The Tengu Crow known as Aya Shameimaru, nicknamed the traditional Gensokyo Bookseller, haunts the land of Gensokyo, disliked by both humans and youkai alike. Her ability is to control the wind, granting her the title of the fastest being in Gensokyo.

Of course, the reason so many detest her has nothing to do with her abilities or appearance. Though she is a youkai, to look at her, one might mistake her for a very cute young girl, not much different from a human.

The real reason is... she’s an obsessive paparazzi, a relentless gossip columnist. Flattering, principal occupation, side job, and specialty—it’s all about snapping photos and spreading rumors. Her pen is sharper than any sword, and because her reports are entirely her own, they carry a severe bias. Once something is recorded in her news, even the strongest youkai cannot hold their head high.

Naturally, despite the many who dislike her, her news is wildly popular. After all, in the peaceful and monotonous land of Gensokyo, passing the time with her gossip is quite entertaining. As long as the main subject of the news isn't themselves, neither youkai nor human will refuse the newspapers she hands out.

Lin Luo only claimed to be gay to lessen Alice’s hostility. Besides the two of them, no one would ever know about this false interest. And Alice likely wouldn't speak of it; he’d just have to spit it out and be done with it... Being gay? Absolutely impossible.

But the moment Lin Luo saw Aya Shameimaru, he completely collapsed. Meeting the wrong person at the absolute wrong time—it was the definition of tragedy.

With the methods of Kansai Bun [a pun on her name and a known scandal figure], if this incident were reported in the Bun Bun News and distributed across all of Gensokyo, then... Lin Luo dared not imagine. That "gay" label would be impossible to remove.

So, the instant Aya Shameimaru darted away, Lin Luo immediately gave chase. But she truly deserved her title as Gensokyo's fastest. By the time he managed to run out, she was already far ahead, leaving only a black speck in the sky.

"Damn it, she’s fast," Lin Luo grumbled internally, a mix of hatred and delight churning within him. He hated Kansai Bun's insidious tactics that left him no defense, yet he was pleased that even without his inherent Rule Power, he possessed the Light Speed Skateboard. This piece of futuristic technology surely wouldn't be slower than Aya Shameimaru’s speed.

Ignoring Alice’s strange gaze from behind, Lin Luo pulled the Light Speed Skateboard directly from his storage space. The moment he stepped onto it, his figure vanished, followed by a sonic boom as the skateboard tore through the air, carrying him at incredible velocity toward Aya Shameimaru.

Inside the Rinnosuke’s House of Curiosities, Marisa was still buried in her work, meticulously attempting to process the cursed box that had shattered into dust. She scratched her head of brilliant blonde hair, her face a mask of annoyance and anxiety, having noticed absolutely nothing of the commotion that just occurred. "This is serious trouble now; the curse from the box is completely loose. What should I do?"

Alice stood in the doorway, staring up at the sky. Only when the figures vanished from sight did she finally turn back, walking over to Marisa to offer comfort. "It probably isn't that exaggerated. This cursed box, perhaps you’re overreacting, or maybe it doesn't have that much power."

"No, I can feel a profound ominousness already shrouding me," Marisa shook her head, her expression grave. "Besides, what Patchouli said cannot be ignored."

"What she said isn't necessarily all true," Alice pouted, clearly displeased. But then she recalled Lin Luo's recent predicament, and fell silent again. In a way, that was truly a disaster.

"So, what do we do now? Shall we go ask Reimu for advice?" Alice suggested after a moment.

"We have no choice but to do that. Reimu might not act like a proper shrine maiden, but she is one, and she should have a way to avoid misfortune," Marisa nodded, gathering the fragments and walking out of the shop. "If Reimu has no solution either, then we’ll have to consult Patchouli."

"Reimu will definitely think of a way," upon hearing Marisa’s words, Alice’s eyes widened, and she declared with conviction, following Marisa as they flew toward the Hakurei Shrine.

"Hahaha, following Marisa's scent was definitely the right move! This material is guaranteed to create news that will shake all of Gensokyo!" Aya Shameimaru exclaimed excitedly as she flew toward Youkai Mountain at top speed.

When she found the magazine Lin Luo had dropped near the barrier earlier, she had also detected the lingering magical aura from Marisa’s battle. She immediately headed to the Forest of Magic. Everything that transpired inside the House of Curiosities, she had seen clearly and photographed entirely—the intimate scenes between Lin Luo and Marisa, Alice’s brief descent into darkness, and that brilliant final moment.

"This news will be divided into three parts. First: The story Marisa and a certain man couldn't keep secret. Second: The dispute caused by Marisa's affair. Third: The true face behind the extramarital romance... Hahahaha, this is too interesting! Bun Bun News will once again lead the trends in Gensokyo!"

