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Ch. 15: Whatever it is, don't worry…

"H-hey girls… listen to me, this is all a misunderstanding-" "R-R-Reimu… W-W-What are you doing? ! Shouting something like that-" "You hear me, Yuugi? Yah hear me? ! If you even think I'm going to let you-" "Re-la-tion-ship…? Hehe… hehe… that's a good one… Yuugi…-" "-No seriously it's not what you think-" "-I… I mean, that was r-really mean of you, w-wasn't it Reimu-" "-Just waltz out of here with my crush… My crush just like that-" "-Yuugi… you'd better have an explanation for this… And Sanae… get away from her-"

"Um guys…?" Ibuki Suika tentatively began. "HEY, GUYS!" Suika shouted much more forcefully. Instantly, three of the four parts of the mess broke off momentarily from their verbal diarrhoea out of shock, although all three looked rather upset at being interrupted.

"-away from her you slu-" Mizuhashi Parsee took just a tad bit longer to stop her torrent of words, and paused mid-insult to look at Suika indignantly with fiery green eyes. She had sooo much to get off her chest. And mind. And tongue.

"Slu…? Slu-?" Hoshiguma Yuugi looked at Parsee a little taken aback. "Wh-What do you mean by- Parsee! T-that's no way to talk to a nice little lady!"

"Shut up!" Parsee whipped back around on Yuugi, shaking rather violently. "I-I see… you favour her now… That's right… Why don't you just go running back to her you playboy of a whor-"

"N-Now just a minute, sweetie…"

"YUUGI!"

All five of this rather hob-cobbled drama cast startled once again. This time, the shout originated from Hakurei Reimu.

"YOU!" Began Reimu grandly. "Don't you go ignoring me! I still have much to settle with you-"

"Quiet you impoverished ingrate!"

"-…! P-Parsee? Parsee! H-Hey! What's with that insult! What have I ever done to you-?

"Stay out of this Reimu!" Parsee shot Reimu such an icy cold glare that even the usually haughty Reimu was stunned. "This matter is between me and Yuugi."

"B-But hey… This concerns me too…"

"Look, ladies-" Yuugi feebly attempted-

"SHUT UP!" – and was double denied by both the uncharacteristically vulgar princess and same-as-usual bankrupt miko.

"… Um…" A gentle voice rang out softly. All heads turned to look at the origin.

"I-If, there's something wrong," began the beautiful, green-haired, well-mannered origin, "We should try to work together to resolve it peacefully," finished Kochiya Sanae a little timidly.

Instantly, two pairs of eyes, the brilliant emerald of Parsee's and the intense auburn of Reimu's focused all of their attention on her, causing Sanae to almost jump and whimper a little.

"I will not compromise on Yuugi."

"I will not compromise on you."

And with that, the two pairs of eyes continued to stare straight into Sanae's quivering soul.

"… Alright, that's enough!" Yuugi stood up. Her fists clenched, she took a deep breath, sighed, opened her cool red eyes and said determinedly, "This is all my fault, and I am prepared to accept responsibility! So please," Yuugi brought a wide, tough yet smooth palm to her chest and declared, "Whatever the problem is, please resolve it through me!"

The two pairs of eyes instantly flickered over to the one-horned idiot just as Suika screwed hers shut. This was going to be-

"As you wish." "Very well then" Raises finger. Raises gohei.

-nasty…

"W-Wait… Ladies!"

Pichu~n!

"Hey…! Hey, beautiful...!"

"Nngh…"

"Wake up, sleeping beauty…"

"N'uh…"

Hoshiguma Yuugi slowly opened her eyes to the sight of a wryly smiling Ibuki Suika. Yuugi was propped up against the wall, still on the front porch of Reimu's house. Suika was squatting next to her, her outstretched hand offering her sake gourd once again.

"Here, you'll need it."

