Chapter 95: Reimu, I Have a Big Business Deal for You
[Bamboo Flute: A magical instrument capable of hypnotizing fish-like creatures. The effect diminishes proportionally as the target's power exceeds the flute's limit.]
After tucking the manual and the newly acquired Bamboo Flute into his Gap, Haruto departed from the Scarlet Devil Mansion and made his way toward the Hakurei Shrine.
The Hakurei Shrine stood sentinel on the far eastern border of Gensokyo. As Haruto ascended the long stone steps, the shrine slowly came into view, nestled among rows of cherry trees. It was autumn now, and their branches were bare, skeletal fingers reaching for the sky, with only a few withered leaves clinging on, rustling in the cool breeze.
The shrine itself was old and simple, its weathered wood speaking of countless years spent watching over the boundary. Yet, the cleanliness of the path and the area before the main building showed that its keeper tended to it with dutiful care.
Upon reaching the worship hall, Haruto didn't enter immediately. Instead, he reached into his Gap, retrieved three silver coins, and tossed them into the wooden box mounted on the left wall.
This was the offering box—a vital source of income for any shrine maiden.
Of course, for Hakurei Reimu, the maiden of this particular shrine, it was a different story. The place was far too remote and desolate for worshippers to be a common sight, let alone a steady one. As such, Reimu's living expenses were covered by a combination of youkai extermination fees and the occasional living allowance provided by Yakumo Yukari.
Stepping into the empty worship hall, Haruto moved with practiced ease toward the living quarters in the back. He had, after all, known Reimu for two years longer than he had known his own sister, Yukari. He'd met the shrine maiden through Marisa during his first year in Gensokyo, and they had been friends ever since.
Back then, Haruto had used his knowledge from the outside world to craft a few novel gadgets, even opening a small shop selling sweets and toys. It wasn't a fortune, but it was enough to support himself comfortably, with plenty left over to bring candy and snacks to his friends.
Haruto padded down the corridor to the side hall, stopping before one of the rooms and sliding the paper door open.
The sight that greeted him was a girl in a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, sprawled out beneath a kotatsu. Her peach-pink eyes flickered toward Haruto, a flash of resentment in their depths, before she tugged the quilt higher, covering half her face.
"Aren't you going to welcome your guest? I just put three whole silver coins in your offering box."
Haruto slipped off his shoes, entered the room, and slid the door shut behind him. He then settled himself at the low table, tucking his legs into the comforting warmth of the kotatsu.
Reimu finally, sluggishly, sat up. She picked up the teapot from the table and poured a cup of lukewarm tea for him.
"Speak. What is it this time?"
"You've changed..."
"...Hm?"
Seeing Haruto's expression suddenly darken, Reimu was taken aback. He spoke again, his voice low and somber.
"You weren't like this before. Your words… they weren't so distant. We haven't seen each other for just a few weeks, and you're already growing colder and colder toward me!" he grumbled, his tone laced with a evident sense of grievance.
"That's only because—"
Reimu started to explain, but Haruto abruptly turned his back to her. He rubbed his eyes hard, and when he turned back around, they were faintly red, his voice trembling.
"Reimu, you're still blaming me for breaking your offering box, aren't you? I'm sorry. That day, as soon as I got my pocket money, you were the first person I thought of. I just… I just wanted to stuff a little more in for you…"
Watching Haruto's masterclass performance of "it's all my fault," Reimu's shoulders trembled. An uncontrollable wave of guilt surged through her.
'Wait… that's not right,'she thought.'Shouldn't I be the one questioning him?'
Just as Reimu resolved to set the record straight before graciously adding, "but I forgive you," Haruto spoke again.
"It's all my fault… If I hadn't touched that offering box, the accident wouldn't have happened. It wouldn't have been blasted to splinters by Marisa's Magic Cannon…"
The boy's voice grew quieter and quieter. He lowered his head slightly, presenting a fragile, regretful silhouette to the shrine maiden.
"I really… I just wanted to make you a little happier. I know the shrine doesn't get many visitors and the offering box is always empty… I just wanted to make it look fuller, feel heavier…"
Reimu opened her mouth, but the words, 'But you were clearly picking it up and shaking it for fun,' got stuck in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to say them.
She recalled all the times Haruto used to visit, just to chat and play, always bringing her delicious candy. And here she was, holding a grudge for so long over what she thought was him carelessly breaking her offering box. Suddenly, a knife named "guilt" twisted deep in her heart.
And Haruto was still going. "Reimu, you cherished that offering box so much, yet I—"
Thud!
The sound of a forehead slamming onto the low table cut him off. Reimu's voice was muffled as she spoke.
"I'm sorry! Don't say any more. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have put the offering box there that day."
Silence descended upon the room.
After a long moment, Haruto still hadn't replied. A knot of nervousness tightened in Reimu's stomach. Was he angry with her? She tentatively raised her head, trying to steal a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
"You brat!"
One look was all it took for Reimu to explode. She saw Haruto, the picture of leisure, sipping tea and nibbling on a senbei cracker as if his heart-wrenching sadness from moments ago had been nothing but her imagination.
Suppressing the overwhelming urge to grab her Yin-Yang Orb and smack him a few times, Reimu forced the anger down and spoke through gritted teeth.
"You and your sister really are two of a kind."
"I think I'm a bit more likable, actually," Haruto said cheerfully, draining the last of his tea before pouring himself another full cup.
Reimu flopped back down, shrinking into the quilt until only her head was exposed. "If you have nothing better to do, then hurry up and leave. It's the shrine maiden's nap time."
"Why are you sleeping in broad daylight? Where is your sense of duty? How are you supposed to grow big and strong like this? How will you ever make your offering box wealthy!" Haruto slammed his hands on the table, rattling the teacups and looking utterly disappointed by her lack of ambition.
Faced with Haruto's fatal triple-question combo, Reimu didn't even lift her head. She merely glanced at the empty worship hall, then back at him, her eyes seeming to say, 'Are you kidding me?'
"I have a big business deal for you. Guaranteed profit. Reimu, want to hear about it?"
Reimu still didn't look up.
"...Then I want to buy your talismans and talisman cards," Haruto added.
This time, he got a reaction. She lazily pushed herself up again.
"Tell me how much you're paying first."
Haruto held up one finger.
"One hundred yen?" Reimu asked doubtfully.
Haruto shook his head.
Reimu tried again, her voice hesitant. "A thousand?"
He shook his head again, then gave her the answer directly. "Ten thousand each. And depending on the effect—"
CRACK!
Before Haruto could finish, the poor, abused low table was slammed once more by Reimu, this time hard enough to leave a spiderweb of cracks on its surface.
"Adoptive Father! Please accept my bow!"
In a flash, Reimu shot out from under the kotatsu and performed two deep, absurdly exaggerated bows toward Haruto.
And it was this exact scene that was witnessed by Marisa, who had just slid open the door. Her face was a mask of disbelief, her mouth hanging slightly open as the stalk of wheat she'd been chewing drifted forgotten to the floor.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]