// Hana 31-32

A cold sweat covered Hana's brow, the nightmares that played out in her subconscious mind seemed to be more frequent now. Despite the stability of her life recently and the good company she kept it was a reoccurring issue. Still, she didn't let it get to her, at least nightmares didn't tend to stick around and usually faded quickly with only wisps of the terrible scenes she saw to cloud her waking mind.

Hana was sitting up in bed now, not willing to risk falling back asleep only to be brutalized by her own subconscious, it was still dark outside and as such it was impossible to tell what time it was. The morning bugs and birds hadn't started their song yet, so at the very least it didn't appear to close to sunrise.

In the near pitch blackness of her room Hana could feel Aunn's presence before she could hear her breathing, the Komainu she grew up with had been staying at her place more often than not recently and had become something of a roommate. It was a welcome respite from the darkness of her home to have her, just having a trustworthy friend was enough to keep the edge of loneliness away and the worst of the flashbacks at bay when she walked the halls of her home.

No one in the village gave Aunn any problems either, she was friendly and more importantly a face everyone knew from her work in guarding shrines and temples for the past two decades. Even now Hana was sure her other half was watching over somewhere or another. She placed a hand on the head of her truest friend, enjoying the feeling of her soft curled hair and letting it settle her.

She laid back down in the darkness, trying to dismiss the fresh nightmare from her mind before she slept again. The warmth of her friend and the futon was comforting at least, yet at times like this when a healthy girl of her age had too much time on her hands and no one looking there was a solution to pass the time. Unfortunately for her, Aunn was right there as well, she just wouldn't be able to get into it properly like this...

Sighing inwardly she rolled to her side, embracing the cozy sheets a bit forcefully as Aunn was something of a coverhog in her tossing and turning over the course of the night. She could barely make out the grey on black of Aunn's head as her eyes started feeling heavy again on their own.

Hana blinked once, twice, thrice... Finally sleep was taking her, a weight settled in her limbs and her eyes flickered as the strings were being cut. However, that final string didn't allow itself to be cut, her eyes were open and her mind was trying to rectify things but failing. She tried moving to roll onto her back but it was to no avail, her limbs weren't responding no matter what.

That was when she felt an odd presence enter into the room.

Attempting to squirm a panic overcame her, who's invaded her home like this?! She felt a mix of fear and rage as she quickly realized that she couldn't even open her mouth to scream at her friend to help her. Even if she couldn't see the entity that invaded her room she could feel it, it was an intense thing with an aura that was impossible to ignore. Hana couldn't figure out what it was, her mind was too confused to make heads or tails of the nature of the thing.

Shivering in a deep primordial fear as if a predator descended on her she felt it press itself against her back, whatever it was roped an arm around Hana that she couldn't even move her head to see.

A whisper entered Hana's ear, it was a low and husky yet distinctly female voice, "My cute little miko, there's no need to be so frightened~"

If Hana was frightened before, she was doubly so now as she tried to thrash, scream, run... None of it was to any avail, whatever strange magic Yukari used it utterly immobilized her. Strangely, the room seemed to have become brighter, it was all she could do to watch the rhythmic breathing of her friend as it felt like pins and needles were kissing the ends of her limbs.

With a caress Yukari's arm worked it's way over to her waist, "It was so cute when you came over with that witch and the sweet Komainu, seeing all of you work your hardest to resist your desires."

She felt Yukari pull on the loose knot that held her juban together without any wasted movements, "I understand why you're so scared, but there's no need for pretense with me, Hana~"

Hana cursed Yukari under her breath, able to waggle her tongue somewhat but without the control of her chest to expel air it was no use as even that avenue of resistance was taken from her. She didn't want Yukari of all people to touch her again, she didn't want to be made to feel like an insect with her fate decided by anyone but her, she didn't want to feel unsafe in her own home again!

Yet there was also an undertone of anticipation that crawled on her skin just as Yukari's fingers were, she wondered what took her so lon- No... she banished the thought as she resumed her useless struggling, Yukari took no heed of her internal struggle as her hand cupped her vulva with its fingers doing as they please to the suffering girl.

A whisper set her ear ablaze with the condescendingly smug voice of the gap youkai, "Now whats this...? Ah you poor girl, you must have been quite frustrated..."

Hana could feel it just well enough, that desire in her was peeking as a heat built up from her navel, Hana knew as well as Yukari as to why despite her denial.

The warmth from Yukari's body intermingled with her own as Hana ceased her struggling, it only exhausted her mind to continually try forcing an unwilling body to obey you. Hana felt trapped in her own skin as the pleasure built up in her loins and the soft breathing and occasional whisper in her ear set a fire in the back of her mind.

The seductive voice of that damned women filled her head, "You try so hard to pretend that you don't need it but I know exactly what you do when you think you're all alone."

She felt one of her nimble fingers enter her without resistance as Yukari's other arm slipped under her and fondled her exposed breast, "I can taste our names on your lips when you let it slip, did you know that? Its so cute when you deny what you did with your father, what you did with me..."

Like a sweet poison Yukari continually taunted her as she built her pleasure up to a peak, "There's no need to be shy, your father is right there and waiting for you at any time you so please~"

Hana's body reacted on its own with her breathing growing more ragged, her nipples were lightly toyed with between a skilled pair of fingers. She craved an even greater stimulation as Yukari teased her slippery pussy only up to the second knuckle on her finger, "My aren't you just desperate, there's no need to keep yourself in such pain after all~"

she picked up the pace enough to keep Hana on the edge of her seat, Hana felt like a fly trapped in a web as Yukari's arms and even a leg wrapped around her prone form. Yukari seemed to wash over her even further as she pulled her head towards her, Yukari's lips met Hana's without reservation. Once more the familiar feeling of violation filled her as Yukari's tongue intertwined with hers.

Hana's own tongue seemed to have a mind of its own as it weakly waggled trying its best to dance alongside Yukari, Hana melted as her pulse was quickening, she was close... So close to what she's been denying to crave for this past week of cohabitation.

Yukari had her in a daze, she was entirely under her thumb and they both knew it. Unfortunately for Hana, Yukari was feeling cruel. Hana's delicate nipples were teased alternatively never letting one rest for long with the fingers that toyed with her pussy speeding up only to slow down right as Hana was on the verge of release.

It was maddening.

Hana had never felt anything so intense, the constant yoyoing of pleasure only built up her sensitivity to heights she'd never felt before. Her body burned with desire and she felt an unwelcome chill as Yukari's face moved back with an audible popping sound. For the first time that night Hana truly saw Yukari's face, it grinned madly at her with her teeth resembling a predator's in its wicked sharpness that was normally kept well hidden.

The mix of disgust and unabashed desire must have shown on her face, but Yukari didn't react to it. Instead with a yearning that surprised Hana she felt her deft hands move away from her body. Regret and shame filled her as she realized she wanted nothing more than those hands to finish her off right here and now.

Yukari kept her grin on as she vanished.

// Ran/Chen 24

Yukari didn't notice my escapades to help Reimu—yet.

I cut cookie dough with little iron molds: rotund heads with cat ears; circles that I'll cook in two different temperatures—thanks, gap—which will end with two different colors; and small squares with protruding nine spikes. Then, a gap opens behind me, and the pressure fills the room and snuffs my joyous mood as swiftly as a star…

8 days, 13 hours? She's losing her touch.

… Must tread carefully.

Turning, I met Yukari's stern gaze, leaving the cookie mold on the counter and cleaning my hands on the apron. "Yukari-sama, good eve—"

"When were you planning to tell me, Ran? Were you planning to do so at all?" Her purple eyes scan over me, looking for the smallest of breaches. I fake confusion as natural as breathing, never turning away my gaze, only the perfect and controllable shikigami I've been for six hundred years.

"I don't understand, Yukari-sama—"

"Reimu."

"Ah…" It was timed—hardly. I can manage to look a bit embarrassed as I let a smile creep in, giggling a little. "My, you've discovered my personal project earlier than I thought you would," a compliment, yet her eyes are unchanged. Cold and analytical, she passes the illusion she has complete control over the situation. She demanded explanation with a stare. "With the furthering of autumn, Yukari-sama, I thought it'd be the perfect time to enact the second part of a punishment—the adaptation phase."

It's probably against her will, but she minimally raises an eyebrow.

I move around the kitchen, gathering what I'll need for the cookies, on the edge to not make one wrong move. I can't let this situation scale; there'll only be disadvantages for me—Chen. Breathing calmly, not affected, I start: "When disciplining children, Yukari-sama, having only the punishment is not enough. They'll use their time grounded to simply concoct ways to further their mischievousness without being caught—Reimu wouldn't be different—so, I decided to use her misery and hunger to forge good habits out from the punishment. I'd bring food, but she could only eat after filling her daily quota of cleaning the shrine. It's proceeding well; multiple times now she stopped her more violent tendencies and found better outlets for them in meandering work and such, for example. It's like a prison: If we only punish, nothing gets better—and the plan is to have Reimu become a better person and salvage her marriage with Anon, right?" I look into her eyes, and, for a moment, I swear I saw her wincing just a bit… Oh?

I don't focus on that much, rather her other microreactions. It was a well-thought-out lie I've brewed since the moment I decided to go to the Hakurei Shrine, and although I know there'll be consequences, they've been mitigated and won’t include Chen… But if Yukari really has lost her mind enough and decides that Chen shall suffer, then I’ll have lost my faith entirely: The coordinates are on the tip of my tongue; Yukari is just three meters away.

I'll gap one talisman, and Yukari will be nothing but crumbled dust…

… I remember Chen's words, her embrace that night so strong, Yukari's heartbreak. I pray to any God listening to it doesn't get to that point…

I won't hesitate otherwise.

The second stretches…

"Very smart, my shikigami, truly—" she starts, reaching into a gap—her voice hadn't a spec of suspicion. The lie landed. I didn't show any of the magnanimous relief. "Yet, you of all people should've known how much I despise not knowing things. What if I had something stored for Reimu? Did you consider that?"

"No, Yukari-sama. I did not." I say straight-up, feeling bitter cold when she pulls something out of the gap—strong and shining leather, a tense rope attached to a handle: a whip.

Nodding without a fight, I undress my upper gown, turn, and kneel on the ground, looking at the wall. "My, my? Why so eager?"

"I know you didn't like the things I did, Yukari-sama, a mistake as a shikigami—not accepting punishment would be making a fool of you and me." I feel her hands coursing through my back, and it takes a lot to not jolt away—even more to let out a serene moan. She giggles, cracks the whip, takes two steps back, and I feel the pressure in the room fading away.

Yukari thinks she has everything under control; that this was a simple mistake made by her shikigami…

She's comfortable with her plans and their expected results. And she's even more confident in her powers.

The whip strikes true, the pain is massive, and I feel blood vessels opening like hoses, yet I pour all my strength into not laughing, eyes wide. Pain is nothing. Chen is safe. All of our plans are slipping beneath Yukari unnoticed, and sooner than later, Anon will smile and say, 'I am so happy'.

And then it’ll all be worth it.

Timing exactly the wave of guttural pain and a scream with an unperceivable gap snap—opening a gap for only a millisecond—I tell Toutetsu it's time for her to contact Reimu.

I cry in pain.

I hide a wide smile.

// Chisazu 3

Chisazu slid the pencil underneath her leg cast. “Uwaaa~” she exhaled in relief as she scratched at the itch. While she was discharged from the douji’s care and returned to her room-turned-office in the Myouren temple. There was also the well-appreciated care of actual semi-medical professionals who wouldn’t chant obscenities into the night while dancing around you. No more sucking cheese soup and sake for her, NO SIR!

Chisazu’s scratching was interrupted by a knocking on the door.

“Chisazu, it’s me.” Came Shou’s voice from the other side of the door, “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” The rat responded, “This temple is home to two shapeshifters. Identify yourself properly or leave.”

A long sigh came from the other end of the door before she heard Shou’s voice respond. “Stella, Astra, and Lu,” Shou answered back from the other side of the door.

Chisazu had wanted to chide her for picking such obvious names; at the very least, she didn’t name them Marumaru, Shoushou, LufuLufu, or Toratora. It was a small miracle that the combined might of Nazrin and Chisazu were able to talk her down from such names. “Come in,” Chisazu answered as she sighed.

“Anything notable happened during my hospital visit?” Chisazu asked as Shou closed the door behind her. “I saw Murasa talking to Nue; they seemed to be up to something. Other than that, I had to chase Yoshika off for scaring people again.” Shou answered.

Chisazu nodded; she didn’t trust Nue, especially after that amanojaku friend of hers attacked a villager, although last she saw of either of them, they were hand-in-hand. However, neither seemed particularly happy with whatever arrangement they had. She supposed the worst case could be old hell involvement, but Okina said that was ‘handled’ in the same breath. She said that Koishi’ probably’ wasn’t pregnant in the same breath, whatever that meant.

“Although.” Shout started as she pulled a rolled-up poster out of her pocket. “The Tengu and some others have been spreading these around,” Shou said, unfurling the poster. Nazrin had been the one to show Chisazu the mock-up that Okina had gotten her hands on. Apparently, it wasn’t a very ‘Yukari’ idea. So it almost certainly was deliberate sabotage, probably not from a Kuda-gitsune, but perhaps from a Tengu who had one.

“Byakuren already publicly condemned it, although I was surprised Miko didn’t show up.” Chisazu laughed. “Hahaha, Shou, you actually manage to be pretty funny sometimes.” The idea of the Taoists going out to lecture Byakuren about hypocrisy was hilarious. With as good as their ability to monitor things is, they probably knew but would reserve that for blackmail later.

Shou just looked confused at Chisazu’s outburst. “Well, Oina will probably be making her move at the festival, so that’s our time frame as well. We probably don’t want to be directly involved in the fighting, except for Byakuren.”

“I was hoping we’d be more directly involved.” Shou said, “I know my main advantage is range, but..” SHe trailed off, looking towards the ground. It was obvious what she meant: she wanted to be useful, not just be an idol who barely resembled the god she was supposed to represent.

Chisazu fiddled with her flute, trying to think of an answer. “We’ll have to move as a unit, and we probably won’t be in a position to do the rescue itself. Our action will probably be limited to the area around the temple; fighting is sure to spill out over here. We can use your range to suppress targets that might normally have freedom of movement. As long as we can shoot down anything from the air, the tengu won’t be able to mobilize in force.”

Shou nodded, “Byakuren won’t like it, but…” She paused for a moment before bowing at the waist. “Thank you for dealing with our unreasonableness Chisazu.”

“Aside from that, preparations for grounds expansions and supply stockpiling have gone well.” Shou said, returning to rest, “although I do not believe Murasa has obtained all of them by legitimate means.”

Chisazu sighed again. She certainly had a lot of work ahead of her. At least she worked for such a handsome god like Bisha-kun, unlike that dusty hag Nazrin was stuck with.

// Hana 31-32

Hana's body had come back under her control despite the sluggishness that weighed down her limbs as if they were filled with sand. Her arms quickly covered her own exposed body as they found purchase against her sensitive skin. Her hands were trembling as she was quick to guide them where she desired, she missed the warmth that was next to her like a toy that had been taken away. The fire that burned in her was still raging and she wasted no time in stimulating herself despite the reduced pleasure she reaped.

She heard a sharp intake of breath next to her, the telltale sounds of someone waking up... No dammit, not now! she was so close! In a fit of panic she tried tossing on the blanket they shared knowing that her eyes were much more attuned to the night than a human's was. However, Aunn was a coverhog and seemed to be laying on it rather perfectly which only served to wake the Komainu up further as the sensation of having her warmth pulled brought her quickly to reality.

Hana didn't even think to seal up her juban as with a yawn Aunn turned her head to the source why she woke up locking eyes with Hana. Hana's face burned red for a different reason now, it seemed like a cruel prank was being played on her as the clouds once covering the moon vanished helping raise the ambient light enough to let her make out the face of the Komainu she lay next too. Aunn eyes smiled with her face as her nose scented the air, a perplexed look drifted across her face as her eyes wondered lower down Hana's bared body.

Hana couldn't help but cover up herself with her hands as the Komainu's gaze swept over her, yet like a deer in the headlights(as her father would say) she was unable to come up with any plan to cover her lust up. She froze ignoring the cursed desire to let her finger's wiggle as they please, expecting some kind of admonishment from her dear friend as if she'd know the terrible truth of why she was like this.

Instead a flash of realization lit her eyes up and with a yawn she nodded her head, "Oh, are you feeling in that mood again?"

Hana tried to stammer out a reply, again? what was she talking about? "W-what?" Her voice was a whisper as if there was anyone to bother with her voice by speaking normally, "I'm just uh... you see its just that-!"

Aunn instead smiled as she giggled out, "Ah its normal isn't it? that smell you make when you feel like mating is a dead giveaway you know!"

Aunn sat up now displacing the covers she was wrapped in as she stretched out the sleep in her limbs, "Ahhhh~" she yawned out again before turning her head towards Hana, "I've watched lots of shrines and stuff you know, people always get like that sometimes so I know what it means when I smell it! Ah, sometimes I smell it on you too when I come back from outside, or like when we lived at the shrine and you would sneak ou-"

Hana couldn't help but raising her voice at this, "Y-you know its not what you think at all, Aunn!"

Hana lied, badly, to her dear friend that giggled, "Ah thats right Humans are all private about that stuff aren't they? That's what Nue-san told me!"

Beyond the shame from earlier Hana couldn't help but wave her hands in front of herself defensively as if it'd nullify anything she said. Aunn seemed no less out of her element as if she and Hana were talking about a recent festival, she slumped back down onto the small futon and once again Hana could feel the warmth radiating off of Aunn's body as Hana quickly covered herself up again with the now loose blanket.

Aunn smiled at Hana with a purity that Hana couldn't endure being the recipient of as a well of guilt threatened to overflow, this was all that damn gap hags fault...! Hana couldn't help but let her imagination run wild over as she could almost feel her friends body if she were to just reach out a few inches, but she reigned herself in. This was Aunn! She could never!

The innocent voice of the Komainu cut those thoughts like a knife as a trace of concern was audible, "Are you not going to continue? You should, Nue-san told me that if humans don't let it out every now and then they get sick! And you haven't smelled like that for days, I don't want you to get sick Hana!"

J-just what the hell was this Nue-san teaching her?

Hana muttered out that it was inappropriate which caused Aunn to giggle, "its okay, I've seen you do it before too; its not safe in the forest after all, so I tailed you like I used to when you were tiny!"

Hana was aghast at that casual confession given without a trace of malice or judgement, her words entirely failed her as she avoided her gaze. An idea seemed to flit across Aunn's face, "Ah, do you need help? I've seen people do mating a lot so I know they can kiss each other there and stuff!"

Hana could feel the burning in her body intensify as Aunn suggested... that...! so casually, her logical mind told her there was no way, this was Aunn, she couldn't just...

Hana cursed herself, she cursed that gap hag, she cursed whoever that Nue-san was. Her body was almost tingly in anticipation as she sat on the futon, her juban shrugged off letting the cool autumn air fight with the flush of her skin for dominance. The small nipples on her perky yet modest breasts rose and fell with the breath leaving her mouth. Aunn was oblivious to her concerns however, her familiar face sniffed at Hana's soaked crotch causing the girl to squirm as she whispered out as if someone was set to find them in the act, "Y-you don't need to sniff it!"

Aunn ignored her protest with a mere, "I like Hana's smell, so its okay!" This damn Komainu! She didn't need someone to make her even more embarrassed! Aunn let out an "Hmm... it looked like this I think...?" an uncertain tongue that Hana could barely make out in the shadow of the dim light darted from her mouth as it probed her overly excited slightly-parted slit.

Aunn licked happily and without concern for Hana's unconscious moans, despite the clumsy work of the Komainu she held in her mind as a dear sister the immorality of it all combined with the stimulation only another could provide was more than effective at building that pleasure back up. Hana couldn't help but let a hand hover over to Aunn's head, stroking it absentmindedly, "Does it feel nice Hana? You make lots of sounds when I lick here!"

Hana couldn't help but leak out affirmations as to her enjoyment as Aunn seemed intent on lightly licking the little stiff nub that caused Hana a jolt every time her hot tongue grazed over it. It was clumsy, and despite the guilt that surrounded her conscious mind she couldn't help but note that her father knew every weak spot almost supernaturally, maybe her and Aunn could...

Hana banished that thought from her mind, she'd never drag Aunn t- Oh that spot! it may have been just a peck on that sensitive spot but the subsequent lick as Aunn seemed determined to clean up any of Hana's lust drove her wild, Hana was just sane enough to be gentle as she took a lock of Aunn's hair in her hand. The other hand worked her own stiffened nipple picking up the slack from Yukari's teasing from earlier. The pleasure was hitting the ceiling now, Hana called out to her, 'more... harder... there... a little more...!' Aunn did her best with abundant eagerness to please Hana.

Hana's voice became a mess until with a rush she reached the peak of her pleasure, her thighs gripped Hana's cheeks and she pressed her face into her steaming crotch as the heat and smell of her tryst invaded her mind fully. She could think of nothing but the wet pleasure as Aunn continued to lick her while the powerful surge of convulsions shook her body after having not been released for way too long.

By the time Hana regained her composure Aunn's nurturing licks had grown lighter as she seemed intent on cleaning her up like her nectar was the most delicious thing in the world. The licks were light enough to not cause her discomfort as her sensitivity was through the roof, was this something else she learned or coincidence? The answer was unimportant, she supposed.

Aunn wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her juban as she wiggled up into a sitting position, the heat in Hana was dying down by now but something in seeing Aunn so happy in serving her made her wish for something more... A thing that she dashed in her mind as she regained some concious control over her raging desire.

Crawling over her Aunn hugged her, giving her a big kiss as she spoke excitedly like the time Hana had first successfully flew with her to the village on errand, "did you like it? was I good? I wanted to try it a lot since everyone made it seem so fun! it was super fun for me, did you have fun?!"

Once again Hana thought that if Aunn had a tail it would've kicked up a storm so intense it could bust down the walls of her home. The warmth of Aunn heated Hana in more ways than one as she panted lightly still in recovery from the intense orgasm she just weathered. Returning the hug Hana nodded, "Yeah, it felt great..." A sloppy smile surfaced onto Hana's face as she pet the Komainu on her back causing Aunn to snuggle in with an elated expression on her face, it was like watching the joy of a praised child.

Hana felt the guilt rise higher and higher as she Aunn yipped and yapped about how she wanted to try it again soon and that next time they could do it before they bathe so they wouldn't make a mess. Yet, above that guilt there was another emotion, one that guided her like a beacon in the dark... A burning flame of passion that drew her in as idea after idea of using Aunn like a toy for her satisfaction surfaced without end.

Surely she wouldn't mind if Hana let a bit loose in her lust? Within reason of course, even if Aunn seemed to enjoy it she shouldn't be a pest about it... With a smouldering smile on her face Hana asked Aunn a casual sounding question, "Say, do you wanna fell good too?"

// Rikako/Tene 1-3

"Lemonade, cold and ready! G-Get it before my arm falls off. Please?" Rikako Asakura announced in an rather awkward tone. Clearly not very used to trying to bring attention to herself.

Rikako was never really a "social" person. Besides grocery shopping for lab ingredients and that one time she entered a contest (and then lost), she never felt like ever really leaving her house and laboratory.

I mean, why should she? No real friends, no social life she needed to maintain, never really needed more money or food then what she currently had at the moment. For all intents and purposes she was basically a NEET for nearly her entire life. Hell, maybe it was possibly better this way. Beats getting weird glares and questions like "So if you're so good with
magic, why are you dressed like that?" ad nauseam everytime you go outside. It's hard being a facts and logic girl in a fantasy world sometimes.

However, as of recent months, there's been something happening in the Human Village that admittedly has her curiosity peaked. It was called the "Hakurei Shrine Experience". Now while Rikako didn't really care for sexual intercourse & reproduction all that much (or was "Asexual" as the hip, weirder younglings in the village seemed to like calling it), she was very VERY much interested in data and statistics, and this place supplied that tenfold. From Humans and Tengu to literal gods, this place seemed to have nearly all of Gensokyo in it's grasp.

She almost needed a new page in her notebook every hour due to her filling them up so quickly with all recognizable faces that would show up. "But why?" she wondered. Were there political motives, or did the land of Human and Youkai just enjoy mating THAT much? Perhaps there's undertones of propaganda hidden in-

"Thank you, come again!" Lemontene exclaimed, Joyful and without a single thought in the world.

Oh, that's right! She was supposed to be helping host a beverage stand. Aside from valuable information, Rikako was also admittedly lower on money the past couple months then she preferred to be, so she decided to capitalize on the Hakurei Shrine Experience's sudden popularity spike. How? By opening a concession stand nearly right next to the bloody thing, of course! It completely worked, too. Who knew dumping year-old chemicals from the back of your fridge into normal drinks and advertising it as "special one of a kind flavors" were so attractive to thirsty people in line for sex?

...Okay, It's not very morally okay nor legal but it's not like there's anyone to stop the two of them. With Reimu looking to be out of the picture and everyone else glued to the attraction, the only sort of authority even possibly left to stop them are a School Teacher & The Local Town Princess who has a few screws loose in her head that make her think she's also a qualified police officer.

...

Oh yeah, It's not just her here either! That fairy named "Lemontene" wasn't even meant to be here at first. But she somehow found this place during the few first hours it opened and hasn't left since. Normally being seen hanging out with a stupid fairy is equivalent to social suicide here in the human village but Rikako doesn't have a social life in the first place so there's not really much else she can lose in that department.

plus she's helping for free and is clearly passonate about her new job so it's not THAT bad. I mean "lemon" is in her name for pete's sake, she's obviously gonna be skilled with juicy fruits. But Rikako does have to wonder: "Where on earth did this one come from?". must be a newer fairy since this is the first time she's seen the 'tene in-person, but even then it's odd. Was there seriously some type of Lemontree with enough power to justify it's own fairy? Lemons aren't even that popular in Gensokyo last she checked.

It doesn't help that the only noteable background information the bugger's given so far is that she is the little sister to a greater fairy, but I don't think that's even possible via Magic. Becuase wouldn't that then mean that every... fairy is... tehcnically rlelated....... toe....

"Good grief. All this thinking is giving me a migraine." Rikako muttered to herself. "Hey, Lemongirl."

"It's tene! Lemontene!"

"Lemonlime, would you mind taking over for a couple of minutes? I really need to use the lavatorium."

"Oh sure, sure! I'd love to!" Lemontene scrempt with the most gleeful look ever before shifting to confusion.

"...what's a lavaltoryum?"

"You know, a washroom."

"..."

"Bathroom?"

"OOOOOOH! Okay! I never knew there were so many different pronunciations for Bathroom. I just learnt something new today!"

"And you'll forget it in 5 minutes." Rikako said under her breath whilst leaving the booth.

// Seija/Goro 8-11

The echoing of thunder woke me from a dreamless sleep.
Quiet rain pitter-pattered outside the hospital room with the only other sound being the sleeping Amanojaku I shared a room with and the beeping machine beside her.
I got up from the bed and lurched over to her. Eirin told me her sleep was medically induced and that she’d awake sometime soon.
She looked so peaceful like this, almost like a corpse if it wasn’t for the slow rising and falling of her chest, so unlike the spirited individual who bashed me around, almost to death, lecturing me about this or that.
I reached over and slid my hand into her robe, felt her right breast and searched, no luck. Trying the left breast, I press and search again, finding a tiny heartbeat. You’d think an Amanojaku wouldn’t have a heart or at the very least the position would be flipped.
For a while I stayed like that, measuring her heartbeat, feeling it fall in synch with my own. All the while in my left hand, the one she inverted, I held a scalpel, taken from a medical cart when the Inaba were distracted with something or another.
Legends mention all sorts of ways Youkai can only be dispatched with specific tools or chants, but I believe it’s all to do with effort and belief. A method must be suitably difficult to accomplish so one believes it’ll slay the Youkai and a human must be the one to complete the effort.
I knew she would die if I plunged this knife into her weakened heart.
Maybe only good things would happen. Seija attacked humans, how many had she killed up to this point? And it wasn’t just humans, Youkai hated her just as much and perhaps some had even disappeared because of her efforts. Meanwhile, not a few feet from her I sleep, knowing she very well might rise from her bed and finish the job, I could wake up with my body completely inverted as a disgusting bone portrait of a human with her cackling in my ear.
But instead, I decide to put the knife down. I wasn’t that short sighted. Someone would just fill the Seija-shaped hole in the world and who’s to say that I, the perpetrator, wouldn’t inherit her title?
I broker deals to get what I want. Murder just reduced the number of future clients.
This little act was just a flight of fancy, but I think it’s important to let yourself become your enemy every once in a while. It reaffirms who you are.
I think this while holding Seija’s heart in my hand.
“Hey jagoff wake up!” I hear a voice say.
Maybe if I roll over, it’ll go away.
“Think I can’t tell your awake? Take this!” She yells, tossing a tissue box at me that clatters to the floor.
“Come on! If I run out of things to throw, I’ll just crawl over and drag you out myself!” She continues, sounding a little more horse this time.
A metal tray lands at my side, a ceramic plat shatters on the floor, the divider curtain falls over.
“Alright, alright I’m awake.” I say, surrendering to her persistence.
Seija looks pathetic. Barely able to hold herself up on the bed, bags under her eyes, and a scowl like a wolf.
“I need you to take me to the toilet.” She states.
“Ask the Inaba, they’ll…” I begin but looking toward the door I see several of them hiding behind it, mouthing something.
SHE. HAS. A. KNIFE.
Must be that scalpel I left on her counter; in hindsight I should’ve hidden it.
“I’m not trusting those loose Inaba woman to violate me anymore than they already have. There’s a wheelchair by the door.” She points.
I exhale and like an old man, slowly take myself out of bed, shamble over to the folded-up metal contraption by the door, unfold it, and place it beside Seija. She struggles with the sheets trying to pull wiggle and bend their way out of them in her fatigue and tries to reach over to the wheelchair, like a child pointing at something they want.
I let her squirm; she’d probably barked if I tried to help.
“A little help? Your bedside manner sucks worse then the Inaba.” She snarls, putting her arms out toward me.
I slowly bend over and put one arm around her waist and support her legs with the other, then I move my big angry sack to the wheelchair.
“Took you long enough.” She complains, pulling off a blanket from the bed and putting it over her lap.
“Now march.” She commands.
Eientei was busy. Under the Autumn sky there were piles of mulch, beams of lumber, and all manner of nurses and workers walking in different directions. There didn’t seem to be any foremen for the Inaba’s operations or at least, none that I could identify as we traveled through the breezeway, instead the rabbits seemed to organize themselves into units all with their own specialized-looking tools. One could imagine this was the work of Riesen or Eirin and their strange way of doing things, although it looked like the rabbits were just playing with their cliques of friends.
If Seija had any comment on the matter, she didn’t say it out loud. In fact, the oni didn’t say anything until we arrived at the toilet with the directions the Inaba nurse gave me. She only gave me a look that said ‘don’t you dare peep or I’ll kill you’ before she let herself inside.
She took her time. I guess asking for help of bed was one thing and being to manage yourself in the lady’s room was another. Eventually, Seija rolled out, but stopped me as I started back to our room.
“Take the long way around fool.” She commanded.
“Why?” I asked, a little fed up with these orders. Although she did have a knife…
“Because I want to be away from perverted nurse bunnies and stuffy hospital rooms for a bit longer.” She said, shaking her head at me.
Spending those waking hours cooped up in a hospital room did make a little stroll sound good, if only I could enjoy it without an amanojaku.
I relent for the third or fourth time that day and go left instead of a right. We take in the sights of the bamboo forest for awhile longer before I feel a tug at my sleeve.
“Stop here. There’s less bunnies around and help me down while you’re at it, I want to sit on the porch.”
Again, I help my angry sack of potatoes from one point to another and am surprised when she pats the space beside her.
“Sit.” She commands.
As I do, she throws her blanket around both our shoulders and huddles closely to me. She’s close enough that I can smell the fruity fragrances of her hair. Some kind of Inaba shampoo? It wasn’t bad. Wonder if they’d let me sell their recipe.
“Don’t get any ideas. It’s cold as hell out here, I can barely speak, and I don’t want that old hag, stupid slutty bunny, or any of the small pink ones overhearing this.” She growls in hushed tones, noticing my surprise.
“Are you going to shank me with that scalpel?” I earnestly ask.
“Are you gonna grope me again like last night? Damned pervert.” She replies.
“The staff’s betting were lovers or something. I just kept up the illusion” I shrug.
Her eyes narrow.
“Okay, okay, maybe I was wondering if Amanojaku had a heart for situations where it might be pertinent to my wellbeing.” Like right now.
“Shove it. A full staff of lewd bunnies and you go after the comatose girl. Grow a pair and molest the ones who can fight back for once you coward.” She scolded.
“Right right, noted, now if you can answer some questions-“ I begin
“Nah-uh-uh. Were doing this on my terms mister Goro ‘the deal vulture’. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen when it’s good and time.”
Great. I love it when the client completely dominates the conversation. The Hell Gangs loved pulling this same stunt as a macho power play and it was equally useless for them. If somebody wants to mess with gang stuff a few suites and overly rigid manners isn’t going to stop them, but you know what might? One sociable person that can read the customers tells. Although I guess that’s why they call them ‘the muscle’ and not ‘the mouth’ or ‘the brains`. Augh, this was all bringing up bad memories.
Besides, it’s not like there was some fatigued woman clinging to me in those situations, which wasn’t completely disagreeable. Maybe Seija had more tact than I thought? Time to test the waters a bit.
I reach out my arm and, slipping it under the blanket behind her, navigate it up to her petite shoulder and it lands.
I can feel her head moving against my chest to shoot me a look, but I’m not looking at her, instead I’m looking over her shoulder to where the breezeway bends around the building, where I see two nurses poking their heads around.
“Just seeing if you were right about us being spyed on.” I whispered. “There are two of them, probably not within ear shot.”
“That doesn’t excuse your disgusting hand.” She sneered.
“Here’s the deal: You need me alive for those pills of yours and I need you alive for my own business. For the next month or whatever I’m not letting you out of my sight and you can play house or whatever minutia ass kissers get up to in the off-season. Get all that?” She explained.
So, she also knew about the pills. Wonder how much more she overheard while comatose. Was that a Youkai ability?
“Can’t do it. I’ve got too much important stuff going on before the winter solstice.” I reply.
“Yeah, you definitely got the whole World resting on your shoulders it’d all come crumbling down if it wasn’t for you!” She said, with as much sparkle in her expression as she could manage.
“Get a grip fool. That bag of bones Eirin and whatever cadre you’re working with now is playing you. She’s not sending one of her own because she wants plausible deniability, you’re just a disposable napkin for Yukari to wipe her nose on.”
“How’re you-“ I begin
“Nope. Not a question out of you Napkin-kun. But I know what you’re thinking ‘how am I: Seija Kijin, going to spend all my time watching your boring ass’ well I’m glad you asked cause…” She starts.
I wait. And wait. And admire the bamboo shoots coming out of the ground. Oh, there’s a bud over there, wonder if the staff would let me dig it out and take it home for dinner?
“Eghhh…” Seija moaned, knocking her body against me. “Being stuck in this hospital’s bad enough but stewing in a human hovel for so long?” she thinks aloud.
“Alright. Forget everything you heard. New Deal: I’m gonna follow you on all your boot-licking sessions and play spy missions and if it gets boring, I’ll flip it to something fun. In exchange you can pay me three large meals a day, give me lodging, and let me have some pocket money, oh, you also gotta follow me on my stuff, can’t have you getting mauled whenever I turn a blind eye.” She explains.
What a pain. I basically have to stay close to this woman all hours of the day, feed her, shelter her, take her with me on business that she’ll ruin if it’s not her kind of ‘fun’, and I also have to go around with her. Is this what marriage would be like? A spoiled, grumpy little sister who demands everything beat to her own drum?
That last bit about following her on whatever she does didn’t sound half-bad though. I could probably find some clues on who sic’d her on me and having more info on the business of a Youkai was always useful. Plus, who knows what I could throw her at if things got hectic, turn this whole ordeal into another 1% advantage against Yukari.
“Deal.” I tell her.
For a moment her tired eyes look surprised. “Guess you’ll get along with anyone who pulls your leash.”
“All that was a small price to pay for getting you out of my hair.” I say in a friendly and sardonic tone.
“Hey hey hey! I’m the one who brought you here after you took a chunk outta my neck!” She said, pointing to her bandage.
“It’s not my fault you couldn’t keep you hands off me and got poisoned as a result. Serves you right! Oh, if this thing leaves a scar when this is all over, I’m gonna bury you.”
“I thought you liked human bite marks.”
“Look how good you are at remembering things about me.” She said, rolling her eyes. “You wouldn’t stroll around the village with a big hickey, would you? Everyone’s going to ohh and ahh, like ‘Seija ain’t so bad if she let’s a human tear her neck out, lets ask her out’, seriously it’ll be so bothersome. In fact, let me see here…” She says, reaching for my neck.
“Ah, it’s there, a buncha little scars where I sunk my teeth into yer neck! You’re gonna look like such a chump at your little get togethers now!” She said, grinning through the same sharp teeth that did the deed.
“What’s the difference? It still reflects poorly on you to.” I ask.
“The difference is you gotta explain it, while I can just lie about it since any weak Youkai could’ve done it.” She said, waving her hand dismissively.
“Now stow it and let me get some sleep. I want to get out of here as soon as possible and there’s no way I’m gonna manage that in the stuffy room they had us in.” She said, pulling most of the blanket to herself and swaddling herself closer to me.
I look over to the rabbit nurses who merely waved their hands in a way that said ‘don’t mind us, take your time!’

