"So basically, what you're telling me is that the job I had was this important?"

"Yes. Though none of you knew it, you were helping the Ministry."

"Oh boy, that's quite the bomb drop. So I've been part of a company working under yours then?"

"Yes, and as such you will be granted some advantages. Were your karma in the negative it would have been raised, but your ex-job isn't the most important part of it."

"Let me guess. Is it hosting the kid?"

The lady in front of Sojiro nodded.

The old man didn't know who she was, name or anything, neither where they were. But what he knew was that he died in his sleep as peacefully as a man could die from lung cancer, damn cigarettes, and that what he had done seemed to have granted him favors from the... Apparently the organization that runs people's deaths.

"Indeed, hosting the savior of mankind is the biggest source of good karma and favors you have."

Sojiro rubbed the back of his head akwardly, letting out a sigh.
"He helped me far more than I helped him, but I guess that allowing him to live in my shop's attic is enough. So... What kind of favors are we talking about?"

"We can send you wherever, except back in your home normally since you've been dead for too long. You can also ask for something to be copied and brought along with you."

The deceaced rubbed his chin thoughtfully before a gleam lit his eyes. The gleam of one that has an idea.
"... Can I be brought to someone I know?"

Reimu was tired. And that was an understatement. She woke up and took a broom as Sanae came to help clean up the shrine, but now she was simply wanting a break, maybe a drink and a snack. She went to the human village, wanting to take a walk through the lonely dark streets where she knew silence would be found so she could make peace with the flies living in her empty wallet.

A few minutes after she set foot on the ground once more and followed with her plan, a strange smell reached her, which she identified as coffee. She smelled it before at the Scarlet Mansion and at the Moria Shrine, but she never saw or tasted it. Once she was done daydreaming, Reimu found herself in front of a strange building that she didn't notice before. It had walls of unnaturally smooth stone (concrete) walls with some colored paint over it to make it blend in more and it's roof was obviously built on top of the one that came with the building at first, most likely to blend in, once again. The glass plane windows showed the inside, but she didn't want to be rude so she instead walked over to the door that had the sign turned to "open" and opened it, making a bell ring softly.

A single foot was inside and she was hit with a feeling she is knew a bit: the serenity that one could only feel under their futon with a warm cup of tea as they listened to a heavy rain trying yet failing to break inside. Well, she thought so until now. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and her shoulder lost the tenseness they were so used to that they forgot about it. Describing the interior wouldn't do it justice, but she didn't even know half of what's in here anyway. It was really small but didn't need to be big, in fact, it would only take some of the feeling out.

The miko's eyes finally fell on the man behind the counter, her senses attracted by the rustling of the newspaper being set down.

"Welcome."

Had Reimu not seen the man yet, she would have began to daydream about what the owner of the smoothest, milkiest voice she ever heard would look like. But she wasn't disappointed, since it belonged to it's owner in every way.

The man was in his late 50's, if she was right. She didn't often ask for one's age so she had no real point of reference. His slick ebony black hair was pulled back while his goatee was pulled forward and he might have not had the friendliest face, since it was in a neutral expression, but it was far from uninviting. What caught her eye the most though were his clothes. Aside from the apron, a plain white shirt and grey pants were the last things she expected a human to wear, though it could fit on a few youkai.

The man sighed, looking slightly irritated.
"Look miss, I know that I'm quite attractive," they both knew that it was ironic flirting, "but I'm running a business here. Either you buy something either you leave."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. And... I don't have any money either."

A more irritated sigh purred through his throat.
"You know what? I'm feeling generous. You're my first client so I'll give you an order for free, but only one."

"Oh, thank you then. I've never had any coffee so I'll have to trust your choice on this."

"Well, it can be quite bitter. Are you fine with that?"

Reimu took a moment to think.
"Hm... Yeah, as long as it's not too bad."

The man nodded and went to grab some brown beans that the shrine maiden guessed to be coffee. She was slightly surprised when she saw the owner grund them into a thick powder, putting it in a wierdly shaped paper and then boiling water.

"Uh... What's your name sir?"

"My name is Sojiro Sakura, but please call me boss."
He had a proud smile on his face.

"Well then... Boss, I'm Reimu Hakurei. You must know me as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden or one of the two Incident solvers."

Sojiro merely sighed as the water began to boil.
"I don't know you, sorry. And even if I did, I wouldn't care."

Hang on.
"You don't know me? With your wierd clothes and items on top... Do you come from the Outside?"

"I guess? I was granted a place here by the Ministry of whatever."

Reimu coughed with shock.
"Y-you were granted something like that by the Ministry?!"

He raised an eyebrow.
"Is it that unusual?"

"Yes!"

The man shrugged and poured the boiling water on the grinded beans. Reimu could see the water seep through the grind then the paper and finally come out as a relatovely thick brown color. What was the paper and grinding for? Another look revealed the grind being stuck in it. So it must be here to avoid drinking that straight up.

