NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: Another Incident.
Kusa, Reimu, and Marisa strolled through the bustling Human Village, taking in the sights and sounds of the familiar place.
"Reimu, have you been to the Human Village before?" Kusa inquired, recalling the earlier incident when Reimu lacked money.
"Yes, occasionally I visit here to buy things and handle errands. I'm not as broke as I used to be," Reimu replied with a smile, a hint of nostalgia in her voice as she remembered her past struggles.
Walking together, Kusa held Marisa's hand, the two of them sharing a comfortable closeness.
"I've heard about the Kirisame shop around here," Reimu mentioned, curious if Marisa had any insights on the matter.
Marisa's demeanor shifted slightly, a tension that didn't escape Kusa's notice. Kusa understood that some relationships with family could be complicated.
"I think it might be best if we don't go there," Kusa gently advised Reimu, conveying her concern through her eyes and Marisa's presence.
"Why?" Reimu began to question, but upon seeing the meaningful glances exchanged between Kusa and Marisa, she realized that there was likely a sensitive issue involved.
"Alright," Reimu agreed, sensing that there were personal reasons behind their decision.
As they walked, Reimu's popularity in the village became apparent, as locals greeted her warmly. She responded with genuine smiles and greetings, embodying the role of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.
"I never expected you to become a local celebrity," Kusa playfully teased Reimu, eliciting a smile from the shrine maiden.
"I can only thank you guys... I think I'd still be narrow-minded if you hadn't taught me things," Reimu said gratefully to Kusa.
Kusa shook her head gently. "It's not just about us teaching you. It's your willingness to change that has led you to become who you are now. Remember, advice is only useful when it's taken to heart."
As Marisa continued to seem uneasy, Kusa decided to alleviate her discomfort by hugging her waist, offering silent support.
"Eh?!" Marisa's surprise was evident, her eyes locking onto Kusa.
"It's alright, Marisa. You don't have to be guarded here," Kusa assured her in a gentle tone.
Marisa nodded, although her guard remained up to some extent.
The trio carried on their stroll, with Reimu purchasing the items she needed.
"Marisa, is there a place you'd like to visit?" Kusa asked, implying they could take a detour if Marisa wanted.
"No, I'm good," Marisa replied, preferring to leave the village behind due to her mixed feelings towards it.
Leaving the Human Village behind, the trio headed straight for the shrine.
"Haahhh~" Marisa let out a sigh of relief, immediately slipping into relaxation mode.
"That was pretty nerve-racking," Marisa admitted, relieved to have avoided encountering her father.
"At least now you've seen the village in daylight," Kusa playfully teased Marisa, aware of her tendency to visit it mostly at night.
"I hope this peaceful atmosphere lasts," Reimu said, her voice carrying a hint of longing.
"That's like raising a flag," Kusa exclaimed suddenly, making Reimu raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"What flag are you talking about?" Reimu inquired, curious about Kusa's remark.
"Whenever you wish for something, the opposite tends to happen," Kusa explained seriously, well-versed in the concept of jinxes and how things can take an unexpected turn.
"I didn't peg you as a believer in superstitions, Kusa," Marisa chuckled at Kusa's unexpected response, finding it rather endearing.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, causing hanging objects to fall and the shrine's interior to become a chaotic mess. The tremors continued for a considerable time, but the shrine stood firm thanks to Kusa's reinforced enhancements.
Marisa and Reimu were left speechless as Kusa's statement seemed to come true, leaving Reimu with the daunting task of cleaning up the mess.
"You see!" Kusa exclaimed, swiftly conjuring a broom. "Let's help Reimu clean the shrine first, and then we can tidy up our place."
"I'm on board with that," Marisa readily agreed to Kusa's proposal.
The group got to work on cleaning up the mess, but their efforts were interrupted when Patchouli made an appearance.
"Are you all alright?" Patchouli's strange inquiry earned puzzled glances from Reimu and Marisa.
"We're fine. Did the earthquake affect the mansion?" Reimu questioned Patchouli, considering Patchouli's reclusive tendencies.
"What earthquake?" Patchouli's response mirrored the confusion on Reimu's face.
"Eh?" Reimu was momentarily dumbfounded by the revelation that Patchouli hadn't felt the earthquake at all.
"We just had an earthquake here, and you can see the mess inside the shrine," Marisa pointed out, gesturing towards the fallen objects scattered around.
