Touhou : A New Life

by 5pudin

Summary:

(You) in Gensokyo.

Chapter 1

You woke up with heavy eyelids as you slowly get out of bed. You rub your eyelids to cast the sleep away. As you regain your consciousness, you look around the room you’re in. A Japanese style room. Getting out of the futon, you walk towards the sliding door. You can hear noises outside the room. You try to listen in, but you can’t make anything out of it. Brimming with curiosity, you open the door.

Opening the door, you are greeted with two individuals inside -what you assume to be the living room-. One is sitting under the table while the other is standing near the porch.

“Ah, you’re awake,” the one in red said, drinking her tea. “How’re you feeling?” she shoots you a question.

Before you can answer, the other one chimes, “Oh, you’re the guy Reimu talked about!” the one in black said, pointing her finger at you.

“Hey, hey? Who are you? Where did you come from? What are you doing here?” she bombards you with questions.

“Oi, Marisa! He’s still confused, let him gather his thoughts first,” Reimu interjects. “Why don’t you sit down, I’ll get you some tea” she gets up from the table and starts walking towards the kitchen(?).

“One for me too!”

“Get it yourself.”

“Eeehh, is this how you treat your friend?” Marisa pouts, slowly coming to the table to sits down.

Not too long after, Reimu returns, bringing a tray with her. Setting the tray down, you can see two glass of tea and a plate of Senbei Crackers. She puts the glass in front of you and Marisa respectively while the plate on the middle. Marisa grins and slowly taking the crackers and eating it.

“Now, can you tell me who you are? I’ve never seen you in the human village before,” Reimu asks, sitting down.

You try to tell Reimu and Marisa everything, but you couldn’t. You have no prior memory before coming here and when you try to recall anything, your head starts hurting. The only thing you remember is your name.

“You can’t remember? Did you lose your memory?” Reimu ask, snacking a cracker. You slowly nod. “Not a surprise, seeing you were laying in front of the shrine floor, unmoving. Thought you were a worshipper at first. Not to mention, you slept for the whole day.” She turns to Marisa. “Have you seen him before?

“*munch munch* Nope, never seen him before. *munch munch*” Marisa replied, snacking on more crackers.

“Hmm, maybe someone will recognize you if we walked around the village. Alright, let’s head out now. Reimu stands up, ushering you outside.

“W-wait for me!” Marisa downs the last crackers and tea and rush to catch up to us.

Thus, we headed to the Human Village. Along the way, Reimu tells a bit about herself. Her name is Hakurei Reimu, a shrine maiden. The place where we were before is the Hakurei Shrine. Despite being a shrine maiden, she mostly solved the incident that happens around Gensokyo. What kind of incident, you have no idea. Next, Marisa introduces herself.

Full name: Kirisame Marisa, a magician. She lives inside a house in the Magic Forest. Your face show a sign of confusion, and Marisa said she’ll show you her place later. She helped resolved the incident and have a rivalry with Reimu. Hearing that Reimu rolls her eyes. She also carrying a broom with her.

Along the way, you can’t help but feel something is watching you along the trees. When you tell Reimu and Marisa if there’s any wild animal, they say to just ignore it and if there is any trouble, they’ll protect you. Heeding their advice, you continue walking.

Eventually, you arrived at the human village. Rows of houses and shops with a lot of human moving about their day. With post-haste, you start asking. You went from houses, school, izakayas, bookstore but bear no fruit. Feeling dejected, you three went back to the shrine.

“Sigh, how tiring,’ the shrine maiden sigh. You and Reimu arrived at the shrine nearing sundown. Marisa left a while ago, saying that she needs to be somewhere while flying off with her broom. You were surprised at first, but then Reimu shows that she can fly without anything assisting her. You just accept it by then.

Reimu lays down on the porch, sprawled out. You sit next to her and apologize.

“No, no, it’s not your fault. It’s just annoying how we couldn’t clear this in one go. Looks like I have to ask Yukari. Aaahh, I hate asking her for favours!” she scratch her head.

You both stay quiet. You don’t know how you can help.

“Well, everything’s going to be fine. They always will be. Now, I have to start preparing for dinner.” Reimu stretches her body, gets up and enter inside. But you didn’t move. Noticing that, Reimu ask, “What’s wrong?”

You stay silent for a few second. Your throat is dry, but you muster your strength to speak. You said to Reimu that you don’t want to impose on her anymore for all her done to you.

You hear Reimu start shuffling her feet to you and when she calls your name, you turn around and was a greeted with a flick on the forehead. It hurts. You feel like it’ll leave a bruise.

“What are you saying? Imposed? I did this because I want to. And if you did leave, where will you go? You don’t even know where you are right now. And Im not that of a youkai to just kick you out. Now get up, we have to start preparing for dinner.” Reimu walks away.

When Reimu left, you sat there, unmoving. But your body feels light. It feels that everything’s will be okay if you stay with her. You believe in her. Wiping your eyelids, you stand up and heading to the kitchen. Before heading there, with a smile you mutter under your breath,

Thank you, Reimu.

Months passed and you are more accustomed to your life here in Gensokyo. Reimu said that to live here, I have to help her with her work around the shrine. You thought it will be hard at first, but to your surprised, it was surprisingly simple. Clean the front yard, brew some tea, clean the shrine, advertise the shrine, and help with the banquet that held whenever the residents feels like. The only place off-limits is the shrine offering box, but hey, one less place to work at. Not to mention, not a lot of people came visiting the shrine and that’s because

“The human worshipper won’t come here because they said that this is a youkai shrine! Can you believe that?! Not to mention there is another shrine that stealing all the worshippers from this shrine. If it came down to this, I just have to eliminate all the youkais in Gensokyo. Hahahahahahaha… zzzzzzzz” a drunken miko tirade.

You also met Aunn, a komainu of the shrine, Clownpiece, a fairy from the denizen of Hell, which led you to meet with more prank-loving fairies and Suika, a constantly drunk tiny oni. Other’s have also met with you some being vampires, reporters, youkai, sages, and a lot more. Even if your memory hasn't returned, you're sure that you live your best life here.

Chapter 2: Kirisame Marisa

Kirisame Marisa is a human magician. Her hair is golden with a braid on one side, her eyes yellow in color. Her size similar to one of a young adult. She donned a full witch’s outfit: a black witch’s hat, black dress and broom. You first met her when you woke up in Gensokyo. Your first impression of her that she is friendly and playful. She and Reimu are the one to introduce you to Danmaku -battle of bullets- and spellcard. Whenever possible, Marisa would challenge Reimu to a danmaku battle while you only spectate -with Reimu winning almost every fight-. Albeit you’re unable to join in, you can still appreciate its beauty. You’re interested in Marisa, so you asked Reimu, in which she said,

“Huh, Marisa? That girl does things however she likes, whenever she likes it. She’s pushy, overly confident and highly competitive. She also gets along with anything. You ask anyone if they knew who Marisa is, everyone will say yes. *sigh* I can’t even count how many times she intrude on my peaceful days, asking for battles and such. However, when things get out of hand, she’s someone that you can rely on,” Reimu smirks “Well, not like I ever need one. If that’s all, come sit down and relax, you don’t want to miss these peaceful days.” Reimu taps a spot next to her. Although you want to say her nothing days is a dime a dozen, you held your tongue and scoot over to where Reimu is and enjoy the afternoon.

Several days passed, Marisa comes again with another danmaku fight with Reimu: she lost. Afterwards, she does her routine: saying that she’ll win one day, chatting about random things with you and Reimu while drinking tea and stay for dinner. When Reimu is in the kitchen, preparing the food, you shoot Marisa a question, Why does she always come over? You hoped that you don’t come off as rude, but Marisa replies,

“Meals are always better in a company! Besides, if I don’t check up on poor Reimu, who knows when she’ll ended up croaking. You know how Reimu is, unfriendly to a fault,”

“I won’t die anytime soon,” Reimu interjects, bringing a tray of food and setting it on the table. “Also, I wish you bring something to the table whenever you come over.”

“Didn’t I bring some mushroom the other day?”

“I would use it if it was normal! I fed it to Aunn and she turns back to her statue. You know how heavy she is when she turns back to her statued form?”

“Huh, no wonder I haven’t seen her lately.”

With a sigh from Reimu, you three enjoy dinner. Finishing dinner, Reimu starts cleaning the table and start heading towards the kitchen to wash the dishes while Marisa prepares to head home. Before Marisa leaves, you ask her if you could visit her home sometimes. When asked why, you were just curious to see the place she lives in. Hearing your answer, she smirks.

“Fufu, I know. You want to delve into the world of magics!” her yellow eyes glimmer” Another soul who understands the beauty and power of magics,” standing up, she grabs your hand “Alright, how about a demonstration?” she grins “Oi Reimu, I’m borrowing him for a while!” Marisa shouts.

“Just don’t be off too late,” a voice can be heard from inside the kitchen.

“Hehe, come on!” Marisa drags you out. She sets her broom to a riding(?) position. She gestures you to hop on, but you were scared at first. Seeing your hesitation, she dragged you to her broom. For her size she’s strong you thought. You adjust the way you sit until you find the ‘perfect’ spot and without warning, Marisa took off.

This impromptu take off caught you by surprise and you unconsciously grabbed onto Marisa’s waist with the girl in question laughs playfully. Getting over your bearing, you marvel at the sight. The full moon shining bright, the sky illuminated by stars, the breeze of wind that makes you shiver. You feel like a little kid riding his first bike, except you’re flying. Marisa can’t help but snicker which turn to a full blown laugh seeing your childish antics. You blush and hit her playfully on the back. In retaliation, she dives down, which made you hastily grabs on Marisa’s waist; elicit another laughter from Marisa.

After a full course ride, she drops you off in front of the shrine, Reimu sipping her tea on the porch waiting for your arrival. You waved Marisa goodbye, head inside and went to sleep, excited for what tomorrow brings.

Tomorrow comes. After finishing your simple breakfast with Reimu –and Marisa who came early- you set off to Marisa’s house. After a couple of minutes, you arrived to Marisa’s house in the Forest of Magic. One side of her house have been covered with ivy. She then walks to the door and invited you inside. Upon entering, you are greeted with various objects, trinkets and books laying on the ground. Marisa shamelessly walks past them with precise steps, and you follow her to reach the living room(?) where the chairs and table are. Seeing the mess made you itch to clean but you suppress the feeling. The place is different compare to Hakurei Shrine. You sat down on one of the chairs while Marisa searching the jun- treasure trove, making small talk with you also. Fishing for a couple of books, she returned to the table. She hands you a book, which reads ‘Magicks for dummies, even a toddler can master it!’ You thank her for the book and thus, Marisa’s magic lesson begins.

The sun is setting and by the end of the lesson you understand that you don’t understand anything. You had tried various things with her: drawing magic circles, wording off spells, and relying on feeling, none of it bear fruit. It’s not that Marisa is a bad teacher. She’s great in fact, giving you a hands-on lesson and demonstration, even delving to its inner working. It’s seems that you don’t have the innate talent for this. You feel bad for wasting her time like this as you apologize to her.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Even I have a hard time too in the beginning. You just need to do it occasionally and it’ll become second nature to you,” she pats you on the back. “Seeing the sun coming down, how about I send you home? A good night rest always help,” you silently nod at her suggestion.

The ride home was uneventful. You both stay silent. The minutes ride felt like hours. Arriving at the Hakurei Shrine, you see Reimu sweeping at the front entrance. Didn’t she start sweeping there in the morning? you thought but pay no mind. Marisa brought you down and she greeted Reimu.

Reimu nods. “Hey, help me with dinner tonight,” Reimu addresses you, then look at Marisa “You staying Marisa?”

“Nah, I have a date with an Izakaya tonight,” the magician head shook “Well, I got to go now. See you both later. I’ll pick you up tomorrow too, same time” Marisa flies off.

You and Reimu head back to the shrine, you help her with dinner and you both ate in silent. Night comes and both of you head to bed. Before dozing off, you hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

A week has passed. Marisa have been picking you up every single day until today and as promise, Marisa came at the same time to pick you up. Saying your byes to Reimu, you head off with Marisa. The ride with Marisa is the same as last time; complete silence. You felt confident before but all that falls apart. You’re scared. Scared of failure. Negative thoughts invade your mind that you didn’t even realized Marisa was calling out to you.

“Ooooiiii, anyone there?” the blonde magician hand wave in front of you. It seems that you have arrived at your destination except it’s not Marisa’s house. You’re in the middle of the forest, brown and green and the occasional different colored mushrooms that your eyes can see. Weren’t we supposed to go to your home, Marisa? you ask.

“We’re mushroom picking today. Need a new batch of ingredients. I figured today is the best day to go. And more hands the better.” Marisa grins while looking around the surrounding. But you don’t know anything about mushrooms. “That’s why I’m here. Now, come, the mushrooms awaits!” she grabs you by the wrist and drag you deeper.

The rest of the day, you and Marisa search around the forest. Marisa teach you lots, ranging from edible and inedible mushroom, the best time to pick them and best area to find them. She also said the mushroom that she brought over before originates from here. You shudder, remembering what Reimu said happen to Aunn, where Marisa laughs and said that it’ll wear off in a week… probably. There’s a lot to take in and you haven’t brought anything to jot down with, but Marisa said you don’t need it as she’ll always be with you whenever she need help picking mushroom and eventually you’ll just know whats what. Halfway through, when you have a handful of mushrooms, you realize that you don’t have anything to put them in. Marisa offers her hat which made you repulse. Noticing your (visible) disgust, she immediately add “You thought it smells, didn’t you? Well, it doesn’t! I put things here all the time and every time I brought things out it smells fine! Here, here, smell it!” she shove her hat in front of your face. After incessant dodging, you give in and take a whiff inside of her hat. Surprisingly, it’s not bad. Quite nice actually. There’s a hint of orange you can extract from. You also notice she did indeed store small objects inside her hat. After a few seconds, she removed the hat from you face, her face turns to a grin “See~?” and motion you to put the mushrooms in but you still hold on to them, worrying for sanitary reason. Marisa pouts, and put her witch hat back on then faces away, muttering something to herself.

Seeing that you vehemently refuse to put the down the mushroom, Marisa ask you to look around and find a place so that the both of you could sit down. You scanned the area and managed to find an open clearing with tree stumps litter around. You and Marisa head on over. There, Marisa pulls out her mini Hakkero. She ask you to find some twigs to skewer the mushroom that you were holding and you went ahead and do so. Not too long, Marisa set up a campfire and you place the skewered mushroom on the fire. You sat near on the tree stump near the fire whereas Marisa sit on a different tree stump besides you. The smell of roasted mushroom wafted on the air, making you drool with anticipation. Marisa then speak,

“So, how’s today? Pretty fun right~?” you turn to face Marisa. “If it wasn’t, I’ll personally eat my hat” she point toward her hat. You smile. You did have fun today.

“Well, even if this doesn’t rouse you up, there’s other things here to do in Gensokyo” Marisa turn to face the fire. Although you had fun today, you are confused. Why did she bring you here instead of her house? you ask Marisa. She stays silent for a while. Then speak up,

“Yesterday, you were frustrated right? About failing?” Marisa glances at you. She hit the nail on the head. I guess it shows huh? you thought. You nod. “Hahaha, yeah, it’s easy to see” and silence.

“You know” Marisa continues “When I was a kid, I was in a similar situation as you. Always have been bad at magic. Thankfully, I have a great teacher…” Marisa look forlorn “Anyway, failure after failure after failure, one day, it happens. A spark. My eyes lit up when I first did it. It feels, magical.” Marisa faces you, “What I’m trying to say is, failure isn’t the end. There are days when I couldn’t do magic but that doesn’t stop me. If there is a wall that blocks your path, break through it!” Marisa points her finger at you.

Finishing her speech, your body relaxes, everything feels lighter and then: you laugh. You laugh and laugh and laugh, tears rolling down your face. You can hear Marisa blush from her. After you finished laughing, you thanked her.

“I just don’t want you to give up on learning magic. It’s something really special to me, and I want you to experience it too,” Marisa speaks, “Now, the mushroom should be done by now, how about we eat. Unless you like yours charred?” Marisa snidely remark, handing you one of the mushroom skewer. It’s delicious. Different from when you made it. With a “Nice right?~” from Marisa, you and Marisa feast on the roasted mushrooms while happily chatting away.

Night soon came, having finished the meal, you and Marisa make your way back to the Hakurei Shrine. You both walk to the shrine and see that Reimu is setting up the table.

“Yo Reimu! We’re back!” Marisa made her presence known.

“Welcome back. Just in time, I almost finished setting the table,” Reimu scoops up white rice and put into a bowl, “You eating too, Marisa?” she starts on the second bowl.

“Well, if Reimu is offering, who am I to refuse?” Marisa removed her shoes and made way to the living room –you followed suit- when suddenly,

“Stop” Reimu put out her hand, “Before that” her hand turned to a receiving gesture, expecting something.

“Hmm, what is it?” Marisa tilts her head in confusion.

“You went mushroom picking, right? My share. Hand it over,” Reimu orders.

“Wha- How did you know?!” Marisa flabbergasted.

“I have my ways. Stop stalling. My share. Now”

“Ahahaha, well” Marisa rubs her head “I forgot” She grins.

“ᗜ_ᗜ,” Reimu sighs “As usual then.” She look past Marisa and to you “Well, at least you have some for me, right?” she smiles.

You’re screwed. You completely forgot to bring some home. You already cooked and ate everything. You tell her that you and Marisa already ate all of the mushroom. “O-oi wait!” you hear Marisa spoke but it’s too late. You look at Reimu and you swear you can see a cartoon vein pop out of her head. She still smiles which made it all the scarier. She picked up one of the bowl and dump back the rice into the rice cooker.

“I see. Well, I guess you both don’t need dinner tonight” she starts to clean yours’ and Marisa’s bowls and head to the kitchen.

“Wa-wait, Reimu! Come on, we got to apologize!” You and Marisa rushed towards Reimu, and plea to her. In the end, you managed to get a mouthful of rice –that you share with Marisa-. When Marisa pesters Reimu for more, her plea fell on deaf ear. You made a promise that you won’t made Reimu mad ever again.

A couple of days passed after the incident –Reimu finally forgave you and Marisa after treating her to a (lavish) meal on the Human Village- you and Marisa are heading toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion across the Misty Lake. The reason for that is ‘I know someone that could help you. She’s a bit of a recluse though, but it’s fine. She and I are best buds!’ yesterday Marisa enthusiastically said. Passing the Misty Lake, in the distance you can see the mansion. When you look down, you see a metal gate and someone standing in front of it. Instead of entering through the gate, Marisa flies past it. You ask Marisa why we didn’t enter from the front, she said

“Hahaha, don’t worry, they know me” she laughingly said. Marisa kept on flying until we reach our destination; a window. Marisa stops in front of one the windows and open it where she gesture you to come with. This is the first time I enter through a window… But maybe this is how they do it here? you naively thought as you follow Marisa.

Upon entering, the first thing that you can see are shelves full of books. Rows and rows of books as far as the eye can see. You gaze in amazement at the sheer volume of books they are here. You wonder how they managed to amass this massive collection. During your daze, Marisa grabs your hand and leads you toward the middle of the library.

“Yo, Patchy!” Marisa waves her hand.

In the middle of the room, there sits a girl, reading a book, she has long purple hair that if stand would reach her back, and purple loose and frumpy outfit that hid her figure. Is she wearing her pyjama? you thought. In front of her stood a desk that has a heap of hard cover books.

“Ah, Marisa. I hope you’re here to return the books that you stole from me?” Patchy said, her eyes glued to the book.

You look at Marisa in disbelief. Marisa ignores your gaze and said “Hey, hey! I’m not stealing! Just borrowing it”

“I hope you returned the ‘borrowed’ books then”

“Now, now. That’s not why I’m here today” Marisa walks towards one of the chairs opposite of Patchy and sits down, you follow her “I brought him today. You know, the Out-“

“The Outsider. I know” Patchy cuts Marisa off. She glance at you then return to her book “Remi speaks of you lately. Then, what do you need?”

“I want you to teach him magic.” Silence fell in the library for a few seconds. Only the sounds of page flipping can be heard.

“Magic, huh?” she flips a page “Would you allow me to speak to him first?”

“Huh? Yeah”

“Alone. Marisa”

Marisa didn’t want to budge at first, but eventually gives up.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go look at some of the books in the meanwhile” Marisa gets up from the chair and walks toward one of the row of bookshelves.

“Please do not bring the books outside of the library.” Which Marisa replies with a “yeah, yeah”.

“Now, before we begin. Koakuma, Koakuma” Patchy calls out.

“Yes, Miss Patchouli?” a red hair girl with bat wings on her head and back came flying down with books in her hand.

“Please brew some tea for our guest here. Also, make sure that our infamous thief keep her hands to herself.”

“Yes, Miss Patchouli!” Koakuma shoots you a grin, bow and left, leaving you and the reading girl alone.

“Now then,” she flips a page “Give up” she said flatly.

Huh? you mouthed out, your brain come to a blank.

“As of now, I don’t see that you could learn it” Patchouli calmly speaks.

But, Marisa said that I could.

“True, but,” she closes her book “I’ll pose you a question. ‘Is there anyone in your world that can use magic like in ours?’”

You look down and said that you don’t remember anything from the place you originate from.

“… I apologize for the insensitive question. However, let’s assume that there does not. If not, why do you think that is?” Before letting you answer, she continues “It’s simple: because they can’t. They don’t have the affinity for it. Similar to how some can draw, sing, write while others can’t.”

How would you know? You haven’t even tried testing me yet.

“Marisa has been teaching you, hasn’t she? That girl always tries to tackle things first before letting others help her. And, seeing that she’s asking right now, it’s a good indicator on your ability.”

Is there really no way?

Patchouli stays silent. Then “But, that doesn’t mean you truly doesn’t have any magical affinity. It could be that yours is small and dormant that it haven’t surface yet. The problem with that is that we may never know when. For all we know, you’ll be dead first before being able to use magic. That’s why, I see no merit in me teaching you. I advise you to give up as well. There are many things that you are able to do.”

Even so, I want to try. I want you to teach me.

“Even if this ends up being a fool’s errand?”

You nod. You want to repay Marisa back for all the time she spend on you. If there is a chance that you could repay her, even if the chance is miniscule, you’ll take it.

If there’s a wall that blocks my path, I’ll just have to break it. So please, Miss Patchouli. I wish for you to teach me.

Patchouli sighs. “That girl have been rubbing off on you. No changing your mind is there?”

Koakuma comes with a moving tray. On top of the moving tray, it has a teacup set. She place the saucer and cups in front of Patchouli and you. After, she elegantly pours the tea, where Patchouli thanked her. In return she shoots the biggest smile similar to before. Finally, she bows and leaves, bringing the moving tray with her.

“Fine. I don’t want to turn this into a hassle, so I’ll help you. I don’t think I’ll be of much help though. Also, I’ll allow you access to the library here. If you ever in need of looking at things from a different perspective, I’ll always be here. However, I won’t be doing it for free.” she sips her tea “My fee is the book that that thief ‘borrows’. Personally, I would like to go to her house and bring it back myself but my physical condition is not in the best condition. Sakuya has a lot of on her plate, taking care of the mansion, Koakuma couldn’t leave as she’s helping me around the library” as she said that, you see Koakuma pass through the direction where Marisa went “and Meiling, she… well…” she closes her eyes and shudder “In short: bring back my books, and I’ll help you. Are we in agreement?”

You nod at her deal and apologize in Marisa’s behalf.

“I’m looking forward to those books. Also, you don’t need to apologize, Marisa has always been like that. It’s her character at this point. Oh, and speak of the devil,” as Patchouli said that Marisa comes back hefting some books in her hands – Koakuma following behind her – and place the books on the desk. She sits next to you.

“Oooiii, Patchy, tell your familiar to stop giving me the look. I haven’t done anything yet,”

“Miss Patchouli, she tried to but I managed to stop her!” Koakuma enthusiastically report.

Patchouli thank the girl and you could see her head bat wings flutter from the praise as she left to resume her duties.

“So, how it goes?” Marisa whispers to you. You give her a thumbs up. She give you a grin then notices the cup of tea next to you. When she look for her share, it was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Patchy, where’s my tea” Marisa look around the table.

“We don’t serve to thieves here.” Patchouli picks up a new book.

“Eeehh, how mean. Stingy,” Marisa respond where it fall on deaf ear. That elicit a snicker from you and you spend the day reading books and hanging out with the two magician. With enough grumbling, Marisa manage to procure a cup of tea from the annoyed librarian.

The next day and so forth, your routine with Marisa has been: mushroom picking, potion making, magic learning, book stealing (and returning), tea drinking and any other shenanigans that Marisa will bring you with her. There’s never been a dull day when you hang out with Marisa. Albeit your magic lesson has come to a standstill, you still had fun being with her. Besides, it’s not like you have given up. If she hadn’t given up on you, you won’t give up.

One day, you are at Marisa’s house, reading some random books – mainly taken from the SDM – Marisa does the same. You noticed that the sun is setting down. You should start getting ready to go home. Before coming over here, you went to the Human Village to get some ingredients for dinner. You managed to snag a sale on some vegetables, Reimu would be pleased. You are the one preparing dinner tonight. As you’re preparing to go home, you see that Marisa has been staring at you, seemingly lost in thought. She’s been like this for the past couple of days, but you start noticing she look at you more often after the one of the banquet that Reimu held at the shrine. A story for another time. Then,

“Hey, how’s the shrine life?” Marisa ask.

? It’s alright. You mostly sweep the floor, play with Aunn, get pranked by the fairies, indulge in alcohol with Suika –with the displeasure of Reimu due to us day drinking – advertise the shrine in the Human Village, thinking of scheme to increase the shrine (monetary) growth with Reimu –which most, if not all of it, fall flat- and relaxing by drinking tea with Reimu and any resident that came to the shrine that day. You could say that you are blessed that you are able to live like this. Marisa listen to you. No response from her. You continue prepping when Marisa ask,

“Hey” you turn to Marisa “how about you stay here?”

You love to but not today. It’s your turn to make dinner today and you have to tell Reimu beforehand. Moreover, you don’t have spare clothes and –

“That’s not what I meant!” Marisa interjects “Ahhh what I’m saying is, why not live with me?”

You are stunned by Marisa outburst. You try to process this information but Marisa continues,

“I mean, you practically came over every day, it’s basically a second home, you know? Also, I don’t think Reimu cares that much if you start living with me” Marisa speak quickly.

That is true. You have been coming over Marisa’s house more often. And it’s true that Reimu wouldn’t care what you do, with all this freedom that you are given.

‘Huh, you want to live with Marisa? Alright, don’t forget to come over time to time’ you imagine what Reimu would say. Thinking back, you have a lot of fun being with Marisa. For all the time and effort that she give you is most appreciative and this sounds like a good idea. But no matter how good the deal is, you just can’t leave Reimu. You don’t know why, but you just can’t.

Thank you, Marisa face light up, and I’m sorry. Even though it’s a nice gesture of Marisa to give you a place to stay, but you can’t leave the Hakurei Shrine. You can’t leave Reimu. You are indebted to her. You want to do everything you can to repay Reimu first before you are able to stand on your own two feet. For all the things she have done for you. But that doesn’t mean you hate the idea of staying with Marisa, it’s just you want to help Reimu first.

Marisa head droop to the ground “Haha, yeah… Reimu” she mutters. She grabs her iconic black wizard hat and broom and start walking to the door, passing you. “If you ever fought with Reimu, you know where to go” she grins, her thumb pointing towards herself. You snicker and follow Marisa and you are off to the Hakurei Shrine.

It turn night when you arrive at the Hakurei Shrine, you see Reimu sitting in front of the stairs of the shrine with a pestering drunken oni besides her. You got off the magician’s broom and invited Marisa over for dinner tonight because you got a deal on the market this morning but sadly, Marisa decline, saying that she have somewhere she needs to be. Well, it can’t be helped. You wave Marisa goodbye and turn toward the shrine but then,

“I’m not giving up” Marisa mutters.

You turn back and Marisa grab your hand. “I’m not giving up. I’ll help you. I’ll make sure that you look at me, not Reimu” Marisa tighten her grip on you “And if you still won’t think of me, I’ll break that wall of your heart!”

You blush. You don’t know what is happening. Marisa then let’s go of your hand.

“And I’ll wait for you,” Marisa smiles a smiles that shines brighter than the moon.

You don’t know how to respond to this. You awkwardly bow and turn back and start walking to the shrine.

“I love you”

You turn back but Marisa was not here anymore. You look up at the night sky and you can see the beautiful moon tonight.

Notes:

For the underline part, I was unable to change the font size, I'll be using it as a small font from now on. Apologies.

Chapter 3: Rumia

On a scorching afternoon, you are on your way back home from the Human Village, buying ingredients for your meal. You manage to secure some vegetables, a whole raw chicken and some ice for refreshment. You were supposed to head out with Reimu. However, Reimu was looking lethargic due the heat wave. Whenever you went out, you are usually accompanied by Aunn, Reimu or Marisa but today Aunn is busy helping around the shrine and Marisa haven’t come often lately. Thus, you decide to head there yourself. The reason why they usually accompany you is because of the roaming youkai and wild animals. But it’s alright, because you are a big boy. If there’s any danger you can just run away from it… you hope. Moreover, it’s rare for you to go the Human Village in the first place; because there’s no reason for it. You usually went to the Human Village whenever you need to buy food or rent some books but that’s usually a non-issue. This is because sometimes, human worshipper came over to the shrine and sent some donation. This made Reimu eyes lit up and she does her best at her job as the shrine maiden, and if it’s not human worshipper, non-human (youkai, hermit, sages, etc.) came over and brought over food and beverage (mostly alcoholic). Despite Reimu grumbling that because of this, this is the reason why the ratio of human to non-human worshipper has a huge gap and why this place has been called a Youkai Shrine, she just accepts it as, donation is still donation, no matter who it’s from. And if its book, you mostly borrow from Marisa –mostly taken from the Scarlet Devil Mansion – with a fee of food and tea.

Halfway through, you spot a black ball on your left in the field. The size of the ball is small (similar to a child’s height). You didn’t notice the ball when you were walking towards the Human Village before. Albeit curious, the cat lives today as you turn back and head towards your destination, thinking that it’s the heat playing tricks on you when suddenly,

“Ah,” a voice came from the direction of the ball. You turn back and was greeted with two red eyes, staring back at you. Soon, the black ball slowly disappears, leaving a child in its place.

You take a look at the child: she has red eyes and short blonde hair. She wears a black vest and skirt, and white blouse with a red tie bordered by two large beads around the neck. On her left side of her hair, there is a red and white ribbon tied to it.

As you are still looking, the girl charge towards you in a ‘十’-like position. Eventually, she collides with you and you both fell to the ground, the girl sits on top of you.

“A human! I was getting hungry~~. Thanks for the meal~~” her open mouth crept closer to your neck. You try to push the girl away alas you’re not strong enough. You’re only able to hold her in place, but it won’t last long. Wait! you scream. The girl stops.

“Eeehhh, why~~?” she looks at you, waiting for a response.

You don’t know how to get out of this. Using strength to overpower her is out of the question. However, the fact that you can understand each other, there’s a chance that you could talk it out and find a middle ground. You ask her if she’s hungry which she nod. Well of course, she did try to eat you. You then look to the scatter food from when you fell and encourage her to take anything from there. She looks at the direction where you are looking and look at the food. She asks you what’s there and you list the thing that you bought recently. When you said the chicken, she reacted to it. She looks back at you and then,

“If I eat you, I can eat the chicken too~~”

Shoot, she’s right! There’s no reason for her to keep you alive when she can just eat both you and the chicken. “Well, thanks for th-“. Wait! you yelled out.

“What now?” she pouts, annoyed by the constant interruption.

You don’t know what to do. You’re drawing a blank here. You have to say something, anything. You mouthed out I’ll make it worthwhile. She tilts her head, waiting for you to elaborate. You said to her that you could bring more food to her. Delicious food to her. She looks up as if to think on your offer. A couple of seconds pass, then she looks at you and said,

“Okay~~, I’ll let you go~~” she gets off of you. You slowly get back up, surprised that that work. “You promise, right~~?” she looks at you. You said that in the heat of the moment, but you promised anyway. She smiles then pick up the chicken. “I can have this, right~~?” she held the chicken and show it to you. You agree to hand it to her. She’s beaming, thanking you and munch on the raw chicken. Goodbye, chicken. You were a noble sacrifice. You pick up the leftover food that is scatter around. Thankfully, the ice hasn’t melt completely yet. You said your goodbye to the eating girl and go to the Hakurei Shrine.

As you arrive at the shrine, you see Aunn splashing water at the entryway. She notices and greet you, she apologizes for not being able to go with you to the Human Village today. You pat her head and give her one of the ice that you bought. Her eyes lit up and she thank you for the treat. She stops what she was doing and walk with you to the shrine entrance and found Reimu, still laying in the same position as you left. You shake Reimu awake, and she groggily open her eyes. She look at you and you showed her the thing that you bought at the Human Village. She thanked you for doing the groceries. As she slowly gets up from laying down to a sitting position, she notices that you didn’t bring back the chicken for the karaage tonight. She asks if the chicken was out today. You nervously laugh and said that the chicken was expensive today. She stares at you and says “Oh well” while picking one of the ice from the bag. She asks you to put this in the kitchen and bring out the Barley tea out.

You are lazing around with Reimu and Aunn while eating the ice and drinking tea when you ask Reimu about the blonde girl you met earlier.

“Huh? Oh, that’s Rumia. She’s a youkai that’s able to manipulate darkness. Yukari said that she has a history with my mother but when I ask her, she said she doesn’t know anything. She shouldn’t be dangerous but be careful, as she is a youkai that hunt human as food. Why do you ask?”

No reason, I just met her when I was walking home you said to Reimu.

“Is that so? … Wait, did she take the chicken from you?” Reimu ask, her face turn to a scowl. You said no, it really was expensive today. She stares at you for a moment before returning to a neutral expression. You forgot that Reimu has good intuition. “Speaking of youkai,” Reimu continues “Here” she hands you an amulet. “I finally manage to finish this. This amulet should repel any low-class youkai away from you. It’s imbued with prayers by yours truly” she smugly said. “However, that’s all it does. Don’t go hoping for a miracle with this. At least, with this you can freely move around without my supervision. It won’t stop any higher-class youkai, but they should be understanding, and you be able to talk it out if things get out of hand and if they’re still bothering you, just say my name. They’ll stop, to an extent.” she smiles.

You tightly grasp the amulet in your hand and thank Reimu for the gift. Is this the reason she’s been staying up all night? you asked. The red miko blush as she punches you on the shoulder.

“You better be grateful that I didn’t charge you for this!” she adds while looking away to hide her embarrassment. You quietly laugh. An embarrassed Reimu is a cute Reimu you thought.

Three days has passed and you’re heading to the Human Village. Apparently, there supposedly to be a banquet held at the shrine tonight and Reimu had forgotten about it. Seeing that Reimu and Aunn are busy preparing the place, you take it upon yourself the duty of buying ingredient to make for tonight. With the amulet that Reimu gave you, you should be fine if you ever encounter any trouble. On your way there, you spot the youkai of darkness, Rumia sitting on top of a small rock. She seems to be looking at the butterflies flying around the small patch of flowers. Eventually, she turn her head around and your eyes meet hers. Her mouth turn to a smile and she runs toward you.

“Human! I was waiting for you~~” she stops in front of you. Then, she circles around you, seemingly looking for something. Unable to find the things she wants, she stops in front of you again.

“Where is it?” Rumia asks.

Where is what? You don’t understand what she is talking about.

“You promised to bring food” she pouts.

You scratch your head, trying to remember but then it hits. You did promised to bring her food in exchange of sparing your life the other day. Before you’re able to do anything, Rumia grabs your hand, her mouth steadily opens,

“If there’s no food, then you are the food~~. Thanks for the meal~~” her mouth inches closer to your left wrist.

Realizing this, you try moving your hand from harm ways but fail to do so. Instead, you close your eyes for the inevitable pain that that you’ll receive on your left hand. You pray, hoping for a miracle to happen. Slowly, you felt a slight prick on your left wrist, the feeling of something sharp (presumably her teeth) trying to dig deeper into your flesh. You wince from the pressure. However, the pressure then stops, slowly the sharp pain is lift off from your wrist. You open your eyes, confuse as to what has happened. You look at your left wrist, there’s a small bite mark on it and small amount of blood coming out. You turn to look at the youkai,

“Bleeeehh!” she spits out. “You taste bad!” she blehs out a few more times. “Mrgrgr! Human is a liar and taste bad! Liar! Liar! Bad taste!” she envelopes herself darkness and runs off.

You don’t know what had happen, but you breathe a sigh of relief. It seems you’re able to live today. Even though you feel happy, you felt a pang of guilt for not upholding your promise. Even if she’s a youkai, a promise is a promise, and you should always follow through your promises. You make a note to yourself; that the next time you meet with her, you’ll bring her delicious food. But for now, you head to the Human Village to finish what you started.

Two weeks has passed and you’re on your way to the Hakurei Shrine from the Human Village. You went today to borrow some books from Suzunaan. The new installation from Agata Chris Q came out last week and you’re excited on figuring out who’s the murderer this time. Before leaving, you bought some meat skewers, taiyakis and puddings. Lately, you start buying snacks before you went home. These pass couple of days, you were searching for Rumia, hoping that you could give her the snacks that you brought but to your dismay, she’s nowhere to be seen. Whenever that happens, you give the snacks to the residence of Hakurei Shrine. Aunn, Suika and Clownpiece are happy with the gifts, but Reimu looks apprehensive, but doesn’t inquire further. Your small allowance (receive from helping around the shrine) has become even smaller. You don’t know if you could keep buying these snacks in the near future. As you were thinking that, Lady Luck has blessed you, as you finally see the blonde girl running around. She then turns her head around and your eyes meet. Her nose scrunches and she start running away from you. You can’t let this chance slip by, so you give chase.

Rumia, wait! you scream. She doesn’t stop. She keeps on running. On your chase, you realize that you’re not getting any closer to her. You need something to distract her or slow her down. You yell out that you brought the food for her. She still hasn’t stop running. You’re getting tired. Despite moving about and helping around the shrine, you haven’t done any strenuous activity. You list out the food that you bought on the Human Village and when she heard the meat skewers, she reacted to it and start slowing down. Eventually, she stops moving, her back is facing you. You close in on her and stop behind her, taking this moment to catch your breath.

“Really?” Rumia turns around, facing you, still wary of you.

Ye-yeah, here, you place the bag in front of you. You sit down, tired from the run. She watches you at first, then slowly approaches the bag. She places her hand inside the bag, trying to fish out her prize – the meat skewer – and when she pulls it out of the bag, her eyes twinkle on the prize. She looks at you and ask if she could have it in which you nod. She thanks you for the food. She puts the meat skewer in her mouth and runs off. You smile. With this, no promise has gone broken. You sit there for a while, gathering your breath. When you finally regain your stamina, you pick up the remaining produce and head back to the shrine.

The next day and forth, whenever you leave the shrine to attend to things, sometimes you will meet with Rumia. Most of the time (almost always) she expects you to give her food and whenever you don’t have any with you at hand, she always looks dejectedly downwards. Seeing this pains your heart. Because of this, you start making bentos whenever you went out. It’s not a problem. If she’s not around, you just eat it or give it to anyone near you. After eating, sometimes she ask you to play with her. Her playing consists of: hide and seek and tag. Other times she envelops herself with you in her ball of darkness. The first time you enter the dark ball, it is completely pitch black. Even when you thought your eyes are adjusted to the darkness, you still can’t see anything. To this day, you’re still unadjusted to her darkness. You ask her how she walk when it’s this dark in her ball which she replied,

“? You just walk~~” she demonstrates by walking, avoiding various obstacles. There are some that she’s unable to evade, but you’re still impressed by her ability.

One lazy afternoon, Rumia – sitting on your lap – is eating a meat bun. You try giving her different types of food, from stir fry vegetables to dairy products, but the one that she likes the most are food that mostly have meat in it. Heck, you can give her a whole raw chicken and she’ll love it. When you look at her like this, you can’t really believe that she someone that eats human. You can only see her as a normal girl. Normal in Gensokyo standard that is. A random thought came into your head. You remember that Rumia said that you tasted(?) bad. You ask Rumia if the other people she (allegedly) eat tasted different. She nods.

“Everyone else taste like chicken~~. Only human taste bad” she savours the meat bun.

Hearing that, you don’t know whether to be happy or sad. On one hand, youkais would be less likely to eat you because you taste bad, while on the other hand, it hurts your feeling, knowing that your meat taste inedible, differ from others. You should be similar to the other humans. Is it because you came from the Outside World? As you are thinking, you place your hand inside your left pocket, touching the amulet. Then you remember. You recall what Reimu said.

“Remember, money is everything. Everything.” Reimu eyes clouded as she handed you your first monthly allowance. Wait, no. That’s not it. It was ‘This amulet should repel any low-class youkai away from you’. Right. That’s what she said. Maybe that’s the reason why you taste bad. You decide to test the theory. You pull out the amulet and place it right next to you on the floor, not touching any part of your body. You see that Rumia has finish eating her meat bun, you ask her to taste you.

“Eeeehh~~ No, you taste bad” she shakes her head. You ask her again, but this time with the promise of doubling the amount of food you bring her the next time you meet. She sits in silence for a few seconds then she replies,

“Okay~~” she turns her head to the side and open her mouth. Following suit, you place your finger inside her mouth. It’s warm and slimy. Slowly, Rumia closes her mouth. She starts sucking your finger, you can feel her tongue moving. At first, she starts slow, then she picks up the speed fervently. Judging by how she doesn’t bleehs out your finger immediately, it seems that your hypothesis is right. The amulet is making you unpalatable towards youkai. You smile, knowing that it isn’t you who is the problem, it’s something else. During your afterglow, you suddenly felt a sharp pain on your finger. You tap on her shoulder to ask her to stop. She doesn’t and kept going, the pain feels more intense than before. You shake her body with your other hand multiple times and the same happen still. No choice, you forcefully remove your finger inside of her mouth. You can see strain of saliva and blood left on your finger. There are couple of teeth mark imprinted on your finger. Before you can do anything, Rumia try to chomp on your finger again, which you abruptly move out of the way, placing your hand in the air. She follows your finger and slowly she faces you.

“Finger, why did you move it???” she look at you expectantly, her pupil dilated and her breath ragged. Before you could response, she tries to climb on top of you, trying to reach your hand. In quick response, you pick up the amulet that is on the floor, her mouth connects to your hand at the same time. A few second pass in silence, and Rumia then bleehs out your hand. Slowly, she gets off of you. You gather your breath, sweat starts pouring out of you. A second of silence then she starts to speak,

“Hey, hey. Why do you sometimes taste good and taste bad~~?” the youkai inquires. You keep quiet, you don’t want to tell her it’s because of the amulet. You don’t want her to have any leverage on you. So, you tell her that it just happens sometimes.

“Is that so~~?” the girl tilts her head. Looks like she believes you. “Hey, hey” she gets closer to you “Can I taste you again~~?” she asks in a sing song manner. You stay silent. You glance at the state of your finger. Blood and saliva are mixed together, few bite marks are left imprinted. You can remember the pain when she bites into you, still fresh in your memory. Maybe because you take too long to respond, she adds,

“I can’t?” she looks at you with puppy dog eyes. Aaaaaah your heart churns. Your resolve weakens whenever she looks sad like that. Even though you know this is a bad idea, you agree to her demand. Her eyes sparkle like a child getting a new toy, and she thank you, her smile widens from ear to ear. However, you have two rules. The first is to not bite into you and the second is that you can stop the activity whenever you want to. She listens to your demands and nod. You both come to an agreement. After the excursion, you hang with her for a bit and you both says your goodbyes and you go on your day.

The next and subsequent time you meet, Rumia take every opportunity to taste you. Before it was because you forgot to bring her any food, but now she does it almost every time. Not to mention, whenever she does taste you, she kept forgetting the rules that you had set up between you and her. No matter how many times you remind (and scold) her, she kept on repeating the same thing. Not to mention, she changed her target to bite. Sometimes your finger, sometimes your neck and sometimes your back. Because of this, whenever you went back home to the shrine, you’re always covered in bite marks. Aunn is concerned because of your condition but you reassured her and tell her that it’s a crazy trend from the kids in the Human Village. She looks at you in disbelief but doesn’t pry further. Reimu, however, only stare at you.

One night, after patching yourself up with bandages, you’re getting ready to go to sleep when Reimu start talking.

“Hey” you pause “We need to talk.” Hearing that, you sit back down. This is rare. Reimu rarely calls you for a talk like this. The only time we have this ‘talk’ is when you did something wrong. The last time you had a talk is when you played a prank on Reimu with Clownpiece. Clownpiece decided that it would be funny to put a tied-up mon on a string inside the donation box and when Reimu tried to pick it up, Clownpiece would yank it off from her hand. You have to admit that it’s pretty funny seeing Reimu’s reaction. However, that day you know what Hell truly is. Tangent aside, you can’t recall any wrongdoings you had done (recently) but you apologize first before she lay it on you.

“?” Reimu look confuse “Did you do anything that need apologizing?”

Well, no, not that you know of any. You say to Reimu that you have this kind of talk is when you did something wrong, so you just assume. Reimu scratch her head.

“It’s not like I like scolding you all the time. Anyway, this is something else” Reimu shifts around her seat “You have been meeting with that youkai, Rumia, haven’t you?” Reimu question.

I have, but how did you know? you answer and question Reimu.

“A certain tengu blabbed her mouth. Also, there’s no such thing as a ‘biting’ trend going on the Human Village. That’s such a bold face lie, and I’m surprise you go with that. Even if it is, that would be a problem in itself,” Reimu goes on “That’s beside the point, this is about you meeting the youkai.” Reimu pause. You wait for her to continue. “I want you to stop” she finishes.

Huh? Why? you ask.

“Why? Because she’s a youkai” the red miko straightforwardly said.

I don’t understand. That’s not really a reason. you reply to the miko.

“Look, a youkai and human cannot live together. It is a given”

Then what about the Rokurobi, Sekibanki, who lives in the Human Village? Or Keine, a Hakutaku, currently teaching in school inside the Human Village? Are they not living together?

“They’ve learned how to mingle with their surroundings. Let me ask you. Do you think any other youkai would be as understanding or willing to learn as them?”

Well, I don’t know but Rumia isn’t like those youkai.

“I find it hard to believe when you come back with all those bite marks on you.”

That’s because I ask her to.

“Because of that you have turn incredibly lax. You lowered your guard around them. Don’t be fooled by their human-like appearance. Once a youkai always a youkai. I don’t want to see you end up dead, or worse.”

But Reimu, you befriend the strong youkais here.

“We have a mutual agreement. If the youkai disrupts the balance of Gensokyo, I’ll go and smack them a little. I can stand as equal as them. You can’t.”

Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. I can take care of myself and if there’s anything that I can’t handle, you’ll be there for me, right Reimu?

“Stop!” Reimu yell “Enough. Please. I don’t want you to make a mistake like them.” Reimu has a pain expression. “Especially when you’re under my protection. Take this advice as a resident of Gensokyo, and a friend. Cut off ties with her, with any youkai. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight” and with that, Reimu went to the other room.

You sit there in silence, Reimu’s pain expression etch inside your head. You know that Reimu is doing what’s best for you but for you to cut off a connection just because of a different species, it feels off to you. You sit there for a minute after Reimu left then head to bed.

The next day, you have an awkward breakfast. You both eat in silence, only the chopstick hitting the bowl can be heard. After finishing your breakfast, without saying anything, you leave the shrine. You start walking. Your goal: the youkai of darkness. Eventually, you found her. Rumia is sitting on top of a rock, watching the butterflies. The same spot where you meet her the second time. As she turns her head, your eyes meet. She smiles and rushes toward you.

“Human! What did you bring me toda-”

Rumia, wait. you cut her off. She stops and tilts her head to the side, waiting for you to continue. Now, you just need to say it to her. Say that you can’t meet up with her anymore. That you’ll be cutting ties with her. Reimu just doing what it’s best for you. You know the strength of youkai and human is incomparable. You experience it firsthand. Then why? Why can’t you say it? Why can’t the words come out of your mouth? Reimu is right, isn’t she? You don’t want Reimu to make that expression again, but you don’t want to cut ties with Rumia. You want Reimu to be happy while still maintaining your friendship with Rumia and the other youkais. These conflicting ideas made you incredibly selfish. You want your cake and eat it too. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh you scream out, startling the youkai in front of you.

Rumia! Let’s promise to be friends forever. you said.

“? Okay~~” Rumia reply, unbeknownst to what is happening right now. You made your decision. You’re going to have it both ways. You know that this is incredibly selfish, but you don’t care. You’ll make sure that you’ll get it both ways. Just as Marisa said, ‘If there’s any wall that stands in your way, just break through it.’ And if Reimu is unsatisfied with your answer, you’ll deal with it. You’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

“Ah~~ Right~~” Rumia speaks “Let’s pinky promise~~” she puts her pinky out. You’re surprise that she knows something like this. You ask her where she learn this gesture.

“Someone from the shrine taught it to me~~ She said, that when you made promises, you do this~~” Rumia reply to your question.

Someone from the shrine, is it Reimu? you thought but don’t inquire further. Nevertheless, a pinky promise, huh? You haven’t done that in a long while. The last time that you did this is the same day where you and Clownpiece played a trick on Reimu. The Hell Day, as you dubbed it. You give a small laugh at the random thought. You hold out your pinky, and slowly inches closer to hers. Before you’re able to do so, a voice rings out,

“I knew you’d be here” you hear a familiar voice.

You turn around and as you guess, it is the miko in red, slowly descending. How did she know you were here?

“I’ll be absolutely naive if I wasn’t. Now, I remember I told you not to get close to her?” Reimu said in a neutral tone, but despite that, you know there’s weight to it.

“Ah! It’s the stingy miko” Rumia points to Reimu. Reimu glare at the aforementioned youkai which made Rumia hide behind your back.

Reimu, I know that you ask me to do that. And I know that you meant well, but I’m afraid that I can’t do that. I don’t have the heart to do that.

“You’ll be regretting it when she pulls your heart out literally. Look, I know that Rumia here look like any other human, but please remember: she’s a youkai. A human. Eating. Youkai. There are plenty more like her out there and they are far more aggressive than her. Do you think they’ll give you the time of day to talk things out?”

I don’t know but if we don’t try, we won’t know.

“And if ‘talking’ doesn’t work, what then? What will you do? Living in Gensokyo for months, you know the strength of a youkai by now. A human can’t even compare to an average youkai. You’ll be dead by then, or worse.”

Then, I’ll get stronger.

“How? How will you get strong? The you I know is someone that can’t do magic, average in fitness, average in everything. You’re just a human. A normal human. And if you think that I can save you every time that you get into trouble, you’re mistaken. I’m no hero. I’m just your average miko. Please, you’re confused right now. Now come here, and leave this idea that human and youkai can co-exist.”

If this goes on like this, Reimu will surely win you over. Everything she said right now has its merit. But you just can’t accept that. The idea that you can’t befriend or live in fear of the youkai is something that you don’t want.

I’ll prove it.

“Hm?”

I’ll prove it to you, Reimu. I’ll get stronger. I’ll become someone strong, someone that could stand next to you. Heck, why stop there. I’ll be stronger that I can even protect you. I’ll show you that I can be the right man for you! you scream with all your might. You feel like this won’t do anything to sway Reimu’s opinion, but you have to try. Anything. You both stay silence. Eventually, Reimu breaks the silence,

“You mean that?”

