"Shun~ Why don't you take a little break for now? I need to have a chat with Marisa."
"Of course." I nodded, acknowledging Reimu's request, and left the scene, heading into the shrine.
The spread of rice cookies and onigiri caught my eye, inviting me to sit down and indulge in the offered treats.
As I ate slowly, a subtle sense of loneliness crept in. I gently placed down the onigiri, mulling over my situation. "I might not be hungry, but I should find a way to repay Miss Reimu for her kindness," I thought to myself. With a resolute nod, I rose from my seat and left the shrine's premises.
Outside, I found both Marisa and Reimu still in front of the storage room, seemingly engaged in conversation.
"Hm? You two are still here."
"A-Ah, yeah! Have you had something to eat?" Reimu inquired, a warm smile on her face.
"Yes, thank you. Although, you really don't have to worry about me so much."
"I understand, but it's a habit." Her smile remained.
I paused for a moment, considering their question. "Well, my course of action is pretty evident, don't you think? I'll carry on cleaning up everything here." My words were accompanied by a genuine smile.
Reimu and Marisa both seemed taken aback, their faces half-hidden.
"He's radiating quite the aura," Marisa whispered, her voice playful.
"Is this the butler effect?" Reimu whispered back.
"Eh? Miss Reimu? Marisa? Why are you acting so strangely?"
"Pfft~ Nothing much," Marisa grinned, clearly amused. "Anyway, I've got things to do! See ya, you two!" With that, Marisa mounted her broom and soared into the sky, departing with her characteristic energy.
"Hmmm... So, may I continue with my cleaning? I'm almost done anyway."
"Y-Yeah...! Of course! I'll be paying a visit to someone. Can I trust you to manage things on your own for a while?"
I nodded in affirmation.
"Good, then I'm off." Reimu walks away.
After I had decided to see my cleaning task through to the end, I found myself tidying up the area with focused determination. It was during this process that an unexpected event occurred – a gap in reality suddenly opened up.
"Woah! Lady Yukari! Don't startle me like that!"
"Fufu~ Did I startle you?"
"You certainly did..." I sighed, quickly finishing up the tidying.
"So, what brings you here instead of being at the mansion?" Yukari's presence exuded an air of mystery.
I paused, turning towards Yukari. "About that... I was let go from my position."
"Let go? What do you mean?"
"Erm... A new butler has taken over... and I was treated like an intruder."
Yukari brought a fan to her lips, chuckling lightly.
"W-What's so amusing?"
"Nothing~ It's just that you seem to have a rather limited perspective."
"Limited? Me?"
"Yes~ You tend to focus on the surface and miss what lies beneath."
I was taken aback. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Fufufu~ Well, if that's how you see it, then so be it. However, you are aware that you are the butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, right?"
"I'm no longer the butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
"But didn't your fate change?"
I fell silent, the weight of her words pressing upon me. "Please, let me be for now."
She let out a sigh. "Very well, if that's your wish." Slowly, she retreated through the gap she had appeared from. "Just remember Butler of the Scarlet Mansion~" The gap closed, leaving me alone once again.
As I sealed the storage room, my task finally complete, I was joined by three fairies who fluttered down toward me.
"If it isn't the human," Cirno greeted with a cheeky grin.
"Good morning," Daiyousei offered a polite bow.
"Good morning to both of you... and if I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've met?" I directed my attention to the third fairy, dressed in a white hat and dress.
"I'm Lily White," she introduced herself with a cheerful tone.
"Lily White, huh? I'm Shun."
"Hm? But didn't you say you were the butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" Cirno said with a confused expression.
"I suppose I once was... By the way, would you like some refreshments?" I offered with a smile.
"Really!?!" Cirno's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Yes."
"We're definitely up for it!"
"Great, wait right here... Rice cookies should be fine, right?"
All three fairies nodded in agreement.
I headed back into the shrine, picking up a plate of rice cookies, and then returned outside to where the fairies were waiting.
"Here you go."
"Wow!~ Thanks a bunch, human!" Cirno's grin was infectious.
Daiyousei and Lily White exchanged appreciative smiles as they also helped themselves to the treats.