[X] You'll have Letty massage you.
-[X] Cushions!

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

You gotta think outside the box in situations like this.

>>175191
[x] this

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

Whelp, our entire lives has led to this moment. Now, as I see the culmination of all our struggles laid bare before us, I have but one thing to say; let the /at/ F5ing commence gentlemen.

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

>>175193
I would actually prefer it to not be /at/ material. Just a massage, not a massage.

>>175194

Yea I might have overreacted a bit. Both options are fine with me.

[X] First have them both massage you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

anons pls learn to spell

>>175193

Naw, I don't think it'll be /at/ material. Its just massages, anyways. Heh, "Just massages", sure. But no, they're really just massages.

>>175190
[X] You'll have Letty massage you.
-[X] Cushions!

Reimu gets Sakuya and le Futons. I imagine Letty must be popular in warm months. Just flop her on your person and cool down.

[x] You'll have Letty massage you.
- [x] On the futon.

Victory is sweet.

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

I approve of this course of action.

[x] All of them
- [x] On the bed

Best option.

Votes called by the way, update is being written. This one won.
>>175191

As the person who made that typo, I apologize in advance for when krisslanza punishes us for our greed by having them give Reina a perfectly innocent message.

[X] First have them both message you, then Reimu.
- [x] On the bed, of course.

- - -

Come to think of it, the way the winner got to decide everything didn't imply you could only have one of the losers massage someone... and that gave you an idea.

"Alright, I've got it. I'll use the futon, with Letty and Sakuya massaging. Once they're done, it's Reimu's turn, and they'll both massage her too."

The shrine maiden blinked in surprise. "W-wait, can you do that? I mean, we said the losers have to massage the winners..."

"On the other hand... we never did specify that it had to be on a one on one basis..." Sakuya said thoughtfully. She seemed to be getting over the sake already.

"Exactly! That's what I was thinking too."

Letty sat up from her cushion, taking a kneeling position like Reimu and Sakuya's. "Well, I don't mind either way. It could be interesting to work together with you, Sakuya."

The silver-haired maid shrugged. "Very well, I'll agree to that proposal."

"Well, if they're fine with it..." Reimu trailed off and shrugged as well.

Good thing that was sorted out so quickly and nicely. You had never actually gotten a massage before, so you were a bit curious as to how this'd really all feel... one way to go find out!

"So erm... how does getting a massage work anyway? I've ah, never had one."

Letty chuckled politely. "Oh, it's quite simple. All you need to do is lay down and relax... But you may want to take that off," she added, pointing a pale, graceful finger at your bra.

You blushed and glanced down, "E-erm, wait why? I mean, I won the game, so why do I have to strip?"

"Oh, it just seems like the straps will get in the way. You'll want me to have full reign over your back, after all~"

"E-erm, well, I guess if that's how it works..."

Still, nothing said you had to take it off in front of everyone. You walked over to the futon and lied down on your chest, then reached behind your back to fiddle with the bra, unclasping it while keeping your breasts from view. Perfect!

"Yes, just like that. Now, Sakuya, would you prefer to massage her upper or lower body? I'll take care of the other half."

"You are the more experienced one here Letty, which do you feel more comfortable with? I have a little experience."

"Hmm. If you don't have a preference yoruself... I'll take the upper half. A lower body massage usually has a 'happy ending' anyway."

"Erm, whats a 'happy ending'..."Wait, maybe I don't want to know..." you mention aloud, craning your head a bit to look behind you.

Sakuya and Letty both laughed at that as they made their way over to you. Seemed you wouldn't be getting any answers from them. Letty kneeled down at your side after fetching something from the closet, while Sakuya set herself down behind you.

"Here, Sakuya. She'll like if if you use some of this."

"Ah, thank you." The two of them quickly share something behind you.

"Now then..."

"Ahh!" You couldn't help but twitch and cry out as Letty's hands pressed into your back. They were both really cold, almost like a pair of ice blocks.

"My apologies. They're always like that at first. Don't worry, you'll soon get used to them." As she spoke, Letty started to slide her hands all over you back and shoulders in slow, steady circles. They were cold enough to make you shiver at first, but they quickly seemed to warm up. Or maybe you were cooling down? Either way, the coolness still made you really sensitive to Letty's soft, gentle touch. You could feel your back relaxing as she steadily stroked it, gradually wearing away at your tension.

"Uh, hey... don't yuki-onna kill people by draining away their heat?" Reimu asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm careful about it," Letty replied. "And every customer I service falls in love with my technique..."

While Letty continued to fondle your back. Sakuya set to work on your feet. She started by just rubbing her hands all over every inch, covering them in some sort of warm, soothing oil. Then she began to rub them down with her strong forearms, working her way down one sole and then the other. It was surprisingly forceful, but also surprisingly effective; it was almost like she was wringing the tension right out of you.

"Mm! Y-you're pretty good at that, Sakuya..."

"But of course. The Mistress always asks me to take care of her feet, after all..."

After a minute or two of that, Sakuya started to use her thumbs and palms to work on the most sensitive parts of your feet. Each spot got a few seconds of intense circular rubbing, which felt powerful enough to make your toes curl up from the stimulation.

That was a lot to handle on its own, but Letty was still hard at work on your back. Now that she'd gotten you to relax, she'd started to dig into your skin with her hands, massaging both your skin and your muscles with quick, rhythmic presses. As you got used to the temperature, you'd realized that she'd been using the same oil as Sakuya; now her hands could just glide all over your skin as they gently but insistently worked it in.

Letty and Sakuya were quite absorbed in their work, and you were starting to struggle not to moan as their expert hands took care of you. Reimu didn't have much to do, though; glancing to your side, you saw her drinking the leftover sake and looking through the deck of cards. There was a pretty strong blush on her face, though; she knew that she'd soon be getting the same treatment as you.

After your heels and soles were taken care of, Sakuya gave a bit of attention to your toes, stretching them out and apart to relieve some tension you didn't know you had. You guess they did get kind of cramped, always pressed together by your socks and your boots.

"Wow... there's a lot of ways to take care of someone's feet, huh?" you say, trying to make some conversation.

"I suppose it is a bit surprising," Sakuya replied. "Ah, but that's not to say the rest of you doesn't need any attention..." With that, she moved up to start on your calves; after getting some more oil for her hands, she pressed her hands into your skin and slid them up one after another.

She was certainly more forceful than Letty. The yuki-onna had finished massaging her way up along your back, and was now repeating the process going across. You thought she'd thoroughtly wrung out your back on the first pass, but her massaging was now more forceful and coming from a different angle, setting off another round of strange sensations. Her hands and fingers just felt pleasantly cool now, in a nice contrast to Sakuya's.

"So, which one of us is doing better? It's hard to tell who's making you moan and whimper like that," Sakuya teased.

"What?!" H-hey, you weren't moaning! You mean, your voice might have been coming out a little, but it wasn't th- "Aah!"

"See? My technique can make anyone squeal in pleasure." Sakuya had moved on to the sides of your calves now, rubbing her hands in tight as she slid them up and down along them. Your feet felt extremely relaxed but slightly tingly after Sakuya's treatment, and your legs were quickly starting to feel the same way. The maid was really good at this...

But at the same time, so was Letty. She kept your voice coming out as she put the finishing touches on your back, leaving it really cool and relaxed all over. You thought she'd stop after that, but then she came up to kneel down right in front of you.

"You shouldn't get ahead of yourself, Sakuya. There's more to a massage than just taking care of your partner's muscles." Suddenly, you felt Letty's hands pulling your head off the pillow and into her lap. It was much cooler than the pillow you'd been using, and quite a bit softer too.

"Wha? What's...mmph..."

"There, there. No need to be embarrassed. I've done much more than this for my customers, after all..." Letty didn't seem to mind, so you decided to just accept her offer and rest in her large, soft, admittedly sexy lap as she took care of your arms, neck, and shoulders with a slow, steady rubbing.

Sakuya wasn't ready to give in, though. Scooting a little further up your body, she directed her hands at your thighs. Instead of her usual vigorous movements, she just pressed her oily hands deep into your skin and slowly moved them back and forth. There was more muscle in your thighs than in your calves and feet, so you guess that made sense.

Her hand creeped awfully close to your panties a few times. You were afraid she might slip her fingers right under them and massage you there too, but she seemed willing to refrain from that. Not that you weren't still embarrassed, though. You were the one who won, but it seemed like you were the one who was getting taken advantage of!

Letty and Sakuya were both aggressive now, the maid working out your tense spots with her knuckles while the yuki-onna's hands and fingertips danced all over everything they could reach. If your body hadn't been so thoroughly massaged already, you'd probably be twitching all over. But as it was, you couldn't do anything but lie there and take it...

"Ahhh..."

"My, are you sensitive there?

"Ohh!"

"Oh, how'd I miss this spot?"

"Mm!"

"Ah, and this needs to get a nice, careful stretch..."

"Haahh..."

...

"... There, that should do it." Sakuya and Letty finally relented after what felt like fifteen minutes. You nearly forgot to put your bra back on before getting off the bed and stumbling over to the cushions. You felt pretty embarrassed after all that, but... pretty relaxed, too. It seemed like every inch of your body was completely at ease. You guess you wouldn't mind getting one of those again sometime... but not for a while...

It was hard to read Reimu's face as she watched you walk over. She was certainly red in her cheeks, but you couldn't tell if it was because she was frightened, excited, aroused, or some combination of all three. As soon as you plopped down to rest, the two nude masseuses beckoned her over, somewhat flushed themselves.

"Come on, Reimu. Time to claim you prize~"

"Uhm, s-sure..."

~

Reimu had gotten pretty much the same treatment you had, with Letty doing the top while Sakuya took care of the bottom. The shrine maiden been a bit more liberal with her voice, maybe because of the extra drinks she'd had. Listening to Letty and Sakuya tease her while she moaned under their touch had been a... distracting experience.

Now the four of you were all dressed again and sitting back down on the cushions, you and Reimu still feeling the soothing effects of your treatment. Reimu looked like she was ready to lean onto you and fall asleep, and you didn't feel too different yourself...

"Well, that took a bit longer than I'd expected. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Letty says cheerfully as she stands up. "Well, I'll go fetch the hostess now. The night's only just begun for me, so I can't keep my customers waiting. I hope you all enjoyed your stay."

It took a moment for Letty's words to click in your head, "Ah! Wait, how are we going to leave? I mean, it might cause rumors to spread if they see Reimu leaving... or even Sakuya."

Reimu coughed a bit, "I-I hadn't thought about that. It could be pretty bad to see the Hakurei shrine maiden leaving here... rumors might start spreading..."

Letty met everyone's concern with a reassuring smile. "Oh, you're hardly the first well-known people to grace the Pavilion. Don't worry, we have a few secret exits for our more discreet customers."

"The Pavilion is quite accomplished. Very well, we should take our leave that way then. Thank you for the delightful experience Letty, although I cannot say when I'll have the time to return."

"I'll admit it was quite the experience, but ah, kind of the same for me..." mumbled Reimu quietly.

You chuckled slightly and got up to inspect the chair. "I'll just need to carry this home then. I'll have it done by tomorrow, so at least I'll be back for that I suppose."

"You're very welcome. It was an honor to serve all three of you." Letty gives you all a final breast-exposing bow before leaving the room.

"If you want, I can carry it back home for you Reina. It wouldn't be a long flight..." offered the shrine maiden, sizing up the chair.

"Erm, well... I was kind of thinking we could all stay together for the evening. It's still Sakuya's day off and all."

"I appreciate the effort and thought on my day off, but if you wish to focus on your work I would understand. I know you take a great deal of pride in it, and I would feel terrible if my own needs caused you to break a promise."

Sakuya's concern was nice, but you were sure that you could finish the job in a day even without starting tonight. You might have to get up a bit early to finish by the afternoon, though... putting it off too long would risk having to drop it off in the evening, and that might be a bit awkward.

The door slides open once again to reveal the hostess, looking just as elegant as before in her expensive-looking kimono. She comes in holding a small sheet of parchment, which she sets before you as she takes Letty's place on the cushion.

"I see you all enjoyed yourselves with Letty. She's a bit unusual among our girls, but she can certainly hold her own when it comes to service."

"If she's unusual for them, I can't imagine how the rest act..." Reimu remarked quietly.

"You'll just have to become a regular and find out," teased Sakuya.

"Here is the contract for your restoration work. If you can just sign here, then we will be able to proceed." The hostess produced a brush and some ink for you as she spoke.

Signing a contract wasn't anything new to you, although using a brush was... pretty different. It was probably just like a pen, right? You took a moment to read over the contract, noting it was just the usual kind of thing... no hidden traps or anything you could see. Taking the brush, you carefully but awkwardly put your signature down on the indicated line.

"There... Sorry, first time using a brush."

"That's quite alright. We are a bit old-fashioned here, but that's just part of the business." The hostess stows everything away and stands back up. "Now then, allow me to lead you all to one of our back doors. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow, Reina."

"Of course! Ah, how should I deliver the chair tomorrow? Just go in through the front?" you ask curiously, standing to follow the hostess.

"You may if you wish, or you can use the door I'm about to show you. They'll let you in if you present the contract or your coin, though the latter might cause some confusion."

You'd have to keep that in mind. The coin wasn't something you should just go flashing around town either...

"Okay, got it. I hope this is the start of a long relationship!"

"Likewise."

The day was almost over, but there was still a good amount of time left... you felt you should treat your friends to dinner or some such, but there was the matter of the chair. You couldn't just carry it around everywhere - that'd be pretty strange - so you would need to drop it off. Or maybe there was another way to make it all work out?

- - -

This has been a pretty amazing day. Now how to end it?
[ ] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
- [ ] Head back to the village and treat them all to a nice dinner?
- [ ] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?
- [ ] It's Sakuya's day off, but maybe you could get dinner at the Mansion?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Reimu made the offer to drop it off, so why not take it?
- [ ] Pick out a place to eat, and tell Reimu to meet you and Sakuya there?
- [ ] While Reimu's doing that, see if you can't get food at the Mansion?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Other

Another update brought to you by co-writing with the Lotus Pavilion creator. I need to throw this out now, but no votes that bring us BACK to the Pavilion will be counted, so don't try it.

[X] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
- [X] Head back to the village and treat them all to a nice dinner?

Reina'll have to let Reimu and Sakuya choose where to eat, but I'm sure they'd have some idea of where to go. And it's not a group date unless they eat out!

[x] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
- [x] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?

I'm not sure if you can shut the gate once you've opened it.

[X] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
-[X] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?

>>175227
Let me rephrase, just for this vote you can't vote to go back. The Pavilion is going to remain "in" RiG, of course.

I only ask that you don't go to it TOO much.

[X] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
-[X] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?

This'll also let us get right to work. After all, we have a job now, and need to take pride in it.

In addition, that whole scene was just lovely.

>>175229
Hopefully they'll listen to that request and not have Reina take a second job there.

>>175232
I don't think I said that. I just said you couldn't vote to go back right now.

I'm co-writing this with the maker of Lotus Pavilion, so I can't really ask him to be making the time to do these updates every single day. He's busy and I appreciate the effort he's done over these updates to help me keep my daily quota going.

You're free to try and go back to the Pavilion when appropriate, I just request you don't do anything but that.

[X] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
-[X] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?


Dinner at a restaurant usually has higher quality than home-cooked food, but it lack the charm and relaxed nature of something you cook yourself.

[X] You'll go drop the chair off at home then...
-[X] You're already at home, so why not make something for dinner for everyone?

- - -

"I've got the perfect idea! Since I'll be taking the chair back home anyway, why don't we just eat dinner at my place? I'll cook up a nice homecooked meal. Should be a nice way to finish off the day. It also saves us having to fly back to the village after."

The maid nodded, "A fine idea. I was going to suggest something similar, as it seems kind of wasteful to go all the way to your house, to just come back. Are you certain you'll be fine carrying that chair?"

You chuckle and lift the chair, "Not a problem at all. I'm not too strong, but I'm strong enough to carry something as light as a chair around."

"Have any idea what you're going to make? I've always liked your cooking." asked Reimu curiously.

"Not sure yet. I'll need to see what I've got at home. Probably something involving rice though, I seem to have a lot of that lately..."

~

With the chair carefully stored away in your workshop for future work, you made your way into the kitchen and went about preparing dinner. Reimu and Sakuya passed the time by chatting away in the storefront - you couldn't hear it exactly, but you were pretty sure it was related to the Lotus Pavilion and the massage.

You had to admit that massage felt heavenly, your body had never felt so... relaxed before! It was kind of like that feeling of having a nice sleep and just being full of energy. In fact, you were pretty sure that after dinner as done, you could probably start a little bit of work on the chair before going to sleep... doing it overnight was an option, but you knew from personal experience that messing up your sleep schedule just tended to ruin your schedule for weeks.

As you had expected, you seemed to have mostly rice in your house. You should maybe look into restocking at some point, but either way, you had enough ingredients to make some pretty decent fried rice if you had to say so yourself. You had to admit, you were a little nervous about feeding Sakuya - as the head maid of the mansion, she surely was quite the chef herself.

The silver-haired maid slowly ate you food, as if savoring it for some moments, before responding.

"This is quite good Reina. You have quite the talent for cooking."

"Ah, thank you Sakuya. I'm glad you liked it, I have to admit, I was a little worried it might not be up to your standards..."

Sakuya smiled, "You might be surprised, but even mistress Remilia is not a very picky eater. She would be quite happy to eat your food as well, I would say."

"Remilia always seemed picky to me. But I guess you know her better then any of us." commented Reimu.

"I hope your day off was enjoyable?"

"Without a doubt, this has certainly been the most interesting day off. I will admit, losing that game at the Pavilion was a bit disappointing, I should have not let the sake control me so." the maid sighed and shook her head, "I would have liked to gotten a massage, but I suppose on another day off, I can help myself to one. From the sounds both of you made, I can see you enjoyed yourselves."

Both you and Reimu's faces lit up red and you became suddenly intensely busy eating your food. Sakuya merely laughed at your reactions, returning to her eating.

After dinner was finished, the three of you merely idly chit-chatted, and some tea was served. It had been a pretty packed day, and there was a lot to talk about. But none of it was particularly important, just the small talk between friends.

Eventually though, you could tell from the way the conversation was dieing down, that the day was coming to an end.

"Well, thank you for the hospitality and food Reina. Also for all you did today, I will make sure to let mistress Remilia know just how much fun I had." declared Sakuya, slowly rising from her seat.

"It was nothing at all, I had a lot of fun as well. And thanks for going to the Lotus Pavilion with me, I think that would've been a lot more... different, if I had gone on my own. And erm, kind of sorry to have you all go with me, I had no idea..."

Reimu cut in with a snap of her fingers, "Don't worry about it. We went because we were kind of curious about it. Our curiosity was answered, and nothing bad happened anyway." the shrine maiden paused, "Just don't tell Aya. If you do, just leave me and her out of it. I don't trust that tengu to not let it slip, or print it on the front of her gossip rag."

"C-come now, she's not that bad..."you say with a nervous chuckle.

"Perhaps not. But in Reimu's case, she probably wants to err on the side of caution. The crow is not exactly famous for her ability to keep secrets sometimes..."

"Hey Reina, since I'm already here, I'll stay the night, alright?" offered Reimu suddenly, "I figured it'll be a bit easier then flying home."

"Ah, well, I don't have any problems with it, although I was thinking of at least getting my workshop set up to start working tomorrow..."

The shrine maiden waved her hand, "Not a problem, I'll just help myself to your bathroom then, it's not as good as a hot spring, but it'll do."

- - -

Well, may as well plan for tomorrow while you're at it.
[ ] Working first thing in the morning, of course!
[ ] It won't take you all day, so maybe instead...
- [ ] Go visit the mansion?
- [ ] Seek out Yuuka?
- [ ] Visit the village?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Other

Back to solo updates.

[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu.
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.

"So you went to a whorehouse and DIDN'T get laid? Get over here."

*cue that Yuuka sex scene*

[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu.
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.

Sounds like a nice idea

[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu.
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.


This sounds like a good idea to me.

[X] Working first thing in the morning, of course!
The sooner you start, the sooner you finish, the sooner you can deliver it, the more impressed the client will be. Impressing the client is important, especially when it's their first impression of your work.

[X] Working first thing in the morning, of course!

Gonna go with this. Need to impress a new client, and all that.

[x] Working first thing in the morning, of course!

[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu."
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?"
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.

[X] Working first thing in the morning, of course!

[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu.
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.

[X] Working first thing in the morning, of course!

[X] Working first thing in the morning, of course!
[X]Get up early to whip up breakfast for you and Reimu.
-[X]Breakfast in bed, maybe?
-[X]Invite Reimu to watch you work. Who knows, maybe you can teach her something that'll help with her shrine repairs.

Answer to a tie: just combine them!

- - -

As you went about preparing your workshop for tomorrow's work, noting with some surprise that the tools you had sent out were returned, you also had an idea for Reimu tomorrow. The shrine maiden was fond of your cooking, and you were going to make breakfast anyway, so why not wake up a little early and surprise her with food?

Plus it'd just give you more time to finish the job early. The faster you could do it, the better in your eyes. It was going to be a good way to prove your worth to the Lotus Pavilion after all. They were your first client, so it was important to get an excellent first impression! It could very well impact the rest of your jobs for all you knew.

You were already looking forward to tomorrow... it had been a while since you had a job like this!

~

You were happy that you naturally woke up easily, and quite early. It also helped that Reimu was kind of a heavy sleeper it seemed, and wasn't disturbed at all by you getting out of bed.

Thinking on it, it was kind of amusing you thought, how normal it seemed to share a bed with someone now. In the outside world, you would've never even thought of it... which probably didn't help that you were rather ill, and you had no idea if it was even contagious or not. But that aside! No one was really that close to you back then.

Heading downstairs you went about preparing a quick breakfast, once more consisting mostly of rice, you weren't too horribly hungry yourself, so you made most of it with Reimu in mind. The shrine maiden has such a good figure, yet seemed to have the appetite of a half-starved animal sometimes.

With breakfast made, you then headed back upstairs and carefully peered into your bedroom. Your friend still seemed to be asleep, which was a bit of a problem given you couldn't really feed her then -

"Is that food I smell?" spoke up Reimu suddenly, bolting upright in bed and looking around.

You suppressed the urge to laugh and casually strolled into the bedroom, "That it is. Stay there, I brought you breakfast in bed. Saying that outloud, makes that sound kind of cheesy..."

Reimu seemed surprised at the gesture, but quickly dug into the food anyway. Judging by her vigor, she was once more quite impressed with your cooking.

"Why are you up so early anyway? What time is it?"

"Well, I do have that job to do, and I promised to finish it by today. And, well, I wanted to make you breakfast before you woke up - so you could have it in bed."

The brown-haired girl blushed a little, "Geez, you're a really nice girl Reina. And a pretty dedicated worker, kind of reminds me of Marisa, actually."

"Oh? Really? From what I saw of her, I never really pegged Marisa as much of a hard worker, to be honest..."

"I know, it's kind of a surprise to be honest, but I'm actually the lazy one." said Reimu with a chuckle, "Marisa actually puts forth a lot of effort in her magic and the like. I know when seeing her, she seems kind of like a flighty airhead or something, but she puts a lot of serious effort into everything she does.

"Well, except staying in a relationship from what I hear. She seems to fall in and out with Alice all the time, and has dated various others when she's not with Alice - or even when she is, sometimes."

Yeah, you had remembered hearing about Marisa's love life. The casualness of how Reimu discussed that still struck you as kind of odd, no one would talk so normally about that kind of thing in the outside.

"I see... ah, kind of out of the left field here but, do you want to watch me work today?"

The girl tilted her head slightly to the side, "Well, I don't have a problem with it but... that's kind of an odd offer...?"

"Ah, yeah but well... I know you don't really own any chairs, but it is a wooden chair... so you could maybe pick up some ideas for maintaining the shrine or something? Erm, I mean it's weird and uhm..."you mumble as your mind quickly races for a reason why you thought this was a logical idea, "Geez, that sounded like a much nicer idea in my head..."

"Hey don't worry about it. I don't mind watching at all, who knows I could learn something! At worst, I can help you get your tools or something, I guess. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your actual work though."

~

Reimu wasn't a bad watcher, or helper, in all honesty. She was good at keeping her distance, and at quickly locating anything you needed - after giving her a brief description of what it was. It made you consider that maybe you would have to think of getting a helper full-time someday maybe. It didn't save you a lot of time, but it was also nice to have someone nearby to engage in chit-chat with while you worked.

As you worked you couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship in the chair. You could clearly tell a lot of work and effort went in to it, and despite the obvious wear on it, the Pavilion had put forth a lot of effort to keep it in the best possible shape.

The chair just need a lot of touching up, and some minor repairs. It was good most of the problems with the chair was in the wood work though, the work on the actual padding of the chair may have been a little difficult... upholstery and the like, wasn't something you were too horribly talented in. Or well, you just weren't as confident in it.

"Never knew what your job really entailed... I don't think I really get it, but it's interesting to watch."

"I imagine it's actually pretty boring to watch, no need to flatter."

