Chapter 19 – Let's go Shopping
"This here is Kourindou." said Marisa, making a theatrical gesture. "You can get all sorts of goods here… even from the outside world. Hey, maybe you can tell me something about some of the stuff I've seen there a little better than Kourin. Come on, let's go inside."
Marisa opened the door to the shop and the others followed her in.
"Oi~, Kourin~! Long time no see, ze!" she greeted and waved her hand.
The person she greeted was the shop's owner – a tall, young looking man with short silver disheveled hair, wearing a black and blue kimono with white zigzag pattern along the hem and a pair of rectangular glasses. He also had a small leather bag resembling a school bag tied to the front of his obi sash. He rolled his golden eyes from a book he was reading to Marisa and the rest of the band.
"Oh, Marisa, good afternoon." he greeted with a mixed expression of surprise and happiness.
He took a while to observe all the people standing inside his shop, before he shook himself awake again from his thoughts.
"Uh… Greetings to you as well, Reimu, Alice… and even Hieda-san… and umm…" his eyes stopped at Kyouichi, who was just returning the witch's hat back to Marisa.
"Ishimaru. Ishimaru Kyouichi." the outsider bowed and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Kourin-san."
The shop's owner looked at him with a surprised and embarrassed smile and Marisa began snickering for some reason.
Kyouichi gave the witch an asking look. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Oh, no, no… It's just that "Kourin" is only a nickname by which only I call him…" explained Marisa. "His real name is Rinnosuke."
"Oh… Well then, my apologies, Rinnosuke-san." said Kyouichi as he bowed again to the owner of Kourindou.
"Don't apologize." smiled Rinnosuke and waved his hand. "Yes, my real name's Rinnosuke. Morichika Rinnosuke. As you can see, I run this humble little antique shop…"
Kyouichi slowly turned his head to look around the entire shop and examined the various items on the shelves. Just like the Starlight Glyph, it also seemed to be much bigger from the inside than from the outside.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't call it little…" stated the outsider after a while of looking around.
Just as Marisa said, there were tons of various items, many of which were certainly not made in Gensokyo: books, clothing, food, drinks, sweets, toys, gardening implements, cosmetic goods, cleaning detergents and even various electronics. In the corner near the shop's entrance stood an old Coca-Cola vending machine and placed right on the main counter was a laptop, a portable television set, a digital camera, several iPods, a disassembled radio and a Nintendo DS.
Of course, since there was no electricity in Gensokyo, all of these electronic devices were uselessly sitting there and collecting dust. Unless they were powered by batteries... But even batteries run out eventually, so there was really no reason for anyone to buy them. Nevertheless, at a price like 500 yen for an iPod, or a 1000 yen for the digital camera, Kyouichi seriously considered buying some of these items, so he could take them home later.
"Are you interested in buying anything, Ishimaru-san?"
"I was just looking at what sort of jun… uh… I mean merchandise you are selling in this shop." replied Kyouichi, correcting a word in his sentence.
Rinnosuke snorted with an understanding smile. "Just go ahead and say it – junk. Yes, doubtless these are all very interesting items for me, but I just can't sell them, even if I lowered their prices several times."
"Do you even know what these things are, Rinnosuke-san?" asked Kyouichi with a raised eyebrow.
"I do have an idea about their purpose, but the way they work is still quite a mystery to me." explained the shop owner. He corrected the position of his glasses and made a gesture towards one of the iPods.
"This here for example is a device used to store and play music and moving pictures. But don't ask me how. I've heard it's quite trendy in the outside world."
He moved to the laptop and continued explaining. "And this one… It's a sort of shikigami that people in the outside world call computers. Like these small boxes which they call iPods, the computers can perform all sorts of other different tasks, like remembering texts, or drawing or enabling two people to communicate with each other across very long distances, like telepathy… This one here is sleeping and I couldn't get it to wake up. Maybe it only listens to its master."
