"I want to spend it as a human."

A tense silence followed that statement as a stiff breeze kicked up around the duo, blowing some of the cherry blossoms into the balcony while the sun continued to set. It would have been a lovely image had the mood been better.

Remilia and Sakuya simply stood silent, waiting for the other to say something.

"I see." Sakuya said before silence fell again, the wind brushing her braids slightly. "Milady, how long have you had this request on your mind, if I may ask?"

Remilia softened her grip on the cold stone balcony, a sense of relief washing over her. "I don't know exactly when the thought first occurred, but it's been lingering since the last moon viewing party we attended."

Sakuya grimaced. Their last moon viewing outing was ruined by someone spiking their drinks with Oni-strength sake and all the pair could remember of that evening were arriving at the party, everything else being a fuzzy haze of booze and headaches.

"I have wondered about that particular event myself but we can discuss that another time, preferably with the shrine maiden. Why those events in particular, though? They weren't particularly special aside from the drinks being spiked."

"Exactly!" If Remilia was outraged, her tone certainly didn't show it. "It wasn't like after an incident where everyone's partying down at the Hakurei Shrine, it was much more intimate than that and we still blended into the background, right?"

The maid nodded, starting to put the pieces together in her mind. "I noticed you weren't being your usual bombastic self, but I was too busy helping with the catering on those evenings."

Remlia finally turned to face Sakuya, a smile clean across her face and her fangs fully visible, glinting in the gloaming light. "My 'usual bombastic self' has served as more of a detriment lately. What was once simply a rumour perpetuated by the tengu is now an open secret in the youkai circles and it's become harder to maintain that air of mystery."

Sakuya had to agree. While at one point she was holding off both Reimu and Marisa in a desperate battle to protect her mistress in a memory long passed, now she was part of their inner circle of trusted allies. As the Scarlet Devil Mansion's doors opened more and more, the air of mystery surrounding it had likewise dissipated, including Remilia's true nature.

"So by temporarily assuming the form of a human, you can simply enjoy the Scarlet Devil Festival without worrying about your reputation? Couldn't a change of outfit work just as well?"

Remilia shook her head with a sigh. "Just when I thought you had it. It's more than just being another in the crowd… I've wanted to see what Gensokyo has to offer during the day without having to be escorted under a parasol. So many places we can't visit due to my own weakness to sunlight like the Moriya Shrine, which I hear has the best sunset view in Gensokyo, or the Netherworld, you know Yuyuko has been bothering me to visit for months now. " Her face had gradually fallen and tears had started to form in her eyes. "It's just so frustrating that I can't… I can't…"

Sakuya took the time to process Remilia's rapidly declining mood and offered a hand on her shoulder with a motherly smile. "I understand Remilia. Please, enjoy your tea before it gets cold, I'll ask Patchouli for her assistance in this task."

A moment passed, Remilia sniffling rather uncharacteristically, before pulling Sakuya into a hug that lasted several seconds before letting go again and sitting back down at the table, pocket tissues already prepared for her.

With a curt smile and nod, Sakuya walked off, ready to start her next task, silently wiping her own single tear away at something she never expected to happen.

The Human Village was definitely a different place at night. A lot less hustle and bustle was expected, but there was also an increase in youkai activity.

This wasn't unnoticed by the people who made their living in the markets and while a few were wary of this fact, most shopkeepers didn't mind, customers were customers after all and the crowded streets of daytime left more niche shopkeepers eating dust.

Those very same shopkeepers decided to open only after the market had closed for the evening, setting up their stalls with a sense of competitive camaraderie. Unlike the day market where everyone was rushing from place to place, trying to avoid the crowd as much as possible, the crisp evening air gave a sense of relaxation to the few who dared to shop this late at night.

Shops of all varieties were scattered about the market, with a variety of shopkeepers as well. There were humans of course, mostly younger adults that could take the night shift without going too insane and of course, nocturnal youkai.

As it turned out, sleep deprived people didn't particularly care about who they were selling to, just that their stock was sold.

The kappa took full advantage of this, initially donning disguises in order to sell their consumer-grade goods to unsuspecting humans before people realized two things.

One, that the kappa were damn fine engineers and anything made by them would be worth every yen.

And two, kappa are very much tempted by the offer of a cucumber to lower their prices.

Eventually this mutual exchange (and the kappa losing a lot of money from enterprising farmers and their freshly grown cucumbers) led to the kappa metaphorically throwing up their hands, saying "screw it" and setting up a more formal stand in the Human Village at night, where a pair of kappa would perform an infomercial style sales pitch demonstrating their wares, usually involving cucumbers being precisely sliced to demonstrate the sharpness of their cookware.

Wildly successful did not begin to describe the result of this bold move and led to a lot of goodwill between youkai and humans alike, eventually leading to the night market becoming more welcoming to those of less than human persuasion.

All this was to say that in the months since the kappa had first boldly pioneered the idea of providing goods and services under the cover of night, other youkai had heard the rumblings of a new market and opted to follow in the kappa's damp, slightly webbed footsteps.

