Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Maki was excited. She was about to go on her very first journey across the country, to experience the life and culture outside of the capital. Sure, she was gonna get married the moment she got back from her one month adventure, but at least it was the princess she was marrying, not some rich snobby boy.

Maki had known Princess Kotori for quite some time, as she was also part of higher society in the capital. Despite being part of high society, Maki had decided to become part of the castle knights. She quickly climbed up the ranks due to her prowess with the sword, thanks to her private lessons, and the queen, impressed with her abilities, decided to engage her with the princess, to which Maki’s parents agreed.

So now Maki is preparing for her one month journey, a travel across the countrysides of Otonokizaka, before going back to the capital and getting married, much to her slight dismay. Well, only slight anyways, not too much.

As Maki finished packing her things, she went out of her room, heading to the throne room before she was to depart. As Maki entered the room, she saw the queen conversing with a messenger, not noticing the new entry in the room.

The messenger bowed her head, before turning back and making her way out of the throne room. The queen then noticed her soon-to-be daughter-in-law in the room, before nodding her head at her.

Maki made her way closer to the throne, before she started,

“I have finished my preparations, your majesty.”

“Very well,” the queen replied, “head back to your room and rest for the day. You will head out early tomorrow and will need the energy.”

Maki nodded, “Thank you for your time, your majesty.”

The queen smiled at her, “Oh please, dear Maki, no need to be so formal.”

“R-right...” Maki answered, before making her way out of the room. She slowly made her way back to her room, appreciating the decoration of the castle halls she was soon gonna leave.

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“Have a good time!”

“Stay safe!”

“Have fun!”

All of those were the farewells that marked the start of Maki’s journey from her parents, the queen, and of course, the princess. Maki, wearing her armor of course, waved at them from her horse, slowly disappearing away from their view as her horse kept walking.

‘This is gonna be fun, getting to experience the world.’ Maki thought to herself as her horse got further and further away from the castle. ‘This is gonna be great.”

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

It has been two years since the disappearance of Maki Nishikino, and now instead of her, Sonoda Umi was to wed the princess. Umi had just finished packing her things, as she was about to go on a one month journey, as tradition of the royal family, to experience the life and culture outside the capital. Her family has been a part of high society in the capital for quite some time, so she was very aware of this tradition.

She was also quite close friends with the princess, so she didn’t know how to feel three years ago when it was announced that the princess was engaged. She was only 16 at that time, which had caused worry for Umi. Thankfully, Kotori didn’t get engaged to anyone suspicious. In fact, she was to be wed with one of Umi’s closest friends: Maki. Although her disappearance two years ago now complicates the current matter, the royal family proclaimed her missing when she hadn’t returned in three months from what was supposed to be a one month journey.

From that fact alone, Umi knew she had to be careful on this journey if she hopes to make it back to the capital. She carefully closed her leather baggage, filled with her necessities, before she exited her current bedroom in the castle. The very same room was said to be Maki’s old room, two years ago, and it was the room where whoever was to wed the royal heir stayed.

As Umi left her room, she quickly noted how empty the halls were. There were usually several maids cleaning at this time of day, but currently it was only her. Curious, she carefully moved along the hallway, slowly making her way to the throne room.

Entering the throne room, Umi saw that the maids were there cleaning something on the floor. ‘So this is where they were’ Umi thought to herself. She went to the middle of the room to announce herself to the queen, who just looked at her.

“I have finished preparing for my journey, your majesty.” Umi went to her knees and bowed.

“Rise,” the queen replied, and Umi obeyed, before continuing, “Take the rest of the day off. You will need the energy for the journey.”

Umi bowed her head at the queen, “Yes, your majesty. I thank you for your time.”

As Umi left the throne room, the queen sighed as she rested her cheek on her hand. “Why are they all being so formal...?”

The maids kept cleaning the mess on the floor, pieces of a broken vase that fell. As they finally swept the last piece, the all went to the queen to report their finished job, the queen sending them off to their breaks soon after.

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Umi kept waving her hand as she got on her horse, to the people supporting her on this journey. Her father, mother, and her friend Honoka were all there to see her off, along with the queen and princess too, of course.

“Stay safe Umi!”

“Have fun!”

“Tell me all about it when you come back!”

Umi rode her horse away on her journey, with all the good wishes of her friends and family tucked warmly in her heart. ‘This was going to be a fun’ she thought to herself. After all, she has always been fond of adventure.

Ever since she was young, Honoka had always brought her on their ‘adventures’, which were just chores, but they were children so that makes sense. It’s a shame that Honoka couldn't come along for the journey, but she told her to enjoy it enough for the both of them.

‘This is gonna be just like those times,’ Umi thought as she remembered her adventures with Honoka as children. She didn’t even feel the weight of her own armor, the happy feeling in her chest strengthening her for the journey.

With a big smile on her face, she thought

‘This is gonna be fun.’

Chapter Text

Maki’s first stop on her journey was a village that had recently sprung up. There wasn’t much buildings in the village, only a handful of homes that also functioned as shops. There were only two buildings which weren’t homes, which was the bar/restaurant and the motel.

The village first came into Maki’s view as she passed over a hill quite a distance away from the walls of the capital. A smile came to her face as she saw the village. She really was on a journey, with no one to nag her about anything. Out here, she was free. Even her armor felt as if it weighed nothing.

She entered the village with high spirits. Going to the local stable first, which was run by a local family, Maki put her horse there before deciding to eat lunch at the local restaurant. After paying the fee for keeping her horse, she made her way to the only dinery in the village.

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As Umi went over the hill several distances away from the capital, she spotted the village nearby. Well, it was a village, but it had exploded into a trader’s market town in the last two years, with plenty of businesses appearing every so often.

Umi had heard that it was because of how close it was to the capital, that when this village sprung up, travellers from all around came here, and had caused the village to prosper. Of course, that meant that traders from all around decided to set up their shop here, hoping to get plenty of sales from the travellers travelling all around, which soon caused the village to become what it is now : a trader’s market town.

As Umi went into the town, the crowds of people all around became very apparent. This place was more crowded than she thought. She looked around to find a stable to put her horse in, spotting one that didn’t seem to busy. Umi went off her horse, taking it by the reins and leading it to the stable, before asking for help.

“Excuse me, could I keep my horse here for a while?” Umi asked politely.

“Ah, yes,” the girl on the front desk answered, “I’ll be right with you.”

A moment later, Umi was met with a girl with glasses and brown hair that doesn’t reach her neck.

“Please follow me.” the girl said, and Umi followed.

She led them to where the stables were, and pointed to an empty stable.

“You can use this one,” the girl spoke, “I will give you your fee later at the front.” and with that she was gone.

The girl seemed friendly. Umi smiled as she put her horse in the stable.

“Stay here and be good, okay?” Umi commanded her horse, to which it did not respond. Umi sighed, before going back to the shopfront.

“What’s my fee?” Umi asked as she entered the shopfront once more.

“Oh, here.” the girl handed Umi a piece of paper with the fee written on it.

Umi quickly took out her payment before handing it to the girl. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” the girl replied, “your horse will be in our care.”

Umi nodded, “Thank you, uhh, sorry I don’t think I got your name.”

A blush filled the girls cheek, “Ah, uh, it’s, uh, i-it’s H-Hanayo...”

Umi smiled in response, “Thank you, Hanayo.”

And with that, Umi went off to get her lunch at a nearby diner. There were plenty of choices, but the one that caught Umi’s eye was the town specialty; A restaurant that has been here since the very beginning of the village. And off she went to the dinery, with high spirits and a raging appetite.

Chapter Text

The diner had a pleasant atmosphere. It wasn’t too crowded, only a handful of villagers and travellers here and there, but despite that, it was still very much lively. Maki sat down at one of the tables, a distance away from the noisy parts of the tavern. A worker made their way to her to, seemingly the only waiter working there.

“Welcome, what would you like to have?” the waiter asked.

“I’ll just have a water along with a tomato salad, please.” Maki replied.

“Right away,” and the waiter was off to the kitchen, whether to report the order or make it, Maki doesn’t know.

As the waiter went away, a certain sound caught Maki’s ear. A sweet sounding voice singing a song. Maki’s eyes quickly located the source, a girl singing on the stage closer to all the commotion in the building.

The girl had black hair tied into twintails and a small body build, with a youthful face and a lovely singing voice to boot! However, the first thought that came to Maki’s mind upon seeing this girl was

‘Who let this child sing on the stage?’

Maki decided not to question it and just enjoy her singing. Her food soon came to her table, and Maki enjoyed her meal along with the music. Despite being a kid, that girl does have a great singing voice. The tomatoes here were very fresh, along with the lettuce, which helped Maki’s mood. Not that she was in a bad mood or anything.

As Maki finished her meal, she noticed the singing had also stopped. Looking to the stage, she discovered that the girl had gone away from the now empty stage. Maki soon got up and went to pay for her food, before heading back out into the village.

As Maki made her way back to the stables, she recognize a certain someone from her previous location.

“Hey, you’re the girl who was singing in the diner just before.”

The girl in front turned around, her black hair flipped and hit her face. She flinched, closing her eyes, before opening them once more and revealing their ruby color, she answered Maki.

“Yes? I don’t think I saw your face back there, are you new?”

“I was sitting at the back.” Maki replied.

“Ah. That's no good. Nico can’t see her fans if they hide in the back.”

“Nico?”

“That’s me!” the girl raised her hands into a hand sign with only her thumb, pointer finger and pinky extended. “Nico Nico Nii~”

“By the way~” Nico started, “I see that fancy armor of yours. Are you a knight per chance?”

“Yes, I am a knight of the capital.” Maki answered proudly.

“Well~” Nico said with a sly look, finger near her mouth and eyes looking away, “Would you mind accompanying me on my journey?”

Maki took a step back, shocked.

“Sorry, but I’m on my own journey. I’m not some bodyguard for hire.”

“Plus,” Maki added, “I don’t think it’s a wise idea for a young girl such as yourself to leave the village.”

Nico looked shocked, mouth agape. She was stunned in place, before finally replying.

“You... how old do you think I am!?” she roared. Luckily the streets were practically empty at that time.

“Uh, I don’t know. 12? 13?” Maki guessed.

Nico’s eyes flared in anger. “I... am 17!!! The perfect age for a traveler! I’m not even from this village!” she ranted, “I have travelled many places, and I didn’t need a knight’s help for any of it! Sure I got mugged a few times, but that I can deal with, unlike an ignorant knight!”

“S-sorry... I-I didn’t know that was a sensitive issue...” Maki replied weakly.

Nico’s eyes flared at her, before she turned her back and started stomping away. Well. That didn’t go as Maki had planned. Oh well, with Nico out of the way, Maki made her way back to the stables to pick up her horse, before she was once more on her way.

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Umi entered the dinery with high expectations and an empty stomach. She had heard that this restaurant is the best in the village, a local treasure within the market town of travellers. As she entered the building, the lively atmosphere suddenly hit her. It was loud, the tables were packed, noise came from everyone, however, it had a homely feel. Maybe because it reminded her of Honoka.

Something Umi also realised was the music. A sweet voice was filling the air accompanied with the soothing sounds of a harp. Something about it felt really familiar to Umi, letting her relax in the midst of the busy dinery.

As Umi was looking for a table to sit, she spotted a hand raised in the air. It seemed the person wanted to get Umi’s attention, so Umi pointed to herself to make sure, to which the person nodded.

Umi made her way to the person, and now that she was closer she could see clearly what the person looked like. She was a woman with long purple hair and big breasts, along with soft emerald eyes. She was wearing a colorful greenish dress, which reminded Umi of a merchant’s clothes.

“Were you looking for a table?” the woman smiled knowingly at Umi.

“Y-yes, I was.” Umi replied, “May I sit here?”

“Sure~” she replied.

Umi sat on the chair opposite of the woman, as there no other chairs available.

“So,” the woman started, “Tell me about yourself.”

Umi straightened herself, “Well, uhh, my name is Sonoda Umi, and I’m part of the capital knights.”

“I see...” the woman hummed, “And what’s a capital knight doing in a busy place like this village?”

“For private reasons, I am on a journey across the country. That is all I shall say.” Umi answered. “What about you?”

“Oh, me?” the woman smiled smugly, “The name’s Nozomi. I’m a fortune teller, and I can tell you that your future looks very bright with me.” she winked.

Umi blushed, clearing her throat before replying, “I-I’m flattered, but I must refuse your advances.”

“Awww, that’s a shame. Even a knight of the capital rejected me, huh.”

“S-sorry...”

As the two were talking, a waiter came up to their table.

“Excuse me, what would you like to order?” the waiter asked.

“Ah, just get me some grilled meat.” Nozomi answered.

“Very well, and for you?”

“I’ll have the house specialty please.” Umi answered.

“Very well. Your orders will be ready shortly.”

As the waiter went away, Nozomi and Umi continued their chit-chat with some lighter topics. Enjoying the music, and the food when it came, the two had a pleasant time together, but ultimately, Umi had to leave.

“Nozomi, thank you for the lovely time together. I apologize, but I have to take my leave now.” Umi said as she got up from her seat.

“Awww, thanks as well. I had a lovely time with you.” Nozomi replied. Umi bowed her head at her, before making her way out the building.

Umi also caught a quick glimpse of the musicians who were performing as she headed to the door. There was a short girl with black hair tied into twintails, wearing a black hat with a feather on it, along with a black cape. There was also someone taller beside her wearing matching clothes, with a black hat and black cape of their own, although that was all she could tell as they soon left the stage. Umi also saw the shine of what she assumed to be a golden hand-held harp.

Umi went back out into the busy street, orienting herself before heading back to the stables. As she neared closer the stables, she bumped into a certain someone she saw at the dinery.

“Ow!”

Umi looked down at the source of the voice, and saw the small girl who was part of the musician duo performing at the diner.

“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Umi apologized.

“Watch where you’re going...” the girl grumbled, “A capital knight should at least be able to do that.”

Umi was shocked, “How did you know I’m a knight from the capital?’

The girl glared at her, “I’ve seen that armor enough times.”

“Ah, eh?” Umi stood there confused.

“What?” the girl snarked at her.

“You were performing at the nearby diner before, no?”

The girl looked at Umi strangely, “Were you listening?”

“Yes,” Umi replied, “The music was very enjoyable.”

A smile came to the girl’s face, “Why, thank you! Nico’s gonna forgive you this time because she’s in a good mood.”

“Uhh... thank you...?” Umi replied confused.

“Your welcome~ Well, Nico would love to keep chatting but she’s in a hurry so bye!” and the girl was gone in the crowd, to who knows where.

Umi kept her pace as before and headed to the stables. As she entered the building, she greeted Hanayo, who greeted her back. Hanayo then lead her to the stables once more, releasing Umi’s horse for her. After Umi payed and all that jazz, she was off once more on the roads of her journey.

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since Maki went to the village. She had had to camp outside the past few nights, as there were no other settlements closeby, but she didn’t mind. She liked the outdoors. The twinkling of the stars in the night sky were relaxing.

Maki continued on her horse through the harsh sunlight. Today was much sunnier than the previous days, which Maki didn’t like, but luckily the nearest village isn’t too far away.

As Maki approached a valley between her and the village, she saw what seemed to be a few people on the road. As she got closer, she could hear one of them threatening the other. She could also see the one being threatened was sitting on a broken wagon.

Maki drew her sword, before speeding her horse up toward the mugging.

“Stop right there!” Maki pointed her sword at them. The several scrawny men there, who she assumed to be bandits, ran away when they saw her.

“We ain’t messin’ with no knight!” she heard one of them say.

“Are you okay?” Maki looked at the person on the wagon, a familiar face from a few days ago.

“Eh? Ah, thanks...” Nico looked away shyly, a blush on her face.

“Nico? What happened?” Maki asked. Nico just stayed quiet, before answering a few moments later.

“I-I was just on my way to the village nearby, then those bandits came along and threatened me...” Nico looked down on her lap, “My horse ran away and they broke my wagon...”

Maki nodded, “Alright,” she got off her horse, “you can follow me to the village.”

Nico looked at her confused, “Eh?”