As Kyouichi heard Rinnosuke's descriptions of his merchandise, he couldn't help but to start chuckling. "Hahaha~! Okay, that's enough, Rinnosuke-san… You don't have to explain their purpose to me. I know what all these things are used for. Your descriptions are quite amusing, though."
The shop's owner looked at him quizzically. "So you also have the same ability as me? To tell the true name and purpose of anything at first glance?"
This time, Marisa was the one who started laughing again. "No, silly Kourin… Kyouichi is a human from the outside world. We just came here so he could buy some clothes…"
"Really? An outsider?" he measured him up carefully. "I see… The glasses you're wearing… Their frame is made from an artificial substance… What was it called again? Plastic…"
Kyouichi just smiled and nodded silently. This man was really smart.
"Well then, could you please shed some light on how this computer here works?" inquired the silver-haired man.
"Uhh… well… I'm sorry, but I have no idea on how computers are made, or how do their programs work. I just know how to use them, that's all…"
Rinnosuke scratched his head and hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder why does every outsider say that… They all say they know how to use these things, but nobody can tell me how they work or how to reproduce them."
"So you got all of these things from outsiders?" asked Kyouichi, curious about the origin of all these goods.
Rinnosuke shook his head. "No, not all of them. I have a… how should I put it… an irregular supplier."
"A supplier?" repeated Kyouichi, feeling the curiosity building up inside him.
"A certain youkai… Yukari Yakumo…"
Kyouichi's heart suddenly began pumping faster "Her?! When did you see her last time?"
Rinnosuke was a little jumped by Kyouichi's suddenly raised voice and the question itself. "Well, it's been more than a couple of months since her last shipment… Why do you ask? Do you know her?"
"Only from other people's talk and a bunch of texts." replied the outsider. "I'm asking because I'm looking for her in order to return back home. But those people who claim to be her friends have all said that they haven't seen her for over half a year, so I was wondering if perhaps you haven't come into contact with her recently…"
"Well, I wouldn't call her a friend." spoke Rinnosuke after a brief pause. "We're just business partners."
He then suddenly leaned closer to Kyouichi and continued with a hushed voice. "To tell you the truth, I don't really like her. Whenever she comes I get this eerie feeling and goosebumps. Her presence alone makes me feel uneasy… like she's always up to something. But… it also makes me wonder why she hasn't come to make another delivery already…"
"Then please, if she ever shows up at your shop, make sure to let any of us know." requested Kyouichi, looking briefly at the girls standing in the shop.
"I suppose I can do that." shrugged Rinnosuke. "Now, I'm guessing you'd like to take a look at some clothes…"
"I don't need anything fancy. If you have a plain white kimono shirt that would fit me, I'll take it."
"I sure do." confirmed the shopkeeper. "Please give me a minute."
He disappeared somewhere in the back of his shop and took a few minutes to return back with a stack of several white kimono shirts.
"Please, help yourself and try them on. Pick the one which fits you the best." said Rinnosuke with an offering gesture.
Kyouichi tried all of them on and easily decided which one of them to choose. It cost 3000 yen, but since the outsider no longer had so much money on him, he managed to haggle the price down to 2500 yen. Rinnosuke wasn't very pleased that he had to sell it cheaper, but at the same time, he wanted to make some business. After putting his new kimono shirt on and paying for it, Kyouichi decided to take some more time to browse through the shop's interesting inventory. The girls weren't in a hurry either, so they all spent at least another 30 minutes in Kourindou. Kyouichi suddenly stopped at one section of the shop.
"Ho-ho~! Check it out…" he said as he was looking at all the snacks from the outside world.
"Did you find anything interesting?" asked Marisa from the other side of the shelf.
"What are all these little colorful packages?" wondered Reimu, who was standing just a few steps away from the outsider.
"Snacks, snacks and more snacks." smiled the outsider, taking a box of chocolate Pocky sticks.
"Hey, look, Reimu. Pocky~!" he showed her the package.
The shrine maiden looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I don't know much about snacks from the outside…"
"You don't know Pocky?" asked Kyouichi in slight disbelief. "It's one of my favorite snacks. I'll buy one box and let you have some too."
