I stood on standby off to the side of Lady Remilia who was sitting at the dining table. As expected, I was dying of boredom and was moments away from throwing myself out a window. Lady Remilia was sitting staring at the lunch I had just made for her. Sakuya was ill in bed so it was up to me to feed our master. Of course, I was far from the amazing cook that Sakuya was so I could only make Remilia a humble meal, but she didn't seem too fond with what I made her and was just staring down at it.
After a few moments waiting for her to take a bite, I decided to let out a loud belch for shits and giggles. Lady Remilia jumped in her chair in surprise then turned her head to glare angrily at me.
"How dare you do that when I'm trying to eat," she said, aggravated.
"Well, your food is going to get cold if you don't eat it soon so hurry the hell up," I strongly insisted.
"How can this half-assed made sandwich be any good?" she asked rhetorically. "What even is this?"
"It's a god damn grilled cheese sandwich," I answered, shocked she even had to ask. "It's good stuff so eat up before I do."
"Why, oh, why did Sakuya have to go and get sick…?" Lady Remilia complained as she held the sandwich in her hands.
"It might be walking pneumonia that she has or something so she might be out for a few days," I stated.
"So I'm stuck eating your lazily made food until she's better?"
"Hey, I put some actual effort into making that sandwich."
"What amount of effort could possibly be put into such a simple sandwich?"
"For all that is good in the world, just shut up and eat the damn thing," I said frustratingly.
"I still need to teach you how to talk to your master…" Lady Remilia said, but she didn't continue on with that thought and decided to finally take a bite out of the grilled cheese sandwich. She chewed what she had then gulped it down. She suddenly looked surprised. "This… is actually good. This half-assed sandwich is actually good."
"See? Now stop complaining and eat it. I'll probably end up making another one for you for dinner. I have yet to be taught how to cook things like Sakuya does," I said.
Remilia ate her sandwich a bite at a time until it was gone. Once she was done, she smiled in satisfaction then took a towel to her lips to clean them. I knew she would like it. A grilled cheese sandwich is always a good food to go with. Easy to make, easy to eat.
Remilia got up out of her seat then walked up to me. "I have an order for you," she said.
"What you need?" I asked.
"I want you to go to Eientei and get some medicine for Sakuya," she said.
I stared at the girl for a few moments in silence before speaking up. "To where…?"
"Eientei. There you will find a pharmacist by the name of Eirin Yagokoro. Go there and ask her for medicine. She'll know what to do from there."
"I can't even spell it let alone find the place," I mentioned.
"You're going to have to learn how to navigate the world of Gensokyo and this will be the perfect opportunity for you to do just that."
"You're not even going to tell me where it is?!" I said in surprise.
"I'm sure you will pull through and find it on your own."
"This is Sakuya's health we're talking about. Don't you think we shouldn't be toying around?"
"She's not going to die overnight. So hurry up and get going," Remilia said then took her leave from the dining room.
I stood right where I was, befuddled. I was in a bind. My master has ordered me to go out into the world of Gensokyo. I've been outside the walls of the mansion before, sure, but I know I have barely touched the surface. How the hell was I going to find this place called Eientei? Where do I even start? I had a couple of ideas, but I still didn't like the idea of wandering around Gensokyo when I hardly know the place. I'd hate to accidently run into someone like that Yuuka lady. I'd die for sure. Well, it wasn't like I had much choice. It was a command from Lady Remilia and I definitely wanted to help Sakuya so I mentally prepped myself and made my way to my first destination.
I traveled through the dark, Magic Forest with a book from Patchouli's library in hand. I decided that going to Alice's place for directions was the best thing I could do. No one at the mansion would give me any kind of directions since they were specifically told by Lady Remilia not to assist me in my travels. Damn that girl… God, love her, but she can be such a pain sometimes. I know she wants me to learn things on my own, but she could throw me a bone every once in a while. With that said and done, I continued onwards towards Alice's place.
The walk was, thankfully, a peaceful one. I had made it to Alice's house and was standing before the door. I hesitated to knock because I really didn't want to wake Alice up, but I had no choice. So, with a quick inhale then exhale of air, I knocked on the door three times. I waited patiently and my patience was rewarded. The door opened and there stood… not the person I was expecting. The blonde girl in a witch's uniform was shocked to see me before putting on a big smile.
"Well, I be damned," Marisa said before looking back into the house. "Alice! Look who decided to join us!" she shouted.
The owner of the home, Alice, appeared from within the house. She too looked surprised before smiling. "Isaac. What brings you here at this time of night?"
Marisa eyed the book I was carrying then snatched it away. "I'll take that," she said.
I glared at the girl. "That's for Alice," I said, determined. I loosened up my face then looked back to Alice. "I was actually hoping I can get some directions from you."
