The Strongest ⑨ in Existence!

Gensokyo didn't have a connection to the sea. So, the largest body of water in Gensokyo is the Misty Lake.

Its water originates from a spring deep in Youkai Mountain.

Its size is about a diameter of five kilometers.

Inhabitants to the lake were fairies as well as a variety of Youkai.

The lake is particularly well received during the summer due to its abundant water.

Though, not this summer day.

"You two haven't answered my question yet."

Right now, three girls were floating above the just-mentioned lake.

One of them was sitting on a broom.

Another stood still in the air as if it was only natural that girls could fly.

And the last was constantly losing height as she struggled to stay in the air, needing to continuously use the air as a stepping stone to stay afloat.

"Sigh, your question was why we are here, right? I really want to answer your question, Reimu. But right now, I am more curious about the fairy Marisa brought along."

"Hey! That's not fair! I am just as curious as you about why a nurse would jump into the middle of an incident. Unless... Of course..."

"What are you trying to imply? That I have a hand in this incident?"

Marisa whistled.

"Don't you? You seem plenty suspicious to me right now."

"Oh yeah, how do you think I am supposed to be involved in creating this mess?"

The two blond girls continued to banter like that for a while. Neither really answered Reimu's question, which slowly started to get on her nerves.

"You two have 10 seconds to answer me..."

As expected, the two girls continued to banter, but...

"9..."

It slowly died down with each successive number counted by Reimu, but...

"Null!"

In the end, both took it as a challenge from Reimu.

After the timer reached zero, Reimu didn't bother warning the two girls who ignored her and delivered a swift Judgement with her Gohei.

*Swoosh*

Both girls replied by simply dodging out of the trajectory of the simple attack.

"Reimu, you know you need more than that to hit me ze~☆?"

"Oh my~, I didn't think the Hakurei Shrine Maiden would be this prone to violence. Attacking a poor, defenseless nurse like me."

Reimu trembled from anger.

For a second, I felt guilty for agitating her for no reason like this. But as quickly as her anger came, as quickly did it disappear.

Glaring at us with empty eyes, Reimu lifted her hands up, challenging us to a Spellcard duel as hers materialized in her hand.

"So it's a Spellcard Battle? Thought you were never going to ask, Reimu."

In an instant, the cheerful and playful nature of the girl I argued with moments ago disappeared, replaced with complete seriousness as she pulled a Spellcard of her own out.

As I saw that scene, my heart started to beat faster. Especially since I only made one cheap Spellcard.

I had a feeling I would disgrace myself if I showed it off.

Still, I couldn't back down now.

Especially since this was so exciting.

"How many Rounds and Spellcards shall we play then?"

As those words left my mouth, Reimu and Marisa slowly turned their heads toward me as if I just said something outrageous.

"Since when did you have Spellcards, da ze~☆?"

Marisa had more of an expression of disbelief.

"Good grief. No wonder you were cocky enough to pull something like this off during an incident."

While Reimu had more of an expression that told that she now understood everything.

I could only laugh wryly, especially since I wasn't confident in the only Spellcard I owned right now.

Still, I am an entertainer at heart. So, even if I am reckless...

"What? Did you two really think I wouldn't figure this out after staying at Akyuu's place for a month or two? Not to mention that I observed you two playing around with those things before, so..."

As I declared that, I pulled out my Spellcard, putting my mana into it to activate it.

Of course, both Marisa and Reimu long noticed that I did that. Exchanging glances with each other, it seems both agreed on something.

Spellcard Declaration!

"Wind Sign: [Purifying Sound]."

As I declared my Spellcard, both my rivals dematerialized their Spellcards for now as they started to gracefully dodge my Danmaku in their own unique way.

The waves of bullets gently passed through the area, but that calmness was a trap for everyone who overestimated speed.

The bullets were slow, but the density wasn't something to joke with, as you needed perfect comprehension power to figure out where to step next if you didn't want to have a face full of bullets afterward.

