It's here. Today's the day, Akari thought again.
She'd been thinking it all morning: while she got dressed before dawn, as she ate a hearty breakfast courtesy of Usagi, and as she went through her last-minute checks to make sure everything was ready for the festival to start in a couple hours. She was halfway through sweeping the trail between Shinjō and the shrine when she finally broke the cycle and thought, I feel good about this. I think things will go pretty well, even if we don't get many visitors. It's just our first year, so I don't expect much.
She finished cleaning up the trail, clearing the freshly repaired pathway of any stray sticks and rocks that could cause someone to trip, then she returned to the main clearing. Despite the early hour, it was bustling with activity thanks to all the volunteers on loan from other shrines around town. Young women ran to and fro in vibrant red and white miko outfits, priests in formal robes and rounded black hats applied decorations to the festival stands, and plainclothes workers brought in fresh ingredients and boxes of other supplies. Many of them were old friends, but they didn't just stick to the people they knew. As Shinto practitioners, they were all part of the same extended community and they greeted each new face with open arms and beaming smiles.
Akari waved at acquaintances both new and old as she made her way to a booth that was nearly filled to bursting with small brown paper bags. The bags were stapled shut and unlabeled, but a giant poster made it very clear what they could contain. Full color photographs of all the possible prizes were arranged in descending order of both flashiness and rarity, with simple and concise explanations beneath each. At a glance, it seemed that every bag had a wooden figure of a fox or other animal and one redemption ticket, with a chance of an additional prize.
"The sign looks great," she said aloud. "Good idea with the instant photos."
From behind a pile of brown bags, a voice said, "Thanks. I wanted to be able to rearrange the sign if I needed to change the rarity for some reason."
Akari stood on her tiptoes to try to see the source of the voice, but she was too buried. There must have been over 300 bags in there. "Are you in costume?"
A pale face framed by long grey hair appeared between two piles of bags. It was Hebi, and she said, "Yes, but I'm not confident I can keep up the disguise. I've never had to pretend to be human before."
Akari chuckled. "Not confident? Who are you and what have you done to Hebi?" Then she shook her head. "With your skills, you'll be fine, as long as you keep your tail out of sight."
Hebi shrugged her shoulders. "I prefer when all of me is out of sight."
Akari felt a little bad for her part Hebi's predicament. About 48 hours prior, Akari had met with Inara over breakfast to review the festival status. Akari mentioned that she would have a hard time explaining to the other volunteers that she worked at such a large shrine all alone. Inara had pitched a creative solution: if Akari could whip up some miko outfits, Inara would use a bit of magic to make Hebi, Inu, and Usagi visible to human visitors so that they could pose as shrine maidens and help out. But it couldn't hide their ears and tails, so Usagi and Inu would need to act like they were in cosplay. Hebi didn't have animal ears, but her tail was far too large and dynamic to pass off as cosplay, so she was warned to keep it wrapped up under her clothes.
As soon as Akari had told Hebi about the plan, she sighed and said, "I'm sure that Inara was thrilled to have an excuse to dress us up like shrine maidens…" Inu had reacted similarly, but Usagi was quite excited. It had Akari wondering if cosplay was a regular part of Usagi's relationship with Inara…
Akari didn't have time for daydreaming, so she forced her thoughts back to the present. And to get Hebi off the topic she was so uncharacteristically nervous about, Akari said, "Is there anything I should know about your grab bags, in case I need to help out later?"
Hebi's narrow eyes almost sparkled. "Yes, there is. First, we aren't calling them grab bags. They're 'Blessing Bags', and each one is personally blessed by the nameless goddess of this shrine."
Akari thought, Now that every bag has a wooden figure that Inara made, I guess that's true, for a certain definition of 'blessed'.
Hebi continued, "And I'm letting people pick out their own bags, so there's no accusations of unfairness. I've already mixed them up, but I'll shuffle them again whenever I fill in the gaps. Don't let anyone grab and squish them, though. Some of the figures are fragile, and it could give away the secondary prizes."
Akari asked, "Secondary? You mean like the custom miko outfit?"
"Yep. Those prizes are written on a small card inside, same as the tickets that people can collect and redeem for another bag. I'll show you how to confirm that the coupons and tickets are genuine later." She paused and hummed in thought for a second, then said, "Oh, and tickets are totally transferable between guests, but they have no cash value and cannot be redeemed without a complete set of 10 different animals." She pointed to a smaller poster with a bunch of clipart animals on it. "The dragon and snake are secretly the rarest, so they're the only ones with counterfeit protection."
