"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

Loading User Commands:
[X] Offer to assist her if she tells you the truth.

---

After washing his face, Grimnír turns around. The maid is still standing listlessly behind him.

"Excuse me, Miss Maid.."

The girl slowly looks up at him.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Ah! E-excuse me!"

She gives him a formal bow before leaving. Her face is still bright red. Grimnír sighs as he considers what to do next.

~~~

With his morning rituals complete, Grimnír steps back into his room.

"Uhm..."

The silver-haired maid is still here. Her face looks much better now, as if she has regained some of her confidence. Seems like she isn't going to quit so easily. He sighs as he walks toward his sack in the corner.

"You still haven't introduced yourself," he reminds her. "It might be better to start over."

"Ah! Of course!" says the maid. "My name is Sakuya Izayoi. I am the chief maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and first servant to Lady Remilia Scarlet."

Slowly, he turns toward the girl, looking at her carefully. Then, he sighs.

"I see," he says. "So the vampire must have sent you then?"

"..."

Sakuya maintains a neutral expression.

"That was faster than I thought, and quite less than convenient. But a deal is a deal. Give me a few minutes to collect my things. I'll head to the mansion and talk to your Mistress after breakfast.."

"Y-you can't," she whispers.

".. she has some impossible task for me, I suppose? As long as she doesn't ask something completely unreasonable, then maybe -"

"You can't!" cries Sakuya.

Grimnír stops talking and turns to her in surprise. She looks quite nervous, for some reason. After muttering an apology for her outburst, she lowers her head.

"You can't tell Lady Remilia that I came here," she whispers.

The maid looks desperate. Somehow, that troubled expression on her face is quite cute. He looks away casually to think.

"I see," he says. "Why don't you explain your circumstances? If it is something I can do, then maybe I can help."

~~~

"I understand," he says. "You can't tell me anything else?"

Sakuya shakes her head sadly.

"So please," she whispers. "Can you help me find the trident-wielder of the forest?"

Grimnír pauses to think. This girl has been searching the forest for that person for weeks, but she has never seen him. Every time she mentions that person, she has a strangely pained look upon her face. Yesterday, she heard about him from the mansion's butler, Grey. So she came to him this morning to force him to help.

"I never thought that my plan would backfire so easily," she adds.

He smiles at the girl. A little encouragement wouldn't hurt.

"Don't mind it," he says. "You were only a little unlucky this morning."

Also, he was in a particularly bad mood earlier.

"But I'm afraid I can't really help you. I have no idea where that guy lives. We just bump into each other every once in a while."

Sakuya nods in agreement.

"That's why I want you to come with me," she says. "Even if it's only a small chance, I need to meet to that person. I need to... conclude something."

Grimnír pauses to think. This sounds like it could get complicated.

[ ] Agree to help her. Leave immediately.
[ ] Agree to help her. But only after breakfast.
[ ] Refuse to help her. You don't want to get involved.
[ ] Refuse to help her. She isn't telling you everything.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Custom

---

Each of her knives hangs dangerously in the air, as if frozen in time. The silver-haired maid smiles casually at him.

"Won't you accompany me for a short while?" she says cheerfully.

This is most certainly unexpected, but he can't afford to panic. Grimnír forces himself to calm down. There is only one thing to do in a situation like this. He closes his eyes and rubs his forehead.

"Er... that is..." he mumbles, buying himself some time.

Think. An unexpected intruder who knows his identity... a girl in a french maid outfit... a threat of bodily harm if he doesn't cooperate. There isn't enough data to come up with a conclusion just yet. He looks into the girl's eyes. He can't read her expression, but she looks like she is expecting him to give in. But if that is the case, then..

Grimnír looks up and stares the girl in the eye.

"Huh... How rude."

"E-eh?" she says, taken aback.

"One generally introduces herself before asking a stranger to accompany her. Or maybe you're just the forward type?"

The girl stares blankly for a moment. Then she covers her mouth to stifle a giggle. While she is laughing, he takes this chance to take a better look at her. He notices something interesting.

