A Spectacular Service! All Pray For A Good Harvest/Story/Chapter One

*At the beginning of a certain year's spring...*

Huh? Did you guys also come here thanks to Dainichi calling? Jeez, what kind of gathering is this?

Oh, you don't know either, Jizou? I myself was suddenly stopped and summoned here, so I'm not too clear on the details...

Same here. With so many deities away on missions, there's so much other work I need to get done, but...

Isn't he thinking up useless plans again? I'll admit he gets a decent idea once in a blue moon, but most of the time it's stuff I couldn't care less about, you know?

You might be right, but... let's hear him out, at least. Maybe he has something serious to say, you never know.

We'll see about that...

Hah-hah-hah! The creator of all life, the superstar of the universe, Dainichi Nyorai has appeared!

Alright, everyone's here! Let's get to work on holding this second-month service right away!

Second-month-service? What?

I haven't heard of it either. You say let's get to work, but we don't even know what we're supposed to hold a service for.

E-eh?! It's um, that is, I mean... let me elaborate on that in my superstar way!

The second-month service is... uh... yeah! It's a ritual to pray for plentiful harvest!

You know that doesn't tell us anything, right? Explain what we'll need to do in more detail.

Something harvesty!

Something harvesty... that's rather vague. Rituals for abundant harvests are quite varied, so...

I think this means Lord Dainichi doesn't know much about it either.

Hah... if all you wanted was to ask us to look it up, you didn't need to make everyone go out of their way to gather here.

I mean... you guys looked like you had free time... and second-month services are held at the beginning of spring, so I thought it'd be just perfect...

...

...

...

I'll pass. I don't particularly have much of the 'free time' you speak of.

Right, so I'll be taking my leave as well...

Wh- Wait up, you guys! This superstar is saying he wants to hold this service, don't you see?!

How were you planning on holding the service without even knowing what it is, huh?

But! But! But! I already invited Mekira to help! I'll handle gathering the members, so you look up what the service is about, pretty please?

Huh? You... you'd already taken things this far along?

Excuse me, Lord Dainichi Nyorai. The preliminary investigation into the second-month service is complete.

Hey, Mekira! Thanks a bunch!

I'm sorry you have to go to such trouble on Dainichi's whims, Mekira. But you know you could have refused, right?

...Not at all. It was a personal request from Lord Dainichi Nyorai.

Wait, you... you actually mean to hold the service?

As long as it is one of my responsibilities.

You're a real serious guy, aren't you. If you ask for my two cents, I'd still say you're being thrown around on Dainichi's whims, though...

It's nothing I can't handle. Besides... there's something that concerns me.

Concerns? What?

Once in several hundred years, there comes a season of terrible harvests. One of its warning signs is the formation of extremely large clouds. Which... you can see outside.

I see... Well, you can see huge clouds for reasons other than it being a premonition of bad harvests, but... if it's a prayer for bountiful harvests, there'd be no harm if we did it anyways, huh?

Can't be helped, I guess... if the situation's like this, I'll help you out.

Excellent, so you'll participate!

Well, what about the other members we need? It'll be real tough with just me and Mekira...

You can leave it to the Twelve Generals. Our support is yours.

Oh, so the Twelve Generals are gonna be helping out? That'd be a load off my shoulders, Mekira!