Yet, as expected from Reimu and Marisa, this was a walk in the park for both of them.

Reimu slowly and gracefully weaved through my bullet pattern as if it was Wednesday for her. Her steps were light and weightless to the point where even I couldn't help but doubt my own perception when looking at Reimu. It was as if I was looking at a dichromatic butterfly dancing.

On the other side, Marisa wasn't slow. She wasn't slow at all. Blitzing on her broom, Marisa took the earliest time to weave into the gaps of my bullet curtain, doing fancy tricks to show off. It was flashy and energetic, pulling everyone's gaze toward her as if it was natural for Marisa. I couldn't stop looking at her.

With all that said, the situation could be summarized into one sentence.

They dodged my Spellcard effortlessly. So effortlessly, in fact, that they started talking to me.

"Well, since you are a newcomer to Gensokyo, Reimu and I agreed that it's only fair for you to set the conditions of the duel."

The tomboyish witch casually said with a big grin on her face.

"So, go ahead. Set the amount of Spellcards and non-spell rounds to your wishes, Rin. Not that that's going to change much."

The easygoing shrine maiden told me with a smug expression.

In that second, I could feel something snap inside me. It used to be me who usually teased people to enjoy seeing their reactions.

But now that I was in the same position...

I couldn't help but reply in kind by that blatant provocation.

After all, fun comes first!

"If that's the case, let's play with 4 and 3 then!"

The moment I set the numbers of rounds and Spellcards for this duel, Reimu and Marisa captured my Spellcard at the same time.

Two cards flashed in their respective hands as Reimu and Marisa leaped out of my bullet curtain.

As Reimu and Marisa activated a Spellcard of their own, they never broke eye contact with me or each other, as this was a three-way duel.

Making sure that nobody aimed at a gap that's inevitably getting exposed when three people fight each other.

"Dream Sign: [Evil-Sealing Circle]."

"Magic Sign: [Stardust Reverie]."

The two Spellcards activated simultaneously, filling the sky with a beautiful pattern of bullets...

And an awful experience for me.

I more or less have experience dodging their Spellcards individually. But now I was facing both Stardust Reverie and Evil-Sealing Circle.

Swallowing back my regret, I took a deep breath in.

First, there is Stardust Reverie. A very Marisa-like attack. A garden of stars that changes its appearance like a kaleidoscope.

In other words, seven pivotal points circle around and away from Marisa, leaving behind a trail of stars. Then when the pivots return like burned-out comets, the left-behind stardust viciously encircles you, forcing you to follow its path.

On the other side is Evil-Sealing Circle. A spell that seals the opponent's movement using enchanted amulets. If you want to survive, you are forced to follow the way it allows you to move. Since your movements are sealed, defeating someone is easy. In this case, rows and rows of bullets spread out with Reimu at their center.

Facing the combined might of two protagonists' Spellcards was too much to ask of me.

No matter how hard I concentrated or focused, the path of dodging was narrow and unstable.

One misstep and I'll get blasted straight to hell.

Mistakes couldn't be afforded, but there was one saving grace.

It was the fact that Reimu and Marisa weren't teaming up against me, and so their Spellcards didn't combine to make something a lot worse.

So, instead, their bullets canceled each other out, lessening the amount of danmaku spamming a little bit.

In this situation, I did the only sensible thing a Soul Idol like me would do in a moment like this.

Amidst the rain of bullets grazing my skin, the wind pressure of fast-moving Danmaku rushing past my body...

Amidst all this torrent of color and sound overstimulating your senses, I took a deep breath.

"♫♫♫♫♫♫♩♩♬♬~" (+)

And started singing from the top of my lungs.

My sudden singing caught Marisa and Reimu, who focused more on each other since they both knew the extent of their capabilities and how strong they were, off-guard.

For a split second, both stood still as they focused on the new noise on the battlefield.

One second was all they needed to realize what was happening.

