1. Gifts

2. Avoid trouble

3. Healing

......

......

1. Gifts

......

Recently, Remilia, the owner of the Red Devil Pavilion, knew something.

The third day of February was the birthday of her best friend, the witch Pache Norregi.

Although the two have been friends for a long time, the hall owner, the eldest lady, has never celebrated even one birthday for the witch - because in her opinion, the immortal species will not remember such small things, and she does not think that there is anything worth celebrating on this day.

It's hateful that those humans don't think so.

When I left that world with Patsy and went to Gensokyo, I thought that the human had the self-knowledge to come with me...... Who knew that not long after, he actually drove a fascinated machine to appear in the large library in the basement of the Red Devil Pavilion.

Remilia has a long-standing grudge against this human, but she just lets Patchy go in the face, and she won't greet her even if she meets in the Red Devil Pavilion on weekdays - needless to mention the past, she suddenly found herself a few days ago and asked her if she knew anything she liked on weekdays.

Miss Remilia immediately became vigilant - she knew that this guy had been ill with Patchy for a day or two, and there was definitely a conspiracy to ask about such a thing.

After hanging up and playing for a long time, I finally asked if it was to celebrate Patsy's birthday.

"Humans really like to have nothing to do. "That's how the eldest lady mocked the scientist at the time.

But after the incident, Remilia remembered again, and suddenly felt that she could not lose to this human.

If it's a birthday present, I can't think of anything I can give for a while—Patchy likes to study the theory of magic, and she's far behind in this regard—if it's a gift of magic, it's necessary to find someone who knows how to give advice. The black-and-white rat who occasionally frequented the Great Library was not a master, and in Remilia's eyes, Marisa was only "able to use magic", and the blonde-haired, also witch-like Miss Alice, who visited Pache the other day, seemed much more reliable than that.

"Pache is the most delving into the theory of magic I've ever met. "Miss Alice once said this about Patsy, who had only been friends for a few years...... Really, is it the sympathy between witches?

Turning to Alice might be a good option, but it's just ...... What if Alice, the witch, is also going to celebrate Patsy's birthday? In this way, she will definitely keep the best choice to herself, and the best thing she can ask must be a second-rate gift recommendation. It's even worse! Not to mention the gift that the human being and the gift he gave as an old friend couldn't even compare to the new man who had only met for a few years...... It's so dangerous, and you really can't be careless at all.

In terms of magic, I simply gave up, because no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't compare to those who studied it.

I knew that this was the case.,A few days ago, the mind-reading monster in the underground should have left her to ask.,If you have the ability to read minds.、I should have given good advice.。

That being said, it's too late to realize it later. I can't go to the Earth Spirit Hall again for this, it's a bit too deliberate, and it loses the dignity of the owner of the Red Devil Pavilion.

Fortunately, he still has the last trump card.

On the tea table, the elegant and chic maid Sixteen Nights served black tea to Remilia.

"Sakiya. ”

"Yes, Miss. Answered quickly and respectfully.

"Early next month, Patsy's birthday, you know?"

"Miss Hui, I know. ”

"......" Remilia paused and cleared her throat, "That's good, is the gift ready?"

"Of course, Miss. As always, the answer is a matter of course.

"What kind of gift?"

"Back to Miss, keep it secret. A quick and unhesitating answer.

"You...... It's my servant, isn't it?"

"Of course. Miss, why do you ask?"

"The servant has the obligation to share the worries and solve the problems of the master, right?"

"It's natural, Miss," Sixteen Night Sakiya smiled slightly, knowing exactly what her master was thinking, "but until then, a loyal servant should lead you to the right path." ”

“...... On the right path?"

"A gift is an item that expresses one's blessing to the recipient, and what it contains is your own heart for Patchouli, Miss. ”

"That's what it is?"

"But the eldest lady asked your servant, and your servant gave an answer—how easy is this answer? And does it really contain your heart? In fact, a considerable part of this answer is actually about the blessing of Patchouli, is it okay not to care?"

"......" Remilia was frustrated to find that she couldn't answer.

"However, it's just a little bit of a suggestion, and it's not like I can't give some advice. ”

The maid chief, Sixteen Nightsaki, finally came up with an idea for her master.