Akari blinked vacantly. Even though she'd been involved in the original brainstorming, there was a lot more to this than she'd expected. She decided to trust Hebi on the little details and focus on big concerns. "And this is all legal?"
"Very. I refreshed myself on human law and I printed the terms of service on every ticket in legible font." She lowered her voice and added, "Very small font, but technically legible."
Her voice returned to a normal level and she added, "Oh, and the entire run of figures is limited edition, never to be released in the same poses ever again. I made sure to mark the originals after the Boss copied them, so I'd never be tempted to bring them back and break that promise." A smug grin appeared on her face, the return of her normal confidence. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's delayed gratification. I'd never risk my long-term goals for short-term profits."
"Uh, that's nice to know," Akari said, trying not to put too much thought into the 'delayed gratification' thing. After walking in on Hebi and Inara's private time, things had become a little awkward between Akari and them.
If Hebi was aware of Akari's feelings, she didn't show it. She waved a hand at a small gap between piles of paper bags and said, "Here are a couple sample figures for people that want to see them up close. I carved 'Property of Mori-jinsha' on the bottom of them, but keep an eye on them just in case."
Akari picked one up and was immediately impressed. It was a fox based on Inari's messenger spirits and it had a sheaf of wheat in its mouth. It looked hand carved and unique, even though Inara's magic helped mass produce them. A quick comparison against the poster revealed that this was the Male Wheat Messenger Fox figure. Its paired mate was in a slightly different pose, but you couldn't really tell the intended gender by looking.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Akari set it back down. She had a few more things she needed to check on before the festival opened to the public, so she couldn't dawdle here. "They look great and I think people will love them. I'll be doing the rounds all day, so give me a shout if you need a break or anything."
"You got it. Good luck out there, Akari."
"You too, Hebi."
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The festival began at 10AM, but attendance didn't really pick up until noon. When people thought of festivals, they usually thought of food too, and the hungry guests that hiked the long trail to the shrine were not disappointed.
The rich scent of fried sweet potatoes was the first thing visitors smelled, but it was far from the only food on offer. Adorable bento boxes with rice, veggies, and optional meat were perfect for a midday meal, and Usagi had even added inarizushi to the menu as another on-the-go snack. Usagi herself was hard at work, acting as head chef to several booths of volunteer helpers.
Other booths sold fortunes and keychains, paper umbrellas, and even kimonos. The wife of one of the volunteering priests ran a small kimono store and Akari thought that its presence would make a nice addition to the event. And there were informational stands as well. Guests could learn about Shintoism or the history of this shrine from a genuine Shinto priest, and there would be ritual demonstrations throughout the day.
But the focus of most guest's attention, and the runaway success of the festival, was Hebi's Blessing Bag shop. People of all ages had fallen in love with the figures, since they were basically handmade collectible gachas. And unlike the gacha vending machines all around town, these were limited edition, and had a built-in reward system for buying multiples.
People went crazy for them, to put it lightly. Groups of kids and teenagers gathered to trade figures and redemption tickets, while a few wealthy adults just kept buying bags until they got the figure they wanted.
"Come buy a Blessing Bag for yourself or a loved one! Give the gift of a pleasant surprise!" Hebi called out to a passing man, "Every bag comes with a ticket. Redeem all 10 for a free bag. And the redemption tickets can be redeemed at future festivals, so Blessing Bag gifts don't need to be opened today." For someone who normally only interacted with humans through the internet, she was a surprisingly effective saleswoman.
A young boy who was standing next to the booth added, "But you really should open them right away. If you get a dragon ticket, I'll trade a dog figure for it! It's the only ticket I need, and I don't like dogs."
A few feet away, a miko with ruffled blonde hair stopped her patrol and the fur on her tail bristled up. Inu was already on edge with all these strangers intruding on Inara's precious shrine, needing to act like a human was unpleasant, and now some kid was insulting dogs! But she calmed down quickly. She didn't have time to be bothered by a child when there was so much ground to cover. She was the only patrolling security guard for the entire festival and this many people was sure to produce trouble sooner or later.
She stomped off, earning a few stares and whispers about 'that grumpy cosplayer'. But despite her attitude, visitors did love the idea of shrine maidens dressed as cute animals.
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Later, Akari was helping with a small demonstration in front of the shrine steps. To a crowd of about 10 kids and adults, she said, "Long ago, this shrine was dedicated to the goddess Inari, but for reasons unknown, it was abandoned. For hundreds of years, local volunteers kept the building from rotting away, but it served no purpose."