More than enough time for each of us to grab hold of victory.

After a second passed, Reimu and Marisa realized that my singing wasn't just ordinary singing but rather a skill like their Homing Amulets or Magic Missiles.

Soul Sound. It sounds fancy, but it's essentially just the waves of the sound I am making getting overloaded with a ton of mana, turning them into projectiles.

In other words, I had a ranged attack like any decent Touhou girl should have. Something neither Reimu nor Marisa expected.

But something simple like this was far from enough to catch those two off-guard.

Seeing my attack flying toward them, Reimu and Marisa swerved past the projectiles aimed at them.

Another second passed during all of this.

Of course, this second was an opportunity neither Reimu nor Marisa would ever miss.

An opening was created from having to dodge my attack that unexpectedly came from the sidelines.

In an instant, Reimu and Marisa locked eyes with each other, and then...

*BOOM*

An explosion as both their Spellcards got captured simultaneously and shattered into tiny light particles.

But this wasn't the end of it.

As the Danmaku around us dissipated into nothingness, nobody stood still for even a moment, as the duel wasn't yet over.

Because it was because of me that their stalemate broke, and because I am the farthest away from all of us, Reimu and Marisa made it their objective to close the distance between them and me.

To my pain, this was an effortless objective to clear, as Marisa and Reimu were already on me.

Reimu holding her Persuasion Needles, and Marisa aiming at me with her Illusion Lasers.

"Why me-"

That was all I managed to say before I turned into Swiss cheese.

Of course, I wouldn't go down without a fight. I bit on my lips to stay conscious, making a bit of blood seep out of them.

It was time for me to come up with my second Spellcard.

Ability, meaning, pattern, and name.

Those four components make a Spellcard. Yet, I only managed to create one. This meant that I made a mistake between those four steps.

Was it the ability?

No, it couldn't be. If even something simple as throwing a rock counts as an ability, it can't be possible that I am failing at this step.

Was it the pattern?

No, it couldn't be. Admittedly, my current patterns are simplistic. But if Junko's Spellcards were allowed within the Spellcard framework, it couldn't be a problem with the form of my Spellcard.

Was it the name?

No. While a bad name can ruin your Spellcard, it can never fail your Spellcard. A name is just the finishing touch. No matter how hard you mess up the finishing touch, it can never destroy the build framework.

Completely ruin it? Yes.

Destroy it? No.

So, this meant that it had to be a problem with the intent I put behind my Spellcards.

Now that I thought about it...

What was my intent when I created my Spellcards?

The intent behind Purifying Sound was to "create the most harmonious sound I can create."

But was it truly enough? There was no deeper meaning. No history. Not even a real will behind when I created it.

All I wanted was to create my first Spellcard...

I guess that's why I succeeded in creating my first Spellcard. I just really wanted to have one.

How immature.

This time, let's do it properly.

Ability. Let's put my strong vitality behind it.

Meaning. As a nurse, I want the best for my patients. I want to see them healthy. This is why as long as I am healthy, I will run this body ragged to make everyone happy.

Pattern. A green, blinding, circular explosion with me at its center, followed by a cross of bullets shooting out in a clockwise spiral, to which a second, counter-clockwise spiral joins in moments after.

The name?

Let's name it...

"Vitality Sign: [Energy Surge]!"

*ding*

As Rin created her second Spellcard, a blinding light filled the whole area as her vitality surged and slowly took the shape of a card.

Similarly, it was as if nature responded to her declaration, as the ambient mana rushed towards Rin and mixed with her od to shape her new Spellcard.

As the ambient forces circled Rin's hand, Marisa and Reimu were forced to back off.

"This crazy girl, ze~☆!"

"To think she'd declare a Spellcard battle before even manifesting her first proper Spellcard..."

"Not to mention that she challenged us to a three-card duel~."

To think they both would have underestimated their friend to this extent.

