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Chapter 3-56. Cleaning up
After the performance, the place was filled with tremendous cheers and applause.
The oni who had been performing were exhausted and slumped down on the spot.
Raiki was no exception, kneeling on one knee and resting on the stage.
But once the sound was gone, I felt lonely, or rather, empty.
After having so many sounds pounded into your body, it’s not surprising that it becomes a part of your body.
It’s like that feeling of lightness you get when you do fine work after a hardcore workout.
It sticks with you all the time.
Anyway, I decided to bring water to the oni who were performing.
“Thank you for your hard work”
“Oh~ everyone! The princess has come!”
“Well, let’s have another hit.”
“Hey, old man! Stop pushing yourself!”
“You’re no different!”
They are laughing and squabbling on the spot, as if they can’t even stand up anymore.
The oni is in good spirits, even at their age, Is what I reaffirmed myself.
I was surprised because I didn’t expect Raiki wants to play the drum again, didn’t expect he was this energetic..
“Thanks for all your hard work Raiki. That was awesome.”
“Ha-ha-ha. I never thought I would receive such praise from Ouren-sama. This body is not to be underestimated.”
He managed to stand up by lifting his heavy body while saying so.
He stumbled a little, so I quickly helped him up, but I thought it would be better if he took his time, so I made him sit down again.
“I told you to not overdo it. You exerted yourself so hard.”
“God, I’m getting old. 

 I used to have no trouble with this.”
Raiki said so with a nostalgic look.
I don’t know what he was thinking, but his gaze looks a little melancholic.
“Raiki- Oji-san!”
Then Alena jumped on Raiki.
Raiki quickly took a catch and let the impact go.
I watched her, wondering how it is possible to lose the impact while sitting down.
“That was amazing!”
“Good to hear that. It was worth all the energy I put into it.”
Raiki ruffled Alena’s head and stroked it.
Perhaps Raiki had come out here just for Alena.
He said she was his first human guest, and maybe he wanted to show her a good thing.
Then someone jumped down from the portable shrine and ran toward us.
From the position from which he came down, I guessed it was Reizen.
I looked in that direction and saw Reizen running toward me, waving his hand.
“How was that?”
“When did you learn to play the taiko drums?”
“Heh heh heh heh. It’s a secret!”
I felt like to smack him, but I had to suppress that feeling, because it was thanks to Reizen that I was able to get this excited.
If I smack him anyway, he would be whited out again.
It would be a bother if that happened again.
“Boys! We’re cleaning up now!”
“Is it that time already?”
The time for fun goes by quickly.
The taiko drums are cleaned up by the young Oni, the portable shrines are somehow managed to be moved, and the rice sacks are taken apart and put away in the castle’s storage building.
The Oni, who had been enjoying the performance, cleaned up their assigned areas.
The stalls were stowed away and the lanterns were put away.
However, the lanterns hanging between the roofs were to be put away tomorrow morning because it was dangerous to put them away while they were still lit.
Of course, the person who lit the lanterns would put out the fire.
They don’t want to end up like that big fire.
The clean-up went without a hitch, and the villagers went home to bed.
The sound of the drums still lingered in my body, and I did not feel sleepy at all.
But my body was probably tired.
As soon as I entered the bed, I fell asleep as if my consciousness had been cut off.
It seems that I was not the only one who immediately fell asleep.
I guess I’m going to sleep well today. Let’s take it easy today.
◆
Did my eyes 

 open 

?
The reason why it is in question form is because I was convinced that I was dreaming here.
I’m alone in the dark again, in the spotlight.
I look around, but no one seems to be around yet except for me.
Ooooooi
 Here, I’m using my finger to talk to you. Heyoooo!
It should be possible to hear me, so it’s not surprising that one of those three people is there. 


Well, I can tell you that it doesn’t make sense to me because I can hardly have a conversation when I’m there, but I can understand that they are trying to tell me something

.
The most crucial thing to remember is that I can’t use my skills or even speak at all here in this inconvenient place.
Or maybe it’s just that their voices can’t reach me, but they can hear me.
How complicated it is.
Then, another spotlight was shined in front of me.
In it stood that man, also dressed in white, and a woman dressed in black.
It seemed that the pastor was absent today.
As soon as they came out, the man in white pointed his index finger and then made a big sweeping motion with both arms.
Most likely, he is saying that his name is not my index finger.
The woman in black seems to be trying hard to hold back her laughter, but she obviously can’t.
Ah, my bad, she says. So?
Seriously, who the hell are you guys! No shit!
Such a vivid image of the same person appears twice.
I guess this is not just a dream.
I don’t know what kind of technique this is, but I hope they tell me the 

 requirements as soon as possible.
Then the man in white points at himself again.
I know this means “himself”.
The problem is after that.
He raised his index finger to the sky again.
I don’t know what this means.
I had no idea what that was supposed to mean!
He made a troubled face and scratched his cheek.
I was more troubled than he was.
Then, this time, the woman raised her hand.
She put her hand on herself in the same way and expressed, “I am”.
After that, she kicked the ground with her foot several times.
I 

 am 

 feet?
She shook her head in answer.
Apparently that was wrong.
After that, the woman lies down on her side and flops on the ground.
I can’t help but wonder what she means by 

her pointing at the ground?


 she is the ground?
Then the woman snapped her fingers and giggled as if to say, “Hell yeah!” She laughed bitterly as if to say, “excuse me”
I don’t know what’s so interesting about this.
No matter how hard I try to wrap my head around it, I can’t seem to read what these guys are trying to say.
The woman repeatedly tapped the ground, but I couldn’t seem to unravel anything more from what she was showing me.
The man looked like he was having a good time and waved his hand in the air again.
I have no idea why he had to look at me like that, but for some reason it made me want to slap him.
But since I couldn’t touch him, I said, “Somehow you’re pissing me off, you know,” and left it at that for now.
He seemed slightly taken back by that, but by that time the light had shrunk and gone out.
It was the same for me, and the light shut off again, and it was pitch black.