[x] "Play nicely with the girl. Make sure that she doesn't die."

"Let's lower me down first," I said.

Flandre flew down to the ground and gave me a moment to land safely. Flying around with her wasn't uncomfortable, but I'd rather be a good distance away before the fireworks started. I learned a while back that while a proper danmaku duel wasn't life-threatening, it was certainly quite painful. Especially with the younger vampire sister. And I knew that she was still holding back a lot back then.

"That's right!" cried the shrine maiden. "Just let that helpless man go and give yourself up!"

I glanced up at Sanae and sighed. This girl had no idea of what was coming. I almost felt sorry for her. Perhaps I should try to talk to her peacefully? Maybe if I just explained that we came for a friendly visit..

"If you beg for forgiveness, I'll think about exterminating you in a quick and humane manner. Feel honored that you have a chance to feel Moriya Shrine's mercy!"

Or not. I didn't like the way she used the word 'exterminate'. It reminded me too much of Reimu. Seemed like this girl wanted to seriously slay Flandre. Well, if diplomacy didn't work, then we could always retreat. But that wouldn't be much fun for the younger sister. After all, we did leave the mansion to have some fun.

"Hey Flan," I said. "Come here for a second."

I took a moment to fix her sun hat a bit more tightly. It would be best if this didn't fall off when they started. Then, I gave her a big smile and a thumbs-up. Her eyes brightened up immediately.

"Play nicely with the girl. Make sure that she doesn't die."

Without warning, she gave me a tight hug around the waist. It was a good thing that she didn't crack my ribs this time. Upon her face was the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. It was so honest and simply dazzling. I couldn't help but return her hug. At that moment, I told myself that I would do anything to protect this girl's happiness.

And with that, the sky was filled with bright lights and colors, not much different from a fireworks display. Even from down here, I could hear Flandre's laughter as she gradually increased the speed and power of her attacks. To my surprise, Sanae managed to hold her own against it. She even scored a few hits against the younger sister. Well, it wouldn't be too interesting if the shrine maiden lost right away.

I'm sure that Flan knew this already and she was trying to make the most of their 'play time'. She could always go full force at once, but that would break Sanae too early. I smiled as I watched their duel. She really was beginning to show a great deal of restraint. A few weeks ago, I would never have expected her to be capable of such a thing. With a little more time, I was sure that Flandre could soon become a proper lady of Gensokyo. In fact, I felt that she could become a lot more popular than her older sister (Don't tell Remilia! Or Sakuya, for that matter!).

"Still," I muttered out loud. "That Sanae Kochiya really is something. That shrine maiden costume isn't just for show. I wonder who would win between her and Reimu.."

"Sanae wouldn't stand a chance against the red-white. The girl still needs more training. She has a lot of potential, but sometimes it gets to her head."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. You can get that kind of impression just by watching her fight."

It wasn't just Flandre who was enjoying herself. Despite her words, Sanae had a great smile on her face. Perhaps she was also seeking a greater challenge? I could see that she was carefully pacing herself, patiently waiting for openings before attacking. And the power of her attacks wasn't anything to brush off, either.

"She's admirable, isn't she? I just love her face when she gets into a fight. It's so cute~"

"Well, I can't really deny that," said I. "She does have a certain special type of charm."

"And given the chance, she'll even go up against aliens and robots! That liveliness and energy is wonderful~"

"Err.. I guess that's another way of looking at it.."

I wasn't sure how to reply to that, so I just mumbled something as I watched the danmaku duel. Wait a minute. Just who was I talking to, right now? I glanced to my left, and sure enough, another person was watching the sky beside me. It was a short blond haired girl wearing a white and purple dress with frog designs on it. She wore an odd wide-brimmed hat with two frog eyes at the top. I realized immediately that this girl was far more dangerous than Sanae.

"Dangerous? Now why would you say that? I thought you said that you were just an ordinary human."

"Umm.."

Looked like I said that last part out loud. I really should learn to kick that habit. The little blonde girl smiled cheerfully at me.

"So tell me," she said. "Why do you think I'm more dangerous than little Sanae?"

[ ] "Because you speak that way."
[ ] "Because you wear a crazier hat."
[ ] "Because you are cuter and more moe."