"Stop thinking about it."

"Eh?"

Sakuya looks at him seriously.

"Forget about what that girl said and focus on the search."

"Ah, but don't you think that what happened back there was pretty weird?"

The chief maid sighs loudly.

"Nothing good can come from taking that girl seriously," she says. "That ice fairy is probably preparing for some stupid prank again or such nonsense. She can't possibly be doing anything important."

"I see..."

For some reason, he feels like there was something he missed during that random encounter. But without any evidence to back it up, he decides to shrug it off. Like Sakuya said, it probably isn't anything important.

~~~

After searching for another hour, the two of them take a break underneath one of the larger trees. The chief maid simply leans against a tree and folds her arms. Grimnr takes a seat on the grass and tries to collect his thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, he decides to ask her a question.

"Hey Sakuya," he says. "Why are you looking for the trident-wielder?"

"..."

"I know that it's probably something you don't want to talk about, but I am helping you out here."

"..."

"At the very least, I'd like to know if I'm walking into something dangerous. It seems only fair."

"..."

Another minute passes without a reply. He sighs loudly and starts staring at the clouds instead. But to his surprise, as soon as he turns away, the chief maid speaks.

"To protect her," she whispers.

"Eh?"

He turns to the chief maid. She has a slightly pained look upon her face as she continues.

"If Lady Remilia finds out that he is still alive, then she is sure to do something reckless again."

Grimnr has no idea what this girl is talking about, but he gives her an encouraging nod all the same.

"I have to find him first and conclude our business," she says. "And then, I have to take that weapon back to the mansion."

"The weapon? You mean the trident?"

She nods quietly.

"It belongs to the family Scarlet."

~~~

After the break, they start searching again. Grimnr quietly notes how fruitless this task seems.

[ ] Keep searching the Forest of Magic.
[ ] This is useless. Head back to Eientei.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Continue searching the Forest of Magic.
[X] Custom

---

"Oh," says Sakuya carelessly. "My bad. It's just that naughty ice fairy again."

"L-L-Lemme go! Lemme go!"

Grimnr lands beside the chief maid and stares at her catch curiously. At first glance, it looks like a small young girl with bright blue eyes and hair. However, her odd icicle-shaped wings confirm that this person isn't human. Dressed in a simple blue dress and a large blue ribbon upon her head, the little fairy waves her hands angrily at them. With a half-dozen knives holding her in place, she is hanging helplessly against a large tree.

"Ice fairy?" he repeats.

Ignoring the girl's angry cries, Sakuya nods at him calmly.

"This one bothers travellers by the lake sometimes, though I haven't seen her near the mansion grounds lately. Look like she started bothering travellers in the Forest, instead."

The little ice fairy folds her arms and pouts at them.

"W-what the heck is that? I'm not bothering anyone!"

"Really? Then why is that tree over there frozen solid?"

Grimnr takes a glance to where Sakuya is pointing. Indeed, one of the larger trees has been frozen completely within a large block of ice. In fact, it was this strange sight that had drawn them to come down here.

"Of course I had a good reason for that!" cries the little fairy. "I'm definitely not doing it because someone cute asked me to, or because I was bored waiting for someone, or because that giant frog chased me again."

"Wait... what?" says Grimnr.

Sakuya sighs loudly. In the next moment, the knives holding the fairy in place suddenly vanish. The little girl squeals in surprise as she lands on her behind.

"Just get lost before I change my mind," says the chief maid. "And stop bothering people with your stupid pranks. They are very irritating."

"This isn't a prank!" cries the girl. "And stop calling me 'that ice fairy'! I have a name you know!"

"Ah, is that right?" says Sakuya. "Now what was it again, I wonder.."

The little fairy stands herself up and complains angrily at them.

"Cirno!" she cries out. "It's Cirno, y-you stupid meanie-head!"

For some reason, Sakuya seems mildly amused at the little fairy. Is she teasing Cirno? He almost feels sorry for the little girl.

"I think that's enough, Sakuya," he says. "You shouldn't pick on her like that."

"Yeah! Why the heck do I always get -"

Suddenly, Cirno stops speaking when he notices him. Her eyes widen, as if recognizing him for the first time. Grimnr frowns slightly. He's been standing here for a while now. This girl must be really out of it. She just keeps staring at him blankly.

