"Man, I'm tired. I didn't expect Hinamei to be that adventurous," sighed Reimu.

She let out a loud yawn as she landed at the front of her shrine with her belongings. She was about to enter when she heard childish laughter and excited chatter coming from the inside of her home.

"Huh? Did the fairies decide to hold a party?" questioned Reimu. "Or was it Yukari?"

Curious and slightly wary, she quickened her pace and rounded the corner to find Aunn sitting cross-legged at the center of her living room, carefully stacking wooden blocks into a tall, wobbly tower. Across from her sat a small, energetic girl with short, mint-green hair and a bright pink dress—Eika Ebisu. Her hands were full of blocks, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she handed another one to Aunn.

"Careful! Careful!" Eika squealed, bouncing on her knees. "It's almost taller than me!"

"Patience is key!" Aunn replied sagely, though her wagging tail betrayed her excitement. "We'll make it even taller, you'll see!"

Reimu stood frozen for a moment, her brow twitching. "Aunn...what's going on here?"

Both girls turned to look at her. Aunn gave a sheepish grin, while Eika's face lit up with curiosity. "Oh, hi, Miss Reimu!" Aunn said, waving her paw. "This is Eika! We've been building this tower for—what's it been, Eika? Ten minutes?"

"Twenty!" Eika declared proudly, puffing out her chest.

Reimu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Aunn, you do realize this is a shrine, not a daycare, right? Who's this child, and why is she here?"

Before Aunn could answer, a new voice cut through the conversation. "That would be my fault."

Reimu turned to see Urumi Ushizaki approaching, her signature horns glinting in the afternoon light. She had her usual calm demeanor, but there was an apologetic tilt to her smile. She carried a large wooden staff slung over her shoulder and seemed slightly out of breath, as though she'd been searching for someone.

"Urumi," Reimu greeted flatly. "Care to explain why there's a child playing blocks in front of my shrine?"

"Of course," Urumi said, bowing her head slightly in respect. "First, I apologize for the abruptness. Eika is my adoptive daughter, and I came here to ask for your help."

Reimu crossed her arms. "Help with what, exactly?"

Urumi straightened, her tone growing more serious. "I've been tasked by Shiki Eiki to investigate a shipwreck on the river. It's a delicate matter involving lost souls, and I need to check it out alone. Eika, however, can't come with me—it's far too dangerous. I was hoping you could watch her for the day."

Reimu blinked, her expression shifting from irritation to disbelief. "You're seriously asking me this now? Couldn't you have given me some kind of notice? I'm not exactly prepared for...this," she said, gesturing toward Eika, who was now trying to balance a block on her head for fun.

"I understand it's sudden," Urumi admitted, her voice calm but earnest. "But Shiki Eiki's orders came unexpectedly. I wouldn't ask if it weren't important."

Reimu let out a groan, rubbing her temples. "You know, people keep treating my shrine like some kind of babysitting headquarters. What's next, opening an official daycare?"

Urumi chuckled softly. "Perhaps you should. You seem to have a knack for it."

"Don't push your luck," Reimu muttered, glancing at Eika, who was now attempting to climb onto Aunn's shoulders for a better view of their tower. She sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But only because it's for Shiki Eiki."

"Thank you, Reimu," Urumi said with genuine gratitude, bowing again. "I'll be back by sunset."

"You'd better be," Reimu replied, narrowing her eyes. "And don't blame me if she decides to turn my shrine upside down in the meantime."

Eika hopped down from Aunn with a giggle, running over to tug on Reimu's sleeve. "Miss Reimu! Can we build another tower? Pleeease?"

Reimu looked down at the bright-eyed child and sighed again, her earlier resolve already being tested. "This is going to be a long day."

Watching over the stillborn child youkai proved to be rather easy and a lot more relaxing than the other kids Reimu had taken care of in the past. While Eika was energetic, she wasn't as rambunctious as the other kids and was certainly a lot more polite. She listened when spoken to, followed instructions without a fuss, and even showed a willingness to help clean up after herself—a rarity in Reimu's recent experience.

As Reimu finished cleaning the dishes and what remained of breakfast, Eika quietly sat at the low wooden table in the shrine, happily drawing pictures with a set of crayons Aunn had found tucked away in a storage cabinet. Her small hands carefully worked to add bright colors to a sketch of a river, complete with smiling fish and a towering bridge in the background.

