As the day progressed at the Grand Shrine in Inazuma, the trio became busy as all of the Shrine Maidens and staff at the Grand Narukami Shrine congregated in the courtyard for free Dangoo Milk. Despite her efforts, Ayaka didn't find any time to be alone with Aether. The two of them found themselves once again to be quite popular with everyone. And it made sense, as it was very rare to be able to talk freely to Ayaka. Aether and Paimon meanwhile, were busy answering questions about their adventures so far. Yae Miko had also ordered and laid out a series of different refreshments and sweets to go along with the Dango Milk. All and all, there was quite the party-like atmosphere in the courtyard at the Grand Shrine.

After talking to every Shrine Maiden, Ayaka herself once again found herself once again alone with Yae Miko, who she was making small talk with. Every now and then, she would glance over at Aether to see what he was up to. Aether himself was currently chatting with Kano Nana, Sayu's Shuumatsuban minder.

"...Oh, don't mind me, you should go and catch up with Aether. I'm sure the two of you have things to plan out before you two leave the Grand Shrine. You've been glancing at him this whole time you know…."

Ayaka, realizing what Miko had just said, shyly looked away and blushed. "Ah, have I been that obvious? I apologize." Ayaka looked over at Aether again, before turning back to face Yae Miko. "Are you sure you don't mind, Lady Guuji? It would certainly be most convenient for me to go and speak to Aether to plan our next steps…"

Yae sighed, realizing that Ayaka was once again back in her work mode, though, with a blush on her face, it wasn't as convincing as usual. The Head Shrine Maiden simply smiled and gave Ayaka a nod. "Find me a good ending, will you?"

Blushing an even deeper shade of red, Ayaka gave a small bow and a quiet word of thanks, before turning and running off into the crowd, in the direction of Aether and Kano Nana. Hopefully, Ayaka would take Yae's advice to heart and actually get it done.

….that girl better find a good ending, it's what is most popular nowadays. Still, we have plenty of material to work with for the next chapter of The Miraculous Adventures of the Traveler….hmmm and things are in the place for that other matter…what happens next better be material that sells well….

"Ahh, Lady Guuji! There you are! I have the numbers for the latest round of book sales! Care to have a look?"

"...I told her that if she simply slept during her assigned off time, she would be plenty awake for her training and missions, but she simply refuses to do so. And she even openly wonders why she isn't getting any taller…."

"Well, Paimon still thinks that you should go a bit easier on Sayu, she has it pretty rough already given the thing with…."

Aether simply nodded along and commented here and there as he allowed Paimon to do most of the talking with Kano Nana. Still preferring to be quiet around acquaintances, he was always grateful to have Paimon around, who was always more than happy to do most of the heavy lifting in conversations. Overall, he felt that the past few days had been a great success. Despite the other thing that was on his mind, Aether had found himself greatly enjoying his time so far. Most of that was thanks to Ayaka, who always seemed to make him feel warm inside.

As he pondered how he was going to talk to Ayaka about his other predicament, Aether suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning in response, he found himself face to face with the girl he was just thinking about, who had two cups of Dango Milk in her hands. With a small smile and blush on her face, Ayaka offered one of the cups to Aether, who gladly accepted.

"For you…I've added Sunsettias and some sugar….just the way you like it I'm told…."

"Ahh, Thanks Ayaka." Aether smiled. "I see your brother has told you my Dango Milk preferences…"

"...He did mention it at some point, yes…."

Ayaka left out the fact that her brother had told her that fact while wearing a smug and knowing look on his face.

After a quick sip of the drinks in their hands, a moment of silence settled between the two of them. Paimon was still engaged in conversation with Kano Nana, and the others around them didn't pay any attention to the two of them as they went about their way. The party atmosphere was still alive and well at the Shrine, and had yet to die down. Both Ayaka and Aether were unsure of how to break the silence that had come between them. As Aether desperately tried to think about something to talk about to break the silence, he was surprised when Ayaka reached out and grabbed his sleeve, tugging on it. Looking back at Ayaka, her puppy eyes told him that she wanted to go somewhere. Giving her a nod of understanding, he allowed her to pull him by his sleeve away from the crowd they were in.

It made for quite a cute scene as Ayaka led Aether via his sleeve around the main shrine building and back to the main archway marking the entrance to the Grand Narukami Shrine. Fortunately for them, no one paid them any attention as they rounded the corner. Finally letting go of Aether, Ayaka walked a few steps down the path, taking in the amazing view that the Shrine offered. After they had arrived at the Shrine, the skies had cleared up nicely as if on command. They were just able to make out Inazuma City in the distance over the light fog.

Taking the cue, Aether joined her and took the spot next to her. As the two of them finished their drinks and enjoyed the stunning view, a comfortable silence came over them yet again. The noise coming from the party at the Shine behind them simply faded into the background as both of them simply enjoyed each other's company.

