[x] "I'm sorry, but we will visit again."

I shook my head and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, but we will visit again."

Suwako put her hand on my shoulder. Strange as it was, I somehow felt reassured by her gentle touch. This girl did not seem at all like a stranger to me. Her voice was soft when she spoke, with just a hint of sadness.

"Forget that I asked," she said. "It is enough of a blessing for our fates to cross this time."

We returned to the dining room, where several places had already been set. From the chess board in the corner, I could see that Flandre managed to win the match. I wasn't really surprised. This was the expected outcome whenever she got focused and serious about something. It scared me a bit, actually. It was only during those moments that I remembered that this girl had been alive for the longest time. And for the most part, she had been alone.

A few minutes passed before Sanae and Flandre came in with lunch. We all ate together at the shrine, chatting happily about this and that. Apparently, the Moriya folk were at good terms with the tengu and kappa of Youkai Mountain. We wouldn't need to worry about being attacked, now that we were identified as guests. However, Sanae did warn us to stay away from a certain camera-wielding tengu. It was best that our visits remained private.

Soon, it was time for us to leave.

"Thanks for the meal," I said. "Your cooking is quite exquisite, Sanae."

"It's nothing special," she replied. "But I'm glad you liked it. When you visit again, maybe I can cook something special."

"Why don't you just say that you'd love to cook his meals for the rest of his life? Oho~"

"W-w-what are you saying, Lady Suwako? It really isn't like that!"

I felt someone tug on my shirt. Flandre's eyes were glittering with excitement.

"Let's take her home!" she cried. "Then she can cook for us everyday, ehehehe~"

"Don't say things that could be misunderstood!" I muttered. "Besides, I'm sure that Sanae wouldn't like that. We would be disturbing her work here in the shrine. Isn't that right?"

"W-well, if it was just a little bit, then..."

"Eh?"

Sanae put her hands to her mouth, the cutest embarrassed expression upon her face. This time, I felt myself blush for real. Did she act like this on purpose? It was so naturally charming, that I couldn't help but feel a little ache inside. Thankfully, Suwako interrupted us before it got more awkward.

"Enjoying yourself, aren't you?" she said. "But we can't really give you our Sanae just yet. You'll have to prove your sincerity on taking that route. And even that might not be enough. Perhaps we can discuss those details over tea some other day."

"Aww.. so we can't take her home?"

"Sorry Flan," she said. "But the next time you visit, I'll make sure that you get an extra special sweet bun from me."

Flandre brightened up immediately. Suwako took her time straightening up Flandre's new hat, but I knew that she was just delaying us a bit longer. I couldn't blame her, though. She had really taken a liking to the younger Scarlet. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I might have mistaken them for sisters right now (since they had matching hats).

After saying our goodbyes, we started our journey down the mountain. Flan and I had a great time at the Moriya shrine. Everything went almost too well. And the day wasn't even over yet. I glanced at my watch. There was still enough time to visit one more place.
[ ] "Shall we visit the Human Village?"
[ ] "Why don't we pass by Marisa's place?"
[ ] "I guess it won't hurt to head back a bit early."