Waking up wasn't as jarring as I expected. For a moment, I forgot where I was. The unfamiliar softness of the futon beneath me, the stillness of the room—it all felt surreal. I had slept for the first time in my life, and I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it. There were no dreams, no visions or whispers from the library, just... emptiness. It was unsettling.

I glanced down at the clothes the villagers had left for me. Simple, clean, and comfortable—much like the rest of this place. I dressed quickly, stepping outside into the early morning air. The village was already alive with movement. People went about their routines, but for me, everything felt new. I wasn't used to this... normalcy.

As I wandered, taking in my surroundings, a strange warmth bubbled up inside me. I couldn't quite place it—a sense of peace, perhaps? Or maybe it was just relief. For the first time in a long while, I was free. No endless rows of books, no guardianship, no tomb-like silence. Just... life.

A few villagers passed by, offering greetings or nods. I could tell they were trying to be friendly, but I had no idea how to respond. I could feel their eyes linger on me when I failed to say anything back, but what was I supposed to do? Every interaction felt like another puzzle, one I didn't know how to solve.

As I continued walking, lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into a small boy, knocking a bag of coins from his hands. The clinking sound snapped me back to reality, and before I could react, his father rushed over, immediately bending down to collect every last coin in a panic.

"Clumsy!" the man barked at his son, sweat beading on his brow. "Do you have any idea what you've done? She won't forgive us for a mistake like this! Do I make myself clear?!"

The boy nodded frantically, eyes wide with fear, and hurriedly helped his father gather the scattered coins. I stood there, frozen, unsure of what to say or do.

Once all the coins were collected, the man turned to me with an apologetic look. "I... I'm sorry. We should hurry." He tugged his son along, but I managed to catch his arm before he could leave.

"Hurry for what?" I asked, genuinely confused.

The man's eyes widened in shock, and he muttered under his breath, "If you haven't given your offering to the Shrine Maiden yet... may they have mercy on your soul."

Without another word, he and his son rushed off, disappearing into the crowd. I glanced around, noticing for the first time that several other villagers were also hurrying in the same direction toward the distant Hakurei Shrine.

Before I could make sense of any of it, I heard a familiar voice call out, "Oi! Marcus!"

I turned to see Marisa strolling toward me, her broom balanced casually over her shoulder. She waved, grinning like she always did. "I stopped by your place earlier, but you were gone."

"I... wanted to take a look around," I replied, still distracted by what just happened.

Marisa nodded, falling into step beside me. "Not a bad idea. Maybe you'll run into someone who knows... Nah, never mind, like that'd happen." She snickered, then glanced at me. "So, how'd you sleep? Have any nice dreams?"

"Dreams?" I repeated, unfamiliar with the word in this context.

Marisa sighed, shaking her head. "Right, guess I gotta explain that too. Dreams are what we normal folks do when we sleep. You know, we remember stuff that's happened or come up with crazy new ideas. Like last night, I dreamt I was being chased by a giant mushroom trying to sell me a subscription to some shoe service."

I stared at her, completely lost. "What?"

"Yeah, weird stuff happens when I eat before bed." She shrugged like it was nothing. "But you didn't have any dreams?"

"I don't think so."

Marisa tilted her head, frowning slightly. "Not even a little? Huh... Well, that's odd but probably not important. Anyway!" She slapped me on the back with more force than necessary. "Since we're in the Human Village, I figured we could swing by and see my friend Kosuzu. If anyone knows more about books around here than me, it's her."

I perked up at that. "Really? In what way?"

"Heh, she's got a nifty ability. She can decipher any book just by touching it. I was thinking she could take a look at that forbidden tome of yours and maybe help us connect it to the others."

That... actually sounded promising. "It's a lead," I agreed, nodding along.

"Great! We'll get right on it." Marisa's grin widened, but then her stomach growled loudly, and she groaned. "Right after lunch. I'm starving."

"Of course," I muttered to myself, slightly amused. It seemed like Marisa had an unending appetite for chaos and food.

As we walked, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling left by the boy and his father. I didn't know what kind of pressure the Shrine Maiden had on these people, but the fear in their eyes stuck with me. Still, I'd follow Marisa for now; maybe Kosuzu could shed some light on the tomes, and after all... I had nowhere else to go.

Sitting around the ramen stall with Marisa, I was far more focused on the bowl in front of me than the story she was telling. The food here was... incredible. Warm, savoury, and filling. I had never experienced anything like it before. It was hard to believe that something as simple as eating could bring so much satisfaction.

"So, yeah," Marisa said, slurping up the last of her noodles, "me and Reimu had to deal with this whole mess where a vampire—Remilia—was covering the skies with this thick scarlet mist so she could go outside whenever she wanted. Crazy, right?"

I nodded absently, more interested in the taste of the broth. "That sounds... dangerous," I muttered, my attention split between her and the meal.

Marisa paused, giving it some thought, before shrugging nonchalantly. "I didn't think about it like that at the time, but I guess it was. All's well that ends, though. The mist cleared, and Remilia turned out to be not so bad. Don't even get me started on when I had to go back later and ran into her sister."

Her words were starting to blur into the background as I finished my last bite, feeling that same warmth spread through me. Eating, I realized, was something I could definitely get used to.

Marisa set her bowl down, sighing in satisfaction. "Alright, let's wrap it up." She reached into her pocket for money but froze mid-motion. Her eyes narrowed as she dug around, patting her robes and checking her pouches with a growing frown. "Uh..."