With a mild hangover and her trusty cooler/backpack, Mystia stood before the entrance of the Human Village once again, in awe of the gentle flames dancing on the torches as a silver haired fire spirit looked on at her awe with disdain.

"Wait there any longer and I'll have to start charging for parking." Mokou gruffly stated, shifting her head towards the gate. "Village's open for the night market, don't cause any trouble or I'll throw you out myself."

With a meek nod, Mystia adjusted the straps on her backpack and gingerly wandered into the village with a giddy smile.

The village felt like a whole new place, with youkai and humans shopping together, exchanging stories under the crescent moon while stalls upon stalls of niche goods lined the streets. Despite the chill in the air from the early spring, the mood was welcoming to the night sparrow despite her checkered past.

Strolling around, Mystia really took the time to absorb everything around her, the yelling of barkers trying to attract attention towards their goods, the polite discourse of recent events, the chink of coin exchanging hands, it was so intoxicating that Mystia nearly bumped into a rabbit trying to hand out leaflets.

"Ah! Ma'am, I apologize for nearly bumping into you!" The lanky rabbit girl Reisen bowed, her ears flopping down and nearly tickling Mystia's nose.

"Ahh, it's fine, it's fine!" Mystia's hands wildly flailed, accidentally stroking the Inaba resident's ears. It felt like a plush doll she had at home if it had been warmed up beforehand. "Cuddly."

A tense silence fell between the two as Reisen visibly blushed, stepping back from the bird shakily, not used to such praise from a stranger.

"If you're done flirting with my rabbit, can I help you?" An annoyed voice startled Mystia, forcing a squawk from her.

"A-Ah! I'm sorry ma'am!" Mystia took her own chance to bow towards the source of the voice, one mildly annoyed Eirin sat across the table, a crude sign stapled to it simply reading "The Doctor is IN."

Blue and red sighed, handing the sparrow a tightly wrapped paper package that smelled odd, one end already lit as Reisen blew at her now smoking figure. "Here, inhale the smoke of this."

Doing as instructed, Mystia nearly coughed the fumes out, but succeeded in sucking in the fumes, feeling the smoke enter her body, still coughing some of it out before putting the burning cigarette into an ashtray.

An odd sense of calm entered the bird youkai as she breathed a sigh of relief she didn't know she had. "What… What is this?"

"A new medicinal remedy to manage anxiety." She answered clinically, measuring out another portion of ground green herbs, carefully wrapping it in paper before placing it in a metal tin. "I'm currently trying to gauge interest in such a product and would like your feedback. Udonge?"

The rabbit had already pulled a chair out and placed it behind Mystia. "I'd recommend sitting down, miss, as the effects will kick in soon."

Taking a seat, Mystia watched as Eirin took a piece of paper and slid it across the table. "I do wish for you to fill out this survey as the night progresses though. Any mood swings, odd sensations, projectile vomiting, note it down here." She took a moment to pull a pen out of one of her pockets and rolled it across as well. "Oh but don't actually vomit on the paper, it tends to muddy the results."

"How many people have projectile vomited after smoking this?"

"More than zero and that's all I'm willing to disclose." Eirin stated, coughing discreetly with an aside glance. "That being said, from what I could gather from that subject, she also ate excessive amounts of food, according to her aide."

Mystia shuddered in response, a sort of primal dread filling her very soul as Eirin pulled out a bag of coin, sliding it across the table with a knowing look. "Of course, I wouldn't ask for someone to do this for free. If you do as asked, and return the form with sufficient data, you will be compensated again."

Mystia felt the weight of the bag and was surprised by the weight, being worth more than any given night of working her stand would bring in. "This is a lot of money to give to a stranger."

"It's an incentive to fill out the survey." Eirin started packing another cigarette with a bored look on her face. "That and after a recent investment in kappa technology, money is no object for me now that my workflow has been sufficiently optimised, so I'd rather trade money for a greater chance of having accurate results."

Mystia nodded, not because she agreed, but because half of the words from the verbose nurse flew over her head. "Yeah. Makes sense." She placed the bag in one of her skirt's pockets before getting up and bowing politely, collecting both her thoughts and the form in front of her silently before leaving, freeing up the seat for the next potential client/test subject to the mysterious green herbs.

Stretching her limbs and wings, Mystia looked about, trying to find a store to spend her newly earned yen around the exotic, inviting marketplace, senses almost being overwhelmed by the sheer variety of stalls around her. Everything from jewelry vendors making wild claims about their wares curing all sorts of ills to antique weapon dealers bragging that their blades could nullify magic and slay youkai in a single strike…

Mystia made herself scarce despite the exaggerated claims, tucking in her wings to hide her presence as she continued to wander the market, knowing what her ultimate goal was and jauntily made her way towards her usual haunt.

It was a humble fishmonger, passed down over several family generations of local fishermen and surprisingly profitable despite arguably massively undercharging their fresh fish.

Seeing the night sparrow, the owner's son tiredly waved, suppressing a yawn as he mentally prepared himself for the next customer of the evening. "If it isn't Mystia!" He greeted warmly, pushing through his lethargy. "Haven't seen ya since I was shorter than you."

