"The hospitality is lacking, but I hope it suits your taste."
As Sakuya returned, several exquisitely crafted pastries that were almost too beautiful to eat were placed on the table in front of Rin.
Before he could even reach for them, a steaming cup of black tea was set beside his hand.
Seeing the head maid standing by after setting everything up, as if waiting for him to finish before proceeding with the next arrangements, Rin scratched his cheek awkwardly and tentatively asked—
"There's too much for me to finish alone. Why don't you sit down and have a break with me?"
Sakuya pondered for a moment before finally sitting down in the chair across from him.
"Mr. Rin, do you have any preferences for pastries?"
"This time was a bit rushed, so they might not suit your taste. If you visit again, I'll prepare something special for you."
"No, no, I'm not that picky. Sakuya, your skills are far beyond anything I've seen before."
After taking a bite of the cake and savoring the perfect balance of sweetness and soft texture, Rin couldn't help but praise it sincerely.
If the troublesome bunch back at his place got a taste of this, they'd probably refuse to leave the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
"You flatter me. The pastries sold at Mr. Rin's store are equally delicious."
"I'll make a few more later. Please take them back for the others to try."
"Then I'll trouble you on their behalf."
"No need to be so polite..."
Before she could finish, Sakuya seemed to notice something and suddenly stood up.
"Excuse me, I need to step away for a moment. It seems my mistress has woken up, and I need to attend to her."
"Of course, go ahead."
As soon as Rin finished speaking, Sakuya's figure vanished without warning.
When she reappeared, she was already outside a luxurious bedroom.
Seeing the open door and the empty room inside, her brow furrowed.
'Where did she go? Did she go to the second mistress or Patchouli's place?'
Just as she was about to search the next location, Rin, who was enjoying his cake, suddenly froze.
A petite figure had somehow floated into view before him, her sinister bat wings spread wide, almost dominating his field of vision.
She wore a light pink gothic lolita dress, her skin paler than normal, and her short, light blue hair was slightly messy, as if she had just woken up.
A pink bonnet, laced with a red ribbon was casually perched on her head, and her crimson eyes stared directly at Rin.
The blend of cuteness and eerie charm was perfectly balanced, giving off an indescribable sense of majesty.
"A human? Did Sakuya bring you in?"
A childish voice rang out, still carrying a hint of sleepiness, which somewhat diluted her dignity.
As Rin nodded, the figure folded her wings and gracefully landed on the ground.
Crack—
The crisp sound made Rin's hand, holding the fork, tremble, and a faint pain shot through his ankle.
Under his conflicted gaze, the figure stood perfectly straight, as if the sound had nothing to do with her.
"Uh... did you sprain your ankle?"
"No!"
A confident reply, but Remilia's pupils were trembling violently.
Her small face twitched slightly, as if she was desperately trying to maintain her posture.
"Then try walking a few steps?"
"..."
'Are you a monkey?!' Remilia's face darkened, almost cursing out loud.
She was about to fly up again to ease the pain, but feeling Rin's seemingly pitiful gaze, she ultimately chose to tough it out.
Just kidding, she was the great mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Lord of the Night! A mere sprained ankle couldn't possibly hurt her!
As she resolutely took a step—
Hiss—
The sound of her sucking in a sharp breath was abruptly cut off. Remilia's small face tensed up as she hobbled step by step to a chair.
After letting out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, she propped herself up on the table, her small hand supporting her slightly chubby cheek, and let out a haughty sneer.
"Heh, human, did you think you could laugh at me?"
"How about some cake? You're almost tearing up."
"..."
Remi's mouth twitched, and she stubbornly refused.
"Human, what's your deal?"
"Since moving to Gensokyo, you're the first person Sakuya has invited in."
"I run a grocery store in the Human Village. Sakuya bought too many things and couldn't carry them all, so I helped deliver them."
"Oh? Then do you know who I am?"
"The one who sprained her ankle but is pretending nothing's wrong, while secretly wiping away tears..."
"Damn you!!! Cough... I am Remilia Scarlet, mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, vampire lord, the legendary Lord of the Night!"
Remilia almost lost her composure and nearly broke down, but she managed to maintain her dignity as she introduced herself with a flourish, trying to intimidate this damn human with her grand titles.
However, Rin remained unfazed and sincerely advised—
"Maybe you should let Sakuya take a look. It's not good to tough it out with a sprained ankle."
"It might swell up like a bun later..."
"I'm fine!"
"Your hand is shaking."
"It's just weak from waking up, a bit sore!"
"The table is shaking too..."
"This table is just poor quality! I'll replace it later!"
"..."
This little one really has a tough mouth!
Rin looked at Remilia, who refused to admit anything, with an awkward expression. After a moment of silence, he stood up under her wary gaze.
Without a word, he began briskly walking around the table in front of Remi.
To showcase the health of his ankles, Rin even did a tap dance right in front of her.
As his feet blurred with speed, the crisp and rhythmic tapping sounds drummed against Remilia's rising blood pressure.
Just as she was about to reach her limit—
"Want to join?"
"Damn you!!! You damn monkey, I'm going to kill you!!!!"
With a furious roar, Remilia lunged at the jerk in front of her.
But before her hands could reach his neck, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of her collar, lifting her off the ground.
"Let me go, Sakuya!!! I'm going to break this bastard's legs!!!"
Remilia flails wildly, her eyes bloodshot with rage.
In all her years of existence, she had never been humiliated like this!
Today, one of us is going down!!!
But no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free from Sakuya's grip. Instead, she was promptly pushed back down in the chair as Sakuya began examining her ankle...