Trails of Rice

by Woofemus

Hanayo is a rice goddess only trying to grow her rice. Maki is a disgruntled werewolf hapless enough to land herself in Hanayo's fields while injured. In return for saving her, Maki agrees to help Hanayo out. AU

"I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it!"

From within the lone house in the middle of a large paddy field, came the joyous shouts of the rice goddess from within. The door burst open and the rice goddess herself rushed out, holding a single bowl in the air. Within the bowl held the most delectable and fluffy white rice ever possibly made.

"This is amazing!" She brought the bowl back down, her mouth already watering at the sight of supreme delicious goodness in front of her. Unable to resist, she plucked a single grain and put it in her mouth.

"Mm!" There wasn't any other word that could describe the sudden rush of euphoria she felt, the flavor of the pure white rice taking over her mouth. This… this was truly the best. After all, she wasn't called a goddess of the rice for nothing. She looked back at the bowl of rice, her hand reaching out again—

"Ah! No, no, no, I can't do this, not yet. I have to show this to Eli!"

Even giddier than before, the goddess dashed off. With her power bursting out in her exhilaration, her feet left trails of green in her path, plants sprouting over the road.

She stopped suddenly, gasping with both surprise and fear.

There, in the middle of her field, was a wolf. Not just any regular wolf though, but it was huge, and… and…

And it was… red?

She blinked. Did wolves come in that color?

She waited, watching carefully. When it looked like there was no movement, she inched closer. Was it sleeping? Maybe she could sneak past it. However curious she was, she still had a mission to do first! An obstacle like this, she wouldn't let it stop her here!

As carefully as she could, she began to tiptoe, her feet barely making any sounds. Just to be sure, she even lifted her white dress slightly so it didn't drag on the ground. She couldn't risk it all here!

Ah… but it was still terrifying, especially as she got closer toward the head. She held her breath. She was sure it would open its fearsome eyes if it smelled her breath, and then eat her right up. And then she wouldn't be able to show Eli all her hard work!

Just… just a little more, a little more, the final stretch was there…

And it was then, that she noticed the large gaping gash on the underside of the wolf.

"A-ah!" Rushing forward without a second thought, she leaned down. "Oh… you're hurt all over… poor thing, what happened to you?" She set the bowl of rice down and held out her hands to the wolf, focusing. A warm glow surrounded her hands, the healing magic flowing into the wolf. The wound was large though, larger than she had expected, and even the goddess began to pant with exertion. So concentrated she was that she failed to notice the wolf stirring slightly.

Soon though, the magic faded from her hands. The goddess opened her eyes. Where the bloody wound was now unblemished, tender skin. The sight made her let out a tired smile. She took a moment to gather herself, slowly trying to regain her energy back. She didn't regret stopping here, but she had already spent more than enough time here, and needed to rush off right away. There was no telling when Eli was going to leave for the day, and it would be too late.

The goddess went to pick up her bowl of rice, making sure nothing was out of place. She went to pick it up, and realized the wolf's eyes were open, violet eyes staring straight at her.

"A-ah!"

Startled, the goddess fell back on her hands, gaping. The wolf stared at her before sniffing, moving its head toward the bowl of rice. "W-wait! No, you can't eat that!"

A bellow sounded out at that moment. Hanayo blinked, once, twice, before she finally looked down at wolf's stomach. "Oh, are… are you hungry?"

The wolf gave no indication it had heard her, but its eyes darted back and forth between the goddess and the bowl of rice.

The goddess did the same, glancing back and forth between the wolf and her currently prized possession. If she didn't get the rice to Eli in time, there was no doubt that the other goddess would be furious and lecture her for the giant waste of time. It… it was better for her to… to take the rice to Eli…

The wolf's stomach gurgled again, and the goddess' choice was made.

She scooted closer, carefully holding out the food. She let out a smile that she hoped was friendly, unthreatening. "I-if you're hungry, you can eat this," she said slowly. The wolf huffed at her, baring its fangs. She squeaked, but kept on inching forward until the bowl was right in front of the wolf's nose. The wolf let out another growl—it blinked, sniffing curiously at the rice. In the next moment, it pushed itself up, still sniffing the bowl.

The goddess smiled again, gesturing with her hands. "I-it's delicious! The best thing you'll ever eat! Go on!"

The wolf looked up her, wariness in its eyes before tentatively taking a small bite. Its eyes widened and without any other warning, began to scarf down the rice. Within the blink of an eye, the rice the goddess had laboriously grown was gone, and in its place was a wolf that was now furiously wagging its tail.

"It was good, right?" she asked, smiling. The wolf startled and stared at her, as if remembering she was still there. They stared at each other.

The wolf suddenly looked away, letting out a huff. Its tail was still wagging though. That… that meant something good, right? The goddess sighed, moving to stand up now.

The wolf began to growl, picking itself up. Its ears were alert, its fur bristling with warning. The goddess waved her hands. "A-ah! I'm j-just going to leave now, I-I won't—"

It rushed at her.

She screamed and snapped her eyes shut.

Nothing hit her. The goddess opened her eyes, and realized the wolf wasn't in front of her anymore. She spun around, and realized the wolf was currently the least of her problems.

Around her was a pack of wolves, growling menacingly. The wolf she had rescued stood between her and the rest of them. But what made her more than surprised was that the wolf she had rescued was huge, towering over both her and the wolves even. And still, the other wolves wanted to challenge this mighty beast?

Maybe these were the same ones that had given it its injuries?

One of the wolves let out a bark and leaped forward. The red wolf rushed forward to meet it head on, knocking it away with its massive head. At the same time, the other three wolves rushed forward as well, one of them managing to latch onto the red wolf's body with its fangs.

The goddess gasped with horror. She wanted to run out, to help the red wolf, but what good would that do? She didn't know how to fight, and the thought of even hurting the other wolves made her hands shake. But still! There… there was something she could do… something—

The huge wolf roared and with its mighty jaws, flung away the wolf that was clinging to it. The wolf let out another howl, growling fiercely as it beat back the other wolves. One of them leaped at it again, and the wolf raised its mighty paws and slammed it down against the leaping wolf, pinning its body underneath. The wolf whimpered with pain, and the large wolf growled threateningly before shoving it away.

The other wolves were still growling but less so now, their tails between its legs and ears pressed flat against their heads. Realizing they had lost, they yipped and ran away. The large wolf rushed forward, to chase after them, and collapsed back down, whining with pain.

The goddess ran forward to the wolf, gasping at the fresh wounds on it.

"Oh no..." She looked back between her home and the wolf, the short distance suddenly seeming insurmountable.

But still, she had to do something. She couldn't leave this poor wolf here, especially after it had protected her. Eli would be waiting, and she'd be furious if there was no one to meet her, but... but…

With her mind made up, the goddess set about to take the wolf home.

-1-

When morning came, she rushed out of her bed, going to the barn next door.

"Good morning—" and she blinked. In front of her were towels and blankets on the ground, no large injured wolf in sight. "Did… did it leave?" She stepped into the barn, looking all around.

There was a sound of something falling, and before Hanayo knew it, hands grabbed at her. She felt herself being pulled, her back pushed up against something and one of her arms restrained. She opened her mouth to scream—there was something sharp at her neck, and fear made her hold her scream in.

The goddess turned her head slightly, to look at what held her. A pair of violet eyes that seemed familiar met hers, along with the sight of sharp fangs. There was also something red at the edge of her vision before a hand gripped her face and forced her to look back forward.

"Who are you?" A voice asked, directly behind her. The goddess struggled to speak.

"I… c-can't… s-speak, your hand—" was all she managed to rasp out before she had to swallow. The claw on her neck loosened, but only slightly.

"There, better?" the voice asked, sounding irritated now.

"U-um, yeah." The goddess tried again to look behind her—

"Don't!" She yelped and snapped her eyes forward. "Good. So, who are you?"

"H-H-Hanayo!" the goddess squeaked out. "M-my name is Hanayo! I-I'm just a rice goddess that owns these fields! I j-just want to grow rice!"

"… you're not with them?"

"W-who?"

"No, this could be a trap, I can't trust you just yet." There was a brief moment of silence before the voice finally spoke again. "More food. More of… that rice you gave me yesterday. Give me one more bowl and I'll leave."

"T-the rice?" Hanayo began to sweat nervously. "I… I can't."

"… no?" The claw on her neck squeezed down threateningly. "You don't—"

"Hanayo!"

The sudden shout surprised both of them. Hanayo paled, realizing who the shout belonged to. Sweating even more nervously now, she threw off the hands that were on her and spun around, shoving the body toward a corner of the barn as she kept her eyes on the door.

"O-oh no! She's here! Y-you have to hide or else she'll get even more mad!"

"What, what the hell is going on—"

"Shh! Just hide!" Hanayo barely managed to run back into place before the door to the barn kicked open.

There, in the entrance of the barn, stood one infuriated goddess, lightning crackling from her every being. She marched right up to Hanayo, put her hands on her shoulder, and began to shake her.

"Hanayo! I waited for you all day yesterday and you didn't show up! If you weren't going to come, then you should have at least sent me a message! And then I come down here and what do I find?! Your crops are dead! What do you have to explain yourself?!"

"E-Eli, I, um, er," Hanayo stammered, trying to figure out how to form sentences past her fear. "I was, I-I was just, erm, uh… busy," she finished. She immediately looked down at the ground, knowing Eli had to be giving her the most incredulous look ever. "Y-yeah, busy."

