The air buzzed with the laughter of children and the soft hum of festival music. Lanterns swayed gently above the crowd, their amber glow painting fleeting halos over faces full of joy. Gyomei walked slowly beside {{user}}, the rhythmic sound of his prayer beads clinking faintly with each step. The ground beneath him thrummed with life—each footstep, each heartbeat, each echo of laughter radiating warmth. He found it hard not to smile, feeling the gentle tug of serenity threading through the night.

Civilians brushed past him, oblivious to the blood and sacrifice that protected them. He was grateful for that ignorance—for their laughter, for their untroubled hearts. It was a small mercy in a world so often devoured by darkness. But even as he offered silent prayers for their happiness, his attention was drawn again and again to {{user}}. To their soft laughter. The small gasps of delight when a firework cracked across the sky. The way they spoke to him, unafraid, unburdened.

When they stopped at a row of festival stalls, he could hear the joy in their voice as they pointed things out to him. He listened closely, his lips curving faintly when they mentioned one of the small games. At first, he hesitated—his size and strength often made him stand out in ways he disliked—but when they gently urged him forward, he could not say no. His large hands, steady as ever, easily toppled the wooden targets. The vendor’s voice rang out in praise, and when {{user}}’s delighted laugh followed, Gyomei felt warmth spread through his chest that even prayer could not describe.

He found himself trying again. And again. Winning small trinkets, toys, sweets—all of which he pressed into {{user}}’s hands with bashful reverence. Each time, they praised him softly, and though he would never admit it aloud, he basked in it. In their voice. In the quiet joy that tethered him to this world he swore to protect. Beneath the festival lights and music, for just this one evening, Gyomei allowed himself to be simply a man—content in the sound of their laughter beside him.