"It really does look like you got mauled by a dog." Marisa glanced at Rin, nodding with absolute certainty, his face beams with innocence.
'That damned mutt bites hard—no matter how much she begged for mercy, he wouldn't loosen up in the slightest. It wasn't until she was forced to bite back that he finally showed a bit of restraint.'
Rin silently shot her a glance at those words, then gave a supremely gentle smile.
Marisa instantly shuddered, instinctively straightening up like a well-behaved child—but the cold sweat continued to pour down her forehead.
She was adaptable, sure, but if they went at it like last night again, she was going to die.
Reimu, seeing the awkward air, scratched her head but didn't think too much of it. She wandered off into another room in search of more booze and debauchery.
Seeing that Reimu had no intention of pressing further, Marisa let out a huge sigh of relief and began nibbling her pastry like a good girl.
Meanwhile, Rin noticed the two little ones still charging toward the kitchen, so he tied a couple of tiny lobsters to them as distractions and shooed them away.
Once the living room was down to just the two of them again, a chill shot straight down Marisa's spine, her hands trembling violently as she clutched her snack.
Rin had only just taken a step forward when Marisa, gritting her teeth, flopped over the table voluntarily.
"Quick, while they're not around... Just be gentle this time."
"...???" Rin's eyelid twitches uncontrollably as his gaze turns oddly complex.
Why did it seem like she was the one more addicted to this?
"Your suggestion is tempting, but it's broad daylight and we haven't even finished lunch yet. Let's wait until tonight."
"I was talking about the drawer in the coffee table. There's ointment in there. If it still hurts, put some on."
"..." Marisa's face twisted, flushing so red it looked like she might start bleeding.
She let out a whimper and buried her head into the table, refusing to lift it again.
Amused by her mix of shame and frustration, Rin gave her a head pat before saying warmly:
"Alright, I'll go make lunch. You get the day off, just don't wander around too much. Rest up."
He placed the ointment on the table for her before heading back to the kitchen, clearly in a good mood.
Marisa peeked after him, mumbling a bit under her breath, then snatched the ointment and scurried to the bathroom.
Not long after she left, Patchouli all but crawled her way into the living room.
From the bedroom to the couch felt like climbing a stairway to redemption—long, painful, and almost more than she could bear.
Collapsing face-first onto the sofa, her expression was utterly drained and disheveled.
Her hair messily draped over her face, her pupils dull and scattered like a doll nearly played to ruin.
Even when she sensed Marisa sneakily picking at her wounds, she couldn't muster the energy to stop her.
She was done. Let it all burn...
On the bright side, Marisa was just picking at scabs and leftover ointment—nothing too destructive. It meant she'd probably calm down soon.
At least they didn't go at it again in broad daylight, pushing her further toward death's door.
As long as that soul-consuming ecstasy didn't keep hitting her in real-time, she could tolerate the rest.
All she had to do now was find a way to separate Marisa and the boss until the side effects of that blasted potion wore off.
Sorry, you two... but this means war.
"Hmm? Patchouli, you're awake. Hungry? Want something to snack on first?" Rin's voice caught her completely off guard, making her body go soft with fright.
The familiar sensation nearly reawakened something primal in her, but she managed to force it back down.
Turning her head, she saw Rin walking out of the kitchen with a bowl of deep-fried tofu, casually nibbling as he went.
The aroma of crispy batter and savory dipping sauce slowly filled the room, and even in her state, Patchouli perked up slightly.
She gave a faint response before slowly, sluggishly sitting up.
Seeing her listlessness, Rin casually offered a piece of tofu to her lips with his chopsticks.
Patchouli froze, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Avoiding his gaze, she hesitated briefly before gently taking the tofu with a bite.
Chewing delicately and gracefully, the flavor slowly pushed away her embarrassment and awkwardness.
Taking the bowl and chopsticks from him, she kept eating and, before he could leave again, tentatively asked:
"Boss, do you have any business trips coming up in the next few days?"
"Business trips? This is a general store, what trips would I even go on? Closest I got was helping Marisa out the other day because I was bored."
"Did you... need something from me?"
"No, not really..."
Hearing that he wasn't planning on going anywhere, Patchouli let out a subtle sigh of disappointment.
'Looks like I'd need to think of another strategy. How else could I keep those two apart?' As she sank into thought, Rin quietly returned to the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, Sakuya was already inside, handling the marinated beef with expert hands.
Noticing him at the doorway, she casually spoke up:
"Since I had nothing else to do, I came to lend a hand."
"The beef's already marinating. Anything else left?"
"Handle the rabbit meat, please."
"Got it."
'Ah... The ever-reliable Head Maid.' Rin sighed inwardly in appreciation and began prepping a mountain of seafood.
Seeing the sheer amount of luxury ingredients, Sakuya raised an eyebrow, mildly curious.
"Looks like you're preparing Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? That's a lot of work."
"Yeah, figured I'd try it today. Not much going on, and the shop's being watched by Suika and the others. So the timing is perfect."
"Seems we're in for a feast tonight." Sakuya smiled before promptly yanking a sneaky Remilia out of the pantry as she reached for a lobster.
"Milady, please behave."
"Just one! One more lobster!"
"What happened to the last one?"
"Accidentally launched it with a firework. No idea where it landed."
Sakuya: "???"