Date: 07/30/23
Weather: Rain into Sun
Dear Diary
Thank Gog that the day cleared out. Its a shame that it happened during the evening I did get to do my laundry but more on that later. That aside what even more shame is starting my day with a minor hangover. It wasn't as bad as the time Meiling and Koakuma went on a drinking binge but it was enough to effect my performance during the sparring match. The pitter patter of the rain hitting the puddles, sounded like drums crashing a minor slip on the puddle felt like I was doing back flips against my will. Even a little splash of rain water on my body which I would see a minor annoyance normally felt like a major pain in the butt. All these compounding into The gatekeeper kicking my butt. On top of that Meiling decided to add salt to the wound and straight up give me a lecture on the importance of responsible drinking sounding real smug… as if she had any rights. The lecture only lasted what, ten minutes at best but it felt like ten hours thanks to this minor hangover. I really didn't want to hear the Gatekeeper ramble on, but my brain was too focused on dealing with my hangover so I reluctantly took the lecture.
...
I'm glad that I got over my hangover before the shift with a ton of water and a nice warm bath because things got even more loud during the shift. The thieving Witch decided to drop by and cause a bit of a ruckus. What I didn't expect was Marisa personally coming over to me to thank me on helping her winning that little bet against the Puppeteer girl Alice letting me know that she owed me a favour for that. I doubt that she'll come around to even up though. On top of coming to the Mansion to thank me, the Witch was here to once again 'borrow' some books. Naturally Patchouli was against this, and the two duked it out. I must sound like a broken record but Danmaku duels are an absolute sight to see no matter how much I see them. Marisa was once again the victor in the duel but before she could leave, Flandre wanted a turn saying something like how she never gets to let loose. Hearing that got me feeling pretty inadequate... The little Vampire might see me as her 'Big Brother' but she sees also sees me as an ultra frail human being. But she sees Marisa; another Human, completely differently... Just how strong do I need to get til I get strong enough? How strong is enough for Flandre to not see me as something that needs to be protected? Back to the duel. It looked like Marisa was sort of reluctant to duel Flandre since she just fought Patchouli but she gave in and dueled the little Vampire, and after a light show Flandre came out on top. Pretty sure it was due to the fact that Flandre was fighting a weakened Marisa but the little Vampire still seemed to have fun. So makes my life happy.
...
Due to the library enduing two different Danmaku duel the library clean up was a bit of a big operation. I may have been a bit distracted from the whole 'I feel inadequate, how high do I have to climb to get good in Gensokyo' bit due to Koakuma calling my name several times to get my attention. It got to a point where I just told the little Devil about what I was thinking about and to my surprise Koakuma offered her help to get good at the whole magic thing. She even agreed to use the Arcane style that I've been learning. What a good girl. That got me motivated enough to power through the clean up with time left over to practice magic. I wanted to try my hands at flying but I ultimately decided to put a pin on that and practice what I know. Barriers and Arcane Dashes. The little Devil would fire off a few Danmaku bullets and I would alternate between blocking and dodging with gradual increase in Danmaku intensity. By the end I was on the Library floor exhausted. I think Koakuma was still holding back a ton... I'm glad that she's helping me.
...
End of the day was finally Laundry day. I didn't have much clothes to wash and dry due to most of them becoming unwearable from Danmaku damage, more reason to wash the clothes that I had left. While I was washing I was visited by the Mermaid again. Wakasagihime I think was her name, anyway she's been waiting around the lake shores to ask me questions about my mansion life. She wanted to fly to the mansion herself but that would dry her out too quick, and the whole 'Meiling blocking the way' thing also held her back. I learned two things about the Mermaid. First shes a member of a Youkai group called Grassroot Youkai Network. Second the network seems to talk about me sporadically ever since the first newspaper article about me dropped. The mermaid's question was more... Personal? It focused around how I saw the Youkai. My answer was that "it depended on the Youkai but for the most part I know that my place is objectively below them." That seemed to satisfy the Mermaid almost to the level of her getting pretty smug. Maybe she has a superiority complex? Well her questions aside I got my laundry done, and the clothes I was wearing, aka the only dry clothes I had left got wet from the Mermaid splashing me from leaving... I had the choice of sleeping with wet clothes or no clothes... I chose the latter and it wasn't fun Hopefully my clothes dry by tomorrow...