The stall owner approached, wiping his hands on a towel, and told us the amount. Marisa shot him an awkward grin, still searching her pockets. "Huh... I swear I had enough. I checked last night! There's no way I'm short."

The owner's expression darkened, his gaze turning dodgy and deflated. "It's always excused with you, Kirisames. Guess living outside the village ain't as rewarding as it sounds when you're broke, huh?"

Marisa's jaw dropped. "There's got to be some mistake! I—this is impossible!" She frantically checked every fold and hidden compartment in her outfit but came up empty.

The stall owner sighed heavily, clearly used to this. He looked at me as if expecting me to pay, but I just stared back, unsure what was expected of me. I had never dealt with money before.

With another tired sigh, he muttered, "Fine, I'll charge it to your father. Again."

Marisa flinched, bowing her head in shame. "I'm really sorry... I swear I had it." The owner just grumbled and walked off to attend to other customers.

Once he was gone, Marisa straightened up, her face flushed with embarrassment. She whispered under her breath, "I was sure I had the money..."

I followed her out of the stall, keeping quiet as we walked. The shame and frustration practically radiated off her, and I didn't know what to say to ease the tension. Eventually, she shook it off, blowing air out through her teeth.

"Great. Now my father's gonna hear about this mess-up," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Last thing I needed."

After a moment, she snapped herself out of it, her usual upbeat energy returning as she pointed ahead. "Alright, forget about that. We've still got work to do. Let's fast-track it to Kosuzu's and get back on track."

When Marisa and I reached Kosuzu's residence, the place felt oddly... off. I wasn't sure what I had expected, but walking in, I was greeted by the sight of Kosuzu sitting at her desk, looking far more stressed than I imagined someone in her line of work would be. Books and scattered papers surrounded her, her fingers rapidly flipping through a few pages as her eyes darted between them. It was like she was searching for something important.

Marisa raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the tension. "Is everything alright in here, Kosuzu?"

Kosuzu flinched at the sound of Marisa's voice, quickly looking up from the pile of work. Her expression shifted in an instant—whatever stress had gripped her seemed to vanish behind a well-practised smile. "Marisa! What a surprise. It's quite rare for you to fly by." She closed the book in front of her with a soft thud, pushing it aside. "How are you?"

Marisa shrugged, keeping things casual. "Doin' just fine. Actually, I brought someone with me today. Marcus, an outsider with quite the dilemma."

Kosuzu's eyes flicked over to me, her curiosity piqued. "An outsider, you say?" She studied me for a moment before offering a polite nod. "We don't get too many of those around here these days. What is it you need? Help with the language? Or maybe something to help you settle on your feet?"

I shook my head, feeling a little uneasy in the way she scrutinized me. "No, nothing like that. I was hoping you could take a look at a specific book I have."

At the mention of a book, Kosuzu's demeanour shifted again, a spark of intrigue lighting up her eyes. "A book, huh? Well, you've come to the right place. I'd be happy to take a look."

I reached into my bag and pulled out the forbidden tome, holding it out toward her. The moment it was in sight, Kosuzu's expression froze. Her smile dropped utterly, and she took a sudden step back, her gaze fixed on the tome, like it was some kind of venomous creature. She didn't even touch it.

Her voice came out in a near-whisper. "Where... where did you get that?"

I hesitated, feeling the weight of her stare on me. "It's... a long story. What's wrong?"

Kosuzu shook her head as if trying to shake off whatever had her rattled. Her smile returned, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I... I'm sorry. I'll take a look." She slowly reached for the book, her hands trembling as they made contact.

The moment her fingers touched the tome, something changed. Her face went pale, and before either Marisa or I could react, she screamed—a high, piercing sound that echoed through the room. She flung the book away from her like it burned, jumping back in pure terror.

Marisa was at her side in an instant, trying to calm her down. "Kosuzu! Hey, hey, what's wrong? What did you see?"

Kosuzu's eyes were wide, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. She kept whispering, barely audible. "It's all a lie... everything is a lie... we're all lies..." She glanced at me, her eyes full of panic, before tears began welling up. "I'm so... so sorry," she whispered, her voice broken.

I stood there, frozen. What was she talking about? A lie? What did any of this mean?

It took some time, but Marisa eventually managed to calm Kosuzu down, guiding her to rest in a nearby room. I stayed behind, staring at the fallen book. My mind felt cloudy, and the air in the room was heavy. What had Kosuzu seen that terrified her so much?

When Marisa returned, she looked just as shaken. She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a long, tired sigh. "She's alright now. Just sleeping. Her father's keeping an eye on her."

I glanced down at the tome on the floor, the uneasy feeling in my chest growing. "This is... my fault. I shouldn't have involved her. I should've known something like this would happen. It wasn't fair to drag her into this."

Marisa didn't argue. "Yeah, maybe. I thought it'd be a quick lead. Something simple, y'know? But..." She glanced at the book again, her expression darkening. "There's no doubt now. That thing's the real deal."

Her words hung in the air as we stood there in silence. I couldn't stop thinking about what Kosuzu had said. "Everything is a lie...?" I muttered, more to myself than anyone. "And why was she so sorry to me?"

Marisa didn't have an answer. With a heavy sigh, she motioned for me to follow her. "C'mon. Let's get out of here. We're back to square one anyway."

I glanced one last time at the pile of work Kosuzu had been stressing over earlier. Among the scattered papers, I noticed multiple debt letters. Was that part of why she'd been so stressed? It felt wrong, leaving her like this, but there was nothing else I could do.

As we left her home, my mind was spinning. What had I gotten us into? What did that book really hold inside, and why did it seem to unravel everything in its path?