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Reimu was at the market at least twice a week for her regular check-out. It was just a few things that made sure that her life was livable: the biggest bottle of gatorade they had, some chips, instant coffee, and a pack of cigarettes.
Taking over her family’s shrine after she finished college in order to let her parents retire early was both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, Reimu’s parents had moved to the country and weren’t there to bother her and she could basically do whatever she wanted. On the other hand, running a shrine by yourself was a pain in the ass.
She had some help with money by letting her friend live with her, and while Suika’s bartender job paid well, the shrine’s poor financial situation was still evident by the building’s lack of repairs.
“It’s fine, it makes it look, ya’ know, retro. Like something in an old town where if you stay too long, you’ll get possessed by the god there!”
The shrine maiden rolled her eyes when she remembered what Suika had said when she voiced those concerns. As Reimu approached the counter, she saw a familiar sight.
Green hair, the color of lime almost, seemed to shine in the light of the building as a soft but excited voice chatted away. Emerald eyes focused on her work, occasionally glancing down to focus on the elderly customer she was ringing up. Her slender fingers quickly counted out some bills before gently placing them in the hands of the ancient woman in front of her.
Reimu’s eyes turned to look at the belt as she walked up to the counter, the girl in front of her scanning the new set of items.
Not that they had to be scanned anyway. Reimu always got the same thing and it always came out to the same amount, and by some string of fate, no matter which register she chose to visit that day, the green haired girl was there.
Glancing from her items to the belt and then up at the check-out girl, Reimu’s eyes scanned over the familiar name tag on the other girl’s chest. In bubbly, energetic handwriting was the name “Sanae” written in black marker with stars drawn around it. Something about the way the tag was decorated always irritated Reimu, but it was cute.
“That will make your total 890 yen.” Reimu placed 1000 yen on the counter (like always) as Sanae put it away in the register and handed her back 110 yen (again, just like always.)
Reimu duly nodded a “thank you” as she put away her change and grabbed her plastic bag. Leaving the store, Reimu was looking for one of the bags of chips but instead, felt her hand brush up against a piece of paper. It didn’t feel like the receipt; the paper was thicker and there was something stuck on it.
Stopping at a bench, Reimu sat down and took out the paper. It was a piece of neatly folded pink notebook paper with a small heart shaped sticker holding the fold down. Reimu carefully tore the sticker off and opened the paper, only to be greeted with a familiarly cheery handwriting.
“Hello! I’m Kochiya Sanae, but you probably already know my name~
I’ve always noticed that you come into my lane at the store and found myself drawn to you…
If it’s possible, would you like to meet up for coffee sometime? ♪
I know this must seem strange but it is my honest feelings!
I’ve added my phone number at the bottom so if you are comfortable with it, please feel free to send me a mail~ ↓
Sanae Kochiya ✫”
Taking out one of her bags of chips, Reimu studied the letter carefully. The writing seemed to fit the personality of the cashier but the shrine maiden was still skeptical. It could just be a prank. For all she knew, the carefully written phone number at the bottom could be to a sex hotline or something. But there was only one way to check.
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“Hey, I got your letter.
Are you really the cashier? If so, tell me my regular order”
“Oh! I’m so glad you replied!!! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
Ummm… Your regular order is a big gatorade, chips, instant coffee, and cigarettes right? ♪
Somehow I memorized your usual like this… ( ´•௰•`)
(This is no good, Sanae…) ”
“I guess it really is you.
Well I guess I should tell you my name.
I’m Reimu.”
“R-Reimu-san??? （・□・；）
What a great name!! I feel as if we’ve gotten closer already~
Feel free to call me whatever!! We seem to be around the same age (‐＾▽＾‐)”
“Then I’ll call you [Sanae.]
I’m 22, how about you?”
“Oh! I turned 21 just a few weeks ago! (*´∀`*)
It seems like our age gap isn’t very wide just like how I predicted.
I’m something of a mind reader aren’t I? (੭ु˙꒳˙)੭ु⁾⁾”
“We looked around the same age I guess.
If you wanna visit me I run the shinto shrine near the store.”
“Oh??? Oh???? (゜-゜)
C-Could it be both our families own a shrine??? ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━
My parents own the shrine on the other side of town!
Have you ever heard of the Moriya shrine? （´-`）.｡oO”
“Yeah. So you’re from that family huh.
Want to get a drink tomorrow?”
