A new spell and an Anomaly

As daylight fades and the sky gets dimmer and dimmer, I return to the shrine. Yearning for the bed I press forward until I open the door to our room. Stepping inside, Sanae is reading a book. She seems deeply engrossed in the embrace of the book. Sanae tilts the book in a way so that I cannot make out the name.

"You are back!" her voice full of eagerness and curiosity. The book is carefully put on the table next to her side of the bed. Her gaze is now fixated fully on me.

A casual question leaves her lips, eager to bridge the gap of my absence. "Aya,how was your meeting with her? Did you have a good time?"

I lay down next to her on the bed. "We talked about newspapers. It sounds boring telling you that now, but I found it really interesting."

She seems unsated by my response. "I think I made a new friend today. Aya had interesting stories today, has she ever told you them?"

Sanae puts on a playful pout, a charming display of envy. "Is that so?" Her voice carries mischief, as she wants to tease me."You wouldn't want to make me jealous, would you?"

A warm smile blooms on my lips, at ease despite her teasing. "Of course not, we have this after all." I hold up the partner necklace Sanae gifted me.

"That's true. We should sleep now. I feel like tomorrow will be a eventful day." She closes her eyes, looking at ease and happy.

Following her lead, I let the night pass, closing my eyes until I fade into sleep.

As the morning bathes the room, sunlight is shining on my face, waking me up. As I rise from the bed, I find Sanae still asleep. Her right arm is above her head and her left arm is hugging the pillow. Her expression peaceful, framed by the loose strands of hair, that make me smile. I tear my gaze away, not wanting to stare too much.

Picking up my magic book I quietly head off to the garden. I pause a second to take in the beauty of the garden I work at most of the time. The healthy, emerald coloured grass and tall trees with apples ripe for picking invite me to a beautiful place to practice my magic. Although keeping focus will be hard as the birds nesting between the leaves, are chirping their symphonies loud and with pride.

My attention shifts back to my magic training. I successfully cast the Numquammovere spell, confidence and thrill showering me as I feel accomplishment. I walk one more circuit through the shrines garden, appreciating it's beauty. Looking up at the sky, I can see rain clouds approaching from the distance.

As I head back inside the Shrine, I find Suwako and Sanae deep in a conversation, they both have visibly hot teacups in hand. I decide to take a seat next to them, both greet me with a 'Hey' before they return to their conversation.

"So, do you ever miss the days when humans worshiped you?" Sanae asks, taking a sip from her steaming cup.

A soft smile sneaks up on Suwako's lips. "You make it sound like I am completely forgotten nowadays." Intrigued by the topic I decide to just listen.

Sanae blushes slightly, she's clearly embarrassed. "Oh, I didn't mean to be rude lady Suwako."

Suwako chuckles. "I am just teasing you, Sanae. But I get your question. I was undoubtedly way more powerful back then, at the peak of my worship. Nowadays, I don't place too much focus on power though. I am much content, being surrounded by the people I like."

Getting to know Suwako better really captivates me.

Changing the topic, Sanae asks, "Have you read what the Kappas are up to lately?"

Suwako, after finishing her tea in a single gulp, responds, "No, I am not up to date about the recent on goings in Gensokyo. But if I had to guess, it's probably about a promising invention isn't it? These Kappas are exceptional tinkers."

"They've constructed a one-metre-tall mechanized frog. It has become a spectacle just outside the human village. Crowds of people pay to visit it, and some daring people are even trying to ride it."

Suwakos interest is peaked. "You were in the city not too long ago, did you see it by any chance?"

Sanae shakes her head. "Unfortunately, no. I don't know why, perhaps it was undergoing maintenance or something."

I try to think of a topic, as I want to contribute to this conversation as well. Glancing outside the window, I see that it's raining heavily. "It's been so long since it rained. I think the rain will stay for a while."

Sanae hastily jumps up looking outside to verify my statement. "The laundry!" She shouts out in horror before running outside.

I looking at Suwako, she appears to be on the verge of bursting out of laughter. A shared chuckle escapes us as we witness Sanae's reaction.

"I would love to continue our chat, but unfortunately I still have unfinished work to attend." She gets up and leaves. I take my magic book to my room and bump into Sanae on my way back. She is completely soaked.

I hold my laughter as she's dripping wet. "I guess, you didn't get the clothes in time?"