// Momiji 3

I can't feel my legs, and my stomach feels the fullest it has ever been… But at least my mind is cleared from the heat—took only three hours, a lot of Eientei meds, and unfathomable amounts of sex. I groan, beet-red, carrying Anon in my arms like a bride—I don't doubt he had orgies with many more women before, but one tengu in heat is equivalent to twenty women, human and youkai! No wonder we are the best race—and, although my cloudy mind wasn't merciful when it came to coitus, at least I can find pride in not having harmed him beyond the usual love bite and scratch marks—

Ouch… My legs almost fail as I carry him inside, and I groan again, leaving him on the futon to go take a bath before leaving—I still have one hour left in my package, so it wouldn't hurt to waste it here, so he can properly rest, right? Sometimes he's just so tired… I look at his sleeping face—a bit red when glancing down to his dick, but I easily get my act together—and smile, "Thanks for your help!" I whisper, kissing his cheek and covering him with the blanket.

Now, to take a bath… And find some clothes for me.
—
I've been inside for four hours, but when I leave, only one has passed. Always freaky.

The moment I pass by the door, the manager is there—she scans me up and down, raising an eyebrow with the lack of Hakurei Miko uniform, rather one of Anon's juban, hardly making its job as clothing and covering my precious parts; "Feeling better, I see." I nod, even though it wasn't a question—the yamawaro smiles, and that can only mean terrible stuff. "When you use him again, try not to trigger all violence alarms inside the control room, please? We almost got in with horse tranquilizers if it wasn't for Anon sending a purple signal."

My blush deepens, ears and tail dropping. The way we keep track of activity inside is both with sensors and a magic stone Anon carries. If the sensor picks up 'violence' and Anon doesn't send a purple signal—"All okay, customer likes it rough"—we go and do our jobs. Just thinking about the embarrassment if Anon hadn't been fast enough and sent the signal, gee…

"Sorry…" I say, but something catches my attention. "Use him again? I don't intend to go in for sex again."

"That's what everyone says." Probably feeling like she had wasted enough of her time, the manager turns. "Also, don't forget to pay me back within a week—I'm charging compound interest." And the yamawaro leaves, likely to go boss someone around or whatever her race likes to do.

Though… what the hell is a compound interest?
—
A week passes. I'm inside the fake shrine again, wearing another Miko uniform… Someday, I'll kill that yamawaro.

Anon awaits by the donation box again, smiling smugly—two fuming teacups on a tray by his side and the smoldering smell of stew in the air. "Your heat went by fast." I walk up to him, beet-red face and bopping tail contradicting my tension.

"It was a mistake—and, well… sorry for my conduct!" I stop in front of him and bow deeply, his eyes bulging. "It was unbecoming of me, a tengu warrior, to lose my composure like that! I demanded too much of you and might've seriously harmed you if I wasn't—"

He's laughing. I raise my wide eyes, staring at the cackling man. It takes almost five whole seconds before he manages to say, "Why are you so serious about this? It's not like you were in your right mind—taking from what Yamashiro-san told me, you got 'drugged', right?" There was an… understanding in those last words, and his smile grew when I nodded. "Don't worry about that. I'm glad I could help—here." He offers me one of the teacups, tapping on the blanket he's sat on.

Red, I take the tea and sit by him, watching the torii gate together and enjoying the cool breeze. The tea, nicely done, drives away the cold…

"… But damn, ripping all my clothes and having wild sex for three hours in the forest? That was excitingly new." He jokes, and my embarrassment rises like a rocket.

"I already said it was a mista—" He's laughing again, and I freeze when one of his hands taps on the top of my head.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Sorry for that, dear—"

"Not ‘dear’, please—not after the forest sex…" I groan, drinking more of the tea, and Anon is still laughing, his head-patting an even greater way to kill the cold weather. "… I just hope this never gets known. It wasn't my most prideful moment—it'd be dishonoring to Tenma-sama's honor."

"Yeah, you're a tengu warrior—do you have stories to tell?" My ears stand straight up, and my tail wags fervently, a smile taking over.

"Ah, the many stories I have about my feats~" I drank the rest of the tea, and Anon promptly refilled my cup, a shine in his eyes. "Where to begin from… Ah, I know—"

The next few hours are nice conversation and food, a much nicer time now that my senses are not clouded by the hormones of six weeks of mating cycle.

… Though, I can't shake this weird, looming feeling that I've messed up big time.

Just hope this never leaves these walls.

// Okina 3

A vein twitched on Okina’s forehead as Aunn finished giving her report. She had been fine with Marisa’s and the young Hakurei’s outing with Aunn; they weren’t planning on doing anything, even if they were foolish. But this was a step too far on the hakurei’s fault. Aunn may be willing, and while she wasn’t exactly a child, Okina didn’t like it when people took things that were hers.

“Aunn,” Okina said as the aura of killing intent radiated from her, causing Aunn to wilt in her presence. “Y-y-yes?” Aunn said, voice quieting to a whisper as she backed away from the goddess’s stone chair.

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you,” Okina said, smiling with her eyes closed and using a motherly but commanding tone she’d only ever had to use with Kokoro before. “I just want to know who told you about these things,” Okina said, clapping her hands together as her eyes opened so slightly as to be nearly indiscernible, but Aunn could still feel the goddess’s gaze.

“Nue-san, Ma’am,” Aunn said, frightened as she stood stock still, frozen like a deer in the headlights. “Come over here, please,” Okina commanded, patting her lap.

Aunn walked towards her creator warily, feeling like one misstep might cost her, but as she approached the base of her master’s chair, Okina grabbed her by the armpits, foisting her onto Okina’s lap and into a hug. “It’s okay, Aunn. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Okina said as her arms wrapped around the Komainu, one hand patting her back, the other petting her long green hair. “I’m sorry for frightening you,” Okina said softly.

“Now,” Okina said, getting up from her chair, “I’m going to have to visit somebody now.” She said, putting Aunn back down on the floor. “Please wait patiently for my return, “Also, that thing you did with Hana, you’re not allowed to do it until after we talk about something. I’ll see you in a bit, dear.” She finished saying as she disappeared into a backdoor that appeared in front of her.
Left standing in the black and technicolor door-filled throne room of Okina, Aunn didn’t understand why Okina was so mad or what was happening, but she didn’t want to disobey Okina, so she just shook her head in affirmation as the secret goddess left.

--

Nue may have been a kind youkai once feared by the whole of Japan, but her undefined ability was weak to Okina’s status as a god of secrets. She was on a poorly maintained spot in the barrier where business with outsiders was conducted.

Nue was talking to a pair of humans from the outside world coming to peddle their wares on the border of fantasy when a back door appeared before her, “Hah!” Nue gasped,summoning her unidentified pitchfork and stepping backward as the door flung open at her, revealing a black void.

Nue stood there, frozen, as she heard the smuggler scramble away from the door and the killing intent radiating from it.

Slowly, she could hear footsteps from the darkness, ‘Okina,’ her mind distantly registered as the goddess's figure came into view. Nue tried to scramble backwards, firing off danmaku towards the distant figure. Pressing her hands together she spoke “[Unidentified Ha-“

The distant figure of the goddess disappeared, and Nue felt a hand clench around her neck. “Hello Nue.” Okina said, chuckling, “You know, a friend of ours told me some interesting things about you.” Her grip tightened.

“Let me tell you this: I don’t care what you do here; none of us have ever cared, but the second you come near one of my girls again.” Okina’s other hand came from Nue’s back to touch her abdomen. “It’s not my life that” will be on the line,” Okina said, dropping the near-suffocated Nue into a backdoor.

It Would be a shame if any complications arose from her attack. Hopefully, she’ll prove a lovingr. Okina smiled maliciously at the thought.

--

“So?” Aunn said, still confused, “But I like Hana, right? So it’s fine.” She asked.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Okina sighed, “but I Won’t stop you from doing what you feel like, except for visiting the Hakurei Shrine Experience. I don’t care how much Hana asks you or if you want to see Anon,” Okina commanded, although she said it like a suggestion. “I wouldn’t be happy with seeing you captured by Yukari, and it’s socially unacceptable to force yourself on somebody,” Okina said, nodding.

“Am I allowed to talk about this with Hana?” Aunn asked pensively, facing the floor with a bowed and somewhat ashamed expression.

“You can’t explain everything. Yukari keeps too tight of a leash on the Hakurei, but yes, I Trust you’ll use what discussion you feel is necessary.” Okina decided she’d need to have ‘The Talk’ with her other girls, just in case. Although she doubted either Nazrin or Chisazu would need it.

// Aya 28

Refusing to be left behind, Toutetsu barged into the conversation: “Alright, that’s enough out of you two! I’m done being a spy. It doesn’t suit me, and this girl here will do a far better job of it, even if she’s saying some stupid things right now. Take this damn thing off me and give it to her already.”

Reclining in her throne, Okina’s presence began to manifest itself. The same power Aya felt during their duels. “My my, Toutetsu. Can’t you let a woman have fun in these stressful times?” Without moving a finger, magic swelled around the goddess and the taotie. Satono and Mai simply continued their routine as a myriad of colors, unseen in the natural world, refracted through the water. The lights enveloped Toutetsu completely while she stood there, bored and annoyed. In an instant, the energy vanished. No trace of it could be felt.

“Really? For a Hidden God, you really like showing off.” Turning towards a far-off door, Toutetsu simply slung her giant spork over her shoulders and sauntered off. “Welp, I gotta go help Ranni out with something. I guess I’ll see ‘ya later.” She only saw the back of her head, but Aya could imagine the biggest grin on the Gouyoku boss’ face.

Okina returned her attention to the tengu standing in front of her. Now that she was alone, Aya had to trust her instincts to carry her through the rest of her interview. “Don’t think that just because I removed Yuuma’s backdoor I would hand it over easily. Why should I allow a youkai like you to serve me?” Her eyes narrowed as she prepared to unravel her every word.

“The tengu are enemies to both of us: They took away everything I worked for and partnered with someone who’s doing terrible things. Since you’ve been interested in taking them down, wouldn’t having an inside man, motivated by revenge and betrayal be helpful?” Don’t think about Yukari. Focus on the tengu! “The rumors of the wind are our first real line of defense. Combined with your control over secrets, crippling the tengu would be child’s play!”

“Eh.” Okina was unimpressed, beginning to pet the distressed rat at her feet. “I can pluck rumors from the wind whenever I feel like it, assuming there’s anything worth plucking from it in the first place. Don’t bore me with the pitiful feats of a tengu. What are you, Aya Shameimaru, worth to me?” As the goddess’ golden eyes glistened, the tengu was forced to rack her brain for something easy to reveal, yet unique…

“I don’t need to tell you, I can show you!” Perking up, Aya pulled a collection of photos from her bag. Approaching the goddess’ throne, Aya leafed through to find what she was looking for: The red-white miko’s defeat.

“So? It’s no secret the Hakurei miko is easily tricked, especially now. Even her intuition cannot save her from her own mistakes anymore.” Taking the album herself, Okina sifted through a collection of miscellaneous photos until she came to blonde girl dressed in red and white. “And who’s this supposed to be?”

Aya looked closer at the photo before she could recognize the person’s face. “Oh, that’s Alice leaving the HSE.” Turning towards Okina’s face, the tengu noticed intrigue, wonder… desire?

The goddess muttered under her breath: “So she’s been hiding a figure like that under that dress, huh? And that contrast between her eyes and that dress… still so innocent” If the tengu’s ears weren’t deceiving her, the goddess’ breath had gotten heavy.
Slamming the album shut, Okina grasped the tengu by her shoulders and turned her around. Slipping one hand underneath her shirt, Aya immediately felt a rush of magic coursing through her back. It was similar to the power of the seasons, but controlled. She also felt a hand caress the back of her collarbone, causing the tengu to let out a squawk. “Hey! What was that for?!”

Ignoring her question, Okina pushed her back from the throne and began in a booming voice: “Aya Shameimaru, I have found your deeds worthy for entering my service. You will aid me in destroying the wretched tengu society and unraveling Yukari’s anomaly!” Aya could do without all of the “I”s and “Me”s, but her goal was accomplished. Yukari stole her life. With Okina on her back, Aya could at least take back her mountain.

“Thank you, Matarajin! Oh, before I go, when are you going to to watch me?”

“I will see everything you see, my servant.” That was expected, but maybe it didn’t have to be that much…

“If I give you more photos of girls in the Reimu get-up, can you watch me a little less?” The goddess shut her eyes and held her face in her hands. Damnit, did she offend her?

“...That will be determined.” Her mission accomplished, Aya left the Land of the Backdoors for the Youkai Mountains. It was time to rest. Finding a poor girl to exploit would have to wait for the morning.

// Ran/Chen 25

Yukari left five minutes ago, mumbling about her busy life and that she had no more time to spare with an 'absentminded shikigami'. I barely heard any of her words, so focused on handling the pain, slowly getting up from the floor, gasping for air, sweating. I click my tongue with the small pool of blood formed beneath me; I should clean it, Chen might find it by accident… Yeah.

Rather than cleaning it like usual, I gapped the blood away, the otherwise minimal effort of using Yukari's power now burning my veins like acid. Breathed in and out, using the counter as support… I looked at the cut-out unbaked cookies, a rogue tear escaping me—it's Sunday, and we were planning something nice for Chen: cookies from me and outside food from Anon… Anon…

Another gap opens, and my nails sink into the wood of the counter, a cry contained, before I step through the gap and to the genkan of the fake Hakurei Shrine, making sure to take off my shoes—oh, they're dirty with blood too—then, my face is lifted by two strong hands, and Anon's eyes gleam with despair, and he looks hopeless. My ears wiggle, but his words are muffled.

My vision blurs and skips moments—he looked at my back? He's crying?—and then his arms envelop me, and the pain fades alongside consciousness.

I have dreams of echoes, of lights, of smiles, and a life—no matter how fleeting—of utter happiness…

Consciousness rushes back, and it's like a hangover made of pain. My back burns, and all of my muscles seem to be stretched out. My cheek is on the pillow, and it hurts trying to roll over or get up. A hand falls on my hair, his voice clear; "Ran? Thank God… Does it hurt too much anywhere? I stitched your wounds and used all of Eientei's ointments I had, and… was it Yukari? She did this to you—no, no, forget that, don't answer it—why such cruelty…?" His voice is panicked, and I can't see much of his frame with my face on the pillow, but his body language looks tense, and he rambles on and on, and I think it's the first time in months I see him cry…

I don't feel traces of Yukari's old magic in the air. Does she not want to see the aftermath of her abuse? Or she simply does not care?

I catch his hand on mine, test my tails, and, when deeming it not too demanding, use them to bring his body closer. His arms envelop my neck with intoxicating love, his hands hold me for dear life, and his mouth on my scalp whispers prayers of gratitude to whatever God he believes in.

"I don't want to lose you…" He mumbles, and I finally gather enough strength to turn my neck and look at him, a hand on my cheek. His eyes sparkle, and although there's immense fear there—anxiety in equal measure—there's also something… warm.

I latch onto the warm feeling, a tail clasping his other hand, and I smile at him, saying:

"… I prefer when you smile."

His grip on my cheek tightens as he, apparently, can't resist smiling too before looking up and clenching his teeth, a great deal of stress in his neck as he deeply breathed in and breathed out, a weird gesture whose meaning I cannot fathom—was it such powerful relief? A nightmare not come true?

Whatever it was made his arms feel like an unbreakable shield—and when his neck bent forward and our foreheads gently touched, even though my body was harmed and my mind weary, my promises to get him out of this nightmare, to bring him happiness; rang louder and truer.

Then, contact happened—I don't know who started or if we did it at the same time, but it was happening, and it was sweet, simple, and easy, all nested in a multitude of rushing feelings I was too dazed to comprehend.

The kiss lasted a moment; the next also a moment; the one after that just one moment too. A collection of a lot of moments in each other's arms, coupled with small giggles in between and salty water—
Ouch—if only kisses could heal…

"Sorry!" Immediately reacting to my pain, he laid me back on the futon with care, checking my back for any broken stitches or loose bandages. I should've used the moments to think about what just happened, but I was too enthralled by this feeling of pure… bliss. "Gee… It all looks good—my first aid is really just a patch-up, you should go to Eientei and have this looked upon—do you think you can get up and use your gaps, Ran?"

"Yes." Yet, I don't move.

"… But you're not gonna do that now, will you?" I nod positively. He laughs, and, oh, he’s blushing. "Why not?"

"Hold me…" I can resist the pain, and his first aid should last just ten more indulgent minutes, right? "10 minutes?"

"10 minutes, then straight to Eientei, okay?" I nod, he nods back, and, taking a minute or two to clean the area from dirty rags, needles, empty bottles of meds, and a mortar and pestle, he soon slides beneath the blankets, being infuriatingly careful not to disturb my wounds to the point I have to pull him to me with my tails.

He laughs, and I cuddle in his broad chest, his robust arms wrapping around me.

This place right here…

… Home.

// Hata no Kokoro 1-3

Kokoro sighed as she walked up the mountain, her ‘mother’s’ unreasonable requests aside. Kokoro’s mood had been terrible lately with the increasing tension in the (You)- Human village. It was hard to remember that with all the other Youkai around, how were her shows supposed to attract viewers when the novelty of her being a Youkai ran out. Not to mention all of the arousal and conflicting emotions in the air. The only good thing about that was that it warded her ‘father,’ Miko, away.

Unfortunately she had visited her earlier; Miko hadn’t had anything interesting to say, and the less time she spent in the spirit mausoleum, the better. Just who did miko think she was? Kokoro, there were only so many times she could tolerate being told to cease existence by wearing one of Miko’s shitty masks not good enough for her Noh.

The trip to the underground was never pleasant; the path was poorly maintained, up a steep portion of youkai mountain, and she didn’t want to fly and get into unnecessary fight like everybody else seemed to want to. And the underworld youkai universally possessed troublesome personalities. That’s why she preferred to have Koishi visit her rather than attempting and failing to find her amongst the troublesome youkai of former hell. Although she didn’t totally dislike it, the hot springs were lovely, even if the Oni were always so rowdy.

Luckily, she’d at the very least get to see Koishi, and her brooding had made the time go by faster, sighing sh-

Kokoro dodged to the side as a spear of ice embedded itself into the earth where she was previously, flinching as another icy spear came from another angle. Kokoro rolled as she summoned a set of blue flame familiars and prepared a wave of danmaku.

“Hi Kokoro!” Cirno said from behind her as an icy spear tip pressed against Kokoro’s cheek. “Watcha’ doin’,” Cirno asked with a smile and a childlike amusement as she threatened the mask youkai with her own set of geometric ice familiars orbiting her alongside several rice-shaped danmaku.

Kokoro stiffened. Her familiars straightened to a candle shape, and her surprised mask shifted to a worried one. Usually, she wouldn’t have paid the fairy any mind. Kokoro could go head to toe with Byakuren and Miko, making her a powerful but unaffiliated party in Gensokyo. But this was odd. Cirno shouldn’t be able to get the drop on her like this. ‘Is this another incident?’ Kokoro questioned if this was she didn’t want to mention Okina, the mastermind behind Cirno might be Yukari or someone worse.

“I’m just going to see Koishi,” Kokoro said, her mask displaying a half-guilty, half-honest expression.

“Oh, okay,” Cirno said with a smile. “I’m looking for suspicious people. Mind if I join you.” Cirno said carelessly, removing her spear from Kokoro’s cheek and spinning it in her hand alongside her danamku, like some form of coordinated dance.

Kokoro’s mask changed to a suspicious-looking one, ‘why does that seem so familiar? But besides that, I can’t refuse her without seeming suspicious. Even if I kill her, she can just come back and report to any mastermind she’s working for.’ Kokoro thought.

Kokoro’s mask was replaced with a thinking expression. ‘But, what if... I can complete both objectives. I’ll let Cirno come with me and figure out what’s wrong with her, and I can find Koishi for Okina.’

Kokoro nodded, dismissing her blue flame familiars. “Then let’s go.” she said, heading towards the cave entrance. She could hear Cirno giggling from behind her as she also dismissed her familiars. Fairies’ childish attitudes could make them unsettling sometimes.

‘Koishi and her sister aren’t the only ones capable of playing detective,’ she thought as her mask shifted to a determined one.

Cirno could only give her a suspicious side-eye as they descended into the cavern below. Kokoro was obviously wary, standing still for a minute as her mask flashed into different expressions, but when wasn’t she doing that? Besides, while she knew Koishi, there wasn’t any other proof of her working for Orin. Wasn’t the mouse, or was it the rat who was curious about her Koishi anyway? ‘Two birds, one stone.’ Cirno thought wryly as she spun her spear.

---

Luckily for them, a powerful youkai like Kokoro and a strangely strong fairy like Cirno warded off more predators than they attracted, with them only catching a passing glance of the spiders as they scuttled away into the darkness of the caverns.

The silence was only broken by Cirno as she twirled her icicle spear and would occasionally tap it against a nearby surface in a rhythm Kokoro could swear she remembered.

But their trip didn’t stay uneventful for long. As they reached the bridge to former hell, a certain less than unfamiliar blonde-haired and green-eyed Youkai laid eyes on the ice fairy Kokoro had accompanying her.

They could hear and smell Old Hell before they could see it. The partying was constant, and it echoed throughout the caverns of the underworld, morphing into ghastly wails and screams. At the same time, the stench of alcohol, bodies, sulfur, and waste formed a foul stench one could only ignore if an oni, or sufficiently inebriated.

“You!” screamed the bridge youkai, pointing her finger at Cirno. “Do you know how much I owe those rabbits in medical bills!” Cirno tilted her head in confusion, ‘Isn’t Eienti pretty cheap?’ At the very least, she had never known Tewi to be stingy, ‘Just what had this strange youkai done.’

Of course, as Cirno was lost in thought, the green-eyed youkai continued to rant, and Kokoro stood awkwardly, not feeling threatened but also not wanting to be rude to such a distressed individual. “-And that’s why I hate people like you, always so jealous of what others have!” Cirno tried to say something when the youkai finished, only for the blonde to start again. “Maybe if you just lived for yourself for a little while instead of being such a bitch men would go out with you having to force them!” This sounded really personal to Cirno and also pretty awkward. Why do random third-rate youkai always go on these sorts of rants anyway?

Kokoro coughed politely, trying to interrupt the youkai as inoffensively as she could, only to be greeted by her own overly personal lecture from the miserable bridge youkai. “And ano-”

She was interrupted as Cirno flung an icicle spear at her. “I’ll take care of this.” Said an annoyed Cirno as her geometric ice familiars formed around her. Kokoro’s mask turned to a curious one as Cirno advanced.

“What you! [Jealousy Sign: Green-eyed Monster]” The youkai said, clapping her hands together as she sloppily formed a large dripping green familiar around her body like armor. Whatever it was, it was sloppily made, but she stank of instability and mental manipulation, although Cirno had only recently been able to smell either. At the very least, she was using danmaku. She might actually be dangerous if she attacked indirectly.

The green familiar shot forward from its master, who disappeared in its wake, ‘ah, I really hate time-out type spell cards,’ Cirno thought, ‘Luckily, I’m not playing by her rules.’

Dodging past the rippling wave of unstable Danmaku spat by the monster, Cirno wasted no time and jolted forward, ejecting four of her six familiars as she avoided her opponent’s familiar.

Hitting a set point, each of the ejected familiars shoots pillars of ice upwards and in between each other. Cirno ducked under a punch delivered by her opponent’s attack as she spewed danmaku in her direction.

Her four familiars sent a pulse of ice magic throughout the area as they fired off some stray rice-type bullets. “[Zero Sign: refrigerate]” It wasn’t a spell card meant for fighting, really, more like locating things

Finding her target, Cirno dropped her spear as she reached forward with both hands. “[Perfect Freeze],” Cirno said as she grabbed hold of the bridge youkai by the throat, freezing her. Letting the body fall onto the now-frozen bridge. The whole sequence only lasted about seven seconds, by Cirno’s own estimation. “Don’t worry, she survived the last time this happened,” Cirno said, disregarding that she only learned that a short while ago as she flew past the frozen youkai and to the crest of the bridge.

All Kokoro could do was shrug and try to avoid the accusatory glares of the now ice sculpture as they descended into the former capital of old hell. But one thought did come to mind. ‘She definitely wasn’t this strong before.’

From the top of the bridge, one could look down and see old hell, its buildings, rings, and layers, half-abandoned structures of an ancient civilization, massive unused and unmaintained torture devices, and countless bodies wadding through the sea of partying. It wasn’t entirely chaotic all the time, but it would only really calm down if the vengeful spirits started acting up or one of the former big four demanded people’s attention.

Kokoro sighed. At the very least, the main road that led to the palace of the earth spirits was relatively peaceful, with only a few dozen brawls taking place, at least from what she could see. “Let’s go,” Kokoro said resignedly as she walked downwards.

Cirno stayed at the peak for a few seconds longer. While not entirely unfamiliar with it, she had never gone with the other fairies to Old Hell, although she did buy a zombie costume from one who did. “M’kay,” she said absent-mindedly as she flew behind Kokoro, feeling lucky she had a guide.

Kokoro shuffled through the crowds of the main thoroughfare, making sure to seem as uninteresting as possible. Unlike proper youkai, the oni who while technically non-humans, weren’t ‘genetically youkai’ preferred conflict as much as possible, harassment to them was only as entertaining as the fight their opponent gave back, appearing threatening wouldn’t ward them off like it did to the surface youkai. Cirno clung to her back, as if Kokoro would disappear the second she took her eyes off of her.

They were halfway through the crowd when they were interrupted. Suddenly a nearby bar exploded outwards.

Jumping backward as the bodies of those too slow to react, wrecking, smoke and steam spewed outward from the building like a geyser, launching nearby oni and youkai against walls, into stalls. Both Cirno and Kokoro reflexively spun up familiars, Candle blue flames emitted a burst of magic, Hiding Kokoro, as Cirno’s geometric ice formed a barrier in front of herself to protect them from the blast.

Just as soon as the commotion started the previously jubilant crowd went silent as all of the oni looked onto the destroyed section of street, slowly then from a crater opposite the destroyed bar rose a small, childlike form with two deer-like horns.

“Are you that embarrassed Yuugi~” Suiks said teasingly as the air parted to reveal her form, almost no worse from wear, standing in the shallow crater. ‘Oni!’ Kokoro exclaimed in exasperation and anger as the crowd's rowdy cheering broke out in response to Suika’s emergence from the crater.

Just as she announced Yuugi Hoshiguma, the only member of the former big four who took their duties seriously walked out from the destroyed storefront. Her face red in embarrassment and anger as the building collapsed behind her.

Cirno and the cloaked Kokoro could only watch in amazement as the two Oni took a fighting stance, ready to launch themselves at each other again. “Don’t worry.” Suika started “I’ll make sure to be gentle Yuugi~,” She said in a teasing tone, eliciting more cheers from the Oni crowd, even some from the Oni emerging from the wreckage.

Yuugi grit her teeth as she stares down Suika, lacking the usual confidence and self-control she would maintain in most situations, a low growl escaping her lips as she fails to report or insult back Suika. A sign of honest aggression from an Oni if there ever was one.

“Wait!” Kokoro called, her flying form revealing itself above Cirno. All eyes turned to look at her “Uh, well..” she stammered in her monotone voice, wilting under the intense pressure sent by Suika and the rest of the Oni, ‘nothing like a human crowd’ at all she thought as she stood in the air.

“Hey, we have somewhere to be going ya’know!” Cirno said, crossing her arms as she let out a puff of ice magic, sending a chill wind, small ice particles, and snowflakes away from herself. Shattering her hastily made barrier.

“Ah..” the inebriated Yugi gasped embarrassed as she tried to regain her composure, the aura of violence around her dissipating somewhat.

“Ah screw off will you! Or are you gonna back those words up?” The drunken Suika said as she raised her bottle and hopped. “Some people are trying to have a good clean fight here!”

“Can you at least have a danmaku duel instead of destroying the entire street!” Cirno said twirling her spear like a baton as her familiars matched her mood as they swirled around her in an assertive manner.

“Oh, is that a challenge? Fairy.” Said the smiling Suika as she began to levitate, the emphasis she put on the word fairy made it sound like an insult.

Cirno narrowed her eyes as she pointed her spear at the offending Oni “If it means w-”

“Wait, wait, wait” uninterrupted the beleaguered Kokoro as she waved her hands in the air, trying to get everybody's attention. “We just came here to talk to Satori.” She half lied, “Not get into a fight with Oni”

“Yeah, what masky said.” responds the forgotten Yuugi, trying to reinsert herself into the situation. “We don’t have any quarrel with them, we’ll take this somewhere else for the time being,” The oni said as she began to regain her senses.

“We’ll see about that~,” said Suika teasingly as she dissolved into an expanding black cloud and exploded outwards.