Reimu chuckled and let out a sigh, "Oh phew, yeah okay it's actually completely boring. I don't envy your work at all Reina."

"You're no good at flattery at all Reimu, you shouldn't even try." commented a voice.

The shrine maiden's head whipped around and the girl's whole body seemed to tense, before it relaxed, "Oh, it's only Aya. Don't sneak up on me like that."

The tengu chuckled, peering at the shrine maiden's sleeves, "I should know better, huh? I didn't think you'd bring some weapons with you even when you visit Reina..."

"You never know. Besides, something could be coming for her, right? I have to be ready for anything." countered Reimu matter-of-factly.

"So Aya, besides sneaking into my home, what brings you here today?"

Aya chuckled and flashed you a grin, "Come now, can't a crow visit a dear friend? I was talking to Limstella earlier, and she mentioned she found you some work... she didn't say what though. Something about 'client confidentially'. Or something." the black-haired tengu leaned forward, "So workin' on a chair, huh? Doesn't look like something of Remilia's... I wonder who your client is..."

The shrine maiden glanced suspiciously at the tengu, "You're fishing for something to write about, aren't you?"

"What? Of course not! Please, the Bunbunmaru is never lacking in news to publish! I wouldn't just publish something without permission... I'm just curious, as a friend."

"Uh huh..."replied Reimu flatly.

Aya cringed and sighed, "She never believes me Reina, it's awful! I also heard you were seen with Sakuya yesterday, it's pretty rare to see that maid out doing anything that isn't business related."

- - -

Well... a lot did happen yesterday...
[ ] Better just let Aya know all about it.
[ ] She doesn't have to know EVERYTHING...
- [ ] What should you leave out though? (write-in what to omit!)
[ ] It's more amusing to see her flail!
[ ] Other?

[X] It's more amusing to see her flail!

I forgot to include at the end of the update, but here's a non-canon Reina /at/ short written by someone else.
>>/at/33078

Enjoy!

[ ] It's more amusing to see her flail!

[x] It's more amusing to see her flail!

Telling her would be funny, but there's no telling what she would do with the information.

[x] It's more amusing to see her flail!

[X] It's more amusing to see her flail!

Keep guessing Aya, maybe you'll get close eventually.

[X] It's more amusing to see her flail!

[X] It's more amusing to see her flail!

- - -

Telling Aya all about Sakuya's day off, and about your job, could've been pretty fun. There was a lot to talk about after all, and who knew what she'd think...

But it was also pretty amusing to just watch her struggle to figure it out on her own. Possibly more fun then actually straight up telling her! Ah, the joys of having friends.

"Oh, you know it was just a nice, fun relaxing day off Aya. Really, nothing to talk about."

The tengu puffed her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips, "Not you too Reina! Come on, I want to know!"

"Come on Aya, calm down it wasn't like anything too amazing happened yesterday." taunted the shrine maiden

"Yeah, just a pretty relaxing, totally normal day... you remember when... ah, wait, no there isn't anything to talk about. Nope."

"Argh, you two are awful!" declared the tengu, throwing her arms up, "Looks like I'll have to just investigate all over the village then. I'm sure I can find someone who knows what you were doing yesterday..."

"Good luck with that, I don't think anyone in the village saw us all day - and even if they did, most of them wouldn't trust you to not publish it or something."

"I only did that, like once or twice! I've got plenty of other things to write about then a day off with Sakuya. I'm not like that Hatate, always desperate for yesterday's news."

"Hatate?"

Aya frowned, "You wouldn't even tell me about your day, and you ask me a question..."the crow shook her head, "She's another tengu reporter. Her paper is called the Kakashi Spirit News, which is of course inferior to my Bunbunmaru."

"For once Aya is right. The Kakashi Spirit News was pretty unpopular back in the day, although I've heard it's a bit different now. It's still not really all that popular though." the shrine maiden shrugs, "The Bunbunmaru is delivered all over the Village, but I don't know how many people actually read them. Marisa points out an interesting article once in a while."

"What do you do with all my papers? I always deliver one to the shrine, but I rarely see you read them!"

Reimu shrugs, "They're in the warehouse. Never know when I'll need something to start a fire with, after all."

Aya stared at the shrine maiden, "Don't do that to my papers! You're supposed to read them!"

"It's not really my concern to keep up with the everyday life of Gensokyo. Besides, I haven't had to burn any of them. Yet."

"Reina, you read my papers, right!?" asked Aya wide-eyed.

"Uhm... I don't think I actually get one. I haven't seen any papers outside my door before..."you answer after a moment of thought.

"Wait, really!" I could've sworn I had the entire route planned out and everything... I know I come by your house everyday in the morning, so why isn't there a paper?" the tengu frowned, "I don't have my bag with me, or I could give you one now..."

"Do you think someone is taking the paper? That'd be kind of strange, they could find one in the village easily enough. And nothing really lives around Reina's house either. Are you sure you didn't just forget?"

The tengu snapped her fingers, "I wouldn't forget! I perfectly remember every single person I deliver the paper to. It would be pretty strange if someone was taking them though, I know I do come by pretty early, since Reina's house is a little out of the way..."

"You could try delivering it later in the day. There's no reason for anything to be taking your papers."

"Maybe it's an incident! Someone taking Reina's papers."

Reimu stared at the tengu, "Don't even start. It's not an incident. If every paper in the village started vanishing, it still wouldn't be an incident."

As you went about putting up the finishing touches on your job, there was a sudden knock on the door. That was unusual - most people just seemed to barge in. Reimu and Aya made no move to go answer it, so you went to go it yourself.

Waiting on the other side of the door was a stranger you had never met before - which probably explain why they had even bothered to knock.

"Ah, the esteemed Reina Roots herself." stated the pink-haired woman, "A pleasure to finally meet you."

You thought you had seen everything Gensokyo had to offer, but this woman was... strange. She had a weird shackle on her left arm, which reminded you of Suika's, but it was her right arm that really took the cake. It was entirely wrapped up in bandages, and you briefly had to wonder if she had suffered some kind of disfiguring injury or something.

"Ah, uhm, a pleasure to meet you miss? You seem to have me at a bit of a disadvantage here..."

The bandage-armed woman flashed you a smile, "Sorry, I admit to having seen you several times when you visited Reimu, but we've never been formally introduced. Kasen Ibaraki, hermit at your service."

"Wait a second, I recognize that voice..."muttered Reimu, peering into the lobby with a frown, "Thought so. Kasen, what are you doing here? I wasn't aware today was one of my lecturing days."

"Ah Reimu, you were here after all. I didn't see you at the shrine, and Kume had mentioned seeing you in the company of Reina yesterday... how delightful that you are here as well. I was going to have to ask Reina if she knew where you were."

The shrine maiden walked into the room, arms folded across her chest, "So what did you want?"

Kasen glanced at you, "Do you mind if I discuss business in front of your friend?"

"It's not anything secretive right? Because if so, know Aya is in the back there, so if you don't want anyone knowing, we'll need to plug her ears first."

"Come on, I wouldn't say anything even if it was a secret!" yelled Aya from the workshop

The pink-haired woman paused, "Very well. I want you to come with me Reimu, there's a... disturbance, let us call it that. It is actually not too far from this house."

"A disturbance? Is it really something I need to - ?

"Certainly, you are the Hakurei shrine maiden. It is your duty to investigate any unusual going-ons, is it not?" interrupted Kasen with a snap of her fingers, "I would not come to you if it was something normal."

Reimu scowled before taking a breath and composing herself, "... Very well. I'm sorry Reina, but I have to excuse myself. I'll be back once I've investigated."

- - -

Well, that has never happened before...
[ ] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!
[ ] Why can't you go with them? You're curious to how Reimu works!
[ ] Wish her well, then sneak after them anyway.
- [ ] Bring Aya?
[ ] Other?

[X] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!
No slacking, we have an important job for a valuable client.

[X] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!

Because A. Reina wouldn't be much help dealing with disturbances and B. it might be related to her book, and thus is actively trying to get her.
(And C. need to be a responsible adult and work and all that.)

[X] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!

Romance time over, work now.

[x] Why can't you go with them? You're curious to how Reimu works!

Reina said she was putting on the finishing touches. I think there's time for a little adventure.

Also, Kasen!

[x] Why can't you go with them? You're curious to how Reimu works!

>>175325

[x] Why can't you go with them? You're curious to how Reimu works!

ADVENTURE~ that or sneak in with Ayayayaya

[X] Wish Reimu luck; you'll be waiting for her return!

We'll get a chance to read about it in the Bunbunmaru tomorrow.

[X] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!

Work time nao, adventure time later.

[X] Wish Reimu luck, you'll be waiting for her return!

- - -

You offer Reimu a comforting smile, "Don't worry about it. You've got your job to do. Good luck, and stay safe alright? I'll be waiting for your return."

The shrine maiden blushed slightly, "That sounds like the kind of thing you say to someone going off to war, or something... I'll be back in no time. Sorry."

"I apologize for interrupting you two. I will only need to borrow Reimu for a short while." stated Kasen before departing with Reimu in tow.

"Well, that was a pretty unexpected interruption, wouldn't you say Ay - ? you thought aloud as you headed back to the workshop, stopping as you realize it was deserted.

"Looks like she slipped away... guess that does qualify as news for her, doesn't it?"

And now you were talking to yourself. Oh well, you had a job to do, may as well finish it. There job was practically done anyway, just a final few finishing touches... well, you had time, you'd give it another good look over before declaring it finished.

You had to wait for Reimu to return, after all.

~

It had taken you about an hour to finish up the final touches on the chair, but no one had returned so you ended up going over the chair a final time... which didn't take long and then you merely spent time making a snack.

You were so used to company, having your house be this empty was just unsettling. And you couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching you, but you couldn't see anything. Maybe it was just your nerves - it also was one of the few times you had been alone since the grimoire situation had intensified.

As you busied yourself preparing lunch for the return of your guests, you were interrupted by the door slamming open, startling you. Peering into the storefront, you saw Kasen and Reimu enter your house, before closing the door carefully behind them.

"Welcome back! You two kind of startled me, no one really throws open the door like..."

Getting closer now, you noticed Reimu was leaning a bit on Kasen, who only gave you an embarrassed smile, "Sorry, she got hurt a little. Nothing serious though, don't worry about it."

"I'm really out of shape if get even a scratch on something like this, ouch..."grumbled the shrine maiden, seating herself on the shop counter.

"Are you sure she's alright..."I might have some medical supplies..."

The pink-haired woman shook her head, "No need, I already tended to it. It's nothing major... also what is that smell? Some food might do her more good then medicine."

"Oh ha ha, very funny Kasen." mumbled Reimu shooting her a glare, "Still, I wouldn't mind some food right now..."

It just so happened lunch was basically done, and you quickly went and served it out to your guests, and yourself of course. You noticed as you all sat and ate, that Aya was nowhere to be seen...

"Where's Aya?"

The bandaged woman raised an eyebrow, "She followed us? I did not see her."

"Knowing her she did, and she's off writing something. I wouldn't worry about it. She wasn't anywhere near the disturbance anyway."

"Just what was the disturbance?" you ask curiously.

Reimu shrugged, "Not sure yet. I'd rather not talk about it until I have a better idea of whats going on. Sorry, I just don't like talking business."

"I think she's still sore about getting hurt." commented Kasen with a wry smile.

"I didn't ask for your comments, thank you very much Kasen. So, got the job all finished up then?"

"Ah, yeah I did. Actually finished it a few hours ago, really... I just have to look into delivering it."

The shrine maiden nodded, "You're a pretty fast and dedicated worker. I can help you carry it, and that'll be that..."

Kasen shot Reimu a withering glare, "You're not carrying anything. It's not a serious injury, but you're doing nothing but resting. I can help her carry a chair."

"Erm, n-no that's alright, I can carry a chair Kasen, there's no need to involve yourself in this..."

"If you insist, I can tell Reina all about that injury." responded Kasen, "You know, she calls it a minor injury but - ?

The shrine maiden clamped a hand over the pink-haired woman's mouth to silence her, "Not another word! I-it's nothing, really Reina! Nothing at all. I can carry a chair. Don't listen to Kasen, there's no need to take her... well, you know."

Kasen pulled away, freeing her mouth, "I guess it's Reina's decision ultimately. Just don't complain to me if you ruin anything Reimu. I'll keep my mouth sealed on the whole affair."

- - -

Job's done! Now to decide how to go turn it in...
[ ] You'll go it alone from here.
[ ] If Reimu insists...
- [ ] Ask her about the disturbance? (Specifics?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Since Reimu is hurt, you'll bring Kasen along.
- [ ] Ask her anything?
[ ] Other?

[X]You shouldn't let Reimu do the lifting if she's hurt...
-[X]But if she wants, she can come with to the delivery.

[x] I'm heading out with the chair now. Either or both of you can come if you want.

[x] You'll go it alone from here.

Not sure if Reimu really wants to go back, and heading out for a brothel would probably make a bad impression on Kasen.

[X]You shouldn't let Reimu do the lifting if she's hurt...
-[X]But if she wants, she can come with to the delivery.

Carrying a chair is not that bad, so Reina can easily do it herself, but some company on the way isn't too bad.

[X]You shouldn't let Reimu do the lifting if she's hurt...
-[X]But if she wants, she can come with to the delivery.

I got a bad feeling about what we missed by staying home as that was likely related to the Grimoire.

[X]You shouldn't let Reimu do the lifting if she's hurt...
-[X]But if she wants, she can come with to the delivery.

- - -

With Reimu's injury, you didn't feel comfortable asking her to carry the chair, since you could do that yourself pretty well. But well, just because she wasn't needed to carry it didn't mean you couldn't invite her anyway.

"I can carry the chair myself then, but if you want Reimu, you can come along. If you want to rest, I understand and I can just do the delivery myself."

The shrine maiden shook her head. "No, I'll come with you. Kasen, can I ask a favor of you?"

The pink-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "A favor? How unusual."

"Could you set up a ward around Reina's house for me? She lives kind of far from the village, and it occurs to me that her house has no real defenses. I would do it myself, but I want to accompany Reina on her delivery..."

Kasen nods, "Very well Reimu, since you asked so politely. You are probably better then me, but I can put up something satisfactory. May the two of you have a pleasant trip, and mind your wound."

"Stop treating me a like a child, I know my limits. Come on Reina, let's get going. It's not too late, but well, the sooner the better I suppose..."

~

Given it was only the afternoon, approaching the Pavilion from the front entrance seemed fine to you, and Reimu didn't offer any protest. Although she did insist that you land a short distance from the district, and then proceed on foot so no one looking up would see the two of you. It was obvious that she was still a bit wary of too many people seeing her in this area...

Quickly passing the cheap brothels and their catcalling girls, you make your way to the fancy building at the end of the street. There was nobody outside, like before, so you and Reimu let yourselves in through the plain-looking front door.

"Welcome back, honored guests!" the receptionist chirped. She was the same one as yesterday, but she seemed more composed this time. Like she was determined not to embarrass herself again. "Ah, I see you've brought the chair! Allow me a moment to fetch the hostess."

With that, the young woman excuses herself and walks briskly down the halls, leaving you alone with Reimu.

You saw no reason to still hold onto the chair, so you carefully set it down while you waited. It wasn't heavy or anything, but it was the principle of it all! As you did so, you noticed that book from yesterday on the counter. So did Reimu, but she quickly glanced away with a small blush.

"Just what was that book all about, anyway...?" you wondered aloud, peering at the book suspiciously.

"O-oh, nothing important. Don't go peeking now, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to ask for permission." answered Reimu

A minute later, the hostess returned, wearing a different but equally fancy kimono.

"Welcome back! Reina, Miss Hakurei." She greeted you each with a bow. "I see you finished the chair in one day, as you promised. And you brought it back in the afternoon, even! I'll need to raise my expectations of you."

You returned the bow, smiling as you responded, "I always live up to my promises. I couldn't very well take my time if it didn't need to be taken, after all! Delivered promptly and as soon as possible is the way I like to do things."

"Wonderful. Please, come with me." Once again, she led the two of you into the pleasantly-scented halls, with you carrying the chair after her. She took a different route this time, but the room you ended up in looked just like the last one. You set the chair down in the middle, then went to sit on the cushions with Reimu.

"Hmm..." While the two of you sat there, the hostess walked all around the chair, carefully examining it from every angle and running her hands along the surface. You were confident in your work, of course, but it was hard not to feel nervous when she was giving it such a critical eye.

Finally, she stepped back and turned to you. To your relief, she did so with a smile.

"This is very well done indeed! I can hardly believe it isn't brand new."

If there was one thing you could always take pride in it was your restoration skills! Still, it was always nice to hear praise like this.

"I am glad you like it. I've had a lot of time to learn my skills, and I do so enjoy restoring people's belongings to a pristine state."

"Well, if this is the quality I can expect from you, then I'm sure you'll be hearing more from us in the future. For now, we would be pleased to give you the promised payment."

You smiled and noded. "Of course, I'll always be available for work from the Lotus Pavilion. One yen was the agreed upon price, correct?"

The hostess nodded back. "Indeed. Although, we could also offer... alternative payments..." She raised her eyebrows suggestively as she spoke.

"Alternative payments? I do remember you mentioning these last time, but..."

"It doesn't seem like you're interested in the full range of the Pavilion's services, but we may have a few things you would enjoy. Perhaps a chaste afternoon with one of our girls, or some of our exclusive cosmetics, or a fine set of undergarments. They would all be worth about one yen..."

The shrine maiden blushed a bit as she listened. "Wow... I mean, erm, those are some pretty strange payment methods, but... wow... this place is pretty serious..."

Those were some pretty unusual payment options. Still, they were certainly options... although, you had to admit, you were a bit curious. What cosmetics were worth a yen? Or undergarments, for that matter?

The choice was ultimately going to be yours...

- - -

Why couldn't every job have such interesting choices for payment?
[ ] You'll just stick with the money though.
[ ] Cosmetics... you weren't too big into it, but maybe if you had some really nice ones...
[ ] It's kind of embarrassing, but hey, why not some underwear?
[ ] A-ahem, well, a chaste afternoon huh?
[ ] Other?

The co-write returns! Credit to the Lotus Pavilion creator.

[c] It's kind of embarrassing, but hey, why not some underwear?

If we choose the money, we can get more food for Reimu.

[ ] You'll just stick with the money though.

[jew] You'll just stick with the money though.

[ ] A-ahem, well, a chaste afternoon huh?

I am too weak THP

[x] You'll just stick with the money this time.

>>175460
Hello, and welcome to THP. You may have noticed that we have no boards named either /b/ or /pol/. This is because, despite some similarities and overlap, this isn't 4chan. Certain behaviors aren't accepted here.

[x] It's kind of embarrassing, but hey, why not some underwear?

I doubt nice undies are that common, especially for those of Reina's... health.

[ ] It's kind of embarrassing, but hey, why not some underwear?

Later, we can see what Yuuka thinks of it.

[x] You'll just stick with the money.

No no no, gotta keep with the cash. We're a professional here.

Though I've wondered if Reina even has properly supporting underwear given her modest background pre-Gensokyo.

[x] You'll just stick with the money.


Let's keep business as business, but there's no reason we couldn't spend that money here some other time.

[X] A-ahem, well, a chaste afternoon huh?"

We should see what the fuss is all about!

>>175496
The fuss isn't about "chaste afternoon"s.
[X] W-What if I was interested in some of your ... other services?

[x] You'll just stick with the money this time.

>>175504
That is assuming we even get a choice like this next time as having a bunch of interesting choices being ignored generally discourages such things.

[ ] It's kind of embarrassing, but hey, why not some underwear?

[x] You'll just stick with the money.

- - -

The Pavilion sure was offering some pretty... unique methods of payment, but they weren't really anything you needed.

"Thank you for the alternate offers, but I think the agreed upon price is more then satsificatory this time."

The hostess gave you a slightly disappointed smile. "Ah, I expected as much. Very well, here you are. One yen." Reaching out, she deposited a warm golden coin in your hand.

It was still baffling to your mind to imagine people used to use golden coins for currency. Still, it was a very nice coin, you had to admit. You took the coin and carefully tucked it away into your bag, offering the hostess a pleased smile.

"Thank you. Will that be all today?"

"For today, yes. We will be sure to let you know when we wish for your services again."

That was the expected answer, of course. It was pretty rare for places like these to keep a long backlog of work...

"Of course, you know how to reach me." You paused for a moment to ponder the time "I suppose we will leave through the front door then. It's not too late..."

"Leaving so soon?" asked Reimu quietly.

"Well, there isn't much to keep us here right now. We can't really overstay a welcome when we don't have any other business..." you reply to the shrine maiden quietly.

Ignoring your side conversation, the hostess stands up and motions for you to do the same. "As you wish. Come with me, then. It's rather easy to get Iost in these halls. You could stumble upon something you didn't with to see... or something that could change you forever."

The shrine maiden chuckles a bit as she rises. "Dark secrets, huh?"

The older woman chuckles right back. "You shouldn't underestimate us..." With that, she leads you back out through the halls. You can't help glancing around as you walk; you mostly just see more rooms like the one you were in, but you do notice one long, doorless hallway leading into the... back... of the building.

Reimu follows close by, leaning to whisper to you, "I know she's joking, but seriously, there probably is a lot of stuff in here that'd be pretty awkward to stumble into..."

"And that's why we have a guide, right? Last thing I'd want to do is get lost in here..."

You did have to wonder what was down that long hallway, but wandering off now would be in pretty bad taste. Still... maybe one day.

A little while later, you were all back at the entrance. The hostess and receptionist both sent you off with a bow.

"Many thanks for your service."

"Come again soon!"

Before departing, you made sure to return the bow and smile, and Reimu did the same.

"I'll be looking forward to furthering our relationship, I was honored to be selected. Until next time." As you stepped out the door, you caught a glimpse of the hostess raising her eyebrows.

Well, that had barely taken any time at all, but it was a productive little trip at least. Your schedule was also completely clear for the rest of the day now! A win-win situation, to be sure. Although, it also meant you had nothing planned for the rest of the day either...

Reimu had gotten hurt, but it didn't seem to bother her much. So there wasn't anything to prevent you from going out and doing something with her... although, you could also try and convince her to go rest.

- - -

As usual, the ball was in your court, so to speak...
[ ] Limstella was nearby, so maybe you could go thank her.
[ ] Maybe Kosuzu would be interested to know what that coin really was...
[ ] There was always Akemi's to go visit...
[ ] Reimu really needed go rest.
[ ] You should just head home and see if Kasen is still around.
[ ] Other?

[X] Reimu really needed go rest.

[x] You should just head home and see if Kasen is still around.

I demand more Kasen!

[X] Reimu really needed go rest.

[x] Reimu really needed go rest.
[x] Then see if Kasen's still around.

What's the amount (if you're still keeing track)?

[x] Reimu really needed go rest.
[x] Then see if Kasen's still around.

>>175547
Ah my mistake, you have 13 yen and 70 sen now. I'll make sure to note that at the end of the next update.

>>175572
sounds like Reina's got a decent cash flow going.

On that note what happened to the other voters?

[x] Reimu really needed go rest.
[x] Then see if Kasen's still around.

- - -

The more you thought about it, the more your mind reminded you that Reimu really should be resting. Even if the injury was fairly minor, it didn't mean she shouldn't be resting! Convincing her might be difficult, but it was the proper thing to do as a friend!

"I think I'm just going to go home, actually. As for you, I want you to go back to the shrine and rest. You're injured right?"

Reimu frowned, placing a hand on her hip, "Just barely. It's literally just a scratch, nothing to really be concerned over."

"I don't care if it was a papercut, I saw you leaning on Kasen when you got back! If that's a scratch, it's still a pretty serious one."

"It's nothing. I don't need to go and rest over such a trifling - ?

"If you don't, I'm not going to feed you." you interrupt, "Also, I'll make sure to ask Kasen all about how you go hurt, then tell Aya, so she can publish it."

The shrine maiden recoiled as if struck, "Y-you wouldn't dare...!"

You folded your arms under your bust and frowned, "Do you want to risk it, Reimu? Is it worth it?"

The brown-haired girl sputtered and threw her hands up in the air, "F-fine! But! I'm not going home until I at least escort you back to your home. If Kasen isn't there, I'm staying. That's my deal."

"Alright, that seems fair. Should we get going then?" you ask, flashing your friend a smile.

"Yeah, yeah alright... geez, can't believe I'm being threatened like this over a scratch... it's a good thing we're friends, or maybe I'd just make you have an 'accident'.? teased the shrine maiden.

~

Given you had been gone for all of maybe ten to twenty minutes, you were not too surprised to find the pink-haired woman was actually still at your house. She seemed preoccupied with doing... something around a border around your house, and didn't even acknowledge your return.

"I see she's still putting up the ward... well, I'll go talk to her really quick. You can just wait for her inside though, I mean, you could wait outside but she's going to be too busy with her task to really do much else..."

"A ward?"

The shrine maiden nodded, "Yeah, it's basically... well, what it says. I'd prefer to put up something more secure, like an actual barrier, but that would take a lot more materials... unless your house is somehow ontop of sacred ground, which I seriously doubt."