"Miss Reimu, how does this look?" Eika asked, holding up her drawing with a proud smile.

Reimu glanced at the picture and gave a nod of approval. "It's...not bad. You've got a good sense of color," she said, trying not to sound too impressed.

Eika beamed, her cheeks glowing pink. "Thank you! I like drawing rivers. Mama says they're really important because they connect everything together!"

Reimu chuckled lightly, sitting down beside her. "Well, you're not wrong about that. Rivers are a big part of Gensokyo. They've been here long before you or I."

Eika nodded enthusiastically and turned her attention back to her drawing, humming softly to herself.

After a moment, she looked up again. "Miss Reimu, do you like rivers too?"

Reimu paused, taken aback by the question. "I suppose I do. I don't think about them much, but...yeah. They're peaceful."

Eika smiled at her answer before returning to her artwork, her little legs swinging contentedly under the table.

Meanwhile, Aunn had drawn a house shaped building that vaguely resembled a shrine. However, other than the shape, she had yet to add any real indication that it was a shrine and her lines were scribbled so childishly, it was really hard for Reimu to tell whether it was a shrine or a building made of spaghetti.

"Miss Reimu! Look at my shrine!" exclaimed the komainu.

"Err. It's uhh very pretty," replied Reimu. Complementing such a poor picture was difficult. Even fairies drew better despite their toddler and kindergarten mindset.

"Thank you Miss Reimu!" exclaimed Aunn. She then put down her drawing and went over to the plastic baby blocks that she and Eika had been using earlier to make a tower.

"I'm going to make a bridge!" declared Aunn.

Upon hearing this, Eika perked up from her drawing and ran over to join Aunn.

"Me too! It will be the bestest bridge anyone has seen or built!" added Eika.

As they started building, Reimu couldn't help but smile as the two kids took down their tower to make a new bridge. While this happened, she heard the sound of something or someone crashing outside which was accompanied by a loud groan and yell of pain. The voice was too deep to be Marisa's and judging by the fact that there were no indicators of a new arrival other than the crash, the shrine maiden already had an idea of who the visitor could be.

"Stay here kids," instructed Reimu. "I'll be back very soon."

Upon making it outside, Reimu could not help but wince at the sight in front of her. Lying right next to a small scattered pile of cleaning supplies was none other than her samurai friend, Ryusei.

"Oww," commented Ryusei. His hands were covering his crotch area and it was clear that he was in a lot of pain.

"Ryusei, what happened?" asked the concerned shrine maiden.

The samurai painfully looked up at his friend to answer before wincing again and pulling out a talisman.

"My crotch landed on your cleaning supplies. Damn that hurts."

Reimu giggled as she helped Ryusei up and activated the talisman for him. Moments later, the samurai was healed and was capable of standing on his own.

"So, what happened while I was away?" asked Ryusei.

"Well, I babysat Hinamei, a girl from Makai and right now, I'm taking care of Eika," informed Reimu. "She's still in the shrine but I don't think she'll mind you."

As the two entered the shrine, Ryusei pulled out his symbolizer to write the kanji for repair and sent the glowing symbol towards the cleaning supplies. Within seconds, all traces of his crash site were undone.

Inside the shrine, Ryusei watched as Eika and Aunn diligently worked on their bridge. The two youkai were giggling as they debated where to place each block, and Eika even offered to let Aunn put the "final piece" on top—a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Reimu.

"She's been like this all morning," Reimu said softly, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "Polite, cooperative, and she even cleans up after herself. Honestly, I'm not used to it."

Ryusei chuckled. "Sounds like a dream compared to the others you've talked about. Maybe she's giving you a break for once."

"More like she's giving me hope that not all babysitting is a nightmare," Reimu replied, smirking.

As if on cue, Eika looked up and noticed Ryusei standing there. "Hello, Mister Samurai!" she called out with a wave.

Ryusei raised an eyebrow but waved back. "Hello there. And who might you be?"

"I'm Eika! I'm building a bridge with Aunn!" she said proudly.

"Wow! Can I see?" asked Ryusei. His tone was slightly more energetic and a lot higher and happier than the one he normally uses when talking to others.