"..."

A minute passes in awkward silence. He clears his throat before speaking.

"Err... so Cirno," he manages. "Why are you freezing trees in the Forest?"

"Eh? Ah, I'm not freezing trees," she says. "I'm freezing only that tree."

"But why?"

Cirno frowns hard at him, as if he said something strange.

"Are you stupid or something, Grim?" she says.

"Huh?"

The ice fairy grins smugly.

"Well, I suppose that I can tell you, being the strongest and all..."

Sakuya covers her face with her palm, but says nothing. Cirno ignores her (or doesn't notice), and suddenly raises her finger at him dramatically.

"Cirno is going to save the world!"

Loading User Commands:
[X] Attempt to scam Rinnosuke
[X] Custom

---

"Well? It's a generous offer, is it not?"

Grimnír pauses. This person is dangerous. He is sure of it now. But still... these are diamonds we are talking about here.

Diamonds!

He slowly takes the contract and reads through each clause. Most of it looks legitimate with the exception of a few strange lines. The runes themselves seem to be written beside key terms and conditions. Seems like the contract is iron-clad - hardly anything can be used as a loophole. In the end, however, this is only if he signs the contract...

"It is tempting," he replies. "But is there really any need to put this in such formal writing? I'm sure that a handshake will be enough."

Rinnosuke smiles grimly.

"I've dealt with magicians often enough to know that drafting a contract is generally a good idea. Don't take it personally, of course. I'm sure that your intentions are quite honest. This is just good business."

"That is understandable," says Grimnír. "But I find the terms of this contract quite one-sided. Why don't we talk about some other options?"

The shopkeeper considers him carefully. Without warning, he takes the contract from his hands. Then, he collects the diamonds back into his pouch and returns it to the bag tied at his front.

"It is unfortunate that we can't come into agreement," he says with a sigh. "My offer was quite generous."

"Eh? B-but I -"

Rinnosuke smiles darkly at him.

"Thank you for visiting," says the shopkeeper. "I have some work to finish, so if you'll excuse me..."

Before they realize it, Grimnír and Sakuya find themselves escorted out of shop.

~~~

After they left Kourindou, they headed deep into the Forest of Magic. The two spent an hour searching, but to no avail. Grimnír couldn't find any traces of the battlefields where he had met the trident-wielder. It was as if someone restored everything back to its original state. Aside from the occasional wild fairy, they didn't meet anyone at all.

"The Forest of Magic is really big after all. I guess that the chance of finding him is next to none. We don't even know if he is still here."

Sakuya turns around and frowns at him.

"We need to keep searching," she says. "I know that he is still alive. I need to finish our business, once and for all."

"Do you know who he is?" asks Grimnír. "I mean, you keep talking of him as if you know him."

"..."

The maid pauses for a moment, then she turns away. She doesn't answer his question. Instead, she says something else. Something strange.

"That deal Rinnosuke offered," she whispers. "It was good that you didn't accept it."

"Eh?"

"There is no way that you are getting your hands on that weapon. Absolutely none."

"How can you be so sure?"

She turns to him and smiles confidently.

"Because I am taking that back to where it belongs, and I won't let anyone stop me."

[ ] Continue searching the Forest of Magic.
[ ] Head back to Eientei.
[ ] Custom

"Welcome back," says a voice. "You arrived just in time. Grimnr, was it? Just give me a moment, here."

The owner says it all without lifting his head. After a minute, he finishes inspecting an old cannon shell. He looks up and smiles politely at his visitors. This strange golden-eyed person is the owner of Kourindou, Rinnosuke Morichika.

"Ah! Sakuya as well," he says. "Good to see you again."

The silver-haired maid gives him a slight nod, but says nothing.

"Sorry to trouble you," says Grimnr. "We just passed by to see if you have some -"

"Answers," whispers Rinnosuke.

The shopkeeper smiles enigmatically.

"Follow me to the back office. We can talk more in there."

~~~

Rinnosuke takes a tiny pouch from inside his bag.

"Here."

The shop owner slowly opens it and empties its contents onto the table. Grimnr's eyes widen in shock. Three cut diamonds, each the size of his thumbnail! In the outside, such things would amount to a fortune unimaginable by ordinary people. How the heck did Rinnosuke acquire this? Wasn't he just some oddball who ran a junkstore than no one visits?