“W-what?” Maki looked back.

“D-didn’t you say you weren’t gonna accompany me?”

“L-look, i-it’s this time only, o-okay? O-only to the nearest village.” Maki looked away, a blush appearing on her face.

Nico saw the opportunity in front of her, “Only to the next village~? Awww, I’m sure a knight such as yourself could afford to accompany me for a little more than that~” She got closer to the knight, “You wouldn’t want something bad like that to happen to me again, would you~?”

“W-well, I-I guess I could, but...” Maki tried looking away, her eyes darting to the side.

“What’s wrong~? Is bringing Nico with you too troublesome...” Nico took a distance away, looking down.

“E-eh, n-no, i-it’s not, but...” Maki started fidgeting, “Jeez! Fine! J-just t-take your things and p-put them on my wagon.” Maki looked away, arms crossed and still blushing.

“Okay~!” Nico replied cheerfully, taking her items from the broken wagon. As Nico put some of her things on Maki’s wagon, she noticed a certain something.

“You have a harp?” Nico looked at Maki, who was taking a bag from the broken wagon.

“Yeah, why..?” Maki asked as she walked to her wagon, putting the bag on top.

“Play it sometime,” Nico answered, skipping to her wagon to retrieve more of her belongings, “I can sing along if you’d like.”

“S-sure...” Maki answered. After taking the last of Nico’s belongings, she put them on the wagon and got on her horse.

“Where should I sit?” Nico asked. Maki looked at her.

“Just wherever.”

“Okay~” Nico got up on and sat on the wagon, freeing some space for herself.

“You okay back there?” Maki looked behind at the wagon. Nico smiled at her with a thumbs up. And with that they were off into the valley, accompanied by a certain someone’s humming(and a little bit of singing), and going to the village beyond it.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

A few days has passed, Umi now approaching a valley. Umi had stayed at a nearby village for a night, before she continued toward the valley. This valley was infamous for the number of mugging and bandit attacks since long ago, however, they had always went for merchants and the like, never attacking a knight. Umi felt safe knowing that fact, as the bandits likely won’t attack her.

As Umi entered the valley, she saw a group of people gathered by the side of the road, which she assumed were bandits. In the middle of the circle of thugs, Umi caught a glimpse of a familiar purple.

She quickly drew her sword and rushed her horse toward the group of people.

“Everybody stop!” Umi announced, pointing her sword at the group.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking at Umi instead. Umi got a good look at all of them, and confirmed that the familiar purple hue she saw was none other than Nozomi. She was stripped down to her undergarments, her eyes wide as she looked at Umi.

“What’s happening here.” Umi demanded an explanation. All the bandits looked at each other, before they decided to scram. Umi watched as they ran away from atop her horse, before she shifted her attention to Nozomi.

“Are you okay?” Umi asked as she got off her horse, a light blush just barely visible on her face.

“Eh, ah, I don’t know...?” Nozomi looked at her feet, a blush filling her face. She was still wearing shoes despite her current state of undress.

Umi went behind her horse to her wagon and grabbed a blanket, handing it to Nozomi while looking away, “Here.”

Nozomi took the blanket, wrapping it around herself, “Thanks...”

“What happened?” Umi sat down next to Nozomi’s broken down wagon.

Nozomi sat down next to Umi, teary-eyed. “W-well... th-they... they ambushed me while I was on my way... and then they, they, they-”

Umi put a hand on her shoulder, “Relax. Take your time.”

Nozomi nodded, “...They threatened me with swords, and told me to strip...”

“That’s terrible.”

Nozomi nodded.

“I’ve only heard about the bandits of this valley mugging people, not doing those kinds of terrible things...” Umi pondered.

“Y-yeah...” Nozomi replied.

After several minutes of sitting down, Umi asked Nozomi, “Are you better now?”

“Eh?” Nozomi looked at Umi, shocked. A small blush invaded her cheeks, “Y-yea, I-I’m a bit better now after talking with you.”

Umi smiled at her, “Would you like me to escort you to the next village?”

“Eh?” Nozomi’s blush grew. She looked down at her lap, avoiding eye contact, “eh, yea, sure...”

“Okay,” Umi got up, “shall we be on our way?”

Nozomi nodded, “okay...”

“Do you have any spare clothes?”

Nozomi shook her head, “the bandits took my bags with my clothes...”

“Shameless perverts...” Umi sighed, “Do you still have your other belongings?”

Nozomi picked up a small bag from the broken wagon, “this is pretty much my only belonging they didn’t take or destroy...”

“What’s in it?”

“My tarot cards.”

“That’s it?”

Nozomi nodded.

Umi went to her wagon and opened a few bags, coming to Nozomi with one of her clothes.

“Here, use this first. It may be a bit tight, but it’s better than a blanket.”

Nozomi gratefully accepted the piece of clothing. It was a simple blue dress, with long sleeves and some cream lines going along the way. Umi looked away as Nozomi put on the dress, proving to be a tight fit for Nozomi. The dress accentuated Nozomi’s body and curves well. Maybe a little too well, as Umi practically couldn’t look away, despite how shameless it may seem.

Nozomi noticed Umi staring, and her light blush deepened, “D-does it look good on me...?”

Now it was Umi’s turn to get a blush, a mad one filling her face, “Y-yes! I-it looks great. Looks lovely. Yes.”

Umi looked away, getting back up on her horse. Nozomi followed behind.

“Umm, Umi...?”

“Yes?” Umi looked at Nozomi.

“C-can I... follow you on your journey...?” Nozomi shyly asked, her blush from moments ago still on her face.

“Of course. But why? Don’t you have places you need to be?”

Nozomi shook her head, “Not really... plus, I feel safer when I’m with you...”

Umi nodded understandingly, “Okay. I understand why you feel that way. I shall have your company on my journey.”

Umi reached her hand out to Nozomi, inviting her to take it, “Now then, Nozomi, what say we be off now?”

Nozomi looked at her, and smiled before answering

“Let’s go!”

Nozomi took Umi’s hand, and Umi pulled her up onto the horse. She was seated behind Umi, and Nozomi wrapped her arms around Umi’s waist.

And with that, they were off, going through the valley. Just the two of them. Just Nozomi and her Knight in Shining Armor.

Chapter Text

Maki exited the valley safely, with a new companion for her journey. Nico had decided to join her in her journey, as her horse had ran away and her wagon broken. They had spent their time in the valley chatting along and singing songs, with Maki playing her harp as they sang songs. Maki had quickly grew fond of Nico’s singing voice during their trip in the valley, reminding her of the first time she heard that voice in the diner of the previous village she visited.

Nico tapped Maki’s shoulder as they passed the end of the valley.

“So what are you gonna do when we get there?”

Maki looked back at her, “Huh?”

“What are you gonna do at the village?”

Maki looked up in thought, “Hmm...”

“Hmm?”

“Dunno,” Maki shrugged, “Probably just look around town and whatnot. What about you?”

“I’m gonna be performing. Duh.”

“O-oh, right.”

Nico looked at her, “Wanna join me?”

“E-eh?”

“Wanna join me? You can play your harp.”

“Hmm,” Maki thought for a brief moment, “sure, why not.”

“Great!” Nico smiled at her, sitting in the wagon once more.

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The two made their way to the village. Nico went to the diner first to register herself and Maki to perform later, while Maki went to the inn to put her horse and get them a room. They had decided to perform the song they were singing during their ride through the valley, as that was as close to practicing as they had. Nico soon went to the inn once she finished the registration, meeting back up with Maki.

“Hey~” Nico greeted Maki.

“Hey.” Maki replied, arms crossed while leaning on the wall.

“You got us a room~?”

Maki nodded, “You finished the registration?”

Nico also nodded.

“Good.” Maki smiled. “Now let’s go and get some food.”

And the two were off, to the diner to have their lunch.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

Umi passed through the valley without anymore unwanted trouble, along with the addition of a new companion. Nozomi had been hugging Umi’s back tightly whenever she was on her horse, her head always laying on Umi’s back.

Umi didn’t mind this. Honoka and Kotori had often hugged her time and time again, so she was used to this kind of physical contact. But something about Nozomi just makes it feel kind of... inappropriate. Shameless, as she would say. Umi didn’t know what it is about Nozomi, but frankly, for the moment, she didn’t really care.

Umi soon spotted the village from afar. She softly elbowed Nozomi, stirring her up.

“Hmm...?” Nozomi sleepily hummed. Apparently she fell asleep while holding onto Umi tightly, not that that was the first time it had happened.

“Nozomi, we’re approaching the village.” Umi cooed.

“Mmm, ‘kay...” Nozomi replied sleepily. She lifted her head, before resting it on Umi’s back again, snuggling her.

Umi sighed, before smiling.

‘I guess I’ll just wake her up when we get there.’ she thought.

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As Umi approached the village, now only several meters away, she woke Nozomi up once more.

“Nozomi, we’re here.” she said with a gentle voice.

Nozomi stirred awake, looking at Umi with sleepy eyes.

“Wake up Nozomi.” Umi said to her.

Nozomi nodded, “okay...”

They entered the village, not nearly as busy as the other one, and headed to the inn first. At the inn, Umi got off her horse, helped Nozomi get off, and headed to the stables first before heading inside. After Umi had put her horse in the stables, they went to get a room.

“We would like to get a room, please.” Umi said to the girl on the front desk.

The girl had blonde hair and aqua marine eyes, wearing a brown bandana over her head, with only the back of her head and ponytail going out. Judging from her ponytail, she appears to have long hair. Her attire consists of a white shirt, brown skirt and a brown apron, all of which helped accentuate her mature body. She also had a name tag that read “Eli”.

“Yes, of course,” Eli replied. “What type of room would you like? Would you like a regular room? Or would you like to try one of our ‘specialty rooms’?”

“Uhh, what do the ‘specialty rooms’ specialize in, exactly?” Umi asked.

“Why, couple activities of course!” Eli cheerfully answered. “For any couple who would like to have several undisturbed hours together~”

“W-we’ll take the regular, please.” Umi quickly chose, a blush on her face as this woman had probably mistook them for a couple.

“Very well~” Eli continued cheerfully, “Would you like a one bed or two bed?”

“Two. Two is fine.” Umi answered too quickly. Much too quickly.

“Alrighty then~” Eli retrieved a paper from behind the desk, “Please put in your name, signature, and period of stay here.”

Umi took the paper and filled in the form, “Is it just me or does she also need to do this?” Umi asked, pointing her thumb at Nozomi.

“Ah, just whoever’s paying is fine.”

“O-okay.”

Umi handed the form back to Eli, who inspected the form, before she handed them their room key.

“Your room number is on the key, you’ll pay when checking out.”

Umi and Nozomi nodded, “Okay.”

They then made their way to their room, the same number as the one on their key. The room was like what Umi had expected, a simple room large enough for two beds, a carpet, a wardrobe, and a vanity desk.

They decided to unpack first, most of the things belonging to Umi as Nozomi had her things stolen, and they then decided to go out and get some food. They would also be looking around the shops, looking for things for Nozomi. They would at least get some much needed necessities for her.

Chapter Text

After finishing lunch, Maki and Nico went looking around the village shops. They also went to a nearby lake to practice for their performance. The lake was serene and quiet, with no one else nearby. The still glistening of the lake, the bright midday sun, the chirping of the birds, the gentle breeze, all of these created the peaceful atmosphere at the lakeside, perfect for practice.

Maki and Nico spent their time at the lake practicing their duet, with Maki playing her harp and Nico singing. Maki also joined in on the singing after playing a few songs. Their evening quickly went by, the sun starting to set.

“Well, whatsay we go have a nice early dinner?” Nico asked Maki. They were sitting down on a grassy hill overseeing the lake, some distance away from the lakeside.

“Hmm.” Maki hummed, “Sure.” She got up, and offered her hand. “Let’s go.”

Nico took her hand, using it to get up, and smiled at Maki. “Let’s go.”

--------------------------------------------------------

They enjoyed a delightful dinner together, accompanied by friendly chatter. The atmosphere in the diner was pleasant and warm. It wasn’t very crowded yet, as they went for an early dinner. After the meal, they idly sat around in the diner until the time came before they were to perform.

“Let’s get prepared.” Nico got up and tapped Maki’s shoulder. Maki followed and got up.

As they got closer to the stage, Nico turned to look at Maki.

“Nervous?”

Maki held onto her harp tighter, “N-no, not really.”

“It’s fine,” Nico smiled, “Everyone gets nervous their first few times. It’s the feeling when you’re on stage that makes it all worth it.”

Maki gulped and nodded, “A-alright then...”

As they went on the stage, Maki noticed several people turning their attention to them. That did not help her nervousness, even though it was only a handful of people.

They stood on the stage awkwardly for a few moments, before Nico looked at Maki.

“What?” Maki quietly asked.

“I’m Waiting For Your Signal.” Nico said in a harsh whisper.

“Why mine?” Maki asked the same way.

“I don’t know, who is the one with an instrument?”

“Right.” Maki looked at the crowd, which, apart from a few people, seemed like they were doing their own thing.

“It’s gonna be fine.” Maki looked back at the source of the voice. Nico.

“Just play like you did at the lake. Or the valley.”

Maki nodded, “A-alright, I-I’ll try.”

Maki slowly plucked one of her strings, which drew the attention of more people. She looked to Nico, who looked back at her and smiled, nodding. Maki nodded back, and began to play her song.

As she kept plucking her strings, her mind slowly drifted away from the stares of the people. Nico’s voice soon joined Maki’s harp, creating a harmonic melody together. Maki started to sway as she played her harp, feeling the melody with her entire being.

They soon finished their first song, Maki steadying herself as she plucked the last few notes of the song. A few moments after Maki plucked the final note, several people started to clap.

Maki smiled, feeling a new sensation she had never before. She looked at Nico, who smiled back at her, and they started their next song.

Their night went on as such, performing songs as much as their hearts desired. Maki even sang several duets with Nico.

--------------------------------------------------------

“What’s this?”

“It’s... our room?”

Nico looked at Maki dumbfoundedly, “I can see that.”

“Then why are you asking?”

“I just want to know why our room only has ONE BED?”

Maki looked at Nico, then at the room, then back at Nico.

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

“Seems we only have one bed.”

It was true that their room only had one bed. The two of them went back to the inn after their performance at the diner, tired and ready for a good night’s sleep, only to discover their room had only a singular bed.

“So? How did this happen?” Nico put her hands on her hip.

“See, the girl at the front desk said they only had one room available, the rest were occupied.” Maki deadpanned.

Nico looked at her. “And you didn’t ask if it was a double bed?”

“She said they had none left.”

“Maybe they had none left that is A SINGLE BED!”

Maki just avoided looking at the general direction of her smaller companion.

Nico just sighed, “Sorry, I’m just quite tired.”

Maki nodded, putting her hand on Nico’s shoulder. “I-it’s fine, I-I can sleep on the floor.”

Nico quickly shook her head. “No! Y-you don’t have to do that...”

They stood there awkwardly at the entrance of the room for a few moments, before Nico sighed.

“Let’s just share the bed.”

Nico walked over to it, “It should be big enough for both of us,” Nico looked over to Maki, “What do you think?”

A blush appeared on Maki’s face, “B-but... sharing a bed...”

“It’s just gonna be for a night. We’ll be off from this village by tomorrow, no?”

Maki gave in, “I guess...”

She made her way to the side of the room opposite of the bed, where there was a vanity desk and a wardrobe next to it. Maki started taking off her armor.

This caught the attention of Nico, who was sitting on the bed. Nico watched Maki carefully, noting her toned muscles on her back as she took her chestplate off. Beneath Maki’s armor was a simple tight sleeveless shirt, black in coloration. Nico assumed it was something similar on her lower side, and was proven right when Maki took her armored leggings off.

It was then that Nico realized what she was doing could be considered inappropriate. She quickly looked away with a blush on her face, trying to think of anything else other than Maki’s fit, fairly-muscled body in that tight clothing. Which she failed.

Maki soon finished changing into her sleepwear, and approached Nico.

“Are you gonna change your clothes or will you just sleep with that?”