"I thought you had no more money left…"
"I can still afford one pack of Pocky." said the outsider and took the snack with him to the counter.
He paid for it with his last coins, opened the package and took out one chocolate-coated stick
"Okay, say aaah~." said Kyouichi, holding the stick in front of Reimu's face, obviously trying to feed her.
She took the snack with her hand, observed it for a while and took a little bite.
"Mmm… it's sweet. And crunchy…" she muttered and took another bite.
"See? And these snacks come in many different flavors… I still prefer the classic, though."
He offered a piece of Pocky to each of the girls and then he ate the rest of the pack himself.
"Ah… I never would have guessed I'd come across these here." he stated as he finished off the small package. "All it needs is to wash it down with some drink."
"There's an old thirst-quenching shikigami right there…" sounded Rinnosuke, pointing at the old vending machine standing in the corner. "But that one is also in some sort of hibernation and it won't obey requests. I tried donating some coins and praying to it, but nothing happened. If you could make it work somehow…"
Kyouichi took a closer look at the old unplugged machine and grinned mischievously.
"Ah… how nostalgic…" he muttered as he ran his hand over its button panel. "We've had the same kind of vending machine back in our elementary school… Those were the days…"
He turned back to face Rinnosuke and the others, tapped his hand on the machine and added: "This is an old-fashioned vending machine and back in my school days, I learned a little trick from some of my… uhh… more inventive classmates how to obtain drinks from it without paying a single yen."
"Really? Like some sort of spell?" asked Marisa curiously.
"Yeah, something like that." smiled the outsider back at her. "Now… provided there are still any drinks left in it, I could show you how I used to "buy" drinks after my PE class."
"Show us then." she encouraged him.
"Okay." he turned back to the machine and began knocking gently on its front side, carefully listening to the sound of the knocks. When he found a spot where the knocks didn't sound hollow, he nodded to himself and held his hand over that spot, turning back to the spectating girls and Rinnosuke. "Don't try this at home…" he remarked jestingly before he stood up again. He then grabbed the vending machine by the top side and slightly leaned it towards himself. He took a step back while he still held the drink machine in its leaned position with one hand, while the other pushed and held a button for the drink of his choice. He readied his right leg into a kicking position. The next second, he gave the old machine a good kick right above the drink dispenser. The onlooking girls exchanged their surprised looks with the shopkeeper. Suddenly, a loud clang sounded and a can of the most popular soft drink of the United States appeared in the dispenser slot.
"Well, what do you know, there's still something inside…" said the outsider, returning the machine back to its upright position and taking the can of coke from the slot.
"Wow…" sighed Marisa in amazement.
"Doesn't that classify as stealing?" asked Reimu, giving the outsider her typical scornful look.
"It sure does." acknowledged Kyouichi shamelessly. "That's why our school vending machine was replaced by a modern one, once they figured that the amount of money in its coin box didn't add up to the amount of drinks sold, hehe. But before that, I used to help myself to a free drink whenever there was nobody looking."
"I like the way you think, Kyouichi-kun." grinned Marisa approvingly.
"I didn't think you were that kind of person…" stated Reimu with disappointment.
"I was no saint, let me tell you..." Kyouichi admitted. "But trust me; compared to some of my other classmates, I was like a lamb."
"Nobody's perfect." stated Akyuu tersely. "I also have a couple of thefts on my hands from my previous lives." she confessed shyly.
Her unexpected confession made Reimu open her mouth in a shocked expression. "W-whaat?! Akyuu-chan…?" she shook her head in disbelief.
"It's nothing that I'd be especially proud of, but there were times when my temptation and curiosity got the better of me."
"So even Akyuu-chan did something like that…?" muttered Reimu, barely able to imagine it.
