[Touken Ranbu] Summer Sinks to the Riverbed

When I was in my teens, I liked going to shrines with my friends even more. All my offering money went to Sugawara no Michizane, and I hardly visited Grandpa's country home anymore. Summer, the hills behind the house, and the forest were all sealed away in my memories. When I woke up, I realized I'd slept even longer than I had as a child. The neighbors brought over eggplants and little cucumbers, and Mom added a few ingredients to make an appetizer. Maybe they'd all read my essay, because they even brought up the line, "Kappa like eating them too." I said, "Kappa don't like eating them at all." And just like that, the secret wasn't a secret anymore.

*No romantic pairing. A 4,000-plus-character, one-chapter short story told in flashbacks. A story about mistaking Hotarumaru for a kappa.

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