.

..

…

….

"I suppose we should probably figure out what our next steps are huh?"

Ayaka let out a chuckle as Aether broke the comfortable silence between them. "I think Phase 2 here at Grand Narukami Shrine can be marked as complete and a grand success. We just need to go to Konda Village for Phase 3 next and we are done. I've already made arrangements for the Dango Milk to be delivered there, just like here at the Grand Shrine. We just have to be prompt before it spoils."

"...As usual, you have everything already planned? That's one of the things I like about you Ayaka. You can be a bit too thorough for your own good."

"What's that supposed to mean?" At Aether's comment, Ayaka turned and faced him, very curious by what he exactly meant by his comment.

"Haha, I only mean it as a good thing, you know that Ayaka." Aether paused for a brief second before continuing, giving some clear thought to this next comment. "It's one of the many things that I like about you."

.

..

…

….

"Haha, anyway, we should probably figure out how we are getting to Konda Village. Do we need to make a stop back at the Estate or….?"

Startled from her thinking about what Aether's words meant, Ayaka quickly recovered herself. "Ahem. I don't think that will be necessary. I don't have any other administration work left, but we can stop there on our way back if you and Paimon would like to take a quick break or something."

Aether struck a thinking pose. "...In that case, how do you feel about us going straight to Konda Village by gliding there?"

"Gliding there? As in gliding from the Shrine to Konda Village?"

At Ayaka's follow-up question, Aether suddenly became very excited."Yeah! What do you think? I and Paimon have done it plenty of times! We just jump off from here and fly over. It should only take us about half an hour or so if we aim to land on the nearby beach by Ritou."

Ayaka's face could only be described as a mix of concern, horror, and a bit of excitement. "Umm, I'm not too caught up on the Common Code regarding gliding, but isn't that illegal? If I recall correctly, the code states that your maximum gliding height and speed can't be more than..."

"Ahhh don't worry about the small things. I've done more…questionable things before, and Kujo Sara hasn't thrown me into the slammer yet. Hahaha, actuallypleasedon'ttellheraboutthis….she has already told me off before…."

Trailing off at the end of his sentence, Aether looked away in embarrassment. The thought of the great Traveler Aether getting told off for breaking gliding regulations was quite amusing to Ayaka. Even solving a nation's crisis didn't exempt him from the everyday rules in the eyes of Kujo Sara.

"Yeah! Aether is right! Paimon and Traveler have made the flight from here to Konda Village plenty of times! He knows the route like it's on the back of his hand!"

"Ahhh!"

"Ahhh!"

"Paimon! When did you get here? I believe I asked you to stop scaring me like that!"

Paimon thought to herself before replying. "...Paimon got here a while ago. But never mind that!" Paimon looked at Ayaka more closely. "Ayaka, are you okay with gliding there? I know that gliding may not be your strong suit, but Paimon and Aether will be with you for the entire trip! Hey! You could even share a glider with Aether! The fancy Inazaumin one you have with you fits two people, right?"

At Paimon's suggestion, the duo broke eye contact and looked away from each other in embarrassment. The brazen way Paimon suggested things was a bit too much for the both of them.

Gliding to Konda Village from here? That would make it one of the longest flights I have ever done with my glider….but if Aether is there to ensure my safety…..

Still debating if she was making the right decision or not, Ayaka looked up at Paimon and Aether. "Yes, I admit I lack practice and confidence in my gliding skills. This will be one of my longest flights ever, but if Aether is there, then I don't see why I can't try it….." Ayaka said the last part with a blush.

"Yay! So it's settled! Gliding to Konda Village straight from the Shrine! Paimon's so excited! What could possibly go wrong?"

As the party-like atmosphere died down at the Grand Narukami Shrine, the trio began to get ready for the next part of the journey, that being flying to Konda Village. Despite their offers to stay longer and to help clean up, the Shrine Maidens and staff at the Grand Shrine simply declined all their offers. Saying their goodbyes to everyone, their trio made their way to the entranceway where the path began its slow descent down the mountain. Yae Miko had also come along to say her final goodbyes and comments.

"...This scene should be in chapter 9, what do you think?"

With Yae's (odd) final words and goodbye, the trio were now by themselves. On a small flat outcrop of rocks alongside the stone staircase, Aether and Ayaka began setting up and preparing their gliders, while Paimon watched on, finishing a final cup of Dango Milk that she had managed to get from one of the Shrine Maidens.

…I'm doing something incredibly stupid again, aren't I?

As Ayaka put her glider together and began to attach it to herself, she once again couldn't help but have second thoughts (again) about gliding. Her first attempt of gliding with Aether had her ending up in his arms when they were crossing that ravine. But this time, Aether wasn't going to be waiting for her on the other side. If she made a wrong move from this high up, she wasn't sure what would happen to her.