-R.F.
Date: 07/31/23
Weather: Sunny with a bit of clouds
Dear Diary
Well I woke up to my clothes almost dry but damp, could have been worse. Second day means that the Paper girl probably finished and delivered her article about me. This time I wasn't the first to read the paper. I think the entire mansion got first dibs before me. 'Exclusive Interview with the Devil mansion's Part timer!' Once again, I work full time. The content of the article was on a similar beat to the first article about me. A lot of exaggerated truths Meiling seemed to like how Shameimaru portrayed her though. 'The ultra dependable Older sister being forced to work in unfair conditions by the Mansion owner.' In fact everything I've said about the mansion crew was completely blown out of proportion. Including how 'I' saw Big Boss... 'Remilia Scarlet aka, the Scarlet Devil aka, the 'Big Boss' locking up her own kin and treating her employees with just the bare necessities!' I didn't even say anything like that! And even if I somehow did Shameimaru clearly took it out of context and twisted my words! It felt almost like clockwork where Izayoi paid a visit to the front gate to give me a message. "Lady Remilia wishes an audience with you. She'll come by your room in the evening. Please make sure to be on your best behaviour and don't be late." Not going to lie.
While Meiling seemed curious, Hearing that got me real spooked. Thoughts like 'What did she want with me? Did she read the paper and want to fire me for speaking against her idea of locking Flandre up?', 'Maybe I shouldn't have said something like that, maybe I should have buttered her up a bit more on the interview.', 'Wait, what if that doesn't matter since the Paper girl can just bend my words to suit her needs.' My mind was racing, thinking of things I can do to mitigate whatever damage Remilia was going do to me, I drew blanks... Wait looking back, thanks to the little paper event I didn't even get to spar Meiling. I swear I'm going to have to talk to that Shameimaru girl first opportunity I get.
...
I was far too distracted from the Paper, the shift felt like a blur. The two things that made the shift more bearable was the one, Flandre didn't read the paper meaning that she wouldn't bombard me with questions. Second which is mighty ironic, I was still bombarded with questions by another individual. The Puppeteer paid a visit to ask me some questions. Apparently she read the paper as well and wanted to confirm some stuff with me. Also to apologize regarding her behaviour a couple days back. Maybe she doesn't trust the papers? Well if that's the case that's good for me. Flandre was still a bit skeptical around Alice but she behaved through out most of the questioning from Alice, though I could see the little Vampire getting more impatient with the Puppeteer 'hogging' me to herself. A couple of things that I noticed about Alice and to an extent Patchouli during this was that they seem to have some level of mutual respect towards each other, unlike Patchouli seeing Marisa as more of an annoyance. Pretty sure that's due to the fact that Alice isn't a part time thief. The rest of the shift was mostly Flandre reading books with me in silence, and being extra clingy. It even got a point where Flandre reminded me that I was HER 'Big brother.' and she doesn't like it when I don't focus on her. I guess even at five hundred years old Flandre is sort of stingy when it comes to sharing her toys... Brother.
...
Since the Library was cleaned yesterday, the final day of my second job ended without incident, well minus Koakuma reminding me that I was going to help her every now and then, on top of the drinking club. Due to the free time though, I got to visit the Village to pick up my new clothes. Mister Tailor seemed pretty pleased with his work, rightfully so. The clothes felt soft to the touch but even my layman's eyes can tell that it was built tough. Mister Tailor also mentioned that he didn't have the clothes for the colder days ready but I told him to take his time. We made some small talks and be brought up the newspaper, and how the paper made me sound absolutely ridiculous. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. After a bit of small talk and listening to Mister Tailor voice his complaints about Shameimaru's stretched truths in her articles, I parted ways with few more sets of clothes, yay for me. On top of my clothes pick up I got invited by the three Youkai Exterminator gentlemen. Well two this time, one of the gentleman was missing.
