Sakuya frowns at Grey.

"Last night, Remilia told me that we had a guest. All I did was check which room was being used. I saw you looking out of the window before I left. I was told not to disturb you."

"Then you didn't leave those notes, the letter, or that digital watch for me to find?" Grey asks.

"A digital watch... from the Outside?"

Grey nods. Sakuya pauses for a moment, trying to remember. Then she vanishes.

Suddenly, pain. He feels like someone just threw him across the room.

Grey opens his eyes to see an arm pinning him against the wall. The other arm is holding knives close to his neck. Its owner is staring darkly into his eyes. It takes a moment for the scene to register in his head.

"Sakuya?" he asks weakly.

"Who the hell are you? Who sent you? Who are you working for? Answer me, you lying scum!"

"I don't know what you are talking about! I already told you, I can't remember anything!"

Sakuya presses one of the knives against his neck.

"I won't allow anyone to harm Lady Remilia, or anyone in this house again! Now tell me the truth before I start slicing off your fingers."

Grey feels blood trickle down his neck. He looks up to see yet another side of Sakuya.

This is nothing like her usual cold, calculating demeanor. This is a world apart from that single, genuine smile. This is uncontrolled rage. Pure anger and hatred. Killing intent, without reason nor remorse. She is going to kill him where he stands, with or without an answer. He is going to die.

They stand like that in silence for what seems like eternity. Then, they hear footsteps. Someone is walking nearby.

"Dammit!", Sakuya says.

She pulls herself away from Grey. The knives vanish from her hands.

"We will finish this at another time," she says before vanishing completely.

Grey rubs his neck as he tries to calm himself down. The wound isn't deep, but he needs to stop the bleeding. He quickly finds a table napkin from a nearby drawer and presses it against the wound.

The footsteps are now fading away; the person must have just passed by the hallway.

Grey needs to get away from here. If Sakuya finds him, he is dead for sure.

[ ] Head toward his room on the second floor.
[ ] Wander the hallways on the first floor.
[ ] Try to find a way outside.
[ ] Hide in the basement.

Loading User Commands:
[X] "What were those things? Those crochounds. Do you know where they came from, or what they wanted here?"
[X] "You mentioned something about a barrier?"
[X] Okay, deep breath. "I found a watch and a notebook with a vague and ominous warning written in it in the drawer of the nightstand in my room. Soon after I found my door had magically unlocked itself somehow, without anyone appearing to enter or exit the room. Was any of that you?"

---

Grey decides to start with the immediate concern.

"What were those things - those crochounds? Do you know where they came from, or what they wanted here?"

Sakuya shakes her head.

"We aren't sure ourselves. For the past few weeks, there have been attacks around the area. At first, only humans from the Village were involved, so we didn't mind it. Then, some of the fairy staff were getting attacked; we got most of our information from those that reincarnated. Today was the first time the creatures actually broke in."

She pauses for a moment before continuing.

"Patchouli, myself, China, and even most of the fairy staff are strong enough to easily crush wild youkai, but those creatures are something else. They are physically tough, and seem to have some resistance to magical effects as well."

"You mentioned something about a barrier?" Grey asks.

Sakuya nods.

"Patchouli set up a magical barrier around the Mansion and the grounds. The barrier is strong enough to prevent the entry of humans and weaker youkai. Only powerful youkai and humans like the Black-White or the Red-White have the ability to break through at will. The main gate is the only point where the barrier can be opened to allow regular entry of guests, but we have China to handle that."

Sakuya closes her eyes, seemingly in deep thought.

"What worries me is how those things broke in. The youkai themselves didn't seem powerful enough to force their way on their own. It would take something extremely powerful to rip a hole in the barrier. Either that, or the barrier was somehow weakened from the inside."

"There's something I haven't mentioned," Grey says. He takes a deep breath.

"I found a watch and a notebook with a vague and ominous warning written in it in the drawer of the nightstand in my room. Soon after I found my door had magically unlocked itself somehow, without anyone appearing to enter or exit the room. Was any of that you?"

Grey jumps, almost dropping the dish. He turns his head to see Sakuya staring at him, arms folded. She has a serious expression on her face.

He quickly rinses the dish and puts it away. "How long was she standing there? I didn't even hear her footsteps," he thinks. Drying his hands, he tries to compose himself. He takes a quick breath before facing Sakuya.

She frowns.

"We both have questions."

Grey nods carefully.

"You start."

[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:

[X] Make one serving.
[X] Eat in the kitchen.

---

Grey decides to cook a single serving of his breakfast-style lunch. He isn't planning to meet anyone, after all.

Staying in the kitchen, he takes his plate and quickly shovels the food down his throat. It isn't that good, but anything tastes great when one is starving. No need to act polite either, as no one else is in the kitchen.

His hunger satisfied, Grey takes his dishes and cutlery and begins washing. He finds his thoughts drifting as he cleans up.

He thinks about his sudden appearance at the Voile Library. He remembers the encounter with the witch girl Marisa. He reflects on his unnatural knowledge of Gensokyo, its language and its inhabitants. Somehow, it doesn't feel like an accident at all.

He thinks about Patchouli. Although she seems cold and detached, he feels that she is really a kind girl at heart. He remembers how she asked him to stay in the Mansion last night. And he remembers how she saved his life just a little while ago.

He thinks about Koakuma. From the start, she has been helping him. She can't be acting on duty alone, as she seems to show genuine concern. She helps him even without her Mistress' orders. She may very well be the one he can count on the most.

He thinks about Remilia. She employed him as a butler, seemingly on a whim. He remembers his new name, and her solemn words, "A name is power." She definitely seems like she knows much more than she says.

