Kourin of the Kourindou Sells Nothing As Usual

Ah, the broadcast was starting. Just as he was finishing up the last bits of prepwork. Excellent timing on the Fool’s part.

Rinnosuke Morichika, Owner of the Kourindou, supposed that would be an interesting backdrop to have for the Tsukimi tonight. Upon the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and the 13th day of the ninth lunar month, people, youkai and humans alike, would gather about to view the moon.

Rinnosuke was a quiet individual. He preferred not to go to such rowdy gatherings and conducted himself thusly. He had ordered his share of dango and picked it up this morning before the rush. Sake had already been selected, the associated dishware already collected and prepared. He had even prepared a pot of udon and some boiled eggs for the main dinner.

Tidying up the front porch, Rinnosuke found himself quite satisfied with the arrangement. Shielded from the cold wind, a nice radiator scavenged from beneath the purple sakura blossoms of Muenzan, and… hm.

Why had he set out seats for three?

“Oi! Kourin!” the scratchy voice of a witch shouted from high above, “We’re here!”

“Not so loud, Marisa,” the sleepy voice of a miko yawned angrily from that same height, “I’m still tired from waking up. Hello, Morichika-san”

Ah, yes, that was why. Two guests that had grown up through the years, constantly invading and interrupting his peace and quiet; Marisa and Reimu. For all his idle complaints about how they never brought anything, their company was always welcome.

Even if their arguments were a bit nonsensical.. Still, Rinnosuke waved in greeting as they flew down.

“Why’d you go to sleep anyways!?” Marisa sighed to her companion, coming in and hopping off her broomstick, “I had to poke you awake, and then you nearly poked my eyes out with your damn needles!”

“I went to sleep early so that I could be ready and alert all night!” Reimu shot back as she righted herself up to land lightly, “Tonight’s a full moon. The yokai always get more rowdy in a full moon, so I have to be ready. Anyways, I wasn’t actually going to hit you.”

Rinnosuke turned away to avoid chuckling at Marisa’s face, twisted in contrition.

“You-wha-That’s not--” Marisa aborted several refutations before tugging her hat down in frustration. She huffed before continuing, “But you’re going to be here with us all night!”

“And I’ll be ready to go whenever,” Reimu sniffed, crossing her “Even Gods know that we need to be ready for the incident with the Fool riling things up.”

Rinnosuke decided to cut in before the two riled one another any further, “Strangely enough, he rarely incites incidents. He’s more of a… commenter.”

“What about that time with the vampire’s younger sister?” Reimu pointed out as she plopped down onto a cushion, “He inspired that destructive menace to break out.”

Taking off her hat and hanging it on the rack inside the shop, Marisa shrugged as she stepped back out, “I think that was going to happen with or without him. Flandre was getting pretty bored sitting in the basement.”

“And how would you know?”

“She told me when I met her during the first half of that incident,” Marisa smiled in fond remembrance, “Lonely gal. Reminded me of me when I was younger. So glad I ditched my old man’s place the first chance I got.”

Reimu growled, hands grasping in air as if to choke her friend. “You-- Wha-- Stop making friendly with them! They’re youkai!”

“I’ll stop when you stop serving them tea!” Marisa shot back, “Don’t think I didn’t notice Remi flying to the shrine every other day!”

“They bring me cookies and snacks,” Reimu crossed her arms, turning her head to hide a blush, “It’s an agreement we have.”

“And I borrow from them,” Marisa replied, “It’s only polite to make small talk with them.”

“You steal from them!” Reimu scowled, accepting a cup of tea that Rinnosuke handed to her. She sipped it angrily, “I’m pretty sure Patchouli is about to put a bounty on your head!”

“I borrow! I’m planning on returning the books when I’m done with them!” Marisa snapped before rubbing the back of her head with a wry grin, “Or when I’m dead. Been meaning to ask you about that. If I ever die, could you return them please?”

“Return them yourself,” Reimu hissed, reaching over to pinch her friend’s cheeks, “You’re not allowed to die  and leave me all your problems, Marisa Kirisame. I forbid it.”

