One of the things Kenzaki could only react for being stranded in a forest is complete and utter shock at what had happened.
It doesn't help one bit that, aside from the snow falling down constantly, is the fact he had no idea how or why he got there in the first place. Not only that, the young man had no clue about walking into a forest in the middle of the neighborhood.
Well, granted that the neighborhood was more rural than other neighborhoods, but that doesn't mean he wanted to take a hike to the forest instead of returning home to his family.
Wanting to find out where he's at, Kenzaki pulls out his cellphone to use the GPS, but all he got is no reception around the forest when he uses it, which he responds by putting his phone back onto his coat pocket.
Growling in frustration, Kenzaki walked towards one of the trees nearby, and after taking some calm and focused breaths, takes off his gloves onto his coat pockets and starts slowly but steadily climbs up the tree in front of him, taking his time to carefully climb up the tree branches without accidentally slipping down, but not for too long if to ensure his hands don't freeze from the cold.
As Kenzaki continues to climb up the tree, he starts to ponder the idea that he accidentally got lost all the sudden or could perhaps been hallucinating.
But while climbing up a tree seems crazy at first, he noted that climbing uphill could possibly help him give him a general overview of the area around him, or perhaps try to get his bearings together. Especially if said area looked unfamiliar to him.
What was considered sometime later, Kenzaki manage to reach the upper heights of the tree and rested among a tree branch while gradually keeping his hands warm. But once certain his hands are warm enough to continue, the blonde finally climbs up on top of the tree and look around to see any highlights for him to note.
The only two highlight the young man noted is a giant mountain around the forest itself and modestly built shrine around a hill, something that isn't in his hometown, but more importantly, somewhere around his home state.
This is not good, Kenzaki gasped, now realizing where he's actually located, but more importantly, is trying to prevent himself from going insane over the place he's in now.
After a moment of trying to prevent himself from going into shock, Kenzaki quickly yet carefully climb back down the tree, not caring if the frost is getting onto his hands or the soreness from climbing until he finally lands on the snowy ground below.
Certain that he landed safely, the young man crouches down to regain his breath over climbing up and down a tree while trying to keep his hands from going numb as he gradually puts the gloves on his hands.
At least until . . .
"Hi mister," a cheerful young girl shouted. "What'cha doing?
Kenzaki, who was in a middle of trying to pull himself together aside from regaining his breath and hand warmth, looked up to see a young blonde girl with short hair that have a red bowtie on the side of her head, cheerful reddish eyes, and wears a black and white outfit with a skirt who is standing in front of him with her arms spread out that looked like a bird.
In response, the young man gave the little blonde girl a blank look on his face. "I'm resting. And I need to get out of the forest."
The little girl tilted her head slightly, her arms still up like a bird. "Your face reminds me of Reimu, mister."
"Reimu?" Kenzaki glanced in front of the girl in black and white who tilted her head to the side. "How did you know?"
"From . . . Cirno, Daiyousei, some of the other fairies, Mystia, and Wriggle." The young girl answered.
Certain he's well rested and feeling his hands again, Kenzaki gets back on his feet, making him seem taller than the blonde girl in front of him.
"Okay, thanks, but I have to get going," the young man stated. "I don't want my parents to worry that I'm lost. Oh, and by the way, aren't you lost as well?"
The girl giggled lightly. "Nope, I'm not lost."
Kenzaki looked at her with concern. "Sorry, it's just that you looked lost, hungry, and in need to get to safety since this forest isn't safe for someone like you. Plus, wearing an outfit like this could get you cold."
"I'm not cold," the little girl stated.
"You're not?"
"But I am hungry."
"Uhh . . . for what in particular?"
Staring at Kenzaki's face intensely, the blonde girl licked her lips in delight.
"You!" the little girl shouted, showing her sharp teeth while floating up to Kenzaki's own height, and starts charges towards the young man in midair with her teeth out.
Kenzaki responds by his arms to hold the demented flying girl off his face as she tries to bite his own face and neck before grabbing her shirt and throws her head first into the tree itself, causing her to fall into the floor.
As the young man was shocked to see a girl actively trying to eat him like this, he slowly walks away from the ravenous girl, trying to minimize the footsteps stepping on the ground.
"Awww, I missed," the little girl pouted, coming back up to her feet with no injury whatsoever while getting back to her normal stance. "Plus, you slam my head against a tree. Can I eat you now?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Is that so?"
"I refuse to be on your menu!"
"Sorry, but I need to eat you now," the little girl said as a ball of shadows covers around her that is starting to expand rapidly. "And I'm really hungry now."
The ball of shadows starts to slowly engulf area around herself with Kenzaki in it, making it difficult for the latter to escape without injuring himself.