"Directions?" Alice asked for clarification.
"Yeah. I need to get to a place called Eientei," I said.
Marisa was scanning through the book I had brought for Alice before looking up at me. "Ooo, Eientei. Why you wanna go there?" she asked.
"Sakuya's sick so I need to go get her some meds," I said.
"That's unfortunate to hear," Alice said with a nod.
Marisa giggled. "Nice to hear that the mansion's defenses have been lowered," she said cheekily.
"Don't get any ideas," I said as I glared at the witch condemningly. "I'll still beat your ass if you try and steal books from Patchouli."
Marisa winced as if remembering a bad memory. "You really shouldn't be so quick to beat up a lady, Isaac," she said.
"You're no lady. And besides, your behind deserved it," I said.
"I think my butt is still red from the last time…" Marisa said then started to raise her skirt. "Alice, check my butt out for me and tell me if it's still red."
Alice quickly forced her skirt back down. "I don't want to see your butt, Marisa," she said angrily. Marisa chuckled at her flushed face.
I let out a short laugh. "At least you're a good sport about losing," I said.
"I made this clear before… I hold back because you can't even fly yet," Marisa informed.
I grinned. "That or you just like to be spanked."
And Marisa blushed hard. "I-I do not!"
"You both are weird," Alice stated.
"Anyways," I started. "Could you draw me a map or something, Alice?"
"Hold it!" Marisa interrupted. "Why don't I just take you there myself? I know how much you like to fly on my broom."
I smiled as my blood got to pumping. "That would be great actually!" I said.
Marisa was getting really excited about the idea. "We can even make a few detours on the way. You know, show you around Gensokyo," she said.
"At this time of night?" I asked, unsure.
"Sure, it'll be fun!" she happily said.
"Well, I don't mine, but Sakuya could really use the medicine sooner rather than later," I stated.
"It's not like she's going to die overnight, bud," she said.
"Fine, fine." I gave in.
Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we'll continue with the experiment some other time," she said. "You two have fun and stay out of trouble."
"Of course we will!" Marisa said excitedly. She then ran towards the door, grabbing a hold of my hand on the way and dragging me out of the house. "This is going to be great. I already know who we should visit first."
Marisa took her broom and sat on it then gestured me to join her. I did as I was told and sat myself right behind her. I scooted up against her backside as close as possible and wrapped my arms around her waist and held on tightly.
I could see her face getting red. "Y-You don't need to get so close, you know…" she said.
"Heh… Just want to make sure I don't fall off. We wouldn't want that to happen now would we?" I teased.
"Fine, just… don't push up against me anymore than you are."
"No promises," I said with a chuckle.
So, the broom raised us up above the trees of the forest. The moment we were in the clear, Marisa blasted us forward into the night sky. It was actually a good thing that I was holding on tight to Marisa because I really could have fallen off. The thrill of the flight got my heart racing. I cheered as we raced across the sky. The flight didn't last long though and soon we were just outside the edges of the forest. We landed in front of a place that looked like some sort of shop. We hopped off the broom and Marisa fast walked towards the door. She immediately started to knock hard and loud.
I walked up to Marisa. "Are you sure whoever owns the place is even awake?" I asked.
"He is now if he wasn't already," Marisa stated.
She continued to knock on the door nonstop before someone finally opened the door. For the first time in forever, it was not a female who greeted us at the door. It was actually the first male I have seen since coming to Gensokyo, if you don't count the prisoners back at the mansion, that is.
"So it is you…" the guy said as he sullenly looked at Marisa. "You do know what time it is, do you not, Marisa?"
"Hey, Rinnosuke! I've brought a visitor!" Marisa said joyously.
"I see that," the man named Rinnosuke said as his eyes turned to me. A calm smile appeared in his expression. "Hello there. You must be the new vampire, Isaac."
"Nice guess," Marisa said as she held up a thumbs up.
"How do you know who I am?" I asked, confused.
"Marisa here has mentioned you quite a few times," he said.
"Yup, it's true!" Marisa said.
Something then ticked in my mind. It was then I remembered hearing of a shopkeeper by the name of Rinnosuke. He was the one Sakuya got my lighter from. I took out the lighter from my pocket and presented it to the guy.
"You're the one who gave me this for free. Man, I've been wanting to thank you for a long time," I said.
"It was no problem on my part," Rinnosuke said happily. "I was in quite a shock when Sakuya told me there was a newborn vampire living at the mansion. When she ordered some cigarettes, I knew what you needed."
I took his hand and shook it. "Thanks, man. A dozen thanks."
"Again, it was no problem," he said.
"Well, I'm glad you two became friends so quick," Marisa said with a happy nod.