Marisa smiled at Reimu wryly and tapped her a few times on her shoulder. "You're not exactly sinless either, Hakurei shrine maiden…"
Reimu blinked several times, as if she was hit by a brick in the head. She just thoughtfully stood there for a good couple of seconds without a word. Her face was unusually serious and somehow… she looked as though as she was blaming herself for something.
"Oi, Reimu, are you alright?" asked Marisa, waving a palm in front of Reimu's eyes.
The shrine maiden quickly returned back to reality, and nodded reassuringly. "Yes, yes. I'm fine… Okay, then, Rinnosuke-san. Make sure you mend my clothes properly." she addressed the shopkeeper.
"Whatever you say." muttered Rinnosuke with a hint of annoyance. "Come back tomorrow. And make sure you actually pay for the service this time."
Reimu pouted and crossed her arms. "Hmph… Some people just aren't grateful for me keeping Gensokyo safe." she whispered to herself.
"No wonder if you can't even make your shrine's doorstep any safer than the forests near the Youkai Mountain…" jabbed Marisa at her friend, scoring another low blow against Reimu's already bruised ego.
Alice took pity of Reimu and gave Marisa a blaming look. "You were there yesterday as well, so you have no right to make it sound like it's all Reimu's fault. In a way, it was our collective fault."
"Yeah, that was a bit harsh from you, Marisa…" agreed Kyouichi. "If there is really someone to blame, it's me for doing something I wasn't even asked for."
Reimu shook her head in disagreement. "You just tried to be helpful. Nobody could predict there'd be a youkai lurking so close to the shrine…"
"The Hakurei Shrine itself doesn't have any youkai-repelling effects, so yes, in fact, we should have seen it coming." remarked the blonde witch. "But Kyouichi should be safer now that he bought some of your amulets, ze."
"Yeah, I hope…" said the outsider, opening the can of coke with a characteristic hiss and pop and took a few gulps. "Mmm… A bit too warm for my tastes, but still drinkable…"
"Okay, people, we all got what we wanted and said everything we wanted to say… I think we can go now." Reimu suggested, waving her hand in a "follow me" gesture.
"Uh, yes, have a nice day." said Rinnosuke, standing up and seeing his customers off. "I'll let Yukari know that you're looking for her if she ever shows up… And come back to Kourindou again sometime…"
"Yes, thank you, Rinnosuke-san." bowed Kyouichi on the shop's doorstep. "Goodbye."
They left the various goods shop and Marisa was already preparing her broom for another flight. Reimu suddenly stepped to her and said: "You take them to the village. I'm going back to the shrine."
"As you wish." shrugged Marisa. "See you later." she waved at her as the shrine maiden took off and flew back to her home. "What about you, Alice? You coming with us, or do you have some other plans?"
"Actually, I should get home as well and do the laundry while the weather is still nice." said the youkai dollmaker. "But I think I'll come over to you for a visit later, if you don't mind…"
"Of course not~! Just come over…" agreed Marisa, nodding repeatedly. "Take care, ze…"
Alice bowed elegantly and headed further down the road into the forest on foot. Her doll was flying behind her like a pet fairy.
"Alright, you two…" said Marisa, looking at Akyuu and Kyouichi. "Time to take you home… Get on!"
Kyouichi was starting to get used to riding on Marisa's broom. He took his place behind the witch and Akyuu sat behind him. Once Kyouichi gave the ready signal, Marisa slowly drove the broom forward, accelerated to a high speed and increased the broom's altitude. This time, they were flying along the so called "Western Road"- the one which led all the way to the village, crossing through farmlands and along the new Buddhist Temple and its adjacent cemetery.
They still had a long way to their destination, though. If they went on foot, it could take them over 90 minutes to reach the village. Using the advances of magic flying, however, this trip would take only something around 15 minutes. Kyouichi watched the land stretching ahead of them, and the brown dirt path in the middle of it. They were still over 2 minutes away from the crop fields, when Kyouichi's eyes noticed a single person walking on the road, heading towards the village, wearing some familiarly looking red and white clothes. The opened white parasol above the person's head made Kyouichi immediately identify her. She was the youkai lady who regularly visited the village's flower shop. He didn't know her name, but he saw her several times already. Apparently, Marisa also noticed the person on the road and her reaction was quite unexpected.