“Regardless,” Rinnosuke interrupted, not wishing to play mediator to yet another fight, Or flirting. Whatever… this was. Rinnosuke was so glad that he never had to worry about puberty ever again, “He appears to have a strangely calming influence in these sorts of things. I’ve prepared the food already by the way.”

A quick dip inside and Rinnosuke brought out three steaming bowls on top of a tray. The Miko and the Witch cheered at the simple fare he brought out. Simple tsukimi udon with an egg to represent the moon. Well, an egg for himself. Rinnosuke made sure to put three for each of them to enjoy. Sometimes, or rather, quite often, Rinnosuke worried about what they ate, so on nights like these, he… splurged a bit.

The food was good. Made from noodles that he had brought from the Human Village earlier, the dashi for the soup was one he made himself from using dried shiitake, the sweet savoriness of the gg blended well with the umami of the mushrooms, the mellow sweetness of the buckwheat noodles tying it all together.

While technically not a standard part, RInnosuke had also taken the opportunity to buy a roasted chicken for the two girls to feast upon to their delight. Aside from a nibble of a chicken, Rinnosuke allowed the girls to finish the rest of the food. Food wasn’t quite as important for a half-youkai as himself and the girls were always hungry.

Soon enough, the food finished and the girls satisfied.

“Tasty as always, Kourin!” Marisa belched.

Slapping her friend’s shoulder in admonishment, Reimu dabbed her lips with a napkin, “Thank you for the food, Morichika-san.”

“You’re welcome,” Rinnosuke smiled, watching as the two gathered up the dishware and brought them inside, “After you wash them, go down to the wine cellar. I have some Koshu Sake in a black bottle. Bring that up please.”

Sake, as a general rule, was alcohol made from rice. Easy to brew with excess rice, variable in serving temperatures from cold to warm to hot, sake was the staple drink of the Japanese. That being said, there were degrees of pedigree amongst them and Koshu was one of the best.

Koshu sake earned its pedigree from time. After being brewed, the selected sake would be placed in a cask or bottle and remain untouched for a period of time, allowing its flavor to ‘mature’. Supposedly, the older the brew was, the better the taste, but Rinnosuke found that a decade old cask had no difference from a century old cask.

That being said, there was a clear difference between those and a barely aged year cask. The one he brought out was a respectable 30 year old bottle

“Eh? Breaking out the good stuff, Kourin?” Marisa chortled, reading the label excitedly, “What’s the occasion? Finally sell something?”

Taking the bottle from the Witch, Rinnosuke replied with only a bit of terseness, “No. It was a gift from one of the human merchants as thanks for helping him enter a formal contract with his abacus.”

“Eh? An abacus?”

“Yes,” Rinnosuke nodded, “It was an old one, passed down through seven generations, cared for long enough to become a small tsukumogami. No human form as of yet, but then again, it didn’t seem to want one,” clearing the table, he remarked,“The merchant was thinking of bringing it to you, Reimu actually, to have it be exercised, but he recognized that the abacus had taken to doing many of the fine busywork that his old bones couldn’t handle.”

“So what’d you do?” Marisa asked, bringing out pillows to sit on.

“Well, I was mostly the translator. The abacus wanted to be used, but was worried that the merchant was overworking himself, so it had taken to jamming itself when evening fell. It was a simple matter of scheduling work hours that the two would agree upon. Honestly, it was more of a problem with the merchant’s lifestyle if anything.”

“Forget that,” Reimu cut in with a frown, “Did you say the merchant was going to bring it to me!?”

Pursing his lips, Rinnosuke carefully looked up at the moon, “I was informed after the fact.”

Throwing her arms up and out, Reimu fell onto her back to rock in idle anger, “Argh! It could’ve been a job! It would’ve been a job! Why’d you have to take it, Kourin!?”

“The owner also wanted a tune-up,” Rinnosuke explained, trying to sort out Reimu’s complaints with reason, “It’s remarkably easy to repair an item when its tsukumogami can tell you exactly what’s wrong.”

Reimu simply crossed her arms with a huff, “Still! Why!?”