He takes a glance at Sakuya. From the expression on her face, she too is surprised. But it isn't just that. For some reason, she looks a little frightened.

"You may take one of them now. After you deliver the goods, I'll pay the rest."

"The goods?"

"You want answers about the trident-wielder in the Forest of Magic," he says. "As Marisa's friend, you would like to make sure that she won't suffer like that again, don't you?"

"Err... I suppose."

Grimnr doesn't even look at the shopkeeper's face, still dazzled by the precious gems. With something like this, he could probably buy a mansion. He wouldn't have to worry about money again. Nor would he have to freeload on Alice or Marisa.

"So do I," whispers Rinnosuke. "That is why we are going to finalize the transaction in this contract."

He brings out a sheet of paper. It seems to be a trade contract, though Grimnr recognizes some magical runes on it as well. Perhaps those are safeguards to prevent people from breaching the terms?

Grimnr looks back at the shopkeeper and almost jumps when he sees it. Rinnosuke stares at the diamonds, a dull expression upon his face. As if they were old toys that he had grown bored of. At this moment, Grimnr suddenly felt that he wasn't looking at a human being anymore.

"I want you to bring me the trident," says Rinnosuke. "Do whatever it takes."

This person... is dangerous.

[ ] Accept the offer.
[ ] Refuse the offer.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Custom

---

"Night bird, night song~ Ah! It's done!"

Mystia Lorelei smiles as she places a dish in front of him. A plate with a generous helping of grilled lamprey. Grimnír looks back at the sparrow girl, puzzled.

"I haven't ordered anything yet," he says.

He also doesn't have any money with him. Or any other type of currency whatsoever. While this would be no problem at Kourindou (the owner prefers to trade in goods), he most certainly can't afford to get into trouble with those who expect payment. For this simple reason, he prudently left the food untouched and waited for her response.

"Don't worry about it," says Mystia. "Here is one more~"

She places another serving in front of Sakuya. The silver-haired maid says nothing. A moment of silence passes. Then, Mystia starts busying herself with the dishes once more. She seems strangely happy.

But that isn't the strangest part. Grimnír looks around carefully, yet he still has difficulty believing it. This street stand was completely trashed yesterday, wasn't it? How the heck was it restored so quickly? It looks exactly the same as when he passed by with Alice. Even the cooking utensils look unchanged.

He glances to the left, then to the right. The road and the trees nearby, in both directions, are completely undamaged. There is no trace of the battle yesterday at all. As if it never happened.

"Mystia," he says. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh? Ah, I feel great!" she says, smiling. "She was even able to reattach my wing! Eientei's medicine really is the best, though that doctor can be really creepy. She kept asking weird questions, too."

The sparrow girl stretches both her wings and flaps them happily. She stares at him for a minute, as if confused. Then, she gives him a little wink.

"Don't worry about payment," she says. "These are on the house. It's the least I can do after you saved Wriggle and I~"

She turns to Sakuya.

"Your gateguard was a great help as well," she adds. "I'll make her something too when she visits next time."

"Eh? Gateguard?"

"She's a regular customer of mine~"

Sakuya simply nods and smiles. For some reason, he feels a slightly dangerous aura around the maid. It quickly vanishes when she starts eating, thankfully. He doesn't know why, but something must have irritated her. Grimnír turns to Mystia quickly.

"Speaking of Wriggle," he continues. "I don't see her around. Didn't she leave with you this morning?"

Mystia nods lightly.

"She accompanied me all the way back," she says.

"But she isn't here?"

"Wriggle said that she had something important to do, so she left right after she saw that everything was alright."

Mystia sighs, a rare display of melancholy.

"She is so busy and serious nowadays. I'm starting to think that she might be getting into something dangerous. I can't help but feel a little worried about her."

"I see," he says.

Mystia serves them some tea to go with the food.

"Has Wriggle been acting strangely?"

"Hmm," says the sparrow girl.

She turns to him, her eyes glinting with something he can't place.

"Not really," she says with a smile. "Wriggle will always be Wriggle, after all. It doesn't really matter where or when. She'll always be a sister to me~"

For some reason, he feels like the sparrow girl is hiding something.

"Seen anything odd or out-of-place?"

Mystia shakes her head.