You nod.

“I won’t be able to change your mind?”

You nod.

Reimu sighs, “You fool.” She slowly walks up to you. She raises both of her hands and place it on your cheeks. Then, she pinches it really hard. It hurts! Owowowo. After 10 seconds, she let go.

“That’s for lying to me. And making me worry.”

Worry? Reimu? She doesn’t look like it when you were at the shrine. You kept it to yourself.

“Fine. I’ll allow you to do as you please. I won’t stop you. However, next time, please don’t let anyone do anything towards your body. Whether it’s human or youkai, doesn’t matter. It bothers me too much. Also, if I found you’re colluding with any force that disrupt the balance of Gensokyo, I won’t hesitate to stop you.” her words feel like ice when she said. “Furthermore, if you did die to a youkai ‘I told you so’” Reimu smugly said. “Alright, now that’s that, let’s go.” Reimu starts walking.

Where are we going? you ask.

“The Human Village. You’re paying for lunch today. Persuasion fee. Come on, Rumia. You’re coming too. You can have anything you like. He’s paying,” Reimu calls out to Rumia.

“Really~~ Yay~~ Thank you, Reimu, human~~” Rumia dash to Reimu.

After that discussion, it looks like everything ends well. You got approval(?) from Reimu to befriend whoever you want. It looks like it turns to a happy ending today. You start running, catching up with Reimu and Rumia. What’s not a happy ending is the weight of your wallet that day. Looks like you have to start being frugal for the next few months.

Chapter 4: Daiyousei and Cirno

It is another normal day, you and Reimu (mostly you) has finish cleaning around the shrine. Reimu decide that today is a wonderful day to relax, and it would be a waste to not do so. She asks you to brew some tea and bring out the snack as she walks towards the porch. You do so, preparing the tea. When you finish, you bring the tea and teacups out with a tray of leftover dango from yesterday to the porch, where Reimu is currently sitting, taking in the warm sun. Suddenly, you hear a noise, coming from a distance. You turn your head to find the source of the noise and looking at the entryway of the shrine, you found it. In the distance, you see a silhouette slowly coming in. At first, you thought it was Marisa, coming in to mooch off of you but then, you see another silhouette behind the first one. You and Reimu wait for the silhouette to come closer. Upon it coming closer, you can finally make out what the silhouette said,

“Reeeeeeeiiiiiiimmuuuuu,” one the silhouette screams out. Slowly, the two stops in front of the shrine. On closer look, it’s two fairies that stops in front of you and Reimu. The fairy standing in front has aqua-colored eyes, blue-ish short hair. She wears a blue ribbon on her head, a white blouse, blue jumper dress and a red ribbon, tied on her neck. On her back, you can see icicle-shaped wings. Behind her, however, has short green hair with yellow ribbon, tied to her neck. She wears a blue dress with white trim and sleeves, golden wings rest on her back.

“Today, will be the day! Eye’ll show you the power of the strongest!” the fairy in front confidently said, her hands rest on her hips.

Reimu sighs. “Can we not do this today? It’s such a beautiful day today and I deserve this break.”

“No! It has to be today! The strongest me is the most strongest today! Fight me, Reimu!” the fairy points at Reimu.

“How many times has this made? How annoying… Anyways, pour me a cup, this’ll be over real quick,” Reimu stands up and brings out her ofuda “I’ll show you what happen when someone mess with my breaks”. With that said, Reimu and the fairy will begin the danmaku.

*sips* “Aaahh~ Nothing like a good cup of tea to quell a minor annoyance” Reimu happily said, drinking her tea on the porch.

When Reimu said it’ll be over quick, she means it. The battle didn’t even last five minutes. The fight begins with the fairy shooting her bullets at Reimu, with Reimu gracefully graze around it. When you thought that Reimu would get hit by it, the bullet passed through her, leaving her unscathed. She breezes through the hail of bullet, elegantly pass as a dancer would, inching closer and closer to the fairy. You have seen this multiple times with her battling Marisa, but it still sends your heart thumping, seeing how elegant yet powerful in the way Reimu fight. Feeling cornered, the fairy then uses her spell card, Reimu had no problem skirting around the barrage of ice-like bullet from the fairy. Reimu start on her attack when the fairy has exhaust all of her option and easily hit the fairy that tries to dodge Reimu attacks. After the fight, the fairy exclaims ‘Th-this one doesn’t count! Next time, Reimu!’ and flies off, the other fairy impishly follows behind her. To say that this is a fair fight would be wrong, this is a one-sided match with Reimu in the lead. You did feel bad for the fairy but there’s nothing you could do right now. Also, you haven’t met the two fairies yet. Curios, you ask Reimu who they were.

“Hm? Oh, her? She’s the idiot fairy.” Reimu answers. Well, that wasn’t very nice.

“It’s not like that. Fairies are rather simplistic. The only thing on their head is how to have fun and they usually shows it by pranking others, just look at Clownpiece. The one that kept screaming that she’s the ‘strongest’ is Cirno. She’s a fairy that able to manipulate ice. Because I kept on beating her over and over, she put me as a target to get back her title of ‘the strongest’. Of course, that’ll never happen.” Reimu sips her tea “But, if she fought other fairies, she might be the strongest.”

Oh, I see, you say. Wait, then who’s the one behind her? you ask.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. That’s…” a long pause. Reimu took a sip of tea. “Anyway, I think it’s time you go back to work, you rest plenty already.” Reimu said.

Wait, you haven’t told me who that is y-

“I think it’s a good time to work, isn’t that right, Mr ‘I-can-be-the-right-man-for-you’?” Reimu jokingly said.

That’s a low blow Reimu. You only said that once in a spur of the moment and now she won’t let it go. You blush and restart your cleaning, a snickering Reimu can be heard behind you.

The next day, you’re on your way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. You’re going to return some of the books – that Marisa ‘borrows’ – back to Patchouli so that she could teach you magic. Although, no new development has been made, you still won’t give up. If they won’t give up on you, you won’t give up either. On the path to the SDM, you need to circle around the Misty Lake. Rumour has it that there is a Loch Ness monster, reside inside the lake. Passing through, you see two familiar faces playing near the shore: it’s the two fairy that came by yesterday. The one in blue, Cirno, is sleeping – a flower crown adorned her head - while the other fairy is making a flower crown. You decide to greet the two, as you couldn’t do so yesterday. You walk up to the two and the (flower making) fairy notice you. She gives you a small head bow, and slowly shake Cirno to wake her up.

“Cirno, Cirno, wake up,” the small fairy shakes.

“Hmmm, what is it, Dai?” Cirno groggily wakes up. Cirno slowly rubs her eyes and turn her head to meet yours. She tilits her head. “Hm? Who are you?” You explain that you are a resident at the shrine. You saw the two at the shrine yesterday but wasn’t able to properly greet them.

“Oh, hi,” Cirno responds. Silence. “So, what do you want?” Cirno asks.

You ask that if you could hang out with them sometimes. In the pursuit of getting stronger, you don’t think that this will make you stronger, however, meeting new people, you will inevitably meet stronger people. Even if that fails, having connection is another form of strength… you think.

“Sure! What do you wanna play today?” Cirno slowly gets up. Oh no, not today. You tell Cirno that you have to go to the SDM today to return these books.

“Books?” Cirno tilts her head. You show her one of the books that you are retuning ‘Chemistry of the heart: How to capture anyone’s attention!’. With a title like that, you wonder why the SDM library has such a book. Maybe they collect any books to their library.

“I wanna read it!” Cirno holds out her hand. You ponder for a moment. This book doesn’t belong to you, but it should be fine if you stay for a bit and humour her. You give Cirno the book.

Cirno take the book and start opening it. “Hm, hm” she slowly starts reading and flipping the pages. A few second later, she closes the book and hand it back to you. “Well, if you have time, come play with us” Cirno happily said.

??? You ask Cirno if she doesn’t want to read the book anymore in which she replies,

“The strongest me is tired today. C’mon Dai, let’s play over there,” Cirno then start running. Dai stands up, give a little bow, “Wait for me, Cirno” and follows Cirno. You wave goodbye to the two fairies and make your way to the SDM.

Three days later, you and Rumia are heading to the Misty Lake. You have been going daily towards the Misty Lake in search of Cirno and Dai but to no avail. Luckily, you meet up with Rumia and she is heading towards the two. You ask Rumia if you can follow her, and she happily agrees. So, you are following behind Rumia to the Misty Lake. There, you spot several people playing in the area. You count and there is exactly five people – or to be more specific, fairies – there. Two of the fairies are Cirno and Dai while the other three are the Fairies of Light.

“Cirno~! Dai~! I’m here~” Rumia calls the two.

Cirno and Dai turn their heads around and wave “Oh Rumia! You’re here,” you and Rumia walk until the two of you stands in front of Cirno and Dai, “We’re still deciding on what to play today,” Cirno head turns towards you, “You wanna join too?”

Sure, you say to Cirno. You did say that you’ll play with them whenever you have the time and here you are, with free time to spare.

“Great. Oh, but we have to wait. Luna, Star and Sunny are still deciding on what we’ll be doing today. I suggest that we freeze some frogs, but they rejected it.”

“That’s because only you can do that, Cirno” Dai responds.

While talking to Cirno and Dai, you can audibly here the discussion from here. You turn your head to look at the Fairies of Light. You can make out what the activities they want to do today: one of them wants to find some beetles (Sunny), one wants to find some flowers (Star) and the other one wants to find some mushroom (Luna). In the end, they reach a consensus: to join all the activities into one and turn it into a competition.

“Alright, Cirno, Dai! We’re making a competition on who can find the best”

”beetle,”                                                          “flower,”                                                          “mushroom,”

the three simultaneously say. They turn their body and faces Cirno, “After finding them, we’ll meet up here so that we can compare – “the fairy that able to refract light stops when she sees you “- Gah! It’s the human from the shrine! Star, why didn’t you say anything!”

“If we just went with my idea, I would have been able to focus. Besides, if you have just refract light, the human wouldn’t even notice us,” the fairy that able to detect sound sarcastically says.

“What was that?” the two starts.

“Sunny, Star, stop!” the fairy that able to mute (surrounding) yell, “We have something else to focus on,” Luna points to you. The three fairies of light have their guard up on you. Well, you wouldn’t blame them after the three got yelled at by Reimu. You might have joined in on the scolding as well at the time, because it does happen to you at the time. You say to three of them that you’re not here to scold them, but rather join in on their activities. The three looks at each other before Sunny speaks,

“You’re not mad at us?”

You would be lying if you’re not mad at the incessant prank that they have done to you, but after seeing them get scolded by Reimu that one time, you now relate to them. You know how fun and dangerous it is to prank Reimu, but your body refuses to stop. It’s like a weird kind of drug. You say that you’ve forgiven them, and that today you only want to play with them. The three of them look at each other, then Sunny says,

“Well, the past is the past. Anyway, you joining too?” she ask. You nod. “Great. Now, it’s time to begin the competition. Seeing that this is your first time, I’ll be generous and show you the best spot to find them.”

“It’s this way!”                                                “That way!”                                                     “Over there!”

the three simultaneously say, pointing at three different directions. The three glares at each other, before moving in the direction that they point.

“Hmph! I’ll show you how the strongest does it! C’mon, Dai, let’s go!” Cirno rushes forward, Dai following her from behind. You start moving forward too when you notice that Rumia is nowhere to be seen. When did she move? you wonder, but there’s no time to waste. The competition has already begun and there is no way you’re losing to a bunch of fairies (and Rumia). You move forward, rushing to find the three items.

After a while, everyone is back at the start, carrying different things in their hands. Starting off with Cirno, who brought a frozen frog in her hand, which disqualifies her. Dai brought out a red flower that she found when Cirno was busy finding frogs to freeze, Rumia, however, brought an unidentified meat (which also disqualifies her). When you ask where she get the meat from, she smiles and point to the direction of the SDM. She also tries to share the meat with everyone, in which everyone refuses, prompting the darkness youkai to eat the meat alone. Now, is your turn to present the things you have. You manage to get some weeds, a half-eaten apple and a snail you found frolicking. You thought that being in the forest, these things might be easier to find and how wrong you are. But, hey, this has to count for something right? The three unanimously agrees to disqualify you.

Only the three of them left. The first one to present her finding is Sunny,

“Hmph! I’ll show you a winner!” Sunny puts out her hand, a small black beetle rest on her palm. Judging by the size and colour, you think that’s a Dung Beetle. You saw a picture of it in one of the Insect Encyclopedia in Marisa’s house. She further solidifies your speculation when she said she found it with a clump of ball. Next, is Star’s turn,

“Hmph! Don’t be too surprised!” Star brings out a prickly green plant from a potted plant. The plant has spikes all over the body and when you look at it, it reminds you of the desert. Wait, that’s just a potted cactus. She said that she found this lying on the floor, topple over. It is surprising seeing a cactus in this place. Lastly, Luna’s turn,

“Hmph! I know I’ll win,” Luna pulls out few mushrooms that she gathers. Most of the mushroom that she collected are brightly coloured with spots around them. You feel like the mushrooms that she gathers are dangerous. There is one mushroom that you know, is the HappiShroom. It has a red coloured body, with two spots on top and a crescent shape on the middle, resembling a smiling face. You remember hearing Marisa said that she fed someone – who uses masks to show emotion because she’s expressionless – and she starts grinning and laughing uncontrollably. The effect lasted for a week. You shudder imagining the torture that the person experience.

After everyone has finish presenting their items, the three fairies start to bicker, giving points on why they should be declare the winner. You protest at first, saying that you should be the winner, seeing that you brought three items while they only brought one thing, but are quickly dismissed due to the fact that no one brought anything remotely similar to the competition (except for Dai but she gladly let them decide the winner). You now wait for the three to finish. Bored, Cirno is finding more things to freeze while Dai watch over Cirno. Rumia is nowhere to be seen again. Thinking that this discussion won’t end, you hear a familiar voice from above,

“That’s an interesting group.” You turn your head up and see someone hovering over a broom: it’s Marisa. She slowly descends in front of you. You say hello and ask her what she’s doing here.

“Hey. Well, I was heading to the Scarlet’s Library. Going to borrow some books, but then I heard your voice and the group you were with, and it look interesting. And, here I am, aren’t you glad to see me?” Marisa grins. You’re always happy to see her. You tell Marisa what’s going on here and ask her to please stop borrowing the books from the Scarlet’s Library. Every time you went there, you get an earful from Patchouli. Marisa just laughs. Then says,

“I see. You’re going to be here all day if you don’t take the initiative,” she moves forward to the fairies of light, “Oooii, what are you guys doing?” she asks the fairies of light.

“Oh, it’s Marisa. Marisa, tell Luna and Star that my beetle is better!”

“No, you should tell Sunny and Luna that this cactus is better.”

“Obviously, these mushrooms are better. Star and Sunny doesn’t appreciate quality mushrooms.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s see what we have here,” Marisa begins to look at the item the three fairies bring.

In the end, the competition ends with a draw. Marisa says that everything the fairies bring have their charm to them. The three fairies seem to be okay with the result, so they leave it as that. Marisa takes some of the mushroom off Luna by saying that almost all of them are poisonous. The three fairies of light had their fun, and they leave to find the next thing to do. They say their goodbyes to you, Marisa, Cirno and Dai as they left. Cirno and Dai decide to head elsewhere as well, and they say their goodbyes too. Now, it’s only Marisa and you left. Marisa stuff the mushroom that she receives into her hat. Then, she faces you.

“Did you have fun today?” Marisa asks, smiling. You do. Seeing that everyone has already left, you say your goodbyes to Marisa and start heading to the shr-

“Now, now. What’s the rush?” Marisa stands in front of you. “The sun is still up. It’s a shame to go home now.” Well, Marisa is busy, so you don’t want to take more of her time. “Ahahahaha, that can wait. Now then,” she slings her arm around your shoulder, “I hear that you confess to Reimu. Care to share?”

Wh-what? I did not confess to her. Who told you that? you ask.

“The girl herself. I went to the shrine last night; you were fast asleep. We had a couple of drinks and that’s when Reimu start saying you ‘confess’ to her and what not, her face beaming when she tells her story. Now, why don’t you fess up, or this mushroom will be your snack today?” she holds out a Happishroom in her hand, pushing it up your face. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, you decide to tell Marisa what happen that day.

“That’s it?” the armed magician asks. That’s it. You tell her about the day with Rumia and how you – in the heat of the moment – said that. Sure, Reimu is a nice girl and all, but you can’t say that to your hero. That would be uncalled for. Marisa stays silent for a while before laughing.

“Ahahaha. That’s it? Phew. When I heard how Reimu tells it, I thought I don’t have a chance anymore,”

Huh? What did Reimu say?

“It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it,” the magician says, putting away the HappiShroom in her hat. When she says not to worry about it, it has the opposite effect. Now you’re more curious about it, but Marisa probably won’t answer you even if you ask. “Aaahh~ that’s a weight off my shoulder. Now, there’s another thing I’m curious,” she removes her hand from you shoulder and stands in front of you. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been avoiding me for the last couple of days. Why is that?” the magician asks.

Avoiding you? Marisa, we met four days ago.

“Yeah, but you were just reading alone. Usually, we always talk, and you respond seriously. Now, your responds are cold and short, sometimes you didn’t even respond when I call you. After that, you just took the books and went home,” the frustrated magician recalls, “Not only that, when I invite you out, you’re always busy doing something else.”

It’s true that you have been trying to meet her less, but there’s a reason for that. After Marisa invited you to stay with her (you rejected her) her action has been more aggressively… touchy. Whenever it’s just you two, she starts being more active in showing her affection: hand holding, hugging, palm reading (every time Marisa does the reading, your love line will always be with a certain blonde magician close to you with ‘M’ being the first letter of her name). The more that she does this, the more that you feel like –no, most likely- you’ll fall for her. Before, you see Marisa as an adventurous, free-spirited girl, but now you see her more as a girl. Sooner or later, you’ll cross a line where your friendship will end. So, you decide to distance more from Marisa, until you became more mature.

As you stay silent, Marisa slowly comes closer to you, her hand tug on your shirt, “Hey, did I do something wrong?” Marisa looks downtrodden. You feel pain in your heart. The more that you stay with Marisa, the more you realize on how cute she is. How did the past you managed to be calm near such an adorable creature like her? You feel you’re face heats up and you instinctively turn your head to the side, avoiding her face. You know this for a long time, but you are-

“Why won’t you look at me?” Marisa looks at your redden face, “Wait… are you… conscious of me?”

-conscious of her, yes. You say nothing as your face turn redder than a tomato. You peek at Marisa to see she has the biggest grin imaginable.

“Hey, hey. When did you get conscious of me? ~” Marisa moves around to face your face, but you keep moving it around to avoid hers. This goes on for a few seconds before she had enough and press both her hands on your cheek and force you to face her. Your eyes dart elsewhere, trying to look away from her eyes. Eventually, your eyes are glued to her captivating, yellow eyes. Slowly, she moves her head, and you wait with eyes close for the inevitable to happen. Then, you feel something touches your forehead. You open your eyes and see that her forehead pressed on yours.

“Thank goodness,” the relief magician says, “I thought I did something that would make you hate me.” You can feel her hand trembles as she says this.

I’m sorry.

“Ahahaha, you better be. You made a poor maiden worry here. If you want to apologize, how about you live with me?”

Sorry, I can’t.

“Ahahaha, worth a shot,” the magician backs her head away, look at you another time, and let go of her hands. She takes a few steps back. “Look, you don’t need to be all awkward around me. I’m still the same old Marisa that you know and love. See?” she points her thumb to herself, enunciating the word ’love’. “Besides, I don’t like it when you act cold like this. Make it feel like we’re just distant, you know? So, relax, I won’t be any different. It’s just that,” Marisa gets closer to you again, her face resting near you ear, “I only act like this when we’re alone,” she blows a puff of air into your ear, sending shiver to your body. This is the reason why you don’t want to be alone with her. The more she does this, the more that you will fall for her, and love is not your main priorities right now. The magician laughs, her face as radiant as the sun.

“Hey, hey, seeing that we’re here already, how about we go to Geidontei today? I heard there’s a new menu today, but it needs two people to order. We could treat this as a date, and we could order as lovers,” Marisa grins.

Yeah, but as friends, you say, where Marisa replies with “Potato, tomato. Let’s go,” she grabs your hand, interlocking (like how lovers would) and you run with her to the Human Village. Despite knowing you shouldn’t feel this way about her, you can’t but help feel all warm inside. In your heart, you wish that time would freeze here.

One week passed, you are now at the Genbu Ravine with Cirno and Dai. Cirno is freezing sea creatures and amphibians alike while you and Dai are sitting on one the rocks, feet submerged in water. You see some kappa in the distant, building something, but you pay them no mind. As Cirno is busy freezing the animals, a question that been plaguing your mind the first time you met them popped up, you turn to Dai to ask her a question.

“What is it?” Dai asks. You ask her if her full name is only ‘Dai’. You already know Cirnos’ name as Reimu already told you but when it comes to Dai, you wonder if Dai is just a nickname or her actual name. You apologize beforehand for the late question, because just now you ask her for her name after meeting with her numerous times.

“Hahaha, it’s alright,” Dai politely laughs, “Dai is only a nickname. My name is Daiyousei,”

Daiyousei, huh?

“Yes, it’s the name that Cirno gave me,” Dai nods.

Wait, Cirno gave you your name? What about your real name?

Daiyousei looks down, “To be honest, I don’t really have a name. It’s an old story,”

Would you be willing to tell me? If you’re worry about time, don’t worry, you point to Cirno, who is still playing in the water.

Daiyousei shakes her head, “I don’t mind. I apologize if it’s a bit dull.” Daiyousei retell her story, “I was playing with the flowers alone in one of the fields when suddenly, Cirno calls out to me.”

“Hey, you. What are you doing there?” the blue fairy asks.

“N-nothing. Just watching the flowers here,” startled, I answered nervously.

“Is that so? Well, you don’t seem busy. I need your help to test out this new spellcard I have.”

“But, I’m not strong… I don’t think I’ll be much of help…”

“Really? That’s fine. You can see it from the sides. I need your opinion to see if this spellcard is strong or not,” the blue fairy comes closer, “I’m Cirno, what’s your name?” Cirno asks.

“I… I don’t have a name…” I say to Cirno, my voice lowers.

“Really? You don’t have a name?” I nod, “Hmmm… it’s sad not having a name. I know!” CIrno claps her hand, then points to me, “From now on, your name will be Daiyousei, or Dai for short!” Cirno exclaim.

“Dai…yousei? As in, greater fairy?” I ask Cirno.

“Yeah! The strongest me need someone as great to be by the strongest side,” Cirno holds out her hand, “Now come on, Dai! Let’s go!”

At first, I hesitated. How can this fairy easily come up to an unknown stranger like this? Doesn’t she feel scared? If it was me, I… But, seeing CIrno, I know that she meant everything she said. I saw someone who is courageous, someone that can withstand anything. I saw that as an opportunity to change. To become stronger. So, I hold out her hand, and from that on, I live as Daiyousei, the Greater Fairy, and Dai, a friend of Cirno.

“After that, Cirno and I meet up with all sorts of people, from other fairies, to human, to youkai. The shy me from before would never be able to do any of this. But, thanks to Cirno, I wouldn’t be here today,” Daiyousei looks down, “Sometimes, I feel like a burden to Cirno. I mean, I’m not strong like Cirno… I feel like I’ve always dragged her down,”

It’s fine, isn’t it?

“Eh?”

Do you really need to be strong? I mean, I live with the strongest person that I know. Every time that I stay with her, I felt powerless, I feel like she can do just about anything by herself. But even so, she never abandons me. We drink tea, do questionable shrine things and lazying about and we’re still on good terms. Besides, I don’t think Cirno is looking for someone strong as her. Maybe she just like being with you. I mean, do you think that Cirno is someone that abandons her friend?

Daiyousei listens to you ramble. When you hear what you say, it is hypocritical of you. To suggest that the girl doesn’t need to get stronger, when you, yourself, are trying to become strong. Daiyousei gives a small laugh,

“Hahaha, you’re right. Cirno is not someone like that. Thank you,” Daiyousei thanks you. You give her a thumbs up. Talking about Cirno, you forgot about the fairy herself, so you and Daiyousei turn to where Cirno is and see a giant frog is currently trying to swallow Cirno whole, the fairy’s leg flailing about to break free.

“Ciiiiirrrrnnoooooo!” Daiyousei screams, rushes toward Cirno. Daiyousei grabs onto Cirno’s bottom half and try to pull her out. You walk over to where Cirno and Daiyousei is. Then, you hear a voice from above,

“Hmph, that’s what you get for messing with the frogs here!”

You look up to see a figure resting above the giant frog’s head. You can’t really make out who it is due to the sun shining from behind her, but you can make a shadow of a child. The voice then continues,

“Kero? Never seen you here before,” the shadow speaks. It then comes down from the frog and you get a better look of the child. The child is slightly bigger than the fairy, with blonde hair, a simple dress with purplish-blue design, a wide-brimmed hat (with two bead-like eyes rest on top) rest on her head. You don’t think you ever met this child before. The child speaks,

“I don’t think I ever seen you before. Who are you?”

You tell the blonde child that you’re the human who’s currently living in the Hakurei Shrine. Upon saying this, the child remembers,

“Oh, you’re the one Sanae been talking about. Hahaha, what a strange day to meet,” the girl laughs, “Well, it is rude to not give one’s name. I’m Suwako. A god that resides in the Moriya Shrine.”

G-god?! you stammer. You bow your head to the chi- god, prompting Suwako to laugh.

“Hahaha, raise your head. You don’t need to be formal with me,” you slowly raise your head, “Now, I think you have met our Wind Priestess, Sanae?” Suwako inquires.

You have. It was a week after you came into Gensokyo. You were walking with Reimu to get a better understanding of the Human Village and to meet with its residence. In the middle, you see that a girl is giving a sermon. When the sermon is finished, the girl lock eyes at you, and slowly walks up to you and you three started talking. When she heard that you aren’t from around here, she bombards you with a surplus of question. Thankfully, Reimu stopped her before she drones about. The first impression you get from the girl is how eccentric she is.

“She’s an adorable one, isn’t she?” Suwako grins, “I heard that she invites you over to our shrine. Why haven’t you done so?”

It’s true that she has invite you over, it’s just that…

One night at the Hakurei Shrine, you and Reimu were currently drinking some sake. The next day after meeting the Wind Priestess, Sanae, she invited you over to the Moriya Shrine at the Youkai Mountain. You told Reimu about the invitation from Sanae and then it happens. Reimu audibly clinks her sake cup on the folding table.

“Mo.Ri.Ya. Shrine?” Reimu enunciate the word.

‘Yeah, Sanae invites me over. What’s wrong?’ you asked.

“Ha.Ha.Ha. That shrine… That shrine has been taking all of my worshippers away!” Reimu screamed. “Before, I was the only cool, dependable and cute shrine maiden that everyone loves. The shrine was filled with people, adoring me. But ever since that shrine has come to Gensokyo, all of the human worshippers have gone their way! Because of what? Because their shrine maiden actually meets with the people. Well, mikos should be prim and proper, like me. Or is it because their god actually went out of their way to meet with their worshipper? Well, a god should be reserved and mysterious. Or, or, is it because the Hakurei Shrine is now infested with youkais, making it harder for people to come? Well, they should come anyway! It’s not even dangerous. I’m here! I can help them. Yeah, Sanae is cute whereas I’m just a grumpy old-shrine maiden but, is that the way to treat the protector of Gensokyo? They should be treating me with lots of donations, mainly money. Hey, you agree with me, right? Right? You do, right?” Reimu rambles on the night.

It’s complicated… you say to the Moriya’s God.

“Well, do come over. Sanae’s been itching to show you the place,” Suwako smiles. Remembering that Cirno is still half-eaten, you ask Suwako why the frogs are doing this, in which she replies,

“Kero? That fairy has been freezing frogs left and right, and the frogs around here has been complaining about it. So, this should be an appropriate punishment.” Suwako look back to Cirno. “If it’s only once or twice, I wouldn’t be too harsh on her, but this has happened multiple times. So, it shouldn’t be too bad if I do things like this, right?”

You can’t say anything to the God, so you just nod your head. Suwako smiles. In the end, it took Cirno couple of hours stuck halfway inside the frog before being let go.

Notes:

Hello, hope everyone has a wonderful day.
Next chapter might come a bit later, I'm going to be (partially) doing Inktober2023. Probably gonna come out next month after the first week is over.
Apologies for the inconvenience, and thank you for reading.
Good night.

Chapter 5: Hong Meiling

After saying your goodbyes to Cirno and Dai, you make your way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. A short walk later, you arrive at the front gate. Usually, you came here with Marisa by flying past the gate and enter one of the many library windows but today, you’re on your own. Next to the big, open gate, lies someone standing asleep. The sleeping girl has long scarlet hair. She wears a green beret on her head and a green dress, similar to a Chinese dress. On her beret, in front of it, there is a gold star with a writing on it, but you can’t make sense what it means. You always saw her whenever you and Marisa flies past the gate. It seems she acts like a gatekeeper of some sort. You want to wake her up so that you can gain entry but seeing the girl fast asleep like this, you stop. You can’t possibly interrupt her nap. You can even hear her sleep talking, something about how Sakuya is feeding her. As to not disturb the girl, you walk into the gate of the mansion. When suddenly,

“Stop,” a voice rings out right next to you. You turn your head to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper is looking at you with her aqua-blue eyes. She walks and stops in front of you, blocking entry of the gate. She then speaks,

“What business do you have with the Scarlet Devil Mansion?” the gatekeeper asks. You tell her that you’re here to meet with Patchouli. The gatekeeper responds, “Hmm… I never seen you before, coming inside the mansion. I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. Until I have conformation from Lady Patchouli, I’m afraid that I can’t let you enter.” You say to the gatekeeper that Patchouli knows you and you already met before. The gatekeeper responds, “Unlikely. Lady Patchouli would never leave her place in the library. If you and her met, that can only mean you met her inside. As far as I’m here, no one like you has ever passed this gate. Now, please leave for today. I’ll get conformation from Lady Patchouli herself, so please come another day,” the gatekeeper unbudging. That would be a problem. You tell the gatekeeper that you’re here to return the books that you (Marisa) borrow, but then the gatekeeper becomes alerted.

“How do you have those books? Those books are from the library. I know those because Lady Patchouli asks me to pick those books from Marisa’s place once. But how are you in possession of those? … Don’t tell me -” the gatekeeper comes to a realization. At least this should be of proof of your friendship with Patchouli, “- a thief?!” the gatekeeper accuses. What? No, you’re not! You try to tell her that you’re here to return the books from Marisa place, but the gatekeeper cuts you off and continues, “I can’t believe it! We not only have one book thief, but two! Not to mention, I can’t believe you managed to sneak past me and the others inside. You’re not someone to be made light off,” she gets into a fighting stance, “Looks like the criminal has come back to the scene of the crime!” She’s not listening to you at all. You vehemently try to deny her allegations but it falls on deaf ear.

“If I let you go like this, you might continue on your criminal ways. I have no choice but to stop you here and now. Now, get ready, here I come!” the gatekeeper ready to steps forward. Seeing this, you instinctively shield your body, but then,

“What are you doing, Meiling?” a familiar voice come from behind the gatekeeper. You and the gatekeeper turn to the voice and see the Scarlet Devil’s head maid, Sakuya. You first met Sakuya when she and Remilia came over to the shrine that one time.

“Stay back, Sakuya! This person is a criminal. He has entered the mansion and stole Lady Patchouli’s books and went unnoticed. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of this!” Meiling says.

Sakuya sighs and walk past Meiling and stops in front of you. “Thank you for bringing the books. It has been a great help for me,” Sakuya smiles.

“Wha-what is going on? Sakuya, who is this?” Meiling asks, still confuse by the situation. Sakuya turns to Meiling and says,

“Meiling, this is the Outsider. Outsider, Meiling. He has been frequenting in his visits here to meet with Lady Patchouli.”

“B-but I’ve never seen him before…”

“That’s a given, as he enters with that thief of ours. Which reminds me, you haven’t done an adequate job on guarding the gate.”

“Bu-but Sakuya, Marisa enters by ‘flying’ past the gate. That would be out of my scope of place to gatekeep, right?”

“If I recall, the Scarlet Devil Mansion has metal fences around it. Shouldn’t a gatekeeper prevent any intruder for entering?”

“Well… Marisa is ‘flying’ though.”

“Then just fly.”

Meiling and Sakuya continues their back and forth. You feel that this won’t end, so you interrupt the two. You ask if you’re able to enter the SDM today or not. Sakuya look troubled by your question.

“You can. However, I would advise against it today.” You ask Sakuya the reason why. She then points up towards the sky. Then, you see a familiar magician flying with her broom, with books in haul.

“Thanks, Patchy! I’ll be borrowing these books for now. I’ll return it when I turn to my grave. Oh, hey!” Marisa waves to you, “Thanks for distracting that head maid for me. Love you, ahahaha,” the borrowing magician flies off. You can faintly hear Patchouli scream Marisa’s name inside the library. You apologize on Marisa’s behalf and for distracting her when the ordeal happens.

“That’s alright,” Sakuya says, “If I hadn’t come here, Meiling might have given you a thrashing. It’s my fault for not informing her of you. I apologize,” Sakuya gives a small, apologetic bow, “As for Marisa’s case, it’s not a main priority anymore. As we have our own honorary book-getter. I have to thank you again for doing this.” You say it’s not a big deal, as it is a part of a deal that you and Patchouli made. “Even so, help is still help. Anyway,” Sakuya turns to Meiling, “Meiling, this human here is now a guest of Lady Patchouli. As of now, please allow him access to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Also, please actually do your job, it would bring shame to the Scarlet Devil Mansion’s name if our resident gatekeeper were seen slacking off.”

“Y-yes, Miss Sakuya!” Meiling gives Sakuya a salute. “I’ll do my best!”

“I would hope so. Now, would you like to meet with Lady Patchouli today?” the head maid asks. You don’t think that it’s the right time today –unless you want to get an earful, which you don’t -, so you decide to leave for today. You give the books to Sakuya, says your goodbyes to the two and made your way home.

The next day, you are heading to the SDM. The purpose of this trip is not to meet with Patchouli, rather, the gatekeeper, Meiling. You want to apologize to Meiling for getting her scolded by Sakuya yesterday. As you’re thinking of ways to apologize, you arrive at your destination, the front gate of the SDM. You look for Meiling and she is standing next to the gate, saying her greeting to random passer-by. You call out to Meiling, and she turns her head to you.

“Ah, you’re from yesterday. Hello, what business do you have today? Are you here to meet with Lady Patchouli?” the gatekeeper asks. You say that you’re here to meet her today, but before you’re able to apologize, she cuts you off,

“Ahhh, wait. Before you say anything. I need to say something,” she holds out her hand in a ‘stop’ gesture. Well, you have something to say to her too, maybe you should say it to her first. You take a deep breath and,

I’m sorry,                                                                                                                                                    “I’m sorry!”

both of you simultaneously says and give a slight bow. Looks like you both apologize at the same time. After seconds of silence, you begin speaking,

I want to say sorry. Because of me, you got yelled at by Sakuya, you say.

“No, no. It’s my fault. I should have listened to you first before acting rashly,” Meiling says.

No, it’s my fault. If I hadn’t trespass to the SDM with Marisa, this wouldn’t happen.

“Well, if I did my job, like Miss Sakuya said, I would have met you earlier and this wouldn’t happen. So, I should be apologizing.”

No, I’m the one who should be apologizing.

“No, I should.”

Look, I’m the one in the wrong. So just let me apologize.

“Huh? I’m the one in the wrong. So, I should apologize.”

Huh?

“Huh?” You both stare at each other before bursting into laughter. Later, you both finish laughing, you say to Meiling, seeing we’re both apologizing, how about we both accept it? in which Meiling replies,

“Hahahaha, yeah. I like that. Anyway, I don’t think we’re properly introduced yesterday. Ehem. My name is Hong Meiling, the sole gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Nice to meet you,” she puts out her hand. You grab her hand and shake it. You can tell from this handshake that she is strong (from her grip strength alone). You say that it’s amazing how she guards the entirety of the SDM all by herself.

“Ehehehe, it’s nothing special. It’s my job,” Meiling blushes, “Anyway, what business do you have here? Are you here to meet with Lady Patchouli?” No, no. You say that you’re here to meet with her.

“With me? Well, what do you need? I’ll assist you in any way I can.” Seeing that she’s the guardian to the SDM, she must be somewhat strong. You ask her if she have any experience in fighting.

“I do,” she gets into a stance, “I study in the martial arts of Bajiquan,” Meiling throws few punches and kicks in the air. You don’t know what that means but it sounds cool. You clap at Meiling performances. “A good gatekeeper needs to know a few martial arts up her sleeves. Why do you ask?” Meiling asks you. You tell her the reason that you come here today, to ask her to train you in fighting. You’re not letting the chance of your growth slip by like this. A way for you to stands proud next to Reimu. Now, you just have to wait for Meiling to give you an ans-

“Sure! I be happy to!” reply an enthusiastic Meiling.

–wer. That was quick. There’s no hesitation at all from her.

“I mean, there hasn’t been anyone that I can train with. The people in the SDM doesn’t really have any interest in this. Lady Remilia thinks that it’s barbaric, Lady Patchouli says that it’s too tiring for her, Koakuma has to take care of the library, Miss Sakuya just says ‘No’ and Lady Flandre is too strong. The people that came here only show small interest in it, but they don’t last long. I can only do this alone with the flowers as my audience,” Meiling shares her struggle, “Now,” she holds you hand, "With you here, I won’t be as bored in guarding the gate, and I can keep awake and Miss Sakuya won’t be mad at me. It’s a good deal, right?” she holds your hand tighter. You laugh and say to be gentle with you. She lets go of your hand and says,

“Now before we start,” she takes a couple steps back, “Hit me.”

What? you ask, confuse by the request.

“I need you to hit me. Throw your best punch,” Meiling pats her well-defined stomach.

I-I can’t do that. I can’t hit a girl.

“Hey. Let me remind you. Holding back is the biggest insult there is to a martial artist. Now, hit me!”

She’s right. If you want her to train you seriously, you need to do this earnestly. Not to mention, the strongest person that you ever known is also a woman. You curl up your hand to a fist and with all your strength, you jab straight at Meiling’s stomach. Before the hit connect, she parries your hand to the side with her right hand while she moves her body and ram her left side to you, her elbow connect towards your solar plexus. Receiving the blow, you’re pushed back, your knee weakens, and you fell to the floor, both of your hand clutching on your stomach (the place where she hits you). You feel like you’re inside is trying to get out from the entrance side.

“Hm, hm. I see,” Meiling start speaking, “Your core body isn’t as strong as I imagine. We should start you off with Tai Chi instead, so that you can get the feel of it.”

You want to give a response to her, but because of certain circumstances, you’re unable to do so. You can only hold your stomach out in pain.

“I think we can start this today!” Meiling continues, “Just like the saying goes, ‘Today’s thing should be done today’ and I be-“Meiling eyes falls to you, “Hm? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” And then realization hits her, “A-aaah sorry! I’m sorry!” she scrambles to get you the medical assistance you need. After a plentiful amount of sorry by Meiling, today doesn’t seem to be the day that you start training. Maybe that saying has some faults to it? Thankfully, you still manage to impishly walk back to the shrine with a forlorn Meiling looking behind you. She insists on bringing you home, but you decline, as she still currently doing her job right now, and you don’t want her to be scolded by Sakuya again. Arriving home, you have a light dinner, and you head to bed.

Tomorrow comes and you are heading to the SDM again to meet with Meiling. Although your stomach still feels the brunt of her blow from yesterday, that doesn’t deter you from your activities today. Soon, you arrive in front of the gate of the SDM, with Meiling standing next to it. You wave your hand to get her attention, but she doesn’t notice you. You get closer to the gatekeeper and see that her eyes are currently close with her arm crossed. You use this moment to take a closer look at her. Looking closely at her face, you can see that Meiling is rather handsome. However, her figure betrays her as she has the right gifts on the right places. On your sightseeing, you hear someone says,

“What are you doing?” the person in front of you asks, her right eyes open to look at you. Startled, you jump back a few steps. How long has she been awake for?

“When you came closer. Honestly, it’s impolite to stare at someone’s face like that,” Meiling scolds you. You apologize to Meiling, saying that your eyes are just drawn to her. “Please don’t do that again… it’s embarrassing…” Meiling mutters something but you can’t hear her, “And before you say anything,” she continues,” No, I was not sleeping, I was meditating,” she says, trying to prove her point to no one.

“Ehem. Now, are you ready for today lesson?” Meiling asks you, her right-hand rest on her hip. You nod and gives her a thumbs up. She smiles. “I like the enthusiasm. But before we start… How is your stomach? Does it still hurt?” Meiling questions you. You say that your fine, but Meiling doesn’t seem to believe you and ask you again. You demonstrate that you’re fine by patting your stomach a few times. It still hurts, but you bear through it so that you can ease Meiling’s worry. You learn a valuable lesson as to not underestimate anyone, no matter who they are. With that, Meiling breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. I was afraid that yesterday incident would made you hate martial arts. Again, I’m sorry for that.” Meiling apologizes once again. “Now then, are you ready to begin your first lesson?” the gatekeeper asks. You nod and she gives a big smile. “Alright, we’re going to start off with a bit of Tai Chi. It shouldn’t be too difficult for starters and a great way to loosen up the muscles,” she shifts her posture a bit, “Now, follow after me. We start with lowering our knee, and then…” Meiling gives you instructions while demonstrating the movement. You follow her every move to the best of your abilities. She teaches you different things, ranging from: breathing techniques, movement, and meditation. There are some parts that you been off balance because you’re doing it quickly. Meiling remind you that,

“Tai Chi, in its core, is a form of meditation and self-defense. Let your body move in rhythm with the flow. Let your qi steadies and flow like a river. If you let your mind be in worry, or rushing through, you’ll bound to make mistakes. As the saying goes, ‘Stretching young plants to make them grow’.”

You take the advice that Meiling gave you and you take it slow, following Meiling’s moves in tandem. They are still some parts where you got off-balance, noticing that, Meiling comes closer to you,

“Ah, people always struggle with this part,” she goes behind your back, “For this, you need to keep your footing balance while leaning forward. Imagine your feet as the trunk of a tree and…” she gets closer to you, her hand guiding your movement. However, your unable to focus, as her… womanly assets are pressed against your back. “… and like that. Do you get it no-“before she finishes her sentence, you hunch over. Confuse, Meiling asks, “Are you alright?” You say to her that you need a few minutes to rest. Although confused, Meiling respects your wishes and give you a quick break. It takes a couple of minutes before your vigour spread elsewhere.

After a while, you and Meiling are done with Tai Chi. “And done. Phew. How are you feeling?” the gatekeeper asks. You say that you’re fine. You feel energize and your head a bit clearer. Meiling smiles. “You can do that whenever you have free time, or you can join me. I’m here every day. Hahaha,” she winks and laughs at her own joke. Riding the flow, you ask Meiling if she can teach you how to spar. That is the main reason why you’re here in the first place. Meiling scratches her head and says,

“Actually, I think it’s better if you rest for today.”

How come? you ask Meiling.

“Right now, we’re focusing on Tai Chi. Too much information can make your understanding mixed up or forgotten entirely. As the saying goes ‘He who chases two hares, catches none’.”

It’ll be fine. I’m sure that I can remem-

“No!” Meiling leans forward and points her finger at you. She then straightens her back, “I understand that you’re eager to learn and I like that about you. Right now, it’s best for you to rest. Just before you have trouble with the lesson and needed rest.” Meiling scolds you. You want to correct her that that’s different, but you hold your tongue, due to embarrassment. Meiling continues, “Rest is also a needed for your body to grow. No human can operate to their fullest if tired. But, if you don’t want to rest, then you can meditate with me! It’s a great method to put you back to a relaxed state. Now, what do you say?” Meiling outstretch her hand to you. Seeing that there’s nothing else that you have to do today, and you don’t want to sleep, you take Meiling hand and you walk back to the front of the gate. Meiling instructs you to sit down, close your eyes and to empty one’s mind. Let nothing distract you today. Before you meditate, you look at Meiling, still standing. You ask her if she’s not going to sit down, and she says that she can meditate in any situation. Hearing this, you close your eyes and empty your mind. You can hear the wind rustling the grass beneath, some birds chirping in the distant and your own breath. Soon, you’re mind start losing its grip on reality and then, you fall asleep.

Soon after, you groggily wake up. You scan your surroundings, un-aware of where you are. Your eyes land on Meiling’s body. You look up to see Meiling face; her eyes closed and a trail of drool leaving her opened mouth. You raise both your arms and stretch upwards, feeling your entire body loosen up. You then twist your body side to side to release tension on your hips. During your twist and turn, you see a figure behind you. Someone who’s wearing a maid dress, her arms crossed, and dread falls over you. You didn’t get a good look on the maid’s face, but you know there’s not a smile on there. You slowly stand up and lay your hand on Meiling body, shaking her to wake her up. Meiling grumbles in her sleep meditation and after a while, she wakes up.

“Fuaah, what is it? Are you going home now?” she looks at you for a moment before stretching her arm upwards. You put your left hand up and points behind her with your right hand, your left hand blocking the right. “Hmm, what is it?” Meiling lazily turn her head towards the direction your pointing, then brings it back, her face look like someone who’ve seen a monster.

“Oh my,” the person behind says, “Isn’t it rude to not greet your fellow friend.”

Do-do you think Sakuya knows that we were asleep? you whisper to Meiling.

“Of course she does! She’s Sakuya,” Meiling whispers back, “Look, let’s play dumb. Maybe she’ll let us off free if we don’t bring it up.” You nod at Meiling suggestion. “Don’t worry. If things not looking good, I have an ace up my sleeve. So, on three, we both turn around and act dumb. Okay?” Another nod from you. “Alright, one, two, three. “Meiling turn around and you follow her.

“He-hey Sakuya. Didn’t see you there,” Meiling awkwardly says, “Great weather were having today. What brings you here today? Oh, and there haven’t been any threats to the mansion today! It’s just me and him today,” she wraps her arm to your neck. You wave at Sakuya. Now that you get a good look on her face, you can see that Sakuya’s eyes are close, and she has a smile on her face. Despite that, you don’t feel any warmth from it.

“Nothing much,” Sakuya speaks, “I was just wondering how my two favourite hardworking friends are doing.”

“Ahaha, we’re just guarding the gate. No one will dare enter when Meiling’s around!”

“Oh yes, you’re right, Meiling. And I’m sure that the mighty gatekeeper was not sleeping on her job.”

“A-ahaha yeah. Of course. Today has been a full day of serious gatekeeping. No sleeping! Ahahaha.”

“I see. In that case, Meiling has been deliberately ignoring my calls.” You turn to look at Meiling and you can see a tear of sweat, coming down from her forehead. “I mean, if you weren’t sleeping on the job, then that’s the only possible reason. Honestly, I’m hurt Meiling,” Sakuya brings out her handkerchief and wipes a tear(?) from her eyes, “I didn’t know what I did to hurt you to a point that Meiling ignores me. Haven’t we’ve been together for many moons now. Truly, I’m hurt. *sob sob*”

“A-aaah it’s not like that, Miss Sakuya!” Meiling let go of her arm around you and take a step forward, “It’s not like that!”

“*sob sob* Then what is it, Meiling? I can’t see any other possible reason for you to ignore me unless… you were sleeping on the job… *sob sob*” Sakuya continues to cry, her hand hides her face.

“Yes, I was sleeping on the job! I will never, ever, ignore any of Sakuya’s call!” Meiling admits to her crime.

“So, you were sleeping on the job,” her tears stop.

“Yes, I- eh?” Meiling look at Sakuya, her face cold as the tundra. Sakuya has the face of someone of pure contempt. Meiling scrambles her words trying to fix everything but before she’s able to, Sakuya says,

“Now, what’s your excuse today, Miss Meiling?” she crosses her arms. Meiling stands there for a few seconds and with a ‘Hmph’ she takes a step forward and,

“I’m sorry!” does a dogeza.

“No. Buried yourself. Stop breathing.” Sakuya coldly and quickly response.

“You’re telling me to die?!”

“No. I say to stop breathing.”

“That’s the same thing!”

To not let the tension prolonged any further, you step in to an angry angry Sakuya. You say to Sakuya that’s it’s not Meiling fault for her to be fall asleep. It’s because she was busy training you in martial arts and that you both were tired back then. Hearing that, Sakuya raises an eyebrow and says,

“Meiling did?” You nod. She waits a few second before asking Meiling, in which Meiling replies “Yes.” She waits another few seconds, then sigh.

“It seems the fault does not lie on our gatekeeper. I apologize for that,” she gives and apologetic bow. You say to Sakuya that she didn’t do anything wrong and that is us two that need to apologize to her. Sakuya adds,

“No, I should be apologizing as well. As I immediately put the blame on her without any evidence. Now,” she turns to Meiling, still in her dogeza pose, “Meiling. Please stand up.”

“Y-you’re not mad anymore?” Meiling impishly asks.

“I will be if you don’t get up this instant.” Hearing that, Meiling springs up from her dogeza pose. “Meiling,” she waits a few seconds before bowing her head,” I’m sorry.”

“N-no it’s okay… It’s true that I was asleep back there…” Meiling awkwardly adds, unsure what to do in this situation. Silence fell for the three of us. Meiling first break the silence, “S-so, Sakuya, what brings you here today, ehehe…”

Sakuya slowly raise her head, “I’m at a lost on what to make for dinner tonight and I would like your opinion on it.”

“Anything that Miss Sakuya make is delicious! I’ll eat all of it!”

Sakuya sighs. “That does not help me narrow down what to make tonight. I’ll just boiled you some water for dinner.”

“H-huh? Surely, you’re joking Miss Sakuya. Hahaha.”

“Of course. I’ll seasoned it with salt.”

“M-miss Sakuyaaaaaa,” a teary Meiling cries.

Ignoring Meiling cries, Sakuya turns to you, “Would you be joining us for dinner before you leave?” You say to the head maid that you don’t want to impose on her hospitality, to which she says, “It’s alright. Adding another serving is easy.” Although it does sound tempting – the food that Sakuya made are leagues different from yours – you have to decline, as the sun is coming down and you have to start making preparation for dinner tonight. Hearing this, Sakuya answers with, “I see. Then, I’ll head back inside now. Meiling, work a bit longer. I’ll call for you when the food is done.”

“Yes, Miss Sakuya!” the gatekeeper salutes. Without turning back, Sakuya head backs inside the mansion. You wave your goodbye to Sakuya and Meiling and make your way back home. However, before you leave, you can hear Sakuya asks Meiling if she’s alright, but you couldn’t make out what they’re saying.

Night soon comes when you arrive in front of the shrine. You enter the shrine and see Aunn, sitting on the porch, taking in the night breeze. She spots you and you both greet each other. Looking around the room, you find that Reimu is nowhere to be found. Aunn notices you looking around, and she says that Reimu today has to be in the Human Village. She explains that there’s seemed to be an incident of some sort and that it requires her to be there and so she ask you to eat first. You thank Aunn for telling you all this and you pat her head, her tail swivel to and fro from your touch. Letting go of her head, you start preparing for dinner. You made an extra portion for Reimu in case that she comes back for the night. You finish your meal, freshen up and head for bed – saying good night to Aunn as well-.