"Busy," Eli repeated, voice flat. "Then, does that mean all this time you spent out here was wasted?"

"N-no!" Hanayo snapped her head up to look straight at Eli. "I did manage to make one bowl of rice! It was a-amazing! So wonderful! I'm sure that if you took a bite, it'd change your mind! It's life changing!"

The only thing that gave away Eli's surprised was a quick blink before her composure returned. She stared down at Hanayo. "Then, where is this bowl?"

Hanayo froze. She looked further down, staring at her feet as she mumbled. "I… I don't have it anymore."

"… what?"

"I… I…" Hanayo swallowed before she bowed deeply. "I-I ate it! T-the rice was just so delicious that I couldn't help myself! A-and when I realized I ate it all, I… I'm sorry!"

"You… you ate it all."

"U-um… yeah," she mumbled.

Silence.

Hanayo shut her eyes, trying to do her best to push the tears threatening to fall back in. She didn't need to look to see the disappointment on Eli's face; she knew it had to be there. After all, what else could even perfectly describe this moment? The same words Hanayo had always heard.

The hay crunched under Eli's foot as she stepped forward. Hanayo flinched, readying herself for the storm—

A roar boomed throughout the barn.

Eli's eyes suddenly narrowed the same moment a wolf leaped out from the corner. Hanayo fell backward from shock. When she looked up, she suddenly found an all too familiar giant red wolf separating her and Eli. The wolf looked back at Hanayo before moving its body to block her from Eli's sight.

"H-Hanayo!" Eli shouted, the electricity crackling all around her. "Foul beast! Where did you come from!? I won't let you harm Hanayo!"

The beast roared again and stepped closer toward Hanayo, growling threateningly, hackles raised. Eli's eyes widened from surprise. "What? You think you're protecting Hanayo from me?" Her eyes narrowed again. Outside, thunder began to boom. "How dare you!"

Entirely unfazed, the beast snarled, snapping at her. Eli's eyes remained hard, meeting the wolf's stare without backing down.

Once again, Hanayo was powerless, unable to do anything. But this wasn't a pack of wild wolves now, this was a goddess, and Hanayo knew she had to do something to stop the wolf from getting fried.

Taking a moment to steel herself, Hanayo pushed herself to her feet and ran out, in front of the both of them, with her arms out.

"Hanayo!"

"W-wait! Don't, u-um, don't do anything!" she pleaded, turning to look at both of them. "P-please, don't, um, d-don't hurt each other. P-please." She sniffled, and realized she was seconds away from crying. "A-ah, wait, no… don't cry now…" Hanayo moved her hands to swipe at her eyes, struggling to contain her tears.

"Elichi, why can't you just admit you were worried for little Hanayo?"

There was another voice then, and Hanayo felt nothing but relief in this moment.

Eli spun around, horror on her face. "N-N-Nozomi!"

At the entrance of the barn was yet another goddess, her presence not as intimidating as Eli's but no less important, especially with the way Eli had seemed cowed. Nozomi, smiling disarmingly, stepped forward, coming to Eli's side.

"So? What seems to be the problem?" she asked, with a hint of playfulness that was entirely unfit for the situation.

"This feral beast is clearly dangerous! Look," Eli turned back to the wolf—and blinked. Hanayo followed her gaze, and let out a gasp.

No longer aggressive, the wolf stopped snarling and was suddenly cautious. Its tail was lowered, eyes fully trained on Nozomi. It seemed to shrink back a bit, as if trying to hide behind Hanayo now. That… that was strange. Did the wolf seem to know Nozomi?

"Dangerous?" Nozomi tittered behind her hand. "It looks more like a giant puppy to me."

The wolf's ears went up and stepped forward with its teeth bared. Eli immediately held out her hand to push Nozomi behind her as she met the wolf—

Hanayo's hands were reaching out before she knew it, softly cradling the wolf in her hands. Her hands went over to its ears, scratching it. "Shh, shh," she cooed, hoping to soothe its rage. She ran her hands up and down, and the panic she felt was quickly disappearing. Her face was full of amazement as she continued to rub the wolf's head. "Oh my! Your fur is just so soft!"

The wolf let out a low growl but leaned into her touch. There was some movement off to the side, and she realized the wolf's tail was wagging slightly. Hanayo giggled, continued to scratch at its head.

"I think Hanayo has it under control more than we thought," Nozomi spoke up at that moment. The wolf froze up and Hanayo yelped, whirling back to face Nozomi before spinning back to the wolf.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! I didn't meant to, erm, touch you like that! I was just… just… um…" Hanayo trailed off, too flustered to continue. The wolf looked over at Nozomi with narrowed eyes before it tore its gaze away, snorting loudly.

Nozomi's eyes crinkled at the sight before she subtly nudged the goddess next to her. Eli cleared her throat, a frown on her face. "O-okay, fine, I admit I might have been… excessive," she muttered. She turned back to Hanayo and reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Next time, send a message if you can't make it. I… I was just worried something dreadful had happened."

"O-oh! U-um, actually y-yesterday..." Hanayo looked down at the ground, nervously fiddling with her fingers. The wild wolves from yesterday… Hanayo wanted to tell Eli about them, but she wasn't sure what the other goddess would do. Eli was already overprotective enough, and Hanayo had already invested too much in this project to let it go to waste. But…

"Elichi, you'll feel better if Hanayo had some kind of bodyguard here, wouldn't you?"

Both Hanayo and Eli snapped their heads toward Nozomi. She snickered at the responses before moving forward, to the wolf. It growled at her but she ignored it, patting its head. "Well, she's got the perfect bodyguard right here, don't you think?"

"What?!" Both Hanayo and Eli exclaimed at the same time. Nozomi smiled at them. It was the wolf that reacted, butting its head against Nozomi's hand and rising to its full height. It stared down at Nozomi, letting out a loud puff of air through its nose. It opened its mouth, and Hanayo was suddenly afraid that it would use its giant fangs to chomp down on Nozomi. She reached out—

"Nozomi! What do you think you're suggesting?!" it said instead in a low snarl.

"Eh?!" Hanayo gaped up at the wolf. "You can talk?!"

The wolf froze once more before it sat down, pointedly keeping its eyes away from them with its ears pressed flat against its head.

"… no," it answered in a sullen voice.

"Wait," Eli stepped forward, recognition beginning to dawn on her face. "I know you. You're…" She stopped when she stood in front of it, eyes roaming over its face. In contrast, the wolf stared back at her, tilting its head in confusion. And Eli widened her eyes, exclaiming. "Oh! You're the pup that Nozomi found all those years ago! Maki!"

The wolf's ears went up and it moved down toward Eli, sniffing her. "Who are you? I don't remember you, but… you smell kind of familiar now."

"Elichi wasn't around a lot when I took care of you," Nozomi said, reaching out to pat the wolf on the head again. It still let out a growl still but seemed less objecting than before, the sound a soft rumble now. "But look at how much you've grown now! You're bigger than all of us combined!"

"Of course," the wolf said haughtily as it turned its chin upward. "Don't you know how long it's already been? I was only a tiny pup back then, and now I'm grown up!" Its tail wagged, and Hanayo felt like it wanted to hear more compliments.

"Yes, yes," Nozomi answered with a laugh. "Looks like you're doing just fine, still dropping in unexpectedly on goddesses." The wolf pointedly looked away from Nozomi, grumbling. Somehow, even through its red fur, Hanayo couldn't help the feeling that it was blushing. Nozomi smiled again, and spoke once more. "Anyway, so what I need for you to do is to be Hanayo's bodyguard."

There was a moment of silence, and then—

"What?!" Three voices exclaimed simultaneously.

"Nozomi, you can't be serious," Eli voiced for all of them. "I know I worry too much about Hanayo but this… t-this is ridiculous!"

"It'll be fine, it'll be fine!" Nozomi waved off Eli's concerns, acting just a little too carefree. "You won't mind, right, Maki?"

The wolf jolted from surprise, and Hanayo wondered why it suddenly seemed distracted. It stared down at her before looking away with a huff.

"… whatever," it said, even shrugging its shoulders in a show of nonchalance.

"What?!" Eli whirled to the wolf. "You…" She couldn't finish her words, putting her face into her hands and sighing angrily into it. Once she was done, she looked back up, scowling at the wolf. "Fine! If Nozomi trusts you, then… I have no choice too. But if I find out you've hurt Hanayo—"

The wolf bristled, rising to its feet. "How dare you think I can't—"

"Calm down everyone." Nozomi waved her hands in a placating motion. She looked over at Eli. "Elichi, you worry too much. If Maki says she's fine with it, then we should trust her. After all, we took care of her when she was young. Don't you remember how cute she was? Her little paws were just so soft and squishy, and she just kept licking—"

A shrill bark interrupted the rest of Nozomi's words. The wolf nudged her after, growling. Nozomi laughed. "Right, right. Anyway, so you agree to help out Hanayo, right?"

Several seconds passed by before the wolf nodded, grudgingly. Nozomi clapped her hands together. "Great! Now that we've got that settled…" She hooked an arm around Eli's. "Now, since someone lost her temper earlier, there's been thunderclouds storming across the realms, and Nicocchi's not going to be happy."

Eli slapped her forehead and cursed under her breath. "I forgot all about her. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to that." She turned to Hanayo, reaching out to lay a soft touch on her arm, a gesture of apology. "I, er, sorry for blowing up at you earlier. If I can manage, I'll… come by and see how you're doing." Her eyes moved over to the wolf's, and there looked like some silent conversation passing between them, especially when the wolf rose to full height and stood next to Hanayo, as if trying to intimidate them. Eli scoffed then, and pulled on Nozomi toward the exit. "C'mon, we have to get going now."

