[x] "Why don't we pass by Marisa's place?"

"Marisa!" cried Flandre excitedly. "We've come to play!"

"Watch out! You almost slammed me into a tree back there!"

"Eh? But I wanna see Marisa right away!"

"I need to get down," I said. "P-please.. j-just let me down, for now."

I sighed in relief as my feet felt solid ground. My knees were still shaking. That Flandre just took off like a comet the moment I mentioned Marisa. And while it wasn't any trouble for her, travelling at that speed through a heavily forested area was just all sorts of dangerous for someone like me. Sure, she could smash up trees with a snap of her fingers. But in my case, I would be the one smashed up. I was just an ordinary human, after all.

"Are you alright?" said Flandre.

"I'm fine. I just need a few minutes to recover. Why don't you go ahead? I'll catch up to you soon."

Flandre landed beside me. Her wings drooped a bit, and she looked worried.

"Are you sure? I can fly more slowly, if you like.."

"No need," I said. "Marisa's place isn't far from here. It's still daytime, so I can find my way there without trouble."

Besides, I didn't want to be anywhere nearby when she started 'playing' with Marisa. Stray danmaku hurt a lot. It hurt a damn lot, if I had to say so myself. While her excited smiling face was wonderful, I think I had better prioritize my health this time. I gave her a thumbs-up and a smile.

"Well, if you say so.."

She turned and took flight hesitantly.

"Don't break out here, alright," she whispered.

As I watched Flandre leave, something tugged at my chest. Ugh, what was this feeling? Was I starting to -

"Urk!"

The moment she was out of sight, I unceremoniously threw up on the ground. It took several minutes to recover. Ugh, that was horrible. We shouldn't fly so quickly right after a meal. Well, I shouldn't, at least. That trip through the Forest of Magic felt like some sped-up rollercoaster ride. And as expected, I had just lost my lunch. I apologized silently for wasting Sanae's home cooking. Damn it. I was just glad that no one was here to see this.

"..."

About half an hour later, I managed to find my way to Marisa's cottage. There was no sign of danmaku flying anywhere. That was strange. As I approached, I noticed that the front door was open. I glanced at it and frowned. The lock had been broken open. I stepped inside to see the mess that was Marisa's home. I could hear Flandre's wings jingle from upstairs.

"Hey Flan," I called out. "Was this place locked when you got here."

"Yep! I broke the lock because it was in the way, ehehe~"

"I see."

Now this was new. This time, it was us who was breaking into the black-white's home. I took a look around. Various strange things were scattered all over the floor and shelves. More 'borrowed treasures', no doubt. A lot of the mess looked like junk to me, but I did recognize a few things. There were a several items from the Outside, like a TV and a computer (probably from Kourindou). Some looked like souvenirs from the Netherworld and beyond. I even saw several books that definitely belonged to the Voile library. If Patchouli was here to see how her books were treated, she might have just fainted on the spot.

After checking the first floor, I headed back to living room. Flandre was already sitting on one of the chairs. I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Marisa isn't here," she said.

"Sorry about that," I replied. "I just thought that we might find her here today. Looks like she had other plans after all."

The little sister sighed. Well, I guess that there wasn't anything else we could do. I had no idea where Marisa would be on a day like this. In fact, that black-white would pop up all over the place, especially where she wasn't wanted. Perhaps it was fate that she wouldn't be home when someone wanted to find her.

But before we left, something else came to mind. What was it, again?
[ ] "Shall we head back? Marisa isn't home."
[ ] "Shall we help Marisa return Patchouli's books?"
[ ] "Shall we help Marisa return Patchouli's books? With interest, of course."