Remilia Scarlet is the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Despite being a vampire, she was just drinking grape juice. But, since juice is basically fruit blood, she found it to be quite delicious. After hearing about the hot springs in Former Hell, she went to find them immediately. But she seemed a little uneasy without her trusty maid, Sakuya, by her side. And compounding that sense of uneasiness was the fact that Marisa was the only suitable guide available.

Marisa Kirisame is an ordinary magician who lives in the Forest of Magic. She’s quite fond of dark places and often attends parties across Gensokyo, albeit without an invitation. After sneaking into one such party at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she was spotted by Remilia, who asked Marisa to take her to Former Hell’s hot springs. Marisa believes herself capable of anything, so this was gonna be a piece of cake! Or so she claimed…

Former Hell is an expansive region that sits below Gensokyo and is populated with vengeful spirits and youkai who have nowhere else to go. As a result, it’s hard to call Former Hell a safe place.

“Do you come here often, Marisa?” asked Remilia.
To which Marisa replied, “Well, I was here when that thing with the geyser happened, and I’ve come to see the cherry crystals before. Oh, and I think I attended an oni party here a little while back.”
“I see…” mumbled Remilia.

Unlike the surface, there’s no sunlight in Former Hell, so vampires don’t have to worry about carrying a parasol. However, with all the vengeful spirits floating around, it’s hard to call being there a relaxing experience. Remilia continued to follow Marisa in search of the hot springs, her mind full of worries.

Three Nights in Hot Spring Hell
Remilia and Marisa found the hot springs relatively quickly, but what they saw wasn’t quite what they were expecting. Water poured down from above like a waterfall, sending great splashes and plumes of steam cascading upward.

“Hm, I can’t go in there,” said Remilia.
“Yeah, I guess they didn’t make it with vampires in mind. For now, let’s go buy a drink or something,” replied Marisa.

Vampires hate running water, so whether the two of them would be able to find a hot spring they could enjoy was in serious doubt…

“I know we haven’t been in the hot springs yet, but whaddya say to a bottle of milk?”
“I don’t think milk is cow’s blood… but OK.”

For Remilia, who can never know the feeling of relaxing out in the sun, bathing in a steamy hot spring that warms both the body and soul would be a unique experience. That’s what she came to do, but things weren’t going to plan…

“Just walking is enough to build up a sweat here,” said Remilia, who seemed to be enjoying her stroll through the hot spring air.
“You said it. All this steam is making me dizzy,” panted Marisa. “Let’s head over there next, yeah?”
“…Yes, let’s.”

And so the pair continued on their journey, the warm, faintly off-smelling hot spring air filling their lungs.