"It has been a while." Mystia nodded, scanning the various species of aquatic life before her, taking in the salty air and ice keeping the fish from drying out. Salmon, haddock, cod, sea bass, crab and of course, lamprey eel all lined up in a row, waiting to be purchased by those seeking a taste of the sea.

Speaking of, the fisherman pulled up a bucket full of slightly less than fresh lamprey, protected by a layer of ice cubes and handed it to the bird. "Your usual order of the lamprey we'd have to throw out otherwise. Though apparently it was selling well today."

"Good to hear, always glad to see your business doing well." Mystia smiled genuinely, even if it meant less stock for her to sell as she opened up her cooler and dumped the bucket's contents in, ensuring the partially melted ice didn't splash anywhere, sighing at the partially full carrying device before remembering the bag of yen in her pocket.

"I might buy some of your stock today," Mystia said more to herself than the shopkeep. "Increase my variety at the stand, I don't really like being known as just 'That Lamprey Seller', you know?"

"Makes sense. What ya in the market for?"

Mystia put a hand to her chin, taking another quick glance around the species presented with both the eye of a hobbyist chef and of potentially eating it herself if things didn't work out. "Well, I'd prefer something similar to lamprey to prepare, since I still only have a grill at the stand. Some sake to pair with it would be great too."

The fisherman raised an eyebrow, but nodded sagely after a moment. "I getcha, don't want to invest too heavily into something your customers won't like. I think some smoked salmon would contrast with the eel more, since the smoked variety is ready to eat from storage."

"Then I'll take some smoked salmon fillets and umm… Hmm…"

"If you had a pan, I would offer some pre-made tempura shrimp to pan-fry for an appetizer, quite the novelty from the Outside World. You asked for sake recommendations too, right? Not really a drinker, but there's a nearby bar where the owner can get you some tips."

With the exchange of yen and Mystia's cooler looking more healthily full, the pair bid each other a polite farewell, the sparrow briefly considering buying some tempura anyway but ultimately wanting some money left for some sweet, sweet sake.

Letting her feet wander as she was in no rush, Mystia's bird brain started to become lost in thought as well, a general sense of ease washing over her. "Never thought I'd be allowed near the Human Village after I spooked people for so long. Even after earlier today it's surreal to be walking around freely like this, but there's just fellow youkai out in the open like it's nobody's business! Maybe once the Scarlet Moon Festival is over…"

Mystia shook her head. "The Youkai Trail was where I made my home, moving nearer to the Human Village to sell my lamprey at night? Nobody here would let me have a merchant's permit, not to mention hauling the stand from home to here would probably kill my back."

With crushing reality once again reminding her of her past misdeeds, she put her thoughts aside and after some minutes of aimless wandering, (and eventually giving up and asking a local for proper directions.) stood before the fabled bar and…

It was really unassuming, a traditional Japanese-style bar in a mostly traditional Japanese village didn't do much to stand out. Although the sliding door was closed, there was still a dim light inside and the sound of someone humming a faint tune was coming from inside, so Mystia decided to be polite and knock first.

"W-we're just closing up for the night, I'm sorry sir!" Came a chipper, yet apologetic voice from beyond the door and Mystia was filled with disappointment.

"That's alright, guess it would be a little late anyway, just wanted some sake recommendations, but I'll come back tomorrow." She responded evenly, trying not to sound let down.

"W-wait, is that all? Then come in, but please shut the door behind you!~" The voice's mood lighted and Mystia did as instructed, quietly slipping into the dim bar and tightly closing the door, approaching a free bar stool in the centre of the bar, a single light illuminating the place. With a nod, the bird sat down and took the straps off of her cooler, setting it onto the floor.

*pomf!*

Displaced feathers flew wildly as Mystia's cramped wings returned to their full glory, stretching before relaxing again. "Really need to get back to Nitori so I can have some real wing-friendly straps custom made."

From behind the bar, a young-looking woman popped her head out, her whale-shaped hat's tail and hook-shaped right sidelock bouncing jauntily as she adjusted her purple skirt, the red and white papers stuck on rustling slightly but not much more as she pulled up her long- sleeved light blue shirt with a smile.

"Whale-come to Geidontei, traveller!" The woman greeted with a smile at her own joke as she leaned over the counter to get a better look at Mystia. "Don't mind me asking, but are those real wings?"

"About as real as that joke was terrible," Mystia rolled her eyes, but chuckled dryly regardless. "You don't mind someone like me being here, right?"

The woman waved off Mystia's concern, her loose sleeves flapping wildly as they did so. "Don't worry yourself, I don't mind being open after-hours, I have my own late-night regular who should be swinging by soon anyway."

"Fair enough." Mystia let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she had. "Anyway, I'd like some sake recommendations to pair well with seafood, like salmon and lamprey?"

The barkeep nodded inquisitively, scrambling underneath the counter and pulling up a pair of sake bottles, setting them down, also finding a sake glass to pour it in. "Let Miyoi Okunoda show you the best Geidontei has to offer!"

