True Tales of the Violet Garden (Aether x Yae Miko)

The Offer.

Out of all the people Aether had come across on his travels to Inazuma, Gorou was definitely one of the more... unique characters out of the bunch, and not just because of dog-like traits and mannerisms. He had already met many other individuals with similar animal-like appendages after all, lots of which were a lot more over the top and wacky than he was, but what differentiated Gorou from the rest was his moral compass. Being the primary general of the Watatsumi Army, it was only inevitable that he would begin to develop certain traits and attributes that you'd expect a general of his status to have, like a sense of determination and courage. Most notable however, was his extreme sense of loyalty and dedication. There was very little he wouldn't do for his Excellency, so when she asked him to accompany her to Ritou for a "Literary Analysis Meeting" with her pen-pal, he of course accepted with not much hesitation.

It was also around this time of year that the "Irodori Festival" would be taking place, and although he himself didn't have much interest in the event, he knew Kokami had been patiently awaiting for this day to come for many months now, so the least he could do was join the Divine Priestess as her +1 on this venture.

There was only one issue however...one massive, very cunning issue...

...Yae Miko.

While most saw the Guuji as a symbol of beauty and intelligence, Gorou saw her as the devil reincarnated. A sophisticated skinwalker of sorts that's always treading the line between villain and ally, whose cunning nature and vocabulary were enough to send any man into a frenzy of fluster. Seemingly tender on the outside, but disgusting and dubious on the inside. She was the embodiment of everything he stood against, and that's why he always made a cautious attempt to never converse with that despicable woman.

And while it is true that you need to attempt the impossible in order to reach it, that logic doesn't quite apply when you're activating trying to run away from your fears, because no matter how many animal-like appendages you have, it always catches up to you. Which is exactly what happened.

Shortly after meeting up with the Traveler in Ritou, Gorou caught a glimpse of the pen pal in question, the so-called "Fried Tofu With All the Frills", and it was none other... than the Lady Guuji herself.

He knew it was her before she even turned the corner, seeing as her dramatically pink hair was very hard to miss, even more so for him thanks to his advanced sensory organs.

At that moment he knew, he was in for a wild day.

What followed was what he couldn't only describe to be, pure pandemonium.

He spent the following hours with his head down and ears tensive, always peeking behind every ledge and outpost to make sure the coast was clear before moving. The person assigned to accompany him during this little episode? None other than Aether himself, who seemed happy enough to keep Gorou company, seeing as he also wasn't very interested in literature.

The two were tasked by Kokomi to buy some books for her while she was at her meeting, easy enough right? Well not exactly.

As luck would have it, the first stand they visited came up with some miraculous, unparalleled way of somehow involving Yae Miko into the conversation, claiming Gorou won a free fox toy thanks to a coupon.

He immediately flinched at the abhorrent sight before him, feeling remorse for the poor soul that had to sculpt that hideous abomination.

Aether quite liked the toy for reasons he didn't really want to go into, and offered to keep it himself after seeing how on edge Gorou got, which relieved him slightly.

The McGuffins didn't just end there however, infact, they didn't end at all, as every single stand they visited came up with some equally bonkers way of bringing up the Guuji's name, and before he knew it, he was scheduled to meet her in person, face to face, in front of a crowd of a huge crowd of people.