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Orange leaves and stray branches crunched underfoot, and a bird could be heard calling out somewhere in the distance. Yukina stopped walking for a moment, leaning on a tree to catch her breath in the shade. Why on earth are we in the woods and not in practice? she thought, breathing heavily. Her answer came quickly.
“Ah, my lady, do you require rest before we move on?” Sayo said from the front of their group, her tinfoil armor clattering as she turned to face Yukina. “Please do not tally long. Bandits are known to frequent this area, and we must reach the castle walls by nightfall.”
She’s so in character.
When Yukina had brought up the concept for their new song, a ballad of a stoic knight charged with protecting a cold noblewoman, Sayo had jumped in with the idea of a roleplaying session. For the purposes of research, she had said. It was beyond Yukina why she had agreed to it, but she decided to pin the blame on Sayo’s puppy eyes and Rinko’s excitement at the opportunity to create costumes for them all.
And the costumes were quite good, considering the limited time frame she had to work with. Yukina was clad in a long black dress with a flared collar and a small crown atop her head, Lisa had on a frilly red and white number similar to her NFO outfit, and Tsugumi was dressed less drastically as a squire to Sayo’s shining knight. They had made just two concessions to the ‘fantasy immersion’ rule: one, comfortable modern shoes, because they were walking through the goddamn woods. And two, Tsugumi insisted on bringing a backpack with food, bandages, and other items, just in case.
Tsugumi quickly pulled a water cateen from that bag and held it out to Yukina. “Are you dehydrated at all, Yukina?”
“No, I’m all right,” Yukina responded, but she took the canteen anyway. She took a long sip from it and realized how parched she had been.
“Oh, sweet knight, how long shall it be until we reach the gates?” Lisa said, batting her eyelashes and clasping her hands together. “I fear that we will all be lost when the sun’s gentle light abandons us… Are we not bound to a grim destiny?”
“Fear not, my lady. Even if the sun in the sky should forsake us…” Sayo took her hand off the hilt of her foam sword, and caressed Lisa’s cheek, a smile barely playing at her lips as she held onto a serious expression. “We shall still have your radiance to guide us home.”
Yukina looked at Tsugumi, and saw the other girl look back at her. They were both thinking the same thing.
Why are they so good at this?
Seeing Sayo so into it did make Yukina happy, though, she had to admit that. It had been a mystery to her at first why the usually serious Sayo would suggest something like this, but now that they were here it was obvious that she was fully absorbed in the concept of being a brave knight and protecting her girlfriends. It was adorable, honestly, and none of them wanted to break that immersion.
“Are you ready to move on, my lady?” Sayo said, returning to full alertness and peering back at Yukina. She nodded, Sayo bowed (bowed!) to her, and the four of them moved on into the woodland.
Calling it woodland was a bit of a stretch. It was a large patch of trees next to a community park, long enough to walk through in a few hours and just barely wide enough to feel as if you weren’t still in the middle of modern civilization. It was too wild for Yukina’s taste. Her dress kept catching on low branches, and it was annoying. Still, though... from her position at the back of the party, Yukina could see the others clearly, and as she watched them press on she felt a warmth grow in her chest. Despite the circumstances… spending time alone with all of her girlfriends would always make her feel good.
Sayo held out her arm for the others to stop, and she kneeled down to check something on the ground. Yukina watched her trace the outline of a fresh footprint. “Bandits… We’ll have to be careful. They’re most likely still nearby.” She stood back up, puffing out her chest unconsciously as she continued. “Do not worry, fair ladies. I swear that I will protect you all with my life.”
Lisa swooned dramatically, and Yukina watched Tsugumi desperately stifle a giggle.
The four of them moved on, but slowly this time. Sayo scanned the area carefully, with her hand back on the hilt of her sword. She was obviously expecting some sort of attack... But as they waited, nothing came. Sayo seemed confused. “I said, I will protect you all with my life,” she said significantly louder than the last time. Still, nothing but distant birdsong. Yukina heard Sayo mutter under her breath, “What are they waiting for?”
A shout rang out in the distance. Sayo perked up, but it wasn’t the sound of an oncoming bandit- it was closer to a scream, and it sounded like its source was in distress. Yukina recognized it as Ako’s voice, and she tensed up immediately. Is she in trouble? Or is this just part of the game?
It seemed more like the former, as Sayo didn’t move. She didn’t look as if she was expecting this at all.