With a flourish, Miyoi flipped one of the chilled bottles, a lemon lovingly hand-drawn onto the label and popped the lid, a gentle hiss emmenating as carbonated gas escaped its glass prison before she gently poured, the cloudy liquid settling nicely within the glass.

With her showboating over, Mystia unceremoniously picked up the glass and took a large gulp, emptying the glass and filling her mouth with a citrus-like bitterness, leaving behind the familiar faint aftertaste that sake was known for.

Licking her lips, Mystia was surprised by the zest of the drink, yet it still tasted like the cheap sake she was used to. "Huh."

"Sounds like you've only had the cheap stuff." Miyoi smiled warmly at her customer enjoying herself. "Tough time making ends meet?"

Looking from the empty sake glass to the bartender, Mystia narrowed her eyes at the whale-capped girl. "I only really asked for sake recommendations, why are you suddenly asking about my personal life?"

"Just a bit of a chat to see what's got you down." Miyoi didn't even miss a beat, pouring another glass in what seemed like a blink of an eye. "Your eyes have dark rings around them for instance and you're carrying a pretty heavy bag there, so I assume you're not one of the local youkai sellers here if you're also asking for drink recommendations."

Mystia was surprised at the girl's astute nature, but kept her eyes narrowed. "You could say that, but I haven't even paid for my first drink yet, why give me another?"

Miyoi fidgeted slightly, her eyes slightly averting. "Who only has a single drink of sake, honestly?" Regaining her composure, she nudged the drink towards the sparrow. "Plus you enjoyed it, right? Why not let the good times roll?"

Miyoi's genuine enthusiasm and charming smile washed away any doubts Mystia had as she took the chilled glass and once again felt the zesty sake flow down her throat before she could even think of a counterpoint. "Tasty."

"Right? The citrus tang pairs well with the sweet aftertaste, making for a perfect accompaniment to the more fishy flavours that fishmongers can provide, to answer your question from earlier."

"Ah, thanks." Mystia nodded, the alcohol and the fading effects of the herbs smoke she inhaled earlier were starting to kick in, her wings relaxing a bit more, "You really don't mind me being here though? You said this place was closed earlier."

Miyoi shrugged with a smile. "A bartender that doesn't lend an ear isn't worth the premium you pay on the booze, right? So how about you tell me what has ya so down?"

Mystia let off an annoyed grunt but relented, figuring that Miyoi would keep asking until either she left or got kicked out. "I owe you that much at least, I guess." Taking the time to shake her glass, Miyoi was already preparing a third drink as Mystia cleared her throat to tell her tale of woe.

"You probably figured it out, but I'm not exactly a human. I don't like to refer to myself as a youkai, but I guess that much is true. Run a lamprey stand on the Youkai Trail, it's a steady business but I don't make that much money. Anything else?"

Miyoi pushed the nearly full glass to the sparrow with a knowing look. "You're missing something there, Mystia Lorelei."

The sparrow's blood froze. "How did you… No, I know my sins. You're one of the humans I attacked, right?"

"Thankfully, no," The bartender shook her head with a sad smile. "But as a bartender, I've heard a lot of things about you already. Everything from a benign shopkeeper with a habit of upselling her stock to a murderous carnivore with a penchant for human flesh."

A tense silence followed that statement as the wooden door slammed open behind then, a figure stumbling towards the bar, a large-brimmed hat hiding their features as she unsteadily sat down, teetering from side to sign as she took off her hat, revealing a giant pair of horns jutting out from her auburn hair.

"Oi oi, Miyoi! Bottle of your finest sake for a thirsty oni!" The diminutive horned youkai yelled, completely ignoring Mystia in the process.

"Sure thing, Suika!" Miyoi chirped as she fumbled about, grabbing a pink bottle with a peach crudely drawn on the label and pouring a glass of light pink liquid.

"So before we were rudely interrupted-" If Suika noticed the pointed tone in the bird's voice, she didn't particularly care as she necked the peach-infused drink. "You said something about me being a human-eating murderer."

Miyoi rubbed the back of her head with an awkward aside glance. "Well I said those were rumours, didn't I?"

"You did not."

"Wouldn't take it personally if I were you." Suika wiggled the sake glass, requesting another drink as she uncorked a purple gourd and took a mouthful of sake from it before wiping her mouth with her free arm. "When alcohol starts flowing, lies follow. Some do it for clout, some simply misremembering their anecdotes."

"The oni has a point," Miyoi nodded sagely, wiping down a glass with a cloth-covered hand. "Sake dulls the senses and tends to lead to more outlandish rumours being spoken with the confidence of a fact. Thankfully the rumours of man-eating youkai have been largely quashed lately."

"Largely?"

"The clientele here during the day are largely older folks who are too stuck in their ways to realize the positive change in youkai behaviour. It's a bit tragic, but we still have the night market."

"That doesn't answer my question?! I EAT PEOPLE?!"

"Simmer down, you're gonna wake the dead and Yuyuko tends to not appreciate being woken up so rudely." Suika chuckled to herself, faint memories of her brawling the ruler of the Netherworld with a wistful smile. "As 'yoi said, rumours. No sane nor sober human thinks you do that sorta thing. Maybe rip 'em off, but a lighter wallet is preferable to missing an eyeball, right?"