"Oh, crap!" she cursed and drastically changed the broom's heading and accelerated to a dangerously high speed.
"W-w-what's wrong, Marisa-san?!" called Akyuu-chan from the tail of the broom, tightly holding onto Kyouichi's waist.
"Yeah, what's with that crazy maneuver?!" Kyouichi seconded Akyuu's question.
"You don't want to know!" called Marisa through the wind and took a big detour to get to the village.
Kyouichi wondered for the remainder of the flight what could make Marisa change her course so suddenly, but he didn't ask.
They landed safely at the northern end of the village, less than a hundred meters away from the Saitou residence. The outsider and the chronicler got off the broom and thanked Marisa for her time to take them both to the village.
"You're welcome." she smiled at them. "Now that I'm here already, I might as well pay my dad a visit…"
Kyouichi immediately recalled the favor that Kirisame-san asked him – to let him know how his daughter was doing. Now that Marisa was planning to see him personally, Kyouichi no longer needed to inform the man about Marisa's daily life. Besides, he still didn't know basically anything about Marisa, except for a few basic facts and a vague idea about her personality.
"No doubt he'll be beside himself when he sees you." said Kyouichi, returning the smile back.
"Yeah… I can imagine…" chuckled the blonde. "Very well then, Kyouichi-kun, Akyuu-chan… Hope to see you again soon, ze." she saluted with two fingers and headed down towards the center of the village, disappearing behind a corner.
Akyuu also bowed to the outsider. "It's been a wonderful hanami at the Hakurei Shrine if it hadn't been for that attack, of course… Please read my chronicle, Kyouichi-san. At least the final volume. There's a Youkai Encyclopedia dealing with the youkai currently inhabiting Gensokyo and a Dangerous Area Guide as well. You won't find information about every single kind of youkai in there, but it should give you enough information for you to live a safer life here in Gensokyo."
"I haven't gotten to the last volume yet, but I raced through its pages… Thanks for the advice, Akyuu-chan."
"No problem." smiled the ninth child of Are. "I hope we meet again soon. And may your wounds heal up quickly."
With that said, she bowed one more time and walked slowly to her home. It was about time Kyouichi showed his face at the Saitou house, his current home. He slid the door open and called from the doorstep.
"I'm back~!"
Light footsteps sounded from the kitchen and a few seconds later, Minako appeared.
"Welcome back, Kyou-kun! Did you have a good time at the hanami?"
"It was great. And I learned a LOT from just being there." answered Kyouichi without telling the whole truth.
"Are you hungry?"
"Nope. I've eaten recently."
"If you're looking for Mizuto, he's gone fishing to the lake again and the children went to play outside." Minako informed him.
Kyouichi stood for a while in silence, trying to think what to do next, but it didn't take him long to decide.
"I'll go for a little walk around the village… Visit some friends maybe. I just came to tell you that I'm back from the shrine already."
"Very well, Kyouichi-kun, don't let me keep you…" said Minako with a pleasant smile as the outsider left the house again.
It was a few hours past noon, and the sun was heating the air up to warm summer temperatures. Kyouichi felt a little hot in his clothes, so he tucked up the sleeves of his brand new kimono shirt, which was unrecognizable from his previous one. He headed down the street, planning to see Naota and Midori. He didn't even have to walk all the way to the old man's house as he saw him outside, sitting on an old folding chair near the fireside, basking in the sun and reading a newspaper.
"Good afternoon, Naota-san!" he greeted as he stopped right in front of him.
The old man lifted his head to meet Kyouichi's eyes, silently measuring him up for a while with his mouth slightly agape.
"What the hell did you get yourself into this time?" he asked without even greeting him first, gesturing towards his bandaged forearm.
"Oh, that… hehehe, you see…" Kyouichi started off uncertainly, but told him the whole story.
