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Kokomi, despite fighting a war, has never been a very physical person.
She's aware of this. Gorou never allows her to forget about her "noodle arms" whenever he finally breaks the persona of General and returns to being just her friend.
Gorou, however, have always been fascinated by anything that involves exercise. He'll take any opportunity to engage in it, tail whipping back and forth in a frenzy.
He just as consistently always tries to involve Kokomi in whatever it is that's caught his fancy, in the spirit of camaraderie.
That's how she finds herself practicing archery with him and Kujou Sara.
Sara, based on her greeting as the two arrived, has taken Gorou's explanation that it's all in the interest of "Strengthening the bonds of friendship" between Watatsumi and Narukami at face value.
Kokomi knows better.
She's sighed about how dashing General Kujou looks and how admirable her conduct is within earshot of him too many times for her to believe him when he pretends that this is entirely innocent.
He's complained about her refusal to simply admit to having a crush on Sara too often for her to believe that out of all the the people he could've invited to join them Kujou Sara just happened to be conveniently nearby.
It's not Kokomi's fault that Sara is very admirable. It's like how Sara admires the Shogun.
(He snorted when she told him that. She's yet to find out exactly why.)
In either case, there's no way he didn't mean for this to turn out as it does, and she'll get him back. Somehow.
She's also absolutely certain that Gorou had planned the way the entire round of practice turning into Sara attempting to teach Kokomi how to use bows in the first place.
Kokomi is usually quick study, but it's difficult to focus on Sara's instructions to widen her feet to shoulder width and various ways to draw the string of the bow when she's practically wrapped around Kokomi like a blanket, breasts pressing into her back and hands holding Kokomi's own to give her directions.
The way she moves to spread Kokomi's legs to the position she finds satisfactory makes Kokomi's mind run with thoughts.
She smells like newly chopped wood. Kokomi uses that surprising tidbit to focus away from both Sara herself and Gorou, busy standing to the side looking smug.
She'll get him back, alright.
It's the squeak she lets out as one of Sara's hand's briafly brushes against her hip that finally breaks the spell.
Gorou looks as if he's about to break down in tears laughing. Sara just looks at her in confusion.
"Kokomi? is something the matter?"
She has to be doing it all on purpose. There's no way she's unaware of what she's doing to Kokomi.
Before she can answer, Gorou once again seals his fate. "I think that Her Excellency is a bit overwhelmed by all the theoretical stuff, Madam Kujou. How about you and I put on a practical display, to illustrate?"
Sara, to her relief and disappointment in equal measure, lean away from her and nods.
When she looks at him in reproach, Gorou just smiles cheekily..
---
The obvious downside to having the steps of archery shown practically as opposed to hands-on, based on her own criteria, is that Sara is no longer close to her.
The equally obvious upside it that she now has a much better view of Sara as she explains the motions she slowly performs in illustration.
And what a view it is.
The way her body moves as she shifts through steps, they way the muscles of her back and legs draw taut whenever she pulls the string back, the way she looks like serenity personified.
Kokomi can do little else than desperately stop herself from drooling in awe-struck silence.
She's failing at it, too, based on the way Gorou is clearly holding back a laugh.
If only she'd taken Lumine up on her offer to gift her the spare Kamera she and Paimon carry around.
It all comes to its head as Sara and Gorou start loosing arrows at the targets they've set up. Sara's first arrow hits the furthest out target dead centre, and Gorou's own arrow lands just beside it.
Without a word, Sara's golden eyes meet with Gorou's sky blue ones, narrowing in challenge.
It had been a surprise to learn just how competitive Sara actually is once she commits to something, and this was no different.
Kokomi once again finds herself breathless by the way Sara looks towards her pridefully every time she hits one of the targets wind catching in her hair and Gorou looking pointedly at Kokomi from behind her. The way Sara's eyes seem to ask are you impressed? makes her feel things again.
When they finally pack up Kokomi can't help but being disappointed that it's over.
On the trek back, Gorou sidles up to her. "Well?" There are several questions in that single word.
Kokomi feels herself sigh rather than making the conscious decision to. "Your point has been made, Gorou."
He just nods in response. "I'll leave you to it, then." Innocent as it sounds, Kokomi knows that it's an ultimatum, not from her general, but from her friend.
When she catches up with Sara again, she has placed all the things she was carrying on the ground, having sat down to look at the sun slowly setting on the horizon.
She only shifts when Kokomi approaches, looking at Kokomi with another of her usually so rare smiles. moving slightly to the side to give Kokomi space to kneel as well.
She doesn't manage to look at the sunset much.