[MHCISQD] Chapter 341: Shrine Visit

Unlike the people who stayed up late last night, most of them were young and came out for a night stroll and their first shrine visit. However, those who came to the shrine this morning were of all ages.

As they got out of the taxi and looked ahead at the countless crowd, Yuriko was the first to furrow her brow and said, "So many people?"

She was clearly becoming impatient.

Renault also noticed and smiled, saying, "No need to worry, we have plenty of time. Let's first meet up with the others; some have already arrived."

On the right side of the shrine entrance, there was a pavilion where several boys and girls were waiting. Kaminari, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Ashido, who lived relatively close by, were already there.

The three boys were dressed casually for winter, while Ashido, like the girls around Renault, was wearing a pink-black kimono that perfectly matched her style.

When Renault appeared with the three girls, they immediately caught the attention of the others. Not only Renault but the kimonos worn by the three girls were also stunning, making them stand out among all the visitors to the shrine that day.

"Happy New Year! You guys arrived quite early." greeted Renault.

Ashido approaching Mikumo. She admired their appearance and responded to Renault, "Yeah, we guessed it would take about ten minutes. By the way, isn't Yaomomo coming with you guys?"

"We asked her when we were in the car. She'll be taking a detour to pick up a few other girls who live farther away and then join us. It's a busy day, and she doesn't want them to travel alone," Renault replied.

Not just Yaoyorozu, even Iida, the class president, had gone the extra mile by hiring a driver to pick up some classmates who lived far from the shrine.

Estimating that they still had to wait for around ten more minutes, they decided to head to a nearby convenience store to warm themselves up with hot drinks and snacks.

After enjoying their food and drinks, they spotted the Yaoyorozu family's car pulling up in front of them.

"Hey, everyone, sorry to keep you waiting," greeted Yaoyorozu, who was dressed in a gorgeous red kimono. The other girls from Class A also stepped out of the car, all wearing kimonos.

One could not deny that the girls from Class A were generally quite attractive.

Ah, Hagakure was still a mystery. Nobody knew her looks, but judging from her voice and figure, she couldn't be too bad.

Yaoyorozu walked up to Renault after getting out of the car and turned around, asking, "How do I look in my kimono?"

"Absolutely stunning. You mesmerized me." Renault praised her without reservation.

But the next moment, he noticed the glances from the other girls in the class.

"Ahem, you all look beautiful, umu, very beautiful..." Renault quickly added, motioning to the boys beside him. Midoriya and the others instantly turned into simp mode, showering the girls with compliments.

The girls happily accepted the praise, after all, they wouldn't wear such formal kimonos more than once a year. Today was a special occasion for them to dress up.

After waiting for another two minutes, Iida and the rest of the group arrived, and finally, all the Class A students were present.

It was time to head to the shrine.

However, before they could take more than a couple of steps, a familiar voice called out from behind them.

"Hey, everyone, wait up~!"

As they turned around, they saw Hado rushing towards them, followed by Togata and Amajiki.

Yaoyorozu, noticing the situation, nudged Renault's shoulder and asked in a hushed voice, "Did you inform her?"

"Nope." Renault shook his head. "Senpai isn't from Tokyo, so I didn't think of letting her know."

Just then, Hado arrived in front of the group.

"Happy New Year, everyone!"

"Happy New Year, Senpai!"

Class A loved Hado's cheerful and lively personality. They already had a considerable number of people, so three more were more than welcome.

After exchanging greetings, Hado approached Renault with a smile. Following the same pattern as earlier with Yaoyorozu, she twirled and asked, "Renault! Renault! How do I look in this kimono?"

Having already praised several girls that morning and seen countless kimonos, Renault was already indifferent, casually nodding and saying, "Yeah, very beautiful, suits you well, Senpai."

"Really?" Hado seemed dissatisfied with Renault's response, but with Togata and Amajiki arriving behind her, she didn't have a chance to continue.

With three more people joining, the atmosphere became livelier as they all walked towards the shrine.

They didn't choose to visit famous temples like Senso-ji because they knew it would be too crowded in the morning. Instead, they opted for a relatively quieter shrine.

Though the place still had a lot of people, it was much more manageable compared to the temples that required police to maintain order.

After waiting in line for a while, it was finally their turn.

They skipped making wishes, getting fortune slips, and purchasing amulets.

As Renault wrote his wish on an ema, Hado leaned over, holding her own ema, and curiously asked, "Renault! Renault! What did you wish for?"

Renault hadn't written anything secretive, and while hanging the ema, he replied, "I wished for everyone to make smooth progress in the coming year."

"Unexpectedly ordinary wish~" Hado teased.

"What about yours?"

Instead of showing him her wish, Hado pressed her ema against her chest, playfully warning him not to peek. Then, she ran off, occasionally looking back to make sure Renault wasn't following.

"Acting as if I'm so curious..." Renault shrugged, glancing around and spotting where Mikoto and the others were. He waited nearby as they shopped for souvenirs. As for safety, they were all future Pro Heroes, so there wasn't much to worry about, and his attention remained on the girls.

While waiting, he faintly heard someone giving a speech.

Turning around to investigate, he saw a parade car passing by on the other side of the shrine's woods. The person speaking on the car was none other than the new leader of the Hearts and Mind Party.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to go and check it out today.