"Hello, Reimu."

Hearing this, the shrine maiden's eyes widened in a little surprise. She had thought that what she was looking at was just an ordinary visitor—even though no ordinary visitor could reach the shrine on a non-seasonal day. However, he spoke her name as soon as he opened his mouth.

The name of the shrine maiden came from nowhere, and it is often carried by them along with them, and it has always been rarely known. After a few years, the name of the ancestor Hakuri disappeared without a trace, and only the memories of some yokai remained.

However, the current shrine maiden, Reimu, didn't think about this. It doesn't matter if she says something like that to Youning, or waits for Youning to be in a daze, she just acts according to her instincts. Her instincts were somewhat concerned about the man. She didn't think about why.

Reimu hesitated slightly. Perhaps she had forgotten how to entertain a shrine maiden when a visitor arrived. At this moment, there was the sound of footsteps in the shrine, and a lively shadow clapped closer. A splendid face peeked out from the edge of the sliding door, wavy blonde hair across her cheeks and drooping along with the scarf on her shoulder.

"Reimu, is this what you mean by a visitor? …… Oh, it's an outsider again. Didn't you say, 'Look at it,' Reimu? ”

"Hmm...... Yes? ”

Youning is an outsider, obviously. Didn't Reimu notice this? It may be that there are very few outsiders visiting the shrine – in other words, outsiders who come to the shrine are generally not visitors.

At this time, Youning looked at the smug smile and spoke. It was in the same smug tone.

"Hmph, I'm Miss Marisa. Of course, it's a visitor. Besides, I'm not the kind of outsider who wants to go back, right? ”

"Huh, you know my name?"

Marisa was taken aback, but the point of surprise seemed to be wrong. Yuning just smiled and looked at Reimu, Marisa thought that Yuning meant what Reimu told her, and followed Youning's gaze and looked at Reimu suspiciously. Then, looking at it, she suddenly laughed.

"Laugh, laugh at something!"

Reimu seemed to wake up, but Marisa pounced on her and hung on the back of Reimu's neck, and Reimu stumbled unawares.

"What are you doing!"

"Hahahaha Reimu, you'll have such a serious time!"

Reimu's face showed "What! Such an unreasonable look. She tried to push Marisa away from her body, but Marisa pulled off her scarf and wrapped it around Reimu's neck and shoulders without saying a word.

"It's colder when the snow melts. It's not okay to dress so coolly. ”

Marisa said earnestly. Reimu, who seemed to be going crazy, was stunned for a moment, and then took a serious look at Marisa. When she was about to say something, Marisa suddenly turned away, leaving Reimu at a loss.

"Hey! Over there! …… Who are you? ”

"Huh?"

Yuning, who was pointed at by Marisa, smiled.

"Me? My name is Yuning. I'm ......."

Then, he held out his hand.

- Reimu raised her head slightly, slightly concerned.

- Marisa's eyes widen in surprise.

There are dots of streamers lit up, shuttling through the void, carving dazzling outlines. After the light faded, a piece of paper lay quietly on Youning's hand.

Youning handed over the business card, and Marisa hurriedly grabbed it in her hand.

"I'm the manager of Yonydo. I'm a man of books and fantasies. ”

In Yuning's meaningful words, Marisa looked at the card out of nothing into the afternoon sun, as if she had been given a very interesting toy.

Marisa Kiriyu loves to collect rare things. Because of this, she left home and left the world. She has always been curious.

After being curious, Marisa picked up Yuning's business card and pulled Reimu with a big grin, "Enter the house." That one...... And you. Yuning, huh? ”

"Uh-huh."

In Reimu to Marisa "Hey! This is my shrine! In the midst of complaints, Youning slightly hooked the corners of her lips and stepped over the threshold of the shrine.

- Beyond the borders of unknown distances, the end of chaos.

"Lord Zi, there was another change in the Great Enchantment just now."

In response to Yakumo Blue, it was Yingying's smile, and the words, "It's really funny".

————————————==————————————

"Now, is there really a new kind of magic in the outside world? Like you just did? ”

"Huh?"

Inside Hakurei Shrine. Marisa showed her curiosity, and Reimu was still slowly drinking tea, slowly tending to Marisa's ripped clothes, as if the two next to her didn't exist.

"I'm the one who owns the store. Businessman, you know what? If you want to get something from a businessman, you can't do it without paying a price? ”

Yuning winked at Marisa, as if she was familiar with a set of rhetoric. Marisa cut in frustration.

"So what are you going to do? Reimu is a dime. ”

"What......"

Reimu finally put the teacup down. Marisa looked at Reimu, and suddenly as if she had an idea, she said "Wait a minute" to Yuning and ran out. Youning turned around and looked at Reimu's eyes earnestly.

"Of course, there is something to ask for."

"That kind of thing, go and worship the gods. Don't forget to throw in the money. ”

Reimu said something and picked up the teacup again. Youning scratched his head and said, "I'm not here to ask the gods. I'm here, please shrine maiden. ”

"Really?"

Reimu answered lazily, then stood up slowly, and out of nowhere he found an imperial coin.

"No, no, I'm not going to play a barrage game with a shrine maiden. That kind of thing that has no chance of winning is not a businessman's style. Is it okay to negotiate? ”

Youning heard a hmm. He paused, then said, "I want to rent a room at the shrine." It's even better if it's the old warehouse......"

This time, Reimu was a little serious, she opened her eyes to look at Youning, and said two words.

