As Abigail, I caused trouble in infinite space.

"You're really straightforward, aren't you? Don't you even ask for a reason?"

"no need."

"Okay, sometimes I really don't understand what you're thinking."

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me everything you know."

"Okay, actually..."

Immediately afterwards, Abigail told Homura what she had found out and some of her conjectures. Since Homura already knew what she was doing, there was no need to hide it from her.

"So, what are your thoughts after knowing all this?"

"Ideas? If you ask me, you could try investigating whether there's anything special about the city we live in now."

Chapter 253 Ritual

Do you know anything about it?

Abigail asked with some confusion about Xiaoyan's sudden suggestion.

"I don't know. I haven't been investigating like you. But since you said that only Mitakihara has a dream space, it means that Mitakihara has something special about it. Isn't that something you can figure out with a little thought?"

"Oh, that makes sense."

What are you all talking about?

Just then, Xiaoyuan came over and asked the two of them with some curiosity.

"It's nothing, we were just discussing where to go tomorrow."

Abigail turned to Xiaoyuan and said.

"Aren't we planning to visit some tourist attractions in the city tomorrow?"

In fact, the itinerary for these three days had already been planned, so Abigail's statement was somewhat contradictory, which puzzled Xiaoyuan.

"Yes."

Abigail remained completely calm despite her linguistic inconsistencies:

"What we're discussing is which parts of these attractions we should visit, and what the best way to get there is."

"Oh, I see! So, what was the result?"

"As it turns out, it's all just talk now. It's better to wait and see how things go."

"Really? Actually, there's no need to calculate so precisely. When we go out to play tomorrow, we can just go wherever we want. The most important thing is to have fun."

"Ah."

............

One night passed.

On the second day, as originally planned, everyone prepared early.

"Everyone, there's nothing you've forgotten, right? In that case, let's set off."

At the entrance of the inn, Mami Tomoe, being the oldest person there, naturally took on the responsibility of leading the entire group.

Seeing that everyone was ready, the group began their sightseeing trip according to the pre-arranged route.

"Look over there! Wow, there are so many people!"

The group arrived at a shrine, which was packed with people, far exceeding their expectations.

"There are so many people here. Is there some kind of event happening today?"

"Why don't you just ask someone? Wait a minute, I'll go find someone to ask."

After saying that, Abigail walked over to a girl who looked to be about the same age as them.

"Hello there!"

Upon hearing Abigail's voice, the girl turned her head, and the two of them suddenly looked surprised.

"I didn't expect to run into you here. Are you also here for this year's festival?"

Yuri Naganuma glanced at Abigail, then noticed Madoka and her group in the distance.

"A festival? So there really is an event here. No wonder there are so many people."

"Yes, this is a large-scale annual ceremony held by the shrine here to worship the gods. It's a local tradition."

Yuri Naganuma gave Abigail a brief explanation.

"I see. No wonder you were in such a hurry to leave last night. It was all for today's ceremony. By the way, you're not a shrine maiden or anything like that, are you?"

"She's not a shrine maiden; my older sister is the shrine maiden. She's a very gentle person."

When Yuri Naganuma spoke of her older sister, a warm smile appeared on her face.

"To put it simply, this is your home, right? We actually came here for a visit today, but we didn't expect so many people. How about you be our guide?"

However, Yuri Naganuma directly refused Abigail's request, not because she didn't want to, but simply because she had her own things to do.

"I'm so sorry, although I really wanted to introduce the shrine to you, I have to help my sister, so I apologize."

"I see. Alright then, it seems you have other things to do, so I won't force you. But could you at least give me a brief introduction to what's fun about this festival?"

Upon hearing Abigail's words, Yuri Naganuma's expression turned slightly serious.

“Festivals are not for fun; they are solemn ceremonies.”

However, after saying that, Yuri Naganuma seemed to realize something, and her expression relaxed:

"Actually, you probably wouldn't mind if I told you this, but if you really want to do some sightseeing, you can try praying to the local deities; it's very effective. Also, tonight, I'll be hosting a Kagura performance; you can come and watch. Of course, not to mention the roadside stalls..."

"Yuri!"

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from the side.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a girl dressed as a shrine maiden walking towards them. The girl seemed to be 18 years old, and this must be Yuri Naganuma's older sister.

"elder sister!"

Yuri Naganuma ran over happily.

What are you doing here?

Yuri Naganuma's older sister asked her gently.

"Here's the thing, I just ran into an acquaintance, and we've almost finished talking. Let's hurry up and get ready."

"Is that okay? You can spend more time with your friends. There's no need to rush about the equipment."

"It's okay, sister. You're going to take on everything by yourself again. Honestly, why don't you take care of yourself?"

"Looks like you've figured it out, but someone has to do it, right? I don't want to see Yuri overworked."

"I can't let you work so hard. Alright, let's go. Sister, focus on preparing for Kagura tonight. Leave everything else to me."

With that, Yuri Naganuma pushed her older sister away.

As she left, she turned back and called out to Abigail:

"Don't forget to come see Kagura tonight!"

Watching the two leave, Abigail turned and went back to the group.

"Abby, do you know that person from earlier?"

Madoka, who had been watching Abigail and Yuri Naganuma's conversation the whole time, asked her with some confusion.

“Kyoko and I took a walk around town yesterday, didn’t we? She’s the one we met last night, her name is Naganuma Yuri. But what I didn’t expect was that this shrine belongs to her family. There are so many people here today because a festival is being held.”

"Is that so?"

"But if that's the case, we're quite lucky to have stumbled upon this day. So, what kind of performances are worth watching at this festival?"

Sayaka, who was standing nearby, said excitedly after hearing Abigail's account.

"It's said that the gods here are very effective in responding to prayers. Although I think it might just be Yuri Naganuma boasting, we can give it a try. Also, they'll be holding a Kagura performance here tonight, so we can come and take a look."

"Kagura, she seems pretty good, but since we can only see her at night, and there are so many people here right now, why don't we go somewhere else to play first, and come back here tonight?"

At this moment, Mami Tomoe looked at the situation and spoke to everyone.

"Hmm, Mami-nee is right. Let's come back tonight."

Then, the group turned and headed towards the next attraction.

As she was leaving, Kyoko thoughtfully approached Abigail.

“Abigail, I was at the shrine just now, and I felt like something was off.”

"Something's not right? What's not right?"

"I can't really put my finger on what's wrong, but I have a very familiar feeling that I've encountered the same situation somewhere before."

"The same situation? In what specific aspect?"

"Hmm... I can't remember, but I feel like this shrine is a bit strange."

After hearing what Kyoko said, Abigail didn't think Kyoko was talking nonsense; there might really be something wrong with this shrine. However, even if there was something wrong, it wouldn't concern them much.

"This matter doesn't really concern us, so let's not overthink it. At worst, we can talk to Naganuma Yuri when we come over tonight. After all, this is her jurisdiction, and even if something happens, we shouldn't be responsible for it."

After listening to Abigail, Kyoko nodded, agreeing that it was indeed true.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's have fun during the day. Tonight we still need to find out what magical beasts are. Could they really be those magical beasts?"

"Probably not?"

"Maybe."

Time flies, and a day has passed in the blink of an eye. As the sun sets in the west, night falls.

After having dinner prepared by the hotel, the group went to the shrine of Yuri Naganuma's family.

If the morning can be described as a dense crowd, then the evening is simply a sea of ​​people.

Walking among the crowd, Abigail and her friends only managed to stay together by holding hands.

But with so many of them, it would be very difficult for them to advance under such circumstances.