"But well... what does it do? The ward, that is."

"Keeps things away. Mainly fairies and minor youkai. Anything really strong, like say Yuuka, would be able to completely bypass it anyway. So you don't have to worry about her being unable to visit you." Reimu snapped her fingers, "And ah, most fairies or minor youkai who work for the village, carry something that gets them through wards, so don't worry about that either. It's only going to keep away wild things. In all honesty, I'm surprised Yukari didn't have one in the first place..."

The brown-haired girl sighed and shook her head, "That's a serious oversight on her part. Your house isn't too far from the village, but it's also not that close either. Wild youkai don't come this close often, but if one did..."

Given what you had heard of wild youkai, or youkai in general, you imagine it would've been a rather... unfortunate event if it had happened. Thinking back to last year, the prior grimoire owner's had all seemed to have been killed in some messy fashion, so maybe that's what happened to them all..."In which case, you really were rather lucky...

With your curiosity satisfied for now, you exchanged a farewell with Reimu before returning to your house, while the shrine maiden engaged Kasen in conversation. You made sure to watch from the windows that the girl did leave, and she did leave in the direction of the shrine. You didn't think she'd actually go back on her word, but still... she could be pretty stubborn when she had to.

Without much else to do in the meantime, you opted to merely watch Kasen from the windows. At least, until she ended up having to walk out of your front 'yard', in which case you merely busied yourself with tidying up your workshop. It really was kind of dull around the house when you were alone... you briefly wondered if you had owned a TV, if it would even work in Gensokyo. Probably not...

Eventually the sound of your door opening drew you out of your workshop, where you found the pink-haired woman dusting off her tabard. She offered you a warm smile when she spotted you.

"I apologize for that. Setting up a ward can take a bit of time... it is crude, but it will keep you safe from most common threats. Hopefully, you have not offended anything too serious. You would need a proper barrier to keep that out."

You certainly hoped you didn't. Given even a minor youkai could probably rip your arms out of your sockets...

"No need to apologize, I have to thank you for even doing it in the first place."

Kasen shook her head, "Not at all, it was a favor for Reimu after all. I'm a bit surprised she had not done one herself. It probably slipped her mind, shameful as it is to admit, she is not always the most focused individual..."

"Do you know Reimu fairly well, Kasen?"

"I suppose I do. Reimu has requested I spend the rest of the day with you, although she would not say why... still, I see no reason to deny her. I imagine you have some questions for me, given I am pretty much a stranger, yes? I will allow you to indulge your curiosity." the woman paused for a moment, "That sounds kind of haughty of me, I apologize. But do feel free to ask me some questions. I have some for you as well."

- - -

Well she was basically a stranger to you!
[ ] Maybe you should fill her in on your grimoire situation..."(Leave anything out?)
[ ] Questions, oh boy do you have questions! (Write-in. Reasonable amount)
[ ] Offer her something to eat?
[ ] Other?

As I forgot to do it properly last update...
>You have 13 yen and 70 sen

I can't believe we nearly tried to leave Reimu at the shrine and walk, alone, back to our house. Has everyone forgotten the bad end we got the last time we tried to walk anywhere alone? The ?shapeshifting horror? Yukari warned us about? The warning dream Yuuka made us tell all our friends about?

[X] Questions, oh boy do you have questions! (Write-in. Reasonable amount)
-[X] Wards and barriers only protect you when you're at home, right? Are there things like them for when you're out and about - Reimu's taught me about spell cards, of course, but other than that?
-[X] You said the village fairies have something that gets them through wards. Is that something that could get stolen like a key?
-[X] If I did get a barrier, how would I let my friends in? Would it be easy for other people to sneak in while I... have the ?door open?, metaphorically, though I have no idea how accurate a metaphor that is?
-[X] What about imposters? Are there items to detect shapeshifting, or verify identities?
[X] Offer her something to eat?

>>175583

[x] Seconding this write-in

[x] Maybe you should fill her in on your grimoire situation..."
[x] Offer her something to eat?

>>175583

Oi, big difference between walking through the Forest of Magic alone, and walking from the village to our house. Yes, we were warned about some danger, but it'd have to be pretty ballsy to just kill her inbetween the village and her house, in broad daylight, in open terrain. Not to say it COULDN'TVE happened, but doing even fucking ACT like this and that were in any possible way equivalent.

>>175579
[x] Offer her something to eat? *Reina's body*
[x] Maybe you should fill her in on your grimoire situation..."

[x] Maybe you should fill her in on your grimoire situation..."
[x] Offer her something to eat?

[x] Maybe you should fill her in on your grimoire situation..."
[x] Offer her something to eat?

- - -

Kasen was a stranger to you, but she also seemed to be fairly close to Reimu as well. This suggested to you she was also someone you could trust, and surprisingly, you didn't actually have much to want to ask her directly - you'd be happy to just hear what she felt like freely sharing.

But, given her relationship with Reimu, perhaps trusting her with your... unique situation would not be a bad idea. It would take a while to explain, and she had just done a favor for you - even if it was on Reimu's behalf.

"Actually, I'd rather share something with you. If you want to tell me anything, I'll be happy to hear it but I have no specific requests." you gesture towards the kitchen, "But, would you like something to eat? I don't want to share a pretty lengthy tale on a potentially empty stomach!"

Kasen seemed surprised at your response and rubbed her chin, "I don't require much food, but I will not turn down your hospitality either. But please, only a small meal for me."

She doesn't require much food..."What an unusual thing to say. Still, you saw no reason to deny her request either. A light meal it was! Then you had to let her in on the grimoire situation as well, just like the rest of your friends.

~

Unlike everyone else, except Yuuka, Kasen made no real reaction to your story. She merely sat in silence and listened, occasionally taking a drink of her tea, or eating the food you had given her. It was actually kind of unsettling, but maybe the pink-haired woman was just always this calm and composed.

After you had finished, the woman remained silent, her eyes closed as she leaned back in her chair. She took another drink of her tea, before opening her eyes.

"A most unique and interesting situation you find yourself in Reina. I can see now why Reimu asked that favor of me, although I cannot guess why she did not do it herself..."the woman paused, "I suppose her injury may have interfered. Regardless, I'm honored you would entrust a relative stranger with this kind of information.

"Although, I imagine my friendship with Reimu was the deciding factor. I would've never imagined something like this was going on in Gensokyo... but I can also see why no action on her behalf is being taken..."

"Yeah, her position as the Hakurei shrine maiden prevents her from doing anything... unless it becomes an incident."

Kasen nodded, "Correct. If she acted in her official capacity, it could be seen as showing favoritism to humans. Even if she certainly wants to, she is required to remain neutral in the overall balance of things. Luckily, this is why you have other friends, yes? They can certainly do whatever they please."

The pink-haired woman chuckled, "As for me, well I cannot do much... I live on the Mountain much of the time, and your house is rather far. I can help whenever I happen to be visiting Reimu I imagine. And - ?

Suddenly the bandaged woman halted mid-sentence, practically lunging across the table. You couldn't even react to it, and you suddenly found yourself very close to Kasen's face - but you noticed she wasn't looking at you, but rather her eyes were looking behind you.

Carefully turning your head, you saw her bandaged hand was tightly squeezed around... thin air? The pink-haired woman hopped off the table, her hand still tightly clutching something that you could not see. After a moment, her hand clenched into a fist, and you heard a distinct 'pop'.

"... Sorry for startling you like that." she said after a brief pause.

"W-what was that all about?"

Kasen stared at her right hand, "I'm not sure. It was similar to a spirit... but not. You could not see it, correct? You seemed quite confused."

You nodded your head, "I didn't see anything, it looked like you were just grabbing thin air..."

The woman nodded and looked around the room, "It must've been in here before the ward was erected. I'm not Reimu, but even my own skills are more then sufficient to keep something like this out... but if it was already inside, then it would not matter.

"That aside, while I'm not entirely sure what that was... it was certainly watching you. I doubt its anything threatening on its own, but it is likely acting as the eye's of something else. Based on what you told me... I think it is safe to say that whatever is looking for you, knows where you live. Depending on how this... thing works. That's in the worst case... even the best case scenario means it is definitely within Gensokyo, however."

That was... not exactly the most reassuring news. It did at least explain that uneasy feeling you had been having earlier in the day however. Which, in hindsight, just made it a bit more unsettling...

"So, basically, bad news regardless..."

Kasen nodded, "Regrettably, yes. I can see now why she wanted someone to remain with you... although, I doubt she suspected anything was inside the house."

"Are they that hard to detect? Whatever they are?"

"Not... exactly. If Reimu knew to look for them, she could easily find them. From what I can guess, they're only 'designed' to be invisible to you - they specifically don't want you to know they're here. They do not seem to mind if anyone else does... well, to an extent." the pink-haired woman paused.

"Look at it this way. While they don't want to be seen by anyone, they particularly do not want to be seen by you, and as such, are basically invisible to you. This in turn means that while they are still invisible to anyone else, they would easily be seen if anyone else actually attempted to look for them. In my case, I'm particularly good at looking for things like this. Before you ask, no, I don't detect anymore in the house. I imagine it was either here alone, or the rest had already left."

"That... doesn't sound good either. If it was alone, that may not be bad, but if it had company originally..."

Kasen nodded, "Correct. If it had company, they would've already reported their findings by now. I will need to ensure Reimu sets up a proper barrier soon... I can't do it myself. The ward will be sufficient to keep anything minor out, but I imagine whatever is after you specifically, could bypass it without too much effort..."

The woman sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I know I'm not really improving the mood any. I gave Reimu my word you would be safe today, and I can assure you nothing will happen to you while I am around. Although, I imagine you do not much like the prospect of being watched day and night by your friends either..."

You chuckled weakly and nodded, "Y-yeah... I mean, I like the thought and all but... it makes me feel kind of like a... burden, I suppose? I don't want to really inconvenience their lives like this."

"You're a brave woman to admit that. Many another person would gladly accept the protection, even if it strained their relationship - they would not realize the error until it was too late, I am sure. I will see to your protection for the remainder of this day, and tomorrow as well if need be."

"Y-you don't really need to go out of your way like that, I'm sure tomorrow..."

The woman held up her right hand to indicate silence, "I insist. Unlike the rest of your friends, I don't really have much else to do. I cannot dedicate my life to your defense either, but for the time-being I will honor Reimu's wishes and protect you. If you do not wish my presence all the time, I will be glad to leave tomorrow if you request it... although, I insist you at least find someone to fill my slot. In the worst case scenario, your home is a known location."

- - -

If only life could go back to being simple and worry-free, huh?
[ ] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
- [ ] Could she teach you anything?
- [ ] Maybe she can tell you something about Reimu?
- [ ] Okay you had to ask - whats with the arm?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Maybe you can see if you can find Yuuka...
[ ] If the house isn't safe, perhaps, maybe you should visit the Mansion for now...
[ ] Other?

[X] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
-[X] Would moving to Reimu's shrine help?
-[X] How about Yuuka's pad?

[X] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
-[X] How long would it take to get a proper barrier put up? How expensive would it be?
-[X] Wards and barriers only protect you when you're at home, right? Are there things like them for when you're out and about - Reimu's taught me about spell cards, of course, but other than that?
-[X] If I did get a barrier, how would I let my friends in? Would it be easy for other people to sneak in while I... have the ?door open?, metaphorically, though I don't if that's an accurate metaphor?
-[X] Are there items that reveal invisible things like that?
-[X] What about imposters? Are there items to detect shapeshifting, or verify identities?
-[X] In the meantime, would moving to Reimu's shrine help?

[x] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
- [x] Could she teach you anything?
- [x] Maybe she can tell you something about Reimu?

There's a shapeshifting horror after us and it knows where we live. We need to start worrying about security.

[X] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
-[X] How long would it take to get a proper barrier put up? How expensive would it be?
-[X] Wards and barriers only protect you when you're at home, right? Are there things like them for when you're out and about - Reimu's taught me about spell cards, of course, but other than that?
-[X] If I did get a barrier, how would I let my friends in? Would it be easy for other people to sneak in while I... have the ?door open?, metaphorically, though I don't if that's an accurate metaphor?
-[X] Are there items that reveal invisible things like that?
-[X] What about imposters? Are there items to detect shapeshifting, or verify identities?
-[X] In the meantime, would moving to Reimu's shrine or Yuuka's pad help?

[X] Since you do have Kasen for the evening...
-[X] How long would it take to get a proper barrier put up? How expensive would it be?
-[X] Wards and barriers only protect you when you're at home, right? Are there things like them for when you're out and about - Reimu's taught me about spell cards, of course, but other than that?
-[X] If I did get a barrier, how would I let my friends in? Would it be easy for other people to sneak in while I... have the ?door open?, metaphorically, though I don't if that's an accurate metaphor?
-[X] Are there items that reveal invisible things like that?
-[X] What about imposters? Are there items to detect shapeshifting, or verify identities?
-[X] In the meantime, would moving to Reimu's shrine or Yuuka's pad help?

- - -

You didn't have questions before, but the recent event had seemingly jumped your brain into having some to ask this time.

"So, can I ask questions this evening then?" you ask with a nervous chuckle.

Kasen smiled, "Certainly. I imagine my little stunt earlier has made you reconsider your stance on questions. Please, ask away, I will answer to the best of my ability.."

"Thank you. So ah, about that barrier thing... just how much work is it?"

"For someone like Reimu... probably no more then some hours, I would guess. It is hard to say however, as there are a variety of factors that can come into account... barriers are not my area of expertise, I must confess." the woman paused and rubbed her chin, "I can say it is far more effective then a ward, and anything Reimu makes shouldn't be penetrable by anything but the most powerful of threats."

"Is there anything similar to a ward, or barrier, that is more mobile? Reimu has taught me some of the spellcard system that Gensokyo likes to use, but..."

"Charms or amulets have a ward-like effect, but they will do little more then perhaps keep fairies away. Regrettably, making something like a mobile barrier is actually fairly difficult. At least to use on someone else. Reimu can probably make one for herself, but you would be forced to, more or less, be attached at her hip anytime you went out to really benefit from it.

"And I somehow doubt you want one to keep fairies away. They tend to do that naturally anyway."

A bit regrettable that, but well, you couldn't really do that to Reimu...

"How does a barrier work, exactly? From what you've told me, Reimu has made some before, so I imagine people can still be let in?"

Kasen paused for some seconds before responding, "You can see a barrier like a locked door, of sorts. They are set up to keep certain things out. They are then also designed to allow other things in. In some cases, they are literally like a door - you need a 'key' to get inside.

"However, this is a sort of double-edged sword. The normal way of 'filtering' is generally more reliable, so long as you know what you want to keep out. Using a 'key' has the risk of, well, someone losing a key and then this can lead to something you wanted kept out, to be allowed in. There is another kind of barrier that is more like a wall: nothing can get in. But I imagine that kind is not at all good for you. In your case, Reimu would probably opt to do the first kind. The second would not be bad either, but you would need to be sure whomever you give a 'key' to, is not likely to lose it."

"And given my work would require potential strangers to come in, it would probably be a bit... of an annoyance for them. Or I have to trust couriers or the like with a 'key'."

The pink-haired woman nodded, "Not very ideal, no."

"Now for something besides barriers! Is there anyway to detect those invisible... things? I mean, you can see them, and you said others could but... is there a way for me to be able to do it?"

"Not particularly, no. There are magical items that would allow you to see invisible objects, yes, but they don't work on things that are specifically trying to avoid you. They're not strong enough to overcome a strong enough invisibility either. The only surefire way is via your own magic - and its not simple magic either. If you happen to be a talented mage, it is something you could probably be taught... I cannot teach you however. My own kind of magic is... different."

"Different?" you asked, suddenly curious.

The bandaged woman cupped her chin, "It is difficult to explain. To put it simply though, it would require decades of work on your part... it would be easier to learn normal magic, although you would still need to be a powerful enough mage to overcome whatever magic is being used on these 'spies' to hide themselves from you. Either way, it is probably not feasible for you. I mean no offense, but I do not imagine you are a magician."

You chuckled and nodded, "No offense taken, it is the truth after all. I think Patchouli once offered but... I imagine it would still take time to learn. And there's no telling how strong those things are anyway."

"Regrettably, yes. Still, I would not worry overly much about them... they can do nothing but watch you. This may seem like a bad thing, but it is preferable to invisible things trying to attack you."

She had a point there, even if it wasn't too reassuring to imagine something invisible could be stalking you around, reporting to... something else.

"Okay so let's say, there was a shapeshifter or something similar. Is there anyway to be able to tell?"

Kasen sighed and furrowed her brow, "This is a difficult one, as it largely depends on the skill of the shapeshifter. A true master of the art could copy someone's appearance entirely - the only way you could tell them from the real thing, is in the way they act. But a master of the art would also ensure they have carefully researched every aspect of the person they intend to copy.

"However, these kind of shapeshifters are exceedingly rare. In most cases, shapeshifters have tiny imperfections in their disguises. For instance, tanuki cannot hide their raccoon tails, meaning they have to go to lengths to find other ways to hide them. Most shapeshifters also cannot perfectly copy eyes, and are stuck with their normal eye color. Of course, the downside of this largely depends on whom they intend to copy, those with rare eye colors are not usually targets of shapeshifters for this reason. It pays to take close attention of the smaller details, these are the things shapeshifters usually cannot copy exactly.

"Of course, another way to spot a shapeshifter is to simply note if they don't act right. There are talismans and the like which can dispel shapeshifting, or even a barrier can do that. Of course, this depends on the strength of the user, a powerful enough shapeshifter can hold their disguise through a barrier. Talismans only tend to work if you apply them directly to the person, and this can predictably, lead to awkward situations if you slap a talisman upon everyone you meet."

Kasen was certainly knowledgeable. There also never seemed to be an easy, normal way to solve anything was there? Magic was truly something else... if only you were actually some kind of mage, this would be a lot easier.

"Okay, well... one last question for now, I think. Do you think it might be safer to simply... move? Say to... Reimu's shrine? Or maybe where Yuuka lives?"

Kasen frowned, folding her arms across her chest.

"It may be, yes but did you not wish to avoid inconveniencing your friends? I know little of the flower youkai's lifestyle, but I do know her to not be the kind of actually own a house. Living with her would be hazardous to your life, as you would be forced to make do with living in the outdoors. As for Reimu, no that is not an option.

"While the shrine is allowed to accept guests, only those who are actually Hakurei, or married into the clan are supposed to live there. It is not a place for friends, no matter how close, to live in. I understand you are afraid of what could happen if you were alone, but I thought you didn't want to resort to this kind of thing..."

You quickly shook your head, stammering, "I-I didn't mean it like, seriously just uhm, y-you know, hypothetically!"

Geez, that made you look kind of bad, didn't it? You were acting all brave earlier, not wanting to impose on people's lives, and then you basically went and asked a question that was the exact opposite! What were you thinking? Maybe that little event had shaken you up more then you had thought...

Judging by what Kasen had told you so far, there was little you could do on your own. You would still need the aid of friends, but you found yourself... not too concerned. You after all had such kind, caring friends who didn't seem to mind doing all this. Still, you only hoped this whole thing could be resolved quickly... then life could go back to normal.

Maybe that was the key? Just try and act like everything was normal? Perhaps...

"Ah, t-thank you Kasen, for indulging my curiosity. I can't really think of anything else..."

The woman smiled, "Certainly Reina. Well, I will take some time to ensure your house is free of any further 'spies'. If you go anywhere, please let me know. I have to protect you today, after all."

That was pretty nice, but you didn't really feel like going anywhere today...

~

Your sleep was a bit uneasy, but you still woke feeling refreshed, more or less. Kasen had opted to sleep in the guest room, or rather, she had simply never asked otherwise - she seemed to just assume that was were all guests slept. The woman seemed nice enough, but she also seemed kind of distant in a way.

Still, while last night had been rather dull and uneventful, it was also safe. Kasen's search turned up no further 'spies', and she declared your house safe for the time being. It was still reassuring to know someone was in the house, and Kasen seemed quite dedicated to fulfilling the request from Reimu.

You had considered surprising her with breakfast, but when you peered into your guest room to see if she was there, you were surprised to see it empty. The bed had been made, but there was no sign of Kasen actually being there. Had she actually left? She said she'd be here, right?

No, no don't think that. Maybe she was just out for a little bit..."Heading downstairs cautiously, you could make out sounds... something akin to yells and grunts? Feeling a sudden surge of panic, you dashed to find the source - was Kasen in trouble?! Was something attacking her!"

The sounds seem to be coming from your front 'yard', so you quickly ran to the door and flung it open, immediately looking for your pink-haired guard.

She was standing in the yard, in a combat stance, and looking at you with a most puzzled expression.

"Is something the matter Reina?"

"I-I heard sounds and uhm... I-I thought you were in trouble or... something...?"

The pink-haired woman looked at you in confusion for a moment, and then suddenly broke out into laughter.

"Ah! I apologize, I didn't mention it last night, did I? I was training, I'm sorry its a bit of a morning habit for me. I'm not used to having anyone with me, and upon reflection, I can see how the sounds of training could sound like combat... I apologize for worrying you."

Oh. Well, that made a lot of sense. You had never considered that at all! It kind of made sense though, if she was a fighter, wouldn't she practice to keep her skills sharp?

"A-ah, sorry I uhm, this is kind of embarrassing, isn't it?"

Kasen laughed and shook her head, "Not at all. I apologize again for alarming you. I can see you hurried out of bed, I will finish my training in an hour or so I take it. After that, I will be at your disposal. Reimu should be returning today, or perhaps tomorrow... her injuries are not that serious. I suspect today however, she always is quite stubborn..."

- - -

Almost gave you a heartattack, actually but anyway...
[ ] Hey... maybe you could ask to train with Kasen for now? You haven't had any practice in a while...
[ ] After her training, why not...
- [ ] Go visit the mansion. You should give Remilia an update.
- [ ] Maybe Kasen can find Yuuka?
- [ ] To the village! For... something? (Specifics?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] You'll just entertain Kasen until Reimu arrives. (Specifics?)
[ ] Other?

[x] Hey... maybe you could ask to train with Kasen for now? You haven't had any practice in a while...
[x] After her training, why not...
- [x] Go visit the mansion. You should give Remilia an update.

[X] Hey... maybe you could ask to train with Kasen for now? You haven't had any practice in a while..."

[x] Hey... maybe you could ask to train with Kasen for now? You haven't had any practice in a while...
[x] After her training, why not...
- [x] Go visit the mansion. You should give Remilia an update.


When you're training for self-defense instead of to learn a specific style, all training is good training.
And Remilia is almost a permanent patron (who likes to be kept in the loop), so it wouldn't hurt to visit.
We could talk to Patchouli too, and ask if she has found anything about grimoires that could be of use to us, even if she can't study Reina's grimoire itself. The Voile library is pretty huge, after all.

I think we should go to the mansion after Reimu gets back, so she can join in on that game we owe Sakuya.

[x] Hey... maybe you could ask to train with Kasen for now? You haven't had any practice in a while...
[x] After her training, why not...
- [x] Go visit the mansion. You should give Remilia an update.

- - -

Kasen was pretty dedicated to her art if she was willing to wake up early and train... even if she was at a relative stranger's house! It made you recall that your own training was a bit lacking. It had been a while since your initial teaching, and from your sparring with Reimu as well. Given the changes in your life recently, maybe trying to practice again may not be a bad idea.

"Could I join you? I, well got some instruction from Reimu a while back, but..."

The bandaged woman held up her hand to indicate silence, "Say no more. The specifics do not matter, but a willingness to train is. I would be honored to train alongside you Reina. If you grow tired, please feel free to rest when you require. I can go for quite a while."

You had expected the pink-haired woman to spar with you, but she instead insisted upon well... practice. Striking the air, breathing... that kind of thing. It was very different from Reimu's way of training, which certainly had included the shrine maiden soundly defeating you in sparring. In a way, Kasen's methods were more relaxing but still seemed to make you just feel... more experienced, somehow.

It was all very zen, as the saying goes. You think.

"Excuse me, Kasen? May I go visit somewhere today?"

Kasen chuckled, "Certainly. I'm not holding you prisoner within your own house. I will, of course, need to accompany you as per Reimu's favor. I trust this will not change your decision?"

"I always like the company. I don't think there'll be any problems."

~

Meiling seemed suspicious of your guest, but given your relationship with Remilia - and the mansion in general - she allowed the two of you in regardless. As usual, upon reaching the door it creaked open on its own, and the silver-haired maid was there to greet you.

"Good morning Reina, a pleasure. I see you brought a guest...?"

"Kasen Ibaraki. I'm accompanying Reina for the day, as per a request."

Sakuya smiled and gestured inside, "A pleasure miss Ibaraki. A friend of Reina is always welcome within. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

"I need to speak to Remilia, if that's possible?"

"Certainly, follow me."

Even after all these visits the size and wealth of the mansion still impressed you. Kasen seemed entirely unaffected however, merely following close by you and only occasionally peering down a hallway on the way.

As usual, the mistress of the mansion was waiting in her 'throne'. You had to wonder if she just always waited there? Perhaps when Meiling let you in, the vampire was somehow informed and was already prepared... it would certainly not be too unusual.

