Just as Charlie was lost in thought, Maru called to him from nearby.
“Hey, Charlie!”
“You came too?”
He snapped back to himself and looked toward the voice.
Penny and Maru were standing by the flowerbed, looking at him.
He walked over.
“Hi, Maru.
Penny.
Happy Egg Festival.”
“Happy Egg Festival!” they both replied.
After the greetings, he looked at them.
“Do you two like festivals?”
Two of the three people below didn’t seem all that interested in this one, so he wanted to hear what they thought.
Maru looked at him.
“I’ve always liked gatherings like this…
They make the town feel a little less quiet.”
“The town does need some energy now and then.”
Charlie agreed with that.
Without festivals, it really was hard to see this many people gathered in the Town Square.
Penny seemed to have been looking forward to today too.
“The children have been excited about the festival for weeks.”
She herself didn’t seem especially excited about it, but her students clearly were.
A teacher really is a teacher, Charlie thought.
She probably cares more about her students having fun than anything else.
Then he glanced over at the two kids.
“By the way…
when does the Egg Hunt start?”
“Those two look like they can barely wait.”
Maru spoke from behind him.
“You can ask Mayor Lewis.
He’s the one who announces the start.”
…
After hearing that, Charlie went to find Lewis.
“Hey, Mayor Lewis.
When does the Egg Hunt start?” he asked.
Lewis heard him, and a small smile appeared on his face.
“Oh, farmer, you can’t wait either?”
“Alright, then let’s begin now.”
Charlie’s mind suddenly screeched to a halt.
“Wait, I’m joining too?”
“Of course you are!” Lewis said.
After answering him, Lewis raised both arms and called out.
“Everyone, listen up!”
“It’s time for the grand finale of today’s celebration, the annual Spring Egg Hunt!”
Four people lined up in front of the mayor: Charlie, Abigail, Jas, and Vincent.
Charlie was speechless.
Wasn’t this just bullying children?
But once he saw Abigail standing beside him, he calmed down.
There’s real competition here.
Looks like…
I’ll have to take this seriously!
He muttered to himself, then quietly glanced around behind him.
When Vincent and Jas heard that the event was starting, they were so excited they almost jumped in place.
Lewis quickly stopped them.
“Save your energy, kids.
You’ll need it once the hunt begins.”
Vincent and Jas nodded at once.
Lewis looked over the four of them.
“Very well.
I hereby declare this year’s Egg Hunt…”
“Officially begun!”
The whistle blew, and Charlie shot forward at full speed.
He had already spotted several colored eggs earlier.
He rushed to a bush and easily grabbed the first egg.
In a flash, he was beside Haley’s house, picking up the second and third.
Then the fourth, fifth, and sixth!
His eyes locked onto the seventh.
“Come here, you!”
He darted straight toward it.
Just as he was about to grab it, a small hand suddenly blocked him.
Charlie looked closer.
Long purple hair.
A Butterfly Bow on her head.
Abigail!
But he didn’t take her too seriously.
After all…
“No matter how fast you are…
how could you be faster than me, the Fourth Hokage?!”
He immediately reached out with his other hand to snatch the egg.
But in the next second, Abigail swept a leg at his ankle.
Charlie had to pull back at once.
He stumbled several steps, rolled once, and landed back on his feet.
Abigail smiled in triumph after forcing him away from the egg.
“Hehe, I’ll be taking this egg, then!”
But just as she reached for it, the egg appeared in Charlie’s hand.
He shook it lightly and grinned.
“You’re a worthy opponent.
Not bad.”
“But it looks like I’m still one step ahead.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Abigail froze, stunned.
“How did you get it?”
She stared at him as she asked.
This time, Charlie was the smug one.
“Hehe.
Guess.”
“Aaaah!
Just tell me already!” Abigail’s curiosity burst out at once, and she rushed after him.
His answer was simple: don’t ask.
If anyone asked, it was the Flying Thunder God.
