Quoted By:
And the Village was near at last. You and Reimu took to the streets and quickly headed off the way of the market commons. In particular, it was more off towards the southern end of the Village. You wanted to go to the seventh street, to the noodle shop you remembered there from your previous trip alongside Reisen. The one she said to sell soba, and you were curious to try it.
<span class="mu-i">"So you want to stop for a bite? Alright, but I'm going to need quite a load of things by the time we're done here. I hope your bag has plenty of space."</span>
"Whatever you want, I'll carry it, no sweat off my back."
<span class="mu-i">"Thanks!"</span>
But, just as you and her were about to enter the shop, something caught her eye that made her hesitate and you looked to see yourself.
<span class="mu-i">"Come one, come all! My wares are freshly forged, hot off the anvil! All top quality for sure!"</span>
A girl with blue hair on the sidelines of the streets, her stock seeming to be very popular. She had a carpet rolled out putting the metalworks on display. Among them, useful things such as utensils, locks, nails, and parts to tools like the heads of a hammer and scythe for crops. She sold to Villagers of all kinds, and even the metal bits of weapons to would be Youkai Exterminators. Perhaps her most interesting feature was her heterochromia. She had one eye blue, the other red, and spared a wave over to Reimu as she sat on top of a stool, hiding something she grasped by a pole under a big burlap tarp.
"Friend of yours?"
<span class="mu-i">"Eh, I wouldn't say that, she isn't exactly popular for what she really likes to do beyond blacksmithing. She's Tatara Kogasa, a Tsukumogami. She's an umbrella that animated after being discarded, and sometimes scurries around the Shrines."</span>
"...She's a 'what'...?"
<span class="mu-i">"A Karakasa Obake, a Youkai Umbrella. Ah, I guess this is your first time encountering one of these. Tsukumogami are Youkai that arise from ordinary objects that lose their purpose or face abandonment. Kogasa isn't a threatening Youkai, though you shouldn't tell her that unless you plan on making her cry. She tries scaring people to feed on spirit, but she also earns a keep by being a pretty good blacksmith. In fact..."</span>
You only followed when Reimu headed towards Kogasa, who stood up to greet her.
<span class="mu-i">"Reimu!"</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Kogasa, selling a fine selection I see."</span>
<span class="mu-i">"Yes! Yes! I spent a lot of time forging to build up a greater stock so I can rake a lot of money!"</span>
<span class="mu-i">"What's the occasion? You don't covet money often."</span>
Kogasa stared blankly with her mouth agape, averting her gaze to the ground. She looked like she'd seen a ghost- Or, well, you guessed things like her were kind of like ghosts already weren't they?
<span class="mu-i">"...Kogasa, what did you do?"</span>