// Seija/Goro 12-16

“Sorry this tea isn’t the best; I don’t usually have guests.” Kagerou apologized as she set her ornate tea set on the table.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” I waved.
No matter how awful the brew, none of it would top the cheap poison we tried to develop on the mountain when we were testing a crop replacement. And it had such a promising aroma to.
“So why did you come to visit Yamashiro-kun? Did you get lost in the forest?” She asked.
“Oh no no no. Nothing like that I assure you. I just wanted to discuss a possible business proposal with you.” I answered.
Her hairs began to stand up.
It was natural for her to be nervous. Not everyone was used to having proposal dropped in their laps every day. This sort of behavior could make her easy prey or fearsome opposition.
“I was wondering if you’d like to work at an establishment I plan to erect in the future. It would involve specialized childcare and the pay would be generous.” I proposed.
“Ah, well, this is a little sudden.” She said, rubbing her chin with her nail.
“Oh, is not as if this’ll be happening tomorrow you see, we’re just in the initial scouting phase for talent. I can take your answer now or sometime later, however long you need to decide.” I clarified.
‘Talent’ was a good word for these positions, since child-rearing skills was something Humans took for granted, but wasn’t a forte among Youkai. Of course, I had tried to put out feelers in the human villages and received many rejections from capable woman who had their hands full with grand-children and tending to generational homes.
“I see, well it’s just curious you’d come to me for this kind of thing.” She said, looking away. “I’m not particularly good with children or anything and plenty of my friends are more reliable.”
“On the contrary Kagerou-kun, I can tell by your lovely home and calm demeanor that you’d be adored by children! Such a shame you live out here all by your lonesome, don’t you want to meet some more people?” I encouraged.
“Eh, well I do try to keep a clean household…”
“What’s more, you satisfy a particular thorny workforce category I need filled. You see, some of these children may be a little special.” I continued.
“Special?” She asked? Her wolfen ears perking up at the mention.
“Yes, well let’s say Youkai have been getting awful friendly with some Humans as of late and we project it might cause some ‘incidents’.” I implied.
“Incidents?” She asked, tilting her head.
Ughh, this woman. Take the hint.
I couldn’t just come out and say ‘Half-breeds’, ‘half-youkai’, ‘half-human’, `yin-yangs`, or any of the litany of offensive names that we’ve used in the past, but I was struggling to invent another term. I didn’t even want to think about how these kids were going to curse us for the ways which we’d call them.
“Kagerou-kun, have you ever seen a Youkai and Human get a little too close?” I asked.
“Hmm.” She thought, tilting her head left and right, matching the sway of her tail behind her.
“Last summer I saw a fox and a human sitting really close in the forest, even though it was so hot out that day! I didn’t greet them cause they kind of stunk of sweat.” She said, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Ah, do you mean that the children shouldn’t be so close? I think it’s fine for kids since they’re still figuring things out you know?”
I’ve probably worked with the people she’s talking about to my chagrin. Naïve Humans take one step outside the village nowadays and all the beast Youkai fall over themselves to snuggle up to them, I think it had to do with some animalistic lust for warmth and coddling Humans were so good at.
There was mystery as to how many `beast-babies` (Ah, that sounds wrong as well) were living in the village and I just preferred to take whatever estimate people threw at me and doubled it. This made a lot of opportunity sure, making disguises so they can meet, antiseptic for bites and scratches, all kinds of childcare products, but the couples were infuriating.
`I need perfume that won’t give me away to the villagers, but won’t remove my proud musk my boyfriend likes’, ‘My Tsukumogami wife keeps getting jealous of the tea pots I use at the shop, can you make me something I can brew tea in that isn’t a pot?’, ‘Give me some indestructible toys my kids can’t shred to pieces!’.
It was such a bother dealing with all these needy customers, although now these markets were about to seriously grow, so I needed people like Kagerou-kun who could listen to these requests so I could have the overhead to negotiate deals with craftsmen, suppliers, landowners and the like.
Sometimes it’s so hard being the only Youkai on the mountain with some negotiation sense! Well, that wasn’t entirely true, there was…
“Hey Kagerou-kun, do you know Rinnosuke Morichika?” I ask.
Her face lights up in recognition. “Of course! He gives me lots of helpful advice and has so many interesting things at his shop.” Bingo.
“Well, these children will be a lot like Rinnosuke-san okay?” I say, feeling proud about my communication skills.
Her face goes red. “Ah, you mean Rinnosuke-san had, I mean I didn’t think he was um, that popular?” She remarks.
Oh, for crying out loud.
“No. I mean his parents, lots of these children will have parents like Rinnosuke-san’s.”
He ears flop downward, and her expression goes from embarrassed to sad. “They’ll be gone?”
You know what? Close enough.
“Not gone. Just not highly available, okay? So they might be a little like `problem children`(Nope, not the term I wanted to use either) since they’re not getting all the parental care they could be. Does that make sense.”
She bit her thumb a bit. “I don’t get it, but you’re saying these kids will be lonely and your business will be helping them out?”
I nod. “That’s the long and short of it yes.”
“Then I’ll do it.” She said putting her hands on the table, a little overly excited.
“Perfect, here’s the info.” I hand her over a small stack of pamphlets. “I’ve also added some extras in case you have friends who’d be suited for the job.”
“Awesome! I can give these out to everyone in the Grassroots Network!” Her tail began to wave frantically. “Oh thank you Yamashiro-kun, this is such a wonderful idea!”
Ha, she said the quite part out load.
---
“So, you got Kagerou to do your recruiting for free? Sounds clever.” Anon remarked.
“I wanted Kagerou already and she knows her friends in the Grassroots Network better than I do, so why not let her vet her own future co-workers?” I say with a little confidence.
A result of the time dilation on the HSE and its reflection of the outside world was that sunsets lasted four times as long, as the one making the schedule, I have the privilege of getting dibs on the last slot on the early ending of a holiday.
It was a little indulgence for myself given the difficulties I was having.
Supplies had become harder to source for the fake miko outfits. The group I was getting my red dye from had only a single human supplier who caught on to what their product was being used for and he refused to be a part of it. I proposed substitutions to Yukari, like the Moyia shrine’s pattern, but she wasn’t hearing any of it. Getting it from the outside world also wasn’t an option since it wasn’t ‘authentic’ enough, whatever that means, so after calling in some favors I eventually got a small dye making operation working in a vacant village shack and entrusted it to my tanuki subordinate. Despite the cost, the only alternative spit-balled at the brainstorming session was ‘human blood’ and that’s a line I won’t cross and not just because it’d be prohibitively expensive.
Outside the HSE many small follow-on businesses had been erected, from lemonade stands to gambling dens and even a few stealthy attempts at lower cost brothels. I took certain steps to make sure the vice businesses disappeared, like replacing their rigged dice with dices rigged against the house instead or sabotaging some of the ramshackle constructions when nobody was around. We didn’t want the neighborhood to become too seedy after all and the brothel scalpers were aspiring to trafficking rings. Thankfully the more respectable food and drink stands allowed us to cut down our refreshment arm and focus more on our core competency which in turn let us jack up prices, ‘firing’ some of our worst customers and reducing Anon’s workload.
I still hadn’t heard from or seen Goro after we fled our meeting in the mountain running in opposite directions. I even tried scoping out his home from afar and found his dog waiting, so I assumed he was alive, although connected people like him usually make waves in some way or another and I hadn’t heard anything about him recently.
All this on top of trying to lay the groundwork for a childcare business had really taken a toll.
“Rough week?” Anon asked.
“Isn’t it always.” I said, laying my head against his shoulder.
“I think you made a great decision with Kagerou. She’s a good girl who’ll be great with kids and will probably make a wonderful judge of character.” He remarked.
“I’m glad you think so.” I replied.
I wanted to tell him why his approval meant so much, that she’d be taking care of his children and that’s the rule I used to guide my search. Of course, I couldn’t, the realization would be too much right now.
“Can I ask you something that’s been on my mind?” I inquire, trying to change the subject.
“Anything.” Anon says in that nice tone of his.
“I don’t feel like I’m the same way about men as the other woman.”
“Oh?” Anon asks.
“I don’t, well it’s awkward to say but I don’t feel like I have a strong sex drive.”
I close my eyes, trying to think about how to express it.
“I saw that wolf tengu take a whiff of some of the worn-out Miko outfits and It’s like her switch flipped. I understood why, knew what she needed, but I’ve never had that kind of experience so I’m not sure I can really say I understand that feeling.” I sigh.
“It’s not like everyone’s built the same I suppose.” Anon remarks, rubbing his chin.
“I’ve seen other Yamawaro be like that to though. I don’t know, it just feels like I’m being left out on something, like I’m not ‘complete’ in some way.” I explain.
“Would you like to try?” Anon asks.
I feel my face flush a little. “No, thank you but, it wouldn’t feel right.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to pressure you into anything.” Anon said in a reaffirming tone.
“I was wondering though, the things your put through, does it feel any different then before?” I ask.
Anon thinks on this awhile, looking out toward the fake sunset moving at quarter speed.
“It still feels intimate, that much hasn’t changed. Physically it’s all over the place, sometimes It’s like the feeling you get when you lose your balance and it’s exciting and the rest of the time, I feel like I’m just moving my body like some heavy exercise.” He exhales.
“Before I, well, maybe you don’t want to hear about that.” He speaks.
“I do.” I say, placing my hand on his thigh.
Instantly I felt the urge to retract my hand, apologizes, and change the subject. It wasn’t because I wanted to be more intimate, some part of me just wanted to know more then the part that wanted to save face.
“Well, I suppose it’ll be easier to explain if I go back to before my marriage. Back then I was just a kid with wonder lust who wanted to see everything in the world. And I was also horny as hell and it was difficult remaining celibate since Gensokyou has so many beautiful women, but I saved it for the bridal bed since I thought it would be difficult for whoever I was with if I had uh, past relations.” He nodded awkwardly.
“Hmm, that problem never really occurred to me, although I suppose it’s reassuring if your partner has only been with you that way.” I remark.
“That’s basically it. And I was pretty smug after I met Reimu and when we got more serious she asked ‘you’ve never slept with a Youkai have you?’” he chuckled.
“After we were wed, it was something special when she gave herself to me. Everyone else saw her as the terrifying, effortless Youkai slayer, but she clung to me and felt so soft and fragile I was worried I’d break her. Ah, you’ll excuse me if I omit the more sensitive stuff, unless uh, it will help?” He explained.
“The broad strokes are fine.” I told him.
“We were like that for a long time, made a lot of our friends sick of us actually. We tried to hold ourselves back for decencies sake as much as possible, but there’d be times when at drinking parties she’d start tugging at my arm or, more embarrassing, I’d try massaging her a little more sensually when she had a hard day and I still wanted it.” He Exhaled.
“And sometimes I think she liked it like that” I can hear him whisper under his breath.
“When she started, well, the abuse, all that pretty much stopped cold. I wanted it, sure, but I didn’t want to force anything on her… ah, oh hell.” He says, a little exasperated. “I wasn’t trying to be courteous; I was just afraid to ask her. Even before she hit me, she became so cold, and I couldn’t have taken it if she had that same glare when we’d be together. Ah, Gods.” He said, wiping his eyes with his hands.
A part of me wants him to stop, I’m not ready for these answers. The part that needs to know is larger.
“One time I tried, put my hand on her waist while we were going to the bedroom, she just looked at me and said: ‘not like that’ and she pulled my hand off. I didn’t know what I did wrong and when I asked her, she didn’t say anything. Was I bothering her? Did she come to hate the way I looked? Maybe I’d failed in some other responsibility?” He scratched the rubbed the back of his head. His breathing was becoming heavier.
“I never figured it out, and no matter what I did or said things didn’t improve. I asked some people, in the utmost confidence, where I was going wrong. They told me I was doing everything right and that girl just has some problem in her head. That just made it worse! Like, I’m not culpable for any of it? I made a ‘good enough’ effort so I get to feel absolved? I was her husband, I should’ve known, shouldn’t have been so helpless, just a ghost in my own home.” He shook his head.
“After the hitting and drinking started to become more then ‘outbursts’ and ‘accidents’ she started to become more possessive. Not like before where she just wanted my exclusive company, no, she wanted control and that’s when she forced me into it.”
I grab his trembling hand.
“I know it’s weird for the guy to say this but, at some point I was just sick of it. Seeing her drunk and crazed made it feel so wrong, it made it hurt worse than the beatings. And then Hana, oh God, my little girl.” He spoke.
“I tried so hard to spare her of that. She knew about the yelling and the hitting, which I could do nothing about, but I reasoned, if I just said yes to Reimu and kept it quiet then she wouldn’t have to know the worst of it. And the worst part? I think she knew anyway, oh God, my little girl!” He bawled.
I grab his arm and pull close. I shouldn’t ask, it wasn’t my right to know, this was a family matter, all this is pushed away by a singular fact: he shouldered all this alone.
“Was Hana a product of rape?”
He turned to me, a look of pure misery, and shakes his head. “I don’t know, oh God, I don’t know!”
Anon falls into my chest, wraps his arms around me and sobs. I hold him.
“I’m sorry, so sorry, I don’t have the right, I’m not supposed to, not after what I’ve allowed.” he struggles to say though his weeping.
I don’t tell him it’s not his fault, nor that his wife was evil or that there was nothing that could be done. Instead, I hold his weeping body and listen to him wail, easing his loneliness just a bit.
When he calmed down, I lead him into the bathroom and washed his face and body. After I finished, I stripped and join him the tub, hugging his back.
Feeling the various wounds and his musculature was odd, but I press myself against him as much as possible anyway.
After the bath I brought him to bed and tucked him into the fresh, new sheets that hadn’t been used before and laid next to him on top of the covers, watching over him as he fell asleep.

---

“Yamashiro-san, I have a report to make.” A young Kappa approaches me as I exit the fake shrine.
“You see, erm, there was a mistake with some of the pigment shipments. They were delivered to the wrong address.” She explained.
Oh, confound it. I keep telling these river folk to triple and cross check shipment destinations, the Youkai delivery services are very stubborn about proper procedure, the reliable ones anyway.
“But ah, don’t worry! I got a team together and we tracked it down, although we might have to do a little overtime work if we want to meet the expected outfit attrition rate…” She spoke nervously.
It’d chew into our budget, although shutting down would have been catastrophically worse.
I kneel next to the young kappa and pat her head. “It’s good you figured it out, just try and be careful about shipping addresses in the future, okay?”
The kappa shuffles her feet, “yes mom.” She speaks, before running off.

// Hata no Kokoro 4

The black swarming mass of Suikas expanded outward like an explosion, Cirno, and her familiars released another wave of cold, dodging backward and away from the Suikas and their danmaku. She chanted something as she started performing some routine with her familiars in unison.

Kokoro felt her red oni mask form onto the faces of her and her familiars, casting a protective barrier around herself as she launched several masks in an orbiting pattern around herself as she flew away from the cave floor, several larger, although still small Suikas in pursuit.

Yuugi jumped upwards, not bothering to levitate as she solidified her killing aura, yelling as she released several dozen rotating spheres of danmaku bullets, the spheres had large openings that would trap the Suikas before they imploded, they wouldn’t kill them but they forced Suika to reabsorb their mass and density as they were defeated.
A swarm of Suikas rushed Cirno's position forming into a ball as they barrelled towards her, seeing the approaching doom Cirno was forced to abandon her routine, trying to zip past as she had her familiars continue it her in her absence, leaving them to be smashed by the flying ball. “Agh!” Cirno winced in pain as her familiars were shattered, cracks appearing across her skin.

Kokoro flew in her direction sending masks at the ball, only for it to explode open revealing a large Suika whose arms outstretched, lunged at the approaching Meniriki. With several of the smaller Suika casting Danmaku or going to harass Cirno as she spun up new familiars.

Kokoro’s fist met the large Suika’s clashing as a wave of force and blue flame exploded outward from them, eliminating many of the nearby Suika swarmlings. Changing her mask to a wolf one she commanded her orbitals to begin cycling through roulettes as she projected a wolf's head, biting off the large Suika’s head. Only to feel a large fist hitting her in the back of the head. She spun around as she entered free fall unleashing a torrent of blue flame in the shape of a wolf's head at the offending arm as more swarmlings and mid-sized Suika charged her as she approached the ground.

Yuugi was immersed in a swarm as several mid-sized Suikas came charging at her, with Yuugi casually batting them away as she clashed with two of the larger Suika “[Ice Dance: Oni Banishing Blizzard]!” Yuugi felt a harsh and burning cold hit her back as snowflakes stormed around her, eliminating the Suika swarms near Cirno and burning the ones attacking Kokoro and Yuugi.

The cheering from below turned slightly more violent as the snow began to fall on the cavern floor. Kokoro blasted the last remaining Suikas around herself as she slowed her descent and dismissed the wolf mask. Manifesting her kitsune mask nine flaming tails erupted from her back as her familiars dissipated, the Suikas around her and Cirno might be gone but she’d have to burn away the snow before a majority reached the cavern floor.

Yuugi ducked below the punch of a large Suika as it headed for her, shattering it into single pieces with her counter, only for the other large Suika to make up for it with a wallop to her jaw. ‘There she is’ Yuugi thought as she located the Ibuki gourd, Suika, the real one, would never part with it.

Lunging forward Yuugi’s punch connected with the swarm of Suikas, causing them all to bend backward as if they were made of an elastic substance, “[Anomalous SIgn: War God Fist]” Yuugi screams as the swarm of Suikas bent around her punch, lightning and danmaku being launched from the point of impact, only for the released force and danmaku to materialize into a spear shape and launch forward, dragging the swarm with it until it hit the cavern wall and the Suika swarm popped like a balloon, sending countless Suikas flying all over the cavern.

Cirno relaxed, letting her defensive formation fade away as she descended to the ground. She could see Kokoro descend next to her, “Hey kokoro”

“Yes?” said Kokoro, walking towards the swaying fairy.

“Hold me,” Cirno said, the light behind her eyes fading as she fell over, Kokoro’s distant protests ignored. Cirno really hoped she hadn’t just died again, it’d be such a waste of time, and so embarrassing.

// Yuugi 1

That pink haired Satori didn't know what she was talking about!

She knew that psychic wouldn't lie to her but really now, did she really believe that? Its just preposterous no matter how you look at it, there was no way it was true... Its just... Yuugi would know much more about that than she would! Yuugi went out a lot and had lots of friends!

If that was true someone would've told her, I mean yeah just because the weaker oni were too scared and weak to challenge her on how right she was didn't mean that Satori was right about this! Just because Yuugi never had an oni man that could even hope to get close her didn't mean that she was ignorant!

No... No! Yuugi was right and she knew it!

Yuugi stomped around the luxurious room at the hotsprings she owned, the tatami mats buckled under her feet but she was careful enough to not break them. Yamame and her sisters were already charging her an arm and a leg for repairing her hotsprings the last time their big blowout party ruined the foundation of her inn.

She needed support in this, surely if a trusted friend were to come up with her to that stinky animal palace she could help lay the evidence on that dumb Satori! Yuugi gulped down a ball of nervousness as her mind drifted to the only oni she could rely on for this kind of chatter, though she didn't like the idea of it... She'd have to speak with her deceptively little friend, Suika...

Yuugi and Suika had just finished up a game of 'volley-rock' where both of them headbutt a rock the size of two tatami mats in the air at each other till one of them breaks the rock, it was a fun little bit of enjoyment and more than enough to wind down after a long day. The two apex oni laughed as the rock was smashed at the top of its arc by some small time oni sent flying in one of the many brawls that surrounded them in the main forum of the underworld.

Yuugi was a bit embarrassed to bring it up but she did want to do it right so she barked out a challenge with a loud and domineering voice, "Hey chibi, I got a good stock gathering dust at my place. Why don't we see who can tuck the most away?!"

Suika grinned after she gulped a large swig from her gourd, "Ehhh, why not? I could go for a drink! Besides, you know I'd never lose to you!"

Both Oni were feeling nice and loose now, the fiery oni sake went down like water but Yuugi knew that she needed to remain a bit sober so she didn't say anything she would regret. Three barrels was enough to get a bit of liquid courage in her and get her lips just loose enough, she had a hard time broaching the subject as she gulped another swig down.

Still, there was no way she'd let that smug satori who couldn't even take proper care of her pets dictate the truth! Yuugi just had to test the waters first... with bravado in her voice she asked as if she was commanding one of her youkai workers, "Suika!" the smaller oni turned her attention towards her friend letting out an 'eh?'. "You got a man yet? I'll have to test him if you do!"

Yuugi could barely hold back her embarrassment, she could've just asked normally after all. Yuugi was quite happy with how cool and collected she normally was, this was just sad. Suika looked at her for a second before she burst out laughing, she fell to her back still clutching the barrel that was big as she was tall as she practically rolled around on the floor.

Yuugi's face went red from the reaction and hoped that her reaction would be mistaken for the alcohol as she chugged down more and more in a hurry; mistakes be damned. Finally Suika recovered enough to let out between gasping laughter, "What you want to talk about love or something? Where did this come from, I never thought 'Yuugi the strong' would be interested in love?!" Yuugi's face reddened more as she continued, "Don't tell me that after millennia you finally wanna work up the nerve to ask a guy out!?"

Yuugi grabbed an empty barrel and smashed it over Suika's head to shut the loud little oni up, "You know that's not what I mean!! I just... err... I had a dispute to settle with some idiot and I wanted to get evidence and the word of a friend!"

Suika got up from her solo revelry as she brushed off the splinters from her hair, "Sorry, sorry~ It was just unexpected you know? Never figured you'd start asking about that sort of thing and all~!"

Yuugi considered whacking her over the head again but knew it would spiral into a fight, "Well..." Yuugi took another gulp to gather her thoughts, "Its just I wanted to know something important to snub that idiot pink haired Satori..."

Suika looked at her expectantly as she let her friend gather her strength, "I'll kill you if you laugh..."

With fake tone of calm and a mighty blush Yuugi could barely avoid stammering, "Where do babies come from?"

// Aya 29

Brandishing a spell card out of habit rather than fear, Aya swept her house for any hint of tampering. All clear. No new manuscripts, either! She only had 8 pills left after her visit to the HSE: It was still on schedule, but she was disappointed Ran never gave the pill meant for Anon back. The alternative was asking to have the pill back, but that would be too embarrassing, especially now that the kitsune knew how much she loved him. Wait, would she even give it back, since she-

You’re thinking too much Aya! Okina owns your back now, so you gotta keep your head clear of too many thoughts! Heading off to bed, she wondered if somebody would walk out of her back while she slept. Feeling a little vulnerable, Aya tucked a spellcard over her headboard. Goddess or otherwise, if they wanted to come into her house, they’d have to learn to use her front door! Blowing up her bed was a small sacrifice to make.

Leaving her bed was a test of will that she barely passed. The constant reverberation of energy through her spine was the only reminder that she had responsibilities. Showering with the constant feeling that she was being watched, she got out of her house as soon as possible. The only issue with being monitored by two blonde perverts was not knowing which one was watching.

With all of her manuscripts finished for the next few seasons, she decided to hang out with her own kind. The rest of the day was filled with images of the Youkai Mountain in the majesty of autumn. The goddess did her work well. Maybe she the reporter could pull a few strings with her ally to create a collage of the mountain in every season without having to wait a full year. It would certainly be faster than convincing the reclusive Letty, depressed Shizuha, or gods forbid Yuuka to do it for her. Of course, no album of the tengu’s home would be complete without pictures of the White Wolves’ base of operations, multiple patrol routes (with annotations!) and hiding spots such as waterfalls and copses to mount an ambush from. Everything a visitor would need!

After a few uptight hounds told her off for disrupting their training, Aya went off to the Human Village to snoop around for the evening. A complaint to the daitengu was the last thing she needed. It’s not like she cared about Megumu berating her for an hour, she’s lived through thousands of those. An investigation into her home, especially by those pups with their incredible sense of smell, would expose too many secrets to Yukari. A visit to the businesses near the HSE might look good for posterity, since she’s been practically branded their favorite reporter.

Singling out the shops run by youkai was easy. They all had weird smells trying to mask their natural scent, while humans didn’t bother. What they did have was business sense: Butter up the critic of the biggest brothel around and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get a special mention in the next issue of Bunbunmaru. However, there was limited space for advertisements, so only the very best dango stall would make it in. Aya was proud of herself for being a great reporter and a great mother by keeping her children fed. After stuffing herself nearly full, her fourth night with Anon came around. The tengu felt around her bag for the pills. Two. Perfect.

Walking into the HSE, the attending kitsune gave her a smile without any of the hatred that was once present. “Welcome, Aya. Your session will begin shortly.” There was still a slight hint of suspicion, but maybe the tengu was just reading the fatigue on her face the wrong way. So, she strode up to the counter and presented a pill in her hand.

“Oh, before I forget, I wanted you to have this! Since you visit Anon between his… uh… sessions… I thought you’d like one. Think of it as an apology for the whole mix-up!”
The smile on her face brightened just a little. “That’s very sweet of you, but that won’t be of any use to me. I have full access to the censers, so I’m never in any danger of being exposed to the lunar incense.” She took Aya’s hand and closed her fingers, gently pushing it back towards her.

Embarrassed at yet another confusion from this stupid, convoluted incense, Aya’s frustration dyed her face red. “Oh okay! Well, uh, just keep the other pill just in case you ever need it. You know, for an emergency or something.” She stopped her stammering by popping the pill into her mouth and waiting for her turn. Damnit, this girl was so close to Anon and she was just giving her more ground! How long did Okina really need to teleport behind Yukari, sock her in the face and tear down the barrier? Then she’d be able to… Ah crap, the backdoor! Calm down and wait your turn!

After another half hour, a tall, hooded girl wearing a mask walked out with a controlled stride. She could make out two hair-buns underneath the hood, but not the color. After another hour, Aya’s turn came.

// Yuugi 2

Yuugi was outwardly the picture of calm as she sat in a rather decent looking lobby, even if inside she was storming about learning the truth of the matter at least she wouldn't show it. The lobby of the HSE was almost empty, with only a few stray wolf tengu glaring at them but not daring to approach, cowards it seemed and not worth her notice even if they were those annoying tengu.

Suika was sitting across from her sipping from her gourd rather often as Yuugi nicked a barrel of the good stuff from the back after the kappa who sold the stuff bolted as she approached, it wasn't a problem since she left some pocket money at least.

Yuugi didn't mind the outfit the worried looking fox shikigami outside, whose first words were 'plan oni', guided her and Suika to, it was a little breezy but there was nothing weird about it. Well there was some magic on it, but it was weak enough to not even scratch at Yuugi's spirit so she just left it. Even if it was that bothersome women's little operation it was rude to just break the place and its stuff.

What the red horned oni did mind was how quickly everyone left the area around them, eh. All weaklings it seemed as there wasn't any oni here today, but it still was a bother to be treated like some common ruffian. Yuugi was an oni of class after all!

Suika had barely shut up this entire time, talking about how much fun she has here and that she's been wanting to come here with Yuugi. Suika even earned a quick fist to the face when she mentioned 'She never thought Yuugi of all people would want to learn about lewd things'

pulling the gourd away with a pop the pronghorned oni listened as a shaky voice came over one of those fancy voice transmission thingies 'I-Ibuki-sama party of two...". Suika popped up, "That's us! Hurry up, bet you can't get there first~!"

Yuugi burst forth with a wicked smile, finally a challenge to focus the whirling thoughts as she followed the little oni who burst through the barrier of the door leading to a hallway with a few unremarkable doors. It was clear the door with the sign, "Your personal experience awaits~" was the destination and after Suika and Yuugi smashed into the barrier protected door causing it to quiver the door seemed to open in a hurry on its own.

Feeling that old magic wash over her for a second Yuugi could hear Suika shout, "Anon-kun where are you?! I brought a friend this time!"

Yuugi found herself at a strange building, she was in a small wooden hallway with the overcast noontime sun streaming in, yet as she looked the windows she quickly realized that she wasn't in gensokyo proper. This was safely in a barrier of Yukari's making, it seemed to be a piecemeal representation of the village beyond the window, notably she could see a market and some housing that simply looked 'fake' if she had placed it as an afterthought.

She was sure that this space expanded a good ways beyond the confines of the fake village, likely even including other spaces like that fake shrine Suika told her about. the little oni wasted no time in strutting forth as she heard a familiar voice call out, "Suika? over first door on the left!"

Recognizing the voice Yuugi followed her small friend into a strange room, there were small tables with rather large cushions behind them all facing a point at the front of the room. The pillows were large enough to sit two with a bit of wiggling, but stranger was that at the front of the room there was a lectern in front of a large green board with writing on it, 'Welcome to your special lessons~'

It was just then that Yuugi realized the purpose of this building from the times way back when during the era when oni still lived on the surface, it was a school!

Suika's playful voice rang out through the quiet classroom as the open windows let in a breeze that pleasantly cooled the skin, even if that strange scent wafted through it was nothing to the oni of her caliber. Suika was quick to tease, "So that's why it took her so long to come on over, she's such a pure girl I didn't think it'd be good for her!"

A laugh punctuated by smacks that would've broken a man's bones sprang out from Suika like a crow's song as Yuugi gave her open palmed smacks to her exposed backs. Yuugi was more than a little embarrassed by this, how could she not be? Anon was a friend of hers and one of the rare humans that tried to out drink an oni back during the parties at the shrine, he could even get the whole group of them cracking up.

She didn't really know why he was here in this place, nor why he was pretending to be a teacher, but as he riffed jokes off of Suika and bantered with her she remembered why she enjoyed his company so much. Still, there was a reason she was here and she left her mind after Suika piped up, "So anyways Anon, that's why I brought her here! Little Yuugi-chan is here to learn about the birds and bees, its why I even got that busy body fox to fix us up with the 'private tutor Anon' setup!

// Toutetsu 8

Spork over shoulders, scowling, I look at the place, one word popping into my mind: dump. The Hakurei Shrine used to look prideful… Meh, don't care. Marching forward, left-hand still tingling with Ranni's gap snap—better than the opposite: gap snap on the left: controllable situation. On the right? Emergency—soon my eyes land on the miko kneeling in front of the shrine and meditating, the moonlight bathing her and giving a sense of serenity… Although it was an illusion soon shattered as she frowned, opened one eye, and stared at me. "Ran said you'd might come."

"Keh, that's how you say 'hi' to an old friend? Remember when I beat you so hard you had to call your friends—"

"Yes, I remember." Her tone was raspy, eye twitching… but whatever rage there faded with a calm breath in and out. "It was a learning experience—I was so used to winning back then…" Oh?

"Not much anymore, eh?" I squat in front of her, ten feet apart, her meditation pose is still maintained. She stares, yet simply nods. "Huh… Anyway, Ranni can't come today." Her face was sour, then concerned. It's interesting—from reactive aggressiveness to halting thought, reflection, and finally calm. Meh, although it'd be funny to probe, better leave it to when we aren't within a safe time limit. "What do you already know?"

She tells me, and it seems Ranni only gave the thick strokes, perhaps by lack of time to get the miko filled in. I finish filling Reimu in the details, from the possible time of attack—the Winter Festival—to our allies, and she really doesn't seem to like the involvement of the Moriya shrine, but whatever qualms she has, she keeps to herself.

Okay, it's getting uncanny…

"Ya know," I get her attention. "You used to be much more straightforward, a 'no bullshit'-type of girl, if you will—the fuck happened?"

Her eyes narrow, accusatory, yet to my dismay, only silence follows for some moments—what the…?

Opening her eyes, I feel somewhat deflated with just how… I really don't know how to explain it. Her make me feel tired. "I stopped being that person when I had my only daughter. Became someone better—then someone worse; much worse." I nod to nothing. Who in Gensokyo doesn't know about her crimes? "Now I'm trying to return to being that person when my daughter was born—that's what changed."

"You seem to struggle, though—all these pauses and internalization freak me out…" Reimu's eyes narrow again, and she relaxes with the same pattern of calming herself down. Gah… I can put up with Ranni's silence; it's easy to read her—but Reimu? I don't even know why I'm so tense; I can still beat her in combat…

… But does that even matter?—gah, Ranni!

"Lack of trying made me lose my family. If it freaks people out or not, I don't care." I hide my embarrassment. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say… Still, Reimu seems serene. "… When I lost to you all those years ago, I really didn't get up and tried again, even though I should've—I was so shaken for actually losing… It makes me wonder what results I could've gotten if I kept trying." She looks at her own hands, desolate for a moment, before recovering with an inhalation, her eyes thoughtful. "Well? Do you have anything more to add, Toutetsu?"

Sheesh, more obvious than that, and she'll kick me out of the shrine with Danmaku. I 'tsc…' at nothing in particular, getting up and saying, "Nope—no need to say it twice, I'll take my leave." I turn and walk away from the newest member of the alliance—but stop, something otherworldly taking over me. "You know…" I give her a sideways glance. "I could eat that."

"Hm?"

"When you stop and think—and all that bullshit—you're fighting against something inside, right? Must be hard doing it all the time…" Her silence is as loud as a yes. "I could eat that. Rid you of all of that… shit." I don't know why I'm doing this, and it makes me feel weird to just offer to use my powers for something so—gah! Ranni's worst is rubbing on me; I can feel it!

Embarrassed, I look at her face, expecting to see rage for such an outlandish offer; maybe concern for my mental health…

"Thank you, but I'll have to refuse," It was said without hesitation and a calm smile, tired strains of her complexion now softened. "It's a… gentle offer. But getting rid of these sins; of these consequences, would only seed the soil with the same old seeds I don't want to plant again—yet, I'll carry them anyway."

"Oh, uh… It's okay—sorry for offering; I was kind of insensitive and… Sorry, okay?"

"No harm done—sorry for freaking you out, too. Thank you for your efforts in saving my—in saving Anon." And so she closes her eyes, returning to her meditative state, looking much more at peace than when I arrived.

I fiddle a bit with my spork, mumbling "you're welcome…” and not knowing what to do for a moment—then the Miko giggles.

Beet-red, I sped up my leave, not wanting to embarrass myself anymore. It's hard to deal with people with problems when there's not much familiarity involved… Gee…

// Aya 30

The attractions were still shut down. Ran and Toutetsu probably already gave Okina information about the internal affairs of the HSE, and Aya had lots of pictures anyways. Still, she regretted not being able to see the leaderboards. The shrouded patron leaving definitely wasn’t Alice, but there may have been some clues. No matter, since she was here for pleasure, not work.

Heading over to the shrine, the beauty of fall caught her eye. From afar, a brilliant tapestry of red, brown and yellow tempted the soul. On closer inspection, every leaf lacked the small veins that become visible in the sunlight. It seemed the shrine could emulate the seasons, flora and fauna, just not as well as the genuine articles. Maintaining the barrier and it’s quirks must be taxing. But how well could it stand up to the power of the Secret Sage when the time came?

Pushing heavy topics aside, Aya knocked on Anon’s shrine. She could feel her arms shaking and legs wobbling. Her pill lasts hours and should have kicked in by now. Was she really… No, she was an elegant, mature woman! She was already a mother, even! Visiting a man was no big deal for someone with as much (reporting) experience as her!

“Welcome ho-” Before he could finish his sentence, the tengu wrapped her arms and legs around Anon’s upper body. He must have been used to such greetings, as he quickly spread his legs and fortified his center of balance. Her weight was nothing unusual, and the feeling of her soft chest was only a little distracting. It was the speed she rushed at him with that left Anon reeling.

Only a second into the hug, she lifted her head away from his shoulder, pouting. “Well? Aren’t you gonna hug me back? Squeeze reeeeeal tight!” Embracing her, Aya’s face melted in satisfaction. Taking a whiff of his hair, she was reminded of the comforting feeling from her dream that swept away any worries about barriers, anarchy or blonde man-stealers. “For today, I wanna spend the whole day touching each other, at all times! No letting go of me until time’s up, okay?” The tengu’s expression was dead serious: Answering “no” to her would have untold consequences.

“Alright, alright, we aren’t going to let go of each other. That means you can’t do anything sneaky either, okay?” Beaming, Aya agreed to Anon’s terms. Hopping off the man and grabbing his hand instead, the red-white tengu sat next to him at the table as they drank tea and enjoyed light snacks. Yet, something was missing. The snacks weren’t bad: She enjoyed something savory after eating all that dango. It was the tea! After enjoying her own brew for the past couple visits, the HSE standard wouldn’t cut it anymore.

Aya stood up, carrying Anon’s hand with her. “We’re going to the kitchen!”

“What for? Did you want something sweet today?”

“No, silly, your snacks were perfect as usual~. Remember telling me you didn’t know which herbs came from the mountain? Well, today you’re getting Aya Shameimaru’s crash course!” Right, that seemed to put a smile on his face! Pulling Anon off his pillow and into the kitchen, the tengu flitted around, smelling unlabeled bottles and inspecting various powders at breakneck speeds. “Now this one only grows in the spring, so you gotta collect a lot to last the year. Oh, and this one is really rare, but it’s gives you the perfect smoothness. Ah ha! This one gives off that nice aroma! You can tell when the tea’s sweet because it’ll always have this!” Bombarded with too much information in too few seconds, Aya dragged Anon to the living room as she quickly transcribed her lecture on a sheet of paper, then yanked him back into the kitchen. Aya’s visit was quickly becoming a contender for the most exercise he had while holding hands while standing.

