Mari Ohara yawned into her fist. As the half-asleep blonde lazily smacked her lips, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, Yoshiko Tsushima, or Yohane as she called herself right now, pranced forward with a surprising amount of vigor for it being first thing in the morning. She had a sack of various items strewn over her back. Candles, chalk, a portable camera, strips of black cloth, a fake halo, fake angel wing accessories, and various books filled with 'incantations' meant to summon demons as well as providing instructions on how to draw the summoning circles themselves. It was a Sunday, so there was no need to worry about missing either school or idol club practice. Yohane had appeared on Mari's front doorstep looking as excitable as ever, and Mari, not wanting to disappoint someone wearing such a cute look on their face, agreed to go with her on her little venture. However, despite having spent over twenty minutes walking aimlessly through town together, Mari only just now realized that she had no idea WHAT they were doing in the first place.
"So what are we doing out here, Yoshi? Er, I mean, Yohane?" Mari asked.
"Eh? Didn't I tell you already, Mari?" Yoshiko whipped around to stare at the older woman.
Mari paused and thought about it. Now that she was waking up, her mind starting to clear and her composure reconstructing itself, she found that she could not recall that particular piece of information. "Oh, um, I guess I forgot?"
"We are going on a very important mission!"
"Oh? Is that what it is?"
"Yes! I, the Fallen Angel Yohane, have finally learned the means of which to regain my lost powers! The tremendous powers of which I had possessed before I had been forcefully expelled to this mortal plane eons ago!"
"Wow." Mari didn't try very hard to sound impressed, but it seemed to do the trick for Yoshiko, who performed a little twirl before striking a pose.
"Indeed! Be ecstatic, little demon, for soon you shall witness greatness beyond the likes of anything you have ever seen!"
Mari wondered what Yoshiko would actually try to do to 'regain her power'. Her silly little Fallen Angel act was a very charming part of her personality, but even Yoshiko herself knew that it was a part of herself that didn't have much basis in genuine reality. She watched as Yoshiko ran up to the nearest stop sign. After whipping her head back and forth several times, looking up and down the length of the road, Yoshiko bent down and began to undo her bag. She stopped, looked over her shoulder at Mari, sprouted a faint blush on her pale cheeks, and then resumed digging in her bag. Mari chuckled. The sun was still in the midst of rising, the air had a biting chill to it, and there weren't many other people out and about at such an early time. It was almost like the town itself belonged to only the two of them.
"Ah-ha! Here we go! These will be the first symbols I shall inscribe into this land, the ones that shall harald the beginning of my powers' return!"
Yoshiko began to draw something on the asphalt with a piece of white chalk. Mari stood far off enough where she couldn't see what it was. When Yoshiko finished scrawling her little doodles, she put the chalk away and resumed walking. She traveled northbound, which meant that they were going to have to climb one of the steeper roads together. Mari followed after Yoshiko, despite having no true obligation to do so. The two of them did not exchange many words for the next few minutes, mostly because they were too spent with trying to breathe while climbing the hill. Yoshiko had one of her 'spell-books' clutched between her hands. Mari was curious to see how this whole trip would end. While some others like Riko, You or Kanan would likely have given up and gone back to bed already, Mari stuck it out. For Yoshiko's sake and a little bit her own too.
"Yes! That's it! The next spot! W-Wait right here, my little demon!"
"Okay, Yohane."
Yoshiko started walking, but then quickly stopped. "Oh, um, are you thirsty at all? I brought some juice boxes with me."
"Maybe later, okay?"
Mari giggled to herself again as she watched Yoshiko's retreating back. She was a sweet girl, even when she was trying to pretend to be some kind of unholy figurehead.
"Mari, are you listening?"
Mari blinked. She hadn't noticed Yoshiko was talking to her at all. "Hmm? Just my name? And without any sort of title? Surely don't you mean something more grandiose like 'hark, my little demon, and heed my words'?"
"I-I just wanted to tell you that I might have chosen the wrong spot. Yohane, as careful and infinitely wise as she is, may have miscalculated."
"Oh, that's pretty cute. Even a Fallen Angel can be wrong now and then."
"Hmph! It was...it was...uh, it was just all part of the plan!"
"Whatever you say, Yohane."
Mari couldn't help but smile to herself, the corners of her lips tugging up higher and higher. She was starting to put the pieces together. This whole thing that Yoshiko was dragging her along for. It was just a guess, but...she liked to think that she had guessed right.
The two of them stopped at several more places around town before they finally retired on a bench, sweaty, tired, and thirsty for some mango juice. The last symbol that Yoshiko had drawn was done in front of the local convenience store. Their walk had taken them quite far into town, putting them near the beach-side. The scent of the ocean was strong in the air, strong enough that Mari could almost taste the salt on her tongue whenever she breathed in. It was still quiet all around them. Yoshiko sipped up the last few droplets of her juice box. The two of them had been doing this walk of theirs for over an hour. Apart from seeing a few morning joggers and some seagulls, the town was mostly dead on an early Sunday. A nice change of pace from the usual excitement.
Mari snickered. She reached out and placed her hand down upon Yoshiko's. The first-year's face began to light up, her cheeks, nose and even ears turning bright red from the blonde's feathery touch. She cast a quick sideways glance at Mari out of her eye's corner. She didn't know what to say in response to such a sudden act of skin on skin contact. At least, Yoshiko Tsushima didn't. Yohane, on the other hand...