Nico got caught off-guard, a mad blush still present on her face. “Uh, I think I’ll go change i-in the bathroom.” she got up and headed to the bathroom.

Maki sat on the bed, “Cool.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Nico exited the bathroom changed and calmed down. She had taken a few extra minutes in the bathroom so she could... help herself calm down. As she entered the room, she quickly noticed Maki already asleep on the bed. Her arms were splayed out, with her body closer to one side of the bed and an empty space at the opposite side. There was a blanket on the lower half of her body, failing to cover but her waist and legs.

“E-excuse me...” Nico said as she slowly slid onto the empty space. It was actually much smaller than what it seemed, so Nico had to lay down on Maki’s arm. She pulled the blanket up and snuggled onto her pillow. After staying still for a while, her position soon became comfortable, and she was slowly drifting to sleep. The last thing Nico felt before falling asleep was a comforting feeling of warmth wrapping around her body.

Unbeknownst to her, Maki had also snuggled into the blanket, resulting in the both of them being quite close to each other. Of course, none of them noticed, as Maki was half asleep and Nico was facing the other way. Neither of them also noticed that Maki had sleepily snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around Nico, effectively cuddling her in a bear hug.

And so their night passed by peacefully, with Nico and Maki sleeping comfortably in the warm embrace of each other.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

After Umi and Nozomi finished shopping for Nozomi’s things, they went to the diner to eat lunch. They had bought some new clothes for Nozomi, along with other necessities. There were also several other things they had bought, souvenirs and the such.

They entered the diner, and quickly got a seat. A waiter soon went to them, and they quickly ordered their meals; a grilled meat for Nozomi and fried rice for Umi. As they got more comfortable in their seats, Umi noticed several people clapping at another side of the diner.

She stood up and looked to see what they were clapping at, and saw the girl who performed at the market town bowing to the crowd. What was her name again? Who knows... Umi also got a better look at her musical partner, although her hat was still hiding her face. One thing that stood out to Umi was the red hair of the harp player, styled in a similar fashion to her supposedly-missing friend. That was quite peculiar, but Umi didn’t pay it any mind at the moment.

While Umi was standing, the waiter had come back with their food. Umi quickly sat back down and thanked the waiter, which Nozomi also did. They enjoyed their food while listening to the music, reminding Umi of their first encounter together. Nozomi seemed much more cheerful at that time.

Now that Umi noticed, Nozomi seemed to be getting more cheerful as they stayed in the diner.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Do I? Must be the music. Nicocchi’s voice really makes you smile.” Nozomi answered.

“Nicocchi?”

“Ah, have you met her? She’s a travelling performer, singing over there at the stage.” Nozomi pointed to the girl from the market town singing on stage.

“Is Nicocchi her name? I bumped into her at the market town.”

“Ah, no. Nicocchi is what I call her. Her name’s Nico.”

“I see...” Umi looked over at the stage. “And do you know her friend?”

“A traveler who joined her on her journey; that’s all she told me~”

“Hmm.” Umi hummed.

They soon finished their lunch, and went outside to walk around town. They went about through the shops and sights, enjoying the rest of their day.

--------------------------------------------------------

As their day grew late, Umi and Nozomi had decided to retire to their room in the inn. They had finished their dinner and had immediately went back to the inn.

Nozomi had been more cheerful after their lunch. Nico and her friend had also performed during dinner, and now Nozomi seemed as cheerful as when Umi had first met her. It’s a shame that they couldn’t meet with Nico, as she was still performing when they decided to go back to the inn. Meeting up with Nico might’ve cheered Nozomi up a bit more.

They entered their room and put down their shopping bags, then started to organize their new items. Umi went to take off her armor after she finished organizing her things, while Nozomi went to sit on one of the beds. Nozomi watched intently as Umi took her armor off, a glistening in her eyes as she focused on Umi’s fit body in that tight black clothing.

After taking off her armor, Umi took her nightly clothes and headed to the bathroom.

“I’m gonna go get changed first.” Umi announced.

“Okay~” Nozomi replied. As Umi was changing in the bathroom, Nozomi decided to do some readings with her tarot cards. She got up and sat on a chair, setting her cards on the vanity desk.

Umi soon went out of the bathroom changed, and noticed Nozomi with her cards.

“Doing a reading?” Umi asked.

“Yup~” Nozomi replied. “Want me to do one for you?”

“Sure,” Umi sat down next to her on the vanity desk, “what were you doing it on before?”

“Just a little something~” Nozomi nonchalantly replied, “Now, let’s see what fate has in store for you~”

Nozomi laid the cards in front of her. Umi couldn’t make out what it means, but luckily Nozomi was there to explain.

“It seems you will have to make a very difficult choice very soon.” Nozomi said.

“A difficult choice? How soon?” Umi asked.

Nozomi shrugged, “I don’t know, somewhere in the near future?”

“I see...” Umi rested her chin on her hand.

“Well then,” Nozomi looked over to Umi, “No use stressing over that, shall we head to bed?”

Umi nodded, and smiled at her. “Sure.”

They got up from the desk and went to their respective beds. Nozomi went to the bathroom to change first, while Umi sat on her bed. While waiting, Umi started to think on what Nozomi said about her reading.

“A difficult choice...” Umi muttered. Nozomi soon came out of the bathroom in her new sleep wear, a frilly yellow night dress with some white color on it. Nozomi must’ve caught Umi staring when Umi gave her the blue dress, because this one seemed as tight as the other and accentuated her body just as well.

“How’s it look?” Nozomi asked with a wink.

“It looks lovely.” Umi answered with a smile and a small blush.

Nozomi then went and laid down on her bed, pulling the blanket up to her neck.

“Good night, Umi~”

Umi smiled, before laying down and pulling her own blanket.

“Good night, Nozomi.”

Chapter Text

Maki woke up with a warm feeling in her chest and a handful of something. Opening her eyes, Maki discovered the handful of something was a handful of Nico. Well, more of an armful than a handful, as she was basically cuddling the still asleep Nico. And she was holding her close. Very close.

A blush quickly found its way onto Maki’s face, but Maki was careful not to make any sudden movements that would wake Nico up. She slowly tried unwrapping her hands from around Nico, not wanting to wake her up, but was met with sleepy ruby eyes instead.

“Good morning...” Nico sleepily greeted her.

“G-good morning...” Maki replied, her blush intensifying.

Nico closed her eyes and snuggled a bit more into Maki, which did not help her blush. Maki managed to free one of her hands, but the other was still under Nico.

“Uhh, Nico? C-can you get off my arm?” Maki tried to push Nico a little so she could retrieve her arm, but Nico just snuggled closer.

“Come on Nico, wake up~” Maki tried shaking her a little. It seems to work, as Nico got up and stretched her arms with a yawn. Maki also sat up, now that her arm wasn’t trapped underneath Nico.

“Mmm, morning...” Nico rubbed her eyes. She turned to look at Maki, rubies looking at amethysts, and blushed at the distance between them. It was small. Very small. So small, in fact, that their noses were practically touching.

They both looked away, blushing furiously. They stayed in that position for a few moments, before Maki got up from the bed.

“I’m gonna change.” she said as she took her clothes.

Nico took a peek over her shoulder, and watched with a blush as Maki changer her clothes. It was too early in the day for her to worry about the immoral issues with peeking. Maki soon finished putting on her clothes, and Nico quickly looked away.

“Are you gonna change?” Maki asked as she approached Nico, who was staring out the window.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, sure!” Nico answered, looking at Maki with a blush still on her face. She quickly got up and took her clothes to the bathroom.

A moment later, Nico left the bathroom in her usual travelling outfit.

“Well, whatsay we go for breakfast?” Nico asked, hands on her waist.

Maki smiled.

“Sure.”

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon went to the diner for breakfast. The diner was quite empty, with only a handful of people there. They quickly got a table for themselves, and waited for a waiter to come. A waiter soon went to their table to take their orders.

“What would you like to order?” the waiter asked.

“I’ll take a tomato sandwich, please.” Maki replied.

“Very well,” the waiter wrote something on their notes, “And you?”

“I’ll have... a banana ice cream sandwich!”

“Very well,” the waiter wrote some more on their notes, “Your orders will be ready shortly.”

The waiter went away, leaving the two at their table. While waiting for their food, Nico started chatting with Maki, about whatever came to mind.

Some time later, the waiter came back with their food, and placed the plates on their table. They thanked the waiter, and started eating once the waiter left.

“Are you sure that’s healthy?” Maki asked Nico as she ate her sandwich.

“What? Eating ice cream for breakfast?” Nico replied, “it’s just gonna energize me for the day, no?.”

“I... don’t think that’s how it works.”

Nico hummed in disagreement. “Then what would you recommend, Doctor Knight?”

“I don’t know, something with actual nutritional value?”

“Like a tomato sandwich?”

“Yeah, like a...” Maki looked at her sandwich. “...No, this one’s mine.”

“Just a bite~?” Nico pleaded, “You were the one who recommended it~”

“I recommended nutritional food, not a tomato sandwich specifically.”

“Hmm~” Nico replied.

The rest of their meal went about with no further conversation. They soon finished their sandwiches and went back to the inn the retrieve their items.

--------------------------------------------------------

Soon after that, they were back on Maki’s horse, on the road facing away from the village.

“So,” Maki started, “Where should be our next performance?”

Nico smiled at her. “Wherever you want to go, we’ll perform there.”

“Where do you wanna go?”

“I’m fine with going anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”

Maki blushed, and smiled back.

“Alright then, let’s be on our way.”

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

Umi woke up from the sunlight shining on her face. She closed her eyes harder, snuggling closer to the woman in bed with her. Wait...

Umi’s eye shot open. She looked at the woman in her arms; Nozomi. Her travelling companion. She laid down again, trying to figure out what events had led to her current situation.

‘As far as I remember... we went to sleep on our own respective beds...’

In the middle of her thinking, Umi felt the stirring of her purple-haired companion. She looked back down, and saw Nozomi slowly opening her eyes.

“G-good morning...” Umi weakly greeted with a blush, Nozomi looking dazed.

“Good morning...” she sleepily replied, before snuggling into Umi some more, which caused Umi to stiffen.

“Uhh, Nozomi?” Umi asked, “Do you know why we’re... in bed together?”

“Hmm?” Nozomi looked at her companion, “You don’t remember?”

“I-I’m afraid not...” Umi stiffened a bit more.

“Hmmm. Let’s just say I got into your bed at night.”

“That, makes it sound more worrying.”

“Hmm.” Nozomi grunted. “Fine. I woke up in the middle of the night while there was a thunderstorm, which frightened me, so I woke you up and asked if I could sleep with you.”

“Oh,” Umi nodded. “I remember now. Last night, you woke me up and told me you were scared of lightning, so I let you sleep with me.”

Nozomi nodded and snuggled into Umi once more. Umi just sighed, before hugging her back.

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon went to the diner for breakfast, after preparing for the day. There were a handful of people there, their chatting filling the place. Umi and Nozomi quickly went and got a table, close to the stage.

“Is Nico performing this morning?” Umi asked as she sat down.

“Dunno,” Nozomi answered, “She doesn’t give out schedules or anything.”

“I see.”

A waiter soon came to take their orders. Umi had ordered a healthy chicken lettuce sandwich. Nozomi, on the other hand, had ordered fried chicken, along with sausages and fries. A little too heavy for breakfast, in Umi’s opinion.

Their food soon came, and they started to eat their breakfast. Nozomi brought up several topics for chatting, most of which were pleasant. Some of them were rather... shameless, as Umi would say.

As they were eating, they heard a voice call out

“Hey, Nozomi!”

They both looked at where the voice came from, and saw Nico approaching their table.

“Ah, Nicocchi! Good morning.”

“Good morning Nozomi,” Nico looked over to Umi, “and... the knight from the market town?”

Umi nodded, “Good morning.”

“So,” Nico took a seat on their table, “What are you guys doing here together?”

“I’m just following Ms.Knight over here on her journey.” Nozomi replied.

“I see... and you?” Nico looked to Umi.

“I am currently on a journey across the country for personal reasons.” Umi answered.

“Across the country for personal reasons, huh...” Nico rested her chin on her hands, “Reminds me of a certain someone I know.” she said as she looked to the distance.

Now that was interesting. Umi decided to push the subject further.

“Would you mind telling me more about this ‘someone’?”

“Hmm...” Nico thought about it. “Where should I start...”

“Could you tell me what this person is like?” Umi asked.

“She’s... kind, resourceful, strong...” Nico sighed dreamily, staring to the distance, “...beautiful, amazing...”

Umi looked over to Nozomi for help, who just smiled and winked at her. She looked back at Nico, who was still dreamily looking to the distance. She decided to continue her meal... until something Nico said caught her attention once again.

“-and those beautiful violet eyes, like amethysts shining in the night-”

“I’m sorry,” Umi interrupted, “Violet eyes?”

“-and that fierce red hair, framing her pretty face-” Nico continued uninterrupted.

“Red hair...? Pretty face?” Umi started to ponder. Why does it remind her of something?

In the middle of her thinking, the door of the diner burst open.

“Nico!” a voice called out. Nico quickly stopped her rambling and looked at the entrance.

“Ah, sorry but I have to go.” Nico quickly got up. “See you guys some other time!”

Nico ran off to the entrance, where her musical partner was standing. Umi still couldn’t see her face, as she was still wearing her hat, but the red color of her hair reminded Umi of her lost friend.

That’s when it hit her. Violet eyes, red hair, a pretty face; Nico might have been referring to her missing friend with that ramble. It did make sense that her journey would remind Nico of her missing friend, in the chance that she did meet her two years ago.

However, before Umi could confirm her theory, Nico and her music partner had already left the diner. Nozomi noticed Umi looking at the entrance, and placed her hand on top of Umi’s.

“It’ll be fine, I’m sure we’ll see them again some other time. You can talk to them then”

Umi smiled at her. “Thank you.”

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon left the diner and went back to the inn. They quickly packed their things, and took Umi’s horse from the stables. After finishing their preparations, they were off on Umi’s horse on the road, leaving the village.

“So,” Umi asked, “Where to now?”

Nozomi just giggled and snuggled into Umi. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

Umi blushed, clearing her throat before replying. “O-okay then, I guess we’ll see where the road takes us.”

And so they were off, away from the village and on the road once more.

Chapter Text

Some time later, the pair of travelers started to follow a river, walking along its side. They soon spotted a shaded area covered by a tree, and decided to camp there for lunch.

After setting up the equipment, Nico started to take their ingredients out. It was a mix of several vegetables, along with some other items.

“What are you making?” Maki asked, sitting on a rock by the river.

Nico shrugged, “Anything you want?”

“Tomato soup?”

“Eh, sure.” Nico started to sort out the ingredients. Maki watched from her rock as Nico skillfully cut all the ingredients, swiftly putting them in the pot over the fire.

“Can you get some water?” Nico handed Maki a pail.

“Sure.” Maki walked over to the river and filled the pail. The river was calm and still, not the strong rushing river Maki had imagined. She looked at the glistening of the river, before going back to give the pail to Nico.

“Here.” Maki handed Nico the filled pail.

“Thanks.” Nico poured the water into the pot, before she started stirring it. Maki sat back on her rock and watched, resting her chin on her hand.

A few minutes later, Nico walked over to Maki.

“Is the soup done?” Maki asked.

“Is that the only thing on your mind?”

“I’m hungry.”

Nico hummed in agreement. “You think there’s fish in the river?”

“Probably?”

“Go catch a fish or two.”

Maki raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

“You know what they say, fresh fish is best fish.” Nico answered.

“I... don’t think they say that.”

“Do they not? I was sure that was a common saying.”

“Nevermind that.” Maki interrupted, “What will you do?”

“Watch over the soup.”

“Ah,” Maki nodded, “Right.”

Maki went to their wagon and started looking through their things.

“Do we have a fishing rod?”

“It should be next to my things.”

“Ah.” Maki took the stick beside Nico’s bags. “Found it.”

Nico looked over to Maki, “You know how to fish, right?”

