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Ch. 26: Cats, wasn't it?
"Or at least… That was the last thing she was talking about…" Hoshiguma Yuugi was rubbing the back of her head uneasily.
The living room of the Hakurei house found a not-too-strange trio of beings gathered, consisting of the shrine maiden and owner of the place Hakurei Reimu, the emerald-eyed Mizuhashi Parsee, and then the Oni Yuugi herself. Tea was laid, but no one was doing much drinking, and yet again for the fourth day straight the conversation centred on a topic all three would normally not be talking about.
Attention all! We have a missing stubby little chibi of an Oni, about this tall, with two horns and ginger brown hair. Last seen drinking. And before that? More drinking.
Ibuki Suika had been missing from the shrine for eight days straight now, and that caused her long time drinking partner Yuugi unnecessary worry she usually did not like to have. Even Reimu, who could hardly bat an eyelid over anything Suika related, was a bit anxious.
"Well, maybe she's just gone in search of a cat, stumbled into some incident and got herself involved?" Parsee gave a not unlikely suggestion.
"Probably, probably, but dang it! Where is she?" Yuugi was unconscious of it, but she had been pacing up and down the room, her strong steps muffled by the soft tatami.
"Calm down Yuugi! You're making me feel worried too," Reimu urged. "Being all worked up won't help anything. And besides, I'm sure she's fine. She's an Oni, she can take care of herself."
Yuugi stopped her pacing and took one long, hard look at Reimu. "Are you… saying that I'm worried for her?"
"H-Huh? But of course you are! It's understandable, any friend would-"
"I'm not worried about her, I'm worried about what kind of trouble she might be stirring up for others!" Yuugi huffed.
Parsee and Reimu deadpanned. Oh… So this was what Suika's best friend was worked up over…
"No… trust me, you have no idea what Suika can do in her dumbest moments," Yuugi dryly, "And I've been around her a long time."
"Some fine friend you are," Parsee remarked, although quite frankly she agreed with Yuugi.
"Hey, as Suika's number one drinking partner, I have the huge responsibility of buffering the rest of the world from Suika," Yuugi declared seriously.
Parsee and Reimu's deadpan flattened out further.
"If you're buffering Suika, who's buffering you? You drunken hypocrite…" Reimu said pointedly.
"That's where my dearest Parsee comes in!" Yuugi gestured to her to be made de jure girlfriend, with a charming smile. "She's my brain, my logic and my reason!"
"Hah! Th-Thank you!" Parsee felt flattered… "W-W-Wait a minute!"... For approximately a third of a second. "D-Don't ask me to look after you, you big oaf!" Parsee grabbed a nearby cushion and half-playfully threw it at Yuugi.
"Ow! H-hey!" Yuugi grabbed the cushion she was just hit with and playfully threw it back, inciting a lovey-dovey cushion fight with her in-practice right there and then.
Reimu felt like sicking into the tea cup she was holding. R-Really, did they always have to publicly display affection like that? Even when I'm here? And was that really appropriate behaviour of a couple? Always bickering and making noise… Why can't they just do things quietly and peacefully like… like… like me and Sanae… Sanae… Hah…
Yuugi and Parsee paused mid-cushion fight as they noticed Reimu staring in their direction with a faraway look in her eyes, drool slowly inching its way down the side of her mouth towards her tea cup.
Urgh… Yuugi and Parsee felt like sicking at the sight… Yuugi turned to the girl she had so boldly claimed as her "intellect" for an explanation.
"Sanae," Yuugi's intellect answered.
"Oh, that explains a lot actually," the empty-headed Oni shrugged her shoulders.
Just then, light-hearted talk could be heard drifting through the Japanese doors into the guest rooms. Huh? The three, including Reimu who had just snapped out of her daydream, turned their gaze towards the door. There was someone out there, and by the sounds of it, she was accompanied by someone else.
"W-Well… I suppose if you want, I could show you there someday… I-I suppose…"
Yuugi, Reimu and Parsee exchanged glances. H-Hey! It's Suika-
"Really? That would be great! I've been to many places, but I've never been there before…"
-And… Wait… Who's voice is that?
"N-Now hang on, I'm not even sure if I'm allowed back there, to tell you the truth… And more importantly…"
Steps on the wooden patio just outside could be heard, proceeded by Ibuki Suika pulling open the door to the living room.
"… J-Just remember what I told you about this place, okay?" Suika turned to a rather rarely seen figure behind her, at least to the party of three already gathered in the living room.
"Sure!" the blue haired, blue clad, heterochromatic eyed petite girl answered enthusiastically, before turning both her red and blue eyes to greet the room of Reimu, Yuugi and Parsee expectantly.
"Hello! Nice to meet you all!" Tatara Kogasa smiled brightly.
… Reimu and Parsee's jaws dropped, while Yuugi pointed a finger at Kogasa and exclaimed what the former two were thinking but could not manage to say.
"Th-That's no cat!"
It was a cool summer afternoon, foreshadowing the autumn that was just around the corner. Five cups of tea stood untouched on the Japanese table top, filled to the brim with warm, light green, pleasant smelling liquid. But fret not for the tea cups were not unaccompanied. Far from lonely, each tea cup was paired with an awkward girl, all except one. That one got lucky. It was paired with a cute, pleasant little karakasa.
