Grimnír muttered something about taking a walk around the village. He doesn't seem to be very social, but he seems to be a decent fellow. Perhaps he can invite him for a drink after this mess is all cleared up.

After thanking Keine, Grey heads back to his agreed meeting place. He isn't carrying a watch, so he better not risk Sakuya's wrath.

"..."

He sees Sakuya standing outside of an antique shop. She seems to be looking at something inside. She has an expression of longing on her face.

[ ] Greet her normally.
[ ] Surprise her from behind.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Ask about other outsiders who stayed at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
[X] Ask about the attacks on the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

---

Grey takes a glance at Grimnír, and he sees that he is still thinking. Grey clears his throat.

"If I may go first," he says. "I'd like to know more about other outsiders who stayed at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

"Hmm," Keine says. "As far as I know, Remilia and the others welcome outsiders who end up near the mansion. She often sends them here to the village after a while."

She pauses, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Now that you mention it, there was that one guy who stayed with them for a pretty long time. He used to come here to the village together with Sakuya and Remilia. I heard that he isn't at the mansion anymore."

"Do you know what happened?" he asks.

"I'm not exactly sure. Sakuya came here after a while, asking if anyone has seen him. Looks like he went missing, but neither Remilia, nor any of the others said anything else. I think it might be a sensitive subject for them."

"I see," he says.

Sakuya mentioned something similar earlier. He thinks that he heard some hints about it from the others, but he can't recall exactly what they said. If he could find more clues to this person's whereabouts, perhaps he can resolve the incidents at the mansion.

"How about you?" Keine asks Grimnír.

"Alice and Marisa mentioned something about a meeting today at the Hakurei Shrine. I'm curious to why the shrine maiden would call a meeting. Would you know?" Grimnír asks.

"I have to admit that I was surprised when she called for it. She invited some of the most influential youkai and humans in Gensokyo. Kaguya, Remilia, Kanako, Yuyuko, Yukari, Sikieiki and several others were sent invitations."

Keine sighs.

"Unfortunately, I'm too busy to go to Reimu's little gathering. Mokou went in my place. I can't really afford to leave the village right now."

Both Sakuya and Remilia left this morning to attend that meeting. It must be really important, or maybe Remilia just wanted to get out of the house. Either way, he should remember to ask them about it later.

Grimnír looks like he is in deep thought. Grey gives Keine a nod.

"May I ask if you know anything about the attacks on the mansion?" he asks.

Grimnír looks up at him. Grimnír gives him a slight nod before turning to Keine.

"I want to know more about the attacks around the Forest of Magic," he says. "Are these attacks all related somehow?"

Keine looks at them both thoughtfully.

"From what I know, the attacks on those two places are unrelated. Various beast-type youkai have been attacking the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the lake around it. I heard some youkai merchants have gone missing around that area. Around the Forest of Magic, a human carrying a trident has been attacking travellers. I heard that some fairies have been unusually aggressive, as well."

Suddenly, Keine bangs her hand hard on the desk.

"And that doesn't even count the incidents around the village. Several of the villagers have gone missing, some of them youkai. I've been patrolling every night, but I've found nothing!"

She composes herself before continuing.

"There are incidents in other places, as well. Reimu thinks that they might all be related, but she hasn't found any proof. Hopefully, they decided to do something in that meeting of hers."

"A-ahem!"

Both men jump at the sound. Keine is standing at the doorway with an exasperated look on her face.

"If you have a conflict to resolve, then I would appreciate it if you would take your danmaku duel somewhere else. A school is no place for violence," she says as she takes her seat behind the desk.

"Danmaku?" Grimnír asks.

Keine opens her desk and takes a couple of sheets of paper. She gives them each a copy.

"Spell Card Rules," she says. "Just read through this when you have time. The shrine maiden asked Akyu and I distribute these to outsiders."

"Thank you very much," Grey says. He needs to read through this later.

"Unfortunately, I don't have much time for you two," Keine says. "I have several errands to run after this. So, may I ask you to limit yourselves to two questions each?"

The two nod slowly.

Grey pauses to think.

[ ] Ask about the attacks around the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
[ ] Ask about other outsiders who stayed at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
[ ] Ask about the attacks on the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
[ ] Ask about Remilia.
[ ] Ask about Sakuya.
[ ] Ask about the Hakurei Shrine meeting.
[ ] Ask about the attacks around the village.
[ ] Custom

For a moment, the two men watch each other in silence.

Grey looks at the stranger. He is wearing a hooded traveller's cloak, and he is holding a long walking stick and a thick book. However, his other clothes are clearly of modern design. He must be an Outsider.

The man is frowning slightly, and his eyes betray a sense of suspicion. Maybe he didn't expect to find him in Keine's office?

