Homu Praise the Four Seasons!

A place to stay temporarily...

Shu glanced at the surrounding shops.

Admittedly, the buildings here were quite tall, comparable to normal medieval human structures.

However, they still felt a bit cramped for them. The shop doorways were only just high enough for Bronya Zaychik; Kiana Kaslana would have to stoop slightly to enter.

Not to mention the taller Raiden Mei, and Shu himself, standing at exactly 1.8 meters.

They would likely have to walk hunched over like old folks constantly to move around inside.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble," Shu nodded after considering.

Whether the inn was dangerous or not, they'd go first and see. Anyway, Shu had no intention of turning off his protective shield, even while sleeping...

Forget it, he just wouldn't sleep. At worst, he'd use a bit of [Hope] to power his [Wish] and stay awake for a few nights. He could catch up on sleep properly after dealing with this situation.

The group of Homus set off, huddling around the humans. Shu did a quick headcount; dozens more Homus had joined the crowd surrounding them, and new ones kept joining intermittently along the way.

Are we some kind of rare species...?

Shu couldn't help but complain inwardly, though his face remained impassive.

His social anxiety was kicking in.

Of course, one reason he could maintain this stoic expression and just focus on walking was that Kiana and the others could easily handle the social interactions for him. He didn't need to worry about communication.

Mei had the social skills cultivated since childhood, Bronya was a sharp cookie herself, and then there was Kiana, the other kind of socially anxious person.

The kind that makes society anxious.

Freed from the need to interact, Shu once again expanded his scan, absorbing everything along the street into his mind.

Meanwhile, Kiana had already unleashed her natural talent and befriended several Homus.

Someone's jealous, I won't say who.

"There are so many people... no, wait, so many Homus on the street!" Kiana exclaimed, looking at the bustling Homus. Every shop along the road had customers, and many Homus were hurrying along cheerfully, carrying bags big and small.

"Is the Great Homu Kingdom always this lively?" Kiana asked Homu-beard beside her after her initial awe.

"Homu homu (Normally, it's not this busy, of course. Everyone has their own things to do.)" Homu-beard shook his head, his short legs working hard to keep up with the humans' long strides as he leaned on his cane.

Kiana noticed this, slowed her pace, and also reached out to gently slow down Shu, who had drifted off into thought again.

Shu returned from his contemplation, glanced around, slowed his steps accordingly, and then promptly zoned out again.

So big... So BIG!!

This city of the Great Homu Kingdom was truly massive!!

"Were we just lucky? Did we happen to arrive during some kind of festival?" Kiana asked, bending down, her eyes sparkling with golden anticipation.

"Homu! (It's the Spring Festival!)" a Homu raised its hand, even though its raised hand didn't reach higher than its own head.

"Spring Festival?" Kiana repeated, her anticipation growing stronger. "What is it? Is it fun?"

"Homu homu! (Spring brings us flowers, wind, and gentle rain! The plants wake up from their sleep! And the piled-up snow begins to melt!)"

"Homu! (So we must thank Spring! We hold a very, very grand celebration!)"

"A very, very grand celebration..." Kiana couldn't help but gulp.

Celebration = Feast = Banquet = Lots and lots of delicious food! And fun things!

"What about summer? And autumn and winter?" Kiana asked, managing to control the drool at the corner of her mouth.

The Homus exchanged glances, then cheerfully raised their hands again, eager to answer:

"Homu homu! (Summer brings us growth! The plants grow green leaves! And the sun drives away the darkness! So we hold the Summer Festival!)"

"Homu ho—! (Autumn brings us food! Even though the plants start to sleep, they'll wake up again in spring! So we hold the Autumn Festival!)"

"Homu! Homu! (And! And! Winter brings us snow! Everyone gets to rest well! And there's Christmas!)"

"Homu... (But the Spring Festival is the grandest! Because it's the start of a new year for the Great Homu Kingdom! Even the King attends this celebration!!)"

"The King?" Kiana and the others paused. This was the first time they'd heard this title.

Shu, who had been zoning out, detected the keyword and snapped back to attention, slightly tilting his head towards the group.

"Yes! The King!!" Mentioning the King made all the Homus even happier. They bounced up and down, excitedly vying to recount the King's achievements.

"Homu! (The King brought the four seasons! So we never have to worry about food or clothing!)"

"Homu~ (The King founded the Great Homu Kingdom! And the King protects the Great Homu Kingdom!)"

"Homu homu! (The King has amazing magic!! He can tell who are bad Homus and who are good Homus!)"

"Homu mu! (All the bad Homus were driven out! Everyone in the city is a good Homu!)"

The Homus chattered excitedly, heaping praise upon praise, making Kiana's head spin a little.

This King sounded really amazing!! Knows magic, built such a magnificent city single-handedly, can tell good from bad...

If I were this King...

Kiana glanced around, deciding to secretly try out her own magic too.

Then, she turned towards the contemplative Shu, stared at his back for a good while, and then retracted her "magic" with satisfaction.

Hmm, Shu is a good person! Verdict: Confirmed!

Shu shivered suddenly, feeling like he'd just been attacked. He meticulously checked the protective layers on himself and the others once more.

"May I ask when this Spring Festival will be held?" Bronya asked Homu-beard.

"Homu (The Spring Festival is the day after tomorrow. You must all come and participate!)" Homu-beard said with a smile.

"Homu homu (Before that, there are many, many other places worth visiting in the Great Homu Royal City. Let Homu-blue take you on a good tour.)"

"Yay!" Kiana first glanced at Shu. Seeing him nod, she cheered, her voice full of eagerness.

"Then—Grandpa Homu-beard! Are there any good foods you can recommend here?"