"Your friend disturbs me." Mystia simply said, finally downing her third shot of the evening with concern written all over her features.

"She's long-lived and iron-livered, takes a lot to even faze her." Miyoi shook her head with a smile, putting the clean glass with the others she had cleaned earlier. "Regardless, how are you feeling about the sake? Would you buy it for your own needs?"

"I guess I would." Mystia smacked her lips, trying to dredge the citrus flavour to feel the tang one last time. "But I don't know if it'd fit in my budget."

"Funny you should say that, I need two Devil's pounds of this stuff gone by tomorrow evening." Sweat drops started to form on Miyoi's brow. "Ya see, the owner was out of town for a while, making arrangements for his son to take over ownership of the bar and I decided to experiment with two of the half-empty barrels of sake he left behind. And as you can imagine, expecting pure sake and getting a watered down, fruit flavoured drink instead would cause me to lose my job."

Mystia nodded, raising an eyebrow at the proposal but her cognition was addled with alcohol, so thought nothing of the odd circumstances. "Well, I like this stuff and run a decently successful lamprey stand, what's your price?"

"Free. I just need it out of here by tomorrow night. I'll even deliver it." Miyoi clasped her hands together and leaned over the counter. "I made a mistake and I'm willing to be more careful about using other people's stock in the future, I just don't wanna be found out!"

Mystia for her part felt a deep empathic connection with the whale-capped girl and nodded. "Yeah, I'll keep your secret a secret and take your fruit sake off your hands."

Miyoi's mood flipped like an amanojaku, her distraught face turning to one of ecstasy as she resisted the urge to bear-hug her saviour. "Thank you ever so much!" Once again, her mood flipped, a grin befitting of a merchant forming beneath her genuine appreciation. "We can work out a more permanent business relationship tomorrow evening, I'll need some time to draft a contract."

Mystia was too busy feeling the warmth of Miyoi's hug to catch the second half of her statement, alcohol dulling her usually sharp senses. "Happy to help." The bird smiled, cheeks burning crimson at being shown affection before unsteadily getting up, teetering slightly while giving a salute. "Been a pleasure Miyoi, but I think I'll go before I end up passed out in a gutter."

"Better sense than most who walk in." Miyoi gave a cheery wave goodbye to her newest patron as she grabbed her cooler and placed it on her back. "See ya tomorrow evenin'!"

Sliding the door open, Mystia uneasily stepped out into the night, crisp air hitting her exposed skin and sobering her up slightly as she closed the door behind her and letting the oni and the zashiki-warashi to talk more openly.

"So you were unusually late here tonight." Miyoi noted, her customer service smile fading to something more casual. "Get in trouble with the shrine maiden again?"

"Well I thought I was leaning against a wall when I went to sleep last night, but it was the torii gate and well, she didn't appreciate that falling over at four in the morning…"

Sakuya gave the crescent moon in the clear sky a good long look, outside her chamber's window being a perfect spot to stargaze when she had the opportunity to take a break, such as now. She had delivered her message to Patchouli and along with her daily duties coming to an end, decided to take the evening off.

Remilia was probably going to be busy until daybreak anyway. She and Patchouli would burn the midnight oil, matching wits against each other and Sakuya would just get in the way of that.

Basking in the waxing moonlight, Sakuya let her tired body rest, her eyelids slowly closing as a sigh escaped her lips, knowing that her mistress was opening up emotionally.

"She's changed so much over the years." The maid mused with a twinge of melancholy. "To think milady once planned to take over Gensokyo but now simply wants to spend an evening relaxing as a human. It's a welcome break from her usual attitude, not that I'll complain, since she took me in."

She owed so much to her mistress, as her very namesake was given to her by Remilia, she had no recollection of her family and barely recalled anything before she became a maid, so she had to trust her word.

Reaching into her skirt's pocket, she felt the cool metal of her stopwatch, fingers feeling a long-faded name in a forgotten tongue and her mood fell slightly, the watch she held was the physical representation of where her memories began.

She was given that watch the night she became Sakuya Izayoi, Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, after all.

A lone hooded figure skulked the foggy autumn night, silently making her way towards her next hunt.

A rumour had sprung up over the prior two months of a mysterious mansion appearing on the night of the full moon and more concerningly, the vampire lord within who seemed to be taking innocents from the streets for their own bloodlust.

Not one to mill about on the potential fates of the populace, she had initially intended to tackle this rumour last full moon, but a werewolf attack near her home forced her to try again next moon.

At the very least, she had time to form a plan of attack, having brought along a full suite of silver knives, their tips dipped in holy water and rubbed down with garlic as a deterrent to any close range strikes. It practically used up her monster hunting resources, but as she heard more and more rumours about what the vampire was potentially capable of, being prepared for anything seemed to be the superior option.

Standing in front of the looming crimson metal gate, she noticed that it wasn't even locked, as if whoever owned the manor was challenging her to waltz in through the regal doors on the other side of the courtyard.