“Of course.” Maki answered confidently. But of course, she didn’t have a clue about fishing. Well, she did watch Umi fish once when they were younger, but that’s about it. She slowly made her way to the river.

‘So just throw it in and pull it when the fish bites...’ Maki thought to herself. She readied herself, and strongly threw the lure into the river, holding onto the rod. The lure went in, staying still.

It stayed...

And stayed...

And stayed...

Until it was suddenly pulled into the river with great force!

Maki steeled her legs and began pulling, reeling the string in slowly. She may have not known how to fish, but she remembered watching Umi fish when they were younger, and Umi had never rushed in pulling in the reel.

Eventually, after a straining battle, Maki was able to reel in the fish. It was a big fish, that was nearly, if not, as large as Maki was tall. It jumped out of the water and onto the riverside, where it flailed about, trying to return to water.

Maki sighed. Fishing was more tiring than she thought. She slowly approached the jumping fish, and quickly hooked her hand through its gill. It was a lot heavier than she thought, and her armor did not help lighten the load. She then started to take it back to their campsite.

When she got back, Nico was still stirring the soup. She looked back when she heard the foot steps, and gasped at the size of the fish(presumably).

“That’s a big fish.” Nico said.

“I know.” Maki smugly replied. “Is the soup finished.”

Nico nodded. She went over to the wagon and took out a blanket? Towel? A big cloth, that she took to Maki. They both wrapped the fish in the cloth and put it on their wagon.

“We’re eating well tonight.” Nico said with a smile.

“Yes, we are.” Maki agreed.

They went back to sitting around the fire, Nico pouring the soup into bowls for them. Maki took her first sip, after blowing on it for a while.

“It’s delicious.” Maki said. She had a big smile on her face. She had never had tomato soup this good! Amazing...

“I know, right?” Nico replied. They drank their soup in peace, enjoying the surroundings. It reminded Maki of when they were about to perform together, practicing by the lakeside.

Nico then proceeded to take a loaf of bread from the wagon. She ripped it in half and offered one of the halves to Maki, who gladly took it.

They sat there enjoying their lunch, dipping bread in soup every so often.

It was then that Maki noticed something. One of her bags, a gray sack with a red star, tied by a small red rope, was missing from their wagon.

Maki looked at Nico, who also seemed to have noticed. She put down her bowl, and tossed her bread at Maki, who caught it mid-air.

Nico sighed, standing up straight.

“It’s you again, isn’t it?”

Nico turned her head, looking at the trail they came from. Maki also looked, and saw a familiar looking girl carrying a bag.

The girl had short orange hair, along with a slim body build covered by a brown cloak, which also helped but did not completely cover her dirty white clothes underneath. The bag she was bringing was a familiarly colored grey bag, with a red star symbol Maki would recognize anywhere, along with a red rope tying it closed.

“Hey you! Thief!” The girl called out, pointing her hand at Nico.

“Wh- you’re trying that again?!” Nico shouted back.

“...Rin...?” Maki recognized her.

The orang haired girl looked at her, shocked.

“Maki! Help me, this terrible thief has stolen my things and put them on her wagon!” Rin pointed to their wagon.

“...Rin... But that’s my wagon..?” Maki answered confused.

“Eh? Oh...” Rin looked around, “W-well, you’ve been fooled! By a most terrible villain!”

“A villain?!” Nico shrieked.

“Yes!” Rin pointed at Nico, “She is a villain of the peace!”

Nico just stood in shock.

“...Nico?” Maki looked over, eyes a little teary.

“That’s... a lot of lies you just said.” Nico answered. “Now please tell me how you know this petty thief?”

“Thief? Rin is from a family of merchants. Our families are acquaintances.”

“Hmm...” Nico nodded, “I see... You’re family have been caught in a most dastardly lie!”

“A lie?!” Maki and Rin exclaimed together.

“Exactly!” Nico nodded, “That girl comes from a line of no-good thieves and nothing more!”

“You know...” Maki commented, “You’re looking more and more like the bad guy here.”

Nico gasped, eyes wide in shock. “Me? The bad guy?”

Rin vigorously nodded. “Yeah, you’re antagonizing me way too much!”

“But it’s the truth, no?” Nico questioned.

“Well, I mean, umm...” The short-haired girl started darting her eyes all over the place.

Maki sighed. “Rin’s a good person, even if she is a thief. Apparently.”

“Hmmm.” Nico sceptically replied.

“Can we sort this out later. I’m still quite hungry.”

“Oh, what are you guys having?” Rin cheerfully jumped in, “Mind if I join?”

Maki looked at Nico and smiled. And very smugly replied,

“No, Not At All, Of Course You’re Welcome To Join Us.”

“Yay!”

As Rin went to get a bowl, Nico just stared at Maki, mouth agape. Maki just smirked and winked, before picking up her bowl and resuming her lunch.

“Hmph!” Nico turned her head and sat back down, reluctantly resuming her meal. Rin soon poured a bowl for herself, and sat next to Maki. Nico took a peek, and noted how close the two sat next to each other.

And simply, it was too close. The sight of it was so sickening, it made her feel sick in her stomach, and so she decided to stop eating. She stood up and discarded the rest of her bowl into the pot, before starting to walk away.

“Nico? Where are you going?” Maki asked as she spotted her walking away.

“I’m just gonna take a quick walk, be right back.” Nico nonchalantly answered, not even sparing a glance.

Maki worriedly look at Rin, who just shrugged before resuming her lunch. Maki sighed. It was a little strange what Nico did, as it didn’t seem like something she would normally do. Maki decided to just finish her meal first, and talk to Nico later.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

As Umi travelled on her horse, she spotted a stream of smoke rising above from where they were heading. She softly elbowed Nozomi, who was sitting behind her, holding on tightly.

“Nozomi, there’s smoke up ahead.”

“Smoke? Maybe other travelers stopping for lunch?” Nozomi suggested.

Oh right, it was already midday. They had been travelling for quite a while after they had left the previous village. It was soon clear that the smoke was from a campfire, and a wagon came into view along with a familiar-looking girl.

“Well, let’s see if their willing to share their lunch. What do you say?” Umi asked.

“Well, I’m sure anyone would gladly join such a charming knight for lunch~” Nozomi answered. Umi blushed upon registering the comment.

They soon made their way to the campsite, and spotted a certain someone.

“Nico!” Umi greeted as they got closer.

“Ah! It’s the blue Ms.Knight!” Nico greeted back. She was sitting on a log facing the campfire “Is Nozomi with you?”

“Hello!” Nozomi greeted.

“So what brings you two here?” Nico asked.

“We just happened to spot your campsite.” Umi said as she got off her horse, helping Nozomi off before continuing, “We wanted to see if we could have lunch with whoever set up this campsite.”

“Well, that would be me, so sure!” Nico cheerily replied. She motioned for Umi to tie her horse to a nearby post, another horse already tied to it. Presumably Nico’s.

As Umi lead her horse to the post, Nozomi went to over to Nico.

“So, Nicocchi... where’s ya partner?”

“Oh, Maki?” Nico looked behind her toward the river. Nozomi followed, and spotted a lone, red-haired figure by the waterside.

“She’s off fishing.” Nico answered.

“Fishing, huh? Think she’ll catch a big one?”

Nico smiled. “She always does.”

“Always?”

“Yep.”

“I can think of an exception.” Nozomi stated, a smug smile on her face.

“Oh really?” Nico challenged, “Go ahead. Name the exception.”

“You.”

A blush quickly filled Nico’s face. She looked away, and crossed her arms.

“Sh-shut up!”

Nozomi just smiled.

As their conversation continued, Umi soon returned to the campfire.

“So, Nico? May I ask what lunch is gonna be?” Umi politely asked.

“Ah, lunch? We’re just waiting for the fish.” Nico, now calmed down, answered, pointing toward the river.

“The fish?” Umi looked toward the river, and saw a red-haired figure approaching them, carrying a sizeable fish on their back. The figure soon made its way to the campsite, the black hat covering their face. They were close enough for Umi to be sure that they were a female.

“I’ll help with that.” Umi walked over to the figure, offering her help.

“Thanks.” The mysterious person answered in a familiar voice. She handed the fish on her back to Umi, who struggled to hold it in her arms, the fish trying to get away.

Once Umi had managed the fish in her arms, she looked up at the mysterious figure, and recognized her familiar face.

“Maki?!”

“Umi?!”

The two said at the same time.

“You two know each other?” Nico asked from her current seat on a fallen log. Nozomi also looked at the two curiously.

“Uhh... you could say...?” Umi replied. Maki nodded.

“I see~” Nico replied, “Well, could you put the fish away first before catching up?”

“Uh, yeah sure!” Umi looked at Maki. “We have a lot we need to discuss.”

Maki just sighed. She started walking away and pulled the fish, Umi following in suite as she was still holding the fish.

They got to an area where a table was set up, a few meters away from the campfire. Maki pointed to Umi to place the fish on the table, while she went back to her wagon. Maki soon returned with a big knife.

“Steady the fish.” Maki commanded. Umi steadied the fish with her hands, the fish still flailing in an attempt to get away. Maki swiftly chopped off the fish’s head, the flailing stopped completely. Umi flinched at the suddenness of it.

“Nico!” Maki called out. Nico slowly made her way to the table, while Maki walked back to the campfire. Nozomi followed behind Nico, while Umi followed Maki to the campfire.

“Maki?” Umi asked as she sat down.

“Yeah?”

“Can we talk?”

Maki looked to the sky, thinking about it for a moment, before answering.

“Yeah sure. What’s up?”

“Why have you not returned?”

“Blunt as always, I see.”

“Answer me.”

“Hmm...” Maki thought about it for a while. “What do you think?”

Umi thought about it for a while. Why would Maki not have returned? What had she found, that she would rather stay on the road instead of return? Umi didn’t know.

After a long pause, Umi finally replied.

“I... I don’t know.”

“Wanna take a guess?”

“Were you... not happy in the capital?”

“Nope. The capital was my home, of course I was happy...”

Umi thought once again.

“You didn’t want to marry the princess?”

“You could say that.”

“Is that it?” Umi asked. “You could have went back, negotiate with the royal family.”

“There’s more to it. I just don’t feel like telling you right now.” Maki answered.

Nico and Nozomi soon returned to the campfire, carrying a bag with chunks of fish inside. Nozomi sat next to Umi while Nico started cooking the fish.

After several minutes, their food was finally ready. Nico split all the cooked food evenly between them, and they all sat on the logs near the campfire as they ate.

“So where are you going next?” Umi asked. They were all almost finished with their meals. The fish Nico made were really good.

“We’re just following this road over to the next village.” Nico answered.

“Oh? We seem to be going the same way. Shall we head there together then?” Nozomi asked. She looked over at Umi, who nodded at Nico.

“Well, whatsay you?” Nico looked over to Maki, who just shrugged, answering with a quiet “sure”.

Chapter Text

“So, why is she following us again?” Nico grumpily asked.

They were travelling to the next village over, after they had finished their lunch, and Rin had decided to follow them on their journey, wanting to hang out more with Maki, much to Nico’s dismay.

Rin had taken Nico’s seat in the wagon, as Nico had offered it to her. Nico, on the other hand, had moved from the wagon to the horse. Except, instead of sitting behind Maki, she was practically sitting on her lap, sandwiched between Maki’s body and the reins she was holding.

Why was she in this position? Well... when Rin decided to join them on their journey, she announced how she wanted to travel in a wagon. Upon realizing the wagon was too small to fit two people, and also due to Nico’s reluctance to sit with her, Rin offered to sit on the horse with Maki.

Nico, of course, wouldn’t accept that, and offered Rin her seat on the wagon. And so, they were now in their current positions, with Rin in the wagon, Maki holding the reins, and Nico sitting between Maki’s arms.

“And why am I sitting in this position?!” Nico complained once again.

“You were the one who offered Rin your seat.” Maki answered.

“Yeah, but why am I sitting in front of you instead of behind?!”

“Because it’s safer for children to sit at the front!” Rin chirped from the back.

“YOU CALLING ME A CHILD?!” Nico tried to climb over Maki, aggressively shouting taunts at Rin. Maki quickly stopped the horse with one hand, using her other one to try restraining Nico. After struggling for a while, Maki managed to restrain Nico and calm her down, cradling her with her free arm.

They soon continued their journey, with Nico in a grumpy mood this time. Well, grumpier mood. Nico was already grumpy from when Rin showed herself. She was also still being cradled by Maki.

“Why are you still holding me?”

“Just making sure you don’t try to attack Rin again.”

Nico grumbled in annoyance. Maki instinctively hugged her closer, before blushing once she registered what she just did. Nico also blushed upon being hugged tighter.

They soon arrived at their destination; a village centered around the riverbank they were following. It was fairly large, with several villagers and travellers walking about the place.

They went to the stables to put Maki’s horse there first, before looking for a place to stay. It was already evening when they got there, and they needed a place to rest before heading for dinner.

“You two go to the inn first, I’ll get the fish to a restaurant and see what they can do.” Nico decided.

“I’ll go with you-”

“It’s fine,” Nico interrupted Maki, “You two get us a room.”

“..O-okay...”

And so they parted ways. Nico brought the clothed fish with her to find a restaurant while Rin and Maki were to get them a room at an inn.

The latter group soon found an inn, and entered inside asking for a room.

“Welcome to the Ayase Inn! How can we help you?” the receptionist cheerily greeted them. She was a young girl with bright, snowy yellow hair, icy blue eyes and a soft facial expression.

“Yes, hello. We’re looking for a room for three people.” Maki replied.

“For three people? I’m afraid all we have left is a single bed. Best we can do is get you some more pillows, maybe an extra blanket, but someone would have to sleep on the couch.” the receptionist pondered.

“I see...” Maki responded, “Is there any other rooms available?”

The girl shook her head. “Sorry, but we’re full. There’s only that, or one of our specialty rooms.”

“Specialty rooms?” Maki asked.

“I would need to see some ID first. The specialty rooms are only for people 18 or older.”

A blush filled Maki’s face as she registered what the rooms presumably specialized in.

“Alright. We’ll take the single bed.” Maki decided.

“I told you, I need to see some ID.”

“N-not that one! Th-the regular room...” Maki blushed as she replied.

“Ah, I see then! Just wait a moment, I will have your room all prepared~” the receptionist cheerily answered. She went away to the other staff members, before coming back to the reception desk several minutes later.

“Your room is all prepared, here’s your key.” she handed a key to Maki.

“Now please just sign this paper, and you’re good to go! Will you pay now or during check out?”

Maki took the paper, signing it swiftly after reading through it. “We’ll pay during check out, please.”

“Very well then. Thank you very much and please enjoy your stay!”

“Yes, thank you!” Maki replied back. She then went off to their room, Rin following behind, waving at the receptionist.

“I like her.” Rin stated.

Maki smiled at that, “You’ve always liked kind people, huh?”

“I also like you Maki, you’re also kind!”

Maki blushed, and started to speed up. “That was Not what I meant.”

--------------------------------------------------------

After checking out the room and unpacking their things, Maki and Rin soon went to look for Nico. They went around town and spotted her outside a restaurant.

Rin waved at Nico, who waved back when she saw them, albeit a much smaller wave.

“You got us a room?” Nico asked.

“Yup,” Maki smiled, showing her the key.

“Good. I’m falling asleep right after dinner.” Nico replied.

“What about the fish?” Rin asked.

“They’ll serve it to us and keep the leftovers. That’s what we decided on.” Nico answered.

“Then let’s eat some fish!” Rin threw her fist in the air, walking into the restaurant. Nico just sighed and shook her head, before following behind with Maki.

--------------------------------------------------------

“Again?”

“Before you say anything... this was all they had.” Maki interrupted Nico’s almost-rant.

“We even asked for any other ones, right?” Maki looked over to Rin, who nodded vigorously.

“The only other rooms they had were specialty rooms!” Rin exclaimed.

“And we needed to be 18 or older for that.” Maki explained.

“Which we’re not.” Rin added.

Nico just looked at them, before sighing. “Fine, but I’m taking the bed.”

“Ehh, are you expecting us to share the couch?” Rin asked.

