The ba was already in full swing, with the king of cups and lively chatter filling the shrine's grand hall. Reimu sure knew how to host, even if she didn't pn it herself. A few minutes after we settled in, a group of tengu and kappa arrived, led by Aya, who immediately started taking pictures of everything. Her enthusiasm was unmatched, and she even mao get a shot of Marisa trying to steal some sake.

  Then came the Scarlet family, escorted by Sakuya. Remilia walked in gracefully, her crimson eyes sing the room with her usual noble air. Fndre followed closely behind, her face lighting up when she saw me.

  "Big brother!" Fndre yelled, dashing towards me and throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. Her strength nearly khe wind out of me, but I mao smile and pat her head. "I missed you!"

  I chuckled. "It's only been two weeks, Fndre."

  She looked up at me with big, sparkling eyes. "But that's a long time!"

  As I tio pat her head, I felt a heavy gaze on me. I looked over to see Remilia gring at me, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. She huffed and turned away, looking for a pce to sit, clearly unwilling to join in on the hugging.

  I noticed Mystia and Rumia already sitting at a table in the er, chatting and snag on some food. I figured I'd join them, but as I moved to leave, Fndre's grip tightened.

  "Sit with me, big brother!" she demanded, her voice firm.

  I hesitated. "I... I was going to sit with my friends."

  Her expression darkened, her lips f a pout. "Big brother doesn't like me anymore?" Her crimson eyes shimmered, almost tearing up.

  "That's not it—" I started, but before I could finish, a bright fsh went off.

  I looked up to see Aya, her camera aimed directly at us. She grinned. "That was adorable! Oh, this will make freat article!"

  Fndre didn't seem to mind. In fact, she looked even more determined. "I want to sit with you," she said stubbornly, hugging my waist tightly.

  I sighed, realizing there was no winning this one. But then, an idea popped into my head. I leaned down and whispered, "But if you sit with me, Remilia will be all alone. Don't you want to sit with your sister too?"

  Fndre's expression wavered. She g Remilia, who was indeed sitting by herself, looking away with a cold, distant expression. Her shoulders slumped. "But... but..."

  I smiled, ruffling her hair. "Tell you what, if you sit nicely with Remilia, I'll put on a special magic show just for you. Would you like that?"

  Her eyes widened with excitement. "Really?"

  I nodded. "Really. But only if you're a good girl."

  Her mood instantly brightened. "Okay! I'll sit with Remi!" She skipped over to her sister and sat down beside her, hugging Remilia's arm. Remilia looked surprised, then g me with a plicated expression, before patting Fndre's head with a sigh.

  With that sorted out, I made my way over to Mystia and Rumia, who were already mung on some snacks. Mystia waved at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You sure are popur, Carl."

  I ughed, taking a seat. "You have no idea."

  I gnced back at Fndre, who was noily chatting with Remilia. For a brief moment, Remilia looked my way, her eyes log with mine. I could've sworn she mouthed something that looked like "Thank you," but her face quickly returo its usual, annoyed expression.

  I smiled to myself. Maybe this ba wouldn't be so bad after all.