Had she had more experience, she would have hesitated at this stage, looking for any death traps or wards present on the gate, but she simply strolled in, the gates creaking ominously as she made her way in, noting how overgrown the courtyard was with weeds all over the lawn, the fountain not running and covered in moss and a general aura of decay around her. This was another sign of potential danger that also went ignored, as a hand covered with a fingerless glove gripped her timepiece on instinct, thumb over the single button, ready to unleash her power on any foe she faced.

Finally reaching the door, she didn't even try knocking, instead putting all her force into kicking the twin doors open, the wood cracking as one of her leather boots impacted it, forcing the doors open with a mighty creak that echoed through the dark lobby.

Striding in, her free right hand gripped one of her knife handles, ready to strike in the near pitch-black lobby, with only the obscured moonlight through the door frame and windows providing any light.

Taking her hood off, she looked around for any sign of life, gripping her equipment harder as her heartbeat rose, getting the feeling she was being watched from beyond the moonlight.

"It's rude to enter a vampire's home without consent, you know." A childish yet menacing voice came from behind her as the doors slammed shut, darkening the lobby significantly as she threw a knife towards the source of the voice.

A clunk indicated that she had completely missed her mark as the voice tutted with derision. "First you break into someone's house, then throw a knife at them for telling you off? You must be quite the violent spirit."

A woosh of air went past the silver-haired woman, putting a hand to her left cheek, her fingers wetting against her now slashed cheek. "If you were aiming for a lethal shot, you missed." She responded with no emotion, gripping her stopwatch tightly and ready to use its power.

Flapping came from the darkness in front of the woman, as a figure finally appeared in front of a moonlit window, several gems of varying colour coating the lobby in iridescent light. "Oh believe me," she opened her eyes, a brilliant crimson pair of pupils focusing on her prey. "I prefer my victims alive."

With her fangs glinting, the vampire created flame from nowhere and moulded it into a sword before charging forward, death in her eyes.

Pulling back her flames, the vampire prepared a wide swipe, to which the hunter finally pressed the button on her stopwatch and the effect was instant.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the ticking of her stopwatch kept the hunter from resting, dodge rolling under the vampire before clicking the stopwatch again, the sword swinging wildly to hit nothing as she prepared another throwing knife to throw.

While the vampire looked around in confusion, the hunter aimed a knife straight to the back of her thigh and threw, hitting her target and causing the vampire to fall onto her intact left leg in agony, her sword sparking out, plunging the room back into darkness as her concentration broke.

Walking to the vampire, the hunter grabbed her by the chin, using her free hand to prepare another knife and putting it to her neck. "Any last words?"

"Y-yeah." Her arrogant tone had given way to one of a begging child. "P-please, I have an older s-sister, she'd be all alone if you killed me, but could you send her a message?"

The hunter hesitated.

Out of all the mistakes she had made during the evening, this was the most fatal one for her.

"Tell her you fell for the oldest trick in the book."

A sharp pain entered the hunter's right thigh as light returned to the lobby, a sword-shaped flame returning to the vampire's hands, blood covering her leg from below where the hunter's knife had been.

The hunter now on one knee, gave an extra sense of dominance to the vampire as she lined up her sword to the hunter's neck.

"I said I preferred my victims alive, but you're more trouble than you're worth." She sneered as the hunter noticed moonlight starting to fill the room again and gritting her teeth with a smile.

"I can imagine the proud vampire lord being so offended at the thought of a mere human wounding her." The hunter stalled for time, keeping the vampire's focus on her.

"Brave words from cattle." She prepared to decapitate the hunter with a single strike, her fangs becoming visible in her blades light. "Now be a good human and die alread-"

A high heel to the vampire's head interrupted her gloating, flying across the room and ending in an inelegant crash as the hunter breathed a sigh of relief and stopped tensing her muscles, falling to the floor, it feeling like a good place to rest as her saviour roughly pulled the knife out of her thigh.

The hunter heard a sniff followed by a tired sigh. "Holy water, garlic and blood. Another failed vampire hunter, I see." She spoke as if she was describing bad weather as the hunter's eyes finally closed, but before passing out, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You're still breathing? Good. I have use for you yet."

The dawning sunlight tickled Sakuya's face, the maid's eyes fluttering as consciousness returned to her, rubbing her tired eyes as she looked around her bedroom and sighed.

"Was that a dream? It all felt so real, so visceral…" She patted her thigh, somehow still aching despite being stabbed in a dream while her other hand was still filled with the stopwatch.

Paying it no mind, she carefully got up, dusting off her dress and adjusting her headgear, she slipped the timepiece back into her skirt's pocket before heading to her closet.

Opening up revealed a row of identical maid outfits, as the maid sometimes needed the replacement and her ability to stop time had yet to last a full wash cycle.

Underneath the outfits was a locked chest, warded and locked in such a way only one of her knives could open. Placing it on her bed, she listened out for any sign of life before jamming a knife into the designated slot, flipping it open and letting her inspect the contents.

There was her "Window Cleaner", a whiskey flask she would use when the mood suited her, because it's not like anyone would see her drinking when on the job, let alone stop her.