The following week, you have been going to the SDM to be trained by the martial artist, Meiling. You did a lot of Tai Chi, sleep meditation, and whenever free, she shows you flowers from her small flower garden. Although you have gotten better at doing Tai Chi, Meiling still hasn’t teach you on how to spar. Whenever you ask her to teach you, she either deflect or outright ignore it. You feel like she has no intention on teaching you. Not to mention, for the few couple days, Reimu has been doing night patrol at the Human Village. She only comes back when it’s morning and by then, she usually fell asleep so that she can resume her night patrol. Thankfully, she still has her appetite as she ate your food whenever she came back. However, yesterday seems like she does an extra shift as the attack becoming more frequent. Before, it happens at night, now it happens during the day as well. After finishing your daily Tai Chi (Meiling still refuse to teach you how to fight), you say your goodbyes to Meiling and head back.

Soon, night come, and you have arrived at the shrine. Reimu still hasn’t come back. You start preparing dinner (including Reimu’s portion). During your cook, you hear a familiar –and tired- ‘I’m back’ from the porch of the shrine. You reply back and you hasten your cooking so that you can greet her. Finishing quickly, you place the food that you prepare on the table and see that Reimu is laying on the floor, her back touches the tatami floor. You go back to the kitchen to fetch her some water for her and hand it to her. She sees you and slowly gets up to a sitting position, take the glass from your hand and thanked you. After giving the glass to Reimu, you start plating for both of you and you both had dinner together in silent. Although it’s only been a week, it feels like a lifetime. After finishing the meal, you clean the plates of both you and Reimu and after finishing, you head to where Reimu is, the porch, basking in the night. You sit next to her.

“Hey,” Reimu speaks, “Thanks for doing the chore around the shrine. It’s been a great help for me.”

It’s no big deal. It’s the least I can do, you say to Reimu. Reimu face forward, looking at nothing. Say, Reimu, you continue. Reimu sounds a ‘Hm?’ and you continue talking, Did you find the thing that you’re looking for? At the village. Reimu shakes her head. She then speak,

“It wouldn’t be difficult if we have a way to identify it.” You ask Reimu what she means by that. “For the past few days, some of the Human Village’s shop has been ransacked, their crops uproot, and strange marks has been place where the crime occur. I’ve been asking the resident there on their account if they’ve seen the culprit, and you know what, everyone is willing to share. It just that…” Reimu pause for a bit, “all the culprits are different.”

Does that mean, there’s different people acting together?

“I wish it was that simple,” Reimu sighs, “When I ask the people there, the culprit isn’t only human… there’s animal and youkai too. One saw someone acting strange, two saw a boar eating, five says that it’s a youkai that enter the village at night and ransacking the place. The rate of the occurrence is too frequent to. It’s unheard of.”

Then it’s just different occurrence happening at once?

“That should be the case, but then, just now, another incident occurs, this time it was behind one of the houses. There were two witnesses. So we, ah, Marisa was with me at the time, she’s currently helping me in the investigation, right now she’s at the Human Village patrolling, but anyway, when we ask them what they saw, we were surprised. Can you guess what they saw?” Reimu asks you. You think for a bit and say that they saw two different things. Reimu smiles. “You’re right but not quite. You’ve been reading too much of Agatha Chris Q book. Hahaha. Anyway, you’re right, they saw two different things. However, despite them seeing two different things, they can only recall one thing. None of the two saw what the other saw.” You both stay silent. You don’t know how you can help at this moment. Then, Reimu stretches and continues,

“Well, I need to get a quick shut eye. Tomorrow morning, I have to patrol the area again,” she stands up, but before she leaves, you stop her. Reimu stops and wait for you.

Is there anything that I can do to help? you say to Reimu, I can help you with the patrol tomorrow an-

Reimu laughs. “Fufufu, thank you,” she places her hand on top of your head, “Your concern is enough. Besides, we don’t know what we’re up against right now, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

No, it’s alright. I know how to take care of myself. Don’t you remember? I have the amulet that you gave me, and I’ve been training with Meiling this past few days.

“Oh, have you now?” a smug Reimu says, “Is that where you’ve been going early in the morning? Good, good. Keep it up,” she ruffles your hair.

Come on, Reimu! Stop treating me like a kid!

“Ahahaha, you act like one, you get treated like one,” she continues ruffling your hair for a few seconds before slowing to a stop, “Thank you. However, I still can’t bring you along. Having food on the table whenever I went home has been a great help for me. It warms my heart to see food readily available when I’m exhausted”.

But Reimu, I-

“No buts. I’ve been giving you lots of leeway, but this would be like jumping into a youkai’s mouth. Besides, I haven’t tested your strength yet, so I can’t say anything about it. If anything happens to you, I won’t be able to forgive myself. Also, this is my job. Leave it to your reliable and adorable shrine maiden. I’ll show you that I actually do my job. Now,” she removes her hand from your head, and yawns “I really need this sleep, so I’ll be heading to bed first. Good night.” Reimu then leaves to the sleeping quarters. You stay there, pondering. Reimu is right. You have no experience in fighting yet. No matter how much you ask Meiling to teach you, she evades the question altogether. Tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure you will ask her to train you. With new resolution, you head to bed.

Tomorrow arrives, after finishing your daily morning routine, you head straight to the SDM to meet with Meiling. Slowly, the SDM comes to view, and you see Meiling standing at her usual place. You call her and wave your hand which she waves back. You walk to Meiling and stands in front of her.

“Hey, you’re here early today! Someone’s eager. I like that. Now, it’s a bit early from our routine but it shouldn’t be a pro-

Meiling.

“Hm? Yes, what is it?”

I need you to train me to fight.

“Yes, yes. We’re getting to that. But first, let’s begin with Tai Ch- “

Meiling! you raise your voice. Meiling stays silent. Then, she continues, “Let’s begin with Tai C- “

Is that really it? Is this the only thing that you can teach me?

“You’re not ready yet.”

Ready? Ready?! When will I be ready?

“Not now, you aren’t.”

We haven’t even spar yet, how would you know? How about we do a bit of sparring, and you can judge me fro-

“Listen here. Right now, we’re covering the basic. From what I see, you’re not ready yet. You’ve only taken the first step into the martial arts world, and you think that you can beat everyone. Remember, ‘Jade requires polishing to turn into a gem’. Besides, there’s no need to rush is there? Rushing from one thing to another would just be wasted training. You’ll learn nothing.”

W-well, a certain miko’s figure flashes in your head. There’s nothing to refute. What she says made perfect sense. The problem is not from Meiling; it’s you. You’re just frustrated that she kept rejecting your wish to spar. The constant rejection make it feel like she’s doing it just so that she can toy at you. You know she’s not the kind of person to do that, but the thought still crosses your mind. But most importantly, you feel useless. In time where Reimu needed help, you can’t be there for her. Meiling has never been the problem; it’s you. You keep bottling it, but the bottle overflow, no, it broke.

Fine, I don’t need you anyway! I can learn it from someone who will take me seriously! I hate you! Realizing what you say, you look at Meiling but immediately runs away. You can hear Meiling calls out your name, but you ignore it. You keep on running. You don’t know where to, but you just let your feet run.

Slowly, the adrenaline runs out, and your body tires out. You look around at where you are and found the Misty Lake right next to you. You gather your breath, tired from running. You look back, but you don’t see Meiling chasing after you. That’s a given, seeing that she has a job to do. After the high wears off, you recall back the thing that you said to Meiling. You can’t believe that you have it in you to say things like that. You have to apologize to Meiling… but not today. You don’t feel like it today. Now, seeing that you’re free, you’re thinking of what to do today. You decide to walk back home today to plan the rest of your day. However, before you start walking, you hear something from your right. Turning your head to the direction, you see a black shadow, almost mist-like, emerge. You haven’t seen that before, but you don’t have the strength to go up to it. You decide to leave but before you do, the shadow-mist grew two red color, almond shape (similar to cats) eyes(?) and it stares right back at you. Before you can react, the shadow lunges its right arm(?) at you. You instinctively block the hit with your arms, and you are thrown a bit from the attack.

The hit left a mark on your arm. You use the small amount of time to gather your bearing and take a quick look at the thing attacking you. Although you want to explain it, you’re unable to, as the shadow has a bit of fuzziness to it. Similar to a water ripple. You look beside the creature and see that only the shadow has the fuzziness effect on it. You want to run away, but you don’t think that it would let you, judging how it immediately attack you. Instead, you enter a stance. The stance that Meiling has thought you for the past week. You wait for the creature to act. Slowly, the creature’s body changing, and the fuzziness becomes clearer. You watch and steady your breath, waiting for it to finish. In the end, it turns to an all-familiar figure, a figure that you see every morning.

Reimu?! Although, not her per se, but her silhouette. You know that big ribbon anywhere, how she stands, and that unnecessary armpit reveal of her clothes. NotReimu stands there, not moving. You also stand there, unmoving. Both of you are waiting for the other to make the first move. Not long, NotReimu dash forward, lunging her right straight to your stomach. You remember that this is the same as what you did to Meiling, so you copied what Meiling did to you: you parry its hand aside and move your whole body to ram into it. Unfortunately, the shadow side-step your attack, jumping back a few steps to gain distance. You quickly get back to your stance. Before you’re able to gather your breath, it moves again, it right hand -turn to fist- strike your left side. You feel the sharp pain that the shadow gives you as you suck in your breath quickly and clutching your hurt side. The shadow sees this is as an opportunity to continue it strike, but you tear the grass below you and throw it at the shadow. The shadow seems puzzled, giving you time to move back, farther your distance between you and it. Even with the pain in your kidney, you get back to your stance. You think what to do. During this time, you remember back to what Meiling has thought you.

“Remember, Tai Chi is meant as a form of meditation and self-defence and should never be use on another person. You got that?” the past gatekeeper said. “With that said, let’s begin! First you need to take a deep breath. Clear your head.”

NotReimu moves forward.

“Now, plant your feet on the ground. Imagine grasping on a sparrow’s tail, or to better understand, a ball, and bring it in and press it out,”

You grab NotReimu’s hand and push it back, but its other hand connects to your knee when you,

“You’re doing great! Continuing on, imagine a rooster standing on one leg. You bring one knee upwards with the hand that the knee is raised, you put it up, next to your face,”

You teeter off-balance. Not missing a beat, NotReimu brings it hand up to strike you down but you,

“Hahahaha, you’re a natural at this! Alright, next, is parting the wild’s horse’s mane. Now, think of a horse, then lean your body’s forward so that you can pet his mane. Move your arm up and-“

Block the incoming strike from the shadow. Your hand hurts from receiving the hit but you grit through it. Continuing from this, you,

“After this, a white crane spread its wings. Pretty simple. You just put your arms to the side, and spread it open, like how a crane would,”

From this, the shadow loses its balance. Finally, you,

“Right, the next one is starving tiger mauls the goat. It sound dangerous, but it’s really not. You bring your arms back to your side, like a wind-up, and then push forward. Remember to breath out when you push forward,”

And push the shadow away from you. The shadow is push back a few steps where it stops to see your move. The fight continues on as you block, hit and get hit from the attacker. Later, after receiving a lot of hits from your assailant, you unfortunately aren’t able to dodge the last blow, and you are push to a tree, where your body slumps down. You can feel warmth coming out from your head, presumably from the hit to the head you receive from it. The shadow doesn’t even look tired from your incessant blocking, as it moves closer to you. Ah, looks like this is it. The end of your road is here. There’s no one that can save you by now. You have some regret that still lives with you but the biggest one has to be your fight with Meiling. You wish that you could apologize to her after this. You wait for the inevitable strike to appear, but it never came. Instead, you see a flying kick hit the shadow in front of you and the body flung over to the other side. Now, a familiar martial artist stands in front of you, her crimson hair and green Chinese dress tower over you.

“Stay away from him!” the martial artist screams. After seeing that her opponent has fallen to the floor, she turns to you, “Are you alright?! Hey!” she presses her hands on your body. You give a weakly smile(?) and mutter something out of your mouth, but Meiling stops you.

“It’s okay. You can rest now. I’ll take care of this”. So cool. She stands up and turn to the fallen shadow. Meiling steps forward to a reasonable distance from the shadow.

“My name is Hong Meiling!” she bows to the shadow, “I’ll be your opponent for today,” she raise her head. After, she lowers her body and spread her feet apart. “Now, come at me!”

The shadow slowly stands up. However, Meiling is surprised.

“N-no way, b-but how?” her voice quivers, “You shouldn’t be here anymore.” Without warning, the shadow lunge forward, catching Meiling off guard. Meiling got push back a bit early but rebound back. The fight between Meiling and NotReimu in a constant stalemate. This is mostly because Meiling seems to be holding back her hits. Whenever she gets a clean hit, she held back, only to be hit by the shadow. You don’t know how long the fight will last. But then, the shadow changes it course of attack, it starts aiming you. Meiling sees this and block the hit, but the flurry of attack doesn’t stop. It seems that it knows that Meiling will use her body to shield you from the harm of the shadow. Now, the shadow has more of an advantage. Until one time, where the shadow manages to hit one of Meiling’s nerve point, letting Meiling’s body to be push to the side. Now, Meiling has fall to the ground. She tries to stand up, but her body refuses to do so. The shadow closes in on her. You can only watch as it raises it arms upward. You try to move your body but to no avail. You try to scream but the words won’t come out. Now, the shadow strikes. Before the land hits, a yin-yang orb come flying and hit NotReimu straight in the face, which made the shadow fall back. Slowly, you see the person who threw the orb. An all-familiar back.

“Finally, you show up straight to me. You know how tiring it’s been trying to find you,” she doesn’t stop moving forward. “Don’t worry,” Reimu continues, “Leave this job to your local shrine maiden. Marisa… …” Reimu says something, but you couldn’t make out what it is. You feel dizzier by the minute. Looks like the adrenaline runs out. You manage to see a familiar magician in black, holding you. And then, you black out.

You open your eyes and are greeted with the shrine’s ceiling. You try to move your body, but you feel pain whenever you do so. However, you’re able to turn your neck and you can see Reimu sleeping next to you. Soon, Reimu wakes up.

“Ah, morning,” Reimu slowly gets up in a sitting position, “How are you holding up?” You try to say that your body hurts but your voice come out hoarse. “Relax, I’ll bring you some water,” Reimu gets up and walk to the kitchen. Coming out, she brings you the water. She picks you up so that you’re sitting and then with a pain body, you down the drink which lead you to cough. She pats you on the back. You look at your body, you’re bandage from head to toe. Then, you slowly lay down again. You ask Reimu what happen.

“Oi, oi, don’t tell me you lost your memory again,” Reimu sighs, “You encounter a youkai and got hurt.” You ask her to explain, because your head is a bit fuzzy at the moment. “Don’t worry. I will. But before that, someone’s here to meet you,” Reimu turns to the porch, “Ooi, Meiling, he’s awake”. Meiling slowly comes into view, you can see that her body has some bandages around the arm and stomach. She also has a band-aid on her left cheek.

“Hey. How’re you feeling?” she comes inside, “Uwaahh, that look bad. Ahahaha…” she awkwardly laughs. The room stays silent. Reimu break the silence by saying, “Well, you take care of him for a while. I need to make congee for the guy,” she gets up.

“Aah, no no, I can make i-“ Meiling reply but quickly interrupted, “Meiling.” From that one word, Meiling stays silent. Reimu then enter the kitchen. The silent re-emerge.

“The weather is great today, huh?” Meiling start small talk, “Bad start. Ah, changing the subject, that fight was something right, I can’t believe you managed to fight off with a youkai of that stature.” From the way that you are right now, you don’t think that you win against the thing. “We-well, it’s still amazing on what you did…” Meiling stays silent again.

“Hey. Can I tell you a story?” You nod. It’s not like you can walk out anyway, “Ahaha, right. I want to tell you, why I have been avoiding teaching you how to fight…” Meiling take a deep breath, “It started long ago…”

It was morning, I was guarding the SDM and did a bit of exercise, when in the distance, I saw a girl being harassed by smaller youkais. I went in and drove the youkais away. After droving it away, I take a look at the girl. The girl is small in size and has a black bob-cut hair, her face covered in freckles around the bridge of her nose and her body was covered in cuts and bruises. When I asked the girl why she is out here alone, she told me that she was being pester by the children in the Human Village and she was asked to find something that they consider cool, or she’s not allowed to come back. When I asked where her parents are, she doesn’t respond, but her home is in the Village itself. Feeling sympathetic to the girl, you gave her a gold star with the writing ‘Dragon’ written in Chinese. Her eyes sparkle and her face lit up. She thanked me for the gold star and ran off towards the direction to the village.

The next day, doing my routine again, I spotted the girl. She came back to meet with me. I asked her if she’s being bullied again but she shakes her head. Instead, she came here to ask me to teach her martial arts. She saw the way I fought and thought that it was cool. I asked her again if her parents allowed for her to be here, but she doesn’t respond. Not wanting to pry further, I agree to her wishes. However, I told her that that martial arts is only use for self-defense and to never use it for violence. She nods and I started training with her.

She came by every day. Learning the craft from me. Days turn to weeks; weeks turn to month. She met and became acquainted with the people from the Mansion too. Every day, she gets stronger and stronger, I can see that she has the potential to surpass me even in a couple of years.

Then, one day, after I finished sparring with her, she tells you that the children hadn’t pick on her anymore. I congratulate her for the achievement, and she gave the biggest smile there is. However, on the next day, when I was guarding the gate, there are some human passing by. They were talking really loudly that I listen in. It turns out, the girl that I have been training has started pestering the children from the village. It seems that she does the same thing as the people before did to her. I can’t believe my ears when I heard it, but there’s nothing I can do at that time. It could have only been rumours. I waited for her to come tomorrow to hear it from her.

The next day came, and I confronted her. She stays silent and I asked her again. She said that they’re just getting their desserts, they should feel what she felt at the time. By that time, I was raising my voice, I told her that martial arts are not meant to be use as a form of violence, but she replied back, saying that she had no choice. It’s not like she wanted this to happen. It just happened. No one care for her in her life, and she have no way to defend herself and now that she has a way for it, everyone says that she’s in the wrong. Isn’t it messed up? When she’s just repaying them the things that they have done to her, why was she painted as the bad guy? I told her again, the power that she wields now is for defending herself, not to inflict harm on others. By then, I don’t remember what happen. It turns into a shouting match, both parties won’t relent from their ideals, and a fight happen. I came as victor, but her face has the look of someone has betrayed her. She left soon after and she hadn’t came back to the SDM.

The gossip of the girl hadn’t died down, rather, it became the talk of the village at the time. More and more people recount their story. And then, the unimaginable happen, Meiling’s voice quivers.

One day, the Bunbunmaru Newspaper published their newspaper, and on that very first page it reads;

INCIDENT IN THE HUMAN VILLAGE! A YOUNG GIRL TURNED YOUKAI ATTACKED CHILDREN AND ADULTS!

I read the description of the assailant and the more I read, more of my heart sank. It describes perfectly to the girl that came by few days ago. The same girl that I have argued with. Then, as if the world is making a fool of me, she came to the SDM. The girl that wasn’t tainted by the youkai stink. The same girl, that once meek turned strong. The same girl, her eyes now turned red, and parts of her body were covered in black gunked. She came to meet me. To settle the score with me. I asked her if she hurt anyone at the Village, if this newspaper clipping is true. She stays silent. Then, she gave the biggest grin (similar when her bullies stop pestering her) of them all and said,

“Yeah, so what?”

By then, things turned into a blur, we exchanged blows between each other. If I hit her right cheek, she hit my left. If I kneed her stomach, she grabbed my knee and threw me to the ground. And by the end, both of us are spent. And then… and then…, Meiling slows down, she’s having a hard time finishing the story.

“And then I dealt with her,” Reimu comes back, with a bowl of congee on her hand. “I get reports from the humans there at the time. At first it was to solve the bullying problem, but that’s not what my job is. That should be solved by the village itself,” she puts down the congee on the table. “If it’s a human-on-human conflict, I might step in as a mediator. But when she turns to a youkai, that’s where the shrine maiden steps in”.

“Thank you, Miss Reimu. I don’t know what will happen if you weren’t there at the time.”

“It’s what I do. Although, my donation box seems to be a bit empty~~”

“Ahahaha, don’t worry, I’ll put something in there later.”

“ᗜˬᗜ♫~~”

Remembering something, Reimu continues, “Right, I forgot to mention. The thing that you and Meiling fought before, it turns out to be a shapeshifting youkai. Its true body is a small ball of fuzziness shadow, but when it locks eyes with its prey, it will turn to the thing its prey most scared of. For our dear friend Meiling here, it seems to be that girl. I wouldn’t put it past her. But now I’m curious… What did you see when you’re fighting it?” Reimu asks you.

You look at Reimu. Then you say that you don’t remember. Reimu responds with an ‘Eehh?’ elicit a laughter from both you and Meiling.

“And to you. I want to give you my deepest apologies,” she bows her head reaching the floor.

No Meiling, it’s my fault. I was the one who pushed you too far without knowing what’s going on. I’m sorry.

“No, if I have overcome my past, you would not be in this situation. I’m sorry.”

No, it’s me who’s wrong. If I hadn’t ran away from you and just apologize immediately, we wouldn’t be in this state.

“No, no. I should be the one apologizing.”

No, I should be the one apologizing.

“No, I should.”

Huh?

“Huh?”

“Is this a bad comedy sketch or what?” the miko in red interject.

You both laugh. You remember that you had this conversation with her before. After having your fill of laugh, Meiling continues,

“Hey. This time. I’ll train you fully. I won’t let the same mistakes ever again. And if I see you use it for the wrong reason, I’ll be there to stop you. But I know, you’re not the type to do that,” the gatekeeper smiles, feeling a weight of her burden lifted.

“Alright, alright,” Reimu interject again, “I think that’s enough. The sick need to eat now. Come on Meiling, get him up.”

“Right!” Meiling picks you up to a sitting position while Reimu pick up the congee. Today, even with you pained body, you feel the most happiness you can get here.

However, the day isn’t over yet. You hear someone familiar calling out Reimu’s name in the distance. Slowly, it became more audible. Then, she appears,

“Reimu! How is he? Has he wake up yet? It’s been three days now shouldn’t we bring him to Eintei an-“ Marisa looks inside the shrine. Your eyes met.

“Ha-haaaa?! He’s awake?! Oi, Reimu! Why didn’t you tell meeee!”

“Aaaaah shut up, Marisa! He just woke up recently.”

“Then, why didn’t you tell meee?! If I had known, I would have brought something today.”

“He just woke up, how am I supposed to tell you? Also, I don’t need to tell you and if you’re going to bring something, why only him? You can bring something to me too, you know?” Marisa ignores Reimu last remarks. She gets closer to you,

“Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Did Reimu do anything to you?” Marisa bombards you with questions.

“Huh? What the last one supposed to mean?!” an angry Reimu asks. Marisa continues questioning you,

“Have you eaten yet? Are you hungry? Let’s see… Ah, perfect. I’ll be taking this,” Marisa fish out the bowl of congee and spoon from Reimu, “Okay, say ‘Ahhh~~~”

You would like to rephrase. Today, despite pain all over your body, is the happiest moment of your life and the most hectic.

Notes:

Hello. How is everyone doing? I wish you have a wonderful day.
First and foremost, I want to say thank you for reading. On another note, regarding me entering Inktober... well, I failed, ahahahaha. Hah.
Anyway, I did say that the chapter was supposed to be posted after the first week is over and here my argument; life.
I apologize if anyone was expecting a new chapter on that particular week.
Now, I'll try to put out the next chapter by the end of the month, but eh, who knows.
Lastly, again I want to apologize if I made people wait and again, thank you for reading.
Hope everyone has a joyful day.
Good night.

Chapter 6: Koakuma and Patchouli Knowledge

After three weeks, your body has mostly recovered. You decide to go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion (with displeasure from Reimu) to meet with Meiling. Now, you’re inside the library. You’re sitting down on a chair, a table in front of you. On the opposites, sits the resident librarian (with piles of book), Patchouli.

Patchouli Knowledge, the witch of the library. Similar height to Marisa, she has purple eyes and hair. Her hair is long that it almost reach the ground. There are many ribbons tied to various parts of her hair and clothe. She wears a pink clothing (that looks like a pyjama) and on her head, a pink night cap with a gold crescent moon on top. One time, you ask her why she’s walking around in her pyjama all day. In which she respond with “It’s not a pyjama. It’s a normal dress. It’s comfortable and easy to move in. It’s a perfectly normal everyday attire. Also, there’s no rule that a cap is not allowed indoor, is there? I feel comfortable wearing it and that’s what matters. And no, it’s not a pyjama,” Patchouli explain as she wraps every part of your body and head in bodily water. After the incident, let’s say that you were afraid of water for a few days.

“So,” Patchouli starts, “Why is an injured person sits in front of me today?” she asks while flipping the page of her book. You reply that you missed your favourite magician in the world.

“Flattery won’t get you anything,” she curtly respond, not looking away from her book, “Remember our deal; bring me my books, then I’ll teach you. No book. No teach.” You lay your head on the table and asks if there’s no discount for injured people, to which she reply with,

“No,” she flatly says. She then sighs, “Honestly, that Marisa has been a real influenced on you.” You don’t think that Marisa changed you at all. Patchouli continues, “Of course the person himself won’t notice. Anyway, my final answer stands. We made a deal, and we stick to it. Now, if there’s nothing else, I would love to continue reading this book,” she continues flipping the page. You call Patchouli name several times but no respond. Feeling bored, you stand up and tell Patchouli that you’re taking one of the books. Patchouli made a ‘un’ sound and you walk to one of the many bookshelf.

You look at the long arrays of books, lay on the bookshelf. None of it catches your eyes. You’re not much of a reader and the books that do fancies you are fictional story books. Most book that are in the library are technical books or history and that’s not your cup of tea. You look around, to find the perfect book when in the corner of your eyes, you spot someone, pushing a book cart: it’s Koakuma. Seeing that you have nothing to do, you go and greet the devil. Koakuma hear you calling out to her, and she greets back.

Koakuma is a devil that works in the library. She has long red hair and red eyes. On the sides of her head are two small black bat wings, while on her back are similar wings but much bigger. She’s wearing a black dress with white sleeves.

“Hello,” she waves her hand, “How are you today? Is your injury okay?” she asks. You say that you’re fine and ask her what she is doing right now. “Hm? Oh, I’m just placing the books back to their place,” she points to the book cart and books that are on it, “Lady Patchouli sometimes forgot to put the books back because she is focused with the thing that she reads. And not to mention, the books that Marisa borrows too…” she scratch her head. You, again, says sorry on Marisa’s behalf.

“Oh, you don’t have to! It’s my job. Besides, Lady Patchouli has become slightly happier after you start to bring back her books. So, I have to say thanks for bringing the books back,” she give a slight bow,” Anyway, is there anything you need? Water? A book?” she asks you. Seeing that you have nothing going on right now (and you’re bored), you ask if you can help her with her work.

“Are you sure?” she asks, “Weren’t you here to meet with Lady Patchouli?” Originally, you were supposed to meet with Meiling so that you can start training for real, but she pushes you away because of your injuries. With nothing else to do, you head to the library to learn magic but was turned down.

“Well, in that case, I- wait, did you not come here with Miss Marisa?” No, you came here alone today. Why does she think that? “You always come here with Miss Marisa, it’s just a surprised to me. Ehem, anyways. I’ll take you on your offer then,” she smiles, “Follow me. We’ll sort out the book on this cart first. We can talk along the way.”

You follow the devil, sorting out the books that are on the cart. You pick up the books and she gives you the place to put it. You do the ones on the lower bracket while she does the upper ones (because she can fly up there). She also sorts out the heavier, hard cover books because of your injury. Along the way, you make small talk, such as: the weather, food, books, anything really. Without realizing, we finished placing back all the books to their original place. Koakuma stretches her arms upwards.

“That went faster than when I was doing it alone. Thank you for that!” she smiles, “If only you could help me every day, work wouldn’t be so long and tiring.” You say to her that if she needs any help, you are willing to help. “Really? I would love that~” With the job finished, you say to Koakuma that you’re going back to where Patchouli is, but before you do so, she stops you.

“Wa-wait. Before you go, I have something to tell you.” You stop and wait for her. She slowly moves towards you. In front of you, she lowers her head and put her mouth right next to your right ear (you can hear her breathing), then she whispers,

“I think you should be wary of your surroundings when you’re flirting with Marisa,” she removes her faces from yours. It takes you a few seconds before the words registered inside your brain.

H-huh? Wh-what are you talking about? you hastily say.

“Hm? Aren’t you and Marisa dating?”

No, we’re not! What gave you that idea?

“Well, before...”

You were picking out some books from the bookshelf as per Patchouli’s order when Marisa came stands next to you.

“Hey, hey. What are you doing?” Marisa asks. You say to Marisa that you are picking the books that Patchouli asks you and that Marisa should know that since she was there as well.

“What, is it wrong to make small talk now?” Marisa pouts, “For making me sad, a punishment is in order,” she locks hands with yours, “Your punishment will be to hold hands with me.” You say to Marisa that you need both hands to carry back the books but she just laughs it off. You held her hand for a while before she closes in and lay her head on your arm.

“I wish time would stay like this forever…” she mutters. You pretend not to hear her, and coincidentally, you also wish the same. You stay like that for a few seconds before she let go of your hand, and you both went back with the books in hand.

“… like that. You didn’t see me because I was watching from above, sorting the books.”

AAAAAAAAAA you internally scream. You didn’t know that someone was watching you during that time. Koakuma continues,

“And wow, hand holding, how lewd,” she blushes and put her hands on her cheeks, “Well, it’s not like it’s the first time. You done that plenty of time. Like that time when…” before she can continue her story, you stop her. You don’t want to hear it. You ask the devil if she has told the story to anyone else, where she shakes her head no. You put your hand together, lower you head and says,

Please don’t tell anyone about this. I’ll do anything! Silence fell in the library. The silence breaks when Koakuma says,

“Anything?”

Yes, anything. you reply to her. You don’t want the thing with Marisa to be publicized, and you certainly don’t want it to come out from someone else’s mouth. If they’re going to find out that you’re dating anyone (which you aren’t) then you will be the one who tell them. You hear the slow footsteps of the devil in front of you, getting closer and closer, before she’s directly in front of you. Then, you feel a finger is place on your chin, and your head are raise to meet with hers. You look at Koakuma’s face and can see that she has a mischievous smile on her face.

“Then, you’ll do anything I say, right?~~” the mischievous devil smiles.

Well, anything within boundary.

“No take back! Fufufu,” she giggles, “Then, come to the library tomorrow. And don’t think of not coming! See you tomorrow.~~” the devil then flies off. Looks like you got a date with the devil tomorrow.

“Hello? Are you listening” the devil (with her back turn) in front of you asks. It’s tomorrow and you’re back at the library. You meet again with the promised devil and help her around the library and now, she asks you for a massage.

“Muuu, you know, girls don’t like it when you’re not listening to them” she pouts, “We’re all creatures that crave attention.” You say sorry to Koakuma. “Fufufu. Anyway, I’m ready with the massage now~~,” she moves her body left and right, eager for you to start. You crack your knuckles and promptly place both your hands on her shoulders. You start slow and put small amount of pressure, finding the spot that has a lot of stress on it.

“Ahhh~~, that feels great~~,” Koakuma let her voice out, “You’re really good at this~~”. Well, you have done this before for Reimu. Whenever she’s tired from her work (which is rarely) she asks you for a shoulder massage. It seems that this skills is useful somewhat. During the massage, you notice that her shoulder has a lot of stress on it. Probably from all the books that she carries all day. Because of this, you strengthen your presses on her delicate shoulder, illicit an approval voice out of her. Finishing the shoulder massage, you proceed towards her back. You pressed around her waist near her spine at around her tailbone. She shifts her body to get into a more comfortable position. You do this a few times before finishing. You forgot that Koakuma has this pair of wings on her back. You asks her if you need to massage her wings. Before Koakuma can say anything, you move your hand to her wings and touch it, then Koakuma let out a scream,

“Kyaah♥ !” her body shudders and she moves her wings away from you. You also abruptly move your hands away. A couple of silence pass, then Koakuma slowly turns her head around to face you,

“Pervert♥~~” a flushed devil says. You apologize to Koakuma for your insensitivity.

“Hmmm~~ What should I do, I wonder?~~” the devil says in a sing song manner. “Well, I forgive you. If, you hug me.”

Huh? Hug you? you ask. She nods. Isn’t there anything else you wa-

“No. Hug.” she adamantly says while spreading her arms. Having no choice, you slowly walks up to her and give her a big hug. She reciprocate your hug. You’re currently holding her. You can feel her heartbeat pound in her chest. Doesn’t that mean she can hear mine too… you wonder. Looking at her head, you can see her little bat wings moves up and down. You stay like this for a minute before she moves away from you. The devil gives a smile and says,

“You’re forgiven~~,” she giggles, “You should have seen your face, your red as a tomato~~. Ahahaha,” Well, you never hug someone before. “What, really? Then, doesn’t that mean… I’m your first~~?” Phrasing woman. Phrasing. She laughs again. “Ahhh~~ Today has been fun. Sadly, I think that’s all we have to do today. Well, let’s meet again tomorrow,” Wait, you have to do this again? “Hmm? Of course. Unless…” she points to her mouth. You agree to the devil’s term. Looks like you have another date with this devil.

The next day and forth, you keep on going to the SDM library to meet with Koakuma. You mostly help her with the sorting out the books. After finishing with that, it’s time to follow the devil’s order: giving her a massage, getting pranked by her, and doing a bit of skinship. Koakuma intent of having a filled of fun out of you.

One day, when you’re at the SDM library, helping Koakuma sorts the books out, you overhear Patchouli talking to someone. It is someone that you know too well. You peek at the table where Patchouli is and you spot the iconic magician and her broom: it’s Marisa. You thought of greeting Marisa but then,

“Oh come on Patchy? Is there really no books on that?” Marisa asks, seemingly annoyed.

“For the last time, no. And for the subsequent future, no. You came here and you have ask me that again and again, and my answer will always be, no, there isn’t. Also, return the books that you stole from me,” Patchouli respond.

“Then, there’s must be a spell for that. You know: a love spell.”

You stop on your tracks and hide behind the bookshelf. A love spell? you wonder. Although eavesdropping is wrong, you curiosity wins against you.

Patchouli sighs. She closes her book, “Marisa, there isn’t. And if there was, I would have…” Patchouli mutters.

“Huh? What was that?”

“Nothing. Also, a spell that would made a person falls in love with you is unethical. It would probably be in the dark arts. Why don’t you start there?”

“I did. I already read it at home and there’s nothing. I took it from here too…”

“Oh, so you took another one of my book?!”

“That’s not important right now!” “Yes it is!” “Anyway, I thought this library holds all the books that I need… Man, what a waste”. Patchouli stays silent. She then asks,

“Why are you so adamant on this subject?”

“W-well, you know, this and that” Marisa gives a non-answer.

“Marisa.” Marisa scratches her head and look away.

“I’m… scared.”

“Huh? You? Scared? Marisa is scared? The Marisa that act first, think later? The Marisa that despite the many danger of this library security system, went in and steals anyway? The Marisa that says whatever on her mind without filtering her words no matter who it was and gets in trouble for it later? The Marisa that whenever there is an incident, goes head first? That Marisa is scared?”

“Alright, alright, enough already! I get it!” Marisa scratches her head, “You don’t have to say it like that. I’m human too you know!”

“No, it just… baffled me… Well?”

“It just… I’m afraid of change.”

“? What does that have to do with a love spell?” Marisa looks down, her face has a tinge of red, “Ah. Ehem, continue.”

“Right now, everything is fine. When we hang out, it’s always been a blast. Every time we have to part ways for the day, it feels painful. Lately, my heart keep beating faster whenever we’re together. The days that we don’t meet, I longed for ‘em. And when he’s hurt, I was scared of losing him. I’m not sure if it’s because I... you know, but if I have to say ‘it’ to ‘em. I’m scared that he won’t return my feeling the same way.”

Patchouli stays silent. She takes a deep breath.

“Marisa,” Patchouli says. Marisa looks up to Patchouli. “You’re an idiot.”

“H-huh?” says the stunned Marisa.

“Idiot: Dummy. Dum dum. Stupid. Half-wit. Imbecile. Moron. Dolt. Dunce. Dumba-“

“I know what idiot means!”

“Then I will say this: everyone change. If they’re still alive, they will change. Nobody stays stagnant forever. Nobody will stays a 17 year old, no one walks the same path over and over again. Everybody will change. Even now, you’ve changed, Marisa.

“Huh? I have?”

“Of course you do. Before, I see a thief who only thinks for her own personal gains and will do anything by herself but now the same thief is talking about her problems instead of keeping it in,” Patchouli points to herself, “Even I’ve changed, Marisa. And that’s all because of you.” Patchouli smiles. “Also,” she point to Marisa, “If the guy can’t love you for who you are, then they don’t deserve you. The Marisa I know is someone who’s annoying but helpful, crude yet honest, a thief who cares for her stolen goods. And also, a friend. You have your own charm and if that guy can’t see that, hah, it’s their loss.”

Marisa sits there, dumbfounded. A few seconds later, she lets out a laugh.

“Ahahahaha, I see…” Marisa smilingly says, “Ahh~~, that’s a weight of my shoulders. Thank you, Patchy. I didn’t realize you know me that much~~” Marisa teasingly says.

Patchouli blushes, “I-I only says that because you moping around isn’t something that I want to see. It’s distracting to me. While you’re at it, return back my books,” she picks up a book, open the book and hid behind it, hiding her face. Marisa smiles.

It seems like you eavesdrop on something personal. You half-heartedly place the books in one of the bookshelf as you make your silent retreat. However, due to your half-heartedness, the book that you place before is falling. You try to catch it but fail to do so, as when the book fall to the ground, it was further away from the bookshelf, and now you’re out in the open. You look to the two magician and see that they are looking at you. You smile (awkwardly) at the two and you pick up the book. Then, Marisa rushes to you and stands in front of you.

“H-hey, I didn’t know you’re here today,” an out-of-breath Marisa says, “Patchy didn’t tell me… Hahaha…” she awkwardly laughs. Then, she stretch out her hands and puts it on your shoulder, she asks if you hear her conversation with Patchouli and you shake your head, lying to her. She breathes a sigh of relief and lets you go.

“So, what brings you here today? Were you trying to learn magic from Patchouli again? You know you could learn it from me too…” Marisa asks. Before you have a chance to reply, a voice rings out from the distance,

“Heeeeeyyyy, where are you? We still have many books left to sort,” Koakuma calls out to you. You say to Marisa that that’s what you’re currently doing. Patchouli responds,

“Oh, is that what you were doing with Koakuma?” Patchouli stands next to Marisa.

“Wait, you knew he’s here?!” Marisa asks, bewildered.

“Of course. He’s been coming here to meet with Koakuma for the past few days,” Patchouli explains, “Koakuma seems to be happier whenever you come around.”

“Heeeh, is that so?” Marisa turns to you, “You’re helping Koakuma, huh? Why? Is it because you’re trying to curry favour from Patchouli?~~” she nudges you on the side using her elbow. To not let the secret out, you nod.

“I appreciate it. But our deal still stands.”

“I never know what the ‘deal’ is, what is it really?”

“Nothing that concerns you, Marisa.”

“Eeeehh…” Marisa playfully pouts, “Well, now I know that you’re here. You want to hang out? It’s been a while since we’ve been together and we haven’t hang out much because of your injury. We can read books together here, and-“. You cut Marisa off. You say that you need to return to help with Koakuma. Hearing that, Marisa replies with “Oh, then, I could help you. We can slack of- uh, sort the books together so that you can finish faster an-“. You cut her off again. As much as you would like that, you and Koakuma are fine. Marisa came here to meet with Patchouli and it would be rude to leave like that.

“Oh it’s fine. Patchouli would be more happy if we leave her alone,” she turns to Patchouli” Isn’t that right, Patchy?”

“Do whatever you like. Just don’t cause a scene in the library and Marisa, keep your hands to yourself,” saying that, Patchouli walks back to her seat.

“Geez Patchy, I know! Geez, why only me?” Marisa playfully says. “Well, let’s go th-“ by the time she turns back to you, you already went back to Koakuma.

You return to a displeased Koakuma. “Muuu, you’re late!” she pouts, “You know, girls don’t want to be wait upon.” You apologize to Koakuma. “Well, it’s not like you did it on purpose. You were just meeting with our guest. Isn’t that right, Miss Marisa?” You turn around and see that Marisa is right behind you.

“Yo, I heard that you and this guy was sorting the books, and the kind-hearted Marisa here wanted to help. That won’t be a problem is there?”

“Not at all!” Koakuma replies, “It’s just that it’s rare that Marisa here wanted to help clean the mess she created.”

“We-well, you know, sometimes you got the mood to help, you know? Anyway, let’s go, there’s no time to waste. Go, go!” an embarrassed magician says. Koakuma giggles at the magician antics.

And so, the three of you put back the book to their original bookshelf, making small chatter on the way. You thought that it would go without problem but the world doesn’t work like that. During your work, Marisa would occasionally tries to get close to you or talk to you but whenever that occurs, Koakuma would always calls on you, maybe placing books or showing you some of the books that she finds interesting, leaving Marisa alone. It happens every time Marisa tries getting your attention, leaving the magician frustrated. On your work, you can slowly see that Marisa becoming agitated. You can see that she has a cute pout on her face whenever you leave her to attend to Koakuma.

Soon, the work is done, all the books in the cart has been placed in their respective book shelf. Koakuma stretches her arms upwards.

“Ahhhh~~ that was even faster than before~~. And it’s all thanks to you, and you too, Miss Marisa,” she smiles to the both of us.

“Ah, um, yeah…” a crestfallen magician says. No energy comes out of the magician.

“All that work has made me thirsty. Why don’t I brewed us some tea? We can drink it together with Lady Patchouli. I’m sure she misses us right about now,” she outstretch her hands and hold it with yours, “Let’s go”. You follow the devil but then, you can feel a tug on you shirt. You turn to see that Marisa is pinching your shirt. She doesn’t move.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” the devil in front asks you. She look behind you and see Marisa, tugging your shirt. “Marisa, what’s wro-“ before she can finish, Marisa cuts her off,

“Can I talk to him alone?”

“Hmm, but isn’t it better to be toge-“

“Please”. Koakuma waits for a few seconds before agreeing to Marisa request. She winks you goodbye and walks the path where Patchouli sits. You’re now alone with the (face-down) magician. You turn to her and wait for her to say anything. Suddenly, she holds you in an embrace, her face buried deep in your chest. This catches you off-guard. You call Marisa a few times but no responds. The one thing she said was “Shut up” and you do so. You and her stays like that for a few seconds. You place your hand on your side, as you don’t know where it’s appropriate to put. You look around the place, awkwardness setting in. Then, you can hear that she mumbles something. You can’t make out what she says, so you ask her again.

“… my he…” she mutters. You ask her again.

“Pat my head.” You stand there, dumbfounded by the request. Then, you slowly and carefully place your hand on top of her head, touching her witch hat. You then slowly move your hand side to side, similar to how you do it to Aunn. You do it a few times before she says,

“Do it raw”. Huh? What does that mean? It seems that she notices your confusion, as she removes her hat from her head. You resume rubbing her head, now directly touching her hair and scalp. Her head feels rough and there’s some kind of wetness to it, probably moisture that’s trap from her hat. The citrus smell that you once smell came back. You continue this for a while, Marisa unmoving from her embrace. You scan the room, scared that a certain devil is snooping around. You ask her if this is enough but she didn’t respond. Soon after, she starts,

“Say that you love me”.

… I like you, you shyly says. She doesn’t move.

… I lo-love you, your face flush saying that.

“Now say that you want to live with me”.

… No.

“Mrgrgrgr,” she nuzzles your body. After a while, she look up to you, still hugging. “That’s the part where you should say yes!” she pouts. You only laugh at her ridiculous demand. She joins you, laughing as well. “Hah~ this is nice~” she place her head on your body. You both stay there in silence. After that, Marisa is the first to break the silence, “Next time, please don’t ignore me…”. The only thing that you can say is that you’ll try.

“Ahahaha, good enough,” she then slowly let go of your body, her warmth lingers. “Well, I have my filled. Why don’t we head back to the table? Those two must’ve been waiting for us. I’ll go first though, as to not cause any suspicion,” she turns to walk toward the table. But before that, she spin her body back to you, “Oh, before I forgot. Ehem, love ya♡~” with her face flushed, she gives the biggest grin and turn back, practically skipping the whole way back. You watch Marisa’s back as she walk away from you.

“Wow~~ how steamy~~” Koakuma whistle from behind. You sharply turn towards her, surprise. Has she been watching this whole time? “Well, yeah. I don’t want to miss the two lovebirds getting in on the action,” she sighs, “And after I gave you that advice you still done it. Has my advice fall on deaf ears?” Well, it’s not under your control. “Yeah, yeah,” she nonchalantly says. “But this gets me thinking: Why do you push Marisa away so much? You can see that she has a modicum of likeness for you. I just don’t understand why”. You stay silent for a few seconds, and reply with that it’s not the right time for it. “I won’t pry further, but you should cherish the people around you. Some people would die to have anyone to be with them”. Koakuma lectures. Not wanting to hear anymore, you change the subject: by asking her why she’s working here in the library in the first place.

“Muuu, that’s not nice you know… Weeell, to answer your question, we have to go back to the beginning,” she retells her story. You feel like there’s been a lot of flashback this past few days.

It all started many years ago. I was just walking in Makai when, “Ah, Makai is where I live before. It’s very, very, very, very far away from here. Anyway,” I was leisurely walking when suddenly, a magic circle pop up beneath my feet! I then fell down and teleported here- “Hm? Is this story real? Does that even happen? Excuse me, who’s telling the story right now? If you don’t mind, please save the question at the end, thank you. Now, where was I… Oh, right,” I fell down the magic circle, and then, I was greeted with two individuals. The first one was a vampire, Lady Remilia, and the other is a librarian, Lady Patchouli. They stood there in awe as they see me.

“Look, look, Patchy! A strong, beautiful and graceful devil comes out!” Lady Remilia screamed in glee at my figure.

“You’re right, Remy. With such an elegance and strong devil like her, how can we ever compete?! We should give everything that we have for this great devil.” Lady Patchouli exclaimed proudly.

“That’s a great idea! From this day onwards, all the mansion would belong to the gre-“Huh? Wh-what’s with that look? What’s with the look of disbelief? What, you say I’m lying? No, it’s the truth! W-well, I may have embellish it a little… I mean, it’s fine, isn’t it? Wa-wait, where are you going? Okay, okay! I’ll tell it like it is! Geez…” she frowns.

“Hey Patchy. It works,” the vampire non-chalantly said.

“It sure does, Remy,” the librarian stoically responds. I was greeted with the vampire, sitting while drinking her tea and the librarian, standing while carrying an open book.

“Hmm… she doesn’t look strong.”

“It’s fine. I just need someone to work around the library. Having the fairy maids handle the books gave me an aneurysm”. The two continue talking to each other. After a few seconds of looking at my surrounding, I realize that I was brought to a library of some sort.

“W-where am I? How did I get here?” I ask the two.

“You’re in the library right now,” the librarian said, “The Scarlet Devil library’s to be exact. I needed a familiar to help me around the library, so I summoned one. Didn’t expect it to work though. Anyway, what’s your name?”

“H-hmph! Why would I need to tell you? Also, isn’t the one asking need to give out her name first?”

“Hoh~~ a stubborn one, isn’t she?” the vampire adds.

“You’re right,” the librarian continues, “My name is Patchouli. Patchouli Knowledge. The vampire over there is-“

“Remilia Scarlet. The owner of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the most charismatic and influential being of all of Gensokyo!” the vampire smugly added.

“Right… Anyway, would you mind telling me your name?” I ignore the librarian question, adamant on not giving my name out. “Hmmm… this is troubling.”

“We could always force it out of her~~” the vampire sing songly said. I shiver hearing that.

“No, Remy, I don’t want a fight to happen here. Last time you did, the library was turned upside down, and who do you think has to clean that up?” the vampire “Eeehh…” and looks away. “However, this troubles me. I don’t like calling you ‘you’. Then… how about Koakuma?”

Hearing that name, anger wells up inside me. They brought me here and decided to just make me work? Also, Koakuma? KOAKUMA?! LITTLE Devil?! I angrily stood up and said,

“Huh?! Who’re you calling Koakuma?! I’ll show you not to call me that!” I charged forward, ready to strike the librarian.

“Hmph, she is weak after all,” the vampire boredly says.

The next thing I knew, I was laying down on the floor, the library ceilings is all I see. I was only fighting the librarian, but I didn’t know she was that strong. It all happen in an instance. Slowly, the librarian figure came in to view.

“Judging by how you react, you either incredibly strong, or incredibly brash. Maybe both. Either way, a different environment can affect people differently. Anyway, I will employed you as the library assistant. Is that okay, Remy?”

“Do whatever you like. She doesn’t interest me the slightest,” the vampire stood up and walked away, leaving the librarian and me alone.

“Then it settles. From tomorrow morning, you will be the librarian assistant. After you’re done resting, come meet with me, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying from now on. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the scope of your job. See you later, Koakuma,” the librarian adds, she then leaves. I can only lay there, and curses to no ears, except my own.

After that, I started working in the library. I learn where to put back the books, how to care for it, cataloguing, make tea. Whenever there’s a chance, I try to sneakily attack Lady Patchouli but always falls flat. I use every chance I get to get back at the person who imprisoned me to this place: frontal, sneak, poison, trapping. Any chance I get. However, the more that I stay here, the more I learned about the resident of this place, how eccentric they are, and I learn more about her. How that she has a weak constitution. Or how she always compliment me whenever I did a good job. Or how she sometimes forgot to bathe- “Uh, ignore that last part,” Then, more and more people comes in. First it’s the shrine maiden and her magician friend. Others, then flock in. I got to meet with lots of people, and I can see the difference faces of Lady Patchouli. Something inside me changed. The place that I called prison, has now become my home. I’m even happier here than I was at my hometown. And it’s all thanks to Lady Patchouli.

One day, after pouring tea to Lady Patchouli (she thanked me~~), I start sorting out the books near her table. Then, Lady Patchouli began speaking,

“Hey, Koakuma.”

“Yes, Lady Patchouli,” I stopped what I was doing, and listen.

“Have you ever thought of your hometown?”

“Hmm? Well… There are times when I think about it, but I’m happier to be here. With you, Lady Patchouli.” I answer her with utmost confidence.

“Then, would you like to go back?” she looked straight at me.

“H-huh?”

“When I summoned you here, I never thought of the implication. For example, I don’t know if you have a family, if there’s anything that you need to be done there. I bring you here out of my selfishness. Sometimes, I think about it. Whether you hate being here or not. Before, you showed relentless animosity towards me, but now you mellowed out. I’m afraid that you’re just tolerating this. So, I’m asking you again: Would you like to go back?”

Go… back? True, before I did make it my priority to return back home and take revenge on her. But now, I don’t even remember what I was doing before I came here. I do remember the place but not what I was living there for. Even if I rack my brain, I couldn’t see anything that I do there. However, when I think of this place, many things come to mind. I already know the answer to this question, as there’s only one answer,

“Lady Patchouli,” I take a deep breath, “Right now, my home has always been in Gensokyo, inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, working at the library, and being next to you, Lady Patchouli. So, don’t think that I ever want to return back, okay?” I wink at Lady Patchouli.

Lady Patchouli smiles, “Is that so? Then, resume your work,” she picked up one of the books on the table and started to read.