"With that out of the way," the cannibalistic little girl said childishly with a toothy smile. "Chow time!"
"In your dreams," Kenzaki growled as he goes to a combat stance while tightening his fists, not caring if the attacker is a little girl who wants to feast on his flesh as he braces himself for combat.
Or would have if energy blasts start appearing from within the forest, hitting the little girl painlessly, though the impact caused her to sting as she quickly recedes the shadows back into her exterior ball. Kenzaki on the other hand looks around and see a person floating towards them until landing in front of the young man.
Said person appeared to be a young woman around his age with black hair and a modified shrine maiden attire for the cold weather with a gohei in one of her hands as she points it threateningly to the floating little girl whose ball of shadows is visible.
"Leave him alone, Rumia," the shrine maiden demanded.
"Awww, I just want to eat him, Reimu," the now named Rumia groaned, not expecting the shrine maiden to arrive. "Can you let me?"
"Absolutely not!" the now named Reimu shouted, before blasting Rumia with her energy blasts.
"Okay," the now named Rumia chirped.
In return, Rumia shoots out energy blasts of pure darkness from her sphere of shadows as the two girls shoot at each other across the forest like a dogfight, one trying to hit the other without taking damage in the process or crashing into the trees.
Kenzaki however hid among one of the trees once the fight starts, not wanting to get hit by stray energy blasts, yet he can't help but gaze at what was essentially a ranged showdown between two fighters that at times it seemed more like art in combat.
While Rumia had to fight on the defensive from Reimu's attacks when she extended her ball of shadows to cover both herself and the shrine maiden in the process.
As Kenzaki witnessed Rumia doing that, he considered running away to safety, but he quickly shoots it down, aware that young girl could try and hunt him down if she manages to spot him escape.
Unexpectedly, several flashes of light start emerging from the ball of shadows, causing it to disperse into thin air as Rumia starts taking in deep breaths from exhaustion in contrast to Reimu's serious look on her face.
"Time to end this," Reimu stated, before she unleashed a series of strong blasts that hit Rumia directly, causing her to crash land to the snowy floor with a thud, groaning in pain in the process.
The shrine maiden stares at the young girl briefly before landing safely in front of her.
"You can come out now, she's dealt with," Reimu said, causing Kenzaki to come out of hiding from the tree as he looks at the young woman.
Once certain that the shrine maiden is not going to hurt him, Kenzaki looks at Rumia lying face first in the snowy ground. "Is this . . . girl-"
"She's only stunned for a moment," Reimu explained. "I have to use non-lethal combat to incapacitate her for the time being."
"Uhm, so basically?"
"Rumia won't bother you for now, thankfully."
Kenzaki looked at the shrine maiden, surprised that she managed to save his life from a now-named Rumia that wanted to eat him in an unknown forest.
"Okay, uh, thanks for saving me . . . I guess," Kenzaki said gratefully, though with a hint of uncertainty over the shrine maiden's name. "So . . . what's your name by any chance?"
"It's Reimu Hakurei," the now-named miko answered. "How about you, sir?"
"Name's Kenzaki Hayashi," the blonde man replied, peaking Reimu's interest.
"By the way, we need to leave the forest near Misty Lake before more Youkai might show up."
"And what about this girl named Rumia?" Kenzaki asked, not wanting to stay in a hostile forest but unsure about the man-eating child being left behind despite the little girl trying to eat him. Though he was surprised that the forest actually has a lake once Reimu actually tells him about the location in question.
"She'll be knocked out for a couple of minutes," Reimu explained. "Now, are you ready to leave?"
Kenzaki debated for a bit, even considering to question the shrine maiden first, but quickly shot it down until they reach to safety, realizing that going with Reimu is necessary for him to survive, and in particular, a way for to get some answers.
"Sure, I can do that," the young man nodded.
"Great," Reimu said as she walked close the young man.
As she got close enough, the shrine maiden added, "I suggest you hold on to me."
"Why?"
"I going to fly us out of the forest near Misty Lake," Reimu explained.
"You're going to do that?" Kenzaki questioned nervously, knowing that weight would be a major problem for someone like Reimu herself, among other things that comes to mind.
"It's what I normally do," the shrine maiden answered before looking at the young man. "Are you doing it or not?"
Not taking any chances, Kenzaki hold onto Reimu's lithe body (much to the former's chagrin) as tightly as he can go while the shrine maiden places her free arm around his back.
"Just do it." Kenzaki said in an either serious or nervous tone.
And in seconds, Reimu (with Kenzaki in tow) somehow flew out of the forest near Misty Lake with ease, leaving Rumia alone to recover within a short timeframe . . . though the little girl would become upset of the loss of her food.