Sipping on some booze, I asked what happened to their regular third. According to them he was fairly injured while taking on a Youkai. So much so that he was sent to a place called the Eientei. From what I gathered, this Eientei is sort of a hospital or a place of healing in Gensokyo. One of the gentlemen mentioned that I wont have to worry about Eientei since I have a cushy job at the mansion, then the second Youkai Exterminator joked "Yeah, unless that Vampire sucks his blood dry!" I know that it a joke... but the fact alone that it's a possibility is a scary and very possible thought. One other thing that I learned was Youkai and their 'power level'. According to the gentlemen Youkai tends to be more dangerous during the night compared to the day, and the Moon cycle effects how dangerous they can get. Fuller the more dangerous and more powerful. Well, I'm glad that I rarely go out at night. The night was topped off with the Audience with the Big Boss... Because I was in my room early, I thought I'd take the time to set up my phone to record like with Shameimaru. And with a knock on the door. I got to have a little chat with Remilia Scarlet, the Big Boss.
I got the entire thing transcribed...
Beginning of Conversation
*Sound of Knocking*
R.F.: "Come in..."
*Sound of door creaking open and closing*
R.S.: "Good evening."
R.F.: "Umm... Good... Evening..."
R.S.: "Hm? You seem a little on edge. Did something happen today? Or perhaps maybe you're on edge due to. Me?"
*Sound of chair creaking from Remilia sitting*
R.F.: "Who.. Me? On edge? Not at all!"
R.S.: "You're not a very good liar, It's written all over your face"
R.F.: "So... Uhh... What did you want to talk about Lady Remilia?"
R.S.: "Aha~ 'Lady Remilia'? What ever happened to 'Big Boss'?"
R.F.: "Tha-"
R.S.: "mhm ahahaha! Oh relax. Of all the years I lived I don't think I was ever called 'Big Boss' I honestly find that very amusing!"
R.F.: "Oh... Uhh... that's good."
R.S.: "Now that's out of the way."
*Sound of chair creaking, light footsteps from Remilia*
R.S.: "That little nick name you gave me isn't the only thing that I've noticed on today's papers."
R.F.: "I... Lady Remil-"
R.S.: "How about you call me Big Boss?"
R.F.: "Umm... Big Boss? Pardon me but could you... take a step back?"
R.S.: "What's the matter? Are you uncomfortable? And do I smell. Alcohol?"
R.F.: "With all due respect, I do feel a bit uncomfortable that you're that close... And sorry, I was invited by some of the villagers... I only had a bit to drink. I swear."
R.S.: "And why do you feel uncomfortable I wonder. Do you have something to hide?"
R.F.: "It's not that... I just-"
R.S.: ""Unjustly locking Flandre in the basement? Bare necessities for my employees?" Working under me you've gotten fairly bold for a Human, making assumptions about me and my dear sister."
R.F.: "..."
R.S.: "What's the matter. Got nothing to say?"
*Sound of chair being pushed back, dull thud*
R.F.: "I! I'm sorry! I was completely out of line! Please forgive me!"
R.S.: "..."
R.F.: "..."
R.S.: "Ah ha... Ahahahahahaahaha!"
R.F.: "..."
R.S.: "Please oh please get up, oh my stomach ahahahahahaha!"
R.F.: "..."
R.S.: "Ahhh, I haven't laughed like that in quite a while, again please get up. It honestly feels wrong to see an employee of mine grovel in fear like that."
R.F.: "I... Alright... Sorry..."
R.S.: "Now. Have a seat."
R.F.: "Yes Lady Remilia..."
R.S.: "And Big Boss will do."
R.F.: "Yes Big Boss..."
*Sound of chair creaking*
R.F.: "Forgive me if I'm stepping out of line, but I'm... Not in trouble?"
R.S.: "What, with that paper? Oh no, I know for a fact, that Paper girl's articles can get very sensationalized. Why do you think I let the Tengu let you interview you? And I can tell that you're the kind of person to to be honest but not belligerent."
R.F.: "I'm. Relieved."
R.S.: "But regarding me locking Flandre up, I have tried other methods to help Flandre. Locking her up was simply the last resort."
R.F.: "I see. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions..."
R.S.: "Well, it's not like you knew about it. So don't worry about it."
R.F.: "Understood. Umm Is that why you wanted to talk to me tonight?"
R.S.: "Ahh yes. Do you remember a while back we talked in your room? Regarding you wanting Flandre outside?"
R.F.: "Oh... That, yes I remember."
R.S.: "I've been thinking, the fact that you've somehow managed to make the dear little sister of mine control herself and not kill anyone shows that you have at the least the knowledge on keeping her in check. So, I decided to take you up on the request."
