Chapter 12: More Difficult Messes

Reimu knew something bad must have happened. It wasn't just her, everyone else felt it.

The strong ominous, hostility emanating between the 2 popular students popped out as soon as they came out from that exit back on campus.

They were now in a rather remote area of a forested park at the far corner of the town. It was a place for hikers and people who want to appreciate nature in their free time.

"Reimu! Satori!"

Suika called out from a distance.

They were walking among the thick underbrush in the forest, following a rough dirt track that has been used by countless people after so many years. They were not heading to any particular destination and simply went along this route.

"Yes, Suika?" Reimu raised her voice back.

"I'll be going ahead, I found some interesting scenes I could take here."

"Okay!"

Suika skipped along the dirt path, leaving a trail of dust behind as she went off deeper into the forested area.

In the meantime, Reimu was now alone with the very last person she wanted to be with.

Satori Komeiji. The Girl Even The Vengeful Spirits Fear.

Even though the shrine maiden felt butterflies in her stomach and sweat on her neck and face, she didn't sense any sense of discomfort from the woman.

As to why the expected 2 people weren't with them, it was because they were not comfortable to hang out and fight over Reimu again so they decided being separated like this was far better. Reimu was mildly surprised that they could even work out a civil solution despite their hostility to one another.

"Hmm… this is wrong Reimu, you wrote it in the wrong box."

Satori pointed out a mistake on the paper that Reimu was holding.

"Oh… yeah, you're right. Thank you Satori."

Reimu took an eraser to rub it off and wrote the correct answer. It was then she noticed that the satori was a bit too close to her personal space so she distanced herself slightly.

Satori chuckled at her reactions, making the other show an apologised face.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you don't like me getting too close to you."

Of course, no one does.

Reimu just remembered that the satori could read thoughts well through their speech and body language.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"I understand how you feel. I do have some negative feelings towards you initially, but I can't blame you for everything."

Reimu raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yes. You didn't know about me."

"Um... thank you?"

"Don't thank me. But since you know now, you should start getting some distance between us."

I'm sorry Satori, I can't do that. I got an extremely important mission to continue pursuing your fiance.

Contrary to her thoughts, Reimu only felt a little guilt about this matter. Even if she made an enemy of Satori right now, it wasn't much of a concern. That doesn't mean that she would freely make enemies everywhere she went.

The Shrine Maiden of Paradise laughed at herself internally. She's playing with people's feelings around and yet, she hardly feels anything wrong by this. Was she like this previously as the former incident solver of Gensokyo? It makes sense that she would have to be neutral to all parties as not to show any favours towards any youkai or humans.

"Hmm… I didn't think that Remilia cared about you so much." Satori suddenly added. "Isn't she a handful to talk to?

There was a short silence.

I KNOW RIGHT! Sometimes I feel like I have to personally take care of her like an elementary school kid!

Reimu could only place her complaints to herself.

She recalled the first time she went to that extremely messed up house that she had to clean it up herself. Then, she has to put up with all her fans in school. So much has gone through in just this few weeks that she now wonders if it's possible to stay sane after all this. And this was just 2 targets that she has to handle. There are still 5 more to go.

She realised Satori was waiting for a response.

She has to find a way to deflect suspicions on herself if she were to continue pursuing Remilia.

Additionally, it could also serve her well if Satori were to see her in a good light.

"Yes," Reimu decided to say. "I am just a bit surprised."

Reimu stopped her steps, which Satori promptly followed.

"But we aren't like what you think."

"Like what I thought?"

"Remilia and I. We are just good friends and neighbours."

Reimu continued, "I can see how it can be a misunderstanding. We happen to be neighbours and attend the same course so we get close naturally."

"Well… hahaha," Satori chuckled, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "That was quite terrible of me to believe in certain rumours I heard then."

The satori looked at the shrine maiden apologetically, "Reimu, you are a strange person. I talk to you about these things and you don't seem unfazed by it."

"It's nothing really since what others say is not the truth," Reimu shrugged as she wrote a couple more things on the paper.

A hand was placed on Satori's shoulder.

"You are Remilia's fiance. I like you quite a lot since normally people will react even worse than this when they find out. So don't you worry about me being with her."

Reimu's mind cheered. Miss Hakurei you smooth talker, this will improve our friendship!

Satori stared for a while, seeming to analyze her. For a moment, Reimu felt as if she was being examined in an experiment. After a few seconds, the mind-reader nodded briefly.

"Seems we are about to finish up here, why don't we…"

Before she could finish talking, suddenly she shouted. "Be careful!"

Reimu had jogged ahead when suddenly, she didn't feel anything on her feet anymore.

There was a gush of winds on her ears.

Before she realised it, she was falling into a deep pit. Then, there was a sudden stop as her feet and her butt landed hard on a wet cold ground.

"Reimu! Reimu! Are you alright?"

There was no response.

"Reimu?!"

Silence. The satori's heart grew increasingly worried and panicky. Did she pass out? Is she possibly even be… dead?