"You never seen coffee being made before? Oh wait, a shrine maiden and never drank coffee... You never have, have you?"

She shook her head.

"Well, it might be simple but it's really good. Trust me on that."

Reimu sighs and almost sat back in her seat but she remembered that it's a stool at the last moment.
"Sure."

Sojiro waited a bit for the paper to stop leaking before taking it and throwing it in a metal trash can. It was really shiny, but she didn't understand why it was made of metal.
"Sugar, honey or milk? It's really bitter right now so I'll have to put something to sweeten it."

"Oh, uh..."

After a moment of reflection, she made her choice.
"Honey please."

He nodded and went to get a small glass jar half full of honey, two spoons and two white cups. Reimu observed as he filled each cup and put a spoon in one before getting the other to get honey in it then putting it in the other, which he handed to her.
"Careful, it's hot. Also you'll have to mix the honey in, won't be instantaneous."

The miko took her cup by the handle. It wasn't the shape she was used to, being much more cylindrical and tall than the comparable to semi-spheres ones she was used to. There was, because of this, more liquid than she expected, and it was heavier, but it was also easier to hold since the handle was bigger.

"I'm not that dumb, you know?"

"You're never too careful."

Just as Reimu was going to start blowing on her drink, the door slammed open. Boss merely frowned and raised his voice.

"Careful with the door. If you break it, you'll have to pay it back."
But, even as his voice got surprisingly intimidating, he got no attention.

"Reimu, I will break you in half!"

The red clad girl only sighed.

"Sanae, I was just taking a break."

Sanae's face was completely red in anger, contrasting against her white green and blue clothing and features. Such a cute girl trying to look angry. It was only cuter.
"Bullcrap! I have been alone in your shrine for an hour now!"

Reimu merely started spinning her spoon in her cup.
"Sorry about that then."

"Sorry? Sorry!? Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

Sojiro sighed deeply.
"If you girls are going to fight, take it outside."

Sanae was in no mood to hear him though Reimu nodded.

"Come on, there's a roof here. 3 hits 3 cards?"

"I'll beat you up no matter the rules!"

Sojiro didn't understand what they were talking about but was relieved that they would go outside of his shop, not breaking anything.

As Reimu grabbed the door that he missed Sanae burst out from, the calm one of the two turned towards him.
"Wanna come watch the fireworks? You'll see how stuff is settled here."

He waved his hand to shoo her away.
"I like to keep fireworks for special occasions. Sorry."

Reimu nodded.
"It's fine. I'll come back, mind mixing the honey in while I'm gone?"

Sojiro merely eyed her with a look asking if she was serious so she merely held her hands up.

"It was just a question. See you in a bit."

The man only sighed.

Three minutes.

The match lasted three minutes.

These things usually last longer but Sanae was so mad that she couldn't focus on herself. She almost flew into many bullets and actually flew into the three that hit her. She was more focused on trying to hit Reimu than on not getting hit herself.

Oh well, more time for calm in the store she guesses.

When Reimu entered the place, she found that not much has changed, even if Boss took up a newspaper to read. Thing is, it was different from the one he was reading when she first came in. It seemed to be... Not from Gensokyo. From Japan apparently, Tokyo to be exact.
"So, uh... Hello again."

Sojiro looked up and at her.
"Oh. You're back. How'd it go?"
He folded his newspaper and handed her her cup. Reimu took it and wrapped her hands around it after confirming that it cooled down enough for her to do so.

"It went great. These things usually last longer but Sanae was so pissed off, she couldn't tell which bullet was hers and which was mine."

Sokiro raised an eyebrow at the word bullet but not much more.
"Alright then. Don't forget your spoon."

He handed her the item. Reimu took the spoon with a nod and began mixing the honey with her coffee. She was already in love with it's smell but when she finally took a sip, she went wide eyed. Sure, she coughed a little at how bitter it still was, even with honey, but the taste was out of this world. It was the best thing she ever had in her mouth and she even had to stare at it to make sure that it was still coffee and not some sort of... Heaven juice.

"So you like it?"

Reimu looked up at Sojiro, still a little dazed, and shook her head.
"That's... An understatment. Geez, this stuff is... Wow."

"Heh. Just you wait until you try it with my curry then."

The miko blinked a bit.
"Curry? I'm not sure that'd be the best fit with this."

"You'd be surprised."

I know, a calm crossover isn't the most popular, most want the action, and I don't even have Joker or any of the Pantom Thieves in there, but... This felt right. It felt at least better than just "oh wow PT in Touhou, let's let Joker get a harem of every girl in Gensokyo haha". Not that there's anything wrong with it, in fact, sorry for dumbing it down that much and making fun of it, it can make for a good story. But I wanted to try something else, something different.

Anyway, farewell, my subject,

Your Saltyness.