@shusi95 @27raven @ThatNaiGuy
Thinking it over the author could have switched into the proverbial exit lane at the beginning of this arc and didn't.
Like I think if they were trying to wrap things up they would have had Tsudzumi's older brother and or dad (who we've heard about before) be the Kusakabes who showed up and they either would have not introduced a new plot point (Shinonome is dead) or they would've introduced it AND resolved it while the mood was still intense.
Instead they introduced a completely new Kusakabe and changed topics before we learned more about the whole dead thing.
I think this festival is less ending the series and more celebrating a significant accomplishment: this is the first time they've successfully gotten a rapturous spirit to calm tf down.