Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic or any of its characters. This story is purely a work of fan fiction. No profit is being made from it.
Mizushima Noriko took a deep breath to centre herself, clearing her mind and sharpening her focus, and then raised her bow. She took careful aim at the target in front of her and launched an arrow with casual ease. There was a low thunk as the arrow struck the target dead-centre.
The sound of clapping startled her. She turned to see that Takemura Chihaya had entered the archery range carrying a picnic hamper and a rolled-up blanket. Mizushima smiled fondly at the sight of her girlfriend.
"Great shot" said Chihaya happily.
"Thanks." She sniffed the air. "That smells good."
Chihaya giggled. "I baked some fruit pies in class today. I thought we could have them with a picnic" she said as she held up the hamper.
Mizushima nodded. "That sounds great."
A short time later they walked out into the forest that surrounded Astrea Hill. It did not take long for them to find a secluded spot. Mizushima spread the blanket on the grass, put down her bow and quiver, and settled down on the blanket. She reached up and took Chihaya's hand, gently guiding her down next to her and earning a sweet smile that made her heartbeat quicken.
"So let's see those pies you made" she said, eying the hamper eagerly.
Chihaya laughed. "You're almost as bad as Nagisa-chan."
"I am not" she replied with an indignant pout. Chihaya smiled and leaned forwards to give her a light kiss on the lips.
"You're so cute when you pout."
"I don't pout" Mizushima objected as her face reddened.
"And even cuter when you blush."
"Shut up" Mizushima muttered as she squirmed. Chihaya decided that she'd teased her enough for now and took out a fruit pie which she handed over. Her girlfriend accepted it and tasted a piece.
"Wow this is delicious" she said. "Have I ever told you that you're an amazing cook?"
"Once or twice" Chihaya replied with a smile. "But I don't mind hearing it again."
Just then they heard someone running towards them. They hastily stood up as Nagisa came crashing through the undergrowth yelling "stop, give it back!"
"Nagisa-chan calm down" said Chihaya as she gripped her friend's arms to stop her. "Please tell us what's wrong.?"
"It stole my ring" Nagisa replied. She pointed up at a nearby tree. They turned to look and saw a crow perched on a high branch. In its beak was a gleaming ring.
"Shizuma gave me that ring" Nagisa explained. "I was holding it up to show how it catches the light when that horrible bird swooped in and stole it."
"Well we can't just climb up there and get it" Mizushima pointed out. "If it flies off we'll never see that ring again."
Nagisa blanched and Chihaya gave her girlfriend an annoyed look for being so tactless. She winced and murmured, "sorry."
Chihaya's face brightened. "I have an idea!"
"What is it?" Nagisa asked.
Chihaya pointed to Mizushima's bow. Nagisa's eyes bulged in alarm. "No Chihaya-chan! Even if it stole my ring I don't want Mizushima-san to kill it!"
"Don't worry Nagisa-chan" she replied. "All she has to do is fire an arrow close enough to scare it into dropping the ring without hurting it."
"Can you do that Mizushima-san?" Nagisa asked.
"Leave it to me" she replied.
She picked up her bow and nocked an arrow into place. She took careful aim and in one smooth motion she pulled back the string and let the arrow fly.
Thunk!
The crow cawed in shock as the arrow stabbed into the tree, barely missing it. Nagisa's ring fell to the ground as it opened its beak and flew away.
She ran over and picked up the ring with a happy cry. "Thank you Mizushima-san! That was so cool!"
"Yes it was amazing" Chihaya agreed, staring at her in awe.
Mizushima looked at the ground and shuffled her feet as her cheeks grew hot. "It was nothing really" she muttered.
Nagisa thanked them again and left. Once she was gone Chihaya leaned closer and whispered into Mizushima's ear, " this evening would you like to show me what else you're good at besides archery?" Her eyes gleamed coyly as she spoke.
Mizushima's eyes widened at first but then she smiled. "Sure."
Chihaya grinned. She leaned even closer and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's. Mizushima returned the kiss eagerly, putting her hands on Chihaya's waist while she wrapped her arms around her neck.
It was a while before they finally got back to the picnic.