"Enjoy your time together," Nozomi called out in a teasing voice at the door, and she disappeared from sight when Eli tugged her away.

And now, left alone.

Hanayo slowly turned to the wolf, looking up. "U-um, so… y-you're Maki?"

"… Maki," the wolf confirmed, its voice completely flat now. It looked down at Hanayo before shaking its head. In the next instant, there was a flash of light, and the wolf was gone from sight. In its place was—

"O-oh!" Hanayo blinked. "I-is this your human form?" She looked every bit human, and the only thing that gave her away were the furry ears on top of her head.

"… what about it?" Maki narrowed her eyes, teeth bared. O-oh! Her teeth were fangs! In her wolf form, they were massive, but here, they were tiny, barely peeking out past her lips, adding a sort of cuteness to her. Hanayo stared at her for a moment before shyly smiling.

"N-nothing! W-well, I-I mean, you were kind of huge in your wolf form and your human form is…"

Maki slowly looked over at Hanayo, growling lowly. "What are you going to say?" she asked slowly, threateningly. Hanayo froze up before blurting out the first thing that came to her mind.

"You're very pretty!"

Maki blinked at her before her expression changed, her eyes widening and a flush blooming across her face. Hanayo immediately slapped her hands over her face, trying to hide her own terrible blush.

It took several minutes before they could finally look at each other. And even then, their eyes would meet for a split second before darting away, their faces still burning hot.

"I, um, thanks," Maki finally muttered, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. Hanayo let out an equally nervous bubble of laughter, stiltedly nodding her head. "A-anyway…" Maki coughed into her hand before she crossed her arms and looked straight at her. "I don't want you to misunderstand me here. I'm only going to help you out because you… you helped me out yesterday. I'm in your debt, so I'll repay it back by helping you with this."

"H-huh!?" Hanayo waved her hands. "Y-you don't have to do something like—"

Maki held up her hand stop her from speaking. "I wasn't done. I'll help you out until you get more rice, and then I'm out of here. Got it?" Her ears twitched animatedly, and Hanayo was almost distracted watching them instead. It took Maki impatiently waving her hand in front of her to get her to answer.

"Y-yeah! I, er, I mean, yeah." Hanayo smiled at her. "You really don't have to, but if you feel like it, then… I'll be more than happy to have you along."

"Good. I don't like keeping my debts open." Maki held out her hand. Hanayo stared at it before realizing what Maki wanted, and she quickly took it, shaking it up and down.

"F-for the best crop of rice I can possibly make!" Hanayo squeaked out.

"… what the heck are you saying?"

"A-ah! N-nothing!"

Hanayo wondered if Nozomi knew exactly what she was doing when she had suggested this in the first place.

-2-

They waited a few days for Maki's injuries to heal before starting any work.

"So… what are we going to do?" Maki gestured to all around them. Hanayo put a hand over her eyes as she scanned all around. They were outside now, looking over her field, with all of its dead crops. It was a depressing sight, but not one Hanayo wasn't used to already. Sighing quietly, Hanayo closed her eyes and concentrated on her power. She envisioned her entire field, murmuring a prayer under her breath.

Hanayo opened her eyes just as Maki's gasp of surprise rang out.

With her power, she had restored the land back to its original state, nothing but flat soil all around them. She surveyed the land once more, just to make sure. "Whew! Now, um, we'll have to prepare the paddies!" She looked over at Maki, nervously playing with her fingers. "U-um… if you don't mind…"

Maki was still gaping, slowly looking over the now flattened land. "You… you just…" She closed her mouth, crossing her arms as she thoughtfully looked over at Hanayo. "Well… I guess your power and status are real."

"H-huh?" Hanayo frowned at her. "I am a goddess of these lands! And rice too," she added under her breath. Maki looked away from her, looking displeased.

"I, er, sorry. Didn't mean anything," she apologized in a gruff voice. Hanayo hadn't expected that, but she nodded. "So? What do we do?" Maki asked after.

"O-oh! Um…" Hanayo gestured to all around them. "W-well… we have to plow the field so… can you help me dig a hole?"

"A hole?"

"W-well, no, not a hole, um…" Hanayo coughed into her hand, rushing out the rest of her words in a single breath. "A bunch of holes actually."

Maki's ears twitched, and she leveled an incredulous look at Hanayo. Oh, Hanayo remembered, werewolf. "A bunch of holes," she said slowly, voice flat.

"A-ah! I mean…" Hanayo smiled nervously. "I'll be helping out with the other side too?" She waved her hand and suddenly, there was a hoe in them.

"… all of this," Maki repeated again.

"… yes."

Maki waved with her head. "… can't you use some of your power to… make holes? Didn't you fix everything in this field?"

"I could, but…" Hanayo looked down at the ground with a sheepish smile. "I did try last time but I accidentally made the holes ten meters deep. I-it's easier for me to fix things than to… erm, destroy, if that's one way to put it."

"… right. I'll get started," Maki only said with a long sigh. There was a flash of light, and Maki transformed into her giant wolf form, lumbering away. Hanayo thought she looked displeased with everything and couldn't help but feel bad.

"I-it's okay to take a break if you get tired!" Hanayo shouted after her. "O-oh, and make sure they're not that deep too!"

The only answer she received from Maki was a gruff bark.

-3-

After long, grueling weeks where they toiled from sunup to sundown, they were finally done readying the fields. With sweat dripping off her forehead, Hanayo surveyed their work with an accomplished smile. Next to her was Maki, panting loudly.

"Okay… so… what's… next?" Maki asked in between pants. Hanayo looked over at her before turning back to the fields.

"Now we fill up the paddies with water and then plant the seeds!"

"Water, huh." Maki stood up, towering over Hanayo. She shook herself out before transforming back into her human form. "So… how are we going to get that water?" She looked all around them. "It doesn't look like there's any sort of water source around here."

Hanayo looked over at Maki with a small smile. "There isn't!" she chirped out.

"… then?" Maki wasn't sure why Hanayo seemed so happy all of a sudden. "What do we do next then?"

"We pray!" Hanayo answered.

Maki opened her mouth before she suddenly paused, narrowing her eyes. She closed her mouth, slowly looking over at Hanayo, who only continued to beam at her. "You're… you're really not kidding?" she finally said, with a healthy dose of skepticism.

"Nope!" She clapped her hands together and closed her eyes. "Rain gods—er, rain goddess, please let the rain come!"

Maki peeked up at the sky. Clear, as blue as her eyes could see.

"Maybe… maybe I need to pray harder?" Hanayo mumbled, pushing her hands together. "Rain goddess! If you can hear me, I'd like some water!"

"… ridiculous," Maki muttered, flopping down on her back. "Absolutely ridiculous. I'm going to take a nap then. Tell me when it finally rains." She was about to close her eyes when a shadow loomed over her. Hanayo stood over her, fidgeting like she wanted to speak but didn't want to bother her. Maki sighed, preparing herself for whatever ridiculousness she was going to hear next. "What is it?" she asked gruffly.

Hanayo startled, her eyes darting between Maki and the ground. "U-um… t-the rain goddess usually hears me but… b-but maybe that's because since you're here, you have to p-pray with me too?"

"… what?" Maki slowly pulled herself up, staring at Hanayo incredulously.

"You have to pray with me too!" Hanayo all but shouted at her, looking at Maki with the most pleading expression ever. The only time Maki had seen that look was when puppies looked at her.

Hanayo looked afraid, her lips quivering as her body shook as well. She… didn't look like she was kidding. Maki sat up, her ears twitching in irritation.

"If… i-if you don't feel like it, it's f-fine too! I can go back on my own—" and Hanayo yelped when Maki shot up to her feet.

"Hey! I said I would help you," she muttered, "and… I… I-I guess no one's around. So! So." She glanced around, making sure there really wasn't anyone else around. "A-alright, fine. What do I do?"

"Oh... a-are you sure? I mean, I can try to figure out something…" Hanayo mumbled, looking down at the ground. Maki wanted to growl but she caught herself at the last second, letting out a deep sigh instead.

"Whatever," Maki said, as gruffly as she could. "Let's just get this over with. So? What do I need to do?"

"Um… you just pray! For, u-um, the rain goddess to come. Like this." Hanayo turned to face the sky, clapping her hands together. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Rain goddess! Come give water to these poor fields!" Silence answered her prayer, and the sky remained clear. Hanayo looked over at Maki with a nervous smile. "S-something like that?"

Maki wordlessly stood next to Hanayo, awkwardly clapping her hands together. "Er, like this?"

"Uh huh!" Hanayo began to pray again. Maki followed her example, her movements stiff. "Rain goddess! Come bless us with your water! So we can eat fluffy white rice!"

Maki closed her eyes and clapped her hands together just as Hanayo did, feeling nothing but awkward in this moment. Hanayo spoke another prayer. Just as before, the sky continued to remain clear, free of any sort of clouds. Maki forced herself to keep her hands together. Just a few more minutes, and maybe she'll see this really isn't working, she told herself.

There was nothing but silence following her thoughts. Maki opened her eyes, and found Hanayo watching her intently. She yelped, feeling her heart speed up at the fright. "W-w-what?!" she yelped out.

"You have to say the prayers too!" Hanayo said.

"… really." Maki stared at her.

"Yes, really." Hanayo stared back.