“One of you can join me, just making it clear that I’m NOT sleeping on some random couch.” and Nico was off to the bathroom, with her sleepwear in hand.

Maki and Rin just looked at each other.

“So.” Maki started, “Who will sleep where?”

“Do you want the bed?” Rin asked.

“You can take it. I don’t mind sleeping on the...” and now that Maki looked at it, she did kinda mind. The couch seemed quite dirty, and the cushions did not look, not even a little bit, soft.

“Actually, I think I’ll take that offer.” Maki decided.

“Okay!” Rin replied. “I’ll take the couch then!”

‘How could anyone be this happy to sleep on a couch?’ Maki thought to herself. She couldn’t understand Rin, despite all the years they’ve known each other.

Nico soon exited the bathroom, fully clothed in her nightwear, and jumped onto the poofy bed.

“Aaaahh! Feels so comfy!” she exclaimed in between pillows. Maki smiled, and decided to change too. She took off her armor, before going to the bathroom with her change of clothes, and she quickly switched them with the ones she was wearing.

She soon exited the bathroom and went straight to the bed, melting into its welcoming softness. She grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it tight, quickly falling asleep in the bed’s warmth.

Meanwhile, Rin had just exited the bathroom once she finished changing. She looked over to the bed, and chuckled upon the scene she was witnessing;

Maki hugging onto Nico tightly, who, in turn, had her head buried in Maki’s chest.

Rin decided to stretch a bit, before she laid the pillows on the couch and pulled the blanket up. She was already used to sleeping in rough conditions, so this couch was actually quite nice for her, despite how it might be to other people.

And so with that, the three travellers fell asleep into the night, resting their tired bodies in preparation for their next journey.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

The two pairs of travellers soon started their journey once more, their horses advancing in similar paces. Nozomi was seated behind Umi, holding onto her as always. Nico, on the other hand, was seated in a different position on Maki’s horse. She was sitting in front of Maki, between Maki’s arms, and was practically leaning on her chest. Maki, however, didn’t seem to mind. It seems that they usually travel like that.

“Maki, may I ask a question?” Umi asked.

“Go ahead.” Maki replied.

“Is it not a hassle to ride like that?”

“No, I don’t really mind.”

“I see...”

They spent most of the day travelling, and so the sun had started to set when they spotted their destination. It was a village centered around a riverbank, with several people visibly bustling around.

Maki sighed at the view, smiling.

“This takes me back...”

“Last time we went here was, what, a year ago?” Nico added.

“Yeah...”

They soon entered the village and headed to the stables first, before heading to the inn.

“Welcome! How can we help you?” the receptionist greeted. She was a young girl, perhaps a few years younger than them, with snowy blonde hair and familiar-looking eyes. She wore a familiar outfit, consisting of a brown bandana over her hair, a white top, a brown skirt, and a brown apron over them, along with a name tag, of course. This time, it read “Alisa”.

“Hello, we would like two rooms, please.” Maki told the receptionist.

“Of course, what type of rooms would you like?” the receptionist asked.

“Hmm...” Maki thought for a while. “We’ll take one regular, single bed, and a specialty, please.”

“I would need to see some ID for the specialty room, please.”

Maki looked at Umi and Nozomi.

“Please show her your ID.” Maki pointer her thumb at the reception desk.

Umi and Nozomi just looked at each other, before they retrieving their IDs and putting them on the table.

“So, what are the specialty rooms, exactly?” Umi asked as the receptionist checked their IDs.

“They’re rooms for couples who want some extra privacy...” the young girl said as she wrote on some paper. She then slid a piece of paper on the table, “Please sign here.”

Umi swiftly signed the paper and handed it back, before she registered what the receptionist said.

“Wait, what did you say the specialty rooms were for?”

“Couples in love.” Alisa answered.

A blush quickly made its way to Umi’s face. “C-can we switch to a r-regular room?”

But before she got a response, Alisa already slid their IDs back to them, along with a key.

“Please enjoy your stay at the Ayase Inn!”

Umi looked at Nozomi, who also had a small blush on her face, albeit, much less brighter than
Umi’s.

“U-umm, th-the specialty room is for you, right?” Umi asked Maki.

Maki just shook her head, making an X with her arms, “The specialty rooms are only for people who are 18 or above, which I’m not.”

Umi just sighed. There wasn’t really anything else she could do. Getting another room... it might look bad... so she decided to just suck it up for a night.

They decided to unpack first in their respective rooms, before going for dinner together. Umi and Nozomi brought their bags to their room, and stood in shock once they saw what it was.

The specialty room was quite spacious. However, what stood out was the dim, pink lighting of the room. There were several candles lit around the room, that was the cause of the dimness of the room. How they made it glow pink, Umi didn’t know.

The centerpiece of the room was a king-sized bed, with blue and purple flower petals on the blanket in the shape of a heart. There were plenty of pillows on the bed, both normal and heart-shaped ones.

There was also a sweet aroma that filled the room, adding a little more to the romantic feel of the room.

It really makes Umi think that they tried too hard to make the romantic aura there.

They quickly unpacked their bags once they got over their initial shock. After that, they went outside and waited for Nico and Maki in the lobby.

They soon spotted them after a few minutes, Nico and Maki looking a little out of breath.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Umi asked them.

“Y-yeah, w-we’re fine...” Maki said out of breath.

“Okay then, let’s get to the restaurant.” Nozomi led them out of the inn. They soon spotted the restaurant, and entered in for dinner.

--------------------------------------------------------

“Ah~ That was good~” Nozomi said as she stretched. They had just exited the restaurant, and were heading back to the inn.

“That’s one of the best ones here.” Nico added in.

They soon went back to the inn, and split up into their respective rooms.

“See you tomorrow! Good night!” Umi waved at Nico and Maki, before going into her own room.

“Umi? There seems to be a... lack of privacy concerning the bathroom.” Nozomi said as Umi closed the door to the room.

“Is there? What is it?”

Umi went over to where Nozomi was, and spotted the very obvious problem; There wasn’t a door to the bathroom. The bathroom “door” was just a doorway facing the bed. Without a door.

“Is this allowed? I feel like there’s a law against having no doors to a bathroom.” Umi commented.

“Yeah, I feel like it’s illegal too... and this brings up our main problem.” Nozomi explained, “We can’t really wash ourselves without a door.”

“Yeah...” Umi added, “I mean, this room was supposed to be for couples, so my guess is that they were to wash themselves together.”

“But without a door, it would just be cold in there, wouldn’t it?”

“It would... I wonder what they were thinking when they built this...”

“Should we ask reception?” Nozomi suggested.

“We probably should, yeah...”

--------------------------------------------------------

“Sorry, but we have removed all bathroom doors from our specialty rooms.” Alisa bowed her head.

“Eh? Why?” Umi asked.

“Our establishment got a little too close to bankruptcy, so...” the receptionist looked away.

“You sold the bathroom doors in the specialty rooms.” Umi finished her sentence for her.

“Yeah...” Alisa kept looking at the side.

“But wouldn’t that make the bathrooms too cold for bathing or showering?” Nozomi asked.

“Well, we do have some anti-steam glass doors. If you don’t mind, we could quickly install it into your room.” Alisa suggested.

Umi and Nozomi looked at each other, before nodding at Alisa.

“Sure, can you please do that.” Umi answered.

“Very well then, please wait a few minutes.” Alisa bowed at them, before running off somewhere.

Umi and Nozomi went to sit at the lobby, finding a couch they decided to rest at.

“So, we have a door now.” Umi said.

“But that doesn’t help our second problem.” Nozomi added.

“Which is?”

“A lack of privacy.”

“It’s a glass door, it will be blocked by the steam, no?”

“No, the receptionist said they were anti-steam glass doors.”

“So do they just, not fog up?” Umi asked.

“I assume so, yeah. It only helps with keeping the cold out of the bathroom.”

“Well... that’s a problem, considering how the bathroom door is going to be facing the the bed.” Umi pondered.

“Exactly, so I need you to promise not to peek at me when I’m in there, okay?” Nozomi asked with a gleeful smile. Umi suddenly blushed upon hearing what she said.

“O-of course! I would n-never do such a sh-shameless act!” Umi quickly answered.

Nozomi chuckled a laugh. Teasing Umi was quite fun, maybe even more than teasing Nico.

Alisa soon approached the pair on the couch,

“Excuse me, your anti-steam glass door has been installed into your room!”

“Ah, thank you for your help~” Nozomi thanked her. Umi also nodded her thanks at the receptionist.

“Of course! Thank you, and please enjoy your stay!” Alisa bowed her head, before she went back to the reception desk. Umi and Nozomi also decided to go back to their room now.

--------------------------------------------------------

Umi got a good look at the new door once they entered the room. It was masterfully made and crafted, not a single crack in the glass. It was extremely clear too, no blur in sight.

All in all, the glass door was not made for privacy, especially bathrooms. The fact that it was anti-steam and won’t fog up didn’t help the privacy issue either.

As Umi was evaluating the glass door, Nozomi went into the bathroom.

“I’m gonna shower first, ok~”

“Eh, s-sure!” Umi said. She quickly faced away from the door.

She didn’t have anything to do while waiting, so all she could do was hear the noises of the shower hitting the floor. And the naked body of her companion.

Umi blushed, trying her best to think of literally anything else instead of Nozomi’s naked body. Unfortunately for her, she had a really good memory, so she still remembered clearly what Nozomi looked like in only her underwear from when she was ambushed by those bandits.

And that was not helping her right now.

A few slow minutes passed, and Umi heard the door opening. She quickly turned her face to see her companion, and saw a scene that will forever be clearly etched into her memory;

A naked Nozomi, holding a towel against her voluptuous breasts as the only thing covering her up. Her long, purple hair and smooth, porcelain skin were still wet, several droplets visible on them.

Umi fainted at the sight. With a nosebleed.

Chapter Text

Maki was woken up by the soft sunlight hitting her face. As she cuddled closer to her pillow, she realized that what she was hugging was not, in fact, a pillow. Instead, she had woken up with an armful of Nico once again. Not that she minded.

After a few more minutes of cuddling, Maki decided to get up. Of course, there was some resistance from her cuddle partner, but eventually she managed to unlatch her sleeping buddy from her.

As she got up, she noticed Rin was already gone from the couch. Looking around the room, she found a note on the wooden vanity desk. In messy handwriting, it read :

”Gone out for a morning run,
-Rin.”

‘Huh,’ Maki thought, ‘didn’t know she could write.’

While Maki was inspecting the letter, she heard a stirring coming from the bed. She looked over and watched as Nico sleepily stretched, yawning cutely.

“..mmm...morning, Maki...” she sleepily greeted.

Maki smiled. “Good morning Nico.”

“..are you prepared-” Nico yawned, cutting herself off, “-for our show, later...?”

“Our show?” Maki asked.

“Oh, did I not tell you? We have a show later today...” Nico answered, stretching her arms again.

“What are we gonna play?”

“Just make it up along the way, I guess.”

“Alright,”

--------------------------------------------------------

After preparing for the day, they met up with Rin at the tavern, apparently where they will perform later in the day.

“So, when will you be performing nya?” Rin asked.

“Around an hour or so, that’s what Nico said.” Maki answered.

“Where is she, anyways?”

“Talking with the manager. There’s a few things they need to figure out.”

“Ah...” Rin quieted down, “Hey, Maki? There’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Well... I know the capital knights are pretty strict. How did you get permission to go on an adventure?”

“Well...” Maki looked around the tavern, “Let’s go to more private area. It’s not for public knowledge.”

Maki went outside the restaurant, finding an quiet, shaded area empty of crowds. Rin followed closely behind.

“So, the thing is...”

--------------------------------------------------------

After she finished her talk with the manager, Nico went back to the entrance of the tavern to find Maki and Rin nowhere to be found. Looking around, she asked a staff member where they went, to which she received her reply.

“They went outside to have a more private talk.”

Nico made her way outside of the tavern, and spotted Maki and Rin talking in a secluded area under some trees. Their backs were turned away from her, so they didn’t notice Nico coming closer.

--------------------------------------------------------

“-so how did you manage to go off on an adventure?”

“Well... this is part of tradition...”

“Tradition?”

“Yeah, everyone who is to marry the princess of the kingdom must go on a journey for a month.” Maki sighed.

“Eh? So you’re gonna get married once you get back?” Rin cried.

“Yeah...”

“Does... does Nico know...?”

Maki stayed silent. After a few moments, she answered.

“No, I haven’t told her.”

“Why not?”

“Well... I think she would be sad if she knew.” Maki answered, “I wouldn’t want to sadden her.”

“She does seem quite fond of you...”

“Yeah...”

“...is there nothing you can do about it?” Rin asked.

“...I don’t know...”

“Well, let’s just go back to the tavern, nya... No good thinking too much.”

“Yeah...”

--------------------------------------------------------

When Maki and Rin returned, Nico still wasn’t there. They waited for several minutes, before deciding to go look for her. Maki looked all over the tavern, while Rin checked the outside.

Soon, it was almost time for them to perform. Maki frantically searched through the tavern, hoping to find Nico. Finally, she gave up, and headed to the backstage, hoping for Nico to be waiting for her.

But alas, Nico was nowhere in the backstage. Maki waited, and waited, and waited, but she did not come. At last, Maki decided to ask someone. She went to the manager to ask about her smaller companion.

“Excuse me, do you happen to know where my companion is?”

“I’m afraid you must clarify.” The manager replied. He was a large man with not much hair on his head.

“Uh, she’s short with black hair tied into twintails. I think she was talking to you earlier?”

“Ah, that girl!” the manager laughed, “The one with the red eyes!”

“Yes! Do you know where she is? I think we’re overdue to perform.”

“Perform? She said she wanted to cancel her slot, give it away to another.”

“Cancel?”

“Did she not tell you? She left the tavern quite a while ago.”

“Did she, now?” Maki asked in shock. The manager just nodded.

“Oh, uh, th-thank you for your time!” Maki bowed and rushed out of the tavern. The manager just laughed it off.

--------------------------------------------------------

Maki rushed straight back to the inn. She went straight for their room door, and slammed it open. Lo and behold, there was Nico, sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow.

“Nico?” Maki asked.

“What.” Nico harshly replied.

“Are you okay? I heard you cancelled our performance.”

“I’m fine. Just don’t feel like singing.”

“Don’t feel like singing?”

“It happens every now and then.”

“I see...” Maki replied. She felt useless, not knowing how to comfort her closest companion.

“...where do you want to go next?” Maki asked.

“Hmm? Who knows...” Nico replied. What had happened that could discourage her so much? Maki didn’t know.

“Well, do you want to stay here another night?” Maki asked. “We don’t have to leave today if you don’t want to.”

Nico shook her head, “No, we leave in a few hours.”

“O-okay...”

--------------------------------------------------------

A few hours had passed, and they were on the road once more. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was slowly making its way down. Everyone was on their previous seats, the only difference this time was that the mood was much more depressing than what it previously was.

They started their way back to the capital, planning to revisit all the other villages before arriving at their final destination.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

Umi woke up the next morning with a strange sensation on her body. Specifically, on her left arm. She looked to her side, and saw Nozomi sleeping beside her, hugging her left arm, which was sandwiched between her breasts.

So that’s what the softness she felt was. And why her arm felt so warm. Nozomi looked so peaceful sleeping next to her. The yellow fabric of her bedwear felt so smooth and cozy.

That was when Umi noticed what she was currently wearing. Instead of her skin-tight black clothing she usually wore under her armor, she was wearing her dark blue nightgown. However, she didn’t remember changing into her nightgown before falling asleep.

In fact, she could recall the night near perfectly. Especially, Nozomi’s... graphic scene as she went out of the bathroom. Something that Umi doubts she would ever forget, which may or may not be to her dismay.

Umi soon felt some stirring from beside her. Looking to her side, she saw Nozomi smiling as she cuddle into Umi’s arm some more.

Nozomi looked so peaceful, sleeping on Umi’s arm. Her hair perfectly frames her beautiful face, even in her sleep.

‘She’s so pretty...’ Umi unconsciously thought. Upon registering what she just thought of, Umi immediately blushed, looking the other way.

