Unfair Acceleration

A mild breeze from the mountains brushed past Nitsuki, fluttering her ponytail behind her like a banner. The sun was rising up slowly beyond the horizon, casting an ethereal glow upon the world around them.

It was quiet here, save for the distant sounds of the occasional car and chirping birds. They'd gotten up a little early today to visit the cemetery, and she'd just finished tidying up her family's grave.

Nitsuki stood and gave Tachibana a hand to help him up as they admired the flowers they'd brought. White lilies and chrysanthemums adorned the site, their petals dancing gently in the wind.

"Mom. Dad. Grandma. Maya," she said as she began paying her respects. She didn't have to talk very loudly—the dead would listen to any volume. "Sorry, I haven't visited much recently, but I'm sure you know I've been busy. I hope you can understand and forgive me."

She took a deep breath and smiled. "As for how I'm doing, I've got a lot to say. I'm a bit happier now, I'm starting a new support group, I've made new friends, and I've found love."

She glanced at her boyfriend, who was standing beside her. "I'm sure you remember Tachibana, don't you? We're dating now." She paused for a moment. "I know you guys might be worried about me after… everything that happened. But, well, I'm trying, at least."

Her voice cracked slightly. "I still have days where I miss you all a lot, and it hurts to think of the time we lost. But I'm not alone anymore. So uh, thanks for looking out for me. I'll keep doing my best, I promise. Please watch over me, okay?"

Nitsuki felt Tachibana's hand grip her own, and she squeezed back.

She didn't want to cry in front of the dead. That wasn't why they'd come. So instead, she simply took a moment to breathe in the fresh morning air, letting the memories of the past and the present mingle in her heart until she was stable enough to say farewell.

"Until next time."

She bowed her head in a promise to return soon, and Tachibana followed suit. Afterwards, they departed, strolling hand-in-hand through the cemetery, taking their time and enjoying the peacefulness of it.

Nitsuki briefly rested her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for humoring me and for coming along. With bon season here, I just… felt the urge to see them."

He nodded, giving her an encouraging smile. "It's no problem. I'm glad we came. It felt like a good way to kick off the day, and I'm sure they appreciated the visit."

Tachibana opened the passenger door for her when they reached his car. "Besides, I'd never pass on a chance to spend more time with you."

"You cheeseball." She grinned and rolled her eyes. "But thank you. Seriously."

He gave a goofy smirk as the engine turned over. And soon, they were on their way up the winding mountain road.

Nitsuki watched as pine trees and scenery passed them by in a blur. It was Saturday now, and the support meeting had already come and gone. Just like the vision Daimon had showed her, there'd been newcomers, and they'd all been welcomed with open arms. Their group of three had suddenly ballooned to ten.

She still needed to process that, honestly.

The stargazing festival was barely two weeks away now too, and it was getting closer and closer every day—too fast if you asked her.

She could tell from the town. It was gradually growing busier, and the streets seemed to be alive with excitement and anticipation. Decorations and flyers were being hung from the eaves of buildings in anticipation of tourists, and the air was filled with the promise of something special.

There was a brief jolt as they ran over a branch that'd fallen onto the road, and the two of them laughed as they bounced in their seats.

Nitsuki shook her head and smiled. "You okay there, Speed Racer?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Tachibana replied, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Sorry, I was distracted by the pretty lady right next to me."

Her cheeks rose in temperature. She still found it hard at times to think he was this enamored with her. "J-just focus on the road. I want to get to our date spot in one piece."

"Yes, Ma'am." He chuckled and turned back to the steering wheel.

Nitsuki looked out the window, taking in the view as they drove up the mountain. The forest was lush and green, the sun casting dappled shadows across the ground as it filtered through the leaves. It was good that they'd planned to start before the afternoon heat kicked in. The air was crisp and cool, the perfect temperature for a hike.

She'd been trying to relax and focus on the present since her visit from Daimon, so the moment that Tachibana had suggested they head out on another date together, she'd been quick to agree.

He mentioned still wanting to make up for their first one. And while she felt like the latter half for that had gone well enough to smooth over things, the sentiment was definitely appreciated.

This time around, he'd picked a more intimate location, a lesser-known hiking spot up the mountain that had a beautiful waterfall and small lake. It was one they'd used to explore years ago as kids in the summer, and they hadn't been there since.

Nitsuki was excited to see if it'd changed at all over the years.

They finally reached the end of the road where the parking lot was. Overall, it still looked familiar. There were a handful of improvements here and there, but the same weathered sign they'd use as a marker still sat at the trailhead, and that calming feeling of nature emanated everywhere she looked.