It went on for several more minutes before Maki finally broke contact, awkwardly darting her eyes away. "A-alright! Fine! J-just one."

Just one, she repeated to herself, just one. Resigning herself, she clapped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said her prayer. "R-rain goddess, uh, come and… help us with… rice, I guess?"

Silence. As Maki had expected. She slowly opened her eyes—

"Who's calling me?"

—and snapped them wide open in the next instant at the unfamiliar voice. In front of them stood what had to be yet another goddess. Her dress was a different color, a deep blue color that reminded Maki of the sea. It matched with her hair, nearly the same shade. Her form was lithe, much more than the thunder goddess, but even Maki could tell her limber form belied the true strength she held.

Maki glanced over at Hanayo. Goddesses certainly came in all sorts of flavors.

"You finally came!" Hanayo said cheerfully.

"Of course, I heard your prayers." The new goddess looked over at Maki. Her nose wrinkled. "Who's this? A new farmhand?"

Maki bristled, her ears twitching rapidly.

"A-ah, um, she's just someone here to help me out right now," Hanayo quickly cut in, nervously glancing between them. "Maki, this is Umi, and Umi, this is Maki. Umi's the rain goddess!"

Maki blinked. "Umi?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Umi groaned. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm also a goddess of the ocean too. But I'm also the rain goddess. I swear, it's only because Honoka got lazy and she never found a replacement for me, and no matter how many times I yell at her, she just never—"

Maki and Hanayo shared a look as Umi continued to rant on. "Goddess bureaucracy," Hanayo explained with a tight smile.

"Right," Maki could only say back, still staring at Umi with awe.

And finally, Umi realized she had gone on long enough. She abruptly stopped speaking, looking over Maki and Hanayo before coughing into her hand. "Sorry, excuse me. Anyway, you said you wanted rain?"

"A-ah, yes!" Hanayo gestured all around them. "Water for the fields!"

"Once more?" Umi looked around. "The crops didn't turn out well this time either?"

"… no, they didn't," Hanayo mumbled, looking down at the ground now. Umi smiled apologetically, reaching out to pat the other goddess on the head.

"You'll definitely get it one day, I'm sure. And now…" Umi turned around, spreading out her arms. The sky began to darken, lightning crackling across the sky. Thunder boomed in the distance, and the storm clouds steadily gathered in.

"Why do I feel like this might be too much water?" Maki shouted just as the rain began to pour from the skies.

"Did you say something?" Hanayo shouted over the fierce downpour.

"Nothing!"

"I can't hear you!"

"I said nothing!"

-4-

The water poured in, and Hanayo and Maki got to work planting the seeds across all the fields. Just as tilling the field did, it took just as long if not more because they discovered Maki's fur was very absorbent and Hanayo couldn't stop laughing whenever Maki shook herself out and turned into a giant red puffball.

"It's not that funny," Maki had grumbled. Hanayo opened her mouth to respond but she took another look at Maki and burst into another fit of laughter, wiping the tears from her eyes.

But, somehow, finally, they were done. No longer did the land look brown and barren, but now there was color: the blue water in the paddies, the green leaves sprouting out past the water's surface, with the orange sunset casting black shadows over every single crop. Even Maki, now in her human form, was impressed, letting out a low whistle. "I can't believe we did all of this."

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Hanayo said with a beaming smile, feeling nothing but accomplished as she looked over the land again. "The fruits of all our labor!" She turned back to Maki, still wearing that smile.

Maki startled when she realized she had Hanayo's attention. They stared at each other, before finally, Maki offered a tiny smile. Hanayo was taken aback at the sight. It was a rare change from the perpetual frown that Hanayo had grown used to.

It was a very nice change. Maki looked prettier if she smiled like that.

Hanayo quickly turned around, suddenly feeling warm. She put her hands on her face and realized she was blushing. Why was she blushing? Hanayo had been around Nozomi and the worst of her comments, especially when Eli was around, why did something like this make her feel even more embarrassed?

"Now, what's next?" Maki's voice broke through her thoughts, and Hanayo startled upright.

"U-um! Um, we, er, we… wait!" Hanayo recomposed herself, turning around with a smile. "We wait!" she said again.

"… what? You serious?"

"Yep! I mean, we still have to maintain the fields, but now we just have to wait for the crops to grow big and strong," Hanayo explained. She walked over to the end of a paddy, to where a seedling was, unheedful of water seeping into the bottom of her dress. Bending down low in front of it, she rubbed her hands together and concentrated, whispering under her breath before she held it out to the seedling. Satisfied, she repeated the gesture to the one next to it, and so forth. She went through one row before being interrupted.

"What… are you doing?"

Hanayo turned around. Maki was behind her with a disdainful expression, carefully keeping away from the water. She reminded Hanayo more of a cat than a dog. A wolf, Hanayo corrected, letting out a tiny shake of her head. She had a feeling that Maki would be upset at being called anything that wasn't a wolf.

"I'm going to every single crop and giving them some of my rice goddess power!" She turned back to the crop in front of her, holding out her hands. "Grow big and strong and gives lots of delicious grains!"

With the breeze blowing through, the seedling shook slightly. Hanayo smiled, continuing onto the next one.

"… are you serious?" Hanayo paused, turning to look at Maki confusedly.

"Huh? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes!" Maki spread her arms out, gesturing all around them. "You mean you do this to every single crop out here?"

Hanayo looked all around, to where her rice paddies were as far as the eye could see, surrounding them on all sides. The only thing that broke the view was her house in the faint distance. Other than that, there was nothing but the sight of her beloved rice paddies.

And Maki's incredulous face.

"Um, y-yes?" Hanayo answered hesitantly.

"… unbelievable." Maki stumbled backward before sitting down, staring at the ground in utter disbelief. "Absolutely unbelievable."

"M-Maki? Is something wrong—"

Maki held up a hand. "I… I need a moment."

Hanayo slowly nodded, vaguely gesturing to the rice seedlings. "U-um… okay, I'll… I'll just be here, giving… more of my rice power."

-5-

"Rice seedling, grow big and strong so you can give us plentiful delicious grains!" Hanayo said under her breath, concentrating very hard. She opened her eyes, and let out a smile when the seedling in front of rustled in response. "Wonderful," she breathed, reaching out to pat the leaves before standing up. She looked over at the seedling next to it, sliding right over to give it some more rice power too—

"A-ah!"

—and found herself suddenly hoisted into the air. Her feet dangled uselessly as she instinctively struggled. Fear surged through her in the next moment. What had grabbed her?! Was it a beast looking for an easy feast? She really hoped not.

Instead of all the dreadful scenarios running through Hanayo's mind, she found herself carefully being lowered onto the dry ground. Hanayo spun around, and blinked at the giant wolf looming over her. She stared for a moment before remembering.

"O-oh! Maki! What is it?"

Maki moved her head down to look Hanayo in the eyes. "What is it? Do you even know what time it is?"

"Time?" And that was when Hanayo realized the sun had already long gone and there had been nothing but the moonlight to guide her through the rice paddies. Not that she needed the moon anyway, having already memorized the pattern of her beloved rice paddies. "Oh… it's nighttime."

"Seriously? You didn't even realize?" Maki let out a huff, a confused sound in her wolf form.

"It… happens a lot," Hanayo said, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly.

"... you're going to get sick at this rate." Maki stood up.

"A-actually, goddesses can't get—oh!"

Once again, Hanayo found herself dangling in the air as Maki lifted her by the back of her dress with her mouth. She could feel Maki's breaths going past her shoulder. "U-um, where are we going?"

"You're done for today," Maki only said simply.

"B-but—!"

"Back to your house. You haven't even eaten dinner yet, have you?"

Hanayo blinked. "Dinner?" As if the magic words were said, her stomach let out a loud growl, the sound rivaling one of Maki's guttural growls. Hanayo flushed a deep red, feeling more than embarrassed and shameful in this moment. "O-oh."

The rest of the 'ride' was in relative and awkward (to Hanayo at least) silence between the two of them. All around, the crickets chirped their songs, and frogs croaked as loud as they could. Hanayo was used to these noises, often thought of them as a comfort on the lonely nights where she only had them for company while she toiled out here by herself. She wondered how these noises sounded to Maki, with her wolf-like hearing.

When they finally reached to the front of the house, Maki lowered her down to the ground. Hanayo turned around to thank her, but her feet slipped out from under her. Shouting loudly, she desperately reached out, trying to grab anything to hold onto. A yowl joined Hanayo's yelp, and it was only when Hanayo managed to steady herself that she realized she was clutching Maki's head so tightly that it caused the wolf pain.

"O-oh!" Hanayo immediately let go. "I'm so sorry! Oh, I didn't mean to do that, I'm so sorry, I…" She hesitantly reached out, wanting to rub Maki's fur in a soothing gesture but Maki let out a warning growl. Hanayo immediately pulled her hand back.

"You've done more than enough," Maki answered in an icy tone, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry!" Nothing could describe how terrible Hanayo felt right now.

"… I caught a boar earlier and ate my share. There's more than enough scraps for you," Maki only said before she shook herself out. Without another word and second glance, she lumbered off, disappearing around the corner. With a crushing feeling in her chest, Hanayo dragged her feet inside her house.

Darkness greeted her and she waved her hand, magic flowing from her fingertips. Following her command, the single room of the house lit up. On the opposite side of Hanayo was her porch, the door opened to show the red meat of the boar laid out on a sheet. Although Hanayo was no stranger to it, Maki had been kind to gut it for her and leave out the less than… savory sights. Ever since coming, Maki had been the one to catch dinner, feasting first before leaving the rest for Hanayo. It was nice of Maki to do so, but Hanayo could never find the time and opportunity to invite the werewolf for a proper dinner meal.

