Home is where your Heart is

Well, it was more than clear that the number and star that always appear on my quest windows symbolize the difficulty level of my missions.

From now on, I am going to call it a star rating. The higher the star rating is, the more difficult the mission is. The more difficult a mission is, the better the rewards I'll receive will be.

Thinking about it, I must have been quite lucky to clear a mission with a star rating of two that easily. Then again, it would have been much more difficult if I didn't have a guide like Akyuu, who knew where the human village was.

Not to mention gaining the trust of the people in the village. Because gaining trust as an outsider in a world where monsters could flawlessly disguise themselves as humans were slightly troublesome, to say the least.

Also, I could have gotten lost. Making it just a game of my luck to survive against attacking Youkai, who are more active during the night.

Thinking about it, the second option to clear the quest was to "survive the night."

There was a reason why the quest had a star rating of 2, but thanks to meeting Akyuu, I didn't have to deal with most of the troublesome stuff.

Well, thanks to arriving at night, there weren't many people to gawk and stare at me as if I was an attraction outside, in the streets. But because of that, I had to get used to the suspicious stares of all of Akyuu's servants when they saw a perfect stranger carrying their sleeping mistress arriving at their doorstep.

Still, it wasn't something that I couldn't talk my way out of. Especially when Akyuu woke up half-asleep and told them to treat me like a guest.

Thanks to that, I received dinner, followed by a hot bath.

Fueh~

Soaking in hot water feels so good~.

"Hey, System. You talked about a binding function after my body recovered to a certain extent, didn't you? Can you bind things other than a body to me?"

[Long or Short answer?]

"Give me the long one."

[The user is unable to bind other things to themselves than a body as of this moment. In this case, the system is treating the user's soul as the user. The soul has a limited capacity of things it can bind to itself and currently, it only has enough place for the System and the body.]

"But this body isn't bound to me?"

[Anchoring your soul to a body still takes up capacity. The act of binding things to the soul is simply making something impossible to remove from it.]

"So, you are telling me that the only difference right now is that I could still remove my body and free up space in that way to bind stuff to my soul?"

[Affirmative.]

Well, that's not something I'll do. I still need a physical body to interact with the physical world.

"Guess binding my inventory to me must come later."

[...]

Thanks to the missions, I had a lot of useful stuff gathered now. So, I might as well use them while I was busy soaking in a bath.

Opening the shop, my first question was.

"Hey, is there a search function?"

All of a sudden, a search bar appeared on the shop interface. Cheeky system. Only unlocking stuff when I am asking for stuff.

I typed in "Erhu" and immediately countless results came up.

"Wow, that's a lot of Erhus."

[The Multiverse is vast and the Life Pioneer System has a myriad of users pioneering their fields.]

"System, is there an advanced search option?"

The moment I mentioned it, that option appeared. I was getting annoyed having to ask for all those quality-of-life options.

But thanks to the advanced search I found the perfect Erhu. There was quite an extensive array of options to pick from, but I was satisfied with the one I exchanged.

[Innocent Treasure - Uncommon (Growth)]

[The masterpiece of an unknown craftsman. The instrument is filled with feelings of regret about deep-rooted insecurities that stopped him from advancing. An Erhu that symbolizes his last desperate struggle to move past his limitations. An innocent legacy that carries infinite potential.]

Reading the description of it, I felt that this weapon had a lot more potential than the other instruments sold at shop 1, especially since it was the only growth item, but...

"Won't you tell me what effects it has on me as you do with skills for me?"

[Skills will be bound to the user's being. It would be awkward if the user does not know what they are capable of. Items are separate entities thus the user couldn't possibly have an intrinsic understanding of an object that isn't themself.]

[Tl;dr. Buy Appraisal Skill.]

Tch-, cheapskate system.

Anyways, a 50% discount coupon on a movement skill. With advanced search, it shouldn't be too much of a problem finding a movement skill, that was suited for me.

...

[1 result found]

...

I didn't do much with the search bar yet. All I did was tick on the box for "movement skills" and you are telling me throughout shop 1 there is only 1 of them!

[Did the user even look at the skill section in shop 1 yet?]

I immediately did that and upon doing so, I realized that I almost bought up all the available skill stock in the first shop.

[Different from items, skills are the manifestation of human experience. Since knowledge is power, skills are always high in demand and thanks to this program, even the physical manifestation of knowledge can be sold. Of course, since a transaction is based on giving up ownership of an item to another in exchange for something, that knowledge of course stops belonging to them the moment they put it in the system shop. Of course, since these are just the basics, people tend to sell the skills on shop 1 more easily in favor of buying better ones. Still, it's akin to selling one's foundation and so they will need to replace it with something down the line.]