Eika and Aunn gladly showed the samurai their brand new bridge, a simple creation made of colorful plastic baby blocks. Makeshift towers had big single letters imprinted on their sides and were topped off with pyramids and triangular prisms from rebuildable toy houses that Ryusei had bought. The roads had no lamps but roads of different colors. The bridge itself was a simple long board decorated with brightly colored plastic arches from various toy sets.

"Wow! That's an amazing bridge," smiled Ryusei.

Aunn and Eika jumped around and cheered upon hearing that. However, their jumping caused the floor to shake and the bridge to eventually collapse.

"Oh no!" cried Aunn. "It fell."

However, instead of frowning, both she and Eika smiled and began building it again.

"Let's make it bigger this time!" declared Eika. She then turned to Reimu and Ryusei and motioned for them to join in.

In response, Ryusei gave a small smile before kneeling down to their level with Reimu and began building the bridge. As he helped, he began to hum a small tune that Reimu didn't recognize but found entertaining. By the time they were done building, Ryusei got out his symbolizer and created the kanji for "still" and sent it towards the newly built bridge to prevent it from falling again.

"It's finished!" yelled Aunn and Eika.

Reimu giggled and watched as the kids performed a small dance before turning to Ryusei.

"Man this is a lot easier than the others," exclaimed Reimu as she took a seat.

Ryusei smiled at her and put away his symbolizer.

"Guess I'll work on my new sword later," commented Ryusei.

"How about you don't make a new sword here, period?" asked Reimu. "You know very well that those things are dangerous around kids."

"Well, you do realize that swords are one of my less dangerous weapons right?" asked Ryusei.

Reimu pouted and sighed. He was right. Ryusei's katanas were the least of her worries when it came to Ryusei's arsenal. She had seen him bring bows that can shoot various types of even deadlier arrows, a gun that launched white hot shurikens at ridiculous speeds, and other weapons that not only had greater reach than his katana's base form but also more killing power. And there was also his symbolizer. Reimu shuddered at what her friend was capable of doing with just a single stroke of that item and thanked good fortune that he was her friend and not her foe.

"You know what, I won't stop you from making more swords but please, not when kids are around," informed Reimu.

"No problem. I'm not a big fan of risks," replied Ryusei.

The two continued to watch Eika and Aunn dance and play before Reimu decided to suddenly ask her friend a question.

"Hey back when we were making that bridge, what were you humming?"

"Oh that was a nursery rhyme called 'London Bridge is Falling Down'," revealed Ryusei. "Why? Never heard of it?"

Reimu nodded.

"Mind teaching me? I think the kids would like it."

"Sure," answered Ryusei. "There's also a little fun game that comes with the song but I'll show it to you after."

Eika and Aunn were cleaning up a part of the shrine when they ran into Marisa, who was strutting in with her usual confident grin, followed by the Three Fairies of Light—Sunny Milk, Luna Child, and Star Sapphire.

"Yo, kiddos!" Marisa greeted, tipping her hat. "What'cha up to?"

"We're cleaning up!" Eika declared proudly, holding up a broom that was nearly twice her size.

"Oh, the responsible type, huh?" Marisa quipped, glancing at Aunn, who nodded enthusiastically.

Before they could answer, Marisa peeked past them toward the main shrine area, her curiosity piqued by the sound of light laughter and Ryusei's familiar voice. She smirked. "What's goin' on in there?"

The group entered to find Reimu and Ryusei in the middle of a lively demonstration. Reimu was awkwardly holding her arms up while Ryusei showed her how to mimic the arch of a bridge.

"Now, when you sing 'London Bridge,' the arch comes down on the last line," Ryusei explained, lowering his hands as Reimu followed suit.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Reimu grumbled. "But do we have to keep holding our arms up like this? My shoulders are starting to hurt."

"You'll survive," Ryusei teased.

Marisa's eyes lit up at the sight, and a sly grin crept onto her face. "Well, well, well! Look at you two, havin' a cute little moment together! So when did you decide to start?"

Reimu blinked and quickly stepped back, her face flushing slightly. "What? No! It's not like that!"

Ryusei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Marisa, it's a kids' game. That's all."

"Sure, sure," Marisa replied with a wink. "But it looked like a real close moment from over here."

"Marisa," started Ryusei. "I don't appreciate the joke. Reimu and I are not dating and I'm not her boyfriend."

"And vice versa," added Reimu.

"Oh come on Reimu," sighed Marisa. "Well if he isn't your boyfriend, is he your husband?"

