Itadaki no Hecate Second

Day of Festivity

The mushy display was cue enough for the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter to leave them alone. She had not moved from the spot she sat from, and there was nothing more to see with her highly keen eyes. Walking down the road home, she took out a piece of melon bread and began to chew into it.

"Not many Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens learn how to fly," Alastor told her. Noting his partner's face show some envy, he comforted her. "Bring out your wings at your own pace," he said figuratively. "You still have not even learned to release the full might of the crimson flame, but it will come in due time."

Episode 12: Day of Festivity

The long-awaited day finally arrived, and the announcement of the Seishu Festival's opening was greeted with many cheers. At Class 1-2, the stars lined up to show off their costumes in front of their classmates before the parade would begin.

From the left, Shana adjusted her conical oil can-like hat. Rather than plain cylindrical tubes as would be expected of the Tin Man, she had donned a kite-shaped breastplate that was not too bulky or too thin, and her arms and legs had a more streamlined design. If the Tin Man was meant to look like an old-fashioned robot, then her outfit made her appear more like a knight-like cyborg, if not for the hat and her long dark hair. The axe prop in her hand, while on a long pole, retained a more classic design. For modesty's sake in the case of a wardrobe malfunction, she also wore a black long-sleeved shirt and matching tights under her paper mache armor.

Next to her was a very self-conscious Kazumi Yoshida. Due to the nature of the parade, standards had to be met in terms of how much of her natural assets could be exploited and exposed, but her female classmates, Kimiko Nakamura in particular, had indeed been very creative. She wore a suit of short light brown fur from her paw-like feet up to her neck, where a mane of a slightly darker shade encircled from shoulder to shoulder, looking more like a fluffy collar. The outfit fit her stunningly well, almost as if it really were a second layer of skin and fur, and did nothing to hide the shape of her voluptuous front or her curvy thighs. On the top of her head, matching the color of her own light brown locks, was a pair of cat ears. Many a male who caught even a sidelong gaze of the Cowardly Lioness instantly felt their knees melt while stiffening themselves at the same time; the girl fidgeted her paws with a blushing face, while her tail swished from side to side.

"I told you I had something nice planned," Nakamura said with a wink. "I asked Heca-tan here to make the effort in getting the measurements just right."

"So that's why you were taking so much time measuring every inch of me before," Kazumi said shyly while pouting.

Beside her was the Scarecrow, Keisaku Satou, who by far had the plainest and most simple costume among them, a regular white shirt and patterned overalls with straw tucked under his sleeves. While he did end up having to wear a straw hat that was somewhat itchy to the scalp, as per his demand, he did not have to wear the wooden poles that were meant to restrict him from the spine, and they remained unused in a corner of the room.

Hecate, dressed as the heroine Dorothy, still wore the same light blue Lolita dress and red shoes she had shown off before. This time, an addition was made to the dress in the form of a big white bow tied to the top of her hair. To her comfort and contentment, she noticed Yuji admiring her cuteness out of the corner of her eye and allowed herself a small smile. Her faithful dog Toto sat next to her...

Literally, on the floor, dressed in the full mascot outfit of a dog up to his nose and with a collar around his neck, Ike had his rump on the ground like his legs had given way completely.

"You alright Ike?" Yuji asked.

"Y-Yeah, don't worry about me," his friend mumbled. "I'm still just a little tired."