Reaching over, Marisa flicked her friend’s ribbon with an audible *thwack*, “Oh, have off it, ze. What would you have done? Beat up an abacus that just wanted its user to go to sleep more? The Great Hakurei Shrine Maiden! Beating up mathematical instruments! Huzzah!”

Despite herself, Reimu snorted at the imagery before trying to argue, “I would’ve done the same as Kourin!”

Marisa scoffed, “Sure, you would have. After blasting it with enough Ofuda to see seven generations of ancestors, ze~”

“I’m not that bad!”

Marisa waved a hand in the air, dismissively agreeing with a chuckle, “Sure. Sure. I’m more interested in the sake. We brought it out! Pour it already, Kourin!”

“Don’t change the topic!” Reimu scowled before pursing her lips, “But, yeah, can we have the sake yet?”

He rolled his eyes. Trust sake to be the great peacebringer, “I still have to chill it. Pass me your mini-Hakkero please, Marisa.”

As Marisa passed her signature tool over to him, Rinnosuke found that he had to use two hands to hold the mini-Hakkero. Hm, heavier than he remembered. That or Marisa had worked out much longer. Fiddling with the corners, Rinnosuke turned on the cooling function and set the bottle of sake  on top to begin chilling.

Legs swinging in excitement on the porch, Reimu murmured, “I didn’t know your mini-Hakkero could cool things down.”

“I didn’t either,” Marisa whispered, “I’m going to ask Kourin to show me how later. So many more experiments just popped up.”

“...You should visit more in the summer,” Reimu tossed out idly.

Too idly as Marisa saw through the ploy immediately. “What, so you can just use me for the mini-Hakkero? If you want to feel nice and cool, just go kidnap the ice fairy like the rest of us. Or rest of them. I have a mini-Hakkero that can make me nice and cool now, ze~!”

Reimu bumped shoulders with Marisa as she wheedled, “Come on! I always give you tea and snacks. I’ll have more prepared this summer. It gets so stuffy at the shrine.”

Marisa hummed in though. “Hm… Maybe. Maybe…”

Watching the two girls grow excited over the sake even as they bickered banally in the same breath gave Rinnosuke the odd realization that they were still… children. Powerful, strong children, but… still children. He found himself reminiscing just a bit.

Wildly independent and pridefully stubborn, the Black-White Witch and the Red-White Miko made for an oddly complimenting pair, having more or less raised themselves in the chaos of Gensokyo’s more esoteric areas. By most accounts, they put to shame even the veteran Yokai Hunters of the Human Village and rivaled even the strongest in the Garden of the Sun.

Having watched them grow youth to now, Rinnosuke found it odd that they would still seek his company now when they were on the cusp of mortal adulthood.

…He was glad they had grown up so well. Marisa had seeked out magic with the Vengeful Green Spirit after her mother’s death to the anger and eventual banishment of the Kirisame Family, and… the less said about when Reimu Hakurei was still small and the flesh-eating Yokai was still big, the better.

…He wished… Or perhaps, he didn’t. Rinnosuke was a small player in Gensokyo, protected only by his skills and craftsmanship and lack of desire. If Lady Yukari wished for that incident to be a secret, well… it didn’t matter what he wished.

“Do either of you need any repairs done, by the way?” Rinnosuke asked instead, serving the dual purpose of preventing the girls from escalating their banter to Danmaku and seeking a distraction for himself from pointless regrets, “The strange side business the Fool inflicted me with is nice for the odd gift such as this sake, but I’d like to have some actual business too.”

“You know you would have an easier time selling stuff if you didn’t hoard everything, Kourin, ze.”

Rolling his eyes would be immature, so Rinnosuke refrained from doing so. Instead, he pushed his glasses up his nose as he answered, “I’m still researching the items to recreate them. I’ve recently found some associates who’ve helped me through some major breakthroughs, so the Kourindou may soon have some original and unique merchandise for customers to peruse!”

“Yeah, yeah. I hope it goes well then,” Marisa waved her hand dismissively, “I’ve been cleaning the mini-Hakkero, but some plates have been getting jammed when I turn up the heat too fast. Could you take a look later?”

