In the sky, Marisa sat astride her broom, soaring toward a destination. Since Lin Luo couldn't fly without the power of 'rule force,' he was fortunate enough to catch a ride with Marisa… Though he possessed a light-speed hoverboard in his storage dimension, what could compare to the sheer ease and pleasure of riding alongside Mōni-sha?

It bears repeating: while Marisa might seem carefree, she was genuinely an easy person to get along with. As long as someone suited her taste, there were virtually no barriers; being around her was always interesting. The reason people found her so careless was perhaps due to her straightforward nature—lacking artifice and utterly candid.

Marisa decided to head to her Kirisame Magic Shop first. Why? Because the spell ingredient recipe book Lin Luo gave her had sparked immense interest. Nothing could stop her now from indulging in magical experimentation.

Lin Luo had no objection to this. He had nothing else to do anyway, and playing along with Marisa sounded fine. Moreover, her Magic Shop was a unique spectacle in Gensokyo—in terms of sheer filth. Having come to Gensokyo, how could one skip a visit? Especially since Marisa’s collection included divine artifacts like the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Since Marisa had no use for it, he might as well 'borrow' it when he found it... No, 'borrow' is the word.

“Say, what’s your name?” After flying for a while, Marisa suddenly looked back and asked. It was only then she realized she’d drunk his beverage, accepted his gift, and was flying around with him, yet still didn't know his name. That seemed quite impolite, didn't it?

“Lin Luo,” Lin Luo casually gave his name. He was slightly distracted; after all, the broom was so short, and Marisa flew so fast. Her cascade of golden hair whipped across his face—it was hard to say if it was comfortable or painful. And when Marisa turned back, the hot air from her breath washed over him, making it even harder to remain composed.

Although Marisa was considered the harem queen of Gensokyo, she was, ultimately, just a girl of sixteen or seventeen, and quite beautiful too. Such close proximity would make any man’s heart race frantically.

Marisa, however, seemed entirely unfazed by this. She nodded and continued, “You look human, but I sense a slight yōki (demonic aura) about you. Are you human or yōkai?”

The yōki Marisa sensed was probably the residual scent of a Dead Apostle, Lin Luo mused. To avoid any awkwardness, he instinctively shifted his head back slightly, dodging the young woman’s breath attack, and replied noncommittally, “You can think of me as human, or you can think of me as yōkai.”

“I see,” Marisa understood instantly, nodding. “Then you must be a renyō (hermaphrodite).”

“…I think the most generous label would be half-demon, right?” Lin Luo was stunned. Renyō, my foot!

“Eh, don’t worry about the details,” Marisa laughed heartily, turning back to concentrate on piloting the broom.

This wasn't a detail; this was a matter of species!

Lin Luo truly didn't know how to retort. As expected, Gensokyo was a place absolutely bursting with things to complain about.

Swish, swish… Lin Luo soon sank back into the scenario of being slapped by Marisa’s golden hair, the fragrance filling his nose, his face flushing from the repeated contact. He couldn't tell if this was a blessing or a punishment.

Thankfully, this bittersweet time didn't last long, because under Marisa’s rapid flight, the Forest of Magic soon came into view.

Besides being a thief and a magician, Marisa had another profession: the shop sign girl (kanban musume). In the nearly impassable, easily confusing Forest of Magic, she ran a shop called the Kirisame Magic Shop. Her acceptable scope of work ranged from predicting gambling outcomes to helping resolve strange incidents. If the task succeeded, she promptly took her payment; if it failed, she took nothing—a very humane approach.

However, due to her generally sloppy habits, the interior of the shop was a complete disaster. Coupled with her infrequent presence and the shop's seclusion, very few people ever commissioned her work, making this profession, which she considered her main job, even more of a side gig than being a thief.

Entering the Forest of Magic, Marisa circled several times, maneuvering past countless complex terrains and the forest's natural traps, finally arriving at the Kirisame Magic Shop… Looking at how well-hidden the shop was, Lin Luo once again thought Marisa’s kanban musume profession must be amateur, because if he relied only on sight, he was certain he never would have found this place.

“Say, are you really going to do magic experiments now?” After hopping off the broom, Lin Luo asked again. No matter how he looked at it, he felt this wasn't the right time for experiments, especially since he was a guest.

