"Welp here's my humble abode!" Marisa chanted as the broom swiftly dove for the earth depositing the giant mushroom at the entrance to her house as she pulled up bringing them to a swift stop just as her feet touched the ground. She was as graceful upon her broom as a swan upon the river yet as she withdrew her broom and held it at her side, Larin swiftly collapsed to his knees shaking and mortified beneath his hat. "Wh… what's wrong, kid?"

"I thought I was gonna die…" -for the third time that week too.

Only then did Marisa remember not everyone was accustomed to flying, much less Larin. Flying came so naturally to Marisa she often did so absentmindedly and could even 'surf' on her broom on a whim. For Larin however, being more than ten feet off the ground must've been frightening. Add to that just how fast Marisa had flown and it was no wonder why he was so shaken up.

"Oh erm…" she stammered, mulling over how she might rectify the situation. "How about I show you inside and I'll get to work on some mushroom and giant roach thorax stew." That certainly made Larin cease in his weeping, if only for the fact he was so stunned by the mere idea of eating some bug for lunch. "It's not as bad as it sounds, honest. Nothing a bunch of salt can't fix if it ends up tasting weird anyways, heh. Common…"

She gestured for him to follow as she skipped up to her front door before swinging it open leaving Larin to contemplate if he had just made the fourth worst decision of his entire life as he reluctantly followed, leaving his large hat beside the entrance. Stepping through the front door of Marisa's home was hardly reassuring, the pungent stench of dust buildup and mildew thick within the air. There was hardly a place to step that wasn't covered in some sort of junk, whether it was newspapers, scrap metal, odd nicknacks, assorted rocks and whatever else Marisa thought useful and had scavenged in her years in Gensokyo.

Even the walls were covered in weeds and vines, with various plants sprouting up between the floorboards. The only clear path was directly from the front door to the kitchen that also seemed to double as her study and bedroom. Marisa only seemed to pause halfway between there and the front door as she turned to what Larin could only assume to have once been the stairway to the upper floor. The only issue was it was stacked step by step from one floor to the next with random junk. There were chairs in there, a fire poker, a heap of newspapers and a collection of dirty dishes stacked upon one another to name a few.

Turning to Larin with a bright smile that served in no way to distract him from the state of her house, she insisted, "why don't we try from the outside?" As they exited the front door, Marisa figured it'd be best to strike up a conversation, asking, "so how exactly do you plan on tackling your debt? You don't seem to have a steady job lined up for yourself."

Following Marisa while avoiding the junk piled on the outside of her house, ranging from discarded furniture to rusted metal bits, Larin answered, "I don't really have any notable skills and since I lost my fishing rod, I think I'll have to resort to foraging and odd jobs."

"Foraging and odd jobs you say?" she rang with a wide grin. "Well you just so happen to be speaking to the foremost expert when it comes to foraging and odd jobs, second only to my prestige as a youkai extermination expert." She snapped her fingers, pointing to a tipped over and rotten wooden plaque that simply read 'Will Do Everything, Kirisame Magic Shop.' The sign was so unambiguous that it easily blended into the other junk strewn about her lawn. "I can hook you up with a quick gig, it may not pay much but something's better than nothing."

They circled around, as Larin collected his hat at the front door wearing it once more as Marisa eyed every second floor window as if to recall which one led to the guest bedroom in particular. It came down to two different windows on the north side, Marisa's eyes glancing between one and the other as she dug through her memories of her house's layout to try and intuit which one it could possibly be.

Finally she pointed to the right and assured Larin, "that one should be it!"

Standing upon the wooden shaft of her broom, Marisa had no issue balancing as it swiftly elevated her up to the window. It was uncanny to watch, like an invisible hand plucking Marisa and her broom upwards as she utilized magic with such mundanity before swinging open the window. Tumbling inside, Larin heard a loud unsettling crash before Marisa's witch hat poked through the window yet again.

"Yup this one's it!"

Suddenly, a knotted rope was thrown out the window for Larin to climb, something he didn't even question Marisa having readily in her possession as he took hold and ascended. Tumbling through the window, Larin fell headfirst before landing on his rear as Marisa stood at his side eyeing the room. From the furthest corner to the door, it was filled with assortments of metal wracks stacked with pots of long dead and wilted plants.

"Huh," Marisa then recalled. "I forgot I was using this room to grow roots, herbs and blossoms, must've slipped my mind several winters ago…"

There was a deliberate layer of soil about an inch thick laid about the whole floor, it too sprouted with small weeds wherever the sun would briefly shine while the rest was nothing but decaying roots and moss.

The only question Larin had to ask was, "why not just build a greenhouse?"