"I'm fine!"

Satori immediately let go of her breath. She adjusted her eyesight to the darkness of the pit and saw Reimu's on the ground uncomfortably. However, her face showed that she was in some pain as she struggled to get up.

"J-just stay there Reimu, I'll get some help!"

"Okay!"

With that, the satori turned around and ran towards the place where they were supposed to meet once they were done with their work. Deep down, she prayed that some people were already there.

While waiting, Reimu could only sit on the soft muddy ground, rubbing her two feet as she had taken her shoes out. She felt extreme pain on one of her ankles when she tried to rise. She knew something must have happened to it.

Despite the terrible situation, she was quite calm.

This typical and cliche development situation could make some good progress to whoever comes. Doesn't matter between which of the 2.

The shrine maiden glanced upwards, making sure to protect her head from anything that might fall.

It's now a matter of fate.

Who would come to save her?

"What's wrong with you?" Aya found Satori panting heavily and out of breath.

The latter collapsed out of exhaustion. Her face and eyes were red from the run.

Aya went to the satori with a worried look and bent down. Besides her was Remilia, who was looking slightly concerned.

"How come you're alone? Why isn't Reimu with you?"

Satori winced, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. The tone the tengu took was a bit too aggressive at the moment that she felt scared for a moment. She took some time to calm herself down before she could form coherent words to explain.

"G-go… go and s-save her! Hurry!"

Satori grabbed Aya's white shirt at her shoulders roughly and pointed towards where she came from.

"She… she fell into a pit!"

Without wasting any more time, Aya took some thick ropes and placed it over her shoulder. After checking to ensure her shoes were tied tightly and properly, she wasted no time running into the dense forest.

Remilia was about to follow when she felt the bottom of her shirt being pulled.

"Remi… my ankle."

Satori's ankle which was now blue and black, with some dirt on it. It appeared that while she ran, her shoe got torn off by accident, leaving her feet defenceless to the rough terrains of the forest floor. This caused blisters to form on the skin around her foot.

Clicking her tongue at her luck, Remilia could only pray now that Aya was able to get her friend safely.

Satori in the meantime, could only cast her eyes downwards in melancholy as she felt a wound forming both externally and internally inside her chest.

After some time, there was a series of sounds of footsteps from above. The red shrine maiden heard her name being called.

"Aya?" Reimu's voice was slightly weaker than before. "I'm here!"

"How are you doing?"

"My feet are not that good but I'm fine!"

"Just wait there! I'll get you up here soon!"

Aya looked around and went to the nearest stable tree that she could find and tied the rope around it. She held into the other end of the rope, squinting her eyes through the darkness of the pit.

"I'm going to pass on the rope, you hang on to it while I'll pull up!"

Reimu waited for the rope to be thrown in and quickly grabbed it. She tied her waist into a dead knot and tugged on it, indicating that she was ready.

Luckily for Aya, Reimu was quite light so it wasn't that much of a struggle as the tengu pulled her up slowly.

As soon as the shrine maiden reached the top, she untied the rope.

"Aya, thank y-"

A sudden weight fell on her body as Reimu felt 2 arms were wrapped around her to the back.

"A-Aya?"

The same feelings that Reimu had always felt when around Aya returned. Her heart fluttered with emotions, not knowing what to do.

"Just let me hold you. Please."

Aya's voice was so low even as a whisper as if she didn't want to lose a precious treasure.

Thus, for some time, the pair was right in the middle of the forest, a distance away from the pit. Reimu could have heard a small sob coming from the side, but she didn't turn her eyes to see. As she stood leaning against the other, she simply let time pass by.

She looked at the black wings of her companion. Is it as rough as what the books said?

Raising her hands, Reimu was about to touch them when she felt a small shake, immediately dropping her hand.

"So… How's your leg?"

The tengu has calmed down, as her usual gentle and soothing voice returns. Releasing herself, she acted as if nothing had happened.

"I don't think I can walk properly for a while," Reimu's slightly pale face showed as she tested her foot. "Probably going to miss some class."

"That's fine. I'm sure we can help you get the materials for those days. Anyway, let's bring you back to get it properly treated."

Reimu nodded in agreement.

Aya took one of Reimu's arms and placed it across her back, allowing the shrine maiden to use her as support. Slowly, they moved towards the meeting place.

When Reimu was in the hospital, fortunately, the doctor was able to see her quickly. She was diagnosed with a slight fracture in her calf and her ankle joint area was quite twisted. Thus, she has to be hospitalised for some time.

In a private hospital ward, The somewhat overwhelmed Shrine Maiden of Paradise was looking at the 4 people who stood by her bed, all with various degrees of worry.

"Satori, have they treated your foot?"

Reimu noticed some bandages around her feet. It seems that Satori was still able to walk and stand properly despite her small injury.

"Yes." Satori's face flushed with some trace of complexity. "But you… you should worry about yourself."

"Then all of you should go to rest."

