Reimu tilted her head side to side, inspecting herself in the mirror. As always, her strikingly violet eyes drew in her gaze and made it hard to look away. Now that she'd gotten used to the new color, she kind of liked them. They looked... regal. Dangerous. It lent just a bit of an exotic edge to her otherwise prettily plain features.

A bit more concerning were her teeth. She hadn't even noticed it happening, but her canines had elongated at some time over the past week, taking on pointed tips. She pulled her lips apart and inspected them, tilting her head side to side and exploring their edges with her tongue. Not quite long enough to be called fangs, but they gave her smile a bit of the sharp, predatory edge that she'd learned to associate with youkai.

She'd just have to take care to control her expression, then. Once she was satisfied, she straightened her bow and gave her clothes one last adjustment. With that, she was ready to go out.

It was what she needed, she'd decided. It had been almost two weeks since she became a shikigami, and apart from the trip to the shrine, she'd barely left the house. When she'd lived at the shrine, company had ways of finding her. Here, she was going to have to take the initiative if she wanted some variety to her days. She'd spent enough time training and worrying lately. Now, it was time for her to relax.

Plus, Yukari had offered her a generous amount of spending money. That certainly helped.

The house was silent when she stepped out of her room. She'd gotten up early for this, waking up just past the mid-afternoon. It was one of the calmest times around the house, with Yukari sleeping, Ran usually out running errands, and Chen... doing whatever it was that cats did when nobody was watching. Every morning, she hurried off in the direction of Mayohiga, and in the evening, she always seemed to come back a bit dirtier than when she'd left. Ran didn't seem concerned, so neither was Reimu.

With nobody around to keep her, Reimu made her way out of the house and to the edge of the yard. She'd gotten a feel for the layout, and headed in the right direction without conscious thought. Even without using her boundary powers, she could tell when she crossed the invisible line into Gensokyo. The wind picked up subtly, and the air was filled with the spring sounds of birds and insects. After weeks of mostly-nocturnal living, the sounds of the day seemed energetic and cheerful. It bolstered her mood, and with a kick, she launched herself into the air and headed toward the road.

Life in the village was just as busy as in the forest, with children running from place to place, workmen carrying parcels between shops, merchant carts lining the streets, and plenty of people just strolling to enjoy the weather. It helped relieve Reimu's anxiety over her first visit to the village as a youkai. Her strange outfit and violet eyes might draw attention under other circumstances, but here on the busy street, nobody was likely to even notice her.

It was strange, though, being here in the bustling heart of the village. This was the life that she'd turned her back on when she agreed to become Yukari's shikigami. She passed along the side of a square, where the farmers had set up their stalls for the day. They went about their regular activities, haggling with customers, chasing children away from cages of chickens, stacking produce in crates, relaxing in the shade to escape the sun... if she'd gone a different route, any one of them could have been her. She paused for a moment and tried to see herself in their positions. Tending to crops all morning and selling them in the afternoon, only to spend her earnings on necessities and go home, ready to sleep and do it over again tomorrow. It did have an attractive simplicity.

… if she thought about doing it for a few weeks, at least. Doing that for years, not so much. She couldn't dedicate herself to working so strenuously for a living. She'd gotten too accustomed to long afternoons of resting on the shrine's steps, sipping tea and enjoying the breeze. In that one dimension, maybe, she'd always been more like a youkai than a human.

Reimu's circuit around the city was slow and meandering. She'd planned to buy more belongings to fill her mostly-empty room, but wasn't sure what she was looking for or where to buy it. The shrine had just sort of naturally filled itself over the years, with little odds and ends that she'd gotten as gifts, strange things that Marisa had packed in to show her, and detritus that drifted in from the outside world. Purposely shopping for things was something that she'd rarely had the time or inclination to do.

So, she wandered into shops that caught her eye. It was an interesting way to spend a day in its own right. The village held dozens of shops dedicated to selling art, clothing, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, books, and curios, and she'd never visited the majority of them. In one, she bought a few candles. In another, a decorative vase for flowers. A small jar of konpeito to snack on between meals. A woodblock print of flowering cherry trees. The best part was, as soon as she was out of sight, she could open a gap and tuck the purchases away, instantly depositing them in her bedroom. She had to admit, the shikigami thing had its advantages.

And disadvantages. It didn't take long for her to notice somebody across the street watching her fearfully. And then it happened again, when a small group crossed the street to avoid her. In a few shops, the conversation came to abrupt silence as soon as she walked in. The worst part was, she wasn't even sure why. Her outfit did sort of scream 'youkai' to a seasoned Gensokyo native. But did they recognize her? Had Marisa been right, and most of the village already suspected that she was a youkai? Could that many people recognize her on sight?