"I see you have brought a new guest with you Reina. Sakuya has told me you wanted to meet with me?"

You nodded, "Ah, yes. First uhm, introductions she's - ?

"Kasen Ibaraki, I know. Sakuya told me, do not worry. I have heard of her... this is my first time seeing her within my mansion though. I hope she finds her stay enjoyable. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

At least this time, what you had to tell Remilia was much quicker and easier. The vampire's face remained neutral as she listened, reclining in her throne as she absorbed your words. Sakuya's own reaction to the news was much the same, neither so much as widened their eyes.

"Quite the turn of events... I hope it is not a sign. Perhaps Pache could assist...?" Remilia trailed off as her eyes flicked to Sakuya.

"While mistress Knowledge is certainly powerful, I have never heard her speak much of barriers. I believe the most she could assist Reina with, would be in the magical arts." replied the silver-haired woman carefully.

"Yes, this is true. I must thank you for informing me Reina, it means a lot to me. Pache has been busy delving into research on my behalf, but I do not believe she has anything to report - if she does, it has not been enough to inform me at least." the vampire giggled softly, "I would not be surprised if she had something still. She has always been known to spite my requests from time to time...

"If you wish to visit her, Sakuya will guide you. Otherwise, well... name whatever it is you wish. I will do my best to grant it, of course."

"If I may, mistress Remilia? There is the small matter of her stipend..."

The vampire nodded, "Ah, yes of course. Please Sakuya, go ahead."

The maid approached you, a small book in hand, "Mistress Remilia has adjusted your stipend to account for the previous... oversight. I took the liberty of writing down the details in this notebook, it is not much, but I feel managing a budget is much easier with something like this."

You smiled and accepted the book, "Thank you Sakuya, I appreciate it."

"It is my pleasure Reina. Now then, what other business do you wish to attend to? I am at your service."

- - -

Always good when everything goes over smoothly and quickly.
[ ] It can't hurt to go check in with Patchouli.
[ ] Well, you did actually owe Remilia a game... you should go discuss it. (Specifics?)
[ ] Couldn't you just spend some time with Sakuya?
[ ] That was all you wanted to do, now... (write-in)
[ ] Other?

> Obtained budget notebook!

[ x ] Well, you did actually owe Remilia a game... you should go discuss it. (Specifics?)?

[X] It can't hurt to go check in with Patchouli.
To do something else than playing a game for once.

[X] Well, you did actually owe Remilia a game... you should go discuss it. (Specifics?)


I donno what specifics to put honestly.

[X] Well, you did actually owe Remilia a game... you should go discuss it. (Specifics?)
-[X] Rules same as the game with Sakuya and Reimu in the shrine : poker, bet points, buyback with clothes, winner gets a favor from each of the losers.
-[X] As for players : Reina, Sakuya, and Remilia, of course, but Kasen can join in if she wants, and see if Meiling, Patchouli, and Koakuma want to play if they aren't too busy.

Strip poker with a succubus, mmmm~. What kind of perverted favors would she ask for, I wonder~?

[X] Well, you did actually owe Remilia a game... you should go discuss it. (Specifics?)
-[X] Rules same as the game with Sakuya and Reimu in the shrine : poker, bet points, buyback with clothes, winner gets a favor from each of the losers.
-[X] As for players : Reina, Sakuya, and Remilia, of course, but Kasen can join in if she wants, and see if Meiling, Patchouli, and Koakuma want to play if they aren't too busy.

- - -

You already were at the mansion, and you did owe Sakuya that favor...

"I need to talk to Remilia about, well, uhm... you know..."

You swore you saw a faint glimmer in Sakuya's eyes, "Certainly. Please, speak freely."

"Excuse me, Remilia do you have some freetime?" you ask casually.

The vampire reclines in her throne and considers your question for a few heartbeats, "I believe I can make some time for you Reina, what is it you wish?"

Well, this was going to be an awkward way to ask this. Somehow, it felt a bit wrong to actually mention that this was a favor from Sakuya... and one you only had because she had beaten you. So, if you could just make it sound more natural...

"Well, I have some time, so I could perhaps interest you in a game? Perhaps... cards?"

Remilia's mouth broke into a pleased smile, "Certainly! Sakuya, will you prepare a room? I believe you know which... I will lead Reina myself."

The silver-haired maid curtseyed, "Of course mistress Remilia. Should I invite anyone else, or do you wish for this to be a private affair?"

"Hmm... well, I imagine Pache is quite busy, but you can certainly ask. Does your guest which to play as well?"

The pink-haired woman raised an eyebrow, "A game of cards? Well, I do not seem the harm in that..."

"It is a bit more then a game of cards, I would say. Reina is a bit known for her card games... mainly because they involve the betting, and removal, of clothing."

Kasen's eyes widened in surprised, her eyes flicking to you, "I-I see... well, I cannot say I have quite the interest in that sort of thing..."

"Of course," said Remilia, as if she did not hear Kasen, "a good guest would not even need to be asked, would she? After all, she is a good guest and would not turn down such a polite request, would she? I hear hermits are quite respectful after all... it would be unusual to imagine otherwise."

"H-hey Remilia, you don't..."you say nervously.

The pink-haired woman sighed, "... No, she is right. I am a guest, and as such, obligated to accept the offers of the host. So long as they are reasonable, and I suppose there is nothing wrong with the game itself..."

Remilia grinned, "See Reina, no problem at all. When you return from checking with Pache, may you bring some refreshments? Wine and sake, I believe shall do for drinks. I will leave snacks, to your own choice Sakuya."

"Of course mistress Remilia. I will not be long."

~

Unlike most of the rooms you had been in, this one was different. Mostly in that it had no windows, and was lit entirely by candles and a chandelier. Considering Remilia was a vampire, it probably made sense she would prefer a room that had no sunlight however. The vampire said she merely picked it for it being one of her favorite rooms to relax in... and it also lacked windows, meaning there was no worry of a particular tengu flying by.

You seriously doubted Aya knew you were even here, but you couldn't argue.

Aside from the lack of sunlight, the room did seem more relaxing in some fashion. Perhaps it was just the expensive and fine furniture within - the chairs were quite comfy, and the table was of a beautiful make and sheen. It was kind of unusual to actually have a proper table to play on for once...

As somewhat expected, Patchouli was too busy to play, saying she was still busy in her research. She did however, spare her assistant the unusual redheaded woman you recalled meeting only briefly. Well, you said 'woman', but you were fairly sure she wasn't human at all, given the wings on her back and head.

"It is an honor and pleasure to see you again Lady Reina. It has been a long time." said the redhead, curtseying.

"There's no need to be so formal, I'm not really..."

Remilia patted you on the shoulder, "Don't try Reina. Koakuma is quite formal. Sakuya will listen to your request, but she... well, good luck with that."

"It is an honor to be allowed to spend time with you as well, mistress Scarlet."

Kasen fixed the redhead with a critical stare, before carefully extending her left hand, "Kasen Ibaraki."

"Koakuma. A pleasure, Lady Kasen." replied the winged woman, shaking the offered hand.

"There we go, introductions and all that already in order. Well Reina, as the expert on this sort of thing, will you decide the rules?"

"Well, I think the easiest way is to use points for betting, instead of anything else. Then to buy back in, you need to sell an article of clothing."

The pink-haired woman rubbed her chin, "We do not need to buy in constantly, do we?"

You had actually never been asked that before.

"Well, no I suppose not. If you don't mind losing, I suppose."

"And of course, there's always a penalty for losing, isn't there Reina?" added Remilia with a smirk, "From what I hear, having the losers all take one penalty from the winner is normal..."

"W-well, yes I suppose it is. If the terms are acceptable for all...?"

Kasen frowned but nodded, "... Very well."

"It will be my pleasure Lady Reina. I'm looking forward to an enjoyable game, I have heard only gossip and stories of these!"

"She means your strip games, not in general. I do give her days off..."commented Remilia quickly, "I, of course accept."

- - -

You're becoming really popular with these games, aren't you?
[ ] Which means you need to keep your reputation of being a winner!
- [ ] You'll help yourself to some sake though. Or wine. Both?
[ ] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so maybe you should just try to have fun.
- [ ] So may as well have some of the drink!
[ ] ? Maybe you'll just try to lose. Discreetly.
- [ ] If you drink enough, it'll be more convincing, right?
[ ] Other?

Update 50!

[c] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so maybe you should just try to have fun.
- [c] So may as well have some of the drink!

Okay, then.

[x] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so maybe you should just try to have fun.
- [x] So may as well have some of the drink!

Not sure if this was the best idea doing this with in Kasen in tow. Not that she has anything to be ashamed of, just that she's not used to this sort of thing.

I can only presume Meiling was too busy to come.

[X] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so focus on making sure she has fun. It's the least you can do after getting her roped into this.
-[X] Only drink if Kasen does. You don't her to get stuck as the only one not drinking, or feel pressured to drink to avoid that.

I'm a bit disappointed in remi, pressuring Kasen like that was a bit of a jerk move.

[X] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so focus on making sure she has fun. It's the least you can do after getting her roped into this.
-[X] Only drink if Kasen does. You don't want her to get stuck as the only one not drinking, or feel pressured to drink to avoid that.


Yeah, Remilia was a bit pushy. Let's make sure Kasen understands that the main point of these games is to have fun and get to know each other better.

>>175772
[x] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so maybe you should just try to have fun.
- [x] So may as well have some of the drink!
- [x] Some water or tea for Kasen?

[x] Kasen seemed uncomfortable, so maybe you should just try to have fun.
- [x] So may as well have some of the drink!

- - -

Given Kasen's somewhat forced role in the game, you were hoping this game would be a bit more... friendly then your last. You had the feeling if Sakuya was here, she'd still be fairly merciless. You at least were going to do your best to just enjoy the game, talk it up, keep it relaxed and friendly... and, well, help yourself to Remilia's fine drinks.

Not that you were a particularly picky drinker, but even you could appreciate the fine taste of the vampire's sake and wine. The sake probably was just about as good as the Lotus Pavilion, which didn't really surprise you given the wealth of the mansion.

Given Sakuya's prowess you had wondered on Remilia's own skills compared to your own... but it seemed the maid's card skills were really a unique talent to her. Remilia wasn't bad, of course, but she wasn't particularly great either - she had a bad habit of being easy to read. Koakuma was, in terms of poker face, much better and she always seemed to be all smiles no matter what her hand was like.

Kasen was... well, much like Koakuma in that she was very good at keeping a steady face. She also did know how to play the game, so that was also a plus. It might sound a bit smug, but you were probably the best player at the table. Of course, you weren't really going to be too serious about this game anyway.

It took close to a few hours before the game was really starting to get interesting. Which is to say, it took about that long - what with the slow playing due to drinking and snacking and chatting - before everyone was starting to run out of 'safe' clothing.

You were doing the best by far, having only sold off your footwear, vest and jeans. You'd probably have lost the blouse first, but with the table providing some degree of protection, the jeans felt a safer choice. Though you swore someone was trying to rub your leg with their feet, but you couldn't tell who. Or if you were just imagining it.

Remilia was wearing the most out of all of you, so it had taken a bit of suggestion to even it out. Either way, she was left in only her cap and a shift - or maybe it was a chemise? Well, it was basically the same thing either way... As expected of someone of the vampire's standing, she took it all in fairly good grace and seemed completely unphased by her level of dress - and completely unashamed when she was stripping as well. Her shift also looked to be made of some silk, and probably some fairly expensive and high-quality silk.

The red-headed winged girl was not faring too well either, having shed all her outer clothing by this point, leaving her in some fairly... attractive and lacy undergarments. All quite black as well. She still had some sheer stockings also. While Koakuma's looks were always quite friendly and innocent, something about the way she had undressed and posed... suggested otherwise. You could swear the woman was always very intently watching anyone when they stripped.

Despite her best efforts Kasen was likely doing the worst. Well, no she certainly was doing the worst. The pink-haired woman had lost almost every stitch of clothing - except her tabard, and whatever else she had underneath it. You had to assume a bra, or perhaps a sarashi... because she had already lost her lower undergarments. While a blush was on her face, she did not appear to be angry about her situation... but she certainly wasn't all too pleased with it either.

Particularly as her points had run out again.

"Well... as much as the semi-naked tabard look is quite nice..."mused Remilia with a small smirk.

The bandaged armed woman frowned and leaned back in her chair, "I'm afraid I will not buy back in."

"Oh? So, you accept a defeat then?"

Kasen shrugged, "I suppose I do. I'm sorry to disappoint, but it is my decision. Thank you for the drink and food, but I will be keeping what clothing I have left."

"Aw, what a shame..."sighed Koakuma softly.

"Very well Kasen, I can respect your decision. You of course, need to remain like that until after the game is done - and you will still need to accept the order of the winner." replied the vampire.

"Of course. Please, continue your game. I will merely watch."

You felt a bit bad for the pink-haired woman. She was kind of only in this because of you... perhaps noting this, Kasen rested a hand on your shoulder and leaned in.

"Do not worry. I'm not mad at you. The game is... rather fun, in a way. Please, enjoy the game. Try not to lose, alright?" whispered the woman with a soft chuckle.

"Whisper sweet nothings in Reina's ear, are we?" teased Remilia with a grin

Kasen rolled her eyes, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

Even though Kasen was joking, your face still reflexively blushed at those words, which only seemed to elicit a laugh from Remilia and a giggle from Koakuma. With Kasen out of the game, it did seem likely you were going to win... you had a clothing advantage, and neither of the remaining two players were particularly skilled.

- - -

Probably the final stretch coming up here...
[ ] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.
[ ] While Kasen's loss was regrettable, you were still just going to see how it all went.
[ ] If you keep drinking like this, your eventual defeat will seem like an accident, and not on purpose!
[ ] Other? (write-in)

[x] If you keep drinking like this, your eventual defeat will seem like an accident, and not on purpose!

[x] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.

I'd rather strip koa as there'll be other chances to find excuses to get Reina naked.

[c] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.

For Kasen!!

[X] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.


With the other two players being Remilia and Koakuma, I'm not sure I'd want to know what ideas they have for "penalties" for the losers, even in a friendly game.

[X] While Kasen's loss was regrettable, you were still just going to see how it all went.

Mmm, naked tabard~

[X] Focus on making sure remi doesn't win.

[x] If you keep drinking like this, your eventual defeat will seem like an accident, and not on purpose!

[x] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.

Need to win all of the favors

[x] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.

[X] You're going to win, of course! For Kasen's sake.

- - -

"Lady Reina is really quite skilled..."commented Koakuma aloud, carefully swirling a glass of wine.

The vampire frowned, scratching her cheek, "Y-yes, she is quite good... I had always heard she was, but experiencing it first hand is... something else entirely."

The pink-haired woman peered at the cards on the table, "I still say it's mostly luck. I suppose the skill comes off most in how you handle your points or something but... regardless... I do believe Reina has won quite soundly, hasn't she?"

"... Yes, yes she has." said Remilia with a sigh, reaching up to her head and tossing her cap aside, "We only ever got to see her in her panties! I mean, the blouse and panty look is pretty nice, but I didn't even get a look at the bra underneath. Maybe I'll need Sakuya present next time..."

You chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of your head, "Sakuya is pretty good, but well, ah good game everyone. You all had fun, right?"

Koakuma giggled, "I enjoyed myself Lady Reina, the game was quite fun. Mistress Scarlet I must again say I am honored to be allowed to play with you."

"I guess even though I lost, it was still pretty good. Kasen is really good in that mostly naked tabard look, maybe I need to get some made for the maids or such... it does look really nice." mused Remilia thoughtfully.

"It is a garment, not a fetish thing..."said Kasen with a sigh, shaking her head.

Following Kasen's 'defeat', as it were, the game had gone rather well for you. Which was pretty obvious given you hadn't lost a single article since, and both Remilia and Koakuma had busted out - and run out of clothing. It felt satisfying having 'avenged' Kasen's defeat like that, it did save her from being the victim of a favor from Remilia at least... of course, now that was going to be in your hands.

"Sure, sure whatever you think Kasen. Anyway, I think there's the small matter of favors owed!" declared the vampire, as if reading your mind.

"This is true! Lady Reina, what order shall you give to me?" asked Koakuma curiously, rising from her seat to watch you expectantly.

Well, without that table in the way you actually had a pretty good eyeful of the red-head now. Her hair was fairly long, reaching past her waist... there was those very unusual, vaguely demon-like wings and headwings as well. But her body on the other hand, was well... very eye-pleasing you would have to (secretly) admit. Koakuma had a very shapely, hourglass figure and had quite the generous bust as well. And somehow, despite the fact she was doing little more then flash a smile and stand there, she somehow seemed to be in a very provocative pose... somehow.

You were pretty sure nothing in the rules said the losers had to stand up naked like this, but it seemed that Koakuma doing just that, also made Remilia do much the same.

She looked kind of strange without that trademark cap on though. Remilia was, by far, the shortest one here though. Her skin was also very pale, and it made you kind of think of a doll almost - she seemed delicate almost. It probably didn't help that she had a very childish figure. She was skinny and slim, but she didn't really have any breasts either. Despite being completely naked though, she seemed entirely unphased by it, even when nude she somehow gave off an air of elegance and refinement.

"I guess we all stand now...?" muttered the pink-haired woman curiously, also rising from her seat.

With the tabard still on, much of Kasen's actual details were hidden away behind the flimsy material. Still, from what you could make out, she had quite an attractive figure as well. And now looking at it, you could see the bare skin exposed by the tabard - except for the distinct bandage wrappings around the chest area, confirming she was still wearing one undergarment. She had probably dropped out due to the inability to remove the sarashi, without also removing her tabard. Taking into account the sarashi... Kasen's breasts were still rather large, even if they were being restrained some.

? Wait, why were you even noticing these details!"

"Koakuma had a nice idea I think, Reina won right? She should get a good eyeful, instead of cowering behind a table." answered Remilia with a laugh, "And as winner, what kind of favor or order do you have in mind? I'm kind of curious, I have to admit..."

"As am I! I'm a bit disappointed I didn't win, I had such ideas in mind..."said the red-head with a small sigh.

Kasen glanced at you, "... I somehow feel you winning was in my best interest."

"Come now Kasen, I can assure you my orders would be quite fun! But maybe you'll need to play without Reina around and find out."

"I think I'll pass on that, as generous an offer as it is."

- - -

You won! This could be the start of a nice streak...
- [ ] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it! (One for each.)
- [ ] You won but it was all in good fun, you didn't really want to give out an order...
- [ ] Other?

Blah. Sorry for a kind of... bland update. Homework snuck up on me.

- [X] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it! (One for each.)
Remilia - Have her play us again sometime.
Kasen - Have her come visit once in a while.
Koakuma ? [Put creative choice here]

[X] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it!
Remilia - Have her play us again sometime.
Kasen - Have her come visit once in a while.
Koakuma - Request a Sleepover

[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it! (One for each.)
-[x] "Kasen, I'd like you to visit me again and give me some more training."
-[x] "Koakuma, for the next 24 hours you're not allowed to wear a bra or panties, ok?"
-[x] "And as for you: next time you think it's a good idea to pressure one of my guests into anything that involves stripping or betting favors, don't do it. Give them the opportunity to decide for themself, be willing to accept ?no? for an answer, and don't lecture them about being a good guest or anything like that."

[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it!
-[x] Koakuma: see about getting an outfit like hers (possibly with similar undies)
-[x] Remilia: Have her teach you a game she's good at.
-[x] Kasen: A day to relax/have fun (maybe some clothes trying)

My reasoning for them?
Koakuma: her outfit adds massive charm to any woman and mix that with Reina.

Remilia: It's pretty hard as she's doing so much for Reina already, but I figure why not learn something she's good at.

Kasen: Mainly becasue I get the feeling she could really use one though she doesn't seem to allow herself much.

[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it!
-[x] Koakuma: see about getting an outfit like hers
-[x] Remilia: Have her teach you a game she's good at.
-[x] Kasen: A day to relax/have fun (maybe some clothes trying)


This sounds like a good idea to me.
Telling Koakuma to not wear underwear would probably lead to a remark like "but it's not casual friday yet".

>>175878
[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it! (One for each.)
-[x] "Kasen, I'd like you to visit me again and give me some more training."
-[x] Koakuma is forced to dress like a butler for the next 24 hours
-[x] Remilia should claim to be a Miko Hunter and whip Reimu with wet noodles

>>175884
??? The point was possibly scoring an outfit and maybe some nice undies.

[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it!
-[x] Koakuma: see about getting an outfit like hers
-[x] Remilia: Have her teach you a game she's good at.
-[x] Kasen: A day to relax/have fun (maybe some clothes trying)

I like this one the best.

[x] Since you did win, you have to give out an order. Or a favor. Whatever you wish to call it!
-[x] Koakuma: see about getting an outfit like hers (possibly with similar undies)
-[x] Remilia: Have her teach you a game she's good at.
-[x] Kasen: A day to relax/have fun (maybe some clothes trying)

- - -

You were sure if a random stranger walked in right now, the sight of you sitting there and rubbing your chin in thought, while two naked and one almost naked woman was standing around you, would look pretty crazy.

Luckily no one did that, of course, as you thought up some appropriate orders. It was kind of fun to consider, and you wanted to ensure they were going to be fun for them as well...

"Alright, I've got it!" you say with a snap of your fingers.

Kasen glanced towards Remilia, "She's suddenly really into this."

"Worried? I'm sure you'll be fine."

You pointed to Koakuma first, "Okay, for you... could I get a set of your clothing? It's actually, well, erm, looks kind of nice, so..."

The red-head tilted her head slightly, "I'm not sure if anything I have will fit you correct Lady Reina, but I do have a few spare outfits, of course."

"I can always get them fitted later. But there, that's your order." you respond with a nod.

Koakuma nods, "Certainly. I'll make sure it's a really good set, just for you Lady Reina."

"Good! Okay, now Remilia could you teach me to play a game? One you're really good at, and well one I'm not so good at."

The vampire blinked in surprise, then cupped her chin, "That's simple enough... but certainly. Perhaps shogi or chess..."

"Well, I already know how to play chess, but I don't really know shogi that well beyond that one game... but ah, it'll be your choice."

The pink-haired woman leaned forward, "And what is my order then?"

You flashed your bodyguard a grin, "Yours is pretty easy also. I want you to take a day off sometime, and spend it with me."

"But... is that not what I'm doing right now?" asked Kasen, frowning slightly.

"No, no. You're doing this as a result of a favor and you're doing it for a specific purpose! For the day I'm talking about, you have to come of me of your own free will. And your only intention is to take the day off - you can still protect me, if you want, but it can't be the intention of the day. Understand?"

Kasen's eyes widened a bit and she nodded, "A-ah... certainly. Yes, I can do that."

"Good! Also I expect this day off to be sometime in the near future as well. And there, those are my orders."

~

It was little surprise that Koakuma was the first to return to the room, a carefully wrapped package under her arm, which she surrendered to you with a polite curtsey and smile. While you had been waiting, Remilia had started to teach you more about shogi, given before she had basically only given you enough knowledge to actually play the game, so this time she was trying to teach you finer points of the game.

Your bodyguard merely seated herself at the table, helping herself to the drink and snacks as she waited. You had been a bit worried that she was going to be upset about the situation, but she seemed to take it fairly well all things considered.

"I hope you find the garments to your liking Lady Reina." the redhead leaned forward to whisper in your ear, "I included a little extra, take a look when you have some time. I hope you'll like it."

Koakuma then drew back and curtseyed before excusing herself, stating that Patchouli was waiting for her tea - it seemed like a flimsy excuse given Sakuya seemed perfectly capable of making tea, but who were you to question the ways of that strange magician?

"Did you want to try those on now?" asked Remilia, gesturing at the package.

"Ah, no I need to get them fitted first I'd think... I doubt me and Koakuma have the exact same measurements and the like, after all."

The vampire eyed you up and down and smirked, "If that's what you think Reina. Your best bet is to probably ask Alice to do it, she's easily the most talented tailor in Gensokyo."

Remilia did have a point there. There was probably someone in the village who could do it as well, given Alice did live inside the Forest of Magic...

"Do you think she's busy? I mean, her house is out in the Forest of Magic after all... that's not exactly a short or easy trip."

"Couldn't say if she's busy or not, but I don't see why it'll be a problem," the vampire pointed at Kasen, "You have a bodyguard after all. Otherwise, I would certainly insist you bring someone along with you, the Forest is no place for someone unfamiliar with it to travel. Not without being quite strong."

"The Forest of Magic? I can certainly escort you through it, although I do not believe I know where this 'Alice' lives." comments Kasen, approaching the two of you.

"Well, I have a general idea of where it is... I've visited it a few times. I'm just not sure if I should just drop in unannounced like this or not..."

"You don't really have any other choice for her though - Alice doesn't exactly have any way to actually contact her. You just have to basically go and knock on her door and ask. She's usually not too busy though. She's talented, yes, but her home is kind of out of the way... it makes running a stable business kind of difficult.

"I'm pretty sure that's the way she likes it though. Otherwise she could easily move into the village... or maybe she's just never had the offer made, or maybe she likes being alone. And don't worry, I'm not trying to avoid my favor - I just don't think I should cram too much information in at once, you need to have time to absorb it right?"

