The door creaked open slightly, revealing Patchouli's nervous whisper.
"I-I'm just feeling a little unwell. Resting helped."
"Good. I'll make you some herbal tea. Stay in bed today."
"Wait!" Patchouli suddenly called out, her grip tightening on the door.
A dangerous thought had taken root, one she shouldn't entertain, but the gnawing emptiness of her drained mana demanded relief.
"The... the spell formula I engraved on you earlier. It has a flaw. It's fine at first, but if used too much, it can cause... fainting spells."
"Come in. I'll fix it. And... optimize it."
The door swung open fully, revealing Patchouli's flushed face, her breathing unsteady.
'I'd actually said it. I am betraying Marisa for the sake of mana replenishment.'
Guilt flooded her chest—yet beneath it, a forbidden thrill pulsed.
As Rin stepped inside, she locked the door behind him, her fingers trembling.
Rin, playing oblivious, scratched his head.
"Huh. I didn't notice. I was asleep most of the time, and I barely used it."
"Ahem. It's a... new spell. Easy to make mistakes." Patchouli avoided his gaze, gesturing to the bed.
"Lie down. Lift your shirt."
Rin obediently complied, exposing his well-defined back.
Patchouli's fingers itched, but she forced herself to focus, pressing a magic pen to his skin.
As she redrew the formula, her waning mana began to stabilize—
Meanwhile...
THUD!
"OW! What the—?!" Marisa yelped as a hat and a can fell from the shelf, bonking her head.
"Huh. That's a bright green hat." Reimu snickered from the counter, munching sunflower seeds.
Marisa glared at the hat, a foreboding feeling creeping in.
'...No way. It couldn't be.'
She picked up the can, which turns out to be 'candied bayberries' flavored soda, before she shrugged.
"Want some?"
"Gimme the big ones."
Just as she handed it over—
CRASH!
Mokou burst past the storefront, sprinting for her life, her face twisted in panic.
"KEINE, IT'S A MISUNDERSTANDING!!"
"HOMEWORK'S HARD! MY BRAIN WANDERED! IT'S NORMAL TO WRITE NONSENSE SOMETIMES!"
"AT LEAST I DID IT! CIRNO DIDN'T EVEN WRITE A WORD!!"
Keine chased her, wielding a feather duster, her expression apocalyptic.
"'NONSENSE'?! READ WHAT YOU WROTE!" She snatched the homework, reading aloud with venom:
「 The fish's eerie gaze conveys three meanings:
*1. The fish died peacefully, as if not blown three feet into the air by fireworks.
*2. It reflects the fish's struggle, even without fireworks, it still died horribly.
*3. It symbolizes someone's shameless hands, groping under clothes in broad daylight, almost going further in the fog...
RIP. 」
Keine tore the homework in half, her rage incandescent.
Mokou's face turned ashen.
'WHAT THE HELL DID THAT STORE WRITE FOR ME?! WERE THEY EVEN TRYING?!'
'BOSS, I'LL MURDER YOU—!!'
But Keine's duster descended, and Mokou fled, her screams echoing.
Back in the store, Reimu sipped tea, watching the chaos.
Marisa shrunk under her gaze, mumbling: "You know how it is... Distractions happen."
"But I finished it! Mission accomplished!"
Reimu stared flatly.
'Mokou's gonna hunt you down. But hey— it's not her problem. She'd outsourced it.'
'If Mokou came knocking, I'd just hide behind the boss.'
Just then, Cirno and the kids sneaked back in, grinning.
"Marisa! Ice cream!"
"Huh? Didn't you skip homework? How'd you escape?"
"Mokou's in bigger trouble! Keine's too busy beating her!" Cirno beamed, licking her popsicle.
No class! No homework! Life was good.
Marisa sweated, a prickling sense of doom settling in.
'...Time to cling to the boss like a koala.'
Meanwhile, Rin "slept soundly", blissfully unaware of the storm brewing outside—
While Patchouli "optimized" his spell, her guilt fighting with her greed...