By the late afternoon, the constant anxious glances were taking their toll on Reimu's mood. It didn't help that she felt like she was starving. Her hunger hadn't ebbed at all, and she was now nearly insatiable. Her meals seemed to disappear into her stomach without effect, and always left her wanting more. It was starting to concern her, but for all she knew, this was a normal part of being a youkai. She'd definitely seen plenty of them drink more than a human could ever hope to survive. Maybe an endless appetite came with the territory, too. It didn't help that the smell of some delicious food seemed to permeate the village, always goading her appetite onward. She couldn't quite place it, but it smelled warm and hearty. Maybe people had taken the nice weather as an opportunity to cook outside.

Cutting through a few dark alleys, Reimu slipped into a more familiar street. There was only the occasional pedestrian here, and the signs were less flashy. Many of the shops were the sorts that wanted less attention in the first place: Curio stores that dealt primarily to youkai, herbalists that dealt with the kinds of problems that required discretion, fences, a handful of more legitimate shops that had fallen on hard times. The only welcoming landmark was Suzunaan, sitting right on the edge. It was one of the shadiest districts of the village.

So, of course, Marisa had chosen it for their meeting spot.

"Yo!" Marisa's voice was unmistakable, even in the small crowd. Before Reimu could turn around to look for her, she'd been half-tackled in a hug from behind. "Hey, I caught a youkai!"

This was immediately followed by the unfortunately familiar grind-whirr combo of a camera advancing its film. "Not so loud!" Reimu said, and squirmed within her grip enough to allow herself to look over her shoulder.

She turned around just in time to be blinded by the flash of Aya's camera."Hey, hey! Don't mind me, try to act natural! Natural!" Aya said, already readying herself for another shot.

"Aya. I—" The camera flashed again, and Reimu flinched. "Do you really have to do that?!"

"Hehe, sorry." Aya held her camera up to demonstrate that she was done for the moment. "This whole shrine maiden switch has been really big news, you know? I've got five articles just waiting for pictures of you before they can go to print. ... can I get a few more?"

"I'd really rather you didn't..." Reimu rubbed her eyes. As her vision slowly cleared, she realized that Sanae was standing behind her, too. "... hi, Sanae."

"Um, hi," Sanae said, seeming like her usual upbeat tempo had been completely thrown off by Aya's interference. "... your outfit looks nice! Pretty cool, actually."

"Oh, thanks."

"I tried to get as many people as I could, y'know? Give you a big welcome back to the social scene after being gone for a while," Marisa said, and released Reimu. She straightened her hat and looked out over the small group. "... but, uh. It didn't really work out. Sorry. Most of the small fry youkai are tryin' to avoid the new shrine maiden right now."

"... huh? What happened?"

"It's a long story. Point is, nobody wants to risk it. Except Aya, 'cuz she's nuts."

"I've never met a shrine maiden I can't outrun!" Aya said, and gave her camera a proud shake before tucking it away. "And I might add, Reimu, that you'd know about this kind of thing already if you had a Bunbunmaru News subscription. … interested? I've got a deal right now where you get three months for—"

Part of Reimu was perversely interested in the idea of buying a subscription and watching Aya try to figure out where she lived now. … but knowing Aya, she'd probably be just tenacious enough to pull it off somehow. Better to not risk it. "Maybe later," she said, with no intention to ever continue the conversation. "For now, can we get some food? I'm starving."

Reimu had the money to cover it, but still felt embarrassed as she ordered two of the udon shop's largest bowls. They were each the size of her head, and she downed them ravenously, while Sanae watched in amazement. She couldn't help it. It was what her new appetite demanded.

It was starting to grow worrying.

By the time that she was slurping up the broth in the second bowl, the others had been done eating for some time and fallen into conversation. In a way, she was glad that Marisa hadn't managed to get a bigger group together. She'd drawn plenty of attention by herself, and now that Marisa was seated across from her, trying to wrestle Aya's notepad free to read it, there was barely a patron in the shop that wasn't shooting them dirty looks now and then. Something had to be done.

"You two," Reimu said, and pushed her now-empty bowls away, "are going to get us kicked out at this rate."

"Huh?" Marisa said. Her current position, kneeling on the bench and craning for Aya's upheld book, was precarious. A wing slapped her in the face, and she recoiled. "H-hey, watch those things!"

"Hah, can't take your own medicine, Kirisame? I'll have you know that you smacked me with your broom at least half a dozen times last summer."

"That was business, it's different!"

Reimu loudly cleared her throat, and the two stopped mid-argument. She might not have been the shrine maiden any longer, but most residents of Gensokyo still had a finely-tuned survival skill for detecting when they were getting on their last nerve. They sat back down, with Marisa grumbling and Aya preening over her apparent victory.

"Anyway!" Aya said. In a manner so casual as to seem barely worth noticing, she flipped her notepad open and flicked her pen into position in her other hand. "How have you been, Reimu? Is that shady gap youkai treating you well?"

Reimu eyed the notebook. "Is this an interview?"

"Ah, that's cold, Reimu, that's cold! I'm only asking as a friend, of course." As Aya spoke, she was already taking notes.

