It's a rather extreme thing, after all.

...For her own mental image to be running away from her.

Once per year, it separates from her body.

That it sticks to wisterias that don't even exist is odd enough by itself, but...

What's even stranger...

...Well.

...is that you and Reimu become strangely distant, I suppose.

Every time

she returns from undoing it.

That's the same every year, yes?

And then by spring, you get along again.

...And it all repeats.

It's as if you're periodically resetting the distance between the two of you.

With your own hands.

By force.

Marisa's realized it too.

All I've done is entrust her with the key.

I take offense to that "by force".

The sage entrusted the shrine maiden, right?

That's just sophistry.