After a whirlwind adventure in tea-making, Anon finally got a chance to sit down and enjoy the end result of his lesson. Aya gazed at him intensely. This was her favorite blend to drink during the fall: Sweet, spicy, and a little rich. It reminded her of watching the falling leaves dance around the setting sun as she reclined after a day’s work. When he sipped, Aya took her own sip. It was actually quite good, for a human.

“Mhm. This is great. So, how close to the real deal did I get?”

“Hmm. In an honest article on the Bunbunmaru, this would get an 8/10. Remarkable for a first try, but you still need a little bit of practice to really copy the tengu masters.” Counting herself as a master, of course. “Now then, how about a little bit of baking to round out your recipe book?”

Fearing for his limb, the human respectfully declined. “Sorry Aya, but not today. I think I need a bit more practice before moving onto the big dishes.”

“That’s fine. I wouldn’t mind cooking for you in the future.” Realizing what her words meant, the tengu’s face turned a shade redder, but her smile stuck firmly to her face.

// Seija/Goro 17-20

“Ah, this scarf is itchier than ant colony! You’re sure this is the only other neck covering you had?”
Goro shrugged, “Sorry, my late grandmothers knitting doesn’t suit you, I’ll be sure to let her know next grave visit.”
“Tell her pink garments stopped being novel in her age while you’re at it, this thing Is so gaudy that I think it might loop back and come back in fashion!”
Bah, I couldn’t even flip this thing to green since that would mean matching with this pest’s attire.
Wouldn’t even have to wear anything if this guy chewing a chunk out of my neck hadn’t left a mark, he’d better pray it goes away.
Our mutual release from Eientei had taken frustrating long, that hospital hag kept wanting to run more tests and make sure we were ‘properly rehabilitated’. Ha, bet she just wanted to run more experiments on me and put more of a squeeze on this guy here so he wouldn’t go against her instruction.
Goro had insisted he address one of his business arrangements immediately, even tried dumping me at his house so he’d be free to put the moves on some of those Buddhist disciples! Well not on my watch! Ruining his personal life was the only way I had to pass the time while I needed him alive after all.
I speak ill of the place, which it deserves for being far up its own ass, but the Myouren Temple has its perks, mainly being full of fragile, dogma-brained big wigs as well as impressionable weakling humans and youkai. The perfect festering ground for flipping hierarchy, although many successful antics had gotten me banned from temple grounds. So, I made it a point to wave and shoot whatever gestures and expression I pleased at the disciples working here.
If Goro cared about this, he didn’t show it. I’m guessing he did and just didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of eroding his network AND seeing him upset over it, stingy stoic-looking bastard. Hey! You shitty Buddhists should take a look at this guy! Aren’t you supposed to not be bothered by crap you can’t control?
After taking a route that seemed to go on forever through the grounds, we finally found ourselves out of eyesight behind an old looking shed.
“Gotta say Goro-kun, I’m impressed that you forwent molesting me in the privacy of your own home to do it in this virtuous place instead! Nice inversion! Now do you want to strip first or should I? Oh, maybe we can strip each other?” I say, playfully tugging on my ribbon.
He smiles and knocks in a strange sequence on the shed, then as if out of nowhere, a girl wearing a short black dress and two sets of strange wings shimmers into existence.
“Nue, you social pariah, were have you been?” I say socking her on the arm.
“Oh, around and unidentifiable as always.” She said hitting me in a gut.
She turns to Goro. “Goro-kun! I haven’t seen you in so long after our last arrangement, did you pick up Seija as a fallback girl?”
No way. “Nue, you know this guy? He seriously said you were pregnant and that he was working for you while I was beating him to a pulp.”
“Yeah, that’s right, although I had Futatsuiwa-san arrange the details because I knew he’d say no if I should up.” She pouted. “Don’t worry though, Seija wouldn’t have stopped even if she knew it was true.”
I nod affirmatively.
Hold on! “Wait, so you’re actually pregnant?!” I asked.
Nue rubs her belly in a sickeningly motherly way. “Yes, Anon is the father.”
“Didn’t take you for the type to fall for a man whore.” I say matter-of-factly.
“Ha, that’s rich coming from the woman who risked stepping on Myouren temple grounds after what Hijiri did to you last time just because you couldn’t leave your boy friend alone for his business appointment.” She laughed, twirling in the air as she did.
Was she following us? No, Nue loved nothing more than making you confused about where she was or wasn’t. It wasn’t worth getting hung up on.
“Nue-kun, I’ve been out for a while and need to know about some things. Has anything new happened at the HSE? And how’s this Nazrin replacement doing?” Goro interjected.
“Hmm, well there’s all sorts of pop-up shops setting up around that join, nothing that mysterious though. I did manage to nag something interesting from a worker’s pocket.” She tossed something that looked like a rock to Goro.
“Don’t ask me who though, I was checking too many backsides to keep track of.” She shrugged.
He flipped the thing over, felt it up, held it to the sun, smelled it, and did all those other appraisers do to scam their marks. Ah, gross, is he licking it?
“Magical receiver, right?” he asked, spinning it in his hand.
Nue nodded. “Best guess would be that it needs to connect to something pretty far away for being so big.”
He tossed it to me, right at my face to you spiteful con! of course, I caught it.
“Could you invert that?” He asked.
I looked at the thing but didn’t go the whole nine yards on molesting it. “You mean turn it inside out? No, thing’s solid so there’s nothing to flip. Do you mean make it a transmitter instead?”
“I think it’s a signaling device for the HSE, if we’re lucky it’s one for where Anon’s trapped in. If that thing works, we have a private line to him.” He explained.
“Feeling lonely so you need a pen pal? Cute.” I said, waving the rock at him with my other hand on my hip.
He crossed his arms. “You ever talk to someone across one of Yukari’s gaps? Across time?” He asked.
“What are you getting at, just spit it out fool, Yukari’s gap-oh”
Yukari’s boundaries were always tricky to deal with. Even if you got past all the weird and perverse conditions she thought up, it’s likely that she INTENDED you to do just that. But if this little rock was an intentional back door, that could open possibilities.
I slip it into my dress pocket, Goro doesn’t seem to protest.
“As for the new rat, Chisy? Chisaszzy? Chisazu? She’s got a chip on her shoulder and took over Nazrin’s position after this happened.” Nue patted her belly. “I think she’s definitely still talking to Nazrin somehow, but she’s got a phobia of me and won’t let me in her office, which is all fine and good so long as she’s afraid.”
I can see Goro think on this. Think harder idiot some of us are bored here.
“The Outcast God.” He speaks.
Just say her name you coward.
“Okina?” Nue asked, blinking.
“It certainly fits the puzzle, not like she would serve one of the hidden Shinto gods, Moriya, or any of the deities stewing in hell. Plus, she wouldn’t miss the chance to put egg on Yukari’s face.” Goro answered.
“Well, I could’ve told you that for free! She gave me a little thrashing for corrupting the youth when I was doing business with the outside.” Nue says, shrugging.
“Perverted Nue, what did you do this time-“Goro laughs, shaking his head before stopping. “What were you trading with the Outsiders?”
“Just some things we’ll need if worse comes to worse, worry about it some.” Nue says, smiling.
“Nue, I swear if you were trading arms…” Goro begins.
“Oh, shut up, can we leave already? Nue isn’t going to tell you anything when she gets like this.” I exclaim, bored of all this conversation.
Goro shakes his head and regains his composure. “Don’t use those weapons, if you do, forget about a future for your child.” Goro said to Nue, before following me.
“What’s got your loins all tied up about outsider weapons?” I ask as we make for the temple exit.
“They’re incomprehensible to Gensokyou.” He stated.
“Sounds prefect for a Nue.” I remark.
Goro sighed. “All of Gensokyou, Nue included. Outsiders are mainly human, but they don’t perceive or think like the villagers, and they pump out magic items like it’s nothing.”
“You’re just being dramatic.” I told him. “Grow a pair and let Nue be, she’s a big girl and can handle herself.”
He rolled his eyes and exhaled, not intent on explaining more. Good, more time for me to get on with jeering the local populace, like this woman wearing form-fitting clothing? Scandalous!
“Hello Goro-kun and this is…” Byakuren Hijiri began “…Seija.” She says with a smiling expression that masks a world of contempt.
“Hello Hijiri-sensei, how are you?” Goro said. “You’ll have to forgive me for not showing up for the last Sultra reading, I was a little occupied.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Hijiri says, glaring at me. “Seija, I thought I said you were forbidden from these grounds until you had properly reflected on your actions.”
I feel a lecture coming. Ugh, this woman was troublesome, she could throw me halfway across Gensokyou with that same smile. Time to flip over this situation.
“Honey I’m scared.” I said, grabbing Goro’s arm. “I just wanted to celebrate with you after your recovery from that horrible Youkai attack and now she’s leering at me!”
Hijiri’s expression changed, she was surprised and annoyed? I knew that expression, the mother who disapproves of her son’s relationship! Oh, this was going to be rich.
“See what they did to my poor dear!” I said, pulling Goro’s scarf to reveal my teeth marks. “They chomped into his neck for fun! If I hadn’t shown up, he’d have died! And what’s more I think you’re to blame.”
I could notice some temple on-lookers whispering and watching. Good, let’s give em’ a show.
“You kept introducing my darling to all sorts of evil Youkai who wanted to take advantage of him! And now you’re questioning my right to be here, by his side?” I accuse, point at her.
Take this you hypocritical, violent, old hag.
“Goro,” She began, “Is she telling the truth? Did she really save your life? Because if not…” I could hear her fingers crackling with magic.
Oh damn, didn’t anticipate this.
“Yes. She did risk life and limb to get me to safety, shared a hospital room if you believe it. I’m sorry I brought her here Hijiri-sensei, I know she’s banned but she’s still recovering, and I thought the peaceful temple ground might set her mind at ease.” Goro answered.
Instantaneously Hijiri’s expression lightened, and she grabbed Goro’s other hand with both of hers.
“That’s wonderful! My sincerest apologizes for scolding you Seija, to think you’d go so far for someone other than yourself! Truly a noble woman.” She complimented.
“So, when’s the wedding? You could host it here if you’d like! I know it be hard to find institutions that’ll marry Humans and Youkai but we can support you!” She exclaimed.
“It’s a little early for something like that Hijiri-sensei.” Goro said.
“Yes of course, you two are still young and it’s not good to get too excited about these things however I think you should still be thinking about future difficulties now for preparedness’s sake! With that in mind, do you two need any counseling? We have many experienced disciples who you could talk to who’d understand your difficulties! This really is so wonderful Goro-kun, it appears you’ve finally overcome your phobia.”
What was this old hag even saying? My brain can barely keep up.
I’m almost thankful when Goro-kun finishes exchanging pleasantries and leads us out of the temple. Although I swear, I could feel someone’s glare on my back.
“There’s something seriously disturbing about that woman, is she even a Buddhist?!” I exclaimed.
“I hear she threw you out with a vengeance and your disturbed by her being a little nosy?” Goro asked.
“Yeah, and what about you? I don’t believe Hijiri just has that whole speech prepared for anyone who visits the temple, wait, maybe she does. Oh, that’s so endearing.” I say, disgusted.
“It’s not surprising. Hijiri takes care of a lot of orphaned children, Human and Youkai both. She sees matchmaking as another one of her duties.” He shrugs.
“Mommy Hijiri’s just so happy to see her baby Goro arm and arm with a Youkai huh? Phew.” I spit “Can’t wait to see his face when I eat you in a couple months.”
“Small piece of advice-“he begins.
“Don’t need it.” I say, waving my hand.
“It’s for my sake not yours. Don’t tell Hijiri if you kill me.”
“Why? Don’t want my death on your conscious?” I ask, placing my fist on my hip.
“I’m not sure she’d kill you even if that was the case. I just don’t want to hurt her.” He answers.
“I’ll make sure to send her a set of wind chimes made out of your bones then.” I say, chuckling.
He doesn’t answer, Goro just continues looking back at the temple we came from.
This wasn’t worth jeering about.
“You know what? I’ll probably just forget your boring boot-licking self the second I’m done licking my fingers, so don’t you fret.” I say.
“Now you did your thing, I’m doing mine, let’s make for the HSE already.” I remark, walking off.
He follows me.

// Yuugi 3-4

Yuugi soon found herself sitting behind one of the small tables in the replica classroom, Anon stood at the front of the room by the lectern alongside a costume swapped Suika wearing a long flowing robe and silly four pointed hat with a little tassel hanging to the side. Anon himself seemed to be wearing a flowing yukuta with rather flashy blue and white yin and yang orbs that seemed rather deeply cut showing off his chest and ending just under his knees. The red glasses seemed to be for decoration, or at least thats what Yuugi detected since she'd never seen him squint at much before.

Anon took a chalk and long stick with a pointing wooden hand and held them as if they were weapons and hollered, "Ibuki-sensei! Can you please tell the class what we're here for?!"

Suika, with no less enthusiasm matched his volume, "Anon-sensei! We're here for the education of our innocent friend Yuugi! She doesn't know anything about sex and other lewd things!"

Nodding deeply as if hearing some sort of universal truth he smiles as she chimes in, "Correct! One point for Suika!" under a little cartoon drawing of Suika's face and horns Anon quickly made a circle, "Now then, Ibuki-Sensei how are we gonna help out our good friend Hoshiguma-chan?"

Grinning with a rather gross smile while clutching her hands Suika excitedly exclaimed, "We're gonna get her to lots of lewd things and do risque poses!

Making the sound of a particularly annoying vulture anon crossed his chalk and stick making a 'bzzzt' sound as the pointer bonked Suika on her cap. This prompted the oni to make a silly face with her tongue peeking out and winking, "That's wrong, Ibuki-sensei, you can't just make the students do whatever you like~!"

What was this? Some kind of abstract comedy show...?

With tallies on the board under the respective doodles of Anon's, Suika's, and Yuugi's faces as well as drawings of various bits made her blush. A little cartoon on the board talking about how impregnation works, as well certain common myths about it dispelled with silly captions made Yuugi's face was a lot more red. She unconsciously pulled her stupidly short shrine maiden's outfit down as she realized that it was wayyy too eye catching, and to think she would even enter the men's bath without realizing what was wrong with it!!

Yuugi's couldn't believe that was true, she couldn't believe that the pink haired bother was 100% right about kissing not making babies! She couldn't believe that she'd been wrong for the last 1000 years about where babies came from, nor that she never realized why Suika and Kasen used to laugh at her!

She felt embarrassed and she couldn't even look at 'sensei' due to how she realized how truly short cut his outfit was. It... It just isn't right! Now that she thought about it... what kind of place was this anyways?! Suika said it was an entertainment center featuring Anon, but the magic in the clothes, the scent in the air, the outfits the women and he were wearing...

Anon's short little number with Suika finally finished as they mockingly kissed while holding each other in their arms as they finished off with a 'And that's what mommies and daddies do behind closed doors~" before making an overly elaborate 'MWAH~'. They turned their heads to Yuugi with an overly mischievously grin on their faces, "Any questions from our dear student?"

Yuugi could do nothing but stammer, "E-er that's, well... I-I... Um..." For the first time in a very long time she felt tears welling up in her eyes, she just couldn't meet their gazes. She felt scared at where she was and she became overly conscious about how she was practically alone with a man, one that she was friends with too!

Through blurry eyes she saw the pair of teachers look at each other as Suika muttered, "Yuugi you alright...?" She felt like a huge fool! Even Anon was showing that worried face he never ever showed her, she hicced, then sniffed, then a tear fell from her eyes. Anon approached alongside Suika, "Hoshigama-san are you alright? do yo-"

Yuugi never heard him finish that sentence as she got up and sprinted straight through the wooden wall of the classroom and into the hallway, she heard feet patter on the ground as they chased after her but Anon was too slow to react, only Suika was able to keep some sort of pace as Yuugi crushed the floor under her. She sprinted without stopping, breeching the barrier instantly as she felt it trying to part of its own accord as she ran out. She ignored the old magic as she ran through the gap right into the hallway and through the hastily repaired barrier that gave way like wet paper under her assault.

It didn't take very long at all for Yuugi to start dressing more conservatively, instead of her rather loose kimono she wore it much more tight now even if it sometimes got in the way. She even resorted to other common outfits like more concealing t-shirts and dresses. It did attract gazes for different reasons but she was fine with it as she was way too embarrassed to go around dressing like... that... again!

For a bit she'd avoided Suika after that, opting to say she's not in and taking extra care to avoid the easy going oni. It may have been rude but she just needed time to sort herself out, still it wouldn't last forever as while she drank in one of the many establishments that dotted the city she heard a loud voice ring out, "Alright! Everyone out, I'm taking over this joint!"

It was a familiar voice and she froze as she drank, Suika?! She turned and the other oni did as well, some of the more foolish glared at her and rose to fight but Suika was way too fast and with a few crunches those trouble makers were dealt with and the others shuffled out of the bar without complaint. Though to their credit they did laugh and seem to continue the fight outside, good proper oni.

The happy-go-lucky girl sat next to her as she eyed the youkai bartender, he quickly disappeared out the back while she threw a sack of coins out after him. It was clear what Suika wanted but she still entertained her with a, "Quite the show you did, blowing off steam?"

Suika did a 'hmph!' as she a cast off a clone who grabbed a large bottle and brought it to her where she started drinking it down without reserve. The two sat in silence for a bit as Suika chugged down a second bottle, finally Yuugi broke the silence again, "Wha-" but Suika raised another finger and once she finished chugging down her bottle she threw it behind her where it shattered onto the face of an idiot peeking through a window and was foolish enough to try to eavesdrop.

With a tiny buzz going and another bottle soon in her hands she spoke softly, "So what did you think?"

Yuugi's face started growing red again, "What did you come all the way here to tease me about that?"

Suika looked at her drinking buddy with an anger in her eyes, but it wasn't entirely directed at her... "No, i'm asking that place, what did you think?"

Yuugi thought for a moment, "Its... Its just a place where people go to do lewd things isn't it?"

Nodding Suika spoke again, "yeah, its a place where girls go to fuck and do other lewd things to their hearts content. Well as long as they have the cash"

Brothels were something normal enough and Yuugi nodded as she fought down some of the flush on her face, "What about it, even if it's weird it's fine enough"

With a nod as if she didn't really hear her the two horned oni spoke again, "What about that lesson? What Anon taught you?"

Yuugi's face flushed brilliantly this time, "T-thats..." Suika cut her off before she could really begin, "Well, would you do it with just anyone?"

Not hesitating in shaking her head, she said with confidence, "No way, even if you did it for fun its something important after all!"

Satisfied Suika pressed on with her questions, "and what if you were forced to do it?"

Yuugi scoffed, "I'd kill whoever tried of course"

A little confused Yuugi listed to her next question, with a dark tone she recognized as a legitimate anger in her voice Suika continued, "What if you couldn't stop them, what if you were forced to everyday with people you hated?"

Yuugi thought for a bit, sure the weak got trampled and the strong survived. That was just a the rule of the world after all and she didn't think too hard about them who failed... Yet the idea of someone strong forcing such... things onto someone weaker than them just because they couldn't stop them... It bothered her. The more she thought about it the more it bothered her, "Is that place... Is Anon forced too?"

Suika knocked back another bottle letting it fill her gullet in one long chug, she nodded her head.

Knocking back her own cup she drank deeply but couldn't taste a single drop, "I see... So that's why you brought me there isn't it?"

Nodding Suika continued, "Yeah, it was. When he was married it was different, he didn't wanna leave and it was just not our business if he wanted to be with her after all. This... Its different." She looked up at her drinking buddy, "Here, all the time and its day in and day out, he gets out cause he finally grew a brain only to get placed in that little cage..."

Yuugi felt a dark anger growing in her getting Suika's point at once, "That barrier she used was strong, it'd take another strong arm or two to bust it down..."

Tipping the bottle over and seeing it not give even a drop more Suika tossed it over her shoulder where it impacted a table, breaking it into tinder, "That's the plan anyways, you remember that mountain god...?"

// Aya 31-32

The rest of her time with Anon was spent discussing the little things in tengu and human life. Resting her head on his shoulder, Aya couldn’t help but wonder how married life would be back home. Maybe he’d be a lookout for the White Wolves, coming home after a long day to a homemade meal. She’d greet him in an apron, covered in sweat, and she’d get to ask it: “Welcome home, dear. Which would you like first? Dinner? A bath? Or-”

“Hm? What did you say?” Crap, did she say that out loud? Quick, find an excuse to keep touching him - one that isn’t creepy!

“Uhh bath! A bath! I think it’s about time we went to bathe, right? We’ve been touching so long we probably smell like each other. Not that there’s anything wrong with how you smell! I like it! I just think we should probably bathe sooner or later…” The incense isn’t even affecting you right now! How could you fumble that so badly?

To the tengu’s relief, Anon had no complaints, heading to the bathroom together. To work around Aya’s rule, they washed each other. Aya got a chance to explore Anon’s body in all its scarred glory: A few marks were starting to fade since the last time she saw them, and a few new ones made themselves known. She wondered how many of them she caused on her night. “Hey, Anon? I’m sorry about all those things I did to you the first night. I know there was the incense and all, but still. I shouldn’t have done it…”

Reaching back for her hand, Anon held it gently. “Didn’t you already apologize earlier this week? At least I think you did, between all of the sobs and squeezing me until I couldn’t breathe. You practically crushed my ribs!” He chuckled. She was pouring her heart out, and he was joking! There was only one course of action Aya could take to save her dignity.

Splashing an entire bucket over his head, Aya created an opening to reach under Anon’ chest and start poking. “So you wanna laugh at a poor maiden’s apology? Then I’ll subject you to a hell worse than anything you’ve ever experienced!” Prodding him fast as lightning, she forced the human under her grasp to howl in despair. However, single-minded on her assault, Anon waited for a low point in her pattern and counter-attacked at her belly. At the end of their battle, their bodies were clean and their stomachs scrubbed harder than ever before.

As “night” came, Anon and Aya entered the bedroom. She silenty lifted the sheets and laid on her side. Aya pulled him underneath with her, then wrapped his hand over her. “For the rest of our night, could you just hold me? I’m on the incense pill, so I won’t do anything to you. W-Well you can touch me in “that” way if you want. I just want you to stay with me until time’s up.” She didn’t turn around to see his face, but she felt him hold her just a little tighter while getting comfortable. His body pressed against hers and his scent filled her nose. As much as she desired him to plunge inside her again, she loved the safety of his grasp a little bit more. Ruining this moment would be the worst mistake she ever made in her life.

After dozing off, Aya woke up to the tell-tale chime that her time was up. Anon stirred behind her. Did he fall asleep too, or was he awake the whole time? Either way, she grasped Anon’s hand once more and led him out of bed. Standing in front of each other, Aya moved her hands to his shoulders as she closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards to meet his lips. There was no resistance as her tongue found his in the darkness. Having her fill, Aya disengaged from the human and quickly looked down, afraid of the story his eyes would tell. “Thank you for the night, Anon. I’ll see you tomorrow…”

“I’ll see you then, Aya.” He did not move. His voice was kind as always, but it hid too much.

Grabbing her things from the living room and leaving the shrine, Aya made her way back through the HSE while thoughts of glee and regret swam in her head. She was interrupted by a wet, fast dripping coming from a nearby bathroom. Well, if Ran was helping her, the least she could do was tell her about a leaky faucet, right?

Opening the door, Aya was met with a shock of white, red and more white. A large greatsword and shield leaned in one corner, while a wolf wrapped in a red cloth panted wildly, pistoning herself shamelessly. It took the girl a moment for her to turn to her audience. Her face. Oh god.

It was Momiji, and she had a tattered version of Anon’s juban wrapped around her.

Before Aya could grab her camera, the wolf had pounced on her. Realizing her time had finally come, Aya accepted her death would be at the tiny hands of Momiji. How ironic, that a free-wheeling crow like her would be caught be the rigid wolf.

Instead of a shout of anger, the wolf sniffed Aya’s face deeply. Instead of cold steel, Momiji’s hot tounge invaded her mouth.

Aya wished it was the steel.

As Momiji’s saliva raced through Aya’s head, so did a number of questions: Why was a stick-in-the-mud among the White Wolves like Momiji working in the HSE? How did she get one of Anon’s juban? What was that wet feeling between her legs? The last one was answered quite quickly, as Momiji had pulled down Aya’s skirt and underwear and found a second hole of hers to invade. Slick with her own juices, Momiji’s calloused fingers struck Aya hard and fast, eliciting a cacophony of moans and yelps.

Daring to open her eyes, Aya looked directly into Momiji’s. They were dilated and focuses over, like she was a hound on the hunt. Her heavy breathing, her red face, her hunter’s gaze, all signs pointed towards heat. Then why the hell was she fingerbanging Aya in a bathroom instead of kidnapping some man from the village like all the other tengu?!

Aya’s thoughts were interrupted once again by Momiji’s vigorous caresses. What she lacked in precision she made up for with enthusiasm, stimulating the walls of Aya’s tight pussy too quickly for her to keep up. Another hand ripped open the crow’s shirt, roughly groping her tits and pinching her budding nipples. Staying next to Anon for too long had her a little hot and bothered. That’s the only reason Momiji’s making her feel this way! Aya Shameimaru doesn’t like girls that way! That’s it, Anon! It was Anon’s juban, so Momiji was smelling Anon on her!

Understanding the wolf’s motive did nothing to stem the tide of pleasure Aya was riding between sanity and bliss. Momiji plundered her mouth for the residuals of Anon’s fluids, leaving no corner of her unexplored. The crow could taste every drop of Momiji as she greedily sucked on Aya’s tounge, searching for the male her heat desired. Waiting for her tongue to return for another raid, Aya quickly returned the favor while reaching towards the white wolf’s exposed vagina. Anything had to work better than letting this shorty devour her.

When Aya caressed her lower lips, Momiji finally released her lips to let out a howl of lust. The relief was only momentary, as she immediately went back to drowning Aya with her mouth, re-doubling her efforts. Refusing to let herself be conquered, Aya pressed down on Momiji’s clit while slipping two fingers within her snatch. The girl was masturbating furiously before, she had to be close to finishing!

No matter how hard Aya tried, she couldn’t outpace the desperate wolf assaulting her. Her climax caught up to her in a flash, and the unrelenting assault trapped her in a white crash of pleasure for far too long. She could feel herself getting going insane. In the second of clarity before Momiji’s tongue stole her brain again, Aya connected the pieces: Anon’s juban had his scent and the incense on it! Maybe Eirin’s pill can counter the incense enough to get this damn dog off of her! Extending the hand not knuckle-deep in Momiji, Aya fished around for her bag for the silver bullet. Somehow, she had to get it past the impenetrable barrier of her and Momiji’s lips.

Leaning into the wolf’s face, Aya caressed her tongue and focused her fingers on the roof of her pussy. She was getting close, she had to be. Putting all her thoughts towards Anon and surviving for her children, Aya endured Momiji’s assault until she finally made the horny wolf cum. She practically exploded with lust as she turned her head upwards and howled towards a far-off moon. Taking a chance, Aya quickly placed the pill in her mouth before Momiji covered it a second later. Using all her remaining willpower, Aya shoved her tongue down Momiji’s until the girl greedily swallowed it, along with the rest of Aya’s pride.

After her last hope disappeared within Momiji’s body, the wolf moved her face down, suckling Aya’s sensitive breasts. The sensation was enough to send the reporter over the edge again, so soon after her last orgasm. The hunter continued down Aya’s belly and pelvis before finally reaching her prey. Diving between Aya’s legs, Momiji’s deadly tongue lapped at the tengu’s love button before removing her fingers. Single-minded, the proud tengu thrust her tongue into Aya’s tunnel, penetrating her final defense. Aya’s mind went blank, only occasionally registering a surge of pleasure that made her body spasm.

The miraculous pill designed by Eirin (sold by Reisen, behind her back, in the Human Village) could dispel the heat caused by Lunar Incense, as it removed all traces of the drug from the body. However, it took much longer for a body already exposed to incense to become clean than a body that was immunized beforehand. Thus, the assault on Aya’s body that began five minutes ago lasted for another hour before the white wolf regained consciousness.

// Hata no Kokoro 5

The first thing Cirno noticed when she awoke was the smell of animals, her nose stretched up and her eyes promptly shut before they could even open as her face scrunched up in disgust trying to go back to sleep as best she could, but it was too late, she was already noticed.

“Cirno get up.” Cirno rolled in the lap of the offending voice, trying to pull the fabric of the skirt around her like a blanket. “Cirno.” The monotone voice said, somehow more angry sounding. “Last warning.” Cirno stirred but made no movements to leave the voice’s lap.

Suddenly Cirno felt the merciless pull of gravity, followed by the unforgiving tiled marble of the Earth Spirit Palace.

"OW!" Cirno complained as she fit the floor, looking up she could see Kokoro with an unimpressed and glaring mask looking down on her.

"Hehe." Cirno tried to get up but slipped when a leg didn't meet the marble, only catching herself mid-summerault with her wings, leaving her body flying upside down, but her balance was off and it took her a second to adjust. Only then did she notice she was missing a leg.

"Huh!" Cirno exclaimed as she stared at the stumped limb. The lower half of her left leg was completely missing, and where it should have connected to the knee should have been, only to see the inside of herself, 'ice' she realized 'my insides are made of ice.' Cirno had never quite thought about it before, but she guessed it made sense, she was an ice fairy after all.

"Ah, somebody's awake I see~" Cirno flinched in the direction of the voice, standing at the entrance to the room was the half-pint Oni, Suika, happily drinking from her Ibuki gourd.

"Ah yeah, good to see you Cirno," said the laughing voice from earlier, 'Orin' she realized.

"Orin!" Cirno exclaimed, twisting back around in the air, almost falling over again. There she was standing next to the door opposite Suika, a large set of imperious-looking black and gold doors.

"Yep that's me" Orin exclaims as she strikes a cat pose, both her hands to imitate a cat's paws. “You four certainly gave Miss Satori a hard time,” Orin says giggling.

“Huh?”, Cirno asks, tilting her head in confusion as she gazes at Orin, ‘wait wasn't I-’“The snow” Kokoro states, interrupting CIrno’s thoughts as an unamused and tired mask covers her face

“Don’t forget the rest of our tussle!” Suika exclaims, thrusting her Ibuki gourd into the air, some sake spilling out onto the marble floor as she does so.

“Well I hoped you learned your lesson after that lecture she gave you, Satori seemed a bit flustered,” Orin said mischievously as she played with one of her braids.

It was then the door she was leaning against slammed open, moving so fast that it wedged the cat against the wall with no time for her to react. Yuugi skulks from the room, unaware of the cat she nearly flatted against the wall, a shadow cast over her eyes as she moves to leave the room.

Everybody stands in silence as Yuugi leaves the room, Suika following behind her energetically and with a smile on her face. Orin crept from back around the door that slammed her against the wall, shaking as the Onis departed. Suika whispering in Yuugi’s ear all the while.

“K-k-ko-kokoro” Orin finally says as she regains her demeanor, “It’s your turn.” She says as she gesticulates in the direction of the door she was nearly squashed by. Kokoro just nodded, trying her best to ignore Orin’s distress as she walked into the pitch-black room, closing the door behind her. Cirno eyed Orin as Kokoro vanished.

----
Kokoro couldn’t see a thing as she closed the doors behind her. ”Tell me why you came here apologize, and leave.” The tired voice of Satori answered. “I’m keeping the lights off so I don’t have to look at you, yes I don’t need to read your mind to answer that question.” Kokoro had the impression Satori was hiding under the desk as well, she couldn’t blame her, they’d caused a lot of trouble in their short time underground.

Kokoro decided she might as well get this over with

“I think your sister might be pregnant,” Kokoro stated in a monotone voice as she heard a sound suspiciously similar to a head hitting a desk to resound in the darkness.

"WHAT!"

// Hana 33

The days passed as they always did and Hana's time passed with them, keeping herself occupied she patrolled the village. Hana was satisfied with the lack of mention of her mother recently but as well relieved about the lack of news about her father. No news is good news after all, at least in the case of her father, as far as her mother was concerned she'd be happy if she never showed her face again and crossed the river without bothering her.

Today's autumn day was cooler than warmer and if it wasn't for her muffler, gloves, and leg warmers hand crafted by her missing father she'd be chilled to the bone as she drifted over the village and the associated enterprises where her fellows labored. She tried to keep a vigilant eye on everything by alternating between foot patrols and watching from the air as the people came and went like ants under her flowing dress. Still, the first problem was how boring it was just to watch around like one of the firemen or sentries in their towers and her eyes often wondered around to distant sights and meaningless things.

Another eye however, was always focused on that road leading the large brothel on the western side of the village. It had become a problem recently more than usual, though the problems with the general lack of morality of secondary shops and markets sprouting up with every kind of product or service wasn't her problem the matter was that youkai had started doing the same thing. Still, it was all about balance after all, while it disgusted her nobody was openly ruining things and as long as the youkai there kept a shroud over their activities there wouldn't be a problem... for now...

Honestly the idea of those miscreants profiting off of her father's misery was abhorrent and Hana may or may not have sent a few flying needles at the more uppity ones as they flew or walked to their home in the surrounding woods. It was stress relief and more importantly a vital part of keeping the balance after all...

She yawned as staying up in the air just drifting with the wind hardly took any mental energy to focus anymore, as long as she wasn't injured she could practically nap. It wouldn't do to be known as the 'sleepy shrineless maiden' so she took to a foot patrol instead. Maybe she'd head over to that little stand Kanako set up recently along the lift station, that coffee stuff did good to keep her up and at 'em after all.

Hana set foot at the western gate, waving to an equally bored looking guard who nodded and raised his staff slightly in greeting. Ugh, why did she have to set down on the western road...? She told herself that she did it because almost everyday some minor youkai with a penchant for riling up humans and the guards that patrolled around would need the help if she was stronger than some that low rank weakling.

Walking down the street Hana kept one eye on the passerbyers she knew by instinct which were youkai and scowling when she recognized one of them, that said the only ones that bold enough to go in during the day and without disguise were ones that didn't care about being seen in the first place. As she rounded the block containing the actual eyesore that was the HSE she felt her throat was a bit parched and stopped by some lemonade stand run by a fairy and some purple haired women who didn't seem to run it so much as pace about. It only took a moment to pay and get a tall cup of the cool refreshment from the strangely over eager fairy who introduced herself as 'Lemontene'... was there even a lemon tree anywhere around here for her to represent?

Well it didn't matter at all and she quickly dismissed the badly disguised fairy from her mind as she leaned against a nearby wall just inside the mouth of an alley. Youkai were more likely to cause trouble when they knew they wouldn't run into it themselves, and she could use some live practice to sharpen her skills, after all at this rate she wouldn't be able to challenge even half the youkai she heard about in the adventures of her mentor and mother.

