Inside the Hakurei shrine, from afternoon to evening, had pretty much consisted of various discussions about Gensokyo between the Outsider and the Hakurei resident.
To begin, a considerable amount of time was spent on what the young man needs to learn about in terms of danmaku and possibly incorporating into his personal fighting style alongside gaining his own special ability, as well as the typical enemies he may encounter around Gensokyo.
Reimu also did let the young man know that he's safe inside the Human Village as most Youkai don't want to cause trouble for a place for regular people to live, giving him ample time to look for a job without any problems. And while said Youkai can go into the Village like normal people, they still need to keep themselves out of trouble whenever necessary.
Aside from that, Kenzaki did offered to help the shrine maiden with making dinner, both out of respect for letting him take residence in the Hakurei shrine for the time being, but also in case she decides to spike the food without his knowledge. And yet despite the lack of modern devices from what Reimu calls the Outside World, they did enjoy a nice and quiet dinner, even though the young man chose to drink water instead of tea, which was understandable to his host who drank some of her tea.
Once dinner was finished (and Kenzaki offering to help wash and dry the dishes before they brush their teeth) the two spend the remaining daylight just relaxing from what was supposed to be a bizarre day for both of them, more so for the young man since he got whisked away to Gensokyo without his knowledge.
Kenzaki sees the sunlight fading away gradually, and combine with the exhaustion from the whole day, he knew had to sleep soon, and it better it be now.
However, . . .
"Is there a place for me to sleep in?" the young man asked.
Reimu respond by glancing at the young man with interest. "You can sleep in the kotatsu with me."
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"It's the only thing you can do, Kenzaki."
Having no choice due to the circumstances (even sleeping with his winter jacket on could make more problems than solutions), the offer is highly needed.
"Sure . . . Reimu, I'll do that," Kenzaki muttered, not believing over what he had to do to get some sleep.
The shrine maiden giggled lightly as she gives her guest a pillow for him to sleep with as she uses her own pillow. "I know it may seem bad, but at least you can get some sleep."
"I guess, so," the young man muttered, not wanting to rest with the host herself when an idea came to his head. "But can I sleep on the opposite side of the kotatsu, please?"
"Okay."
"Thanks."
The next day:
As sunlight pours into the Hakurei shrine, all Kenzaki can do is gently open his eyes from his much-needed nap when he felt someone sleeping next to him.
When he turns around to find out who it is, all the young man could see is Reimu wrapping her lithe figure over his lean body underneath his arm, her face feeling content with lying alongside her blonde visitor.
Kenzaki however want to scream in panic, but he internally growls at this idea, with the shrine maiden needing enough rest if she is to handle the whole day without exhaustion and/or the two not starting a fight at a time when he needed a job first.
Even still, having a girl sleeping with him despite the two not being married still bugged the young man no bit despite the fact the shrine maiden looked adorable when taking her nap.
The young man now had no choice but to lie on the tatami mats underneath the kotatsu, waiting for the shrine maiden to actually wake up and to start the day unimpeded.
Sometime later (if he can call later), Reimu starts to wake up from her slumber, drawing in Kenzaki's attention.
Once Reimu finally opens her reddish eyes, she gives Kenzaki a light giggle once she sees his annoyed yet quiet expression before returning to the small yet blushing smile on her face.
"Uh, Reimu?"
"Yes, Kenzaki?"
"Why are you sleeping beside me?"
The shrine maiden tilted her head in the pillow. "I was starting to feel cold and I was to snuggle up with you, that's all."
Is she joking? The young man wondered at what the shrine maiden had just said?
"Well, anyway, can we make breakfast, wash up, and go to the Human Village, because I hate not seeing the place," Kenzaki suggested, trying to leave the Hakurei shrine without drawing suspicion.
"We can do that after sometime later," Reimu replied, not wanting to separate from the young man's lean body one bit. "After all, I do like to snuggle up with you a little more."
Give me a break, Kenzaki grumbled at what the shrine maiden had said, even as she gently tightens her grip around him even more.
Relieved to be outside the Hakurei shrine in a sunny yet cloudy morning, all Kenzaki can do is head to the Human Village, find a job, and try to not scream or rant in panic over being stuck in a land full of bizarre creatures within an ancient society in his wake. Though it would had been better if Reimu wasn't hugging his body as she was giving him direction on how to get there.
As they walk to the Human Village (though it's more like the shrine maiden dragging him there despite clinging to his body), the young man had to recall how the morning started after the shrine maiden decided to let go of him in the kotatsu to start making breakfast for the both of them.
And while Kenzaki could get a chance to escape the shrine and head to the Human Village on his own, he quickly shoots it down, knowing that he has no knowledge on where it's located, there could be a number of Youkai and other beings that want to hunt/torment him, and also to prevent the shrine maiden from going on a manhunt to find and take him back to the shrine through any means necessary, which includes getting shot down by danmaku if she has to.
Not wanting to waste his chances with getting to the Human Village, the young man decides to help the shrine maiden make some breakfast in the kitchen, only chatting with her when she wants to talk about what's on her mind.
Once breakfast is finished, Kenzaki had to tell Reimu constantly about letting him bathe on his own without her help, refusing to allow the young woman to go any further than what he had allowed her to do, and to salvage what's left of his dignity as it is.
Thankfully, Reimu actually complies with his request, though Kenzaki better expected the shrine maiden herself to return the favor once she bathes herself. And for a safety precaution, he had to duck his head under the kotatsu after she has her turn to bathe, not intending to compromise his ethnics until certain that the young woman is finally clean and back in her normal attire.
