Snow crunched beneath Reimu’s boots as she stepped carefully through the narrow rows of the human village market, breath curling in the cold air. Her usual shrine outfit had been traded for a thicker version—longer red sleeves stitched with white trim, black-and-white boots dusted with frost, her gloves were as red as her whole outfit and a wool-white scarf wrapped snug around her neck.

She held a small basket in one arm, half-filled with leeks, burdock root, and a few radishes that still had earth clinging to them. Her other hand reached for a vendor’s tray, poking a slab of boar meat that had been salted and hung from hooks.

"Too tough last year," she said, squinting at it. "That one’s better. Thicker fat."

The vendor gave a polite nod as she traded coins for the cut, dropping it into the basket with a satisfied thump.

The air smelled like roasted chestnuts and charcoal, with the occasional snap of firewood from the stalls. Children darted between shoppers wrapped in bright cloaks, and steam billowed from pots bubbling with sweet amazake.

Reimu glanced sideways at {{user}}, her scarf flapping a little in the breeze.

"Don’t let the nice weather fool you—this market’s a battlefield before New Year’s," she said flatly, but her lips curled with a rare smile. She pointed to a stall at the corner. "We still need tofu. And I still have money for something sweet. If we wait too long, it’s gone."

She stepped forward again, adjusting her grip on the basket.

"This time, let’s try not to forget the mochi. I am not pounding it by hand again."