Hana sighed inwardly as she stared into her cup of yellow liquid, still mostly full despite how much she normally enjoyed the rarer flavor of the tangy lemon. Her whistle was wet already and while she considered dumping the contents then returning the cups for a discount later down the line a flash of black and white caught her eye. Her eye was drawn to a familiar presence, wearing a cloak and a hat looking closer to a beret than her normal pointed witch hat was a short women she recognized despite the cloak she wore... and the broom she carried...

She spotted Marisa checking over her shoulders, face obscured by the large shaded glasses she wore before heading into the HSE. She wanted to call her and see what she was up too and the words almost escaped her lips, but she stopped herself. What if it was a secret meeting? After all it was no surprise that she wasn't told everything by her co-conspirators...

She'd have to ask later...

// Ran/Chen 26

One of my favorite pastimes in recent months has been watching them play. Chen flies around Anon as he climbs up a tree, the bakeneko holding a bag of pots as they search for spiders to collect, study, and then release back into the 'wild'. Dangerous, yes, but also endearing, and their muffled laughs in the distance heal my soul.

… Speaking of healing, my hand reaches for my lips, and I let out a smile. Those first kisses were calm and lovely—the ones that followed in the past three days were experimental, full of passion, and even at points a necessity. It's a weird thing to enter here, not only expecting soothing moments and slight touches but also passionate kisses and smiles as bright as the sun.

Yet, my cloud of reverie is soon pierced by a looming threat. There are still about 60 days or so until it comes, and if my calculations are correct, it should start on the 21st of December—just one day away from the Winter Solstice festival on the 22nd. Bitterness possesses me as I think about my estrus and its terrible timing. The day of saving Anon will come, and I will be too busy fantasizing about sex. Great. Just great—

"Thinking about something?" His voice comes from my side, carrying in his hands a plastic pot with a gigantic, brown spider. His smile grows as my tails reach around us, creating that comfortable and fluffy bubble of warmth I've started to love a little just too much. "Me and Chen found this Hersilia yaeyamaensis—Chen is collecting the eggs right now; we're thinking of moving them to the back of the shrine and seeing how they adapt to a different altitude." He waves at Chen back at the top of the tree, and she waves back. I merely smile. These two… "Well? Gonna tell me what's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about—" I check the air. No traces of old magic. Good. "—my estrus; it should come in about two months, and it'll coincide with our rescue attempt." I huff, exposed ears falling. Anon stays silent for a moment before leaving the box on the side and catching my hands with his. Distressed, I stare into his eyes. "I don't want to stay on the side, not knowing what is happening and… praying things go right…"

"Calm down, no need to worry—can't you get something with Eirin to help you?" There was something in his eyes: fear, yet also strength.

"Probably, I don't know—Eirin, to my knowledge, never concocted an anti-estrus pill for a nine-tailed fox, and doing it now may raise suspicion. If somewhat Yukari gets wind that I'm trying to stop my estrus for the first time in hundreds of years, she'll ask questions… And I fear the lengths she'd go to test my servitude." The innuendos were crystal clear, and Anon swallowed dry, his grip on my hands tightening. "I'm afraid, Anon—I-I don't want our first time to be like this—" I freeze the moment the words leave me. It was not a rational thought; it surged from deep within, and to say it to someone like Anon is so insensitive and—

"It won't be." His voice is firm, and it hits with certainty. Wide-eyed, I stare at him—this means… As if expecting my reaction, he goes on, face softening and his hand stroking my hair. "I… talked with Yamashiro-san recently about what sex means to me, and I've come to realize that is just a power play at this point. I go with the motions; sometimes I’m utterly dominated; sometimes others want me to dominate them—but in the end, I know in this game I'm always powerless. It wasn't like this 18, 19 years ago, but since Reimu and Yukari..." He stops, nods to nothing in particular, and keeps going. "It's a chore. Exciting at times, but still a chore. I do it because, otherwise, Yukari may just outright go and kill someone I love—a-and I wouldn't know who, I wouldn't be able to frame her too…"

He comes to a halt, and I can see his teeth clenched, eyes wide and tearing up, staring at nothingness, body rigid, breathing heavy. Wha—

Immediately my tails enveloped us with greater might, thumb caressing the back of his hand, and whatever was happening passed with the quiet seconds.

"… Yet, when I'm with you—" Our eyes met, and he had a relieved smile, slowly recovering his breath. "—there's no power, no Yukari, no threat… Only me—" he gets close and pecks my lips, and I struggle to contain a smile. "—and you."

I kiss his lips back, he kisses mine, we giggle with the back and forth, and soon there are two hands holding my cheeks and the kisses are deep and—

"Bleh, can you two stop?!" Chen says, scowling and holding a plastic pot full of spider egg sacks. "Our experiment is more important!"

"You're totally right, Chen—see ya later, Ran!" Chen takes Anons free hand after he picks up the box with the spider, both leaving as they laugh and talk. Chen even dares to give me the tongue! That bakeneko!

… Smiling silly, I lean back, hands on the wooden floor, my worries lingering in the back of my mind.

Yet…

'No Yukari, no power, no threat—only us'. I smile, my fears weakening.

… I still should go talk to Eirin, though.

// Hata no Kokoro 6

Kokoro could hear Satori scrambling out from under the desk, and the rolling of a wheeled chair as her movements sent it flying across the room. “Koko-Koi-Koishi! Pregnant!?” Satori choaked out, Kokoro could see her in the darkness and gripped the desk as she rose to her feet.

“Yes, sister?” Koshi answered as she popped into perception, of course, the room was still pitch black so none could see her.

“Hi, Kokoro,” Koishi said waving towards her friend, as her sister got to her feet.

“Hi Koishi, are you pregnant?” Kokoro asked stoically as she turned to face the direction of Kokoro.

“What's that?” Koishi asked, tilting her head in curiosity as Satori flipped the lights back on with a Danmau, promptly passing out the second she laid eyes on Kokoro.

---

“So? Watcha think they're doing in there?” Cirno asked as she watched the light turn on as it came from underneath the door.

Orin just shrugged her shoulders as her hair stood on ends, still shaken from Yuugi's exit only moments before.

“So.. Orin, whatcha been doing?” Cirno said, creating an icicle spear that she held behind herself with two hands. Cirno didn’t have to fight Orin, just figure out what she was doing, and as the servant of a secret god, surely she could accomplish this much.

“Huh. What’s with this attitude?” Orin asked somewhat amusedly as Cirno began circling her.

“Nothing, just, me and a couple of the other fairies have seen you around a lot,” Cirno stated, touching a finger to her cheek in an inquisitive motion. “Sunny, Luna, and Star say you’ve been talking to humans too.” Cirno accused, spinning her spear as the air chilled around her, ready to spin up her familiars.

“Eh? I can do business with whoever I please, it’s not like I-”

Cirno cut her off as she advanced, the threatening effect diminished by her missing leg. “Apparently, one of the humans you talked to got hurt.” Cirno said approaching Orin, “They say Seija turned him inside out” Cirno lied, she knew he was okay. Okina had said as much.

“Well, if he did die. I wasn't called to cart off his body, so I wouldn’t know anything about that.” Orin said, sweating as she endured the ice fairies interrogation.

Cirno pressed onwards, channeling a familiar power. “You know, some people might not be too happy about nosy cats sticking their noses where it isn’t wanted.” A hot summer wind blew through the room as greenery started to sprout from Cirno’s stumped limb and her skin began taking on a tan hue. “If it comes down to it, I’ll take care of you myself,” Cirno said in an uncharacteristic tone as she approached Orin.

--
“Well I don’t remember anything like that,” Koishi said as she took on an inquisitive expression, as if she couldn’t trust her own memories.

Satori held her head in her hands as another migraine pain rippled through her head in response. “Ugh..”

“Koishi if you're pregnant… I’m never letting you go to the surface ever again.” Satori said, sounding as if she was in pain. Kokoro certainly didn’t want that, for all of Koishi's problems she was extremely straightforward and honest, one of the few people, alongside Mamizou, Kokoro not only tolerated but liked a great deal.

“How about we go to Eienti, doctor Yaga and the rabbits can perform a checkup on you?” Kokoro said in a tone wearing a mask she reserved for children and Koishi.

“Fine, fine. Just..” Satori trailed off as she failed to read anybody's mind. “Just go away for now, I’ll deal with this later.” She said grabbing a pillow and covering her face with it.

“Oh, ok,” Koishi said, happily grabbing Kokoro by the hand. “Bye Satori!” She said as they left the room. The frothing Satori could only gurgle in response, more head pains shooting through her body as the door closed loudly behind the pair.

--

“Huh? Where's Orin?” Kokoro asked as she left Satori's room with Koishi in hand.

“Oh, it’s fine! Me and Orin just had a chat, let's go Home!” Cirno exclaimed.

Kokoro just shrugged her shoulders, she did what Okina asked, got Koishi and now she could head back home. Finally out of the underground, although it was a bit warmer than it was previously.

She still hadn't figured out why Cirno why so odd, but Okina could look into that, Kokoro had enough excitement for today.
--

Jobbing sister Satori. I imagine her with the body of a preschooler, why are her arms so short?

// Aya 33

If she was nothing, she was a reporter. Doing her job meant using the right tools. As the forerunners in technological ingenuity in Gensokyo, it was obvious that Aya’s camera came from the Kappa. While it had a number of superfluous features, it had the basic tools no modern camera would be complete without: Optional flash, a timer, and, of course, an automatic repeater. Never one to miss a good scoop, Aya always primed her camera with these features before investigating a mystery. If worse comes to worst, she’d leave a record of her death behind for the last Bunbunmaru.

Momiji Inubashiri, a constant friend of the kappa and victim to Aya’s schemes, remembered this habit of hers when she woke up on the floor of a bathroom, legs entangled with someone else’s. Surveying her environment in an instant, the proud guardian of the Youkai Mountain knew that some mysterious, unsolvable accident happened and she had to escape culpability before someone saw. Locating the camera that slid into a corner, she gently rose from the dripping-wet crow tengu lying beneath her. Unfortunately, an iron grip, burning with vengeance, clasped around her wrist. A voice, sweet as honey and deadly as poison, came from the slick body underneath her.

“Oh Momiji-chan~, where are you going?”
______
It was over in a flash: After surviving a bathroom assault, the crow tengu leveled up enough to bind Momiji with Anon’s juban and the straps from her bag and camera. With the wolf immobilized, Aya made her way to her prized possession on unsteady feet. 95% of these positions were lost to her memory: Sucking fingers, 69ing, scissoring, Momiji straddling her leg and humping her crotch, the list went on and on as Aya felt cramps form in places she didn’t know existed as she watched her body twist in horrifying effigies of lust. The final set of pictures showed Aya wearing Anon’s juban and humping Momiji from behind. So that’s why she had it on when she woke up.

Standing over the bound wolf tengu, Aya felt a sense of victory she hadn’t had in a long time. And yet, there was also a nagging sense of pity. Agh, why couldn’t she just enjoy this?! It wasn’t even her fault this time! It was self-defense! Well, nothing would happen if they stayed silent, so she spoke to her prisoner. “Mo-”

“I have one request.” The wolf tengu’s ears and tail stood straight, rigid as a mountain.

“And what would that be?”

“There is a knife strapped to the back of my shield. Place it in my right hand. Then, when I have expired, use my sword to cut off my head. Never allow Tenma-sama to witness my defiled body.”

“You know, you used your tongue for at least half of what you did to me. Look, you can see here when you put it in my-

“Then I shall bite it off and die now!” For a girl that was completely immobile, Momiji put up a surprising amount of effort as Aya made a makeshift-gag from odds and ends in her bag. With her attacker finally, FULLY trapped, Aya prepared to make her demands. She did her best to emulate a similarly stuck-up Yama, holding her camera just like her rod: “MOMIJI INUBASHIRI! You have brought great dishonor to the tengu! Stealing a man’s clothes to masturbate with! Sniffing it to bring yourself into heat! Shirking your duties to masturbate in a bathroom! Cavorting with a woman! FORCING a woman to cavort with you! Continuing to do it for an hour! And finally, attempting to escape the scene of the crime! For a proud white wolf, the only judgment you could possibly expect past the Sanzu River is Black!” Oh crap, her “soul” was starting to cry. Her ears flopped downward and her tail dropped limply. She had to be gentle, but firm.

“However! There is still yet a chance for you to redeem your sinful soul and protect the dignity of the tengu!”Her and Aya’s dignity, that is. “As penance, you shall serve me, unfailingly, until I have forgiven you for your transgression. Do you accept the terms?”

“Mhmmmhphmphm!” Right, the gag. “I surrender. I’ll do your bidding, you sneaky crow. What do you want from me?”

“You shall assist me-alright, I’m done with that. Momiji, I can’t do this alone. You’ve seen Anon, right? Sitting in his prison all day, bruised and battered, victim to all kinds of drugged-up women. That’s not right, whether the Tenma or a Sage agrees with it. I’m busting him out and taking him somewhere safe from harm, where nobody can force him to do anything.” Hearing Aya’s genuine concern for another -for a kind human like Anon, it brought hope to Momiji’s heart. Hope that she could do something truly righteous to make amends to both him and Aya.

“And we’re dismantling the tengu establishment.” As quickly as it came, the light left Momiji’s eyes as she bit her tongue, promising to see the crow again in Hell. When Aya tried to stop her, she scooted away as much as possible, choosing to die.

// Kosuzu 1

It was another slow day at the Suzunaan. I'd already finished shelving the returns hours ago, and it didn't take much longer to do all the bookkeeping. The children were doing the dusting and sweeping so I didn't have to do that, and there were no print jobs to do. Nothing more to do then get some reading done and wait for customers. It's not slacking off if there's no work to do after all. I kept my ears open as I turned my attention to that book I was meaning to finish. If this day continued to be this slow, I could start another book this day and really work on going through my backlog. Only a few hundred more books to go! After a while, I found my attention turned away by the sound of footsteps entering the store. I turned my gaze from my book to see who my customer was and saw a glimpse of red and white. Oh no.

Reimu stood in my store. It has been so long since she last came to the Suzunaan, but I couldn't call this a happy reunion. Like a rabbit stuck in a trap, all I could do is feel my heart rapidly thumps in my chest and freeze in place as I watched my frie- my former friend disappear behind some shelves.

A dark thought sounds an alarm in my mind. My children are here! The more rational part of my mind tries to calm down the terrified mother in me, saying that even Reimu wouldn't attack children for now reason. Sill, I stood ready to pounce.

But I didn't have to wait in terror for long. A few minutes later, Reimu approached the desk with a book under her arm. There was no avoiding it. I'd have to talk to her. "Hey Kosuzu, how are things?" She said with a smile.

That threw me for a loop. This wasn't the Reimu everyone had unfortunately had gotten to know since her family left her. That Reimu haunted everyone like a ghost, drifting through the village with tired and unkept features and dirty clothing making it look like she has crawled out of a grave. That Reimu had an air around here that warmed even the most friendly types that interacting with her would not be worthwhile. No. This Reimu looked rested and alert, and her clothing was clean and mended. I saw no sign of treachery on her face as she smiled. It was like she was actually happy.

"Sometimes it's a little slow, but everything is good, thank you" I said, realizing a little too late that telling her about how happy my life was might be a bad idea.

But her smile didn't falter. "Ah, that's good to hear. Are those your kids here?"

"Yeah, they are. Daisuke and Fumiko" I turn to see two heads poking out from behind a shelf. "Come say hello, you two" I said, waving them over. They nervously stepped out and made their way towards us. I got the feeling that if a youkai showed up right now, they'd rather run towards the youkai.

Reimu crouched down and chatted with them for a bit. After a while all the 'How Old are You's and 'Do you like the Suzunaan's and other questions were asked and Reimu let them go free.

She dropped her book down on the desk along with a few coins. "Just this for now. I don't have any debts here, do I?"

I tried to remember the last time she came here and where the ledger would be. "I'll look to see. You can pay for this for now and I'll add it to your tab if I find any outstanding payments" I said, tensing up slightly as I jot down her name in a ledger.

But she doesn't get upset. "I guess I'll find a way to pay for it if that's the case. See you Kosuzu" With a wave goodbye, she leaves the shop and my heart starts to return to a normal pace. When I'm sure she's gone, I let out my breath.

My children run up to see me. "Do you really know her?" Fumiko asked me, still upset. I couldn't blame them. They were part of the generation that never knew Reimu as anything often then that wicked miko that hurt people.

"Yeah, I've known her for a long time. Before you were born, back when she wasn't so mean" I admit.

"Woah, that's a long time!" Daisuke said with an innocence that didn't do anything to make those words hurt less.

"She's not going to hurt you, so don't be scared, okay? If you're done, you're off for the day" The two of them run off into the streets to play.

I slump down in my chair. Why did her mood improve so suddenly? Ever since that place opened up, she'd been a wreck. It was a shock to me hearing Anon's new career so it must have been hell on her. But the HSE was still open and her family still separated from her, so she had to be something else she has happy about. I just had to know, it could be something big.

I had no leads, but all that talking with Agatha Chris Q over mysteries and reading mysteries wasn't for nothing, My detective's sense told me the HSE would have clues. Of course, it was no place for a married woman with kids, but all I had to do was have a plan to get close enough to investigate.

I felt so young again, like Akyuu was still with me. If nobody else was going to solve it, then it was up to Detective Kosuzu!

// Aya 34

The longer she in this room, the crazier she felt. Yet, she couldn’t let Momiji soul escape until she agreed to help her. The only other person she told about destroying the tengu was Okina-oh fuck, Okina’s been watching the whole time. Okina saw everything.

Her pride thoroughly destroyed, Aya found the resolve she was missing. All of this for Anon. “Momiji. There’s a clear connection between freeing Anon and destroying the tengu, and I’d be happy to explain it to you if you SIT STILL! I have a good relationship with Ran, so she’d be the first to know, Yukari and the Tenma-sama being next!”

Momiji sat down, but didn’t lose her resistance. “But why betray the tengu? Once they know what villany Yukari has been up to, the daitengu will surely protect Anon!”

“The daitengu won’t do anything because they’re the ones letting it happen! Yukari’s bought out every printer, including Bunbunmaru’s. Every manuscript goes through her before printing, and every article goes through her before distribution. Something this big wouldn’t happen without the daitengu knowing about it.” Her thoughts wandered to the story about Hana and the tall tale about protecting her from her mother. Who did that article really help? It just made some uninvolved parties less worried about a person they never cared about, while the people who actually mattered were denied.

“Well, there must be a good reason we aren’t seeing! This is to punish the shrine maiden who abused her husband and s-save Anon from his broken vows!” Momiji struggled to say the last line.

“’Save’ Anon? Even when he was with Reimu he still had his daughter. Here, he has nobody. No one! It’s just him and that selfish hag forcing herself on him every night! Nobody here makes him happy! Nobody here can give him back his family!” The logical part of her brain began to shut off as Aya vented her anger to the helpless wolf. “If anybody really wanted to save Anon, they should have just beat the shit out of that goddamn miko and taught her how it feels to be on the other end!” Visions of her nightmare started flashing in her vision. Anon shackled, Yukari grinning, Hana hungry, Reimu angry. “Now his daughter’s all alone! His wife is just taking out her anger on random youkai! Nothing’s gotten better, it’s all so much worse!”

“Then why haven’t you done anything? Why haven’t you defeated the Hakurei Shrine miko, raised the successor and spirited Anon away to Paradise?” She knew her tone was harsh, but Momiji had to stop Aya before she went too far.

“Because I’m a goddamn idiot! All I did was write stupid articles about his abuse and give him a fucking fruit basket!” Tears started to flow down the naked crow’s cheeks. “I just wanna make it right! I love him so much and I didn’t do anything to help him!” For a few seconds, the tengu sobbed into her hands while Momiji looked away awkwardly. Finding her voice, Aya composed herself and continued her plea morosely.

“I need to get rid of every daitengu Yukari has a grip on. I don’t know if the Tenma is involved, but I’m not afraid to go to the top if I need to. All we’re doing is ignoring the problem and profiting while others make their moves.” She took a deep breathe, collecting her thoughts. To hell with it if Okina was hearing this. “There’s no pride in serving these tengu. Nevertheless, I’m going to blackmail you until you agree to put a stop to this. Even if there’s no society left to serve, it has to be better than serving a corrupt lord, right?” Staring deep into Momiji’s eyes, Aya let her words stand for themselves.

“If we’re only stopping the people responsible… and we’re only going to betray the Tenma if they know what’s going on… then I’ll help you do it.” Kneeling down to untie the wolf, Aya suddenly gave her a tight hug, which the freed tengu gently returned. Realizing their shame, the two naked girls got dressed, cleaned themselves as best they could, and went to the client baths together.

After a long, relaxing soak, Aya looked through her camera’s storage and started deleting the pictures of her assault. Momiji noticed, but only smiled and said nothing. All Aya needed was Momiji’s word, so the wolf tengu put her full trust in her.

In truth, Aya knew her blackmail would only be good for another week or so. Better not risk it leaking.

Before leaving the HSE, Aya dragged Momiji into one of the staff kitchens to prepare a full meal, tengu-style. Rushing the wolf to finish before Yukari came in for her session, the two tengu left for the night while giving the kitsune attendant a quick “Bye!” as they rushed through alleyways. With Momiji as her lookout, Aya placed the carefully-wrapped parcel at the doorstep of a certain girl. She’d have to face her demons eventually. This was the best she could do tonight.

// Marisa’s dad

An old man with graying hair sat in his small office at the back of his shop, looking through the window of his first-story office the man noticed the falling sun, nodding to the woman who sat at the desk next to him filling out paper he said, “I’ll be having my late day tea, you can leave early today.”

Getting up from his desk with a cane in one hand the man began to exit the room as he motioned to a servant. Walking out of his store he headed towards a building at the back of the property.

Sitting down at the table the old man motions to his servant again, “Tea for two.” he said,” You are dismissed for the rest of the day after that.” Leaving the room silently the servant could only feel exhausted by his boss's eccentricities.

Reaching towards the center of the table the man switches on the mechanical light, its warm tubular bulb replicating sunlight to a higher degree than even outside world electrical lights did, although the similarity did not understand the principles behind its construction.

When his servant returned with the tea and the old man had nearly fallen asleep, “Thank you.” He said, “Have a good rest of your night.” It took several more moments than expected for the familiar presence to arrive on the other side of the door which faced the fence surrounding his property.

“Come in.” The man says. “You took longer than usual, I feared the tea might get cold.”

“Don’t blame me, if you haven’t noticed the village has been swarming with all sorts lately” The white-haired wolf said as she entered the building, her skin paling somewhat in reaction to the imitation sunlight.

“How couldn't I.” The old man said, morning with his cup to the outside. “Especially with it all surrounding that establishment of ill repute, your master isn't interested in this kerfuffle is she?”

"No sir. Does this change anything about our deal?” She asks, pouring herself a cup of tea.

“No, although.” he unfurls a poster. “although things might be getting a bit more rowdy.”

Reading it, she completely understood what the man meant, her ear standing at attention as she asked. "Will you need any protection"

"A few extra hands wouldn't hurt." The man admits in fake defeat, "Even if I'm not long for this world." He says mirthlessly

"Any exact problem, I'm sure the boss or Eienti has something." She says with concern in her voice. Loath to admit it, she had grown fond of the man over the last decade of them dealing business together, but that’s what being an immortal meant.

He waves her off with one hand, his bones aching as he does so. "Just old age, something you youngsters wouldn't understand"

Scoffing, she can’t believe this man, he always acts like he’s so much older than her. "Please, you're barely older than me." She says grabbing her necklace in one hand

The old man raised an eyebrow. "You have no right to say that while still having such a youthful appearance."

"Some of us age more gracefully than others." The wolf said with a smiler on her face

"Some of us are Youkai." He retorted, sipping his tea as he thought of all the recent troubles the village had been dealing with due to the youkai, particularly that girl who could control gaps.

"So our arrangement really will be changing?" she pointed at him with her cup of tea.

"I have a daughter don't I, you're familiar with her aren't you?" The man said, thinking to his daughter.

"Not to be rude, but she has an unreliable personality." She’d known her since she was a child, and very little had changed about her attitude or height for that matter.

"You are her friend, I am her father. She has not abandoned her name either, even in my passing she will honor me to that extent, even if she is not as hands-on with the business as I am."

"Keep an eye on her when I'm gone, that foolish girl is too much like her mother and has too little sense about her." The old man complained, thinking of better days, before that witch, before all the youkai in the village, before his wife's death.

She sighed, agreements, and contracts, were one of the humans' strongest weapons against youkai, especially when made and offered by the desperate, old, and dying. He couldn’t rightly refuse him anyway, but she had her own priorities and couldn’t one hundred percent agree "I'll try my best sir."

"That's all I can ask for." The man admitted. "Goodbye, Enoko-san." He said, with the same sense of finality he’d always use when talking about these sorts of things.

"Goodbye Kirisame-san." Enoko slipped out of the building and into the night beyond, hoping Saki would take the news well.

The old man had one more cup of tea before retiring for the night. ‘If only I could have been a better father, then perhaps she wouldn’t have gotten involved with that corrupt shrine maiden, or any of her problems.’

// Reimu 3

Eyes closed. Mind clear—the sound of Danmaku-powered wood hitting flesh, crushing bone—water below wavering, losing concentration… Very warm arms, fluffy tails… The cry of a baby, such a precious baby, meant for greatness… her name, Hana.

… The Hana I betrayed so many, many times—

Opening my eyes and performing swift movements, I soon sank into the river, the crude wooden spear piercing the water's surface, striking the not-so-deep river's floor.

Drenched, I got up and walked up to the spear, pulling it… three impaled fish flailing as life escapes them. I sighed, looking back at the place I was meditating, tasting bitterness; however, following the routine: I stop, I breathe, I think—it was my mistake for losing concentration like that—and let out the air, my fingers closing and opening.

I look at the skies, lost for a moment—

… Not peace. Many, many regrets. Much pain remains unresolved.

Yet, I can't hold myself from smiling and closing my eyes, feeling the mid-autumn season's breeze rush past me.

With my boots on the mud, I walk off from the river and follow back to the shrine. The sounds of nature and the blowing wind watch over my steps, stopping me from stepping on sharp stones or pitfalls. I stop, however, and smile: this smell… I look around and find a lot of wild rice growing in a hidden grotto, surrounded by tasty-looking shrooms and other seasonal seasons. I take them with me.

… To think, to act, to feel regret without an excuse, to walk back home and plan on bettering myself, a flaming goal on the horizon, awaiting action… A life with purpose, something I've lost long ago—my first ever memory was of swinging my gohei. Of attacking, of preparing to kill or be killed…

For my entire life, I only did that. It was killing or being killed.

Never protect.

I should've protected them…

I look up again with narrowed eyes and meditate while walking, letting my power guide me through this world. I remember Seija and a broken man. I'd have pursued him in another world, another life, and demanded payment for my work. But I didn't. I felt happy knowing he was treated by Eirin and that Seija, no matter how terrible of a person, survived too—a nudge takes me off my line of thoughts, and the shrine is in front of me in all its dilapidated glory…

… I hear ghostly echoes when I enter. I hear the smack of wood against flesh; I hear tears hitting the floor; I hear a man collapsing; and I hear my moans of pleasure, followed by a low weep.

Standing still on the genkan, the darkness of the shrine surrounding me, my wrists trembling, it takes an insurmountable amount of effort to regulate my breathing. It hurts, and I can feel my eyes twitching as the echoes just grow to yells, pain itself engraved on the walls like paint. I am surrounded by my own mistakes and their consequences… In another life, I'd have raged against these whispering walls, hit them, tried to put them down with my so-believed all-mighty powers—powers that I believed would never let me lose anything.

Silence.

… I open the kitchen's windows, pick up a knife, go to the counter, and start filleting the fishes. In the warm light bathing the shrine, I can hear a gentle and sweet voice, so shrill and innocent, small hands reaching for a knife—with no point—to try to help her mother fillet fish, maybe even cut vegetables.

I'm crying with a wavy smile as I season the fish fillets with many of the herbs and vegetables I could, in my clearer mind, forage, following the exact measures a smart man I once called my husband taught me.

The stars are a mantle on the sky when I leave the shrine and sit on the stairs by the donation box, quickly making a fire on the path coming from the Torii gate. I shiver as I cook the wild rice and fish fillets, warming up my hands and wishing for knitted clothes of red and white that could dispel the cold just as well as I can swing my gohei…

As the food cooks, I prepare tea, watching the stars as they ever so slowly move across the sky, noticing how not one star is by itself—they are surrounded by friends, by family…

I try for no reason to reach the stars, but fail. Even if I were to fly there, I wouldn't reach them easily—if what Anon said was true, most stars are millions, billions of years away from 'Earth'.

For most, it's not worth it: they're just too far away for tiny human hands…

… A billion, a trillion—if it's countable, it's reachable.

It may take a long, long time before I get close to those beautiful stars, one red and white just like me and the other warm and gentle like I could have never been… Yet, if I could just get a little closer, see their smiles again, get their forgiveness for having stranded away so much—maybe just let them know I'm so sorry…

Then this change, this trial—it'll be worth it.

I smile despite the sudden rain coming from my eyes—! Oh! The smell of burning flesh reaches me, and, wide-eyed, I rush to get my fillets out of the fire.

Above, the stars watch.

// Kosuzu 2

I adjust my hat to be a bit lower on my head and pull up my coat. The cool autumn day made it perfect for walking around covered up without attracting too much attention. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one with that idea, as I spied plenty of figures shuffling around the street covered up enough that one couldn’t recognize them on sight. I guess I would blend right in. As long as I didn't attract too much attention to myself I shouldn’t get found out. It might be interesting to read stories where the villains find the good guy is investigating them so they have them beat up, but it wouldn’t be too much time to actually live through it.

I turned my attention to the the Hakurei Shrine Experience itself. For a brothel, it was certainly conspicuous, with a sign boldly announcing its existence to everyone on a street that used to be a normal. At least they held a bit back and had some sense of decency. My kids had seen the place a few months back and asked me if they could go. I was too busy trying to dislodge my heart from my throat to give them a solid answer, but I was lucky they were too young to hear all the rumors about the place. I unfortunately, was not. How did things turn out like this? I met him when he was just an Outsider getting used to his new life. He’d become a customer of the Suzunaan back then, and sometimes he would help me understand details from Outside World books I had picked up. Then of course came the wedding, surprising us all. Then came the news of Reimu’s behavior and the birth of their daughter. After that, the visits from the Hakurei family slowly tampered off into nothing until Anon showed up to visit after he had left his wife. He had seemed so happy back then, wanting to catch up on what had happened since we had last met. So why, Anon? Why do this?

I was going to get answers. I made my way towards the street, tucking away my notebook out of sight. I couldn’t even remember what this street was like before the HSE showed up, but it was busy now. Stalls had sprung up like mushrooms all around the street, hawking wares. I saw a lemonade stand run by an excitable fairy and a bored looking purple haired woman. There were a few food stalls, and some selling clothing and accessories. A few stalls showed nothing but were draped in bad curtains. Something in my gut told me I shouldn’t ask what they were selling. I was going to look around the outside a bit more, get a better understanding of how things operate and th-oh that stall is selling books!

I jogged over and picked up the first one on the stack. A drawing of Anon was on the cover, looking out with a scared expression. It could be informational about this place, it might be just what I was looking for to learn more. I flipped through the first few pages. Seemed like it was one of those manga instead of anything informational. Skimming through it, it seemed to tell to tell a story about a few tengu confronting Anon about debts his wife owed them. I turn a few more pages and quickly close it seeing what came next. I really hoped this book wasn’t accurate, I really shouldn’t be reading books like this about someone I knew.

“Looking for something more vanilla?” The stall owner questioned me as she pulled out another book from one of the stacks. “What about this one? It’s just the shrine husband and his wife sharing a bed” Not wanting to be rude and having already gotten an eyeful of things I shouldn’t already, I take the book and cautiously flip through it. The content was much nicer to him, but no less explicit. I noted his wife in this book looked nothing like Reimu and more like the average village woman. How odd. At least the printing of this book is good. Nice clean inking, good quality paper, and solid binding. Very good.

“This is a nice print-job. Who does your printing?” I asked, having forgotten why I was here.

“Oh, I know this printer. They don’t really deal with new customers unless introduced, you know? They’ve already got their hands full with jobs anyway”

“I guess your books must sell well then” I said, glancing over the stacks of different books. There had to be at least three or four different titles here. At least she was dedicated, questionable as it is.

“Can’t complain. I’m making money. At first at thought it might be a bit difficult considering most people would just blow their steam off there and won’t be interested, but I’ve had to put a few orders in. I guess it helps that my stuff is accurate”

“Accurate?” I responded.

“They let me bring art supplies into my sessions. The art is very true to life. I’m proud of that. This place opening up has been a windfall for all of us, you know”

I’m lucky enough that my coat hides my reddening face. That was information I was better off not knowing. As I try to get over my embarrassment, I feel a faint energy leaking form the book. A youma book? It was too weak to have any real energy, but it was written by one.

// Ran/Chen 27

We have a new member in Anon's Frens, although it was one of the last person I, Chen—hi…—expected: Reimu. It's been some time since I last saw her, but what I remember is her looking dead and sad, violent too, stopping anyone from getting close. She scared me, even more than twenty years ago, and Yukari's words about her mental illness roamed my head… Why did Ran let her in?

I feel a bit anxious as we go through the gap, fixing my repaired scarf as the cold of the open forest hits us. Toutetsu greeted us first, followed by a raspy voice that sent shivers down my spine. "Good evening." Turning, I expected to see those same dead eyes, low posture, and aura of violence, but what I saw halted my thoughts: her hair didn't look as disheveled as before, and her clothes, although the colors were faded, seemed clean and smelled nice—but the biggest change had to be her eyes. There was… life in there. "Long time no see, Chen." I jump a bit with the sudden attention from the miko, a bit red.

"H-Hello, Ms. Hakurei!"

Reimu giggles a little, and it sounds like Mr. Anon's giggles, "Reimu is good enough, Chen—Ms. Hakurei makes me feel old!" Freaked out by the confusing change, I look at Ran, but she simply taps the top of my head before hugging Reimu and Tetsu.

"Aya couldn't come; Yukari is keeping her paper busy, but I talked with Eirin about my problem and—" Ran starts talking after we form a small circle, Toutetsu squatting by my side, Ran to the other and, in front of me, Reimu, who smiles calmly—until she notices my scarf and that smile fades, eyes closing, and despite the cold, I sweat with fear… But then, her eyes open, and there's just warmth; the whiplash muffling the world around me.

