Chapter Text
It had been a few weeks since that seemingly endless night- when the Wings of the Magius had sent their feathers to attack the other magical girls in Kamihama- when they’d fought Eve, and Iroha had finally gotten Ui back- and since Walpurgisnacht had descended upon the city.
Thankfully, they’d all been able to rest since then. The conflict had been resolved- more or less- and rebuilding had begun in the city.
Not everything was going well, however- and Yachiyo’s personal struggles came in the form of a few new faces who’d made themselves known at Mikazuki Villa. Ui was a sweetheart, of course- she fit in seamlessly to the household, and the joy Iroha had from her sister’s presence had left them all feeling a littler brighter and more hopeful. No, Ui was not one of those struggles, far from it.
However, Ui’s return had also come with the memories of her existence being restored. And that resulted in a few other people seeing fit to invite themselves over.
Yachiyo looked over the counter into the living room, at where Touka and Nemu- former Magius- were making themselves comfortable in her house. She had to suppress a groan as they continued talking.
She understood that they were Ui and Iroha’s friends, and that they’d changed a lot since regaining their memories. Even playing key roles in helping them overcome Walpurgisnacht and Eve.
She also knew that they weren’t much of a threat, due to having their magic sealed by the Rumor of the Eternal Sakura after the trial the Magical Girls of Kamihama had held after everything.
But despite all that they still managed- without fail- to get on her nerves.
Yachiyo sighed, turning away from the conversation in the living room. It wasn’t good to get mad at misguided preteens, but they sure didn’t make it easy on her.
She went to retrieve her mug- maybe some tea would help calm her nerves. They’d picked up a new blend on the latest grocery run that she wanted to try- but paused when she noticed something out of place in the cabinet.
Again?
She grabbed the dainty red teacup with a curly handle that had made it’s way in with the rest of her mugs, foregoing her plans for tea as she carried it off into the living room.
Yachiyo placed the teacup in front of Touka, who smiled up at her without a hint of remorse, knowing exactly what she’d done.
“I believe you misplaced this, Satomi-san.” She said, her tone cold as ice.
“Oh. It seems so.” Touka replied with false politeness, picking up the same teacup that she’d managed to ‘misplace’ inside Yachiyo’s cabinet four times now.
It was like a game to her- see if she could slip it into the mug cabinet without Yachiyo noticing before they left. Perhaps it seemed natural to her- most frequent guests had their own mug sitting somewhere inside. This was probably her way of trying to get her own to be kept there.
But for Yachiyo, it wasn’t that simple. The mugs meant something, and though she was disgruntled but ultimately fine with Touka visiting her house, she didn’t feel comfortable giving her a place in her heart.
At least Nemu just brought a water bottle.
Yachiyo sighed, walking back to the kitchen. It might be simpler to just state it outright, but things were still a bit shaky and she didn’t want to run them out or make it seem like she was the sole authority of the house. It wasn’t personal- plenty of people came to Mikazuki Villa without having their own personal mugs.
She was still figuring out how to communicate that without it coming across as a challenge, though.
Returning to the task of making tea, Yachiyo brought the kettle out as she sat down in one of the living room’s chairs. Touka also poured herself a cup, and passed it on to Nemu who poured some into the guest mug she was using.
It was times like this when it was best to just let the stress flow past her- focus on the lively conversation between Ui and her two friends, On how Iroha occasionally chimed in and Felicia made jabs about some game they’d been playing.
Her eyes moved around the room, landing on the only person- other than herself- who didn’t seem to be participating.
The Rumor of the Eternal Sakura- or Sakurako, as she went by now- stood behind the couch where Touka, Ui, and Iroha sat, standing unnaturally still as she kept her eyes firmly planted on the girls before her.
Yachiyo took a sip of her tea. It was easy for the Uwasa to fade into the background, but she was all but omnipresent anytime the four of them were together.
It was hard to parse the girl- most of the Uwasa had been mindless monsters set upon a certain task, and even Ai-chan had been bound to the rules that were written for her. Sakurako looked much more human than any of them, yet acted just as alien at times. Sometimes even moreso.
She didn’t quite know what to make of it.
A ping came from Touka’s phone, prompting her to check it. “ The data finished processing! ” she said, turning to Nemu . “ We’ve got to get back to the observatory to look it over! ” she bounced with excitement .
Nemu peered over Touka’s shoulder to look at her phone screen. “That’s quicker than expected. I didn’t think it’d be for another hour.” She said, before rolling her wheelchair back and turning towards the door. “We’re going to get going, then.” Nemu turned back to the rest of the room, waving as Touka followed, eagerly reading something over on her phone.
“Alright- I’ll text you later, ok?” Ui said, jumping off of the couch to say goodbye before they left.
Yachiyo tried not to feel relieved that they were leaving.
From the corner of her eye she saw Sakurako take a short bow, before also turning towards the door.
Iroha and Ui had already followed the two younger girls to see them off. Felicia was heading upstairs, no doubt to play the game she’d been talking about earlier.
“Sakurako.” Yachiyo said, causing the Uwasa to turn back towards her. “Are you also leaving?”