Human desire is scary. Wait, what will happen to the owner of the skill when I use the discount coupon?

[The system will pay for the other half. The user doesn't need to worry, while the system is strict, it is fair. No user will gain an advantage over the other users in the system. How far they will get depends on their own ability.]

Is that so? Then I'll buy the dash skill.

[Purchase Completed. Remaining Balance: 1000 System Points]

[Dash Lvl 0 (+)]

[Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion employed by lifeforms with legs to rapidly move on earth. Dashing is the act of focusing all your strength on just running and nothing else. Increases efficiency of one-directional movement.]

That should be it for all the tickets I gained lately...

[Gacha Unlocked.]

When the hell did I get a Gacha Ticket? No, the more important question was, since when was it inside my inventory! Not that I particularly cared about seeing it. I kind of just immediately used it and started "rolling" the moment I saw it.

As I used up my ticked for a single roll, one of the usual system windows, which I am used to seeing at this point, appeared in front of my face.

I was expecting a fancy animation to appear but was met with disappointment as the window just started glowing for a moment, before gaining a new color. It was gray.

[Cute Ribbon - Common]

[A big, red ribbon with a cherry theme that makes the wearer look cuter.]

...

[...]

Well, the item suits me since my name is Rin Satsuki now, but it was as I expected. You can't expect anything from the Gacha. Relying on pure chance was a mistake anyways.

*Knock, knock, knock*

"I hope I don't bother Miss Satsuki during her bath, but you have been in there for a while now. Is everything alright?"

Oops. It seems I have spent too much time soaking in the bath that it's slowly getting suspicious.

"It just has been a while since I have taken a bath that I forgot the time. I'll be out in a minute!"

It seems the silhouette beyond the door bowed once before leaving. I was quite dirty when I arrived here, so she probably took my words at face value.

But still, it was convenient being treated like a VIP~.

Leaving the bath, I dried myself with the towel before putting on the new set of clothes that were prepared for me.

Of course, a small part of me wondered what they did to my white t-shirt, but I wouldn't mind if they were just to throw away that dirty rag. After all, it was too worn down to use as anything but a rag.

Inspecting the clothes, it seems that they have prepared clothes in a more western style for me. Probably because I don't really look Japanese with my golden hair and golden eyes.

Still, those were cute clothes. There was no reason to complain.

After putting on the clothes, I inspected myself in the mirror. A white blouse resembling a dress because of its many frills and a simple red skirt. Completing that outfit with the cute ribbon I pulled from the Gacha and...

...as I looked into the mirror, I could think only one thing.

"I look a lot like Rin Satsuki right now, do I not?"

Or to be specific, I looked like the Shanghai Alice Poster Girl whose design was thought to be Rin Satsuki for a while, but of course, that didn't stop fans from attributing that appearance to Rin Satsuki and at this moment I am looking exactly like how people thought Rin Satsuki looks like.

Twirling around in front of the mirror for a while, I appreciated how I looked.

It might sound narcissistic, but I am a real cutie, am I not?

*Knock, knock, knock*

"Kyah! Just a minute! I just finished dressing up. I am out in a moment!"

I said as I panicked towards the door, hoping that nobody saw my embarrassing display. As I opened the door, I was greeted with the sight of air.

At first, I wondered if someone played a prank on me, but then I looked one head below me and saw it was Akyuu, rubbing the sleep out of her eye.

"Good evening Akyuu. Did the moonlight wake you up? That's no good. A sick girl like you should still lie in bed and recover from her sickness and not be outside, walking out and about."

It seemed that Akyuu was still half-asleep, as it just registered now that it was me she was talking with.

"Oh, it's just you, Rin. No, it's just so hot tonight and I feel uncomfortable being drenched in my sweat. So I just wanted to take a bath right now."

Wondering why no servants were attending to Akyuu, I peeked through the door.

Observing the surroundings, I noticed a couple of presences roaming around. It looked like they were preparing things for a bath. At least Akyuu did tell someone that she was planning to take a bath.

But Akyuu still seemed way too weakened to do anything.

Kneeling down, I put my forehead on hers again.

"Wah-! Rin-san... What are you doing...?"

As I thought, the girl was still burning up.

"Tch-. Fine, then I'll supervise you during your bath."

"Ehh! How did you come to that conclusion?! I can take a bath by myself."

Hearing that, I got angry. Especially at the servants that just arrived.

"Hey, you."

The person flinched as I called out to them.

"Are you really planning on letting your mistress bath alone in that condition?"

Still intimidated by my glare, they were barely able to mutter some words.

"O-of course we planned to stand g-guard outside. But no! We didn't plan to enter with her!"

I sighed upon hearing that.

"What's the big deal? It's just a bath!"

Came from below me. I barely suppressed a head flick to not embarrass her in front of her servants.