There was also a hand-drawn picture of her by Flandre from… She couldn't recall when, but judging by the crudely written apology, she had an inkling of when it was.

Lining the top of it was the fabric from a destroyed piece of clothing she was told to burn, but kept as it had an odd familiarity to it, along with her last requests should she be killed. (Namely, burn everything in the chest, optionally using the whiskey.)

And finally, the reason why she wanted it all burned in case she fell.

Reaching in, she pulled out a silk, handwoven shirt, exactly fit for her mistress and looking more like an outfit from the Outside World, complete with matching dress and more notably, not designed with a vampire in mind.

Sakuya smiled sadly at her passion project, inspired by a dream she had once where her mistresses simply lost their immortality and memories one day, mistaking her for their guardian and instead of correcting them, taking full responsibility for them as if they were her own flesh and blood.

"To think, that silly dream would be granted by my mistresses' own will." She thought before placing it back gently. "I hope Remilia finds these clothes suitable during the Scarlet Moon Festival."

Grabbing her "Window Cleaner", she closed the chest and put it back before adjusting her cap and dress again, letting her smile fade into her more presentable "maid" face before striding out of her bedroom to the great library.

Assuming it wasn't on fire, she was going to need her "Window Cleaner" to handle the inevitable screaming match her mistress and Patchouli were probably having.

The library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was as quiet as ever, the resident librarian surrounded by tomes of all sorts of natures, from academic volumes of magic research to mythological tales from the Outside World that piqued her interest.

She was just in the middle of another thrilling chapter of The Theology of Fairies: A Study of Death, Rebirth and Reckless Abandon when the grand double doors swung open, revealing Remilia under the gloaming light of the single skylight window that served as the main natural light source of the library, for lack of an actual clock.

The soft thump of Remilia's footsteps cut through the silence, making Patchouli Knowledge finally look up from her gripping anecdote about the so called strongest fairy's relationship with a fairy said to have had a major involvement in the second Lunarian incident with an annoyed look in her amethyst eyes, not even flinching at Remilia's puffed and reddened eyes and tear-stained face as she sat down adjacent to the magician.

"I'll tell you what I told Sakuya: No." She said with no room for negotiation. "I have a lot of books to read and spells to practice, as such there is no time in my busy schedule for your wild fantasies."

"Patchy…" Remilia raised an eyebrow, leaning back in the recliner with a sneer. "Don't make me say it."

"Don't make me get Koakuma to escort you out." She warned, her eyes remaining fixed on the vampiress.

"You called, Miss Patchouli?" A well-dressed demon seemed to form from the darkness, long red hair tucked neatly behind her head and tray with hot tea and coffee in her hands.

"You seem to be ignoring the fact I own this manor and could easily win in a fight against the both of you. Don't make me say it, Patchy." Remilia's annoyance rose, her tone gradually becoming cold enough for her breath to start to be visible in the warm spring evening.

"I'll just leave the tray here…" Koakuma wisely decided to back away, suddenly finding interest in the shelf of youkai biology on the far side of the library as the two magically powerful beings stared each other down.

"That aside, do you know how insane your request is? Reversing vampirism is an idea out of a bad romance novel, not something a magician like I could ever possibly feasibly achieve, let alone the risk of it backfiring-"

"Patchouli Knowledge. I care not for your excuses, I asked you and now I'm ordering you to make this spell happen by the next full moon, otherwise your contract with the Scarlet Devil Mansion will be… Let us say reassessed, perhaps I'll revoke your rights to the library."

If looks could kill (and if Remilia wasn't already mortally challenged) Patchouli would have a pretty good chance of finishing off the vampire. "You wouldn't dare."

"I dare." Her tone continued to echo across the library as if she was speaking from every nook and cranny at once before gaining a sly smile. "Ah, the perks of vampiric blood oaths. By the way Patchy, did I ever say how lovely your eyes look reflected in the evening light?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Remi." Patchouli had returned to her usual deadpan expression, sifting through the pile of books on her desk for ones on curses and transformation magic before sighing in resignation. "Koakuma! Get me any books on vampirism and healing magic!" She called to nobody in particular as something stepped out of the shadow of a shelf.

"Here you go, Miss Patchouli." A pile of books landed next to her desk with a thump as Koakuma wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Every book on vampires and the undead in general, medical applications of magic and just for good measure, a steamy romance novel involving a human falling in love with a vampire."

"Please burn that last one." Patchouli responded without even looking up from the book she now held, a dissertation on the various interpretations of vampire lore throughout the history of the Outside World's culture and the various strengths and weaknesses of each one.

"Did you even read it? It was a rather interesting take on the nature of werewolves vampires in the Outside World were they to exist, even if the writing of the perspective character was less than good." Remilia grabbed a teacup and took a sip of the sweetened black tea. "That being said, your familiar makes good tea, is this your preferred blend?"

"I drink coffee."

"As blunt as ever, Patchy." Remilia put down her cup and grabbed a book herself on the perceived nature of vampirism and flipped to a random page, detailing the rise of the "sexy" vampire in fiction and stifling a laugh. "Imagine being of the noble vampire clan and intentionally hiding your features. Where are the great leathery bat wings, the gothic fashion sense, the grandiose spectacle of grandeur?"