“| Yes. |” she gave an immediate response. “| Touka and Nemu are departing- Only Ui and Iroha are permitted to stay the night here, so I will be going too. |”
S tay the night? I t was barely into the afternoon at this point, but she didn’t bother following the train of logic. “You don’t need to go right now if you don’t want to .” M aybe not stay the night , but she wasn’t entirely sure if Sakurako needed to sleep anyways.
She tilted her head. “| I was under the impression that you did not enjoy having Touka and Nemu here. |”
Yachiyo cringed- was it that obvious? Before sighing. “I’ll.... admit that I’m not the most fond of them. But they’re welcome to visit whenever they’d like, and you are too.”
She’d fully admit to not understanding the Uwasa, and it was hard not to feel like something was off while in her presence. But Iroha and Ui enjoyed her company, and the distressed look on her face whenever she was away from any of her “people” for too long made the veteran sympathetic.
“| It’s not good to bother people... or show up to their houses unannounced. That is one of the things I’ve been taught. |” she said, and Yachiyo didn’t want to know what happened to necessitate that particular lesson.
Yachiyo tried to work out how to phrase what she meant. It was odd, communicating with someone who had so much knowledge but so little experience. “No... it’s not. But if you inform someone that you’re coming- and don’t break in- then it’s usually okay.”
She furrowed her brow, clearly thinking hard about this. By now, Touka and Nemu had already left, Iroha most likely going with them until she’d feel comfortable leaving them on their own. Ui had gone upstairs to play with Felicia, and she could hear the beginnings of a game starting.
It was just the two of them left, standing at the entrance of the living room.
“| But.... the mugs. |” Sakurako said. “| Only certain people are permitted to have them, and those are the ones welcome in this house. Neither Nemu, Touka or myself have one. |”
“That’s- That’s a bit more complicated.” she said. “The mugs are... special, to me. I don’t know you- or Nemu or Touka- well enough to have one for you yet.”
“| But... then I should not overstay my welcome, correct? |”
This conversation was starting to go in circles. Sometimes, the best way out with these sorts of things was through. Explaining the intricacies of complicated and fallible human emotions to a being that had trouble understanding anyone, even her few special people, could wait.
“How about you come to Kōshō ward with me?” Yachiyo said, already grabbing her purse and a spare tote bag.
“| Kōshō? |” The Uwasa asked, caught off-guard by the change in topic.
Yachiyo nodded. “There’s an artisan fair there today I wanted to check out- we can go together, and it’ll give me a chance to get to know you better.”
Sakurako still looked confused, but eventually nodded and followed after her.
.o.O.o.
The artisan fair was bustling- packed with artists, creators, and small business owners of all kinds filling up the street and selling their wares. Yachiyo even recognized few faces in the crowd as magical girls she’d seen before.
Sakurako shifted at her side, looking uncomfortable. It seemingly had less to do with the bustling crowd around them, and more with her unease of the situation. She looked at everything going on around them, eyes never lingering too long in any single spot.
“So, what do you want to check out first?” Yachiyo asked to break the ice.
The Uwasa turned to her. “| Aren’t I just here to assist you? |”
“There’s nothing in particular I’m looking for. And since I’d like to get to know you better, part of that is knowing what you like.”
She frowned slightly and went back to looking at the fair around them, this time with more intent in her gaze. Looks like her point had gotten across- it could be exhausting to be so direct, but sometimes just stating things outright was the most effective option.
Sakurako quickly settled on something that Yachiyo couldn’t see through the crowd, and began walking towards whatever had caught her eye with a single-minded focus. The Veteran followed behind her as she pressed forwards without heed for those around her, curious as to what she’d picked.
As it turned out, it was a book stall for a used bookstore. Sakurako quickly began picking up and flipping through volumes in front of her.
“You like books?” Yachiyo asked, looking at one herself that seemed interesting.
“| Not particularly. But Nemu likes them. |” She said. Yachiyo suppressed a sigh. She should’ve expected that- most things circled back to those four, for her.
But she was here to learn more about Sakurako while they were at the artisan fair- not to judge her for what she cared about. “...Are there any that you think she’ll like?”
“| I.... am not sure. |” She said, putting one down. “| I know what sort of books she enjoys reading, but I do not know which ones she does or does not already have, or if there are any she desires. |”
Yachiyo nodded, thinking. It was a fairly mundane worry all things considered “Maybe you can ask her, and then get her one she doesn’t have yet afterwards.”
The Uwasa was quiet for a moment, before nodding her head once. “| That is a good plan. Thank you, Yachiyo Nanami. |”
“It’s no bother. Is there anything else you’d like to see?”
Sakurako looked towards the crowd again from their new position. “| I do not know if there is. But I would like to find out. |”
.o.O.o.
As the afternoon went on the two made their way through the fair. Neither ended up buying much- Sakurako had gotten some handmade sweets to share and Yachiyo found nice sunhat that would be useful for the coming summer heat.
Yachiyo glanced over to the Uwasa- She was paying close attention to every stall that they passed, but didn’t move to take a closer look at any of them. That was mostly how it had been going so far- a lot of focus in looking at the stalls, but no effort to approach if it didn’t peak her interest.
