"I'll be off now," I said as I glanced back at Sakuya.
She smiled, replying, "Yeah, take care on your way."
Leaving the mansion, I headed towards the human village. Today's task was a simple one, grocery shopping. I checked the list I had in my pocket, patting it to confirm its presence. Unfolding the paper, I reviewed the items needed.
"Oh, there's not that mu—" I started, but the paper just kept on rolling down until it reached the ground. "I spoke too soon," I sighed, carefully folding the lengthy list and stashing it back in my pocket. Complaining wouldn't change anything; it was time to get to work.
As I made my way, Meiling greeted me with a friendly smile. "Oh? Shun, heading out? Shall we have a spar?"
"Meiling, I'd love to, but I'm on an errand..."
She pouted playfully. "Aw, come on..."
"You're going to start throwing bullets at me again, aren't you?" I asked with a blank expression.
She laughed. "Don't worry!"
I turned away, but then a chill ran down my spine as I noticed Sakuya glaring at Meiling.
"Hm? What's wrong, Shun? Something on my face?" Meiling asked, clueless.
I gulped and smiled nervously. "Rest in peace."
"Eh? What do you mean!? I'm not gonna die yet!?" Meiling turned around, her face going pale. "O-Oh..."
"Meiling... Since you really want to battle Shun, how about I accept instead?"
"U-Uh... Miss Sakuya... I-It's not what you think."
Sakuya grinned. "No~ No~ I think I've got a grasp on it... Let's do this then!" She brandished her knives and advanced towards Meiling.
I sighed and returned my attention to the road, leaving them to their impromptu battle.
As I reached the entrance of the human village, I made a mental checklist of the items I needed to buy.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, "first, the ingredients for later... and then a book for Sakuya? I didn't know she read books."
With a clear plan in mind, I entered the bustling village, ready to complete my errand.
"Oh? Shun! Good afternoon!☆" Marisa greeted me with her usual energetic flair.
"Good afternoon to you too, Marisa. You're as energetic as always," I replied with a smile.
"Ehehe! Really?" Marisa chuckled.
"Yeah."
"More importantly, are you here for an errand? Do you want me to help you out?"
"Sure."
"Sweet!"
Marisa then turned around and seemed to mutter something to herself. "Now this is where I confirm if these feelings are true or not... Jittering when I'm around him."
After a moment, she turned back to me with determination in her eyes. "Alright, Shun! Let's go!"
"Yeah...!"
Why did she have to turn around?
As we continued shopping in the village, I couldn't help but notice Marisa stealing glances at me. Whenever I turned to meet her gaze, she quickly averted her eyes and started whistling casually.
"Uhh, Marisa, you keep looking at me... Is there something on my face?"
Hm? Nothing!" she replied, continuing to whistle as if nothing was amiss.
"Alright, the last item on the list should be Sakuya's book," I mentioned.
"Oh? A book!?" Marisa's eyes lit up as she leaned in to examine the list. "Let's see~ Let's see~ Ohh! You can get this at Suzunaan's."
"I know that," I said with a slight sigh, avoiding eye contact.
Marisa's face turned slightly red as she stepped back. "Woah! Ahahahaha! I'm sorry!"
"N-No, you're fine..." I replied with an awkward smile. "Shall we continue?"
"Y-Yeah..." Marisa agreed, her embarrassment gradually fading as we resumed our shopping.
As we entered the rental bookshop, my eyes fell upon a girl with brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair, tied up in charming pigtails. She sported a black hat adorned with a white bow and wore red-framed glasses. Her outfit consisted of a stylish purple plaid skirt and a matching sleeveless top.
Upon noticing us, she turned with a bright smile, addressing Marisa. "Ohh! Rissa! Hello there!"
"Hey, Sumireko! Long time no see!" Marisa greeted her with equal enthusiasm.
"Hehe!" Sumireko giggled and then turned her attention to me. "Oh? And you must be the rumored butler?"
"Rumored, huh..." I cleared my throat, putting on my most gentlemanly demeanor. "Indeed, I am. My name is Shun, the butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion." With a polite bow.
"Woah! That's cool!" Sumireko exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement.
"Ahahaha..."
That's awkward for me though.
"Anyway, what are you here for, Sumireko?" Marisa inquired.
"Oh? Me? I came here to deliver this!" Sumireko proudly displayed a stack of manga volumes.
My eyes widened in surprise. Those were the same manga volumes Lady Remilia had been reading.
"Ohh~ The books from your world, huh... They're manga, right?"
"Yeah!~" Sumireko confirmed with a grin.
"Oh? What's with the gathering here?" Kosuzu, a young girl with red eyes, light red hair, and twin tails adorned with bells., approached us from behind the counter.
"Yo!☆" Marisa greeted.
"Sup, Kozu~ I came here to deliver the manga!" Sumireko cheerfully said.
"Oh... Thank you! Lately, people from the village have been interested in this... You're a lifesaver."
"No worries!"
"I almost forgot." I turned to Kosozu, "I'd like to rent this book." I showed her the name of the book on the list.
"Oh?" She examined the name of the book on the list. "I see, I see. Wait here." She then dashed off to the shelves.
"Eh? She knew this?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course!~ Kozu loves reading books, after all!"
"Yeah, she's basically read half of the books in Gensokyo, I think?" Marisa chimed in with a thoughtful expression.
"Here you go!" Kosuzu returned, holding the book I requested. She seemed puzzled by our conversation. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
We looked at each other, slightly impressed by how quickly she had found the book.
That's impressive.
I thanked Kosuzu and took the book, bid farewell, and then headed outside with Sumireko and Marisa.
"That was quite a delivery!" Sumireko stretched her arms.
"I didn't really expect her to find the book so quickly," I admitted, tapping my chin thoughtfully.
"Hehe~ You shouldn't underestimate bookworms like us," Marisa said with confidence and a smug grin.
"Oh oh! By the way, Shu-shu, Rissa! Let's take a picture!"
Shu-Shu!?
Sumireko suddenly grabbed both of us and positioned us for a photo. She quickly snapped a picture before I could even smile.
"E-Eh?! I didn't even get to smile?"
"Hehe! It's fine! Look!" Sumireko showed us the photo.
"Ohh~ What's with that expression, Shun?" Marisa teased, pointing at my unprepared face.
"Not funny! I wasn't ready!"
"Hahaha! Alright then, I'll leave you two on a date now!" Sumireko giggled and dashed off down the road.
"See ya!" I waved goodbye to her while Marisa stood still with a flushed face.
"Uhh, Marisa?"
"Y-Yes!?" Marisa suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at me. "O-Ohh!! I gotta go too!" She called her broom with a snap and quickly hopped on, flying away.
"Eh? What just happened."
and so I returned to the mansion, where I found Meiling lying on the floor with various things scattered around her and knives sticking out of surfaces nearby. It seemed like quite a mess.
Upon entering the mansion, I noticed Lady Remilia looking at me with a sly smile. "Oh? You're back from your errand. Well done."
I bowed respectfully and replied, "I am back." Glancing around, "Where's Sakuya?"
However, Remilia's expression suddenly changed. She sniffed the air around me and her eyes widened as she stared at me intently. "You smell... like a girl."
...What