R.F.: "! Th-"
R.S.: "Ah ah, Not so fast. What you're asking me to approve isn't something that should be taken lightly. One misstep from Flandre it'll sully the Scarlet name in all of Gensokyo. So, I'll have a couple Conditions"
R.F.: "Conditions?"
R.S.: "Yes, first is the same from when I approved of you letting her into the library. One major screw up and I'm locking Flandre back into the basement, and you'll be dinner for the mansion."
R.F.: "Understood..."
R.S.: "Second."
*Sound of Chair sliding, Remilia's footsteps*
R.S.: "You're going to have to pay this little request, with Blood. Specifically, Yours."
R.F.: "M-my Blood?"
R.S.: "That's right."
R.F.: "Umm... How... How much will you be taking?"
R.S.: "Oh not much, I'm a very light eater compared to my sister. Once a week I'll visit your room to take a bit of blood from you as a price for letting Flandre outside. Do you accept?"
R.F.: "Yes."
R.S.: "Oh? Quite the quick response."
R.F.: "If it'll make Flandre happy and let her explore the outdoors I'll be happy to give my blood."
R.S.: "Hmm... I like that answer. It's done then. Sakuya will let you know when I'll be dropping by for the first payment. Oh and one last thing before I go. Make sure you don't drink any alcohol when I come by for your blood. Have yourself a good night."
R.F.: "Understood. Thank you... Have a good night, Big Boss..."
R.S.: "Hehh~ Big Boss..."
*Sound of door opening and closing*
R.F.: "..."
End of Conversation
Sweet mother of Gog... I got to witness what it's like to almost die... Even though Remilia has a build of a child just the way she carries herself and get real close and threaten me... It was absolutely terrifying. Well. On the bright side I'm happy that Flandre can go outside to explore, but on the not so bright side; now I'm the Vampire's personal blood donation clinic... She did say that she doesn't drink much but how much is 'not too much'? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there...
-R.F.
Date: 08/01/23
Weather: Sunny. Surprisingly Dry
Dear Diary
Well, today's the day. The very first day that Flandre got to see the outside world in Gog knows how long. To prep for that I had to ask the Gatekeeper if she can find a Sunbrella and put it by the front door or something. Meiling had no idea why I asked such a specific request, asking if the Big Boss was going out to visit the Hakurei Shrine Maiden or something. I had to come clean and explain my little even with Remilia. The Gatekeeper seemed absolutely shocked how I somehow manage to convince the Big Boss to let Flandre out. Meiling even asked several times if I was pulling her leg. Nope, no leg pulling of any sort. The Gatekeeper eventually agreed to get a Sunbrella ready by the time I got Flandre out. Then came the Sparring match. Not sure if it was hearing the news but the Gatekeeper seemed, hesitant? Distracted? I mean sure I lost but I was like five steps from winning, which is a major feat for me since I only managed to beat Meiling when she was suffering from a Hangover from heck. Even so, I think I've come a long way, from getting my butt kicked instantly to sort of holding my ground.
...
Now. The start of the shift was interesting. Before I even got to Flandre's room, I took a detour to the library letting the Library crew that Flandre will be heading outside today. Patchouli was apparently already informed, but the Koakuma was in the dark. I guess shes on a need to know basis. That aside, escorting the little Vampire outside was mighty fun. Slowly walking Flandre out and then keep walking past the hallway to the library, seeing Flandre do a little double take. And asking if we weren't going to the library. Giving like two word answer like "Not today." and seeing the little Vampire's confused reaction is sort of cute, not going to lie. I think the confusion grew into almost a panic by the time I got her to the front door of the mansion, telling me that we should turn back before we get in trouble. Trying to assure the little Vampire while keeping a straight face was mighty difficult. And opening that double door of the mansion, letting the sun shine cut right through the sort of moody mansion interior was refreshing. Watching Flandre get absolutely flabbergasted just seeing the view of the outside from the interior of the mansion was a sight to behold, and thank Gog Meiling got me a Sunbrella ready. Not sure if the little Vampire was paying attention to me explaining how I made a deal with Remilia to let her outside, leaving out the whole 'Pay with blood' details. Pretty sure she did when she almost crushed my ribs from hugging me. With the Sunbrella open I escorted Flandre out the door. The rest of the shift was, hectic.
