Mirage Carl sat oeps of the Hakurei Shriwirling a pying card between his fingers as he watched Reimu sweep the courtyard. The seremosphere was suddenly shattered by the sound of a woman voice.

  "Hey, Reimu! You'll never believe what I found in the forest—"

  A figure flew down from the sky, her blond hair flutterih her oversized witch's hat. She nded with a practiced ease, her broomstick cttering against the ground. But the moment her eyes nded oranger lounging at the shrine, her excitement was repced with suspi.

  "Oi, who the heck are you?" she demanded, pointing at Mirage Carl. Her stance was wary, her eyes narrowed. "And what're you doing at Reimu's shrine?"

  Mirage Carl looked up, his grin pyful as he gave a dramatic bow. "Mirage Carl, traveling performer and magi extraordinaire. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss...?"

  The witch crossed her arms, her expressioical. "Kirisame Marisa. And did you just say magi?"

  Mirage Carl nodded, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Indeed. I travel from pce to pce, amazing audiences with my tricks and illusions."

  Marisa's eyes narrowed further. "So, you use magic?"

  Mirage Carl shook his head, his demeanor casual. "Oh no, nothing of the sort. I 't use magic, but I perform tricks that look just like it." He pulled out his deck of cards, letting them daween his fingers. "Sleight of hand, clever misdire... That sort of thing."

  Marisa's mouth curled into a disdainful smirk. "Hah! So you're just a faker."

  She put her hands on her hips, leaning forward as she scoffed."Calling yourself a magi when you don't even know a single spell? That's a joke!"

  Mirage Carl's grin didn't falter. "Magic or no, it's all about eaining the audience. Real or fake doesn't matter, as long as they're amazed."

  Marisa rolled her eyes. "You've got some nerve, I'll give you that. But around here, calling yourself a magi when you 't even cast a spell is just pathetic."

  She pointed her fi him, her eyes sparkling with challenge. "Why don't you prove it, huh? Show me what your 'tricks' do."

  Mirage Carl's eyes gleamed with excitement. "If you insist." He stood up, flipping a card into the air. It spuly before ndily in his hand. "Just remember, they're only tricks."

  Marisa scoffed. "Yeah, right. Let's see how long you keep that act up." She reached for her mini-hakkero, her stance shifting as she prepared to attack.Before Mirage Carl could respond, she fired a burst of danmaku, colorful orbs of magic shooting towards him. He dove to the side, his coat fring dramatically as he narrowly avoided the bst. "Feisty, aren't you?"

  Marisa grinned. "That was just a warning shot. Show me what you've got, faker!"Mirage Carl reached into his coat and pulled out a card, holding it up fidently. "This isn't just a card... It's a sword!"Marisa burst out ughing. "Are you blind? That's just a piece of paper!"

  The moment she said it, the card shimmered with light, transf into a shining bde. Mirage Carl swung it with a flourish, the sword slig through the air with ease. Marisa's eyes widened in shock. "W-What the... How did you...?"

  Mirage Carl's grin widened. "A magi never reveals his secrets."

  He charged forward, his swleaming as he closed the distaween them. Marisa snapped out of her daze, narrowly blog his strike with her broom. Sparks flew as their ons cshed.

  She gritted her teeth, her eyes bzing with excitement. "You're not normal. What are you?"Mirage Carl's expression softened, his eyes distant. "Just a wandering performer... Nothing more."

  Their battle tinued, Mirage Carl dodging Marisa's danmaku with agile movements, retaliating with cards that transformed into ons and throwing cards at her. The courtyard was soon filled with explosions and fshes of light as their duel intensified.

  Finally, with o burst of energy, Marisa unleashed a powerful spell. "Love Sign: Master Spark!"

  A massive beam of light shot towards Mirage Carl, its power immehe explosion engulfing him in a cloud of smoke. When the dust settled, he was gone.

  Marisa hovered in the air, her eyes wide. "W-Where did he go?" She sed the area, her heart rag with adrenaline.A voice echoed behind her. "Looking for me?"

  She spun around to find Mirage Carl casually leaning against the shriate, his hat tilted over his eyes. He gave her a pyful salute. "Good match, Miss Witch."

  Before Marisa could respond, Reimu's voice cut through the air. "Oi! What the heck are you two doing to my shrine!?"

  Both of them looked around at the mess they had made—scorched ground, shattered tiles, and cards scattered everywhere. Marisa flinched, quickly hiding her mini-hakkero behind her back. "Uh... Just testing out some spells?"

  Reimu marched over, her broom in hand as she gred at them. "I don't care what you were doing. this mess up. Now."

  Marisa groaned, floating down to the ground. "Yeah, yeah, I got it..." She summoned her broom, begrudgingly starting to sweep up the debris.

  Mirage Carl watched her for a moment befrinning. He reached into his top hat, his arm disappearing up to his shoulder. Marisa gnced over, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Oi, what're you...?"To her astonishment, Mirage Carl pulled out a broom identical to hers, its bristles pristine and its handle polished. He twirled it with practiced ease before joining her in ing up the courtyard.

  Marisa stared at him, her eyes wide. "H-How did you... Where were you hiding that!?"

  Mirage Carl just smiled, his expression pyful. "A magi never reveals his secrets." As he said the cards from the ground started to float and swept into a pile into his hand, his movements graceful and effit.

  Marisa grumbled, her eyes still glued to his broom. "You're definitely not normal... Just who are you?"

  Mirage Carl looked at her, his eyes twinkling with mystery. "Just a traveling performer, Miss Witothing more."

  Marisa's eyes narrowed, her curiosity only growing. But she didn't press him further. Instead, she resumed ing, occasionally stealing g the enigmatic magi beside her.

  As the sun began to set, painting the sky with shades e and pink, Mirage Carl found himself smiling.