“Yes, Lady Patchouli!” I enthusiastically said. Before leaving, I could hear out an audible ‘Thank you’ came out from her mouth. Thus, I started the day, with a spring in my steps. “And that’s how I started working at the Scarlet Devil Mansion as the assistant librarian. The End,” she took a bow. Being swept by the mood, you clap at her story. “So, so? What do you think?” You say that her story is good and her head bat wings flutter.

“Eheheh~~” her smile loosen. There’re a few seconds of silence before Koakuma adds, “Hey, you remember our secret?” How could you not? That’s the only reason why you’re helping her in the first place. Although, it has been fun being with her, but you’re not going to say that to her, “I want to revoke it. I think it’s time that I held my end and I have my fill of fun,” Koakuma smiles. You thank Koakuma for keeping with her promises, but then, she adds, “However, I have one favour. You don’t have to do this if you think it’s a hassle,” Well you’re here already, and listening to a request won’t cost you, so you let her speak, “I want you to bring Lady Patchouli out of the library.” And now it turns impossible.

“Hahaha, that look on your face says it all. I know it looks impossible, but there are some instances where she gets out of the library. For example, on Hatsumode at the shrine, she went out with Lady Remilia. Again, you don’t need to do this, but I would be happy if you’re able to convince Lady Patchouli to go out once in a while,” Looks like she really cares about Patchouli, “Also, I think it would be funny to see the Unmoving Library leaves her cave, “… Well, at least she cares. You say to the devil that you’ll try, but to not count on it. Koakuma nods. With that, you both make your way to where Marisa and Patchouli is.

Tomorrow comes, and you head to the SDM library. Your mission for today: to get Patchouli out of the library. The plan: there isn’t one. You’re simply going to ask her to come out with you. And that’s what you did.

“No,” the magician quickly responds, her eyes glued to her book. Well, that’s not going to stop you. You pester her over and over again until finally, she (Koakuma) kicks you out of the library. Well, there is still tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes again, but this time, you thought of a plan: food. Nobody can resist food. The shrine maiden can attest to your statement. You tell Patchouli about the many delicious food that is made at the Human Village, and that it’s only available for a limited time, which is today!

“Certainly, that does sounds delicious. I’ll ask Koakuma to buy it for me,” the magician speaks, eyes to her book. You say to her that Koakuma is busy with her duties today. By a stroke of luck, Koakuma walks by. You ask her if she’s busy, winking at her. She gets the clue and follow along. “Really?” Koakuma nods. “Then, I’ll just ask Sakuya. Sakuya, Sakuya.”

“Yes, Lady Patchouli,” Sakuya comes up behind Patchouli.

“There is something that I want at the Human Village. Would you mind fetching it for me? You can ask the Outsider for what it is.”

“Certainly, Lady Patchouli,” Sakuya gives a slight bow. You then walk out of the library with Sakuya, and you explain to her that you lied about the thing in the Human Village. You were scolded heavily by Sakuya.

You did everything that you could to get her out of the library: dragging her out by force, threaten to take the books out of the library, and explain the benefit of going outside and touching grass, to which you are met with Patchouli’s wrath every time. It gets to the point where Patchouli questions,

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish here, but if you did this again, I’ll… [redacted]” she angrily stomps off.

It has been five days, you’re body has mostly recovered, and you’re having a strategy meeting with Koakuma.

“I think we should stop this. I know I’m the one who asked you to do this, but Lady Patchouli doesn’t seem to be happy about this.” No! We’ve already started so there’s no way we stop now. You ask Koakuma if there’s anything that we can lure Patchouli out with.

“Hm… Lady Patchouli usually keeps it to herself…,” Koakuma thinks. Then, “Oh right, there was that one time,” Koakuma tells her story.

One day, when I was working, I walked past Lady Patchouli. She was muttering something.

“Marisa. Marisa. Kill. Kill. Marisa. Marisa. Never forgive.” I thought it was the usual spiel after Marisa came over. But then, Lady Patchouli asked me,

“Hey, Koakuma?” I stopped what I was doing and asked her what’s wrong. “I need your opinion on something, and I want you to be truthful to me.” The way that she asked me sounds very serious, so I was nervous, waiting for her to continue. “Do I... look fat?”

… Huh? Lady Patchouli reiterates, “I’m not fat, am I?” I was flabbergasted by the question. Lady Patchouli is not one to care for her appearance. I mean, there’s times where she came out to the library wearing her pyjamas. I might have taken too long to answer, as Lady Patchouli’s face turn to a worry. I say to her that she’s fine as she is.

“Really?” Lady Patchouli asked, “Really, really? Are you sure? You don’t go around and call me ‘Piggychouli behind my back, do you?” ‘Piggychouli?’ I ponder. I said to her that I wouldn’t dare do that and asked why she’s concerned of this.

“… Yesterday, Marisa came over…” Lady Patchouli begins.

| After a bit of tussle with Marisa, we both enjoy the tea and dessert that was brought over by Sakuya: butter cookies and black tea. We talked about random things. Then, Marisa asked me a question.

“Hey Patchy. Have you ever exercised?” It was a sudden question, but I rationally answered that I don’t need to do something like that as I was fine right now. However, I asked Marisa why she imposed that question to me. “Well, you know, whenever I came over, you usually put out lots of sugary things for me.” Of course, even though she’s a thief of the library, she’s still a guest. It would be incredibly rude to not serve anything. It was only obvious. “Oh, so that’s why you’re a bit chubby lately.”

… I asked Marisa what she means by that. “I mean, you sit in this library for ever, and the only activity that you do is flipping over book pages. It’s no wonder you got fatter,” she drones on. I was almost at my limit when she kept on going, saying that I gained weight, fatter and other similes, but her last comment, “If you don’t cut out with the sweets, sooner or later, they’re going to start calling you ‘Piggychouli’,” was what broke me. |

“… and that’s what happened,” Lady Patchouli finished. That’s why she was cursing Marisa to high heavens. “So, you’re sure, right? I’m not getting fatter, right, Koakuma?” I told her that I didn’t notice anything different at all. Lady Patchouli gives the biggest smiles. “I see… You’re right. I haven’t gained weight. Marisa was just teasing me, that’s all. Thank you, Koakuma. I knew I can count on you.” I smile when she’s shown me her happiness. It is worth noting, that on the table, there were slices of cake, ready to be eaten by the worried librarian.

You hear Koakuma’s story. She was worried about her weight? You couldn’t even tell, with how her outfit really hides her figure. Also, girls should really have more meat on their body. You wished that Reimu has more meat to her than she is now.

“Huh, so that’s what you preferred…” Koakuma mutters, but you’re unable to make what she says. However, with this new knowledge, you devise a new plan. You tell Koakuma the details and begins researching.

Three days later, you arrive early at the SDM library. You hide with Koakuma behind one of the bookshelves and wait for your target: Patchouli. Finally, your target arrived. She starts walking towards her usual chair and desk, carrying a book with her. She gets ready to sit down, but before she does, she sees a book lay on the table. The book that you made in three days, The Ez Way to Lose Weight. Even a bookworm can do it! You go around, asking the many housewives of the Human Village, the skinny shrine maiden, and Meiling. You also collaborate with a certain tengu, so that you can enhance your writing, to make it more pop. Patchouli is an avid reader. When a person sees something that aligns to what she wants, they’re more likely to pursue it. You bet your three days for this to work, and you hope that it does. Patchouli looks bewildered when she sees the book, but then she slams her hands on top of the table.

“That Koakuma,” she loudly speaks, “So she does think that I’m fat. If she comes in front of me right now, she’ll get what she deserves.” A dark aura looms over the librarian. Koakuma shiver behind you. You tell her that it will be fine. Koakuma says that if this plan failed too, she’ll bring you out as the mastermind of the operation. Now you really need the plan to work. Even though Patchouli is in enraged right now, she still opens the book and read it. She takes her time to read the piece you put out. You wait until she reaches halfway of the book before you begin the second part of the plan. You walk out from hiding and greet Patchouli.

She looks up from her book before continue reading, “Oh, it’s you. Hey, have you seen Koakuma? I need to have a word with her”. You say that you haven’t seen her all day today. You ask her what she’s currently reading. “Hm? This? It’s a book on dieting. A soon-to-be dead devil played her tricks on me,” her eyes glued back to the book.

Is that so? you say. Oh yeah, that reminds me. You know how I’m training with Meiling right now? Well, she tells me about the benefits of the exercise. Such as, increase metabolism, the ability to think clearly and… weight. lost. you enunciate the last part. No response from the librarian, Looking how you show an interest on that, how about we exercise a bit? It won’t do you any harm. You wait for the librarian to respond. Sadly, she answers with her usual: no.

Shame. Well, the offer still stands. If you want to burn some calories, the root of weight lost, meet us at the front entrance, you wave Patchouli goodbye. Before leaving the library, you see in the corner of your eye, a pleading devil, wishing that the plan work. You also silently wish for it to work.

You’re now outside and meeting up with Meiling. “Oh hey, you’re here!” Meiling greets you. “I hope you’re finished with what you’re doing. So,” she looks around, “Where is the mystery guest?” You look behind you, sadly, the aforementioned guest did not come. You say to Meiling that she has something comes up and she’s unable to attend. “Oh, is that so…” the gatekeeper gives a weak smile, “Well, if she’s busy, there’s nothing that we can do. Well, let’s begin with warm up an- Oh, Lady Patchouli, what are you doing her today?” You turn back to see the frumpy librarian, “It's rare to see you out. Are you heading somewhere?” A silent accompany the place. Then, Patchouli speaks,

“No, I have a request for you today, Meiling,” Meiling stands ready, ready to follow the Lady’s request, “I want to follow along your exercise for today. Would that be alright?” Another silent. Then, Meiling starts tearing up. “Wh-what’s wrong, Meiling?” the librarian worriedly asks.

“N-no, it’s just… I’m… I’m just so haaappppyy~~” Meiling says between tears. She wipes her tears away with her right hand, “Alright! Since Lady Patchouli is here, I have to give it my all!” Meiling enthusiastically says. In the corner of your eyes, you can see that Patchouli is having seconds thought already.

By the end of the training, Patchouli is sprawl on the floor, her breath is heavy and she sweats like an open faucet. You’re also tired from Meiling training. Odd, usually she’s a bit easier on you. Maybe it’s because Patchouli is here that she takes it up a notch, to impressed Patchouli. But what she did, however, evoke ire to the heart of the exhausted librarian. Meiling, however, looks as she has fulfilled one of her life-long dreams. “Aaaahhh~~,” Meiling stretches her arms, elation writes on her face, “That has been the best experience~~ Isn’t that right, Lady Patchouli?” Patchouli didn’t say a word - rather, she can’t, because her throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert(?). You give Patchouli some water and she drink it like she hadn’t have it in forever. In an instance, the water is gone.

“Oh my, now this is a rare scene~” you hear a voice from behind, and you turn around. A vampire, the head of the house, is outside the mansion, with an opened parasol. “Is that Patchy I see? Does our Unmoving Library find a book outside~~?”

“Shut… up…” the Unmoving Library says between exhausted breath.

“Now, now, this is a special occasion. One that needs to be celebrated. Sakuya, Sakuya~~”

“Yes, my lady?” Sakuya pops up behind the vampire.

“Bring the table and tea outside. Today, is a celebration for our residence librarian.”

“Certainly, my lady”. With that, a table, some chairs, tea set, and a dessert stand with various sweets, are materialized out of nowhere. The vampire takes a seat while the maid pours her her tea. “Hm? Patchy, what are you still laying on the ground for? Come, let’s partake. This is a special day for you. You too, Meiling.”

“M-me too? Thank you, Lady Remilia!” she bows down and one of the seats. You look at Patchouli and she still hasn’t move. You give one of your hands to assist her.

“Thank you,” she’s still unmoving, “But, if I eat that now, all my hard work will be fruitless.” Although there’s some truth to it, you say to her that to think of it as a reward, for taking the first step. She looks unconvinced at first, but she takes your hand, and you hoist her up. “You’re right,” she smiles, “A reward. It’s fine if it’s a reward,” she convinced herself. You slowly walk with her to the table. Suddenly, you feel a chill. You look to one of the windows of the mansion. There’s nothing there. Despite that, you feel like something is watching you. Although, it could just be your imagination, so you brush it aside, and enjoy the dessert with the resident of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Chapter 7: Sakuya Izayoi

“Pardon me, but would you mind saying that again?” a confused Sakuya asks.

Two days after the tea party, you are back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion again. You tell Sakuya the reason that you come here: to help her with her maid-ly duties for the month. Sakuya, again, looks confused.

“My ears didn’t deceived me, then,” Sakuya says, “However, I still don’t understand. Why?” the head maid asks you. Well, there’s a reason for this:

After the tea party that was held at the SDM garden, the head house of the mansion, Remilia, calls out to you. She ushers you to a somewhat secluded place where no one can hear the two of you. Truthfully, we don’t need to be discreet, as everyone else is busy doing their thing: Sakuya is cleaning up while Meiling went to the library, piggy-backing a tired Patchouli. We walk for a bit until we reached a spot that has some shades on it. Then, the vampire speaks,

“Did you enjoy the tea party?” she turns to you, a smile on her face. You say that it was fantastic, the food was sweet while the crimson tea compliment the dessert well. As you say that, Remilia grins,

“Well, of course. Nothing less from my Sakuya,” she boasts, “Now, I won’t beat around the bush. I suppose you are fairly acquainted with our head maid, Sakuya?” Of course. Whenever you arrived here, she’s the one that has been giving you a warm welcome and hospitality. You find it odd, however that she’s able to everywhere at once with a simple call, but maybe that’s just a Gensokyo thing, similar to how Reimu can float.

“She is amazing, is she not?” the vampire smile hasn’t leave her face, “Too amazing, perhaps. She has been keeping the mansion in tip top shape and well under control. Everything that you ask of her, she will do it. She is an able one, that Sakuya,” Remilia drones on about Sakuya, “However, I worry for her. A human to take on that many tasks at once is not something that should happen. Well, a vampire like me would not have any problem but Sakuya, again, is only a human. I wish for her to have a companion that could help her in her times of need”. It’s true that Sakuya seems to be handling all of the work at the mansion. Although, wasn’t there fairy maids and those… goblins(?) that she had employed? Remilia sighs.

“You should know how fairies work by now. They are simpleminded and fun-seeking that it would be a miracle if any big tasks would be accomplished, if not for Sakuya instruction. I worry that she would have a burnout, one of these days,” Remilia looks solemn. Really? When you look at Sakuya, she seems to be doing fine. You didn’t even noticed that she’s tired. Hearing you say that, Remilia’s face turns to a scowl,

“Are you saying that my eyes(judgement) are wrong? I have been with Sakuya for many moons and I know what is best for her. And right now, she is oozing with restlessness. There will be a time where she crumbles and I would not want that day to come,” Remilia coughs, “That is why, I ask of you: I want you, to work as a secondary head maid, in the Scarlet Devil Mansion,” she points to you. This is a bit much to take in. To just, suddenly, be given a job like this is… something. You need to have a think tank meeting with yourself first. Seeing you took too long to answer, Remilia chimes in,

“It seems that you are having trouble deciding. Then, I propose this: Work for me for a month. We can take it as your trial period. If you think that you like working as my maid, then I will gladly accept you. However, if you say that this is not for you, then I will let you go,” Remilia suggests. A month, huh? That should be fine. A month doesn’t seems that long. Before you can say anything, Remilia continues,

“Oh, and this is non-negotiable. You are to start your work two days after this conversation”.

… Huh? What did she say? You ask her to repeat what she said.

“Are your ears full of wax now? I said: You are to start your work two days after this conversation is over. Honestly, how are you going to work efficiently if you cannot listen to simple order?” she sighs. No, you hear her completely, is the work part that you don’t understand. You don’t remember agreeing to it yet. “You took too long, so I answered for you. Are I not the best girl there is?” she smugly said. No, wait, but you haven’t agreed to this yet, you still need time to-

She notices your face of refusal. She slowly walks forward. “I will say this again: Work for me, or-“ she holds her thumb out and placed it on her neck. With the same hand, she made a slicing motion across the neck. Her smile creeps on her face. Well, you still want to live, so you agree to the vampire demands. “Wonderful! I knew you would agree to this. As I said before, you are to start work two days after this is over. Meet with Sakuya and tell her that you want to help her. Also, this is important. Do not tell her that I sent you. If she does, she would willingly play along with this and I want it to be seen as something normal. Now, then. That is all what I would want from you. I see you two days from now on,” she then slowly walk past you. You stood there for a few seconds then, you head back home.

On Hakurei Shrine, you tell Reimu that you’re going to start working for the SDM for the month. Reimu was confused at first, but she lets you go. She reminds you to bring back some of the pay back to the Hakurei Shrine, as part of donation fee. Thanks, Reimu.

And here we are now. You didn’t say any of this to the head maid, you only think of it. If Sakuya did found out about the reason, you worry that the head house would do something to you –mainly to your head-. You say to her that she looks a bit tired lately, and you wonder if you could help her, only for the month though. Sakuya blinks a few times, before asking you,

“Did Lady Remilia put you up to this?” Bullseye. You turn away and (badly) whistles. Sakuya sighs. “Honestly, I told her that I’m fine…” Sakuya mutters under her breath. “Very well then, if that’s what the mistress wants,” Sakuya’s resigns to the idea. “If you were to work under me, then I will teach you everything there is to know about maidhood. Before that, we need to start with your appearance,” she points to you, “The outfit that you have right now won’t do,” she grabs hold of your hand, “Now, follow me,” and drags you to one of the empty room. She hands you a bundle of clothes and asks you to enter the room so that you could change. You do so. But before you change into it, something is wrong with the sets of clothes that she gave you. You ask Sakuya if there’s a mix-up when she gave you these clothes but she said that the clothes that she hands you are correct. You feel like you’ll lose something if you wear this, but you did it anyway.

You head out of the room, embarrassed with the clothes that you’re currently wearing: a black classical maid dress, a maid cap apron, and stockings, similar to the fairy maids that you see only it’s in your size. You look at Sakuya, to see how she react and she only smiles.

“Ah, there you are,” Sakuya says. You ask Sakuya if this is really the outfit you were supposed to wear, which she nods. You look back at your outfit, from front to back, even twirling around and then,

“Pft-“ you hear a puff of air came out from Sakuya’s direction. You look at Sakuya and she still smiles. Did she just laugh at you? She assures you that she didn’t. You ask her if this is really the only outfits that’s available.

“Of course,” Sakuya calmly says, “As you can see, we only have the fairy maids working here, so there is only this maid outfit that’s available to us on short notice. The one that you’re wearing right now is the one that the thief, Marisa wore before”. Well, that made sens- Hm? Marisa wore this before? “Why yes. We managed to catch that elusive thief one time and made her work here to pay off her debt. Why, you should have seen the look on her face when she was working here, “Sakuya reminisce. Why would she gave you the one that Marisa wore? Is there no spare available? Sakuya sighs,

“Again, this is such a short notice, and I wasn’t able to prepare something appropriate. And you can see that the size between you and the fairies are miles different. Don’t worry. I’ve already cleaned the outfit that you’re wearing,” Sakuya puff out her chest. Making you wear this doesn’t feel right however. Noticing your discomfort, Sakuya continues, “However, it looks like you don’t like the outfit that you’re wearing right now. No choice then. There’s a place that we need to visit first. Let’s go,” she grabs you by the hand and drags yo-

W-wait, at least let me change first! you scream.

After the exchange -thankfully you are able to change-, you walk with Sakuya to a certain building, in between the Human Village and Forest of Magic. The building are similar to the one at the Human Village, although, there are some random knick-knack strewn around the outside. Without knocking, Sakuya waltz in inside the building. You follow the confident maid inside. Inside the building, you can see various item are randomly placed. The messiness level can even rival Marisa herself. The urge to clean inside you rises but you supress it. Sakuya walks forward and you follow behind her, until she reaches the front counter. There is a glasses man sitting behind the counter, reading a book. He notices the maid, look up and say to her,

“Hm? Oh, it’s the maid from the mansion,” he looks past the maid and to you, “And who is that behind you, Miss Sakuya.”

“It’s good to see you, Mister Rinnosuke. Let me introduce you to our temporary worker,” she introduces you to Rinnosuke. You greet the man.

Morichika Rinnosuke has golden eyes, short silver hair and don a pair of glasses. He wears a black and blue outfit and, on his stomach, a small bag rest there.

“Oh, you’re the one that Marisa’s been talking about,” he says. Does Marisa know everyone here? you wonder. Rinnosuke continues, “Let me introduce myself then. My name is Rinnosuke Morichika. I own the antique shop, Kourindou,” he points to the items that are laid out, “If there’s anything that you are interested in, or anything that you need appraising, you can come to me. I would love to take a look at anything that you brought over from the Outside World. Now, what is it that you need of today?” he asks.

“We are in need of a maid outfit but tailored for men.”

“Hmmm, a maid outfit tailored for men? I think I got the proper clothes for that, I’ll be right back,” he stands up and goes to the back. You take this chance to look around. There are things that you couldn’t make heads or tails on how they are used. Although curios, you keep your hands to yourself, as you don’t know how expensive the things that are being sold here are. Sakuya, however, walks around the place and touches anything that she found interesting. Later, Rinnosuke came back, carrying a black suit with him.

“This here is a butler outfit, the counterpart for the housekeeping maid,” he hands you the outfit. The outfit consists of: a dark blazer with a white undershirt, a dark trouser, white gloves, and a black lace shoes. You don’t know anything about clothing, however, the fabric are nice to the touch. `You can feel how it was professionally tailored. “The one that you have right there is the British butler outfit. There’s many variation of it, depends on where they’re employed. Some like to dress their butler with vest, different colour suit and so forth. Also, the word, Butler, itself came from the Old French, an-“ Rinnosuke continues with the history lesson but Sakuya stops him.

“Thank you very much, Mister Rinnosuke. However, we are pressed for time right now,” Rinnosuke awkwardly scratch the back of his head and say “Oh, right”. Sakuya continues, “This outfit is perfect for the mansion aesthetic. Now, how much do I owe you?” Sakuya asks Rinnosuke. He look at both you and Sakuya, before saying,

“Don’t worry. It’s on the house. Take it as a gift from me to the human there.” You say thank you to Rinnosuke. “Also, your mistress has been helping me with the store by buying and selling the oddities from the mansion. Without her, the store would probably be in the red by now.”

“Thank you. Then, if the mistress has an interest in weird oddities, I’ll make sure to visit here first. Also, any trinkets from the mansion, I’ll make sure to show it to you first.” Saying that, you can see his eyes lit up, a smile creeping on his face. Looks like the two are business buddies. “My, would you look at the time. It’s best if we take our leave now. Thank you again, Mister Rinnosuke,” she gives a slight bow and leaves the shop. You say thanks again to Rinnosuke and follow the maid back to the SDM.

The sun is setting as you return to the SDM, you and Sakuya are walking to one the empty rooms. She tells you that you would be staying her from now on. You ask why you’re not staying in the rooms with the fairies maid. She says that, although you’re a worker, you’re still a guest of the SDM. She stills gives you the hospitality of a guest. You asks if you’re going to start working today, which she reply with,

“No, it’s too late. We’ll start tomorrow. I’ll be heading to the kitchen to prepare for dinner tonight. For now, rest in your room. I’ll call for you when the food is ready,” Sakuya then leaves to the direction -you assumed- the kitchen. You enter the room and placed the newly received outfit and place it on a coat hanger, next to the empty wardrobe. You realize that you didn’t bring anything with you, especially clothes for the night. Looks like you’re not showering today. Now, you can wait for Sakuya to call you, but you’re feeling rather bored. Not adhering to Sakuya orders, you instead go out and hang out with Meiling. Meiling was confused at first but you tell her everything and she’s cool with it. You talk a bit with the gatekeeper, then, the head maid appear behind you and Meiling.

“There you are,” Sakuya says, “I told you to stay at the room, didn’t I?” you say that you were bored of waiting and apologize to Sakuya. Sakuya sighs. “That’s alright. I’m here to inform that dinner is finished. Come to the dining hall. Lady Remilia is waiting for you there. You too, Meiling,” and like that, Sakuya leaves first. You and Meiling head back in to the SDM, you follow Meiling, as your still lost on the layout of the mansion. You feel like the inside of the mansion is bigger that what it looks like outside.

You walk for a while until you reach the dining hall. The vampire, Remilia, sits on one of the chair. Sakuya is attending to the mistress. Meiling look at the food with glee.

“Woow~~ there’s so much here. And they all smell sooo good! Are we celebrating something today?”

On the table, there’s lay various food, mostly western: steak, mashed potatoes, and tomato juice. At the shrine, you mostly had Japanese food, so this is all new to you. You have eaten at the mansion before, but they’re mostly sweets, as you never stayed for lunch/dinner before.

“Fufufu, of course. Now, sit down, both you,” the mistress ushers. Meiling finds a place to sit and you sit beside her. Sakuya stands beside the mistress. “Sakuya, you too,” she turns to Sakuya. Sakuya hesitated for a moment, but follow the mistress’s request. She sits next to Remilia. “Our guest here has something to say,” she look at your direction. Oh right. You stand up and tell the resident of the mansion that you’ll be working temporary under Sakuya for the month. Remilia laughs.

“Fufufu, is that so?” Remilia play ignorance, “The human has graciously given his time and body to pay back our mansion generosity. He begged me to let him work for us. And so, the generous me has no choice but to follow through, after seeing the human sad display,” she boast her achievement. Funny, you don’t remember any of that. You sit down. Before continuing, Meiling interjects,

“If he wants to work, he can work with me! I would love to have someone to talk to. It gets boring watching the same thing every day”.

“No, Meiling,” Remilia reply, “The gatekeeping position is a very special position that only you could do. And no one in the world can take that away from you,” Remilia coolly plays it off. Hearing that, you can see Meiling smile and blushes. Sakuya remain silent during the conversation.

“As I was saying, because the human begged me, I have no choice. So, I employed him under Sakuya, to help her whenever she is short-handed,” she turns to Sakuya, a smile on her face, “Would that be alright, Sakuya” she asks. Sakuya quickly replies with, “Of course, Lady Remilia,” her face stays the same.

“Great, as expected of my Sakuya! Now, to show our hospitality to our new found worker, Sakuya has prepared this feast. Do not be afraid and just enjoy the meal. The share for the others has already been made, so eat to your heart content!” Remilia proudly exclaim. Meiling rejoices as well while Sakuya kept her cool composure. You are swept away by the mood, as you enjoy the feast in front of you with your boss and employee.

The feast has ended and you’re walking back with Sakuya. You swear that the mansion layout changes, but you don’t have any proof of that. The food, of course, is as amazing as the vampire proclaimed it to be. You can see that the vampire has the smuggest look when she sees you enjoying the food. You feel bad for Reimu that she can’t taste the food with you, and you wonder if she’s eating well for the night. It was supposed to be your turn to make dinner. But she should be fine. She was fine when you’re not there before. Your walk with Sakuya is in complete silence. Even during the meal, Sakuya only gave curt response, like she’s in her work mode. Before you can ask her what’s wrong, she turns to you and say,

“You haven’t taken a bath yet, right?” Sakuya asks, “Here is the bath area. I have put out the towel, clothes and the bath has been drawn out. I’ll be waiting outside. Take your time,” Sakuya stands beside the door. You say to her that it’s fine and not taking a bath for one day is not the end of the world. Hearing you say that, her face contorted to a disgust, as she was looking at walking garbage. Feeling the pressure, you walk into the bath.

Inside, the bath is place is big. Bigger than the shrine. The walls are made from white marble, lots of bath refreshment and a big bath, able to fit two people in. You feel awkward on using other people’s bath, but you reassured yourself that it’s only for a month. Reimu would love this place. Not wanting to make Sakuya wait any longer, you quickly rinse yourself and enter the bath. It feels absolutely divine. All the fatigue from your body leaves you. The shrine only have a small shower with no heating. You wish to stay in the bath forever alas, time forbids you, as someone is waiting for you outside. You (reluctantly) finish your bath, dry yourself and quickly wear the clothes that Sakuya has prepared for you. They’re regular clothes that the people in the Human Village wear. With the bath finish, you return to Sakuya.

Sakuya is standing guard outside. You apologize to her for making her wait long, but she doesn’t seem to mind. With this, you walk with Sakuya again. There is something in your mind however. You ask Sakuya why does the SDM has regular wear, in your size even. Sakuya walk in silence. Then,

“Somethings are best left unknown,” Sakuya coldly says. ? You don’t understand but feel that Sakuya doesn’t want to continue the conversation, so you drop it. Finally, you reach your destination: the room where you be staying for the month. “Well then, I’ll be coming in the morning to pick you up. Our day starts early, so it’s best to rest early for tonight. That is all, I’ll be taking my leave then,” with a sligh bow, Sakuya leaves. You say your goodbyes and watch her back for a few seconds, before entering your room. In your room, drowsiness comes, and you groggily walks to bed and lay on it. The bed is an absolute bliss. The bed feels fluffy to the point that you could sink into it. You feel like your floating on clouds –not that you know how cloud feels like-. At the shrine, you always slept under the futon. They’re fine, but a bed made a ton of difference. If Reimu sleep in this bed, there’s no chance she will wake up. You laugh at the thought and after that, you enter DreamLand.

“..ak… p” a distant voice calls. You shift around the bed. “W…ke up…” the voice calls again. You ignore the voice, you’re still sleepy. Then, you feel pressure around the tip of your nose, blocking your airway. You start to have trouble breathing. Due to this, you jolt out of your bed, quickly breathing. You look around to see the source of your problem and the culprit stands there: Sakuya. Sakuya look at you, her face unamused.

“You’re late,” Sakuya sternly says, “Our day start early and you have wasted a good ten minutes by sleeping in,” she scolds, “Please quickly freshen up, and meet me outside,” Sakuya then leaves the room. You quickly gives her a (tired) response and groggily walks to the in room toilet. The toilet in your room is smaller than the bath, only able to fit one person, but it has the necessary equipment you need. You slowly freshen up, wear the butler suit from yesterday, and go out the room, to meet with Sakuya.

“Late,” she immediately says after you leave your room, her stopwatch in hand, “We are already late and you’re taking too long, preparing yourself,” she puts away her stopwatch, “Not to mention…” she look at you, mainly your head, “Did you not put any hair gel? We put it on top of the desk, where the mirror was,” she asks. Hair gel? What’s that? Sakuya has a dumbfounded look on her face. “Unbelievable,” she utters, “This won’t do. Follow me,” she grabs hold of your hand and bring you back inside your room. She brings you to the desk that she says the hair gel was, a small chair is there as well. She asks you to sit and you do so. She shows you how to use the hair gel, even going as far as to comb your hair for you. She styles it to a slick back hair. She also picks up a spray bottle and spray few puff of water out, side to side. Never thought hair care is this serious… you think to yourself. After a minute or so, she finishes her craft, a smile on her face.

“There, it is done. A person who works in the mansion has to be presentable at all times. I’ve done this for you the first time and the time after, you have to do this by yourself. Understand?” you nod to the maid question. You look at the mirror and with that singular hair job, you look like a different person. Hair gels amazing! you think to yourself. “Now that I think of this, do you not style yourself in the morning?” The most that you did just brushing your hair. The shrine doesn’t really have any skin-care product and the shower only have a single shampoo brand (that you shared with Reimu). Reimu doesn’t seem to mind much about her appearance as she does the bare minimum to look presentable. Maybe you get the habit from her? The few times that she does her best is when she went to the Human Village to solicit donation preach faith. Listening to this, Sakuya sighs,

“As expected of that poverty shrine…” she mutters. “Anyway, this matter is done. We need to leave post-haste. We took too long,” she grabs your arm and brings you outside the room.

You’re now in one of the hallways of the mansion, cleaning supplies are next to you: broom, a mop, bucket, rags and chemical that you are unaware of. Sakuya stands tall in front of you. You take this chance to take a look at her.

Sakuya Izayoi, the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She is as slightly smaller than Meiling. She has blue eyes, silver hair worn in long braid with green ribbon tied on both sides, and a typical white maid headband. Her outfit is a French type maid outfit, blue coloured and short sleeves, and a small black ribbon on her neck. She also sports a small white apron. Hey body is petite, different from Meiling. Sometimes, you can see her materialize few silver knifes out, but you don’t know whether or not she has it on her right now. You think back the first time that you met her,

It was a usual morning at the shrine. You and Reimu were cleaning at lounging around after finishing. You were about to made tea when suddenly, two figures came up. It was a little girl, carrying her parasol and someone wearing a maid outfit. They came up to the shrine to meet with you. They (mostly the child) asked you several questions. She seems to be interested in you, like how a child curiosity to something new. The maid, however, starts using the kitchen without asking for permission. Reimu seems to know the two, as they exchanged greetings with each other. Later, after the child finished with her prodding and the tea has been drunk, they take their leave, before inviting you over to some mansion. Scarlet Devil Mansion, or something. You say your goodbyes and asked Reimu who they were.

“Oh, them?” Reimu starts, “The first one, in the maid uniform, that’s Sakuya. She’s the head maid for that mansion at the misty lake. Our first meeting wasn’t really pleasant, with that red mist incident. She’s someone who take her job very seriously, professional to the end. However, don’t let her perfect act fool you. There’s one thing that you need to learn about the mansion: every one there is an eccentric. That includes the maid. Now, we should start preparing. Dinner tonight will be delicious~~ I got some meat for half-off at the market today♪~~” Reimu happily sings. Tonight dinner was indeed very delicious.

“Are you listening?” the head maid asks. You go out of your stupor and sees that the maid has an annoyed face, “Judging by your reaction, I presumed you didn’t. That is unbecoming of a maid. You need to always be attentive to your surroundings,” the maid chide in. You apologize to the maid and asks her to repeat what she said. The maid sighs,

“As I was saying, I will explain to you the scope of our job. Our job is to take care of the mansion: mainly cleaning, cooking and attending the guests. There is also the matter of caring for the mansion residence, but I’ll be managing that. For today, I will be checking in your skills. I want to see how you fare without any knowledge beforehand. Your job, is to clean the hallway as you would usually do. I’ll be checking up on you from time to time. But do note, I have my eyes on you at all time. Don’t worry, I have already excluded the fairy maid from helping. This area will all be you. I have provided the essentials. You may begin now,” she gives a slight bow before disappearing the corner. You watch as the maid disappear. You look at the supplies that Sakuya has provided. You recognize only few of the things, like the broom, rags and toothbrush. Not to worry, as you have the basics pat down, because you help clean the shrine often and a part or Marisa’s house. You also help Koakuma and Patchouli sorting books out. You should got this one in the bag. You look at the hallway that you’re supposed to clean, but it looks clean enough. Nevertheless, Sakuya gives you this area to clean because there is something needed to be clean. You pick up the broom, and find the spot that needed cleaning.

After some cleaning: sweeping the floor, wiping the windows and polishing the vase on top of the table, Sakuya comes back to check up on you. You stop what you’re doing and greet her. You show off the area that you clean out, proud that you’re able to spot some dust that was lingering around. Sakuya says nothing as she looks at you directly, her face neutral.

“Sloppy,” she stoically says. Without saying anything else, she walk past you. She stands in one the spot that you sweep, “You move too much. Rather focusing on one path, you instead move sporadically, wasting your time, going back and forth,” she comments. She then moves to one of the windows, “Also, you only use water for the windows. Didn’t I put out some soap for you to use? If you only use water, some grimes and gunk won’t come out of it. Also, the newspaper are there as well for a reason. Not to mention,” she place her finger on the sill and drags it across, “There’s dust here. I put out that toothbrush so that you can reach those pesky spot that a lot of people miss, “she shows you the dust that forms on her finger. “Next,” she moves towards one of the vase that you polished, “Why did you remove your gloves? Didn’t you know that your hand has oil on it, and it will left an imprint? There is no excuse for a maid to just remove one of their attire during work. Also, please move the vase when wiping the table. There’s dust underneath it if left unattended. Other people might not see it but we do. And lastly,” she walks up to you. “A maid always keeps themselves proper,” she brushes of the dust that lingers on your clothes, “No matter what happen, you must never greet your guest in dirt. The maid is the face of the mansion. If people see how sloppy their maid are, it will reflect on the mistress, and that is something that I won’t allow. This also apply to, Meiling,“ she looks at the window. You receive an array of complain from the head maid. Everything that you did has been wrong, incomplete or improper. This isn’t the end, as Sakuya continues,

“Another thing. Why did you only clean this area?” Sakuya asks you, her tone neutral.

B-because this is where you ask to clean, you timidly says.

“I applaud you for following orders, however, this hallway isn’t the only place where the mansion needs cleaning. If you have the spare time, you should move accordingly. Do you need to wait for every order before you can move? Do you just stand there, doing nothing, happily waiting for an order? You need to learn to move proactively. Asses the situation, and think for yourself. If you notice by now, it’s already midday.” You look at the window outside and she’s right, the sun is shining brightly on top of the mansion now. “However, this should be expected. It’s only your first day after all. I’ll help you clean up, we need to move to the kitchen next,” Sakuya helps you clean the tools that you were using before. In no time, everything is spick and span. You follow Sakuya to the kitchen. During your walk, you notice that you’re walking slower than before, the spring in your step has left you.

You arrive at the kitchen. There’s a big table in the middle, lots of counter, an array of cutlery: knives, spatulas, different sizes fork and spoon. There’s also a lot of pots and pan, some of them are made from clay. The difference in cooking tools are immensely different from the shrine. At the shrine, you only have two different knives, some chopsticks and two sizes spoon and fork and the same pot and bowl you used every day to cook.

“Now, it’s time to assess your cooking skill. A good maid needs to have a good repertoire of recipes on them, so that they can satiate the need of their master. I want you to cook an entrée that you know. Anything that you’re good at. Don’t worry if the food takes a long time to make. I will assist in that matter. The ingredients that you need are at the pantry, just try your best. Do you understand?” she asks. You know what she asks of you but to be certain you ask Sakuya, What’s an entrée? She stands there for a while before answering, “A main course.” Oh, you can make that. You walk to the pantry to check the ingredient that they currently have and unsurprisingly, they have a lot. Reimu would be in heaven if she saw this. You look around and at the meat area, there’s an unknown meat. You never seen that type of meat before but you feel like someone has eaten it before. There isn’t any label on it either. You ask Sakuya what this mystery meat is and she asks you to ignore it and to not use it, as it is very expensive to get. You heed her advice and look the other way. You feel like you saw Rumia ate this meat before. Anyway, you pick up the ingredients that you need to make: Meat and Potato Stew. It’s simple, the ingredients are cheap and if the ingredients are lacking, you can just substitute it with anything. Not to mention, they’re filling too. The first time that you came here, Reimu served you the food and it was the greatest thing that you have ever tasted. Not that you can compare it to anything as you don’t really have any memories previously, nevertheless, it left an impact on you. Feeling confident (again), you grab the ingredient: beef(duh), potato(obviously), carrot, onions, mirin, soy sauce, rice water, dashi and water. You also grab the knife and pot that you need to cut and put them on. You quickly whipped the food up (while Sakuya watches from behind) as to not make her wait any longer.

…transfer to a bowl and… done! Fresh Meat and Potato Stew! It was a lot pf pressure with Sakuya staring at you from behind during the time you were cooking. But, you managed. You turn to call out to Sakuya but she’s already seated at the table, where the food is. She pick up the chopstick and put the meat and vegetable in her mouth. She eats in silence, taking extra precaution to taste the food. Your hearts thumping now. This is the first time that someone (professional) tasting your food. The only people that have ate your food are the people from the shrine, Marisa and Rumia. They seem to like your food so, it should be fine, you hope. The seconds feel like hours. Finally, she finish chewing and swallowed the food. Few seconds pass before she speaks,

“Passable. But not up to the mansion’s standard,” she curtly responds, “The beef is overcooked, chewy, the vegetables are cut unevenly, your knife work are basic, the taste are too weak, and the food chosen itself is too simple,” she comment on your work, “Is there anything else that you could make?” the maid asks.

You list out all the food that you could make: fried rice, fried chicken, miso, curry. As you list more, she stops you,

“Are all of them Japanese food?” Looking back, she’s right. You have only been cooking Japanese food. You mostly learn how to cook from Reimu and the occasional Marisa, who taught you how to cook mushroom. The head maid sighs,

“That won’t do. A maid need to have a variety of dishes under her belt. The mistress here are a fan of Western while Meiling is more interested in Chinese. For Meiling and Koakuma, anything will do but she mostly request sweets to go with her tea. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to drill in the recipe into your body. But for now, I need to prepared food for Meiling and the fairies. If you would, try to match with what I do.” As she said that, the maid starts her work, giving you order all the way. You try to match with her but make too many mistakes. Even so, she managed to recover from your screw-ups, and keep on cooking. She’s a monster, you thought. Seeing her move with exact precision, it’s like seeing a human machine at work. No wasted movement from cutting, to simmering, to boiling, she does it with grace. When you’re cooking, at best you can only take on two task at once, but for Sakuya, any tasks is possible.

And in a flash (hour), she finished preparing meals fit for 40. Varying degree of food are laid on the counter-top. All of them smell absolutely scrumptious. To affirm you statement, your stomach give an audible growl. Embarrassment set foot, as you try to hide it. Sakuya then hands you a plate of fried rice. You thank her and took a spoonful and

Delicious! you mouthed out. You can taste the texture of every individual rice, glistening with the oil and egg that has been cooked to perfection. The texture of slightly charred rice, giving the bitter (but delicious) taste. The egg, fluffy to the max. And the taste, strong, but not overpowering. … Different from what you would make. You (without care) chow down on the food, wasting no time to finish the godly fried rice. You feel like Sakuya is staring at you –probably to scold you on table manners-, but you don’t care, the food is more important. In mere seconds, the fried rice is defeated. Sakuya holds out her hand and pick up the finished plate. You thanked her for the wonderful meal. During your (unsightly) feast, you forgot to ask her to eat with you. You ask her whether she has eaten anything.

"Hm? Don't worry. I've already ate," Sakuya calmly reply. That's great. What did she have? "I ate the food you prepared before."

... Huh? W-wait, really? you question the maid.

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" You say to her that she doesn't need to finish that. She could have made something even better than whatever you have made. Sakuya blinks a few time before saying,

"The food that you made are passable, not inedible. There's no reason for me to throw it away. Besides, even if it's not up-to standard, I can tell that you made it with a lot of care, it would be uncouth of me to do so," she gives you a smile, "Now, get ready. Our work isn't over yet," she walks away to the sink.

S-so cool...! you have profound admiration for the head maid.

The rest of the day, you follow Sakuya and helped with her duties: cleaning, managing the fairies maid duties, scolding Meiling (you only watch for this), sorting, cooking. You feel like there's no room for rest. You move from one place to another. Not to mention, the way that she teaches you are spartan-like. Whenever you did something wrong, she reprimands. She tells you like it is. If you did something wrong, you did something wrong. Thankfully, she explains why you did something wrong, rather than leaving you in the dark. There are some times where you need to take a break, and Sakuya was understanding enough to leave you be, although she resume her work whenever she can.

In the end, it turns night. Sakuya finishes the day by preparing dinner on her own. You weren't able to finish the day work as it took a toll on you. Although Sakuya reminds you that the mistress needs to finish her food first before you can eat, but today was special as Remilia herself wanted to speak to you. You feast on the gorgeous food laid in front of you. Remilia is present (Sakuya is attending her) as she smile while eating. She asks you a few question about the time you work here. You tell her that it's exhausting and you have a new appreaction to Sakuya. Hearing that, the Head Vampire puff out her chest, smugness overload, as she praise Sakuya. After the meal, as Sakuya has more matters to attend to (mostly her mistress), she points you the direction to the yesterday bath. She already placed the necessary things that you need. As you walk to the bath, you realize that Meiling wasn't with you during dinner. Although odd, you push that thought aside, and enter the bath. After finishing the bath, you make your way to your room, and lay on the bed.

As you lay there, you think back to the day that has transpired. Seeing Sakuya gallant figure, as she work diligently. Does she do this everyday? you ponder. No wonder that Remilia asks you to do this. Someone would have already collapsed at this point. Example: me. As you lay on your bed, your tired body loses it sense of reality, as you now enter a deep slumber.

The first week was hell. Sakuya relentless training has you week in the knees. Her Spartan-like way of teaching could make any adult(me) cry. Her teaching method follow the same formula: Do, Admonished, Teach, Repeat. Ranging from cleaning, cooking, managing (fairies) and other request from the mansion (sans Remilia, as that is Sakuya’s priority). Thankfully, the more that you do it, the better that you get, the lesser reprimand you got from Sakuya. At the end of the first week, when you were task cleaning one of the room, you overhear someone talking. You went over to the source of the voice, and it came from the direction where Sakuya was working. The closer you get, the voice became more audible, and it’s from someone that you know. A certain magician that you know. To affirm your suspicion, you enter the room where Sakuya is, and you can see that Marisa is talking to Sakuya.

“What do you mean he’s working here now?!” an angry Marisa asks. Sakuya sighs.

“It is as I said. He’s temporarily working in the mansion for the month. If you want to know more, please direct your question to the mistress.”

“I did. And she smugly said that he’s under your management. Now, I ask again: where is he?”

“And I will answer again: I don’t need to disclose that information. If you need to see him, why don’t you go buzz around the mansion like the fly you are. You’re disrupting my work already.”

“Why you!”

Not wanting to see the conflict escalate further, you greet Marisa. Marisa turn around and faces you.

“Hm? Oh, there you ar-“ Marisa stops in her tracks. She scans your body from top to bottom. Then, “S-s-s-su-“ Marisa stutters while she points at you.

“There, you met him,” Sakuya sighs, “Now, if you’ll excuse m-“ Marisa turns around and grabs both of Sakuya’s shoulder, her face faces the ground “Wh-what? Unhand me.” Marisa slowly faces Sakuya and gives her a thumbs up.

“Thank you, Sakuya!” tears stream down Marisa’s face.

“Uwah, gross,” Sakuya quickly respond.

And just like that, the conflict de-escalate, and you continue with your work. Today, however, Marisa kept on pestering you and stealing glances whenever she could. She also asks you to treat her like one of the guest, and you play along (with Sakuya’s permission). Sakuya thinks that it is more of a hassle to argue with Marisa, and she let it be. Today, a happy Marisa left the mansion and she became frequent in meeting you. And that, is the end of the first week.

The second week was more manageable. You’re able to make less mistake then before. Not to mention, you’re able to wake up earlier before Sakuya comes to your room. She responds with,

“It’s only natural that a maid's day start early,” and she waits outside. Nothing to note for the second week: except your meeting with Flandre and Remilia statement.

The mid of the second week, as you are cleaning one of the halls, you turn from the corner, and you can see that Sakuya is talking to someone. She is of smaller stature, same height as the vampire, Remilia, and what seems to be wings with multicolor bulb(?) hanging on it.

"Sakuyaaaa, I'm hungryyy," the child says, tugging on the maid skirt.

"Did you stay awake again, my lady?" Sakuya respond, "Don't worry. I'll whip up something for you in a minute. Why don't you head back to your room and wait for me?"

The child nods. Then, before she leaves, your eyes met. The child glares at you and gripping the helm of Sakuya's skirt a bit tighter.

"What's wrong, Lady Flan?" Sakuya turns to the direction where the child is looking, and you meet eyes with Sakuya too, "Ah, it's you. Have you done with your cleaning?" You nod. You ask Sakuya who's the girl next to her is. "Hm? Ah, you both haven't properly met. This here is Lady Flan, the younger sister of Lady Remilia. Lady Flan, this here is the Outsider. He'll be working with us for three weeks. Have Lady Remilia not informed of you?" The child shakes her head. You greet the young lady but she scowls at you and runs off away from you. Sakuya turns to you,

"Forgive her. She's a bit wary around people that she doesn't know. More specifically, around humans. Now, I have to prepare the young lady her meal, why don't you take over this area for me?" You salute to the head maid which ellicit a sigh from her.

At the end of the second week, during dinner time, Remilia order you and Sakuya to join her. By now, you and Sakuya usually waits for the Remilia to finish with what she have before ourself eating. It seems like Remilia have something to announce for the both of us. Tonight dinner is Steak garnish with mushroom sauce with grape wine (prepares by Sakuya).

"Sakuya," the vampire speaks, "How was he?" she inquires.

"At first, he was incompetent. Lack the basic ettiqutte, skill and talent for any housework," Sakuya honestly explain, "I don't know what you see in him when you first employ him to work here. I thought it was one of your sadistic play at hand-"

"That last part was unnecessary, Sakuya," Remilia interjects.

"-However. In this two weeks, I can see that he is dilligent in his work. He tries his hardest on to fix his imperfection. From cleaning, to cooking, to management, there's a gradual improvement in his work, and I can attest to that. Albeit he might not be the best, he is great at what he's doing and I can see him actually work as a butler one day."

"I see~~. And how about you?" Remilia asks you. Honestly, this past two weeks have been the most hellish moment of your life. With Sakuya spartan-like training and instruction, you actually feels the pressure, differ from the life at the shrine, where leisure is a given. But, you know that Sakuya meant well. You know that Sakuya has the most experience working as a maid and her skills are above no one else. The way that she teaches is easy to understand, and her hands-on teaching is superb. If I were to ask for any teacher to teach you the methodology of maid-ry, I would only ask for her, and no one else. So, thank you, Sakuya, for being your teacher for this past two weeks.

Finishing with what you said, Remilia has the biggest grin on her face while Sakuya has a small smile on her face. Then, the vampire speaks,

"Is that so?~~ Then, I can safely say this," Remilia take a deep breath, "Sakuya, this week onwards: I would like for him to attend by my side," she smilingly says. Hearing the news, the room falls silent, but Sakuya was the first to break it,

"W-what?" Sakuya stands up, "Lady Remilia, what do you mean by that?"

"I said that I would like him to attend to me for this week."

"I know that. But, Lady Remilia, with all due respect, I don't think that he's ready yet."

"But Sakuya, did you not said that he will make a fine butler one day?"

"Yes, one day. But not today. He still need to learn more before he could follow your-"

"Sakuya," Remilia voice grows cold. Sakuya stops in her tracks. She holds back what she wants to say. Remilia waits a few seconds before continuing, "Was there anything wrong with what I said, Sakuya?" Sakuya stays silent, "Sakuya."

"... I think that he is not yet ready to serve you," Sakuya replies.

"Are you saying that my judgement is wrong then?"

"Of course not, mistress."

"Then it is fine, is it not? Or is there any other that you would like to add?"

"No... mistress."

"Perfect!" the vampire claps, "Now, Sakuya, your duty for the week is as usual. And, if you do have any spare time, do find it in you to relax. Anyway, that is all. Sakuya, you may leave now, I need to speak with him."

"Yes, mistress," Sakuya gives Remilia a small smile before making her way out of the room. Thus, begin your one week, managing the demanding vampire.

*~*~*

It's now the end of the third week. Only one more to go before you can return back to the shrine. This also mark the end of you attending to Lady Re- Remilia. Sakuya looks delighted to re-work under her but today, Remilia wanted to be alone. Today, you are working at the library. Patchouli asked you to help her with the cleaning, as the library is huge, and it would burden Koakuma if she works alone. Not to mention, you already helped around the library, it won't be too much of a burden on you. Thus, you're now at the library, working side-by-side with Koakuma (Sakuya would be coming in later). As you are working at the library, someone's tapping on your shoulder. You turn around to see,

"Yo," Reimu raising her hand.

Reimu, what are you doing here? you ask.

"Hm? No reason. Just came in to check up on you," Reimu smiles.

But, we recently met though, you reply.

