Mentioned Characters: Sanae, Kanako, Suwako, Keine

Kanako Yasaka is the official goddess of Moriya Shrine from the world of iron and steam. Though small in stature, her power is said to rival, or even exceed, that of Kanako Yasaka in this Gensokyo. She's a student in the newly established elementary division of Hakurei Shrine Academy this year. Although she's in a different class from Sanae, who also came from the same iron and steam world, the two often walk home together.

Sanae Kochiya is the wind priestess of Moriya Shrine from the world of iron and steam. She's a huge fan of giant robots, but she also dotes on tiny Kanako Yasaka and Suwako Moriya from the same world, affectionately calling them "Lady Kana" and "Lady Suwa." Every morning, she gets up bright and early to make huge rice balls, all for the sake of keeping her tiny shrinemates well-fed and healthy.

This Gensokyo, where students endlessly cycle through enrollment and graduation, is full of mysteries. Just how many student councils are there? How many classrooms could that old wooden school building possibly fit? And aside from Miss Keine, you hardly ever see any other teachers. Is the place really functioning?! The questions are endless, but today, we'll be tackling just one. Where do the students who arrive from other worlds actually live? The answer differs from case to case, but often, they end up relying on the versions of themselves in this world. For example, tiny Kanako Yasaka, tiny Suwako Moriya, and Sanae Kochiya from the world of iron and steam were all staying at Moriya Shrine, with Sanae acting as a kind of guardian for the other two. Let's take a quick peek at how they're doing today.

The ABCs of Friendship Mornings at Moriya Shrine start early. The shrine grounds may be peaceful, but inside, it's chaos from the moment the day begins. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late!" "Wait, Lady Kana! Your backpack's wide open!" Sanae, with goggles on her head, called out to tiny Kanako as she rushed for the door. "You're not late at all! There's still plenty of time before homeroom!" "Huh?! Oh... you're right!" Kanako, who was about to dash off in a panic, slowly calmed down. Smiling gently, Sanae handed her something. "Here you go. Your lunch for today." It was a giant rice ball, about the same size as Kanako's head.

"And that's how I got praised by Miss Keine again!" On their way to Hakurei Shrine Academy, little Kanako held her lunch close and excitedly told Sanae about yesterday's class. "That's impressive, Lady Kana." Sanae slowed her pace to match Kanako's, smiling as she listened. These moments meant a lot to her. "Hey, Sanae! What happens after we graduate from elementary school?" "You get to do experiments, go on training camps... and someday, you'll even be able to build robots!" "No way! That's awesome! Will there be robots when I graduate?" "Of course! I'll make an incredible one myself!" "I can't wait!" The road to school was lined with cherry blossoms in full bloom, and as always, filled with laughter.