"But I didn't sense any earthquake," Patchouli stated matter-of-factly, completely unaware of the recent event in the area.
Kusa unexpectedly enveloped Patchouli in a hug, catching Marisa off guard and prompting her to react in surprise.
"Kusa?!" Marisa's exclamation highlighted her bewilderment at Kusa's unexpected behavior.
"You smell like spring," Kusa stated blissfully, her innocent comment leaving Marisa increasingly frustrated.
Fighting her annoyance, Marisa attempted to pull Kusa away from Patchouli, accusing, "You! You used some weird spell on Kusa, didn't you?"
Patchouli shook her head, her demeanor cool and collected as she responded, "No, I assure you, I didn't."
Then, in an interesting turn of events, Kusa turned her attention to Marisa, making a curious observation. "Marisa, you smell like rain."
Marisa's confusion was evident as she exclaimed, "Wait, does rain even have a smell?"
At this point, Patchouli's analytical mind began to piece together a theory. "Kusa! Try smelling Reimu."
"What are you suggesting?!" Marisa interjected, her patience running thin as she found herself caught in Patchouli's unusual line of inquiry.
As Kusa advanced towards Reimu, Marisa was quick to react, attempting to intervene. However, her efforts were thwarted by Patchouli's magical intervention, preventing Marisa from pulling Kusa away.
"Sorry, but I need to confirm something," Patchouli stated with seriousness, her attention fully focused on the unfolding situation.
Reimu, now pinned against the wall, closed her eyes in flustered embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed with a faint blush as her heart raced. Meanwhile, Kusa felt an inexplicable pull towards Reimu, as if something within her urged her forward.
"No, you don't!" Marisa protested, her concern evident. However, Patchouli's actions held her at bay.
With a shudder, Reimu felt Kusa's breath near her nape, her senses heightened by the proximity. Kusa's words made Reimu's heart skip a beat: "It smells sunny."
A primal instinct within Kusa urged her to consume Reimu, potentially gaining boundless energy. But Kusa's self-control prevailed; she resisted that urge, channeling her restraint.
Meeting Kusa's gaze, Reimu mustered her resolve, speaking with a voice that quivered with a mixture of emotions. "Can you move away now..." Her words were tinged with both a hint of teary vulnerability and a request for personal space.
"To be honest, I'm fighting for my life here..." Kusa admitted through gritted teeth, the struggle within her evident.
"To be blunt, I want to eat you right now..." Kusa's words were candid and laced with the primal desires that surged within her. The plants in the surroundings seemed to heed her intentions, creeping closer to Reimu.
Reimu's face flushed an even deeper shade of red, and a wispy trail of smoke emanated from her. Her embarrassment was palpable, and her heart raced as she found herself in an unexpectedly intense situation.
As Kusa's face drew closer to Reimu's, the tension in the air heightened. Reimu closed her eyes again, her resolve mingled with curiosity as she faced the approaching Kusa.
"No, you don't!!!" Marisa's urgent exclamation broke the charged atmosphere. Disengaging from Patchouli's influence, Marisa swiftly took action, releasing a weak Master Spark aimed at Kusa.
The force of the attack sent Kusa flying, crashing against a wall with a pained exclamation of "Ow..."
Reimu's expression shifted from surprise to a hint of disappointment, her interrupted anticipation evident.
"I didn't think you had thoughts toward my girlfriend, Reimu," Marisa remarked, looking at Reimu with a mixture of playfulness and genuine curiosity.
"Me?! Not at all!" Reimu retorted, clearly taken aback by the suggestion and wanting to defend herself.
"Don't get defensive there; the very fact that you didn't push her away is evidence that you like her," Marisa countered with blunt honesty.
"I panicked, okay!" Reimu's voice raised a notch as she attempted to diffuse the escalating conversation. She didn't want Marisa to jeopardize their friendship due to Reimu's complicated feelings.
"It seems we are emitting different weather surrounding us," Patchouli chimed in with her astute observation, although her words fell on deaf ears as the two continued their exchange.
"Though I understand why you like her, please tell me if you want to join," Marisa extended the conversation to a more serious note. She knew that in the youkai world, having multiple partners was not uncommon.
Reimu's initial confusion began to settle, and she muttered, "Join?" as she looked at Marisa for further explanation.
"Guys?" Patchouli called out to both of them, attempting to intervene, but her words went unnoticed.