"Yeah, with that vampire tugging you around," the miko scratches her head, "Anyway, how about some rest? You work hard enough already."

Sure, sure, you sigh, After I finished with this area though. Reimu smiles.

"Great. I'll be waiting at the middle then. Also," she looks at you before grinning, "You're not going to serve me?~~" she teasingly says.

Yes, yes you dismissively says. She boos at you before walking to the middle. You quickly tidy the area and make your way to Reimu. As you get closer, you see Reimu, sitting on one of the chairs of the library while stacking some books. Patchouli looks at Reimu for a bit before ignoring her completely. You take your seat next to her then, you begin chatting. Not too long after, Sakuya came.

"Oh, Sakuya. Hey, would you please bring out some tea for us? Thanks," Reimu non-chalantly asks.

"Huh? First thing you see me and that's what you ask?" an annoyed Sakuya reply, "Also, the Outsider is here, he could've make it for you."

"Ehhh? Can't you see he's busy right now?"

"I can only see two freeloader slacking off."

"Hmmm~~. Well, I wonder what Remilia would think, knowing that her maid i-"

"I'll be right back," Sakuya left.

You really shouldn't have done that, Reimu.

"Eh~ It's fine, isn't it? It's rare to see her flustered like that," she turns to look at your disapproval face, "Alright, fine fine, I'll stop." Sakuya came back with two cups of tea.

"Here you are," she place one of the cups in front of you. You thank her for the tea. You pick the te-

"Oi! What's your deal?!" Reimu raise her voice. You turn to the two.

"Hm? What is it?" Sakuya tilts her head.

"You put your thumb inside my drink!"

"Huh? Are you well? Do you need your eyes check? Would you like to see a doctor?"

"I know what I see! Now, bring me a new one at once." Sakuya sighs. She left and immediately return with a new(?) teacup. She place the tea cup in front of Re-

"OOOIII! YOU!" Reimu shouts now. Sakuya sighs.

"What is it this time?

"What do you mean 'What?'? You placed your whole hand this time!"

"Well, I didn't place my thumb this time."

"That's not the point! Also, you did put your thumb in last time!"

"Well, I think the hospitality that I've given to you is fair. The quality of the tea should also match the one who drinks it."

"Oi, oi, is there something you want to say to me?"

"Hah. Of course the poverty shrine maiden would not pick up on any undertones. Do you want me to dumb it down for you? You. Dirty. Tea. Same."

"Heh~ Why don't we have a little 'chat' outside?"

"As expected of the boorish shrine maiden. Only knows how to talk with her fist. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do, so I must take my leave" and like that, Sakuya left the scene.

"Oi, Sakuya. Sakuya? SAKUYA!" Reimu screams, "If I get my hand on that girl I-" Reimu seethes in rage, "Sorry, I need to cut our chat short. I need to go and return a favour of someone." You say that it's fine and you ask her to treat her well. Before Reimu leaves, she has another thing to say,

"Oh right. I forgot to give you this," she fishes something out of her sleeves. It is a sake bottle, "Suika asks me to give this to you. She said she misses her drinking buddy. Anyway, I have to go now," and like that, Reimu storms off. You wave her goodbye and she's gone. Looks like you receive a sake bottle. Tonight, seeing that you and a certain maid would be free, maybe you'll share it with her. You clear the table, pick up the sake bottle, and helped with the remaining work.

After having a delicious dinner (prepared by Sakuya), you make your way to Sakuya's room, with the sake bottle in hand. You ask Sakuya beforehand if you could meet her tonight, as Remilia would like to be left alone today, and she ask you to meet her at her room. Now, you're in front of her room. You knock and you hear her asking you to come in. You open the door.

As you enter, you see Sakuya is sitting on one of the chairs in the middle of the rooms. You look around the room to see that it is similar to yours, sans the table and chairs in the middle.

"So, what is it that you need?" Sakuya asks. You look at Sakuya and sees that she still wears her maid outfit. You ask her if she doesn't wear anyting else. "Well, I do. But as a maid, I need to be ready at all times." Well, she could have always stops time, but you don't want to argue with semantics right now. You show her what you brought over, and asks her if she would share a drink with you. After all, in one week, you will be gone from the mansion.

"A drink?" Sakuya asks. She waits a few before replying, "That's fine. But before that, why don't I whip up something really quick. It would be a shame for our late night drinking filled with only drinks." Who are you to argue with that logic? You happily agreed and Sakuya left and return. Thus, you enjoy the night, drinking with Sakuya...

"That Meiling! She never listens!" Sakuya slams the glass.

... or so you thought. After a few rounds, you chat with Sakuya about randoms things in the mansion or in Gensokyo. But then, Sakuya kept on refilling her glass. Again. And again. And again. There was one time where you ask her if she had enough but she kept on drinking and now, she's like this. You have heard that some people have different faces when they're drunk.

"Time and time again, I said to Meiling: 'Meiling, you're the first thing when people look at the mansion. Albeit Lady Remilia is what people heard of, you're the one that they'll see first. So you need to be presentable at all time. Understood?'. And you know what she did? She sleep. Sleeping. On. The. Job. Ahahahaha. Don't mess with me!" She take another swig.

"Also, that Patchouli. If you're worried about your weight so much, why don't you lay off the dessert for a while. And no, your brain does not need sweets to function, I do not want to hear another lecture about the correlation between the efficiency of sugar and researching. Again." She take another swig.

"Lady Flan. I wished that she met with a lot more people. Her only 'friend' right now is that 'thief' and I don't want that 'thief' to be her influence as for the world outside." She takes another swig.

"And, Lady Remilia..." she takes a few seconds before continuing, "I wish that she is more understanding. I wish that she is more considerate to her maid. I wish that she listen to what I said. I wish that she would start eating the food that she doesn't like. I wish that she would request thing in a more precise manner. I wish that... she tells me what she's hiding from me."

"... does she not want me anymore?" Sakuya stays quiet. There has been something on your mind.

Hey, Sakuya. Why do you work under Remilia? Why would a Human work under a Vampire? you ask.

"Hmm? Ah, well that's a long story. It all started when-" she stops in her tracks. Then, "Hmmm~ I won't tell you~~, not unless you tell me what Lady Remilia is hiding from me~~" she teasingly says. You have sworn secrecy to the lady, and you plead the fifth. "Ehhh, why not? Hey, hey, why not?" Sakuya pesters you. You never seen this side of hers before. Maybe it's the alcohol talking? You have a very high tolerance of when it comes to alcohol, even Suika was impressed. That means it's time to wrap this up and call it a night. You tell Sakuya that you're going back and say to her that she should rest.

"Ehh~ Don't wanna~" she rock back and forth. You plead her to go to bed and she place her finger under her lip, then says, "Then, carry me~~" she puts her arms out. No choice then. You pick her up (heavier than Koakuma was) and carry her to bed. You tuck her in and before you left, you felt a tug on your shirt. You see that Sakuya is holding your shirt.

"Are you leaving...?" Sakuya has a dejected-look. You say to her that you're not going anywhere, just that you're going to find a chair to sit on. You take one of the chairs and put it next to her. You wait for her to fall to sleep and she has a hard time doing so. You waited and waited until she closes her eyes. Before leaving, you pat her head and make your way to your room. Sleep takes hold of you.

The next day, you're working with Sakuya as normal. After finishing with the day cleaning, Sakuya comes up to you.

"I don't think that I need to say this, but the thing from yesterday: please forget it. I would like for that to be put under wraps. And if I heard that story from someone else, you know what will happen, right?"

Did anything even happen yesterday? you say, If you have any trouble, I can lend an ear, and a few drinks.

"Good. Now, let's go. Cooking is next." she turns and make her way to the kitchen. You reply to her instruction and starts packing. But then, she says,

"Thank you."

It is now the last day of your temporary work. The final day where you clean the same hallway, rooms, see the same fairies, and the residents of the place. Well, it's not like you're never coming back here again. Tonight, before leaving, Remilia has something that she want to ask of you. Maybe it's regarding your pay? Reimu would be delighted to hear that. As you are finish cleaning, you see Sakuya came up to you.

"Are you done with your work?" You shake yourhead at her question, there are still some rooms left to clean.She stays silent. You wait for her to say anything else and then, she asks you another question.

"Are you really leaving?" Why yes. Your (verbal) contract only stated that you work for one month, and one month will passed tomorrow. "You know, Lady Remilia wouldn't mind extending your contract. I think she would glad for you to work under her." Be that as it may, you have to decline. Your heart is at the shrine. During your stay here, you kept thinking of the shrine and its condition. You're thankful for what Sakuya and Remilia have done for you. Again, you thanked them.

"... I see," Sakuya looks down, "Then, would you mind closing your eyes?"

What for? you ask.

"I have a gift that I would like to give you." A gift from Sakuya? What an honor. You close your eyes. You waited for the moment that you're able to open them. Then,

*chu*

you feel a peck on your forehead. You quickly open your eyes to see Sakuya towering over you. You ask her if she done what you think she's done. Sakuya giggles.

"Don't misunderstand. This is just a customary when greeting someone at the SDM. I only show it to you now as I think that you are deemed worthy of someone befitting to be living here. However, this greeting can only be done when you have verbal agreement or if you have made up during an argument. That is all. Nothing more and nothing less." Sakuya explains. "Now, I presumed there are more work for you to do. You should get on to it before Lady Remilia calls for you."

You were taken by surprise from that kiss but the way that Sakuya describes it make it like something that you shouldn't be concerned about. You get out of your stupor, says your goodbyes to Sakuya, and make your way to clean other rooms. Eventhough it should be fine, you can't help but wonder why your face feels a bit hotter today.

*~*~*

Notes:

Hello.
I hope everyone have a wonderful day.
Been a bit preoccupied lately. Been grinding in the Mirror Dungeon mines on Limbus. Also, life happens too. Not fun.
Anyway, sorry for the long delay. Here ya go, the next installment.
Two more to go, for now.
As always, thank you for reading.
Goodbye.

Chapter 8: Remilia Scarlet

*~*~*

You watch as Sakuya leave the room. Her steps, albeit grace has a tinge of sadness behind it. Now, it's only you and the head vampire, Remilia.

Is that fine, Remilia? you ask.

"Hm? What is?" the head vampire question.

The way that you dismissed her like that. Shouldn't you listen to her a bit? Remilia sighs.

"Listen here. You might think that what I am doing is mean, but this is the only method. Sakuya would not budge on her duties, and she likes to shoulder it all by herself. I have tried to get her to rest but she adamantly refuses, that girl. However," she raises her and points at you, "If there were someone that she trusts, and capable of leaving her work to, then it should not be a problem anymore. That is why I ask her first, to see how she thinks of you. Then, Sakuya would have nothing that she could use as an excuse. Besides, lest you forgot, this is the reason why we are doing this in the first place, is it not?" the head vampires turns to you, "Or is it that you have already forgotten? Is being under Sakuya gives you much enjoyment? Would you like to work fully here?" Remilia grins. You say that although working under Sakuya has been a blast, you still have some duties left at the shrine, so you have to decline.

"Hmph, a tough nut to crack you are. But that is fine. It would not be as fun if you were to break this easily. Anyway, it is time to get to the meat of this conversation: starting now until this week, you will be working solely for me. But before I proceed, have Sakuya ever talk about her duties under me?" Remilia asks.

You try to recall back when you were working under Sakuya. Did she tell you anything? The only thing that you remember is that Sakuya sometimes sighs whenever Remilia asks her for something absurd, but you don't think that the head vampire would like hearing that. And you feel like Sakuya would kill you if Remilia found out about that. Maybe you'll just tell her the praise that Sakuya gave her. So, you shake your head, while telling her what Sakuya thinks (mainly praises) of her. Remilia crosses her arms,

"Typical Sakuya. She loves me too much," her face remain stoic but her bat wings flutter, "However, that does pose a problem. No matter. Your job is not much different than before, except that you will be prioritizing my request. Do not worry, I will not ask you things that are not under your capabilities. I am not that much of a monster. I will leave that matter to Sakuya."

Maybe that's the reason why Sakuya is tired, you think in your head. "Now, as to commemorate, I would like for us to take a stroll. A midnight strolls around the Scarlet Devil Mansion. So, please, quickly finished cleaning the place so that we could begin." Remilia instructs.

Yes, Remilia you reply. During the clean, Remilia says,

"Did you not remember how Sakuya addresses me?" she asks.

... ah right.

Yes, Lady Remilia, you correct yourself. She smiles. You quickly clean the plate that you, Sakuya and Remi Lady Remilia ate from, and make your way back to Lady Remilia. Surprisingly, she waited for you. You always thought of her to be somebody impatient. Before leaving the mansion, Lady Remilia asks you to bring her parasol with her. For what reason she asks you to bring her parasol at night, you don't know. But, you brought it anyway. And thus, the two of you walk out of the mansion, and starts the lovely night stroll.

The night at the mansion feels different. The cold breeze, the tranquil silent, and the illuminating light from the moon and stars that accompanies you. You have been staying in the SDM for two weeks but this feeling during night still amazes you. Currently, you are walking by the left side of Lady Remilia. The reason for that is,

"Only Sakuya could stand by my right. No one would be able to replace her."

so she says. You are also carrying the parasol that she instructs you to. You both walk in silence, before,

"Is this not wonderful?" Lady Remilia starts to speak, "The night has always been my companion from the day that I live. It is truly different from the day. Well, it is not like I could go out in the day without preparation. And that is why," she points to the parasol, "That parasol will be my lifeline going out in the day. Today, you will accompany me while carrying an open parasol. We will treat the small illumination of the mansion lights as a make-shift sun. Now, begin. Your mistress is being bested by that blasted ball of light right now," she stood still. You quickly open up the parasol and a few seconds later, Lady Remilia started to move. You both walk, taking in the nightlife. Lady Remilia asks you to tell her all your tales that you've done lately, but mostly things around the shrine. So, you tell her. She listens attentively to what you said, until at one point, she lost interest and move on to talking about Sakuya and herself. She really likes her, huh? you thought to yourself. Soon, you made a full lap of the mansion, and the stroll has come to an end. You both enter back to the mansion.

"Sometimes, it is best to just take a walk," Lady Remilia begins, "Although, it is a lacking a bit of tension," What was she expecting to happen? "Anyway, I would love to take a soak right now. Would you please draw the water for the bath? I will be waiting at my room. Call me when it is ready," she starts walking towards her room(?). Receiving your order from the mistress, you start making your way. But before you do so, somebody tapped your shoulder from behind. It was Sakuya.

"How was she?” a neutral-faced Sakuya asks. Although she keeps a poker face, her voice sounds a bit weary, “Has she ask for anything yet?” You tell Sakuya that she only asks you for a night stroll, and now you’re on your way to draw the water for a bath. “Is that so? Then that’s fine,” Sakuya closes her eyes. Is there something wrong?

“No, it’s just… I would like to give you some advice, from someone who has cared for her. Please: do not entertain her too much,” Sakuya advice. What does she mean by that? “More accurately, if she asks you for something impossible or something that could cause any trouble, please, say no to her,” That’s weird. I thought Sakuya would do anything for the mistress. Strange hearing this from her, “I know. But you have to understand. Lady Remilia have less-to-zero interaction with a normal human. She doesn’t know what their limits are. And the humans that she does know is that shrine maiden and thief, and they’re less human than the average human,” Sakuya sighs, “Plus, the people from the village, but they treat her more of a kid… Anyway, please, take this advice to heart. Make sure that you keep her entertain, but not too much. Scold her if needs be,” Huh? Scold her? Have Sakuya ever done that? “… The role of the maid is not only to be a yes man for their mistress: they’re also to be use as tools for the head to live an easier life,” Sakuya smiles, “Now, you should head back to Lady Remilia. I’ve already drawn the water for the bath,” H-huh? When did she do that? She giggles, “A maid needs to be quick in their work. You have more to learn. Oh, one more thing: please keep this conversation a secret from the mistress. If she known that I’ve been indirectly helping her, she would scold me for it. And by proxy, someone else would also be in the crossfire,” she glares at you. You’ll be sure to do that. Quickly, you turn around and return back to where Lady Remilia is. But before you do that, Sakuya adds,

“Oh, and another thing. If I see that the mistress is hurt or to have cried,” Sakuya smiles.

…

You reach the front door of her room. Before entering, you knock first. It’s a polite and courteous thing to do. And not doing so can lead to dire consequences. You learn this the hard way from Sakuya. After knocking, you wait a few before Lady Remilia calls out for you to enter. As you enter the room, it is miles different from yours. A king size bed rather than your single. The color red, or rather, scarlet, on the wall and floor of the room, chandelier dangling on the ceiling, an- hm? Is that a coffin right next to the bed? Lady Remilia could be seen reading a book on one of the table and chair. She looks to you when you enter.

“What is it?” she asks, “Is the bath ready?” You nod to the vampire question, “Wow, how quick! I would assume it would take more time. As expected of Sakuya’s pupil!” she smiles. Quickly, she stands up, “Please bring my clothes and come with,” you follow her demand and walk towards the closet. Opening it, you see the same set of clothes and also a set of –what you assumed to be- pink pajamas, similar color to what she wears every day. Lady Remilia is also wearing it today too. That reminds you, the people here wear the same thing every day, huh? Even Reimu wear her miko garbs daily, only during night would she changes to, what did she calls it again, a white yukata? Anyway, you grab her everyday clothes, and walk with her to where you bathe.

You both enter the dressing room. You ask beforehand to Lady Remilia if you could wait outside but she insists that you enter with her. You walk towards a basket and place the clothes that you were bringing. As you turn your head towards Lady Remilia, you are greeted with a white, pale-ish back, untouched by the sun. Looking further down, you can see her bat wings are covering her behind and rest on her feet, are the pajamas that she was wearing before.

“Fufufu,” Lady Remilia snickers, “Are you surprised? Did the cat managed to grab your tongue?” she reaches for a small towel, “Of course, anyone would. Nobody in the world would be able to pry their eyes of someone as charming and charismatic as I. Let alone when she is this defenseless. Ah~~, I wonder how you look right no-“ she turns around to face you. Then,

“-n-n ノ ・リアクション!” she screams out. Before Lady Remilia turns around, your face would’ve have been shocked. But then, you remember what Sakuya had said,

‘Make sure that you keep her entertain, but not too much’ and you believe, that Lady Remilia here is only trying to rile you up. And you were right. Thus, you bring out your best poker-face available. You’re not going to let her get the upper hand. Not to mention, you’re afraid what Sakuya might do to you if you go against her wishes, and you do not dare find out. Besides. You scan from head to toe of Lady Remilia. She looks at you with a disgruntled face.

“W-what is it?” she cautiously asks. Thinking a bit clearer, in the end, she has a body of a child. Nothing to get work up on. This is similar to the times where you went to the public bath house at the Human Village. Just smile and close your eyes, like how Sakuya would.

“And now he’s smirking at me?! Grgrgr!” Lady Remilia quietly says while gritting her teeth. Then, with her other hand, she points at you, “You! Undress! Now!”

… huh? You ask Lady Remilia to say it again.

“Are your ears full of wax now? I said: Undress, now!” Lady Remilia says. You don’t understand. Wasn’t she the one that wanted to take a bath? “I was at first. But I won’t take this lying down. How dare you to laugh at the majestic creature, Remilia Scarlet, when she lay herself bare! Now, you shall accompany me in this activity and for that, you need to strip. Now,” This doesn’t make sense. You plead with the mistress, “No. Strip. Now,” to no avail. Lady Remilia seems to be agitated for some reason. However, it’s not important right now. You need to find a way out. A certain helicopter maid would not like it if you did enter with the mistress. Think, think. And then, you remember a certain memory from the shrine,

Night, at the Hakurei Shrine, after finishing your dinner with Reimu and the others, you started to clean the dishes while Reimu –slovenly- lay around in the living space. After finishing, you make your way back where Reimu is currently reading a novel. How rare of her. You asked her what she was reading,

“Hm? This? I went to Suzunaan to check up on Kozusu. The girl seems out of sort lately, thankfully she’s alright now. After that, she lends me a novel that’s currently a hit with the housewife lately. I don’t like what she tries to imply there but maybe I was overthinking it. Come closer, have a look,” Reimu beckoned you and you take a look, “The story’s about how this prince-like man play around with plenty of girls. He gave different lines for different people. Like this one, where he tried to court the world leader, he gave her some flowers and how for this librarian, he said sweet nothing to her,” Reimu explained. You read with Reimu and you don’t understand the charm of it. Until reaching a certain point, Reimu starts glancing at you. Then, she grins, “Hey, why don’t we re-enact this?” Before she continues, you try to run but she managed to grab you, “Now now, we have to try this out. Maybe then you’ll understand the charm of this” she snickers. And the night, the Hakurei Shrine are filled with laughs, but only Reimu is laughing.

with this profound knowledge, you march forward. You place a finger under the mistress’s chin and then,

Now, now, Ms. Scarlet, that won’t do. If I were to enter with you, I would not be able to gaze upon your beauty from afar, and that would be a loss for me, you say. Silence fells the room. The mistress has a look of displeasure. Then,

Ow ow ow ow! she pinched the back of your hand that was holding her chin, “Huh? What are you talking about? Gross. I was merely testing to see whether or not if you would cross the line with your employer,” she sighs, “How boring. Well, I would like to take a well-rested bath now. If you please,” understanding what the mistress wants, you were promptly kicked out of the dressing room. You breathe a sigh of relief and lean your back on the wall. Not long,

“Is there something wrong?” you turn to your left and see Sakura standing next to you. How long has she been here? “Has the mistress asks you of anything?” You decide to keep the event between Lady Remilia and you, so you lie to her, saying nothing happen. Sakuya give a ‘Is that so?’ and look away. With the moment that you had, you ask Sakuya why she hasn’t rested yet, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve rest plenty already.” When exactly, has she rest? A lot of times you see her working, “That’s true. However, I only need to stop time for a bit, rest and I would be in tip top shape again,” the head maid explains. Ah, is that so…

… hm? Stop time, she said? You ask what she means by that, “?” Sakuya tilts her head after she turns to you, “It is like I said: I just need to stop time and I could rest. What is it?”

T-that’s the first I’ve ever heard of that! You can stop time? you say, surprised.

“Is it really that strange?”

For a human, I would think so.

“But that shrine maiden and thief could float around? Are they not human?”

We-well, when you said it like that…

“You have to let go of normal preconception of human. The only normalcy you will get is from the Human Village. The less you think about it, the easier it is to accept things,” she faces away. True. Reimu and Marisa, albeit being human, has always been a bit special. The people that you talk to at the Human Village, like that grocer and dango seller, never have the quirks like those two. Even that Wind Priestess advice this to you before. But, that’s strange. Wouldn’t the mistress know about Sakuya ability in the first place? Why go so far for this?

“… the lady is easily influenced. From the things she hears, see, and read. Lady Remilia probably had read somewhere on Lady Patchouli’s book on how human should live. That’s what I gather from Lady Patchouli anyway,” Sakuya smiles, “I’m grateful for her concern, but sometimes, I wished she listen to me,” you give a quiet laugh. Sakuya continues, “Another reason is that she finds this amusing,” that does sound like her. With nothing left to add, you both stand in silent. After that,

“I’ve decided,” she turns to you, “I will keep an eye on you and Lady Remilia. Before you say anything: I know, this will go against the lady wishes. However. I haven’t taught you the proper way of caring for the lady, have I? So, from today, I will teach you on how to take care of Lady Remilia. She is a very high-maintenance lady, so there are things that you need to know. So, technically, I’m still teaching you, and not working under Lady Remilia,” she quickly says, “You agree too, right?” she seeks your confirmation. Even though you feel like this stretches the line of Lady Remilia’s orders, but you feel like Sakuya wouldn’t take no for an answer. Besides, it’s better like this too. You get support from the best maid. With that reasoning, you nod. Sakuya gives a light nod, “I knew you understand too. This is a great deal for everyone,” she smiles.

Sakuya really respect the mistress huh, you speak out loud.

“… that is obvious. She has given me another chance in life,” Sakuya turns back, she gave a forlorn smile.

? What do you mean by th- before you could finish your sentence, the door next to you open, and what comes out is the mistress, wearing her everyday clothes and a towel wrapped on her head.

“Who were you talking to just now?” Lady Remilia asks. You turn around and see that Sakuya was nowhere to be seen. Not wanting to reveal your interaction with Sakuya, you said that you were just talking to yourself.

“… well, that does not matter. More importantly, let us go,” she grabs your hand, “We are heading to my room,” with that, she drags you to her room.

You both enter her room. Lady Remilia then proceeds to sit on one of the chairs and instructs you to dry her hair. You follow suit and pick up the towel from her hand and place it on one of the drying racks for now. Then, you make your way by picking up the hairdryer and comb and started to comb dry her hair. Also,

“…” Sakuya was inside the room as well. You thought of just using the brush to clean up, but Sakuya (murderous) gaze made you reconsider. She also pantomimes –what you assume to be- a brushing method, so you follow her movement as best as possible. The fact that Lady Remilia hadn’t spotted her is a miracle itself. After a while, you finished brushing her hair.

“You seem familiar with this. Have you done this at the shrine as well?” Lady Remilia asks. Well, you certainly did. Only on certain occasion, however. It’s only when Reimu is on her most apathetic days. But, a hairdryer is something that you never used before, “Eh~~ Is that so… How envious…” Lady Remilia murmur, “Anyway, I appreciate it. Now, on to our important business. Would you mind taking something out of the drawer? The top one,” she points to one of the drawers next to her bed. You ask her what it is and she just said to grab the thing there. You follow the instruction of your employer. Glancing to where Sakuya was before, and she is gone. How sly. Anyway, you walk over to the drawer, and you open to find,

Is it, a pack of cards, my lady? you ask, while showing the cards that you are holding. Lady Remilia smile. She gestures you to bring it to her and you do so. She also asks you to sit down.

“Fufufu, now,” she opens the pack of cards, revealing a standard card-deck. By the looks of how worn out it is, it has seen multiple uses, “Your job for today is: to join in on my games,” she starts shuffling the deck. With the way she shuffles, it seems that she is used to this. But, why?

“Lest you forget, you have laughed at my figure before this and now, a proper punishment is in order,” she stops shuffling. What, you don’t remember doing that, “But thankfully, I am kind. So, we do this differently, we will play a game. If you win, I will abolish you of your crimes, but if I win, I would like a taste of your blood, a whole glass will do.

Wh- blood?

“Of course,” she placed her finger in her mouth and stretch it to the side, revealing her fangs. She then let go, “That is our main meal. Have you forgotten?” she smirks. You certainly have. You forgot what a vampire is for a moment. Maybe because you stayed her for two weeks, you have never seen her drunk any blood before, so you thought that she wasn’t similar to one of the mythical vampire. But she is,

Remilia Scarlet. The Head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Height similar to of a small girl –smaller than you- she has red eyes, with short light-blue hair and on top of her head, holds a light-pink mob cap with red ribbon decorated on one side. She also wears a light-pink dress with red ribbon on both sleeves and her back a large red ribbon, not forgetting the large bat-like wings on her back –bigger than Koakuma’s -. You remember back to what Reimu said about her,

After finishing your delicious dinner, you and Reimu sat down at the porch, taking in the night air, digesting the content of food inside you. You remembered the conversation that you had with her in the morning, with the arrival of Sakuya and the other person. You asked her for details on the other person.

“That’s Remilia,” she stretched, “She’s the head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, by the Misty Lake. Marisa could take you there if you’re interested. Anyway, remember about the Scarlet Mist incident before? Well, she’s the culprit. Trying to block off the sun so that she can freely roam about. What a joke,” Reimu sighed. That sounds bad, “Right? Well, don’t worry. I’ve already talked with her. Not much to say about her, but lately, she kept coming here on her spare time, with or without her maid. She likes to pester me too for some reason but luckily, if she’s bored enough, she just left but sometimes, she would do the opposite, and I was forced to entertain her. Huh, what a pain,” another sigh, “If you’re worried that she’ll do anything, don’t be. She only act when there is something that amuse her, other than that, she’s pretty docile. Is that all?” you nod, “Great. Well, it’s getting late, how about we head to be-“ before she finished her sentence, a voice calls out from inside the shrine,

“Oh my, Reimu? Heading to bed already? Even when you have guest over,” you both turn around and see a figure currently sitting in the middle of the room, where the small table is. She wears full purple with golden hair with a well-endowed body. She is currently smiling. Next to her seems to be a parasol of sort. Reimu sighed after seeing who it was,

“What do you want, Yukari? The shrine is closed for the day.”

“Oh my, is that really the way you treat your guest? I can see why the shrine is in this constant state,” the blonde woman giggled.

“You know it’s those damn youkais that kept coming here is the problem. My shrine been dubbed the ‘Youkai Shrine’ by the human worshippers!”

“Then, maybe you should do something about it? After all, you are the Hakurei Miko.”

“Nah, too much work. Besides, they haven’t done anything yet and it’s too much of a hassle,” hearing that, the blonde woman giggled again. A bit confused of the situation, you asked Reimu on who this person is, “Oh, right, you haven’t been properly introduced yet. Remember when you came here, I’ve mentioned her name before, about asking for a favour?” you tried to remember the events that day and you it still turned up blur, “Well, this is her. Her name is Yukari Y-“

“Only Yukari is fine,” the blonde woman cut Reimu off, “My turn hasn’t come yet,” she said, her smile never left her face. You don’t understand what she meant, and Reimu look as if it’s more of a hassle to ask her, so you both let her continue, “I overheard that you were interested in that vampire home, so, I wanted to leave you with a present. Also, I’m here to see the person that Reimu asked for,” she stared at you. Weird, although her smile is there, it feels like she’s boring hole of off you. It’s unsettling, “Well, I’m glad to see you both are well. Now, I just need one more thing and that is-“ as she was talking, you feel a tug on the back of your head. You turn to Reimu.

What was that for, Reimu? you asked.

“? Huh? It wasn’t me,” Reimu answered. You turned around to look to what could have caused this pain but the girl in blonde continued, “And done! Here, for you,” she handed something to you and it was,

A… paper? you asked. You looked at the paper that you’re holding. It’s an ordinary paper in the shaped of a human. It is tied with a black-ish rope(?).

“Fufu, it is as you see. Our resident shrine maiden would explain it to you later. But let it be known, this paper could maybe save your life,” the blonde lady smiled. Reimu gave an exasperated sigh and said that she’ll explain later. After that, the blonde lady pester Reimu and you and you both spend the whole night conversing (mostly Yukari) and placed the paper(?) inside a perfectly shaped human-mold box that Yukari brought out as well.

In the end, Reimu never tells you what it was for…

“-ey, are you listening?” you hear a voice in front of you, and it was the mistress, Lady Remlia, calling out to you. You brought out your stupor and asks her what’s wrong, “Not only you humiliate me, you dare ignore me too! Maybe Sakuya has not teach you enough!” her anger is palpable. You apologize for dozing off like that but Lady Remilia, “It’s too late for that!” refuses, “If it’s like this, we will add one more wager: if I win, you will work here at the mansion, for the rest of your life. That means every fiber of your body will be my property! But if you win, which I doubt it, you can leave AFTER your contract is over, and I would not lay a finger on you. This deal is non-negotiable and has been finalized, now,” Lady Remilia give you and herself the cards, alternating between you and her, “We will begin our first match: Old maid!” you pick up the cards that are for you and saw that the joker is currently with you, “But be warn, as of now, not one person in this mansion have ever beaten me before – except for my sister – but other than that, I have been undefeatable! Now, pray to whatever god you worship before you fell in despair!” Lady Remilia cackle. If that is true, then that means this is serious. Your home is where the shrine is, and you won’t let anyone take that away from you. Hearing the stakes, there is no way you’ll lose. You just have to give it your all!

An hour later.

“…” Lady Remilia lay her head on the table, face first, silence fills the room after the multitude of different card games that you both played. Then, “..why…” you hear the mutter from the person across of you. A bit later,

“Why can’t I win flawlessly against youuu!” Lady Remilia slams her fist on to the table. The game that we played are as follows: Old Maid, Blackjack, Gin Rummy and others. In the beginning, you were having a hard time, as you never played any of these games before. Luckily, Lady Remilia was kind enough to give you a bit of pointers, and slowly, you get the feel of the game. Not to mention, “I will let the first few rounds be not counted, are I not kind?” Lady Remilia said. The score now is 6:5 with you leading. Some games are played multiple times before moving on to the next. And for the reason why you managed to win against her: it’s written all over her face. Or rather, her bat wings tell a story. After playing a few rounds, losing to her, you notice how her wings interacted. Whenever she got a good hand, her bat will flutter a little. If it’s bad, then it will drop down. Using that as a basis, you play against her with herself giving an un-intentional handicap. But, you can’t win every game, as some games require luck to be in your favor. Like how in Blackjack, your hand and hers can already spell the game. So, you have to rely on a game where you can ‘slightly’ cheat. After a few seconds, you look behind Lady Remilia and see Sakuya standing behind her. When did she enter? After that, she brought out a notebook and starts to flip the page,

 

If you are wondering,

The mistress has always been bad at card games,

The mansion, minus the sister, agree to let her win most of her games.

 

… is that so? You thought that it was strange how she has been undefeatable on all her games. But, this is Gensokyo, and as Sakuya said, you shouldn’t really use normal standard, you thought that she had some sort of ability that made her win all the time. Later, the mistress speaks up, head raised from the table,

“One more time! One more time!” you see the fire in her eyes, as she grasps on to a few remaining hopes she has. You agree to her demands and asks what game they should play for the final, and it circle back to Old Maid. As Lady Remilia gather the cards, shuffle, and gave the cards out, you see that Sakuya is currently writing something in the notebook. After a while, the game begins anew. Lady Remilia habit of wings movement has not died down and as you almost reached the end of the game, with Lady Remilia holding the joker, you manage to see that Sakuya has finish writing and presented her notebook to you,

 

Now, please lose the match,

The Lady honor is at stake here.

 

… what? You can’t do that. Your whole livelihood is at stake here. You can’t possibly jus-

Then, Sakuya flips to another page, it shows a drawing of a chibi Meiling, laying down in a pool of red, with many knives stabbing her. An arrow is pointing at Meiling while at the end of it, says ‘This could be you♥’.

… sorry Reimu, You may be a residence of the SDM from this day forth, “? What’s the hold-up? Pick your card already,” an impatient vampire usher. You move your hand around and find the Joker, with one final swoop, you grab it, and by the end of it all, Lady Remilia won.

“I… I’ve won. Ahahahaha! Take that! Ahahaha,” Lady Remilia laughs while she gets up from the chair. Congratulation, my lady, “Hmph, well, it is only obvious. Someone like me could not possibly lose to someone under me,” she puffs out her (non-existent) chest and she points her finger to you, “Now, as promised. You will work under me for the rest of your life!” Lady Remilia smirks. Unfortunately, you have to object,

I’m sorry to rain on your parade my lady, but I believe our score is tied.

“… what? No, it was not. If you think that you can weasel your way out of this you are mistaken,” Lady Remilia crosses her arm.

But it’s true, our score is tied, 6:6, with this being the final match.

“Don’t mess with me,” she slams both her hands on the table, “The score was obviously 8:6, with me as victor!”

Need I remind you, my lady, the promise that you made before?

“Huh? What prom… ah.” Lady Remilia realizes.

Ah, it seems that you remember. The score WAS 8:6, however, we only started counting AFTER the end of the 3rd match, when I’ve gotten my first win. In the end, this match ends with a draw.

“Bu-but-“ Lady Remilia tries to chime in, but you cut her off,

Surely, the honorable lady of the house wouldn’t retract back her statement? you give a hearty smile. Silence with a disgruntled vampire, then,

“O-of course. That would be un-ladylike of me to do so. Thus, this concludes the match as… a d-draw,” Lady Remilia smiles. Thankfully, this can all end peacefully. No one need to get hurt. Glancing at Sakuya, you propose the idea to play the card game with more people, in which the mistress sits down and,

“No, it is fine. I grow weary of this game. Please, put the card away for now. I wish to be stay alone in my room for a while. While I do so, why not clean the outside of my room? I will call for you when I need you,” Lady Remilia stands up and start to walk to the dresser before, picking up a book and starts to read on her bed. You comply with the lady’s request and stands guard outside, finding something to clean. Sakuya comes up to you, she seems pleased with the result of your action.

And that’s how you spend the rest of the week with the mistress: playing against her, cooking her meals, cleaning around the place while she watches (and criticize), reading her a book before bed, and taking a stroll around the mansion. More often than not, Sakuya comes and (secretly) help you with the work, but when that happen, the lady would comment,

“Hm? This tea tastes like how Sakuya would make it?” where you lie and said that you’ve learned tricks from Sakuya on how to make tea, and that made the mistress happy. However, she sometimes would request on teas that you personally made, and after a heavy-hearted discussion with Sakuya, she lets go of her tea making duties.

It is now the last day of your duties, working for the lady. And on this occasion, she decides that she would like to visit Reimu at the Hakurei Shrine. Seems like she wants to show you off to Reimu. But before that, she wants to take a walk around the Human Village. With the parasol that you will be carrying, you (walk by her left) and Lady Remilia make way to the first stop: the Human Village, but first, she wants to meet with the gatekeeper, Meiling. We both walk towards the front gate. The lady gives a few call outs, but Meiling didn’t respond. You both walk and face the gatekeeper to see that she had her eyes closed. Lady Remilia sighs,

“Meiling, wake up,” the lady asks. Hearing the mistress in close distant, Meiling open her eyes.

“Huh? Wh- Oh, Lady Remilia! Good day to you,” she bows down, “And to you too,” she smiles when she meets your eyes, “What do you need of me, so early in the morning?”

“We are on our way to the Hakurei Shrine, but first, I would like to take a slow stroll around the Human Village,” the lady explains. Meiling nods at her explanation, “We just want to inform of you of that. Another thing, however,” Lady Remilia sighs again, “Please do take it in you to guard the place more appropriately. You do not want Sakuya to be angry at you again, do you?”

Meiling scratch her head, “We-well, it’s just, I sense it was only you two that was coming, so I thought it would be fine if I closed my eyes for a bit, ehehe,” she laughs, “But don’t worry!” she strikes a pose, “Not one intruder would be able to enter when Hong Meiling is here!” she puffs out her well-endowed chest. Then, Meiling looks around, “Hm? Speaking of Miss Sakuya, where is she?”

“I have asked her to stay indoors for now. It would only be the two of us today. Now, we would be taking our leave. Make sure to guard the gate,” Lady Remilia starts to move but then stop. She turns to Meiling again, “Oh, and Meiling. The flowers on the garden are absolutely magnificent. It made my day and night stroll much more pleasant, seeing the blooming flowers. Thank you for the hard work,” hearing that, Meiling gives the brightest smile that she could muster and bows down again.

“T-thank you very much!” and with that, you and Lady Remilia walk towards the Human Village. You have to be extra careful, as the mistress’s body and the sun are not compatible in the slightest.

? It feels like someone is looking at you, but you perish the thought, thinking that it was only some strays low-youkai.

Thankfully, there was no problem with the walk, and the both of you have arrived at the Human Village. Lots of people are milling away, going from places to places.

“This place has not changed much, has it?” Lady Remilia reminisces. You ask her if she ever been here before, “Why of course! As the head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, you have to show your face from time to time. To let other people knows of our standing. So, I have asked Sakuya to bring me here sometimes during her errands,” she grabs your arm, “Today, I will show you the authority that I hold of this place. You have better prepare you heart, as today, you will see something much more different than before,” she grins. If what she said is true, then you resolve yourself to whatever today will lead.

… only to be greet with a lot of friendly people. Walking around the area with Lady Remilia, you were greeted with lots of stare from the people around. The usual people that you met also look at you a bit weird today. Maybe it’s because of the suit that you are wearing, or maybe it’s because the person next to you, which you are accompanying. But, some people are brave enough to greet us. More accurately, to Lady Remilia. Lots of friendly people came and greeted her, in which she gracefully greeted them back. Sometimes, she would receive presents from the people, most –if not all- food. With the smuggest look she could muster, she looks at you and say,

“See~~? This is my power! My charisma that I have been carefully care for, poisoned the people here! They greet me out of respect and worship me by paying tributes to their queen with foods! My my, how terrifying of a being I am,” Lady Remilia chuckles. As she says that, now kids are coming to her too. They ask her to tell them a story which she tells them stories about her and her journey. After looking at today, Lady Remilia has shown you something different. It’s not something that she expected. Rather than respect, she was treated,

… like a kid, huh? you mumble.

“? What was that?” Lady Remilia asks, you both walking again after Lady Remilia finished telling her story to the children. Whoops, did you say that out loud? You say that it was nothing but Lady Remilia scolds you, “One thing that I do not like is when someone is not clear when they say something, and then retracts it. You are my maid for today, so say it loud and clear,” with that, you lie to the mistress and say that you were surprised, to see how charismatic she was dealing with everyone here today. Hearing that, Lady Remilia boasts, “Hmph! Is that not obvious? You should give a better compliment if you want to appease me.” Her bat wings, however, betray her intention.

? That weird stare sensation is back. Also, you feel like you have seen the same blurb of brown outside of your peripheral vision multiple time. But to not ruin the Lady’s outing, you keep it hidden to yourself.

We arrived at the last stop before heading to the Hakurei Shrine: the goods area. Lady Remilia asks you what Reimu would like as a gift and there’s only one thing that she would love,

Money, you deadpanned-ly say. Lady Remilia sighs,

“That girl still has her head in her desire, huh?” she picked up random things around the store and present it to you one by one. Hmmm… It’s tough picking something for Reimu. She will accept anything if you give it to her. Other than money, maybe you can bring her some treats. Or maybe, some new tea leaves would be ideal too. As you two were choosing, a voice came by Lady Remilia’s right,

“If you were giving something for a friend, I would recommend this set of tea leaves, and this set of snacks, as they go well together. You could even let your maid here to prepare it and show him off as well,” comes a suspiciously deep voice.

“Hmm… you are right! With this, I could show off to Reimu as well on your maidhood!” she turns to the person to the right, “Thank you, Mi-“ she stopped midway. You look at the direction where the mistress is looking and see someone wearing a full brown detective jacket, similar to those mysteries novel you read, their face is currently hidden by sunglasses and a cloth mask. It’s hard to discern their figure from the way that they are wearing. But, there is only one person who would know what the mistress is thinking, only one maid come to mind. Lady Remilia, out of her stupor, “Oh, excuse me. Uhum, I thank you again, for the idea,” the person only nods and left the shop. Is she trying to get caught? Well, looking at Lady Remilia, it seems that she hadn’t noticed yet. So, it’s fine, maybe. After that, you paid for the gifts and head to the center of the village. Lady Remilia wants to rest before heading towards the shrine. You look around and find a decent spot, underneath a tree with an adequate amount of shade, and make way for Lady Remilia to sit. She asks you to sit down with her as well, and you follow suit.

“Today, has been different,” Lady Remilia starts talking, “It feels different, going out like this, without Sakuya besides me. Well, I have many times go out by myself, but having someone else accompany me like this, it feels refreshing,” she pauses for a second, “However, I cannot see anyone else stands beside me except for Sakuya,” she flaps her bat wing slowly, “Oh, that does not mean I did not enjoy my time with you,” she gazes to nowhere. You also let your mind wander, thinking of nothing important. Then, Lady Remilia continues,

“Hey, would you mind coming in closer,” she faces you, but seems to be looking elsewhere. You slowly scoot closer, and her breath is now close to your right ear. Then, she says,

“Sakuya has been following us, have she not?” Your eyes widen. When have she noticed? You need to think of something and-. Before you could think of an excuse, she cuts you off, “Do not worry. She is not in trouble. Honestly, that Sakuya, going against my order like that, what is she thinking…”

… she only thinks of you, my lady, she looks at you, prompting you to continue, whenever we talk about you, her eyes shine the brightest. Day in, day out, there isn’t a single time where your name wasn’t utter. That only shows that she cares and have the highest respect for you. Even though I only work under her for two weeks, I know what she thinks of you, my lady, and she really love you, you finish. Lady Remilia stays silent, before giving a light giggle,

“Fufufu, of course. That is obvious, is it not? I am Remilia Scarlet. The most charismatic and influential vampire in all of Gensokyo! There is no one here that would not have heard of that name!” she points at you, “And do not forget that” she grins, “Well, that is enough rest,” she stands up, “It is time for us to head towards that shrine. A visit is in order,” she waits for you.

Of course, my lady you reply back her enthusiasm. You stand together with Lady Remilia, and you make you way to the Hakurei Shrine. On the corner of your eyes, you see that the jacketed person, is currently eyeing the both of you.

You both arrive at the Hakurei Shrine. Ah, how nostalgic. You haven’t been home for almost three weeks and you already miss it. The rustic atmosphere, follow by the serene air, only the sound of wind and the occasional chatter from other people that came by. Walking forward, you see Reimu is currently sitting on one of the steps to the donation box, a broom next to her. Slowly, she lifts her head, and sees the two of us. It’s hard to discern what she feels by looking at her poker face, but the lady next to you looks elated to be here.

“Hello, Reimu,” Lady Remilia greets, “We have come to meet with you,” Reimu nods back.

“I can see that, what an interesting duo we have here,” she looks at you, eyeing your new outfit, “I haven’t seen you for three weeks and you changed this much,” Reimu smiles. The mistress has a big grin on her face before saying,

“Pardon the intrusion,” she walks past Reimu and enter the shrine. You follow Lady Remilia from behind, giving a slight bow to Reimu before passing her as well.

“You’re not going to ask for permission to enter first, are you?” Reimu sighs, “Not that I expected anyone to,” she resigns from the mistress antics and walk inside the living room. Lady Remilia and Reimu sits across the table from one another while you stand next to the mistress.

“Hm? Are you not going to sit down?” Reimu direct the question to you. However, Lady Remilia chimes in,

“He is fine. Anyway, I am here with gifts for you,” she places the two gifts that she recently bought from the store. Reimu eyes lit up,

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to try this brand of tea leaves, but never got the chance too. Let me ser-“ before Reimu could finish her sentence and stands up, Lady Remilia stops her,

“That will not be necessary,” Lady Remilia looks at you, and you nod. You pick up the goods from the table and borrow the kitchen. The all-too-familiar kitchen that you always use. How nostalgic. You start preparing the tea while the mistress and Reimu is conversing in the middle. After a while, you finish plating the food and the tea has been made, you bring out the plate and serve the tea for the mistress and Reimu. They appreciate the gesture, and you stand back to your original position. All the while, Reimu is glancing at you. Lady Remilia and Reimu continue their fun while you wait, standing, not uttering a single word. Whenever Reimu would pose a question to you, Lady Remilia would answer for you. There is a reason for this. During the walk to the Hakurei Shrine, Lady Remilia has asked something off of you,

“When we reach the Hakurei Shrine, I would like for you to not utter a single word,” Remilia informed you. You asked her what for, “No reason. I would like to see her reaction.” You don’t think she’ll be any different at all. Saying that, elicited a laughter from the vampire, “Says you. But please, trust me in this one. Whenever Reimu ask something of you, just smile. That is all you have to do. Not a single word out of you,” Lady Remilia pointed at you. You say you’ll adhered to the lady wishes and she smiled, “Oh, and another. Please give a normal smile, not the one where you mockingly do,” Funny, you don’t ever recalled doing that.

and the conversation continue, until Lady Remilia reaches a certain point,

“He loves working at the mansion so much, that he even begged me to let him stay there,” Lady Remilia boasts. Reimu only giving a nonchalant ‘Eh, is that so?’, “In fact, I heard that he is finding a place to stay, and the kind me had an idea! Why not let him stay at the mansion?” the vampire proposes.

! Wait, you’ve never heard of this before.

“I mean, you have been trying to find him a place, have you not, Reimu? Well, the mansion is always welcome of people who wants to work under me. Not to mention, Sakuya would have someone else she could trust as well. So, what do you say, Reimu? Would you not let him stay under my jurisdiction?” the mistress finishes her proposal. Reimu sips her tea and calmly says,

“That is not up to me, is it? You have to ask that guy next to you,” she glances at your direction. There are things that you would like to say, to object, rather, but remembering back to what the vampire had asks of you, you give Reimu a faint smile. Lady Remilia chimes in,

“In certain region of the world, silent is conformation. Then it settles then, he will be staying with me,” the mistress stresses. Reimu look down at her cup and take another sip,

“Do whatever you like.”

The conversation continues until the evening, and you’re at the kitchen, cleaning the teacups and plates from this afternoon. Your mind is still racing. Hearing what the lady proposes, not to be rude, but you don’t want that. You want to stay here still. You haven’t paid Reimu back for what she had done for you. You haven’t achieved anything yet. Despite saying that, wouldn’t it be better for Reimu? She would have one less mouth to feed. And you can constantly see her balance the funds every night. And her reaction to after the mistress proposes is… indifferent…

Maybe… it’s best for you to take this offe-

Then, a voice called out from behind. It’s the person in question herself,

Reimu.

“I’m just here checking up on you, don’t want you to mess things up at my kitchen,” she says. You give her a small smile. You continue drying the plates when Reimu speaks again, “Hey, about that offer, that chibi vampire did,” she pauses for a bit, “Are you really going to take it?” Reimu asks. You only smile back. Another silence then, Reimu continues, “… I see. Well, it was fun. I won’t stop you on your adventure. I hope that you come back to the shrine whenever you’re free. Haa, I’m going to miss my chore taker. Having to start working again is no fun,” she gives a small laugh,” Anyway, I’m heading back now. I’ll see you la-“ Reimu starts to turn around. No, you don’t want this. You don’t want any of this. In the heat of the moment, you grab Reimu hand. She looks at her hand then back to you,

“Hm? What’s wro-“ she stops when she looks at you. Then, a grin creeps up her face, “You’re not really good at keeping a poker face, you know~~,” she teases. She sighs, “I can probably guess it’s that vampire is the one who puts you up to this. Don’t worry,” she tightens her grip, “I believe you. I believe you would make the right choice,” she gives a gentle smile. And just like that, all your troubles blow away. Ah, Reimu is really kind, “Well, I have to go now. A bit longer and that vampire would get suspicious,” she lets go of your hand and wave you goodbye. After a bit longer on drying and getting your face back to normal, you head out to the living room again.

A bit longer, night comes. You both say your goodbyes to Reimu and start heading back to the SDM. No longer is the parasol needed so you close it. Lady Remilia gleefully speaking about Reimu and how she totally showed her. During the walk, you say to Remilia, about the offer of working in the SDM. You declined. Lady Remilia laughs it off,

“I knew that. I only said that to see how Reimu would react. And, cannot believe she would just let you go like that. What a shame~~” she says in a sing-song manner, “However, my offer still stands. If you wish to live a life under me, then my doors is always open. I would love for you to be directed under me,” after finishing the conversation, you both walk in silence until you reach the front gate of the SDM. Meiling is currently closing her eyes again and Lady Remilia asks for you to leave her be. You walk past Meiling and reach the front door of the mansion. Lady Remilia turns to you,

“Thank you for accompanying me today. I had fun. It feels a bit refreshing than before,” Lady Remilia smiles. You say to her that it’s an honor working under her, and you learned so much from today. Then, Lady Remilia asks you to check the time, and you say to her that it’s

11:59… 12:00.

“Is that so?” Lady Remilia coughs, “Sakuya, Sakuya!” Lady Remilia calls out and next to her (right) comes her all-too-familiar maid,

“Yes, my lady?”

“How are you feeling? I hope that you are well rested after this week,” the vampire asks.

“Never better, my lady. Thank you for asking,” the head maid smiles.