- - -

Well, Remilia may have a point...
[ ] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!
[ ] You'd rather get some more shogi lessons.
[ ] Patchouli said she had nothing, but you could visit her anyway...
[ ] Other?

[x] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!

>?No, no. You're doing this as a result of a favor and you're doing it for a specific purpose! For the day I'm talking about, you have to come of me of your own free will.

>ordering someone to come along of their own free will

Logic, where are you going?

[x] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!

Yes please I desire these shenanigans. Alice is sure to open the package away from Reina's supervision and discover whatever this mysterious delight is that Koakuma has left her.

[x] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!


We can finish up the bits of Shogi we're currently learning about and then get more pointers later.

>>175898
To the hell of blazing fires, in Orin's wheelbarrow.

>>175898
Just because it's called an "order" doesn't literally mean Reina is thinking of them as "Whatever I say, you need to obey."

It's just a game term. And it isn't like Reina is going to pick something that someone is uncomfortable doing.

>>175898
This is Gensoukyou. Place where little girls bitchslap logic on a daily basis.

[x] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!

[x] Why not? You haven't seen Alice in a long time!

- - -

"Well, I haven't seen Alice in a while actually, not since that party I'd say. And even then, we didn't really talk much."

The pink-haired woman nodded, "To the Forest of Magic then? Let's hope you have a pretty good idea of where it is, the Forest is no place to get lost..."

"Especially once the sun starts to set. You should go while you have a lot of daylight left. It was a pleasure to see you Reina, as always, my doors are always open to you."

You smile at Remilia, "Always a pleasure as well. Thanks for the little notebook as well, just remember to give me some work once in a while, alright? Have to make me work for that stipend sometimes!"

"I'll see about getting you something soon then, I can't just have you have my money, food, and drink for free, you're right." replied Remilia with a smirk, "Sakuya! Escort our guests out."

That was kind of odd to yell for someone who wasn't even in the - when did Sakuya get here!" You didn't even hear a door open, yet there the maid was in the room. Maybe you'd have to ask her one of these days what her secret was.

~

It had been a while since you had visited Alice personally, and you were worried you wouldn't be able to remember the way to her house, but your fears vanished when you remembered a key fact.

Alice's house was in a clearing in the forest, and it was a simple matter of flying over the forest until you found a clearing, and then look down. Given the puppeteer also lived in a fairly fancy house, it was easy to tell it was her's and not Marisa's - you seem to recall Marisa's home looked a lot more... rundown.

As Kasen lowered you to the ground, you could also tell Alice was home as you could see smoke rising from the chimney. Or, at least, you were pretty sure she'd be home - otherwise, why would she leave the fireplace going? It wasn't too horribly cold today, but perhaps her house wasn't as insulated as your own (which wouldn't surprise you, given your house was built in 'modern' times).

The pink-haired woman hung back as you carefully knocked on the door. There was a wait of a few heartbeats, before it opened - and you saw a small, floating girl peering at you. If it wasn't for the fact she was impossibly small, one would almost think it was a child answering the door.

"Hello Hourai, is Alice home?" you asked with a smile.

The little doll nodded, pointing within. She floated out of your way, then noticed Kasen, she looked to her, before looking at you curiously.

"She's a guest of mine, it'll be okay. If it helps reassure Alice, she knows Reimu."

The doll once more nodded then floated away within the house. You turned and gestured for Kasen to follow as you headed within the warm, cozy house. You always kind of liked Alice's house, compared to your own which was rather simple and drab, Alice's house just looked so inviting! And very well made, and fancy, in a way. It couldn't match the Mansion's wealth, but the puppeteer's house was still very nice, with well-painted walls, fancy furniture, and various decorations.

It didn't take long to find Alice herself, she was waiting in a room in the back of the house, seated at a desk, seemingly reading a book. When you entered, she raised a hand in your direction and waved, not taking her gaze off the book.

"Hello Reina, it has been a while since you have visited me at home." she paused to place a bookmark, closing the book before turning to face you with a smile, "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit? And I see you brought a guest as well."

"Kasen Ibaraki." said Kasen simply, introducing herself.

The blonde puppeteer smiled, "I see, I'm Alice Margatroid, a pleasure."

"You're not busy, are you Alice?"

"Not terribly, no. Did you require a favor?"

You reached into your bag and pulled out the package Koakuma had given you, "Could I trouble you to fit these clothes for me? I ah... recently acquired them from someone else, but well, they're not actually made for me exactly, so..."

Alice giggled quietly and took the package from you, "I understand. I can certainly do that... I still recall your measurements from before. It shouldn't take too long. Do you wish to just wait? If you wish, I can just ship it tomorrow if you have other business, or we can even talk while I work - it won't be a problem, fitting clothing is hardly a task I have much difficulty with."

- - -

Now that you were visiting Alice...
[ ] May as well stay to talk!
- [ ] What do you talk about though? (write-in, appropriate amount of questions and such)
[ ] You'll just wait with Kasen.
- [ ] Anything to talk to her about? (write-in)
[ ] Well, you don't actually need the clothes today...
- [ ] Where to go though?
[ ] Other?

[X] Well, you don't actually need the clothes today...
-[X] You're already in the forest, so why not visit Marisa? Tell her about that invisible thing Kasen found and get a magic lesson from her.

[x] May as well stay to talk!
- [x] How she's been doing since that party
- [x] Ask about any interesting projects

Given the lack of a clear lead, I'm going to postpone the update for a day at least. If nothing happens by tomorrow, I guess I'll just have to work with it.

[x] May as well stay to talk!
- [x] How she's been doing since that party
- [x] Ask about any interesting projects

AliceAliceAliceAliceAlice

[x] May as well stay to talk!
- [x] How she's been doing since that party
- [x] Ask about any interesting projects
Eh, good enough.

[x] May as well stay to talk!
"- [x] How she's been doing since that party"-
[x] Ask about any interesting projects

[x] May as well stay to talk!
- [x] How she's been doing since that party
- [x] Ask about any interesting projects

- - -

"If I won't be a bother, I won't mind staying to talk a bit."

The puppeteer smiled, "Certainly. Does your guest require anything?"

Ah. You hadn't considered what Kasen would want to do...

"Just some tea, if I may impose. I'll just wait here, I feel any conversation you have would be lost upon me."

"Of course, that'll be no problem. I actually started a pot when you two arrived, it'll be done in a moment. In the mean time, I should start on my work."

Alice's house also had a little workshop of sorts, as it turned out and it was filled with the things you kind of expected a seamstress to own. Lots of bolts of cloth, some works in progress... things like that. Still, like much of her house, it still felt all very warm and cozy, unlike your own workshop which just kind of small and messy.

Everything in this workshop seemed to be neatly organized and tucked away. You somehow got the feeling Alice liked keeping things neat and orderly. The puppeteer found a chair for you to sit on nearby, as she went about opening the package and starting her work.

"How have you been Alice? I mean, it's been a little while since we last spoke and all."

"Well, what have you heard of me so then?" asked the blonde woman with a soft giggle.

You scratched your chin and nervously asked, "Uhm, well. I heard you were going out with Marisa...?"

"I imagine you've heard this is not the first time for that either. But yes, I'm current dating Marisa... again." the woman shook her head, "I imagine that confuses you a bit, but well, it is hard to explain really... although, considering you are an outsider, would you consider the idea of two girls dating so openly, unusual?"

"Uhm, w-well, I guess it's... different for the outside world, yeah..."

Alice nodded, "I have heard as much. The outside world is so strange, but I confess, it is possibly Gensokyo that is strange. Regardless, it isn't unusual here at all."

"Really? I... guess I've never actually seen much in the way of romance in the village or anything..."

"Well, most of the villagers are still kind of reserved about that kind of thing. You'd have to probably keep an eye open for it. But it's not too unusual... in fact, name anyone you know, and I can probably tell you if they've dated a girl at one point or another."

"You keep tabs on all that?"

The blond shook her head, "Not particularly, but I'm rather good at figuring this out. It also helps I'm on speaking terms with most people."

"Erm, well... I ah, don't know if I really feel comfortable prying into people's personal lives, without them kind of telling me first..."you admit with a nervous chuckle.

"I understand, nothing wrong with that. I will admit myself, I'm a bit of an unusual case... Marisa is kind of well, my first girlfriend. I can't say I've had one that's quite the... same before her. I can only imagine the number of lovers an older youkai has had over their lifespan though."

"Do they really have that many...?"

"Given youkai can live for well... let's just say a long time, it's not that strange. I imagine there is a racial disconnect here, humans tend to cherish love as a one-time thing I guess. To youkai... it's not really the same. It's still special of course, but they don't really see falling in love as something that only happens once - while this makes sense for a human lover, it's still the same for youkai lovers as well.

"Not that old age separates them, of course. But I guess youkai just kind of grow bored of one another eventually. Humans see staying together for decades as an achievement, but I can only imagine that after a few centuries..."

This was pretty strange to wrap your head around. Probably because you were a human, but books and stuff always seemed to make love out as a magical, priceless thing. And it certainly never faded! Well... depended on the story, actually. But, you had to admit, maybe it was just a thing that happens when you live for as long as a youkai does.

"Well, uhm... is the dating going well, then?"

"Oh certainly. We have a date later this week in fact. I'd share the details, but Marisa is surprisingly shy about those kind of things. She wouldn't be too happy if I went and told everyone." Alice paused in her work for a moment, "Although, I will admit, her flustered face is kind of cute."

That was kind of an amusing mental image.

"Erm, well I'm happy to hear it's going well! So erm, love life aside... have you had any big projects or anything?"

The puppeteer hummed to herself for a few moments before responding, "Just one, and it wasn't too large. Just a usual order from a client to fulfill. They come up every few months or so. It is probably my most steady line of work, but I still take pride in it of course."

"Oh? What kind of order?"

"Well, I'm not at liberty to say too much about it. It is kind of an exclusive place... well, high-class I suppose. Either way, I can at least tell you it's all very fine quality clothing. Not only is it tailor made to specifications, but very unique designs. They are some of my more fun jobs." the woman chuckled, "I wish I could show you them sometime, but well, it could be an awkward visit."

"It would be kind of nice to see more of your work though. I've only ever seen things you've done for me really."

"Perhaps one of these days we shall need to showcase our respective clients sometime. I'll need to see how they feel about that. I am quite curious to see how your work looks. Much of your work is through Remilia, correct?"

"Yeah, she is kind of my main client."

The puppeteer nodded, "Sadly, I doubt I would notice your work there. Nothing in her mansion ever seems to be in at all a bad shape, so I doubt even I would notice any touching up. But yes, one of these times I would love to see your work."

"Maybe you have something in your house I could work on? Then you'd have a lasting reminder!"

Alice laughed and grinned, "Perhaps. I'll need to see, but I probably do. Now then, you know this package included some very fine lingerie, right? Quite daring... these'll be kind of fun to alter."

Your face heated up as you blinked and shook your head, "I-I erm, I never looked, I didn't know! I just ah, asked for the clothes and uhm, that is ah..."

The puppeteer merely laughed as she set aside the lacy set of black undergarments, returning her focus to the actual clothing.

- - -

What was Koakuma thinking, putting in lingerie...!"
[ ] Well once Alice is done, you should go... (Pick a destination)
[ ] Maybe you should go see Marisa WITH Alice!
[ ] Why not stay at Alice's longer? Maybe she does have something for you to work on.
[ ] Other?

>?I wish I could show you them sometime, but well, it could be an awkward visit."

Pavilion?

sage because undecided on vote, We still have Kasen with us so maybe it's not such a great idea to mosey over to Marisa's with Alice?

I wonder if we can get a peep out of Kasen if the hermit has had any crushes

[X] Well once Alice is done, you should go...
-[X] You're already in the forest, so why not visit Marisa? Tell her about that invisible thing Kasen found and get a magic lesson from her.

>>175986
I bet she made those undies that were offered.

[X] Well once Alice is done, you should go...
-[X] You're already in the forest, so why not visit Marisa? Tell her about that invisible thing Kasen found and get a magic lesson from her.

>>175986
Yeah, pretty obvious. So:
[x] Before you leave Alice, ask if she's making clothes for the Lotus Pavillion.

[x] Well once Alice is done, you should go...
-[x] You're already in the forest, so why not visit Marisa? Tell her about that invisible thing Kasen found and get a magic lesson from her.

[X] Well once Alice is done, you should go...
-[X] You're already in the forest, so why not visit Marisa? Tell her about that invisible thing Kasen found and get a magic lesson from her.

- - -

"Alice, when you're all finished up here, do you think Marisa is home?"

The puppeteer paused in her work for a moment, "She should be yes, did you need something from her? Or just a visit because you were in the area?"

"I figured since I was in the area already and all..."

"Of course, of course. But yes, she should be home I think. I should be done shortly, and you still have some hours of daylight remaining... even with Kasen, I should suggest you do not linger once darkness falls. Kasen can protect herself, and you, but you never know... some things in this forest can be quite sneaky. It is not a safe place for the weak." the blonde shook her head, "I apologize, that sounded rude."

You shook your head, "No, no that's fine I know you didn't meant it in a bad way. It's just the truth, I'm... not all that strong."

"Your body may not be strong, but your mind and heart certainly are. You should treasure those strengths, they're not all that common. Now then, unless you've grown in your measurements since last time, I should be just about done..."

"H-hey whats that supposed to mean!?"

~

Marisa's house was such a sharp contrast to Alice's. It still looked like it was some rundown, abandoned house given its apparent disrepair but... the smoke from the chimney would make you guess otherwise. That and you knew the magician was home.

Before you even got to knocking on the door three times, the door was thrown open and a bewildered Marisa was standing before you.

"Reina!" Whatcha doin' here and..."the blonde peered behind you, "Whoa, Kasen is here too!" I never see her 'round here! Is somethin' goin' in?"

Before you could say anything the magician was already out of the house and peering at Kasen intently, and then looking to you, "Are you two datin' or something? I mean, I didn't think you two even knew one another but - ?

"Whoa, whoa calm down Marisa! It's not like that at all! Stop jumping to conclusions!" you interrupt quickly, before the blonde can go further off target.

"I think that is the most unlikely thing I have ever heard you say Marisa. It's so nice to see you, by the way."

"Well, if the two of you ain't goin' out, what's she doin' around ya? She's usually too busy bothering Reimu or something."

"Well, if you would let me talk I could explain..."you say with a sigh.

Marisa rubbed her chin and nodded, "Alright then! Come on, let's get inside it's cold out here. So whatcha wanna tell me?"

It didn't take too long to relate last night's events to Marisa, and as usual, she seemed to be the most surprised about the news. When you had finished talking, she began immediately pacing back and forth in the room, muttering and talking to herself in a hushed voice.

The pink-haired woman leaned over to whisper in your ear, "Does she always react like this?"

You gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, this is about normal for her..."

"Geez, this is gettin' strange...! If only I could get Reimu involved, but she'd be all like 'No this isn't an incident' blah, blah, blah. There's not really that many clues to go off though, but maybe I should start pokin' around..."

"If you really want to investigate, there was a minor disturbance in the area." suggested Kasen offhand, "I'm not sure it's related, but if you really feel you have to do something..."

The magician spun and faced Kasen, "Really!" Tell me where! I'll go check it out! If Reimu ain't goin' to do anything, I sure as hell will!"

"H-hey calm down Marisa, there's no need to get all heated up about it right now... I kinda wanted to see if I could get a magic lesson from you, actually?"

The blonde spun to face you now, "This is totally somethin' to get worked up about! Geez, you're so casual about this..."she sighed, "But really, a magic lesson? I guess it's been a while since your first one, but I can think of somethin', I think..."

"You know magic?"

You chuckled and rubbed the back of your head, "Barely. I've only had a few lessons on it, and it was months ago by this point... I probably got more danmaku and hand-to-hand training with Reimu."

"Yeah, I guess those things are kinda easier but... well, okay one Marisa magic lesson comin' up!" the magician clenched her fist and nodded to herself, "Ya know what, how about instead of a general magic lesson, we kinda specialize it? If you want. I mean, it's more intensive to teach you everythin' in general, but it's a lot easier to just do one thing at a time."

"Time is an issue, but I doubt Reina intends to remain for long once night falls, and I will ensure her safety home."

Marisa rubbed her chin, "Yeah true... so I guess I got time for about one lesson. Whatcha want a lesson on? I mean, if you really want, it can be general... or we can focus on somethin' more specific, like offensive magic or somethin'. Stuff like that. Can even think of somethin' to go with danmaku or such."

- - -

Choices, choices... of magic!
[ ] A general lesson seems best, hard to specialize when you barely know the basics!
[ ] Offensive magic! Blow stuff up or something!
[ ] Protecting yourself seems to be the best idea about now...
[ ] Why not practical magic? Something to help daily life?
[ ] Hey, why not get better at flying?
[ ] Other?
- [ ] Afterwards...
[ ] Go home!
[ ] Stay the night?
[ ] Go somewhere else. (Write-in)

[X] Why not practical magic? Something to help daily life?
There's no reason to get all paranoid just yet.

It's not paranoia when they really are out to get you.

[X] See if she can teach you to see invisible things like the one Kasen found. If not,
-[X] Protecting yourself seems to be the best idea about now...

[X] Afterwards...
-[X] Go home!

[X] Why not practical magic? Something to help daily life?
[X] Afterwards...
-[X] Go home!

Let's start with something that is immediately useful to Reina and something that is easy to practice to get a feel for casting spells in general.
Blowing stuff up requires a target and defending yourself requires an attack. Spells for doing stuff around the house just needs stuff around the house to do. And there's always something to do.

[x] A general lesson seems best, hard to specialize when you barely know the basics!
- [X] Afterwards...
[x] Go home!

Better basics will make anything else easier but I sense it'll get over looked for a 'shinier' choice.

[P] Why not practical magic? Something to help daily life?

Something Reina can actually use.

[X] Why not practical magic? Something to help daily life?
[X] Afterwards...
- [X] Go home!

- - -

"How about something practical?"

The magician rubbed her chin, "Practical? That's kinda unexpected..."

"Do you even know any practical magic Marisa?"

"Oi, I totally know some! Just, ya know gimme a second to collect my thoughts, and uhm..."

The pink-haired woman sighed, "I will assist. I don't really trust Marisa's lesson to be quite effective given the obvious signs of magic used to keep her house in good order..."

"It's not a mess! It's completely organized! See, that pile there is for scrap metal, that one is cloth 'n stuff, and that one - ?

"Yes, yes of course Marisa. Shall we start on the lesson? I would prefer finishing this up before it gets too late, the Forest only gets more dangerous as the night grows longer." interrupted Kasen with a wave of her bandaged hand.

The magician grumbled and searched her desk, "Fine, fine let's see where did I put that book... and some paper and..."

"An organized mess she says..."

~

While Kasen had started out being skeptical of Marisa's credientals with magic when it came to ?Anything that wasn't blowing stuff up." the lesson was still quite enlightening. Although, perhaps only because Kasen was there...

You didn't learn anything extremely amazing, of course, but little handy things like creating a ball of light, helping to dry clothes, wash dishes... you know, practical stuff around the house or the like. It wouldn't really help you in a dangerous situation, not unless your threat became your house in some crazy fashion, but it was still useful.

Plus it helped you brush up on your badly neglected magical lessons anyway.

"I know we didn't go over anythin' too amazin', but Reina's got a natural talent for this kind of thing. It's pretty surprising for an outsider."

The pink-haired woman nodded in response, "I have to admit, while we didn't go over anything too advanced, the speed at which you absorb this information is very unusual for an outsider..."

"W-well, what can I say? I guess it just somehow... clicks?" you say with a nervous chuckle.

The blonde rubbed her chin, "I guess. Maybe it has somethin' to do with yer grimoire, who knows. I guess it makes teachin' you a hell of a lot easier though, so no complaints outta me about that!"

"Yes, I suppose that is true... curious trait though." said Kasen thoughtfully, "Regardless... it appears to be dark out now. We should probably head home."

Then you remembered something.

"W-what if Reimu is waiting for me!" I mean, she might come back today, right?"

The pink-haired woman shrugged, "Well, I doubt that. If she showed up while we were out, she would probably have started combing Gensokyo for you already. Still, if she has, it would probably be a good idea to head back as soon as possible..."

"Oh yeah, if Reimu is waitin' for ya or somethin' you shouldn't keep her waitin' long. She'll get pissed off, she's really picky about people bein' where they should be, somethin' somethin' like that." said Marisa dismissively, waving her hand, ?'Course, when she has to show up somewhere on time, it's nothin' like that..."

Kasen extended her hand towards you, "Let us be off, shall we? If Reimu has been waiting for us, she is likely quite angry by now."

Maybe you should think of leaving a note on the door or something... time really seemed to have flown by today.

~

You had never seen the Hakurei shrine maiden angry before, or sporting a scowl either. It was kind of terrifying actually.

It had turned out Reimu had been at your house some hours before, and had been standing vigil ever since. She had also gone around and spruced up the wards and started work on a proper barrier, but she hadn't really finished it. You didn't really ask how long it'd take, because she seemed rather upset that you weren't at home when she showed up.

Kasen seemed to bare the brunt of the shrine maiden's fury, but eventually Reimu seemed to calm down and merely settled for grumping. It made you feel a bit sorry for Kasen, but the pink-haired woman assured you that Reimu wasn't really that angry - she'd been far angrier if you never showed up, or if you hadn't been escorted the entire time.

"Making me stand around and worry..."grumbled the shrine maiden

Kasen cast a glance at Reimu, "I think I also told you to not come over until you recovered."

"Please, I'm perfectly - ?

The shrine maiden's sentence was interrupted by a sharp hiss as the bandaged woman jabbed the girl in the side with her finger.

"Right, recovered... you're quite the stubborn one when it comes to Reina..."muttered Kasen, glancing at you.

The shrine maiden clutched her side, "Argh you didn't have to go and poke me right there... look it's fine unless you go and touch it like that! It doesn't bother me otherwise."

"I somehow doubt that, but at this point, the only way to get you to listen would be to tie you down to something."

"Are you really okay Reimu...?" you ask hesitatingly.

Reimu waves her hand, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine don't worry about it Reina, really. It's just a scratch. It just kind of hurts if you go and jab a finger into it."

"Well, as Reimu is now here, I will take my leave if I'm not otherwise needed for the time being."

- - -

Hm, well...
[ ] You'll see Kasen some other night.
- [ ] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
- [ ] Tell Reimu about the day? (Anything to omit?)
- [ ] Make food for Reimu.
- [ ] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Kasen can stay the night!
- [ ] Plan out that day out with Kasen tomorrow? (Specifics)
- [ ] Late night training with Kasen?
- [ ] Food for everyone!
- [ ] See if Reimu needs help.
- [ ] Decide sleeping arrangements.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Other?

> You gained Koakuma's outfit! Plus lingerie.

[X] You'll see Kasen some other night.
-[X] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[X] Make food for Reimu.
-[X] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?

[X] You'll see Kasen some other night.
-[X] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[X] Make food for Reimu.
-[X] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?

I can support this.

Update delayed, sorry. Thanksgiving, and then my nose has been bleeding for what feels like an hour, and I'm just tired.

>>176064
[x] You'll see Kasen some other night.
- [x] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[x] Make food for Reimu.
-[x] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?

Food is first priority.

[x] You'll see Kasen some other night.
-[x] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[x] Make food for Reimu.
-[x] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?
--[x] If yes, make sure you wear the lingerie you got from Koa.

[x] You'll see Kasen some other night."-[x] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?"-[x] Make food for Reimu."-[x] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?"--[x] If yes, make sure you wear the lingerie you got from Koa.

[X] You'll see Kasen some other night.
-[X] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[X] Make food for Reimu.
-[X] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?
-[X]Try on your new clothes.

[X] You'll see Kasen some other night.
-[X] See if you can help Reimu with the barrier?
-[X] Make food for Reimu.
-[X] Ask if she'll be staying the night, and if she'll sleep in your bed?

- - -

"Well, I can't say I have any reason to tie you down here any longer tonight. Thank you for all the time Kasen."

The pink-haired woman smiled and bowed slightly, "Don't worry, it was a... interesting day, I will admit."

"Yeah, thanks for all that by the way Kasen. I was surprised I didn't have to twist your leg or something..."

"Please, not all of us are so disagreeable to favors. If you have need of me, you'll have to find me when I visit Reimu's shrine. My actual house is a bit too difficult to reach I'm afraid..."

"She visits pretty often really. In hindsight, it's more surprisingly you never met her until now." commented Reimu with a shrug.

"Not that often, but I guess I leave a lasting impression when I do so. Well then, until next time Reina, have a good evening."

You gave the woman a final wave as she floated away and flew off into the distance. The shrine maiden watched her leave before glancing to you.

"She didn't give you any trouble, right? Kasen has a tendency to launch into lectures whenever she feels like it."

"Uhm, no I can't really say she did. She was pretty agreeable and friendly really. I did a little bit of training with her this morning actually, seems she gets up pretty early to do that."