"So, um, the ritual has been set in stone. Literally. Now the transformation will soon begin and I will regain everything that had been stripped away from me."
"That should be exciting. I'm surprised you're not jumping up and down with joy."
"I cannot do such a thing until I am perfectly sure that all of the components of the ritual have been set correctly."
"What will happen when you gain your powers back, Yohane? Will you be able to do incredible things?"
Yoshiko struck a pose. "Of course!"
"Like fly? Would you be able to fly?"
"I would be able to fly across the span of this planet in the blink of an eye!"
"Would you be able to fire laser beams from your eyes?"
"I could incinerate even the mightiest of foes with relative ease!"
"Would you be able to make humans obey your every order?"
"Ha! That would require minimal effort!"
Mari took a brief pause. A light-bulb went off in her head. She thought of something fun.
"You wouldn't leave me...and the rest of Aquors...would you?"
Yoshiko gulped. She gulped so loud that Mari could actually hear it. "N...N...No! No! O-Of course not! Yohane has grown particularly fond of you all! I may not be the same as I am right now, as I may become a being beyond human comprehension, but I'll still, I'll still make sure I retain some sort of recognizable form so I could continue being an idol with you all! Y-You're very i-important people to me!"
"Even me?" Mari leaned in.
"...Yes. Especially you, my l-little demon."
Mari came in even closer. She spoke in a whisper. "Ah, you called me little demon again. So I really am your little demon? Tell me, am I Mari or am I your little demon?"
"You're my...little demon..." shivered Yoshiko. She was trying so hard to keep up the pretense.
"A little demon, if they are to see their master regain their formerly lost powers, deserves to be rewarded properly for their efforts, aren't they? I've always been willing to support you however I could, Yohane, even though it might not have seemed like it at first on the outset."
"I guess so...?" Yoshiko could feel Mari's breath blowing on her own face now.
"I'm so happy to know you won't leave us for good, Yohane, but as your little demon, before I witness you take on your ethereal form, I wish to make a request from you while you are in your physical body."
"Ah...M...Mari...ah...you're...you're getting too..." Yoshiko couldn't take it anymore. She felt like she had grown so hot that she could pass out from heat stroke. She grabbed Mari by her shoulder and, ever so lightly, pushed her back. "You're getting too close!"
"Ha ha ha ha!" Mari burst out laughing.
"What are you doing?" Yoshiko shrieked.
"It was joke! Just joke! I was making joke!" Mari continued to guffaw. "Oh, you should have seen your face, Yoshi! I didn't mean to scare you, but it was just so tempting to do it!"
Yoshiko sighed. She didn't know why Mari did these things sometimes. Now she didn't know how she could come out and say what she really wanted to tell her. The whole reason she did this ritual with Mari following her in the first place, there had been a particular outcome she had been bracing herself for. The whole proclamation that she would 'regain her powers' was a farce made up to help her bide her time. She had needed it so she could muster up the bravery to speak her true feelings to the third-year woman. Yoshiko touched her nose, shook her head, and then decided she would try and talk to Mari face to face after all. No time like the present, after all, especially since so much of the past had just been wasted on otherwise meaningless matters. Poor Yoshiko summoned every single ounce of courage that she could drudge up within herself, including the courage of Yohane, and looked to Mari with her heart ablaze.
"Mari, I should probably tell you...when the ritual was completed...I was going to...!"
Mari smashed her lips against Yoshiko's in a deep, powerful kiss. Yoshiko's mouth had been partially open, so she could feel a tongue briefly slip itself inside before pulling out. Her eyes bulged three times as wide, practically popping out of her skull. Mari held onto Yoshiko's right arm by the wrist and put her other hand on Yoshiko's shoulder to keep her steady. They kept their lips locked for several moments. When the kiss finally ended, Yoshiko's head dropped forward, eventually making contact with Mari's chest. Her bosom was both warm and welcoming. Mari giggled; she feared she might have actually broke the mind of the younger woman. She ruffled her hair-bun and kissed her on the head.
"I'm sorry, Yoshi. I hope you don't mind me having been so abrasive just then."
"But...but I was going to tell you...my feelings, Mari..."
"I figured you wanted to do this because you wanted to spend time with me, but you know me, Yoshi. I don't like beating around the bush."
"Ah..." Yoshiko sighed.
"Let's sit here for a while, okay?" Mari offered.
"...Okay..." Yoshiko pressed her face into Mari's chest and mumbled to herself.
"You're not mad at me, are you?"
"No...and I really should have been more honest about all of this..."
"You're lucky that I don't mind going out with you so early in the morning, Yoshi. You're always fun all the time, so I was happy to do it."
"...Thank you, Mari..."
Mari rubbed the back of Yoshiko's head. She knew the younger woman would need a few more minutes to compose herself. That kiss was probably more than she could have handled for the first time, and Mari would take full responsibility for that folly on her part, but it definitely had done something right for the two of them too. It was a kiss that was a long time coming. Surely Yoshiko felt some relief for finally having gotten to this point after tormenting herself over it for so long.
"This little demon might sound selfish, but I think she prefers you as a Fallen Angel rather than anything else."