She mumbles a 'no' clearly not in the mood for any jokes.

"You should take a shower, before you catch a cold."

"Yeah, could you get me new clothes and a towel?" She slowly treads towards the bathroom.

"Sure!" I reply, going back to our room and opening Sanae's closet. As expected it is filled with the same clothes, always her long blue skirt and white top. Though at the most right of her closet, I see that she has more than just her regular fit. I stay focused, pick her typical clothes and hastily grab panties and a sarashi for her. With a towel in hand I quickly make my way to the bathroom.

I knock on the bathroom door. "Sanae! I've got everything now!" I shout from behind the door.

"Good! I am already showering so just leave them somewhere clean!" She shouts back.

I hesitate for a moment before entering. Then I dash in, quickly put the towel and clothes on the toilet seat, and exit, closing the door behind me. "Thank you!" She shouts one last time.

Normally I would calm myself, but I can clearly see a portal right in front of my eyes. It rips right through the air, it's uncanny to look at. Eyes peer from within, they are deeply unsettling but they don't look at me. Then the portal closes. I am in awe. I have to speak to Patchouli about this as soon as possible.

I make my way to our room, revising what I saw. It definitely  happened. I don't know what it was but it's terrifying. Maybe it wants to attack me, or worse the shrine itself. I have to get better at magic or else I will just stay a useless pile of flesh.

Sanae steps in the room, smelling fresh and also being in a good mood again. "You look like you've stared death in the eyes." She says.

"My bad. Sanae, do you have a moment?"

She appears confused but nods. "Yes?"

I stand up. "Don't get scarred, alright?" I stand in front of her confidently. I raise my arm uttering the spell 'Numquammovere' loud and clear.

Sanae understands the situation and smiles. "Yay, you learned another spell! Seems like I am unable to move, what will you do to such a helpless woman like me!" She stifles her laughter.

I lift the spell, happy to have finally learned how to wield it. "Don't play with me you are far more powerful than I could ever be."

She smirks lewdly. "Who knows, maybe I don't want to free myself from it." As she finishes her sentence I feel my face redden.

Sanae laughs at my reaction. "You are just too adorable sometimes." She lies down on the bed. "You know, maybe I'll sleep a bit earlier than usual. Goodnight." Sanae closes her eyes.

I want to do one more thing before sleeping, and that is picking my next spell. Flipping through the pages, I decide to go for one more easy spell before moving on to my first advanced one. I know that I won't be able to learn a good attack spell yet, so I settle for a defensive one. I finally stumble upon a good one, 'Obex' is it's name. It's pretty simple, a barrier that nullifies enemy attacks. I should learn this spell in no time.

For the next hour, I delve into the details of 'Obex,' learning its intricacies and how to cast it effectively. I am confident to master it as soon as I am at Patchoulis place. I decide to end it for today and go to sleep.

The next day though, the rain doesn't stop, it is still pouring like the world is ending making not only me but also Sanae really annoyed. My plans to go to Patchouli are delayed until the next day. Hours pass, not much happening. I am mostly around Sanae, following her like a dog listening to her talking to the other two. In the afternoon, the rain gets less intense, hinting at it's impending end.

I am bored, sitting next to Sanae. "Sanae?" I ask innocently.

She turns to me "Yes?"

"The rain is finally letting up, can we go to the human village again?"We can maybe visit the giant metal frog they have been talking about.

She smiles tenderly. "Yes sure. You seem like you got something planned don't you?"

"Yes! I want to buy something for Patchouli, she showed me how to wield magic after all." I realize though I am not in possession in any money.

"And how will you afford it?" She chuckles playfully. "If you really want to make her a good gift why don't you bake a cake? I don't want you to buy something she'll never use."

My eyes light up. "Oh my god! You are right! Let's bake one together!" I get up and go to the kitchen, Sanae following me.

I get the utensils while she brings out the ingredients. I have a blast cooking with Sanae, we don't really talk much, but baking and cooking with her is always a blast. I put the chocolate cake in the oven. "And now we wait." Says Sanae.

"Cooking and baking is always so fun!" I tell her, happy to have made this cake.

I yawn. "Already tired?" She chuckles again.

"I am not sure why. But I think I'll sleep now."

She nods her head "Goodnight then." She waves as I walk to our room.

I close my eyes, being content with what I have done today.