“Splendid. Now, from today onwards, you will work under me again, Sakuya,” she then turns to you, “And as for you, you are to resume to your position again. I thank you again for playing with my request.” You give a slight bow and watch as the two enter inside. You wait a few before entering yourself and went back to your room and immediately flop to your bed, slumber taking hold of you.

*~*~*

After you finish your work, you make your way to the dining hall. Remilia has called upon you and you don’t want to make her wait any longer. Slowly, you open the door and sees that the vampire is sitting on her usual chair and Sakuya is standing right next to her. She sees you and ushers you to enter inside. You make your way to one of the chairs and sit down.

“Glad that you could make it,” Remilia smiles, “There are something that I would like to ask you again, but before that, Sakuya,” she calls out to Sakuya. Quickly, Sakuya re-emerge next to you. She then holds one of your hands out and place it above a wine glass. After that, she pulled out a knife.

! Wh-what is going on? you ask.

“You know, I never gotten a taste of your blood yet. And during one of our matches, albeit it is true that it ended with a draw, however, you are still under me. That means: your blood is also mine to taste. Do not worry,” she gives a reassuringly smile, “Sakuya will take care of the aid for you after this. She is most proficient in this. Sakuya, if you would,” she orders Sakuya.

“Of course, my lady,” and like that, she slices your palm, blood oozing out of it. Sakuya asks you to squeeze your grip to hasten the process. Despite her cutting your hand, it doesn’t necessarily feel painful. Only a small prick could be felt. After letting the wine glass fill to 1/10 of its content, Sakuya serve the warm blood to her master and comes back to you, giving you aid. A small binding rest in your right hand. Remilia drank the from the wine glass,

“Hm? A type B! How great~~” she eagerly drinks. Does blood taste different? you wonder. Taking a few more sips, Sakuya already stands beside Remilia and Remilia continue, “Oh excuse me, let us not waste any more time. Today, I would like to ask you again: would you like to work here? The offer still opens, and I believe that you have the quality to work as one. Well, that is a low bar to achieve, with the fairy maids employed here, “another sip, “Be that as it may, I would love for you to stay here. Sakuya, you agree, do you not?”

“Of course, my lady,” Sakuya gives a small nod.

“And everyone in the mansion has already familiarised themselves with you, so, what do you say?”

The offer is tempting, anyone else would grab the chance in a heartbeat. However,

Thank you, but I refuse. My heart belongs to the shrine, you bow down. Slowly, you raise your head back.

“… I see. Well, it can’t be helped. From today onwards, you are a free man, please get out of my sights,” the vampire curtly responds. You say thank you to the both of them, and head out of the mansion, and starts walking back to the shrine: Hakurei Shrine. Only after you reach the shrine when you notice that you are still wearing the butler outfit. You’ll have to return this back at the mansion later date.

Two days have passed, and you resume back your work at the shrine. Reimu is slightly impressed at how fast you are cleaning around the shrine, and the way that you prepared food and tea have become slightly better. But to be honest, you still think Reimu made the best food there is.

On the third day, as you are slowly come into consciousness, you hear voices from outside your room. Groggily, you slowly walk towards the sliding door and open revealing, Reimu and Sakuya arguing with each other.

“As I said: no, you can’t live here!” Reimu angrily scolds.

“I’m sorry, but this is a request from the mistress. If you have anything to say, please direct this to her,” curtly, Sakuya respond.

“And I’m saying, relay this message to her: no, I won’t accept anyone to live here!”

Wh-what is going on here, you ask. The two of them turn to you.

“Ah, great, you woke up. Hey, can you please tell this girl to leave? She just won’t go away!”

“If you would like to complain, you could do so to the mistress, who is sitting over there by the shade as we speak,” she directs the attention of Reimu towards a spot where a floating parasol and a light-pink mob cap is hidden behind a tree.

“What?! She was here all along? Oi, Remilia! I got a word with you,” Reimu takes off to where Remilia(?) is. Now, there is only two of you left.

“Now that the nuisance is gone,” Sakuya mutters. She then turns to you and stands up. Slowly, she walks up to you. Confused, you ask her what’s up. Sakuya silently stares at you before speaking up,

“While it is true that this is a request from the mistress, however, this is also from my own volition,” Sakuya explain, “There is… also one thing that I have to say to you,” she takes a deep breath and then,

“I love you,” Sakuya calmly speak.

… whuh?

“If you misheard me, then I will say this again: I love you,” she repeats, “I don’t understand it myself, but lately, you’re the only thing that has been inside of my mind, right next to my lady. When I ask the mistress herself, this is the answer that she gave me,” Sakuya explains.

Wh-what? No, maybe there’s someth- before you finish, she cuts you off,

“There is no way that the mistress would be lying to me, so this must be true,” she walks much closer to you, “I don’t know how this works, and I don’t know what will happen in the future, so please,” she takes your hand and places her lips on top of the back, “Take care of me will you, mas- no.”

“Take care of me, my husband♥”.

Notes:

Hello.
It has been a while, hasn't it?

Chapter 9: Flandre Scarlet

“Lately, big sis has been acting weird…”

Inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, in the underground holds the Great Library, but our character for today rest further in. Further than the library, resides a room. A room, of whom who possess the ability to destroy absolutely anything and everything. Our character for today, rest inside.

Inside the room is fairly normal: a normal queen size bed, a normal drawer, normal chairs and desk, a white pillar stands next a few ways from the bed, to support the underground room, you could also say, that her room is similar to the vampire above, the color scarlet adorns the room (sans the pillar). However, prominently, what the vampire up above lacks are toys: mainly teddy bears (some are taken with care while others have seen better days) that were given by her sister, a sliding puzzle that the librarian gave her for her birthday, and others that was given to her by the mansion residence and Marisa. That one shrine maiden also have given her something, which is money. She appreciates it, as she overheard from the others on how stingy the miko is.

Our character for today, is sitting on the edge of the bed, talking to ‘herself’. Her elbows stab her thighs while her hands are on her chins, pondering. The person in question is,

Flandre Scarlet. The younger sister of Remilia Scarlet, the head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She has red eyes and short blond hair (reaching her neck) that is tied to a ponytail on her left side. Also, on the top of her head rest a mob cap with red ribbons attached (similar to her sister’s). She is sporting a red dress and vest, with a pink undershirt and socks. On her back, there are wings but instead of feathers, eight multicolour crystals are hanging on them. The color arrangement goes as: light blue, blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, light green and back to light blue.

“Right?! Big sis has been acting weird!” a voice rings out, answering Flan. Opposite of Flan, sitting on one of the chairs near the circular wooden table, was a girl. She has the spitting image of Flan except instead of having her ponytail to the side, she made hers to a twintails. Instead of saying she looks like Flan, it’s more accurate to say that she is also Flan. This is one of Flan’s abilities: Four of A Kind. She has the abilities to make three of herself and ‘herself’ are dependent, meaning they can act independently. However, they will always listen to the original orders when given. Not to be confused (mainly confusing other people), Flan has specifically ask her other self to tied their hair in different ways, so that other people could easily identify her. Only when she does her prank would they wear the same hairstyle. The other Flan doesn’t have a name for themselves because at the end of the day, they’re Flan herself. But today, let’s call the other three: Frandle, Frandre and Furandooru respectively. That means the one speaking right now is,

“Ever since that human came here, big sis only pays attention to him!” Frandle raise her hand high, trying to get Flan’s attention.

“Human… huh…” Flan mutters.

She had heard of this human that came to the mansion one day. She have personally seen him as well.

It was a time where Flan was trying to find her big sister, wanting to play games with her, and when she looked out the window, she saw everyone was outside, partaking in desserts and tea. There, was the first instance where Flan saw the man. He was lending his hands to the fallen librarian. Flan looked at the two for a while, staring a bit too long, because then, the man turned around and looked to the windows where Flan was looking from. Flan quickly hide from the man’s gazed, occasionally glancing back outside to see if the man has looked away. Flan watched for a few seconds on her sisters and the others partaking in the meal, before leaving and heading towards her room in the basement. Her heart that day feels a bit murky, seeing her big sis enjoying the meal. And that’s because,

“Why didn’t they invite Flan as well?! Flan would have liked to eat some sweets as well!” Frandle body slumps, her head resting on the table. That is the cause, Flan thinks. What else could it be? A bit hurt by her sister actions, but nothing serious. Because usually, Sakuya would call her to join in as well (sometimes Flan would decline as it's a bother for her). But that's not the only time where Flan has seen the man, it was also that time when,

It was afternoon, Flan has finished reading the book that Marisa has brought over (she said that she borrowed it from one of her friends). A picture book about the daily lives of families. Some families were living happy, other was faced with challenges. Although Flan doesn't really see what so fun about watching how other people lives their lives, this is a book that Marisa has brought for her, she intends to finish it, so that she can give her thoughts on it (it was alright). And by the end of the chapter (a family was struggling due to a new member entering their lives), Flan gave a big yawn. It's time for her to go to sleep. But then, a growling sound could be heard from her stomach. She is hungry. How long has she been up? Flan doesn't know. What she does know, is that she is hungry. Feeling peckish, she walked out of her room, and locate Sakuya, the one who is always next to her big sister. She walked up to her and asked her for food. Sakuya agreed to her request and asked for Flan to wait at her room, which she agreed, as Flan is a good girl. But then, that man appeared in front of Flan and Sakuya. Sakuya greeted the man while Flan hid behind her. She doesn't know who this is, but this is someone from the tea party (that she wasn't invited). Sakuya introduced Flan to the man (he is wearing something different today). The man said something but Flan doesn't want to hear it. She quickly ran off. Off to the direction of her room. Like how she promised Sakuya. Later, Sakuya came by and brought her her usual meal. And, Flan asked her to stay a bit and read her a story, because Flan wants to sleep. It's fine, isn't it? Flan has been a good girl. It's fine for her to be a bit selfish and takes the maid's time.

"Yeah, of course it's fine. Flan has been good this all time," Frandle reaffirms, nodding. It's nice hearing someone else agrees with her, even though its herself saying this. Speaking of Marisa, Marisa is becoming strange too,

One day, Flan was walking inside the mansion. It's not healthy for her to stay inside, cooped up in her room all day (says her sister) so she decided to take frequent walks in the mansion. Even though her sister said to take walks, she is not allowed to walk out of this mansion without anyone supervising. There's no one that she could ask for anyway: her sister wouldn't bring her along, Sakuya follows her sister, the librarian is weak, her familiar is busy helping the librarian, the gatekeeper is busy guarding the mansion. Really, how overprotective could a sister be? And one time, where she wants to head out alone, the librarian summoned a rainstorm just to keep her inside. It was a very long time ago, she was interested in the place where her sister was headed. Even though she did not managed to get out, they were two people who managed to get in instead. One of them is the Hakurei Miko, Reimu, sporting a red white attire. She was one of the few who could head toe-to-toe with Flan. She promised to come and play with her, but lately, she hadn't come at all. Maybe she is busy with her duties? The other one is... Oh! there she is. The black magician, Marisa. She is also someone that could go toe-to-toe with Flan. The only two humans that could best her. This, in itself made her interested of the two. Marisa usually comes over to borrow books from the librarian. Seeing Marisa, Flan rushed over to her, tackling her and giving her a big hug. Marisa looks confused before saying her Hello to Flan. Flan squeezed and squeezed before Marisa taps her shoulders, that usually means that Flan has to stop. She lets go of Marisa and asked her to play with her today. Maybe a bit of danmaku? It has been a while that she truly moves her body. Sadly, Marisa seems to have other plans and she asked Flan if they could schedule it for another day. Even though Flan wanted to protest, Flan kept it to herself. Flan doesn't want to cause trouble for Marisa. She doesn't want Marisa to hate her. Flan nodded but she wants Marisa with her twice as much when the two of them meet, which Marisa agreed. Flan looked at Marisa and she seemed to be looking for something. Flan wanted to help Marisa, so she asked her what's wrong. It seems that Marisa is looking for someone inside the mansion: a human male. Weird. How would a human male enter the mansion? Flan never sees anyone her...

But then, Flan remembered. A man from the tea party. She describes to Marisa of the man she sees at the tea party. Hearing that, Marisa face lit up and said the Flan was correct, and asked her if she've seen him anywhere here today. How strange. Again, why would someone like that be here? She said no to Marisa and her face droop down a little.

? How odd. Marisa is sad. Another strange thing is that Marisa now have spare time for Flan! Flan put aside that thoughts and invites Marisa to play today. However, despite Marisa playing with Flan, she seems to be a bit preoccupied at the moment. It feels like she was still searching for something.

"Marisa? Flan didn't see anything odd. Flan just thought that it was fun playing with Marisa! Her story was really interesting~" Frandle reminisces. If Flan said that, then maybe it's just her imagination. As the two were talking, another one of Flan spoke as well,

"Maybe big sis doesn't care about us anymore~" Frandre (Flan with a ponytail instead) finally speaks up. Her back is facing Flan. She is sitting on the ground, playing with one of the teddy bear that her sister gave her for her Xth birthday (honestly, she lost count).

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Flan?" Flan inquires, slightly irritated.

"Well~ let's see~" Frandre turns around, she put the teddy bear in front of her face, her fingers controlling the bear hands, "For this past week, big sis has been playing with that person~. Even then, there was that one time where the human would always stay by her side~. Even Sakuya likes him too~. She teaches him very adamantly and kind, different on how she would act with us~".

"Don't listen to her Flan!" Frandle stands up, "She doesn't know what she is saying. There is no way that is true-"

"Eh~ wasn't it you that said big sis was acting weird before~?"

"We-well, she has been acting strange... but that doesn't mean that she doesn't care about us anymore! That's to-"

"-too much? The same sister that forbids us from going outside without anyone watching us? The same sister that wouldn't even give us the time of day and only sends us the same gift over and over? The same sister that now finds a new plaything and forgets us? Let's face it, big sis has abandoned us, just like in that picture bo-".

Before Frandre could finish, Flan stands up. The two look at the original's action. She stands there in silence before another voice speaks, the direction came from the bed she was sitting on. Furandooru (free hairstyle) groggily wakes up,

"Fuah~~" she scratch her eyelids, "Is it meal time yet?" she look around, still sleepy. As if on cue, Flan starts walking away from her room, leaving the three behind. But of course, as the three of them are still Flan, they also leave the room (and re-enter Flan's).

How annoying! Flan thinks. Flan thought that maybe talking to herself would make her feel better, but instead the opposite happens. Flan stomps her little foot, marching away from her room and stands in front of the library. She look to the entrance and saw that the door is close. Are they doing their cleaning today? Flan wonders, but she ignores it, as that is not her target for today. Honestly, she has no aim for today. She just left because she doesn’t want to hear her other selfs talk anymore. For today, she’ll just walk.

…

However, Flan couldn’t keep her mind empty for long, as another memory slowly crept up.

It was evening, today Flan surprisingly woke up early. Usually she wakes up a bit later when dinner is served. With nothing to do, Flan decided to talk a small walk. To rouse up her appetite. As she was walking, she heard voices coming from the dining hall. Curious, Flan walked up to the door and slowly peek in: she could clearly see the man, her sister and Sakuya talking. How annoying. She doesn’t want to see that man for today. Maybe she’ll just leave. But before leaving, Flan heard something. Something that she didn’t want to hear. Big sis has offer the man to work here! Flan came back to the door and listen in. She had known that he’ll be working here for a month, but she never hear that her sister wants to let him work here. She doesn’t want anyone else, let alone a human, to work in this place. But thankfully, looks like the man doesn’t want to work here… Is he stupid? Who doesn’t want to work under big sis? Sure, she’s bratty, immature, and childish, also she embellish her story a bit, but that’s what made big sis, big sis. Also, big sis is letting him go. How great! That means he won’t be here anymore from now on~. Oh, he’s coming…

Flan then hides behind the open door, she took a peek at where the young man was, a smile formed on her face. Today, Flan’s head feels lighter, so she walked to where her big sis is and played some games with her. Today, she will let big sis win most of her match.

Afterwards, night came and Flan, finished her meal, walked back to where her room is. Big sis and Sakuya stayed at the dining hall a bit longer. Her heart feels light today. She gets to play with her big sis, and the nuisance is gone from her home. Today is a wonderful day~. Oh, maybe she’ll asked her big sis for a night stroll today? After all, today has been going her way~. With new spring on her steps, Flan walked back to where her big sis was. Now, she is near the dining hall, and before she could enter, she heard her sister speak.

“Sakuya,” big sis said.

“Yes, my lady?” Sakuya replied.

“That man contract has already ended, has it not?”

“It did, my lady.”

“However, that does not mean, I could not renewed his contract, no? I never said that I would not do so?”

“You did not, my lady.”

“Splendid~ Now, Sakuya, you must know what you have to do~”

“Of course, my lady”, Sakuya replied. Flan has already long gone. She couldn’t believe her ears, big sis wants him to be here… With heavy heart, Flan walked back to her room.

… aaaaaahhhh how annoying! Flan doesn’t understand. The Mansion doesn’t need any new worker, right? Didn’t we have lots of those, fairy maids anyway? Also also, why didn’t big sis talk with her first? Shouldn’t she be her priority first? Feeling frustrated, Flan walked faster. She want to meet with her sister. To voice her complaint. She walks and then, she meet with Sakuya. That’s perfect. Sakuya would know where big sis is. Flan calls out to her. Sakuya turns toward Flan.

“Oh, Lady Flan. How could I be of service?” Sakuya smiles.

“Sakuya, do you know where big is? Flan wanted to see her,” Flan asks.

“Lady Remilia?” she place a finger under her chin, “I believe she is currently in her room right now. Would you like me to-“ before Sakuya could finish, a voice rings out from a far. The two turns towards the noise and see the man was calling out to Sakuya. The same man that came to work in the mansion a few months ago. How annoying… He is the last person that Flan wanted to see. Flan turns to Sakuya and look at her face. A big smile is plastered on her face for a brief second before she returns to her usual face.

“Oh, would you excuse me for a minute, Lady Flan,” she walks away from Flan to where the man is. Wh-what is going on? I was talking to you first, Sakuya. Why would you go over to that human side? Did you not have fun talking to Flan? Has Flan been such a bother to Sakuya? The man is giving something to Sakuya. Why are you making that face, Sakuya?

“Hm? Flan, is that you?” an all-familiar voice calls out to her. Flan knows this voice, she turns and her guess was correct, it was big sis.

“Big… sis…” Flan tiredly says.

“How rare of you to be awake now. Are you having trouble sleeping?” big sis place her hand on Flan’s cheek.

“No, I’m fine… I wanted to talk to big sis.”

“You do? Is something special going to happen today,” big sis smirks, “I jest. Now, tell me what is on your mind.”

Flan didn’t say anything for a moment before pointing ahead, in the direction where the human is. Big sis follows where Flan was pointing, “It’s about him.”

“Hm? Ah, he’s here today~”.

“Yeah, I wanted to know why he’s he-“

“This is perfect,” big sis interrupted Flan, “Flan, you have not met this person yet, have you?” big sis asks. Flan has technically met with that human previously with Sakuya, but she never talk to him before. Flan shook her head, “Well, I think it is time for you to officially meet,” big sis holds Flan’s hand, “Now come,” she drags Flan to where Sakuya and the human is. Slowly, the two comes closer and closer. Flan doesn’t want this. Flan wanted to leave. But she doesn’t want to disappoint her big sister. So she silently follow(drag) along. After reaching the destination, big sis let go of Flan’s hand.

“Ah, look who has finally come back,” big sis starts, interrupting the two.

“Oh, Lady Remilia,” Sakuya gives a small bow, “Are you not sleeping yet? Do you need me to warm some milk for you?”

“No need, Sakuya. Anyway, I am interested in why this person has come back with his tail between his legs to the mansion?” Flan is interested in that as well. He should have left.

“Oh no,” the weak looking human reply, “I was just returning this butler outfit. I don’t have any use of this for the shrine.”

“And I said: this is a gift for you. From the mansion, to you,” Sakuya reply, the aforementioned butler outfit is in her hands.

“Hmm… then how about this: I’ll leave this outfit here, and if there’s certain reason that I need to use it, I’ll be coming back for it. Hey, maybe I’ll be working here again in the future,” he teases.

“I see… Understood,” Sakuya holds the clothes tighter. How annoying. What is this? Flan doesn’t like this atmosphere. She wants to go back to her room.

“Oh, are you Flan?” the human comes closer. Stay back.

“Fufufu, you are indeed correct,” big sis reply, “In front of you right now is the adorable little sister of the great Remilia Scarlet, Flandre Scarlet,” big sis boast.

“I see. We already met once, but we didn’t have the chance to talk”. Who cares. Stop talking, “Well, that’s all I want to do today. Going to head back to the shrine before Reimu gives me an earful.” Oh? He’s leaving. That’s go-

“Are you leaving already?” Sakuya crestfallenly says, “You’re here already, why not stay for a drink? I would love to hear your day today.” No. He needs to go. He has things to d-

“I agree,” big sis continue, “It would be an insult to the mansion name if we sent you out without showing you any hospitality."

... why? why? Why isn't anything going the way Flan wants? Why is big sis focusing on him? Her little sister is right here. Flan has something that she wants to ask of her. But big sis prioritize that human over her. Sakuya too. Flan was talking with her first. But she immediately focus on him. Not fair. It's not fair. Flan has been the longest with her big sis. Flan knows more of her than that human ever does. Have they forgotten of Flan? Have they abandoned her? Flan has been good. She hasn't caused any trouble at all. But then why? why

It's because you're not needed, right?

No, you're wrong. They need Flan. They love Flan. Flan is big sis little sister. That's enough reason for them to need Flan.

But Flan, what have you done this past years? Have you done anything for anyone else?

Of course. Flan played with big sis. Flan helped Sakuya sometimes with her chores. Flan even once read those boring books at the library, because she thought that the librarian seems lonely.

Is that really what they want?

Of course they do! That's why Flan d-

Isn't it because for your amusement?

!

Have you truly been a good girl?

She is.

                Did big sis wanted to play that day?

                                She does.            Didn't she had a guest that day?

                                                                                It was Reimu, and she joined!

Really? You don't think that you're bothering big sis?

                Of course not! If she did... then big sis would have scolded her. What about Sakuya?

                                                                                                ?

Did you really helped her?

Of course! From what I see, you made a mess of everything.

                W-well...

                                Taking bites of food, dropping the laundry, using too much strength when cleaning

Doesn't that give her more work?

                                B-but Sakuya wasn't angry at Flan... and Flan was fairly new to this...

That's because Sakuya is kind. Let's not forget how you uprooted the gatekeeper flowers.

                                                ! B-but that was because they were a caterpillar there! It wasn't Flan's fault.

                Did you help the gatekeeper replant the plant you destroyed? Sh-she said it wasn't necessary. 

                                In the end, Flan has been acting the opposite of someone good

... shut up

                                                Even that human is doing much better than Flan.

shut up

                                Hiding away from the humans out of your own volition...

shut up shut up

                                Even Marisa has been running away from you. How scary you are.

shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

                                                                                                ...

                                                                                                But that's ok.

This isn't Flan's fault. Flan knows it too.

Hey, Flan...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　                                                    目目目目目目目目

　　　　　　　　　                                                  目目目目目　　　目　　　目目目目目

　　　　　　　                                                 目目目目　　　　　目     目　　　　　目目目目

　　　　　　　　　                                                  目目目目目　　　目　　　目目目目

　　　　　　　　　　　　　                                                    目目目目目目目目

 

Ah. Flan sees it. Eyes. The eyes that she needs to squeeze for her to destroy. Everything that has the eye, is something that Flan can squeeze and then they go poof. Similar to one of her teddy bears on her 100th birthday. Like the door that big sis put up to see her strength. And it’s now all over that human’s body. Flan knows what she needs to do. It’s not big sis who is wrong. It’s not Sakuya who is wrong. It’s not Flan who is wrong. It’s that human’s fault. He took big sis attention. If Flan squeeze the eye right now, everything would go back to normal. Her big sis attention. Her love. Flan is right. Flan should have done this in the first place. Don’t worry, big sis. Flan will save you. Bye bye.

 

*squeeze*

 

Then, the human started to cough up blood. Sakuya and big sis is surprised from the spontaneous coughing of blood. Huh? How strange? That human should have been long gone. Sakuya is supporting him. Big sis turns to Flan. She is screaming something. But Flan is not finished yet. He still stands. He’s still breathing. A different eye is there. Flan just need to squeeze again and th-

 

*slap*

 

… what? Huh? What jus-. Huh? Flan turns to see that big sis is standing in front of her, her hand is raised. Di-did… did big sis just…?

“What are you doing, Flan?!” No, big sis. Flan was just, she try to just, free big sis from him, “I’ve told you many times not to use your abilities indiscriminately!” But Flan wasn’t. Flan knows that that human was bad, “This is exactly the reason why I can’t let you leave the house on your own just yet!” Fl-Flan hasn’t done anything wrong yet. She only did this for her big sister.

“Honestly, you’re such a difficult child!”

what? Flan… is difficult? Flan… is? Big sis haven’t even gone and see her and she’s being difficult? Flan only wanted the mansion to be only them. She doesn’t need anyone else. Big sis could have discussed it with Flan first, but she didn’t. She made the judgement on her own. Just like everything else in this mansion. Isn’t this our home? Why does only big sis get to make the final call? Is it because big sis doesn’t trust Flan? Even Flan has her own feelings too. Why can’t big sis talk eye to eye with Flan? Why does it have to be Flan who went to big sis? Why did big sis only gave her the same gift over and over again for her birthday party? Does she even know what Flan likes anymore? It’s not fair. It’s not fair.

“… Flan…”

“Hm?”

“Flan hates big sis!” Flan runs away from the scene.

“O-oi, Flan!” big sis calls out to her, but Flan runs. She doesn’t want to stop. She doesn’t want to see big sis now. It’s not her fault. It’s big sis fault. She should have talked this out first with Flan. Flan runs and runs and until she reaches her room. Quickly she dives in her bed, curl up in a ball (with blanket covering herself) and slowly closes her eyes. She doesn’t want to see anyone. She doesn’t want to see anything. She just wants the day to be over. *sniffle*

After some time, Flan heard a knock coming from her room door. She doesn’t know who it is, as Flan is curled up right now. But she doesn’t care. Everyone in this house doesn’t like her. Not the maid, the gatekeeper, the librarian. And not even her big sis. But then, a voice comes,

“May I come in?” an all-familiar voice for Flan. She knows from who the voice comes from. She has been with her from the day she was born. It was big sis, “I am coming in regardless if you were to stop me.” No, Flan doesn’t want to see anyone right now. Her heart is all over the place. Her face is a mess. And hearing anyone trying to reason with her hurts her more.

“… get out,” Flan raspy voice plead.

“I will not,” big sis says with conviction. Her steps are getting closer.

“I SAID GET OUT!” *squeeze* another eye has been destroyed. This time, somewhere near big sis. She wanted her to leave by showing what she’s capable of doing. After all, isn’t Flan such a difficult child? But big sis didn’t stop. She keeps walking. *squeeze* She walks and walks *squeeze* until she reaches Flan bed. Then, she sits down. Flan grips on the blanket tighten. However, the two did not say anything. The both of them stays in silent. Then,

“… I’m sorry,” big sis apologize. That’s rare. Big sis rarely apologize. If anything went wrong, she would say that everything went exactly as planned. As her ‘fate’ would tell her, “… it has been a while since we spoke like this, haven’t it?” another silence, “Hey, Flan? Did you remember the event before we enter Gensokyo?” big sis asks. Big sis has mentioned this multiple times, that the mansion was from the outside world, and her ability to manipulate ‘fate’ is the reason why the mansion is here now, but Flan doesn’t believe it. The earliest memory that Flan has was when the mansion was already in Gensokyo, “It’s fine that if you don’t. It’s better even. But I want to make it clear: your strength has made a lot of enemies. Well, it’s not like anything that you and your big sis couldn’t handle,” big sis boast, “But that’s not the point. The point I’m trying to make is, you power is a dangerous one. Not a lot of people would be pleased knowing someone of our stature has this great of a strength. And… I’m afraid. I’m afraid that people would dislike you. I don’t mind being hated, but I hate seeing my adorable little sister hated just because of her strength. That’s why I asked for you to be supervised if you were to go out anytime soon. And… I know that I haven’t played with you earnestly. Honestly, I… don’t know how to approach you. With all the restriction that I’ve imposed on you, I thought that you hated me… And I know that you have a low-tolerance on humans. Except for Sakuya. That’s why I did not explain this situation to you. It must’ve been shocking to you. I’m sorry, for not being a good sister,” big sis sounds sad. Flan doesn’t like it when her big sister sad. Slowly, Flan gets out from her blanket and in a sitting position.

“No, big sis, Flan was in the wrong. Flan was acting out of line. But-but that’s because… *sniffle* big sis… big sis has been paying more attention to him. Even Sakuya prioritize him… Flan thought that *sniffle* thought that big sis doesn’t care about her anymore. And the reason th- *sniffle* that you two haven’t been paying attention to Flan is because of that person. So- so Flan thought that, if he’s *sniffle* he’s gone, then everything would return to normal. That big sis would focused on her again. Because Flan thought that she doesn’t care about her anymore. An-and that it’s better if Flan wasn’t even here” before Flan finishes, big sis hug her. She hold Flan tightly. Even though vampire are generally cold-blooded, Flan could feel how warm her sister is.

“You fool,” big sis whisper softly, “There’s no way that that’s true. There is no way that you aren’t needed. After all, there is only one Flan in this whole world. And that Flan is the adorable little sister of the great Remilia Scarlet, Flandre Scarlet. Be proud of that. If anyone tries to separate us, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. I promised.” Hearing that, Flan’s tears ducts broke. First, small amount flows down but it became harder to hold back. From puddle, to stream, to river, to sea, her tears kept flowing, her grip tighten on her big sis (she reciprocate) and all this time Flan was crying, big sis stays with her.

A lot of time past and Flan is walking, hand-in-hand with her big sis. Everything has been somewhat resolve. Well, mostly everything. Big sis has asked Flan one thing before they were walking,

“Hey Flan, would you mind accept that person in the mansion?” big sis asked.

“… Flan doesn’t want to. She still doesn’t trust her,” Flan replied. Her distaste of human (except for Sakuya, Reimu and Marisa) is still visible, “But… Flan can try. For big sis.”

“Fufufu, I understand. But don’t worry. I won’t ask you for anything that you don’t want to. You should do things that you like. And we could take it slow.”

And two of them walk. Where would they go? No one knows, not even the two. They will let ‘fate’ walk their life. Suddenly, a door opens, and out comes Sakuya and that human.

“Are you sure you’re fine? Why not rest a bit longer?” Sakuya worriedly says.

“N-no, I’ve rest enough,” the human says while clutching his stomach, he’s limping as well, “I need to go back to the shrine. I haven’t told R-Reimu yet.”

“You can’t even walk properly. How do you intend to go back there? Even that doctor ask you to rest.”

“Ahaha, ma-maybe Sakuya could lend me a-a shoulder.”

“Honestly, I would’ve forced you to stay here but you would just ignore it, wouldn’t you,” Sakuya sighs. The human laughs. Then, big sis coughs. “Ah, Lady Remilia! Lady Flan!” Sakuya and the human turns to both them.

“I am back, Sakuya,” big sis says, “Flan,” she turns to Flan. Flan is scared but then, big sis grip tighten. Showing that her sister is with her

“… I’m sorry, Sakuya,” Flan apologizes.

“You don’t have to, Lady Flan. I’m glad that you are safe,” Sakuya strokes Flan cheeks. Big sis also pat her head before in her room to calm her down.

“Y-yo, looks like it we-went well,” the human having a hard time to stand and speak.

“It seems that you are still alive. I am glad,” big sis sounds relieved.

“I’m glad th-that you made up with h-her.”

“Hmph. Of course. Flan and I are the best of sisters. Not even the end of time will separate us.”

“Ahaha, is that so? How are you f-feeling Flan? I’m sorry if I d-did anything to hu-hurt you,” the human apologize. Flan doesn’t like this. Even though it’s Flan that’s in the wrong, he’s the one who apologizes.

“Flan doesn’t like you,” Flan honestly stated, “However, for the sake of big sis, Flan is willing to tolerate you. HOWEVER! That doesn’t mean that Flan accepts you!”

“I s-see, that’s fine. I’m just glad that y-you’re alright. You really do like your sister, don’t you?”

“Of course! She is the greatest sister that Flan could ever hope for!”

“Ahaha of course. She’s a great person, isn’t she? Working u-under her made me realize how cute she acts s-sometimes.”

“I don’t like that ‘cute’ comment. Charismatic is what I would prefer,” big sis wings flapping lightly.

“Yes yes, you’re very charismatic, my lady,” he teases, “Oh right. That means w-we have made up, haven’t we?”

“? Flan guess?”

“Perfect. Now, would you close your eyes, F-Flan”. Suspicious.

“Why?”

“I wanted to give you something. Because we’re friends,” he smiles. Well, Flan could listen to him. Flan did hurt him previously. Flan closes her eyes. But before, Flan hears Sakuya says something but then,

*chu*

a peck was felt on Flan’s forehead. D-d-did he just?

“Sakuya thought me ab-about this. She said that i-if you made up, you d-do that. She said that it’s a mansion cus-custom,” Flan looks at Sakuya and she turns away, away from Flan’s face.

…

Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Aaaahhhhh

“Ahhhhh, you know what! I don’t like you at all! Leave! Leave! Never come back ever again! Sakuya, bring out the holy water and sprinkle it on him! Make him taste garlic as well!”

Today, the Scarlet Devil Mansion is peaceful.

Notes:

tl;dr - I'm taking a break from writing this series.

Hello. How everyone's doing? Hope everyone's healthy.
Firstly, I wanted to thank everyone for reading this silly story. Never would I expect an audience.
It's done (for now). A bit tired but hey.
Had a hard time writing this time, couldn't really get the feel for Flandre's character. I did my best.
Also, don't know how to change fonts on this site, and I'm not tech savvy enough to know HTML.

Never realized that I would write for this long. Usually, I just give up midway hahaha.
But anyway, it's funny. Because this work originally was supposed to be a compilation of bad ends in Gensokyo, but in the last minute, I scrapped that idea, and it became this instead.
Another thing, I forgot to put the -ze in Marisa. And I feel like it's too far in to change that, so, add them yourselves whenever she's speaking, thank you. Also also, I forgot that the library from the SDM is actually underneath, at the basement. Whoops. One more: honorifics. It's hard to change that to English, so I just go with what best.

As the tl;dr above, I'll be taking a break from writing this series. It took me too much time writing (and re-writing) for Flan that I feel it's best for me to go outside and touch grass a bit.
Also, I made a X (formerly known as twitter) account! You can find me with this handle: @5pudinao There's nothing interesting there hahaha. Maybe I'll answer some questions if people ask, no promises though.

Again, I want to say thank you. For reading this silly little delusion of mine. I don't know how the story will go moving forward, but I hope that it could satisfy anyone who is currently reading. I wish that I could see you again when I start writing again.
And for the last time, thank you. And sorry, if I've ever disappointed you.
Goodbye, for now.

Chapter 10: Chapter 2

Several months has passed, and it's currently winter. After the snow stop falling, you make your way to the entryway of the shrine to shovel the snow out, so that the, quote,

'Human worshipper can easily come if the snow is out of the way! So, lets shovel the entryway first, and do the rest later.'

said the Hakurei Miko. With your winter gear and shovel, you start shoveling the snow away. At first, the Hakurei Miko was also coming to complete her duties, but after getting a face-full of the winter cold, a quick-retreat was made (not before she clean the donation box), and she is currently leisurely toasting herself with the warmth of the mighty and dangerous: Kotatsu. With the Hakurei Miko ensnared by the warmth, it's up to you alone (The Komainu seems to be somewhat tired, The Fairy Of Hell is away playing with her fairy friends, and The Tiny Drunken Oni was no where to be seen) to complete this task, presented by the Hakurei Miko. You shovel and shovel until it reaches the stairway of the shrine. White has engulfed the parts of Gensokyo these months. Even the usual green that you see is no where to be seen. As you have nothing else to do, you decide to continue with the shoveling. You'll stop when the cold has become severely unbearable. As you are shoveling, you remember back to the past, after you came back from the Scarlet Devil Mansion,

After leaving the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the head maid brought you back home, lending her shoulder to you. She had insisted that you stay over but you feel much comfortable staying at home, where the Hakurei Shrine is. Thus, you adamantly said that you want to go home. A bit of protest from the head maid but inevitably, she accepted. Usually, you're able to go home by yourself, but today is different. A bit of misunderstanding happened here and you have a bit of a fight. Thankfully, the misunderstanding is resolved. However, the fight did leave you injured, to the point that it's hard to breathe and walk. Even now you need some support from another to walk you home. You thanked the head maid for complying with your request, in which she,

"If you truly wanted to thank me, you would have stayed at the mansion, until you fully recovered, just like that doctor said," said while pouting. You apologized for this selfish request, and the head maid sighs, she knows that there is no point in arguing. Thankfully, the journey is peaceful, not one person in sight to stop your way home.

Later, you reached the stairway of the shrine. The first obstacle for you. It's hard to walk already and you have to climb these steps? How torturous. The head maid offered herself to carry you up these stairs but you can't accept that. If you can't even climb this stairs, then what's the point of coming home? You thanked the head maid, and said that lending her shoulder is plenty enough. With that said, you and the head maid climbed the stairs.

... ow.

After a torturous amount, you managed to reach the top. How many steps were there at the shrine? You haven't count, but after this ordeal, you feel like it's too many. How would anyone come up here if it's this hard? Your breathe ragged and you're completely relying on the head maid for support now. Even a fourth of the steps feels makes you feel like throwing up. You don't even know how you managed to grit through this. But enough about the stairs, as in front of you, the Hakurei Miko is currently sweeping the shrine steps. The head maid called out to the miko and she responded,

"Hm? Is that you Sakuya?" the red-white miko said, her back faced us and still sweeping the floor, "Hey, you know where that guy went off to? He said that he's going to your place and he hasn't come back since. He's been skimping on his wo-" she turned around, and paused. You called out to her, but the words won't come out. Your throat feels like it's burning. Quickly, the red-white miko runs up to both of you, her broom dropped to the floor.

"Wh-what happened to you?!" the red-white miko worriedly said. She pressed her right hand on your head. Stop that, you're a bit sweaty right now, "You're pale as a ghost! And you're sweating heavily... what happened, Sakuya?!" she demands an answer. The head maid told everything on what happened, but her story seems somewhat forgiving towards the little sister of the Scarlet Devil Mansion owner's.

"... so it's her..." the red-white miko mouthed out. You couldn't make out the rest of their conversation as your ears started to ring, your vision blurry and the strength is leaving your body. Ahahaha, the medicine wore off, huh? And with that, you black out.

After that, you rest at the Hakurei Shrine. They called upon the same doctor (which you got an earful) again. That doctor is a miracle worker. Not soon after consuming her medicine, your body somewhat regain it's strength again. You have to thank her properly later when you get the chance.

Following that, it seems that the Hakurei Miko went to the Scarlet Devil Mansion for a brief 'talk' and when you asked what she means by that, she says not to worry about it. However, you can't just not worry about it as-

"Oi, you there?" a voice called out. Getting out of your stupor, you turn around, and it's the person that you were worrying about calling you,

Hakurei Reimu. With her usual miko garbs, there's new addition to her outfit: mainly a scarf and ear mufflers.

"Woah~, the road is clear of snow~. Great work!" Reimu smiles, giving a thumbs up as well. You wave to Reimu and ask her what's wrong, "Oh right, there's someone here to meet you, come inside. Brr, it's freezing out here," she rubs her hands, then, place it underneath her armpit. She makes her way back inside. Even in this cold, Reimu still wears her no-armpit defense miko garb. You do some finishing touches and went inside. Before that, however, seeing Reimu's face reminds of you from that time.

Before you black out, with the last remaining strength that you have, you managed to look at Reimu's face. You remembered it clearly. It's the same as before. Similar to that time when you were hanging out with the youkai of darkness: the face of scorn.

That image remained vivid in your head. You worry about the people at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but Reimu have been watching you for the last couple of months of your recovery. Whenever you try to leave on your own accord, she'll come with. Maybe it's because she doesn't want the same to happen to you again. Only now, that she let's you go, but you have to tell her where you're heading, or else she won't let you go out. This is your fault, as you have betrayed Reimu's trust. You're not becoming strong in the slightest. Slowly, you reach the middle of the shrine, the bamboo door is closed. You opened the door, and you can see Reimu (already resting in her kotatsu) and another person who's sitting inside (you have never seen her before). A tea is laid in front of her and Reimu.

The person inside has the body of a young woman. She has yellow eyes and short blonde hair. She's also wearing white dress(?), with purple cuffs and collars. Also, she wears something in the middle, you couldn't tell what it is. You also couldn't tell what she wears underneath, as she is currently sitting, her lower body is inside the kotatsu. What you do notice, however, is that behind her: tails. Not one, not two, but nine (the amount you count) short, blonde tails, with a small white at the end of the tips. You wonder how difficult it is to care for so much fur. The person in question notices you were staring at her. Embarrassed, you awkwardly nod, prompting her to nod as well.

"Thank you for giving me your time. I apologized if I have disrupt you," still sitting, she gives a slight bow, her breast touches the kotatsu. You say not to worry, and that it's you who have to apologize, for making her wait, "Do not worry, it is something you shouldn't concern yourself," she says politely. Without skipping a beat, she continues, "I apologize beforehand if I comes off as rude for rushing, but I am here to deliver a message from my master to you." Master? Wonder who that is.

"Lady Yukari," oh her "she wishes:"

She wishes to observe you.

...

whut?

Notes:

I forgor

Chapter 11: Letty Whiterock

This is bad, you thought to yourself.

It is winter in Gensokyo, and you are walking towards the Hakurei Shrine after buying groceries at the Human Village. The food that we had started to run out.

… well, you think that you are heading towards the Hakurei Shrine.

A blizzard unexpectedly happened during your walk back home. The strong wind and low visibility make it harder and harder for you to discern the direction that you are heading. You hug your body tightly, shivering all the while in your winter gear, with no groceries in hand. This is because during your walk, you started thinking about a certain dream. While lost in thought, a couple of fairies played a prank on you, and the groceries in your hand became their target. It seems that the amulet that Reimu had given you, only works on youkais but not for fairies. You learned this the hard way when the fairies have snagged your groceries away. Without thinking of any danger, you give chase on the fairies, straying further away from the path that you normally take. In the end, you’re unable to retrieve back your goods. Catching your breath, you think the many faces that Reimu would make, knowing that you had fumbled hard, and you think of ways to make up for her, only to realize that you had enter a place with trees. Trying to retrace your steps, you try to look for your footprints only to be obfuscate by the snow. Well, there’s nothing else that you can do except to start walking, so you went ahead and do that.

Only now, after you reached the outer part of the forest, a blizzard came, further hindering your movement. And you kept on walking, hoping to find any landmark that you could use. Unfortunately, only white hazy mist the eye can see. It doesn’t help that snow and the breeze is present, making it harder to open your eyes. What’s worse, you started to feel your body getting stiffer. Mouth dry, lips cracked and the heat slowly leaving your body, until,

*thud*

you fell to the snowy ground, unable to move. Your mind telling you to move while your body refuses. You try and try again but it is no use. The longer you stay in this position, the more snow is now covering your body. It seems that this is the end of the road. Sorry, Reimu. You weren’t able to keep your promise on staying safe. It seems that you aren’t that strong. Sorry, Reimu. You weren’t able to save those food. Sorry… Reimu… for making you worry…

So…rry R…eimu...

after apologizing in your mind, you slowly close your eyes, the energy is leaving your body, and you can feel your heart trying it’s best to pump blood all over your body. However, before you closed your eyes, you can see a silhouette walking towards you, but, that could have just been your mind playing tricks on you. And with that, you passed out.

…

…

… warm. Your body feels warm. You slowly open your eyes, and you can see white ceiling. White, snowy, circular ceiling. On top of your body is a set of fur, of what animal, you’re unsure. You slowly turn your head (because your body is still weak) to the side, the area where you can feel warmth coming from. A small campfire could be seen. Seeing the flickering flame gives you a sense of peace. You turn to the other side and see a small hole, and what seems to be the outside. Looking closely up the door, a familiar set of clothes and winter gear could be seen hanging on a wire. Funny, that looks similar to what you were wearing before.

…

are you naked right now?

You (try to) move your hand, trying to see what you have underneath the fur, when suddenly, a voice could be heard,

“Hm? Are you awake?” the sound of a woman. You turn your head back to see a person standing in front of you. Giving a look-see, you can make out what she looks like. She has lavender eyes and short, curly hair, the color similar to her eyes. On top of her head, you can make out a white cap, rest neatly. She wears a blue dress with a white apron in front. Near her left chest, is a golden pin with three arrows pointing outwards, but, it’s unsure what that means. In her hands she carries a small number of branches. She walks forward past you and places the tinder into the small campfire. Looking at her back, you can see a small white cape. She turns to you, crouch down to a seiza position. Then, she places her hand on top your forehead,

“Hm… it seems that you have regained your body heat. That’s good,” she gives a warm smile and retracts her hand. You ask her (despite your hoarse and strain voice, a miracle that she could understand you) where this is and who she is, “This is my home,” she says, “Well, a place that I currently reside. I don’t really have any place that I stay on, but a certain ice fairy kept on saying that everyone needs a home, and she wanted a place that she could play with me. So, with her constant pestering, this small snow became my home. I heard that she also made a similar home, but made out of ice blocks near some body of lake. But I’ve never been there before,” she rambles. Then, she remembers your other question, “Oh, right, my name. Ehem,” she clears her throat.

“My name is Letty. Letty Whiterock. You can call me Big Sis Letty… just kidding,” she giggles. Alright then, Big Sis Letty…? That’s fine with you. She blinks a few times before facing away and muttering something that you’re unable to make out. She turns her head back to you and places her hand on her chest, then say, “Yes, you can count on Big Sis!” she proudly says, “Now, now, what do you want to ask of big sis?” she inquires. Well, you should explain the situation to her. You tell her everything that happened until now, from the fairy mishap to the unexpected blizzard. During this time as well, you tell her about yourself and the place that you’re staying at right now. Hearing the name Hakurei, she turns sour.

“That shrine maiden is mean!” she fumes, “Just because winter got extended for a brief period amount of time, she thought that big sis was the cause of the incident. Big sis only went out because it was fun playing in the snow, and sure, I may have teased her, but she doesn’t need to start attacking people at random! She has no tact at all! Big sis doesn’t understand how you can live with her,” she asks. You tell her that Reimu only acts out when things don’t go her way, and she doesn’t really attack indiscriminately… you think. Hearing your response, she pouts, “Well, it looks like you defend her more than your big sis…” she faces away. You only say it how it is, but that doesn’t appease your big sis. So, you apologize. A few seconds of silence, before she takes a peek and turn back. Then, she says, “Well, at least you apologize. Apology accepted,” she smiles. Before anything else happens, your stomach started to rumble. Oh, right, you’re starving right now. Hearing that, big sis spring up, “Oh my, I forgot that you haven’t eaten or drank anything yet! Wait here, I’ll be right back!” she moves out of the snow hole, leaving you alone. Well, the only you can do for now is wait, but, there is something that you have forgotten. Something important and when you look upwards of the hole, a set of clothes. Right. You forgot to check whether you’re naked or not. Well, seeing that Letty didn’t say anything, maybe that is just someone else’s clothes, but that begs the question: whose clothes are those? Not too long after, she came back with a bunch of berries (that had few snows on them) in her hand, also a cup of water.

“I’m sorry, but this is what big sis could find at this time,” big sis Letty apologizes, “But, don’t worry. Big sis have seen some small animals have eaten this before, so it should be safe for human consumption,” she clarifies. Well, it should be fine. Berries and the like are generally safe, right? It’s not like they are mushroom. You thank her and tries to sit upright, but it was a struggle, which big sis then comes and help you. You take a sip of (warm) water first (with help from Letty), to wet your lips. Ah, how come a simple water be this good? Anyway, you then were fed the berries that she found. You’ve never taste this before, however, it tastes like those berries from the village alright. Although it doesn’t quell your hunger, it does satiate the need to eat. You thank big sis Letty again, but your stomach rumble. It wants more. This only prompt big sis to go out again and search for more. She also had asked you to hug your body with the rug while sitting much closer to the fire, which you did. After that, you checked under the rug and luckily, you’re not naked. However, this is not the clothes that you originally wore. You turn to the cloth on the wire and are 99% sure that that is your clothes. If that is your clothes, and the one you wore isn’t yours, then does that mean she had…

Another moment later, big sis Letty comes back with a bag. It seems that she had found a bag filled with food. Some were bitten, while others seem to be intact. Funny, you lost a bag of food yesterday, maybe those were yours to begin with? Anyway, let’s just eat the food that was still able to eat. Oh hey, the tea bag that you bought are still fine, maybe we can make some tea if we have a teapot and water, because the fire is already there. And your wish is granted when big sis Letty comes out only to bring back an iron grill grate, a teapot (that is filled with water) and two cups. So, big sis Letty went to work and then, we both got hot tea and food. Looking at the content of the bag, it does seem like it was your groceries. You have to apologize to Reimu for losing the food.

After a (slightly) hearty meal, you slowly regain back your strength and you can move your body again, although slowly. But, you could stand up now, which is nice. You move your body around, trying to remove the cold that are attach to your joints and your eyes are locked on the clothes. Oh, right. Clothes. You ask your big sis if she had changed your clothes.

“Hm? Well, yes, I did. But, big sis had to. If you were sleeping with those clothes, you will get sick. So, big sis went ahead and change your clothes with another,” she explains. But, she changed your clothes… to the underwear… does that mean? “Don’t worry, your size is fine,” she tries to reassure.

… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how embarrassing! You crouch down and hide your face, you can feel the heat on your face. Big sis tries to reassure you even more but the more she tries, the more embarrassed you became. After a while, you regain back your composure and asks her another question: the origin of this clothes. Why would big sis even have spare clothes for men. Big sis stays silent a few before she answers,

“Those clothes… are from the one that wasn’t able to make it…” she starts. You stay silent, prompting for big sis to continue, “Just like you, there were some people that were out and about during a blizzard. Some were playing, some were trying to find food, and some were just out to work. They went out, hoping to live their lives, unfortunately, nature, have other plans for them. Most of the items that are here: from the clothes, to the cups, to everything else, all of these are the memorabilia from the people inside the village. From the people that met me, to the one that are gone before meeting me, I brought back any memorabilia, so that their legacy could live on. Even, if it comes from a Yuki-Onna,” she finishes, she was downcast all the while. The place turns silent before she continues,

“You know, I really love winter. Big sis loves it so much that I wish that the cold days would last forever, or longer if that was too selfish. I mean, winter have the snow. The cold weather and the beauty from the white snow that no other season could capture. But for others, winter is something that people hated. They can’t get food, the cold could kill, and people would prefer the stinking spring, even that shrine maiden would find the cause if the winter last longer than usual. And, only in winter, is the time that big sis would be able to play. Is it wrong for me to meet with others? Why would they hide whenever they see me?” her voice turns to a mumble nearing the end. Without thinking, you move forward and place your hand on top of her head and moves it back and forth, feeling her curly hair. You assure your big sis that she isn’t in the wrong for wanting to find people to play with. And trying to find companionship is simply human nat- uh- for youkai as well. And for the things that she picked up, it was very kind of her to remember the people that had already passed, and the household item as well, would be happy that she has used them. That is what a certain Inchling Princess would say. Big sis sits in silence before giving you a hug, her face is nested on your stomach while her hand hugged around your waist. Well, she is pretty tall for a woman. She could even rival the height of Meiling. You and big sis stays in this position for a bit longer before she removes herself from you.