With a drawn sigh, Hanayo set about to making her dinner. Her stomach grumbled loudly again, as if angrily protesting that she had gone so long without eating. "Sorry," she said with a tired laugh, rubbing her stomach.

Goddesses didn't really need to eat, at least not in the way living creatures had to, but she had used so much of her power today to give to the crops. Her body was crying out for sustenance to refuel itself after everything she had put it through.

If Hanayo had to admit though, there was a certain pleasure to eating absolutely delicious food, even moreso if prepared by her own hand.

And, the best food Hanayo had ever eaten was white rice.

But she couldn't enjoy her food today, not when there was a pressing matter preventing her from fully enjoying it.

She had to do something for Maki, to properly apologize. But what could she do? She didn't even know anything about the werewolf. Whatever brief exchanges they had, Maki seemed guarded, like she still didn't trust the goddess. Hanayo tried not to take offense. Given that she had found Maki battered and bruised from being attacked, she guessed Maki had more than enough good reason to be mistrustful. But Hanayo wanted to show she could be trusted. So… what could Hanayo possibly do…

Oh!

Hanayo would sleep on it.

-6-

"Hanayo, it's been a while since last time," Nozomi greeted with a smile. Hanayo blinked at her, still groggy with sleep before she realized, snapping awake.

"O-oh!"

"That long?" Nozomi teased. Hanayo let out an embarrassed laugh.

All around them was nothing but pure white, surrounding them on all sides. Nozomi and her were standing, but Hanayo didn't know whether they really were. The sensation felt more like floating even if her feet were flat against the planes, like she was on ground. That was how it was like in the realm of dreams, or Nozomi's domain.

"So, something bothering you?" Nozomi asked, her smile understanding now. Hanayo bashfully turned to Nozomi. She had always been easy to read, especially for Nozomi. With a heavy heart, she explained her predicament.

"Ah, Maki's always been a tough one," Nozomi said, waving her hand. "Put it out of your mind. She'll come around eventually. She's stuck with you for a few more months anyway."

Hanayo shook her head. "B-but that's why I have to do something! I don't want something like this to hang between us! She already doesn't look very happy having to work for me… I want to make this time enjoyable for her too!"

Nozomi let out an undignified snort, covering her mouth to laugh. Hanayo wasn't sure what was funny, but Nozomi began to speak before she could ask.

"Well, if you feel so strongly about it… I could tell you a little secret about her." Nozomi paused, waving for Hanayo come closer. She did, keeping her ears perked. She wouldn't miss a single word!

"Do you have some space in your farm?" Nozomi asked instead.

"… huh?" Hanayo blinked, not expecting that question at all. It took her a moment to recall her farm. "Um… I think I might have some space right behind the house." She looked over at Nozomi, curious. "Why?"

Nozomi reached out, patting her on the shoulder. "Grow some tomato plants."

"H-huh?!"

Nozomi smiled at her once more, repeated her words, and the pure whiteness of the world around them shattered like glass.

Hanayo jolted awake, her heart pounding like she had run up and down her farm. Light shone through her windows and birds chirped outside. She pulled herself upright, yawning loudly and rubbing at her eyes.

"I'll never get used to that," she muttered, remembering her 'dream.'

But now, she had an idea on what to do.

-7-

If she wanted to have time to go through her paddies to give her crops personal encouragement, then she needed to do this early in the morning. Even earlier than when Hanayo woke up. It was tough, but it was also for Maki, and that was enough encouragement for her. With a renewed purpose, Hanayo woke up even earlier in the morning, prepared breakfast and ate her share, and rushed off to work the land behind the house.

It was the third day when Maki finally caught on, the day when Hanayo was finally planting the seeds.

"Are you making another paddy?" the werewolf asked incredulously from where she was, leaning against the house. Hanayo paused to wipe the sweat off her brow before turning around.

"U-um, this… er, this is… another project," she said.

"Another project?" Maki raised an eyebrow at her. "On top of all your rice?"

"Um…" Hanayo glanced away. "Yes."

"… whatever makes you happy then." Maki shook her head. "I'm not helping you with that though. I only said I'd help you with the rice."

"T-that's fine!" Hanayo smiled reassuringly. "This is something I can do on my own."

Maki watched her for a few more seconds before she shrugged and wandered off, muttering something Hanayo couldn't hear. She hoped it wasn't important.

Hanayo turned back to the field in front of her. It wasn't a particularly big area like her paddies, and she started off with a small number at first, planting only five seeds. It wouldn't be hard to maintain these on top of all her rice paddies.

Maki continued to remain none the wiser until the fruits began to sprout from the plants.

"What are those?" she asked, poking the fruit in question. Given that they were still unripe and green, Hanayo wasn't sure what Maki would think being told they were tomatoes.

"You'll see when they get bigger and grow into their color," Hanayo answered cheerfully. Maki frowned at her, clearly not liking at being kept in the dark, but she said nothing else.

It was tiring, having to wake up earlier than normal and rushing through breakfast to work on her tomato garden and then get to all the rice paddies. Hanayo didn't know how many times she had collapsed on her bed, wishing for the night to be just a little longer so she could sleep in more. Goddess or not, Hanayo enjoyed her sleep.

But it was entirely worth it in the end.

Hanayo pulled out of bed, trying to push back her sluggishness. She went through the motions, preparing breakfast for both her and Maki, rushing through it, and scrambling outside, still yawning.

"O-oh!" And Hanayo felt herself snap awake, grinning at the sight before her. The tomatoes were starting to ripen and most of them were no longer green but starting to darken now, turning an orange color. It would be a while longer before they turned dark red, but there was no doubt as to what they were now. Hanayo hummed softly to herself as she got to work, picking up her watering can.

It was only when she felt eyes on her that Hanayo turned around, finished adjusting the supports of the tomato plant. Maki stood at the corner of the house, eyes wide as she stared at the garden. Hanayo smiled shyly, turning back to the plants. She could hear Maki walking closer until finally, she stood next to her.

"You… you were growing tomatoes?" Maki asked, full of disbelief. Hanayo ducked her head, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"U-um, I-I heard from Nozomi that you, er, might like them." And Hanayo froze suddenly, realizing a major flaw in that information. "A-ah, wait, y-you're a werewolf though, and tomatoes aren't… aren't meat…" In an instant, all her feelings of accomplishment suddenly felt like foolishness. "W-was… was Nozomi teasing me? I…"

"No, I… I like them," Maki said in a soft voice. "You were growing these for me?"

"U-um!" Hanayo kept her eyes on the ground as the words began to rush out of her. "R-remember that one time where I accidentally stayed out too late and then you went to get me to get me to go back and then I pulled on your ears and hurt you! I-I mean, that's kind of it, but also because you're helping me out with my rice too, and you go out and catch dinner for us too, and you're already doing so much for m-me and I… I just… wanted to do something to show my appreciation and—" Hanayo stopped speaking when Maki put a hand on her shoulder and forced her up. There was nothing but confusion in Maki's eyes, her head tilted slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up. What are you talking about?"

"H-huh?" Hanayo frowned. "That one time you got mad at me for staying out late and forgetting to eat and then I pulled on your ears and you…" she looked down at the ground, mumbling, "it felt like you were really mad."

Maki stared at her, trying to remember exactly what she was talking about until it finally came to her. "O-oh!" And her eyes narrowed again. "Wait, seriously!? You were caught up on something like that? What the heck? I forgot all about it."

Hanayo squeaked, still staring down at the ground. "I-I know it's probably weird and foolish of me to get hung up on that but… I wanted to properly apologize."

"… and your idea of a proper apology was to grow me tomatoes," Maki said, her tone dry now.

Hanayo swallowed, realizing she was the very example of silliness. "A-and… I wanted to try to do something for you, for all the work you're doing for me."

"… why?" Maki looked at her strangely. "If you don't remember, you were the one that saved my life back then. If anything, I should be the one trying to do all this stuff for you."

"… oh." Hanayo had forgotten all about that, if she wanted to be honest. The thought of Maki agreeing to help her out was what she remembered the most. Ah, the only reason Maki was even helping her out in the first place, now Hanayo remembered. She smiled up at Maki instead. "It's okay. I just wanted to do this for you then. But… b-but if you don't like them… I-I guess I'll just be making tomato and rice for a few days a-and I can figure out s-something else…" she mumbled out.

Maki turned to the tomato plants next to them, reaching out to lay her fingers on one of the fruits. She remembered doing nothing but standing by and watching Hanayo tend to her tomato garden, scoffing at the extra work the goddess seemed to love to pile on to herself. Hanayo was already growing so much, why did she feel the need to grow more? It felt like a tremendous waste of energy and time to Maki, especially when given the toil it was taking on the young goddess. Mystical being or not, there was only so much a goddess could do.

And now, to find out Hanayo had done this for her…

"… it's like you're trying to keep me in your debt," she whispered, without any fire behind them.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Hanayo blinked up at her.

Maki straightened herself out and coughed into her hand. She glanced down at Hanayo before shooting her eyes away. "I, um." She swallowed, forcing herself to work past the knot in her throat. "I… it's… um, don't worry about it. This… this is more than enough. Um, thank you," she finished in a quiet voice, much quieter than when she had started. "No one's ever really done something like this for me before, so… um… yeah. Thank you." Almost immediately following her words, Maki's face began to burn with embarrassment and she wanted nothing more than to march away. She spun around and crossed her arms, doing just that. "A-a-anyway! W-we still have a lot of work t-to do! I'm going to get started!"

