"Should we take action?"
"No. If we do, we'll suffer backlash too."
"What if we spike her food? Don't you have a bunch of weird magic potions? Mix some in?"
"No! All my potions are legitimate!" Patchouli retorted righteously. 'Would I really mess with that kind of dangerous stuff?'
Reimu clearly didn't buy it. No one in this shop is remotely "legitimate."
But since Patchouli refused to admit anything, Reimu shoved the game console into her hands—
"Then you keep her busy. I'll nap for a bit and swap in around midnight."
"You'll actually wake up when I call you?"
"Of course! I swear on my sacred shrine maiden honor!" Reimu declared solemnly before flopping onto the sofa, stretching luxuriously, and instantly passing out.
Patchouli's eye twitched at the sight. For some reason, unease gnawed at her.
'Is this idiot actually reliable?'
Just as she debated whether to drag Reimu back up, Marisa—sprawled on the bed, engrossed in the console, called out excitedly—
"Patchy, come look! This game seems fun. Some stages even need co-op!"
"Coming."
Suppressing her misgivings, Patchouli reluctantly joined her.
"Reimu was all in about pulling an all-nighter. How was she the first one to be out so soon?"
"She's temping at the counter tomorrow. Early bedtime makes sense."
"Ah, I have work too… Maybe I should head back to sleep."
"Wait!" Patchouli slammed Marisa back down, her expression deadly serious.
"You're different. Reimu's here as a part-timer, her mom dumped her here. She can't be late. But you? Who cares if you oversleep?"
"Huh? If I'm late, the boss'll definitely use it as an excuse to—"
"He won't!"
"???" Marisa stared blankly at Patchouli's absolute confidence, her brain struggling to process.
"Think about it. The boss knows you're a troublemaker, yet he still gave you the console. That means he expects you to be late tomorrow."
"Plus, he hasn't once told you to go to bed. Probably planning to give you the day off to rest! Even if something does happen, Reimu can cover for you. No problem!"
Marisa blinked, swayed by Patchouli's flawless logic.
'That… kinda makes sense?'
Then she remembered her deal with Rin from earlier—and her heart lurched.
'That game was way too intense. The longer I can avoid it, the better!'
"Patchy, lock the door. I'm sleeping here tonight!"
"Huh? Yes!" Patchouli's face lit up with rare approval.
'Finally, this idiot's doing something sensible!'
Meanwhile, in Rin's room…
A certain high-aged maiden had been reduced to a shuddering, incoherent mess.
"R-Ran… Hic… Help…"
"N-No—Not there—Hyah!!! Owowow—Hah~…"*
"…Haaah~ Enough… Why's there—Ngh!!!"
Yukari's pleas came out in garbled fragments, her body thrashing like a dying fish.
Pain, numbness, pleasure. Each sensation clashed violently, dragging her toward different extremes.
Just as she teetered on the edge of one abyss, the world would flip, hurling her toward another.
"Quit whining. I'm going lighter than usual."
CRACK.
Yukari silenced instantly. Ran, watching from the sidelines, felt her own spine ache in sympathy.
'Terrifying… yet also reassuring. At least it's just a massage…'
Rin, meanwhile, met Yukari's murderous glare with perfect innocence—
"This is the gentlest setting. If I used Marisa's normal intensity, you'd be unconscious by now."
"Don't worry, that last back adjustment was the final rough part. The rest is easy."
"You better—Nngh~!"
A fresh wave of tingling intensity hit, forcing Yukari to bite her lip to stifle a compromising noise.
Rin's expression stayed professional, but his touch grew lighter, soothing, as if smoothing away every prior ache.
The warmth seeped deep, easing tension Yukari hadn't realized she'd carried.
Her muscles melted, her breathing steadying as his fingers traced hypnotic patterns along her skin.
Each press sent ripples of comfort through her, her face gradually flushing with drowsy contentment.
Just as she hovered on the brink of bliss—
"All done."
"..." Yukari's eye twitched. The abrupt drop back to reality left her seething.
'This bastard skipped all the good parts!! Who ends it right at the best moment?!'
Before she could protest, Rin patted her waist—
"Alright, flip over."
"Since Ran's waiting, I streamlined some steps. Once your front is done, we'll wrap up."
"My front too?"
Yukari blinked but obediently turned over.
Now facing Rin, her earlier nervousness returned in full force, her gaze darting away.
Desperate for distraction, she muttered—
"How much did you skip?"
"Seven-ninths."
"???"
"Originally, my routine was simple. But after learning Yuugi's family techniques, I combined them into a full package."
"It takes too long, though, so I cut corners. Want the premium experience next time? Buy a ticket."