Kars flew all the way to the Hakurei Shrine and saw Reimu Hakurei looking completely at ease, drinking tea and sunbathing. He immediately ran up to her and asked.
"Reimu! How do I get to the Netherworld?"
"Hmm? What do you want to go to the Netherworld for? If you go the usual way, it will take quite a while." Reimu Hakurei put down her teacup and looked at Kars. Her gaze then fell on the exquisitely wrapped box in his hand, and she looked at Kars with an expression that seemed to understand something.
"You're planning to go there to give a gift. You must have some ulterior motive."
"What do you mean, ulterior motive! It would be completely rude to show up for a first visit without anything! And my actions aren't what you're suggesting; Big Sister Yuyuko supports and agrees with me."
"Huh?" Reimu Hakurei was momentarily confused. She had only made a casual joke, but it sounded like she had stumbled upon something serious. Did a single incident and a single banquet really lead to this? That was way too fast!
However, Reimu Hakurei quickly recovered. She didn't care much about other people's affairs. Not everyone was like that crow tengu, whose eyes lit up at the sound of gossip.
"But is there a way to get to the Netherworld immediately, unlike last time?"
"There is. Ask that old hag Yukari. That one can go anywhere in Gensokyo easily. Just ask her. Hey, Yukari, are you there?"
"Eh? Is Big Sister also here?" After Reimu Hakurei spoke, she called out to the empty space. Kars looked around with a surprised expression. Then, a gap appeared behind him, and Yukari Yakumo emerged, looping her arm around Kars's neck from behind.
"Calling someone that right away is so mean. It makes me sad. It's good to have a well-mannered child like Kars, who knows to call me Big Sister."
"Tch! You can only fool clueless kids like him."
"What are you talking about? When have I ever fooled him? He calls me that willingly, doesn't he?" Facing this question, Kars obediently nodded, indicating that it was true. Only a fool would shake his head right now, not to mention he genuinely chose to call her that.
"As for going to the Netherworld, I can help. Yuyuko has also mentioned you and Youmu to me. As her friend, I'm happy to offer assistance in such matters."
"Really! Thank you so much!" Kars happily thanked Yukari Yakumo. When she opened another gap, he couldn't wait to step through. As the scenery instantly changed, Kars saw the Hakugyokurou in the distance. The slightly cold air of the Netherworld immediately hit him, forcing Kars to quickly regulate his body temperature to feel comfortable.
As he approached the Hakugyokurou, Kars saw Youmu Konpaku practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard.
"Youmu!" When Kars called out to Youmu Konpaku, the focused Youmu Konpaku's hand trembled slightly. Instead of being upset by the sudden interruption, she looked at Kars, who had appeared out of nowhere, and her heart instinctively felt a little nervous.
"Kars… why are you suddenly here?!"
"You came to find me earlier, but I wasn't home, so I thought I'd come to find you instead. And this is a gift of desserts for you."
"There's food!?" Hearing the word "food," Yuyuko's figure immediately appeared, her gaze fixed on the exquisite gift box in Kars's hand. She seemed to already smell the sweet fragrance of the desserts inside. At the same time, Yuyuko looked at Kars with curiosity.
The aura Kars constantly emitted, like sunlight, was too striking. It even gave her a long-lost sense of warmth.
"He even specially brought a gift. Kars, why don't you come inside the Hakugyokurou and eat with us?" After Youmu Konpaku accepted the gift box and thanked Kars, Yuyuko invited Kars to be a guest in the Hakugyokurou. She was already planning to eat dessert while watching the intimate date between the two of them.
"Okay." Kars agreed. After walking into the Hakugyokurou with them, he sat down on a cushion. When Youmu Konpaku opened the gift box, a cake specially made by Sakuya, with some sweet messages written on it, appeared in the sight of Youmu Konpaku and Yuyuko.
This sight instantly made Youmu Konpaku blush, and she looked flustered. Clearly, this being her first time experiencing something like this, she couldn't react right away.
"Ooh! That looks delicious!" However, Yuyuko only cared about how good the specially made cake tasted and was already thinking about how to convince Youmu to let her have a bite.
"What do you think? Sakuya helped me make it! Doesn't it look great!" Kars wanted to hear Youmu Konpaku's answer, looking at her expectantly as he asked.
"Ah… um! It… it's great! Um… I… I'll go get the utensils first!" Seemingly unable to handle the embarrassment, Youmu Konpaku stood up and hurried out of the room. Once outside, she pressed her hands against her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart and panting non-stop.
"That's a little too embarrassing—writing such suggestive messages on the cake and sending it over…" Even though she felt embarrassed, Youmu Konpaku also felt a special excitement. This feeling made her face feel extremely hot right now.
"I should hurry and get the utensils first." While Youmu Konpaku went to the kitchen to get the utensils, Yuyuko, who was still in the living room, couldn't wait any longer and began to eat the cake.
Kars watched Yuyuko dip her finger into the cream and put it in her mouth, making an extremely satisfied sound. There was no doubt that she was very pleased with the taste of the cake.
But for some reason, her similar gaze suddenly fell upon him.