"KEINE! LOOK, IT'S RAINING LOBSTERS FROM THE SKY!!"
A confused yell echoed out from inside the terakoya (village school).
Keine, who had been grading homework, froze mid-sentence, staring blankly at Cirno and the others bursting in with lobsters on their heads.
Wait... seriously?! There are lobsters?! But why do they look like they just survived a round of fireworks shelling?
"Keine, Keine! If it's raining lobsters now, does that mean frogs are next?" Cirno asked with hopeful eyes.
A downpour of frogs from the sky, then freezing them midair and watching them turn into icy frog meteors—now that would be a spectacular scene!
"Cirno, under normal circumstances, it doesn't rain frogs."
"And stop running around. You didn't do your homework yesterday again. Go finish it. Now."
As she spoke, Keine removed the little lobster from Cirno's head. Her eyes gleamed dangerously.
If this keeps up, she'll be forced to break out the headbutts again.
Cirno pouted, lips twitching, and reluctantly shuffled off with her workbook.
The rest of the little ones—Daiyousei and company—exchanged glances for a second, then made the immediate executive decision to ditch Cirno and go play.
Cirno's face twitched as she slumped dramatically over her desk in despair.
Why does such an evil thing as homework even exist in this world?! AAAHHH!!!
Meanwhile, over at the lobster-launching base...
"Here we go! New pilot, coming in hot!" Remilia eagerly brought over a fresh lobster.
Chen, busy reassembling their toy rocket, picked up the pace. She quickly secured it to the prepped launch pad.
After Remilia tied the lobster and rocket together with what could only be described as excessive enthusiasm, the two of them adjusted the angle carefully and then fired it up again.
A few seconds later—
Zzzzzz~ Fwoosh—POP!!
"Who the hell just hit me with a rocket lobster?!" Tenshi streaked through the sky and got nailed square in the face by the flying seafood projectile, nearly plummeting on the spot.
The two culprits yelped in panic and scrambled indoors, too terrified to even retrieve the smoldering remains of their toy.
Tenshi landed in front of the store, face black as thunder, glaring at the signboard like it had personally insulted her lineage.
Was she cursed or something? Why did every visit here end in disaster?
She turned to Inubashiri Momiji, who was helping organize the shelves. Her fluffy ears suddenly twitched straight up in panic.
"Didn't… didn't see anything."
"Maybe check in the back room?" Momiji said stiffly, fingers nervously yanking fur from her tail.
Tenshi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then grabbed a feather duster from a nearby shelf and charged.
Realizing the impending doom, the two little saboteurs screamed and bolted for the back.
"HELP! SHE'S GONNA EAT US!!!"
"Sakuya! Patchy!! HELP—THE WOLF GONE ROGUE!!!"
"YIIIIKES! SHE'S BEATING ME RIGHT ON THE CROWN!!!"
"..."
Back in the kitchen, Rin and Sakuya both rolled their eyes at the sudden uproar.
Neither showed any inclination to intervene, calmly continuing to prep ingredients.
"Kids are a handful, huh."
"After a few years, you get used to it. They're occasionally normal."
"At least they're energetic. It's better than them moping around inside. By then, they will just tire out. As long as another hyperactive maniac doesn't joi─"
"..." Rin's hands suddenly halt. Considering the mischief in this house, that was a very real danger.
As if on cue—
"WOOOO! LET'S GOOOOO!!"
"Remilia, drift the inside lane!!"
"She's got speed on straights, but our cornering game is STRONG!!"
"WHO THE HELL WAXED THE FLOOR?! CHEN'S SLIPPING!!"
Toy cars zoomed past the hallway in a blur of chaos, turning the back room into an impromptu Grand Prix.
Patchouli stared at the now fully mobile Marisa with a pained expression. Her nerves were already fraying.
'Where did this menace even get all that energy? Damn it, I can't take her down too directly—she'd drag everyone down with her. I need a perfect strategy.'
As the room roared with chaos, the crowd suddenly quieted.
They'd all noticed something—everyone peeked curiously through the doorway at Reimu rummaging through a cabinet.
"Reimu, what are you doing?" Reimu jumped, heart nearly exploding. She whipped around, then relaxed slightly upon not seeing Rin nearby.
"I'm looking for that liquor from yesterday. If I don't restock it, Yukari won't pay me."
"Aren't you scared Rin'll catch you? His punishments are nasty, you know."
"Yeah, you saw what happened to Marisa."
"Don't drag me into this! I'm keeping it clean lately!"
Reimu flinched a bit and glanced at Marisa. A twinge of anxiety hit her chest.
"He didn't get mad at me last time, so maybe... it'll be fine?" Marisa gave a grave nod, her face lit with the joy of watching others suffer.
"From what I've seen, that bastard only punishes people on the spot if you are caught. If you're still alive after stealing, then he's probably saving the big guns for when you don't learn your lesson."
Reimu's eye twitches violently. She instinctively wanted to back out.
But then she remembered Yukari's promise of serious cash.
Screw it!
Maybe, just maybe, he'd go easy on her since she was a sacred shrine maiden and all!
Clenching her teeth, Reimu steeled herself and dug up the bottle of Wasted Dream, hidden deep in the back.
As she grasped it like it was a holy relic, everyone stared at her with deep, heartfelt admiration.
This woman… was beyond saving.
Just as Reimu snagged the liquor, a prompt rang out in Rin's mind:
『 DING! 』
『 The subject 'Reimu Hakurei' has been detected, attempting to steal the rare liquor "梦醒无痕 (Wasted Dreams)" again, with no signs of rehabilitation. 』
『 The system has taken its course to upgrade its disciplinary system. 』
『 All previously unlocked main quest reward─abilities will now trigger sequentially on the target. Please be on standby 』
『 …. 』
『 …. 』
『 DING! 』
『 The subject's triggered punishment ─ Compulsory Climatic Blackout ⭘』
'The liquor that was originally a bait for Marisa and Yukari… Why was Reimu always the first to take the hit?' Rin twitched at the corner of his mouth, but activated the command without hesitation.
In the next moment—under the stunned eyes of Marisa and the others—Reimu, drenched in sweat, collapsed straight onto the floor with a thud...