"This is bad, Alice has become the Witch of Spring, the world is going to end, da☆ze!" Marisa said, looking up at the imposing knight in the sky with a face full of horror, trembling.

"Indeed. Alice, who has always only created dolls with female souls, actually created a doll with a male soul. How infatuated must she be, m-q!" Patchouli chimed in with perfect timing, sighing before covering her face with a book, acting as if she couldn't bear to look.

"..." Alice listened to their exchange, a vein throbbing on her forehead, and couldn't help but let out an annoyed shriek, "What nonsense are you two spouting! You're the ones who are **! You're the infatuated ones!"

"If you weren't **," Marisa pointed at the doll knight and demanded, the very picture of confidence backed by evidence, "why would you make a man?"

"Exactly, and you based it on that perverted fellow, even naming him 'Knight,' a Doll-Wielder of Infatuation!" Patchouli added, looking utterly disdainful, seizing the chance to strike at Alice.

Alice immediately flushed scarlet, rushing to explain, "It’s not like that! I just happened to see how he fought before and thought he was incredibly strong, so I subconsciously based the design on him. Besides," she added, "making this Knight doll required assistance from Mercury Lamp. You both know how much Mercury Lamp respects him. If I hadn't used him as a model, Mercury Lamp wouldn't have helped me... It’s not what you two are thinking!"

Saying this, Alice turned her head away as if trying to conceal something.

Far away at the Hakurei Shrine, Mercury Lamp, who had been fast asleep, sneezed, then rubbed her nose, snuggling deeper into Yumemi while muttering in her sleep, "It has nothing to do with me, I don't know anything..."

It was a blessing that Marisa and Patchouli couldn't hear Mercury Lamp's sleepy murmurs; otherwise, Alice’s lie would likely have been exposed. However, the truth was irrelevant to them; what mattered was that this was a rare opportunity to tease Alice, and they couldn't possibly pass it up.

"Ah, Tsundere mode activated," Marisa stifled a laugh, covering her mouth.

"Mmm, very obvious Tsundere," Patchouli agreed, nodding.

"You are the Tsunderes! Your whole family are Tsunderes!" Alice finally exploded in mortified anger, her face red as she shrieked, clearly ready for a full-blown fight.

"Oh my, look who's here. We've been looking everywhere for you," a woman's voice suddenly drifted from the nearby woods. The three spun their heads instinctively, and while Marisa and Patchouli remained unfazed, Alice’s expression drastically changed. She swiftly recalled all her dolls except Shanghai and Hourai... especially the Doll Knight, which she retracted immediately!

The reason was simple: the arrivals were Lin Luo and Shen Qi.

"What were you all discussing? You were speaking so loudly just now, it sounded like you were having fun," Shen Qi approached, offering the three a gentle smile.

Marisa, being straightforward and guileless yet possessing a mischievous streak, chuckled, "We just finished beating that weird masked man, and we were discussing Alice's kni—smack!"

Before Marisa could finish the word "ght," Alice lunged forward without hesitation and delivered a sharp slap. With a loud smack, Marisa was sent flying into the nearby grass.

"Discuss my foot!" Alice snapped at the heap of Marisa in the grass, her face burning.

Patchouli was momentarily shocked but couldn't resist joining the fray of teasing Alice. She started running while interjecting, "Alice’s Knight is actually a... oof!"

But she had underestimated the Tsundere warrior. One must remember that a girl in Tsundere mode is virtually unbeatable. Although Patchouli was running fast, Alice was instantly in front of her, raising her fist and bringing it down with a heavy thud right on Patchouli's stomach.

Patchouli’s face immediately turned green, and she doubled over, groaning in pain.

However, Alice clearly wasn't planning to let them off lightly. Before they could even rise from the ground, she smoothly pulled the magical threads, drawing the two small dolls to her sides, one on the left and one on the right. She pointed at Marisa and Patchouli and commanded, "Shanghai, Hourai, target locked, enter combat mode!"

"Yes, my Mistress!" Shanghai, armed with a spear, and Hourai, holding a sword, immediately charged at Marisa and Patchouli upon receiving the order.

"Shanghai! What do you think you're doing, you little brat?!" Marisa cried out as a cold spear zipped toward her immediately after she scrambled up, her expression shifting drastically as she instinctively dodged.

"Stupid Marisa, talking back about Master! Poke! Poke! Poke poke poke!" Shanghai relentlessly jabbed her combat spear toward Marisa's rear.

"Poke your sister then! Don't poke me or I'm getting angry, da☆ze!" Marisa roared in fury.