"Nope."

"Hey, don't be so rigid. Of course I'll pay the rent. If I think about it, ...... every day."

"One hundred thousand!"

Reimu replied quickly.

"Impossible!"

Youning also responded without hesitation.

"What are you talking about?"

At that moment, Marisa walked in while patting her clothes. A cloud of dust fell from her sleeve, and Yuu Ning didn't say anything, but Reimu hurriedly took the teacup farther away.

"I'm talking to Reimu about rent."

Youning explained. There was a slight ambiguity in that case, and Marisa turned her head to look at Reimu, only to hear Reimu's complaint that she had soiled the floor. So she approached Youning again and sat down cross-legged.

"Look at this, is it enough to pay?"

Yune catches what Marisa throws at her. It was an old yin-yang jade, and I don't know where Marisa got it.

"You're thinking the same as Rinnosuke. Wait a minute," Youning finished speaking, and then said to Reimu, "That amount is too exaggerated. However, since it is a business, you can divide the turnover into the owner. For example, this ......"

The red, white, and white bead crossed an arc and landed in front of Reimu.

"Five-five, how's it going?"

Reimu was stunned, as if she was thinking about it. And then

"Isn't this my thing?! Marisa!! ”

Reimu gets angry. The whole shrine was creeping. Marisa and Yunin both escaped.

"Reimu seems to care a lot about being teased or something?"

At the bottom of the corridor, Yuning touched his chin and talked to Marisa next to him.

"Ah...... That guy likes it. ”

"Well, I remember, too."

Youning came out of nowhere.

"What?"

“…… It's nothing. ”

Youning shrugged. What he said was unusual, but Marisa didn't pay attention. Maybe it was because the cunning was exposed by Reimu, or maybe it was the sheer interest that shifted, and she didn't bother to ask about the outside world anymore.

"Speaking of which, why did you choose this place?"

"It's Purple who asked me to come......"

Youning thought for a moment, poked his head out, and shouted into the shrine, "Hey, Reimu, why did you say that Purple recommended me here?" ”

"How do I know?"

"Hey, who are you talking about [Purple]?"

But no one paid any attention to Marisa. With a bang, the door to the shrine opened, and Marisa's hat was thrown out. Reimu stood in the door and looked at Youning a little concernedly.

"I don't know what Purple is thinking."

Reimu said. Youning smiled slightly in response.

"I don't know. I think...... Generally speaking, if you think it's the same kind of thing, it's like this? ”

Hearing Yu-nin's words, Reimu opened her eyes. The color is like two deep pools of water, attracting the attention of others.

Reimu spoke softly.

"Like-of-...... Are you human? ”

This is the shrine maiden's question.

- Are you human?

- Am I human?

Because, whether they are human or not, they are not the same kind of Hakurei shrine maidens.

Hakurei shrine maiden is such an existence.

Hakurei Shrine is on the edge of such a realm.

Could this be Purple's original intention? How to answer that?

Youning was thoughtful.

Marisa was at a loss.

Then, Yuning cast her gaze into Reimu's pupils. There was a reflection of his own serious face.

He spoke, word by word.

"I am, [man]."

No hesitation. It wasn't the result of thinking, it was what he had always thought.

Are humans and humans the same thing?

Reimu was noncommittal, but seemed to smile a little. That smile is really similar to Youning.

- That kind of smile, not a smile.

After that, Yuning took his leave.

"Gone? What are you doing here? ”

Marisa was still unsatisfied, but Yunin just smiled.

"Why do you want to see Dai ~?"

Marisa didn't understand what she meant, of course, but she could see Yuning waving away.

Very free footsteps, in front of the shrine, leaving footprints that blend into the sunset.

The footprints were deep and heavy.

Reimu stood in silence in the doorway, holding the broom in her hand for some time. Marisa looked at Reimu and burst out laughing.

"Reimu."

"What's so funny?"

"Reimu, I think you guys are a bit alike."

"Really?"

"yes." Marisa approached Reimu and reached out to pull Reimu's face towards her. She looked at Reimu's distorted face, grinned, and said, "You all know a lot of things. But it's always easy for you not to tell me. I've been upset for a long time. ”

Marisa ......

Reimu stared at Marisa's serious face in a daze.

"But ah!" Marisa waved her arms and shouted heroically, "That's how interesting it is!" That's what I'm interested in! ”

Marisa snatched the broom from Reimu's hand and rolled over and stepped on.

- And then, nothing happened.

After a few seconds of freezing, Reimu pulls her broom from under the handsome Marisa's crotch.

"I'm going to clear the snow. Let's make a go. ”

"Well, I'll make the soup then."

Marisa smiled awkwardly and turned and ran into the shrine.

- Only Reimu, who swept the ground slowly in front of the shrine.

The traces left by Youning were easily brushed away by Reimu.

The sunset shone a faint afterglow, and the red and white witch costume glowed with an antique yellow. Reimu let the light drape herself over as she swept the floor, frowning slightly.

She was thinking about Youning.

Youning didn't actually say much.

She didn't say much, either.

But Youning knew her, at least a long time ago.

Because, every word he said to her, every smile he showed meant, it meant like this.

It's as if he's saying, still.

She was a little uneasy. This uneasiness doesn't come from her instinct as a shrine maiden, but from some strange doubt.

Something she couldn't ignore, she couldn't understand, she couldn't trust.

So so.