Meiling was waiting by the mansion fountain and the two had quite the heartfelt reunion. Didn't the see each other like a few weeks back? Oh well. After that it was Flandre flying around and Meiling trying to keep up with her with the sunbrella. I owe that Gatekeeper big... And this is another reason on why I should learn how to fly. I can't let Meiling carry me forever. The later half the shift both Flandre and Meiling was just chilling under the sunbrella tired and sweating from flying around, exploring the mansion outdoors. I, just chilled with them. Well chilled until the Ice kid decided to pay a visit. That Kid sounded real audacious at first, but as soon as she saw the little Vampire, Cirno simmered down real quick. I think seeing a Fairy that wasn't a maid perked up the little Vampire because Flandre tried to get close to that Ice kid. Cirno tried to put up a good front but she eventually flew off, which sort of soured Flandre's mood a tad but I think her mood was immediately evened out thanks to the whole being on the outside in a long time, thing. All in all I think Flandre had an absolute blast, can't say the same for Meiling though, she was absolutely exhausted by the end.
...
Post shift I got to focus more on my magic practice. This time around I tried my hands at flying. Using self enchantment and a basic float spell I got myself to float. Probably should have thought the whole thing through since I had very little control over me moving around in the air. Because shouting in the library would get me in trouble by the librarian I made the mighty reckless decision of just turning off the self enchant, which in turned disable the float spell. I can safely say that the floor of the library is pretty hard on my face. I think the entire magic practice was like learning how to ride a bike but not learning how to safely turn or stop the bike. Is it progress? Yes. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. I asked Koakuma for any suggestions but unfortunately she didn't have much since she knew how to fly since she was born. So it came down to just practising and letting my body get used to the sensation of falling. Honestly I think its actually not that bad of an exercise. I get to learn how to fly on top of sharpening up the self enchant spell. A painful win win.
-R.F.
Date: 08/02/23
Weather: Sunny and Hot.
Dear Diary
Sometimes fate can be the cruelest of mistress. Not only was the day mighty sunny it was also incredible hot. So you know, a perfect weather for doing laundry... Me crying over a good weather aside, something else happened to me during sparring. So normally during sparring Meiling would hold back enough so her attacks don't hurt too bad. But I have no idea what happened today. One second I'm sparring like its just another day, next I'm on the ground. Meiling got real worried asking me a hundred times if I was okay. Other than the throbbing pain on my face I was fine. Asking the Gatekeeper what happened, apparently during a pretty routine sparring session, I just completely dropped my guard, do a thousand kilometer stare and took a punch straight to the face. Now I have a black eye and a possible concussion with no actual memories of what happened. That's the first ever black eye, and it sort of hurts. A lot.
...
So the start of the shift Flandre was already asking question on what happened to my face. I have the clever excuse of "I fell down the stairs." I think she bought it, reiterating how frail I was as a Human being. I wonder if her answer would have changed if I said "I took a punch from Meiling and survived." Probably not. That aside since Flandre was already outside once, she was a lot more chill when exploring. Pretty much no flying, mostly walking around seeing all the different flowers. The little Vampire asking why some flowers were the way they were, I did my best answering her questions, adding in some scientific jargon. Half way through Cirno the Ice Kid dropped in for a visit this time with her little posse of other fairies. Pretty sure that didn't work since that only hyped up the little Vampire. I had to let the little Vampire know that she wasn't allowed to kill or seriously injure the fairies, just Danmaku rules. And just like that Flandre flew off with the Sunbrella in her hand. I think this was the first time I saw a Danmaku duel outside and it was still amazing. Flandre did a one versus five one handed and straight beat them without breaking a sweat. That little Vampire is sure amazing. The Ice kid and her little Fairy gang flew off real spooked. Pretty sure that's the last time I'll see them around the mansion.
...