Hanayo could only watch in stunned silence as Maki scurried off. She slowly turned back to the tomato plants in front of her, blinking. A second passed, and she let out a tiny laugh. She clapped her hands together and closed her eyes.

"I can't give you any of my rice goddess power but I hope you grow big and give lots of delicious tomatoes!"

The plants rustled, and Hanayo couldn't stop the smile that burst out of her. Satisfied, she spoke one more prayer and ran off to join Maki.

-8-

Months passed by. The weather grew from mildly warm to unbearably hot before cooling down to chilly winds. The seedlings continued to grow all the same.

"How are we supposed to know when they're ready?" Maki asked once when they were taking a mid-day break in the middle of summer. The day had gotten too hot for them and they elected to take a break for now, eating watermelon. Eli had arrived a few days ago with the precious fruit for them, talking jovially with Hanayo but warily glancing at Maki, who returned the favor. Even after Eli said her goodbyes, Maki still glared at her back until she was finally out of sight.

"The grains are supposed to appear and once they start to fall, that means they're ready!" Hanayo reached out for another piece of watermelon. Her hands brushed against something else instead, and she realized she had reached for the plate of tomatoes left aside for Maki. She let out a tiny smile and picked up the other fruit instead.

"Oh. Then that's it?" Maki looked back out toward the fields. Her ears twitched, as if anxious.

Hanayo finished her watermelon before she answered. "We harvest them, leave them out to dry, and then mill them!" She sighed contentedly, thinking about all the rice they'd have.

… or they were supposed to, but the crops continued to remain green and barren, even as the seasons began to change. And soon, the only sign of yellow were the leaves changing color. Whatever grains they managed to get were tiny compared to the mass amounts of rice planted. And even when Hanayo had cooked them to test their quality…

Hanayo took a bite, and the way her face scrunched up with disgust told Maki more than enough.

"I don't understand, what happened?" Hanayo's voice was weak, as if she had been betrayed by her closest friend. "Maybe I didn't put enough of my rice power?"

Maki didn't say anything, but she had a hand on her chin, deep in thought as she looked out toward the paddies. "It could be anything," she finally said with a sigh. She reached out, hand hesitating for a moment before patting Hanayo consolingly. "Next year."

"Next year…" Hanayo echoed. A thought came to her though, and she turned to Maki. "Oh, um, you don't have to stay with me anymore."

Maki was taken aback, staring at her in surprise. "W-wait, what?"

"Um, well, you said you were only going to stay with me for one crop year, right?" Hanayo turned fully to her, bowing. "So you're free now! So… thank you for all your help!"

Maki continued to look clueless, staring at Hanayo with nothing but confusion. "Hah? What are you even talking about—oh!" And she shot up to her feet, eyes wide. Hanayo stared back at her, alarmed at the reaction. "Er, wait, um, sorry." Maki sank back down, face turning red with embarrassment. "I mean…" She glanced down at the floor and began to mutter to herself.

Hanayo nervously played with her hands in her lap. "Um… I couldn't hear you—"

Maki shot her head up, staring straight at Hanayo. "I said!" And she cut herself off, coughing slightly before speaking again, quieter now. "I-I remember, a-and I said I would help you get more rice. But you didn't get any rice, so…" She looked away, doing her best to feign boredom as she continued. "I-I'll still be around. To help you out. Until you get more rice."

Hanayo slowly looked up at Maki, unable to believe what she was hearing. Maki refused to meet her gaze, and her fingers played with her hair, twirling it around in a gesture Hanayo was beginning to pick up as a tic of Maki's. Her ears twitched erratically as well, giving her away even more.

"Are you sure? I feel bad for keeping you around though... you don't have to." Hanayo wrung her hands together. She had already felt more than bad enough about keeping Maki here. She shook her head. "No, it's fine, I can do this on my own. I've already done this several times—"

Maki reached out, poking her in the forehead. Hanayo yelped, slapping her hands over the spot. "And I said, I was going to stay! Stop arguing with me already!"

"Are you sure?" Hanayo couldn't help but ask again, even as Maki shot her an irritated look.

"Yes, I'm sure," Maki said, almost growling.

"Okay, let's work hard for next year too." Hanayo nodded, smiling at her, an expression Maki slowly returned as well.

-9-

Hanayo restored the lands and once more, they tried again.

"Rain goddess! Come bless us with your waters and make our land fertile," two voices chorused in unison.

"And I'll give you a bag of rice too," one voice muttered to herself.

There was a boom, and water splattered across the ground in front of them, making a circle. Within that circle, the rain goddess appeared, her hair blowing gently in the nonexistent wind.

"Hanayo," she greeted in a serene voice, "and Maki."

Maki nodded at her while Hanayo chirped out a "Hello again." She gave a curious look to Umi. "Oh, but, um, your entrance was kind of new though."

"Oh, yes." Umi looked away, muttering. "Kotori's idea."

Now everything made sense.

"No good this time as well?" Umi asked. Hanayo sadly shook her head before looking back up at Umi with determination.

"I-I'm going to keep at it! This year will be it!"

Umi smiled at her, and Maki was surprised to see that same smile directed at her as well. "I wish you two the best of luck then," she said, before turning around and spreading out her arms. The clear skies darkened right away, and rain poured down.

"And," Umi started with a bashful smile as soon as she was done, "if you don't mind, I'll take up your offer on that bag of rice."

-10-

Both goddess and wolf stared out at the rice paddies before them, their faces forlorn. Before them were waves of yellow but not from what they had expected. It felt like even fewer grains littered the ground this time.

"No good this time either," Hanayo whispered. She sounded so defeated and tired that Maki felt a pang shoot through her, chest tightening. Exactly how long had Hanayo done this? How many years? She wanted to know but at the same time, didn't. Maki couldn't figure it out; what exactly was going wrong?

She reached out instead, laying her hand down on Hanayo's and squeezing reassuringly.

"Next year," she said. "Next year."

Hanayo slowly looked over at her before nodding.

"Next year," the goddess repeated as well.

-11-

Next year turned into the year after that. The year after that turned into yet another year. Soon, it was past that one and into the fourth year. And it would now be their fifth year, their seventh attempt.

Hanayo clapped her hands together, whispering words of encouragement to the rice crop in front of her. It didn't rustle, and Hanayo wondered if it could feel the lack of motivation behind her words. She shook her head and tried once more, fully believing this time. "Please, please, please, grow up strong and healthy!" The plant rustled again, but Hanayo thought the noise it made sounded sad instead.

Around her, the crickets chirped, the frogs croaked, and the water rippled as she waded to the next crop, moving on pure reflex. The darkness of the night didn't stop her clapping her hands together, focusing, and willing for her rice power to reach the crop in front of her. Once she was done, she stood up—

A wave of dizziness came over her and she yelped, feeling her legs crumple underneath her and the water rushing up to meet her.

Arms wrapped around her and pulled out of the paddy, onto dry land. Her vision still continued to spin though and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to will the wave to pass.

"Ma… Maki? Is that you?" Hanayo asked, her voice weak.

"Yeah." Maki grunted, hauling Hanayo out of the water. "You're working yourself way too much, you know."

"It's… it's fine," Hanayo mumbled, trying to push herself out of Maki's grasp. "I can… I can still…"

"Hanayo." Maki's voice was firm, and Hanayo knew she had no more strength to protest. Maki easily lifted Hanayo into her arms and after some readjustment, Maki began to walk off. Hanayo's eyelids drooped and she struggled to stay awake.

"Where… where are we going?" she asked.

"Home," Maki answered.

-12-

Hanayo was bedridden the next day. Her skin felt too hot, and she could barely open her eyes for more than a few seconds. Her body ached and she could barely lift a muscle. And still, she struggled to get out of bed. Breakfast… she needed to make breakfast for the both of them, and then get to work on the field… Maki would already be tending to the new tomato plants… and… and…

There was something cool on her forehead then. Hanayo blearily opened her eyes and the blurry face of Maki greeted her.

"I thought goddesses didn't get sick," she said, her amusement hiding the concern underneath her tone.

"I'm… I'm not sick," Hanayo mumbled, closing her eyes and weakly pushing the wet towel down over her eyes. It felt nice but she could feel it warming. "Just… just a few more minutes and then I'll get up…"

"You're not going anywhere." Maki moved the blankets Hanayo had shuffled off back up, tucking her in. "It looks like you got sick from overusing your power. Take it easy for today."

"But… but the rice—"

"Can wait," Maki finished. She put a finger over Hanayo's mouth, stopping the protest she knew was going to come out.

"T-then… breakfast," Hanayo managed to mumble, "b-breakfast for… us…"

"Already made some," Maki answered easily. Even as tired as she was, Hanayo felt surprised. "H-hey! I'm not that bad in the kitchen! I, er, learned something too!" Hanayo heard shuffling next to her and there was the clink of something metal. "Are you hungry? I used some of the leftover rice from last night and cooked it like Nozo—uh! I mean, uh, now it looks like some, er, soup? Rice… soup… thing?"

"Porridge," Hanayo helpfully supplied.

Maki nodded furiously. "Yes, that. It's what sick people eat, I guess. Here, a bite." Hanayo felt Maki carefully lifting her up, taking the towel off her face. Maki dabbed her down with a clean towel before feeding her a spoonful.