The fairies giggled behind her, whispering to each other.

"Marisa," Reimu said, her voice stern, "if you're just here to make dumb jokes, you can leave."

"Aw, c'mon! I was just teasing," Marisa said with a laugh. "So, what's this game you're showin' off?"

"It's called London Bridge is Falling Down," Ryusei said calmly, stepping back as Reimu turned to explain. "It's a nursery rhyme with a little game attached. You form a bridge with your arms, and the kids walk underneath while you sing. At the end of the song, the bridge 'falls,' and you catch whoever's underneath."

"That actually sounds pretty fun!" Marisa admitted. "Mind if we join in?"

Reimu raised an eyebrow. "You? Playing a nursery rhyme game?"

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," Marisa shot back, removing her hat. "Alright, kids, line up! Let's show Reimu and Mr. Samurai how it's done!"

The fairies cheered, racing to join Aunn and Eika in a line. Ryusei stepped to the side, watching with a small smile.

"I'll sit this one out," he said. "Someone's gotta make sure things don't get out of hand."

Marisa gave him a playful nudge as she passed. "Aw, don't be shy, Samurai. You're missin' out!"

Ryusei shook his head and took a seat near Reimu's kotatsu. "Trust me, you would not believe the number of crazy situations I've seen kids get into in even the simplest games."

After the kids played a few rounds and laughed through their clumsy "bridge falls," Reimu decided it was time to add the song.

"Alright, everyone," she announced, clapping her hands to gather their attention. "The game's more fun if we sing the rhyme while we play. So let me teach you."

She began to sing, but after a few tries, it became clear the kids were struggling to remember the exact words.

"'London something is... uh... breaking?'" Sunny Milk guessed.

"No, no," Reimu corrected, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's 'London Bridge is Falling Down.' How hard is that to remember?"

Eika raised her hand. "Why's it called 'London Bridge'? Is that in Gensokyo?"

Reimu paused, unsure how to explain. "Uh... no, it's from somewhere else."

"Well, if it's not here, why not make a Gensokyo version?" Luna suggested, grinning.

Reimu blinked. "A Gensokyo version, huh?" She tapped her chin, thinking for a moment.

With a mischievous smile, she began to improvise:

"Sanzu Bridge is shaking down, shaking down, shaking down,

Sanzu Bridge is shaking down, Komachi!

Wake her up and save our town, save our town, save our town,

Wake her up and save us now, Komachi!

Jump aboard and row it fast, row it fast, row it fast,

Row the boat, we must act fast, Komachi!

Look, the bridge is growing small, growing small, growing small,

Can we even cross at all, Komachi?

Hurry, hurry, it's not wide, it's not wide, it's not wide,

We'll fall if we don't decide, Komachi!

Look, Eiki's come around, come around, come around,

Let's hope she won't let us down, Komachi!

Sanzu Bridge is shaking down, shaking down, shaking down,

Sanzu Bridge is shaking down, Komachi!"

After Reimu finished singing the last line of the new Gensokyo version of the song, the kids stared at her, their faces lighting up with a mixture of surprise and excitement.

"That was awesome!" Sunny Milk exclaimed. "It's way more fun than the old one!"

Eika giggled. "I like the part about the bridge being so small! It sounds like an adventure!"

"Yeah, we have to row really fast!" Aunn chimed in, already humming the tune.

Reimu smiled at their enthusiasm, relieved to see that they were enjoying it. "Alright, now that you all know the song, let's give it a try, okay? I'll start, and you can join in!"

The kids nodded eagerly, and soon, they were singing together, clapping their hands and laughing as they played. With each verse, their voices grew louder, and their steps quicker as they mimicked the actions of crossing the bridge, jumping, and "rowing" with exaggerated movements.

The sound of their laughter and song filled the shrine, making it feel more alive than it had in a while. Reimu couldn't help but feel a sense of joy. The kids were happy, and the atmosphere was lighter than ever.

As they played, Ryusei watched from the sidelines, his arms crossed and a slight smirk on his face. He had offered to join in, but Reimu had insisted he sit out to make sure everything went smoothly.

"You're too serious," Reimu teased, catching him watching. "You should join in, or you'll miss out on the fun."

Ryusei raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "I'm fine. It's more important that the kids enjoy themselves," he replied, though a soft chuckle escaped him as Eika nearly tripped over her feet while trying to row faster.