Once both residents are fully bathe and back to their respective outfits, with the guy maintaining his ethnics, they both check to see if the snow had stopped and are relieved when the sky is mostly sunny and bright, giving them a chance to leave the shrine and into the Human Village.
But even so, Reimu felt she wanted to walk instead of flying just for exercise while carrying her gohei in her hand as she places a small bag of mon around her waist, though Kenzaki felt it's an excuse to be clingy towards him, as usual.
In the non-eventful walk, other than the shrine maiden still being attached to his body, the two are reaching closer to the open gates of the Human Village.
In front of the gates were two guards that wore black samurai like armor with bronze colored conical hats that appeared metallic in design as they each carry a matchlock pistol on their back using a built-in sling, a pole weapon that looked to be used to apprehend criminals, and a jutte in their sashes.
As they were mulling about their business, they see the shrine maiden and the young man walking towards the Village, they raise their polearms and slam the ends of weapons on the ground, alerting the two once they get a few feet close to the gate.
"Halt," one of the guards, a middle age man demanded in a serious tone. "Why are you two coming here?"
Reimu look towards the guards with a blank look on her face while Kenzaki shuts his mouth out of necessity.
"I was taking the young man to the village, sir," Reimu answered in a professional tone. "He was lost within the forest near Misty Lake and needed to find a job inside the Village."
Quickly identifying who the shrine maiden really is, and the Outsider wearing foreign attire that's too different from the regular Villagers, the guards quickly nod their heads calmly.
"Okay then," another guard who is a slightly younger middle age man, said politely. "You two can come in. But don't cause any trouble you hear?"
"We understood," Reimu nodded before she and the young man head inside the Human Village past the gates as the doors open up to let them inside.
"Oh, and by the way," the younger guard said towards the shrine maiden and the Outsider. "Do you plan to let him return to the Outside World, or at least give him housing inside the Village?"
"Unfortunately, there's a huge possibility of Youkai willing to prevent the Outsider from leaving Gensokyo," Reimu replied blankly. "Not only that, the Outsider doesn't have enough mon to live around here or if there any room for him to live in."
"So basically."
"I'll let him stay with me," the shrine maiden stated in her typical voice.
"Don't you think you should- "
Reimu's blank look stared to change into a glare as she stares at the younger guard, her reddish eyes slowly yet steadily begin to unnerve the younger guard personally when he recalled reports on what she did earlier inside the Village not so long ago.
And what the young woman actually did when she actually snapped.
"Oh, my bad," the younger guard took back what he said earlier as he rubs the back of his head with his free arm. "If you feel comfortable letting the Outsider stay with you then it's fine."
He then glances at the Outsider Reimu is hugging on as the blonde was silent during the conversation. "What do you think about living with the shrine maiden, sir?"
"Huh," Kenzaki looked at the younger guard's nervous brown eyes. "I don't have a problem with it, sure. Though getting enough money to have my own place to stay is not easy, but it's worth it once I start getting a job and earn money. And at least I'm donating money to compensate for living with her, so yeah, not entirely bad."
Though keeping Reimu from doing anything drastic is also one of my main concerns. The young man muttered under his breath. Aside from planning to leave Gensokyo on my own when the golden opportunity arises if I don't get my own place to stay.
"Well then, enjoy your time here you two," the younger guard said politely, which the shrine maiden and the Outsider nodded in response before heading inside the Human Village.
As the two went past before the gates close again, the slightly younger man looked at his colleague, appearing concerned to the other's serious-looking face.
"This is one of a few times Reimu actually walk towards the Village," the younger guard noted. "Normally she would had just floated there like it's not a problem for her countless times. Even more so since she didn't appear sometime after that report with one of the nobles during her visit."
The older guard looked at his younger colleague and could help but grunt lightly in agreement to what he had said.
"To be fair, while I had little to no respect towards arrogant nobles, the way Reimu handled that noble, while understandable, was pretty extreme even by our standards," the older guard replied, causing the younger one to shiver over what had happened. "That's especially after the Hakurei shrine maiden looking like she's going to go insane from whatever trauma she's going through."
"Tell me about it. That poor girl is glad that she got someone to ease that kind of pain to be honest," the younger one said, recalling how the shrine maiden was with the young man that was wearing some foreign attire. "I don't mind the guy being either an Outsider, a villager, or even a Youkai if it means keeping her happy and stable. That extends to whatever background he's in if that's what she wanted."
"We better assume that guy is keeping her happy," the older guard said as he glances towards the gate that let the two in. "Because if not, the Human Village, no, Gensokyo for that matter, is going to have a very rude awakening . . . Something that not even our strongest Youkai Hunters and/or Youkai themselves can actually handle."
The younger guard nodded as they resume their patrol duty towards the gate, trying to prevent himself from going inside the village about the possible risk the shrine maiden of Gensokyo could, or perhaps, couldn't even do if she has nothing else to lose, especially due that 'Incident' with those hostile threats coming to mind.
And while that schoolteacher he talks to did help ease his concerns from time to time, that guard still has those fears coming back to him whenever possible.
And that sadly starts to extend to the Hakurei shrine maiden as well thanks to what had happened not so long ago.
Keine, the younger guard said to himself. I hope you're strong enough to stop her, should her heart become consumed by the darkness. Because if not, I fear Gensokyo is in big trouble.