Chapter 5

"Wait, how many kids again?" asked Reimu.

Her first customer, Yuuka, had come in earlier that morning to use her babysitting service. At first, everything seemed fine until Yuuka mentioned a ton of fairies.

"Oh my, looks like I nearly mixed up the appointments again," realized Yuuka. "You're actually going to be babysitting Wriggle, not the fairies."

Reimu didn't know whether she should feel relieved or worried about this new information. While this meant she wasn't getting a large payout, this also meant less trouble for her as well. That being said, Wriggle was a bug youkai that controlled insects so keeping her shrine clean could be a problem. Yuuka probably read her mind because she then revealed where she wanted her to be babysat.

"Don't worry, I actually want you to do it at my home. That way, she can also help get some work done on my flowers."

"May I ask why you want me to babysit her?"

In Reimu's opinion, Wriggle was more than capable of taking care of herself. Still, she wasn't like Marisa or Aya who practically knew every youkai on a personal level so it was possible that Wriggle did need help every so often.

"Well," started Yuuka. "Wriggle has a tendency to overwork herself and get into trouble without knowing it. Usually, I'm there to make sure she's okay but since Lily White and Eternity Larva are sick with the flu, I won't be able to do it while at Eintei. I've already tried getting them to respawn but it had no effect on them."

"Ah, I see. Why not take Wriggle with you?"

"I did last week. She almost got sick as a result. By the way, the other fairies won't be there. They're all going to be playing by the Misty Lake."

Reimu wrote down Yuuka's request.

"And this is supposed to be on Monday, right?"

Yuuka nodded. "I'll have your payment ready when I return from Eintei. I'll leave you a list of things for you to know when it's time."

"Alright then. See you on Monday."

"Here are her snacks. Don't feed her anything cold," informed Yuuka as she handed Reimu a few small bags.

"If you need anything to eat, you can grab some of the food from the fridge."

"It's alright. I don't think I'll need to eat while you're away."

Yuuka smiled before gesturing for the two sick fairies to follow her.

"I should be back in a few hours. Please make sure she's in bed by 9."

Reimu nodded and waved goodbye before attending to the bug youkai kid.

"Okay Wriggle. Yuuka told me you have a list of chores today," started Reimu. "Can you- oh."

The bug youkai was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh oh. Now where did Yuuka say Wriggle would be again?" asked Reimu.

She pulled out a list that Yuuka had given her and began looking.

"Aw man. Let's hope she doesn't use the bees."

30 minutes later…

"Wriggle! It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you! Yuuka asked me to take care of you!"

"No! I don't trust you!"

The firefly let out a burst of danmaku at Reimu and ran off.

"Not again. Wriggle! Wait up!"

Reimu had been chasing after the firefly for quite a while. First, she went through a beehive, then, she had to navigate through a very thick swarm of butterflies, shield herself from an army of mosquitoes, and now, handle an enormous swarm of fireflies without hurting them.

On the bright side, Wriggle was getting her work done albeit, in a dangerous manner.

"Wriggle! Let's talk! I promise I won't hurt you!"

This time, Reimu didn't get a response so she slowed down until she found the bug youkai curled up into a ball

"Would you like to tell me what's wrong?" asked Reimu.

"She's always doing this," sniffed the bug youkai.

"Doing what?" questioned Reimu.

"Treating me this way," answered Wriggle. "Every single time, she treats me like a kid that can't take care of herself even though I've been helping her fix her farm and manage her garden since the day I met her."

Reimu sat down next to Wriggle and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wriggle."

"Don't tell me you know what it's like. Every time I see you and the others, there's no one around to watch over you and pull you away from something fun. No one's stopping you from partying all night long. No one's forcing you to not drink from Mystia's stand. No one-"

"Wriggle," started Reimu. "Yuuka does this because she cares for you, not because she doesn't want you to have fun."

"What do you know about Yuuka?"

"That she's a kind caring person that views you as her child," answered Reimu. "I used to be like you when I was younger. Always wanting to do something that my mother didn't want me to do. I didn't realize that she was only doing that for my own good. Heck, I usually brought home things that should've been left alone only for them to be put back later because the object was dangerous."

Wriggle tilted her head at Reimu.

"What happened to her afterwards?"

"She passed on from an illness," answered Reimu. "And Yukari ended up taking care of me. Still, Yukari was as clueless as me in terms of danger and now I wish I listened to my mother more."

Wriggle moved closer to Reimu. Reimu could tell that Wriggle was now listening to her unlike before.

"My point is, our time is limited. Even youkai leave or go out of commission at some point," said Reimu. "Even if Yuuka can be annoying, you should still cherish and treasure the time she spends with you because one day, you might not see her again and all you'll have left to remember her is the time that she spent with you."

"But how will this help?" asked Wriggle. "Yuuka's still going to be the same even after all this."

Reimu smiled.

"That's where I come in. Come on now, show me how to take care of Yuuka's plants."

The trip to Eintei was very uneventful. Just a few tips from Eirin and some medicine which put both Eternity Larva and Lily to sleep. Yuuka was also recommended to feed them porridge and to give them their medicine twice a day.

"Better tell Okina about what happened to her favorite fairy," commented Yuuka as she entered her garden. Both fairies were still asleep and as far as anyone was concerned, not getting up for now.

After putting them in their respective beds, she went to check on Reimu and Wriggle. To her surprise, not only was the entire garden well kept but Wriggle herself was having a lot of fun with the shrine maiden. The duo were playing with a few plush dolls that looked a lot like her and a few other people in this world.

"Oh Yuuka! You're back!" exclaimed Reimu.

Yuuka smiled and watched as Wriggle ran over to her.

"Wriggle, did you behave?"

"She did," answered Reimu. "She even showed me how to take care of your garden."

Yuuka smiled and handed Reimu the money.

"You know Yuuka," started Reimu. "I'm obviously not the best person to turn to when it comes to parenting but if there's anything I've learned today, it's the fact that some youkai mature a bit faster than we expect."

Yuuka smiled. "So is Wriggle ready to become an adult?"

"Not exactly but she is ready for more responsibilities now," answered Reimu. "She still has a childish side and is reliant on you for many things."

"I see," commented Yuuka. "I'm glad to hear that. Maybe it's time for her to be in charge of some fairies."

Wriggle smiled and hugged the flower youkai.

"Well, in anycase, if you need me to babysit again, you know where to find me," said Reimu. She waved Yuuka goodbye before leaving.

"Reimu!"

The shrine maiden turned around to see Yuuka holding out a paper.

"Yeah?"

"I know this is late but the Aki sisters want to ask you some questions. This is their address."

Reimu walked back over and checked the paper.

"Okay, I'll check it out as soon as I check on my shrine. I'll see-"

"Oh and by the way, where did you get those dolls from?"