"Then how did your street stand get restored so quickly?"

The sparrow girl pauses at those words. She immediately puts down what she is doing. Mystia turns to him, smiling brightly.

"It's a secret~ S-E-C-R-E-T, alright?"

She winks again before turning back to her work.

"But in any case," she whispers. "I'd like to thank you for taking care of Wriggle. Please continue to do so, Mr. Wizard~"

Loading User Commands:
[X] Custom

---

"No half-assed answers like 'I want to learn with everyone', alright?"

Grimnír smiles awkwardly as he looks at them. Seated farthest is Yukari Yakumo, the Master of Boundaries. She stares at him silently, taking an occasional sip from her teacup. He can't make out the expression on her face, though if he were to guess, it's probably a cross between curiosity and cheerfulness. A little bit closer and to his right is the Seven-Colored Puppeteer, Alice Margatroid. When he glances at her, she turns away with a "Hmph!". She seems irritated for some reason. And the one right beside him, her face dangerously close to his, is none other than Marisa Kirisame, self-styled "ordinary magician". She doesn't bother hiding her excitement as she wait eagerly for his answer.

"Err...", he mutters.

He takes a sip of tea to buy himself a few more seconds. For some reason, each option seems equally attractive at this point. Yukari seems to have no malicious intentions (at least toward him). In addition, she might able to shine some light on many of his questions. Alice, on the other hand, has been reliable and consistent with his training. For the most part, she has been using an organized and balanced method. Marisa is definitely the most enthusiastic of the three. Despite her reckless and dangerous tactics, he finds it hard to say no to her eager smile.

Then, he remembers something else. A promise he made before breakfast. He sighs heavily before speaking.

"I should have known that breakfast was too good to be true," he says.

At those words, Marisa's smile starts to fade.

"Ah! Does your stomach hurt?" she cries suddenly. "But I know that I didn't use any 'special' ingredients this time, so -"

"Not that. It's just that I have a previous engagement this morning, so lessons will have to wait either way."

"E-eh?" say the three of them, in perfect unison.

Grimnír slowly turns to the side, unable to look any of them in the eye. He could hear their disappointment so clearly in those words. If he were to look at them now, he will surely lose his resolve.

"It's sort of a promise," he says. "So I really don't want to go back on my word."

"What promise?" says Alice quickly. "And with who?"

Grimnír sighs as he decides on the best way out of this.

"I had to make a deal in order to get the materials required to manufacture Marisa's cure, and it looks like my benefactor has decided to call in for that favor."

"A deal? What deal was that?" says Marisa, suddenly worried.

"I see," says Yukari. "So that's why that maid arrived this morning..."

"Huh? S-Sakuya is here?" asks Alice.

The gap youkai sighs heavily. Then, she turns toward Grimnír.

"Don't do anything too reckless," she whispers.

~~~

A few minutes later, he and Sakuya left for the Forest of Magic. For some reason, the chief maid kept silent the whole time. She seemed very focused on the task on hand. Or so he first thought. When she finally spoke, he realized that the girl was actually very much distracted.

"H..Hey you," she says. "Why did you lie to them?"

Grimnír slowly turns toward her.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play games with me," says the maid. "You know that I'm not acting on Lady Remilia's orders. You are far too observant to make a mistake like that."

This girl must have been listening in on them earlier.

"I did agree to help you, so isn't that really beyond your concern?"

"..."

Sakuya doesn't say anything, but she starts frowning slightly. He just shrugs at her.

"If you must know, I had a few good reasons. Honestly, I didn't expect them to try to corner an answer out of me like that. Especially after a somewhat peaceful morning. Maybe I really couldn't choose properly in that sort of situation."

"Sounds like someone else I know..."

"But it isn't just that," he continues. "I also have my own reasons to meet the trident-wielder. Everyone seems to say that he is some sort of madman, but by the way he acts and speaks, it can't be as simple as that."

"..."

At those words, Sakuya suddenly looks more attentive.

"I just have this strange feeling that he and I are in similar circumstances. That guy seems to know something about 'curses' and 'abilities'. And he just doesn't have the proper feel that a 'villain' would have."

"..."

The chief maid doesn't say anything else, and she stays strangely quiet during the rest of the trip. Soon, they clear the Bamboo Forest. Grimnír looks down to see several familiar places. They can probably pass by somewhere before starting their search.

Somehow, he gets the feeling that we won't get this chance once they enter the Forest of Magic.
[ ] Pass by Mystia's red-lantern stand.
[ ] Pass by Alice's cottage.
[ ] Pass by Marisa's house.
[ ] Pass by Kourindou.
[ ] Head straight for the Forest of Magic.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Agree to help her. But only after breakfast.
[X] Custom

---

Sounds like this could get complicated. But still...

"..."

Grimnír looks up at Sakuya, observing her closely. The maid slowly turns away, blushing faintly. He sighs heavily.

"Alright, I'll help you," he says. "But only after breakfast. I haven't eaten a thing, yet."

The girl's eyes widen, and for a moment, he thought that he saw her smile. But in the next moment, she has a perfectly neutral expression on her face. The maid gives him a formal bow.

"Understood," she says. "I will wait until you finish eating. Thank you."

"Just one last question."

"Go ahead."

"Have you encountered any other strange persons in the Forest?"

The maid pauses to think. After a moment, she shakes her head.

"Nothing comes to mind. Just the usual forest youkai and fairies. They know better than to play tricks on me, though."

"Ah, I see."

"I shall take my leave."

Then, Sakuya vanishes from sight. He isn't surprised. Perhaps his mind is getting more flexible. After all, if one continues thinking in terms of "reality" and "common sense", he would most certainly go mad in this wonderland called Gensokyo.

