"Alright! All set to go!" Kars, ready to head to the Human Village, stood at the entrance of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, feeling refreshed as he looked at the sun in the sky.
"What a wonderful day. It's perfect for walking around and getting some sun."
"Come back soon." Meiling saw Kars pass by and reminded him. Compared to Remilia and the others, she wasn't overly worried about him running into trouble, despite his smaller size.
"I know!" Kars replied without turning around and continued running toward the Human Village. When he passed by the Misty Lake, he stopped to look for Cirno and Daiyousei. He had wanted to ask the two who were familiar with the area to guide him, but after searching for a while and not finding them, he had to give up that idea.
"I'll just go by myself then." Kars set off again, continuing his journey after leaving the Misty Lake. The sun beating down on his head didn't make him feel tired; instead, his spirits remained high, though his skin was starting to turn red.
After walking for a while, Kars saw the silhouettes of human buildings in the distance and picked up his speed. As he got closer, he began to see people.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Human Village, Kars's gaze swept over the bustling street. Amidst the crowds of people coming and going, he occasionally spotted a few yokai. Kars's unusual appearance, particularly his flushed skin, caused people to give him a second look.
Kars simply ignored the stares and walked into the Human Village, wandering through the streets.
"Hmm, the situation here is a little different from what I imagined." Kars walked down the street, noting that the number of yokai he encountered was surprisingly small. Finding a suitable candidate here seemed impossible. This result disappointed Kars, leading him to believe he wouldn't achieve his goal in this place.
"This is bad. Should I really resort to using a marriage advertisement, like Little Auntie suggested?" Kars scratched his head, frustrated. As he was debating his next move, he noticed a person stop in front of him, and he looked up at them.
It was a woman with long white hair and red eyes, wearing a deep blue pleated skirt, a red necktie, and a strange hat.
"Are you lost?" Kamishirasawa Keine asked Kars, who stood silently before her. Seeing his hot, flushed skin, she worried he might be sick or suffering from something else. Although humans were generally safe in the Human Village, a few unruly yokai would sometimes cause trouble. And a child like him could easily be targeted.
"If you're not feeling well, I can take you to see a doctor."
Kars felt lucky to have so coincidentally met a caring older sister like Keine. Perhaps this is fate.
"I'm fine. I'm not lost, and I'm not sick. This is just a normal reaction when my body is getting used to sun exposure." Kars's reply prompted Keine to observe him more closely. She confirmed that Kars's physical condition was exactly as he described, but she also realized he was not an ordinary human.
"I'm a vampire who recently came to Gensokyo. I live in the Scarlet Devil Mansion by the Misty Lake. My name is Kars Scarlett."
After hearing Kars's introduction and name, Keine recalled the recent rumors about the vampire from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the mastermind behind the recent Scarlet Mist incident. She also remembered Cirno and Daiyousei mentioning Kars, the sun-loving vampire, and that they had apparently become good friends.
"Then Kars, are you here looking for Cirno and Daiyousei?" Having processed the available information, Keine assumed Kars was there to find his friends.
"No, I'm not here for Cirno or Daiyousei. I came here to familiarize myself with the Human Village. After all, if I'm going to live in Gensokyo, I need to understand what this place is like. Also, I'm looking for a suitable partner."
"A suitable partner?" Keine was confused. She didn't quite understand what Kars meant. Then, Kars reached out, took her hand, and looked at her earnestly.
"That's right, beautiful older sister. Will you marry me?"
Kamishirasawa Keine: (ㅎ.ㅎ)?
Was she… was she just proposed to? And by a child who looked significantly younger than her? This was truly unexpected.
"Kars, are you making fun of me? Saying something like that to a woman you just met, whose name you don't even know, is very wrong behavior." Keine's expression instantly became serious. She felt the need to properly educate this child. A child his age who didn't understand social norms needed to be corrected early, or it would significantly impact his future.
Especially since this kind of behavior could lead to disaster if he encountered someone with a bad or strange temper.
"Um… I…" Kars, who had been about to state his intentions further, instantly felt nervous under Keine's intense gaze. He couldn't get his words out, simply staring blankly at Keine, feeling the immense pressure of her aura.
Seeing Kars look like a child caught doing something wrong, Keine's expression softened slightly.
"I understand that Kars doesn't fully grasp the implications of what you just did. Did your family not caution you against behaving like that?"
Of course, they had, but Kars had done it anyway.
Keine saw the awkwardness on Kars's face and instantly knew the answer: he was a textbook example of someone who sincerely admitted their mistakes but never truly reformed.