"Careful now," warned Ryusei. He helped Eika back up on her feet before checking for injuries. Upon finding none, he allowed her to return back to the group.

Marisa sidled up next to him, balancing her broom on one shoulder. "Y'know, you'd make a great dad, Ryusei."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "I'm just here to make sure nobody gets hurt. Besides, I already have a kid."

"Oh." Marisa's grin widened mischievously. "I didn't expect you and Reimu to be that close."

Ryusei groaned, muttering something about Marisa's endless teasing, but his cheeks betrayed the faintest hint of red.

Meanwhile, Reimu clapped her hands to gather the kids' attention once more. "Alright, last round, and this time, I want to hear the whole song loud and clear! If you forget the words, make something up—just keep singing!"

The children cheered and threw themselves into the final round, their laughter echoing across the shrine. Even Aunn and Eika, who had earlier been hesitant about playing with the others, now sang along with enthusiasm.

As the day came to a close and Marisa left with her kids, Reimu got out the fumo dolls for Aunn and Eika to play with.

Whereas the fairies and kids Reimu babysat in the past held tea parties and mini-adventures, Eika and Aunn only used the dolls as sleeping partners. For once in a babysitting trip, Reimu actually had some time to herself.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, the shrine finally settled into a calm hush. Aunn and Eika were sprawled on their futons, the fumo dolls clutched tightly in their arms as they snored softly.

Reimu sat by the kotatsu, sipping tea and staring at the flickering candlelight. It had been a long day, but seeing the kids so happy had made it worth it.

Ryusei sat across from her, quietly polishing the hilt of his symbolizer. The rhythmic motion of the cloth moving over the blade filled the otherwise silent room.

"You handled the kids well today," Reimu said, breaking the silence.

He glanced up, pausing his work. "They're easy to handle when they're this young. It's when they get older and start asking the tough questions that things get tricky."

Reimu chuckled. "Like Eika asking if London Bridge is in Gensokyo?"

Ryusei smirked. "Exactly."

The two shared a quiet laugh, the kind that comes with mutual understanding and a shared sense of accomplishment.

"You know," Reimu said, her voice softer, "you didn't have to stay the whole day. I could've managed."

"I know," Ryusei replied, his gaze steady. "But I wanted to. Besides, it's nice to take a break from all the adventures and spend some time living a normal life or at least what constitutes a normal life. Helping with a kids' game is one of them."

Reimu tilted her head, studying him for a moment. "You're full of surprises, Ryusei."

"Is that a compliment or a complaint?" he asked with a faint smile.

"Take it how you want," she teased, leaning back with a small smirk of her own.

As the conversation dwindled, Reimu found herself watching Ryusei as he resumed cleaning his symbolizer. There was something calming about his presence—a steady reliability that reminded her why she trusted him to help with days like these.

Just as she was about to speak again, a loud snore from Aunn interrupted the moment. They both turned to see the lion-dog guardian mumbling in her sleep, clutching her fumo tightly.

"Looks like someone had a bit too much fun today," Ryusei said, his tone warm.

"Yeah," Reimu replied, a soft smile crossing her face. "It's moments like these that make everything else seem... manageable."

Ryusei nodded, understanding what she meant without needing further explanation. The peace of the shrine, the laughter of the kids, and the quiet companionship they shared—it was all worth savoring.

"Welp, I'll be leaving soon. Let me know if you need any more fumos. The ban has been lifted and I can finally buy more now," informed Ryusei. "See ya."

"Oh wait, Ryusei, I almost forgot, but you left your book here," Reimu said, holding out the Bible.

Ryusei froze, his eyes widening as if she'd just handed him a treasure chest. "You found it?! I've been looking everywhere for this!"

He took the book with both hands, cradling it like it was fragile. "I thought I'd dropped it back at the Adventurer's Guild, and someone might've sold it, or worse, tossed it out…"

Reimu chuckled as Ryusei rambled, listing every possible place he'd thought it might've ended up. "Honestly, I even checked the riverbank near the shrine, thinking maybe I'd lost it there—"

"Ryusei," Reimu interrupted gently, smiling.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Thanks for keeping it safe. This means a lot to me."

Reimu tilted her head, watching how carefully he handled the book. "I can tell. You're acting like I just handed you a family heirloom or something."

