On our way to Patchouli

It's noon and the sun is shining brightly yet I am still asleep. Sanae watches me while I sleep, but she eventually shakes me gently. "Wake up, we have to get ready now." She says in a soft tone. I then open my eyes looking directly in hers, while she smiles at me. "Your clothes are still drying, so I will give you clothes. Just wait here I will get them for you." She continues to stare at my face for a few more seconds before she gets up and goes out of her room.

I meanwhile sit up on the bed. I think about Sanae. She seems to be starring a lot at me, which is weird. Maybe she likes me a lot? But it can't be, because we only know each other for a day. I wonder how many people live here in Gensokyo, or how big it is.

Sanae comes back again with clothing in her hand. She changed into her shrine maiden outfit again. "Here you go. I chose the manliest top I could find. And I even have trousers for you." She giggles. "I will wait outside the room." She closes the door and leaves me alone.

I examine the clothes. It's a white and wide shirt with dark-red baggy trousers. I quite like them. I change quickly and open the door and see Sanae blushing slightly. "Are you alright Sanae?" I ask confused. "Yes of course!" She says smiling awkwardly. "Let's go the sooner we get out, the sooner I can bathe." Sanae says in a joking tone. I see her grabbing a few books.

I follow her to the exit of the shrine as a small blonde woman with a straw hat greets Sanae. "Hey Sanae! Are you going to the Mansion with the boy?" She asks while looking at me with a gentle smile. "Oh, hello lady Suwako. I will be back soon I'll only bring the boy to Patchouli, and I'll return some of the books I borrowed." I stand behind Sanae while the two talk.

After a bit of small talk, the small woman walks up to me. We shake hands and she tells me "I am Suwako!" "Nice to meet you, lady Suwako." Suwako giggles and tells me. "Just Suwako is enough. Don't let the owner of the mansion suck your blood. Good luck you two!" Suwako goes inside the shrine leaving us alone again. I think for a second about what she told me. "Don't worry the owner of the mansion isn't that bad." Sanae says trying to calm me a bit.

I closely follow Sanae as we slowly enter the forest. Sanae talks about some physics stuff, but I only half listen to her though. "Don't you think so too?" Sanae asks me. I was looking at the trees around me instead of listening. "Yes! Of course, it only makes sense." I say without knowing what she said. I am glad we think alike. "So, if you would use radioactive..." I stop listening to her again and observe the nature around me, sometimes spotting an animal or two.

We finally arrive at the mansion. "I did not know the mansion was THIS big!" I say gasping at the huge building a few metres in front of me. Sanae is giggling at my comment. We go to the front gate where a red-haired woman in traditional Chinese clothing is napping. "Is she homeless?" I ask innocently. "No that's Meiling she's the gatekeeper of this mansion." Sanae casually answers. I don't question it as Sanae opens the gate.

Suddenly Meiling jumps up "Hey! Why are you here?" Meiling asks in an authoritative tone. "We need to return these books." Sanae shows her the two books she has been carrying. "Alright, you can pass. But don't forget to close the gate." Meiling starts napping again.

We enter and I close the gate. As I follow Sanae through the mansion, I spot the many paintings decorating the walls. The corridors are long and there are many locked doors at the side of the corridor. I see one of the maids opening one of the doors. I peak in while following Sanae and there is a huge storage room with boxes in it. There is something written on the boxes, but I sadly couldn't read what it was in time.

We enter the library. The library is gigantic, the shelves being extremely tall and filled with books. There are ladders and platforms adjacent to the shelfs leading up. Sanae walks faster and faster. "Hey Sanae! You seem stressed what's going on? You have not really talked much since we are here." I ask her. I am a bit worried for her. "Well, I'm going to be honest with you. I am a bit late with returning these books and Patchouli hates that." Sanae says.

We seem to be in the middle of the library. There is a huge table full of books in front of me. A woman with purple hair, wearing a medieval nightgown is reading a book. The title looks to be Latin. She closes her book and places it on the table.

"Sanae, so you finally came to return my books." She says in a soft and slightly annoyed voice. "I am so sorry, but I have something for compensation." Sanae says now sitting next to her. "If it isn't a book that I don't own, which I highly doubt, then I don't care." Patchouli takes the books Sanae had in her hand and stacks it on a now 5-book high book tower. "The boy I brought might be interesting for you." Sanae points at me. "The human? I highly doubt he's of interest. Koakuma does her job well enough." Patchouli tells Sanae. "Hear me out. Just run a few checks on him. We at the shrine think his magical potential is pretty big."

Patchouli gets up and reaches out her hand. She chants something I can't understand. I feel getting weaker. "Hm, you are right green-haired shrine maiden. I will keep him for a few days." These are the last things I can understand before Patchouli moves her hand and I faint.