"Th-Thanks…" Yuugi grabbed the gourd and took a swig from it. Her body feeling heavy, Yuugi allowed her hand and gourd to simply fall limp at her side as she closed her eyes and breathed out a slow, taxed sigh. Bringing up the back of her other hand to wipe the sides of her mouth of sake, Yuugi than firmly fixed her eyes on Suika's, before asking, half exhausted and half fearful, "Is it safe?"

"See for yourself," Suika shrugged and pointed beyond Yuugi's face. Yuugi slowly, carefully allowed her gaze to leave Suika's, then took her time to bring her field of vision around, all the while expecting the worse.

Instead, she saw three young girls, all rather fair and pretty in their own right, seated rather spaced out away from each other on the veranda's edge, Parsee on the left, Reimu on the right, and Sanae down centre. All three were gazing out into the garden, avoiding eye contact with everyone and anyone. Silent.

"Huh? They're… peaceful?" Yuugi felt a little bit relieved.

"Peaceful… isn't the way I'll describe it," Suika mused, and took a swig of sake herself in a knowing fashion. "You've missed much since your last life."

"Update me."

"Well, basically, you're down to one life, and I think you'll need to beat quite a few spell cards to refill."

"Suika…"

"I've got a few on hand. Wanna have a go at it?"

"That's not what I meant…" Yuugi chuckled a little. The three silent girls ahead of them twitched at the sound of Yuugi's voice and laughter, but otherwise remained mostly still, stoic and soundless.

"Well, basically…" Suika pointed at the middle girl, the living goddess. "She's mad at her", Suika pointed to the girl on the right, "for having blasted the stuffing out of you." At which point the middle girl "hmphed" a little and tilted her head ever so slightly away from the girl on the right.

"And then," Suika pointed back at the girl on the right, the bruiser of a miko. "She's actually abashed at what she's done, since it made her," Suika pointed back to the living goddess, "mad." At which point the defeated bruiser slumped a little. "The other miko's refusing to talk to her, see?" Suika explained. "Sort of ruins her chances," Suika pointed to the right, "of making up with her," Suika pointed back down centre.

"Okay…" Yuugi relaxed a bit more. But then her gaze fell on the girl on the left. The one with blonde hair, pointy ears and fair skin. And a really, really strong murderous vibe. Yuugi tentatively lifted a finger and pointed at her. "What about that one?" she asked.

"Well that? Ah… she's just out to get your throat," Suika downed some more sake casually. At which point, the cheeks of the blonde beauty puffed rather visually, as if jaw muscles had tensed to craft a nice, malicious smile.

Yuugi squinted her eyelids as she painfully surveyed her chances, then snatched the sake gourd from Suika, gave herself a small little confidence booster, thrust the gourd firmly and snappily back to Suika, then walked ahead determinedly, pass the edgily watching two-horned chibi, pass swoony-turned-angry miracle-making-miko, off the front porch and then straight ahead until she was some distance from the whole party. Behind her, even though she could not see it, she could feel their eyes on her.

Reimu, Sanae, Parsee and Suika some distance behind were all staring at her, waiting for her next move as the wind picked up and stirred the restless leaves in the yard. This drama needed a clean, conclusive conclusion, Yuugi thought as she looked at her partly raised fist, her long, blonde hair whipping about her angular face, her red eyes focused and serious. For the sake of the one she loved, for the sake of the one she did not wish to unintentionally hurt any further, and for the sake of the one she did not want to… uh… incur her wrath…

Yuugi looked up, the other four still staring at her straight, solid back. No… this was her mess, and she, Hoshiguma Yuugi will resolve it. Yuugi threw her fist out horizontally by her side while spreading her fingers, before turning around definitively, the warm summer air resisting her movement in vain.

"Parsee," Yuugi said.

"You better have something good, you two-timing idiot," Parsee effortless shattered the charisma.

… Reimu, Sanae and Suika let their heads slip down a little in a sigh.

"Uh… Okay…" Yuugi's bright red face stung from Parsee's words. Man… Parsee was tough. But she guessed…

"… Heh, I guess," Yuugi smiled bigly, "That's what I like about you."