After looking around for a bit, Tachibana found a spot to leave the car and went around to start unpacking their backpacks from the trunk.

As he handed Nitsuki hers though, she could tell that there was something a little off with him. His brow was furrowed, his jaw clenched tight, and there was a slight twitch in his cheek.

"Tachibana? Looking a little nervous there. Something wrong?"

He quickly shook his head as he put on his pack. "Eh? N-no, I'm fine! Just… a bit excited is all. It's been a while since we've done something like this together, and um… I have a surprise for you."

Nitsuki's eyebrow rose. "Oh? A surprise huh? Should I be worried?"

Tachibana chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "No, no, nothing like that. Just something I hope you'll enjoy."

"Alright then, let's see it."

He hesitated. "Er, not right now. I meant later—like after we reach the lake."

"…Don't tell me you're planning on proposing to me this early," she joked, trying to lighten his mood as she secured her own pack. "I mean… Sentimental location, check. Gorgeous scenery, check. Private atmosphere, check…"

"Wha—no!" He blushed, as he locked the door. "I-I mean, I want to marry you someday, b-but this is way too soon, and I don't even have a ring—"

Her own face started getting flushed as she cut him off and grabbed his hand. "R-relax, I'm just messing with you. Sheesh. Come on, we should get going before it gets too hot out."

"R-right."

Nitsuki had to take several breaths in and out to calm herself as they stepped onto the trail, their shoes crunching on the oddly nostalgic gravel beneath them. First the sketchy tanzaku and now this? Did the universe really want her to be a bride that badly?

The sudden image of herself in a wedding dress popped into her mind, but she squashed it down with all of her might.

Oh no, she was not going to let herself be that delusional. She was still getting over the euphoria of dating Tachibana, and that was a huge hurdle for someone who'd barely even considered herself a woman for most of her life.

Mmm, are you sure? You do have a gift that could let you test out the experience in advance—

She squashed her monkey brain with her mental boot. No. Absolutely not. There were limits even to her own depravity, and that was one of them. She wasn't that far gone to dilute such a possibility with a mere vision. Even if the thought of wearing a white dress and seeing Tachibana in a nice suit was—

"Aaaah! Stupid monkey brain!" Nitsuki groaned and buried her face in her palms.

"Eh, what's wrong?" Tachibana looked over, as they ducked under a patch of low-hanging branches. "Are you alright?"

"Nothing! Nothing." She waved him off, trying to will the heat from her cheeks as she continued walking beside him. "J-just having another stupid, hormone-induced thought. That's all."

"…Are you thinking back to Wednesday night again? Because, well… I'm always down for a repeat of that—"

"Different thought, different thought!" she practically shouted, her blush intensifying. "Y-you know what? Let's make this a competition, just like old times. First one there gets to top—CRAP! I-I mean, first one to the top gets to demand a favor from the loser! A-any favor!"

"…" A moment of excruciating silence passed between the two of them.

"…Challenge accepted, I guess." Tachibana eventually said, his face growing as red as hers.

"Y-you're on then, you stupid, handsome idiot." She gripped her bag's straps tightly in preparation. "Hah! Can't believe you fell for it. You remember that I was always the better runner before, right—?"

*FWOOSH*

Tachibana was suddenly sprinting ahead, fabric rippling in his wake and dirt kicking up from his feet as he zoomed by way faster than she'd expected.

"I'll be waiting for youuuuu~!"

"ACK! Y-you cheater!" Nitsuki yelled as she took off after him, her heart pounding in her chest and her legs pumping against the ground.

She knew for a fact that the lake was at least an hour away. So for now, she let the embarrassment and tension fade, giving herself over to the rhythm of her feet and the thrill of the chase.

She'd just rely on her old method of letting him burn himself out before eventually overtaking him. He'd never been able to beat her in endurance, and if her predictions were right, he was due to tire himself out any minute.

…Hold on a sec, how come he was like a dot in the distance now? He'd never been able to outpace her this much before.

What was he on, steroids?!

Her squished monkey brain snickered at her as it dragged its wounded body from beneath her mental boot.

Aw, look at the little lady getting left behind. Don't you think you're forgetting something a little different from before~?

"Psh, what do you mean? We're in roughly the same shape as each other," Nitsuki muttered to her inner self as her legs started feeling strangely heavy.

Eeeheheh. Think harder~ It's something just a little bit different. Your little mental quip about him earlier wasn't too far off you know~

Nothing but the sound of her shoes crunching on the gravel path filled her ears as cold realization started creeping up her spine.

"…Crap."

He had testosterone.