"It's delicious," Hanayo mumbled, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile. "Thank you, Maki."

It was lucky for Maki that Hanayo couldn't see her face, because it flared up with warmth as Hanayo's compliment. "Y-yeah, no problem," she said quietly. "More?"

"P-please," Hanayo said.

After being fed, Hanayo drifted off to sleep.

And when she opened her eyes, found nothing but pure whiteness all around her, and Nozomi standing in front of her with a grin.

"How are you? Did Maki manage to make the porridge properly? She came to me in a panic last night, you know. Ah, don't tell her I told you that," Nozomi said.

"It was good," Hanayo said, rubbing her stomach with a content sigh.

Nozomi let out a laugh. "That's nice to hear. I wish I could have seen Maki's face when you told her."

"H-huh?"

"Nothing." Nozomi shook her head, but she still looked amused. "Well, I've heard you're having trouble with your rice."

"Ah…" Hanayo looked away from shame. "It just isn't growing no matter what I do. I'm trying to think of everything but… but!" She felt nothing but helplessness in this moment and she struggled to contain the sobs threatening to break out of her.

"I did it once before, why can't I do it again?" she whispered, hating how pathetic she sounded. Nozomi must have been disappointed in her.

"Hanayo," came Nozomi's voice. However lightly chiding it was, Hanayo still flinched at the tone. "Hanayo, c'mon, look up at me." The older goddess laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hanayo gathered herself before looking up. Nozomi met her teary eyes with understanding and kindness. "Hanayo, I want to remember that you aren't alone. I think you're being too caught up in trying to do this all by yourself."

"… h-huh?" Hanayo was confused. "I don't understand…"

"There's been someone who's been by your side this whole time." Nozomi smiled, as if she knew something Hanayo didn't. "Well, that's all the time I have. Elichi's gonna be mad if she finds out I snuck from duties to help you out." She stepped away, winking at Hanayo. "Don't let anyone know I was here!"

"A-ah?! Wait, Nozomi! Wait—"

The world shattered, plunging Hanayo into blackness, and she snapped awake.

"I'll really never get used to that," she muttered, shaking her head. Ah, but now she was realizing she was actually awake this time. She felt much better, her eyes and body no longer feeling heavy. She wondered how much time had passed. It was dark, so… nighttime already? She had slept from morning to night?

Where was Maki?

And Hanayo received her answer a second later, when she heard a snore. It was also then that Hanayo realized she wasn't sleeping against her pillow but something else entirely, her head moving up and down in a rhythm. She moved her hand to pat the space next to her. Fluffy softness met her fingers, and she realized exactly what she was sleeping on now.

Hanayo patted the warm body underneath her, smiling as she pressed closer. Though she had slept through the whole day already, with the warmth both underneath and inside of her, along with Maki's snoring, made her eyelids start to droop again.

The last thought she had before drifting off to peaceful sleep was wondering if Maki knew she snored.

-13-

"Maybe we should try a different method of getting your rice power out."

Hanayo turned around to look at Maki curiously. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"This…" Maki gestured to where Hanayo was, standing in the paddy in front of a crop, "this is inefficient, don't you think?"

"… is it?" Hanayo frowned, looking out into the field where the rest of the rice plants she hadn't gotten to were. "Oh… I guess so." She looked back at Maki. "Did you come up with something?"

Maki didn't answer her right away, turning to look out past the fields, a hand on her chin as she thought. Hanayo waited patiently though she couldn't help wondering what was going through Maki's mind, especially when Maki kept glancing between her and the crops.

"How about singing?"

Hanayo blinked, wondering if she heard correctly. "E-excuse me?"

"Singing," Maki said, and Hanayo realized she had heard right.

"Singing?"

"Yeah." Maki looked at her strangely. "You know what that is right—"

"Y-yes! I was just… surprised." Hanayo made her way out of the paddy, mindful of the water on her dress as she stood next to Maki. She knew the other girl didn't like being wet if she could help it. "So, singing?"

"I've heard that singing can help plants grow. And you're already going around giving your rice power to all the crops right? Is there any way you could try to… hm…" Maki waved her hands around as she tried to figure out what to say. "Uh, I don't know, channel that power into your voice instead? You'll be able to reach even more crops within a day."

"Into my voice…" Hanayo put a hand on her throat. "I… I think I can do it. It might take some time to get used to, but I think I can! Yeah!"

Hanayo took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and—

She closed it, and looked over at Maki.

"… what? What is it?"

"Um… what exactly am I supposed to sing?"

Maki put her face into her hands, sighing. She looked back up at Hanayo. "Sing about what you've been trying to get the rice to do! Like… grow big and strong and give plentiful grains."

"O-oh yeah! That's right. So… um…" Hanayo looked down for a second before shyly glancing over. "It's… it just sounds kind of embarrassing singing by myself in this giant field."

Maki stared at her, blinking in confusion before she realized what Hanayo wanted. Her eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "W-w-wait, n-n-no no no, I'm not going to sing with you. I mean, we're the only ones out here! Why do you feel so embarrassed?"

"I-it just feels like it is!" Hanayo nervously played with her hands. "B-because…"

Hanayo didn't want to say that there was something about Maki being the one to hear her sing that made her feel embarrassed.

"And I'm not the one who has the rice goddess power," Maki pointed out as well.

"Oh, that's… right." Hanayo nodded, trying to convince herself now. "Okay, you're right, I'll try it then."

She faced toward the crops again, looking over all the plants. These plants… they were her audience, and she didn't want to disappoint them. She would sing her best, to help encourage them to grow their best. Yes, she needed to do this for her precious rice crops. She wanted them to give a bountiful harvest (although at this point, she just wanted a harvest) and she needed to be ready to try anything.

"Okay... one… two… thr—"

And she paused instead, realizing Maki had come to stand next to her. The other girl refused to look at her, nonchalantly glancing downward while a strand of hair was furiously twirled around her finger, betraying her real emotions. "F-fine, I guess I could… sing a little bit with you too. B-but just one song!"

Hanayo tried her best not to giggle. She faced forward, unable to help the grin that appeared though. She slowly reached out instead, brushing her hand against Maki's. She felt Maki stiffen but didn't pull away, and Hanayo took the invitation, tentatively sliding her hand into Maki's.

"U-um, are you ready?" she asked, sneaking a peek toward the other girl out of the corner of her eye. She caught Maki stiffly nodding, but the small squeeze on her hand told her more than enough. Hanayo smiled, turning back toward the rice, and began to hum, making up her own tune. When she felt confident enough, she added lyrics. "Rice plants, rice plants, please grow up big and strong, and make lots of fluffy white rice, enough to feed everyone, and… er, and…"

The sound of Maki's laughter made her stop, and she pouted. "D-don't laugh! I couldn't think of anything else to say! And s-see! It's embarrassing!" she mumbled, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks.

Maki let out another laugh, pulling slightly on Hanayo's hand in her mirth. "Actually, maybe we should practice your singing first," she teased.

"M-Maki!"

-14-

And so, Hanayo and Maki began to sing to their crops. It wasn't perfect, because Hanayo forgot to add her power to her voice sometimes and realized she had only been singing for no effect and only fun when the sun had already gone down.

What surprised Hanayo more though, was that Maki's voice was… amazing. She didn't know why Maki got so embarrassed when Hanayo had told her that her singing was beautiful. During those times, Maki would transform into her wolf form and howl with Hanayo instead of singing normally.

And she still sounded beautiful, Hanayo couldn't help but think. She wondered if that was strange of her to think so.

In the midst of Hanayo trying to figure out her singing and putting her powers into her voice, autumn arrived.

"Still no good this year," Hanayo said, "but!" She lifted up a basket filled to the brim with grains. "This is much better than last year! I think we might actually be onto something!"

"Are you going to try cooking these?" Maki asked, sniffing at the basket. She stood back up, towering over Hanayo with a look of curiosity.

"I can, but I can already tell they won't be as good as that one time before." She looked over at Maki, feeling more than determined. "But this is different than all those other times! All that singing is working! Next year!"

"Next year," Maki said with a nod.

And once more, they tried again. Hanayo danced through the paddies, singing to her heart's content. When she grew tired, it was Maki who came in her wolf form, setting Hanayo atop her back and padding through the fields as the goddess hummed her song for the rice stalks. Maki joined in occasionally with soft whines, especially as Hanayo scratched behind her ears.

It would be two years, their ninth attempt total, before Hanayo's dream would come true.

"Hanayo."

"Mmrrgh."

"… Hanayo?"

"Five more… minutes…"

Silence. And then—

Hanayo felt herself being lifted out of her bed. Screaming, she snapped open her eyes, flailing all over the place. "Awake now?" came Maki's voice, more than amused.

Hanayo stopped moving and turned around, unintelligible noises coming out of her as she stared up at Maki, who loomed over her in her wolf form. Maki was… unusually alert, ears pricked forward, and her tail was wagging.

"Oh, Maki? What is it?" Hanayo asked in a soft voice despite feeling like her heart was seconds away from bursting out of her.

"Come on," Maki only said, nudging her with her head. Her ears were flat now. "Outside, outside!" She licked at Hanayo's face, and Hanayo let out a half-gasp and giggle.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Despite suddenly being woken up, Hanayo felt Maki's good mood beginning to infect her as well, using it to wake her up even more. She had to giggle when she heard Maki transforming back into her human form behind her. Hanayo's front door was too small for Maki's wolf form, and she had always forgotten to make it bigger because Maki always entered by her porch area anyway.

