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“Well, well, well. Another incident solved by the great Reimu Hakurei.”
Reimu jumped, startled. Then she rolled her eyes; she recognized that voice anywhere. Turning around, she tried to smile. “Hello to you too, Yukari.”
Having seemingly appeared from nowhere (although Reimu knew better), the woman stood before the shrine maiden in a long purple dress, white gloves, and bonnet. She held a parasol above her head, although Reimu didn’t see how it would keep her cool in such warm clothing. Reluctantly, Reimu paused her task of sweeping the copious amount of cherry blossom petals from the shrine grounds. She glared at the taller youkai, no longer trying to hide her annoyance. “Do you have to interrupt me?”
Yukari smiled, a gloved hand rising to hide her smirk. “My, someone’s in a bad mood. When we first met, you couldn’t get enough cherry blossoms. And now you’re complaining about the fallen petals?”
Gods, Reimu did not have time for Yukari’s shenanigans today. “This time is different,” Reimu sighed. Wasn’t it obvious? She could barely see the dirt beneath the petals.
Yukari twirled, pink and purple petals dancing at her feet. “That’s a shame. I was hoping we could have a flower viewing.”
“If you wanted to interrogate the culprit, Eiki left a while ago,” Reimu replied. “Not that she really caused all this,” she added, gesturing toward the petals that littered the ground. That was what confused Reimu the most. Her past experience taught her that defeating the mastermind behind an incident was the key to resolving it. But these flowers… they weren’t caused by anyone. At least, not by anyone in Gensokyo. The sudden influx of spirits was troubling, and it hadn’t stopped after she defeated Eiki…
Yukari’s nonchalant voice brought her back to reality. “Hmm, I suppose I should join the Yama for tea sometime. But she doesn’t hold her liquor as well as you.” Yukari’s smile was innocent enough, but Reimu was surprised. Did Yukari really come over just to drink?
Making a point to sweep a large pile of petals together, Reimu continued her work. “I’ve got a bit too much on my hands right now, so you’ll have to drink with someone else.”
Suddenly, her broom stopped moving. Yukari’s hand had swiftly grabbed the handle, and the youkai was looking directly at her. Her grin was replaced by a serious expression. “Loosen your grip.”
“What?”
“You’re gripping the broom too tightly. If you don’t loosen your grip, your hands will be sore later.” Confused, Reimu loosened her hands. Surprisingly, they immediately felt better. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been. She looked up at Yukari, who for some reason was still staring at her. The youkai smiled once more. “Isn’t that better?”
“I guess so,” Reimu replied, looking down at her hands. Her cheeks flushed a little. “Thanks.”
“Great!” Yukari let go of the broom and turned around, waving. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. A shrine maiden’s work never ends, after all!” In spite of herself, Reimu looked up at the woman, whose long, blonde hair was dancing in the wind along with the cherry petals. Reimu’s face became hot, and she started to look away. Before she could though, Yukari spoke. “And Reimu,” the youkai spoke softly. “Don’t worry about things that aren’t your job.”
As the youkai began to form a gap through which to exit, she felt a gentle grip on her sleeve. “Wait,” Reimu whispered. Her face reddening, she spoke up. “I might have some sake somewhere…”