"Well, in a way, it kind of is," Ryusei said, his voice softening. "Aside from the fact that it once belonged to my mother, this book is really important at least for me and other Christians."

Reimu blinked. "Really? How so?"

Ryusei hesitated, glancing down at the Bible before looking back at her. "It's not just a book to me. It's… a guide, I guess. Something that reminds me of where I came from, who I am, and who I want to be. It's a connection to my faith."

Reimu crossed her arms, intrigued. "Your faith? You mean all that stuff about God?"

"Yeah," Ryusei said, nodding. "It's kind of hard to explain, but everything I believe about life, purpose, and forgiveness—it's all in here. This book has answers to questions I've struggled with, and it gives me hope when things get tough. It's like a compass for my soul."

Reimu leaned against the doorframe, her curiosity piqued. "That's… interesting. While you were gone, I, uh, read some of it. Just out of boredom, really," she added quickly, waving a hand. "But I couldn't make sense of half of it. Who is God supposed to be? And what's with all the talk about sin and those endless lists of names?"

Ryusei's eyes lit up at her questions, and he smiled warmly. "You read it? That's amazing! I'd be happy to explain. Where do you want to start?"

Reimu hesitated, then shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe… start with God? Who is he, and why does he care so much about people? I don't get it."

Ryusei pulled up a chair, his enthusiasm clear. "Okay. Let's start there."

As they sat down, Ryusei began, "God is the Creator of everything—the universe, the earth, everything you see and don't see. Some call him Yahweh, but in my culture, we simply call him the Creator."

Reimu furrowed her brow. "And what about those angels? Are they gods too?"

Ryusei shook his head. "No, angels are his creations too. They're powerful beings, but they're servants of God. Though… one angel, Lucifer, rebelled and tried to take God's place."

"Lucifer?" Reimu tilted her head. "Why would he do that?"

"He was the most beautiful angel God made, but he was consumed by pride. He wanted to be like God, to rule instead of serve. He led a rebellion and took a third of the angels with him, but they lost and were cast out of Heaven. Now he's called Satan."

Reimu leaned back, processing this. "So, why does God care about people so much if even angels turn against him?"

"Because we're different," Ryusei said, leaning forward. "We're made in his image, to be like him in a way that angels aren't. We're his beloved creation, meant to know him, serve him, and live in harmony with his will."

Reimu frowned. "If that's true, why does life have to be so hard? My shrine's barely surviving, even with all the donations. If he loves us, why let us suffer?"

"Sin," Ryusei replied simply. "When humanity rebelled against God, sin entered the world. It twisted everything—our hearts, our bodies, even the earth itself."

"Sin? What's that exactly?" Reimu asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It's any action, thought, or desire that goes against God's will. It's more than just 'doing bad things.' It's a rejection of what's good, a rebellion against God's order. And it's something we inherit from birth because of Adam and Eve."

Reimu raised an eyebrow. "Inherited sin? That's… a lot to take in."

"It is," Ryusei admitted. "Sin affects everything—our relationships, our health, even nature itself. And ultimately, it leads to death, because death is the penalty for sin."

Reimu shook her head slowly. "So why even bother living if we're all doomed?"

Ryusei smiled gently. "Because God has a plan to save us. He sent his son, Jesus, to take the penalty for our sins, to die in our place. Anyone who believes in him, turns away from sin, and seeks forgiveness can have eternal life."

Reimu raised an eyebrow. "That sounds... complicated. How does that even work?"

"It comes down to this," Ryusei began, leaning forward. "To save us, a perfect sacrifice was needed—someone completely without sin. But every human is tainted by it from birth, and the rest of creation has been affected too. That's why Jesus, God's own son, came into the world. He lived the sinless life none of us could and willingly took on the punishment we deserve."

"Oh, wait! I think I've heard of him!" Reimu exclaimed. "Kasen mentioned him once, said he was some kind of saint who died and rose again after three days. I never got the full story, though."

Ryusei nodded, his expression softening. "That's right. His death wasn't just any death—it was the ultimate act of love and justice. By rising again, he showed he has power over sin and death itself."

Reimu tapped her chin, clearly thinking. "Okay, I get that part... kind of. But if your God is so powerful, why doesn't he stop all the terrible things that happen? I mean, he's the Almighty, right? Can't he just, you know, make everything better?"