Yukina felt something tug at her hand, and realized Tsugumi had taken it upon herself to get the others to move. “Hey, I think something’s wrong! Wasn’t that Ako?” she said, worried. “Shouldn’t we go help her?”
“She was supposed to come over here…” Sayo mumbled, and Yukina could tell she had frozen up at the unforeseen turn of events. Lisa had begun to panic as well at the sound of Ako crying out.
Yukina realized what she had to do. She walked up to Sayo, dress brushing against the undergrowth. “Brave knight!” she said in a piercing stage voice, staring into Sayo’s wide eyes. “There is a maiden in need. We must go to help her.”
That seemed to do the trick, and it knocked Sayo from her stupor. “R-Right. We need to go find her.”
Yukina looked to Lisa, intending to comfort her as well, but Tsugumi had beaten her to it and was squeezing her hand. “I’m sure she’s okay!” she said as she rubbed Lisa’s hand with her thumb, “Let’s just go check out what’s going on.” After a moment, Lisa nodded and smiled at her.
The group made their way through the woods in the direction Ako’s voice had come from, and after several minutes they found themselves on the edge of a small clearing. It was late in the day, now, and a red sunset cast its light through the gap in the trees. Three figures awaited them there. The first two were easy to recognize: Ako and Rinko, dressed in ragged bandit’s clothes. Ako in particular was wearing an eyepatch and far too many belts, and both of them wore fake knives on their waists. She waved out to them frantically, but before Yukina or Sayo could go to her, the third figure stood between them.
A dark, hooded cloak concealed their identity as they struck a menacing pose. Yukina snuck a glance at Sayo and could tell that she had no idea who this newcomer was.
Sayo called out to them sternly. “Who are you? What do you want with Udagawa and Shirokane?”
“Geh heh heh!” the figure replied. “What an honor to meet the shining knight, Hikawa! But if you truly wish for your friends to be free…” They stretched their arms out wide. “You must first answer my riddles three!”
Riddles? What is this?
Clearly Sayo thought the same, and she drew her foam sword, brandishing it as though she thought it was a lethal weapon. “I will not play by your foul games, ruffian! Return those two or suffer the consequences!”
“It didn’t take her very long to get back into character…” Tsugumi whispered to Yukina.
Lisa flew forward in two long steps, wrapping her arms around Sayo’s shoulders. “Please, o gallant knight! Though the path of justice sends you forth, you must return unharmed… For I believe my own heart would break in two, without you to mend it!”
Taking her hand, Sayo gazed into her eyes. “I have pledged that no harm will come to you, my lady- and that includes your gentle heart. I will return to you, I swear it.”
Tsugumi, shockingly, moved to Sayo as well, gingerly taking hold of her gauntleted arm. “Er… knight, please make sure to come back, okay? I’ll do my best to take care of your wounds so, um… Fight bravely!”
With that, Yukina realized she was the only one there still firmly rooted in the real world.
She looked to the hooded figure, who had crossed their arms and begun tapping their foot on the grass as they waited. They looked back at her, and Yukina’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a very familiar shade of teal underneath the hood. Wait, was that…?
Before she could finish her thought, the villain called out to them. “Ehhhh, you’re really not gonna even try my riddles? I worked super hard on them though!” They put their hands on their hips. “I was gonna do this after you got them wrong, but I guess I’ll have to speed things up a bit…” With blinding speed, they shot across the clearing- straight towards Yukina?! She didn’t have a moment to react before she was swept up in their arms and taken away from the group.
Yukina wiggled fruitlessly to try and escape. “Hey! What do you think you're doing with me?!”
“Capturing the princess! Duh!” the figure- no, Hina said. She pulled back her hood, allowing the others to see what Yukina had already realized. “Wahahaha! Come and get me if you dare, knight!”
“Hina?!” Sayo cried out. “What are you- how did you-” She took a very deep breath, and Yukina could tell she was choosing whether or not to stay in character. She made her decision, and a cold gaze cut across the field to the cloaked girl. “You… will pay for your crimes, knave. Release my lady immediately or be slain without mercy!”
“Whoa, big sis is gonna slay me!” Hina said excitedly, before realizing she was supposed to remain an evil person even with the hood off. “Eh, I mean, you can try, you wretched lubberwort!”
Where did she even learn to say things like that? Yukina thought exhaustedly. Hina had already released her from her clutches, but Yukina decided it’d be best to go with the path of least resistance and stay here as they fought over her.
