A chill breeze blew down from the mountain, brushing across the pure-white snow piled atop the torii. It kicked up snowflakes, causing them to drift down onto the Hakurei Shrine grounds like petals in spring. A dull, repetitive, thwacking sound echoed around the shrine, with the sound traveling further in the cold air. The air also carried a shuttlecock crafted from a soapberry and a mix of red and green feathers, but not for long. It fell, pointed directly down. Just moments before it touched the hard stone ground, a racket, a hagoita, hit it back up.

"You can't achieve true victory without style!" exclaimed Reimu with a big, bright smile as she hit the shuttlecock into the air. She stood before Hakurei Shrine's torii and pointed her hagoita toward the main building as if declaring that no one can leave until they defeat her in a game of hanetsuki. The ever-competitive denizens of Gensokyo lined up to challenge her, but after one hundred consecutive matches, not a single visitor to the shrine managed to best her.

The shuttlecock zoomed back and forth through the air like an auspicious dragonfly, and the sound of it hitting hagoita echoed like the wooden clappers used to ward off evil. Hanetsuki may be a game, but it's also a ritual where both participants pray for good health. The longer the rally, the more auspicious your fortune. However, missing the shuttlecock is considered a sign of bad luck. The winner counteracts this bad luck by drawing something on the loser's face with ink. As a result, you can only really get lucky by playing hanetsuki. Reimu had won all her matches, so there still wasn't a single blemish on her face. "C'mon, who's next?!"

"You're going down, Red!" declared Reimu with a confident smile. Mini-Tajikarao was flying about beside her with her own mini hagoita, playing hanetsuki with the children. However, unlike Mini-Tajikarao, Reimu doesn't go easy on anyone. Her policy as the Hakurei shrine maiden is to always treat everyone equally, be that in battles of bullets or festive games. She prays that her unbeaten hanetsuki record will help bring more visitors to Hakurei Shrine.

Reimu's long and arduous journey made this moment all the sweeter. She had convinced herself that her heavy responsibility was all that mattered. It weighed her down, almost plunging her into the depths of despair. That's why she kept moving, trying not to think about it. She focused on trying to resolve the incident, continuing her journey, and battles of bullets. But after coming to this fantastical world, she felt free, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. After powering up, acquiring a fabulous new kimono, and finding new friends, she had finally come within reach of her dream that seemed so impossibly distant before. For the first time since she set out on her journey, she truly believed that everything would turn out OK. She's come this far, hasn't she? And a new year full of possibilities awaited her. "I've decided on my New Year's resolution! I'm never gonna give up until we win!"