Touhou: I Became a Butler of the Scarlet Devil Mansion

Maid's Concerns (Sakuya's Point of View)

"Lady Remilia, isn't it almost time for Shun to return...?"

"Hm~ Did he get himself into trouble again?" Remilia sips her glass of blood. "He always seems to find himself in dangerous situations."

"Should I go and bring him back?" I offer, refilling her glass.

"Hm~ Sakuya, how is the new maid doing?"

"She is currently playing with Lady Flan."

"I see. In that case, you may go and fetch Shun. We wouldn't want him to be late for his duties."

"Understood, Lady Remilia. I'll bring him back immediately."

With a nod from Lady Remilia, I slowly put the bottle on the table and walks away.

An hour later, as I walked toward the path heading to Youkai Mountain, I eventually found the hermit, Kasen Ibaraki, deep in conversation with the animals.

I approach her cautiously. "Miss Kasen, what are you doing here?"

Startled, Kasen quickly turns towards me, assuming a combat stance before realizing it's just me. "Oh, it's you. You gave me quite a scare."

"My apologies, Miss Kasen."

She waves off my apology. "No need for formalities. Just call me Kasen. What brings you here?"

I get straight to the point. "Have you happened to see a human wearing a black suit? He's about this tall." I raise my hand to indicate the approximate height.

Kasen ponders for a moment before asking, "What's his name? Do you have any other details?"

"His name is Shun, and he serves as a butler at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

Kasen's expression brightens. "Ah, I heard from my animals that he's talking with the goddess of autumn."

"Hm, I see... Thank you, Kasen," I replied with a nod of appreciation. As I turned around to continue my search for Shun, but Kasen's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Heh! No problem! But you know... I wouldn't do this for free."

"Are you saying... you want to challenge me?"

Kasen grinned mischievously. "Of course! I happen to need a warm-up for my training. It'll be a good way to test your skills as well."

I turned to Kasen with a slight smile. "Very well, Kasen. I accept your challenge. Consider it a way to repay you for the information."

Kasen grins. "Excellent! Let's make it a friendly match then. No need to hold back!"

We both take our respective combat stances.

"Here I go!" I swiftly retrieved a few silver knives from my pocket and leaped back, expertly throwing them toward Kasen with precision.

To my surprise, Kasen effortlessly evaded the knives, displaying her agility and reflexes. Undeterred, she charged toward me, ready to counter-attack.

Thinking quickly, I stopped time momentarily, setting up a strategic arrangement of knives in Kasen's path. With a swift motion, I landed on the ground and resumed time.

Kasen's eyes widened as she observed the knives in her path, forced to adjust her trajectory to dodge them mid-air. I watched as she gracefully maneuvered herself, displaying her skill and adaptability.

"Impressive tactics!" She then positioned her bandaged arm in a manner that resembled a dragon, channeling her qi into a powerful senjutsu attack. ("Dragon Sign: Dragon Growl!")

I stopped time once again and swiftly sidestepped, simultaneously hurling a set of knives toward Kasen's previous location. With a swift and precise motion, I unleashed a single wave of 30 knives that traveled in a straight line, bouncing off the ground with a metallic clang.

After a brief pause, I resumed time, allowing the knives to resume their trajectory. The blades scattered in all directions, creating a dynamic display as they whizzed through the air.

The gleaming silver knives soared and ricocheted off various surfaces.

"Wha?!" Kasen swiftly reacts, using her jintsuu, or transcendental power to deflect the incoming knives. With precise control, she shoots bullets of air to intercept and redirect some of them. However, a few knives manage to graze Kasen, leaving small wounds on her body.

Little known, to her, I had already closed the distance between us. With a swift and decisive motion. I unleash my next attack. (Wound Sign: "Inscribed Red Soul.")

Rapidly slashing with my knife, I sent out a flurry of blue waves that traveled a short distance before disappearing. Contrary to their gentle appearance, these waves held a devastating power.

Kasen attempted to block the waves, but her arms were pierced, causing them to bleed. Seizing the opportunity, I followed up with a powerful kick, knocking her back against a nearby tree.

"Is that all?" I taunted, confidently retrieving more knives from my arsenal.

Kasen stuttered, "I-I think... I give up."

I nodded, acknowledging her surrender. "I see. Well then, thank you for the warm-up." With a satisfied smile, I turned to leave.

"T-That's supposed to be m-me..."

Now that the warm-up has been taken care of... Time to find that goddess.