"Haaah—why am I the one handing out flyers...?"
A weary mumble floated through the air as a girl with her head hanging low strolled through the street, her entire being radiating an aura of exhaustion and lifelessness.
Her red-and-white shrine maiden outfit stood out as the most striking color on the street. Her silky, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying gently in the breeze, carrying a subtle, pleasant fragrance.
A messy stack of hand-drawn flyers was tucked under her pale arm, further deepening the sense of grievance etched on her face.
On a day with such bright and pleasant weather, she ought to be lying motionless at the shrine, waiting for people to willingly come and leave offerings.
Not being driven out of the house at the crack of dawn by her mother—who had threatened that she wouldn't be allowed back home until the flyers were all distributed… (T/N : so no tragedy for little reimu, iykyk )
"Maybe I should just toss them in the trash."
Reimu muttered to herself, growing more tempted by the idea as her gaze wandered across the street.
But as her eyes drifted toward a nearby general store, she suddenly froze.
There, sprawled out on the shop floor like a crime scene victim, was a blonde girl lying deathly still. Her right arm was outstretched, as if she had collapsed while trying to reach a box of tea sitting just out of reach.
Tea?
Reimu's eyes lit up slightly.
She could buy a box and use it as a peace offering if her mother found out about the flyers.
But before she could step inside, a suspicious figure suddenly emerged from behind a shelf.
As their gazes met, the young man flashed a friendly smile.
"Welcome! Come on in and take a look."
"We've got a lot of new products in stock. First-time customers get a 20% discount on everything!"
As he spoke, Rin casually placed a sign that read, "Please avoid obstacles" on top of Marisa's motionless body.
At that very moment, Marisa's body twitched violently as though she'd been jolted by an electric shock.
Her smooth, pale legs beneath her skirt tensed up straight, her fingers digging into the floorboards as veins spread across her hands.
"..."
Reimu's eye twitched slightly.
This shop... didn't seem very legitimate.
But after hesitating for a moment, she stepped inside anyway.
After glancing around the store, she tentatively asked, "Do you have any cheap tea?"
"Right this way. We've got options for all price ranges."
Rin pointed toward the corner shelf. Without changing expression, Reimu calmly stepped over the "corpse" on the floor.
For a brief moment, she thought the "corpse" twitched again.
But she didn't pay it much attention and instead began browsing the tea selection with interest.
As Rin watched her elegant figure moving toward the shelf, the Sage's voice suddenly echoed in his mind again—
『 The system has detected a romance target. Added to the list. 』
『 Main quest established: "Capture" Reimu Hakurei』
『 Reward: The Right Hand of Shared Perception. 』
"..."
This system… definitely came from some shady dating app!
Rin's eyelid twitched, but his attention quickly shifted back to the black-and-white thief lying on the floor.
What was he supposed to do with her?
"Sage, how exactly did you knock her out?"
『 Premature Activation Of The Corresponding Reward Effect. The sage has taken its position to increase the sensory response sixfold to the intruder. 』
『 Combined with the friction from when the host has grabbed her by the collar while fleeing, it caused the intruder's brain to short circuit 』
『 Disable the effect? 』
"You didn't disable it earlier?"
『 Negative 』
"..."
Rin immediately understood why Marisa's reaction had been so intense when he slapped the sign on her back.
Feeling the overwhelming resentment radiating from the "corpse," Rin crouched down and gently patted her back apologetically.
"Uh… sorry about that. It was a complete accident. Are you okay?"
"Marisa, can you hear me? Marisa?"
"Marisa, say something!"
Rin shook her gently, concern etched into his expression. Marisa's rolled-back eyes twitched slightly, bloodshot veins beginning to creep through them.
As she trembled and slowly reached out her hand in protest, Rin accidentally pushed her back down.
"Wake up, Marisa! Look at me—stay with me, don't close your eyes!"
"If you see a big-breasted, pink-haired girl on the other side calling you over, do not respond!"
"There's still so much to live for! Don't give up!"
Rin held Marisa's smooth, delicate face in his hands and shook her slightly, his voice tinged with desperation.
As her tensed-up body finally slackened, Rin squeezed out a single tear of despair.
"I did everything I could… but in the end, I couldn't save her…"
Meanwhile, Reimu—who had been selecting tea nearby—watched the whole scene unfold with an increasingly puzzled expression.
…Is this some kind of tragic love story?
After a brief internal debate, she ultimately decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything.
As long as the blood wasn't splattered on her, it was none of her business.
"Boss, I'm ready to check out."
With a box of what looked like the cheapest tea in hand, Reimu approached the counter. Rin immediately pulled a white cloth over Marisa's body and—without missing a beat—flashed his most professional and welcoming smile.
"That'll be 500 yen after the discount. Anything else you need?"
"One box of tea is enough."
Reimu's eyes lit up when she heard the price.
It was much cheaper than anywhere else she'd bought tea!
She hadn't tasted it yet, but if it turned out to be decent, she might make this her regular spot.
And if she got to know the owner better, maybe she could even negotiate a better deal next time.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten about her job.
Taking one of the flyers from the stack under her arm, Reimu handed it to Rin.
"I'm the new shrine maiden around here—Hakurei Reimu. I live at the Hakurei Shrine on the far east side of Gensokyo."
"My shrine handles dealing with youkai and resolving incidents. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me."
"Of course, we also accept regular worship and offerings."
"Though… things have been pretty busy lately. You might have to wait in line."
"But if you were to, say… bring along some tea or something, I might be able to help you skip the line."
After dropping that hint, Reimu didn't linger in the store. After getting Rin's name, she quickly left to finish off the rest of her flyers.
Once the shop had returned to peace and quiet, Rin glanced down at the "corpse" covered with a white cloth and snapped out of his daze.
"Alright, Sage—disable the effect."
『 Understood 』
The moment the Sage's voice faded, Marisa suddenly gasped for breath and bolted upright as though she had been pulled back from the brink of death.
She sat there panting heavily, her golden eyes fixed murderously on Rin.
As memories of the agonizing torment she had just experienced flooded back, rage surged through her veins.
"You bastard… I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"
Marisa lunged toward Rin, her eyes filled with resentment.