She turned and gestured at the forest all around them. "But even without humans worshipping here, the spirits of the mountain remained. And now, thanks to support from a new benefactor and from visitors like you, we've reopened the shrine and dedicated it to the nameless mountain goddess who resides in this land."
Inara still wasn't comfortable being publicly known, so she and Akari had whipped up this story to tell the volunteers and the visiting public. So far it had gone over well and no one was prying too hard into the specifics.
After her speech, she split off to go check in on Hebi. She had seen all the brown paper bags guests were carrying, so the Blessings must have been selling well. She arrived at the booth to find it was barren. All the bags had sold and it wasn't even 4pm yet.
"Akari!" Hebi called out. "Just the woman I needed."
"That's me. What'd you need? And did all the bags really sell already?"
"They did indeed, and that's why I need you. Since every bag sold, that means that we gave out every prize, including both grand prizes." Hebi gestured with an open palm toward some people standing in front of the booth. "These wonderful people won the two custom miko outfits. Can you be a dear and get their measurements?"
Oh right, Akari thought, I guess I had agreed to put two of that prize in there, but I didn't think they'd all sell. This will be a lot of work… She put on a smile and said, "Absolutely. Who shall I start with?"
Hebi handed some measuring tape to Akari and pointed her toward a teenage girl. "This lovely young lady was the first to win the prize. Now that the booth is closed, you can lower the cloth cover and use it as a private place to take her measurements."
The girl looked maybe 14 at most, and she was smiling broadly the entire time Akari introduced herself. When asked whether she was excited for the miko outfit, the girl said, "Oh yes! I've always wanted to be a shrine maiden. I know this won't be the real thing, but I can't wait!"
Akari saw a lot of herself in the girl, and a lot that she wanted to encourage. As she guided the girl into the booth, she said, "That's great to hear. I'm the same way. I actually made my own miko outfit, back before I ever worked at a shrine." She lowered her voice and whispered, "But it was terrible, nearly falling apart. I'm a much better seamstress now."
The girl giggled. "That's good. Will my outfit be as nice as the one you're wearing now?"
"Even better. I'll make yours adjustable so you can keep wearing it as you grow. How does that sound?"
"Great!"
Akari got all the measurements she needed and the girl's name and address, then waved goodbye. It warmed her heart to see that young people were still interested in her faith.
Next up was a middle-aged couple, both with flecks of grey in their hair. Apparently, the husband had bought a couple Blessing Bags intending to give the figures to his nieces and nephews.
"We don't have any kids of our own, you see," the wife explained.
The man fidgeted, embarrassed, "I never expected to win this prize."
Akari felt a little apprehensive. This was exactly what she'd been worried about: a man winning the prize and wanting to put his wife or girlfriend in the miko outfit.
The woman put a hand on her husband's forearm. "But I'm excited to wear a cute shrine girl outfit!"
Oh? I guess I was wrong to assume. She's the one who wants it, Akari thought.
The woman followed Akari into the booth and said, "This is such a fun idea for a prize, and I'm hoping it will help us out."
"Huh? Help you with what?" Akari asked as she measured the woman's waist.
"My sister has three kids who are just the most wonderful and we spoil them whenever we can, but my husband and I really want a child of our own. But… Kaito's sex drive is rather low. I'm hoping this outfit can help." She lowered her voice, then added, "Can you make the skirt really short? He's got a thing for that."
"Uh… sure." Akari had no idea why this woman was being so open about her sex life. And Akari wasn't sure she liked the idea of the outfit she made being used in the bedroom. But the woman's genuine happiness and wholesome motive made Akari feel a lot better about it.
"Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to it arriving!" the woman called out when she left with her husband. Then she whispered something to him that made him smile, but Akari made sure to not think too much about it.
After the couple was far beyond earshot, Akari whispered, "When I was getting her measurements, that woman was weirdly candid about her sex life. It was… uncomfortable."
Hebi was unphased. "Ah, that was likely caused by Inara's aura. She was a fertility goddess for a long time and she still has that effect on people sometimes. Be glad she learned a way to keep it in check. I heard that one of her earlier festivals, a nighttime event that served free sake, got quite out of hand."
"Out of hand?" Akari asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Let's just say the town had a bit of a baby boom, and not everyone was sure who their baby's father was."
Akari's cheeks turned pink. "Oh. That kind of out of hand…"