[December 31, 2021, 20:00]
...
In the night sky of the festival day, what could not be missing was the beautiful fireworks.
Everyone, dressed in old-time outfits, ventured out in groups of threes and fours, wearing yukata, stepping on wooden clogs, and holding paper bowls of steaming hot octopus dumplings, treading over slightly damp bluestone bricks and moss-covered stone steps.
The bustling festival server was filled with such people at this time.
In front of a stand selling octopus dumplings stood a woman wearing a blood-colored mask.
Brilliant red cords twined through her pitch-black hair, knotted at the back of her head, revealing a pair of deep black eyes that were like obsidian: dark, calm, and steady.
She wore a kimono embroidered with cherry blossoms, silently receiving the octopus dumplings from the enthusiastic store owner.