"Ehhh?" Suika's face turned into one that wasn't happy. "Reimu, at least let me stay with you."

The oni appeared the most worried out of the 4.

"Yes, Reimu," now it was Aya who spoke up. "At least have one person to be with you."

Only Remilia remained quiet but her expression was unreadable.

The shrine maiden vehemently rejected and shook her head. "I'll be fine as long as I stay here. My food will be brought by the nurses. Everyone here has work to finish for the class excursion."

Seeing that there was no point arguing, Satori tugged on Remilia's shirt, "Let's go, Remi."

Remilia acted as if she didn't feel the pull and stared for a while.

She has so many things she wanted to say to her friend but it has to be alone. But now was also not the right time, especially with her fiance nearby. She could also tell that Reimu was still deliberately not talking to her for some reason. Whatever it was, she would have to find a chance to get a private conversation sometime later.

Sighing within her uneasy heart, the vampire turned and left without a word, leaving a depressing air behind her. This followed by her fiance.

Suika also left promptly afterwards after exchanging some small words with her best friend.

The only one remaining was the Traditional Reporter of Fantasy.

Noticing the unusually stressed features on her face, Reimu slipped closer to the corner of her bed.

The tengu looked up as if on the trance from her deep thoughts. "Reimu."

Reimu's back suddenly became straight for no apparent reason.

She never saw Aya looking so distraught. Was there something that the tengu wanted to discuss?

"Do you hate me?"

Aya's voice was very light as a feather. Despite its softness, the enclosed, sound-proofed room allowed the shrine maiden to hear it perfectly.

"I… I don't hate you Aya. You're my friend."

"So… do you like me then?"

There was a sharp edge of uncertainty and anxiousness to it that it got Reimu stunned.

Slowly nodding, Reimu replied, "Of course, I like you. I don't think anyone can hate you with your gentle heart you possess."

The tengu face turned darker, along with the tone of her voice, "But I only want to be liked by you. No one else."

Reimu was stunned again. Unable to form coherent words, she couldn't look at the tengu directly as she already guessed what could happen next.

"Do you like me?"

"Aya, what are you talking ab-"

"I love you Reimu."

…

…

…

But the tengu was not done yet.

"When you were angry about those photos that day... I realised I can't keep it between us this way. So I thought… that I have to say it to you now."

…

…

…

Reimu could only glance downwards, a pink blush forming on her cheeks. "I… see."

The shrine maiden was lost for thought.

She didn't understand her heart and mind at all. She should be excited and satisfied.

Satisfied that one of her targets had confessed to her. Now, all she has to say was:

I love you too Aya.

Then, all would be done. She can afterwards find closure with the tengu anytime she wishes to.

Yet…

She found those words stuck into her throat.

Is it because that wasn't her true feelings? Or that she never said such words before?

The expression in Reimu's face was not missed by Aya.

Reimu… you still have feelings for that Scarlet Devil.

It seems she misunderstood her friend's thoughts.

Aya's hands turned into fists as she came to a decision.

"Two weeks."

A loud resolute voice pierced sharply through the patient's room.

Reimu was in such deep thought that she almost jumped as if awakened from it.

"Two weeks. Give me an answer. Meanwhile, allow me to stay by your side as you heal and then decide if I can be a good girlfriend for you."

"I… "

Reimu could only say any words that came automatically.

"...Yeah."

Her mind was blank and she found herself simply agreeing before she could process what her mouth had spoken.

"Good. Then I would like you to do something with me once this is over."

"D-do s-something with you?"

It can be that right?

Steam came up off Reimu's top and her face suddenly turned red. She felt her body suddenly swell up in the heat.

No no no… we are too early for that! We mustn't do it at this time, Aya!

"When I ask you to meet alone the next time, please wear the dress I gave you before.

"Huh?"

The burning shrine maiden appeared dazed.

"That flower dress I gave you before. Wear it the next time when I ask you to."

Suddenly, a scene flashed in Reimu's thoughts.

"You know Reimu, I appreciate that you always listen to me talk about this in your house… I do. I always have so much fun here, unlike at that place up there. Aside from that, you never stop me despite me spending a long time with you."

Reimu's eye maintains a neutral look throughout, quietly sipping her tea. "You are welcome."

Aya grinned. Then, she faced down, her voice went deep, murmuring to the point that Reimu has to completely put all her attention on it.

"It's just I have something that I want to do with you for a long time. It is about us going to Yuuka's place."

This pique the shrine maiden interest which she hides behind her drink.

"Oh, do enlighten me."

"Well, it is…"

Reimu's eyes flickered as the scenes played vividly.

The shrine maiden could only stare intently and the resolute face right in front of her. She doesn't like dresses. But with that kind of resolution, what else can she say?

"Okay, I'll wear it."

A very content smile formed on the tengu's mouth.

"I hope to hear a favourable response from you Reimu… and I'm sorry about this."

The Shrine Maiden of Paradise never returned a single word, even when her last visitor had left the room.