Himiko grabs Tenko Chabashira

Himiko was surprised to find that the first person to pop into her head was Tenko Chabashira, the ultimate martial artist. Tenko was a friend, and one who frequently suggested she might have romantic interest in her, if not sexual… The idea of Tenko as the “ideal partner” instead of a friend felt entirely wrong, though.

The key’s influence continued to push Himiko forward in her consideration regardless, against her better judgement. “I’ll see what she thinks… If she doesn’t wanna, she can just say no. And I’ll… pretend it was just a joke, nyeh,” Himiko incorrectly reasoned. Tugging the wide-brim of her hat down as she brainstormed the least humiliating way to play a failure off as a joke, Himiko sought out her friend-to-be-partner.

Himiko didn’t have to look hard to find Tenko (which was good, because that might have made her give up, key magic be damned). After all, the martial artist was where she normally was after classes, training in her dojo. The mage came upon her friend landing powerful palm strikes on a practice dummy, one she was doubtlessly picturing as a "degenerate male."

Himiko interrupted Tenko mid-strike by shouting her name, causing Tenko to screw up her preparation and slam her hand against the target ineffectively. The martial artist let out a yell, then clenched her smarting wrist in one hand while putting on a smile for her guest. “H-Himiko! What a rare delight to see you in the dojo! However,” she shouted, striking a martial arts pose, “I shouldn’t be surprised! It was only a matter of time before you realized the benefits Neo-Aikido can offer your magic technique! Come, let us begin!”

“N-no, I’m not doing that. I mean, not right now, nyeh… I came here to ask you something important.”

“Oh! Of course. Of course... I wonder… what you could have to ask of me,” Tenko muttered sheepishly, pushing her fingers together as she avoided Himiko’s eyes.

“… I’ll tell you, but you’ve gotta promise… you’re not gonna yell, or have some crazy reaction, nyeh.”

“Yes, Himiko, of course! As you know, Neo Aikido allows me to control my emotions completely! That, naturally, includes any loud outbursts I would make to any sort of heartfelt confessions you might deliver! O-or whatever else you intended to discuss,” Tenko added smoothly, trying to make herself look calmer than she felt.

“Okay… You promised, remember…” Himiko sighed, then took a deep breath… then sighed again. Then took another deep breath… then exhaled once more. Then-

“Himiko?” Tenko interrupted, raising her eyebrows curiously. “Is this some new form of magical breathing exercise?”

“No, dummy, I’m working up my nerve- I mean, charging my mana, nyeh… All right! Tenko, what would you do… quietly… if I told you… you could become…-”

Because Himiko was taking so long with her confession of love, Tenko rushed to complete her sentence. “Your g-g-girlfr-!“

“My ideal sexual partner,” Himiko finished her sentence, powering through Tenko’s interpretation.

The martial artist went silent and continued staring at her friend, nearly unblinking, first as if she was waiting for a punchline, then sweating and frozen in place. When half a minute had passed and neither of them had said anything more, Tenko began scanning her nervous eyes back and forth across the dojo. “H-Himiko… would you kindly point out the degenerate male who put you up to this joke?”

“It’s not a trick, nyeh… It’s real magic,” Himiko insisted, planting her fists on her hips. “Well, if it goes right, you’ll… actually transform, probably… But first, Tenko! There’s something we gotta check. Tenko, you’re always saying I’m perfect, right? Like an angel? Or a powerful angel wizard? It’s important you think I’m perfect cuz I don’t wanna change, nyeh.”

Tenko’s mind seemed to be somewhere else, but she tried to refocus it on the conversation in front of her, nodding her head rapidly and enthusiastically. “Ah… Y-yes, of course! You, Himiko, are almost the feminine ideal! Nearly perfect! Ninety-nine percent, for sure. As perfect as any woman could hope to be.”

Himiko tapped her foot. “I’m hearing a lot of ‘kinda’ and ‘nearly’ there, nyeeeh! What’s the deal?!”

Tenko clapped her hands together, wringing them in front of her lap while sweating profusely. “Uh… Um… It’s just, you know… E-everyone has some room for improvement, right? Neo-Aikido teaches us-“

“Like what?” Himiko demanded impatiently.

“… It’s simply, um… I feel if you devoted yourself more intensely to Neo-Aikido… Or to training in general… O-or to your studies… Or to, perhaps, the application of effort in general-“

“Oh. I get it… That’s fine… I’ll find someone who thinks I’m already perfect-“

Tenko fell on her knees and prostrated herself before Himiko, bowing her head all the way to the dojo’s floor. “F-forgive me, I temporarily went mad! Why, the determination you just showed to find a partner who finds you perfect was, I think, the last missing piece of effort you lacked to ascend to the level of perfect master one-hundred-percent certified angel! Convinced of your feminine perfection, I am now prepared to accept your offer and witness your magic!”

“Nyeh… I mean… I don’t think you could have refused anyway, cuz of the magic. But this makes me feel better… Welp, let’s go.”

Tenko shyly grabbed Himiko’s hand. The two of them made a strange pair as they made their way to the Love Suite: the small magician swinging her arms without giving it much thought, while the martial artist squirmed and fret and clearly thought of nothing else.