They passed a stall where a few people were selling pieces of handmade and painted pottery. Yachiyo paused, looking at the cups and bowls that’d been laid out. They were well made.
She still didn’t know Sakurako very well. Over the past several weeks she’d reconnected with old friends and made new ones. Let people into her heart again, after she’d once shut it tight. It was painful, and made her feel vulnerable. But it was also nice- she knew that she was happier now than she’d been in over a year.
Sakurako was someone who was important to Iroha and Ui.
Maybe she wasn’t ready to let Touka and Nemu into her heart yet... but this could be a start.
The veteran smiled over at the Uwasa, who had looked back when she noticed that she’d stopped. “Do you want to look at some mugs?”
She abruptly stopped, eyes widening. “| I.... may you please clarify what you mean by that? |”
Yachiyo took a deep breath. She was getting better at being open about her feelings, but it really felt worse than summoning a Doppel sometimes.
“I mean to say that if you’d like, you can pick out a mug to keep at Mikazuki Villa.”
Sakurako tilted her head. “| ...Why are you offering this to... me? |”
“...Because you’re important to Iroha and Ui, and they’re important to me. You visit quite often anyways, so it’d be no bother to keep one for you.”
“| But what about Nemu and Touka? They.... have not been offered mugs despite also being a frequent presence. And I unlike them cannot consume drinks or liquids. |”
“That’s....” She struggled to find how to word this, without offending the Uwasa’s most integral parts. “I have... complicated feelings in regards to those two. They’ve caused a lot of trouble in Kamihama City. But they’re also trying to be better. They’re welcome to visit the Villa but mugs... might have to wait a while. And... It’s not just about the function of it.”
Sakurako stood still for a while, eyes pointed straight ahead. She appeared to be deep in thought.
After a time, she finally nodded. “| I believe I understand. If you are offering, then I will look for a mug to keep within your house. |”
Yachiyo exhaled a sigh, before sighing. Good thing that had gone over well- she’d been worried for a second when the other hadn’t answered.
The veteran guided her to the stand she’d seen that was selling pottery. After concluding that none of it was to her liking, Sakurako moved to another stand a ways away, and then another- barely hesitating in her search.
Yachiyo wondered what the Uwasa would pick- She hadn’t expressed much of her own tastes thus far. Most of her opinions centered around Iroha, Touka, Nemu, and Ui, with little else gaining her interest.
But maybe that was why she was taking so much time to choose something. They looked through a fourth stall without Sakurako picking anything out.
They’d reached the edge of the Artisan fair, and there were only a few options for pottery that they hadn’t been to yet. There was only around an hour or so left until the fair closed, so if they wanted to get something here they’d have to do it soon.
Sakurako approached a stall being run by a single tired college student and picked up a few of the pieces. They were painted white with thick black lines forming plants, waves and birds- different scenes from nature depicted in artful minimalism.
She was holding on to one of the pieces for a long time, scrutinizing it thoroughly. “| This one. |” she finally said.
Yachiyo smiled- looks like she’d managed to pick something. The veteran moved to get her wallet, but before she could Sakurako was handing over the required amount of yen to the artist, who took it and thanked her for her purchase, offering a paper bag which was politely refused.
“I didn’t know you had cash on you.” Yachiyo commented, thinking about how the Uwasa had let her pay for the candy earlier without offering to pitch in.
“| Touka provided me with funds- she said I should use it to “buy things for myself”. |”
Yachiyo didn’t know that the girl could be so generous- but given her family’s wealth, perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising. She’d have to keep that in mind for later- perhaps Ui could get some cash to pitch in on groceries....
She put the thought aside- this was not the time nor place to think about using preteens to get money- and took a look at the mug Sakurako had chosen.
Just like the other pieces at the stall it was white, with thick black lines stretching across it. They looked like the branches of a tree- and just the faintest bits of pink dotted the edge of the branches. A cherry blossom tree.
Noticing her look, Sakurako spoke up. “| I chose this mug because it reminds me of my rumor- a thousand-year-old Sakura, which will only bloom when the four gather there together. This is a tree that is just beginning to bud. It feels... correct to how I am now. |”
Yachiyo smiled. “it suits you.”
The Uwasa gave her a small smile back. “| Thank you. |”
.o.O.o.
The next time Touka, Nemu, and Sakurako came over, it was much the same song-and-dance that had played out before.
Nemu used her own water bottle that she’d brought, accepting a guest mug when offered. Touka kept trying to sneak her own teacup into the mug cabinet, and Yachiyo made sure that it was back in her hands before she left. She made a note to talk to her about it the next time they came over- it would be best to just explain things clearly.
Iroha and Ui were happy to have them over, being able to catch up and talk like they used to. Only now, none of them were confined to a hospital bed.
And as the four girls talked and laughed in the living room, the Uwasa of the Eternal Sakura sat off in a chair to the side, holding a mug full of water in her hands. Though she didn’t take a single sip.
Yachiyo smiled as she passed by on her way upstairs. Right now, she was sure she’d made the right choice.