Today's magic practice was more on flying, specifically on movement. I was struggling when Koakuma came to the rescue. She suggested on top of making myself float I could also enchant an item to float, and move the item around while holding it in my hand until I got used to the sensation. Like how a Witch would fly on a broom. I swear that little Devil is a genius. Since I didn't have a broom on me, I thought I'd just enchant the book that I was reading. First was just practicing on levitating a book. I think thanks to the general magic practice that I've gotten the hang of just using magic to levitate and move stuff. After that I tried my hands at making myself float and then making the item of choice levitate. Overall it was a million times easier to just do that, compared to just trying to fly myself. The sensation of flying not on a plane sort of feels like scuba diving or just swimming but faster, less resistance. Now that I have the 'Basic' flying sort of down, all I need to do is apply a bit more speed and control and maybe even drop the enchanted item and fly by myself. With no Library clean up and me not visiting the village today, I did some Chi manipulation practice, got to even things up after all. Harden skin, body warming, and more power in my strikes. A good end for the day.
-R.F.
Date: 08/03/23
Weather: Windy… so Gog dang windy. But also sunny.
Dear Diary
Okay I didn't think Gensokyo could get this windy... Holy moly I couldn't focus properly during the sparring match. Thankfully though Meiling was really pulling her punches Maybe she feels back that she decked me in the face yesterday. Wait how's that a good thing? I don't want her to hold back, that doesn't help me improve at all, well technically I'm still improving but just slower. That aside I did ask the Gatekeeper if the power of Chi can help me fly. Short answer is yes but it might be more physically demanding. Meiling even gave a bit of a demonstration. I'm not sure how to explain it, but flying with chi looks... Rigid? Stiff? I mean the gatekeeper flying about looked smooth but also didn't look fluid... Maybe I should try my hands at the whole fly with Chi business. Hey, maybe I can mix the two together and do something like a super flying or something.
...
So during the shift I saw Flandre smoke. Not the cigarette kind, I mean literally start to smoke. Thanks to the obscene level of wind blowing, I lost grip of the Sunbrella accidentally exposing the little Vampire to direct sunlight. The smoking was faint at first, being immediately blown away by the wind but the intensity of the smoke grew real quick where it was visible even with the wind. Surprisingly though, Flandre didn't seem to mind at all. Saying that it tickled a bit. Pretty sure that girl was a second away from fully combusting into flames. I had to sprint to chase and grab the Sunbrella. By the time I covered Flandre up I think she was almost done healing whatever injuries she got from the sun. That's some scary level healing factor. Asking Flandre if she wanted to just hang out inside was quickly turned down by the little Vampire, saying that she would rather explore the outdoors, so the shift mostly involved me following Flandre around as she more questions about the outdoors and no Ice kid today. I guess the little Vampire scared her off.
...
With the shift done I did a little bit of Village visiting. Not much to write home about but there was a single instance that won't leave my head. With the winds blowing, the sun lazily starting to set, the kids were playing on the streets of the village, this time no weirdo Umbrella girl, maybe the winds blew her away or something. What I did see... Okay I'm not sure what I saw, it's so hard to put into words and the more I try to remember the harder it becomes... I remember, seeing kids play, and... There was someone else. A kid? An Adult? Whoever or whatever it was I think they were playing with the kids? Gog why is it so hard to remember? Not a single detail on the person visually, no voice, nothing... Oh there is one thing that I sort of remember though, I think there were... Tubes? For the end of the day, I tried to take my mind off the whole that village visit with some late evening magic practice in the library, mostly just getting used to flying. Koakuma made a joke about how I was going to replace her as the library assistant if I kept improving my magical prowess like that. What I didn't expect was Patchouli sort of 'yes and'-ing Koakuma's joke with "He seems to be a fast enough learner maybe I SHOULD replace you." I had no idea that Patchouli was capable of making jokes. I mean sure it was a bit dry on the delivery, and it almost gave the little Devil a heart attack but still. That was quite the way to end my day.
-R.F.
Date: 08/04/23
Weather: Sunny
Dear Diary
Thank Gog the wind was toned down for today. I mean I personally don't hate winds or anything like that, its just the one from yesterday was some unGogly level of winds, all day too. That aside the sparring match went fairly normally, no getting blindsided this time just a regular beat down from Meiling. Post sparring, the Gatekeeper did point out that I've been slacking on my physical prowess. She can tell just from a sparring match? Actually pretty sure any expert martial artist could do the same so I shouldn't be surprised. Guess I have to focus on getting buff again and less on getting smart.
...