Smiling, Marisa jumped up from her broom and took a new position. One where she stood on the broom instead of sitting on it.

Looking at the situation, Marisa thought the only right thing to do was to treat Rin as a proper equal.

Something Reimu agreed on as she gave the tomboyish witch a curt nod.

After a moment, the wind settled down, and Rin's Spellcard manifested in her hand before immediately shattering.

As they observed it happen, Reimu and Marisa immediately took action with a Spellcard of their own.

"Dream Sign: [Duplex Barrier]."

"Magic Sign: [Milky Way]."

Because a proper Spellcard activating would shatter, meaning it already got declared. In other words, Rin's Spellcard was immediately triggered when it came into existence.

Three Spellcards got declared. In an instant, the sky was painted red, green, yellow, and blue.

A Milky Way created with magic. Barriers that distort the path of bullets to confuse you. Vitality rushing out in a spiral to drill towards their goal.

The Spellcards that clashed today couldn't be more different from each other. Whether it was the ability that activated the Spellcard, the meaning they carried, or the person that wielded them.

It was like the difference between night and day.

Yet, on this day, they clashed and harmonized, creating a beautiful symphony of colors.

But all good things have to end sometime.

*BOOM!*

As the three Spellcards ended at the same time.

The colorful bullets got replaced by smoke, obstructing the view of the misty lake even more.

Silence returned to the lake. But only for a moment as three bodies exited the giant dust cloud.

Those bodies were, of course, Reimu, Marisa, and Rin.

All three faced each other as if it was a life and death situation, as their final Spellcards appeared in their hands.

Rin only needed a glance at their cards to immediately identify that it was their signature cards.

Master Spark and Fantasy Seal.

To think I have to think up my signature card on the fly!

No fair!

I am still in the middle of giving it meaning!

"Spirit Sign: [Fantasy Seal]!"

"Love Sign: [Master Spark]!"

Awawawa!

They went ahead and declared them! I am done for! I am finished! How am I supposed to...

Fight back...

...

That's when it hit me...

This was fun! Very fun!

Whether it was clashing without a Spellcard and fighting with our pure ability or declaring our Spellcards and facing against each other, it was fun.

As a matter of fact, after clashing with Reimu and Marisa in a Spellcard Battle, I felt slightly more connected to them.

It felt intimate. It was as if we had a heart-to-heart without all this pesky talking.

And I am sure I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Especially when I saw that big smile on Marisa's face and how the corners of Reimu's mouth raised ever so slightly.

Meaning is something malleable, and while each Spellcard has its unique meaning, it still can be applied to different situations.

Smiling back, I declared my final Spellcard of this battle.

Reimu, Marisa...

"Radiance Sign: [Starlight Encore]!"

It was a fun fight! Let's do it again sometime!

...

I had no regrets. It was a fun fight. I probably had more fun than I've ever experienced in my past two lifetimes.

So, of course, I would have no regrets even if I was ultimately the loser of this Spellcard Battle.

Feeling the strength leave my legs, I couldn't continue to sustain flight. So, I immediately fell towards the misty lake as my feet stopped moving.

Ugh, swimming to the shore from here will be such a pain...

"Woah, woah, woah!"

"Geez. Don't go falling into the lake all of a sudden."

"Are you an idiot or something? At least spare enough energy to sustain flight."

*chuckle*

This situation, I almost couldn't believe it. Right now, my heart felt like it could burst from happiness because of it.

Before I could fall into the lake, Reimu and Marisa grasped my hands in mid-air to prevent me from falling.

Right now, I felt the sensation of both of their hands holding mine.

How kind of them.

"O-oy. What's so funny?"

"Yeah! Let me in on the joke, ze~☆."

I think I just fell in love.

"Sorry for the trouble. Could you two at least drop me by the shore? I'll make it worth your time~."

We flew in silence for a second when Reimu and Marisa burst out in laughter out of nowhere.

"Isn't that much only natural for us to do, da ze~☆?"

