While Reimu was busy i, Mirage Carl sensed a strange presence lurking around the shrine grounds. He couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. His instincts as a trickster magi kicked in, and a sly grin spread across his face.

  Silently, he reached into his top hat and pulled out a smoke bomb, its round shape cool against his palm. With practiced ease, he rolled it towards the edge of the veranda, where the presence felt the stro.

  Puff! A burst of thick, white smoke filled the area, swirling around the shrine's pilrs and curling into the shadows. Mirage Carl's eyes narrowed, sing through the haze. A faint outline of a figure flickered, moving quickly to escape the cloud.

  "Got you," he whispered, vanishing into the smoke himself using a magi's triisdire.

  The figure stumbled out of the smoke, coughing. Mirage Carl reappeared behind them, his cards at the ready. With a flick of his wrist, they circled the intruder, creating a wall of spinning aces.

  "Well, well, spying on the shrine? Not very polite," he said, his voice dripping with pyful menace.

  The smoke cleared, revealing a figure with a wing, long bck hair tied back, a camera hanging from her neck. Her red eyes widened with surprise.

  "Aya Shameimaru," Mirage Carl reized her from Marisa's stories. "Caught red-handed."

  Aya ughed nervously, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, I was just... gathering news! Nothing shady, I promise." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked him up and down. "You're that magi everyone's been talking about. What are you doing here?"

  Mirage Carl smirked, his cards returning to his hand. "I should be asking you that. Spying on me for a scoop?"

  Aya proudly tapped her camera. "I was just getting some ce on the uping ba. You seem iing—care for an interview?"

  She still want to interview me. Reimu's grumbling about the neer made sense now. I sidered refusing, but her curiosity was iious. I shrugged. "Why not?"

  She grinned, pulling out a notepad. "First question—who are you, and why were you helping with the Scarlet Mist i?"

  I thought for a moment before replying, "I'm Mirage Carl, a humble magi. I just happeo be there when things got iing." I grinned, keeping my words vague.

  Her eyes sparkled with intrigue. "A humble magi, huh? Even though you're rumored to have fought alongside Reimu and Marisa? And what's this about you being a vampire?"

  I raised an eyebrow. "Rumors are powerful, aren't they? I'm just an illusionist. The vampire part is... plicated."

  Aya's wings fluttered with excitement. "plicated, you say? Even more iing! O question—what do you think about Gensokyo?"

  I looked around, seeing the vibrant shrihe endless sky, and the distant mountains. I smiled softly. "It's... a pce full of surprises. I think I'll stick around to see more."

  Aya's grin widened. "Great ahanks for the interview!" She took a few photos, the camera fshing rapidly. "This will make a great article!" With that, she took off, a gust of wind swirling around her as she disappeared into the sky.

  Mirage Carl watched her disappear, shaking his head in amusement. "Journalists... even in Gensokyo, they're relentless."

  From the kit, Reimu's voice echoed, "Mirage! I need help with these dumplings!"

  He shook his head, a chuckle esg his lips. " for the magi," he muttered, heading baside.