"Why don't you two come in? Isaac could look around and you, Marisa, can buy him a late welcoming gift," Rinnosuke said.
"Sounds good to me," I said with a big smile on my face. I made my way inside the shop with Marisa behind me and Rinnosuke behind her.
Marisa looked shocked. "What? Why me? You can just give him something for free," she said franticly.
"I can't just give out all my items for free," he said with a wink.
As expected, there were all kinds of crap sitting on tables just waiting to be bought. A lot of it looked like antique stuff. Nothing I was really interested in. I pulled out a small box from my pocket and opened it to find a loan cigarette inside. I turned to Rinnosuke. All I did was hold up the box and he knew exactly what I needed.
"I still have plenty imported from the Outside World," he said then made his way to the back of his shop.
Marisa shook her head in disgust. "No wonder your breath smells bad. You really need to put an end to smoking," she strongly insisted.
"Not going to happen," I said as I put the last cigarette in my mouth and lit up then took in a big breath of smoke that filled my lungs. "I'd die without the nicotine."
Rinnosuke came out from the back with two small boxes of cigarettes then handed them to me. "One is free, Marisa will buy the other one," he said.
Marisa shook her head wildly. "Nope, I will not be an enabler to his smoking addiction," she said.
"I'll simply put it on your tab," Rinnosuke said.
"Nooooo!" Marisa whined.
"Thanks a bunch you two," I said while bowing my head.
"Alright, let's get moving before I'm made to buy you more stuff," Marisa said with her head lowered in defeat.
Rinnosuke and I took each other's hand and shook. "Great to meet you," I said.
"Likewise," Rinnosuke said.
Marisa and I made our way back outside. I finished up my cigarette before mounting her broom. Again, we raised high above the canopy of the forest before blasting off to our next destination. It was cold flying through the night sky, but the thrill of the flight kept my blood warm. Marisa even did some flips and rolls for my amusement. I shouted joyfully out into the dark skies as we raced through the air.
Marisa didn't tell me what out next destination was. We simply landed at the bottom of some stone steps that lead high up on a hill. There were Japanese styled archways that lead up along the stone steps. I wondered why Marisa didn't simply fly us up to the top of the hill, but I didn't bother asking. Needed the exercise anyways.
I took one step on the first of many stone steps. "Up this way?" I asked Marisa.
"Yup," she answered with a smile. "This will take us to the Hakurei Shrine. It's where Reimu lives."
"Heh… Think she'll be mad when we wake her up?" I asked.
"Yup!" she answered with yet another carefree smile.
So we made our way up the long flight of stone steps. It was a long walk, but a nice one. It wasn't too long by the time we had made it up the stone steps. And sitting there at the very top was exactly what Marisa said there'd be: a shrine. I'd call it a pagan shrine, but that apparently isn't accurate. It was a Shinto shrine, the apparent native religion of Japan. I did not know this until recently.
Marisa wasted no time in running up to the front door of the shrine and slid it open. "Reimu! Come quick! There's a trouble-making youkai out here saying he'll kick your ass!"
"Real funny, Marisa," I said.
But what happened next was not at all what I expected. It wasn't Reimu who came running out of the shrine, but a short, two-horned individual. The horns had ribbons on them. Her hair was a brownish, orangish color. She wore a long purple and pink skirt with a tattered pale pink blouse. In her hand was some sort of container for some kind of liquid. Water maybe? The girl laid her brown eyes on me and the instant she did she tossed the container right at my head. It flew through the air so fast that I didn't have the chance to duck and took the hit square on my forehead. I was knocked backwards, landing on the flat of my back. I now had a throbbing pain in the front of my head. The container fell on my gut and I quickly grabbed it, stood up with rage filling my chest, and took aim at the little punk.
"Drink some!" the short girl shouted, pausing my throw.
I just stared at her like she was some kind of idiot before realizing the container was indeed filled up with a liquid. I popped the plug then took a whiff of what was inside. And I was easily able to tell what exactly was inside: alcohol. The smell had suddenly numbed my pained head. I couldn't help but smile as I put the container to my lips and took a big swig of the stuff. I swallowed it all in one big gulp then nearly gaged. My eyes tear up from how strong the alcohol was.
"Woo! That's some good stuff," I said, my face scrunched up.
The girl ran up to me and snatched back the container then took a swig of her own. Not one swig, but two, three! She gulped each mouthful down without problems, putting me to shame.
"Jesus, girl. Who you trying to prove to?" I asked.
The horned-girl took a fourth swig and drank that down without problems too. "As I figured… A Westerner can't handle our sake," she said.