"Sigh. I can't believe you are seriously saying this. Akyuu, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Huh? That question again? It's 2."

I looked at Akyuu in disappointment. The servants only dared to whisper under themselves as they still felt intimidated by me.

"W-why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Akyuu asked no one in particular, confused at the situation. I just pulled her into the bath and sat her down, the servants still looking around with a slight hint of worry.

"You stay there and stand guard."

They nodded, standing straight.

"Rin. Tell me. Why is everyone acting weird all of a sudden?"

"It's because I only held up one finger."

At first, Akyuu didn't want to believe me, but she gave up as soon as she saw my serious expression.

"Hehe. It seems that I am still quite sick, aren't I?"

"If it was a slight fever it would have been fine enough for me to overlook you bathing alone. But considering how much you are burning up right now and the fact that you are showing symptoms of dizziness, I don't think that's a good idea."

Akyuu nodded.

"Want me to wrap a towel around my eyes, or is it fine with you if I see you."

The redness on Akyuu's face grew a shade darker as she seemingly blushed from what I said.

"It's alright. Aren't you a doctor, Rin?"

"I'd like to think that I am more of a pharmacist. You know, the person making the medicine instead of using it, but I am qualified enough to be a nurse."

"That's good enough for me. Miss Nurse, I'll be in your care."

That's what Akyuu said. Though, her unfocused eye movements were starting to worry me.

"Of course. I'll promise I'll take good care of you from here on out."

...

I won't describe in detail the events that transpired in the bath. All you need to know is that I just finished wiping her body clean from all her sweat before preparing a bath and putting her into it.

Leaving the bath, I grabbed the nearest servant.

"Make sure she doesn't drown while I prepare ingredients for a medicinal bath. Also, where are you storing your herbs?"

With that said, I was now in the precious herb storage of the Hieda clan.

[What is the user planning?]

"Brew a health potion."

[Wouldn't it be more effective for the user to buy one from the system, since the user doesn't have knowledge about-]

"I brew the revival spring, didn't I? What was it? A peak-grade health potion? I would appreciate it if you didn't get nosy over the tiniest things I am doing from now on. While it was helpful until now, I'd like it if you only appear if I have a question from now on."

With that, the System grew silent.

Looking through the herb storage, I found countless herbs that would have been treated like treasures in my old world but were just lying around on shelves as if they were just common herbs.

The most painful about this was that these herbs genuinely may be just common here in Gensokyo.

Sighing, I just took the herbs and walked back to the bathroom. Finding Akyuu in the same condition I left her in the bath.

"Not doing so hot right now, are you?"

"Is that sarcasm I am hearing?"

"Maybe~"

Akyuu just pouted, turning her head away from me at my attempt to tease her.

Cute~.

"I've been thinking about it, but for the time being I think I'll stay here and earn my keep as your physician."

"You don't have to!"

Apparently, my words caught Akyuu off guard as she stood up from her bath, practically revealing everything to me.

"Sit down. The effects of the medicinal bath will weaken if your entire body isn't submerged in it."

"Oh..."

Indignant, Akyuu slowly sank into the medicinal bath I was preparing with all the herbs I got.

"Rin, you don't have to worry about how others will view you. You can stay at my mansion indefinitely as a guest!"

I just chuckled at her words.

"Wow. That's a lot of appreciation for your friend. Am I your first-ever friend in this life, or why am I receiving so much grace from you, Akyuu~."

Hearing my teasing this time, Akyuu sank deeper into the bath, submerging her mouth, stopping right before her nose was submerged.

"Akyuu. Do I look like I mind working for you? Or are you just uncomfortable with the thought of your only friend being your subordinate? Do you think once I am working for you, our relationship will change?"

Hearing my words, Akyuu nodded in embarrassment. A mistake as her nose got underwater. As a result, she had to cough.

Luckily, she didn't breathe any water in, which is why I only had to gently pat her back.

"You don't have to worry about the nature of our relationship changing. At least, it won't change in the way you think it will change. Instead, I'll probably get even more strict with you and your health!"

"Eh? You can get more strict?"

"I have been pretty gentle so far with you."

"Gentle?!"

Akyuu shuddered at the thought of me being stricter than I already am.

"Besides, I'd feel pretty useless if I did nothing and just be a freeloader at your family. Humans aren't made to sit around in a place, doing nothing. It just isn't healthy."

...

Looking at Rin at that moment, Akyuu saw herself in her. Sitting around, having nothing to do. Having to stay inside most of the time because of her health, writing the Chronicles day in and day out.

For a moment, Akyuu thought about a reality where she didn't have the Chronicles to write. Sitting at home every single day, with nothing to do besides aimlessly strolling through the village. Worse yet, the reason why you are alive is that you are under the care of others.