"That makes sense, she's a hermit. I think I remember hearing they get challenged by... something every once in a while, and if they've been slacking in training, they get killed or something. Not exactly something I've ever looked into."

That actually sounded kind of serious. Whenever you heard the word 'hermit', all that popped into your mind was that stereotypical old man-style image, sitting on top of a mountain and dispensing knowledge... which was certainly not like Kasen at all.

"Hey, do you uhm, need any help with that barrier work Reimu?"

Reimu's eyes widened a bit as she shook her head, "Oh, no not at all. No offense Reina but, ah, there's nothing you could really do to help that wouldn't make the process take longer, really. Still I do appreciate the offer.

"Although, I'll admit this is a bit... easier then I thought. I was kind of angry at Yukari earlier, but I think she at least started something... that or Kasen is a lot better at making wards then I remember."

"Uhm, I don't really follow..."you say with a nervous chuckle.

The shrine maiden rubbed her chin for a moment, "It's hard to explain but I guess the best way is... if you think of a barrier like walls... in this case, there's already a foundation in place for the walls. I just have to build the walls, and I get to skip the foundation part."

"Didn't you say if the ground was sacred, it'd be easier or something?"

"I did, but no this isn't like sacred ground at all. Sacred is more like if you have a foundation and wall already, then you just put a roof over it I guess. That's what the shrine has, for example. I'm just going to chalk it up to Yukari having done something."

"Hahaha, well if you say so Reimu. If I can't help you make the barrier, would you like some food?"

You swore you saw a small glint in the girl's eyes at the mention of food. Maybe you were imagining it.

"Well, I'll never turn down free food. I'll take whatever you'll make, of course. Just ah, bring it outside for me, would you? This is going to take a few more hours at least, I think and I'd rather get it done sooner then later... its not going to get any warmer."

"You could come inside and warm up if it gets too bad you know."

"Nah, I'd rather finish it then go inside. The warmth of the house will be like a reward! The uh, food is... a bonus. I'd really hate to get warmed up, then throw myself back out into the cold anyway."

There was some kind of sense to that line of thinking. Though, you really had to wonder how warm Reimu was. Her outfit did have a nice long skirt, but the top did kind of expose her armpits with those strange detached sleeves and all... and none of it looked particularly warm or thick. Still, she wasn't really complaining either...

"One last question before I make you something to eat, are you planning to stay the night?"

"Certainly. It'll probably be fairly late, and well, even with a barrier... I'd rather be on hand. I need to double-check my work anyway in the morning, it'll save a trip."

"Should I get some extra blankets for my bed tonight then?" you ask with a grin.

Reimu's face blushed a bit as she glanced around nervously, "W-well, uhm... if you're offering, ah... that's fine with me."

She seemed oddly flustered by your offer. That was a bit odd. Oh well, she had accepted.

"Alright then, I'll make some food, then you can eat and I'll get my bedroom set up for you and me. Thanks for all this Reimu."

"I-it's nothing, really. You've done a lot for me, so this is really the very least I can do for you."

Reimu had a point there, didn't she? The two of you really had been through a lot together. You really did have a lot of fond memories in Gensokyo with all your friends. Thinking back on it, you really should've been more concerned about the whole thing, but perhaps it was for the best you didn't. Maybe if you had, you would've never made such great friends!

~

As was the norm, Reimu was quite delighted at your food and complimented you on your cooking. Reimu still insisted she had a few hours of work left, so it gave you some rather ample time to take a nice bath, and find an extra warm blanket for the night.

It also gave you time to sneak the new clothes into your wardrobe without Reimu knowing, and also gave you some time to inspect the lingerie that came with it as well. It was quite the... daring set of underwear, it didn't really seem to be the kind of stuff you just wore for fun... in fact, it seemed more like the kind of thing that you wanted people to see.

Just why in the world was a library's assistant owning a set of underwear like this anyway!"

As you made yourself comfortable in bed, deciding to flip through a book in your collection, the shrine maiden eventually peered into your room cautiously.

"Oh, you're still awake. You ah, didn't have to stay up for my sake you know."

"I wasn't tired yet anyway. All finished?"

"Ah, yeah pretty sure. I'll double-check my work in the morning."

"Thanks again Reimu, really. I got the extra warm blanket, was promised." you said with a grin.

Reimu chuckled, "Is that so? It was getting' pretty cold out there after all! That'll help me warm up in a hurry."

"I just had a random thought Reimu. Do you own any pajamas or anything? It occurs to me, I've never really seen you change before going to bed..."

"W-well, no I don't really own any and, ah, even if I did it would take a flight back home to really get it... if I had one. Why do you ask?"

You closed your book and set it aside, "Well, it was just a curious thought. I mean, you wear those clothes all day, so..."

The shrine maiden lifted a sleeve close to her nose and sniffed, "Are you trying to say I smell, Reina?"

By the smirk on her face, you could tell she was teasing you. You were just curious is all!

"Maybe you should take a bath before bed in that case. I can't imagine you've been working a sweat up out in the cold though."

"Ah, I'm fine. Your bath isn't bad, but having a hot spring in your backyard is kind of spoiling me I guess... for all the things I hear of the outside, you just can't seem to capture that same feeling."

"Well, maybe a hot tub or a jacuzzi might do it. But that's such an expensive luxury... anyway, ready for bed?"

"Yeah, just a moment. It's kind of a pain to sleep with this ribbon in and all."

"You know, I think you look a lot prettier with your hair down, why don't you do it more often?"

Reimu blushed slightly and scratched her cheek, "Uhm, well... I'm not sure it's just a... habit I guess now. I mean, I could say the same for you! Your hair is actually pretty long, and it looks so nice down..."

"It has a bad habit of getting in the way sometimes though... but I guess I can understand what you mean by a habit."

"... Hey, uhm Reina are you... going to be busy tomorrow, you think?"

"Well, I can't say I have anything planned, no. I don't know if any work will come in tomorrow, but... why, do you have something in mind?"

The shrine maiden fidgeted a bit, "O-oh uhm... no just... curious is all. I-I'm going to go get ready for bed now, I'll be joining you in a little bit."

Huh, that was kind of uncharacteristically odd of Reimu... just what was she thinking about?

- - -

Though maybe you could do a bit of planning for tomorrow...
[ ] You should just stay home for a little bit, make sure no work shows up.
[ ] You had some money now, perhaps you should go to the village...
- [ ] Personal shopping! (What kinds?)
- [ ] Gift shopping for friends! (Specifics?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Always a good idea to visit people! (Specifics)
[ ] Other?

>>176142
Hmm, danmaku can be kinda strenuous so I don't think we should ask her for training while she's recovering from being wounded.

[X] Wear your new outfit, ask Reimu what she thinks of it.
[X] If you wake up before Reimu gets up, treat her to breakfast in bed.
[X] Let force Reimu to take a day off, we can even help her rest.

[X] Wear your new outfit, ask Reimu what she thinks of it.
[X] If you wake up before Reimu gets up, treat her to breakfast in bed.
[X] Let force Reimu to take a day off, we can even help her rest.

4[X] Wear your new outfit, ask Reimu what she thinks of it.?[X] If you wake up before Reimu gets up, treat her to breakfast in bed.?[X] Let force Reimu to take a day off, we can even help her rest.

[X] Wear your new outfit, ask Reimu what she thinks of it.
[X] If you wake up before Reimu gets up, treat her to breakfast in bed.
[X] Let's force Reimu to take a day off, we can even help her rest.

- - -

As somewhat expected of the shrine maiden, she was still sound asleep when you woke up. Also as usual it was rather easy to slip out of bed without even disturbing her.

You had just gotten Alice's help to fit the outfit from Koakuma so... maybe you should actually wear it today. It would be an interesting change of pace from your usual wardrobe at least, you never really wore skirts all that much.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you had to admit the outfit had a kind of... classy feel to it, perhaps? The colors were fairly simple, given it was just black and white but still... the red tie, the black vest and long skirt... somehow it just seemed so proper and classy.

Maybe you'd ask Reimu what she thought when she woke up. Speaking of waking up, given the girl's appetite, giving her breakfast when she woke up sounded like a good idea. This was turning into kind of a regular thing, but Reimu liked it, and you liked cooking so it wouldn't hurt anyone! Just had to be careful not to get anything on your new clothes, not that you expected any problems from making rice.

You had considered maybe trying something else, but you didn't really have anything fancy laying around, and well, Reimu did seem to like rice a lot. It made sense when you thought about the standard food in Gensokyo was likely rice though.

Before long you were cautiously peering into your room, a small tray of food in one hand. Yup, the shrine maiden was still asleep.

And yup, as soon as that tray entered the room, she seemed to immediately smell it and woke up.

"Breakfast in bed again Reina? You spoil me." she said with a smile.

Yeah, you probably did in all honesty, but you liked it! It was so nice having friends...

"Well today is going to be a day off for you, so may as well start it right I figure!"

The shrine maiden raised an eyebrow, "A day off? Didn't I have one of those yesterday?"

"Maybe a little bit, but you're having another day off so you can recover. That wound you got isn't fully healed, right?"

"A little thing like that? It's not a pro - ? the girl halted mid-sentence as you made a jabbing motion with your finger, "R-right, I think another day won't hurt at all..."

Well that was odd, she hadn't even noticed you weren't wearing your usual outfit. Was she not paying attention or something?

"Hey Reimu, so ah, what do you think of these clothes?"

The shrine maiden paused from her eating, "Huh? Aren't you just..."

Reimu's eyes widened slightly as she suddenly looked you over. A small blush tinged her cheeks as she chuckled weakly.

"A-ah, sorry I uhm, guess I wasn't paying attention to what you were wearing... isn't that Koakuma's outfit?"

You nodded and even gave a small curtsey, "Yup! What do you think? I had to get Alice to size it for me, but it fits pretty well..."

"Uhm, it well... it looks pretty good. I think this is the first time I've seen you wear a skirt since Halloween, right? Well, this one is a lot longer then that costume's skirt."

"Oh geez, I almost forgot about that costume. That skirt was so short! I guess I'm just more of a pants kind of person."

Reimu grinned, "You do look pretty good in pants. Must be an outsider thing though, the only person I can think of immediately who wears pants around here would be Mokou."

"Don't shrine maidens usually wear pants? Or hakama I think they call it? I've never really seen a shrine maiden outfit like your's before..."

"Well, I do have a hakama I just haven't really worn it... and really? I've heard people say that before, but this has always been how I dress." the shrine maiden shrugged, "Does it bother you? The way I dress, that is."

You shook your head quickly, "N-no, not at all! I just kind of found it different from what I was expecting is all."

"I think that's Gensokyo in a nutshell to outsiders. I can't say I've ever heard of one who has ever found Gensokyo to be at all what they expected."

"You even have newspapers! That's not at all something I'd expect from Gensokyo." you said with a chuckle.

"Really, what's so strange about newspapers?" asked a voice curiously from nearby.

The two of you quickly looked in the direction of the voice, to find Aya standing in the doorway a newspaper in hand. She gave a toothy grin and wave, as usual.

"A-aya when did you get here? I didn't hear you come in at all!"

"Through the window in front, as usual. I told you I was going to make sure you got your paper, right? So here it is! I was going to just drop it, but it kept hitting something... did you get a barrier?"

Reimu sighed, "Yes she did, and I can see I still can't make one that can keep you out..."

"Ah don't take it so personally Reimu, I've got centuries of experience to back me up! It was a pretty good barrier though, I almost thought I had missed Reina's house... but well, I know how to get past your barriers. Well, that and..."the tengu pulled out a small charm from somewhere and showed it off, before tucking it away, "I've got a 'key' as it were."

"I'm not even going to ask how you got one of those. So you're just here to drop the paper off right? You've got other deliveries I imagine."

The tengu sighed and nodded, "Always in a hurry to see me leave Reimu, so cold... but she's right, sorry I can't really stay to talk, but I have other deliveries to do. Maybe I'll stop by later though!"

"Ah, thank you Aya I appreciate the delivery! Well, if you want too, I'll be around I think."

Reimu waited until the tengu left, before glancing at you and shaking her head, "If you give her invitations like that, she's just going to keep coming back."

"Is that a bad thing? She's a nice enough person..."you said with a small frown.

"Well, you like her so that's all that matters I suppose. You can tolerate her a lot more then most people at least."

You took a moment to quickly look through the Bunbunmaru, but didn't find anything too particularly interesting jumping out at you. It did seem there was a small article about a 'disturbance' yesterday, but it was lacking in any actual details... didn't Aya go to spy on Reimu and Kasen? She didn't even mention they were there. Maybe it really wasn't anything major... or perhaps she didn't want to write about Reimu getting hurt?

"So, as per doctor Reina's orders, whats the plan for my day off? Just staying here, or did you have something else in mind?" asked Reimu as she finished up her breakfast.

- - -

Please, you weren't a doctor... but well, you did kind of put yourself into the decision making spot...
[ ] What's wrong with just staying at home?
- [ ] Although, what are you going to do at home? (write-in)
[ ] Reimu was hurt, but there wasn't anything wrong with going on a trip...
- [ ] Visit the mansion?
- [ ] See about finding Yuuka?
- [ ] To the village! (Where?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Other?

[X] What's wrong with just staying at home?
-[X] Ask her some more about wards and barriers
--[X] They're magic, right? Can she give you a magic lesson? (Of course, she shouldn't demonstrate anything strenuous.)
-[X] Play some games. Blackjack, Poker, Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle, etc.
--[X] If Aya comes back, suggest that the 3 of you play strip Poker (our usual rules - bet points, buyback with clothes, etc.).

[ ] What's wrong with just staying at home?
- [ ] Although, what are you going to do at home? (write-in)

Let's see what we picked up from that massage session with some hands-on experience. Basically, pamper Reimu all day.

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.

Eh, can't think of a better way of spending a day since we don't have any pressing matters at hand and reimu needs rest. Maybe some extra company will wander to the place as well.

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.


I like this. Just soaking in the hot springs sounds awesome.

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.

Hot spring time

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.

It'd be a good way to unwind/relax.

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.

And then the two get naked in a hot spring together, with Reimu working up the nerve to kiss Reina. Then the latter forgets to turn off her swag and wakes up the next morning covered in Touhous.

[x] Spend the day with Reimu at her hot springs. Be sure to pick up some snacks and drinks from the village beforehands though.

- - -

"Well, as it's a day of rest... how about we spend some of it up at the hot spring by your shrine? I think I've heard that soaking in a hot spring is pretty good for healing and rest..."

The shrine maiden rubbed her chin, "Are they? I never really thought about it... maybe I can try to advertise the hot spring that way for some donations..."

"Erm, is money really that big a problem...?"

"Ah, l-let's not talk finances on a day off! But very well, that idea seems pretty good to me. I guess since I'm resting, you'll need to carry me during the flight, eh?" teased Reimu with a grin.

"I guess I can give it a shot! I'm not that great a flier though... still, before we make the trip, I'm going to get some snacks and drinks. What goes well with a hot spring bath?"

"Sake is all that really jumps to mind. It's supposed to be a nice way to have hot sake, and also have a hot bath. I don't think there's really any particular snack foods that go with a bath though..."

Well, that kind of made sense. Maybe you could just find something kind of light... it'd have to be something that wouldn't get ruined by water or heat either. It might also be best to find some kind of light plate, or something, to hold it on so it can even float in the bath! The village surely had things like that, right?

"Okay, I'll see what I can find then. Once I get some things, I'll come back and we'll head out to the hot spring, alright?"

Reimu raised a hand and shook her head, "That sounds a bit roundabout. You can get the snacks and sake, and I'll just go to the shrine ahead of time and prepare. Don't worry, flying isn't going to hurt me. Just seems like a waste of time to come back home to pick me up."

You frown and eye Reimu carefully, "If you promise to do nothing that physical... just a nice, slow flight to the shrine and then prepare. If I found out you strained yourself or something, well... I'll get angry at you Reimu!"

"Okay, okay don't work 'doctor', I'll be a good girl." replied the shrine maiden with a playful grin.

~

It occurred to you as you wandered the village, that you didn't actually know a whole lot about sake, or any good places to get it. Sakuya had shown you some shops, but they all sold fairly high-quality stuff... not really things like snacks, or sake. Well, they did have some sake but it was all fairly expensive kinds, and you somehow felt Reimu might be a tad angry if you spent a lot of money on her, particularly given it wasn't any special situation or anything.

The village was full of shops too, you couldn't really wander around and check them all, if you took long Reimu would probably get worried and start looking for you...

"You look confused, little flower." commented a soft voice from nearby.

Even without the special 'title', you could instantly recognize that voice by now. Yuuka was standing in front of you, having apparently walked up without you noticing her before. She had a small smile on her face as she looked down at you, and you noticed she was carrying a closed basket in one hand.

"A-ah, Yuuka! I didn't expect to run into you here of all places."

The green-haired youkai tilted her head slightly, "I do frequent the village occasionally, although I will agree meeting randomly in the street is quite unusual. However, you haven't answered my question."

"Ah, well, you wouldn't know any good places to buy sake or snacks good for having in a hot spring, would you?"

Geez, saying that aloud made it sound really strange in a way, didn't it?

"A most interesting request. I have just the thing in mind little flower, please this way." said Yuuka, beckoning with her finger as she already started to walk.

Of course Yuuka wasn't actually walking with any actual speed, so it was very easy to keep up with her. The youkai casually led you down the streets, which as usual netted you a few unusual stares and nervous glances from passerbys, until she ducked into one of the many stores lining the way.

The flower youkai didn't even stop to explain or introduce the shop, but instead immediately headed towards a shelf. Her eyes carefully scanned the shelf before pointing at some of the bottles lining it.

"I will recommend this one. It is not particularly fancy or extravagant, but when warmed in a hot spring, it will taste quite good. As with all sake little flower, I will remind you to drink in moderation, as the alcohol content is a little high."

She then turned and pointed at another shelf, "As for a snack, I will recommend you take some eggs. If you boil them in the hot spring for around twenty to thirty minutes, you can then eat them. They are generally eaten with some sauce, which this shop also has."

"Well, that made all of this a lot easier. I didn't even know where to begin!"

"Just a few things I've picked up over the years." replied Yuuka casually, "As you are going to a hot spring, I imagine it is the shrine maiden's hot spring?"

"Erm, well, yes, yes it is. I'm sure there's other's but ah..."

Maybe it wouldn't be best to bring up Reimu getting hurt. After all, even Aya didn't publish that information for everyone.

"I see. I hope you have an enjoyable bath, Reina. If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to. I will look forward to seeing you again, little flower."

It had been a while since you had seen Yuuka, and she wasn't exactly looking like she was about to run out of the store or anything...

- - -

Hmmm, well...
[ ] Invite Yuuka to come bathe with you and Reimu?
[ ] Ask Yuuka to see you later at home?
[ ] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!
[ ] Other?

[X] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!

[x] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!

Aww, while it might be nice to have Yuuka around, I guess alone time with Reimu is good too... Damn it, tough one.

[x] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!

Spring time is for Reimu. Night time is for Yuuka~

[x] Invite Yuuka to come bathe with you and Reimu?

Fight for our amusement.

[X] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!


Today is a day for Reimu.

>>176392
Man, Reina is gonna be really tired. No time for sleep!

[X] Say goodbye and hope to see her again soon!

- - -

"Okay Yuuka, it was nice seeing you again. You have to come and stop by more often! I enjoy your company, after all."

The flower youkai smiled, "Of course little flower, I will see what I can do."

And with that, she calmly walked out of the shop. The shopkeeper watched her leave and seemed to let out a small sigh of relief. You saw no reason to distrust Yuuka's advice, so you simply got a basket, picked up some bottles of sake, and eggs - including the little extras Yuuka had suggested.

If the shopkeeper found your association with Yuuka unusual, she didn't say anything as she calmly quoted a price for the goods, and finding no reason to haggle over it, paid for it and left with them all carefully bagged. Now with refreshments obtained, all there was left to do was fly to the shrine and enjoy a nice relaxing day with Reimu.

Hopefully. That girl could be pretty stubborn, so hopefully you weren't going to have to force her or anything...

~

The shrine was always such a relaxing, cozy place, even if it also felt kind of lonely when you thought about it. After all the shrine wasn't massive or huge, but it was still pretty big given the only person who lived here was Reimu... well, Suika apparently free-loaded in the area also, and Kasen was prone to stopping by, but the only actual resident was Reimu.

Actually, now that you thought about it, you had never heard Reimu talk about her parents, or there being any signs of someone else having lived here before...

Regardless, at least you didn't have to force the shrine maiden into anything, when you had arrived she called out to you from the hot spring. You took a little bit of time to fetch some cups and dishes from the shrine, before joining her in the hot spring as well.

"How did the shopping go?" she asked casually, looking up at the sky as you entered.

"I'll admit, I was kind of lost at first. It occurred to me, I didn't really know any places to get sake... well, anything that affordable. Sakuya showed me some places before, but I think if I bought sake from there, I'd end up spending several yen on it all."

The shrine maiden chuckled, "Yeah, those sound like the places Remilia would get her drinks from. I wonder if she's ever even bought a bottle of something that didn't cost a yen... how did you end up finding a place? Just kept checking?"

"Actually, I kind of bumped into Yuuka and she took me to a place. She even suggested food you can eat in a hot spring, actually! You just take some eggs, boil them in the spring for about thirty minutes... I guess, thinking on it, that makes a lot of sense. It's just like boiling eggs in a pot of water after all, I wonder why I never thought of it."

Reimu looked over at you with surprise, "Ran into Yuuka in the village? Well, I guess she does go there from time to time... you didn't invite her along?"

You chuckled, "She said she had business to attend to, and well, this is your day of relaxation, right? It would feel kind of rude to invite someone without asking you first. But anyway, why not come closer? I don't want to test my luck at throwing you a sake bottle from across the spring."

The shrine maiden's face blushed a bit as she carefully made her way over to your side, keeping herself submerged. She always seemed kind of shy about this thing, but why was she? You had already kind of seen her naked several times by now... maybe the injury she got actually left a mark or something? Perhaps she didn't want to show it...

It was going to take some time before the eggs boiled, but the sake didn't take too long to warm up, and Reimu admitted she didn't mind drinking it 'normally' first and then comparing the flavor later. You had somewhat expected that any kind of sake a youkai might drink would be pretty strong - Suika's own sake was probably enough to floor you - but either Yuuka wasn't a strong drinker, or maybe she knew your tolerance better then you thought.

Well, it was still some strong sake, but at least it didn't make you feel like passing out after a few cups.

"If you see Yuuka before I do, you have to thank her for me. This sake isn't actually that bad. She always kind of struck me as a wine kind of girl, or at least of drinking something more... fruity, I guess."

"You think so? I guess with her love of flowers, I can see how you would think that..."

Reimu shrugged and downed another cup, "It's less that, and more that air she has about her, you know? Reminds me of Remilia a bit sometimes. I don't think Yuuka tries to do it or anything, but she still has that kind of 'classy' feel to her. I don't think I've seen Remilia ever willingly pick sake to drink, she always prefers wine. She'll have sake if it's offered of course, but that's about it I think."

"I'm still amazed at how much everyone around here is capable of just going through so much sake... I think you've drank almost two bottles on your own Reimu."

"Well, some of us do drink a lot of sake, so I guess it's only natural... you are kind of a light-weight Reina. I guess you should stick with cards, if you ever tried to get into drinking contests, I have no idea what would happen to you."

"I think I'd turn into a wreck pretty fast, yeah..."you admit with a chuckle.

The brown-haired girl leaned against the rocks and let out a sigh, "This is pretty relaxing... it was a good idea."

"How does your wound feel? I still have no idea what even hurt you..."

"Ah, it doesn't hurt that much in the first place. But a dip in the spring with a close friend and sake... well, that makes me not even think about it." the girl flashed you a smirk, "And do you really want to see it? It's nothing nasty, but there is a kind of scar."

"I thought danmaku didn't leave any injuries?"

Reimu nodded, "That's right, it doesn't. But danmaku only works if you can actually formerly declare a spell card duel, basically. That didn't happen back there, I was kind of careless... it's pretty rare for something to not use the spell card system, I guess I let my guard down."

Reimu did seem to be in a pretty relaxed mood right now, it might be a good time to actually ask her some questions...

- - -

Time to grill the shrine maiden? (Select as many as feels appropriate)
[ ] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
- [ ] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[ ] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[ ] Reimu knows a lot of people, maybe she can tell you more about...
- [ ] Yuuka?
- [ ] Aya?
- [ ] Remilia?
- [ ] Yukari?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...
[ ] Other?

> Spent 30 sen
> 17 yen and 40 sen remaining

[X] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
-[X] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[X] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[X] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...

[x] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
-[x] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[x] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[x] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...

[x] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
-[x] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[x] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[x] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...

I can get behind this.

[X] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
-[X] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[X] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[X] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...

[x] See if scar is on the butt. People keep getting shot in the butt.

[X] Curiosity demands you see the wound!
-[X] May as well also ask what gave it to her.
[X] Ask about Reimu's parents.
[X] Maybe you'll just cuddle up with her a bit...

- - -

"So... can I see it? The wound, that is."