"You are our friend. We'll at least carry you onto dry land before dropping you off. That much is obvious, isn't it?"

I didn't know why, but for some inexplicable reason, tears welled up when I heard those words.

"Wha- Rin? Are you alright?"

"Does it hurt anywhere? Even if Spellcards aren't lethal, going all out in one still scratches you up."

"Not to mention that this was your first rodeo. It was quite intense, wasn't it?"

"Not to mention that you are an outsider. This isn't too unusual for you, is it?"

Now that I thought about it, when was it again that someone worried about me?

My second life was filled with strife and struggle when I tried to carve out my little place in the world.

Whether it was the first time I found out that my childhood friend was the hero or the time when I set up shop in the capital, when I joined the heroes' party, or when we finally overpowered the demon king.

During all that time, I was met with opposition, indifference, or jealousy.

Whether it was rivaling business owners, the members of the hero party, or my supposed fans.

Nobody cared for me, cheered for me, or was concerned about me. All they ever cared for was my blessing or how I was related to the hero.

Not once did anybody ask me "how" I was. Not even my childhood friend.

"It's nothing. It's just that I feel happy right now."

Silence.

"I-is that so?"

"Still, make sure you don't overextend yourself. You tend to do that."

"Of course!"

With that, we finally landed on the shore of the misty lake.

"Phew, that was a workout. Though, I am still curious about how you fly, Rin."

"How I fly?"

Marisa's eyes were filled with innocent curiosity when she asked me that question.

I just awkwardly looked around before demonstrating it once for her.

"Woah. So you propel yourself upwards by stepping into the air? No wonder why you fell down right after the Spellcard Battle. Doing this for an extended period must be as exhausting as running a marathon."

Was that all?

I expected a more intense reaction.

"Well, putting your flying capabilities aside, those were some really impressive Spellcards, especially coming from a newcomer like you, ze~☆."

"Though, the first Spellcard was rather plain. What did you do to make a lackluster Spellcard like that, Rin?"

What happened to the incident? Why are the two of them suddenly grinding me on my Spellcards?

Hearing them say their opinion out loud like that made me blush.

"You know how putting meaning into your Spellcards is really important when creating them?"

Both girls nodded as if it was a matter of fact. Which it is.

"After I thought about it, I think Purifying Sound is filled with the meaning of "I want a Spellcard"..."

I could feel how the blood rushed to my face when I said that, and it seemed Marisa and Reimu couldn't hold in their laughter after I told them.

"Hahahaha!~ You can't be serious. Filled with the desire of wanting to have a Spellcard? No wonder it came out the way it did!"

"Heh... How cute. So its meaning was "I want a Spellcard." How pure."

My face was basically burning right now.

I was about to sink into the ground in shame. That's how embarrassed I feel right now.

"Well, putting aside the questionable meaning behind your first Spellcard. Your second and third Spellcard were particularly impressive. While your second Spellcard still has a lot of room for improvement, the final Spellcard you used was pretty good. I could clearly hear your feelings behind them when you used them. I accept them. Congratulations on your first Spellcard Battle done well."

Moe Moe Kyun~.

Reimu gave me a big smile.

The sun setting in the distance framed her as more beautiful than she already was.

*Blush*

No, Rin! Don't lose your cool! As much as your heart might overflow from Reimu's smile, you know you are not that kind of person!

"Reimu..."

You are the kind of person who likes seeing the ones you like blush from anger, just like a kindergarten boy bullying his crush because he doesn't know better!

"I am flattered that you feel of me that way..."

So act like it, dammit!

"But I don't really swing either way."

Reimu looked at me with a confused expression. Marisa did too. Until I saw a lightbulb light above her head.

"Feeling? What are you on about?"

Reimu still needed a moment to understand what I meant. But when she did, her face went beet red.

"Wah-! How could you possibly come to that conclusion from me saying I accept your feelings from your Spellcard Battle? Don't tell me-!"

