Hinata's Kakita Ruri-esque frilly, lacey dress outfit came with a matching umbrella . . . luckily. So Hinata was out walking in the rain, now it wasn't a total thunderstorm, umbrella twirling.


And yes . . .


. . . he was singing.

As the Crane strolled the garden, another person braving the rain rounded a corner. Though Taiguno was doing so without an umbrella or even a cloak. He nods at Hinata and greets him with a smile. "Good afternoon. Lovely weather to appreciate the blessing of the Fortune of Rain."

Hinata kept singing for a moment before trailing off and staring at the cloakless, umbrella-less monk.

"Oh monk-sannnn . . . . you're wet . . . "

"I am indeed. I enjoy a bit of rain though, so I don't mind," he replies with a smirk. "But I'm clearly not the only person that decided to enjoy the rain today. How are you enjoying the rainy gardens?"

He blinked at someone being happy to be wet, but carried on regardless.

"Oh I love it. The smells just after rain, in a garden like this one are just great. I used to love going out in the gardens on Harusame after it had rained."

He paused in a twirl and looked down.

"Do have to make sure I don't get my shoes wet through though."

The twirl completed. Too late.

Splash!

"Oh . . . oopsie."

"The smell, and the taste of fresh rain on the tongue. Crisp and refreshing," he replies with a smile. "And that's why I prefer my wooden sandals or to go barefoot. More comfortable anyway, getting fresh air for your toes."

Hinata was busy shaking his foot to get the water off quickly, while simultaneously desperately trying to avoid shaking any water on to his thigh highs, thus creating a oscillating one footed dance.

"Oh but I like pretty shoes too much to go barefoot outside!"

"You could always get some pretty waterproof shoes. Something nice that's meant to be worn in the rain. I imagine someone with your fashion sense wouldn't have too much trouble with that."

"Oh . . . !"

He looked down as if trying to perceive if his shoes were waterproof merely by staring at them.

"That's a really good idea!"

"If you feel up to it, you could even get some plain looking shoes that are waterproof and then paint or dye them yourself. Make something nobody else has and be unique," he suggests.

Hinata looked at the monk with wide eyes and then down again at his shoes, which fortunately weren't as wet as feared.

"Wow . . . I've never thought of doing that."

"What do you think about then?" Taiguno asks curiously. "What keeps your interest?"

A dangerous question. What did Hinata think about? What went through that mostly Air filled mind? Anything at all? Everything at once?

"Oh what do I think about? . . . Lots of things! I like clothes! I like singing! I like dancing! I like having fun!"

Several lectures were belatedly remembered, mostly telling him not to say what he just said, but one thing did come to mind.

"Oh and performing for the Crane!"

"A singer then? Lots of performers here on the world of dreams. I met Susumu Yakumo the other day," the monk replies with a nod. "I like singing too, but I mostly just do so in private and to myself." He smiles at Hinata.

"Oh I'm an idol like Yakumo-samaaaa. She sings on her own but I'm part of a group!"

He twirled the umbrella causing a ribbon of water to sluice off it. Fortunately it arrowed off well to Taiguno's left.

"Oh!"

"Oh? Which group? Maybe I have heard you before on recordings?" Taiguno replies.

Suddenly Hinata realised he'd been so obsessed with not getting wet shoes that he hadn't even introduced himself! Crane Ancestors looked on with an air of . . . 'Yeah that's our Hinata, airheaded idiot'.

"Oh sorry monk-san I'm Asahina Hinata, and I'm in the Idol group Usagi Drop!"

"Ah!" Taiguno says, with a nod and a smile. "I've heard some of your music. Yes. I'd hear it among the mix of popular music played when I was cleaning around the temple. It's very fun music."

"Oh they play our stuff at Temples? That is soooo cool!"

You'd think the monk had just absolutely made Hinata's day by the look on his face.

"Depends on the temple, but during chore hours we would listen to different stations where I was. Uzuki is the fortune of perfection so many of her followers are artisans and performers that wish to achieve perfection. That makes it fitting to display and present the creations of such artists," he explains with a nod then smiles. "As a result, I benefited from getting to listen to popular music like yours."