Quietly enjoying the sake until this point, Reimu joined in, adding her request, “My gohei’s fine, but I could use some help sewing my sleeves again.”

Marisa teased, “Isn’t it time you learned to sew?”

Scowling, Reimu answered, “I already know how. It’s so boring though. And it never turns out half as nice as Kourin’s.”

Tossing her head back, Marisa cackled, “Not like your shrine has any visitors. Take the time to learn a new skill!” She then held it out which Rinnosuke obligingly refilled.

Having done the same as Marisa and waiting for her refill, Reimu scoffed, “I just said I already know how!”

”Then improve it!”

“How about your magic shop? You’d sell things if you actually were there instead of hanging around the shrine.”

Marisa placed a hand on her chest in mock offense, ”Hey! Not my fault, nobody's brave enough to go inside the Forest of Magic.”

“Not to interrupt,” Rinnosuke interrupted, “but I do have a bit of free time, so I could give the mini-Hakkero a quick lookover right now.”

Reaching into her pocket, Marisa once more gave Rinnosuke her signature tool, “Thanks, Kourin! Same price as usual?”

Already fiddling with the plates, Rinnosuke nodded, “Yes. Your mushrooms will be a sufficient price. Dried ones would be better though as winter is coming.”

“Can’t even pay him in real money, ze?” Reimu teased, enjoying Marisa’s blush.

Before Marisa could return to begin the argument, Rinnosuke did not quite chide, “Reimu, just bring in the clothes you want me to sew along with any spare ofuda please. They’re quite useful in taming the riff-raff, but I’ve been running out quicker than usual.”

“Can’t even pay him in real money, ze?” Marisa smirked, turning the tables around right quick.

Reimu huffed, “Well, at least mine can help him defend himself.”

“At least mine tastes good.” Marisa shot back.

“...Your mushrooms do taste good.” Reimu acknowledged begrudgingly.

Smirking, Marisa bragged, “Yeah, I found a good matsutake spot actually. Want to have a mushroom party sometime?”

“Only if you bring the mushrooms.”

“Of course!”

Getting into the rhythm, Rinnosuke remarked, “Sake’s chilled, by the way.”

Near immediately, the two girls focused on opening and serving the sake.  Taking his own cup, Rinnosuke took the opportunity to begin fiddling with the mini-Hakkero and listening to the girls slip off into their own discussion again, Rinnosuke sighed. Whether in delight or annoyance, Rinnosuke didn’t know. With the girls idly chatting, the Transmission softly broadcasting, Rinnosuke found that this year’s Tsukimi was rather noisy, so contrary to the idea of silently contemplating the moon.

…Still, it was pleasant enough.

“Oi, Kourin! Do that later, drink with us,” Marisa called, holding out a sake cup, “We should try out this fancy sake!”

Ah, well, if the customer demanded he take a break; then a break would be taken. Accepting the sake cup and nodding thanks to Reimu when she filled it up, Rinnosuke cheered with the girls he had watched over for so long. As the shout of “Kanpai” faded away, he sipped, enjoying the soft burn of aged sake.

Watching the two girls play and tease one another, he found himself looking up at the moon and contemplated as per the custom. Enlightenment came to the spiritual, epiphanies came to the clever, but Rinnosuke was neither wise nor clever and was just a simple man.

But simple men received easy understanding.

…Yes, tonight was pleasant enough.for Rinnosuke. Good food, good drink, puzzles near and far to ponder over, and the company of two girls who had grown up in ways unexpected, Rinnosuke found quiet pride in proof of a life well lived.

Not that he was planning or even preparing to die anytime soon. Much to do, things to sell, and so many more mysteries to ponder. For example, this trange, three by three by three cube with six scrambled colors. A children’s puzzle, but one devilishly tricky to solve.

As soon as he solved it, he would recreate this Rubik’s cube and sell it. It’d surely be a bestseller. Perhaps he’d call it the Kourin’s Cube for marketing purposes. But only after he solved it.