As I headed to the general area that Mari told me to meet her at, I wore my headphones, basking in the gentle warmth of the sun. It's nice to know that we're finally through winter, but on the other hand we'll be graduating at the end of the month, which I honestly feel conflicted about.
"Ah, I can figure that out later..." I muttered to myself. For now I'll just enjoy spending the day with Mari. When I asked if she was free to do something this weekend, she smiled and told me that she had actually been planning to ask me the same thing, since she has something she wants to do with me. I'm happy that she's enthusiastic about going on dates with me, but I wish I was better at coming up with date plans besides getting something to eat together and seeing movies.
As I approached, I saw that in front of me was a fenced off expanse of grass with what looked like stables or something in the back. As I reached the gate, Mari, who was out in said field, noticed me and came up.
"Hey Y/n, come on in." Mari said "I would've brought you over here sooner, but it wasn't the season for this until now."
"Wait, for what?" I asked
"Isn't it obvious? For me to introduce you to Starbright!" Mari said
As she said Starbright, it all clicked in my head, and I felt like a complete idiot. Starbright is her horse, which I was honestly surprised she said was here on Awashima when she first mentioned it. That and the fact that she did horse riding classes, but I guess it makes sense that when your family is in the position Mari's is in, there isn't really much stopping you if you want to.
"Ah, I'm getting what's going on now." I said, following behind her.
After a moment we entered the stable, and inside was a brown horse, with a white spot on its head that looked like a star. Casually Mari walked over to the horse, and as she brushed its face, she talked to it. "Hey Starbright, I brought by somebody important to me today."
I walked up behind her, somewhat studying the horse as I approached. I've never seen a horse in real life before so I'm kind of curious about it. As Starbright saw me, it looked at me curiously before trying to take a closer look, taking a couple steps closer. I reached out to pet its muzzle, only for it to push its muzzle against my hand as I reached forward.
Mari giggled and said "It looks like she likes you."
"Indeed it does." I said "And I'm guessing you ride Starbright around here? I mean I've never seen her until now."
"Sometimes, but in the mornings when I have the day free from school I'll take her for a ride around the island so she can really stretch her legs." Mari said
"That explains why. I'm a big advocate for lazy sundays lazing in bed all morning." I said, a joking smile on my face
"Those definitely can be great too." Mari said "Now, how about you join me for a ride?"
I nodded and said "I'll have no clue what I'm doing, but sure, I'd love to."
"Don't worry, I'll run you through the important things." Mari said
Mari explained to me the fundamental things such as how to mount it before she seamlessly got on herself. For me at the very least it took me a second to get on. So I had something to hold onto, I took a hold of the saddle, and as I realized that I was riding on the back of a 500kg animal, I felt a nervousness set in, and as we started moving, I realized I had been gripping onto the saddle tightly enough my knuckles were white, and so I tried to chill out some, Mari knows what she's doing after all.
As we went to a trot, I could feel myself bouncing with each step with every step while Mari was fine. "Uh, any tips to stop bouncing?" I asked
"Oh right, you need to relax your body some, that way your body is moving with it rather than separate from it." Mari said
"Right." I said, nodding my head and trying to follow her suggestion. It still was taking me to get my balance used to actually riding, but it was better this way than it was beforehand.
We slowly worked up from a trot to a canter, and as I was finally getting used to it, Mari asked "So how are you doing now?"
"Much better, I think I'm getting the hang of this some." I said
Mari then smiled as she said "In that case, then let's go! Hold on!"
A moment later Starbright went from a canter into a full gallop, moving like what felt like was as fast as the wind, and as I held onto the saddle, and tried to keep my balance, I had to admit it felt great to move this fast, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression is on Mari's face right now.
Starbright galloped for a while before Mari brought her to a slow stop before we got off her. With a smile on her face, she asked "So what do you think?"
I sat down in the grass, it felt almost a little odd that the ground wasn't swaying as I said "That was incredible. Slightly terrifying with how fast we were moving at the end there, but incredible."
"Isn't it? I love how it feels to ride Starbright, and feel the wind through my hair as we go." Mari said, her enthusiasm almost infectious
"It was really nice, but I have to admit what's been my part in all of this might have to be being able to see how much fun you've been having, and how enthusiastic you are, with a beautiful smile on your face." I said. It's like when I'm watching her and the rest of Aquors perform, there's that vibrant and stunning vibe she gives off that just adds to how much I love her.
Mari started to blush as she said "You know, for somebody who says they typically have trouble talking to people, you sure can say some stunning things."
I shrugged and said "I've fallen in love with you, I think that shows I'm comfortable enough around you to not struggle with that."
The two of us spent a while longer together, me helping Mari take care of Starbright, with us talking and doing a little bit of flirting as we went.
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A/n: Behold one of the few chapter titles from the original naming theme I had in mind before I gave up. But on another note, I was going to see if any details about Mari's situation with her horse had changed since the Dengeki G stuff had changed by reading a SIFAS card with her on her horse, but I don't have it and couldn't find the attached story anywhere on youtube, so I'm just rolling with I got, still, I hope it was enjoyable for you all
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Love Live! Everlasting Shine (Mari Ohara x Male Reader)
RomanceY/n has always been a more shy and quiet person, but when he's feeling excited and passionate, a confidence not really found otherwise appears in him. This hasn't really been something he could take any advantage of, but one day at a concert he runs...
