[x] "Because you wear a crazier hat."

"Mmm!" cried Flandre. "This chestnut youkan is great! Can I have some more, Miss Mo..Mori.."

"You can call me Suwako. Go ahead and have as much as you like! It's your reward for defeating our Sanae. Looks like she still has a long way to go before she can take on Reimu and the others."

"I can't believe that I actually ran out of spell cards.. huu.. (sniff)..."

"Don't take it too hard," I said. "I was quite impressed at your performance. We hardly meet anyone who could keep up with Flan. You did great, Sanae."

Not to mention that she managed to walk away unhurt. Parts of her dress had burns here and there, but no permanent damage. It takes an extraordinary amount of skill to survive a danmaku duel with Flandre all the way till the end. That alone showed us that this blue-white was no mere copycat. She was the real thing. A true Youkai hunter, indeed.

"B-but I still lost.. And now, all my special chestnut youkan is.. uuu.. (sniff).. huu..."

Sanae stared tearfully at Flandre, who had all but finished the sweet treat. Was that what she was sad about? I chuckled a bit to myself. This shrine maiden was full of surprises, and she did have a certain innocent charm about her. Hmm? I wondered for a moment. Was that really it? I suspected something of this girl, so I decided to try an experiment.

"Here," I said. "You can have my share, if you like."

"E-eh? But you're a guest! I-I can't possibly.."

"Go ahead. I really meant it when I said that you did great out there. Think of this as my congratulations to you."

Sanae glanced at Suwako, who gave her a small nod. Then, she accepted the youkan. She didn't look me in the eye, and her cheeks were a bit pink.

"T-then don't mind if I do," she whispered.

The green-haired shrine maiden took a piece to her mouth. She chewed a few times. And then, there it was - a radiant smile of pure bliss! It was just as I had suspected! This girl's smiling face was at a level that rivalled even Flandre. It was incredible. My heart ached in my chest as I watched her eat.

"Oho~"

That laugh.. I glanced at Suwako. At that moment, I knew that we were at the same wavelength. She gave me a look that said, 'Our Sanae is impressive, isn't she~". I gave her a serious look and nodded. 'Not bad at all. A truly dangerous level of moe,' I replied silently. She gave me a wink to say that she understood. I gave her a quick thumbs-up.

"Ah!" said Flandre. "That was the best!"

"Did you enjoy it? The next time you come visit us, I'll have Sanae prepare sweet buns if you like."

"R-really?"

Flandre looked up at Suwako with eyes of pure excitement. She had a wide smile on her face, and her wings flapped excitedly. The sound of her gems were like chimes, enhancing the effect even further. This girl could have been mistaken for an angel, just then.

"Of course!," said Suwako. "You're welcome to visit us any time!"

The goddess glanced at me. 'Flan is on a tier of her own," I said to her silently. She smiled back, impressed. 'Gensokyo really is full of wonderful treasures,' she replied. Yep. Suwako and I really were at the same wavelength. I watched as Suwako started patting Flandre's shoulder.

This morning scene was really pleasant. Here we were, enjoying sweets together at the Moriya shrine. Flandre and I successfully introduced ourselves to the Moriya. And we made two new friends, as well. I made sure to engrave this all to memory. This almost felt too lucky. Who knew when we would have another chance like this?

"Hey! You're sun hat got damaged," said Suwako. "Are you sure that you're going to be alright out there?"

"It's fine," replied Flandre. "I don't burn that easily. I'll just fly under the trees on the way back."

"That's no good! Wait right here!"

The little goddess left the room for a few minutes. When she had returned, she had something odd in her hands. Before any of us could say anything, she promptly put it on Flandre's head.

"There," she said with a smile. "This special Suwa hat should do the trick! Now you won't have to worry about the sun."

Sanae and I stared in surprise. Suwako had just given Flandre a hat of the same design, complete with frog eyes on top. And it looked unexpectedly good on Flan, too. After a few moments, the little sister's wings started flapping on their own again. Flandre looked incredibly happy (and cute). I was almost afraid that she would start firing off danmaku in her excitement.

"Thank you so much!" she cried. "Ehehehe~"

Looked like Suwako was starting to develop a soft spot for Flan. Not that I could blame her.
[ ] "Let's stay her a little longer."
[ ] "Let's go visit the Human Village."
[ ] "Let's pay Marisa a surprise visit."