You can go to Hakurei Shrine and buy some souvenirs as gifts - because there is a human being that the eldest lady doesn't want to see, and he has lost his dignity there, if the eldest lady can overcome this self-esteem and act, it is indeed a lot of growth, and the gift bought in this way can also be regarded as a painstaking effort.

That being said, Remilia has completely failed her own servant.

Cut、If you can, I don't want to see that human again in this life.。 But Sakuya's idea is really great-why can't you be opportunistic? In order to understand the power composition of Gensokyo, Sakuya also inquired about the situation here.

Hmph, Gensokyo isn't just a shrine for Hakurei.

When I thought so, I had already landed on the shoulder of Youkai Mountain.

......

......

"Miko over there, is this thing really useful?"

Remilia picks and chooses from the bamboo basket placed in front of Moriya Shrine - the sign next to it reads "A miracle amulet that cleans away bad luck ☆ Help you do everything you want".

"Of course, as it is written、This is a talisman that is purified of bad luck~ Also,I'm not as simple as an ordinary shrine maiden.,I'm the ...... of the wind and the spokesperson of the gods-Shouya Shrine"

"Don't take me for a fool, what if you are purified of bad luck, does it mean that it will definitely bring good luck, right? It's just that if you buy something that won't bring you bad luck, the ghost will buy it, right?" Remilia was not in a very good mood at the moment, and her tone was a little rushed.

After all, although the sun was not shining at the moment, there was still light shining through the clouds, and the vampire lady was uncomfortable, and she couldn't wait to buy something back immediately.

"Who, who said that it won't bring good luck, if you don't buy this kind of thing, you won't know, right?" It seemed to be right, Sanae Dongkaya said a little unconvinced, "If you don't believe it, choose one to try?"

There are many kinds of amulets in the bamboo basket, and different characters are written on them. Some of them said "auspicious imperial exemption", picked it up and turned it over, and the back said "the house is safe", and then threw it back to the bamboo basket. You can do this kind of thing yourself.

I saw another ...... that said 'Evil spirits have dispersed' I can't even think of looking at the text on the back, from the standpoint of human beings, are vampires evil spirits?

Yes...... Why is it so troublesome to even pick a talisman?, Remilia's eyes closed, and she casually pinched one out of the frame.

On one side it is written "Lift the clouds and see the sun", and on the other side is written "Turn things around".

"Wow-" looked handsome, as if the eldest lady had turned on the switch of the second middle school, "It's decided that it's you!"

Sanae walked over and looked at the amulet in her hand.

"Are you sure you want to buy this?...... This kind of thing is usually used at an important stage of life, at the so-called 'crossroads', do you want to give it away, or do you want to use it for yourself?"

"Well, these greetings are actually not bad, the point is that I sent them out," the eldest lady seemed to be very confident in this, "It will have an unexpected effect because of me." ”

"500 yen. ”

......

......

Having bought her favorite gift, Remilia flew back to the Red Devil Pavilion satisfied.

What's the matter with that shrine maiden? I have to take the gift I chose, say that I want to perform "miracle magic", and what kind of "kira~" has a mouth fetish that doesn't mean anything?

But it doesn't matter.

Sixteen Saki saw Remilia's return, served black tea and asked:

"Lady got a gift?"

"Of course, I'm ......" put his hand in his pocket and fumbled for a long time.

Then I started to check my whole body.

“...... Lost. He looked at the head maid with teary eyes.

Sixteen Nightsakiya's loyalty gushed out.

......

......

2. Avoid trouble

......

At the border of Gensokyo, on the boundary of a certain land that was originally deserted, a building suddenly appeared at some point - a temple called "Meiren Temple".

In front of the temple are two yokai drinking in an unruly manner.

One of them was the tanuki monster that was exposed by Mo Ming on the spot at the New Year's Eve Festival before, Eryan Yizang, leaning on one hand to support his body, drinking the little remaining wine.

The other is a face that I have never seen before. The appearance of a girl with black hair and red eyes, a black dress and over-the-knee socks, if you ignore the strange red and blue wings behind her and the small snake slowly moving beside her, she just looks like a girl in fancy clothes.

Her name is Sealed Beast Owl, and judging from the fact that she can drink with Eryan Yuzo, she shouldn't be human.

"Tell me, what the hell is going on?"

"I said I came to you for a drink. ”

"Don't you like to hang out among humans and observe them - just mentioned that you went to Youkai Mountain to hang out, and now you come here again, why are you suddenly so leisurely and elegant?"