"... how cheeky..." she says, her face turns upwards to face yours, "Did you do this to everyone that you meet? Act kind during their time of weakness?" she pouts. You assure your big sister that you had not done that kind of thing, not that you notice anyway. She just laughs, "Of course. You wouldn't really notice it, would you?" she slowly stands up, "Well then, I think it's time for you to take a bath. It's been a day that you have fallen asleep, and you're probably feel sticky all over, a refreshing, warm bath will do the trick." she says. A day had passed?! you thought to yourself and when you turned around, it's already dark. A small amount of snow can be seen falling down. Shoot, this is bad, Reimu wouldn't like it if you stayed for too long, "Well, let big sis start the bat-" she pauses because you ask her if she could send you home today, in which she gets mad, "No can do! It's night now and because of that it's dangerous to walk around. Stay here for the night and we can go tomorrow morning," she sternly says. You try pleading to her, and the response she gives you is a glare and crossed arm. You sigh.

I'll apologize more to Reimu later, you thought to yourself. You resign to big sis demand, and she smile, "Now wait here, I'll find some more wood to heat the fire. Stay here and be good, ok?" she winks before heading out to the dark. Well, the only thing to do left is to wait. So, you get closer to the indoor flame, waiting for your big sis to arrive.

Not too long after, Letty came back and asks you to come outside. Leaving the snowhut, you are met with the same cold that you recall from last night. The snow is slowly thinning and looking around, you can find small shelves that are made from snow. Inside the snow shelves, are tableware, clothes, trinkets and other that Letty had collected. However, it seems that she hadn't really cleaned it, as some of it are strewn on the ground with branches underneath it. You turn to one side and see that big sis Letty is crouching down, and in front of her is a drum barrel. You had seen this before at the Genbu Ravine. One of the Kappas was carrying this at that time. You walk up to her and noticing your presence, she turns around,

"Ah, you're here. Let me just see here..." she dips her finger inside the water, gauging the heat, and remove them after confirming, "Yup, just right. Now," she smiles at you while saying something that you didn't expect to hear, "Strip."

... what? You stand there, daze by the sudden command. You ask big sis to repeat what she had just said and yup, she did say strip, "Well of course, this is a bath. Does the people in the shrine bathe with their clothes on?" she questions. Well, no, but the suddenness catches you off guard, that's all. Also, hearing a woman saying that brazenly to you feels a bit odd. Nevertheless, that drum barrel filled with warm water does sounds wonderful right about now. However, there is just one problem: there's no place to change. Big sis, seeing that you were looking around, clears her throat and pointed towards a white partition and says that you can change your clothes there. It might be a bit chilly but that is a small price to pay. With that out of the way, you walk behind the partition, removes the clothes that you wear and climb inside the drum barrel (with the help of stone steps).

And the first thing in your mind, is how heavenly it feels. The warm water, hitting the skin of your body melts all the fatigue and cold away. The downside of this is on how cramped the inside of the drum barrel is, but again, small price to pay. Luckily, the drum barrel height is slightly large, large that you could submerged your body to your shoulder. You just want to stay in this drum barrel forever if you could. But, what about big sis? Wouldn't she wanted to dip in as well? You ask big sis Letty if she wanted to take a bath later, which she declines, saying that she prefers a cold bath instead. It slips your mind that she was a Yuki-Onna, a being that prefers the cold rather than the heat. It is sad to hear that, but hey, people have their own preferences. You take in the night sky, small amount of snow is still coming down. How beautiful you thought to yourself. Looking past the partition, you could see that big sis is waiting outside for you to finish. You wonder if you should finish bathing earlier but somehow, she manages to read your mind, as she says that it's fine to stay in longer, because she doesn't mind the cold at all. In fact, she prefers it. Not to mention, now she has someone that she could enjoy it with. In the night, you chat with the Yuki-Onna until it's time to part ways with the drum barrel.

Now, it's time to go to sleep. You wait for big sis Letty to finish putting the finishing touches on the fire and laying the fur on the floor. You ask her if there is anything that you could do, but she says that she would do everything by herself because she is the big sister, and when you tried to help, she will give you a dejected smile, seeing that breaks your heart, so you let her do everything. After that, she says that everything is done and asks you to get in the fur blanket. It seems like she doesn't know either what kind of animal this fur is from because she picked this up from the past. Big sis then beckons you to sleep. When you enter the warm fur, she follows suit, trying to enter the same blanket as yours. Surprise, you spring up, making your big sis confused.

“? What’s wrong?” she asks. You ask her if she’s trying to get into the same blanket as yours and she gave a non-hesitant nod, almost as if it’s the obvious thing to do. When you try to protest, she gives you the same dejected look, saying that ‘Big sis understands...’ while fiddling with her finger. It pains you seeing her act this way, so you let her sleep on the same blanket with you, in turn she gives you the same warm smile. So, the two of you lay in the same blanket, your big sis hugging you from behind. You can feel her breast from behind and her breath tickles your ears. Her hands tightly wrap around your chest.

Didn’t you dislike the heat? you ask. She says yes, but this one is different. She gives no further comment and after hearing that, you don’t argue with her anymore. Being in this close proximity with her elevated your heartbeat. You wonder if she could feel how hard your heart is thumping right now. You watch the flickering flame, trying to distract yourself from the person behind you, but then, she starts speaking,

“You know… I had fun today,” she begins, “I never had people come over like this and stayed for the night. The only company that big sis usually got are from that ice fairy that I mentioned earlier, also that mean shrine maiden, and maybe that one tengu reporter. But a human, it’s rare for me to even meet them. Because, who would want to see a woman of snow? A woman that brings sick and misfortune to their loved ones?” she pauses for a second, hugging your body even tighter. You try to keep yourself awake, but your body started to feel weak. Like your body began to feel chilly despite being warm from the fire, blanket and the youkai. You try to fight the drowsiness away but, in the end, it wins over you. But before you fell to slumber, big sis says her last sentence for the night,

“… I wish you …ld stay he… for….ver…”

You wake up with heavy eyelids. Opening your eyes, you see the same ceiling from yesterday: white snowy ceiling. You slowly sit upright and stretch and look around, to see that your big sis is nowhere to be seen. You slowly get up and walk outside to see that she is standing, taking in the morning wind. “No blizzard today…” she mutters something, but you weren’t able to make out what she had just said. You call out to your big sis, and she turns her body to you. “Ah, you’re already awake…” she smiles, but her tone sounds a bit sad. You stretch your body a few to dispel the sleepiness as you walk next to her.

Beautiful morning, huh? you say to big sis. In which she nods. You watch with big sis the sun that had already risen, but then, your stomach grumbles. Embarrassment for you and laughter from your big sis.

“I can hear that you’re still growing,” she gives a cute laugh, “Well, why don’t we have breakfast? We still have the leftover from yesterday,” she suggests. You nod, and you both went ahead inside for breakfast and freshening up.

After you finish with what you need, you walk outside the snowhut that saves you from the blizzard. Big sis Letty look around the sky, it seems she is looking for something. But after a while, she looks downcast and sighs. Wonder what is wrong with her? You walk next to her, saying that you’re ready to head out now. Big Sis stays silent for a few before giving a small smile, “Let’s,” she holds out her hand and you grab hold of it. With that, the two of you take a step forward but before we take another, a voice rings out.

“Ah, there you are!” you both turn up to see the source of the voice, but you know that voice already. It’s the person that you need to apologize profusely too. The familiar red-white that she always wears. In her hand, a gohei is tightly grasps. On her neck, a simple red-white scarf, complementing her outfit (although there are some wear and tear to it). She slowly descends from the sky and speed-walk in front of you before striking your head from above with her knuckles.

Ow! you scream out. The miko does not hold back when she does something, so you know that this is her full power. You can feel that the hit will leave a bruise. The miko speaks,

“Do you know how long you have been out?!” she scolds, “We only have little food left, and I have to drink the night with that stupid oni to keep myself warm, and now this headache won’t go away!” she rubs her temple, “How would you make up to me, huh?!” she twists your right ear. That hurts as well. You scream in between apologizing before big sis Letty forcefully removes the miko hand and embrace you.

“Stop that, Reimu! Can’t you see that he’s hurt!” she scolds Reimu. Reimu look to the perpetrator and raise her gohei high.

“Huh? It’s you, snow woman. So, it’s your fault that he couldn’t go home before that blizzard. Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson from last time. Say your last word before I exterminate y-“ before Reimu could finish her sentence, you jump in.

W-wait Reimu, big sis here just saved my life, don’t attack her, you scream out.

“… big si- what?” Reimu, confused by the sudden title that you call Letty with. You explain everything to Reimu, from the day that you were lost, to the day that Letty picked you up and shelter you, to now. Reimu listens to everything before slowly lowering her gohei.

“… I see,” she closes her eyes, taking in all the information, “So, in short: it’s your fault for being distracted by the fairies, and, “she glares at big sis Letty, “she, was the one who shelter you from the blizzard?” You nod. Afterwards, Reimu sighs, “You should have said so in the first place. If not, I would have exterminated this one immediately.”

“You did that last time when we first met!” Letty angrily protests.

“Yeah, because you were in the way. Let’s not forget you take responsibility that time too when I asked. … So? How long are you going to hug him?” she glares at Letty. Letty quickly removes you from her grasps and apologize. You tell her that it’s fine. After all this misunderstanding had been cleared up, Reimu says, “Well, if there’s nothing else going on, we should head back. I’m starving already,” Reimu walks forward, leaving you and big sis Letty behind. You say your goodbyes (which she waves back) to Letty and catch up with Reimu, however, Reimu stops for a second. With her back facing Letty, she says,

“Oi, snow woman,” she says, getting the attention of Letty, “Thank you for saving this guy life. If you have anything that you need from me, just say it. You know where to find me,” and without waiting, Reimu leaves with you behind her.

On the walk home, the two are quiet. Only the sounds of crunching snow could be heard. You walk behind Reimu, scared from getting another scolding from her. We walk until Reimu, without stopping in her tracks, speaks,

“Hey, you know how many you made worried today?” she asks.

Probably a few, you reply.

“Yeah, so you better apologize to them later. Those annoying guys are giving me a headache asking about your condition.”

Does that include you… Reimu…? ahahaha… you joke, trying to lighten the mood. Reimu stays silent. Of course, why would she care anymore after all the promises you break with her.

“… of course I was, you idiot…” Reimu mutters, while re-adjusting her scarf, “Anyway, about our food situation,” she turns around.

Ah, it seems like the budget will be taken from your pay.

Arriving at the Hakurei Shrine, you search around your pocket to try and find the amulet that Reimu had given you, but to no avail. You tell Reimu about the missing amulet, and she sighs, saying that she’ll make a new one later, but now you have to pay for it. But that begs the question: where have your old amulet gone?

Notes:

Well, back to this again.
Hello, hope everyone is doing well. Got some ideas now, so I'll try to see how far I get before having to pause on this again. Also, trying to get a consistent writing time, but works keeping me up now so eh, who knows. Another thing is I wanted to try writing something... different but I need to see if it'll work or not. If it doesn't, bummer, if it does, wowzers.
And lastly, sorry, for dissapointing a few people and not replying. I realized after the fact that I'm not really good at replying to people, and thought that, it's best that I stay silent. Gonna go re-read Koharu no Hibi for the umpteenth time now.
See you later.

Chapter 12: Chen

Notes:

Writer's block a bitch, ain't it?

In the morning at the Hakurei Shrine, you are shoveling the snow away from the shrine entrance, making a small pathway so that the worshippers could easily come. All alone, you shovel the snow. In truth, it was supposed to be a two-person job: Reimu and You. However, because of the incident with the blizzard, and your pay being dock to go towards food for the shrine, you managed to change the punishment from pay dock, to manual labor. So, for this week alone, all the work for the shrine, it will be handled by you. And today, is the last day that you would go solo. Reimu in this week alone, with nothing to do, had been taken hostage by the infamous: kotatsu monster. She tried and tried to crawl out, but nothing could pry the shrine maiden away. In addition, with having no work to do? Reimu had become a (almost) complete sloth. You worry that Reimu would become a couch potato in the near future, but there’s no way that the protector of Gensokyo would jeopardize Gensokyo due to laziness.

… right?

Anyway, with the entryway clear (for today), you put away the snow shovel back in the shed and make your way towards the shrine (while shivering). But, before you enter the walkway of the shrine, you could see a pair of reddish-brown shoes. Do we have a guest today? you thought to yourself and making your way to where Reimu is: the living room of the shrine. Reaching the entrance of the living room, you place your hand on the bamboo door and slide it open.

In the middle of the shrine, the monster is lay there, taking its two victims: one is the red-white shrine maiden, laying her head on top of its body, few peels of mikan are placed next to her head. The mikan that came from the inside of the bowl (which is almost empty) on the middle of the monster. And opposites of the shrine maiden, a girl is also laying her head on top of the monster. A person that you have never met before. You walk towards Reimu and crouch down, nudging the shrine maiden.

“..hm? What’s up?” the shrine maiden groggily responds; her eyes are half open. You apologize for waking her up, but you really want to know who that person opposite of Reimu is. Reimu turns her head to the direction that you asked, and place her face flat on the table again after seeing her.

“Ah, that’s Chen…” she says, laziness is present in her tone. You wait for a few seconds for Reimu to continue but she never did. You shake Reimu again, but this only annoys her, “Aaah, if you wanted to know so much, just ask her…” she swats your hand away and place it back in the kotatsu. Well, if Reimu won’t tell you, maybe you should ask the person herself. So, you stand up and make your way to the mystery individual. Crouch down and shake her. No response. You shake her again. You hear a mumble but couldn’t make out what she says. You shake a bit harder, and a disapproving voice comes out.

“Nyaah! Stop shaking me!” the girl raises her head and stare, her dark brown eyes glare straight at you, “Who are you?” she asks, sounding a bit irritated, maybe because you interrupted her nap. You apologize for waking her up, asks her who she was. This only anger her more, “Shouldn’t you say yours first when you introduce yourself?” Right, you should have answered first. Anyway, you tell her who you are and after that, she told hers, “Hmph. My name is Chen, the shikigami of Lady Ran. I’m here to bring a message for the Outsider of the shrine,” saying that, a tail comes up near your face, holding a piece of letter. You take the letter, and the tail retracts to the girl backside and in your peripheral vision, you also see the same-colored tail creeping to the mikan in the middle of the table and picking it up, bringing it closer to her face.

… does she have two tails, or am I seeing things? you thought to yourself but ignored it for now, and focuses yourself on the piece of paper. You flip it open, and it reads,

Hello, how are you doing on this fine day? I wish that you are well. If you are reading this, then my adorable Chen have done her tasks. By the way, what do you think of her? Wouldn’t you agree that she is the most adorable, cutest thing that you have lay your eyes on? Her cute little eyes that you could stare all day, her small nose that you just want to pinch, her hair that you want to ruffle everyday. Ah, Chen~. I would like to hear your opinion on how nothing in this world could ever win against her adorableness.

Ehem.

Pardon. Anyway, I would like to cut to the meat of this conversation. For this past week, my Chen have been lazing around in her home, hugging the kotatsu. She probably is sitting on the shrine’s kotatsu as well, isn’t she?

You look away from the paper and she is right. Wonder if she is a psychic. Anyway, back to the paper,

If she is, then this is a problem. I wished that my Chen would not laze around during this winter period. I am afraid that my Chen have taken this lazy trait from my master, Lady Yukari. I understand that she has to hibernate during the winter, but that doesn’t mean that she has to laze around all year round . I believe that my Chen is mimicking the action of my master, so that she could be stronger, as my master is strong. Stronger than me. But what she doesn’t understand, is there are some actions that you shouldn’t follow, Chen, and this is one of them. Also, why won’t you copy what I usually do? Aren’t I your master, Chen? Don’t you want to be like your master as well? You always follow Lady Yukari because she gives you all the carrot while I’m the one giving the stick, but I’m doing it for your sake, Chen. Your master is a bit sad right now. Ah, but a rebellious Chen is cute too~.

Ehem.

Pardon, once again, I may have gone off track. But, you couldn’t blame me, can you? My Chen is the most wonderful creature that have grace Gensokyo, and to not spread her cuteness to the world is a crime. Wouldn’t you agree? You will join me on spreading Chen’s cuteness, won’t you? However, today, that is not the main point. I would like to ask of a favor from you: I wished for you to play with Chen. Make sure that my Chen is active during this wintertime. I don’t want my Chen to laze around these important times, eating and sleeping. A chubby Chen… is of course, cute, but a lazy Chen is not. I don’t want her laziness to translate to her work. Which is, already present this week alone. Just today, she has not been helping me with housework, isn’t it just sad? :(.  Anyway, I’ve sent her to you today, is so that your hard-working mindset would rub off on her. I heard from Miss Reimu and others that you have a proactive way of working, and they sing praises of you.

I only do those things because it benefits me, but… let’s not dwell into it too much. Also, who are these, ‘others’, that she mentioned? you stopped reading and think to yourself. Oh well, back to the paper,

And that is my wished. I apologize that I couldn’t personally sent you this letter, I am a bit tied with work with my master currently hibernating. I hope that my request does not affect you negatively. If this is too much, you can ignore this letter all together, and I would understand. By the way, you have to agree that Chan is cute, right? That is something that you shouldn’t ignore. Let’s discuss more on Chen cuteness when we have the time.

However, if you do wish to help, then I would like to give you some tips to make Chen listen to you. I hope that you don’t have to use it, but Chen is a bit… iron-willed … you could say. Only use this if she became a bit unbearable for you to handle. Turn the paper for the tips.

Again, you don’t have to do this if this would affect your livelihood. You can send Chen back my way. Tell her to go home immediately. And if you are to do this, but unable to change Chen attitude, just make it that she’s active and moving about. The last thing that I want is for her to be even lazier. Lastly, I would like to thank you for reading this and sorry for taking your time.

- Ran Yakumo

And, that is what on the front of the paper. Turning the paper around, you could see some tips on how to act around Chen. Reading the tips, you could see the overflowing love and caring way that Ran had written, akin to a worried mother sending her child to a day-care. Anyway, now you have a choice: to help Ran with her favor, to make Chen becomes active again, or to send her back. Hmm… Well, maybe you could try first and see where it’ll take you. It seems that whether you failed or not, nothing too drastic would happen to you. Not to mention, you don’t really have anything going on after this, only housework, and that have become a bit stale after doing it all alone this week. You fold the paper and place it inside your pocket. Then, you turn your direction to Chen. The mikan that she was picking up had already been eaten, leaving only its peel. Well, time to do a favor.

You crouch down to Chen again, and shake her body lightly, trying to wake her up. Disgruntled voice leaks out from the shaken, and she tried to ignore it, but you wouldn’t have it. You shake harder when you realize that she tried to ignore you and eventually, she caved, as she shoots you a glare.

“What is it!?” she sounds mad. Alright, you got her to wake up.

Now what?

Reading the letter, it seems that her master, Ran, would only want you to play with Chen, so that she doesn’t stay inside all day. But, reading longer through the note, it seems that she wanted Chen to be more diligent. Hmm, maybe you can do both. Oh no, she’s getting impatient. Looking at Chen straight in the eyes, you place your hand on her shoulder and with a thumbs up, you say,

Hey, Chen, want to help me clean the shrine today?

…

Dead. Silence.

Not to mention, Chen’s eyes have no color on them. Like she had died inside hearing your suggestion. Reimu doesn’t make any noise either. Not a single sound could be heard for the few seconds at the Hakurei Shrine. However, surprisingly, Chen was the first one to break the silent (although she looked at you like trash, you feel like),

“Huh? Why would I do that?” Chen questions. Well, you don’t know either. This is the first thing that came to your mind and thinking back now, making a guest to clean up your home, sounds really wrong. You need to fix this somehow,

W-well, I heard from Ran that you’re really good at cleaning. So, I was thinking that you could give me some pointers… you lie. It’s the opposite of what Ran had said, but, it won’t be a lie if you’re able to change her ways. Call it a, future investment. Chen sits in silent but then, she asks,

“… Lady Ran said that?” Hearing her question, you answer in agreement. You don’t know what Chen is thinking right now, but her tails move in fluid motion hearing Ran had given her a compliment. Maybe this can still work? You affirm her question, and her tail moves a bit more erratic. And so, you ask her again, however, it doesn’t play how you wanted. “Hmm. No, I don’t want to. It’s too cold today and I want to sleep,” she slurres last few words before she closes her eyes again. Not good. She’s going to fall asleep again. You pester her again and again until Chen had enough and you two eventually ends up in a shouting match. Few minutes had passed, with no winners at sight, you thought that this would end up in failure when suddenly.

You, and Chen, are thrown out of the shrine. You and Chen look up from the hallway of the shrine to see that Reimu was standing in front of the living room, her arm crossed together with a scowl on her face.

“Be quiet you two! Don’t you see that I’m tired after working today!” the shrine maiden shouts. Odd, if you recall correctly, the ‘work’ that she had done today (and for the past week) is polishing the offering box, but you kept it to yourself. Reimu continues, “If you want to have an argument, do it far away from the shrine. I don’t want to be rope into this mess.” Protest comes from Chen but with Reimu final words, she closes the shrine sliding door, leaving you and Chen alone outside. Chen tried to open the door of the shrine, but it was closed shut. After many failed attempts, Chen quickly turns her head to you, anger is present on her face.

“See what you did?! Now we won’t be able to sleep in the cozy house!” Chen complains her frustration to you. Well, it’s bad for the girl, but this is good for you (and Ran) but for now, what should you do… Hmm… Well, no point in sitting around. You look at Chen and asks if she wanted to take a walk with you, in which she vehemently refuses, “No, I don’t want to! It’s cold and wet and cold and-“other excuses that she uses. This seems terminal. You can see why Ran wanted her to exercise if even now she’s being fussy about it. You don’t want to do this but,

Chen, you say to her with a stern voice.

“Grrr, no! Anything you say to me won’t change my mi-“

This is an order from Lady Ran, Chen.

“!” Chen pauses mid-sentence after you interrupted her. She glares at you before asking if it’s true and you nod, while taking out the paper. It looks like you have to use one of the tips that Ran had mentioned, which is

1. If she refused to follow your orders, tell her that they came from me. Hearing my name, she’ll do what she is told, even if she dislikes it. Ah, but please don’t use it for unlawful things. If I had known that you had made Chen do something that go against my orders. :) Also, please be kind to her too.

You look at Chen and she grits her teeth before agreeing to go on a walk with you. She looks absolutely livid. Are you really safe right now? She wouldn’t go and just jump you, would she? With begrudging steps, she steps down from the shrine hallways and put on her shoes. You follow suit but before you leave, you go to the front of the shrine, brings out a few mons and throw it inside the offering box and clasps your hand together. You pray, hard, praying that you could live a long life. Chen tilts her head, looking at your actions before turning her head away and focuses on nothing. After you had done, you walk away from the shrine and begins your journey with a disgruntled girl behind. Before leaving, you feel like you heard the shrine door opens after you threw the mons in the offering box.

After going down the shrine steps, the first question pops into mind: where should you go? You could always go to the Human Village, but then what? The question you should ask yourself is to see what the girl behind you like. Maybe then, you both could come to an agreement on what activity to do. With that set in stone, you turn towards the girl and take a closer look at her.

The girl who has a frown on her face is Chen. A bakeneko (Reimu had told you before kicking you out) from the Yakumo family, who has brown hair and dark brown eyes. On top of her head is a green mob cap and underneath them, a pair of black cat ears are present and, on the left, a pair of earrings she wears. Her dress is red in color with a white bow on the collar, gold trimming and pinkish frills at the bottom. The dress also possesses a light pink color on the sleeves. On her feet are white socks and red shoes. In addition to her usual outfit, (you assume that is what she always wears) she now have her winter gear on: a pair of brown mittens with cat embroidery on them (looks similar to Chen’s head) and a red-black plaid scarf. Noticing that you were staring at her, Chen asks,

“What is it?” a displeased tone could be heard. You ask her what she wanted to do, and she answers with, “Huh?! You were the one who invited me and got us kicked out, so you figured it out!” loudly, she says. Then you ask her what she likes to do, and she replies with, “Sleeping at a comfy home… which you get us kicked out!”

Alright. This isn’t working out as you had hoped. Maybe you should go with Ran’s second tips, which is,

2. If she rebelled a bit, you could always bait her with food. Chen likes to eat and getting her favorite food as a reward would always motivates her. However, please give Chen only the healthiest food. None of those sweets and something light only, because I don’t want her to come home, not having room for dinner. That will upset her stomach. You understand, don’t you? :)

You reach to your pockets to check how much you have mons you have left, but before you do so, you heard Chen mumbles,

“What is even fun about winter anyway?”

You stop in your tracks and Chen follow suits. She asks what’s wrong and you turn to her. Hearing her say those words, you could see a certain Yuki-onna giving her saddest smile. This can’t do. You don’t want her to be sad. You have to make it that Chen loves, or in the bare minimum, tolerate winter. You made up your mind,

Hey, Chen, you say to her, You wonder what is there fun things to do on winter? Don’t worry, and follow me, with new ambition, you head to a new destination in mind. Chen tilts her head and follows you from behind, because this is the orders of her master. Now, it’s time to make way, to Misty Lake.

Arriving at Misty Lake, the snowy white covered the whole field, and the lake is frozen over. On the distance, you can see the Scarlet Devil Mansion. You have the idea of going there, and asking what Reimu had talk with them about, but today, you have to ignore it. You scan the area to find your target for today, a certain group of fairies playing and well well, luck is on your side today, as you spot them immediately: the fairy of light and Cirno, playing in the snow. You call out to Chen to follow as you both make your way to the group. Coming in closer, Luna was the first one to turn her head in your direction, and she alerted the others, stopping them from what they were currently doing. The Fairies of Light waves at your direction while Cirno is making snowballs.

“Hey! It’s been a while!” the leader(?) of the group, Sunny, was the first to talk. Donning her usual outfit, she also has a knitted scarf on her neck, ear mufflers on her head and pair of gloves that matches her color (orange and white). Looking at the other two, they both wore the same apparel as Sunny, with matching color too. The three look adorable like this. Cirno, however, only have a green colored scarf on her neck. Granted, she is an ice fairy, maybe she doesn’t feel the cold as much. Anyway, “You haven’t been hanging out with us often. You always been stuck with that shrine of hers,” Sunny continues. Well, it has been forever since you last met them. That’s because of your injuries and the time that you spent at the SDM. Well, today is as good as any.

Hahaha, sorry. I’ll make up to you, you promise the three, So, what are you guys doing today? you ask.

“Well, today, we’re all going to play a snowball fight!” Sunny excitedly says.

“That’s because she was arguing, saying that her abilities is ‘much better’ than mine. And I take offense to that,” Star chimes in.

“Of course! My abilities to refract light, makes it that others wouldn’t even see we’re coming, so we can safely play our pranks. You could even say that I’m the leader of our group!”

“You see? She gets like this sometimes~.”

“I mean, it’s true. Also, Star, wasn’t it Luna that alerted us of the Outsider coming?” Sunny asks Star.

“? Yeah,” calmly, Star replies.

“Isn’t it your job to alert us if anyone were coming by?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you?! We could’ve encountered something dangerous when we least expected!” Sunny scolds Star.

“Well, the human over there isn’t dangerous. So, I don’t see the need for me to alert us. Only a worrywart like Luna would care.”

“Hey!” Luna finally speaks out, “I don’t like how you called me that! I was just being cautious!”

“Yeah Star! Luna had the right idea. Even if she is a bit of a scaredy-cat,” Sunny agrees with Star assessment.

“Sunny!” in turn, Luna joins in the two arguments. Eventually, they all argue about random things, but you could hear they’re circling back to arguing about whose abilities is better. This might take a while, so you turn to Cirno, she still makes more of the snowballs from before. Now, there’s a pyramid of snowballs. Hm? Wait.

Hey, Cirno? you ask Cirno, preoccupied with her snowballs.

“Yeah?” she replies, without looking up, her snowballs take precedent. You ask her where her other friend, Daiyousei, is. In which she replies with, “Dai doesn’t like the snow that much. She comes and play with me when the cold is a bit warmer, but right now, she’s with our other friend, Larva. So, I played with big sis most of the time,” Cirno explains. Big sis? you wonder if that’s Letty who she was talking about, “Also, Dai gave me this scarf on me, saying that it’ll get cold if I played too long. I told her that I don’t want it, because the me now prefers the cold, but she was very stubborn about it,” Cirno finishes. She sounds like she was complaining, but it seems like she was bragging about it, judging by the small smile she gives. During all this talk, you could see another pyramid of snowballs is reaching the middle layer already. Cirno is really good at this. You turn to look at the three others and it seems that they’re still bickering and looking at Chen, she just stands there, watching it all unfold. Well, it’s time to get their attention.

Alright, you clap your hands, getting the attention of everyone present, Your snowball match? I want in, you say while pointing to yourself.

“Really? That’s great! We wanted more people as well, and we can settle our differences on this match as well!” Sunny happily agrees.

Alright then, but, you walk past the three and stands next to Chen, slinging your arms over her shoulder, you point at her as well, She’s playing too, you say.

“Huh?!” Chen raises her voice, questioningly.

“Hm? Oh, that’s fine. Is she your friend?” Sunny asks.

“I’ve thought I’ve seen her around the shrine sometimes?” Star chimes in from Sunny’s right.

“She doesn’t look like she wanted to play…” Luna says from Sunny’s left.

Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be joining us, right? Chen? you turn to face Chen, giving the biggest grin. Chen’s eyebrows twitch before removing your hand from her shoulders.

“No, I won’t! Even if this is Lady Ran’s order, I’m not playing! I’m going home,” after saying no, Chen starts to move. But, before she could go far,

Oh, well, what can we do. It seems it’ll only be the five of us. A shame really, I thought that Chen wouldn’t run away from a competition, but I guess it was too much for a child, you speak audibly, making sure that Chen was able to hear. And hearing that, Chen stops on her tracks. Before turning around, and asks, “What did you say…?”

Oh, you know, just that Chen is a child that can’t do anything on her own. Always needed to go back to Lady Ran for help for anything. Even afraid to lose a simple snowball match. Just like a child, you continue. You could see slightly that Chen is visibly shaken, and she seems to be furrowing her brows a bit. Well, this is just another tips that Ran had given you, and that is,

3. When playing, Chen might not want to join in as well. As you know, my Chen is a bit shy with strangers. And she would never take any strange food from strangers, right Chen? So, if she did refuse, you could taunt her a bit. Get her a bit riled up. Sadly to say, my Chen is… uh, easily swayed by provocation. I want her to be a bit more levelheaded when given the situation, but for now, you could use this as an advantage. But please, again, be kind to her. Don’t make her sad, okay? :)

“I too am an adult! I can make my own decisions! Fine, I’ll play, and I’ll show you who’s the boss!” Chen took the bait. Wow, every tips that she had given works like a charm. This is someone that really knows her. Oh well, time for some fun (and exercise).

“… does that mean she’s joining us?” Sunny whispers to the other two.

“I think so,” Star replies back in a whisper.

“I don’t want to play with her, she seems a bit dangerous…” Luna quietly protests.

“So, are we playing or what?” Cirno crosses her arms, asks. With everyone agreement, the snowball fight begins! But first, we need to set up the teams. And seeing there’s six of us, we could make a team of two with three people or team of three with two people. After consulting with everyone, it’s decided that the former will be chosen, and the team will be decided by a simple rock, paper, and scissors for fairness's sake. And in the end, this is how the team ends up,

Chen                                                                                                                                                                                                  Star

You                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sunny

Cirno                                                                                                                                                                                                  Luna

"Why did I get paired up with you?!" disapproval comes from the cat youkai, hissing all the way. You can hear grumbles from the other side as well. You just say that's just how it is in life; you get some, you lose some. Chen grumbles and mumbles under her breath. But eventually, the match begins. Both parties begin creating their cover made of snow and procuring some snowballs that Cirno had made. Hmph. This match is as good as ours. Fighting the fairies is like fighting a little kid (not that you know of). Before the match begins, we've made it a rule that when you are hit three times, you're considered dead(out). However, you can still help your teammates with making covers and making snowballs, so nobody is left out after getting hit. Anyway, with that out of the way, let the match begins!

...

and the first to go down, is you.

"You're so weak!" Chen laughs at your failure while pointing while the opposite sides are cheering. Well, you can't really help it can you? The first instance you got out of the cover, three snowballs immediately came from three direction, you managed to dodge one (thrown by Luna) but the other two managed to hit you. Also, wasn't the last one thrown by you, Chen? Why would you hit your own teammates! "Hm? I was aiming at them, but your big body is blocking the way. Maybe you should move out of my way?" Chen answers coyly. Alright, it seems that you have an enemy amidst your team. Well, at least you could help with making the snowballs. In the end, your team won, mainly Chen. Cirno using her sheer strength (and by that, just throw as many snowballs as she could) and hit Star when she wasn't looking, but Luna managed to throw (by accident) and hit Cirno. With Chen as the last stand, she managed to overturn the competition. With her catlike reflexes, she manages to swerve and dodges every thrown snowball, be it hidden by Sunny's ability, or Luna randomly thrown attack. Watching the snowballs fight like this, it reminds you of when Reimu and Marisa fight using their danmaku (except less intense and finesse). Is this what Reimu had been doing (and seen) for the past years?

Well, the end is as follows, our team (mostly Chen) is the victor. She stands triumph and her tails move in acknowledgement. And so, a reset for new teams is made and another fight begins.

... and in the end, Chen always stands victorious (and you were the first one to be taken out). No matter what kind of matchup it is, she swerves and dodges. Nimble like a cat, she moves. Not to mention, she is self-sufficient as well, with her tails producing her snowballs for her in between dodging. Not to mention she uses her tails as a means to attack as well. You're surprised to see someone so versatile. Well, Sakuya could probably do something like her as well, given her ability (and maid-like capabilities), but she's not here right now, so it doesn't even matter. Also, you noticed that you have become the prime suspect for the opponent to target. Everytime that you got out, you're always the first one to be hit. Not to mention that Chen also hit you with the snowballs as well, whether it be friend or foe. In the end, again, Chen's team remain victorious. You lay your body, tired (mentally) from the fight, the Fairies of Light join you as well. Cirno, watching her friends lay down on the snow, follow suit. Chen watches everyone on the ground, a grin on her face. Sunny was the first to speak,

"Aaah!" Sunny shouts, "She's unstoppable!"

"Yeah, she always managed to dodge our attacks," Star agrees.

"Like she knows where it's going to be..." Luna corroborates in between taking quick breathes, while you silently agree. Her reaction is quick. Too quick. You feel like even a cat would get hit once or twice if hit by a barrage of snowballs. Chen comes closer and towers over everyone, a grin from ear-to-ear plasters on her face.

"Nyahaha!" she laughs, her arm crossed "Is that all? I can take on all of you with my eyes closed!" she proclaims. This simple provocation is easily noticeable by anyone. It's clear that she wanted to show off even more. No one is dumb enough to just take it like th-

"What did you say?!" the Fairies of Light took the bait. All of them rise up (starting from Sunny, Star and Luna respectively). Cirno follows her fairy friends. It's surprising to see Cirno wasn't the one that takes the bait, "You think that you could take us all on?" Sunny angrily asks.

"Of course~" Chen confidently replies, her tails swivel from left to right.

"I won't accept that! No one is stronger than us when we're together!" Sunny raises her hands.

"Yeah!" joins the other three. Taking the bait, an impromptu fight between Chen and the fairies begin!

... what? You're joining the fairies as well...?

... The fight between Chen and the fairies (plus you) begin!

... only to end up in Chen's favor. In the end, the score is 7:3, with Chen being seven and us being three. Chen was partially right; she could take us all on. The only reason why Chen wasn't able to win agains the three points that we have gotten, is because Chen had never fought the fairies with their abilities together. Before, she usually was fighting against one of them, but when the fairies are together? You could almost say they're paired well with each other. Oddly too, Chen seems to be much stronger after the fifth round and above. She moves faster than ever before. The match ends, and everyone is resting.

"Aaah, it's so frustrating!" Sunny throws her hands up.

"She's so strong!" Luna supports Sunny claims.

"But... it was fun, wasn't it?" Star looks at the two. Sunny and Luna look at each other before smiling and saying 'Yeah, it was!' in unison. Chen looks like she is warmed up from moving around too much. Cirno starts making snow angels on the ground. The Fairies of Light, after getting their breather, walks up to Chen, and started to make plans with her. Chen seems a bit bashful by the invitation, and she looks around, searching for something, before agreeing to their plans, such as playing with a sled, ice skating and other snow filled activities that they could come up with. Well, that's one way to get one to be active. Maybe this counts as a victory for you? Does this even fill Ran's request? Anyway, after the four of them makes their plans, they started making snowman (Cirno is still laying on the ground). You, however, take a step back, only content watching the others pla- hm? Is that...? You walk away from the group to one of the trees, because you could've sworn that you see a familiar tails. And, your guess is right Ran is hiding in between the trees. You walk up to her and say hi.

"Hm?" she notices you walking up to her and gives a little bow, "Hello there." You ask her what is she doing here and replies with, "And miss a moment of my adorable Chen activities? I would rather lose eating aburage for a month than letting that happens," she watches Chen playing with the fairies, sometimes a scowl on her face but eventually a smile. Ran starts to shake a little before she held it in and says to you, "I thank you." That's felt out of left field. "But that is how I felt. You manage to turn my Chen from becoming a potential couch potato, to having fun with friends. Not a lot of people would go out of their way to do things for others. I even give you a chance to leave." You say to her that you only did this because there's no risk involve. The few times that you did do somethings, is because they forced you, or you think that it benefits you. Not to mention, her tips really help you in the long run. If it weren't for her advice, you don't think you'll be able to finish the task given. Thankfully, you don't have to resort for the last tips. Ran gives a quiet laugh, "Even so, some wouldn't even entertain the thought of helping. I see their assessment of you is correct," Ran finishes. Actually, your curios, who is this 'others' that Ran kept mentioning? You try to ask her but before you could, Chen comes rushing to you,

"Hey, where are you? Those three made the snowman too big, and we need you to put the last snowman he-" Chen pauses mid sentences, eyeing you and Lady Ran next to each other. Afterwards, she charges at you, "Stay away from Lady Ran you perv!" and pushes you, making you fall to the ground onto the soft snow.

... but what's hidden underneath the snow, is a semi-sharp boulder, and your left arm became the target of its hit. You hiss in pain and want to scream, but you managed to hold it in, trying not to worry the others. Ran comes up to you and asks if you're alright, a worried tone in her voice while Chen stood there, frozen. You say your fine, just a bit of a scratch but looking down, your arm started to swell, and the pain is unbearable. Ran wanted to bring you back to her home, but you wish to go to Eintei. Displeased by your answer, Ran accepts it anyway, and you're here at the Eintei with a swollen arm. The doctor looks at you like -.- <- this, as if she knows that you're going to come back here soon. She didn't ask many question (only the part on how you got the injuries) and she patches you up neatly. You ask her if she could do something to hide this from other people eyes, but she only says that she's a doctor, not a miracle worker. Sad to hear the news, Ran sends you back (but not before saying her thanks to the doctor) and, Reimu, of course, looks displeased, but at ease, like she knows that you're going to get into trouble sooner or later, but at least she knows that you're safe. However, you did get a scolding from her. It's also worth noting, that Chen, during this whole ordeal were following you from behind Ran, a bit few meters away. But don't worry, she had already apologized to you, and you know that she means no harm. But, you wonder, what does she mean by 'perv'? You wanted to ask, but there wasn't any chance to. Maybe you'll meet them later in the near future, and then you can ask them.

Either way, you have a broken left arm now, and life continues as is.

Chapter 13: Alice Margatroid

Notes:

This is long overdue.

“Wow, so all that happens when I wasn’t here, huh?” Marisa says.

It is another cold, winter morning in Gensokyo. You are currently on Marisa’s broom, riding behind her as she closing in on the Forest of Magic. The cold wind hitting your face and her hair too sometimes tickle your nose. It has the same smell previously when you sniff her hat: citrusy. Marisa had come quite early in the morning, partaking in the meal at Hakurei Shrine (with an unamused look from Reimu) and without a moment’s notice, you’re here in the skies with Marisa. Only that you can hear Reimu reminding you to stay safe on your journey. Looking at your arm, the swollenness had already subsided, but you’re still feel a tinge of pain when moving it around and putting some pressure on it. And so, a wrapped bandaged around your wrist is place, better safe than sorry.

“Sorry that I wasn’t able to come often, I was trying to persuade someone to meet with you,” the magician in black apologizes. It is true that Marisa hadn’t been coming often. The last time that you had met with her was during the big sis Letty episode, where you went missing due to the blizzard. You were making a lot of faces worry, Marisa being one of them. Anyway, it seems that today, we’re meeting with somebody that Marisa’s knows. You wonder who it was, and when you ask Marisa, she just responds with ‘You’ll see,’ with a grin on her face. Seeing the shit-eating grin that Marisa had, you tried to one-up her, by that you’ll force her to spill the beans, while wriggling your fingers. Seeing the provocation, she gives another grin,

“Wow~. Someone sounds brave today~,” as she says that she brings her body closer to you while piloting(?) the broom. Her back touches your front, her big hat is move slightly from your head. Then, she looks up at you, “Well, Mr Tough Guy, show your worth~. I’m all defenceless from any form of attack coming right now~” she says in a singsong manner. She knows that you won’t follow through with your words, evident by you turning away. She notices that, and gives a hearty laugh, “Ahahaha, I know that you won’t do anything~. You’re not someone who does that, after all. It’s fine to try something new, but let’s pick the time and place for it, alright?” she snickers. She scoots back forward, humming a tune that you hadn’t heard before, her mood seems more chipper than before.

Truth be told, you had imagined acting on your threats but chickened out. It’s not right to do so when you’re not even intimate with one another. And besides, it’s dangerous to do those threats when both of you are up in the skies. It’s not like you were conscious of her or anything, right? Furthermore, Marisa is a friend, and you wouldn’t want to destroy that relationship.

After a few more minutes of flying, Marisa descends down. Planting your feet on the ground, you take a look around. In front of you, is a house. A normal, average looking house. Quite different from Marisa’s, having vines covered from top to bottom on the side. Looking around the yard, the snow had already been cleared for the path to her home. Marisa closes in on the front door, and she knocks on it a few times while calling the owner out,

“Yo, Alice. I’ve brought him over,” she knocks and knocks, only to be greeted with silence. A few more knocks and Marisa stop. Instead, she places her hand on the doorknob, and pulls down, but was met with resilience. She tries a few more times before muttering, “It’s lock… Even after I said I was coming over…” Failing to open the door, Marisa moves to the side of the door, where a lone house plant is station. She crouches down, and picks up the pot, revealing a key. She picks it up without even thinking. Then, she puts the key inside the keyhole and opens the door.

“There we go, come in come in,” Marisa invites you inside a home of another. You wonder if this is something acceptable to do, “Don’t worry, Alice puts this key out for me. Usually, she stays indoor but there are times where she needs to do some errands. So, she places this key for me, so that I could go in whenever,” she puts out a peace sign (plus a smile) after placing the key back underneath the flowerpot. Wow, you must be good friends with her, huh? you say to the smiling magician. She continues smiling, “Of course. Alice and I are best friends!” another smile, “Now, why don’t we enter? We don’t want to stand out in the cold like this, do we?” Marisa suggests. True, during winter times, warmth is a blessing. Doing as Marisa suggests, you enter the house.

The first instance when you enter the house, is not only does it look clean (different from Marisa’s) is that there are arrays of dolls on the counter. On the table. On the windowsill. Rather than saying where the dolls are, it’s easier to say where the doll isn’t. All of them are wearing long dresses with different colours, a lot of them have blonde hair and some are seen to have big bows behind their back. To say that you weren’t surprised is an understatement. If someone were to enter this room alone, you wouldn’t blame them if they turn heel in fear. That was your first instinct too, but luckily, you had already been told that this is Marisa’s friend. Surely, she should be friendly as she is, right?

… but then again, her other magician friend is Patchouli, and she is the least bit friendly to the people that she has no interest to, but maybe this friend would be different? During your thoughts, Marisa looks around the area, “Not here, huh?” she mutters, “Hey, I’m gonna go further in, she’s probably head-deep with her dolls. I’ll be right back, so why don’t you take a seat first?” after nodding to her, she walks further in the house. You take another look around the house, the plethora of dolls are what greets you. You walk over to table, next to the window and several chairs with. Before sitting down, you see another doll on top of the table. You were thought to not touch things that wasn’t yours, but sadly, the cat had died today, as curiosity took over. You try to reach your hand to the doll when suddenly,

 

*rustle* *thud*

 

You hear the sound of something falling behind you. You turn your head but before you could, you hear a woman shouts,

“Shanghai! Hourai!” and then, you feel a push: one on the back of your knee, the other in front of your chest. Startled, you fall down, your back was the first hitting the ground, thankfully, you manage to steer the fall away from your swollen hand. However, the assault didn’t stop there, because then, as you slowly try to get up, you feel your body tightening. Looking down, you see a rope, tightening around your body, your arm is locked in placed as well. You wriggle your body to no avail and the next thing you know, your feet are being tied as well. Unsuccessful in freeing yourself, you fall again, your chest this time touching the ground. With an audible ‘ow’ you lay there. You try to understand the situation at hand but couldn’t make out what just happened. During your struggle, you do see some red and blue blurb moving about but couldn’t make sense of it. With your body tied, you can only look up, and there you see her. A woman standing on the entryway of the house, with two dolls floating next to her, seemingly looking satisfied with their work.

“Huh, didn’t realize we have another thief in Gensokyo,” the woman says, a scowl is ever present on her face.

And so, this is how you first meet with the other magician of Gensokyo.

…

“So, this is Alice,” Marisa casually introduces the other magician inside the room. A set of tea had been laid out on top of the table, with butter cookies lay out in the middle, the smell of it wafting through the air. Alice takes a sip of her tea, not uttering a word while closing her eyes (maybe she is enjoying the tea that she had made?), “And Alice, this is the guy that I wanted you to meet with,” and Marisa casually introduces you to the homeowner.

Alice Margatroid, youkai magician. She has blue eyes with golden hair. On top of it, a red headband rest snugly. She wears a blue dress that reaches to her leg, hiding her figure (but looking at her arms, you could tell she’s quite slim). On her shoulders, a white shawl is there. There are two ribbons she wears: one around her neck and one around her waist. Next to her on the table, a (thick) book is there, but you couldn’t make out what it was. She also wears boot for her feet.

After Marisa had introduce the two of you, nobody utters a word. An awkward atmosphere currently present in this room. A misunderstanding happens and you wonder how to go through with this. Marisa, however, cuts through the atmosphere like a knife and happily eating away the butter biscuits that Alice had brought out. Despite her getting angry and all, she is still hospitable enough to serve us with snacks and drinks. You wish that you could also partake in the meal, but alas, there is a glaring issue. You try getting Marisa’s attention,

“Hm? What’s wrong?” the black-white magician asks. You say to her that you’re just wondering…

When can I have this rope removed? you ask. However, the other magician was the one who answer,

“Being a friend of Marisa who shares her love for thievery, that is simply a countermeasure. Be grateful that I didn’t do much worse,” an angry Alice says, after that she takes another sip from her tea.

“How rude Alice! To call my friend a thief, let alone me! You should have known by now that I’m just borrowing your books for a while!” offended, Marisa chimes in.

“Borrowing implies that there is a time where you will return it.”

“And I do intend to return it.”

“And how long will that be?”

“After I’m dead,” Marisa holds out a peace signs, however, Alice just sighs. She had already known that her friend would respond like that, but she had hoped maybe today is different. After all, she brought someone with her today, so maybe she’ll act a bit more modest. But then again, this is Marisa. Alice takes another sip of tea. After that, Alice asks a question,

“So, is there a reason you came here today, Marisa?”

“Hm? Oh right! Alice, I needed your favour with something,” Marisa takes the teacup on the table and drinks from it. Seeing the two enjoying the biscuit and tea, is painful. You wish that you can undo this rope and partake it as well. But if you were to make any sudden moves… You take a glance to the left and right of you.

On top of the table, there are two dolls standing guard: one wears a blue (same colour as Alice) maid dress, and the other wore a striking red. The two look at you, not leaving their sights at all. And every time you shift your body a bit, the two will jerk and ready up. Did you forget to mention that the red one is holding some kind of pointy thing to prick you whenever you do something she deems suspicious while the blue one is ready with a shield in hand. The dolls that are watching you like a hawk; you believe their name was… Shanghai and… Hourai? Maybe. That was what Alice was screaming before you were in this mess. Nevertheless, Marisa continues,

“So, I need you to teach him a bit about magic, you know? He has an interest in it. Sure, he may have been slacking off quite a bit, and that Patchouli doesn’t seem to be helping that much either. So, I suggest that maybe his talent lies elsewhere, and, seeing that you’re the other magician that I could hope for. I was wondering if you could teach him the ropes, or something,” Marisa finishes. Without hesitation, a reply comes quick from Alice,

“No,” stoically, without a care for the mood.

“Thanks Alice! I knew I could count on y- “Marisa happily thanks but then come to a sudden realization. She stands up while slamming both her hands on the table, “What do you mean, no?!”

“No means no, Marisa. Surely you understand Japanese.”

“But, but that wasn’t what we talked about!”

“Hm? Really? As I remembered, the only promised that we had was that I met with the person you’ll be bringing over, and that I’ll think about it after I see them. Never did I say I was willing to do it? Did I say that I’ll be doing it, Shanghai, Hourai?” she smiles to the two startled doll. The dolls shake their head to their owner’s question. However, Marisa wasn’t buying it,

“Of course they’ll agree with you, those two are a part of you,” Marisa protests. Hearing Marisa’s words, the two doll raise their arms around, seemingly protesting to what Marisa had said. Alice then counters with,

“Oh really? Well, there isn’t any other person that foresaw our conversation: except for these two. So, I’m afraid you must trust on them to be the witness whether I will uphold the end of the bargain,” Alice tilts her head, her soft smile hadn’t left her face.

“Grrr!” Marisa grits her teeth. This seems bad, it feels like a fight is about to break out. Worse of all, you’re still stuck in this tied up position, and you don’t want to be in between of the crossfire. You have to change the topic, but to what… ah! That’s right,

Wow, how close the two of you are~ you play the fool. Abruptly changing the topic from worse to something happy should do the trick. Marisa had said before that she and Alice are friends. By reminding them that that is what they are, the chances of a fight breaking down would lessen, and maybe, Alice would see you in a more favourable light because you know a bit about her. A perfect plan if you do say yourself. You look at Alice, expecting either a confused, neutral or a happy face. However, none of that is what had happened, but instead,

“Huh?” a scowl. The same scowl that she had given you when you tried to touch one of her (many) dolls. She looks offended, but… that shouldn’t be the case. Aren’t they friends?

“Friend, with her?” she points towards Marisa with her thumb, “Hah. You’ll be seeing me quit my magician work before that even happens.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for, Alice!”

But, Marisa said that you two are friends? You even left her the keys to your home. Wouldn’t that make it seems like you’re close?

“Oh, that? I have to give her the key. All the time before I gave her the keys, she would wreck my door, windows and find any creative methods to enter. I seem to recall you haven’t reimbursed me for those expenses,” Alice glares at Marisa.