“E-Eeeeeeeeeh!? Σ(゜ロ゜;;;;)
Well… I don’t object but… (´-﹏-`；) (fidget fidget)
D-Do you know where The Oni is? ”
“My friend works there as a bartender so I can get us a discount.
How’s 8pm work for you?
It’s a Friday so it shouldn’t matter if you stay out right?”
“That works perfect! ( ・∀・ )ゞ
I’ll see you tomorrow night then Reimu-san~ ⊂( ◜◒◝ )⊃”
“I’ll see you then.”
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After meeting for the first time at a bar and making some small talk, Reimu met up with Sanae more and more often. Usually it was after the later’s shift at the grocery store and either to go eat or drink. The two conversed easily and Reimu found herself interested in the energetic other girl. For someone who isn’t very interested in anything, it was weird to be in the company of someone who cared so much about everything.
Of course, Marisa cared about a lot too, but it was all fleeting and wishy-washy. But Sanae really, really cared for things. She talked about her favorite TV show with the same enthusiasm she talked about her job or her family. After talking with Sanae, Reimu always felt tired but in a good way. Like she just finished a rewarding jog or something.
Through their talks, Reimu found out that Sanae’s parents were both women and that one of them was actually in a position of power at some company. She also learned that Sanae’s had boyfriends in the past but none of them really worked out because they either lost interest or Sanae “didn’t feel right about it.”
“It’s like, I would date them, and they’d be really great guys, but there was just something missing. I couldn’t imagine a steady future with them, so I kind of broke off the relationship before he got too serious.”
“Maybe you’re bi,” Reimu commented as she took another sip of beer, “Have you ever had a crush on a girl?”
Perhaps it was the dim light of the bar or because of the beer they had drank, but Sanae’s cheeks were a distinctly pink color. The brunette finished up her drink as Sanae quickly blurted out, “Well, maybe once or twice but I’ve never had a relationship with one b-but I guess I’d be fine with a girlfriend too…”
Since that conversation, Reimu couldn’t get that one line out of her head. Of course she was probably imagining the blush, but Sanae’s words were real. She had said she wouldn’t mind having a girlfriend.
Lying on her futon days later, Reimu let her mind wander off, thinking about the last time she had been in a relationship. It was with some guy. It didn’t last long, maybe a month? How did they even meet? Did she even like him? All the brunette remembers is a few dates, some sex, and then goodbye.
Sanae’s relationships were never like that, Reimu thought. Sanae wouldn’t date someone just to have sex with them whenever she wanted. Sanae would date someone she really liked, maybe even loved.
Somehow, the thought of Sanae feeling that way about another woman made Reimu’s mind stop. Pushing that feeling away, the brunette got up and went out to her balcony to smoke.
Ever since she met Sanae, Reimu had been smoking less. Every time she took out a cigarette, a voice would say in her head, “Smoking’s bad for you Reimu-san! You’re young so you should treasure your health a little more!” and the brunette found herself slowly returning the rolled up paper back into its box.
Now she only seemed to smoke whenever she felt stressed or needed to clear her head, which wasn’t very often at all. As she saw the smoke drift up into the night sky, Reimu closed her eyes in quiet realization.
“Ah… So that’s what it is.”
The brunette went back inside, careful not to accidentally get ash on her futon, and grabbed her phone. Walking back out onto her balcony, Reimu flipped open her phone and tapped away at a few keys carefully.
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“Are you busy right now?
I want to meet up.”
“Eh? ( ・◇・)？ Oh, well…
I’m helping my mom clean up the shrine right now…
but I’ll be done in half an hour at the most! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
Is something wrong?? ヾ(･ω･`；))ﾉ ヾ((；´･ω･)ﾉ”
“Nothing’s wrong.
Can you meet me at the park near the station between our houses?”
“Of course!
I’ll be there as soon as possible!! - =͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉ”
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Sanae quickly threw on one of her (larger) mom’s jackets on, not bothering to change out of her miko outfit.
There was definitely something strange about Reimu’s text. In the first place, the brunette almost never texted first. That was like, the law of the world. The only other time Reimu had texted Sanae first was then they first texted each other and that was months ago. And for some reason they were meeting at a park. Usually they would meet up at a bar or cafe or restaurant but a park?
That was unheard of.
“Suwako-mama, I’m going out for a second to meet a friend! I don’t know if I’ll be back in time for dinner so just wrap up my food okay?”
From the kitchen, Sanae heard a faint “okay” as she put on her sneakers and raced down the shrine’s long stairway towards the main street. She ran towards the park, looking at her watch. She could still make it.
