[x] Remove the gag, but don't untie her.

Something at the back of my mind told me that I should just walk away. But I couldn't help but investigate more. This was the first time that I had discovered someone tied up inside a closet, after all. I removed her gag, but I left the ropes alone. Despite her appearance, I could tell that this girl was dangerous. If it was small and cute, it could probably cause a lot of pain. That was one of the first things I learned when I first arrived in Gensokyo.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Cirno!" she cried out. "And I'm the strongest!"

She nodded to herself and smiled confidently, as if that was all the introduction that was needed. Wait a minute, her name was Cirno? That name was familiar. I took a moment to recall. I'm sure that I've heard that name before..

"Ah! You're the ice fairy that lives at the lake, are you not!"

"That's right! So you better watch yourself, you stupid human? I can freeze you just like those annoying frogs. Heh, in fact, I think I'll freeze you right now!"

I jumped back and prepared myself for her attack. But nothing happened. She just struggled helplessly against the ropes. I sighed in relief. It was a good thing that my luck hadn't yet run out. If I remembered right, this fairy was quite a step up from the other fairies in and around the mansion. She had the ability to manipulate ice and cold, and she occasionally attacked travellers around the lake. Patchouli had warned me to stay out of her territory when alone.

"Hey, human! Why can't I freeze you? W-What's with these ropes? Did you tie me up when I wasn't looking? That's real cheap of you!"

"What are you talking about?" I said.

"Ah! You're holding a knife!" she cried. "And two of them, two! So y-you're one of those dangerous humans! But I-I'm not scared. Y-you don't scare me at all!"

I scratched my head, unsure of how to react. I had been holding these knives from the very beginning. Had she really not noticed? Despite her words, her voice was very shaky and she looked absolutely terrified. I took a step closer.

"W-w-what are you gonna do to me? D-don't come any closer!"

Her eyes began to tear up and she looked like she was about to cry. And that was simply unacceptable. I stopped in my tracks and put on my friendliest smile.

"Uwaa.. (hic)... uuu.."

"I'm not gonna hurt you, alright?"

"R-really? Uuuu..(hic)...uuu.."

"So why don't you calm down and tell me why you came here?"

It took her a couple of minutes to calm down. I pulled out my handkerchief and carefully wiped off her face. I noticed immediately that there was a cold aura about her, as if she was a block of ice. She giggled a bit, as if it tickled. Then, she grinned with mischief.

"So, you wanna know who I am? Or where I came from? Well, I can't just tell a stupid human like you!"

Didn't she already tell me those things?

"But as for why I came to this dusty old house," she said. "I guess I can say it now, since there isn't any way for you to stop me!"

Cirno puffed out her chest (which didn't amount to much, I noted) proudly as she spoke.

"I've come here to commit the perfect crime!"

My eyes narrowed at those words, and the smile vanished from my face. My grip on the knives tightened as I knelt closer to her. She immediately started shaking again as I approached.

"What.. did you do?" I asked.

"Hey! You can't suspect me! T-there's no evidence! That's right! And t-there's no victims either! You can't just suspect me! T-that's cheating!"

"But you just admitted to it. You just told me that you were guilty."

"E-eh? But that doesn't count! D-did you find evidence? You didn't find any, did you? So that means I'm innocent! Innocent! Uwaa... (hic).. d-don't stare at me like that! I-I'm not scared at all... uuu.. (hic).. uuu..."

I took a quick glance at my watch. Damn! It was almost breakfast time. I can't let Sakuya find me in here.
[ ] Untie her and have her leave.
[ ] Quickly take her back to your room.
[ ] Close the closet and head to breakfast.