The young girl laughed unrestrainedly, clearly delighted. Suddenly, a warning bell rang in her mind. Her expression shifted slightly, and her body instantly flew sideways on an impossible trajectory. She violently swung the fan in her hand forward: "Wind God’s Fan!"

Instantly, a small-scale tornado swept violently forward. Within the low, roaring storm, a faint tremor was felt, and a figure gradually materialized from the void... It was Lin Luo.

"Truly hard to deal with, Kansai Bun," Lin Luo sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the young woman opposite him, whose face held a smile but whose eyes betrayed a hint of vigilance.

Although Suwako Moriya claimed the Light Speed Skateboard could reach the speed of light, Lin Luo knew from actual use that this was impossible. Once one reached the speed of light, setting aside the immense control required, the relatively fragile human body would be torn apart by friction with the air.

Using himself as an example, twenty times the speed of sound was his limit. At that velocity, his body remained undamaged, and he could achieve perfect, precise control over his balance. If he went any faster, his body might survive, but his control would certainly falter.

Lin Luo didn't know if Aya Shameimaru's maximum speed reached twenty times the speed of sound, but riding the Light Speed Skateboard, with the element of surprise on his side, he managed to catch up to her. He even intended to snatch the camera before she noticed, but her alertness was too high; she detected him immediately, dodged the attack, and even counter-attacked with a move.

After all, Aya Shameimaru was a Tengu, and her sense of smell was nearly unrivaled—this was only natural.

However, what troubled Lin Luo was that the Light Speed Skateboard’s stealth system deactivated after being attacked. Thus, he was exposed, making another sneak attack impossible.

"Ah, so it’s you," Aya Shameimaru laughed upon seeing that the attacker was the male protagonist of the news story soon to be released. "Are you in such a rush to read the Bun Bun News? Don't worry, once I publish it, I’ll give you a copy right away, absolutely free of charge."

Who wants to read that garbage?

Lin Luo didn't want to waste time arguing. He cut straight to the chase: "According to Gensokyo's rules, let's have a duel. If I win, you cancel this report. If I lose, you can do whatever you want. How about it?"

"No," the young woman refused without hesitation, a cunning smile playing on her lips. "I am a professional journalist. If I don't report on such interesting material that I worked hard to find, my professional ethics won't forgive me."

You have professional ethics, you Kansai Bun!

He couldn't help but retort internally, knowing it would be extremely difficult to convince Aya Shameimaru to cancel the report. But he had another idea. "Then how about this: I raise the stakes on my end. If I lose, I will provide you with even more interesting material—perhaps the truth behind the Scarlet Devil Mansion's head maid’s disappearance, how about that?"

"So you are involved in that matter," she stated with a look of sudden realization, a flicker of interest shining in her eyes. "No wonder a powerful outsider like you entered Gensokyo at the same time she returned."

Lin Luo felt a surge of hope. As long as she agreed, he had nothing to worry about. Although Aya Shameimaru was quite strong, nearing the peak of the Spirit Rank, she wouldn't be a match for him in a fight, even under Spell Card Rules, he was completely confident... Though, speaking of which, Sakuya only returned less than half a day ago, and she already knew about it. Truly worthy of the title King of Paparazzi.

"Thank you for providing another juicy news item. I will report on it thoroughly."

"Huh?" Lin Luo was completely stunned by her words, then he realized it... The news reported by Bun Bun News was basically just rumors and misinformation, merely fodder for the daily chatter of youkai and humans. It required no truth whatsoever, so she could report anything she pleased.

"You are truly despicable," Lin Luo muttered in frustration, realizing his gossip inventory was about to increase by another entry.

"That's the quality of a news reporter. Well then, I'll be taking my leave now," the young woman chirped with a laugh and started to move away. But Lin Luo wouldn't let her escape that easily. Before she could take flight, he leaped off the Light Speed Skateboard, activated Instant Movement, and flashed to her side in an instant.

"Since you won't agree, I guess I’ll have to use force," Lin Luo reached out his hand, aiming for the camera she held.

"Oh dear, that won't do. If we are to fight, we must adhere to Spell Card Rules," the young woman calmly retreated, her words sounding like a warning.

"This isn't a fight; I'm just retrieving what belongs to me," Lin Luo moved again, his hands darting out like lightning toward the camera.

"Obstructing my reporting will have consequences," realizing Lin Luo's intent, the young woman stopped mentioning the Spell Card Rules. With a faint smile, she instantly shot away. "If you want to take it back, go ahead and try. I’ll go easy on you."

"As you wish."