He thinks about Sakuya. From the start, she displays open suspicion. But from earlier, in that single moment, he thinks he saw another side of her. Perhaps she isn't what she seems to be.

He thinks about the letter he found. "THIS PLACE IS CURSED," it read. Then he remembers the attack. Something is definitely wrong with this place, but nothing is clear. Maybe he needs to investigate the Mansion a bit more. He does have some free time right now.

"So how long are you going to scrub that plate?"

Loading User Commands:

[X] Head toward the kitchen. Could use some food.

---

Grey heads toward the kitchen. It must be somewhere near the dining room.

"Could use some food," he mutters. While he feels completely healed, he still feels quite tired and weak.

He arrives at the dining room without incident. The place is empty. The kitchen is deserted as well.

"Guess vampires don't eat lunch," he says aloud.

He finds a variety of ingredients available: eggs, vegetables, meats (normal ones, strangely), spices, etc. Strangely, he finds no suspicious looking foodstuff. Maybe they keep the blood packs somewhere else?

He decides to cook something simple and quick - crispy bacon, two eggs, some home fries and toast. It isn't exactly time for breakfast, but then he isn't exactly a great chef either.

For a moment, he pauses.
[ ] Make one serving.
[ ] Make two servings.
[ ] Just make a sandwich.

He also thinks about where to eat.
[ ] Eat in the kitchen.
[ ] Eat in the dining room.
[ ] Take the food to your room.

Sakuya gets straight to business.

"A total of eight Youkai beasts were able to break into the Mansion. We're still unsure of how they got through the barrier. Five of them attacked those working at the Garden. China and I were nearby, but there were still casualties. We lost three fairy maids in the battle."

She sighs, then looks at Patchouli.

"It seems that the attack on this side was handled a bit better."

Patchouli is holding a book, as usual. Her expression is neutral.

"Three beasts broke into the library from different places. I was able to face them one at a time, so it wasn't difficult. Koakuma and our guest kept them entertained for some time. No casualties."

Patchouli turns a page of her book.

"However, I believe that our guest was far too reckless with his heroics. Koakuma and I had to use quite a bit of power to restore his condition."

Koakuma nods solemnly in agreement.

"Sakuya, I am a bit tired. I think I will have some rest. Koakuma, could you make me some tea?"

Patchouli turns around without another word and flies deep into the library. Koakuma bows politely, then quickly follows after her. Is her bedroom somewhere in here?

"Just to be clear, I still don't trust you," Sakuya says. "I don't know who sent you, or who you are working for. I still think you are hiding something."

Grey turns to face her. She has a cold expression on her face, but she doesn't seem as angry as before. The two sentry maids behind her have started walking toward the library exit.

Before Grey could reply, Sakuya does something unusual.

She smiles.

It isn't a sneer or a smirk, but a genuine gesture. Her eyes are clear and focused. Her stance is relaxed. She isn't holding any knives. She is powerful and elegant.

At that moment, Grey realizes that this woman is really quite beautiful.

"You did well today. Few humans would do that for someone other than themselves."

She turns and starts walking toward the exit. After a few steps, she pauses.

"You are free for the rest of the day. You are still a guest, after all. I'll take care of the rest," she says without looking back.

Grey watches in silence as she leaves the library.

He realizes he is alone near the library exit. He turns back to the library, but he can see no sign of Patchouli or Koakuma. In any case, he should let them rest after what happened.

Grey takes a moment to think. It seems like it is almost noon.

[ ] Head toward the kitchen. Could use some food.
[ ] Go outside. Meiling may be around somewhere.
[ ] Explore the Mansion. Try to find something interesting.
[ ] Return to his room. It may be a good time to be alone.
[ ] Custom

Grey hears a voice from within as he struggles to stay conscious.

"Fight it. You need to know."

The pain is horrible, and from what he can feel, he broke his right leg. He can't feel any sensation from his left wrist; that can't be good, either. The rest of his body is a huge, confusing mass of nerves and pain.

He still can't manage to open his eyes. No strength left. He decides to simply stop moving altogether and focus his thoughts on listening. He may not be physically strong, but his will can overcome this. He can't give in!

He can hear some voices, but he can't make out the words.

"..aku...ry...ere..."

"Hu...use...d...now...cus"

"..orking? ... tience."

"I've....and close... wounds."

"No, focus the ... here."

"Much better. He was lucky that he wasn't killed on impact"

"He'll be alright? That hit looked pretty bad."

"That was a pretty stupid thing to do."

After what felt like eternity, Grey noticed that he could feel his limbs completely again. The pain seems to be subsiding. He struggles to open his eyes.

He seems to be lying on his back. To his left, he can see Patchouli holding a small book on one hand while holding the other over his arm. Koakuma is beside her, kneeling and holding a tray of sorts. The pain forces his eyes closed again.

"His eyes just opened for a second! Is he alright?"

"Looks like an unconscious reflex. It would be too strange for him to stay conscious."

"Just focus on the task at hand."

The pain seems to be a numbing irritation now. He can feel the cold floor on his back. He struggles to open his eyes once more.

To his right, Sakuya seems to be standing with her arms folded. She looks like she is in deep thought. Behind her, he can see two fairy maids standing at attention. Are they carrying spears? Exhaustion forces his eyes closed. So tired now.

"His eyes opened again, did you see that?"

"He seems tougher than he looks. Maybe I can ask him a few questions, after all."

"..."

The pain is gone. But his body feels so tired. Drained.

He can't fall unconscious now. He needs to know what happened. He needs to know if anyone is hurt. He needs to know what that thing is. He needs to know how it got inside. He needs answers.

He opens his eyes once more. This time, he manages to sit himself up as well. Those around him are startled at this, and are speechless.

"So... what did I miss?," Grey says, smiling weakly.