“No Umi~ Don’t touch me there~” Nozomi said in her sleep. Umi’s blush deepened, her mind going several places as to what Nozomi might be dreaming of.

Umi decided to keep staring at the ceiling, trying not to think of what might be going on in the head of the person next to her. After several minutes, she felt more stirring coming from beside her, until she her heard her companion’s voice.

“...mornin’...”

Umi looked to her side and smiled, Nozomi seemed to have fallen asleep once more.

“Good morning, Nozomi. Did you have a good dream.” Umi smiled, greeting her.

Nozomi’s eyes slowly opened, followed by a blush slowly appearing on her face.

“...y-yea, I had a good dream...” Nozomi quietly answered. She cuddle closer to Umi and hid her face, which had now been mostly covered by a blush.

Once Nozomi had calmed down, she unlatched herself from Umi and got up from the bed. Umi followed soon after.

“Oh, Nozomi? May I ask you a question?” Umi said as she grabbed a change of clothes.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Did you change my clothes last night? I don’t remember changing into my nightwear.”

Nozomi’s blush returned upon hearing that. “Oh, uh... y-yes, I did...” Nozomi looked over to the side. “I-I thought it would be... u-uncomfortable to sleep in those clothes...”

Umi smiled, blushing a little. “Thank you, I appreciate it. But the clothes under my armor is multi-purpose. It should be fine if you left it on.”

“Ah, s-sorry...”

“It’s okay.” Umi smiled.

Umi then went to change in the bathroom, after Nozomi agreed to not peek. While Umi was changing, Nozomi also decided to change.

Umi was finished much faster than Nozomi, so she decided to exit the bathroom. Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately) for her, she did not anticipate that Nozomi would be changing in the room, so she froze in place when she saw Nozomi’s bare back through the glass door sitting on the bed.

She watched as Nozomi stood up, showing off even more of her naked body, and went around the room to take her change of clothes. Eventually, after what felt like hours, Umi managed to stop herself from looking, and decided to just look the other way. In reality, it had only been a few minutes.

“Umi~ are you done~?” Umi heard Nozomi call out.

“Y-yes!” Umi answered. She exited the bathroom with a blush, to which Nozomi responded to with a confused look that soon transformed into a smug smile.

“You peeked, didn’t you~”

“I-I most certainly did not!”

“Sure~” Nozomi headed for the door. “I’m gonna go get breakfast~”

“I-I’ll join you soon!” Umi replied. She went over to the bed, sitting on it and trying to calm herself down.

And that was when she noticed the pillow. It was a normal pillow, sitting comfortably on the bed. Umi leaned over to grab the pillow, and immediately buried her face in it, hugging it close to her chest.

‘Smells like Nozomi...’ Umi thought. This just made her blush grow, and she buried her face even further in the pillow.

Which did not really help, considering that the pillow was what partly caused that.

After discarding the pillow and a few more minutes, Umi put on her armor and headed out to find Nozomi, and maybe also Nico and Maki.

--------------------------------------------------------

Umi found Nozomi on a table with the other pair of travelers, already starting breakfast. She approached the table with a wave.

“Good morning!” Umi greeted her friends.

“Good morning!” Nozomi greeted. Nico and Maki greeted her with a wave.

“What are you eating?” Umi asked as she took a seat.

“I’m having some meat.” Nozomi answered. Her plate had some grilled meat on, half of it already gone.

“I’ve got a tomato salad.” Maki answered. Her bowl held several tomatoes and lettuce in it. The bowl was seemingly half full, the other half had been eaten, presumably.

“I see you’re still eating tomatoes.” Umi commented.

Maki smirked, chuckling a bit. “At least it’s healthier than what my companion eats for breakfast.”

Umi looked over to see Nico eating an ice cream sandwich. “That’s not healthy, is it?”

“Nico needs to energize for the day.”

“You’d get more if you ate healthy.”

“Nico’s treating herself today. Usually I let Ms. Expert Doctor here order for me.”

“You usually order for her?” Umi asked her old knightmate.

“Exclusively for breakfast. This is what she eats otherwise.” Maki answered.

“Do you wanna order anything?” Nozomi spoke up.

“Oh, yes please.” Umi answered. Nozomi waved at the waitress to take their order.

The waitress went to their table and took Umi’s orders, a sandwich with a variety of healthy foods inside.

“Of course you’d pick something boring.” Maki commented.

“Wanting a healthy and balanced diet that consists of more than just tomatoes is not boring.” Umi replied.

Umi’s order soon came to their table, and she started her meal. After they all finished their meals, they went outside. Maki and Nico decided to walk around town, leaving Nozomi and Umi alone for their own activities.

“So, what would you like to do?” Umi asked Nozomi.

“Hmmm. I’ve been to this town several times already, so let’s do what you want instead!” Nozomi answered.

“What I want to do?” Umi thought, “Let’s see...”

“Would you like to look around town~? Would you like to take a walk around the riverbank~?” Nozomi suggested, before leaning closer to Umi with a smug, “or would you prefer... me~?”

Umi immediately blushed, “T-that’s h-highly i-inapropriate in public!”

“We could go back to the inn, if that’s what your suggesting~ we do have the couple specialty room~” Nozomi leaned closer. Umi blush grew brighter.

“T-that’s not what I meant!”

Nozomi laughed, “I’m just teasing you~”

“P-please don’t!” Umi cried out, a heavy blush still on her face.

Nozomi chuckled. “Okay, okay, so what do you wanna do, then?”

“L-let’s just go on a walk...” Umi answered once her blush had lessened.

--------------------------------------------------------

Their walk around town had led them to a certain store, where they met back up with Nico and Maki.

“Oh? Fancy seeing you two here.” Maki commented upon seeing the pair.

“Why? What store is this?” Umi asked.

“A flower store. Are you not a fan of flowers?” Nico replied, looking curiously at Umi.

“I don’t particularly dislike them.” Umi answered.

“Oh really? I remember you often avoided flower shops back in the capital...” Maki hummed, “Something about shameless acts happening inside...”

“I-I most definitely did not!”

Nozomi quietly chuckled at the scene, before grabbing onto Umi’s arm.

“Come on Umi, let’s look at the flowers~” she chirped.

Before they could get into the store, Maki held onto Umi’s shoulder.

“Sorry, but can I borrow Umi for a bit. We need to talk.”

Umi and Nozomi looked at each other, before Umi answered.

“Alright. What is it?”

“Follow me.” Maki led Umi to a more secluded area, leaving behind Nico and Nozomi at the flower shop.

“What do you want to talk abou-?” Umi asked.

“Have you told Nozomi?” Maki cut her off.

“...? Told her what?” Umi held her chin, tilting her head in confusion.

“The marriage thing. That’s what you’re here for, aren’t you?”

“Oh, right! The engagement with the princess.”

“Did you forget your own engagement?” Maki deadpanned.

“No, of course not! Anyway, what does Nozomi have to do with that?”

“Well, she fancies you, no?”

Umi blushed.

“D-does she, now?”

“From what I’ve seen, I’d say so, yes.” Maki replied.

“I-I see...”

“Do you not feel the same? It seems to me that you fancy her too.”

“D-does it, now?”

Maki nodded.

“A-anyways, no I haven’t told Nozomi.” Umi tried to change the subject.

“Are you planning to?”

“No...?”

Maki nodded, “Alright then,”

“Should I tell her?”

“That’s for you to decide.” Maki leaned on her friend’s shoulder, “My advice, follow your heart when the time comes.” She whispered, before slipping away back to where they came from, leaving Umi standing there alone.

That gave Umi a few moments to collect her thoughts.

‘When the time comes, follow my heart...?’

She pondered about Maki’s advice as she made her way back to the flower shop. As Umi got closer, she spotted Maki and Nico seemingly squabbling, Maki laughing while Nico pouts. In their hands was two different colored roses, a red one in Nico’s and a pink one in Maki’s. Maki pulled out another rose from seemingly nowhere, a magenta one this time, and presented it to Nico, who blushed at the action, shyly accepting the flower.

“Umi~!”

Looking to another side, Umi saw Nozomi approaching her, arms behind her back.

“Hello Nozomi.” Umi smiled at her.

“Uh, here!” Nozomi smiled, presenting a bouquet she was hiding behind her back. It was filled with white lilies, arranged and wrapped neatly.

“Thank you,” Umi gratefully accepted the bouquet. It smelled so sweet, like the person who gave it to her.

“My, how shameless!” a voice came form inside the store. Umi looked at the source and saw Maki very obviously looking away. She decided to just ignore her.

--------------------------------------------------------

The day soon passed by, and they went back to the inn. The two pairs of travellers packed their things and went about their way on their horses, planning to revisit all their previous locations.

As the sun started to set, their destination was soon in sight. Nico and Nozomi had fallen asleep, and Maki was keeping quiet, which allowed Umi to ponder on several things.

Maki’s advice flew through her mind several times.

‘Follow my heart, huh...’

Chapter Text

A few days later, the three travellers spotted their next destination : The Village by The Valley. Maki smiled at the sight, remembering what events had transpired that led her to travel with Nico.

Speaking of which, Nico still had not cheered up during their travels. She still radiated as much negativity as she did that day at the inn room. Maki still wasn’t sure what had caused it.

“Are we gonna perform there, later?” Maki looked at the girl leaning on her chest.

“Go ahead if you want to. I’m not joining you.” Nico grumbled, arms crossed.

Maki sighed. Any attempts she had made for small talk, Nico had quickly turned down. This left most of their travels filled with silence, only the sounds of nature and her horse, and sometimes the gentle breeze of the wind.

They soon arrived at the village. Maki went to the stables to put her horse, while Nico and Rin went to get them a room at the inn.

“Heya Eli~!” Rin greeted as she entered the inn, Nico following much quieter behind her.

“Ah, Rin! Long time no see~!” The front desk girl, Eli, replied.

“And you...! I remember you, where’s your red-haired friend?” Eli looked at Nico, “Ditched her for Rin?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Nico coldly replied, glaring at the taller woman.

“Ooh, feisty...” Eli rested her chin on her hand, “So what are you here for?”

“Two rooms. Single beds.” Nico put down a pouch full of coins on the front desk.

“Hey, isn’t that mine?” Rin looked at Nico, who ignored her.

“Alright,” Eli took the pouch, and looked over some papers before handing them two keys.

Nico took the keys and pocketed them, before quickly heading towards the exit. Rin followed behind after a shoo hand gesture from Eli, who was busy counting the coins in the pouch.

--------------------------------------------------------

After putting her horse in the stables, Maki soon spotted Nico heading her way as she exited the stables.

“Hey Nico, have you got our rooms?”

Nico answered by showing her a key, which Maki assumed opens their room.

Rin soon joined them, slightly out of breath. After that, they all made their way to a restaurant after that for lunch, all their stomachs craving various foods.

They soon entered the restaurant, finding it to be quite empty. They got a table, and waited for someone to take their order.

As a waitress came to take their orders, Maki spotted the stage at a side of the restaurant, smiling nostalgically at it. She remembered playing on it with Nico, how she felt that night.

“Maki? Hello?” Rin waved her hand in front of Maki.

Maki quickly blinked, before shaking her head. “Huh, what?”

“We’ve finished ordering, you’re the only one left.”

“Oh, uh...” Maki looked at the waitress, “I-I’ll just have the chef’s recommendation.”

“Good choice,” The waitress commented, writing the order down on her notes before heading to the kitchen.

As the waitress went away, Maki spotted Nico looking at the stage.

“Wanna perform?” Maki smiled at Nico.

Nico’s eyes looked over at Maki, but she didn’t respond. At least, not verbally. A blush slowly filled her face and she turned to looked at a different direction.

Maki chuckled at her reaction, smiling at the girl she fell in love with.

‘Wait what? In love?’ Maki blushed at her own inner monologue, quickly looking away from the general direction of the person who caused that thought.

Rin just looked at the two of them confused.

Their food soon came to their table, and they enjoyed their meal in silence, as Nico and Maki were feeling too shy to spark a conversation.

--------------------------------------------------------

After their lunch, Nico had decided to retire early for the day. Rin went to walk around town, and that left Maki alone with her own devices. Maki decided to go to a nearby lake, the same one she went to with Nico to practice.

Maki looked at the serene lake, remembering her time there with Nico.

Nico...

Maki was still confused what to do with Nico. She still seemed quite upset, although Maki hadn’t seen her after she had retired for the day.

After thinking about it, Maki decided to go and check on Nico. Apparently she had spent a long time thinking at the lake, as the sun had already started to set. The golden rays accompanied her on her way to the inn.

Maki entered the inn, looking around the lobby as she approached the front desk.

“Hello, have you seen my friend?” Maki asked the woman there.

“Ah, you! Do you mean the small black-haired girl?” The blonde woman replied.

“Yeah, the one with twintails.”

“Oh yeah, she headed to her room just a while ago.”

“Do you know where it is? I’d like to check in on her.”

“Down that hallway,” The front desk woman pointed at a direction, “should be the second door to the end of the hall.”

“Okay, thanks.” Maki headed to the direction she pointed at. She stopped at where Nico’s room should be, and knocked on the door.

After a moment, Nico opened the door, looking annoyed.

“What?”

“Oh, uh...” Maki stammered, “I, uh, wanted to check on you...”

“And? How’s that going?”

“You, uh... still seem to be in a bad mood?”

“Good observation.” Nico commented right before slamming the door on Maki’s face.

“Uhh, may I come in?” Maki asked the closed door. Her reply came as a key on the floor that had slid to her from the other side of the door.

As Maki picked up the key, another key was slid over.

“The first one unlocks this room, second unlocks the one nextdoor.” Nico’s muffled voice explained through the door.

“O-okay!” Maki pocketed the first key, and took the second one off the floor.

As she headed to the lobby, she spotted Rin entering.

“Ah Maki!” Rin skipped over to her, “Do you know where Nico is?”

“She’s in her room,” Maki pointed her thumb at the hallway, “Why?”

“I wanna rest but she has the keys for our rooms.”

“Oh, she gave me the keys...” Maki took out the second key, giving it to Rin, “This room’s at the end of the hallway.”

“Oh, thanks!” Rin started to make her way towards the end of the hall.

Maki watched her enter the room, before she exited the inn. She then headed towards the restaurant, wanting to get a meal for her and Nico.

--------------------------------------------------------

Maki walked around town, admiring the quiet peacefulness. The sun had set, and now illuminating her path was the orange light from the streetlamps.

She had already went to the restaurant and had gotten some food for her and Nico, and now she was heading to the inn, plastic bag in hand.

Her walk there was uneventful, mostly filled with silence, the chattering of nearby people, or thoughts of Nico. Mostly the latter.

Maki soon arrived at the inn, and quickly headed inside. She made her way to Nico’s room, taking out the key and opening the door.

When she entered the room, Maki found Nico in her nightwear sitting on a desk, busy with something. Nico looked over to greet her.

“Welcome.”

“Uh, thanks.” Maki awkwardly closed the door, “I’ve got some food.”

“What did you get?”

Maki went over and placed the plastic bag on the desk. She also noticed that Nico was writing a letter.

“What are you writing?” Maki asked.

“Just a letter to my family.” Nico answered as she opened the plastic bag, taking out the food.

“A letter, huh...” Maki thought of writing one herself, although it might be redundant considering that she’s currently on her way home.

Nico soon got all the food out of the bag, and split it amongst the two of them. They enjoyed their dinner in silence, with pleasant food and company. After they have eaten, Maki went to change into her nightwear, while Nico continued her letter.

After Maki had finished changing, she exited the bathroom and crawled into the bed with Nico, who finished her letter. They cuddled closer to each other, as they do every night together.

Maki took in Nico’s scent as she felt sleep overtaking her. Her hands played with Nico’s silky hair just before she fell asleep, hugging her tighter as she fell into slumber.

Meanwhile Nico was still very much awake and conscious, blushing furiously in Maki’s chest. Her mind kept replaying Maki’s audible sniff of her hair, and Maki playing with it. And then Maki’s hug tightened. Nico’s blush intensified, and she hugged Maki closer, desperately trying to fall asleep.

