Back to the Hakurei Shrine, inside three figures are standing next beside the souvenir pile. Reimu, in particular, fixed Marisa with a glare as she was caught in the act.
"I was just... inspectin' it for ya, Reimu! For security purposes!" Marisa grinned, not even attempting to sound convincing as she slowly lowered the uncut crystal that is unfamiliar to them.
Nowa dryly chuckled, he waved a dismissive hand. "Keep it. Consider it a research grant, Mushroom Kid."
Marisa's eyes sparkled. "Yay!" She already placed it in her apron pocket, while Reimu sighed while she picked up some souvenirs to clean up. "You're gonna get yourself in trouble if you keep this up, Beckitzer." She muttered.
Nowa was pulling something in his rune pouch. "It's fine. And besides, I don't have any use for them, they're just exchangeable at pawnshops." He pulled out a roomba disk. "May I use this rune roomba? It helps with cleaning, it sucks up things that are cluttered on the ground, mainly dust. Heh."
Reimu in a deadpan manner looked back and forth at Nowa and the roomba. "A what now?"
But Marisa was already leaning in Nowa's personal space. "Whoa, whoa, whoa Ze! A rune-powered-roomba?! What does the rune have to do with cleaning?!"
Nowa placed it on the floor. "Well, it cleans by command and doesn't need battery, it uses the rune for it and you can add attachments to it, like this," Nowa placed the rune pouch for treasure on top of the rune roomba, Marisa excitedly watched while Reimu remained watchful about it.
"Like what?" Reimu placed what she's been holding back on the pile and stood up.
Nowa began. "It can automatically collect the pile in one go if I attach the rune pouch on it, and if I issue a command of which area it will collect and what to collect."
Marisa vibrating in awe. "Hngeeeh?! You mean it can automatically pick up and place it inside the rune pouch without me needing to do it?! That's so handy!"
Reimu looked at the roomba. 'The application is… what I want. But what's stopping it from being a dangerous item?' she began. "Tell me exactly what it can do."
He smirked. "Whatever you say on it. You can try commanding it. Just press and hold the on off button," He gestured at the button on the rune roomba. "and it will make a soft beeping sound, then tell your command on it, it will do it until the specific area you gave it privileged to clean or picked up." he stated. "Also note it has only a maximum range of a single house."
Marisa was gasping in childish awe, cut in. "Can I have it? My house could use some cleaning roomba, I can trade it for uh.. name anything you want, Ze!"
Nowa looked thoughtful at her offer. 'Careful now on what you say, little miss.' Nowa dryly chuckled. "I'll think about it. But first let me showcase this on this pile of treasure first. Can I, miss Ribbon?" Reimu could only stare Nowa by him calling her multiple times without her name.
"Just get it on with, Beckitzer." She walked back towards the table, and sat down to finish the ramen she had left. She then poured herself a cup of tea. Marisa stayed and is watching like a child, watching a toy car.
"Alrighty," he pressed and held it until it made a soft beeping sound, Reimu took a sip of tea, before continuing to eat while she watched the whole thing play out.
"Roomba, Collect the souvenirs into the pouch." He whispered, then it beeps, acknowledging the command and the roomba started moving slowly towards the piles. "It's slow..?" Marisa asked.
"It has tiny wheels and doesn't have a complex engine inside to go faster. And besides, do you really want a messy floor if it goes faster?" He shrugged.
The roomba finally touches the piles and it begins sucking up the gems, alien coins artifacts into the pouch, Marisa eyes widened, "Wow! Now that's effective!" Reimu let a tiny reluctant smile touch her lips as she watched the roomba clean the piles seamlessly as she ate.
Nowa laid back and used his arms as a pillar to lean onto. A smug tugged his face as Marisa leaned in to watch it sucking the gems, blurting out childish things, mostly cheering the roomba. The sounds of soft beeping echoed in the room, in Nowa's mind however.
'Alright. Time to identify this completion. What am I missing?' he paused, tapping his chin and he closed his eyes, Reimu watched Nowa now as he's in deep thoughts.
'I have everything. Power, status, wealth, knowledge. What else... I see, I… I need a family. It's… complicated.' He felt the roomba kept bumping beside him. He let out a weary sigh, and opened his eyes, time seemed to have skipped a bit as he was pulled out of his deep thoughts, and was met with Marisa's loud voice.
"Oi! old-timer! I've been trying to talk to you! Look!" She pointed at the roomba bumping on his foot. Reimu's voice rang out. "What's it's doing, Beckitzer?" Nowa blinked, looked at them both then at the Roomba.
"Ahhhh. Right, once it completed its task, it will find the last known user it gave command with and will want to be pressed again to be deactivated or given a new command," he grinned and he looked at the cleaned floor where the piles were all picked up by the roomba with rune pouches. "See?" He gestured at the clean floor, a testimonial of its effectiveness. "Told you it's very handy. Anyway, I'm leaving roomba at this Shrine."
Marisa was in disbelief. "Ha?! What about me?!" She jabbed a thumb at herself.
Reimu arched an eyebrow as she began picking up the bowl on the table. "...Why?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"Because, I think you could use it more than me." He replied, looking past her, somewhere anything, his eyes were distant, 'And mostly so that my creation lasts longer than I do. I will die after the remaining sixty-eight hours, the three day deadline on finding this Completion. I doubt that this realm will give me a reason to live again.'
he began. "I'll make you one tomorrow Mushroom kid, but only a dust cleaner version."
Marisa whooped with joy. "YES! You're the best, Old-timer!" Reimu's voice was low. "...Fine. It can stay." She locked eyes with him, her tone leaving no room for evasion. "But 'giving away your creations' doesn't answer my question, Beckitzer. Why?" She had stopped cleaning the table, her hands still.
Marisa's grin faltered, her eyes darting between Nowa's distant expression and Reimu's intense stare. "Hey... you alright? You got all quiet there for a second, Ze."
Nowa blinked, as if pulling himself back from a great distance. "Yeah." He slowly turned his head to meet Reimu's gaze. "Why? There's no reason for why innit. I just like a clean house, Miko. Don't look too deep into it, you'll get wrinkles." He moved with a deliberate slowness, removing the rune pouch from the roomba and storing it within another pouch at his side before standing up. "Just an added note," he said, not looking at either of them. "so that you won't be surprised later. This roomba will glide on walls and ceiling to clean whatever you gave it order with."
Marisa's jaw dropped, again. "What?!! Mine too??!" Nowa gave a single, silent nod and walked past her towards the exit. Reimu's gaze followed him, unblinking. "Where are you going?"
He stopped at the doorframe, not looking back. "I just need some fresh air. On the porch." A dismissive wave of his hand to the side. "Or you might see me sleeping there. Either way, I'm going to sit outside."
The wooden frame of the sliding door rattled softly as he exited. Through the paper screen, his silhouette was visible as he sat on the porch, leaning against a wooden pillar and becoming perfectly still. Inside, the silence was thick. The soft, idle beep of the roomba echoed in the room. Reimu's eyes remained fixed on the door, her expression unreadable. Marisa watched Reimu, then glanced at the door, her usual boisterous energy replaced by a rare, uncertain quiet.