"I can't afford that much glass," was her only answer. "Now common, I'll help ya clean and good thing too, because I'm the foremost cleaning expert in Gensokyo."

Considering the state of her house, Larin was inclined to believe that was a lie and now began to wonder how much of Marisa's status was just self-described and unsubstantiated, among other things.

However, all Larin could ask was, "how is this house still standing in one piece?"

It was being torn apart at the seams by all kinds of vines and weeds, not to mention the neglect of Marisa herself.

All the witch could do was smile and answer, "we'll… let's just say it's not built to withstand earthquakes." That wasn't saying much considering much of the human village wasn't built to do so either. "Common, you're lucky that just about everything in this room can just go outside anyways. We can just pile the pots and cast iron shelving out back, and can probably make a penny or two off the scrap metal, and I'll be sure to cut ya in on the profits. All this dirt and soil however… well, getting it outta here will be a different matter. In exchange for a bit of cleaning, I'll teach you how to forage all Gensokyo has to offer. Since it's spring, there's much this land has to offer."

"That's fantastic," he admitted. Despite everything else, Larin couldn't really fault Marisa by any means considering how generous she was being. "I didn't get a chance to thank you, Marisa. You really saved my life, and in more ways than one. I don't know where I'd be without your help."

"It's nothing," she assured him with a wave of her hand. "As Gensokyo's number two it's the least I can do!"

As Marisa and Larin continued to clear out that guest bedroom, Reimu had ventured to the human village to investigate. Giving out loans wasn't an uncommon practice, the only law that existed against it being the addition of compounding interest. It was inherently a contractual affair, though verbal agreements still stood as a contract of their own. Regardless, it could've been anyone with the money to spare and patience to last, just asking around town about Larin's lender in particular would've been Reimu nowhere quick. Instead she reasoned if she could find the ones that were paid to construct Larin's house, perhaps that would've led her quick to the lender. She started by asking a few carpenters if they knew anyone who constructed a house in the magic forest recently. Most didn't know, but one did lead her to a construction crew. That crew pointed her to another however and it seemed there she'd find her first clue.

She was led to a small home near the outer wall of the village, the only thing cluing Reimu into the fact it was a construction company being the sign just next to the door hanging below a bell with the depiction of a wooden hammer and a handsaw, with the initials of the owner printed at the bottom.

"Matsuzaki Jiro," Reimu read. Ringing the bell, an old hoarse voice called out, beckoning her to enter. Opening the door, Reimu peered inside to find an old bald man with a sash tied about his head laying on a mat with a pile of books surrounding him as he read one laid out just before him. "Good morning, I hate to be a bother so soon at this hour."

As the man's dreary eyes peered up from the book, they immediately went wide noticing the signature red and white attire of the Hakurie Shrine Maiden.

"Oh, erm, Hakurei Reimu!" Jiro swiftly leapt to his feet, scattering the books out of the way shortly before reaching for a knee high table and dragging it before him. "Had I known the premier shrine maiden of Gensokyo and protector of the human village was coming I would have been more prepared, hehe." Upon the table was a multitude of writing utensils along with a variety of ledgers for keeping track of various business expenses, employment and jobs, along with a complimentary bottle of sake and glass cups he began to eagerly pour, a rarity in Gensokyo. "So what can I help the greatest and our most reliable youkai exterminator with today? An extension to the shrine? A bit of light repair? Maybe a new store house?"

Jiro quickly extended a glass cup forward for Reimu to take with a wide gap toothed smile, as she tried to insist, "well erm, none of that unfortunately. I-I can't afford it, heh."

In a mere instance, that kindly demeanor, inviting friendliness and outgoing glow suddenly vanished as his face devolved into a mere scowl as though entirely annoyed that he wasted his precious time on her.

"Guh," he groaned, pushing aside the table laying back down on his elbow before pulling his book in front of him again. "Kids these day have no manners. You're not the first to come begging for my services like my business is some charity."

The sudden shift left Reimu ticked off a bit, like that whole display he put on was nothing more than an act to butter her up for business. However, she set that minor annoyance aside as she caught onto his last remark.

"So I'm not the first?" Reimu inquired. "I take it you know Larin?"

"Yes," Jiro answered, his eyes still tracing the words within the book as he spoke. "That youngin' has been a thorn in my side for months now, constantly pestering and begging me to build him a house outside the human village with whatever sum of yen he earned. Always offering his hand in marriage like he's some sort of bachelor! Every time I saw him, he had a bigger straw hat than before until he ended up with that metal pan for a hat. Thing is so wide it damn near blocks the whole road when he walks by. I'd give him a kick if he wasn't just a child."