Reimu stood there in the dim light of the park, standing by the swings, hands deep into the pockets of her jacket and boots tracing patterns in the dirt. The brunette seemed unaware of Sanae’s approaching footsteps and stared down at the ground.
“Reimu-san! Sorry for being so late!”
The brunette’s head shot up and she took her hands out of her jacket pockets, placing them instead in the pockets of her sweat pants.
“It’s alright. I wasn’t out here for that long.”
Sanae noticed right away that something was wrong. Of course it was hard to tell, Reimu’s voice ever changed at all, but this time there was something in her tone. It was subtle and quiet, but it was there and Sanae caught onto it.
“There’s something wrong isn’t there Reimu-san…? You’re voice is shaking.”
Reimu merely shrugged and motioned for Sanae to sit down on one of the swings, politely declining to sit down herself. The two of them sat in silence for a while, Reimu looking at the ground and Sanae up at the night sky. Finally, Reimu looked up towards the sky as well and took out a cigarette, lighting it quietly.
“The stars are pretty aren’t they?”
Sanae stayed quiet as Reimu took a drag and blew out the smoke in the opposite direction, careful to make sure none of it got near the younger girl.
After standing in silence again, Reimu dropped her cigarette in the sand, extinguishing the light carefully, leaving a faint stream of smoke coming from the ground. It felt as if they had been there for hours when Reimu finally moved, walking in front of Sanae.
“Sanae.” Reimu’s hands weren’t in her pockets anymore, instead they took the other girl’s hands, “I… I wanted to tell you that I like you. A lot. Will you go out with me?”
The other girl’s eyes went wide and she felt the cold air brush against her reddening cheeks. This was a joke right? There was no way Reimu would confess to her… But the brunette’s eyes looked so serious, and there was a determination in the way she held the younger girl’s hand. Sanae’s mind whirred, trying to sort out her own feelings. Did she feel that way about Reimu too?
When was it that Sanae had started to notice Reimu? What made her write that note in the first place? The more she thought about it, the more it dawned on Sanae that she been interested in Reimu, not just because she wanted to be friends.
All at once, Sanae realized just how beautiful Reimu looked in the dim light of the park. Her brown hair was in a short bob that brushed her shoulders when she moved, eyes calm and deep, a figure that anyone wishes they could have, and the calloused hands that held onto Sanae’s own tightly.
Sanae slowly got up from the swing and leaned forward, landing a soft kiss on Reimu’s lips. They were chapped and their noses had almost hit each other but the feeling it sent down Sanae’s spine was nothing like she had experienced before.
The brunette’s cheeks were faintly red as Sanae smiled at her, “Yeah, I’d love to be your girlfriend, Reimu-san.”
Reimu smiled (something Sanae hadn’t seen her do very often) and pulled Sanae into a hug, resting her head on the younger girl’s shoulder. They stood there for a while, in their own little world when suddenly, someone’s phone rang.
“O-Oh! I-I’m so sorry! It’s mine!” Sanae quickly broke out of the hug and reached into her hakama’s hidden pocket for her phone, “Hello?”
“Sa~na~e!” the voice on the other side of the line chirped or rather, ribbited, “Where are you? Kanako’s getting worried. You went to meet your friend right? If they haven’t eaten yet, invite them over!”
“U-Uh, you see, about that…” Sanae turned away from Reimu and quickly whispered an explanation to Suwako, who giggled through the entire story.
“Awww~ My little Sanae is growing up! Well, now you gotta bring her home! Hakurei right? Tell her we’ll look forward to her visit~” with that, Suwako hung up just as Sanae began to protest.
“What’s wrong?” Reimu was standing with one hand in her jacket pocket as the other played with the string of her hoodie. Sanae thought that it was cute.
“I told my mom we were dating now and she wanted you to come over for dinner…” Sanae felt herself blushing as she slowly spoke.
“Hm, I guess I don’t mind.” Reimu seemed oddly calm and took out her phone, texting someone, “I’ll just tell Suika to eat without me.”
Closing her phone, Reimu offered her free hand, “Come one, let’s go. I don’t wanna make a bad impression already.”
Sanae grinned and took Reimu’s hand in her own, feeling the warmth of the brunette’s skin even in the freezing night. As the two of them walked out of the park, Sanae moved a little closer and rested her head on Reimu’s shoulder. The brunette didn’t protest and walked along silently, both of them knowing that this was just the beginning of their future together.