"Where's the leisure...... The old man doesn't have that kind of room to spare. ”

"So, what the hell is going on?"

"Well, I want to ask too, what's the matter with your Destiny Lotus Temple, suddenly appearing here?

"Who knows, maybe it doesn't make sense to keep the seal on. ”

"However, it is a good time," said Niyan Yuzo, "and when the Holy Lady is ready, move this temple to the human village, where your civility is now needed." ”

"Oh, are you sure, humans would accept such a monster temple?"

"At least it won't be repeated...... After all, the human village no longer has the ability to fight with you, so I want to ask, did you calculate your appearance at such a time?"

"It should ...... It's just a coincidence. ”

"The appearance of Miss Shiralian, who preaches that 'humans and youkai are born equal,' at such a time should not be a bad thing for you or for the three parties of humans and youkai in Gensokyo today. ”

The sealing beast shrugged: "It's my business...... What I want to ask is what are you trying to hide from the topic?"

Eryan Yizang drank the remaining wine and sighed.

"It's to avoid trouble, to avoid disaster. ”

"Oh, hehehe, that's a novelty. ”

"What's so funny, although the old man is an experienced demon, he also has a so-called natural enemy. ”

"The natural predator of the tanuki youkai...... Is it?" The Sealed Beast Eagle looked at Eryan and seemed to be thinking about who it could be.

"Hey, it's not a natural enemy of an old person, right?、It should be said that the more powerful the youkai, the more afraid and disgusted it will be...... It feels a little disgusting. ”

"It's not like what you would say. Feng Beast Eagle said with a smile.

"It's really just angry talking...... There are no monsters that shouldn't exist, and the old decay is just annoyed and angry. ”

"Looks like a big loss?"

The old man refused to continue the conversation. ”

"After all, it can make a big monster like you want to avoid trouble...... Is the world about to change?"

Eryan shook his head.

"It's certainly not going to be a good thing, but ...... It's not clear how bad it will be. It certainly won't be a small matter, but ...... It's not clear how serious it will be. ”

"To put it bluntly, isn't it clear that nothing is clear?!"

"It's a shame, isn't it...... Old decay has been really ...... lately I have lost all the face of this life. ”

"What kind of fight, are you a disciple of Buddhism?!"

"Do as the locals do. ”

While chatting, a girl with a wagging tail jumped out of the temple.

Hibiko Yuiya, a Yokai Yamahiko with dark green hair and eyes, and two furry ears hanging down on her head, patted them on the shoulders at the same time.

"Miss Saint asked me to call you over and help. ”

"Oh. ”

"Are you going too? ”

"Where did the guests drink all the wine in the host's house on the first day?"

"You only have such a little wine, and you blame the old decay?"

The words of the dispute faded away, and the three of them entered the Natal Lotus Temple.

......

......

3. Healing

......

"Is it really okay?"

"It's all said that I'm alone, why are I so mother-in-law!"

Although it was an argument, Mo Ming and Motoju Kosuzu both kept their voices very low, which was only two streets away from Suzuna-an.

Because I'm still worried about the anonymous letter at the beginning of the month、Mo Ming once again proposed to visit Ogura Kuriko.,Although I invited Honju Kosuzu、It's been her visiting alone.。

"It's not that I can't believe you," Mo Ming sighed, "It's just that I feel uneasy no matter how I think about it, but I can't find a reason - so if I want to meet this child, maybe there will be a clue." ”

"I'm worried about her, too!" Suzu tilted her head, thinking to herself that she didn't believe it, but she actually did it, "but you can't just do what she doesn't like because you're worried, right?" I told you, kid...... It's very unsociable.,She never says a word to strangers.、At first, she would come to Suzuna-an.,Later, it became me......"

"Is it so serious?" Mo Ming pondered for a moment and said, "From the expression on your face when you mentioned her several times, it is autism, or ......something else?"

"You're a man...... This kid is just scared of life. It's just a little too much," Suzu looked a little downcast, "I'm going to be hated if I take a stranger to visit her without saying hello! ”

"Then you're going to go and say hello to her first? ”

“...... If it's me alone, it's fine, but if it's two, she'll definitely ask why we're visiting...... That kid, don't look at it and don't talk much, it's very smart...... I can't hide it from her. ”

"What if you're discovered, there's nothing wrong with caring for your friends, right?"