As soon as Naota heard the part about the youkai attack, he stood up from his chair and gave Kyouichi a stinging slap.
"Hey, watch the glasses! They're the only ones I've got…" called out the young outsider as he rubbed his cheek with his one hand, while affixing the position of his glasses with the other one. "You know, I kind of expected your reaction would be something like that, Naota-san... But didn't you say that you no longer care what happens to me?"
"I just can't help it, seeing what kind of a big moron you are!" growled Naota angrily. "Despite what you've heard about Gensokyo and the youkai, you dare to do something as dumb as wandering away from the shrine at night! If I didn't have any heart, I'd say that it serves you right to get attacked."
"Yeah, I realized that already… if a little late." admitted the outsider, focusing his attention to his hurt arm. "I should have that arm looked at, but I'm really reluctant to go to Eientei. I really don't feel like trying my luck, wandering through the bamboo forest…"
The retired carpenter took a closer look at Kyouichi's arm and snorted. "At least you still have some reason left inside that immature head of yours…" he stated harshly, even though it was actually a compliment. "It looks like it's just a little flesh wound. Nothing that people would die of… Certainly not a reason to drag your ass all the way to Eientei… They'd laugh you off if you showed yourself up in there with such a trifling scratch and send you back where you came from. Eientei is only worth visiting when things are REALLY serious and the village hospital can't help. Besides, getting there is risky and difficult."
"Oh, right…" recalled Kyouichi suddenly. "Almost forgot there's a little hospital here in the village."
"Yeah, just head down to the marketplace and enter the next street to your left. It's the first building with the red cross sign, right opposite the fire station. Can't miss it."
"I know where it is, Naota-san, thank you…" thanked the young outsider, a smile settling on his face again. "…May I ask you something?"
"If you think I can answer, go ahead…"
"Tell me, Naota-san, but honestly… Were you never ever attacked by a youkai during your life in Gensokyo? Even AFTER you heard how dangerous they are and how dangerous the areas outside the Human Village can be?"
The old man inhaled through his teeth and after a silent moment, he shook his head.
"I've already lost count of how many near-death situations I've been in during my time in Gensokyo. You could call it one hell of a lucky streak of coincidences that I'm still kickin'. I've been saved a bunch of times by Ryuuken, back when I still used to gather materials for my work by myself… Before I became recognized as a master craftsman. Once, I was nearly torn and beaten to death by some vicious youkai in the bamboo forest… I have no idea what saved me that time. Probably the youkai thought I was dead already, which wasn't too far from the truth. But that also makes me wonder why I wasn't eaten after it beat the crap out of me… Anyway, the next thing I remember, I woke up in Eientei on a bed, all patched up. I don't know what secret methods the doctors used on me there, but I healed up just within three days. No wounds, no scars, nothing! As if I was born into a whole new body. They even took me all the way back to the village once I was up on my feet… Never again did I wander to that accursed forest alone. Not without at least a pair of Ryuuken watching my back while I chopped bamboo trees."
"Wow, that must have been a terrible experience." stated Kyouichi in amazement.
"And that was just one of many. And I'm not even mentioning all the minor injuries I've taken from the less serious youkai encounters…"
"So, that's why you're so… reserved towards all youkai, huh?"
"No, Kyouichi, that's not the reason…" grumbled Naota irritably. "I already told you I won't speak of this… At least not yet…"
"Okay…" muttered Kyouichi understandingly and changed the topic. "So… what's that tabloid you're reading?" he gestured towards the folded newspaper in Naota's hands.
He raised the paper up, revealing the name "Bunbunmaru News" on the front page.
"Oh, Aya-san's newspaper… Does it say anything interesting?"
The old man chuckled bitterly and opened the paper on the second page. "This one might interest you… The mass spiriting away and the missing youkai of boundaries."
"What the…?" asked Kyouichi with a surprised expression. He just told that thing about the outsiders to Aya yesterday, and now, the people in the village were already reading the newspaper about it. "Wow… she's fast…" thought the outsider silently.