Parsee's face remained expressionless, but otherwise paled a little. Nope, she's not appalled; it's just her heart's got a bit more blood than usual…

"Listen up!" Yuugi addressed the two miko, "This was all just a misunderstanding. Sanae may be a nice young lady, but she isn't the one I love." Yuugi then softened and spoke specifically to Sanae. "I'm sorry dear, but there has only ever been one person in my heart," Yuugi elaborated. "And that is… Parsee," she turned to the paling bridge-princess. Yuugi then turned to face Sanae again. "I… I'm really sorry for having misled you. Please forgive me." Yuugi bowed deep.

Sanae's eyes widened and began to tear, but she hastily wiped them on her sleeve. "I-I… I knew it, the moment I saw how… how Parsee-san was just all over you…" Sanae sniffed a little, still wiping. "I… I was such a fool wasn't I? Taking your jovial cheerfulness selfishly as signs of attraction to me… Letting my imagination run wild…" Sanae kept wiping. "This is… sniff, my fault too…" Sanae's voice began to crack a little behind her detached sleeve.

"Ah…! It wasn't Sanae…" Yuugi started, but Reimu beat her to it before she could offer her any more words of comfort.

"Hey…" Reimu knelt down behind Sanae and gently placed both hands on her shoulders, "Don't blame yourself Sanae. You were just being innocent hearted, pure." Reimu cupped Sanae's face in her hands and turned Sanae's head to look at her eyes. "You were being the loving person you were."

"R-Reimu-san", Sanae looked up, her face clearly displaying failed attempts to stem the incoming tears, "Reimu-san!" Sanae wept as she buried herself into Reimu's arms.

"I was… such a fool too…" Reimu wept as well as the two mikos hugged each other in a union of hearts and primary colours.

"Wow… that was fast…" observed Suika, who had by now toddled up to Yuugi's side as the two mikos were embracing.

"Yeeeah…" Yuugi rubbed the back of her head a little disappointed. Man, did Sanae get over her in a jiffy…

"At least Sanae's going to be alright," Suika drank her sake like a good audience as she continued to look on, "I hope- Woah! Well excuse me! I'll just get out of your-"

Yuugi looked to her side to see Parsee push her way past Suika.

"-Your way," continued Suika, backing away. "'Scuse me…"

Parsee stood in front of Yuugi, her face still expressionless and paler than ever, which not-surprisingly made her look that much more exquisite. The only thing that betrayed her emotional state was a slightly reddish neck line, where some of the blood that had drained to her fluttering heart was visible. Parsee closed her eyes, hiding her lovely green eyes from view as she took in a breath, then breathed out and opened them to look contemplatively at Yuugi.

"Bend down," Parsee commanded simply.

"H-Huh?"

"Bend down."

"But…" Yuugi obediently did as told. "…Why- Mmph!"

Parsee tiptoed forward and kissed her on the lips.

"P-Parsee... you- OUCH!"

Parsee planted a dainty foot forward to brace herself as she slapped Yuugi hard across the face.

"P-Parsee…" Yuugi rubbed her pained face and looked at Parsee with confused and teary eyes. "Why?"

"You deserved both… you stupid Oni…" Parsee pursed her lips together, hardly able to hide her satisfaction.

"Eh…" Suika walked up to the two. "I think it's usually the other way around though!" she brought a hand to her mouth as she sniggered at the poor one-horned, one reddened cheek oaf.

"What do I care?" Parsee looked at her through the corner of her eye with a cheery smile. "My hand, my rules."

"So…" Yuugi, now sheepishly grinning, cautiously asked, "Does this mean you'll start a relationship with me?"

"No."

"… Even after all that?" Yuugi looked incredulous. "Aw… C'mon!"

Parsee crossed her arms. "Keep chasing me then, player," she teased. "I like it that way."

All three then broke into laughter.