As Ayaka was lost in her thoughts idly making the final adjustments to her harness and glider, she had failed to notice that Aether was finished setting up his gilder on his back, and was currently busily looking over Ayaka's own handy work. With a nod to himself, Aether began to attach himself to Ayaka's harness.

Suddenly noticing what Aether was doing, Ayaka jumped back with wide eyes in surprise. Aether, now somewhat attached to Ayaka by the rigging, was pulled along. "Ummm Aether, what exactly are you doing?"

"See, your rigging and harness setup are immaculately done, and the knots you do would put some adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild to shame. That's what I expect from you! I was just attaching myself to your harness, we are gliding together, right?"

At Aether's mention of them gliding together and realizing that he meant physically sharing the same gilder, Ayaka's face went all red. "Oh, are we really doing what Paimon suggested? I see…..but why did you set up your glider then…?"

Aether smiled at the blushing Ayaka in front of him. "Safety first? I believe that code says that when sharing a glider, the passenger must also have a backup glider on their back in cases of emergencies." Aether paused for a second, motioning at the cable that now connected them before continuing. "Hey, don't worry about your skills or about holding me back. Yes, we have places to be, but let's try and have some fun okay? I'll make sure nothing bad happens to both of us."

At Aether's words of encouragement, Ayaka simply nodded and watched on as Aether finished attaching himself to her harness. After quickly checking over both their work, the two walked over to the edge of the cliff, looking out into the distance. The weather was still clear and sunny. You could just make out Ritou Island through the light fog, and the beach where they were planning to land at.

"Okay! So if Paimon remembers correctly, when sharing a glider, both the main pilot and passenger run forward and take off, with the main pilot deploying the glider and grabbing the front steering bar. The passenger follows quickly behind, grabbing the front steering bar as well and joining them in flight. Does Paimon remember that correctly?"

"Yep, that's what I remember Amber telling me back when I first got my license. But does that apply to the newer ones, like yours Ayaka?" Aether looked over to the girl next to him, who simply nodded in response.

"Yes, Paimon's instructions sound about right. The textbook I read did mention that the main pilot has to make sure to deploy the glider smoothly, else the passenger will have a hard time grabbing on."

Aether gave a smile of reassurance. "Just do what you normally do, and trust your instincts. I trust you after all."

He trusts me…..He trusts me…..He trusts me…..I can do this!

"Okay, when Paimon counts to 3, run, jump and take flight!"

At Paimon's countdown, Ayaka and Aether both got into a running stance, ready to jump off the side of the cliff. Looking at the person next to her, Ayaka saw that Aether was doing the same, giving her a warm smile. At the sight of his smile, she suddenly felt a boost of confidence within her.

" 1 and 2 and 3 ! "

Just as Paimon said the number 3, Ayaka and Aether both took off in a sprint towards the edge, jumping into the air at the last second. Just like last time, she released her glider on instinct. A strong gust of wind caused the glider to wobble quite a bit as she reached for the main control front bar. Hair now blowing in the breeze, she was worried that her deployment of the glider wasn't smooth enough for Aether. Gripping the bar, she began to steer the glider. She looked next to her to see that Aether was indeed next to her, having grabbed onto the same front bar that she had. His hair was also blowing in the breeze and he had a big smile on his face.

"Nice job Ayaka! A perfect textbook deployment of a glider with two people! 10 out of 10 from me!"

Smiling at Aether's words, she looked forwards as she steered the glider past the floating rocks and concentrations of Electro Energy that were in the air around the Grand Shrine. As they did so, Paimon made herself known as she joined them, flying by and weaving through the rocks. Flying ahead of the two of them, she looked back and gave her signature wave.

Click

Click

Click

At Paimon's wave, the two looked at each other and smiled. Just as they did so, they heard a clicking sound through the sound of the wind going by them. Looking around, they saw that it had flown quite a ways ahead of them, and appeared to have a Kamara in her hands. Paimon was taking pictures of the two of them.

"…..Paimon! Where did you get that Kamara from! I banned you from going through my Adventurer's Pack you know!" Flying next to them, Paimon continued to take more pictures of them sharing the same glider, all Aether could do was yell at Paimon as she was just out of arm's reach of the both of them.

Ayaka smiled as she concentrated on steering the glider. Perhaps this is what being courted was all about. Jumping off a cliff attached to a glider and your partner, all while having your picture taken.

"….Aether? Would you be so kind to make a copy of one of Paimon's Photos when we are on the ground?"

AN/ Yae was right, this is chapter 9! And by word count, my longest story so far. I'm quite proud of that.

Also, Co op gliders would probably not work that well in game...

Anyhow, We pick up the pace next time as we see what will happen at (...before?) Konda Village.