Ryusei sighed, his gaze thoughtful. "It's not that simple. The evil we see around us doesn't come from God—it comes from our sin, our rebellion. But even so, God can bring good out of the bad. For example, a thief might harm people, but his actions can also teach others to value honesty or help a victim find inner strength."

"That's... an interesting way to look at it," Reimu admitted. "Okay, two more questions. First, why does God overthrow cities and wipe out entire nations? For a God who's supposed to be loving, that sounds downright merciless."

Ryusei took a deep breath, steadying himself. "It's true that God is loving, but he's also righteous and just. He can't let sin go unpunished. Think about it this way: when you discipline youkai who cause trouble, you're not being cruel—you're keeping balance and protecting others. In the same way, God punishes sin to uphold justice and protect the world from greater harm."

Reimu crossed her arms, still skeptical. "And what about those cities and nations? Why destroy them completely?"

"They were so deeply entrenched in sin, so full of wickedness, that they refused to repent," Ryusei explained. "They didn't just stumble—they embraced evil, generation after generation. God gave them chances to change, but when they wouldn't, he acted to stop the spread of their corruption."

Reimu frowned. "That still feels harsh. Why wouldn't they just repent and save themselves?"

"Pride," Ryusei said simply. "Sometimes people are so consumed by their own arrogance or desires, they can't admit they're wrong—even when it's their only way out."

Reimu mulled that over, her expression softening. "Huh. Pride. I guess I can see that. Last question, though—why didn't you tell me all of this earlier? About your faith, I mean."

Ryusei's smile faltered, and he hesitated, his gaze dropping to the Bible in his hands. "It's… complicated."

"How so?" Reimu asked, tilting her head.

He sighed softly. "The Japan you know—your time period—wasn't exactly welcoming to Christians or foreign missionaries. Back then, Christianity was seen as a threat to the established order. Missionaries who came to share their faith often faced persecution, exile, or worse. If I tried to explain my beliefs openly, I'd be risking my life."

Reimu frowned, leaning forward. "You mean, they'd actually kill you just for talking about God?"

Ryusei nodded solemnly. "It's happened before. And even putting that aside, I'm not trained to be a missionary. I don't have the skills, the knowledge, or the calling for it. If God doesn't call someone to that path, any attempt to spread the faith is bound to fail—and in a time like yours, it'd likely end in my death."

Reimu crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "So you're saying you didn't tell me because you were afraid it might get you killed?"

"Partly," Ryusei admitted. "But it's more than that. Faith isn't something you can force on someone—it's something they have to choose for themselves. If I had brought it up before you were ready to hear it, it might've pushed you further away instead of drawing you closer. Timing is everything."

Reimu glanced at the Bible in his hands, then back at him. "So... what changed? Why tell me now?"

Ryusei smiled gently, meeting her gaze. "Because you asked. You were curious, and that's where faith begins—with questions."

A few hours had passed after Reimu's question session with her samurai friend. The two had not spoken a word ever since and instead, focused on cleaning Reimu's shrine. Though it was nightfall and Ryusei was supposed to have left, he opted to stay and help Reimu clean her home. He didn't have anything to do and having company felt nice.

After a few more moments of silence though, Reimu decided to speak up.

"So, how's Master Cross? Did he fix everything with Yukari?" asked Reimu.

Ryusei shook his head. "No. He didn't. They're still apart."

Reimu glanced at Ryusei, his calm focus on cleaning a sharp contrast to her swirling thoughts. The candlelight danced across the room, casting long shadows that seemed to echo her unanswered questions.

"You didn't have to stay this late, you know," she said, breaking the silence.

Ryusei shrugged, not looking up. "I didn't want to leave you with all this work. Besides…" He hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Sometimes, even the mundane can be meaningful."

Reimu snorted. "That sounds like something Yukari would say."

At the mention of Yukari, Ryusei's smile faded. "Speaking of her… you asked about Master Cross earlier."

Reimu nodded, sensing a change in his tone. "Yeah. Did he ever patch things up with her?"

"No," Ryusei said quietly, his voice tinged with regret. "They're still apart. He still hopes and has faith in getting back together with her but... some things aren't easily mended."

Reimu studied him for a moment. "Does he ever think about giving up?"