He slipped away, ready to keep running.
After all, he had spotted another egg.
But Abigail was like a child whose curiosity had been poked too hard.
She followed right behind him, desperate to know the answer.
Charlie reached the bridge where he had seen Penny and Sam the day before and collected the eighth egg.
Abigail arrived right after him.
He turned to face her, keeping his right hand behind his back.
“Fine, fine!
I’ll tell you!”
Then he held out his right hand and rolled up his sleeve.
A fishing line was tied around his wrist.
“This is how!”
Abigail looked at it.
“You hooked it with a fishing hook?”
“Then why didn’t I see it?”
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the competition.
Charlie let out a breath of relief, then tapped Abigail on the head.
“Because you were kicking me at the time.
Of course you didn’t see it!”
“Alright, come on.
The competition’s over!”
He took her hand and hurried toward the Town Square.
Abigail was still confused as he pulled her along.
“Huh?
Wait, that doesn’t make sense!”
“There’s nothing on an eggshell for a hook to catch onto, is there?”
Her questions were left behind as they hurried on.
Charlie didn’t answer. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
When they reached the Town Square, Jas and Vincent were already there.
He picked up the pace, still pulling Abigail along.
“Are we late?” he asked when they arrived.
Lewis stepped forward with a kind expression and shook his head.
“Of course not.”
“You two were the favorites to win this year.
Everyone was waiting for you to come back.”
“Come on, show us the eggs you found.”
…
The four of them placed their eggs on the ground.
Mayor Lewis looked delighted.
“Wow, look at all these eggs!”
“If you kids were this good at picking up litter, we’d have the cleanest town in the whole valley!
Hehe!”
But Lewis didn’t linger on that.
He checked everyone’s results.
“And so, the winner of this year’s Egg Hunt is…”
“Charlie!”
Cheers broke out at once.
Everyone seemed caught up in the shock of Abigail actually losing.
Charlie stood in the center of it all and raised his arms.
“Thank you, everyone!”
Abigail stood off to the side, pouting and clearly unconvinced.
“Hmph.
He only beat me by one.
If I hadn’t been trying to figure out how he did it…”
Because she had been chasing him for an answer, Abigail had lost a lot of time she could have spent looking for eggs.
Charlie looked at her and felt a little guilty.
Is it really okay to trick someone this innocent?
The truth was, he hadn’t used the fishing line at all.
He had used a Hoe, the kind meant for tilling soil.
When Abigail attacked his feet, her attention had been entirely focused there.
Charlie had summoned the Hoe from his backpack and used it to close the tiny distance between himself and the egg.
The moment the Hoe hooked it, he immediately fell backward, pulling the tool with him.
Then he made it disappear.
As the egg flew toward him from the momentum, he caught it.
And that was how he beat Abigail one-on-one.
But seeing her still looking annoyed, Charlie had no intention of explaining.
After all, how was he supposed to explain a Hoe appearing out of thin air?
He still hadn’t explained the fishing rod from last time.
While he was looking at Abigail, Lewis stepped forward.
“Charlie, here’s your reward!
I hope you like it.”
With that, Lewis handed him a Straw Hat.
“A Straw Hat?
I’m not the man who’s going to become the Pirate King!”
“I’m the Fourth Hokage!!!”
Of course, Charlie only said that in his head.
Even if he said it out loud, they probably wouldn’t understand.
After giving him the Straw Hat, Lewis looked around.
“Alright, that brings this year’s Egg Festival to an end.
Thank you all for coming!”
“Now, let’s enjoy the food!”
Once Lewis finished speaking, everyone headed toward the tables amid a round of applause.
…
10:00 p.m.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Charlie returned to his little Farmhouse.
He looked down at the Straw Hat.
Honestly, it looked pretty good.
“Looks like I’ll have to become the Pirate King after all!”
“Hahaha!”
“I guess this is my first outfit here.”
Smiling, he went inside the Farmhouse and drifted off to sleep.