~~~

"H..h..hey, can I have a moment?"

"Mmm?"

"How is the taste? It isn't strange, is it?"

Grimnír turns toward Alice. He smiles gently at her.

"The pancakes are quite good," he says. "The forest berries add a pleasant aroma, and the texture is smooth. You must be very experienced."

Alice turns away, blushing.

"N-not really," she whispers. "I just know a little of this and that -"

"Hmph, as expected of Alice ~ze," says another voice. "But is it as awesome as mine, I wonder?"

He turns toward Marisa, who has a big wide grin on her face.

"The mushroom omelette is also well-made," he says. "Though I wonder... you didn't use any poisonous mushrooms to make it tasty, did you?"

The black-white smiles widely and gives him a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, apprentice" she says. "I only used 'ordinary' mushrooms for that one. I don't think you are ready to taste my true strength in cooking yet!"

She laughs loudly after her declaration, as if winning a battle.

"Did you sleep well?"

Slowly, he turns toward the third person. She calmly takes a sip of her tea before looking up at him enigmatically.

"It was peaceful," he says. "Didn't even have any dreams this time."

She smiles a little bit, but says nothing. He takes a moment to drink from his cup.

"This tea really is a good blend, Yukari."

"I'm glad you like it~"

~~~

Breakfast ended without incident. Too bad Reisen and Dr. Yagokoro were already finished when he arrived. He wanted to ask them a few questions. Apparently, Mystia had recovered completely last night. She and Wriggle left early this morning. Forest youkai seem to be a restless bunch.

"Such a peaceful morning," he says carelessly.

Grimnír turns towards the others. For some reason, all three of them seem to be staring at him. They are all smiling expectantly. Somehow, he gets a bad feeling about this.

"E-er, is something wrong? What is it?"

A moment of silence.

"Such a clueless apprentice, ~ze."

"Geez, he really doesn't get it..."

"Can't say I'm surprised, though it is kinda cute~"

Grimnír somehow feels hurt at each of their statements, though he still doesn't understand why.

"Sorry for being clueless," he says. "If you have something to say, then say it. I can't read minds, you know."

Alice frowns at him. Then, she turns away, irritated.

"S-stupid idiot," she whispers.

Yukari just nods patiently.

"For a person of your intelligence, you can be really dumb sometimes~"

Marisa just smiles wider.

"Ahahaha!" she says. "I guess I'll have to spell it out for my clueless apprentice after all. We want to know who you want to have morning lessons with, ~ze!"

"..eh?"

The black-white cheerfully steps closer.

"We all made a bet," she whispers. "The other two will take care of the mansion repairs. No half-assed answers like 'I want to learn with everyone', alright?"

[ ] Morning lessons with Alice
[ ] Morning lessons with Marisa
[ ] Morning lessons with Yukari
[ ] I have something else I need to do...
[ ] Custom