"Mokou already talked to me about her desire to be Kusa's lover," Marisa continued, recalling her conversation with Mokou and the points that had convinced her to agree to such an arrangement.
"Ehh?!" Reimu's confusion deepened, and her eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment.
"I mean, I understand why she likes her too, which is why I can allow it," Marisa clarified, her eyes locked onto Reimu, awaiting her reaction to this unexpected revelation.
Patchouli's frustration grew as her attempts to intervene were repeatedly ignored. She moved to sit near Kusa, her annoyance is evident on her face.
"Kusa, what do you smell like?" Patchouli asked Kusa, trying to get her attention away from the ongoing discussion between Reimu and Marisa.
"I don't know..." Kusa replied, genuinely puzzled about the question. Smelling oneself wasn't something she had ever considered.
"How about you smell me?" Kusa proposed to Patchouli, and Patchouli reluctantly agreed, though her focus was divided.
As Patchouli leaned closer to Kusa, her action was abruptly interrupted by a laser, drawing Marisa's attention.
"What are you doing?" Marisa inquired with a touch of curiosity, clearly not wanting any odd occurrences to unfold right before her eyes.
"I invited her to smell me," Kusa responded in a detached manner, almost as if she was becoming detached from reality.
"You've suddenly become weird, Kusa," Marisa observed, approaching Kusa to make sure she was alright.
"I don't know, but it seems I'm under the influence of something," Kusa confessed, her unease palpable.
Marisa took a step closer to Kusa and then inhaled deeply as if attempting to perceive any unusual scents or influences emanating from her.
"Yup! My nose isn't as sensitive as yours," Marisa confirmed, looking at Kusa with a concerned expression. "I didn't smell anything unusual," she added, indicating that Kusa's scent seemed normal to her.
"Why does everything suddenly become weird?" Reimu voiced her confusion, struggling to keep up with the rapid developments.
As Reimu approached them, Kusa's demeanor shifted. She suddenly grew smaller and hugged Reimu tightly.
"Hehee~" Kusa giggled playfully, nestling herself deeper into Reimu's embrace.
"It seems Kusa has been affected by the cold weather," Patchouli deduced with a nod of understanding.
Reimu lifted Kusa into her arms and held her close. "Now that you mention it, she does feel very cold," Reimu noted, sensing Kusa's temperature.
"Kusa tends not to assume her adult form during winter," Marisa explained. "So, her behavior is probably linked to her energy being drained quickly due to this weather."
A series of knocks interrupted their conversation as the shrine's door swung open, revealing Youmu.
"Youmu? What brings you here?" Marisa inquired, surprised by Youmu's presence.
"Excuse me, but have any of you noticed the sudden decrease in the ghost population?" Youmu inquired, her expression concerned, and her question shifted the focus of their conversation.
"Wait... did you say that the number of ghosts residing in Hakugyokurou has decreased?" Marisa's eyes widened in surprise, connecting the dots and realizing that Youmu might be affected by the same incident.
"Yes," Youmu confirmed solemnly, fully aware of the implications this could have for the afterworld.
Reimu moved closer to Youmu as per Patchouli's suggestion, prompting a puzzled expression from Youmu.
"Huh?" Youmu was clearly in the dark about the situation, struggling to understand the context of their conversation.
"Do I not have a say in this?" Marisa exclaimed in frustration, feeling like her role as Kusa's caretaker and partner was being overlooked.
"Relax, Marisa. By gathering clues, we can identify the culprit more easily," Patchouli assured her, attempting to calm Marisa down.
"It smells like a clear sky," Kusa chimed in, her words suggesting a connection to the ongoing mystery.
"I see... so the perpetrator is likely from the sky," Patchouli deduced, her analytical mind piecing together the puzzle.
"Wait! How did you come to that conclusion?" Marisa protested, still skeptical of Patchouli's deduction.
"That makes sense," Youmu agreed, nodding in understanding and finding Patchouli's explanation plausible.
"It doesn't!!!" Marisa retorted, refusing to accept Youmu's agreement with Patchouli's deduction.
"You all seem quite lively today~" Yuyuko's voice rang out as she appeared, wearing her trademark cheerful smile.
"Lady Yuyuko?!" Youmu's surprised exclamation filled the room, clearly caught off guard by Yuyuko's unexpected appearance in the shrine.