"Well, it's as you said. You accepted my feelings from that battle."

"Why the hell would your last Spellcard be filled with Love of all things?!"

"My love was meant to be more platonic, and while I tend to be more on the asexual side, I am not averted to relationships. If you think I am good enough, Reimu, please take care of me in the..."

*CRASH!*

...

My inner peace was restored.

*clap, clap*

And I fully deserved getting suplexed into the ground.

Who told me that masking my embarrassment by teasing would be a good idea?

Still, the notifications from my system sure felt great.

[Achievment Unlocked: First Spellcard Battle]

[Play Danmaku for the first time]

[Reward: 1 Skill Point & 200 System Points]

[Achievment Unlocked: Glimpse of Recognition]

[Gain the interest of the Shrine Maiden of Paradise]

[Reward: 6 Skill Points & 500 System Points]

[Achievment Unlocked: Spark of Fascination]

[Gain the interest of the Ordinary Magician]

[Reward: 5 Skill Points & 600 System Points]

So many free points~

Not to mention the last notification.

[Skill Detected: Inscribing into System]

[Spellcard Creation Lvl 0 (Max Level)(+)]

[Putting in ability, meaning, pattern, and name. Those are the four steps you need to follow when creating a Spellcard. Consistently creating Spellcards becomes possible.]

As expected of the system. Of course, there would be a Spellcard skill.

"Well, do you have anything else to say, Rin?"

Finally pulling myself out of the ground, I stood up and patted the dust off my clothes before looking at Reimu again.

I was met with an indifferent pair of eyes and an ordinary magician rolling on the ground with laughter.

"Reimu looking at me this way might not be so bad after-"

Thinking about it now, I always wondered how a stick with some paper attached could exterminate so many Youkai.

"Pervert."

But as it turns out, getting hit by Reimu's gohei just really hurt. After Reimu whacked me with her gohei, I was again embedded into the ground.

Though, I deserved that.

"You know, that's what you get for teasing people, Rin-daze~☆."

"I'll have you know, Marisa. I was serious."

"Sure were. Who would have thought that the meaning of your last Spellcard was "love." You know, I also participated in that Spellcard Battle. Does that mean you love me too?"

Marisa asked me that question with a giant grin on her face. Her expression just oozed that she wanted to tease me.

"Sure do."

"Yeah, as I thought. There'd be no- Wha-!"

Getting caught off-guard, Marisa backed about five meters away from me, as she didn't expect me to say those words easily.

"So Reimu wasn't enough for you, now you are going for me? You are a deviant, a pervert! Is that why you got close to us? To think you are that kind of person-"

Getting annoyed by Marisa's nonsense, I flicked her forehead to silence her.

"What's with the overreaction? I'd expect a person who names her Spellcards "Love Sign" would have more resistance to stuff like this. Besides, what the meaning behind my Spellcards is, is neither your nor Reimu's business. Not to mention that I already said that my love is nonphysical. What do you want me to do? That I explain myself?"

*blush*

"You know that a Maiden's heart is sensitive. I'd prefer not to..."

"Sigh, that's enough about this. How about going back to the incident at hand? Especially about the fairy you brought with you, Marisa."

Turning around, we saw Reimu, and behind her hid the big fairy. Shyly peering at us from behind her spot.

"Right, right. As a starter, how about you share your story, Daiyousei-daze~☆?"

...

Wait, are you seriously telling me that Marisa didn't know the story herself-

"Sniffle. Hic-..."

What's that noise?

"Waaaaaaaaah!"

To the three girls' surprise, Daiyousei suddenly burst into tears.

"Wha-, Daiyousei! What happened? Why are you crying all of a sudden? Is it because Reimu is so scary? Are you hurt anywhere?

While Marisa was still trying to soothe the fairy's tears, Reimu and I stood on the sidelines, observing the situation.