She ...... Very sensitive," Xiao Ling's voice was very low, although there were no passers-by around the two at the moment, "I used to ...... The slight difference in attitude towards her was immediately noticed and told me not to do that. If you go together, you will be sentenced to death. ”

"You look down on me too much, don't you...... I'm good at things like concealing my true intentions...... Okay, okay, don't have this expression, I'm waiting for you here, remember to ask about the points I just said, mainly whether anything weird has happened recently. ”

Suzu nodded.

"That...... Thank you. I really can't treat this child as a patient, she is a normal person who can take care of herself, and I can't break her heart anymore. ”

Mo Ming shrugged: "It's understandable, there is no need to apologize." ”

Xiao Ling walked over and knocked on the door, and Mo Ming wandered a little farther away.

The door was cracked, and no one poked their heads out.

Xiao Ling seemed to be accustomed to this way of greeting guests, pushed some of them away and went in, and when she closed the door, her eyes met Mo Ming not far away, winking at him and sticking out her tongue.

I looked up at the not-so-early sky.

Are you waiting here, or are you going back to the shrine first, and you'll come back another day to ask about the situation?

No, the reason why I acted or subconsciously treated it as a possible malicious event, of course I can't just go back.

When he was wandering blindly, he saw a suspicious figure.

Perhaps suspicious figures have long been the norm for the inhabitants of the human world...... But the reason why Mo Ming came here today is only because he believes in one thing - there must be a demon when things go wrong.

The hood covered the long hair, and the robe covered the slender figure, but it was still recognized by Mo Ming.

"Reizen, what are you doing?"

"Whoa!" seemed to be startled by the voice coming from behind him, and the rabbit monster stepped back several positions in the moment it turned around.

"What are you doing sneaky?"

"Ah...... Mr. Mo Ming, "It's really good to meet acquaintances, Reisen seems to be very happy, "Do you know a girl named Ogura Kuriko?"

"Oh, what are you looking for chestnuts?" looked very familiar with people.

"Ah, do you really know?" Ling Xian immediately approached, shook Mo Ming's hand and said, "Can you please do me a favor?"

"Tell me?"

"Please help me relay a message from Ogura Kuriko, and ......" Reisen frowned and thought for a while, then spoke, "Reisen has already put all the letters there, including this final reply...... Also, "Please be sure to be rare...... forget it...... Please hand her this pill and say, "Miss Chestnut will understand after reading the letter." ”

"So many things?" Mo Ming thought for a moment and said, "Do you need me to introduce you, I know where she lives." ”

"Is that okay?!...... Still no, Miss Chestnut doesn't seem to want to see me," the ears in the hood drooped, looking a little lost, "As long as Mr. Mo Ming can help me bring the words, I will be very grateful!"

"You're welcome, you're welcome. ”

Reisen nodded, took a step back and seemed to leave, but stopped.

"Mr. Mo Ming...... Is it Miss Chestnut's friend?"

Mo Ming coughed dryly: "It doesn't look like it?"

"No, no...... It's just that, how to say, Miss Chestnut would choose someone like Mr. Mo Ming as a friend...... That's right. ”

"People like me...... I think I'm okay, right?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant......" Reisen waved his hand desperately, and after a while he lowered his shoulders as if he had given up, "Anyway...... Please Mr. Mo Ming be sure to help me convey it, it is very important to me!"

After saying that, he ran away.

Reizen...... I thought it was before、It's a rabbit monster who is a little timid and scared.。 I've heard that I occasionally come to the world to sell medicine, but this time I didn't carry a medicine basket. In other words, is it just for this purpose?

I didn't expect it to be looking for Ogura chestnut、And it seems that there is something terrible to convey?

Letter...... What's going on?

Reisen doesn't seem to know where Ogura Kuriko lives—why did she linger in this generation?"Where did the letter go", that is, the two exchanged letters "there"?It should be a place that Ogura Kuriko could easily identify, so did you deduce the vicinity of her home?

Mo Ming held the medicine bottle in his hand and pondered, and suddenly turned around to observe the panorama near the street entrance—and finally locked his eyes on an abandoned stone mill opposite the door of Ogura Chestnut's house. It is supposed to be something that only dries or is used as a stone chair on weekdays, and it may have been left there because it was inconvenient to carry it.

Now there's a brick standing on it.