Reimu had ago learned that there wasn't much benefit to denying Aya an interview. If she couldn't get the details for an article, she was more than happy to invent some herself. Besides, in this case, maybe it couldn't hurt. Half of Gensokyo was probably still wondering where she had disappeared to. She sighed at the prospect of giving into Aya so easily anyway. At this rate she was going to be heading home with a lifetime subscription to the Bunbunmaru. "I've been fine."

"Really?" Sanae said, sounding surprised. "So Yukari's been treating you well?"

"Yeah, she has. I was a little surprised, myself."

"Huh... oh! Your new eyes!" Sanae leveled a finger at Reimu's face. "I never noticed them before! They're pretty!"

"Um, thanks."

"What's the deal with that, anyway?" Marisa said, while doing her best to peek at Aya's notes without being obvious about it. "I mean the pointy teeth, sure." Dammit, Reimu had been hoping it wasn't that obvious. "But why purple eyes?"

"I don't know. I think it's a Yukari thing. Because I'm part gap youkai or whatever now?"

"It's a good color for you," Aya said. She hadn't looked up from her notepad since the conversation had started.

"It's... kind of weird," Sanae said. "You were the shrine maiden for as long as I've lived here. Now, having you suddenly on the other side..." She froze at that, eyes going wide. "W-wait, that doesn't mean we're enemies now, does it?!"

"I don't want to be anybody's enemy. It sounds like too much work, if you ask me." Reimu slumped against the table and yawned. The meal was still heavy in her stomach, and already, she could feel the first hints of hunger creeping back in. She was definitely going to have to ask Yukari about that. "But... yes. Um. I'm a youkai now."

Even that simple admission felt like it should have been... more dramatic. Part of her already wished she could take it back. The others barely seemed to notice, though. Even the other patrons seemed to have not overheard it over the background chatter.

"Hmmm..." Aya finally stopped writing and glanced over her notes. "... what about your replacement, that new shrine maiden? Have you talked to her much?"

"Only once. She's not really interested in hearing anything I have to say."

"It seems like that girl doesn't want to listen to anybody," Aya said, and her tone quite naturally shifted from 'information gathering' to 'gossiping.' Reimu wasn't sure if she had any other tones of voice. "I hear that the shop owners are already pretty upset with her for trying to chase the youkai out of town, but she isn't budging."

"She's not," Marisa said. Now that Aya had finished writing, she pulled away from the tengu and rested her elbows on the table. "I'm the one they asked to talk to her about it. She wasn't havin' it."

"What even happened?" Reimu said, trying to sound less interested than she actually was. If she got Aya going, she might not get out of here before closing time.

"The main one I heard is that she trashed Misty bad enough that she had to close up her shop. Takin' a few days off to heal."

"S-She got Mystia?!" Sanae leaned forward against the table, gaping in disbelief.

"Yeah."

Sanae wilted. "Where am I supposed to get dinner on late-night youkai hunts now..."

"… Sanae, that ain't the issue."

"The real issue, of course," Aya said, raising her voice, "is that an upstanding and peaceful youkai has been attacked." Reimu had never seen Aya speak in another youkai's defense. Maybe it was a bird pride thing. "And she didn't follow the spell card rules, even. That kind of thing doesn't look good to the rest of us. Not good at all."

"Wait," Reimu said. "... what do you mean about the rules?"

"Ahh, you know. Everybody says Mystia wasn't doing anything, and the new girl just attacked her without even declaring a spell card. Of course..." Aya glanced over to Reimu, and her growing grin screamed 'just wait until you hear this.' "There are rumors that she's exterminated youkai after beating them in a duel, but nobody knows for sure."

Reimu leaned back with a sigh. Breaking the spell card rules was... well. Her first instinct was to run off and do something about it, but enforcing the spell card rules was part of the shrine maiden's job. If she was breaking them, herself...

And, she was increasingly aware, the three of them were looking at her like they expected her to do something about it. "... I don't see why it's any concern of mine. I'm not the shrine maiden anymore." Even now, that hurt to say.

"Hmm. I see, I see. I suppose that's true, isn't it?" Aya sounded disappointed. Hoping to stir up a news-worthy fight? "Still, it makes you think, huh? Most of the youkai are pretty happy with the spell card system. If she's not following the rules..."

"Then what?" Reimu asked, with a deliberate tone of disinterest.

"Youkai don't need to follow the rules either. How long before somebody decides to do something about her, do you think?"

Reimu froze and studied Aya's face. She'd said it with the same casual, gossiping tone as the rest of the conversation, but the threat didn't sound entirely implausible. Aya wasn't the sort to do something like that, but plenty of other youkai had hair-triggers when it came to their pride. It would only take one wounded ego.

Maybe not even that much, if the rumors got bad enough. Youkai were just as capable of forming angry mobs as humans were. Maybe even more so. Some of them treated violence like an entertaining pastime.

"I... should probably go talk to her today, huh?"

"Couldn't hurt, couldn't hurt," Aya said, nodding, then looked down to her notebook again. "... so anyway, let's go back to the topic of your new boss..."