Reimu raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so curious on seeing a scar? There's nothing special about them. You've probably gotten some from working, right?"

"Those are different! They're just little cuts or nicks, and they heal up pretty well. What you have is like... like... a battle scar! Those are way more erm... wow, that sounds kind of weird, doesn't it?"

"Just a little bit. But alright, I guess it can't hurt to show you it, just don't go jabbing it with your finger..."

With that the shrine maiden raised herself out of the water, keeping one arm across her breasts while using her free arm to support herself against the rocks. Everything below the waist was still hidden beneath the water, but that was alright, the actual injury was on her side.

Reimu downplayed it, but it actually looked pretty nasty to your eyes. There was a set of three diagonal gashes, much like what you'd expect if someone had scratched you with three of their fingers. The actual scars weren't too large, or looked that deep, but they left a noticeable red scar. There wasn't any sign of stitching, so they probably weren't cuts that were too large or severe, but they still looked rather bad.

"Come on, it isn't that bad is it? I've seen worse." teased Reimu.

"I-it looks kind of painful... how did you get something like that? It almost looks like someone scratched you or something..."

The shrine maiden eased herself back into the water and chuckled, "Actually, that's basically what happened."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"There's not a lot to say to it. Claws are a pretty common 'weapon' for most youkai... I just got surprised by it, and got a pretty bad slash to the side. Tore my clothes too, but Kasen fixed those all up and tended to the wound as well. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've shown up in a pretty bad state, in honesty...

"Makes me feel kind of pathetic though. I'm the Hakurei shrine maiden, I'm not supposed to get hurt like that. It's just so strange to fight something that doesn't use the spell cards..."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, accidents happen right?"

Reimu shook her head and smiled, "Yeah I know, but still. It's not the kind of thing people need to know about, so I'd appreciate you not telling anyone about it."

"My lips are sealed, of course Reimu." you replied with a grin, "Do you mind if I ask about your parents? I don't really know that much about the Hakurei, but I understand you're well-respected."

The brown-haired girl frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, chewing her lip lightly. After a moment she sighed and gave you a small smile.

"I guess I can tell you a bit. I never imagined I'd be talking about my parents with an outsider... I'll warn you up front, but you're probably going to be disappointed.

"Because, well... I don't know that much about them. I only actually remember my mother, and I have no idea who my father was. And of my mom I... don't really remember that much either. Heck, I don't even know her name, she was just always 'mom' to me."

That sounded kind of strange, shouldn't Reimu know these kind of things? Still, you merely nodded and waited for her to continue.

"To me, she was always a very kind mother. From what I remember of her, she had really long hair, down to her waist. And her body was just covered in scars that make mine look like a joke. You see, the spell cards are somewhat recent, so for a long time, she was putting her life on the line every time she had to go fight, so she really managed to amass quite the collection of them.

"But... in honesty I... never knew what happened to her. I just kind of... remember waking up one day, and being the Hakurei shrine maiden, like it was the most natural thing in the world." the shrine maiden frowned and furrowed her brow, "It's kind of crazy now that you have me thinking about it... I never heard of her being killed or anything, but... just one day, she never came back, and I was the shrine maiden."

"That must've been pretty hard on you... this shrine seems kind of lonely, I have to confess."

Reimu smirked, "It wasn't all that bad. I never thought about it until you brought it up but... ah, well, anyway I wasn't really lonely. Yukari actually came by a lot and helped. In honesty, she's probably closer to a mother to me right now, j-just... don't tell her I said that, alright?"

You grinned and drew your fingers across your lips, "Not a word."

"And now I have Suika and Kasen who both drop by once in a while. Of course, I also have your company, so it's not really all that bad."

"Have you ever tried to look into your mother's whereabouts...?" you asked cautiously.

"... No, not really. I've never actually really been curious about it... I guess I've just accepted it." the girl exhaled and shook her head, "I've never even talked to Marisa about this kind of thing. Not that she's really ever asked either but... heh, you just seem to put me at ease Reina."

Taking that as an opening you gently moved forward and rested your head on Reimu's shoulder, and then carefully wrapped your arms around her waist and cuddled up against her. The shrine maiden's body stiffened reflexively, and you feared for a moment you had offended her but after a few seconds, the tension drained away and you felt a hand pat your head gently.

"... Thanks Reina. I'm really glad I met you. I usually kind of hate on outsiders, since you always seem to just not... get it, I guess? You cause problems, and make a ruckus sometimes, so I just kind of viewed outsiders as a nuisance by default. But you... well... y-yeah."

You merely smiled to yourself and rubbed your head against her naked shoulder a bit, "I'm glad I met you too Reimu. I'm actually really glad I came to Gensokyo in the first place, it's just been such a great experience and I've made so many wonderful friends..."

"Since you're in a questioning mood, can I ask you some things Reina?"

"Certainly, what's on your mind?"

The shrine maiden clicked her tongue for a bit, "Since you asked about my family, what can you tell me about yours? I mean, I know you but I don't... know you, I guess? How was it growing up for you in the outside world? And, erm... have you ever, ah, had... ever dated anyone...?"

- - -

Seems today is also a day of questions!
- Your parents...
[ ] Were pretty normal?
[ ] Well, not too normal... (write-in)
- Growing up? Well...
[ ] Parents died young, and you grow up pretty alone in general. Your health was also poor, of course.
[ ] It's all kind of hazy, now that you think about it...
[ ] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
[ ] Other? (write-in)
- Dating!"
[ ] Never, of course!
[ ] Not even once.
[ ] Your health kind of left you with few friends, let alone someone like that...
[ ] Never, but you've been thinking about it...
[ ] Other? (write-in)

- Your parents...
[x] Were pretty normal?
- Growing up? Well...
[x] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
- Dating!"
[x] Your health kind of left you with few friends, let alone someone like that...

- Your parents...
[x] Were pretty normal?
- Growing up? Well...
[x] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
- Dating!"
[x] Your health kind of left you with few friends, let alone someone like that...

- Your parents...
[x] Were pretty normal?
- Growing up? Well...
[x] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
- Dating!"
[x] Your health kind of left you with few friends, let alone someone like that...


Sounds pretty much like what I'd expect, so I'm going with this, too.

- Your parents...
[x] Were pretty normal?
- Growing up? Well...
[x] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
-[X] Dating?!
[x] Never, but you've been thinking about it...

Because Reina's basically a chick magnet and it wouldn't kill her to get involved with someone~ Most likely Reimu, considering how the miko acts toward her.

- Your parents...
[x] Were pretty normal?
- Growing up? Well...
[x] Your parents passed not too long ago, and there was your health...
- Dating!."
[x] Your health kind of left you with few friends, let alone someone like that...

- - -

Well it was a family sharing kind of moment, so why not indulge the shrine maiden's curiosity? You were a bit caught offguard by it as well, so you took a few moments to collect your thoughts before answering.

"Alright, well I'll start with my parents then. There isn't a whole lot to say to them though, they weren't like protectors of Gensokyo or anything like that. They were just... normal."

"Normal in what way? I'm pretty sure normal in the outside world is pretty different." pointed out Reimu with a nod.

She had a point there.

"I guess in the outside world's case, normal meant they just lived their lives... normally. Wake up, go to work, that kind of thing. We were never really wealthy or anything, but we were never too poor either, so I guess we were pretty middle-class perhaps..."

The shrine maiden nodded and hummed, "That doesn't sound so bad really. Even when my mom was around, this shrine was never that prosperous. I mean, it's a shrine after all, we make all our money from donations really. Although, back then, more people made the trip then they do nowadays, so I guess it was a little more well-off."

"Maybe you should think of getting a branch donation box in the village somehow, then they wouldn't have to walk all the way out here." you suggested with a chuckle.

"That may not be a bad idea, actually..."muttered the girl thoughtfully, "But ah, anyway, don't let me interrupt you."

"Ah, you weren't interrupting don't worry about it! But I guess next on the list, growing up uhm... I guess that's also really normal, hahaha. I went to school like everyone else and, well, there's not a lot to talk about. The only unusual thing was my health was pretty bad, of course, I was always kind of sickly.

"And as for why I've never mentioned my parents, is they passed away not too long ago, so... I guess I just didn't have anyone that important back in the outside world. In a way, that's kind of fortunate for me? I don't know how I would've reacted to Gensokyo if I had my parents back in the outside worried about me."

Reimu frowned and rubbed her chin, "I've never thought about that before... I mean, outsiders fall in from time to time, but there's really no way to let them back out... not without a lot of work, anyway. I guess that's why some of them have such a hard time adjusting. In hindsight, it's kind of obvious, but I just... never thought about that."

"To be honest, I never really thought about it until now. But yeah, with that in mind, I can see how some people just can't adjust to Gensokyo. Maybe that's how unexplained disappearances are explained - they fell into Gensokyo."

"That's usually true. Well, sometimes. I can't really say what goes on in the outside world, but Yukari has done some looking into it before, and she's positively identified some outsiders that are just listed as mysteriously disappearing in the outside world. It happens."

Reimu's last question was kind of unusual, but you did still have to give her an answer about it... that really was one of the last questions you would've expected.

"As for that last question, about ah, dating well... no. My health was always poor, so I never really had time for many friends and I certainly never had any friends that close in the outside, so..."

The shrine maiden nodded, her face a bit blushed, "I-I see. Well, thank you for indulging my curiosity, Reina."

"Can I ask why you asked that? The erm, dating one."

"N-no reason, I mean, I was just uhm, you know, ah c-curious is all. Never knew any outsiders that well, so I was just wondering how... dating was on the outside, I guess."

"Well, I can't say it was really anything special from what I had seen and heard about. I can't imagine dating is any different in Gensokyo."

Reimu chuckled and shook her head, "Maybe, maybe not. I mean, you've noticed the... gender ratio in Gensokyo, right?"

The gender ratio..."Now that you were thinking about it, you did see a lot more women then men... in fact, every shop you had entered was always run by a woman. You saw men, of course, but now that you were thinking about it...

"Now that you mention it, I have noticed a lot of women, compared to the men...?"

"And it isn't your imagination either. Don't know how it works out, but its just the way it is. There's a lot more women in Gensokyo then men. Well, maybe not a lot, but you certainly see more women then you do men on average."

"I guess that would make finding dates kind of hard, wouldn't it?"

The girl shrugged, "Not really. You could always just date a girl, you know. That's not unusual in Gensokyo really - I mean, if it was, you wouldn't have Marisa and Alice, right? I heard Akyu and Kosuzu might even be considering it, given their interest in books..."

"E-erm, yeah I guess that's true..."

"Some of them even get married. That blacksmith you visited and all, remember her? She's got a wife. That's a little less common - there isn't really any incentive to get married I guess - but it happens."

You felt your face warm up a bit from a blush, just considering that. That kind of thing in the outside world was kind of... inconceivable to imagine. Dating happened and all, but you never really heard of marriage...

"Well, what about kids then? Gensokyo doesn't seem to have any population problems."

Reimu snickered, "That's an easy one. This is a world of magic. There's ways around that little thing. Well, f-from what I hear anyway, I don't actually know any of this first hand. I know the blacksmith has a kid at least, so..."

"Whoa, really!" She never struck me as a mother..."

"Yeah, I know. Erm, still, ah... so, got any plans for next month..."I mean, it's February, so..."

"Huh? W-well, I guess not really... I'll need to see how work pans out I guess. I'm hoping it'll warm up next month though, that'd be nice."

"I-I see... well then, doctor, whats the plan after the bath? I assume it wasn't to just fall asleep in here and all, right?" asked the shrine maiden tauntingly.

- - -

Falling asleep in a hot spring didn't seem like a good idea, that was true.
[ ] Bathe until it gets late, of course! And then you'll...
- [ ] Sleep at the shrine? (With Reimu?)
- [ ] Head back to your house and sleep there. (With Reimu?)
- [ ] For a change of pace, why not sleep at the mansion? (With Reimu?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] No sense in spending all day in the bath!
- [ ] Maybe a visit to the mansion won't be bad.
- [ ] Go somewhere in the village? (Anywhere specific?)
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Other?

[x] Bathe until it gets late, of course! And then you'll...
- [x] Sleep at the shrine? (With Reimu?)

No point in traveling after a nice bath.

[x] Bathe until it gets late, of course! And then you'll...
- [x] Sleep at the shrine? (With Reimu?)

Agreed, this is turning out to be a bit of a vacation day. Hopefully we get some work from the Pavillion so we have an excuse to go there.

[x] Stay until it gets late, of course! And then you'll...
- [x] Sleep at the shrine? (With Reimu?)


No need to stay in the bath all day, but at least we're not going anywhere.

>>176478
that's assuming anon won't go and vote for the most boring option while we're there.

[x] Bathe until it gets late, of course! And then you'll...
- [x] Sleep at the shrine? (With Reimu?)

- - -

"Erm, actually that kind of was my master plan. Just... relax. I guess, since we're already at the shrine, I'll probably also spend the night here, if that's no trouble."

Reimu grinned, "There's always a place for you in the shrine Reina. Not that it means much, given I think this shrine is big enough for several people to live in, so there's always a lot of room, but well, it's the thought that counts, right?"

You returned the grin and nodded, "Exactly! Although I think, I never want to be in the woods around the shrine at night..."

"Pretty good idea that. Still, just remember, you can drop by anytime you like. Unlike my usual 'guests', I'm never bothered by you showing up."

"You might consider their company unwelcome, but their dropping by all the time is surely a sign of their friendship with you, right?" you ask hopefully.

The shrine maiden shrugged, "I guess. It'd be nice if they did more then show up, make a mess, and leave though... they could at least leave a donation!"

"Just how are your finances anyway?"

"... Let's not talk about money on such a nice day of relaxing Reina." replied Reimu after a few moments of silence.

The shrine was in a nice enough state on the outside, so she must be getting money from somewhere, but your own experiences on the interior... suggested it was probably just enough to live on. Reimu's shrine was pretty devoid of luxury goods, after all - her kitchen was barebones!

But, she did have a point, maybe it would be best to not dwell on finances on her day off like this. Talking about money always seemed to foul her mood.

~

While you didn't spend all night in the hot spring - you could only imagine what kind of wrinkled prunes the two you would look like after a bath that long - you did spend a good amount of time in there. Long enough for Reimu to have drank every drop of sake you had prepared for the bath, and also helped herself to the eggs.

All in all, you'd say your plan of making the shrine maiden have a relaxing day off was a complete success!

With the bath done for the night, the two of you retired to the warmer surroundings of the shrine. Or at least, the more comfortable surroundings. While you felt more comfortable in your normal clothes, Reimu convinced you to instead change into a yukata along with her - she said it made the 'after bath' time feel all the better.

And you did have to admit, a yukata did feel kind of nice. Even if basically walking around everywhere in a robe, more or less, was kind of embarrassing... at least the two of you were alone in the shrine.

It was by and large, a pretty uneventful night though. The two you made small talk, laughed, had fun... the usual things friends do. And eventually you both were tired, and so you went to bed. As was becoming the usual between the two of you, you slept in the same bed - or well, futon. This day had gone pretty well... you even learned some pretty unusual things about Gensokyo!

Or maybe unique was a better way to put it. No unusual events had happened for the past few days either, so that was always good... Reimu did mention she was going to do some adjustments and changes to the barrier at your home for a while, so you'd be seeing a lot of her. Plus, you had to ensure you gave a 'key' to anyone who wanted to come by as well...

Then there was always next month coming up...

~ Next Month

The remainder of January had passed in, more or less, a completely uneventful manner. Despite what Sakuya had said, no jobs from the mansion had actually come in, and nothing from the Pavilion either - or from Limstella. Still, you weren't going to let it bother you, your line of work was fairly specific, and it wasn't exactly the kind of thing that kept you in constant business.

The month had also passed without any incident as well, and Reimu's wound healed up without even a scar left behind. The barrier was also completed, and all the required preparations and access issues were sorted without any issue.

With the start of a new month, you had also decided to take a closer look at that nice notebook Sakuya had given you the prior month. She had mentioned it was going to help you keep a budget or... something. Also something about it being vaguely magical? Regardless, the start of a month was a pretty good time to consider a budget at least. Your finances were pretty strong right now, but there was no harm in having a budget anyway.

The notebook itself looked fairly plain, it didn't even have a title on it - so you had taken a little bit of time to put a label on it, just so you'd make sure you knew what it was for. Still, it seemed like your usual black covered notebook...

Until you opened it anyway, and realized that somehow - despite never writing in it, let alone open it - the page cleanly listed your exact financial situation. How did it know how much money you had? The rest of the pages were blank, but you noticed they all were titled with a month and followed the same format.

Underneath your money was various little categories - like food and bills, that kind of thing. They were also all blank though...

"A most interesting notebook." quipped a voice from within your head.

It had been a long time since you heard Valerie speak, so it caught you by surprise, making you jerk your head upright and look around, before realizing the voice had literally come from inside your head.

"Been a while since I heard you Valerie. Anything to talk about?" you said to yourself calmly.

"... No, not right now. I know what happened the last month, but all I can say is it is nothing to be overly concerned about at this time."

"Are you sure? I mean, something spying on me and all..."

The voice in your head sighed, "I understand your concern, but this is Gensokyo - there are a number of magic users in this land. It would not be impossible that another one may have been keeping an eye on you. I must also admit that until Yukari wakes from her slumber, there is not much we can do... she is after all, one of the few people I can communicate with."

"So, until she wakes up, play it normal, huh...?" you say with a sigh, "Well, I guess I can do that. So, anyway, whats so interesting about the notebook? Besides the fact it seems to know how much money I have."

"Certainly. Well, as you had correctly been told, the book is certainly magical. By definition a grimoire, but of course, a fairly minor one - the kind a magician might make as a small project, or something to sell to customers. It is a completely innocent and safe thing, with its only purpose being the management of money.

"Of particular special note for this notebook grimoire, is if you hover say, a finger over one of those empty fields... it will actually figure out and give you suggestions for how to budget your money in that field. You can of course, write your own, but the magics used in these kind of things are usually quite spot on. It is little more then a nice handy tool, but one I imagine comes in handy for anyone who wants a well-balanced budget."

That sounded kind of strange, but to be honest, Gensokyo was a land full of unusual things anyway. Most of the fields in the notebook didn't really apply to you though, but at least a few certainly did...

"What if I want to change a field? I don't think I'm going to ever need to worry about, say, heating."

"Merely touch the field, or write over it. The notebook grimoire is quite adaptable to suit your needs. I will also point out that while Yukari has given you a number of things for free, the recent changes in your home has... changed some of those. I'm sure you have noticed your food has quickly been reduced to little more then rice, correct?"

That sounded about right. You didn't have a problem with rice, of course, but it was unusual given your refrigerator always seemed full of other stuff before...

Valerie's voice continued on, reading your thoughts most likely, "This is because the powers that be that the tengu spoke of, did not approve of the number of things Yukari had been handing out. I suspect the changes were done by contacting her familiar... regardless, you have been put on the standard food supply of Gensokyo - rice. Regardless of anyone's financial situation, everyone in Gensokyo is given enough rice to eat. If you wish anything else, you will need to set aside the money for it."

"Well that explains a lot... you know, I should probably restart my shrine donation fund also..."

"There is no better time then the start of a month. What would you like to do?"

- - -

Time to set a budget!
> You have 17 yen and 40 sen
> Stipend from Remilia: 1 Yen (Monthly)

- Food Budget (Rice Only, no cost)
[ ] Well, rice isn't a problem... (No change)
[ ] A little variety won't hurt! (50 Sen monthly. Cheap ingredients and the like)
[ ] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
[ ] Sakuya showed you some nice foods, so you should get those! (3 Yen monthly. High-quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund (Nothing)
[ ] Well, Reimu said she wasn't doing poorly, so... (No change)
[ ] The poor girl can handle some extra donations! (50 Sen monthly.)
[ ] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
[ ] More specific? (Name a monthly value)
- With that sorted out...
[ ] Start of the month is a good time to shop for... things!
[ ] No better way to start the month then visiting Reimu, right?
[ ] Why not just wait at home, see if anyone shows up?
[ ] Other?

The money management returns. I'm sorry if no one likes it, but it's something I just like. You also seriously need something to use all that money on, right?

I also apologize if the sudden timeskip was jarring, but I was kind of running on fumes and felt I really had to jump forward, so we can move onto the fun of a special holiday that takes place in February...

[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund (Nothing)
[x] The poor girl can handle some extra donations! (50 Sen monthly.)
- With that sorted out...
[x] Why not just wait at home, see if anyone shows up?

[X] A little variety won't hurt! (50 Sen monthly. Cheap ingredients and the like)
[X] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
[X] Ask Marisa for another magic lesson.

- Food Budget (Rice Only, no cost)
[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund (Nothing)
[x] The poor girl can handle some extra donations! (50 Sen monthly.)
- With that sorted out...
[x] Start of the month is a good time to shop for... things!

- Food Budget
[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund
[x] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
- With that sorted out...
[x] Why not just wait at home, see if anyone shows up?

I feel like though if she has no other jobs, this puts her at a deficit, she isn't a big spender and she doesn't have anything to save for currently. And with her regular rate of spending, we could go on like this for two months and still have at least 10 Yen remaining.

So I think we could afford this, and any expected change in spending or payment we could foresee with enough time and enough of a buffer of funds to change our plan accordingly. That being said, 3 Yen a month for food? Hellll naw.

[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
[x] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
[x] Why not just wait at home, see if anyone shows up?

Eh, food is important, not enough variety makes you risk all kinds of disease. Also, Reimu is nice.

I see no problem with the budget balancing "mini-game". It adds it's own little charm to this story and makes it stand out without being anywhere near as troublesome as actually sorting out a real budget.

- Food Budget
[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund
[x] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
- With that sorted out...
[x] Start of the month is a good time to shop for... Things!


As >>176495 said, Reina is currently pretty loaded, at least as far as her regular expenses are concerned so we can easily go with this for a few months. In fact we could actually last all year like that, even without work.
(We're only actually spending one yen per month, barring unforeseen events, since we've got that stipend from the SDM.)

Anyway.. Let's make sure we've gotten all the major shopping out of the way (like working materials or any cooking ingredient that lasts, especially since we have a fridge), so the rest of the month is free to adapt to whatever comes our way. We also need to get keys out to the people who might visit us.
Aya has her own, Reimu should be able to come and go as she pleases and I think Kasen can probably do that as well even though we aren't likely to see her very often.
Obviously Yuuka gets a key, and we should give a key to Limstella and the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Probably also to the Pavillion (unless they send their job requests through Limstella).
I don't think there's a barrier anywhere in Gensokyo that can keep Marisa out if she really wants in, but it's easier for everyone if she has her own key if she wants to visit. Not sure if Alice is likely to drop by, but I see no real reason not to at least offer her a key.
At the very least, giving her a key would be an invitation for her to come visit sometime instead of having no friends staying at home all day.

Did I forget anyone?
Also, does the barrier have something equivalent to a doorbell? Just so we aren't completely locking out anyone who we don't know but who might be visiting anyway.

- Food Budget
[x] Hard to be a good cook without good ingredients. (1 Yen monthly. Quality ingredients)
- Shrine Donation Fund
[x] Reimu deserves some comfort. (1 Yen monthly.)
- With that sorted out...
[x] Why not just wait at home, see if anyone shows up?

- - -

Having a magical notebook that didn't even require you to write in it, was pretty useful. It also meant making a budget was as simple as a few finger taps away! Very handy. Kind of made you think of science-fiction shows and books, with those floating touch screen things.

"I think that should do it... only things I can think of actually balancing anyway."

The voice in your head hummed thoughtfully, "How kind of you. I would say that is a fine enough budget, there are not any other financial concerns that you really have."

"I guess I'm a bit lucky this house gets electricity for free, somehow. Now, I have to figure out exactly what kind of ingredients I should get I think... there's only so much room in the fridge, after all. No use in buying more then I can use."

"Will that be your plan for the day then?"

You stretched and leaned back against your chair, "Nah, not right now anyway. I need to first of all get a good idea of what I need, no use in just aimlessly wandering into the village. I think I'm just going to stay home for a bit, see if anyone drops by while I get a list going."

"May I offer some suggestions? I know you like cooking for your friends, and I may have some idea of foods they may enjoy..."

"Offer away Valerie. Although, I think I have a pretty good idea myself. Maybe come spring, I can look into having a nice garden going, some fresh ingredients like that could be pretty nice..."

~

Making a list of ingredients wasn't difficult, but it was fairly boring. At least you had Valerie in your head to keep you company, in a sense, which did kind of help take the edge off.

Still, it was kind of quiet and boring... maybe you would have to consider going out to do something later at this rate.

"Hello! I'm comin' in!" declared a voice loudly, before the sound of a window sliding open was heard.

"You can always use the door, you know Aya." you replied casually, not even looking up from your paper, jotting down a few more words.

The tengu chuckled as she slid the window shut behind her, "Doors are normal and boring, how many people or youkai, can say they come in through a window, eh?"

Well she did have a point there. Even if it was a pretty weak one really, what was the point in coming in through a window over a door anyway?

"So what brings you by this morning? I think its past your usual time to deliver the Bunbunmaru... especially given I already have my copy."

