no’? Especially when the trip was entirely funded by that charming, very responsible young lady who had watched over their boys during the thick of the fighting?
Thanks the Kami for the Yagyu family’s fortune, Nasutei thought ruefully. But she was NOT going to regret anything. Watching the ‘Dai’ character burning as the boys chatted made it all worthwhile, in her opinion – just as seeing them in traditional clothes made her want to snap as many pictures as she could to remember the moments. Seiji looked incredibly dignified in his yukata (perhaps a little too much, which may or may not explain why Shuu had tussled the blond Trooper’s hair earlier before running off while cackling) and so did Shin, but Ryo and Shuu? Not to much. You could tell neither of them usually wore kimonos.
They should have taken a leaf out of Touma’s and Jun’s book and opted for a Jinbei, Nasutei smiled a little. It might be less impressive but it was perfectly acceptable as summer wear during festivals and it wasn’t as if their hotel was very far.
“How long until the next bonfire is lite?” Shin asked politely to her ear, a hand on Jun’s shoulder to stop him from bouncing even more – or worse, try to wander away and get lost in the crowd, which none of them wanted. When it came to child-wrangling, he had learned a lot out of Shuu.
“Three minutes,” Nasutei replied after discreetly checking her watch, mindful of not showing too much of her wrist or forearm when her yukata’s sleeve slide. “It is something, don’t you think?”
“Wondrous,” Shin nodded. He looked… content. More relaxed than Nasutei could remember seeing him before. And why wouldn’t he? Back with his friends but with no demons to threaten their lives or their worlds, having a good spot at one of Kyoto’s most famous matsuri, and having spirited debates with Shuu or even Touma over street foods when he wasn’t discussing bonsai and ikebana with Seiji or fish species with Ryo – or keeping an eye on Jun, like now.
He was being a normal teenagers. ALL the Troopers were being normal teenagers right now.
Yes, the young woman thought as she accepted a yakitori a grinning Shuu handed to her as the ‘Myo’ character started to blaze, she definitely didn’t regret organizing this trip at all.
Though next time, maybe she’d pick something a little less expensive for her wallet. It wasn’t as if the summer holidays didn’t have other, closer bonfires for them to pick, after all…