Mentioned Characters: Marisa, Alice, Narumi

Gensokyo was buzzing with excitement as preparations for the anniversary ramped up. Meanwhile, a short way from the clamor of the Human Village, at the edge of the Forest of Magic, Narumi Yatadera stood alone, deep in thought. "This probably isn't the place..." Despite her doubts, she pushed open the door, and the bell above it rang softly. "Welcome. Come on in," said Rinnosuke Morichika, the owner of Kourindou. He seemed a little surprised to see her, but after a strange attempt at a friendly nod, she got straight to the point. "Alice is hosting a tea party. And... well, it feels wrong to show up empty-handed, so I was hoping to bring a gift." "You don't say..."

"This isn't a gift shop, you know?" "I know. It's a junk shop." "That's a bit harsh," replied Rinnosuke with a limp chuckle. "But..." continued Narumi, "I couldn't think of anywhere else that might have something Alice would actually like." Hearing that, Rinnosuke's mood visibly improved, and he began rummaging through the store's shelves. "How about this?" he said, holding up a strange rectangular object, the likes of which Narumi had never seen. "A little while back, these things were really popular in the outside world. It's small, but apparently, it can play over ten thousand songs. But no matter how much I smacked it, I couldn't get it working." "Maybe you're not supposed to smack it," said Narumi, one eyebrow raised. "That's... a good point," shrugged Rinnosuke. "Got anything else?" "Hmm... What do you think of this?"

This time, Rinnosuke placed a rose-themed porcelain tea set on the counter. Narumi took a liking to it right away, but she couldn't help but notice the faint, mysterious glow it gave off. "Looks like there's some kinda spiritual energy lingering in it..." "What did you expect? Nothing in my shop is without its quirks." With a shrug, Rinnosuke took out the box and what looked like an appraisal certificate. After a moment of thought, Narumi nodded and said, "The colors really suit Alice. I'll take it! Thanks for your help." With the mysterious tea set in hand, Narumi set off for the tea party. It wasn't her first time visiting Alice's house, yet before she realized it, her feet had carried her somewhere entirely different. All of a sudden, she was face to face with a building that looked nothing like Alice's house: the Kirisame Magic Shop. "How did I end up here?" "Hey, if it isn't Naruko!"

Narumi turned around to see Marisa Kirisame standing before her. "It's rare to see you here, Marisa." "No, it's not. This is literally where I live," replied Marisa bluntly, taking a step closer to Narumi. "So, what brings you to my shop?" "Nothing, really. I just kinda ended up here," answered Narumi, but Marisa was no longer listening―she had spotted the tea set. "Hey, lemme take a look at that." "Fine. But no 'borrowing' it. It's mine." Having made herself clear, Narumi handed over the box. Marisa examined it closely for a while, then suddenly looked up, eyes sparkling. "This is a magic item. No doubt about it." "I had a feeling it might be." "You mind letting me keep it?" "As a matter of fact, I DO mind. I don't even know what type of magic it's storing." "Well, I do. And 'cause I'm such a nice gal, I'm gonna tell you. This tea set... *whisper* *whisper* *whisper*" "...No way!"

"This is for you, Alice." "Oh, thank you." Upon finally reaching Alice's house, Narumi handed her the tea set. It wasn't easy getting it back from Marisa, but once she explained it was a gift for Alice, the thievery-prone magician finally relented. "I know. Why don't we use this tea set for the party?" At Alice's command, her dolls quickly set the table, laying out a delightful spread of sweets in front of Narumi. "Wow, it's all picture-perfect!" exclaimed Narumi. Alice started to giggle quietly but paused abruptly. "These cups seem to be under the influence of some kind of magic." "Yeah, Marisa told me. She said the whole tea set is imbued with magic that brings happiness to those who use it." This time, Alice's giggle was far louder. It seemed the magic was already working.