Half of Setsubun is made of kindness, weekly short-short note, 410 characters

The voices of the young monks echo.
"Demons out! Fortune in!"
The sound of beans scattering rings out.

One of the young monks spoke to the head priest.
The beans they had already scattered were strewn about.

"Master, we are throwing beans now, but shouldn't someone be wearing a demon mask?"

"A demon is not a creature with horns. It refers to calamities that invade from the outside, such as plagues, misfortune, and conflict. Therefore, there is no need to dress up as a demon."
The head priest also threw a handful.

"Isn't it because demons hate beans?"
"It's a play on words for destroying evil."

"Then why do we say 'Fortune in' and throw beans inside?"
The young monk stopped, nearly stepping on a bean at his feet.

"It's a final check to see if any misfortune remains inside the house."

"Since there's no one to throw the beans at, Setsubun must be made of kindness."
The young monk's voice was a little excited.

The head priest stroked his beard.
"No, the cleaning of the scattered beans remains. Half of it is made of annoyance."

The light faded from the young monk's shining eyes.
"Master..."

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410 characters so far
There is more to the story, but if I write that much...
No, I'll just write it.
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"Alright, eat as many beans as your age. If you do that, you won't get sick."
At the signal of the head priest's raised voice, the young monks began to pick up the beans.

The young monk from earlier looks up at the head priest suspiciously.
"Is that true? Master."
"It's to save the trouble of cleaning."
The young monk looked up at the heavens.

And this method was welcomed for making cleaning easier, and it spread to various places.