"What did you want to show me anyway?" Hanayo asked as she slid open the front door. "Did something happen—" and she cut herself off, gasping loudly as soon as she realized exactly what was outside. "This… this is…"

All before them was a sea of verdant and gold, nearly blending into each other. The morning breeze came, rustling the leaves and blowing off some of the grains on the stalk. Just the fact that there were even grains for the wind to blow off was more than enough for Hanayo.

Maki stood next to her with a grin, gesturing with her head. "This is the sight you've been waiting for all this time, haven't you?"

Hanayo slowly nodded, swallowing. She couldn't trust herself to speak right now, at least without bursting into tears. This… this was the very sight she had dreamed of. Her beautiful rice plants, with bountiful grains, as far as the eye could see. It was wonderful, breathtaking even, the gold Hanayo had been waiting for.

"We did it, Maki! We did it!" Hanayo spun to Maki and beamed up at her, and even Maki had a wide smile on her face, a sight that made Hanayo's heart soar even higher. "This is amazing! I'm so happy! I'm going to go run through the fields and sing!" She spread her arms out and dashed forward. In her euphoria, her power was bursting out of her, and trails of plants were left where she had run. Maki dashed after her, shouting.

"H-hey! Hanayo, we haven't even had breakfast yet—Hanayo!"

It took them several days of nonstop working to harvest all the grains. Hanayo insisted on doing this properly, without using her power to gather them all up at once. Maki rolled her eyes, muttering that it would be so much easier, but even she couldn't argue, not when Hanayo looked so happy doing the hard labor of harvesting the stalks. It felt like there wasn't a time that Hanayo didn't have stalks of rice in her arms, and Maki began to think it strange to not see her holding any bundles of the grains. Odd, considering this was their first good harvest.

Maki couldn't complain though, not when Hanayo still hadn't stopped smiling ever since discovering the bountiful harvests. After so many years of failure and watching Hanayo struggle, she deserved every bit of happiness, Maki couldn't help but think.

When they were finally done with everything, including leaving the grains out to dry and milling them, Hanayo did her test. Both Maki and Hanayo were anxious, unable to stop staring at the pot cooking over the fire.

"A-anytime now," Hanayo said without taking her eyes off.

"Yeah," Maki said, impatiently drumming her fingers against her arm as she joined Hanayo in her staring. They said nothing else, the both of them too apprehensive.

And then, it was as if a timer went off in Hanayo's mind.

"D-done!" she shouted, springing to her feet. Her internal rice clock never lied to her, and she knew it wouldn't start now. Hanayo put out the fire and gathered some magic into her hands, insulating them to withstand heat. She swiped off the lid to the pot, grinning at the steam rising. The scent of fresh white rice wafted through the house, and Hanayo felt her mouth already watering in response. Quickly reaching for the paddle, she scooped the rice into a bowl, delighting in the utter softness and fluffiness she could feel.

"It's… it's amazing," Hanayo whispered, reverently holding up the bowl of rice above her head.

"T-try it!" Maki all but shouted at her, impatient.

"Oh y-yeah!" Hanayo set the bowl down on the table, took a few grains between her fingers, and stuck it into her mouth.

Absolute delicious goodness filled her mouth. This rice… this rice! It was just as delicious as the first time—no, it was even better! By the time she finished chewing, the temptation to reach out and eat the rest of the bowl was nearly irresistible.

"It's… it's good," Hanayo could only say, trying to keep back her tears of happiness. Maki arched an eyebrow at her before she reached out as well, trying the rice for herself.

Her other eyebrow shot up, and she slowly looked over at Hanayo with nothing but awe and amazement. "This… this is almost like that day when you fed me and… and…" She broke off, staring at the bowl of rice like it was the most holy sight she had ever laid her eyes on. "No… it's even more wonderful."

"There's more than enough for us to celebrate!" Hanayo cried out, immediately scrambling away to scoop herself another a bowl.

"W-wait, we need to eat more than just rice—Hanayo!"

Dinner was more than delicious that night.

"Ah, that was amazing," Hanayo mumbled afterward as she rubbed her stomach in contentment. Maki had gone out and caught a boar for them, and along with the tomatoes they still had, Hanayo had made a feast for them. Nothing could ruin her good mood right now. They sat outside on Hanayo's porch, enjoying the coolness of the autumn night. Next to her, Maki let out an agreeable murmur, trying her best to stop from dozing off after eating so much. "I'll have to share this with everyone else now."

The silence afterward was comfortable, the both of them too content to speak. If it wasn't for the chill of the night, Hanayo was sure she could doze off right here, right now.

A thought came to her then, and she shook her head, trying to will herself to be awake. "Oh… I just remembered…"

"Hm?"

"Well, you're done now," Hanayo murmured. "You said you were going to only help me out until I got a full harvest of rice. So… you don't have to stay around anymore, you're free to go!"

For some reason, Maki startled awake, and she turned to Hanayo with wide eyes. "W-wait, what?"

Hanayo smiled at her. "I mean, you're done now! You've repaid your debt! You're free to go!" She looked down, letting out a sigh. "You don't have to stay anymore. I s-still feel kind of bad for keeping you for so long."

"My… my debt?" Maki blinked at her, narrowing her eyes in confusion before they widened once more, remembering what Hanayo was talking about. "O-oh! That… my… debt, yeah."

Hanayo thought Maki would look happy about finally being freed, but the werewolf looked away from her suddenly, frowning heavily.

"Maki?" Hanayo slowly reached out—

Maki sprang to her feet and before Hanayo could even blink, she transformed into a wolf. "Then, I… I guess I'll take my leave now."

"N-now?!" Hanayo gaped at her. "So suddenly?! You should at least stay for one more—"

"No, it's…" Maki turned away from her. "It's best I leave now, before…"

Hanayo thought she was imagining it, but was… was Maki hesitating?

"Thank you for everything," Maki only said before she leaped off, disappearing into the darkness.

Hanayo blinked, staring at the spot Maki had been just seconds earlier. She looked up, staring into the empty garden. "Oh… she… she really did leave then?"

That… that was fine, right? She had repaid the debt she thought she owed to Hanayo, there was no other reason for her to stay anymore. Hanayo had been doing most of this work by herself even before Maki had come. Wolves… were solitary creatures, if Hanayo recalled. But if Hanayo were to ask her to stay…

Hanayo shook her head. It would take a few days to get used to what had been a constant presence, but… but Hanayo would manage. It would feel lonely, but Maki hadn't been here to stay in the first place.

With a heavy heart, Hanayo slowly resigned herself to being alone on her farm once more.

The next morning, Hanayo woke up. She went through the motions, preparing breakfast for two—

"Ah…" Hanayo remembered at the very last second, about to scoop out a second bowl of rice. "That's right…" She put the bowl away and prepared her breakfast for one.

And now came the hard part. With the harvest of rice already done, Hanayo had time to relax. Usually, she had passed the time with Maki, talking about things they could try next year to make the crop successfully grow. But the rice harvest was finally successful this time, and now Maki was gone. Hanayo was more than aware of how big her house suddenly seemed.

Before long, dinner time had come. There were still some leftover scraps Hanayo hadn't cooked yesterday, and she used them today. "Oh, but… Maki isn't here anymore, so I can still save some of it…"

She went to work on dinner but her usual enthusiasm for preparing and cooking the food wasn't with her today. The only thing that perked her up was the delectable waft of the white rice rising from the pot, but it was only a temporary relief, when she found herself already reaching for a second bowl yet again before realizing.

Dinner was a silent affair.

Afterward, Hanayo sat outside on her porch, staring up at the full moon. Without realizing, she began to hum. It was a tune Maki had taught her in the beginning so the goddess could practice her singing. It was a lot of work, practicing her singing to something respectable where Maki would at least stop laughing at her whenever she tried. She forgot to ask if Maki actually liked singing, she soon realized.

In the distance, she thought she could hear the faint howl of a wolf. It comforted her for a moment before making her all more aware of the loneliness growing inside. She stayed outside, humming softly, trying to listen for that howl again.

By the time she turned silent, she didn't hear anything else.

With an even heavier heart than last night, Hanayo went to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, there was something… different. Hanayo slowly pulled herself up, rubbing at her eyes. There was a sound, and Hanayo realized there was something outside in her backyard. Curious, she slapped her cheeks to wake herself up, and walked over to her porch, sliding open the door.

Maki froze as soon as she heard the door open, nearly dropping the watering can in her hands. The two of them stared at each other, Hanayo in sheer disbelief, Maki in utter embarrassment.

"I… um, w-wanted some tomatoes," Maki finally said, adamantly staring at the tomato plants. Her ears were flat against her head, and she even sounded doubtful of her own words, knowing her excuse was terrible.

And all Hanayo could say in response was a quiet, "Oh." She continued to stare at Maki, trying to figure out what she could even say that didn't sound… that didn't sound like...

Oh, Hanayo thought, realizing the perfect thing to say.

She smiled gently, her voice soft as she spoke. "Welcome home."

Maki froze again before she slowly brought her eyes over to Hanayo. When Hanayo continued to smile at her, Maki began to relax, setting the watering can down and facing Hanayo fully. She walked closer until they stood right in front of each other. Hanayo's smile grew, and she opened her arms. It took a moment, but Maki reached forward as well, returning the hug. The scent of white rice and Hanayo filled Maki's nose, a smell that Maki had come to associate with one place.

"I'm… I'm home," Maki whispered, and that was all that needed to be said between them.