Eventually, she managed to fall asleep, but that was after a long, long night.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

The two pairs of travelers soon spotted their destination, a few days later. Their travel toward The Village by The Valley was filled with many lively conversations, mostly between Nico and Nozomi.

Umi had not contributed much to the conversations, rather she took the time to think about her journey so far, only humming in agreement sometimes as she listened in the conversations.

Maki was also not an active participant of the small talk. The only times she would speak was when she would either comment on the current subject, flirt with Nico, or sing a song or two. She has also sneaked some peeks at Umi, probably wondering about what Umi will decide.

The fours travelers soon reached the village, the sun already starting to set when they arrived. They split into two pairs, Nozomi and Nico going to get them dinner, while Maki and Umi went together to the inn to get their rooms.

“Ah, Maki!” The blonde woman on the counter greeted. Eli was her name, Umi remembered.

“And you too!” Eli looked at Umi, who just shyly smiled at her.

“Hello...” Umi quietly replied.

“Let me guess, two rooms, single bed for you-” Eli pointed at Maki, before doing the same gesture at Umi, “-and a double bed for you.”

Maki looked at Umi, “Do you want a double bed?”

After some consideration, Umi replied, “No thanks, I’ll take a single bed.”

“I see there was some development since the last time you went here...” Eli smirked at Umi, who blushed and looked away.

“Just give us our rooms.” Maki deadpanned at Eli.

“Alright, alright, here.” Eli handed them two keys. “Payment is due when you leave.”

“Alright, thanks.” Maki grabbed one of the keys, before she slipped out and headed for the exit. Umi took her key and followed closely after Maki.

--------------------------------------------------------

They headed towards the restaurant, but stopped when they spotted Nico and Nozomi exiting the building.

“What’s up?” Umi questioned the twin-tailed pair, confusion on her face.

“We got take away!” Nozomi smiled at Umi, showing off her plastic bag.

Umi smiled at her. Nozomi was adorable at (all)times.

Meanwhile, Nico and Maki were having their own conversation, watching their two companions.

“Are they dating?” Nico asked.

“Umi’s engaged to the princess.”

“Doesn’t answer my question.”

“No, not yet.”

“You think they will?”

“We did.”

“So you think they will?”

“They’re a good match for each other,” Maki smiled at Nico, “Just like you and me.”

Nico smiled back. “Good point.”

They both quietly made their way to the inn, leaving behind Nozomi and Umi at the front of the restaurant. The latter two didn’t notice, too busy chatting(flirting) with each other.

--------------------------------------------------------

After what might possibly be a few hours, Nozomi and Umi finally decided to go back to the inn. The sun had already completely set as they made their way to the inn, the village lights romantically illuminating their walk.

The two soon arrived at the inn, and headed towards their room. After a few moments, Umi located it, and they made their way to their room.

“Oh~? Are you trying to suggest something~?” Nozomi asked as she stepped into the room.

“...? What are you talking about?” Umi asked confusedly, after following behind Nozomi.

“Well~ I’m not spotting a second bed~”

Umi blushed furiously. She had forgotten the fact that she took a single bed room.

“Oh, uh, w-well...” Umi stammered, failing to form words.

Nozomi chuckled at Umi. “Well, nevermind that, shall we?”

Umi nodded, still blushing. “L-let’s...”

“Well, let’s have dinner then?”

Umi nodded again, this time not saying anything.

Nozomi went over and placed her plastic bag on the vanity desk, taking out two paper containers that the food was in. She opened the containers, revealing the both of them to be containing a large piece of grilled meat each.

Nozomi handed one of the containers to Umi, who smiled at her, sitting down on the bed while Nozomi sat at the desk.

“Thanks,” Umi said to Nozomi.

They conversed lively as they ate, enjoying each other’s company. The meat was cooked excellently, the fat practically melting in Umi’s mouth as she ate. She could understand why Nozomi liked grilled meat very much.

After their meal, they took turns changing their clothes in the bathroom, and crawled into bed together. Umi embraced Nozomi tightly as sleep slowly took over, Nozomi also doing the same.

As her consciousness slowly faded, Umi thought back on her journey so far. Maki’s advice went through her mind, along with what Nozomi said on that certain night.

‘Follow your heart when the time comes...’

‘It seems you will have to make a very difficult choice very soon...’

Those two thoughts plagued her thoughts. However, she wasn’t worried, not one bit. Umi wasn’t sure why, but she felt that as long as she was with Nozomi, everything would turn out fine.

And with that pleasant thought, sleep overcame her, and they both slept soundly that night together.

Chapter Text

The morning soon came, and the three travelers started back on their travel. This time, Nico was in a better mood, which resulted in a much more cheery journey towards the next village.

Their journey lasted a few days, filled with much more chatter than their previous one. Maki smiled fondly as they went through the valley, recalling the moment she decided to let Nico travel with her. Nico, on the other hand, Maki suspects to not have as fond a memory of the valley.

The three travelers soon spotted their next, and for Nico and Maki, sub-final, destination. The small village’s size definitely didn’t compare to the rest, but it somehow looked as lively.

“Ah, this village will be my last stop, nya!” Rin exclaimed upon seeing the village.

“Great! I won’t have to listen to your annoying voice anymore!” Nico gleefully replied.

“Come on, don’t be rude.” Maki chided Nico.

“Not my fault I don’t like her.” Nico crossed her arms.

“You still didn’t need to be rude.” Maki replied.

Nico grumbled in response.

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon reached the village. Rin offered to bring Maki’s horse and wagon to the stable, so Nico and Maki headed towards the inn.

After securing a room for them, Maki decided to sightsee around the small village with Nico.

The sights of the small village were serene and peaceful, and very much more pleasant with Nico’s company. She would surely miss these two aspects of travelling once she married the princess. Especially the latter one.

Maki frowned. She felt her heart tighten.

“Is something up?” Nico leaned over, looking up at Maki.

“Eh?”

“You look like you’re thinking about something. Is something wrong?” Nico asked again.

“N-no...” Maki shook her head.

“Hmmm~?” Nico hummed doubtfully.

“I-it’s nothing! I’m just... thinking about home...” Maki looked away, blushing.

“Home, huh...” Nico stopped, looking up at the sky.

Maki stopped walking, looking behind at Nico.

“Where is your home?”

“It’s in a village, far, far away from the capital.” Nico answered, “I assume yours is in the capital?”

Maki nodded, “Yeah,”

They stood in silence, watching the night sky. When did it become so late?

“Hey,” Maki started, “if we ever get to travel together again...”

Nico looked at her, not saying a word.

“...can we... visit your home..?”

Nico smiled. “Of course!”

Maki smiled back at her. Nico had such a nice smile. Maki wanted to ingrain it into her memory, to remember during times she felt down.

“Well then,” Nico started, “shall we head back for the night?”

“Can we...” Maki replied, “go somewhere first?”

“Sure! Where do you wanna go?”

“Follow me,”

--------------------------------------------------------

Maki led them to a hill on the outskirts of the village, brightly illuminated by the calm moonlight. Maki took a seat on top of the hill, Nico following beside her. The knight glanced at the sky, her companion mirroring her.

“You like to stargaze?” Nico asked.

“Yeah,” Maki answered, “you?”

“I like to look at them, some nights.”

After a few moments of silence, Maki looked at Nico.

“Can you name the stars?”

“No, Nico never bothered to learn.” Nico looked at Maki, “What about you?”

Maki smiled. “That just happens to be my specialty. Aside from the harp, of course.”

Maki started pointing at stars, telling their names to Nico, who listened intently. At some point, they had laid down on the grass, Nico leaning onto Maki’s shoulder.

After a long time, they started back to their room, where they slept peacefully through the night together.

--------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Maki and Nico soon departed the village after bidding Rin a farewell. They got on Maki’s horse, and were off on their way towards the capital.

Once again, Maki felt a pain in her heart, that her journey with Nico would so soon end.

“To the capital?” Nico asked.

Maki gulped, nodding.

“To the capital.”

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

Umi woke up from the sun’s rays hitting her face. Half-asleep, she covered her eyes with one of her arms, as the other was currently sandwiched in between her companion’s breasts. Nozomi really seemed to like hugging Umi’s arm.

After a few minutes, Umi felt Nozomi stir awake.

“Good morning Nozomi.” Umi greeted.

Nozomi sleepily looked at her, before approaching Umi’s face and cuddling into her neck.

Umi blushed furiously, chiding herself for thinking that Nozomi was leaning in for a kiss. To be fair, Nozomi did lean in quite close to her face.

“N-Nozomi...”

“Mmm...” came the sleepy reply.

“N-Nozomi, please wake up...”

Nozomi slowly raised her head, yawning, before facing Umi.

“Good mornin’...” Nozomi yawned again, before opening her eyes to a blushing Umi. And then Nozomi soon followed in blushing, once she realized the tip of their noses were brushing.

Nozomi buried her face in Umi’s neck once again. Umi sighed, smiling while patting her back in response.

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon exited their room, and spotted Nico and Maki, who were in the middle of breakfast. Umi and Nozomi decided to get a table for themselves, choosing not to disturb the other two and their romantic breakfast.

A waiter soon came to take their orders, and they ordered their foods.

A few minutes passed, and their food came. They ate their meal in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.

--------------------------------------------------------

After breakfast, they collected all their belongings and headed for the next village. Their next stop was the market town that Umi had started her journey on, the very one where she first met Nozomi and Nico.

They all got on their respective horses, and started on their way towards their destination.

The two pairs of travellers passed by the valley, and in several days, they arrived at the ever-busy market town.

“Where are you heading from here?” Umi asked Maki.

“We’re gonna hang around this town for a while.” Maki answered, “What about you two?”

“I’m heading back to the capital.” Umi answered.

“What about you, Nozomi?” Nico asked.

Nozomi stayed silent, thinking, before answering.

“I’ll just see where the cards take me,”

“Hmm~” Nico replied, “Well, I hope they take you somewhere good, then.”

“Thanks Nicocchi,”

--------------------------------------------------------

They soon arrived at the market town. Nozomi and Nico went to get their rooms at the motel, while Umi and Maki went to place their horses at the stable.

“W-welcome!” a shriek voice greeted Umi and Maki. The voice belonged to the girl at the front desk, Hanayo, if Umi remembered correctly.

“Hey Pana, we wanna put our horses here for a day or so.” Maki looked at the stable keeper, already turning around to head out.

“S-sure!” came Hanayo’s reply.

While Maki went out to keep their horses, Umi just looked at her, and decided to approach Hanayo.

“Hanayo?”

“Y-yes?” Hanayo looked at Umi, before recognizing who she has. “Ah, you... remember me?”

“Of course I do.” Umi smiled at her, “and it seems you also go by ‘Pana’?”

“Ah, thats just what some of my friends call me.”

“I see...”

Soon after, Maki peeked her head through the door.

“You guys done?”

“You’re already finished, Maki?” Umi asked.

“I’ve been for a few minutes. Just eavesdropping on you two flirting.”

“F-flirting?!” Umi repeated, blushing furiously. Hanayo was also blushing behind her.

“W-we were not!” Hanayo screamed in the loudest voice Umi had heard form her.

“E-exactly! We were just having an idle conversation!”

Maki chuckled to herself, before replying to them.

“C’mon Umi, let’s go!”

Umi just stood in place, still blushing. Hanayo did the same.

After a few moments, Maki’s head peeked into the building again.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Nozomi,” the redhead teased, causing Umi to blush harder.

Maki left once again, and Umi started to rush towards her friend, before stopping just at the door.

“I-it was good to talk with you again, H-Hanayo.” Umi said as she left the building, looking for her friend. Umi punched her palm, raging with anger and embarrassment. When she finds Maki, she was gonna make sure she regrets what she said.

--------------------------------------------------------

That didn’t happen. Umi found Maki at the motel, already with Nico and Nozomi, and Maki had already said she wouldn’t tell them, so Umi instead took some time to calm herself down, before she regrouped with her companions.

When she approached them, Nico gave her a certain look that made her suspect Maki of telling Nico. Not that it mattered or anything, as Umi was more concerned wondering if Nozomi was also told. But then again, Maki did say she wouldn’t tell her, and Maki isn’t prone to lying, so Umi brushed that worry off her mind.

“So, uh, got our rooms?” Umi awkwardly asked.

Nico looked to Nozomi, who nodded at Umi, taking out a key from who knows where.

“So, where to now?” Nozomi asked in her sweet, sweet voice.

Nico looked to Maki, who was closing her eyes, thinking of an activity to do.

“I think... we should practice some songs,” Maki opened her eyes, looking to Nico.

“Yeah, we probably should,” Nico agreed.

“Well, I guess that leaves you two to figure out your own activities, then.” Maki looked at the blue-hued pair, before looking back at Nico. “Well then, shall we go?”

Nico smiled at her, “Sure!”

And the two musicians were already out the door.

Umi looked at Nozomi, “So, what shall we do, then?”

Nozomi put her finger on her chin, her eyes looking up as she thought.

“Hmm~ how about...” a smug smile suddenly appears, Nozomi’s emerald eyes glistening at Umi, “...we do some eavesdropping~?”

“E-eavesdropping...?”

“Yep!” Nozomi so cheerfully answered. “Let’s just take a little peek at Nicocchi and Maki’s date.”

“Aren’t they just practicing for a performance, though?” Umi looked at Nozomi confused.

“Oh, anything can count as a date~” Nozomi smiled, “Don’t sweat the details~”

“I-I see...”

“So then,” Nozomi looked at Umi with an expectant gaze, “shall we go?”

--------------------------------------------------------

Nozomi and Umi, lead by the former, slowly followed behind Nico and Maki to a nearby hill on the outskirts of town. The former two kept quiet, keeping low behind whatever cover they could find. Nico and Maki never seemed to have noticed them. Whether it’s due to good hiding, or if they were just being unobservant, Umi didn’t know.

They stayed hidden behind a bush, while Nico and Maki sat down on the hill. Maki took out her harp, and soon the two were harmonizing a song together.

“Aw~ Cute~” Nozomi commented at the scene.

Umi smiled. Whether at Nozomi, or at the scene with Nico and Maki, who knows? Anyways, Umi had to admit that Nico and Maki were a good pair together. Maybe it was a good thing that Maki didn’t return to the capital two years ago. Maybe.

As the two pairs continued their respective activities, time swiftly went by. Soon, the pair on the hill went away, leaving the pair in the bushes alone.

“Do we keep tailing them?” Umi looked to Nozomi.

“Nah, let’s leave them for now.” Nozomi decided.

“Shall we go for lunch, then?”

“Are you asking me out?”

Umi blushed.

“Umm... no?”

“Aww,” Nozomi sounded disappointed. She then stood up, and dusted some leaves off her. “Anyways, let’s go for lunch, then!”

“A-alright,” Umi followed and got up, before they headed for the restaurant.

--------------------------------------------------------

After they arrived at the restaurant, the rest of their day quickly went by. Most of it was spent in the dinery, eating and drinking and chit-chatting amongst other activities.

Soon during the night, the pair returned to their room. After a quick change of clothes, the two collapsed on the single bed together, exhausted from their long day.

As Umi’s eyes shut close, night soon turned to dawn, and she jolted awake at twilight. The dim sunlight filled the room, poorly illuminating the sleeping Nozomi’s face. Even then, she looked just as beautiful.

As Umi observed her sleeping companion and the now-twilight-colored room, a certain thought entered her mind.

‘Must I return to the capital?’

She looked to her sleeping companion, confused. Why would she doubt herself? It was her duty to return to the capital.

But as she watched her travelling partner sleep, more doubts rose up. Returning to the capital is part of her duty, but surely she doesn’t have to leave Nozomi. Surely, she could stay by her side.

It was then that another thought entered her mind.

‘Must I leave the woman I love?’

Wait, love? Like, romantic love? Umi’s face glowed red, her mind flabbergasted. Taking a peek at the sleeping woman, she immediately turned her head away, trying to keep her thoughts in control.

Once she had calmed down, Umi looked back at the sleeping Nozomi, and started rationalizing her thoughts.