Nothing to do, having to rely on others to live.

Akyuu couldn't imagine it. She didn't want to. Her guts turned at that thought.

"I am sorry."

Hearing an apology come out of nowhere like this, Rin turned around in surprise.

"Where did that come from?"

"I just thought about it. Imagining what it would be like as a freeloader. I am sorry for suggesting something like that to you, Rin..."

For a moment, Rin was speechless. She was moved by Akyuu's thoughtfulness, but as she thought about it a bit more, Rin laughed.

"Wah-? Hey, I was serious!"

"That's sweet of you Akyuu, but..."

...I patted the cute girl's head.

"...humans are unique and complicated beings. While individuals can relate to another individual's situation, it's rarely the case where they can understand another's situation 100%. While it certainly would be frustrating to me to do nothing, I am sure I would have found something to do with my countless talents, before you even realized it."

Hearing me declare that Akyuu herself couldn't help but gently laugh.

"That's true, isn't it?"

"You bet it is."

And so, the two girls spend a little time laughing at the situation for a moment, before they slowly calmed down again.

"Still, even if it isn't 100%, or even 99% or 90%. I think just understanding when a person is feeling bad or down is good enough and I know it would feel unbearable for me to be a freeloader in my own home."

...

Rin looked at Akyuu in thought. Thinking about what she should say to cheer the girl up. Then, in an instant, as if a flash of inspiration hit her, Rin found the perfect words.

"If you would feel uncomfortable in your own home, could you really call it your own home?"

"What are you getting at?"

Rin simply pointed at Akyuu's chest. To be specific, where the heart is. Since Akyuu was still in her birthday suit, it was natural for her to be a bit embarrassed. Immediately pulling away and covering her chest.

"Haha. Sorry about that."

She wasn't. She did that on purpose to get that reaction from Akyuu.

"What I am getting at is that I think that home is where your heart is."

"Home..."

Akyuu pondered Rin's words.

"...is where your heart is?"

"In other words, home is where you feel most comfortable and safe in. If you feel like suffocating in your own home if staying at your own place feels like sinking into a swamp where you can't escape from..."

Rin paused for a second.

Seeing Rin pause like that, Akyuu couldn't help but wonder right now if Rin was talking from personal experience or not.

"...can you really call that home?"

Akyuu shook her head. She agreed with Rin's words.

"No, that wouldn't be home, wouldn't it?"

"Sure wouldn't be in my dictionary."

Once again, the two girls shared laughter.

"Hey, Rin."

"Yes, Akyuu?"

"Are you talking from personal experience?"

...

Personal experience? I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think of the past. To be specific, I tried thinking back to my first life.

Born doing things a bit faster than my peers, I said my first word when I was just six months old. That trend continued throughout my early childhood. Of course, my parents were happy seeing me be a prodigy and I in turn was happy that they were happy.

Growing up, fulfilling expectations felt great, but...

...the most painful thing was when people got used to it. Performing better than average wasn't a thing to praise anymore, it was what to be expected.

When did that feeling of wanting to make my parents happy start to weigh down on my heart? When did my feet start to drag me down on my way home?

When did my own home stop feeling like my own...

"Haha~? Who knows? Maybe I am. I can't really recall. It kind of starts hurting if I try to go down that memory lane."

When I started my sentence, Akyuu at first had a hint of suspicion in her eyes as I talked frivolously about "not remembering", making it look as if I was hiding something about my past, but once I got to the latter part, that expression immediately changed to one of guilt and understanding.

"I am sorry for pulling an unpleasant memory up."

"Haha, don't worry. I am sure it's nothing. Nobody is waiting for me in the outside world. So, why should I remember my past life."

Akyuu still had an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Hey. Even if what I said might come from personal experience..."

I directly looked into Akyuu's eyes, giving her the best smile I could muster.

"...even if I haven't seen the village at day yet. I already feel pretty safe and comfortable here. Not to mention that the person who took me in was such a cutie like you. If a home is where your heart is. My heart certainly feels set at this place already. Gensokyo, I would feel grateful if this place could accept me and become my new home. From now on, please take care of me, Akyuu."

...

That...

That dense idiot! Saying such a thing with such a smile...

...it's as if you want me to misunderstand...

Yet, I am sure you are nice to everyone like that. Bright like the sun, trying her best to spread cheer. After all, you were the one who suggested to start working as my physician to help me take better care of my health.

But if you feel at home here in Gensokyo, then certainly there would be nothing wrong with saying...

"If that's the case, there would be nothing wrong with saying..."

...that sentence.

"Welcome Home, Rin."

Hearing me say that, surprise painted Rin's face for a moment before it changed again.

"Yes, I've come home."