I got mad then snatched the container from her. I took one, two, three, four and finally a fifth mouthful of the stuff called sake, drinking each one down. I struggled to drink one after another, but I managed to do it. At the end of it, my stomach felt like it was about to burst. I handed back the container to the girl with a huff.
"Nice!" the girl said. "Who are YOU trying to prove to, huh?" She gave me a wink.
Marisa ran up to us. "Don't leave me out of it. Give me some!" she demanded. The short girl handed the container over to her and she took a few swigs herself.
Meanwhile, the owner of the shrine came walking out. She didn't appear to look all too happy.
"Why are you people gathering at my place at this time of night?" Reimu asked irritably.
"Marisa forced me here," I said.
Marisa gasped. "I would never! He came with me willingly. Believe me, Reimu!" she said.
"You know I just like being here with you!" the short girl declared.
I turned to the girl with horns. "I'm-"
"Isaac! It's so cool to finally meet you!" the girl said excitedly.
"Yeah, figures you'd know my name already," I said. "Mind telling me your name?"
The girl held her hands out to me. "Pick me up," she oddly said.
"What?"
"You deaf, boy? I said pick me up!" she strongly insisted.
I was taken aback, but her demand was tough to ignore. So I grabbed onto her waist and lifted her off her feet. She was as light as a feather. I held her high in the air, wondering if I'd done enough to get a name out of her.
"So… What now?" I asked.
"Spin me right round, baby!" she said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"Don't be a dipstick and spin me around already," the girl demanded.
"Fine, fine. Jesus…"
So I did as I was told and spun the girl around like you would do a child. Maybe she was a child? I didn't want to assume based on her looks considering I have a master that isn't exactly adult-looking herself. But the girl drinks alcohol so no way she was a child. The girl laughed and cheered as I spun her, clearly having a good time. It felt a little weird to me at first, but I ended up getting into it and started to spin the girl around faster.
"That'a boy! That's how you do it!" the girl shouted.
Faster and faster I spun the strange girl. It was going well until the alcohol suddenly kicked in. I lost my footing and fell over onto my back. It was a bad idea to spin around because now I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I felt pressure on my chest thinking I was about to throw up, but that wasn't it. That girl was lying on my chest looking at me with a smirk and a slight blush in her cheeks. I couldn't help but blush too with how close her face was to mine. Her breath reeked of alcohol, as mine probably did too.
The girl poked my nose. "Pulling me down to the ground with you… Are you trying to insist on something, big boy?"
"Uh, no. No, I just got dizzy, that's all," I said nervously.
Marisa took the container full of alcohol and bopped the short girl on the head with it. "Okay, okay. Enough messing with him. I already had to see him and that gate guard messing around with each other. Don't want to see you two going at it in front of me," she said.
I felt my face burn. "You saw that?!" I exclaimed.
"Of course I did. You were outside, dummy," Marisa said with a huff.
"Shame on you," Reimu said as she glared at me.
"So the guy likes to have some fun. Leave him be," the short girl said in my defense, which I was thankful for.
I had to change the subject and fast. "That's it! Your name! Give me your name!" I shouted at the girl.
The girl winced from my loud voice. "Jeez, don't yell!" The girl got off of me and stood up before lending me a hand and pulling me to my feet. "My name is Suika Ibuki! I'm an oni! Nice to meet you, vampire boy!"
Finally I got your name. And an oni, huh? She's cute for a demon.
"And as you already know, I'm Isaac. Nice to meet you," I greeted.
Suika took her container full of sake from Marisa. "We need to celebrate your arrival to Gensokyo! Even if it is a bit late," she said joyfully. She took a drink of sake then handed the container to me.
I happily took the container. "If this is all we have then it's going to get empty real quick," I said before taking a drink.
Suika shook her head. "Nope. Not gonna happen. The Ibuki Gourd will never run out of sake as long as water exists in the world," she said, and I just stared at her dumbfounded. "My gourd can turn water into sake."
My eyes lit up in surprise. "No shit? That's amazing!"
Suika grabbed her gourd back. "Damn right it is!" she said before drinking from the gourd.
"This is going to be a fun night," Marisa happily said as she patted me on the back. "I'm going to have to hold back on the drinking since I'll be flying us around."
"Ooo! I wanna go with you!" Suika exclaimed.
"Thank the gods…" Reimu said with a sigh of relief.
"Then let's leave this loser behind and get going. I know who we should bother next," Marisa said as she got on her broom, followed by me then Suika right behind me.
"Hey…" Reimu said dismissively.
And so we rose to the sky once more and took off across the night sky. With a third companion on board who just so happen to possess a container that can apparently create infinite alcohol, we were ready for a wild night. I was a bit worried about whom I would meet next, but that worry slowly turned into excitement as drunkenness took hold of me.