But Marisa didn't seem to care at all; perhaps she had already forgotten about showing Lin Luo around Gensokyo. She walked toward the shop, saying, “Of course! If I encounter such a rare spell ingredient recipe book, I can’t miss this opportunity. My spirit for experimentation is burning fiercely!”

Fine, since she put it that way, he would defer to the host. Lin Luo consoled himself again with the thought, "I have nothing else to do anyway," and followed behind Marisa.

Creak.

The shop door wasn't locked; it opened with a gentle push. It wasn't that Marisa forgot to lock it, but that she never bothered. In her words, it was just decoration; a determined person could get in regardless of a lock.

Lin Luo figured this was based on her own experience, as she herself was quite the burglar.

When he followed Marisa inside and saw the condition of the interior, Lin Luo felt his eyes burn... The Kirisame Magic Shop might not have looked large from the outside, but inside, it felt vast. Size was only a small factor; the most significant element was the utter chaos. Clutter and furniture were strewn everywhere, with items piled haphazardly without any order whatsoever. Added to the occasional bursts of magical energy, it had truly become a miniature, messy Forest of Magic itself.

“Seriously, how long has it been since you cleaned this shop?” Lin Luo couldn’t help but ask. He knew Marisa’s place was messy, but seeing it in person still shocked him. Cleaning this up would likely take a good fortnight.

“I don’t remember clearly…” Marisa scratched her head and replied casually, “I think I tidied it once when I first opened.”

Seeing the young woman’s completely indifferent expression, Lin Luo decided against any further commentary. He had certainly witnessed Marisa’s 'unrestrained' side.

“Since you’re going to research, I’ll look around a bit. You don’t mind, do you?” Lin Luo noticed Marisa was already setting up experiment tools and seemed too preoccupied to deal with him, so he asked.

“Whatever,” Marisa replied without turning her head, flipping through the recipe book Lin Luo had given her while arranging various experimental props on the floor.

Lin Luo was delighted by her casual generosity. With a slight smile, he began searching through the disorganized piles of objects… Marisa had a collecting habit, but she rarely used what she collected. Most of it was simply dumped somewhere and forgotten, so even she wouldn't know exactly what was piled up in her home.

But Lin Luo knew there was at least the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi here, and likely many other rare treasures besides. Even if they weren't useful to him, he could treat this as a treasure hunt. And what if he stumbled upon something as valuable as the Grimoire of Reincarnation? Well, that was highly unlikely, of course.

So, Lin Luo busied himself rummaging around, while Marisa sat on the other side conducting her magical research. Neither bothered the other; both were deeply focused.

About half an hour later, Marisa suddenly stood up from the floor, clutching her hair, looking distressed. "Blast, I'm out of mushrooms! I need to find some fresh ones, but I can't leave now; the experiment is at a critical stage... Wait!"

Suddenly, Marisa’s eyes lit up. She thought of someone, her gaze quickly shifting to Lin Luo. But when she saw the object in his hand, her expression changed drastically. She immediately lunged forward, shouting, "Don't open it!"

Lin Luo had found a box that looked like a delicate music box. Just as he was about to open it, a loud noise rang in his ears. Instinctively, he looked up and saw a figure hurtling toward him. Caught completely off guard, he was slammed head-on by the figure.

Thump! Lin Luo felt a sharp pain in his head. The music box flew from his grasp, and his body pitched backward. Seeing he was about to fall, his hands instinctively shot forward to grab something—

On the other side, due to the violent impact, Marisa’s head was also reeling. Before she could react, she felt a sharp pressure on her chest, as if something had grabbed hold. Her body instinctively tried to recoil backward, but her feet were suddenly tripped by a rope…

“Whoa!” Marisa cried out, immediately tumbling backward onto her back.

Lin Luo didn’t know what he had grabbed, only that it felt soft and yielding, comfortable to hold. Before he could process it, the thing in his hand seemed to lose its tension, and he fell forward along with it.

Bang! Before either of them understood what had happened, they landed one on top of the other. And then, most inconveniently, both their feet kicked into the pile of junk behind them… This was disastrous. That pile, resembling a small mountain of miscellaneous items, immediately collapsed with a loud crash!

With a clatter and bang, all the debris cascaded down onto them, instantly burying them both. Once the noise completely subsided, only two heads peeked out from the pile of junk.

By this time, both Lin Luo and Marisa had recovered their senses. They looked at each other, wide-eyed, neither speaking. The air seemed frozen; a profound silence settled.