Ryusei's grip on the cleaning cloth tightened. "He's thought about it but faith isn't about certainty—it's about trust. Even when it seems impossible, he keeps trusting that there's a plan, even if he can't see it."

Reimu didn't reply immediately, her gaze drifting to the futons where Aunn and Eika slept soundly. "That kind of trust… it sounds exhausting."

"It can be," Ryusei admitted. "But it's also what keeps you going. Knowing there's something bigger than yourself, something worth fighting for—it gives you strength, even when everything else feels like it's falling apart."

The room fell silent again, the only sounds were the faint crackle of the candle and the soft breathing of the children. For a moment, Reimu allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was something to Ryusei's words.

"I'm gonna go take a nap now," informed Reimu. "Let me know when Urumi gets here."

"No problem. I'll wake you when I see her."

Hello everyone. It's been about time since I've updated this story. Seriously 5-6 months is a pretty big gap and boy a lot has happened. College life caught up to me first and during the break, I came up with many story ideas but have only managed to execute some. Then came my writer's block which resulted in me halting progress here and moving onto some other short stories. Then more life things happened and yeah, I ended up pushing this to the side a lot. My update schedule for this story was meant to be monthly but due to my life issues, I had to delay this for nearly half a year.

Additionally, this chapter is probably one of my most controversial chapters as of yet due to the fact that I'm sharing my own religious beliefs here. For those who don't know, I'm a Christian and most of my OCs are Christians as well(like Ryusei). In fact, the creation of Ryusei was indirectly inspired(to some extent) by the Christian Samurai, Justo Takayama and due to the nature of Gensokyo as well as all the hints that's been dropped, he was pretty much fated to share about his faith at some point. Religion is a really touchy subject in general and though I don't mind giving hints or putting it somewhere in the background of my stories, doing something like this was something that I really had to be careful with. Please let me know if there are any inaccuracies so I can fix them as soon as possible and let me know your thoughts on how you think I handled this chapter.

This will probably be the only chapter where Ryusei(and mine) religious beliefs will be featured as a major part of the story though they will continue to be referenced in the background(like Ryusei's armor which has cross emblems on it and Ryusei mentioning it whenever he's asked why he doesn't partake in certain activities). All the other chapters will be focused on Reimu's babysitting, Ryusei's friendship with Reimu, and possible conflicts between Reimu and someone else. The religion sharing alone took me an entire month to do and that's something I do not want to do again unless I really have to.

As usual, I'm still open to request though I will be doing them at a slower pace because of my school work and job hunting. I may also do some out of order as well. Notably, Weird_looking_Pirahna requested Sanae who I will eventually do but for now, she's being pushed back on the waitlist. I might also combine two character sessions in one chapter if a requested character has too little information to go off of and remain in character while being babysat by Reimu. Once again, if you have a request, leave it in the comments but don't forget to check out the rules down below:

1. If there is a specific character that you think Reimu should babysit next, drop their name down in a review.

2. Each character can only be done once for now and duplicate entries will be ignored. (Ex. First comment requested Wriggle, second comment requested Chen, third comment requested Wriggle again, and fourth comment requested Cirno. The order for who Reimu babysits will be 1. Wriggle, 2. Chen, and 3. Cirno)

3. As long as the character hasn't been listed down below, Reimu will babysit them. They can still make cameos and play minor roles every once in a while. For example, Reimu will not babysit Chen again(for now) but she can babysit Orin and Chen can also make a cameo there.

Characters who have been done already include:

- Wriggle

- Chen

- Cirno

- Kisume

- Koishi

- Tokiko

- Hinamei (Wheel Demon)(PC-98 Character)

- Eika (Requested) (In progress)

Characters that have been requested or are currently in progress:

- Urumi's stone baby (Requested)(Finished and coming out on the 7th)

- Nitori (Requested)(Finished and coming out on the 7th)

- Flandre (Requested) (In-progress)

- Remilia (Requested)

- Mystia (Requested)

- Rumia (Requested)

- Sanae(Requested)

- Chiyuri (Requested)

- Tewi (Requested)

- Clownpiece (Requested)

- Narumi Yatadera (Requested)

- Rika (Requested)

-Shinmyoumaru(Requested)

I'll be releasing another chapter on Friday the 7th and another on the 14th so be on the lookout for that. Thank you for being patient and sticking with me through these times. May God bless the rest of your day and I'll see you in the next chapter.