"'Grandiose spectacle of grandeur' says the vampire who reads young adult vampire fiction."

"S-shut up!" Remilia's charisma broke rather spectacularly, while the librarian sipped at her coffee with a smug smile, the library falling into a rhythm of sipping and page turning.

"As expected, the only permanent cure to vampirism is death." Patchouli sighed, putting the archive in front of her down with a soft thud. "This is just like when you inquired of Flan's … Less than sane state."

The silence went from comfortable to deafening as Remilia breathed sharply. "You really want to push my buttons today, don't you Patchouli?"

The question was spoken with all the tranquil fury Remilia could muster as Patchouli felt a chill down her spine, but continued regardless. "I apologise for opening old wounds, but it's a necessary evil. Remember Lævateinn?"

"The enchanted staff you gave her? What about it?" Remilia was still angry, but listened to Patchouli anyway out of respect.

"I suppose I never told you the truth of the matter, as I enchanted it to take her destructive energy and sort of convert it to meditative energy so that she doesn't fly into a insane state during the full moon, along with keeping her happier and mentally healthier. I suppose if I adjusted that spell, I could-"

"But you just told me how it works and that seems like a placebo." Remilia countered with a raised eyebrow. "Though I like the idea for Flan, good work."

Patchouli shooker her head with a sad smile. "That hack job was from a younger, less powerful magician and one day I need to work on a more permanent ward for her."

"All in due time, Patchy." Remilia had completely calmed herself at this point. "For now, sell me on this idea."

"I was thinking an article of clothing similar to Lævateinn-"

"I'm not carrying a giant staff around all night." Remilia interjected immediately. "The point of this venture is to look as human as possible."

Patchouli paused and bit her lip. "Ah. Then the job will be much harder, as I'm not used to working on smaller pieces, but I can adapt. But before we continue, give me an idea of what you want."

"An item that can revert the effects of vampirism temporarily so I can blend in as a human girl. Including my wings."

Patchouli bit her lip harder. "I can work with this, but it'll need to be pretty large, around the size of your collar and-"

"Me? Wearing a neck-based collar accessory? Are you trying to imply something? Patchy?"

Patchouli's teeth removed themselves from her lip before blood could shoot out of it and opted to slam her head into the table instead.

"So you want a discrete magical artifact that can completely mask your very obvious vampirism?"

"Yes."

*slam*

"And you're not willing to compromise on the design?"

"Of course not, any compromise could lead to me being found out."

*slam*

"Are… Are you alright, Patchy?" Remilia showed some concern for the magician and her newly formed head lump.

"I feel like one of Kaguya's suitors, faced with an impossible request, but I will manage… somehow." Patchouli sighed and started to formulate a plan of attack. She'd need someone who specialized in magic related to enchantments, that doll-maker might be a good person to talk to on that front but then she'd need a lot of magic to ensure the spell remained stable…

Patchouli sighed.

"Marisa. Goddamn. Kirasame."

A/N: There's a certain sense of irony in worrying about the continuity of Touhou, considering how chill the general fanfic scene is. Every fic has its own interpretation of Gensokyo and I should really stop worrying about getting things "right", as that just makes it harder to have fun with a project, y'know?

Anyway this chapter changed a lot in development, I was originally going to write the initial advancement of Mystia's plotline, but then I reread Lotus Eaters and you saw what happened.

More interesting to me is the Sakuya flashback, maybe a bit darker than people expected and I do apologize for I misled anyone into thinking this would be pure fluff, as only two genre tags is a real bitch to deal with, but I remain firm in the fact this is in fact, a story primarily about humour and friendship.

… And I just apologized when I said I wouldn't, dammit. I have more "flashback" scenes planned and I don't think any of them will be any darker than the one presented today and the main story itself certainly isn't going that far. I hope.

Thank you for waiting warmly and yes, I am aware that Unconnected Marketeers is out and no, I will not include anything from that game, just to be nice to people who may be reading this as their first Touhou fic.

That and I haven't played it yet, don't judge me, I can't read Japanese.

Omake:

"Oooooooo…" Came the ghostly wailing from beyond the bathroom's door as Youmu Konpaku guarded with a stern, yet tired look on her face.

"Yuyuko, it would probably help if you didn't groan like that, you may scare the humans around here." She warned gently, her phantom half floating alongside with a sense of worry.

"But it huuuuuuurts." The ghost from within, Yuyuko Saigyouji groaned as her usual polite elegance was completely shattered with her guttural pain. "I knew that fifth portion was a mistake."

Youmu sighed, but her smile held. Looking after Yuyuko was certainly a task, but she had long since gotten used to her carefree demeanour, even if it got her into trouble occasionally.

"You'll live." She smirked at her own joke, unscrewing her "Etherial Ethanol" and taking a long drink of whsikey.

"I'm a ghost you ingrate!" Yuyuko yelled, muffled by the bathroom's acoustics before another groan emanated from her. "Hurk, I think I jerked up too quickly…"