"My sister won't let you poke her! Die!" Shanghai yelled back, equally enraged.

On the other side, Hourai, usually adept at magical attacks, was now chasing Patchouli around wielding a large cleaver. As the saying goes, a hooligan isn't terrifying, only a hooligan with culture is. Similarly, a mage isn't scary, but a mage wielding a cleaver scares even gods!

"Hey, stop slashing! My clothes!" Patchouli shielded her head with both arms, running and shouting. It was fortunate her asthma had been cured; otherwise, Hourai's blade might have connected with her tender flesh instead of just her garments.

"Fujo-Taka-mq, take another swing! Chop! Chop! Chop chop chop!"

"I am not a fujo! Alice is the gloomy witch!"

"Still badmouthing Master, Die!"

"Ah! You idiot, you cut my bust ribbon!"

...

What in the world was happening here?

Staring at the ensuing farce, Lin Luo and Shen Qi stood frozen, utterly speechless for a long moment. Lin Luo somewhat understood the reason Alice was attacking them—it was likely her Tsundere nature erupting to conceal her Doll Knight. But regardless of her attempts to hide it, it was futile; he had already seen the Doll Knight modeled after himself earlier.

Forget it, he decided to treat this as a secret he never knew... In the next moment, Lin Luo resolved to forget about the Doll Knight. Given Alice's level of Tsundere, if he dared to mention it, he would likely be the one chased by Shanghai and Hourai next.

"This... seems a bit troublesome. Perhaps I should resolve this. I'll leave Alice to you," Shen Qi said with an awkward smile, seeing that the chase seemed endless. With a wave of her sleeve, she swept Marisa and Patchouli away, and even Shen Qi herself vanished from the spot.

"Oh, they're gone?" With their targets vanished, Shanghai and Hourai immediately stopped their attacks, then returned to Alice looking slightly lost.

Simultaneously, Alice’s Tsundere mood began to settle. However, upon realizing that only Lin Luo remained on the scene, a fleeting blush crossed her face.

"Alice, long time no see," Lin Luo stepped forward to greet her, unwilling to let the atmosphere become awkward.

"Mm," Alice nodded, offering Lin Luo a gentle smile, and said softly, "I'm very glad you're back."

"I heard you were dealing with a masked man earlier. Did you need any assistance?"

"It was nothing," Alice shook her head lightly. "Although that masked man was powerful and was causing trouble everywhere, I didn't feel any malice during the fight. It was probably just an anomaly. With the Miko around, it will settle down soon enough."

"Right..." Lin Luo offered a wry smile, never imagining that he himself would one day become an anomaly in Gensokyo.

"Oh, right, were you with... with her just now?" Alice suddenly remembered that Lin Luo had arrived with Shen Qi and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, I was discussing a few things with your mother, regarding you."

"Me?" Alice blinked. "What did she tell you?"

Lin Luo cut straight to the chase and told the truth, "She said you've been lacking affection since childhood and asked me to give you some love."

"Ah!?" Alice was utterly dumbfounded. After a long pause, she snapped out of it, her face showing an expression Lin Luo couldn't quite decipher. Then, she stomped her foot and said angrily, "That woman! Always saying such ridiculous things. It's because of that, I... Ah!"

Alice stopped abruptly, realizing some things were better kept private. She quickly composed herself and bowed shyly to Lin Luo, "I am truly sorry for making you listen to such strange matters."

"It's nothing," Lin Luo shook his head and smiled faintly. "Whether it's strange or not doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I already agreed to Shen Qi's request, so I'm specifically asking for your opinion now."

"What?" Alice’s expression instantly became wonderfully complex. "You said you already agreed?"

"Yes."

"This... How could you!" Upon hearing Lin Luo’s definitive answer, Alice was stunned, then she let out a sharp cry, "How could you agree to her! You are a married man!"

"I am aware, but an agreement is an agreement. So, what we are discussing now isn't about me, but about your stance," Lin Luo stated seriously.

"My stance..." Alice smacked her lips but remained silent, seemingly deliberating something. After a long pause, she whispered weakly, "Well, but I already like a girl."

Lin Luo smiled calmly, "I know, but that doesn't matter. I respect your freedom in love."

"You can really accept that? I like girls!" Alice looked at him in disbelief.

"Of course."

Lin Luo’s unwavering attitude instantly won Alice’s goodwill. She blushed, summoning her courage to say, "S-since that's the case, then I have nothing more to say. Although I like a girl, that doesn't mean I don't like boys. In fact, I also like a boy... Is it strange for someone like me to like girls while also liking boys?"

Having revealed her secret, Alice couldn't help but ask.