It's not the warmth I saw in Mr. Anon's eyes, of gratitude tinged by sad—it was… resolute, lonely. It made my heart ache.

"Chen," Ran calls me, and all eyes are over me—mine bulge and I stutter, and that's all Ran needs to notice I wasn't listening, sighing. "I asked you to stay away from Orin—Okina's connections say she's been suspicious recently, and we must tread carefully." I frown and want to dispute that: Orin is my friend! Sure, we haven't seen each other in ages, but there's no way she's… suspicious!

Yet, even if I try to think about any incisive argument to back that up, all that returns is that she's my friend…

… Yukari was also my friend.

I gulped down my words, ears and tails drooping, a bit deflated as the meeting went on. Why are things like this? I remember Ms. Kogasa's words about her creator, how he turned his back on her, and the wrath Ms. Kogasa felt. There's rage against Yukari, but there's love in equal measure—she's Yukari, after all—but Orin is just my friend… If she turns against me too, will I feel such blinding rage too?

I remember Yukari's cold gaze when I asked about Mr. Anon… I don't want to look at someone I love like that.

As the meeting ends, members scatter. Toutetsu messes up my hair and flies away; Ran opens a gap and… Reimu kneels down under the moonlight, breathes deeply, and closes her eyes; and I watch perplexed—what is she doing?

"Do you want to talk to her, Chen?" Ran asks, eyes calm, sleeves conjoined. I think for a moment, remembering that lone warmth of hers… Ran, smiling, turns. "I'll keep the gap open; it'll lead to your room. Don't take too long, okay?" I nod frantically, and Ran leaves—it's just me and Reimu on the cleaning now…

Anxious with her image of calm, I do the best I can to walk up to her respectfully, my tails puffy with tension—

"Don't be shy, Chen—I won't bite," Reimu says, her body unmoved. Red, I go to her side, mimicking her kneeling on the ground, one eye opening to look at me with a smile. "So?"

"Um, sorry for disturbing you, I… was curious about something." Unconsciously, I clutch my scarf, and her eye narrows with understanding.

"… Anon knitted that, right?" I stared at her, puzzled at how she knew it. She merely laughs. "The circle patterns with wavy lines—it's his favorite pattern, and it looks lovely on you." There's sad in her voice, yet also fond love and memories, as well as regret. It was a different sad compared to Mr. Anon's, Ran's, and Yukari's—why so many of them…?

Looking down, I see her arms, hairs upstanding, and skin shivering. "You're cold, Reimu?" She opens her other eye to look at me. "You can have my scarf—for now—if you're cold."

Her eyes shine with a weird hope, but something holds it off. "That's gentle of you, Chen—but I'll have to refuse it."

"Huh?… But why?"

"Anon knitted it for you, not for me." I stare at her, blink… Then I get up, pull out my scarf, and, ignoring her confused stuttering 'H-huh?!', wrap it around her head. She was about to say something—probably stupid—so I butted in:

"Baka! Why are adults like this? You need it, so just take it—for now.”

Reimu clutches the scarf, unsure… Then snuggles in it with a smile, eyes warm; "Thank you, Chen—I'll take good care of it."

… I feel fuzzy inside.

// Seija/Goro 21-22

Nue hadn’t lied, a whole market had sprung up around the HSE since I last tried to ruin the place. There were all sorts of dealers selling clothing, nik-naks, food, and some tents and makeshift structures that probably concealed some more interesting black-market items. There were even a few prayer circles and doom sayers running one scam or the other calling for an end to all this madness.
Made me consider if I should really go through with this little escapade, I mean, ruining the HSE was one thing, but if this market kept spreading it could ruin the entire village.
“On your way to wreck an honest business?” Goro asked.
Ehh, who cared about the village when I could finally stick it to Grandma Gappy?
“You just sit by and watch, maybe you’ll even learn something.” I say to him, cracking my knuckles.
“Good luck, I’ll get some tea in the meantime.” He said, walking off and waving at some men on the porch of a tea house.
‘Whatever, I’d get the last laugh when I was cackling on the smoldering crater that was the HSE’ I think to myself as I cut the line and enter the building.
“Hello dear customer, how are you?” Yashimaro greeted me.
Expecting Ran to still be watching the counter I was primed to just toss my fare and be on with it, but this Yamawaro’s mannerisms were off, was she always this composed? She had etiquette sure, the kind you’d expect from a bandit, not this old lady tea waitress kind of talk. Did working at his place make her snap?
I shook it off. “Ey Takane, nice looking Miko uniform, really love the camo although it’s a little modest for this place. Hook me up with the ‘Youkai Attacks Husband While Sleeping’ course would ya?” I say, slamming some coins down in front of her.
“My apologizes Seija, you’ve been banned from the HSE, please leave.” She says, motioning to the door with the same simile that welcomed me in.
“Whatta mean you mountain kappa? Yukari isn’t discriminating here, is she? So long as nobody lays too many scratches on your prized gem it’s all allowed right? Besides, you all owe me damages for making me vomit and black out don’t cha?” I say, as obnoxiously as possible.
“That might be the case, however that assumes dear customer has paid their bill without counterfeit coins.” She answered.
Crap, so they figured it out, did they?
The problem with ‘flipping’ an item’s value is that ‘wealth’ has a property akin to Buoyancy. Sure, I could make a wooden counterfeit into the real deal until a week or so later when it goes back to being worthless wood, which by then it’s usually changed hands too many times to be my problem.
“What’s more is that you assaulted one of my subordinates and stole our property, which makes any damage claims moot.” She said, with a threatening smile that could rival Hijiri’s.
“Whatever, I gave you ‘real money’ this time so I’m going in-“ I say, trying to pass her desk only to slam my face into an unseeable wall.
Yashimaro say’s nothing in response to this blunder.
“Oh, a barrier to exclude banned customers huh? Well,” I snap my fingers “now it’s a barrier that permits banned customers you cucumber hair, eye, outfit having-“
As I pass through the barrier, I feel another invisible force grab me, lift me up, and send me flying out the door I had left open, narrowly dodging several passerby and carts, finally smashing the back of my head into a tea house.
Goro stood above me, the men he was talking to quietly scurrying off adjusting hats and pulling scarves over their faces. He waves to the Yamawaro manning the front counter who waves back as she invites the next person in line into the building.
“Hey! Whose side are you on?” I growled.
“Well obviously yours and not Her’s, after all, I’m on the ‘out’-side.” He chuckled.
“Shove it! I’ll show you how it’s really done.” I say, bolting off down the street.
I make my way between shops, over countertops, through smogs of weird smelling smoke, vault over a few buildings, until I finally arrive at the back entrance of the HSE. The one where I had ‘assaulted’ (more like threated) one of the staff into giving me the reversed miko outfit they had decided to throw out.
Just like last time I touch the door, flick my fingers, and flip the door over, putting me inside. ‘Piece of Cake’ I thought, turning around to see the gold eyes of a fox staring me down.
“Seija, you’ve decided to pay us another visit I see.” Ran says humorlessly.
“Yeah. Didn’t see you at the front counter so I decided to check out back.” I say smirking, before moments later I feel myself falling through the floor into the maw of a gap.
“Please find some other plaything to busy yourself with, some of us are trying to work here.” She remarked as the gap sealed itself shut.
Floating through the space between gaps felt somewhere in between free-fall where everything is weightless and being submerged where you could feel yourself being pulled into the depths. And the only real points of reference where the burning red eyes and shimmers you could spot every so often.
Of course, the hag’s power eventually had to rob me of a little piece of quiet and before I know it, I’m dropped ten feet above a trash heap outside the village.
I curse to an audience of me, shaking off all the refuse and made my way to the road, but not before flipping myself from filthy to clean.
“So that’s how you keep so pristine despite having no home to freshen up at.” Goro said, approaching from behind, carrying a whicker basket.
Well at least it saved me the trouble of finding him later.
“How’d you know I’d end up here?” I asked.
“Yukari likes to dump things in a couple fixed locations: the second-hand shop, a cave on Youkai Mountain, some place you have bolder to in Old Hell, this trash heap just happens to be the closest.” He answered, gesturing in the relative direction of the landmarks as he named them.
“You like going through Yukari’s garbage?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I like to keep an eye on it as a side-project. Trying to see if she has any patterns or if it’s just her preference. Anyway, let me see your head.” He said, moving behind me and pivoting my head forward.
“So, you’ve moved backward from lusting over breasts to obsessing over neck napes. Bravo Goro-kun.” I say, before flinching in stinging pain.
“What are you doing!?” I yell.
“Disinfecting your wound, you were bleeding.” He answered.

“It’ll mend.” I scoffed “No need to fret over every little thing.”
“Sure, sure.” He said, probably ignoring me before applying a bandage against my neck.
“I also picked up this.” He said, pulling a scarf out of his basket and handing it to me.
The garment had black and white stripes crossed with red vertical lines and was made with much higher quality fabric then the shaggy, pink, grandma hand-me-down he gave me before. The pattern still looked like crap, but at least its colors were consistent.
I toss him the hand-me-down and don the new scarf without a word.
“Well, you struck out, now back to my business. You ever hear of the Youkai Grassroots Network?” Goro smirked.

// Kosuzu 3

So does this must mean that this woman is actually a youkai? I'd been fooled a few times before, but she had to be. It would make sense of how she was able to make so many high quality books in such quality. I wondered if she was a tengu, as they had printing presses of their own. If she were to move her hair out of the way of her ears I could tell.

She stares at me "Do you want to buy it?" She asks.

I shouldn't. It would be wrong to have books like this about a friend of mine, and I'd die from embarrassment if anyone found out. Besides, ever since I got married I didn't have much need for that sort of reading material anymore.

But it was a youma book. It could be an important clue to uncovering the conspiracy behind this place if I were to track down who was involved in making it. "I'll take it" I said as I put down money. Sorry Anon, but this is for the investigation!

She takes my money and thankfully puts it in a paper bag so no snoopy onlookers could see what I was carrying. I looked around the street, but nothing else caught my eye. I'd have to go inside to continue my investigation. I pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

It was a lot nicer then I was expecting. I sort of expected something seedier, but the entrance was spacious and clean looking. There were multiple hallways and doors leading out of here, but it was no time to run off on my own exploring. I tool my place in the end of the line, no need to be rude and cut in place after all. To pass the time I scanned the people in front to me to see if I recognized any of them. Not because I was going to judge them for what they did in their personal life- well maybe a little- but knowing who went here would help me figure out what was going on here.

Soon enough, it was my turn at the counter. There was a nine tailed kitsune manning it as if it were a normal thing to do. If someone this powerful was working at a place like this then it was huge! Yes, this was more then a simple brothel, it had to be an incident in the making! I'd figure out the truth for sure, prove myself to everyone and my name would go down in history!

The fox stared at me and the look on her face was not good. "Name and Payment, please" she said, and it was only then it dawned on me how deep in trouble I was. She was a powerful youkai and likely had the backing of other youkai here as well. If she found out what I was doing-well it wouldn't be good. If I died now, they'd find the pervy book on me and I couldn't have that. All I could do is stick to the plan.

"Hello, I am Motoori Kosuzu. I run the Suzunaan bookstore. You sometimes send workers out to pick up books for him. I thought that it would make things easier if I were to cut out the middleman and just bring him a list of out inventory directly and deliver everyt humanhing myself. We also have a printing press if you need our services for that" I slide my business card across the counter and wait as she examines it, eyes narrowing slightly. My cover was brilliant. In the stories, the issue was that the good guys would have to work hard to maintain their cover and keep it up under scrutiny. But I was smart. My cover was telling the truth, so it could never be disproven. Now all I had to do was wait for the fish to go for the bait.

The fox's face lightened. "Very well. We will keep your offer in mind if we need your services. Seeing as you're here on business, then I must tell you to use the service entrance after hours. The Shrine Husband will be busy with guests for the rest of the day, but he will be free after that" All day? Holy shit. This place wasn't normal I'm the slightest. "The service entrance is around the back. Come here shortly after closing and knock. Someone will let you in" I had my way in, my plan had worked. I was so close to solving this mystery I could almost taste it!

"Thank you, I'll be there" I responded, turning around to leave. There was no need to stick around for now, I'd already learned so much. But I found myself staring right at the women that had gotten in line behind me. I hadn't noticed them, and here I just told everyone my real name. I shuffled away and hastily made my way away, hoping that they'd tell nobody.

Back at the Suzunaan I placed down the book at my desk and made sure nobody was watching before I used my power on it. The feelings of lust coming of it were still strong enough for me to take notice, but there were also feelings of greed and oddly enough, loneliness. A few names osted in my mind and I wrote them down. It could be a lead. Having completed my investigation for now, I hide the book high up on a shelf in the corner. The last thing I wanted was questions about it.

// Meiling 1-2

Let it never be said that Hong Meiling was an inattentive gatekeeper.

As soon as Patchouli Knowledge left the mansion, which was a momentous occasion in itself, Meiling was thinking. What had happened recently that could convince the Great Unmoving Library to move itself at long last? Meiling had been into the village somewhat recently, on one of the occasions that the Young Mistress desired something on some new whim and Miss Sakuya had been unable to carry everything at once. On those occasions, Miss Sakuya claimed that Meiling's "Typically pointless strength" came in handy for carrying large amounts of groceries. It was only slightly hurtful. In the village, she had seen a building that she couldn't remember seeing before. Miss Sakuya had told her to put it out of her mind and never, under any circumstances, tell the Slightly-Less-Young Mistress about it.

Unconsciously, Meiling's body began to move into the complicated stances of Tai Chi. It was what she did when she needed to think even if it had little use in a place like Gensokyo. Meiling hadn't been able to see any of the other gatekeepers she knew for a long time. Elly had disappeared despite her master still roaming the Garden of the Sun, and Sara had vanished along with the gates of Makai. Tewi was still trying to convince her that she was a gatekeeper and not chief prankster, and the less said about those strange girls, one pink and one green with funny-looking hats, who had tried to convince her that they were technically gatekeepers and then offered her a job, the better.

All in all, Meiling was feeling a little lonely.

She stepped forward with one leg, stretching the other leg as far as she could. Then, she tilted her head just slightly to the side, raised two fingers, and brought them together. Opening her eyes, she looked back to see the wickedly sharp knife that she had caught between her fingers, then looked forward at the stony-faced Head Maid. "Miss Sakuya?" Meiling asked, tossing the knife in the air and catching it by the handle. She threw it back at the maid, who didn't move, but was suddenly spinning it across her fingers until it danced back into the sheath that she kept strapped around her thigh. "Is something the matter?"
The head maid crossed her arms. "Patchouli has been gone longer than her previous excursions." She tilted her head. "What did she tell you?"

Meiling frowned and thought back. "Er...She just said she had business." Not true, actually. "No, she said something about temperaments, too..." There was something else, Hong... "Oh, she said to tell you to, er, 'tell Remi...'" Come on, Hong, you were paying attention. "'To go...to the human village...?'" Was that it? Surely that was it. Hong Meiling was not, as already mentioned, an inattentive gatekeeper.

"Is that right...?" Miss Sakuya didn't look convinced. "Well, you certainly don't seem busy. I'm charging you to go and retrieve our resident Magician before she collapses." Meiling's eyes widened. A task that required her to leave the Mansion? That was rare.

"But what about the gate, Miss Sakuya?" Meiling asked.

Miss Sakuya, who had turned away, looked over her shoulder. "We both know that an intruder would get in regardless." And then, she vanished.

Meiling sniffed unhappily. It wasn't her fault that martial arts weren't a natural fit to the Spell Card Rules! Before they'd come to Gensokyo, Miss Sakuya had seen Meiling as indispensable! Being unappreciated was an awful fate. Alas, orders were orders. Meiling turned and whistled, and before long, her fairy maid detachment was running out to meet her. Meiling only got to train them because they had been sitting idle in the mansion itself, and Sakuya didn't care if Meiling got the scraps.

So she had taken them, and trained them to defend the Scarlet Devil Mansion. They were less carefree than those in the mansion full-time, and as Meiling explained why she would be absent, they all seriously nodded and took up their positions on the gate and walls of the mansion. Meiling thanked them profusely for their surface, then turned and took to the air.

Patchouli had given her a message for Remi about the human village, so that was Meiling's first port of call. She touched down at one end of the village, near the canals, where that nice flower shop owner who had given her free seeds worked. Only, he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic today. He slumped over the counter of his store, and only raised his head lethargically as Meiling entered the store. "Mhm?" He mumbled into the desk. "Oh, Miss Gatekeeper. Welcome..."

"Um, are you okay...?" Meiling ventured, stepping into the store. "Is business slow, Mr. Shigeru?" The store itself still looked cared for, which made a youkai attack unlikely.

"Just call me Takumi. Tak, if you're feeling lazy." Tak shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. Plenty of people want flowers these days. No, it's..." He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. "It's that...building."

He looked over his shoulder, and even though it was a wall behind him, he seemed to be looking at something specific.

"Building?" Meiling asked curiously, leaning forward and resting her arms on the counter. "Which building? How's a building got you all...sad?" She looked at the wall, then remembered that she couldn't see through walls, so she raised a finger, jogged out of the store, then hopped up into the air so she could see over the buildings. There was only one building out in the distance, on the opposite side of the village that could be what Takumi was talking about. Big, ominous, and just a little bit ugly, it stuck out like a sore thumb. She dropped back to the ground, then ducked her head and waved awkwardly at the people who were staring at her. "Is it that one across the village? Looks a bit weird?"

"That's the one..." Tak mumbled, resting his head on the counter. "Lots of strange women going in there. Sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. It's all we hear about." He idly scooped up a handful of sunflower seeds and let them run through his fingers. "You've never heard of it?"

"Um..." It did look sort of familiar. "I think I saw it under construction...? It was weird, just a big empty room. Wait, are you still calling me 'Miss Gatekeeper'? I told you to call me Meiling." She put her hands on her hips. "How many times?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Force of habit." Tak said, ducking his head a little. Then, his expression slipped into thoughtfulness. "The place has been around for months...Seems like it's been expanding. There's whole rows of stalls set up outside, now. I hear the Market Goddess is ecstatic."

"Stalls? Selling what?" Meiling loved stalls. The tengu always set them up in the mountains when they were releasing new manga, and Remi always gave Meiling some extra money to buy manga on her behalf. "Ooh, is it manga? Tell me it's manga, Tak." She excitedly grabbed at his hands, and he jerked upright.

"I-It's, er..." He looked down at her hands, and Meiling released him as if she'd been burnt. "Well, you could say that it's drawn...something, all right."

Meiling had half a mind to run off right there and then, but she reigned herself in, remembering why she was in the village in the first place. "Oh, I was going to ask...Have you seen anyone in particular recently in the village? Um, really long purple hair, robes that look like pyjamas, looks like she's about to pass out from not sleeping? Hair looks like this." She reached behind her and pulled a bunch of her red hair forward on either side, then bunched it up with her hands. "Like that. But purple. Oh, she was probably floating. She doesn't like walking. Too exhausting, apparently."
"Uh..." Tak scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't exactly live out that way, but I was over there recently. I saw that girl, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's daughter. She was staring at the building."

The Hakurei Shrine Maiden's daughter. That was...Hana, Meiling remembered. Hana Hakurei. She'd come by the mansion a few times in the intervening years between Reimu Hakurei's marriage and the big reveal of her abuse. She'd always been polite, despite the way she was raised. "...Huh." Meiling said. It didn't mean much to her, but she supposed it was interesting nonetheless.

"Oh!" Tak slammed his hand down on the desk and made Meiling jump in fright. "I did see someone! Just for a split second around the side of the building! Purple hair, robes, not actually standing on the ground! That's her, isn't it?"

"Sounds like it!" Meiling nodded, happy to have her first real lead. Perhaps she could be a detective too, like that detective who had come to the mansion! That'd make a great manga. "Sorry, Tak, but I'll have to cut this short. I need to find her before she passes out somewhere." She waved goodbye and left the store at a jog, jumping into the air as soon as she was clear.

Taking to the air, Meiling swooped over the buildings of the village, then dropped down into an alley just off from the building. She was representing the mansion, so it wouldn't do good to scare people. That said, once she'd stepped out onto the street itself and realised that she was towering over most of the villagers, it didn't seem to matter much.

Tak hadn't been lying about there being stalls around the building. It almost looked like the Hakurei Shrine during a festival. Food stalls, souvenirs, a stall selling various 'fertility enhancements', and...

There! A stall with books piled high. Like a moth to a flame, Meiling was drawn to it. Of course, they weren't the books she expected. Instead of action manga about tengu and dragons, there was a man on the cover. He looked familiar, and he was seemingly being held down and struggling against a faceless oni. Meiling flipped the book open to a random page. Oh, they were having sex.

It took a second for the connection to make it's way to her brain, at which point she dropped the book as if it was on fire.

// Kasen 2

"Calm down, Anon—regulate your breathing, focus your mind!" Despite my words, the sounds filling the room are of flesh on flesh hitting at high speeds. Squatting over him, I sent my hips up and down with no hint of slowing it down, drooling a bit and damping him with my lewd combination of juices, my breasts jumping with the speed, loud moans leaving me as the floor creaks, both my hands on his chest to help with the rhythm; my chain clanking against the floor.

Our bodies were covered in sweat, remarking the excruciatingly good long time we have been in this position, Anon's teeth clenched and eyes closed shut, almost to the point of crying, holding the futon with such force as if trying to rip it apart, chains of light holding him to the ground—all that impulsing my horniness to the moon and increasing the speed in which I slammed my ass against his dick.

"Kasen… please!" He pleaded loudly, but I simply sat down on his dick with might, a painful shout leaving him.

"Training the body is as important as training the mind, Anon—to control it is to control your limits!" I mewl, the tip of his penis hitting that stop and grinding there with such—ah… "With my powers, you have training wheels, but when the true training starts, you'll have to hold it all by yourself! You cannot cum yet, Anon!" I lay on him, crushing my boobs on his chest and smelling the intoxicant smell of 'man', sweat, and sex, fervently kissing him.

An important part of training is enjoying it, after all~

For ten more unstoppable minutes the training goes on, our bodies red with the heat, cramps only prevented by magic. But Anon is on his absolute limit, so I slowly release the chains holding his orgasm at bay, the light around his wrists exploding. As if a switch had been turned, his hands fly to my hips, squashing them before starting to slam his dick inside repeatedly, holding my body still and just pumping and pumping, and oh, oh~

Clasping my hair, I have to support my entire body straight as I finally let myself cum, legs quivering and trying to cross with each other, another layer of utter control on my mind as to keep my strength at bay—if I lost concentration and cross them, my thighs will cut Anon's lower half-life a scissor going through a sheet of paper. The danger; my womb being filled to the brim with ropes of thick cum and the dispersing warmth of an outrageously long session of unstoppable throttling—training, oh, training—on his dick reaches its end… All make me reach heaven, even if for a moment.

I pull myself out of his dick, a loud 'plop' echoing as a line of cum drips from my soaked pussy, legs yet to stop quaking, body a bit bent forward, breathing as if drowning—yet a smile paints my face. My hands shuffle a bit with my hair drenched in sweat before I can properly express, "You did great today, Anon! Your body will be made of steel in no time!"

Anon doesn't answer, hands hiding his face, body shaking still. Oh, he's recomposing himself? So cute~

"We'll get down to mind training tomorrow, 'kay? Then we'll have all the basics covered!" Ignoring my post-sex state, I walk towards the veranda with a smile, giving Anon a side-eye. "I'll be outside refreshing myself—if you wanna join me for an after-session, feel free~"

I don't wait for an answer; I just leave, waling to the pond behind the fake shrine, murmuring a lullaby, the sun shimmering on my sweat-covered skin… It takes ten seconds before my body starts to shake, my pace on the reddening grass unsure. By the time my legs sink into the pond, tears stream down my face, eyes wide, hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

It happened again. I thought it wouldn't, but it did. I try to clean myself in the pond, semen dripping from my femininity, but it amounts to nothing. It happened again… I—

"You lost control again~" A voice comes from behind, and in the span of a second, I'm ready to fight—though, in the next one, my eyes narrow with spite, and I cover my exposed breasts. Yukari giggles, not trying to hide her gaze. "My, my—what a weak sage—"

"What did you do to me?"

"Me? I did nothing, my friend—I simply used the pieces at my reach." Cold words congest my throat, begging to be let out, but any courage I have goes down with my tears. Her laughter drips venom. "Poor Ibaraki Kasen, raping her former protégé's husband, all because of a simple mistake. Adorable." She spins her umbrella carefree, her smile crawling on my back like a demon.

But rationally speaks louder; "… Mistake?"

She giggles, and I feel caught in a web; "Have you ever considered what is evil to an 11-year-old, my poor Kasen? There's wrath, of course; greed, even though hypocritical, indeed; sloth, pride, gluttony—all those come from your true form had in batches, now sealed inside your arm by an 11-year-old who also experienced those evils too… But you know what an 11-year-old should never experience?" I freeze as understanding befalls me—Yukari smiles like a devil; “Lust~”

// Cirno 8

It had been some time since Cirno lost half her leg in her trip to the underworld, she didn’t know how long it would take but she couldn’t wait another month for no progress to happen and then the eventual attack on the Hakurei Shrine Experience, she’d asked Okina, but she wasn’t able to understand what she said. At the very least she directed her toward Narumi.

“From what I can tell your levels of vitality are completely normal, but there’s nothing I can do,” Narumi said as she waved her hands over Cirno’s body.

“Then why did-” Cirno protested only to be interrupted by Narumi

“If I had to guess, that troublesome master of ours wants you to find out on your own, but if I had to recommend something, this doesn’t look like a medical or health problem. Maybe you should talk to Byakuren-san. She’s a Youjitsu master despite being a monk.” It could be said the same reasons made her a poor monk, sage, or hermit, her lack of impartiality helped her greatly in Youjitsu.

“Youjitsu?” Cirno asked as she pulled herself upwards from her position on the rock Narumi used as an impromptu operating table too many times.

“Youkai magic, well not exactly, more like the study of and application of the supernatural powers of youkai. I don’t know much of the field, but Byakuren is an expert.” Narumi said as she closed her mock doctor’s bag made from the leaves and sticks.

“But, aren’t I a fairy?” Cirno asked, tilting her head, she had gotten more powerful and Okina had said a lot of things about surpassing fairyhood. But she hadn’t actually thought she’d stop being a fairy, what was that even like.

Narumi could only shrug her shoulders, unsure of the answer. “Maybe, but not entirely, and with that bit of Okina inside of you, I think god or youkai would be a better word, sorry again I don’t know that much about those subjects.” At that, Narumi departed down the Jizou trail.

‘God huh.’ Cirno thought, looking at her hand and stumped leg. ‘I still feel like a fairy’

---

The temple seemed to be undergoing some last-minute renovations as Cirno approached from the air. She could see a couple work crews adding on to the external wall, and three additional buildings being added to the now-expanded temple complex.

Luckily for her Chisazu and Kyouko were arguing about something out front, which made it pretty easy for her to get directions to Byakuren, apparently, she and Shou were performing some sort of private ceremony or meeting, something about a ‘Bisha-kun,’ but Cirno didn’t know who that was.

“Hello! Byakuren-San, Hello shou Shou-kun. Chisazu said, "I could find you here!” Cirno said as she loudly rapped at the wooden door that led to the temple's inner, backdoor chamber.

Slamming the door open from the inside, an irritated Byakuren started down at Cirno with a furious expression before opening into a lecture“It’s fine if you want to join in our temples teachings, In fact, we’ve never had a fairy attendingheresoitwouldbeincrediblyineteretsingigyoucoudl-”

“Eh?” Cirno said, confusedly, "I'm here to ask about Youj-” Cirno hadn’t been able to finish her sentence before Byakuren grabbed a hold of her. Cirno Byakuren’s hands were rough and calloused for a woman of her appearance, she was pretty strong too, and her presence felt similar to Kokoro’s or Patchouli's.

“Cirno-chan, just where did you hear that word?” Byakuren said in a threatening tone as the door slammed behind them.

“Narumi said you could help me with my leg, I hurt it in the underground,” Cirno said as she gestured towards her stumped leg, worry flashing over Byakuren’s face. “Narumi says she doesn’t know what to do and you can help.”

“Huh?” Who Cirno assumed to be Shou asked from somewhere behind Byakuren, there was a question but also a bit of familiarity in her tone. Cirno had never talked to her much, but she felt like she had a good grasp of Shou’s character.

“Really?” Byrakuren said. “Well, I haven't worked with any fairies before I can try.” She said as she outreached her hand, touching where Cirno’s heart would have been.

“Oh dear.” Byakuren said as she felt Cirno’s soul, “I didn’t expect this.” She said in a tone somewhere between worry and intrigue.

// Alice 5

Alice is suffering. Her creator, abandoning any sort of ethics a guardian should have, has loudly proclaimed every foolish thing Alice has ever done. Perhaps, such a thing could be bearable if she simply knew it was happening somewhere else, but Shinki’s surprisingly strong arm has kept Alice trapped in her own personal hell.

Her only consolation came from the girl across from her. Despite her childishness and thievery, Alice could only feel a sense of camaraderie for the girl whose teacher is currently recounting the time she ate a mushroom she misidentified before vomiting and crying for three hours.

Had the circumstances been different, Alice would definitely have lorded such a story over Marisa. However, given Marisa just heard about the Spell Book Incident… suffice to say, either side has enough ammunition to destroy the other.

As Marisa is lifted up and placed onto Mima’s lap like an oversized doll, Alice ponders if the math has changed. That line of questioning is quickly brought to an end as Shinki follows suit.
It’s not fair. Alice is done growing and she’s accepted that, but why is it that women like Mima and Shinki are just… larger than her in many aspects? Was it due to her nature as an artificial creation rather than a naturally born being?

Such questions help Alice ignore Shinki’s hot breath on her neck and the stench of alcohol upon it as her creator speaks, “Y’know, I was wondering. Why don’t you throw your… normal hat into the ring regarding this Anon fellow?”

Mima and Marisa stiffen for very different reasons. Marisa’s concern is obvious given the way she eyes her mentor, while Mima’s seems rather clear too given the way she adjusts her hat.

After a few moments, Mima shakes her head and turns her attention back to Shinki, “Been there, done that. The way I see it, the girls of today should be the ones fighting over boys. For old has-beens like Yukari to start pushing around kids and stealing their men? It makes you wonder why she hasn’t gotten one up until now. Give him a century and make him a ghost or something and then maybe.”

Oblivious to the relief of the girl on her lap, Mima idly strokes Marisa’s hair before narrowing her eyes at Shinki, “That being said, I’ve been living sealed up for… far too long. Surely after all this time, someone must have caught your eye. Unless you already have someone of course.”

Shinki’s grip on Alice tightens as she begins to blush, “No, no. Nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve been busy and haven’t had time to bother myself with the lowly affairs of mortals.”

Mima adopts a dopey smile colored by an alcohol-fueled blush, “I see, and your reluctance has nothing to do with the fallen angel you’ve been living with for how many years? The one you’ve created and raised children with. The one you ran off to make a kingdom with.”

Shinki furiously shakes her head, “I’m telling you, it’s nothing like that. Sariel is just a… skilled and useful companion in-”

Mima cuts her off, “In your bed.”

That seems to be a bridge too far as Shinki begins to rise she shouts, “You take that back! I’m not fucking Sariel!”

Thankfully, Shinki’s maternal instinct kicks in right before Alice is thrown to the floor by her rapid ascent. Instead, Alice is gently placed on the floor before Shinki rears on Mima who has done the same.

Refusing to back down, Mima gives a cocky grin as she replies, “I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. Hell, it even prompted some awkward questions from little Marisa about your ‘alternate lifestyle’.”

Seemingly transcending the need for words, Shinki gave a succinct reply by shooting a wave of unrefined magic in Mima’s general area. This of course escalates into a fight between the two.

As Alice cowers under the table, she remembers why exactly she hates her creator’s visits. However, her mood quickly changes when she feels some baskets under the table. Makai mushrooms, refined metals, and socks? Perhaps Alice misjudged her creator.

// Hana 34

It was around noon and the sun was high in the sky, despite its best efforts the chill still prevailed but it was mitigated by an endless golden warmth. Hana's scarf was loose and her mittens hidden in her sleeves ready as her gohei was to be drawn quickly and brandished against the cold.

Her last job had been finished quickly enough, clearing up some spiteful tool spirits before they fully formed in the old warehouse on the edge of the village. Aside from some patrols and returning a book to Suzunaan she didn't have much else to do today, which is why it was a relief that she met up with Sanae.

Sanae herself had been busy proselytizing at the north end of the village square along with her faithful who distributed flyers and coupons in equal measure. It was lunch time however, and even half-gods needed breaks here and there; so with a smile Sanae accepted Hana's invite to lunch and the two shrine maidens descended upon a new and popular restaurant that was unstaffed and unsolicited by the youkai that seemed a little too brazen for either's tastes.

It didn't take long for the two to be seated despite the rush, it seemed Sanae knew the store owner and while Hana felt embarrassed at cutting to the front of the line ahead of the other patrons she was relieved that she didn't have to sit in torment while smelling all the wonderful foods being served. Once they were seated it didn't take very long for Hana to ask what she had done only for Sanae to wink, "It wasn't much, just that the master had been trying for a child for quite a while till he paid a visit to our shrine. A quick blessing from Suwako-sama took care of any issues~!"

Ah, Hana supposed it was about what she expected. Being a living god must have its perks, must be nice~ Either way, the food was quick to arrive and it looked as delicious as it smelled, the two girls mostly made small talk about this and that. No need for deep conversation to spoil the meal after all. Hana felt nice, after all back when things were easier and she could still see a clear future Sanae had been one of the few women that she wanted as a mother and once again she understood why.

Sanae's smile was easygoing and she seemed to have many interesting things to talk about, even if the subject of her conversation veered into the mundane the way she said things and the energy behind her words gave them a spirit all their own. Even listening was a skill she had, while Hana's much less interesting stories were spoken across the table Sanae still somehow spiced them up, interjecting when appropriate and rarely overstepping her bounds to comment. Much like when she was Marisa she felt secure enough to even drink, there was little that could go wrong when she was at her side, it was remarkably peaceful.

Alas the conversation inevitably veered into more serious waters as they enjoyed some after dinner sweet-sake, the servers that seemed to hurry some of the other clients didn't' bother them in the slightest in that regard. Hana couldn't help but bring up the the last bit of good news she heard last time she was a guest at her shrine, "Oh, that's right. I never heard how Kanako-sama's meeting went with the Tengu, is there anything I should know?"