The shift was. Interesting. Following the little Vampire with the sunbrella as she did her thing we got a visitor. Hakurei Reimu. Never in my life I thought I'd see the Red and White Shrine maiden that I've only heard of, in person. A slightly thin build, dark brown hair almost black, height that's a bit shorter than me but taller than the Witch all in the Red and White Shrine maiden attire. Hakurei seemed pretty surprised that Flandre was out and about to a point where she got her Shrine maiden stick out. Saying something about another incident happening. I had to explain the entire 'Lore' of how I convinced Remilia to let Flandre out under my supervision. Post explanation Hakurei seemed to relax, now focused on me. Asking questions like if the stuff on the Tengu's paper was true. Naturally I had to deny Shameimaru's choice of words, and the Shrine maiden seem to also believe that. I guess this isn't the first time Shameimaru stretched the truth and it surely wont be the last. The conversation with Hakurei was pretty chill all things considered. Didn't the three Youkai Exterminator gentlemen say that the Shrine Maiden was an oddball? I mean I could sort of see that but it wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. Before leaving, Hakurei did tell me to not do anything too stupid or she'll come and exterminate me herself, on top of declining a Danmaku duel with Flandre mentioning that "Marisa can play with you or something." And just like that the Red and White just flew off. Flandre seemed disappointed that she didn't get to play with Hakurei but was also excited that she might be able to play with the Witch outside. Wait... "Don't do anything stupid."? Does she know that I was sent here to cause an incident? Or was that just a general threat? Safe to say, I was shook. I need to be on my toes around that girl...
...
I don't know if was the Shrine Maiden's casual threat or just some external force, but I couldn't focus at all when I was trying to meditate to improve my mental state and my Chi flow. I'm going to say that it's the Red and White low key threatening me. And because I couldn't focus, I took a trip to the Village to sort of try and get the Shrine Maiden off my mind. Maybe I shouldn't have made the joke about the umbrella girl being blown away by the wind... She got me again. I don't know how she does it, I swear I saw her shadow creep up behind me but when I turned around, nothing. When I turn back shes right in front of my face, and I was on the ground. Gog I hate when my legs give out from getting spooked... The Umbrella girl seemed happy that she got me. Again. Skipping back to the kids that she was probably babysitting who were also cheering her on. I think I heard some of the adult on lookers get a good laugh. What is her deal? Does she just get a kick out of spooking people? I didn't get the chance to ask the girl since she was too busy playing with the kids. Well at least getting spooked did put my mind off the Red and White's vague threat, so mission accomplished?
-R.F.
Date: 08/05/23
Weather: mostly cloudy.
Dear Diary
I haven't mentioned this but ever since I got decked by Meiling the black eye that I got has been spreading. I've actually seen that happen to few other folks back home and it's a fairly normal healing process, it doesn't look that pretty though. The gatekeeper was even more worried if my face was in any pain. Nope, pretty much all healed. All that's left is the old bruise to go away. I wish she would stop holding back though. Once again, I can't beat her but I can literally feel her punches and kicks slow down. I straight up had to tell the Gatekeeper to not give me a handicap just because I got a black eye from her. Meiling seems pretty hesitant to the idea but I think I convinced her to not hold back.
...
The Gatekeeper wasn't the only one worried. Flandre was asking if the spreading bruise on my face hurt on a few occasion during the shift. Looking back, my replies were pretty half baked, and I know why too. Ever since the Red and White's visit yesterday I've been a bit on edge. Getting spooked by that weirdo umbrella girl was a nice distraction but what if the Red and White drops by and just kill me? Pretty sure she can do that. And what if I actually heed her warning and not follow through with causing an incident? Would Yakumo just pay a visit and slay me? I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Thank Gog Izayoi was there to snap be back to reality. Well kind of, the Boss dropped by to let me know that Big Boss was going to pay me a visit. It would have been nice if Izayoi told me that in private since the little Vampire was now bombarding me with questions. I had to come clean and let Flandre know that her ticket to outside was paid with my blood. And I was now due for the first payment. The little Vampire wasn't a fan of the deal, not because of the idea of me being shared with Remilia, well maybe that's also a factor; the biggest issue that Flandre had was that her older sister got first dibs on drinking my blood. Wait, wasn't Flandre against the idea like a way back? It got to a point where the little Vampire more or less demanded that she gets second dibs on my blood. Thankfully Izayoi was there to interject saying "If you start drinking from him, you'll drink him dry." Well, thanks for the save Boss... And a thought of me getting drank to death... Flandre even tried to come up with a compromise saying stuff like "Maybe I can get big brother's blood in a cup or something!"... And Izayoi thought it was a good idea... Is this because Izayoi mentioned Remilia? Is this some sort of a competition between the sisters to see who can drink my blood the most? Great now I'm stuck between another rock and a hard place.