Sayo lunged forward with her sword, and Hina pulled a plastic dagger from god knows where and parried the blow. The two of them were evenly matched, and foam met plasic again and again as they struggled to make ground on the other. Sweat gathered on Sayo's brow as she put her full strength into a strike.
They’re… Yukina, despite herself, felt a fuzziness grow in her head and chest. Even if it’s fake, Sayo’s fighting so hard for me…
“Whooo, you can do it, Sayo!” Lisa cried out, breaking character in her excitement. Tsugumi called out her support as well, and Ako and Rinko joined in from their place on the grass behind Yukina. For a moment, she considered joining in, but the battle was almost finished.
The two teal blurs clashed in the center of the clearing, and as Hina drew back and went for a quick stab, Sayo swept her leg around and caught Hina’s ankle with it. The other girl went down, and Sayo pinned her before pulling out her sword and dramatically swiping the foam along Hina’s throat.
“Gaaaahhhhh! You got me…” Hina said in a raspy tone. “Grrr… the cold embrace of death is… not boppin’ at all…” Her head lolled to the side, and she let her tongue fall out cartoonishly.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this, but you left me with no choice in the matter.” Sayo made a motion as if she was shaking the blood off her sword, and then she turned to Yukina. “My lady. Are you harmed in any way?”
“No…” Yukina responded, and Sayo reached out to take her hand gently. The taller girl’s gaze pierced through her, and Yukina gulped as she felt herself begin to fall into the fantasy. “Th… thank you for… saving me, I suppose.”
Sayo pulled her hand up and pressed a kiss to the back of it, not breaking their electric eye contact. “I will protect you until my dying breath, my lady. My devotion to you is as boundless as the sea.”
Yukina really couldn’t be blamed if her heart skipped a beat at that. The walk back was much less eventful. The group came to the decision that their session ended with the sunset, and they dropped character, Sayo removing some bulkier pieces of armor and Hina taking off her cloak. Yukina hiked up her skirts and took off her crown.
Tsugumi was leading them home this time, and she pointed the way forward. “We’re almost back to the park!” She beamed at her girlfriends, and then at Hina, Ako, and Rinko trailing a bit behind. “Does everybody wanna stop by Hazawa Coffee once we get back? I’ll get you all some drinks to relax after all that walking and dueling.”
“Hell yeah!” Ako said enthusiastically. “The Shadow Lord of Bandits shall descend upon the mortal realm, to steal the legendary…” She trailed off, and Rinko whispered in her ear. “The legendary ambrosia of the gods!”
“I want a latte with a little picture of a puppy!” Hina yelled, eyes glittering. “Tsugu, can you do that?”
Tsugumi thought for a moment, brow furrowing. “I think so… I can try, at least!”
Sayo looked as if she had something to say, but she didn’t speak until Lisa nudged her arm knowingly. “I would… like the same. If it’s not too much of a hassle for you, Tsugumi.”
“Of course not!” Tsugumi said with a smile. She took the other’s orders- tea for Rinko, some fruity beverage for Ako, a coffee cake muffin for Lisa- and then she turned to Yukina. “Would you want me to make you anything?”
“No, I’m fine,” Yukina responded, but she hesitated when Sayo gave her a knowing glance. Wasn’t this the same as what Lisa had just done to Sayo herself? I suppose being around each other so often, we must learn a lot about each other’s true feelings. “Or, um… Perhaps a latte…” She fiddled with the crown in her hands. “…with a picture of a cat.” The rest of the evening passed peacefully, as they relaxed and shared stories at the cafe late into the night. Tsugumi, Sayo, Lisa, and Yukina had made plans to sleep at Tsugumi’s house that night, so they would have no issues getting home, but the others eventually left to make sure they’d still wake up at a reasonable time the next day.
Hina was the last to leave. Before she did, though, Sayo seemed to realize something. “Hina, how did you know that we were going to be there in the woods? We only discussed it amongst Roselia, besides Tsugumi, of course.”
“Oh, that was just my big sis radar!” Hina said happily, explaining nothing. Sayo sighed, but Yukina could tell she would let it go, understanding that she’d find out nothing from any further questions.
And if Yukina had seen Lisa slip some yen and a bag of cookies to Hina when the others weren’t looking, she certainly didn’t feel any need to mention it.