Hana could guess the news as Sanae's face gave a troubled expression as she mulled over her words and sighed, "It didn't go well from what she explained, It seems the tengu are too invested in that filthy place to want to work against it"

Her true feelings must have shown on her face, as Sanae was quick to add on, "It's dumb but its just politics you know! You really shouldn't let it get to you Hana-chan, Its not even close to being over and negotiations always flop on the first run! Even as we speak Kanako-sama is considering new bargaining chips and all!"

The green haired miko and living god of the mountain took Hana's hand in hers and gave her a gentle smile, "Lets not focus on it okay, Its not much but how about we get some sweets after we're done? It always makes me smile~"

Faced with a gentle disposition that could settle even the most fussy of children Hana couldn't help but give in and cracked a small smile, if only things had been different...

With the sun still on their shoulders the two walked to the sweets shop letting their meal go down by taking the long way, suddenly a memory came to her head as she passed a black and white shop sign advertising cheap knick-knacks. Hana brought it up without any hidden motives as she spoke aloud, "You know earlier today I saw Marisa-sensei enter into that building. I really admire how kind she is to risk herself going in there so much" Hana caught herself, "Ah sorry, I know we're not talking about business and all but I can't help to admire how she goes in even outside of our scheduled visits and all. You think I should send her with a gift next time?"

Hana couldn't quite understand why Sanae's expression looked a little vacant for a bit, something she ate?

// Seija/Goro 23-27

Goro knocked on the door of the hut in a strange rhythm.
The place was dingy with the only sign of class being a set of wind chimes hanging from the roof, which was just fine with me, rebel little wind chimes! Fight back against your drab little surroundings all you’d like!
“Hello? Ah Goro-kun! What brings you here?” Kagerou unabashedly answered, her tail beating frantically behind her.
“It’s a shakedown mutt, hand over your valuables and we’ll only thrash you a bit.” I say with a whistle.
The mutt eye’s narrow. “What are you doing here? Goro, why are you with this woman? Is she bullying you?”
“No, no, no, we’re just acquainted through circumstances. Seija-kun’s joking of course, saying the opposite of what she means.” He said.
I feel like I was going to be hearing that excuse a lot. Whatever, confusing people by double meanings was an amanojaku’s privilege after all!
“I brought some sweets.” Goro said, raising his basket.
The dog’s mood instantly flipped to excitement as she hastily ushered us into the household. At her meager table already sat the pathetic tuna Wakasagihime and that recluse Sekibanki who both gave me nervous and indifferent glares respectively.
“Well well well, how fortunate to happen upon this gathering of losers. All that good karma I earned must be coming back in force.” I cackled with my hand on my hip.
“So, it would seem. I didn’t take you for the romantic type and here you are side-by-side with a man, truly a blessing for someone with a rotten personality like you.” Sekibanki waved.
“Pardon? Goro if you were looking for a youkai partner, I could have recommended much better candidates!” Wakasagihime chimed in.
Goro waved his hand. “It’s circumstances, circumstances!” He said jovially. “Fortune makes for strange bedfellows after all.”
“Bedfellows, that’s…” The mermaid blushes, sinking into her chair.
“It’s a manner of speech. He means they’re business partners, not that they share a bed.” Sekibanki explained.
“Yup. We’re in the process of becoming estranged, this one sleeping on the floor.” I said, jamming a thumb at Goro.
“Any who, when’s the last time you all went to the village? I brought some sweets.” He interjected, distributing sweets among us, leaving me a spicy cookie, which I eat whole and down immediately with an entire cup of tea.
Only losers wasted time sipping and exchanging pleasantries like these bores were doing now. In the meantime, I just rock back in my chair balancing myself between stillness and falling.
“… so that’s the reason for my visit, Yukari’s finally gone off the deep-end and almost everybody who’s anyone is getting up to put a stop to things.” Goro finished.
“So, you want to use the Grassroots Network as canon fodder?” Sekibanki asked with raised eyebrows, an edge to her voice.
I liked this neckless prude the best, at least she had part of a spine.
“On the contrary, you all can do something the heavy hitters can’t, take away Yukari’s greatest defense.” Goro spoke.
“The fox Shikigami?” Kagerou asked.
“Her gap ability?” Wakasagihime suggested.
“The Yakumo dead grip over information flow?” Sekibanki put forward.
“The hag’s inability to laugh at anyone’s jokes but her own?” I threw out.
“The village residents.” Goro spoke, answering the very question he proffered. What an ass.
“They wouldn’t defend Yukari, would they? She’s one of the most hated and despicable Youkai of all! Even Seija has more friends than her!” Wakasagihime blurt out.
Was that true? I suppose the hag had the fox Shikigami and her Shikigami’s Shikigami, but that’s more of a pet and people would clump me in with Nue and the Inchling princess so…
Ah Hell. Finally got to admit Yukari outclasses me in one thing: being a friendless loser.
“With its proximity to the village, any fight with the big wigs will leave a huge chunk of the town in the blast zone, plus a market that’s risen around that place. So, unless they want to slaughter loads of Human and Youkai, they’ll have to use smaller attacks. Meanwhile Yukari is probably preparing defense so she can fight as she pleases.” Goro explained.
“If anybody had any guts, they’d throw caution to the wind and go wild, let’s see the surprise on Yukari’s face when her little establishment becomes a memorial to a tragedy she caused!” I say romantically.
“It’s poor form to kill more people than you save on a ‘rescue mission’.” Sekibanki said.
“It might come to that anyway, since big youkai tend to get a little unhinged in the heat of things.” Kagerou added.
“Quite so, that’s why we need the Grassroot Network’s support in this. Evacuate the residents so everyone strong can nuke the place at a 100% from the beginning and Yukari will have to burn a contingency to keep in the fight. She’ll be down two who cards before the fight even begins in earnest.” Goro explained.
The Youkai looked tepid. Made sense with them being cowards and why would they go out of their way for Youkai who didn’t live on the fringe or Humans who spurned they’re existence? Goro, probably sensing their indecision, changed the subject.
“Say what’s this?” He asked, picking up a flyer from the table.
“Yamashiro dropped it off. She’s opening a business to care for lonely children and she’s looking for help!” The mutt answered excitedly, her tail sweeping back and forth.
“She means those on the borderline, half-youkai, half-humans.” Sekibanki answered matter-of-factly.
“Did she tell you why?” Goro asked.
“Because Anon’s about to have a lot of kids?” Wakasagihime answered.
Everyone turned to the mermaid in shock, even I was off-put at how quick the tuna princess put things together.
“What? I hear many Youkai go to that brothel! It’s not like many humans come out and visit us for courting and the like! So, it’s got to be his kids!” She pouted.
At this, a depressing cloud floats over the hut. The mermaid looked in the air, projecting her frustrations on a man she invented in her head. The Rokurokubi looked out the window, waiting for a stud to knock on it with a pie and bouquet. The wolf’s ears dropped, and she careened over as if all the world’s weight was suddenly placed on her.
I lapped the scenery up, putting my hands behind my head and admired the plight of socially stunted woman.
Goro coughed. “I’ve tried getting some of my bachelor friends to agree to a mixer it’s just that, well, they’ve heard the rumors about the HSE and Youkai maiden’s stock has been plummeting since they started selling lewd illustrations around the building.”
“So, if we were to help get rid of the HSE…” Wakasagihime began.
“… and help villagers escape…” Sekibanki continued.
“… then the villagers would like Grassroot Youkai more and come to visit?” Kagerou finished.
I slap a hand over my face. “Way to go Goro, you’ve conned these lonely maidens into a brothel bashing so they can dream about a man finally sharing a bed with them. Bravo!” I speak.
Unfortunately, these love-struck, dorky, sick excuses for Youkai are already too busy thinking about which man they’re going to pick out after they fall over them in the rescue attempt. Even Sekibanki, I thought she was different!
“The Grassroot Network is here to help!” They answer in unison.
“Just one issue.” Sekibanki says, raising a hand. “Won’t Yukari figure us out immediately and just plan around us?”
The gloom seeps back into the room, to my great glee.
“Well of course she’ll know, but it won’t help her if she doesn’t have specifics. I can give you all sets of instructions that should guarantee a successful operation without having to coordinate much. they’re ways of handling secrets such that powerful Youkai and Gods can’t read them, even if they have the information right in front of them. It’s just time consuming is all.” Goro says, lifting back his head and exhaling.
“Time consuming? Like small talk and teatime? Oh Geez, is this why everyone spends so much time on boring chit-chat?!” I groan.
“Goro-kun, could you hand me back that flyer? I’ll need it to take the position.” The mutt asked.
“Oh sure, was wondering why this thing had a serial number on it, seems pretty weird for a flyer… wait.” Goro uttered, before his eyes darted over the piece of paper.
“Yamashiro-Sensei you absolute Yamawaro genius.” Goro utters under his breath.
Smiling he hands the dog back her flyer. “Kagerou, how many people got this flyer in the Grassroot’s Network?”
The wolf put her finger on her lip and looked up for a second, swaying her tail and counting in her head.
“I’d say about thirty or fifty. I also handed of some of my stack for others to distribute.” She answered.
“Perfect. Be at the Winter Solstice festival and bring those flyers. Do that and nobody, not Yukari, Yama, or any God, Dragon, Celestial, or otherwise will know what you’re up to.” Goro said, smiling like an oni.
“Do your deals often involve putting the moves on lonely woman?” I asked Goro as we walked to our next destination.
“If you mean giving someone the pleasure of conversation and some tea snacks? All the time.” He answered shrugging.
“Don’t play coy, you’re not as good as you think you are. Why didn’t you just cut the crap and make one of those ‘Absolute, Instant Deals’ with them? Or was it not in their ‘best interests’?” I ask.
Goro had one of those weird little psychic abilities some humans had developed in the past couple years, he could clasp hands with anyone and make them instantly agree to a deal that favored them which they’d be forced to abide by. It made me gnash my teeth when I heard the tale and then heard about the newt-like man it belonged to even before I met the fool.
“They’re my friends and I don’t have a reason to doubt them you know?” Goro said nonchalantly.
“So what? Worried about your reputation? You wanna know what I’ve heard about you? A human traitor who bows to whoever pays him a yen and’ll bury the bodies with a smile and a ‘thank you sir’.” I sneer.
“That’s why Eirin has you in a vice feeding her info about the HSE for pills, why you can’t stop Nue from doing whatever with the stuff she’s got from the outside, and you know what? You probably could’ve also stopped me from beating you half to death. Even that perverted Buddhist woman and shitty Husband Beater Miko are better than you, at least they’re not afraid to flex their strengths!” I continue.
I take a step toward him and poked my finger at his chest and patted my breast.
“You asked me if amanojaku have a heart? Yeah, well what I want to know if the human in front of me has a soul! Or are you just another man marching to someone else’s beat?” I finish.
Goro closes his eyes and exhales, then he leans closer to me, pushing me back. With his mouth he pulls a glove off his left hand, the one I had inverted whose exoskeleton and joints made it look crafted, as if it were the hand of some doll. With it, he grips the hand I had pointed at him.
“Do you feel it? My heartbeat?” He asks.
At first my mouth opens to berate him for more useless talk, but I’m stopped by the sensation of the drumming. Yes, even through the bone-like hand, I could feel his heart.
“That’s a human life, the kind that’d like it to stay that way. I’ve seen men ‘accept a youkai’s invitation’, forget themselves, and meet terrible fates. Watched ascended gods lose themselves and change in a follower’s faith. I Listened to every crime committed by a smalltime vengeful spirit in her lunatic grudge as I bargained for her passing on.”
He leaned closer and the beat of his heart grew louder.
“Absolute deal means absolute. It can’t be destroyed, eaten, manipulated, forgotten, flipped, or avoided in any way, even if you bended fate, time, or space you wouldn’t be free from the commitment and why would you want to? The deal must be in your best interest.” He continued.
“So, you are a coward. You’re afraid that if people understood how ‘absolute’ your deals are, you wouldn’t be able to remain human.” I accused.
He leaned closer, I could feel my own heartbeat grow louder, and his breath on my face.
“Have you ever thought about what would happen in a world where people couldn’t lie? Where wedding vows were truly ironclad and evil Youkai like you couldn’t leave even each other in the mirth of ambiguity? What’s more: aren’t you curious about the absolute deals I’ve made up to this point? Even if I die, they won’t go away you know.” Goro asked.
“Things haven’t changed since we left that mountain. When I don’t need you alive, I’ll kill a boring weak-willed man like you on the spot.” I told him.
He whispers directly into my ear.
“That’s right Seija. I’m just a weak human and that’s how I should die. Make sure to eat me whole, I don’t want Orin carting me off.”
Now our hearts drumming is all I hear, the sound reverberating on top of itself over and over again.
I put my hand on his chest and squeezed ever so slightly, I could do it, I could kill him now consequences be damned. But was this a deal? Had he forced me into doing this? I wanted to do it after all, so it was in my best interest.
He was so close, and his body seemed so peaceful, if I killed him now would he go to nirvana without question? Then I shouldn’t kill him, not until he’s miserable and distraught, in fact, I should-
“Ahh!” A frightened voice yelled.
Goro and I both turned to see that mutt, Kagerou, dropping the whicker basket Goro had brought with him.
“So uh, Goro-kun! You um, left this basket at my place and it seemed like it still had some pretty important stuff so I thought I should bring it to you, but I uh…” She said, all woozy looking.
“…what I mean to say is, sorry for interrupting! I’ll be off now!” She barked, setting the basket down and speeding off, but not before turning to me, making a thumbs-up sign and winking.
It’s decided. Next time I was coming back with sheep sheers and leaving with a wolf-skin scarf.
Goro walked over and retrieved his basket, then continued down the path. When I didn’t immediately follow, he turned back.
“Coming?” He asked.
I tried to mouth something, but not even I could come back from such a flip of the situation.
“Wait.” His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t think I was serious, did you? Oh man, I actually got you?” He threw his head back, laughing.
I felt my face flush with embarrassment and, begrudgingly, enjoyment. Never have I cursed my existence as an amanojaku so much.
“So, you really are just a small fry huh? I bet your that ‘absolute deal’ of yours is full of holes, isn’t it?!” I angerly blurted out.
“Eh? Oh no it really is as permanent as it gets.” He began, smirking “but what good is it if I must satisfy the client’s best interests? For many evil people like Yukari, a good doer like me is better off dead right?” He laughed.
I felt my eye twitch.
“And who’d believe someone would become a God just by shaking some hands? It’s like being venerated for eating at nice restaurants or having a distant relationship to a god, but twice removed.” He said, slapping his knee.
I raise my hands trying to say something, but don’t find the words.
“And speaking of killing, you’ll let me stick around for the finale at least? Hell, maybe you’ll get a chance to flip my plans and the HSE on its head all in one go hm? Wouldn’t want to miss the look on my face, right?” He chuckled, walking off.
Staring at his back, I felt my composure return and senses slowly restored.
I smiled, wide and toothy.
Maybe I had been too hard on Goro. He did have those Grassroots Youkai wrapped around his thumb, knew a surprising amount about Yukari’s tendencies, and even had dealings with high-level youkai like Nue and Futatsuiwa. His ability might be sub-par and his skill in battle left much to be desired, but he was driven toward some end and when you know what someone wants, you can control them.
People think an Amanojaku’s only duty is to flip everything on its head, but everyone forgets our true role:
We tempt men to do evil things.

// Hana 35

A bright laser flashed by Hana's head, it heated her skin and hair unpleasantly with the strength of its magic, for a moment she shuddered at what her teacher's full power could do but there was no time to think! Even though she dodged the lance of light the surrounding bullets gave her no rest, she knew there would be another, and another, and another... Marisa seemed to favor her non-directional laser as a teaching tool which left Hana little choice but to confront the impossibility of dodging light.

By the time the two set down after running through a few different practices Hana was feeling exhausted, she'd been through five of those matches after her physical and flight training and each was harder than the last. Though Hana didn't wipe out or get hit too hard that she couldn't maintain flight it was clear Marisa was still holding back on both her power and what her spellcard could output. It was frustrating but it was vital to her growth.

With a cocky smile the witch lead Hana inside with the promise of tea, which Hana accepted of course as it was already well into the evening and the sun was losing its battle with the wind. With a smile Marisa bragged about herself in her overly cluttered home as she prepared some barely palpable tea, "I think at this rate you'll be ready to take on a real danmaku match with me soon enough, its good to have to such a strong teacher isn't it da ze?"

Hana rolled her eyes and smirked as Marisa heated the water quickly with a spell and prepped the tea leaves, "Yes Marisa-sensei, its been a tall order but your instructions have really made short work of my inexperience!"

Grinning now Hana let the words hang as Marisa put the tea on the table alongside a small bowl of sugar, "Hehe~ that's my star pupil for you! Flattery won't get you anywhere you know ze!"

Hana couldn't resist, if Marisa was so blinded by the surface level flattery then... "It's not 'just' flattery Marisa-sensei, after all I really am grateful for your top-level instruction that brings me to new heights! You better watch out though, I'll be sprouting past you quick enough!"

Nodding with a satisfied grin Marisa noticed Hana putting some of the sugar into her tea, "Ah, Hanarin the tea isn't the best quality and is a little bitter, try another half a spoonful unless you'd like some honey?"

Hana shook her head, almost feeling a little bad for teasing her without her notice, "Ah it's fine, no need to bother I'll stick with the sugar."

Marisa sipped her own tea, it seemed she liked it bitter and without sugar as she ate her snack with it. Hana was feeling thirsty and she took a big gulp down of the swee- salty?! Hana swallowed before she could spit it out and stuck her tongue out at the unpleasant taste of the now overly salty and bitter green tea.

Marisa smiled with an infuriatingly smug smile, "Looks like you got the short end of the stick, huh Hanarin? Not feeling so high and mighty now ze?"

This damn witch!

Hana soon found herself home again, the night had just turned the sky that lovely shade of violet as she walked in with some takeout from a local stand. Aunn quickly called out to her upon hearing Hana announce that she's home. The green Komainu was quick to hop out of the living area as she trotted up to Hana, her eyes practically shining as she smelled the aroma of hot food. Hana couldn't help but return a smile to her eager face.

As the two ate in the kitchen, some tea brewed and sweetened a bit overly to make up for that salty surprise at Marisa's home; she couldn't help but let her mind wander as Aunn blabbered about her day. Half paying attention to the komainu's story she couldn't help but notice that despite Marisa's usual easy going mood she seemed unusually unfocused on things outside of her danmaku duel.

Stranger still, when she didn't think Hana was looking she seemed to rub her belly... Did she eat something weird too? First Sanae seemed a bit weird now Marisa? Was there some bug going around? Was she going to have to bust up Yamame? Well at any rate it was disconcerting, maybe she'd pick up medicine from that disguised youkai rabbit sometime for stomach aches. It was the least she could do.

As she and Aunn disposed of the paper wraps and started getting the bath ready she couldn't help but shake that strange feeling from her mind that there was more going on beneath the surface here. Still she was no master detective like from one of Agatha Q's books and there was no crime in question here, it would be rude to probe about it after all.

She dismissed these thoughts for now, if either of them had something to say they'd speak to her about it. After all, their secrets were their own and its not like Hana didn't have her own to hide... Well either way it was late. Aunn had gotten the bath heated and there was no use in worrying about things when she had other problems to attend to.

Stripping off at the doorway to the bath she walked in and joined her friend.

// Cirno 9

Cirno felt a tingling sensation as Byakuren’s arm left her, Okina had touched that spot earlier, was something important about it? Cirno put her own hand on that spot, failing to feel a heartbeat.

Mulling her words over as she starred as Cirno, Byakuren kneaded her hands together. “Cirno.. You haven’t been doing anything strange lately?” Byakuren ventured.

Cirno put her hand to her chin as she thought to herself. “No, not really?” she said casually, answering in an honest and childlike tone.

Byakuren and Shou could only stare at Cirno, shocked at how clearly false her words were while she herself believed in them completely.

"Well Cirno, I don't know much about fairies, but you're certainly made up of a lot of vitality and natural elements… how do I say this next part."

"You are unstable and using a foreign source of faith to stabilize yourself," Shou stated bluntly, Cirno noticed she didn’t have that jewel thingy and spear she normally did.

Realization popping into Cirno’s mind she spoke without speaking "Oh yeah. That'd be Okina-san. I remember now." Cirno said, shaking her head in affirmation as she proceeded to not explain anything.

An old man like that god hanging out with fairies, the youkai and idol could only be disturbed by the implications. "Cirno." Byakuren says in a quiet motherly voice as she puts a hand on Cirno's shoulder, "Where did she touch you."

"byakuren-san!" Shou protested, "Don't insinuate such things, Okina may be odd, but she's still a Buddha, there's no way she'd touch a child."

"I'm not a child, I'm over eighty years old!" Cirno protested, realizing what Byakuren and SHour were implying. Flying out of Byakuren's grasp a horrified look crossed both Shou and Byakuren’s faces. “Stop looking at me like that! Okina-san is gonna help me save Anon and Reimu, and she’s keeping me safe as well!” Cirno exclaimed, letting a burst of chill wind explode outward from her. “Stop assuming such mean things about her!”

“Saving Anon?” The two asked simultaneously

---
“So you’ve entered into a contract with Matara-jin and into the backdoor god’s service to extend your own life and protect the people you love, am I correct.” Shou said as she eyed the ‘nun’ who stood next to her.

Ignoring Shou’s gaze, Byakuren spoke. “I admire your bravery Cirno, but you should be so quick to enter into the service of that od and thro-”

“If I’m gonna protect the people I care about I need to be strong.” Cirno said with a strong resolve before it quickly started weakening “A-and I-I don’t want to die.” Cirno finished the last part with tears welling up in her eye, her voice growing shaky as thin cracks appeared along her skin and the sound of shattering Ice reverberated throughout the room.

“Calm down Cirno,” Byakuren says, pulling the fairy down and into a hug. Stroking the back of Cirno’s head like another world as Cirno cried into the monk's shoulder. “It’s okay Cirno, I may not know everything that is happening to you, but you’re not going to die.”
Holding Cirno out in front of her said.“Now, my professional opinion as a Youjitsu practitioner is that as a fairy, you are an embodiment of how humanity views nature. Over time you’ve strayed from the original vision and gained power beyond your means, like most Youkai or gods you now require supplementary material, faith, fear, worship, and humans, to keep on living. Okina is providing that just like how Bishamonten supplies it to Shou here.” Byakuren finishes by gesturing for Shou to speak.

“As a representative of a god, you will naturally become more like them. Before Byakuren imbued me with the essence of Bishamonten I was a near feral youkai made of many disparate myths and fears of a divine beast that guarded the mountain the Myouren temple was built on. But now.” Shou gestured to the entirety of herself, taking special care to highlight her abdomen for a reason that evaded Cirno.

“Even if I haven’t been the best idol, please come to me as your senpai if you need any help, Cirno.” At that, Shou bowed at the waist towards Cirno. “But as I was barely aware when I became an Idol, perhaps another ex-fairy like Suwako-san would be of more help?”

Byakuren almost choked and Cirno only tilted her head in response to Shou’s suggestion. "Suwako used to be a fairy? I thought she was a youkai."

// Ran/Chen 28

Ran and Tetsu left some minutes ago, a gap in the background my fast ticket back home. The night was cold and the Moon big, but today I, Chen—hi!—came prepared with gloves, a sweater, and warmers for my tails and forearms, feeling all cozy—even so, Ms. Reimu tried to return the scarf, which I refused. Again, I sit next to her, watching as she meditates, my hands working two needles as if second nature, two thick skeins of red and white coloration on my lap.

The moonlight shines above, skies clear, Ms. Reimu in complete silence, and the forest creaks with the sounds of nature… It's peaceful—

—until it is not.

A little groan comes from Ms. Reimu, imperceptible to people without big ears, and I turn to her, puzzled as her frown creases slightly, nails sinking into her faded clothes, muscles tensing, and I don't need to think too hard to understand that whatever she's feeling is bad. Releasing one of the needles, I gently place my hand on Ms. Reimu's left one, her eyes jerking open and her body tense like a rod, silver eyes painted with something… otherworldly.

The only way I can define it is as a bottomless rage.

It lasts two moments, eyes wide and burning like the pits of Hell, before the fury dissipates into thin air. Suddenly, she doesn't seem as monolithically strong as she was just a moment ago; her skin is sickly pale, and the smell of sweat emanates from the back of her head.

"I'm sorry, Chen, I—" She tried, but didn't seem capable of finding the right words.

"… You were angry."

She nods, slowly. "Yes." Her eyes close in thought, and it takes few deep breathing before she can utter, sinking her chin in the scarf, "… I was angry at myself."

My ears drop immediately, needles forgotten, frown creased. "What…?"

"I have many sins, Chen." It was said as if set in stone, and my heart drummed. "And none can be blamed on the world, on circumstances—I can only blame myself for them…" Her face contorted with bitterness. "Yet, my mind still tries to give excuses, ignore reality, and recede back to the monster I was… Because being a monster, even though hurtful… is much easier."

H-Huh?! My eyes broaden, tails fall, spine shivers, and my belly is consumed by a cold not even Mr. Anon's knitted love can dispel. "B-But… Ms. Yukari said you were sick! Has a mental problem and—"

A sweet, but calloused, hardened hand brushes my cheek, and I feel like crying when our eyes meet: behind her pupils, a crushing sad, yet in her face a smile of many stories. "No. There's no mental problem, no illness. There's no power beyond my control that commanded me to do the things I did, Chen—only myself." She withdraws her hand, and stares at the stars. "My powers can level mountains. One bad day, and I can devastate Gensokyo beyond repair… Still, for my entire life, I've been weak. I relied on these powers for everything, and it's no surprise that they—applied to everything by these frail hands—destroyed all I loved."

I'm crying, yet my hands work the needles, giving life and shape to the threads. That's why she meditates so much? To keep all that inside without letting other people see? I remember when I did that, and it took only five days before I was crying in Ran's arms…

Her hand reaches me again, this time pulling my hat down, a small giggle echoing, "Don't cry for me, Chen. These things I've said… They're in my past, and I'm trying to move past them, make up for them—all for Anon and Hana, my family. If they accept my words and forgive my sins, then I, well…" There's a weird smile on her face that whispers bad omens. I don't understand it. "I can die happy!"

Her words don't make me feel better, and my mind rushes. What is this sad? It's so different from all the people I know… I simply don't know what I should do. Should I do anything to begin with? All those smiles, those affirmations, the unburdened feeling of her words—as if the 'sins' that crawl on her back are not even there, even though her eyes of pure rage before say otherwise.

My crying doesn't end, and, sighing, Ms. Reimu gets closer and hugs me with just one arm, pulling my face to her chest.

I don't understand, yet I have this consuming feeling in my heart, like a black hole—the weird thing Ran explained once—sucking everything. I hear her own heart, how it beats, how her blood courses, how warm is her hug…

All join to form a wall in my throat, forbidding a single, frightening question from coming out: ‘What are your sins?’

"There, there…" Fondly, she kisses one of my ears, and I feel my tears thickening. "You're gonna grow big someday, Chen, and even if I don't know much of you, I'm certain you're gonna be strong—in power and in mind, something I could never be—but don't take it for granted. Strive for it. Being good can be effortless," my mind goes to Mr. Anon. "But being good and powerful is a challenge: power corrupts… Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Then, to Yukari. Reimu is still smiling. "… Just don't end like me, okay?"

// Cirno 10

As it turns out, Suwako had been a lake fairy who became a god, even though she introduced herself as a frog youkai. ‘How rude.’ Cirno thought as she floated out of the tramway, the crowd around her keeping a wide berth from the

Cirno had preferred when she could fly up to the shrine, but the Tengu became more territorial after the ropeway was put up and she had no excuse anymore. She pouted as she floated away from the crowd heading towards the main shrine where she could see Reimu's green counterpart talking about something or other.

If she remembered correctly the goddesses lived in the building behind the shrine with their... Daughter? She didn’t know exactly what their relationship was with the green girl whose name she didn’t remember.

Walking around the crowd and the main shrine, she could see the green girl catch her in the corner of her eye. Cirno waved a hand and stuck out her tongue at the forgettable shrine maiden. ‘The gods have more important things to do right now.’ Cirno said to herself as she exited the greenie’s field of view.

“You shouldn’t think such rude things about people, especially if they’re the kid of the person you're trying to cozy up to.” Suwako said, suddenly lounging atop a nearby rock, “So. What does Okina want?” she said as she drained the sake bottle she held in one hand.

“AH! Suwako!” Cirno exclaimed, waving at the goddess, almost toppling herself over in mid-air as she turned around. “I need help with my leg, Byakuren helped me a bit, but Shou said you might know more,” Cirno said rapidly.

“Well if you aren’t here on Okina’s orders, I guess I can help you, although I don’t know why Shou would direct you towards me,” Suwako said as she changed her lounging position.

“Well, Shou-senpai, said you used to be a fairy, and that you’d know a lot more about this,” Cirno says gesturing toward her half-stumped leg.

Suwako spit out some sake, looking embarrassed. “Is that so,” putting her bottle down she sat upright on the rock, scratching the back of her head she said, “Well guess I can’t blame her for being forthright and helping her Kouhai. The problem is just the leg right, so why don’t you do anything about it?”

“Huh?” Cirno asks, tilting her head.

“You're closer to a god now, how you appear is dependent on what you want.” Suwako said as she approached Cirno. “For example.” is a puff of smoke the Suwako Cirno was familiar with vanished, replaced by a beautiful woman towering over her.

“Wha-ha!” Cirno exclaimed, face redening at the appearance of the woman before her.

Continuing on, ignorant of Cirno’s reaction, Suwako spoke.“As a fairy who’s becoming a god, your abilities will expand in scope and power, for instance, while I am a nature deity, currently, I’m primarily a curse deity. Your case is a bit odd since I have no idea where your ice is coming from, but with some effort, I'm sure you can reliably draw on the concepts of summer, dance, or noh.” Suwako says, putting her finger down. “As long as you ease yourself into the domain and don’t do anything hasty that would destabilize you more control over your form will naturally come as you absorb more domains, or even other gods.”

Cirno felt a bit embarrassed now, realizing what the problem was. “So, say I…” she trailed off as Suwako gave her a glare.

“Yes, suddenly forcing through a burst of power, whether it be from a domain you're expanding into or one Okina holds something that would hurt,” Suwako said, in scorn that masked embarrassment and her own past mistakes.

“If that’s the case Cirno, you’ll have to manually readjust yourself, we have some good sources of ice on the mountain, and it’ll only get colder.” Throwing her hands up in the air she says “Knock yourself out, just remember that you owe me okay?”

“Thank you Suwa-senpai!” Cirno said snapping to attention saluting as she floated in mid-air, before zipping away.
“Ugh... Suwa-senpai.” It sounded dirty somehow, especially when coming out of the mouth of a follower of the backdoor god, she was considering keeping the older appearance to ward her off, but if it only attracted more of her servants it’d be useless.

Hopefully the little now half-fairy wouldn't cause too much trouble, they only had a month to prepare after all.

// Ran/Chen 29

Ms. Reimu returned the scarf, and even though she was smiling before she left, I, Chen—…—felt hollow. Such feeling followed me even here, Mr. Anon by my side with his own set of needles, expertly putting together heavier clothes for the incoming winter—as of now he was knitting Ran a purple and yellow sweater, and each thread had so much thought behind it, so much love…

I looked at the skeins on my lap, already halfway used, and the handmade needles I use to put together a formless piece of red-white clothing.

"I know it's bad etiquette to ask—but what are you knitting? These patterns are… weirdly depressing." His voice was sudden and close, and I jumped back slightly with the proximity. Mr. Anon looked with curiosity at the section I knitted yesterday: heavy, tense, and quite sad, like a blanket—one you could cry beneath. I don't know why that was my the best example… "Chen? Are you feeling well?"

I thought about lying, about hiding…

"… Mr. Anon, can I ask something?" His knitting stopped as he gave me his full attention, the wind of late autumn blowing and making me shiver, the wind chimes singing a tenuous choir, my heart heavy. This would make him mad, right? It may make him sad, too—but I don't want to hide! It'll just make things worse… I don't want people around me to get hurt. I gulp down a wall of ice, my ears drop, and I utter, "What was your… wife, Reimu, like?"

The wind chimes go silent. It's as if the world is holding its breath as I watch his face change: confusion, pain, suffering, fear, and, as he looks away from me and takes deep breaths… longing.

"Reimu, huh…?" He then laughs a bit, turning back to me, and I see the longing fading away in a sea of hurt. "Why the curiosity?" I shudder, red, and Mr. Anon's eyes narrow with puzzlement, but whatever connections he might've made are simply brushed aside. "Well… Before we married, Reimu was the woman of my dreams. I felt lucky for every second by her side, and making her happy made me happy—it was even funny: one simple day I awoke, made breakfast, got ready for the day, looked at myself in the mirror and, for no motive, thought: 'I want to marry Reimu'. It came so out of left field that I started laughing… Sometime later, we were engaged." I had a silly smile plastered on my face, the story of budding love making me feel all warm inside…

Then his smile faded.

"However, as time passed, she changed. She was straightforward and blunt before; it was endearing… But then she became possessive, manipulative, cynical, a-and—violent. It was like the Reimu I knew and dedicated myself to was suddenly replaced…" The calm front of Mr. Anon suddenly morphed into one more akin to that of a rat scared for its life.

Bile rose up my throat; I wasn't much better either as Reimu’s stare of pure rage popped into my mind like wildfire.

It always confused me this one detail about Mr. Anon: most humans are weak and can't seriously fight against a Youkai, yet Mr. Anon had many, many scars—he, a peaceful, kind man…

He doesn't seek fights. Then, how?

… The answer made my hands holding the needles—unconsciously knitting the halfway-done piece—tremble like crazy.

"It got better, for a time, when my daughter was born, but it didn't last much… I loved Reimu, I truly did, but with each beating, each dissatisfaction with the best I could do, and each—" He held his tongue, but the pain of an unnamed offense rang louder than the others. I was crying, chin shivering, my eyes big. He noticed, his brows creasing as he put his needles to the side and rushed to hug me. I hugged back, nails sinking into his back as if to escape this sick reality. "Oh, Chen, sorry, I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to make you cry… It was too much for you; I should've known better." He isn't crying, but his hands quivering—steady hands that taught me knitting—just make me feel nauseous.

That woman of yesterday, who hugged me and calmed me down, who smiled and spoke with wisdom about her vague past, about her sins…

… Sins directed at her own family—at the people she should've loved and cherished above everything else!