...
Well that memorable shift aside I did a little Village visiting to take my mind off things. No drinking Mister Tailor, the Youkai Exterminator Gentlemen or even the weirdo Umbrella girl. I did have another little event encounter with another... Weirdo? Well not a weirdo. Lets start from the top. I was walking down a street, mind still preoccupied by the possibly looming threat that was the Red and White on top of now the two Vampire sisters competing for my blood... Well just the one competing. Until I walked into something squishy? Smudged up my glasses real good. I have no idea how to properly explain this feeling. It was sort of lukewarm and felt like one of those big puffy ground mats that stunt doubles use for falling onto, or like those puffy mats that people use for Gymnastic landing or like a climbing gym, but squishier? I don't know... Such a weird feeling. Anyway taking a step back I saw a... large semi transparent garbage bag? And a girl with two swords with visibly different lengths, beside the floating garbage bag. The girl from the new encounter sort of freaked out when she saw my face, drawing her sword immediately. Man was the bruise spreading look that bad? And I'm pretty sure that I dodge a bullet... Sword. If I didn't explain that I wasn't a ghost I would have been cut in half. The explanation did calm the girl down and she apologize for drawing her sword without thinking, before introducing herself as Konpaku Youmu. A part time gardener, a part time swordsmanship instructor, part time body guard. I also learned that the floating garbage bag belonged to the girl and that it wasn't a garbage bag. It was a ghost, her ghost half? That's a thing? I'm surprised that a half ghost is where I draw the line on 'getting surprised at supernatural beings'. This Konpaku Youmu also seemed to sort of recognize me from the papers, but did mention that I look sort of different from the picture from the papers. Probably due to the old bruise and the unshaven face. She also asked questions like if I enjoyed working at the mansion. My answer must have been pretty unconvincing thanks to the condition of my face and the article that Shameimaru dropped... The Gardener and I made some small talks, til we parted ways. I did have a blood donation to get to after all.
...
Waiting in my room was absolutely nerve racking. Personally I learned to not get too bothered by needles, even the big ones that the doctors and nurses use to draw blood, but this was a major step up from getting my blood drawn... Two extra thick needled to puncture my skin and getting my blood literally sucked... Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl... The fated knock on the door was enough to make me jump out of my chair. The entire event was absolutely terrifying. The Big Boss did tell me to relax but I bet that she would be just as scared if the roles were flipped. Asking where she was going to bite me, I thought she was going to go for my jugular. You know, a classic vampire bite. Nope my left inner wrist was chosen for the donation. It felt like the moment before the bite and the bite itself felt like an eternity. The hot breath from the Big Boss, my heart beating faster like it was trying to escape my body. And then, the Bite. It hurt. A lot. I thought she was just going to break the skin to drink blood, but nope. The Vampire telling me that it won't hurt that much probably exacerbated the pain... The two fangs did a fair amount of digging. I know for a fact that this is now also going to bruise... There was one thing that the Big Boss was truthful about. I don't think she drank that much blood, it maybe lasted thirty seconds? And I wasn't light headed or anything. The Big Boss did mention that my blood was a fairly decent quality. She even thanked me for the drink. Maybe next time she wont bite as hard? Before she left though, I did ask now that Flandre was able to go outside with Remilia's permission and a bit of donation, maybe she would visit her little sister? That was met with "Maybe. When I'm not busy." I'm almost certain that she's not busy at all. And just like that I was alone in my room with my thoughts and a bleeding wrist. Man... What a week.
-R.F.
Author's Notes: Alright, its catch up time. I think I've gotten a bit faster in writing more entries. Now. Watch me burn out even quicker lol. Jokes aside I'll continue to do what I can to catch up. As always constructive criticism is always welcomed! Until next time everyone, take care!