"Can't a friend drop in unannounced on a friend? And I am here on some level of business! Got a little letter from Limstella. She'd have the usual services deliver it, but we have some history, and I am the fastest in Gensokyo."

"A letter? That seems odd."

Aya reached into her skirt and pulled out an envelope, presenting it to you, "Well, I say letter but its really more of a report, I guess. What are you writing there anyway? Are you trying to be a novelist or something?"

"Just a list of ingredients I'm going to look into buying, I'm not a writer Aya." you replied with a chuckle, opening the letter.

As Aya had said, it wasn't really a proper letter. It was basically just a written report stating that the fairy had successfully spread your name throughout her network and was now simply waiting for work to come in. Although she also confessed that while your skillset is unique, it is not particularly desirable - it is much cheaper to simply replace something, then get a new one made generally. Limstella suggested you may need to look into expanding your business from restoration in some way, but she didn't offer any particular ideas.

Still, she had a point. Restoring was a useful skill, but it really did require someone to have a particular attachment to the object in question. Well, you weren't hurting for money right now, so there wasn't going to be any need to do anything right now... probably.

"Shopping for ingredients, huh? Something wrong with your stock? I always seem to remember you making some pretty good dishes before..."

"Well, there was a little change in that situation it seems, after you meeting earlier this year... my free food was cut off it seems, so I just get the normal."

The tengu snapped her fingers, "Ah, I see. So you just have a lot of rice then... I guess I have to apologize for that as well, but well, I guess it's better then them personally coming down on you..."

"It's a bit of a problem, but its no huge concern. I'll sort it out. So, besides this little delivery, did you have anything else in mind?"

Aya grinned, "Nope! Just figured I'd drop in and see where things took me."

"How do you even find material for the Bunbunmaru when I seem to take up a lot of your time..."you asked with a chuckle.

"Trade secret, can't say. But don't worry, the Bunbunmaru is always going to make it to print! I've never failed, and I don't intend to start now!" declared the tengu in triumph.

"Well, I can't say I had any real outstanding plans. I was just going to kind of see how the day was going to unfold, I guess. No work has come along in a bit, so..."

The black-haired tengu nodded, "I see, I see. Well that's no fun at all! Ah! That reminds me... where did I... ah, here it is!"

Aya carefully rummaged through her clothing, before pulling out a small wrapped package, she handed it to you with a grin, "Just a little present, nothing special."

That was unexpected, a gift? There wasn't anything special about today, right? No, nothing really came to mind... still, it was rude to turn down a gift. You thanked the tengu and accepted the package, opening it to reveal it was a bar of chocolate! How thoughtful.

"Chocolate, huh? A bit of a strange gift, but now that I see one... its been a long time since I had any candy."

"Sweets and the like are a little bit of a luxury good in Gensokyo. We can grow some of the ingredients here, but the really valuable stuff is anything that falls from the outside... but hey, don't worry about it, the cost I mean. Besides, you do know what month it is, right?"

"February?" you reply with a tilt of your head.

"And what comes in February?" continued the tengu.

Well, it was the second month of the year, and winter still but... it was also the shortest month of the year, with an extra day if it was a leap year, and...

Oh.

Ooooooh.

"Valentine's Day is in February! Wow, I've never really thought about it. I mean, when I went to school in the outside, people just gave candy to people anyway, but then I grew up and it just kinda... huh. I completely forgot about that day."

The tengu laughed and shook her head, "Well I'm sure you'll be getting reminders about it this time. Hopefully you like chocolate."

"I don't have any problem with choc- wait, this isn't Valentine's chocolate, is it!?"

"No, of course not! It's just a chocolate bar I wanted to give you, don't worry." replied the tengu smoothly, "Besides, it isn't Valentine's Day yet, giving you actual Valentine's Day chocolate early would be kind of cheating."

"I-I... whatever. Thank you for the chocolate Aya." you replied after a sigh, shaking your head.

The chocolate did actually taste pretty good though. It had been a while since you had eaten something like this... funny how such a common thing in the outside, was now an actual luxury good.

- - -

Anyway, Aya was at your disposal it seemed, and you did kind of want to do something...
[ ] May as well head into the village and get that shopping done.
[ ] Maybe you'll go visit Limstella yourself...
[ ] Never a bad time to drop by Reimu's! You can give your donation that way also.
[ ] Remilia always has something to do, right?
[ ] Hunt down the flower youkai!
[ ] Other?

[X] Never a bad time to drop by Reimu's! You can give your donation that way also.

[x] Never a bad time to drop by Reimu's! You can give your donation that way also.

[x] Hunt down the flower youkai!

Too much Reimu, not enough Yuuka this thread.

[x] Hunt down the flower youkai!

It's been awhile since Reina's spent time with her.

[x] Hunt down the flower youkai!

For Valentine's Day I'd love to pollinate and water Yuuka's flower.

Of course I meant her sunflowers you sick fucks.

[x] Hunt down the flower youkai!

- - -

"How do you feel about hunting someone down? Not literally." you ask casually, taking a bite of chocolate.

"Hunting? Are you trying to stir up trouble? Reimu would throw a fit if you caused an incident you know." replied the tengu with a grin.

You returned the grin, "It won't be that bad. I just thought I haven't seen Yuuka in a while, so..."

"So you're looking to hunt down Yuuka, huh? Geez, you had to pick one of the more violent people to hunt down... I guess at least if she sees you first, she won't try to blast me out of the sky for annoying her..."

"Why does everyone say Yuuka is dangerous? She's been nothing but kind to me..."

The tengu shrugged, "Well, it's a bit of an exaggeration. Yuuka will typically leave anyone alone, unless you do anything she dislikes near her. She just usually doesn't like me showing up to bother her, but as long as you're with me, I'm fine!" Aya paused, "I hope. Anyway, I have some ideas of where she might be at this time of the year..."

"Do you think she'll be hard to find? It doesn't look like she actually has a house."

"Well, that's because she doesn't really. There's some abandoned houses she sometimes uses, but actually its easier to find her this time of the year. Come spring and summer, she's all over the place, but in winter... well, come on let's get going. One express trip to Yuuka, comin' right up."

~

The speed at which Aya flew always amazed you. It also surprised you that despite how fast she flew, it didn't seem there was any serious windchill... you really had to ask her about that. Maybe she had some kind of magical spell? Or maybe it was a tengu thing.

The last time you had visited Yuuka personally, she had been in that giant field of sunflowers, known as the Garden of the Sun, if memory served right. As it turned out, this was the first place the tengu said to always look for Yuuka. It was probably the closest thing the flower youkai considered 'home'.

Although it was kind of hard to pick anyone out amidst all those giant sunflowers - which were actually still in bloom, and looking quite healthy. Wasn't winter out of season for flowers in general? Either way, trying to find Yuuka in all those flowers would be a daunting task... her outfit was plaid red, but there was still so much to look through!

"How are we going to find her in there..."I mean, we don't even know if she's there..."you said with a sigh, gazing downwards.

"You just have to know what to look for Reina! Don't look for green hair - you'll never see it - instead look for... there! She's here. You can see her umbrella, see?"

You frowned and scanned the field again, but you couldn't really... oh, wait there it was! You could spot the open parasol Yuuka always carried around. Judging by the fact it was moving, the youkai was quite awake and seemingly unaware of your presence - which wasn't unexpected, given you were still up in the air.

With the target located, the tengu slowly began her approach, making sure to call out before she got too close. The flower youkai turned to face the two of you as you got closer, her red eyes flicking from the tengu to you.

"Little flower, how unexpected to see you here today. To what do I owe the visit?"

"Well, actually nothing really special I just... wanted to come see you. I haven't seen you in a few weeks and all, so..."you admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of your head.

The flower youkai casually spun her parasol, "I apologize for that. Spring will be arriving soon, so there are things I must see to in preparation... amongst some other things. How has the barrier been treating you?"

"Well, it seems to be working just fine, nothing has come to visit me that isn't allowed I guess. Does your 'key' work to get in, by the way?"

"I have not tested it, but I would not doubt its effectiveness. The shrine maiden might appear lazy, but she is competent in this sort of thing." Yuuka's gaze flicked to the tengu, "How does the day treat you, reporter?"

Aya seemed to flinch slightly as the youkai's gaze fell on her, "I-It treats me well I guess. Just thought I'd ah, pay Reina a visit and then she wanted to see you, so..."

"Be at ease reporter, I won't do you any harm today... not unless you ask for it." replied the green-haired youkai casually.

"I'll take note of that."

"You don't ever really hurt Aya, do you?" you ask with a nervous chuckle.

Yuuka shrugged, "I have before. It has been a while I will admit, and it was never with any serious intent... the reporter merely likes to stick her nose where it does not belong. Repeatedly. Besides, danmaku is how we civilly solve small disputes."

"Although I will admit, your danmaku is a little more... aaaah, let's not discuss this, it isn't going to lead anywhere pleasant."

"Tell me little flower, do you have any plans next week?"

Next week? You rubbed your chin for a moment in thought, before shaking your head.

"No, I can't say I have anything planned. No work has really come in or anything, so... why do you ask?"

"Next week has Valentine's Day, of course little flower. Would you like to go out on a date with me, Reina?"

Wait, what.

"Oh wow, Yuuka asking someone out? That doesn't happen too often at all!" remarked Aya with a surprised gasp.

Your brain was still trying to comprehend this and you open and closed your mouth a few times, randomly grasping at the air, as if trying to grab onto something. The flower youkai chuckled softly and gave you a warm smile.

"I apologize, I forget this is your first proper Valentine's Day, is it not? You were probably not expecting anyone to ask you out. Given your reaction, the reporter did not ask you out either..."

The tengu chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, "I kind of thought about it, but I thought it might be a bit much... I mean, I see her pretty early in the day, before anyone can really ask her. Didn't really feel too proper."

"Huh, wait what!?" you sputtered looking between the two youkai.

"Yuuka, I think she's like the only one who doesn't get it. Which is kinda funny when you think about it."

Yuuka's smile widened slightly as she nodded, "It seems we have caught her quite offguard, yes. This must be a lot for an outsider to take in, given the differences between our two societies."

The tengu nodded, folding her arms under her bust, "Probably just a bit. There's practically steam coming out of her ears!"

"I... I... what?! You were both, or I guess, are... wanting to ask me out on Valentine's Day?"

"I'm quite certain the shrine maiden is also wishing to do the same. I wonder if she would have the resolve to actually ask though, she is quite shy and unsure of herself in this regard... perhaps she is hoping you would ask her." the flower youkai shrugs and twirls her parasol, "Regardless, you are indeed being sought out by at least three separate people."

"Which kind of makes this tricky actually. I mean, it would be kind of odd to say split the day into thirds on Valentine's Day... I mean, it is supposed to be an all-day kind of thing. But it does feel kind of unfair like this also..."

The flower youkai chuckled, "I imagine this is how it usually works, the one who asks first is in the best position. But I will concede, it is perhaps a bit unfair given the situation. There is still time before the proper day, perhaps she should give everyone at least one date, before making a decision?"

"Do you think Reimu would go with that idea? I mean, I don't really have a problem with that kind of thing... even a group date on Valentine's Day might be kind of interesting! But we are both some... well-aged youkai, I'm not so sure about Reimu though. She's pretty traditional."

"You have a point reporter. This is a potentially delicate situation."

"The way I look at it, it'll be Reimu's problem. If she's not happy about it well..."the tengu shrugged, "It is going to be Reina's decision, really."

"M-my decision?" you say nervously.

"Of course little flower, we would not force you into anything. My offer still stands as before: would you like to go on a date with me on Valentine's Day?"

The tengu snapped her fingers, "I'm offering as well. I'll even go on a group date if I have too! Or, you can erm, turn me down if you want, I'll be fine."

"I can concede to allowing a group date if you so desire Reina, whatever decision makes you happy - even if you say no, I will be fine with your answer."

- - -

W-what!" This isn't at ALL what you expected!
[ ] But well, a date with Yuuka would be nice...
[ ] You've never had a date with Aya, that could be... interesting?
[ ] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!
[ ] You've never had a date, or a group, but group might be interesting...
[ ] Y-you just can't do it...
[ ] Maybe if you did some dates before Valentine's? Help sort it out, maybe... (State who)
[ ] Other?

>>176551
[x] Draw straws. Short straw goes first, middle straw goes second, longest straw goes on Valentine's Day.
- [x] Reimu's not here, so whichever straw you two don't draw is hers... at least if she actually asks me out.
- - [x] (only if it comes up) Yes, you can swap if both or all of you agree to it.

[X] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!

Reina's been clicking the most with Reimu, she should definitely have a say.

[X] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!

[X] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!

Hopefully this won't lead to Yuuka or Aya getting snubbed

[X] Maybe if you did some dates before Valentine's? Help sort it out, maybe...
-[X] with Yuuka
-[X] with Reimu on Valentine's


I'm sure Yuuka wouldn't mind if we spent time with her the day before. Reimu would love it if Reina asked her for the actual day.

[x] You've never had a date, or a group, but group might be interesting...

I can't resist.

>[X] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!

I really hope this means "get Reimu's opinion before making a decision" and not "turn down Aya and Yuuka and just ask Reimu out," because that's what people seem to be thinking of when they vote for it.

>>176576
To confirm that's what it means. That is to say, it feels wrong to do this without having Reimu's input - not that you are exactly turning down Aya and Yuuka.

>>176576
Well I'm sort of hoping for a group date including Reimu.

[X] It doesn't feel right without having Reimu around!

- - -

This day was really already going somewhere crazy, but you couldn't really run away from it either by this point... Aya was far faster then you were, after all.

But still, this situation seemed kind of wrong, given what you had been told. Was Reimu really thinking of asking you out? And if she was, was it really fair to accept any offers without her getting a say in all of this? It was, after all, just pure chance you had decided to see Yuuka first.

"I... don't think I can really reach a decision, like this... I mean, if you're saying Reimu is also considering it, it feels kind of mean to her to not have her... present, I guess? I mean, erm, I didn't even expect this, so I just kind of thought of coming here and uhm, that is ah..."

The flower youkai held up a hand to indicate silence, "I understand Reina. If you wish, we can certainly continue this discussion and decision at the shrine. It would be proper to at least see what the shrine maiden has to say about this."

"That is quite thoughtful of her! But alright, I can agree to that. It could end up pretty bad if Reimu found out we had excluded her from this chance - she might come and hunt us down!"

"I wouldn't mind having a proper duel with the shrine maiden again, it has been a while since she's ever been serious." commented Yuuka with a small smile.

"I don't want to be anywhere near that. That aside, I guess we should go to the shrine then? No sense in putting this off, I mean the day is next week but well... you never know, right?"

The green-haired youkai nodded, "Heading to the shrine right now seems like the best course of action. Shall we be off little flower?"

Well, you couldn't very well run away, and you did say you wanted to get Reimu's input on this... so you nodded your head.

~

While Reimu was surprised to see you, Yuuka and Aya show up at her shrine she wasn't at all prepared for what the two tengu told her. Which is to say, basically summing up what just happened and seeing what the shrine maiden thought.

If anything, she looked like she had turned into a statue and was staring at you and your friends in horror. While Yuuka's face was passive, the tengu seemed to be ready to burst out laughing.

"This was completely worth the trip, regardless of what happens. I don't think I've ever seen her so mortified before!" remarked Aya with a grin.

The flower youkai glanced to the tengu, "You seem completely eager to incur the shrine maiden's wrath, but not my own. How unusual..."

The shrine maiden inhaled and let out a deep sigh, "Violence won't solve anything right now. I was just a bit... shocked. I'm better now."

"I'm sorry to kind of drop in like this, and then spring this all on you Reimu..."you admit nervously, twiddling your thumbs.

Reimu blushed and looked away, "N-no, it was... very nice of you to do this. I... I have been wanting to ask you out, I just... this is really hard for me okay!?"

"Is it? I mean, all you have to do is ask... that can't be hard, can it?" asked Aya curiously.

"You are looking at it the wrong way reporter. If you can still remember it, think back to when you first asked anyone out. This is the position the shrine maiden finds herself in." replied Yuuka calmly.

"Oh, that's right! Reimu has never asked anyone out... that's kind of cute, actually."

The shrine maiden's face reddened further, "Sh-shut up you two, stop talking so casually about this kind of thing!"

The tengu grinned, "Alright, alright sorry Reimu. I guess I might be a little insensitive right now. But anyway, this is where we stand right now. Three of us and only one of her."

All three looked at you. Something about being looked at by three people with a romantic interest in you, was kind of different from when you just saw them all as friends. And to make the situation a bit more awkward, they were also all asking you out! On the same day, no less! There was certainly time in a day, but it might make the whole experience kind of lessened, if you had to juggle it around three different people...

Of course, you could always just turn them down. Or there was always other options... still, much like before, this was really going to be all up to you.

"T-to make it official, I'm uh... would you go out with me Reina?" asked Reimu nervously, her face still red from embarrassment.

"And don't forget about me! I'd like to go out with you as well." added Aya with a grin.

"Sorry to burden you so, little flower. I would also like to go on a date with you."

- - -

If you had 99 problems, well, dates wouldn't be one of them...
[ ] A date with Yuuka on Valentine's would be nice...
[ ] How could you turn Reimu down now?
[ ] Aya was kind of spunky, she might be kind of fun.
[ ] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide. (Write-in order)
[ ] RUN AWAY.
[ ] Other?

You're on a roll, Kriss. One update per day.

[X] How could you turn Reimu down now?

>>176599
Technically I didn't update yesterday, so I made up by doing it early today!

[X] How could you turn Reimu down now?

>>176601
From where I live (close to the site's time zone), it's been once a day.

[X] A date with Yuuka on Valentine's would be nice...

Too much Reimu. We need more class in our diet.

[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide.
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.


The specific order doesn't matter, but I'm the worst ever at picking an option and making decisions, so I'm going to bail out and pick the harem option.
That way they each get their date alone with Reina, and they all get a "Valentine's date" with her too.
(Of course there needs to be an ungodly amount of chocolate on V-day too.)

[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide.
-[x] And maybe while you're going out with one of the girls, the other two can go on a date as well, so they're not left out!
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.

"Anonymous?2013/12/16(Mon)05:42?No."
176617
[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide."
-[x] And maybe while you're going out with one of the girls, the other two can go on a date as well, so they're not left out!"
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.

This actually has some potential. Aya, Reimu, and Yuuka don't seem to interact with many people outside of Reina. if Reina asks them to, they'll probably at least give it a shot... and maybe find out they have more things in common besides Reina.

[X] A date with Yuuka on Valentine's would be nice...

>>176620
Romantically give Yuuka chocolates and some fertilizer. You can even grind up humans together!

[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide.*
-[x] And maybe while you're going out with one of the girls, the other two can go on a date as well, so they're not left out!
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.


*-[x] Yuuka
-[x] Aya
-[x] Reimu

[X] A date with Yuuka on Valentine's would be nice...

I'm of the opinion that we should decide on one girl to pursue. You can't make everyone happy and sooner or later this wishy washy way of thinking may end in tears. You know what they say about having your cake and trying to eat it too.

Voting extended due to computer issues on my desktop, which is where I do all my writing.

Hoping I can resolve it soon, maybe by tomorrow. And hopefully be able to salvage all my writing on it. At worse, I might lose the documents with all of the RiG (1, every reboot, and 2) if the hard drive just refuses to load anything though.

[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide.*
-[x] And maybe while you're going out with one of the girls, the other two can go on a date as well, so they're not left out!
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.
*-[x] Yuuka
-[x] Aya
-[x] Reimu

>>176551
[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide. (Write-in order)

All of the above. Make sure to get Yuuka some bonemeal, ground fresh from Kaguya!

[x] This is too hard! Maybe you should do dates with each before Valentine's to decide.*
-[x] And maybe while you're going out with one of the girls, the other two can go on a date as well, so they're not left out!
-[x] Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day and just enjoy each other's company.

*-[x] Yuuka
-[x] Aya
-[x] Reimu

- - -

This was a lot to take in at once. It just really, really was! How were you supposed to only pick one of them!" They were all, after all, asking you like this! If you picked one of them, the other two would be crestfallen, right? But at the same time, you couldn't really just not pick any of them...

You sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, an idea forming in your head.

"How about... I'll go on one date with everyone before Valentine's, and on that day, we can all just kind of meet up? I... I just can't really pick just one, I... it's just kind of hard! I mean, uhm, this is so unexpected and I don't really know... so, uhm... that is... ah..."

Ah crap, you were already tripping all over yourself.

The flower youkai however, merely nodded and smiled, "Very well little flower, I can accept that decision. Did you have an order of dates in mind already?"

"Hey, hey Yuuka you just can't go and speak for everyone! I mean, I don't have a problem with it either, but... what about Reimu?"

The shrine maiden stared down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs, her expression thoughtful. The three of you watched her uneasily for what felt like several minutes, before she finally lifted her head and gave you a small smile.

"O-okay Reina. Yeah, I'm fine with that too. So, ah, how are we going to do all this...?"

"Erm, if I may offer a last thought?" you asked quietly, raising your hand for emphasis.

The tengu cocked her head, "You don't have to raise your hand Reina, whats on your mind?"

"Well, I kind of thought it'd be nice that while I'm going on a date with one of you, the other two could be uhm, well... also going on one? Erm, I mean you don't have to consider it like a proper date, if you want," you added hastily, noting Reimu's surprised reaction, "But I think it'd be nice if you could all spend more time together..."

Reimu sighed and looked to Yuuka and Aya, "Well... I guess spending a day with each of you won't really kill me..."

"I promise to not interview anyone! Come on, it'll be kinda fun I bet! We never really do spend any time together, unless we happen to be involved in an incident or something."

"If that is what Reina wants, I can also accept that idea. Did you have an order in mind, little flower?"

You scratched your chin for a moment, "Ah... how about... you, then Aya, and then Reimu? Then we all meet up on Valentine's Day?"

"Awww, why does Yuuka get to go first!?" said Aya with an exaggerated sigh

"Well, I guess at least I get that day with Aya done faster this way, and can then just look forward to my day..."mumbled Reimu quietly, but not quite quiet enough.

The green-haired youkai nodded, "Certainly. What is your plan for tomorrow? I will have to make preparations, so I'm afraid I cannot stay here long."

"Preparations?" asked Aya

"I have things I have to do as well, reporter. I merely need to shuffle some things around, but the sooner I attend to them, the more time I can spend with Reina tomorrow, and then each of you the days after."

The shrine maiden rose from her seat, "Well, I'll excuse myself then. I'd prefer to not hear what Reina has planned... I erm, don't meant that in a mean way, but I'd rather keep any ideas she has, a secret until it is my turn."

"Oooh, that's not actually a bad idea! I'm just gonna step out then, gotta keep it a surprise. I guess I have to think up a way to make sure Reimu doesn't strangle me tomorrow either."

Before you could protest the two exited the room, leaving just you and a chuckled Yuuka in the room.

"My, my, they seem quite eager with this. The shrine maiden may not admit it, but you can tell, can you not little flower? You made quite the interesting deal."

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thought, so I'm glad it all worked out in the end."

The flower youkai smiled, "You seem to have a knack for that little flower. Well, what is your plan for tomorrow then? Surely you have something in mind."

Of course!" Okay, no not really. You had to think of something fast though! It didn't have to last all day, it was just a date, but it still had to be something you could both do... and have fun with, of course! It wasn't like a 'date' had to be some kind of candlelit dinner, even just spending time together would be nice...

- - -

You just needed a place or something, you could sort out the details on the day!
[ ] Yuuka likes flowers, so maybe going to the Garden of the Sun...
[ ] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...
[ ] How about just being in the village?
[ ] Other?

[x] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...
This sounds like a highly amusing option.

[x] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...

Even if we're doing entirely non-lewd things, it's still a very classy establishment that probably makes most of their money from entirely chaste entertainment anyway.
It is, after all, a "tea house". They also offer massages as we found out earlier.
Think of it as sort of a spa, I guess? Getting a massage, enjoying some fine sake, maybe some light music. That kind of thing.
And then we can finish it up with a nice dinner somewhere in the village. Not quite "candles and spaghetti speciale" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwZC5s2IU0), but something nice.

[x] Other?
-[x] See about showing Yuuka the mansion's garden.

Not sure if Reina seen it or not but it does have a note worthy garden. That and Hakugyokuro isn't a good idea for a mix of reasons.

>>176704
>That and Hakugyokuro isn't a good idea for a mix of reasons.
>Hakugyokuro

...

What.

>>176706
It's been said that area has a very nice garden, and likely one of the best in Gensokyo.

[x] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...

Sure, why not. We can probably find some fun, naughty things to do with Yuuka.

x] Other?"
-[x] See about showing Yuuka the mansion's garden."

[x] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...

>>176699
[x] Maybe... the Lotus Pavilion? There's things to do there...

We can find out if Youkai like massages, body shots and juggling

Is the plan to take all the dates there, guys?

Not sure how well that'd fly.

>>176788
It will fly most excellently. Especially if we remember to wear the underwear we got from koa.

>>176792
I have been reminded some people may not check the front page for new updates, my bad! We have a new thread.