Now that she was calm, it occurred to her that many of the things she felt for Nozomi could be explained as being in love. It would explain the warmth in her heart whenever she saw Nozomi’s smile, the happiness she feels being with Nozomi, and her current doubts of returning to the capital.

As she looked at Nozomi, she came to a decision. She’d rather enjoy each moment she had with Nozomi if she were to return to the capital.

Happy with her decision, Umi brushed away some hair from Nozomi’s forehead, and leaned in to kiss it, before tucking herself back in to enjoy what may possibly be her last nap with Nozomi.

--------------------------------------------------------

The morning sun filtered through the window, accompanied by the chirping of birds. Umi groggily opened her eyes, a warm feeling going through her body.

“Wakey-wakey~” she heard the voice she had come to love so much.

Umi got up, stretching her arms as she yawned. After rubbing her eyes, she opened them to see the woman she had shared most of her travels with.

“Good morning, Nozomi.” she cheerily greeted.

“Good morning~ you seem ready for the day~”

Umi just smiled. She was really starting to appreciate every moment she had with Nozomi.

“Well then, shall we prepare for the day?”

Nozomi smiled back at her.

“Of course!”

--------------------------------------------------------

“Well then, I hope everything goes well for you guys,” Maki said, arms crossed but smiling.

“Thanks~ same for you two~” Nozomi replied.

They all already had breakfast, and now Umi and Nozomi were preparing to leave the market town. Umi had already gotten her horse back from Hanayo, and they were now saying their goodbyes on the outskirts of the town.

“Ah, Umi! Before you go, can I talk with you real quick,” Maki said.

Umi looked at Nozomi, who just shrugged, before replying,

“Sure, what about?”

“Come here,” Maki lead her a few paces away from the other two.

“What is it?” Umi whispered.

“I just wanna remind you,” Maki whispered back, “follow your heart.”

Umi smiled at her.

“Thank you,”

Maki looked back confused.

“For being my friend,” Umi continued, “I think I now understand what it means to follow my heart.”

Maki blushed a little, before smiling back at her.

“Come on, it’s not like we’re not gonna meet again.”

“Right,”

“Now let’s get back, it seems our girlfriends are waiting for us.”

Umi’s face filled with a blush, before she laughed.

“It does seem like that, doesn’t it?”

As Umi started to walk back, Maki placed her hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Umi looked back confusedly.

“What about the engagement? Have you told her?”

Umi looked over to Nozomi, who was busy conversing with Nico, before looking back to Maki and shaking her head.

“I’ll tell her on the way.”

“Okay then, if that’s what you decided on.”

Umi smiled again.

“It is.”

“Well, good luck with everything else, then.”

“Thanks,”

They both made their way back to the other two, and Umi and Nozomi got up on Umi’s horse.

“Well, we must be on our way,” Umi smiled at the two musicians, “thanks for everything.”

“No problem!” Nico responded, “Make sure to invite us to the wedding!”

Umi and Nozomi both blushed, and Umi rushed her horse away before either of them could voice a reply. As Umi concentrated on steering her horse, Nozomi waved away at the two musicians, who waved back at them.

“Where are we heading now?” Nozomi asked.

Umi smiled, before she cheerfully replied.

“To the capital.”

Chapter Text

After some time travelling, Umi and Nozomi stopped their approach toward the capital, resting upon a certain hill some distance away. The large walls of the capital were visible, standing proud and tall, and imposing itself over the peaceful plains surrounding it.

Cheerful singing birds chirped away above a nearby tree, where Umi and Nozomi decided to rest under the shade. The wind breezed softly, blowing blue and purple hair in a certain direction.

Umi looked over the plains, imagining what her friends were doing beyond the wall. Nozomi leaned on Umi, running her fingers through the flowing blue hair.

“Hey, Umi,”

Umi looked over to Nozomi, deep emeralds pierced into her amber hues.

“Yes?”

“What will you do once we arrive?” Nozomi looked over to the capital.

Umi parroted the movement, pausing for a moment before she replied.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you...”

Nozomi looked to Umi, curious.

“The truth is... I’m engaged.”

“...oh? And who’s the lucky person?”

Umi looked at Nozomi, and while her face stayed neutral, her emerald orbs betrayed the rest of her features. Umi embraced the purple-haired girl, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.

“It’s the princess... I’m sorry I never told you...”

Nozomi stayed silent, embracing Umi back.

After a few minutes of silence, Nozomi got out of Umi’s embrace and got up. Umi looked at her companion.

“So, when’s the wedding?”

“Nozomi...”

Umi got up, and saw the hurt in Nozomi’s eyes.

“Well?”

“...” Umi paused, contemplating whether to tell her, “...when I get back...”

“So you have to go back?”

“...” Umi nodded.

They stood in silence, avoiding looking at each other. The wind flew past them, blue and purple hair flowing in the wind once more.

“Hey, Nozomi-”

“...don’t go...”

Umi tilted her head, confused.

“I’m sorry?”

Nozomi looked at Umi, her eyes spiked with tears.

“Don’t go back! Don’t return to the capital!”

“Nozomi...”

“Please... stay with me...” Nozomi fell to her knees, crying.

Umi knelt down, putting a hand on Nozomi’s shoulder. She had to make a choice here, either stick with her duty as a knight and see the engagement through, or escape from the capital and her responsibilities with the woman she loves.

It occurred to her that this was probably the difficult choice Nozomi said she would have to make. As difficult the answer might seem, however, Umi knew what choice she would choose.

“...okay,” Umi tried comforting her, “...I won’t leave you.”

“You won’t?” Nozomi sounded confused.

“No,” Umi shook her head, “Follow me. To the capital.”

Umi got up, offering her hand. Nozomi, eyes wide, took her hand, and got up.

“To the capital?”

Umi nodded, “yes, to the capital.”

“But... what about the engagement...?”

“I’m not gonna go through with it.”

“Eh?”

“I’m not going to marry the princess.”

“But why? Can you do that?”

“The royal family are very understanding people,” Umi explained, “I’m sure they’ll understand once I explain to them the situation.”

“But... why?”

“Because, Nozomi,” Umi leaned in, touching her forehead to Nozomi’s, “you are the person that I love, not the princess. You are the one that my heart leads me to.”

Nozomi blushed, just then noticing the fierce blush already on Umi’s face.

“A-are you sure... it’s fine?”

“Of course,” Umi strained a smile, fighting against her blush.

“Then...” Nozomi leaned in closer, and angled her face. Closing her eyes, she pushed her lips towards her blue-haired partner’s, and leaned into her, wrapping her arms around her neck.

Umi yelped in surprise, before she responded, closing her eyes and kissing Nozomi back. Her arms moved onto and grabbed Nozomi’s waist, pulling her ever closer.

After what felt like a quick moment, although it must’ve been a few minutes, they had to separate for air. The two still held each other close, their foreheads touched while they gasped for air.

“So... will you come home with me...?” Umi asked between gasps, her hand intimately holding Nozomi’s face.

Nozomi chuckled lightly, smiling.

“Should I now, I wonder~”

Umi joined in her joking, chuckling cheerily.

“I’d say yes, I think we’d have a bright future together,”

“What a coincidence, so do I~” Nozomi brightly smiled.

Umi smiled back, her eyes softened at the sight of the purple-haired's smile.

“I love you, Nozomi.”

“Love ya too, Umi~”

“Well then,” Umi looked towards the capital, “shall we go?”

Nozomi’s eyes glistened at the knight, grabbing hold of Umi’s hand and squeezing it.

“Let’s~”

Chapter Text

Midway towards the capital, Maki and Nico stopped by a tree for rest. The large tree stood on a hill, overlooking the peaceful plains. The walls of the capital were visible from the hill, the castle banners proudly draped over.

Nico yawned, stretching her arms. The combination of warm sunlight and a cool breeze brought to her a dozy feeling, leading the twin-tailed woman to lay her head on Maki’s lap, much to the knight’s surprise.

“Hey!” The knight yelped.

“What?”

“Get off!” Maki commanded, a slight blush on her face.

The black-haired maiden hummed a disobedient noise, instead altering her position to be more comfortable on the red-haired’s lap. The aforementioned redhead grumbled, deciding to push her companion off her lap.

“Hey!” The musician sat up, complaining.

The knight chuckled, a smug smile on her face.

“I told you to get off.”

The musician didn’t reply, instead she crossed her arms and looked away. Maki laughed, leaning on the tree.

The two stayed silent, just enjoying each other’s company. Maki watched the peaceful plains, while Nico leaned down on Maki’s shoulder.

“Hey...” Nico started.

“Yeah?” Maki replied.

“...do you have to go back...?”

“...” Maki stayed silent, looking at her companion.

“...I heard you tell Rin about it... the engagement...”

“...”

Nico looked over to Maki, her eyes spiked with tears.

“Is it true?”

Maki held back the guilt in her heart, reluctantly nodding her head.

“...I see...” Nico looked away. She almost got up, but Maki grabbed onto Nico’s arm.

“What?!” Nico turned her head towards Maki, this time tears flew out her eyes.

“...sorry...” Maki’s eyes stared at the ground, tears threatening to burst.

“...if you’re sorry...” Nico’s eyes flared with anger, “...then look me in the eyes when you say it!”

Something in Maki snapped, pulling Nico in and slammed her against the tree, their faces inches away from each other. Their eyes locked fiercely. Maki’s hands held firmly onto Nico’s wrists, pinning them on the trunk. One of her legs was between Nico’s, her chest pushing against the smaller woman’s, making sure the musician had no way of escape.

“Fine...!” Maki gritted her teeth, “I’m sorry for not telling you that I’m engaged...!”

Nico looked at Maki, tears still in her eyes. She also had a mild blush on her face, although neither of the two noticed.

“...o-okay then... apology accepted...” Nico looked away, trying to steer her face as far away from Maki’s as possible, which, because of their current position, was not that far. Maki also just noticed the current position they were in, and blushed, painting her face a glowing red.

Maki slowly stepped back, letting go of Nico, who kept her back against the wall, both of them looking at anything but each other.

“S-so... what now...” Nico asked, fidgeting.

Maki looked around, thinking of an answer.

“I... I don’t know...”

“Don’t you have to go back to the capital?”

“I guess?” Maki shrugged.

“You guess?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“I... don’t really want to go back...”

Nico tilted her head, “Why not?”

Maki breathed in and sighed, looking behind towards the capital.

“This past month has been... I’ve enjoyed it more than my mundane life in the capital.”

“Mundane...? I’ve always thought the capital would be bustling with business, no?” Nico asked, intrigued.

“It is. So busy, it feels suffocating. Out here it feels so free, I prefer being here.” Maki answered, ‘With you.’ she thought.

“...” Nico stayed silent, looking solemnly at Maki. “...well, if you don’t like it at the capital... why not stay away from it?”

“Stay away from it?”

“Well, the way I see it, why bother with something you don’t like?” Nico leaned onto the tree.

“Fair point.”

“Nico is the fairest, after all~”

“Hmm~” Maki hummed doubtfully.

“You got something to say?” Nico snarked at the red-headed knight.

“No~” Maki teased. The musician grumbled in response, glaring at her. Maki chuckled, feeling her companion’s glare at her back. Taking this moment to catch her breath, Maki thought back on her journey outside the capital. All the places she went, all the food she ate, all the performances with Nico, all the experiences she had.

“Alright, I think I’ve made up my mind.” Maki said at last.

Nico looked at her curiously, “What have you decided?”

“I’m not going back to the capital.”

“You’re not?”

“No,” Maki sat on the ground, resting her arm on a raised leg.

“What are you gonna do, then?” Nico looked at her with curious rubies.

“Well, if you’d have me, I’d like to keep traveling with you.” Maki answered, smiling at the smaller woman. Nico blushed at her straightforwardness, almost struggling to maintain eye contact.

“W-well, if you insist, I guess I have no choice,” Nico looked away, still blushing.

Maki smiled at her companion, enjoying her company while she looked at the walls of her birth home. This may be the closest she’ll ever be again to the capital, to the knights, to the crown...

“Maki?” Nico asked, noticing the redhead’s longing look.

“No, it’s nothing...” Maki looked at Nico, giving her a reassuring look.

Nico hummed doubtfully, scooting closer to Maki.

“It’s just...” Maki started, looking at her companion. “...I’m gonna miss them...”

“...hey now...” Nico put a hand on Maki’s shoulder, “it’s not like we’re never gonna go there.”

Maki looked at her, confused. Nico sighed, “Did you really think you can’t ever go back?”

“Well, I don’t want to marry the princess...”

“Then we can go back once she gets married, no?”

“I... guess?”

“Did you really not think about that possibility?”

“Sh-shut up!” Maki looked away, blushing. Nico laughed, before she got up, stretching her arms.

“Well~ you done reminiscing?”

“I-I guess,” Maki was still looking away and blushing.

“Well then, anywhere you wanna go from here?”

“Hmm~” Maki thought, “Maybe we can visit your family?”

“Oh? Hasty~”

“Th-that was just the first thing that came to mind! If you have another idea, let’s just go with that!”

“No, no, I’d like to see them again. It’s been quite some time since I last visited, and my siblings will certainly be happy meeting with a knight.” Nico smiled as she thought of her family.

“Ex-knight,” Maki corrected, “I’m pretty much out of the knighthood once I decided to not complete my duty.”

“Is that how the capital knights work?”

“Yup,”

“Ah...” Nico stood there, kinda moving her arms awkwardly. “Uhm... sorry ‘bout that?”

“It’s fine,” Maki said as she stood up, slowly approaching Nico, “it was my decision...”

Nico slowly backed away, until she had her back against the tree. “Uhm, Maki? What are you-”

“As is this,” Maki pushed her hand towards the tree, just a few inches away from Nico’s face. The black-haired girl responded by blushing, her eyes repeatedly darting away from and to the other girl.

Maki’s face slowly approached Nico’s. The red-eyed maiden closed her eyes in anticipation, slightly angling her face. She stood still, waiting for her companion to make her move. But nothing was happening.

Nico opened an eye, sneaking a peek at her partner, who, instead of leaning closer to Nico, was not very close and was instead looking away with a blush and a finger twirling a strand of hair.

“Uh, Maki?”

Maki noticed Nico’s confused look, blushing even more.

“Y-yes?”

“Do... do you not want to...?”

“W-well, uhm... th-this should be done with consent... and it shouldn’t be forced...”

“W-well... I-I don’t mind...”

“Y-you don’t...?”

“N-no, so, uh... if you would...” Nico closed her eyes, angling her face once more.

“Uh, w-well then...” Maki brought her free hand to Nico’s chin, angling her face a bit, before slowly leaning in.

And nothing happened again. Nico opened an eye again, finding Maki just awkwardly close.

“Maki?”

“S-sorry, I just, uh...” Maki looked away, her hand moved from Nico’s chin to her hair once more.

Nico grumbled, before an idea came to her mind.

“Hey, Maki?”

“Y-yes?!”

“Look over here,”

“Wha-!”

As Maki turned to look at Nico, she grabbed her chestplate and pulled her, managing to plant her lips and steal a kiss.

“E-eh?” Maki blushed, backing away in shock.

“N-next time, you do it, o-okay?” Nico crossed her arms, blushing.

Maki just stood there, blushing and starstruck. Her heart was beating loudly in her ear, her brain unable to process just how cute Nico actually was.

“Nico?”

“W-what is it?”

“I love you.”

Nico blushed harder.

“I, uh... l-love you too...” Nico managed to squeak out, the last part almost silent.

Maki heard it, and smiled. “Well then, shall we get going?”

“S-sure...”

And so the two got onto Maki’s horse, and reversed their direction back to where they came from. Nico leaned onto Maki’s chest, while the redhead looked back as her old home slowly went away in the distance.

“So, where is your village?” Maki asked.

“It’s quite a ways away from here.”

“Would you tell me about it?”

Nico smiled. She loved her village and her family, and thinking about them always brought a smile to her face.

“Will you tell me about the capital, then~?” Nico chirped.

“If you’d be willing to listen,” came Maki’s reply.

Nico snickered, “Well~”