"My name is Grey, are you here to see the Village Guardian?" Grey asks.

The man pauses before replying.

"Village Guardian?"

"Yes, I heard that Keine protects the Human Village from youkai attacks and other threats. She acts as a school teacher for the children during the rest of the time, if I'm not mistaken," he says.

"I see," the man says. "My name is Grimnír, and I just recently arrived here in the village."

"Pleased to meet you. If I could, I'd offer you a cup of tea," he says. He shifts his legs to more comfortable position.

Grimnír pauses and tightens his grip on his staff. Something seems to have agitated him. "Did I say something wrong?" Grey thinks as he maintains his smile. The last thing he needs is another misunderstanding.

"Perhaps you don't like tea? We can probably find a tavern somewhere if you like," he says. "We Outsiders should stick together. Gensokyo is a dangerous place, after all."

Grimnír smirks, but he hasn't loosened his grip on his staff. Grey didn't expect him to react that way. He needs to find a way to change the atmosphere before something stupid happens.

"So, why carry a gun when meeting a schoolteacher?" Grimnír asks.

"Self-defense," he answers. When did he notice the pistol under his coat? This man is perceptive.

The two men stare at each other in silence. Neither of them is smiling.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Wait patiently in the room.

---

Grey decides to wait patiently in the classroom. Among the youkai, he knows that Keine is the most friendly to humans, but he shouldn't push his luck. If he is to learn more, he needs to get on the good side of the Village Guardian.

He reflects on his recent confrontation with Sakuya. He never expected to see that expression on her face. She was scared. Something horrible must have happened in the past. Someone betrayed her.

He pulls out the Mauser C96 from his holster and examines it. He doesn't exactly understand why he did it, but he risked everything that time.

"That was a really stupid thing to do," he says to himself.

He knew he didn't do anything wrong. He knew that Sakuya was willing to kill. But thoughts of running away or fighting back never came to mind. Was he guilty from having that bizarre dream? He shakes his head. That wasn't the reason.

He just couldn't bear watching her cry.

The sound of footsteps interrupts his thoughts. He quickly replaces the gun in its holster. He prepares his best smile as he glances at the door. Someone comes inside.

But it isn't Keine.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Wait in Keine's office for the class to end.

---

Grey nods to himself as he makes a decision. He is sure Keine would know about the villagers' odd behaviour, but she might not be able to discuss it in front of the children. After all, their parents live and work in the village. He needs to talk to her in private. It may turn out to be nothing, but the way the villagers are acting is strange. In any case, hanging around outside or at the back of the classroom might just creep her out. He doesn't want to be mistaken for a stalker.

He makes his way inside the school. Keine should have some kind of office to do paperwork or discuss things with the parents. After a bit of walking around, he finds a door with a sign "Principal's Office". As he enters, he wonders if there are other teachers in the school.

The room looks like a typical educator's office. On the walls, he can see a world map, a few educational posters, and some framed certificates. Near the right corner of the room are several filing cabinets. One of them has its drawer open, revealing it to be full of student records. There is a large desk in the center with a metallic nameplate on it that reads "Keine Kamishirasawa". Behind the desk is a cushy looking chair. In front of the desk are a pair of wooden chairs meant for guests. There is a single potted plant positioned by the left corner of the room.

Grey takes a seat on one of the wooden chairs and waits. Keine doesn't seem to be coming any time soon.

[ ] Look around, but don't touch anything.
[ ] Search the room, including the desk drawers and cabinets.
[ ] Wait patiently in the room.
[ ] Head to Keine's classroom.
[ ] Explore the school.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Try to find Keine's school. As the Village guardian, she would know much about recent news concerning the village.

---

Grey manages to get the directions to the school from one of the villagers. It is only a short walk from the center of town.

But as he walks, he feels that he is being watched. From the side of his eye, he notices several of the townsfolk eye him suspiciously. A few of the vendors give him a polite smile as they offer their wares, but those who aren't selling anything seem to be giving him the cold shoulder. He even notices a couple of youkai scowl at him as he passes.

"This is strange," he mutters to himself. Usually, the Human Village welcomes Outsiders. He knows that Sakuya visits the village quite often, so it can't be due to his association with the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Is there something about him that the townspeople dislike?

He reaches the school without incident, but a quick glance at one of the windows shows that Keine is busy teaching her class. Looking around the area, he sees a children's playground and a cozy cottage that can only be Keine's house. There are a few other non-descript buildings nearby, but he doubts if they house anything of interest.

Grey pauses to think.

[ ] Stay outside in the playground. Wait for her class to end.
[ ] Enter the classroom. Sit at the back until class ends.
[ ] Poke around near Keine's house. Maybe you can find something interesting.
[ ] Wander around the block. A short walk is fine too.
[ ] Custom