"About that actually," she then broke in. "I was wondering where he might've gotten a loan to pay for your services, and if you could point me to them."

"He never got a loan," Jiro insisted, flipping the page of his book. "I built it with whatever sum of yen he had with the rest coming outta my own pocket. He said he'd pay me back, and I've yet to see a single yen from him. Not that it's too much of a concern, I know where he lives after all, hehe." It was then Jiro noted Reimu's curiosity on the matter that she'd otherwise have no business with. Peering up from his book to fix his eyes upon Reimu, he asked in a low voice, "are you here to resolve his debt?"

Hesitantly she answered, "n-not exactly, more so request that you remain patient on the matter. Larin had a string of bad luck and it may take longer than expected."

At least there wasn't some shady loan shark running around giving people and even kids fishy loans. With that worry laid to rest, Reimu opted to simply see what he could do regarding Jiro.

"Tsk, I figured as much. I knew he was no good from the start. To think he'd scam an honest old man."

"He'll keep his word," Reimu insisted, though even she wasn't entirely certain on that aspect, especially since he was now bunking with Marisa. Hopefully that witch's propensity to burglarize didn't rub off on him. Perhaps it would've been better to keep Larin as an assistant after all. "Though as the Hakurie Shrine Maiden, perhaps you can wave a cut of his debt in exchange for any of my spiritual services. I can bless your house, bless you with good health and fortune, maybe even exterminate a Youkai that could be bothering you."

"Haha," he laughed mockingly. "I don't need your farcical blessings and no Youkai would dare disturb me lest they know what's comin'." Reimu struggled to maintain a friendly smile, even as her knuckles grew white with her clenched fists. "Besides, I feel it'd be wrong to accept blessing from another shrine maiden after having visited the Moyira shrine."

"Moyira Shrine? Wh… why not mine?"

"Well theirs has a fancy gondola that takes us up the mountain," he explained. "Perfect for my old body, and being a man in my twilight years, I've come to be fond of the idea of reincarnation. I can only hope my next life will be as peaceful as this one. Their shrine maiden, Sanae, even blessed Larin's house with good fortune, you'd need it to live in the magical forest after all."

"What? -That's My Job!" she shot.

Reimu also found it a little dubious that Sanae's supposed blessing did nothing to stave off the misfortune Larin had experienced. Just what sort of scam was that Moyira shrine peddling?

"Meh," was the only response Jiro had to give. He then let out a heavy sigh before closing his book, giving Reimu a semblance of the attention a shrine maiden deserved. "Truth is, I'm not too hung up on that money. I'm well off enough as it is to take jobs as I please. However! -it's about the principle. If I were to just wave off Larin's debt, what sort of lesson would that teach the youngin'? While I can commend Larin for his independence spirit, the last thing we should be teaching him is that it's permissible to skip out on your dues. It may take him a year to pay off that debt, maybe two, maybe I'll be dead when he finally has the money. Regardless, it's gotta be paid. It's the right thing to do regardless. If I kick the bucket before then however, you can take it as a donation. I could use the blessings in the afterlife or the next life anyways, whichever happens to be true."

With that issue resolved, Reimu offered a bow saying, "thanks for being understanding. I'll take my leave now."

"Thanks for stopping by, and remember, if ever you need something built, you come to me, Matsuzaki Jiro," he smiled. "Anything for the lovely Hakurai Shrine Maiden… just be sure you can pay. That was the first and last debt I'll ever take, hehehe…"

With the door closed behind her, the shrine maiden swiftly took flight with a fury as she aimed directly for the Moriya Shrine. She found the shrine maiden, Sanae, and the Resident God, Yasaka sitting upon a balcony enjoying tea together. Once Reimu's silhouette fell upon the pair, Yasaka's eyes traced upwards before smiling at their red robed visitor.

"Hakurie Reimu," she greeted, standing tall and proud with the shimenawa rope wheel fastened tightly to her back. "Come to surrender the dominion of Gensokyo to me?"

"Far from it!" she snapped back. "In fact I want you to stop muscling in on my worshipers!"

"Heh, worship is an enterprise," Yasaka insisted with a shrug of her shoulders. Resting her hands on her hips she added, "Perhaps if you were more business oriented you wouldn't feel threatened by such basic services we provide to those who seek it."

"You mean like your farcical blessings?"

That prompted a reaction from Sanae, "hey! The blessings I provide are not farcical by any means! They're-"

She was cut off when Yasaka raised her hand, beckoning the young shrine maiden to silence. "You particularly seem to have a bone to pick, Reimu. More so than most other days. Why don't you come down from there and we can talk over some sake."

Reimu folded her arms, maintaining her place in the sky.

"Sanae," she called out. "A week or so ago you had blessed a newly constructed house within the magical forest."