"I uh…" Yuugi reached for her tea cup, then retracted her hand, not entirely sure what to do or say. "I uh… W-Wow…"
"Yeah… Wow…" Reimu echoed, for once ignoring her tea. "That… definitely is much more than just a cat…" Reimu raised an eyebrow at the karakasa.
"Ha ha… Yeah looks like uh… Looks like someone's been busy, huh?" Parsee referred to Suika while staring at her tea cup, a little amused and envious of the moe karakasa, all the while secretly studying said karakasa from the corner of her eye.
"B-Busy? ! I wasn't- It wasn't like I was-" Suika kept stumbling over her words, then grabbed her tea cup nervously and gulped downed the first casualty of this serving. "Ouch! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Suika nearly scalded her throat. Luckily, the teas had been left standing for an adequately long enough time to be marginally tolerable.
"S-Suika! Are you okay?" the karakasa patted and rubbed the back of Suika concernedly.
"A-Ah, yeah, sure! I-I'm fine!" Suika forced down her mild pain and gave the umbrella youkai the thumbs up.
Reimu, Yuugi and Parsee looked on as Kogasa lovingly attended to her Suika. S-Since when was Suika ahead of Yuugi in terms of flirting? And just where and how did she get such a gal? !
"… Nngh… Come to think of it…" Reimu stared long and hard at Kogasa, "I've seen you somewhere before, haven't I?"
"Oh! Oh yes, we've duelled before, actually!" Kogasa answered.
"Huh… So that's where I've seen you- Wait… What is she doing here?" Reimu narrowed her eyes accusingly at Suika.
"Huh? W-Well, if you're prepared for a long story…" and so Suika explained the events of the past eight days in a factual manner, careful to leave out the more sensational drama and gossip out and glossing over the details. "And that's basically it. I got lost, ended up in Myouren temple and somehow, we met and uh… here we are!" Suika shrugged her shoulders.
"Someone's been really busy…" Parsee mused. Who knew Suika had Yuugi's blood in her…?
"Hey! Paru! Enough of that, okay? Just what are you trying to imply?" Suika crossly said.
"Well, you did say you two met, and then came back here together…" Parsee reiterated Suika's own words. "So… Why did she have to come with you exactly? I don't think you really managed to explain that part."
"I uh… Um…" Suika looked over to Kogasa, with a look that said "this is all your fault, so you explain!"
"Uh… um, Parsee-san was it?" Kogasa tentatively asked Parsee. Hah… this green eyed girl was really beautiful wasn't she? Almost a little frighteningly actually… And that Oni looks really strong, and Reimu is already legendary amongst youkai… Suika sure has some high calibre company, doesn't she?
"Yes?" Parsee was a little pleased at being referred to with what she detected was admiration. It helped ease her jealousy… Man she's cute, man she's cute, man she's cute…
"Um… I guess if I were to explain it… I was picked up?" Kogasa completely used the wrong phrasing.
Parsee's jaw came ajar, Reimu promptly choked on the tea that she had just recently resumed drinking and Yuugi wolf-whistled.
Suika once again found herself bringing her forehead to the table with a swift "smack!" K-Kogasa… What are you saying…? "Th-That's not right at all guys…" Suika sighed, and looked up pleadingly at Reimu and company. "Th-The thing is, Kogasa has no place to go you see… And somehow, I'm in her debt so, or rather, I owe her something… so the situation is rather complex, and I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, but the things is-"
"You owe her something?" Yuugi's eyes flew open. "W-Wait… did I get that right? You owe her something? !" Yuugi rubbed the back of her head rather uncomfortably, "So let me get this straight… You need to take responsibility for something you've done is what you're saying, right?"
Suika felt the urge to bring her head down on the table once more, while Parsee and Reimu instantly showed hints of sneers forming on their faces. Yuugi may not have meant it on purpose, but once again…
"Oooh…. So that's how it is…" Parsee smirked. "Heh… Who knew that we've got an even bigger player here, huh, right, Reimu-san?"
"Absolutely, Parsee-san," Reimu sneered on the same wavelength as Parsee. "So… You've done something horrible to her and now you want me to-"
"Suika's done nothing of that sort!" came the defensive shout of Kogasa. Reimu, Parsee and Yuugi jumped and turned to see Kogasa rushing to Suika's side and linking arms with her protectively. "Suika's done nothing wrong to me! She's just trying to help me out!" Kogasa exclaimed, looking indignantly at the trio of miko, Oni and bridge princess.
For a moment there the trio were actually moved by Kogasa's sincerity. "W-Woah, sorry there Kogasa!" Reimu sheepishly spoke out on behalf of the group. "We didn't mean to-"
"And in any case," Kogasa kept going on, not knowing when to stop. "The both of us are consensual!"
… Let me explain. What she really meant was that Suika didn't force her to come with her, neither did Kogasa force Suika to take her up. At least, that's Kogasa's view. But Reimu, Parsee and Yuugi didn't know that. And right now, Reimu, Parsee and Yuugi were just simply stunned into silence at Kogasa's outburst.
"… Give me your hand, Kogasa…" Suika grabbed Kogasa's hand by the wrist without having even properly attained her permission…
"H-Huh? But why-"
… and proceeded to place Kogasa's hand on top of her head, before smashing her head straight into the table, Kogasa's hand guiding Suika's skull all the way.