"Alright, that concludes the lesson for today." The magic instruction time was over. Patchouli closed her magic book, and Kars jumped off her lap. He twisted his neck to stretch, trying to relieve the stiffness caused by being compressed by her chest for too long.
"Hmm, I haven't done this in so long, am I just not used to it anymore?" It had been a long time since he spent so much continuous time in Patchouli's lap for instruction. He was surprised to experience this stiffness, as it never happened under similar circumstances before.
"Young Master Kars, the Mistress needs to see you." Sakuya appeared next to Kars. Noticing him twisting his neck, she stepped closer and asked,
"Is your neck bothering you? Would you like me to massage it for you?"
"Ah, no need. It's just that Patchouli's chest was pressing on my head for too long, so it's a bit stiff. It'll be fine in a moment. Since Little Auntie is looking for me, I should hurry over." Kars shook his head, declining the massage, and walked towards the Great Library door. Sakuya briefly glanced at Patchouli's chest before following Kars out with an expressionless face.
"Little Auntie, did you need something from me?" Kars approached Remilia, who was drinking black tea, and asked why she had summoned him.
"Yes, it's about your search for a wife. I was thinking, instead of us painstakingly searching for suitable partners, why don't we just put out a public notice and let them come to us? That would save a lot of time and effort, and you would have more options to choose from, wouldn't you? And that Crow Tengu's newspaper can help us with that."
"So, I wanted to ask you what you think of this idea." Kars pondered the proposal for a moment, then shook his head.
"What? Do you see a problem with that?"
"Yes. I feel like that approach wouldn't yield very good results. I don't think the people who show up would be of high quality, and it would consume too much time." Having such an endeavor take up a significant portion of his life was unacceptable to Kars.
"You do have a point there." Remilia nodded in agreement, acknowledging that she hadn't fully considered that aspect.
"Besides, I'm planning to go out and explore Gensokyo myself soon. I think that might make it easier to find a suitable candidate. The first place I'll go is the Human Village since there are many yokai who frequent that area."
"Alright then. But since you want to go there, would you like Sakuya to accompany you?" Remilia suggested that Sakuya go with Kars, just to look after him, but Kars still refused the offer.
"No, thank you. I'll just be wandering around without a specific destination. There's no need for Sakuya to follow me; that would be a waste of her time and energy. It's better for Sakuya to stay by your side, Little Auntie."
Hearing Kars's words, Remilia felt that her support as an elder was quite limited. Kars had his own plans and ideas, and it seemed he didn't need her to worry too much, which was good. However, Remilia felt a bit down.
"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything else." Remilia, whose mood was affected, felt a bit bored. She had hoped for an opportunity to impress Kars and improve his perception of her, but he wasn't giving her a chance.
Kars noticed Remilia's downcast look and realized his Little Auntie was upset because she couldn't offer her help.
"Um, Little Auntie, when I go out, can I stay out and play for a while longer?"
"Don't stay out too long if you don't need to, understood! Who knows which yokai will try to sneak up and kidnap you if they see you alone! And don't you dare associate with any shady characters; if they corrupt you, I won't forgive you." Kars's question immediately prompted a lecture from Remilia.
"Are you trying to go out and play, or are you trying to find a wife? Make sure you clarify your goal, understood!"
"I know~" Kars nodded, indicating he understood. Remilia felt a little better, and her mood improved. Indeed, this child still needs my supervision and guidance. Even if he was somewhat mature, it wasn't enough. After all, what could a child who was only a hundred-something years old know compared to her?
With this thought, Remilia suddenly felt uneasy about letting Kars go out alone. What if a yokai tricked him? Should I follow him secretly? But I'd have to use a parasol during the day, which would make me easy to spot.
"Kars, are you absolutely sure you don't need anyone to go with you?" Remilia decided to discuss her concern directly with Kars.
"Little Auntie, there's no need to ask again. I really don't need anyone to accompany me. I won't be tricked or wander off to play." Kars once again rejected Remilia's suggestion. When he was wandering outside Gensokyo, his mother never worried about such things happening. Yet, his Little Auntie was constantly concerned.
Is it because of my appearance? An adult appearance wouldn't raise these concerns. With this thought, Kars wanted to return to his adult form even more, which would surely make his wife search easier.
"Alright, alright, I won't mention it again. Just make sure to be careful. And please, don't repeat what you did at the banquet, proposing marriage to someone immediately, understood? Not every yokai will forgive you just because you are a child." Remilia finally gave up, seeing Kars's insistence. She began to wonder if she was worrying too much. Kars wasn't clueless; aside from a few questionable moments, he was generally trustworthy.
Hmm, as long as he doesn't do anything strange, like proposing to Ran Yakumo at the banquet again, I shouldn't worry too much.