"Besides what you might already know, the article says that nobody has seen the old Yakumo in a long while… So what? I haven't seen her for over 20 years. Can't say I miss her either…"
"Yeah, we've already discussed that thing at the hanami too…" remarked Kyouichi.
"Looks like just another incident to me…" said Naota and closed the newspaper again.
"I hope Reimu will be able to resolve that one as well." thought Kyouichi to himself. "By the way, how's Midori doing?"
"She's very kind and helpful." replied the old outsider. "She looks happy to be able to live in my house, but sometimes I'm not too sure if she isn't just forcing her smile… You wanna pay her a visit?"
Kyouichi smiled, glad to hear that Midori was starting to like her new home, but he refused Naota's offer. "No, thanks. I'll see her at school in a few days anyway…"
"Suit yourself…" shrugged Naota and sat down on his folding chair again.
"I better go to that hospital now." said Kyouichi and bowed to the old man.
"Good idea." approved Naota and waved his hand at the departing young outsider "And… try to avoid the youkai next time…"
Kyouichi was contemplating all the way to the village hospital how can he completely avoid the youkai in a land where they severely outnumbered the human population by hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. Even the Human Village itself was not so entirely human as one would think. Trying to avoid all and any contact with the youkai was pretty much impossible in Gensokyo. Furthermore, Kyouichi knew that there are just as many friendly youkai out there, as those dangerous ones. Alice, Aya, Suika, Youmu, Yuyuko, and even partially Remilia… All of these supernatural beings, made Kyouichi certain, that he simply can't view all the youkai as aggressive or evil.
After a two minute walk, he reached the building of the village hospital and entered it.
"Hopefully they won't ask money from me for treating my wounds…" hoped Kyouichi as he was nearing the reception desk. He was basically penniless now that he bought the kimono shirt at Kourindou.
"Welcome, how may I help you?" asked the desk receptionist – a brown-haired woman in her thirties, wearing a white doctor's uniform.
Kyouichi unbound the bandages on his left forearm and rested his arm on the desk. "Will treating this be expensive?" he asked the desk clerk nonchalantly.
She quickly observed the bite marks on his arm and smiled at him. "Not at all, young sir. Is this your first hospital visit or what?"
"Yes." nodded Kyouichi and explained that he's an outsider.
"Ah, I see." smiled the receptionist understandingly. "Well, for future times, you should be aware that any hospital service is complimentary. Our modest facility is entirely financed by the village council. In other words, from the money of the tax-paying citizens of the Human Village… We're not as great as Eientei, but we buy some of our supplies from there and our staff is highly qualified and professional."
"That's good to hear." said the outsider and took his bitten arm off the desk. "So… where should I go to get this treated?"
"Second floor - Traumatology, room 204. Kobayashi-sensei will stitch you up in no time."
A minute later, Kyouichi was knocking on Kobayashi-sensei's door. It turned out that the doctor in question was a surgeon, a traumatologist and an infectologist in one. He was a middle aged man with short grey hair and a strict-looking face, but otherwise quite friendly in nature. Kyouichi's injury was just another routine task for him and he managed to stitch up his wounds quickly and painlessly without much effort. He had to disinfect the wounds again, though. It hurt, but considerably less than when the bites were still fresh.
"There. All done." informed Kobayashi-sensei once he finished the last stitch. "Come see me in two weeks to have the stitches removed, mister… Ishimaru." he added as he checked Kyouichi's ID card.
"Well that was quick…" muttered the outsider, checking the doctor's handiwork on his own forearm.
"It's my job to be quick and effective." smiled Kobayashi-sensei, returning Kyouichi his ID card. "Goodbye, Ishimaru-san. And try to stay out of harm's way."
"Thanks a lot, doc. See you in 2 weeks." bowed the outsider and left the premises of the village hospital.
Since he had no other plans for today or any money in his pockets, he decided it would be best to go home and laze off the rest of the day on a futon, reading the Gensokyo Chronicle.