As I viewed the situation, I understood one thing about Marisa: She isn't good at consoling people.

"Tch-. What a bother. First, it's the Scarlet Mist, then I barely find its origin, only to see you two for some reason, and now we have to help out a crying child. How annoying. Won't beating her loosen her lips? Why make this unnecessarily hard."

A shiver went down my spine after Reimu said that. No wonder she is known as the "crimson slasher."

"Reimu, not everything can be solved with violence..."

"Is that so?"

My words seemed to have moved her somewhat as she turned around and locked eyes with me.

"You know, you haven't answered my question yet. Well, Marisa technically did not too, but I can more or less deduce why she's here, given the situation."

Well, that much was a given. After all, solving an incident was an investigation into the situation.

Deducing something like this should be easy for her.

"Oh? Can you give me the rundown then?"

Reimu glared at me, pearls of sweat forming on my forehead as she looked at me like that.

"Our busybody here, the "hero of the Forest of Magic," found and rescued a fairy unaffected by the Scarlet Mist. Then it's simply about listening to a maiden's trouble and deciding to help her out. Isn't this one of those situations?"

I would have worded it differently, but yeah. I came to the same conclusion.

"I understand why Marisa's here. But you, Rin, I don't."

That's when I realized: Reimu didn't glare at me because I was a potential suspect but because she was worried about me.

That hint of concern in her pupils amidst the threatening aura of her death glare...

After all, while it isn't always obvious, Reimu is a kind girl at heart.

Even if she acts grumpy and bitter for most of the time.

In that sense, she had much in common with an old man.

"Why do I suddenly feel like you thought something incredibly offensive about me?"

As expected of Reimu. Her intuition is quite good. Too good, in fact.

"Hahaha. You must be imagining it. As for your question..."

Reimu looked at me with anticipation. From her gaze, I could see that she was curious as to why I left the safety of the human village. But I also noticed that she wasn't expecting much.

It seems that in her mind, I am either silly or reckless.

Given how much I overacted and overplayed my personality, it's a surprise that Reimu still looked at me in a respectable light.

Still...

We can't let things stay the way they are. If you repeat something often enough, it becomes routine, something you are used to. Maybe it'll even become annoying.

As an idol...

No!

As an entertainer, I can't let things stay as they are now! People inevitably will get bored if a situation repeats itself. To entertain is to rouse the emotions of the audience. For that, breaking the routine to create a new, surprising, refreshing situation...

It's the only choice good old me could make.

"Hey, Reimu. How much time has passed since the Scarlet Mist emerged?"

"Huh-?"

Reimu was visibly shaken when I asked her that question. It seems that I caught her off-guard with it.

"What has that to do with anything?"

"Just entertain my idea. How much time do you think has passed since the start of the incident."

Entertaining my idea, Reimu pondered for a second before she gave me her answer.

"Good grief, I didn't pay much attention to the passage of time. Was it like a dozen days since the mist appeared?"

"Close. It has been a little over two weeks since the start of the incident."

"Great. Now that that's done, can you finally tell your reason for being here?"

...

It was unusual, but despite the silly question Rin asked me, she had a different air around her.

It was as if she was different from the usual Rin I knew.

"I just answered your question."

...

"Hah?! All you did was ask me how much time has passed-!"

"AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE PROBLEM!"

This was the first time I saw Rin like that. Upset.

"We might be fine in this Scarlet Mist, but the same can't be said for the people of the human village! Did you even think about how much medicine was requested from me? No matter what you do, even if you quarantined yourself, the mist could come into your house with even the tiniest gap in your wall! Not to mention, but did you think it was easy to find something that works against mana poisoning? Because it was not! It was a pain in the ass!"

The usual kind and smiling Rin, the girl that moved restlessly for the sake of other people...

"Not that I was bothered from running my body ragged. As long as I can help someone, I won't mind working till I fall unconscious, but..."

The expression she was wearing, the anger she was directing at me. I felt my heart drop.