She nodded. "Jealous the old man didn't come to you for such a service?"

Pointing her gohei, the white streamers blowing in the wind as she declared, "that blessing did little to stave off misfortune and harm by any stretch."

Yasaka then inquired with a confident self assured smile upon her face, "did the resident of that house die?"

Reimu hesitated slightly and answered, "n-no. Marisa got to Larin just in time before a giant mushroom killed him."

"Well," Yasaka shrugged. "Seems fortunate that Larin was saved in the nick of time, no?"

Sanae then chimed in with, "sounds to me the blessing are working as advertised. What quarrel do you have beyond that?"

"Gah," Reimu hiccupped, having clearly been so logically and thoroughly thwarted in her accusation.

"Typical," Yasaka sighed, turning around as she and Sanae sat back in their place and enjoyed the remaining sake. "Blowing hot air where the sun ought not to shine."

"Honestly," Sanae agreed. "Such accusations are tantamount to slander. Not very becoming of a Shrine Maiden if you ask me."

"It's no wonder she barely gets any visitors, hohoho~"

"Hardly a wonder in the least, ahahah~"

Reimu was left floating there like a dolt as the two shared in their laughter, seething with her body trembling all over.

Pointing her gohei yet again, Reimu loudly declared, "th-this isn't over!" -before darting off faster than the wind.

With a sip of sake, Tasaka rolled her eyes and muttered, "it never is."

Meanwhile, Larin and Marisa were finishing securing her broom with a stock of metal rods that had made up the shelves. Marisa didn't have much use for them beyond the money she could trade them in for as the last knot was tied.

"Awsome," she chirped. "I'll fly this down to Rinnosuke's shop, his place is packed with junk, a bit more so than mine. Anything I should look out for that you might want?"

"Hmm," Larin pondered for a moment. "Nothing off the top of my head. I'll need wood working tools to repair the flooring in the roo-"

"Wood working tools, got it!" With a snap of her fingers, she took off like a bat out of hell leaving Larin in her wake of dust.

Watching as she disappeared into a dot over the trees, he muttered to himself, "I didn't want her to pay for me though… I guess I can just pay her back later. Add it to the tab I suppose…"

"Speaking of," a voice suddenly spoke, causing Larin's to jump in fright as Reimu landed at his side. "You shouldn't have to worry too much about that debt. The old man is willing to be lenient on your deadlines so long as you pay him something eventually."

Clutching his chest he barked, "at least warn me before you do that. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest."

As he caught his breath, he watched Reimu step forward, her eyes fixed upon the rope ladder hanging out of the window.

"I knew her house was cluttered but to think she even barred herself from going upstairs," Reimu said with a shake of her head. "Honestly, what's the point of having all this junk if you can't reach half of it?"

"I'm in no place to complain," Larin insisted as he jumped forward, latching onto the rope ladder before scrambling up it. "So long as I have four walls and a roof over my head, it's good enough. Even if it's a bit dirty."

Following after, once Reimu stepped through the window, eyes scouring the room and layer of soil that coated it, she murmured, "I think dirty is a bit of an understatement. This room is just dirt! I can even feel the wooden planks sinking beneath every step I take."

"I'll just replace things as they break," Larin insisted as he took a rusty shovel he scrounged from outside and began at the far end of the room, scooping up what dirt he could into his upturned hat, using it as a bucket. "I've done woodworking before, I just didn't have the tools with me ever since wandering into Gensokyo."

"Nothing but that gold clump," she recounted leaning against the wall. It was a very generous donation after all, probably could've even paid for that house in full without the need to go into debt.

"Wish I could've saved it to buy myself something useful," he murmured as he continued to scoop more dirt up. "Though I guess I can't complain. It was the price to remain here after all."

Reimu distinctly remembered Larin being rather distressed when he arrived, but since he didn't speak the language, perhaps he misunderstood. Still, considering things, Reimu didn't want to admit the donation box was just that, for donations, and that he could've stayed if he really wanted and had nothing to offer.

He continued with, "if I didn't have that, I might've just had to offer you my hand in marriage."

"Even now you're still too young," she sharply rebuked. "Grow up first and make a few donations and I may consider it."

"Oh erm…" He shrank into himself, having let those words slip yet again. "It's a turn of phrase where I'm from."

"You may want to stop doing that," Reimu insisted. "Someone or something is bound to take it seriously these days."

"Oh… well…" he tailed as he stood up, having filled his hat before dragging it to the window to deposit all the dirt. "It was really common where I was from."

"I've been meaning to ask actually… where are you from anyways?"

Tipping the hat upwards pouring the dirt outside he simply answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."