"My, how clueless. You don't even realize that your life is on the line here, do you?"

Grimnír pauses and takes a good look around the room. He notices another little detail. He is sure now. Slowly, he smiles.

"Are you sure about that?" he says carefully. "From what I understand, my life is perfectly safe as it is."

"What are you talking about?"

"You have absolutely no intention of harming me, much less killing me."

"W-what?" she cries. "How can you be so sure?"

"If you wanted to kill me, then you would have done so while I was asleep. And if you only needed me alive, then you would have easily knocked me unconscious or broken my arms and legs so you could drag me out of here unseen. Therefore, that only leaves one possibility."

Grimnír smiles at her with confidence.

"You need me alive and intact."

"Ugh..."

"In fact, you were waiting patiently until I woke up, weren't you?"

The maid takes a step backward, suddenly cautious. Her eyes narrow at him. The knives suddenly vanish. She makes a strange motion with her hands. The pocketwatch disappears, and in its place is a single knife. The girl bites her lip before she speaks.

"How?" she whispers. "How did you know that I was waiting for you?"

Grimnír chuckles slightly.

"There was still the possibility that you just entered now. That would mean that you may still be willing to hurt me if I didn't cooperate with your request. However, you got careless, miss maid."

"Careless?"

The girl frowns at him.

"The first clue was your watch," he explains. "You were probably checking the time before I entered the bathroom. Perhaps you were feeling a little impatient?"

"..."

"But of course, it could have been a coincidence. It was the second clue that made me sure that you were already here, waiting for me."

"Second clue?"

Grimnír's smile widens. It really was a careless mistake. Slowly, he points his hand toward the western style toilet to the left. He hasn't taken his morning piss yet, but...

"The seat is down," he says.

"... what?"

"The guest rooms of Eientei each have their own bathrooms, so I left it up last night because I was too sleepy. You must have been here for a pretty long while if you had to take a bathroom break on the job, miss maid."

The girl turns white as he speaks. She opens her mouth, as if to argue. But then, she can't find any words to say. Slowly, her face turns beet red. She lowers her head, completely embarrassed and beaten.

For a moment, he almost feels sorry for the girl. Her plan failed completely, and now she has no way of forcing him to cooperate.

The tables have turned.
[ ] Force her to tell the whole truth. Use blackmail if you have to.
[ ] Force her to tell the whole truth. Use force if you have to.
[ ] Offer to forgive her if she tells you the truth.
[ ] Offer to assist her if she tells you the truth.
[ ] Leave her alone and prepare to leave.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Pass out. Let's continue this tomorrow.

---

Grimnír looks out of the window as he rubs his eyes. Seems like it is already late in the morning. He wonders idly if he missed breakfast.

"Another day, I guess.."

He gets up, his mind still on yesterday's "Extra Lesson". While dangerous, he definitely feels that he learned something invaluable. And he was able to test it, too. To be able to defend against Marisa's "Master Spark" while saving his own power is no simple feat. For sure, he needs to develop this skill even further. Perhaps he can even find other uses for the concept "Gate".

His ability involves controlling the passage of energy and matter through a fixed point in space. As he washes his faces, Grimnír wonders idly if there are any ways to use this concept to prepare an offensive. Perhaps he should start experimenting with -

"Huh?"

He blinks stupidly as he stares at his reflection in the mirror. Is he seeing things? If this isn't dream, then there is most certainly another person standing directly behind him.

"W-what the!"

He quickly turns around. In front of him stands an unfamiliar face. A silver-haired maid with her hair tied in braids. She seems to be holding a pocket watch in her hand. The stranger smiles at his confusion.

"Good morning, Grey Wizard."

"Eh? Who the heck are you?"

"That isn't important," she says. "I've come to make a simple request."

Without warning, a couple dozen knives materialize in the short space between them. Each of the weapons hangs dangerously in the air, as if frozen in time. For some reason, he feels like these can easily impale him at any second.

"Won't you accompany me for a short while?"

[ ] Cooperate
[ ] Refuse
[ ] Custom