“Hey, if there’s a book, a magic tome mainly, that is out of reach, wouldn’t you try your best to get it?” Marisa tries to reason with Alice, but Alice looks unamused and sigh, knowing this line of conversation is a bust, that she couldn’t change her friend’s mind.

“Also, I seem to see recalled you had borrowed another book last time you visit. Which, I have to praise you, as this is the few times that you asked first before taking it for yourself. And while we’re at it, I would prefer that you returned the book that you borrowed from me.”

“Ah, well, I’m still using it… haha…” Marisa scratches the back of her head.

“It was strange, though. I’ve never thought you being interested in doll making. You could’ve just asked me for help…” Alice mutters the last few words.

“A-ah didn’t we promised to keep it a secret?!” Marisa raises her voice, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Hmph, it’s not like it’s something to be embarrassed about,” Alice pours another cup of tea for her. Marisa mutters something while taking a quick glance to you but changes her target back to Alice.

“Anyway, that isn’t what is important-“

“My book is something I deemed important, Marisa,” Alice interject.

“Being this petty is the reason why you’re always alone!”

“W-whuh? Not true! I have other people that I hang out with!” Alice stands up, slamming her hand on the table in the process.

“Oh yeah? Name some then~” teasingly, Marisa egged Alice’s on.

“Well, there’s Patchouli, and that red-white, Reimu, and the cloth maker at the Human Village, a-and the store that I bought this tea from… and…” Alice takes a glance at Marisa but stays silent. Marisa laughs,

“Wow, that’s a lot of people Alice~. But I couldn’t help wondering that you didn’t name the store owner~” she smugly says.

“S-shut up! Hmph! So what? It’s not like I needed to be friends with a lot of people. Didn’t you know that quality is better than quantity?” Alice sits back down, being defensive about her lack of friends.

“Not that convincing from the girl with this many dolls- “with that final comment, Alice’s anger reaches her peak. And the next thing that you and Marisa knew, you were both kicked out of her house, back to the snowy wintery forest. And with a slam of the door, Alice have closed her heart(home).

“O-oi Alice? Alice!” Marisa quickly stands up and knocks on the door. Again, and again. But to no avail. Even after she uses the key that Alice had provided, the door remains lock. Marisa sighs at the outside of her home. “Honestly, what is up with her today…?” she mutters under her breath while scratching the back of her head. After Marisa had finish, you ask her to help you with removing the rope. “Oh, right,” she sees the state that you are in and proceed to help you.

“Sorry about this,” done with untying the rope, Marisa begins, “I don’t think that things were going to get this heated. Last time I met her, she was all fine but now, she just gets all grumpy, I don’t even know for what though. Hah…” Marisa sighs, “Well, there’s that then,” she stands up and stretches, “I guess Alice wasn’t keen on helping at all. But don’t worry, let’s go back to the drawing boards! Maybe this time, you’ll, magically, get how magic works,” she smiles while making that awful pun. She outstretches her hand right hand, and you take it, bringing your body to a stand. You look at Alice’s house again.

Hey, Marisa.

“Hm? What’s up?”

Why don’t I try talking with Alice first? you suggest. Marisa blinks a few times before responding,

“Huh? Why would you do that?”

Well, you’d already done this for me, so, maybe I should reach out to her this time. Who knows? Maybe she’ll change her tune after this, you explain to the magician, And, maybe she’s just in a bad mood today. Maybe it’ll be a bit better tomorrow. Or tomorrow’s tomorrow. Marisa looks worried at you. You reason with her again, That, and your relationship with her doesn’t seem to be… friendly, to me, at least. Which is odd, because Marisa firmly believes that she is friend with this Alice. This happens to with Patchouli: she could only teach you after you made a deal with her. Is all magician requiring deals before they agree to something? You should test this method out first.

“Well, I thought that we were friends. Maybe she thinks differently…” Marisa takes a look at Alice’s house, “But, I don’t know. Alice here, she’s a bit stubborn when she doesn’t want to do something. I have to drag her out of her house that one time because she gets her head stuck on her research. Well, I couldn’t blame her, because I would do the same as well,” Marisa gives a quiet laugh.

Let me try for a few days, and if I failed, I failed. There’s no harm in doing so. And besides, this isn’t the Marisa that I know, you start. Marisa turns back to you, tilting her head, The Marisa that I know, she would burst the obstacle straight through. So, as your disciple, let me follow in your footsteps. Hearing the word disciple, Marisa’s eyes lit up.

“! You’re right! This isn’t the way that I would do it! If there’s something that I want, then I overcome with my strength: my power! Hahaha, how cheeky you are, trying to remind me of something so obvious. So, as your master, I allow you to breakthrough the wall of Alice’s heart!” Marisa gives a hearty laugh, the title ‘Master’ is getting into her head. Well, this Marisa is the Marisa that you had known, it’s adorable to see her shine like this.

And, you can focus back on your doll making hobby that Alice had mentioned, with the final comment, Marisa stops laughing and turns red.

“Y-you weren’t supposed to hear that! Forget, forget about it now!” Marisa playfully punches you in the chest and you could only laugh at how cute the way she acts. Inside, unbeknownst to you and Marisa, Alice was watching the two. She mutters to herself,

“Don’t these two idiots know that I can hear everything they said…?” she sighs and rubs her temple, her head hurts from the headache the upcoming few days she’ll be receiving.

Tomorrow comes, another cold morning in Gensokyo. You are currently at the front of Alice’s house. Her front had a bit more snow than yesterday. You walk up to the door of the magician and you give a few knocks.

…

No answer. You knock again, this time, you also calls out Alice’s name.

…

No answer. You give another knock, a few more this time.

…

It is just a door, and the door gives no answer. You move away from the door and stands in front of one of the windows that the house has. You scan the inside of the house, and there she is, reading her book while enjoying her tea. However, an additional piece had been placed: a fuzzy white headpiece that reaches to her ear, blocking the noise. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t able to hear you. Now, this is a predicament. If she can’t hear you, then you can’t even have a conversation. Maybe you should try entering by using the key that Alice had provided to Marisa. Sure, Alice might not like it, but you’ll just apologize to her later. With that, you head over to the flowerpot, and lift it up.

And, to your surprise, there is no key. It looks like Alice had taken away the key to her house. You place back the pot, thinking other methods you could try. The windows is an option, but if she had taken the key already, then the windows are probably locked as well. Your plan for today is just to have a conversation, inside. But if the door is locked, and the homeowner doesn’t want to open it, there is nothing you can do for now. And after racking up your brain for idea, you come up short. So instead, you go home, with nothing gain today.

Another tomorrow comes, and this time, you brought something with you. You walk over to Alice’s house, but instead of knocking, you immediately run to her window, because last time, you knock, and she had prepared countermeasure for the knocks. So, this time, you will get her by surprise. Looking inside, you could see her writing something to a piece of paper while looking at a book. Luckily, she doesn’t wear her white headpiece! You give a few lights knock on the window, and gauging the reaction from inside, Alice glance at your direction before her lips purse slightly down and returns to her book. That means she can hear you! It’s time to bring out the thing you brought for today.

Knocking on the window (lightly) over and over again until Alice’s angrily look up back to you, and you show her the bag of food. You say to her that you had brought over the chestnut yokan that you had purchased from the Village. Hopefully, she could hear what you’re saying or at least a muffled version of it. The hard part of getting this over is to hide this away from Reimu. That girl could manage to sniff out any food that you had brought over. One time you tried hiding a red bean bun, around the back of the cupboard, and the next time you came back, Reimu had already taken a bite of it. Even last night, when you brought back this yokan to the shrine, Reimu had said,

“Everything of yours should be shared with everyone here, and everything of mine is mine! So, gimme! ~” after that new rule (came out of nowhere), Reimu managed to eat a small of portion of the snacks. Luckily, there are still some for Alice, but your share was eaten by the gluttonous shrine maiden. Well, you could understand why Reimu had done it, it has been a while before you had eaten such luxurious sweets. Maybe if the shrine is more equipped with a better kitchen, you could try making some yourself. Sakuya has taught you before when you were making some at the mansion.

Anyway, the most important part is, the chestnut yokan is here, and you are going to give it to her. But, for her to take this, she has to come out, and then, that’s when you’re going to try and talk it out with her. It’s foolproof! And, even if the conversation falls flat, that alone is enough, because that means she has opened her heart to you. Currently in the afterglow, you look inside the window, Alice is now standing up. Is she going to open the door for you? you thought to yourself. However, you are startled by a small lump of snow falling next to you. Then, the light is going out for some reason, even though it is currently morning. You look up and there you see it; a lump of snow is falling straight at you. You couldn’t shield yourself in time and are buried underneath. You were managed to shield the food, however. Maybe this is instinct now, because of how scarce and important food are at the shrine.

Luckily, the snow was not as heavy, so you could bring yourself out. A head and the hand that was carrying the food was the first to come out. Then, you hear the sound of something opening, and then, you feel light on your hand. You turn to the window, and see that Alice has taken the yokan from you,

“Hm, it has been a while since I have Japanese snacks, thank you, ~” she checks the content of the bag, and closes the window, leaving you alone inside the snow. Befuddled, you could only blink quickly a few and then sighing. Another busts. Turning your head upwards to the sky, you could see some dolls are shovelling the snow from the roof of her house. Was it intentional, or was her doll act on their own because of her? You may not know. You do, however, know that you had failed again today. You sneeze; the cold snow is affecting your body. You should go home, under the warmth of the kotatsu, and revise your approach.

Third time the charm (or tomorrow), and you came back to Alice’s house. The snow had piled up a bit more than yesterday. Looks like she doesn’t clean it that often, maybe a few weeks at least. Nevertheless, this is a great thing for you. It’s time for the childish method. You walk over to Alice’s house. Spy on her window (does this make you a creep?) and on her usual place, she has a fresh warm glass of something. You could tell its warm because of how there’s a bit of smoke coming out of it. It would be nice to have a warm drink during the cold winter day right now…

Ahh, maybe later. Right now, you have another mission at hand. You walk back to the door now. And give it a few knocks.

Hey Alice, you say and take a deep breathe, Do you, wanna build a snowman?

… no response at all. You walk back to the window and gauge out her reaction.

… she moves at least. You go back to the door and knock again.

It’s a beautiful day outside, and it would be a shame to stay indoors! you continue.

… no response. You go back to the window again.

! Your eyes meet before she turns her head around. Is she interested? Is this plan that you whipped up last night after remembering the time where you goad Chen last time? Could Alice also be a bit childish? Let’s do this again. You walk back to the door list of the things that the two of you could do in the snow.

And, after a while, the window you use to spy on Alice opens. You turn your head to the direction and sees that Alice has her body slightly out of the window. Before you could say anything, Alice was the first to say,

“How long will you be doing this for?” she asks, her tone is cold, just like the cold winter.

Until you open the door, and we can talk first, you shameless say and slowly inching closer to where Alice stands. Alice stares at you, before sighing.

“Well, you’re sure tenacious, I have to give you credit. Is this how you act or is it because her personality had rubbed off of you?” she comments, “Hmph, well, I wonder how long you could stay and act like that after this,” after finishing with that, the door opens. You turn your head around and sees dolls coming out of her house. One, two, four, eight… uh, 12? Um, that’s a lot.

More dolls come piling out of the house, varying colour of dress as the eyes can see. They have small scarfs around their neck to combat the neck. And, at the forefront, Shanghai and Hourai leads the party. You wish that you can count the number of dolls that come out but sadly, your dreams are dash when Alice says,

“What is it that you said, ‘A snowball match with Marisa and others would be fun?’” she mimics your voice and gives a small snicker, “Well, why don’t we test this ourselves, don’t we? ~” she says in amusement. You look at the pack of dolls, and you could see them started to make small snowballs. The size of pebbles, as their size weren’t that big. However, because of how many there are, the small snowballs pile higher and higher, a stack of it have already reached around your knee. You turn to Alice again,

Um, Alice, are you not joining in? you ask, as she is still staying inside. Alice places her finger underneath her chin, thinking. Before giving you a warm smile,

“Well, you were the one that suggests this, and my dolls need a little break too. Be a dear and entertain them, would you? As for me, I prefer watching~,” she says. Then, she leans out, places her hand on the window knob, ready to close it.

“Shanghai. Hourai. Have fun~” with that, she closes the windows and the multitude of snowballs rain down on you from the left side. It doesn’t hurt, but it after repeating hits, it started to sting. You shield your hand out from the barrage of snowballs and make a run for it. Well, you did try to reason and join in the attack(play) but was overwhelmed. Running is the only option at that point. Despite being many, their coordination is on point. Not one instance you feel that the snowball ever ceasing increasing. In the end, the dolls chase you out away from Alice’s lawn, and another failure is what greets you today.

After a couple of fails attempt for a couple days, night comes at the Hakurei Shrine, you slump your head on top of the warm kotatsu after partaking with dinner It was that long ago that your hand had already healed fully. Reimu is in the kitchen, washing the utensil and table ware, while Marisa sits next to you, taken a mikan from the bowl at the middle and peeling it open. While focusing on peeling the fruit, she asks you, “Is Alice still being stubborn?” You just nod, and Marisa had finished finished peeling it. She asks again, “Do you really think that you can get her to open up? Do you want me to help you out?” she plops a slice into her mouth, savouring the taste. As much as that would be helpful, you still want to try out yourself, so, you say that while you appreciate her gesture, you wanted to try this on your own. She gives a soft smile,

“Hahaha, that’s the spirit. Tenacity is a great power. Here, mikan. Open up. Ahh~” she hovers a slice mikan right in front of you. Without thinking, you take the fruit and swallow: it’s sweet, “How’s that, sweet, isn’t it? ~” Marisa asks. You nod, and Marisa looks happy, “Ehe, I have a talent for choosing the sweetest mikan, you know? You should be thankful to me,” she ate another, and afterwards, hover another for you, and you take it again. And again: it’s sweet.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of you two,” Reimu joins inside the kotatsu, and taking a mikan for herself.

“Oh, is Reimu jealous seeing us~” tease Marisa, which is odd, as Reimu had never shown any interest in you.

“I just don’t want him to start being lazy. He had been going out and about, not doing his duty. Not to mention, you are a bad influence on him,” plop the mikan to her mouth.

“Hey! That’s rude! I’m the best influence for him. Isn’t that, right?” she looks at you, waiting for a response. However, Reimu cuts in,

“Yeah, yeah, the thieving, freeloading magician, has a good influence on the youth. What a bizarre world we’re living in,” and with that, the two are going back and forth, laying all the dirty laundry out for you to hear. Despite the two are bickering like cats and dogs, the two are still friends. Now that you think about it, you never known how Reimu and Marisa get together. A shrine maiden and magician aren’t something that have in common, do they? Curios, you ask the two how they became friends,

“Hm? Ah, well, it’s becau- “Reimu begins, but is cut off quickly by Marisa,

“It’s because how I, the Great Marisa, sees how alone Reimu is, and the benevolent me opens my hand and lend her an open he- Yeowch!” Marisa screams. Reimu has pinch Marisa’s side,

“She came up to me, said something about the red mist, and sooner or later, she comes and annoys me at the shrine, even now.”

“You don’t have to pinch my sides! Ow ow ow… it hurts…”

“You reap what you sow. You tell lies, you get pinch,” the two finishes. But, that doesn’t explain why Marisa kept coming to the shrine.

“… you make it like I’m not wanted here…” Marisa pouts. You try to appease Marisa but she just laughs, “Ahahaha, that’s cute~. Just make me want you more~. Anyway, there isn’t any reason really, I just wanted to hang out with Reimu here. And I do what my heart wants.”

“Wish you brought something to the table sometimes…” Reimu mutters.

Watching the two, you could see that they have an inseparable bond to them. It is amazing on how two different people could still be friends. Maybe it’s because they have the same common: youkai extermination. Strange to see Marisa join in as well, but eh, Gensokyo has always been weird. You learn so from the ‘rivaling’ shrine (said Reimu). You watch the two reminisce their past a bit more.

…

…

…? wait, maybe… that’s it! You stand up abruptly, startling the two.

“Wah, what’s wrong?”                                                                                                            “Hm, what’s up?”

You might have an idea on how to get Alice to open her heart. Tomorrow, you need to make a pit stop somewhere. Somewhere familiar. Hopefully, she is willing to help you.

 

Morning comes at Alice’s home. A blonde woman is peacefully sleeping on her bed. Later, at the same time, she opens her eyes. Slowly, she sits up, and stretches her arm upwards, loosening the stiffness of her body from the deep sleep she just had. She rubs her eyelids, a slight drowsiness is still present, but she has to get up now, or else, the bed will claim her body again, and she won’t wake up till later, and that is not something she wanted. Begrudgingly, she goes to the edge of the bed and stands up. Slowly, she walks over to her window. The curtain is closed and with a tug, she opens it, letting the sun hit her body. Outside, she looks over to see snow, snow, and snow. Clearly, it is still winter. Anyway, she needs to get ready for the day, so she does her usual grooming routine.

“Morning, Shanghai, Hourai,” after finishing freshening up, Alice greets her two main dolls. The two cute doll salute back, seeing Alice coming closer to her. Looking at the table, a set of tableware are present, but there isn’t any food nor water. Maybe she had woke up earlier, because usually, breakfast had already been present. Oh well, maybe she’ll make it for today. She rubs the head of the two doll and make her way to her kitchen.

Breakfast is ready. A simple English breakfast: egg, toast, some mini tomato, and a lettuce leaf with complimentary black breakfast tea. She sits down, pay her respect and slowly partaking the meal. Even though she doesn’t need to eat anymore because of using a forbidden magic, there is nothing wrong for her to take in something delicious. She takes a peek out of the window, and she could see snow. Not a peeper could be seen today as well. She returns back to her meal, and back to the window. After the third peek, she only focuses on her meal instead.

With breakfast done, the dolls are task to clean around the house a bit, while Alice’s focus on her research today. But before that, she peeks again to the window and turn back to her work. During her work, she caught glances on her dolls: some was looking at the window, some was waiting at the door, Shanghai and Hourai are looking restless as well next to her. Alice sigh.

“It has been three days since he came here, and he had been playing with my dolls. Now they’re expecting him to come and play. Surprising that he was willing to play with them for a week. What was it again that they played? Tag? Hide and Seek? House? There was a time they were making a snowman. But now, he’s gone. Not even a month and he had given up. Hmph, serves him right. Thinking that I’m just a pushover,” Alice thought to herself, she flips the page of her book. The words are not entering her mind at all

“Then again… maybe I was a bit too harsh on him. Maybe he was interested in learning, and I just pushed him away. But, I don’t really want to teach him. Not to mention, how closed he was with Marisa. Marisa, that blockhead. She had been distant and then one day, she came to meet with me, but then she brought a guy with her. She has also been acting weird lately, having an interest with doll making. You know, she could just ask me. Wouldn’t a hands-on experience be better than reading a book? Sure, it’s hypocritical of me to say that, but an experience teacher is miles better for learning.”

“… maybe that was what Marisa wanted for that guy too… Sigh. Was I too harsh on him? Again, I don’t like teaching magic to people. It’s not like anyone are willing to divert their life to it. Feels like it is pointless. And this tug around isn’t pleasant. … Alright. I’ll just say it to him straight then. And if he doesn’t leave, maybe I’ll ask him to bring Marisa with him and I’ll express what I think clearly, over a nice, warm, cup of tea. Yeah,” Alice nods to herself. With new resolution, she flips the page of her book. And, with perfect timing,

 

*knock knock*

 

two knocks on the door. Some of the fairies jerk up and turn their heads to the direction of the sound (Alice too). Some stop their work and take a peek at the window, while some of them are waiting expectantly at the door. Turning their head to Alice, waiting for orders. Shanghai and Hourai, however, still stay besides Alice. Hm, what are the odds. He is here today… Alice thought to herself. She was expecting him to come, maybe a bit longer, but this is fine as well. She just needs to do what she set out to do: a proper conversation. With that, she stands up and walk over to the door, expecting to meet with the young man that Marisa had brought to her.

“Alright, alright, you win, come in and we can ta…lk, thi…s o…-out?” Alice opens the door. Expecting a man, she was instead greeted with someone else: a woman.

A young woman, with long blonde hair, a red headband rest on her head, she wears a blue dress with a small white apron tied to her waist. Her face has some make up on. Her chest is flat, flatter than a board. On her neck, a checker red-white scarf is draped on, mainly to combat the winter cold. Alice had never seen her before in the Human Village or anywhere else in Gensokyo. It is strange if she wasn’t the talk of the village. Maybe she comes from the Outside world? The woman smiles at Alice, bringing Alice out of her stupor,

“O-oh, I’m sorry for staring at you! I was just surprised to see someone comes over here to this part. Are you lost?” Alice asks the woman. The woman still smiling. However, she then huddles her arms together, hugging herself, signalling that she is cold, “O-h my! How rude of me! It is freezing outside, and I haven’t invite you in. Uh, Shanghai! Hourai! Please prepare a set of tea for me and our guest here,” Alice orders her doll from inside. Then, she turns back to the woman, “Please, come in, come in,” she says to the woman. However, instead of entering, the woman laughs: a very coarse and manly laugh. Afterwards, she says,

Finally, I got you to open up! the woman says, however, the strange part is, she recognizes this voice. It’s hard to not know him. The man that had been pestering her for roughly a week plus. Alice turns back to ‘her’ and points,

“A-are you…?” her voice quivers. With a smug grin, ‘she’ reveals herself.

Hah, can’t believe that this is what needed for me to get you to open up! I have to thank Sakuya for this. Now, I will allow my…self i- before you could finish your sentence. Alice try to quickly close the before, but luckily, you manage to wedge your right-hand and right leg in between the door and door frame. Ow! It hurts! She is somewhat strong for someone who stays indoor all day! But that’s beside the point, you need to re-convince Alice to let you in.

W-wait wait wait! What’s wrong, Alice!? Didn’t you allow me in a few seconds ago?! you ask, in between holding the door and prying it open. Alice strengthens her power, not letting you in at all.

“I was at first! But I don’t want to see any pervert enter my home!” she explains, enunciating the word ‘pervert’. You take offense to that!

P-pervert?! I’m not a pervert! I just wanted to be friends with you! you try to reason, but you could see the most disgusted face that you can see someone make. It looks similar to when Aunn ate a lemon as a punishment game for losing the hanafuda match.

“I! Don’t! Want! To! Be! Friend! With! A Man! That! Wears! A Woman! Clothing!” she stresses her word one by one. You go back and forth, but eventually, she relents. The magician has no chance to win a battle of stamina with someone who actually exercise!

You are now inside Alice’s home. You stay seated on the same chair as last time, a warm tea, wafting through your nose. Alice is seated further away from you; she takes a sip from her teacup. Flying around you, Shanghai and Hourai checks you out, whether curios, or impress, you couldn’t tell. And, how can you have forgot: she had tied your hands and leg together, a requirement that she had given to you for entering her home. You ask her if the binding was even necessary and Alice replies with,

“It’s a safety measure. I don’t want the pervert to touch any of my possession,” and another sip she takes from her cup, “Now, I know I will regret asking this, but-“she checks you out again, bewildered by your outfit, “-why are you in… that?” she asks. Of course you have a reason for this. That is because you’re not a pervert that enjoy wearing a women clothing. You tell Alice that you’re doing this for her. She raises her right eyebrow, allowing you to continue. You continue by saying to her that you try to match the apparel as her doll.

“… why?” Alice asks. You say to her that you were just trying to find a common interest with her, “… common interest?” she asks again. You tell her that her dolls are all wearing dresses, so you thought that she wasn’t comfortable with, well, male. Alice blinks a few times before pinching the bridge of the nose, between the eyes, “… and what led to that discovery?” You continue by telling her that because all of her dolls is made for girls, so, well, that is where the direction of your thought go. Alice rubs her temple, tired and confuse. Even after listening to your reasons, she finds it ludicrous. Is this really a friend that Marisa would want learning magic from? She wonders what happen if he were able to use it. But, that probably wouldn’t happen, so let’s expel the thought. Anyway, the now is what she needs to focus on. Alice takes another glance at you for a while, and then asks, “That dress. Where did you get it from?” With that question, you retell the tale from three days ago,

It was morning at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Sakuya was currently doing her daily cleaning and patrol around the mansion. She had done giving orders to the fairy maid, put the mistress’s sister to bed, and ‘wake up’ the gatekeeper, preparing meals for the librarian. A lot of work that Sakuya had done in the morning. Now, Sakuya was currently thinking on what to make for dinner. Maybe Chinese? Meiling would probably love that. It has been a while since they have those. She just needs to make sure that they will be less garlic than usual for the mistress. As she was checking the area for any mess that the fairy maid had missed, she could hear footsteps from afar. Turning her head, she could see a young man walking up to her. Sakuya smiles brighten. She fixed her hair, pat her maid dress skirt, patting away any dust that lingers and fix in place her headpiece. She clears her throat and wait for her man to come to her.

Morning, Sakuya, you said to Sakuya, her smile glisten as the morning sun.

“And a good morning to you,” she bowed her head a bit, “It has been a while since we met, the last time was when you fractured your arm playing with the yakumo’s shikigami’s shikigami. Are you doing well? You look a bit rough up, did that shrine maiden run you ragged? Would you like to stay here and work under the mistress? She would gladly swoop you away~”

I’m fine, Sakuya, and Reimu is treating me well… Well, well-ish with Reimu’s standard, you gave a small snicker. Sakuya kept her smile on her face.

“Ah, what a shame~. If you had just came her first…” Sakuya muttered, but you just ignore her for now, “Nevertheless, this is wonderful. Would you like to see the mistress today? Unfortunately, she wanted to be left alone for the day,” she turned her head behind, maybe she thought that her mistress is there abruptly, “And Miss Patchouli is neck with her book, as usual. Speaking of, Miss Patchouli had been talking about you,” she turned back to you.

She did? you asked.

“She has. She was wondering when you’re coming back with her book from the thief’s residence. She looked a bit sad when her book bringer is out of service. And Miss Koakuma is sad that she doesn’t have her working buddy again, but she is still doing her best,” Sakuya placed her finger under her chin, mimicking a thinking man, “And, I assume that you have met with Miss Meiling?”

I did. She gave me a, uh, warm greeting, you scratched your head.

“And, as for me~” Sakuya slowly walked forward. She was now in front of you. She puts her hand out, waiting for yours. So, you do as well and then, she brings your hand closer to her face for her to plant her lips there. You can feel your skin with her lip touches. You jerk for a bit, but her grip was reassuring. Sakuya had always this aura that makes it feel like everything will be alright in the end. After she planted her lips, she brought your hand to her left face, and she tilts her head to your hand. Your hand was now planted on her left-side of her face.

“I miss you,” she smiles, her tone of voice was soft and sweet, “After that last time, you had never come back here… Was it rough for you?” You told her no, “Then, was it because of the mistress’s sister?” You told her that she might be rough, but she is sweet on the inside, “Then… was it because of me?” You told her that it wasn’t that at all, it’s just that you have other things to do. She continued, “Then… do you like me?” You stayed silent. Her eyes pierce to yours. You honestly said that you like her, “Then, would you stay here… with me?” she looked at you, expectantly. However, you told her that you can’t, same as last time. Sakuya waited for a bit before closing her eyes, her smile never left. “I see…” she opened her eyes again, and slowly she removed her face from your hand, however, she stills hold on to it, “You have your responsibilities. I understand that. But, if there are times where you want to run away. Remember, the Scarlet Devil Mansion’s door is always open. And me, I’m always here,” after that, she lets go. After she had let go, you can still feel the warmth of her hands on yours. Maybe because it is winter, the warmth is more pronounced.

“With that being said, is there anything that you need? Maybe we can talk this over some tea. It has been a while since we last see each other~,” Sakuya places her hands together. Having tea does sounds promising, but maybe getting into it is better.

Sakuya, you said, getting the attention of the Head Maid, Please, turn me into a girl!

…

…

…? You feel two hands on your shoulder and looking forward, Sakuya had already been in front of you.

“I may be able to accept whatever that you bring me, but I have to ask: why?” Sakuya said with a smile, but you could feel the tension from it. Of course, you have your reason, so you told her about it: about Alice, about Marisa, and about her dolls. Sakuya listened to the words you said, her face slowly turned neutral. After you finished, Sakuya blinks a few times, and sighed, “I knew that you had your reason, but this leap of logic of yours is…” Sakuya pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine coming on, “Luckily, the things that the mistress had asked me is much more… creative. I assumed that you only wanted to look like a girl?” she stressed the last few words, making sure that she is not going crazy. You nod. Sakuya blinks a few again and sighs, “I can’t believe the first thing he asked after coming back is… this…” Sakuya muttered, feeling complicated right now. You thought that this venture would be a bust, but luckily, Sakuya kip up,

“As much I would like to protest this, but it seems that you had your reason, even though it is outlandish, I will do my best. As the Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, there is no task that I am incapable of!” she struck a pose fill with confidence. You had always admired the way that Sakuya will tackle things, even if it is a bit different than her usual task, “Plus, it sounds fun, and I need to release my stress somehow,” she said to herself, out loud.

… on second thought, maybe you should find somebody else. However, Sakuya does look determined now, so you were trapped by your choice.

“But first,” she brought out one her knives that she had hidden, and threw it outside to her left, where a window was left open and directly hit a tree further out. Strangely though,

“Ayayaya!” the tree screamed. A familiar scream. Sakuya walked over to the opened window and said to the ‘tree’ outside,

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, isn’t it, Miss Reporter~?” Sakuya addressed the tree. The branch of the tree ruffled, and comes out a crow tengu, a camera was ready on her hands, there are some tree leaves stuck to her hair, “And don’t you dare run~ You might be fast, but I’m sure that I can find you wherever you fly off to~” seeing that her options are limited, the crow tengu gives up, and enter the mansion from the same window that Sakuya had thrown out.

“Ayaya, as expected of perfect devil maid~, even when there is a guest, you are keen to your surrounding~,” she landed her red geta on the inside of the mansion. She flashed you a smile, “Yahoo~, it has been a while, hasn’t it? ~” she winked.

It certainly has, Miss Aya, you replied.

Aya Shameimaru, a crow tengu. Occupation: Journalist for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. She was the few early one that came and met you at the shrine, asking questions about you. But, that is story for another time. Anyway, what is she doing here, you wonder?

“Fufu, isn’t it obvious?” she placed her hand (in between the thumb and index finger) under her chin, then proudly said, “When there is news to cover, the Bunbunmaru Newspaper will be the first to cover it!” Aya posed triumphantly, proud of what she had said.

“Weren’t all your story troubles that you created?” Sakuya interjected.

“Ayaya, that is slander, my dear Sakuya! The Bunbunmaru Newspaper deals with the truth, and only the truth! Sure, some of it, a tiny amount of it has my flair on it, but that is beside the point! My very own reader will back me up on this, right?” she stood next to you, waiting for a response. You wished that you could back her up, but you couldn’t tell her that you can’t validate what it is that she writes. Furthermore, Reimu only uses her newspaper as kindle for her flame, cleaning material or other thing she deems useful. In the end, you just smile at her,

“Ayaya, that doesn’t seem very reassuring…” Aya slinked down. Sakuya sighs.

“Anyway, we are getting off-tracked,” Sakuya resumed the conversation, “Miss Aya.”

“? Yes?”

“I would like for you to forget the story that you had gotten today~” with a smile, Sakuya requested.

“Ayaya, you know I can’t do that, Miss Sakuya! If I do that, it will ruin the Journalistic Integrity that I have. As I said before, the Bunbunmaru Newspaper deals with the truth, and only the truth! To pick and choose our story, and not covering something because of a permission, will ruin the Bunbunmaru Newspaper image! So, I must refuse,” Aya calmly said.

“Oh my, is that so~? Well,” Sakuya picked up her knives again, “I was thinking of making Chinese today, Peking Duck, and it was missing a vital ingredient: the meat. And lucky me, the perfect cut is standing right in front of me~,” she smiled at Aya. Aya only snickered,

“Ayaya, how silly, Miss Sakuya. Everyone knows that Peking Duck uses a duck, it’s in the name!”

“Hm? Oh dear, you are mistaken Miss Aya. This is a special version just for today: Peking Crow~. I wonder how it would taste~,” even with the blatant threat, Aya doesn’t relent.

“Ayaya, Miss Sakuya. No matter what you say to me, the truth shall get out with my trusty right hand: my camera!” proudly, Aya showed of her hand. Unfortunately, her hand remained empty.

“Oh, you mean, this camera? ~” and now it is currently in Sakuya’s hand. Aya’s face dropped down as she watches her trusty right-hand man, disappear from her hand.

“L-let go of her!” Aya was ready to charge forward to grab her camera, however, Sakuya was ready. She placed the tip of her knife directly on the lens of Aya’s camera. Because of that, Aya stopped under her tracks, worried that her camera’s lens will have scratches on them.

“I heard from the kappa before that your lens here is a bit expensive to get your hand on~. So, would you forget what happens today, or-“she brought her knife closer.

“A-alright alright! You win! Just, don’t damage my camera!” Aya slumped down, defeated from getting a scoop. Sakuya asked Aya to walk over to her. Puzzled and defeated, Aya do so. Afterwards, Sakuya and Aya are in silent discussion. You weren’t able to make out what they said, but, it seems they were in consensus, as how giddy Aya’s wings move in rapid succession. After the two had done dealing with their talk, Sakuya and Aya walked back to you.

“I’m sorry about that. I have to clip the wings of this crow,” Sakuya said to you. You turn to Aya, it seems like she doesn’t mind what Sakuya had said, as she is just cleaning her lens and testing her camera, looking through the camera and taking some test pictures. Sakuya continued, “Now, I know that I should be serving tea for you and our uninvited guest, but time is of the essence. So please,” Sakuya walked over to you, directly in front of you again, “I will show you true hell of being a woman,” and the rest is something that you do not want to say. This secret should only stay between you, Sakuya, Aya and the residence of Scarlet Devil Mansion.

and that is that. You tell Alice the abridge version of it. Alice listens in without interrupting.

“I see. The Scarlet Devil Mansion, right,” she takes a sip from her tea, “You did mention Sakuya before you enter my home,” Alice takes another look at you. Then, she stands up and walk over to you, “That’s why this dress is great. The stitching is immaculate, and the choice of colour is perfect. An almost one to one to what my doll would look like,” she picked up the wig that you removed and places it back onto your head, “Well, almost,” Alice looks at Shanghai and Hourai, and by then, the dolls remove the bindings of your hands and legs. You question Alice if this is fine,

“Hmph, I would prefer that you are tied up and left outside the cold,” how mean, “But, you are a friend of Marisa, and you don’t seem to be malicious, albeit a bit perverted,” you try to protest but was brushed off, “And besides, I believed that my dolls could easily overpower you, judging by the reaction you give by playing with my dolls. And I have to thank you for that, my dolls here were slightly bored, and you gave them a fun memory. Honestly, I thought that you would just quit after being assaulted by my creations, what drives you so much to move forward?” Alice asks.

It’s for Marisa, you say, without even thinking it through. Alice blinks a few times and sigh.

“That girl is poisoning your mind…” Alice mutters and afterwards, look directly at you, “Hey, listen. I will say this once: I will not teach you magic. You had already learnt from Patchouli, so you should know the basic to it?” and you did remember. Recalling back the time when you were under Patchouli’s tutelage,

“Well, to start off, magic has six components,” Patchouli stood up, behind her is a chalkboard that Koakuma had brought over. She picked up a chalk on the board and started scribbling on the chalkboard, “Firstly, the caster’s ability ( 技量), then their temperament ( 気質) of the soul, after is the substance ( 物質) of their material and tools, then the space ( 空間) where the magic took place, the time ( 時間) the spell is performed and lastly, fortune ( 運),” Patchouli finishes writing on the chalkboard.

Inside five small circle is written starting from the former and lastly a big circle for the last one, the other five circle is circling the big circle. All the small circles have a small arrow pointing from the big circle. Patchouli coughed a bit. It seems that a bit of dust had entered her windpipe. After she had finished writing, she went back to her seat and sat down,

“All of this are what needed for a magic spell to work. Without this, the chance of succeeding is minimal to non-existent. However, if the magician lacks the five small circle, the big circle can help compensate what the magician lack,” Patchouli said. During her talk, you glanced again at the chalkboard and then back to Patchouli, “Right now, you have no basic knowledge of spell casting. You have not start on any research pertaining to magic. You are basically an infant, trying to read a book on cold fusion. The best that you can do is copy, copy, and copy. Fake it. Marisa has the right idea on bringing you to another magician. Because, maybe, you can tick of one of the few circles: the material, time and place, but without the rest, there is, again, no chance. Maybe if you have something lucky on you, but I will assumed no if you kept on failing,” Koakuma came with a warm cup of tea for you and Patchouli. Patchouli thanked her and took a sip of it.

“And, that is it. In short: copy the masters. Until you find something that you wanted to research, then copy. Fake your life. For somebody that have no direction, the best to do is follow for now,” Patchouli finished. It is a bit sad that you couldn’t just ate something to get the powers, but, it is a start. You thanked Patchouli for her teaching, and as she said, you copy from her. What she was researching at that time, and the incantation that she did. It fails, but you feel like you got somewhere… you hope.

“… hmph, so she did teach you something, at least,” Alice looks away, “Well, it seems that is a fair approach: if you want to learn, then copy me. If you have any question, I’ll answer. However,” she points to you, “I have some demand: one, you are to wear that every time you come here,” it is already embarrassing enough wearing this, and now she wanted you to wear this again?! You try to open your mouth, to protest but was cut off, “Two, you are to help around the house with my dolls. If I asked you to do something, you do it,” that is just like your time at the mansion or shrine, except-uh, not in this outfit, “And lastly…” she paused for a bit. She’s tapping her chin with her finger, thinking whether or not to say her last request, but then, “Never mind, it’s not important,” she backtracked, “So,” she put her hands out, “Do we have a deal?” Well, the only thing that you aren’t happy is the outfit, but that doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you managed to break the walls of Alice’s heart! You shake on it, making a deal with the magician(devil).

And so, your routine for a week has been as followed: in the morning, you helped a bit at the shrine, next, you enter the Scarlet Devil Mansion to dress up (you can’t let the shrine, or anyone else know your secret) and then, you met up at Alice’s. Either copying her, helping her clean around the house, play with the dolls. Honestly, you feel like you were just playing around more than learning, but, you can’t complain. Even though you try copying and did ask, some of the concept just flies past your head. But, again, slowly but surely… you hope.

Two weeks had passed; you are currently on a chess match with Hourai. Shanghai are looking over Hourai’s shoulder, helping with morale for her. Your brain started hurting after the third page of the research paper that Alice had made. Speaking of Alice, she is still continuing her research: making an autonomous doll. When ask what’s the difference is with the doll that she have,

“Hm? Ah, these dolls here are different,” Alice waved her finger and some of the dolls came to life, “The dolls here are moved by my will. You might not be able to see the threads, but there are there. So, if my dolls do this,” the dolls that moved before started to dance, “I am the one who control it. Same as the other doll as well,” to demonstrate, Alice brings more doll to life and started moving them around. Seeing them up close, it’s amazing that she could do this with how many there are. Alice snickered, “Of course. This is something that I’ve thought to myself from a very young age. It would be a shame if I was still bad at it,” a smile is plastered on her face. You watched the dolls move as Alice controlled them, but wait, doesn’t that mean?

Wait, then, last time, when you brought out your dolls to attack me: doesn’t that mean you were the one that was playing with me then? you asked Alice. After you asked, the dolls stop and are now hovering over you. Then, the dolls started to hit you one by one. Alice looked away,

“You know, this is the time where you should just ignore it!” embarrassed. After a while, the barrage of hit stop. Thankfully, it was only light hit. Not like last time. Satisfied with her attack, she continued, “So, yes, the dolls I have and the one I’m researching are different. They lack one thing: a soul. Maybe the one that I do right now is similar, but they needed my thought. I wanted one that could move without my input. Without my control. However, after staying like this for long, I wonder if an autonomous doll is that great even…” Alice looked a bit sad after saying that,

the next thing you knew, it was checkmate. Shanghai and Hourai are hugging each other, being giddy with one another. Well, you were up against Alice, so it’s no surprise. Still, she is amazing that she could do all this work while simultaneously neck deep in her research. However, you wonder if her health is strong enough to keep her going. You haven’t seen her do any exercise, and the cleaning is done by her dolls. But, is this still counts as her doing her chores if she was the one controlling them? Anyway, you are taking rest right now. Shanghai and Hourai are cleaning the table. You watch outside the window: white. Snow white.

“Fu, nggh~” Alice stretches her body after closing her book, “Shanghai, Hourai,” the two heard their master calling and flown over. Alice turns their head to you, “Ah, were you playing with them?”

Yeah, and I lost… you say. Alice snickered.

“I know,” she stands up and walk over to you, “And, what do you think?” Alice asks you. She’s probably asking about learning magic under her. Honestly,

Everything flies past me… you say. Alice takes a seat across you.

“That is alright. Failure is a stepping stone of success. You fail, you learn, you do, and you fail. Until one day, the chance of failure is less than your chance of success. So, kip up,” Alice smiles. Even though she had said that to you, it feels like she is trying to encourage herself. Nevertheless, it’s a good message to hear. You smile back at her, and she look away, “Although, it’s not pleasant to say this to a pervert wearing woman’s clothing,” hearing that, you wanted to protest again, but, seeing from the outside, you do look like a pervert. You try to fix the wig on your head, it feels like it will come off at any sudden movement. If anyone else that you know see you wear this, it would be incredibly awkward an- “

“Yo, Alice!” the door slams open and here comes someone you know, the black-white magician, Kirisame Marisa. Jerked by the noise, you turn your head away, hopefully she won’t spot you (or recognize you) in this outfit. Alice stands up,

“Marisa! Would you please don’t come in abruptly like this! Also, my door is not made from steel! If I see that my door is broken again- “

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. By the way, I heard that you let him learn under you~. I knew you have a soft heart in you~,” Marisa teases.

“Hmph! I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not that heartless. Besides, this is because he just won’t stop pestering me. Giving me a headache, that guy is,” Alice berates you. You notice this before too, but whenever the topic of Marisa was brought up, Alice seems a bit defensive or agitated. Sometimes you were also the target of the venting. Patchouli was the same as well. But in the end, you know that she still thinks Marisa as a friend. However, this situation is bad, but not salvageable. Marisa is currently focused on Alice right now, so now you just need to be like air. Be non-existent, be nothing. And let the day pass you by with nothingness an-

“Hahaha, so, where is he anyway? I didn’t see him around here at all,” Marisa scans the room.

“Hm? A-ah, who knows? Maybe he didn’t come today. Anyway, why do you know that anyway?” Alice asks.

“Hm? Because he said so to me,” Marisa points to herself with her thumb, “So, I wanted to see the things that you two are doing. Because when I asked if I could come, he was acting all defensively. So, I deem it suspicious, so I decided to come in and make a surprise visit! You two aren’t doing anything weird, are you?” Marisa leans closer to Alice.

“Hmph. Why? Feeling left out? ~ Is little Marisa lonely?” Alice mocks.

“Yeah, my two friends are hanging out and I was left in the dust. Of course, I feel lonely,” honestly, Marisa say.

“Sigh, honestly, because how of how you act, that I…” Alice mutters something but falls on deaf ears.

“Anyway,” you take a peek, and she is pointing at you! “Who is that over there?”

“Hm?” Alice turns her head to the direction of Marisa’s finger, “Ah, th-that is someone from the village! She was just lost and trying to find her way back,” Alice tries to reason with Marisa. Maybe she doesn’t want people to know that she forces you to wear the woman’s clothing. That would be a can of worm to explain,

“Oh, my Alice made another friend~. Alright~. As your friend, I should back you up!” Marisa walks past Alice and sits next to you while Alice calls out to Marisa. Your back is facing Marisa, and your face is hidden,

“Yahoo, nice to meet you. I’m Marisa, the friend of Alice here. Alice here can be a bit rough and a handful, but I hope that you can stay friends. By the way, what’s your name?” Marisa asks but you give no response. If you were to open your mouth, she’ll know who you are. And you could already imagine the gross out face that Marisa would give. And then, she would laugh at you for doing something stupid. That is something you try to prevent!

“Marisa, stop it! She is a bit shy around others,” Alice tries to help you out.

“Hm? Ah, sorry! I was excited to see Alice found another friend that I lost my self. ~ But,” Marisa bores hole behind you, “I’ve never seen anyone wear what that at the village before. They look just like your dolls, Alice,” Marisa turns to Alice.

“Oh, really? I never noticed, haha… A-anyway, is that all? This may seem rude, but I need you to leave, Marisa,” Alice puts her hand on Marisa’s shoulder, trying to hoist her to her feet.

“What?! Come on, Alice! We haven’t met for a while, and you already kicking me out?” Marisa is now standing up, with Alice holding her by the armpit now.

“The timing is just bad, and I have a guest over right now, so if you please.”

“Come on! Why can’t we just hang out together?! I wanted to know about your new friend too!”

“She is shy and uncomfortable with how loud you are.”

“Well, we don’t know that! Maybe she is fine with me being here. Right?” Marisa turns to you, but you didn’t give a reply. Alice’s grips tighten,

“Alright alright, come on Marisa, it’s time for you to leave.”

“Well, at least tell me where he w- woah!” Marisa struggles by Alice’s grip. However, she slips and was falling to the floor. Luckily, you manage to catch her before she falls to the ground. Your arm is wrap around her back and you give a sigh. Marisa stares at you directly at your face,

“Th-thank yo-“before she could finish her gratitude, your blonde wig started to slip and slip it does, smack dab right to Marisa’s face, and your face and head could clearly be seen by Marisa. Marisa’s eyes widen and the only thing that you could say is,

Hi, Marisa, before she gives a loud scream.

 

“Alright, talk,” Marisa is sitting next to you, in front of her is the fallen wig, while Alice ran is making another batch of tea. With no chance of getting out of this, you tell her everything. Marisa listens but her eyes are full of scrutiny. After you finishes, Marisa continues,

“Sometimes, I wonder if your brain is on the same world as ours…” making a light jab, “But, your weird way of thinking does prove result. And, that wind priestess would probably justify it by saying how odd Gensokyo is…” Marisa mutters to herself. Then, she picks up the wig and places it on your head. You guess that she wanted you to wear it, so you do. Afterwards, you look at Marisa. And she looks at you. This goes on for a few seconds, before she slams her head on the table. You ask Marisa what’s wrong, but she doesn’t answer. However, you could hear her murmur something,

“Hah… I can’t believe that this fits him so… Sakuya can make anything work, can’t she…” but you couldn’t make out what it was. You shake Marisa asking what’s wrong before she reacted by saying, “Stop! I don’t want to look at you right now! I don’t want to switch team!”

Confused by what she meant, you let her be. After a while, Alice comes back with a new batch of tea. She sits the opposite of you and Marisa, “Come on Marisa. He doesn’t look that bad,” and take a sip of it. Marisa raises her face, but her chin nestles on the table,

“Yeah, but what I’m more concerned is why you let him wear this inside your house,” Alice removes her lips from her teacup. Stare directly at Marisa and says,

“Eye candy. He looks almost like one of my dolls, and between the option of the default option and this, I chose this. Even though it may sound perverted.”

Default option… you mutter. Marisa sits upright and looks at you, “Well, if the end result is fine, then it’s fine by me,” Marisa takes a sip, “However! I don’t like it when you try to hide something this interesting from me! You make it feel like that I’m not important,” Marisa pouts. Even though you wanted to say that this isn’t fun for you, you wanted to get this over with. You promise to bring her along if there is something interesting going on, “And, I want a favour from you. A favour that I can cash in whenever I wanted, then I forgive you,” and that too. Marisa smiles and say, “Then you’re forgiven. So, Alice, what do you think?” Marisa turns to Alice. Alice places her teacup on the saucer,

“He has no talent nor skill. I prefer if you just give up, but if you are willing to try still, my door is always open. You can use the key that I gave to Marisa as well. My doll will entertain you if I weren’t available.”

“Does that apply to me too~?” Marisa interjects.

“If you pay for my door, windows and return my books, I’ll think about it.”

“Think?! Not even an absolute, ‘yes’?!” Marisa playfully says. You laugh at the two antics. It reminds you of Marisa and Reimu’s antics. And so, the three of you spend the entire day at Alice’s home.

“Oh right, there is oooneeee moooreee thing that you could do for me~,” Marisa says, a mischievous grin on her face.

 

Night at the Hakurei Shrine, you, Reimu and Marisa are taking in dinner in silence. An awkwardness is in the air. Well, you couldn’t blame Reimu, because who would’ve thought that her male residence is now wearing women’s clothing. The reaction of Reimu at first was bewilderment, a sigh, and ignoring while Marisa is laughing at the background. Even now, Marisa is snickering to herself. Reimu closes her eyes and enjoying her meal. Thankfully, Aunn was having dinner with the Myouren Temple, Clownpiece are sleeping in, and Suika… is Suika, she probably found someplace to drink. You look at Reimu and she doesn’t give a single glance to you. Sigh. This is going to be a long talk again tonight. It has been a while since this happens.

Dinner is finished, Reimu take it herself to do the chores (something she usually piles on you), so you’re just waiting at the porch outside, looking at the moon. Then, Reimu sits next to you with a white porcelain bottle and two small sake cups. She pours one and handed it to you. You ask her where she got this from and what the occasion is,

“Hm? Rice sake, Suika’s stash. She wouldn’t mind even if we take a little,” she pours one for herself, “And, I might need this when you told your story, “She brings up the cup, and places it on her lip, taking small sips. You do the same. After ingesting, you feel your body slowly warms up. It feels nice, “So?” Reimu ushers you to tell her your story. Can’t believe you have to tell this story twice now, but whatever. You tell Reimu the same thing that you tell Marisa: about Alice, Sakuya, the reason for wearing this. Reimu listens in while drinking slowly. Sometimes, she re-pours a cup for you. After a while, you finish your tale, while Reimu took another sip. She then asks,

“Is that all?” her face looks a bit reddish by now. You say that that’s all, and Reimu nod. She sighs, “Maybe next time we should get that doctor to check your brain as well,” she jests. You give a quiet laugh and now it is silence again. You watch the moon with Reimu. No clouds in the sky, the moon and stars are your witness. The cold breeze is hitting your body. The rice sake is doing wonders to your body.

“The moon is beautiful tonight,” Reimu mutters to herself. You turn to look at Reimu and she is looking at you as well. Your eyes lock with each other. Afterwards, Reimu puts down her sake cup, and she started to inch closer to you. You watch closely on Reimu, your eyes couldn’t be pried away. And now, she is directly in front of you. She raises her right hand and places it on your left face, her palm touches your face.

“You really are cute when you wear that,” Reimu starts, you could smell the alcohol from her, “You could attract so many worshippers to the shrine if you stay like that,” she smiles. You tell her that would be fraud to the worshippers, and she laugh, “Hey, it’s not fraud if they don’t find out~,” she teases. Her eyes never left yours. Her black-brownish eyes are watery, “But, you should be careful. There are some out theeers woooudl snaaatch u up,” her voice starts to slur. It looks like it’s time for you two to sleep. You put down the sake cup and place your hand on Reimu’s hand that is touching your face, and then, she falls on your chest. You shake her to see if she’s awake and it looks like she is sleeping heavily right now. You check with the wine bottle to see that it is empty.

Reimu probably drank too much. Sigh. Hopefully Suika wouldn’t be mad… after thinking that to yourself, you pick Reimu up and places her on the futon. You started to get sleepy as well, so you head back to your room, lay down your futon, and crashes. It was a hectic day today, and hopefully tomorrow is much calmer than the rest.