Reincarnated In Another World As A World-class Volleyball Player

Chapter Twenty

When your family had finally returned to the onsen resort your grandfathers owned, Akagi was moping as he begrudgingly dragged his feet to rest in his room, too tired to do anything that required an ounce of energy and motivation. Worried for his well-being, you had followed him though he didn't seem to mind your presence too much as you trailed after the boy, his bag of sweets swung over your shoulders.

Your mother had also given you the chocolate she purchased for you brother and instructed you to give it to him when he was feeling better. He lazily swung the shoji open, stepping inside the room as he haphazardly set up his futon bed so he could lay down.
Entering the room a few seconds after him, you closed the shoji behind you, setting the bag down and helping him.

You had managed to easily convince him to cuddle with you since you didn't want him to wallow in his own sadness. You knew how tough that could be and a 5-year-old boy didn't deserve to feel alone.

You had wrapped your arms around him, your fingers playing with his hair as you listened to him cry, giving words of comfort at moments that he was done talking about Hayase so that you wouldn't interrupt him. His back was pressed against your chest as he slowly drifted to sleep after a few minutes.

Silence enveloped the room and if you were fully content with it, even going as far as to close your eyes in an attempt to rest but your attention was shifted when the shoji opened softly. You didn't want to wake Akagi since he had just calmed down so you didn't turn to face the visitor, only asking who they were as quietly as you could.

"Who are you?"

"It's us, usagi-chan."

Your father answered your question, you were almost certain your mother was also there. You heard them shuffling before the shoji closed again, followed by their gentle footsteps against the tatami mat. They don't speak at first, letting the silence linger as they sat behind you.

"Have you heard of the Lantern Festival in Nozawa Onsen?"

Truth be told, you hadn't heard of it in your past life and you weren't given the opportunity to read about it on the books you had hoarded when you were at your grandfather's place but thankfully, Tomo was a contact presence in your life that you were always fortunate to have.

'it is a festival that occurs from September 8 to September 9. Being the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the performance done in the festival is said to dispel evil in favour of good luck while ensuring a bountiful rice harvest.'

He informed, voice still as emotionless as ever as you silently thanked him for being so reliable. You hummed in acknowledgement to your parents query as you muttered an affirmation, busying yourself with Akagi's hair as you scratched his scalp lightly.

"We're going to attend it with ojiisan and obaasan. Hopefully, Akagi can cheer up since it's a really interesting festival. Tell him for us, okay?"

Your mother continued and you smiled at their concern for him. You knew they were busy, their work wasn't the easiest and though your father said the vacation would last three weeks, you knew he was struggling to extend it to that point. You genuinely appreciated the effort they were putting.

"Okay. Bye mama, bye papa."

You said softly as they stood up to exit the room. A hearty laugh escaped your father as he gently patted your head while your mother kissed your shoulder as you were turned away from them.

You were excited to see what the Lantern Festival brought and you were generally interested to experience it first-hand. You hoped you'd spend more than two days there so you could explore Nagano a bit more and hopefully find the other Haikyuu boys.