"It's been a while since you've visited. I was wondering if you had already forgotten me?"

I took a sip of tea. Keine always knew how to brew good tea. I took a moment to savor the taste in my mouth. Back at the mansion, I often had only western blends.

"Your tea is great as usual," I said.

"I didn't think that an 'Outsider' could adapt to Gensokyo life so quickly. It's amazing that you were accepted at the vampires' home. I would have expected you to be a corpse drained of blood, by now."

"Not like they never tried it," I said with a smile. The tea was a little less bitter this afternoon. "It's an interesting change of pace, but humans are surprisingly adaptable. As long as they don't die, they somehow get used to even the strangest of circumstances."

"Enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"Let's keep it back at interesting."

We looked at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter. Keine was a good friend to almost anyone who sought her. She was always willing to listen and give advice. It was no surprise that she was among the first who I really trusted when I first arrived in Gensokyo. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was much thanks to her that I was still alive.

"How are your headaches?" she asked. "Do you still have trouble sleeping?"

I shook my head.

"I feel fine now. Stopped taking the medicine a couple of weeks ago."

At those words, Keine put down her cup and gave me a serious look.

"Are you sure you're alright now?"

"Don't worry about it. You were right. It was probably caused by all that stress from before."

"Well, if you feel strange again, don't forget that you can always talk to me about it."

I stayed with her for a while, chatting about this and that. The kids were already dismissed from school, so we had the place all to ourselves. Somehow, we've become close friends. Well, close friends in a strictly 'friends' way, at least. For some reason I couldn't place, we never really moved towards a romantic relationship. But that was fine. Sometimes, one just needed a person to talk to. Someone who wasn't too close to home.

Speaking of home, I was starting to lose track of time again. This happens only rarely nowadays, so I was surprised. When I glanced out the window, it was already late afternoon. The sun was starting to set. I quickly apologized and bid her goodbye. She just gave me a little wave and her usual, "Come visit again sometime."

I stepped out and stared at the reddish-orange sky. At this rate, I'll probably get back at the mansion...

[ ] Before dinner.
[ ] During dinner.
[ ] After dinner.