"Why are you still thinking about that now? Is the heat the problem? Can't you go resolve the Incident first? Even if you want to freeload off the heat, can't you wait until the Incident is resolved…"
"Exactly! Reimu, let's hurry up and go!" Marisa also nodded in agreement, urging Reimu to quickly go and resolve this Incident.
"I am preparing to resolve the Incident right now. It's so cold outside, it would be miserable to go out like that, so I'm asking if his heat can still be used."
"…Huh? Are you… planning to take me with you to resolve the Incident?" Kars was stunned. Why was he being dragged into this? Was that even appropriate?
"…Mmm, now that you mention it, I suddenly think that sounds quite good." Marisa pondered for a moment and couldn't help but nod in agreement. Taking Kars along would indeed ensure they wouldn't be continuously exposed to the cold wind, unlike when she flew over earlier.
"Then it's decided! You'll come with us to resolve the Incident!"
"Hey! Why are you just dragging me along! I just came here to remind you! Why do I have to join now! Are you serious!" It would be one thing if he was at full power, but was it really appropriate for him to follow them like this!
"We're just asking you to provide a little help on the way. We're not asking you to confront the mastermind of the Incident. Besides, as a member of Gensokyo, shouldn't you offer a little help to resolve the Incident?"
"That's true, I guess." Since this Incident had caused problems that were headaches for Kars, he was quite willing to help resolve it.
"It's just that this situation is a bit…"
"If there's no problem, let's get going, and hurry up and generate some heat." Reimu Hakurei urged him, leaving Kars momentarily speechless at her behavior, but seeing that she was finally willing to resolve the Incident, he said no more.
"I have to say, this heat feels really great." Reimu Hakurei once again felt the comfortable, warm feeling all over her body. She looked as if she was about to become lazy again.
"Hey! I've done as requested and provided help. Shouldn't you be moving now?" Kars noticed the change in Reimu Hakurei's expression and immediately reminded her of what she needed to do.
"Alright, alright, I know." Hearing Kars, Reimu Hakurei got out from under the kotatsu. She took Kars's hand and walked out of the room. The cold wind that blew toward them didn't feel cold at all; instead, it felt like a comfortable spring breeze.
"Mhm, indeed, with him around in the future, I won't have to worry about anything in the winter." Reimu Hakurei felt extremely satisfied with this effect. Kars's mouth twitched slightly next to her, and he tried hard to pretend he hadn't heard what she said. As soon as the Incident was resolved, he would immediately leave and absolutely avoid any further interaction with this person.
"Let's go." Reimu Hakurei took Kars and flew into the air, and Marisa followed closely behind.
"But given the current situation, where should we look for the mastermind of the Incident?" It was completely unknown who had caused this Incident and what the reason was.
"Well, we probably need to find the Spring Fairy. Since spring hasn't arrived yet, finding her might give us some clues." Reimu Hakurei quickly provided a direction for their search, causing Kars to look at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be so reliable, immediately finding a method. She truly lived up to her reputation as the Shrine Maiden specialized in these matters.
As they were talking, some danmaku attacks suddenly appeared in the sky. Reimu Hakurei quickly reacted to this sudden situation, taking Kars with her to dodge.
Then, she looked at a blonde-haired little girl that appeared in the sky. She wore a white hat, a dress with red flower edges, and had nearly transparent wings on her back. From her appearance, it was clear she was a fairy.
"She looks like the Spring Fairy." Marisa looked at Lily White, the Spring Fairy, who was happily and excitedly shooting danmaku. Without hesitation, Marisa took out her Hakke Furnace and aimed it at her.
"If that's the case! This person is clearly the mastermind of this Incident! Then let's defeat her!"
"Um… this attack seems…" Kars saw the slow, non-threatening danmaku and was about to say something when Marisa launched her attack.
"Master Spark!!" An intensely brilliant magic cannon was released, rushing towards Lily White, who was happily preparing to announce spring to the three people in front of her. Her smile instantly froze when she saw the magic cannon flying towards her.
"Waaah~ You're bullying me! I just wanted to tell you that spring is coming! And you treat me like this!" Lily White, who had been knocked down, cried sadly. Marisa, the person involved, scratched her head in some annoyance, as who would have expected this situation?
"Honestly, why would you do that? You get excited and just shoot danmaku immediately, making it easy for people to think you're attacking us."
"Here, have this." Kars looked at the sad Lily White, took out a candy that Sakuya had given him from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"Th-thank you." Faced with the candy Kars offered, Lily White's sad expression turned into a happy smile. The sun-like warmth emanating from Kars made her feel instinctively fond of him.
"Um, can I ask why spring still hasn't arrived yet? Is something wrong?" When Kars asked this question, Lily White couldn't help but point to the sky.
"Actually, above the clouds, spring has already arrived."
"Above the clouds? In that case, let's go up and see." Reimu Hakurei said, taking Kars's hand again and flying into the air. Soon, after the three of them passed through the clouds, they saw a hole in the sky that was absorbing something. It was quite obvious that this was probably the reason why spring hadn't arrived yet.
"That's Spring Essence (Harudo). Someone is stealing the Spring Essence. No wonder spring hasn't come yet. So that's what's happening."