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Reimu stretched out on the shine’s veranda, savoring the bright sunlight of the uncharacteristically warm autumn day. Marisa lay against her lengthwise, head resting against Reimu’s side, hat pulled over her face, her chest rising and falling in the slow, peaceful rhythm of sleep.
Reimu brushed a hand against Marisa’s shoulder. The professions of love they’d exchanged atop the roof of the shrine a few days ago still felt surreal to her at times, but the proof of it sat against her right now. Reimu’s heart throbbed just thinking about that evening. She was certain she’d remember it vividly for the rest of her life.
The melody of birdsong filled the air all around them, as leaves rustled in the wind of an autumn breeze passing through the shrine. It ws one of those moments of perfect tranquility, the kind Reimu wished that she could stretch into an eternity. She lay still, closing her eyes, and drank it in.
It was then, of course, that her stomach decided to growl.
Reimu ignored the sound, not wanting to disrupt the moment. Unfortunately, after a brief respite, her stomach persisted, growling again so loudly that Marisa, with her head resting against Reimu’s side, had to be able to hear it. This clearly wasn’t going to go away without some action. Reimu reluctantly opened her eyes, and gently shook Marisa, who snorted and stirred.
“Whazzit?” Marisa mumbled, still sounding half-asleep. “C’mon, just a few more minutes…”
Reimu lifted Marisa’s hat off of her face, leaving Marisa blinking in the sunlight, and dropped it on the veranda. “I’m hungry, and we’re almost out of food,” Reimu said. “The weather’s nice, so let’s make a shopping trip to the village and get something good to eat while we’re there.”
Marisa rubbed her eyes and sat up, retrieving and donning her hat. “Sure, let’s do it,” she said.
Reimu ducked inside the shrine to scoop up some coins, and reemerged, sliding the door shut behind her. Marisa hovered a few feet off the ground on her broom. “Ready to fly?” she asked. “Betcha I’ll beat you there.”
“I’m not betting on that, Marisa,” Reimu said. “You know you always beat me there.”
“Exactly!” Marisa grinned. “The best kind of bet is one you can’t lose, after all.”
A fleeting fancy struck Reimu, something she’d often contemplated doing, but had never had managed to find the courage to follow through on. Instead of taking off into the air on her own, she walked over to Marisa and hopped up on the broom behind her, sitting sideways on it like Marisa often did, her feet dangling in the air.
“Oh, uh, hey there,” Marisa said, momentarily surprised. She swung one leg over the broom handle to sit next to Reimu, and tilted her head inquisitively. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing much,” Reimu said. “I’m just going to ride with you instead of flying on my own. That’s okay, right?”
“No reason it wouldn’t be,” Marisa said. “Okay if I ask why? Just wonderin’, since you haven’t hitched a ride before, and y’know, you can fly. Not that I’m complaining!” she said hastily, as if worried Reimu would get the wrong impression. “This is nice.” She scooted a little closer to Reimu.
“The reason’s kind of silly,” Reimu said. “I’ve been wanting to fly with you ever since I started thinking about you that way, but I never managed to work up the courage to do it.” She smiled at her own foolishness. All that time fretting and worrying about whether Marisa felt the same way, and all she’d have had to do was ask. “So now, I’m going to make up for missed time. That’s all.”
“Mighta been for the best,” Marisa said. “If you’d jumped up next to me like that that before, I think I’d have been so nervous trying to focus on flying with you next to me that I’d have fallen backwards off my broom, y’know?”
They laughed together. “Well, try not to fall off now, okay?” Reimu said. She smiled at Marisa. “Of course, if you do, I’ll catch you.”
Marisa tipped her hat, smiling herself beneath its wide brim. “Don’t worry, I’m only a little jittery. In the good way, though, so it oughta be a smooth flight.”
“Come on, let’s get going,” Reimu said. She rested her head on Marisa’s shoulder, and the broom rose into the air.
They flew at slower than Marisa’s usual breakneck speed, soaring through the autumn sky at a leisurely pace. Even at that speed, the whipping chill of the fall wind in the sky gave Reimu goosebumps. She shivered. “Maybe I should’ve brought a coat.”
Marisa dug around in a bag she’d brought with her, and produced the Mini-Hakkero, which she fiddled with for a moment before securing it to the broom with some kind of magical adhesive. Heat began to radiate off it in waves, comfortably but not overpoweringly warm, and the prickling goosebumps on Reimu’s arms started to fade away.
Marisa was so resourceful. Of course, that was one of the things Reimu loved about her. “That’s a nice trick,” Reimu said appreciatively.
“It’s got uses besides blasting people, even if that’s more fun.”
In the distance, the village started to grow larger. The journey wouldn’t take very long, even at their current scenic speed. It was an unusual sensation, flying through the air on a broom. Of course, to Marisa it probably would’ve felt unnatural to fly without one.
“So, is flying with me livin’ up to expectations?” Marisa asked, nudging Reimu in the side, a teasing tone in her voice. “Or did you just want me to do the work for you, like usual?”
“It’s a little weird to have to worry about falling off of something while flying,” Reimu said. “Is that how it feels all the time for you?”
“No way!” Marisa scoffed. She patted the broom handle affectionately. “This thing’s like an extension of my body. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”
“For you, maybe,” Reimu said, smiling. “I don’t think I’d want to do it on my own. But with you, yes, it’s kind of nice. I wouldn’t be able to take you flying like this myself.”
Marisa poked Reimu’s arm. “Well, if you had a little more muscle, maybe you could,” she said with a mischievous laugh.
Reimu opened her mouth to retort that it wasn’t like Marisa would be able to carry her either, thought about it again, and realized she might actually be able to, thanks to how oddly strong she was. Reimu groped for something else to say, finding it difficult through the distraction offered by the mental image of Marisa sweeping her into her arms and soaring away.
“Marisa, I already expend way too much energy on resolving incidents,” she said, landing on a suitable rejoinder after a moment. “I’m not adding a workout routine on top of that, even for you.”
“Just teasin’,” Marisa said. “We both know you could kick my ass, anyhow.”
Well, Reimu hadn’t been the one to say it.
“Thanks, Marisa,” Reimu said.
“For saying you could kick my ass?”
Reimu laughed, and nudged Marisa with her head, still resting against Marisa’s shoulder. “No, of course. For letting me fly with you. Will you take me with you again?” She gazed up into Marisa’s eyes. They sparkled, just like her magic.
Marisa looked away suddenly, clearly flustered. With no more need for either of them to work so strenuously to conceal their feelings, Reimu had discovered how easily she could pierce Marisa’s brash facade to expose the emotions beneath. It was both a sweet and exhilarating feeling, knowing that at any moment she could produce the reactions she’d daydreamed about for so long.
“Jeez, I still can’t think straight when you start acting like that, Reimu,” Marisa said, mock-scowling at her before breaking into a smile. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Good,” Reimu said, looking out at the countryside rolling by beneath them, and wondering what it would be like to fly with Marisa over a beautiful field of snow, or through a sudden spring shower. She resolved to find out. Her stomach rumbled again, and she winced. “But let’s start with getting something to eat, first. ”