"I could hardly sit still after Akyuu got sick to the point she is right now. Look, I am not blaming you or how you do your job. But the fact is, I was sick of waiting for you to solve the incident. So, here I am. You are free to call me reckless, like usual."

It didn't lie nicely in my stomach that Rin scolded me. It felt frustrating. Frustrating that it took long enough for someone weaker than me to decide to do my job for me.

It made me feel like I failed. Failed at my duty of being the Hakurei-Priestess.

To do such bad work at my first official job since I inherited this position...

"Don't misunderstand, Reimu. I am upset, but not at you. I am upset at the whole situation and that it went so far."

Throwing a red vial at me, Rin walked past me, walking towards Marisa.

"What is this?"

"It's a vitality potion. For an hour, you will feel like you have all the energy in the world. There are no side effects. After all, I made it. If you feel tired, take it. I can't trust you to solve this incident when you are tired, Reimu."

With that, Rin left me behind to soak in my thoughts.

Marisa was still trying to console Daiyousei with rather lackluster results. For a second, the fairy stopped crying, to Marisa's relief. Sadly, it didn't last long because right after she stopped crying, she started crying again. But this time, it was louder.

That's when Rin stepped in and slowly talked Daiyousei into calming down.

But I couldn't really care about all that right now. All my mind was filled with was my failure.

If mom was just here...

The incident would have ended 13 days ago.

*slap*

Get your act together, Reimu Hakurei. It's no use wailing in your self-pity. Rin complained that you took long, and here you are, taking more time.

So, what if I am slower than my predecessor?

If I didn't have difficulties tracking the culprits down, this would have ended in less than an hour!

Ugh, I must be dead tired if Rin's words managed to shake me...

Looking at the potion in my hand, I emptied its contents in one breath.

Rin managed to calm the fairy down.

"I-I... sniffles... was play hide and seek with my friends... sniffles... But all of a sudden, sniffles... some of them started to act weird... Waaaaaaaah-!"

We barely got some information out of her before she started crying again.

Marisa awkwardly scratched her head when she saw this, feeling bad for the fairy.

Daiyousei must be deeply worried for her friends after all. Taking my witch hat off, I put it on Daiyousei instead.

"Daiyousei. That witch hat is my most prized possession. Promise me that you'll take good care of it, alright?"

The fairy barely managed to give me a nod amidst her tears. Sigh, leaving a girl to cry didn't sit well with me.

"Well, Daiyousei asked me to save her friend Cirno, or whoever it is. I take it that Cirno is somewhere around this lake, isn't she da ze~☆?"

Once again, did Daiyousei give me a weak nod, but now she clutched my witch hat close to her heart.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's dry the tears of this maiden in distress!"

...

Why are Rin and Reimu glaring at me all of a sudden?

"You ****** ******** ********! You knew about Daiyousei's problem all along?"

"What was the point of asking her to tell her story when it would hurt her?!"

"...tehe~☆."

...

""This isn't done with a "tehe~☆." Marisa!""

Although the two girls were obviously upset at Marisa and chased her down for a while, they admittedly beat her down once they got their hands on the ordinary magician...

However, they soon left their anger behind and focused on finding the fairy they should help instead.

...

In the center of a vast ice floe, amidst the misty lake, stood a young girl with striking aqua-blue hair and eyes.

Wearing a pink blouse under a blue jumper dress, the girl looked quite out of place, given the situation.

Yet, it felt natural for her to stand there as she fixed the blue ribbon that decorated her head.

In this situation, she stood on the head of a dead Youkai, gripping another one in her left hand, as she slowly froze her victim over.

"Who are you, to dare the challenge the strongest!"

She confidently asserted as she defeated her final challenger.

There she stood, holding all the confidence in the world. Nothing could stop her.

Nothing, but maybe a particular trio that came her way.

"I am Cirno, the strongest!"

It was the strongest fairy in existence. Cirno!