The Red Mist that had shrouded the sky vanished, and sunlight once again illuminated Gensokyo. In return, the once-luxurious Scarlet Devil Mansion was left in ruins by Reimu's final attack. Remilia and Flandre, utterly exhausted, huddled together, leaning against the shadow of a broken wall.
Sakuya surveyed the state of the mansion, her expression grim. Repairing the damage would be an immense undertaking, but that wasn't her most pressing concern.
"What is going on! Why have I become like this!" Kars, whose hulking physique had drastically shrunk and whose voice was now high-pitched, was completely baffled by his condition.
"Did you, Shrine Maiden, do something to me!" Kars, now in the form of a child, glared at Reimu and demanded answers. He blamed her because his body had transformed immediately after being struck by her final spell.
"How would I know about that?" Reimu, who certainly didn't possess that ability, was also quite curious as to why the robust man had suddenly turned into a child. Compared to before, the child looked rather cute.
"Ooh! He got so small! That's so fun!" Marisa grinned, picking Kars up. She completely ignored his struggling and unwillingness. However, before she could react, Kars vanished from her hands and reappeared in Sakuya's arms a short distance away.
Sakuya held Kars, shooting a look of clear displeasure at Marisa. That way of handling him made her quite angry.
"Sakuya!" Kars, held by Sakuya, looked pitiful and helpless, shrinking into her embrace as if he had found sanctuary.
"Please don't worry, Master Kars. I will protect you!" Kars looked up at Sakuya's face. Her beautiful, cool, and somewhat handsome features conveyed an absolute sense of reliability.
Kars completely failed to notice the slight, unnatural flush on Sakuya's cheeks.
"This really is an interesting development." Aya Shameimaru continued to snap photos relentlessly, capturing Kars's transformation. This was an absolute jackpot for her newspaper.
"Alright, the incident is over. Time to go home." With her work done, Reimu was eager to return to the Shrine to relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of tea.
After Reimu and the others left, Meiling Hong walked in through the damaged entrance.
"Wow… the damage is this bad? And what happened to Kars?"
"I don't know. I just feel completely drained, and I'm so hungry." Kars clenched his tiny hand. This feeling was one he hadn't experienced in a very long time, and he disliked it intensely.
"In this condition, I can't prepare a meal for you. Master Kars, perhaps you should drink some blood." Sakuya pulled down her collar, exposing her pale neck, offering her blood to help Kars recover some of his strength.
Kars looked at Sakuya's exposed neck and instinctively swallowed, but resolutely shook his head.
"No, you need to rest, Sakuya. If I take your blood now, you'll be even more exhausted. I can manage."
"I understand." Sakuya was happy to be cared for, but her face showed a hint of disappointment. However, the priority was for them to recover and start repairing the mansion.
"If you're really that hungry, you can have mine. Losing a little blood won't affect me much. After all, I was taken out in one hit…" Meiling's tone was complex. After leaving the meeting with the Mistress, she encountered Reimu. She struck a pose, ready for a close-quarters fight, but Reimu ignored convention, landing and immediately hitting her with a long-range attack, knocking her down.
Therefore, Meiling was likely the person whose stamina was most intact. Even losing some blood wouldn't hurt her.
"Then I won't hold back." Kars flew out of Sakuya's arms and landed in Meiling's embrace. He unhesitantly opened his mouth, and his two small fangs pierced Meiling's neck. The sweet blood in his mouth made Kars hum with satisfaction.
Sakuya silently watched the entire process, her face completely dark, as Meiling clearly enjoyed the blood donation.
By nighttime, Remilia and Flandre were awake. Seeing Kars returned to a size and form they were familiar with, they seemed to be in better spirits.
Remilia stood in front of Kars, measuring him up. She recalled his abnormally tall stature before and looked at him now, only half a head shorter than her. She felt entirely satisfied.
This is the proper height, she thought. That former height was completely abnormal, and this size made it much easier to maintain her dignity as his senior relative.
"Kars is as cute as he used to be." Flandre, without such complex thoughts, grabbed Kars's face with both hands and began kneading it. The soft feeling was delightful. Kars had no choice but to silently endure, knowing that if he resisted, Little Auntie Flandre might play even rougher.
"In any case, the plan failed. Since we can't take over Gensokyo, we will simply live here normally." After the battle, Remilia recognized Reimu's combat ability. Fulfilling her ambition was essentially impossible. She resolved to live a normal life here instead.
"So, will you start looking for a wife for me now?" Kars asked, as his personal matter was next on the agenda.
"That question… it should have been easy, but now that you are…" Remilia gestured at Kars's current height. Going on a date looking like this—the chances of success were practically zero, weren't they?
"H-how could this happen…" Kars's mood instantly plummeted. Looking at his small hands and feet, he realized no one would be attracted to him looking like this.
"Sigh…"