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...The moon is awfully vivid tonight, isn't it?

That Marisa. I thought she'd be stopping by today, but she never showed up. Well, whatever, more time to myself.

Speak of the devil, and she shall come.

Hey, you here Kourin?

Of course he's here. He's probably asleep by now.

...I see. I guess I won't have any time to unwind.

Yo, Kourin. I'm here to pick it up.

While you're at it, how about some more of that tea you served the other day?

In any case, I'd have preferred if you showed up before sundown.

Who cares? You're finished with the maintenance on my Hakkero, right? You said you could get it done in four more days, three days ago.

...There's something wrong with the way you count, but yes, I've finished the maintenance. Here, it's your beloved Hakkero, as good as new.

Oooh, check out that shine!

Huh, it used to be completely covered in rust. You cleaned it up pretty nicely.

While I was applying the boost, I gave the exterior a complete touch-up too. Not only is the output increased, the weight and fuel efficiency are also-

Eh heh heh, hah hah hah...

...You look so happy it's kind of disgusting.

Well yeah, my Hakkero is all sparkly! Thanks, Kourin. I'll definitely treat this with care.

If you like it that much, then it was worth the trouble.

More importantly, doesn't it give off a different vibe than it used to? I feel like it has a kind of... sacred luster to it, or something.

I bet that's because Kourin used "Hihi'irokane" to make it.

Heehee what now?

Scarlet Metal. It's an incredibly valuable metal that's said to never rust. It can be used to make the highest quality magical items.

If you've got something that awesome lying around, how about you give me something too?

Isn't Yukari making you something? Don't sponge off of Kourin.

...However, in exchange for its increased power, it's much harder to use. Really. I'm sure you can just keep on using it like you used to, but you'll have to put some work into it, Marisa.

What, you mean I'll have to increase my magical power?

No. You need more than power to control a magical item. In a lot of folklore, the better the magic item, the more likely it is to choose its own master. In other words, if your heart isn't on the same wavelength as the Hakkero, you won't be able to draw out its true power.

Uh, I'm not you Kourin. I can't exactly get intimate with an object...



Maybe it'd be easier to understand if I just said you need the right magical affinity.

Eh, if that's all, then it should work out fine if you just do whatever. When it comes to spiritual rhythms, it's easiest to just match it on the fly.

It doesn't mean much if you say it's easy, Reimu.

Well, I thought I'd warn you, just in case. I'm not all that worried about it myself. You've been using that Hakkero for a long time now, so I'm sure you'll manage.

Got it. For now, I'll just head home and try it out. I gotta get a handle on it soon, so I can show Lady Mima something cool!

...Mima, huh? I see...

Now that our business is taken care of, I'm feeling sleepy all of a sudden. Thanks for the tea. Put it on my tab.

Bye Kourin! Thanks for the Hakkero!

Reimu and Marisa leave.

Good grief. I can't believe I put her into such a good mood this late at night. But, if it lets me see her smile like that, then using up all of my Scarlet Metal wasn't such a waste.

I certainly wouldn't have any complaints if she'd showed up at a reasonable hour though.

...

Why do I feel so uneasy about this?

In order to help Marisa connect to it, I put my own feelings into it. I don't think I need to worry about Marisa, but...