How could she? How?! Just the thought of harming this man fills me with unbridled rage, and I feel sick that my scarf was around her neck once…

Yet, as my tears pour down and his hug tightens, I can't hope but have Yukari returning to my mind, someone I love so much but who has committed so many cruel crimes and mistakes and will be punished, so she can return to being that loving woman I can hug with no issue—a question, however, persists: 'why?'

I remember Reimu's confession about destroying everything she loved; the pain in her eyes; the bad omens that sent shivers down my spine—Yukari's cold, distant gaze…

… Reimu is trying to change, make up for her outrageous sins—seeking forgiveness…

But…

“… You miss her?” The question is like sweet poison.

What is Yukari doing?

“… I do.” It sounded guilty.

I cry louder, and Mr. Anon’s embrace never falters.

// Rikako/Lemontene 4-6

Rikako exited the bathroom, feeling like a robot who was just given fresh batteries. “Ah, that’s better. Maybe now I can finally focus on actually working on-WHAT THE DICKENS?!?” The serine shut-in scientist shouted, surprised at the Shikigami’s shadowing showup. What on earth was that thing and some nobody Tengu doing at her stand?

“Hello, Mrs. Asakura.” Ran said, trying to greet the two with the best stern face her tired body could muster up. “I believe this is supposed to be your refreshing drink stand, correct?”

“...Affirmative. Well it WAS until a fairy basically hijacked it.”

“That’s me! I’m the fairy!” Lemontene interjected, laughing.

“Then I’m afraid you’ll need to move.“ The golden fox elaborated. “The placement of this Lemonade Stand violates… *yawn* The law set in place on November 7th, 1945. You are not allowed to host unofficial non-sage approved venues in at least 100 feet of the perimeter of a location with high traffic. Please… *yawn* Please do not make this harder than it needs to be and relocate as soon as possible.”

“WHAT?!? Since when was that ever an established law? Who are YOU to decide such things? Last I checked, you aren't a police officer.” Rikako asked, flabbergasted.

“You… *YAWN* You can *COUGH* You can thank Kappa, Businessmen and Yamawaro for abusing it to its limits while it wasn’t outlawed. I personally don’t really mind your project but several employees at The Hakurei Shrine Experience™ have given us demands due to worries of potential lost sales.”

“Okay, Okay. You’ve made your point. We’ll move somewhere else. I’ll start packing up our things.” The purple scientist chirped.

“I-I don’t get it. Aren’t you supposed to be a soulless computer? I hear some of the other fairies call you that at the misty lake. So then why are you so tired?” Lemontene questioned.

“Ignoring the other half of your question, Familial issues and the hefty workload of maintaining The Hakurei Shrine Experience™ have made it hard for Ran to get the recommended dosage of 8 hours of sleep.” the unnamed Tengu explained.

“Need… Morning Coffee…”

“Woooooooow…” Lemontene gasped, being way too invested in the concept of being tired.

“...Lemontart, where’s the pitcher? Or the “flavor enhancers''? In fact, where is ANY of our cooking materials? Did you eat them while I wasn’t looking or something?” Rikako asked

“OH YEAH! I almost forgot to tell you! While you were busy in the “lavatorium”, I had an encounter with the weirdest customer yet! They were a bunch of dolls! I think I saw Mrs. Hourai in there somewhere. Anyways, they flew over to me and gave me this really cool looking bottle cap. I think it was their makeshift version of money. However as soon as I could grab it, they took all of our stuff! You can see for yourself over there.” Lemontene elaborated, pointing upwards towards a flock of Alice’s Dolls flying away in perfect “V” formation.

“...Could y-you say that again?” Rikako asked calmly.

“That again. :)”

“NOT LITERALLY “THAT AGAIN” YOU TWO-WINGED TWO TIMER! What do you mean you just let them get away with our stuff?!?” Rikako scrempt, absolutely gobsmacked.

“I mean they seemed really scared and thirsty. Besides, we can just make more. Gesundheit!”

“THEY ARE WOODEN DOLLS WITH NO ORGANS. THEY STOLE HIGHLY VALUABLE CHEMICALS, YOU MORON! SEVERAL OF THOSE ARE UBER TOXIC TO NEARLY ANYTHING THAT MOVES IF NOT FIRST SUBDUED BY MIXTURE WITH ANOTHER SUBSTANCE! THAT IS A VERY BAD THING TO JUST GIVE AWAY WILLY NILLY!!!”

This line seemingly woke up the sleepy Yakumo from her standing slumber. “Wait, you guys are selling poison here?”

“THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU!” Rikako replied.

“No, the ‘puter has a point. We’re a Lemonade stand, not one of Mrs. Kamishirasawa’s science projects! Why would anyone sell toxic products at a perfectly fine lemonade stand? What are they, stupid or something?” Lemontene questioned.

This made Rikako go nuclear. Her face turned a seething red and her ears started excreting steam and generating an odd sound ([YouTube] HB Flintstone's Factory Whistle SFX (embed)) before pressing some buttons on the cuffs of her lab coat shirt, which quickly deployed a Jetpack in the blink of an eye.

“MARGATROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOID! YOU’RE GONNA WISH YOU YOURSELF WERE AN UNFEELING, SOULLESS DOLL AFTER I’M THROUGH WITH YOOOOU!” she said before blasting herself off into the skies and giving chase to the Stampede of Dolls.

“Woah woah woah hey hey hey! Hey wait! You can’t just leave without clocking out first! I don’t wanna be lonely and friendless again! Please wait for meeeee!!!” Lemontene squelched, suddenly leaving her posts in an attempt to play catch up.

The Tengu turned towards Ran, this situation has gotten extremely awkward. “...So uh… Permission to take this thing down? There’s nobody here to stop us now.”

Lemontene never really liked visiting the Forest of Magic. It always had this odd aura that made her tummy feel funny whenever she briefly visited. But, with Rikako and the flock of Dolls both visibly heading into the mysterious forest, she was left with no other real options. The lemon fairy spent what felt like hours (5 minutes in non-ADHD ridden fairy terms) looking for either of the two before stumbling upon Alice’s house. AHA! There’s Rikako, hiding behind that bush. Weird how she apparently knew who Alice was despite not ever going outside or having any friends. I guess lonely people just know eachother.

“Hello again! It’s me, LemonTENE! Hey why did you just leave-”

Lemontene couldn’t even finish her sentence before Rikako covered the fairy’s mouth. Her rage from just a couple minutes ago had seemed to shift into absolute fear. The scientist motioned over to the porch of Alice’s House, where the horrifying Flower Master of the Four Seasons “Yuuka Kazami” was busy talking to two other odd figures the ‘tene couldn’t recognize. The one in red with white hair looked somewhat familiar but the other one with the dumb hat and no legs were the weirdest person she’s seen in a while.

This situation feels like something neither of them were meant to see.

“Dear God, this explains everything.” Rikako said in a hushed whisper. It looked as if a bomb full of imagination had just gone off in her brain. “I knew there was nothing good coming from that bloody loveshack that Gap Golliwog built! The working theory of it being Yukari’s way of punishing Reimu was just a cover-up all along! It was really to distract everyone from the reincarnation of Mima-sama! I bet they stole our lemonade and chemicals so they can brew more witchcraft & spells. I bet they’re planning to usurp control of Gensokyo.”

Lemontene had no idea what the heck this scientist of unsound mind was babbling on about, but if it involved Yukka then it definitely wasn’t good. “Can’t we just report it to the police?” she asked.

“NO! Nobody else can know about this. Not yet, atleast. Fuck I need to think up a gameplan for this, and fast. One wrong move and it could very well be the end of the world.”

“Aren’t you overreacting a bit? I guarantee the Three Fairies of Light could handle this.”

“Yeah right. Nobody else means nobody else can know. Here, I’ll take you back to my place to discuss this in further detail. One more second spent loafing around here and we could be found and demolished in seconds.”

“So like a sleepover? Ooh! Does this mean I’m your best friend now?”

Rikako wanted to give a snide remark. Like REALLY wanted to deliver some snide jab. But, getting asked that… It reminded her of all those lonely months, days and years spent in her laboratory idling at her desk. Constantly thinking to herself if this quest for scientific advancements in a world full of magic was even worth it if nobody cared about your existence and you as a person. I mean she had some acquaintances but never anything more than that. But someone who liked you more than that and wanted to hang out with you more than was necessary? Someone who is genuinely interested in what you have to say? It was basically foreign to Rikako. A goofy fairy like her wouldn’t be a great start but…

“...You know what? Sure. We’re acquaintances now, Lemontene. Sorry for getting angry at you earlier.”

“:D”

// Seija 28-31

Seija sat, floating, looking out my door at the forest that lied beyond my home.
The Amanojaku had been less of an issue as of late, in fact, I believe we’ve learned to work together.
I’m known for being courteous, level-headed, and agreeable, which allows me to deal easily in acquisitions and information gathering, and while I did take the odd dubious job or two, nobody would believe I’d go all out against Yukari.
Seija, on the other hand, is the archetypical rebel and her being at my side let my clients know I had no qualms about being rash.
Our dealings went like this: I would be the polite voice of reason while Seija would interject with whatever jeering came to mind and on occasion even get into spats with the clients, after which I would sympathize with the client and turn their ire toward Yukari. Like cleaning a stubborn stain, sometimes you had to agitate things and Seija did enjoy a little brutality.
So much was her satisfaction that she didn’t spend every waking minute with me hurling insults and sometimes, like today, was content to be quiet. Almost as if we’d grown a little trust.
I wasn’t so naïve as to think she changed on any fundamental level, my understanding, and handlings of Amanojaku behaviors had simply improved.
Which gave me cause to wonder: how much of her behavior was a circumstance of her birth and her own personality? She thought of herself as a ‘authentic’ Youkai, but what did that even mean? Seemed insane, I couldn’t picture the ‘humnaliest human’, ‘godliest god’, or ‘ghostliest ghost’, so what made her the ‘Youkaist Youkai’? And could she one day just decide to not be a youkai? And if not, why the lectures about ‘true Youkai’ and the like?
Would Seija be Seija if she was born as strong as an Oni? Would she still have her crafty nature and dubious personality? Or would she spurn that very strength and host tea parties to spite the own innate ability?
What’s more, how much does an Amanojaku really reverse and in what way does this make them different? If I see my reflection, it’s still myself after all and there’s parts of life where the good and bad balance each other out. I despise dog slobber, but feel an odd endearment when my hound sticks his tongue against my robe like some frog catching a fly, could it be that an Amanojaku experiences the same kind of endearment for the drool and despises the dog’s affection? And would these questions drive me insane?
I think about this while absent-mindedly filling out my report for Eirin and the young Inaba delivery rabbit feeds her meal scraps to my hound.
I pat her on the head. “Not too much now, you’ll make him sick.”
“Sorry sir.” She said, as she patted my dog’s head.
“Nothing to worry about young one. Here’s my report to Eirin, you may leave the pills on the table and see yourself out at your convenience.” I told her, sealing my envelope and handing it to her.
She got out of her chair, pushed it back in, rumbled around in her pockets for a small jar of pills, placed it on the table, took my envelope, bowed, pet the dog, and made her way back to her master.
On my table sat one other envelope, stamped with a seal resembling a butterfly. It was to let me know that my persistent petitions to have an audience with the Saint Toyousatomimi No Miko had finally been approved and that I was to arrive tomorrow at Senkai in formal garb.
If I were any number of other miscreants, I’d probably just barge in one day and demand to be seen, however meeting the right man in the wrong way attracted more attention than I’d like. Miko was known to be an eccentric after all and I’d hate to catch her eye, no, I wanted to bore her.
The Taoists seemed content to leave well enough alone and pick up the pieces after the HSE had crumbled, why not let them? There would be other treasure to have after the battle and it would be a problem if they clashed with the Buddhists during the assault or worse, join hands with Yukari.
The purpose of my mission was only to detect Miko’s intentions and that of her compatriots, which Seija would probably take exception to, so I decided to give her the run of things, just for today. Let her get it out of her system.
“Do have any business to tend to today? A client of mine cancelled on account of some harvest emergencies.” I asked Seija.
“You attend that witch’s Sultra readings, right? Can you read them?” Seija asked.
“The arising of dharmas, observes the destruction of dharmas, or observes both the arising and destruction of dharmas.” I recite.
She turns around and smiles.
“Now how about in reverse?”
The entrance to the tomb Seija had brought me to was massive and overgrown.
Stone columns, whose inscriptions had faded long ago held up a jagged cliffside above it. Within the structure, which seemed to extend so far into the mountain that light couldn’t penetrate it, was wooden supports, a few of which had rotted while others look pristine. From the ceiling, charms and ropes hung, with the same variance in condition as the wooden supports. It was as if someone knew this structure would erode with time and guaranteed the load-bearing bits would last while other decorations disintegrated.
“I never knew a place like this existed in Gensokyou.” I said aloud.
Seija smiled. “You never searched so desperately for tools and weapons that you did a little grave robbing?”
“No. Magic items are rare after all, and it takes a master to bring out a rare tool’s full potential. Say, whose buried here?”
“The Legendary Youkai Hunters.” Seija answered.
My eyes widened, the Youkai Hunters of old were fables. It’s said they could outwit a Satori, cut down an Oni, and die; only to possess an animal and reincarnate moments later. Why they disappeared was a closely guarded secret. Some say they left Gensokyou, disgusted by weakness, others say they ascended to heaven for all their deeds. In a more humorous tale, it’s said that they all went to a party thrown in secret by the youkai, then once they were drunk and lethargic the Youkai killed them all, but I believe that was just my father’s way of warning me of the dangers of being the drunkest at a party.
To be fair, he wasn’t wrong.
Seija, not willing to wait for my amazement to subside, took a step toward the temple and stopped.
In front of us a shadow appeared to take a new shape and, in defiance of the ground, lifted as if it climbed some transparent surface, taking on the shape of someone sitting in a chair. Like a bubble, the shadow appeared to pop and, in its absence, a blond woman in a wheelchair appeared.
I knew her name before Seija spoke it. “Okina.”
The woman smiled and looked at us both. “Yes, or rather an aspect of her dedicated to guarding this temple, but the difference is mostly superfluous for our dealings here. I am Okina.” She said, tilting her head and resting it on her knuckle.
“Now, Goro-kun! It’s been too long!” She rushes toward me touching my face, holding my eye open and examining it, pinching my arm.
“Have you been eating well? Are you getting enough sleep? Done a grave visit recently?” She asked.
Seija looked at me a little dumbfounded.
I stared back and shrugged. I have never met The Outcast God face-to-face in my life or perhaps this was the constellation aspect of her being? So confusing.
“You look befuddled. Don’t you remember all those nights you prayed for me to guide your Father home? That you’d one day find your way to your Mother’s side again? Why, I think you even said a short prayer for your dog to find his way home recently didn’t you?” She asked.
Now Seija stifled a laugh, covering her face. I could tell she didn’t want to interrupt a second of this.
“I’m a proper god after all, I listen to earnest prayers diligently.” She said in a cool manner, brushing her hair. “Especially the prayers of the young children. You were so cute back then you know? Speaking of which…”
She floated over to Seija and began giving her much the same treatment, poking, prodding, feeling her hair. In retaliation, Seija snapped her fingers and flipped Okina’s position in the air, but completely unfazed and floating upside down, Okina poked at Seija’s thigh like one would measure the temperature of meat.
“So, this is the illusive ‘tomboy’ flavor. Hmm.” She said, rubbing her chin. “Rejected. Too unrefined, perhaps come back in a hundred or so years hm?”
“Good.” Seija said, shuffling away from the goddess.
“You as well Goro, as expected, I need a girl after all. Although…” She trailed off, clearly coming up with a plan “If you were to die and reincarnate into a girl, I would happily accept you! The friendly, competent businesswoman type whose true heart really must be worked for would be a huge hit! That, and you should stop dying your hair, blonde really is such a prettier color.”
I rub my face realizing that today I may be witnessing one of the sages of Gensokyou, which for anybody could be a life changing event, but also that I am likely experiencing some small, daily agony of somebody else’s horrid duties.
“Were here for the arms.” Seija interjected. “You gonna stop us?”
“Oh no, of course not.” Okina raised a hand. “Feel free to enter the temple and take as many as you’d like, although you’ll likely never get them or even find your way out.”
She waved her hand and small lights appeared around it, each one connected to other lights in straight or curved paths.
“You see, part of the compact that allowed this land to exist was that this vault, through means that even I am not privy to become completely un-navigable. It’s only though my power as the constellation god that one could safely get to the bounty inside.” She explained.
“But I’m sure you don’t want to hear me prattle on about ancient history, so I’ll cut to the chase: I’m not going to guide you.” She cut her hand through the lights, disappearing them as she did.
I for one would’ve been content to let her prattle on about the history equivalent to solid gold if she liked, but I guess that was too much to expect from the secret god, wait wouldn’t that make this the secret aspect?
“Unless what?” Seija asked.
“Pardon.” Okina said, with little change in her composure.
“You won’t guide us unless we do something for you right? Well, what do we gotta do?” Seija continued, crossing her arms.
“This isn’t some negotiation little miss. I know you two have been securing support against Yukari and sowing some nice secrets in the meantime, bravo, however I am not your ally nor am I your friend. I am the Ultimate, Absolute Secret god and I believe our current roster will do nicely. Now, I know what your about to say: ‘why not guarantee our victory’?” She began.
Again, I would’ve just let her prattle on about herself and what she believed the situation to be instead of interjecting while ‘The Secret god’ was telling me valuable information.
At least until she appeared in front of me, grabbed my robe, and pulled me down so my face was level with hers.
“Well, I’ll tell you why. Once Yukari’s dealt with and the ‘New Generation Incident’ begins in earnest they’ll be a whole new upheaval. The weapons stored in that tomb were meant to guard against such a disaster but could also cause one if mis-used. Unless…” she began, smirking.
“Perhaps you want to make an ‘Absolute Deal’ Goro-kun? I am curious as to the extent of your ability and what would be my ‘best interest’. You’ve revered me so much after all, I’m willing to make a tiny exception.” She said, raising her other hand toward me.
I hear a snap and suddenly I’m the one sitting in the wheelchair, pulling Okina toward me. She falls forward, our lips lock for a moment, and her face falls into my lap.
“Ah ha ha! You call yourself a god huh? Gonna give your follower some service, is that right?” Seija can barely contain herself, holding her stomach as if it would burst out if she didn’t.
I look down at Okina, completely frozen by the situation. I can remember a few tales of a trickster getting one over on a prideful goddess not ending so well, never thought I would experience one.
I can feel a rumbling, Okina began to shake and griped my chest as if to steady herself.
Guess this is how I die.
“Papa Goro-san! Seija-kun is bullying me!” Okina looks up at me weeping.
She wails out, hugging my chest and rubbing her face into my robe. Seija is on the ground, still cackling inessentially and pointing at the spectacle.
What was I to do? I pet her head and pat her back. “It’s alright, she’s just a bit rude is all, a bit of a prankster you know. Good girl, good girl.” This continues for another few minutes before Okina disappears, I’m upright again and she’s floating above us.
“Thanks for that, I haven’t been in such good humor for a while.” She said as a light appeared in her hand.
The light floated into the tomb, leaving a trail as it went.
“Follow it and it’ll lead you to what you seek. Don’t veer from the path or I swear you won’t find your way out and nobody will be able to retrieve you. Now I’m off to deal with other matters, do come and visit once in a while.” She explained as a door opened out of nowhere from behind her and she receded into it. But before one last word.
“And, about those weapons? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Okina remarked, the door closing in front of her and disappearing as it did.
“What’s it like meeting your god?!” Seija said, slapping my back, tears of joy still streaming down her face.
“Odd.” I clenched my teeth.
The Outcast, The Constellations, The Secret Keeper, there were many aspects of Okina I had earnestly prayed to, but I never thought of them as one person. Now that I had seen them as one, had been recognized by her, I needed to be cautious.
“Thanks, by the way. I was about to strike a bargain with her.”
“Ha, consider it payback for last time. Speaking of, are you really so reluctant to use that ability? Might’ve been able to put her in a real bind somehow.” Seija said, wiping her face on her dress.
“Why give her the satisfaction?” I smiled.
“True.” Seija smiled, shaking her head before we proceeded into the tomb.
Following the light, we found ourselves in a void and walked for maybe half an hour before the darkness finally receded and shone brightly over a pedestal with a folded monk robe atop which was what looked like a bead bracelet.
Seija picked up the bracelet. “Only one? stingy.” She remarked, throwing me the jewelry.
When I caught it the first thought was ‘heft’. The beads were larger then expected and seemed to be strange black stones with trails of silver that reflected the blue light we were guided by, but still, they felt heavier than they should be.
Without thinking, I put the bracelet on my right hand and then thought. “Shouldn’t you use this? It’s not like I’ll be fighting.”
Seija giggled. “It’s a Youkai hunting weapon made for humans, isn’t it? Also, you should put this on.” She threw me the robe.
It seemed to consist of a dark green kimono and the characteristic orange Kashaya with the addition of some strange pads and specialized looking pockets. I looked up to Seija.
“What? It’s in your colors.”

// Hana 36-38

Looking over the seals Mima was drawing, Hana’s mind was stuck on one point, “I’ve seen these before.”

As soon as those words were said, Hana shrank back. While she didn’t mean it in an accusatory manner, such things were irrelevant to a goddess. Hopefully, Mima would make her retribution fast and wouldn’t cease her lessons.

Mima’s retribution was neither fast nor slow for that matter. Instead, the goddess simply chuckles, “I suppose would have seen them around before. They are Hakurei designs, even if the current shrine maiden has neglected them.”

Curiosity quickly overcoming any lingering fear, Hana prods, “What’s wrong with them? Mo-She was dutiful in youkai extermination if nothing else. She wouldn’t just ignore a useful power.”

Mima looks down at the seal almost wistfully. It reminds Hana of the times Mom and Marisa would… Hana pushes such thoughts away as Mima replies, “Well it wasn’t useful for her. The way Gensokyo currently works, sealing threats away just isn’t useful. Almost every incident ends in a tea party and some bruised egos. As for the few issues that couldn’t be resolved with a tea party…”

Mima drags a finger across her neck before comically slumping her head and making a ‘bleh’ sound. In the past, Hana might have been amused by the display, but her attention was fixated on something else. Trying her damnedest to not sound impolite, Hana asks, “If seals aren’t useful in killing people, why do I need to learn about them? Surely, we aren’t going to spare Yukari after everything she’s done.”

Mima looks to Hana with a frown that oddly lacks any disappointment, “Ah the righteous fury of youth. I won’t lie and say Yukari doesn’t deserve a very long voyage down the Sanzu, but that’d cause more problems for all of us.”

Hana was about to give a fiery response before Mima gave her a tired look, “Please let me finish. You can yell at me all you want afterward. As I was saying, for all the nastiness of modern Gensokyo, it’s still a paradise compared to my day. From what I can see and have heard, a major reason for that is the fact that certain taboos are followed. For all their bluster, when was the last time one of the major powers tried to properly kill each other? Now while Yukari’s actions have broken some taboo of not… I don’t need to repeat her crimes, killing her would just cause the whole system to unravel.”

Mima gains a sardonic smile before sighing, “I’m the greatest hypocrite in the world for saying this, but learn from a middle-aged woman’s mistakes. Blindly chasing vengeance will do you no good. Instead, you should be pragmatically chasing vengeance before living a long and happy life afterward to spite your wrongdoer. While killing her will plunge Gensokyo into chaos, sealing her away for many times your lifespan…”

Will mean that Yukari will never bother Hana again without breaking the system, Hana concludes in her head. Hana is torn. She can’t find any fault in Mima’s reasoning, but how can she let things go at trapping Yukari in some box for a while after everything that woman has done? No, Hana cannot live a long and happy life anymore. Nothing is going to fit back together after Yukari smashed it.

Looking up a Mima with newfound resolve, Hana replies, “Do you think sealing Yukari away will magically make things better? That every youkai who has raped my father will just put it away as some fond memory and move on? That Dad could just live with the people, his friends, who turned away while he was abused only to… to exploit him when the opportunity arose? Why should I care if Gensokyo falls apart? It serves them right. With Yukari gone, we could leave. Would the barrier even stay up? We could… we could go to Dad’s home before all this.”

Mima shakes her head again as she slouches, age seemingly finally catching up to the goddess, “You’ll never escape it if you follow that path. Someone will come after you. It might not even be a friend of Yukari, just someone whose life was ruined by the chaos and needs a living person to blame. You’d kill them no doubt, but the circle of vengeance would eventually consume you. If that is what you want, I won’t stop you. It would be too hypocritical even for me, but if you are going down that path you may as well do it properly.”At that, Mima draws a long and bloody knife from somewhere before placing it on your poem, “Write your death poem and end it. If your hatred burns true, you’ll rise stronger than you ever were before.”

Hana freezes while looking at the knife, the terrible thing emanated enough pain and sorrow that even an inexperienced shrine maiden like herself could feel it. Hesitantly Hana reaches for the knife. It’s what she wanted after all, no? She could have her vengeance and she wouldn’t have to deal with picking up the pieces. No, she’d just leave her traumatized father to do it.

Sighing Hana pushes the knife back towards Mima, “You know I wouldn’t. Even if it was worth it, which it isn’t, I couldn’t do such a thing to Dad. You just did that guilt trip me, didn’t you?”

Mima can’t hide her relief, “I wouldn’t deny you your vengeance, but I may have been a bit overdramatic to push you away from making a mistake. Still, if you truly wanted to…”

Hana deadpans, “You’d claim to help me only to undermine me and try to dissuade me the entire time. T-That’s not a bad thing… but still don’t put on false airs.”

Mima shrugs, “Let’s stop discussing hypotheticals when we could be drawing up plans for where to stick Yukari’s sorry ass. If memory serves, there is a certain little hokora that’s open.”

Hana supposed there were 'good youkai', she even mused that she knew a few. The ones that resided in the village were good enough, part of her training was being informed of them and it wasn't like she wasn't personally taught by Kiene-sensei.

Aunn was another, but her case was special in being something more akin to a divine beast spirit than anything. Yeah, Aunn was a good one for sure. It was all she could do to pass the time the as her eyes darted to the entrance of that eyesore.

The Line leading out of the HSE grew smaller over time just as assuredly as the chewy mochi she munched on grew smaller as well. It was about noon and the crowds of youkai and humans were in full swing of doing their business on the once quiet western street of the village. Hana found herself in the usual alley mouth that was perfect for overwatching the entrance without drawing attention.

Planning to waltz into that terrible brothel as soon as it opened in the midmorning, Hana tried following that building heat in the depths of her belly like a light in the dark. It seemed that others had the same plan as her and quite a few of them at that. The mixed crowd of shameless youkai; mostly oni, earth spiders, and the various beast youkai that loiter around the village outskirts kept her at bay. Being in the same crowd as them was just...

Hana was rather angered at this obstruction, it was HER father after all! She should just run them out of the village, it was no place for them after all! Still, Hana knew she couldn't face down that many, not without even having spell cards at her disposal.

Another method was avaliable of course, her vip ticket. She was hesitant on using it however, it felt like giving up a part of herself. Like she was selling her soul piecemeal everytime she used it. Only the times where she was guided by the paradoxically soothing energy of her mentor did it feel more like a scheme going well rather than a capitulation to her base desire.

Under the cool and waxing morning sun Hana found herself at a crossroads, she wanted to let that budding heat out. She wanted to see him again, to taste him like she once did... In equal measure there was guilt, the eyes that glanced at her, the face of that judgemental Shikigami fox, the absence of life in her father's voice...

Before long the guilt won out and as if to save face she quieted her breathing that she barely realized was getting heavier. Hana cursed loudly to no one in particular and stormed off, intent on going on patrol instead to clear her head. With any luck she'd find a youkai to bully, she couldn't wait till Aunn and her met up at home. Aunn had learned well all the little spots Hana liked to have teased after all.

Hana had finished her mochi and a portion of the hot tea she carried around in a little bamboo carved thermos. Nothing had changed, the youkai there didn't even bother making a ruckus and she didn't get to see her father.

A wash of an hour if she ever had one.

She figured some fresh air would do her good, leaving the village she passed by the gates before taking off into the air getting a birds eye view of everything. She closed her eyes for a bit, feeling the earth and wind around her.

There was a blessing of being her mother's daughter, if only one. That was her sharp sense of intuition. Her mother's luck didn't seem to rub off on her very well, but this? It was hers entirely.

Gusting winds pushed at her this high up and she and felt the pull of fate, without opening her eyes she drifted in a random direction. By the time she opened them she was surprised to see herself standing infront of the bamboo forest.

It seemed to call to her with only so much as a whisper passing through the trees that lined the path of the lost. Hana entered, letting her feet carry her forward.

// Koishi 1

Koishi and Kokoro sat side by side on a doctor’s table as Eirin inspected them from her stool, rubbing her hand on her chin. “Hmm I see,” Eirin said, flipping through her clipboard with an even expression on her face, “So this is the-”

“The third time, yes,” Kokoro answered, a tired mask covering her face as Koishi, still holding Kokoro’s hand tried to separate herself from the tsukumogami’s grip as she tried to leave the room.

What they were talking about didn’t need to be specified, both parties understood Koishi’s abilities, and both were not totally immune. Three times they had attempted to find out if Koishi was pregnant, three times they were distracted, the memory faded from their minds immediately, and three times they started over from the beginning due to the results appearing completely.

At the very least they were now aware of the fact, but their being impeded in such a manner, as well as Koishi’s attempts to flee pointed towards active interference from the empty-headed satori, or at least as active as she was capable of.

“How about we go get some ice cream Kokoro? I’m sure Cirno could make us some.” Koishi said as she pulled a knife from somewhere. Kokoro caught the hand heading towards her harmlessly, Koishi was just trying to avoid them, she wasn’t actually trying to hurt her Kokoro knew, but that didn’t make it any less annoying.

Thinking for a moment with her hand on her chin Eirin announces. “The answer is obvious!” She gets up from her chair striking a pose and pointing at Koishi. “I just have to read the results of the previous tests subconsciously and then internalize them as fact, when I next try to recall the memory it will be second nature.” Koishi and Kokoro got the feeling the doctor was doing something outrageous and unnecessary.

Before either of them could do something Eirin had downed a handful of pills she materialized from somewhere, promptly falling flat on the floor with a resounding thud as her face met the floor.

“I-Inabi!” Kokoro exclaims, her mask shifting to one of shock in response to Eirin’s bemusing actions. “Please get Reisan-san, or-or-” She could hear the Inaba leave the room as she stuttered in her monotone voice, the face of the mask once again shifting.

-several minutes later--

Picking herself up from the floor as the sixth Inaba doctor had left the room, Eirin spoke. Kokor’s mask shifted to one of relieved shock in response. “Well Koishi…” Eirin dragged the moment onwards, slowly dragging out the syllables of each word until Kokoro’s mask changed to a furious one. “You’re pregnant.”

The mask of hope reverberated inside of Koishi as her eye twitched. ‘Ah.’ she remembered, ‘it was a mistake, I closed my mind on accident.’ maybe she should apologize to satori, Koishi thought. It was the first fleeting thought Koishi had had in many years.

Koishi seemed to be at a loss for words as she sat perfectly still, blank eyes staring into the void. “Koishi..” Kokoro puts her hand on the satoris shoulder to comfort her, pulling her into a hug.

“I don’t know much about Satori reproduction, so you’ll either have to come in later or I can make a house call to the Earth Spirit mansion,” Eirin says, writing on a slip of paper, handing it to Kokoro who grabbed it absentmindedly.

Blinking Koishi focuses her gaze on her friend. “Don’t worry Kokoro, I’m sure everything will work out, or at least I think it will.” Koishi smiled as she said this, but Kokoro balked. Her mask shifted to one of shock, while Eirin looked intrigued. “Eh? What's wrong?” Koishi tilted her head inquisitively, somewhat like a dog as Eirin and Kokoro stared at her in shock.

Finally breaking the silence, Eirin spoke, writing something down on her clipboard erstwhile. “It seems that monks' efforts weren’t completely useless, although it seems this was completely unintended.” Of course, it went unsaid that Koishi wouldn’t be allowed at Myouren temple anymore or to be able to visit the surface, Satori would vehemently disagree and Koishi wouldn’t disobey her sister.

Thinking about something for a second, Koishi asks. “Is pebble a good name?” Eirin just smiled as a tiered expression graced Kokoro’s face, ‘I’m going to have to move underground aren’t I?’ She thought, as the next decades of her life flashed before her eyes, ‘at the very least Miko won’t be able to bother me down there.’

Of course, Koishi still isn’t any less foolish, this was still the Satori who accidentally lobotomized herself by complete accident.

// Kasen 3

“What?” I utter before I can halt myself, astonished, as to how she could possibly know that: my true nature, my sealment—those are some best kept secrets in Gensokyo, then how—gah?! Red, I stare at her dumbfounded, rage boiling with her moving a finger up and down on a gap. I'm quick to slap her hand away… Still, my stomach feels warm, legs crossing with need of more touching. “How do you know that?!”

Giggling and sucking on her finger, the gap youkai starts; “The mind of a sad, lonely miko is an easy place to gather information—especially when straight from the source.” It takes a moment, but when I understand what she means, anger boils uncontrollably… Yet I remain calm and concise, not giving her the satisfaction of breaking my character.

“You tampered with her mind. Doing it once when she was little wasn't enough; you just had to do it again.”

Yukari shrugged, putting her parasol to the side, followed by her hat, fluffing her long golden hair in all of its shining, lush glory—focus, Kasen! “Details—let's talk about what truly matters.” A gap opened on her, and, in the next second, she was naked, smiling as smug as ever. “Your unnatural oni lust was never sealed, and, with the slightest provocation, your mind switches between the calm hermit and the never-satisfied sex beast—these words, of course, are based on observational behavior; thanks for the data~” I gave some steps back on the pond, watching as she entered the waters and soaked her massive breasts in the blue, her pink nipples glistening—no, no—

… Yet, she wasn't wrong. At first, it was easy to control—libido just a byproduct of the weight of the imminent broken seal removed from my shoulders—but then Anon showed up, a constant male presence in my life, and it spiraled out of control. At that time there were incentives to not go further with my lust: Reimu would get sad; it'd be unbecoming of me…

But with the HSE…

I almost jump when cottony hands reach my hips, and I stare at Yukari's purple eyes, not a foot between us. I felt her hot breath on my watering mouth, fingers deliciously caressing that tense spot on my hips, and my mind was losing itself in this sea of—

Before I even noticed that I was going to kiss her pink lips, she was gone, her back to me, cleaning her body. She murmured a sweet lullaby, tight ass exposed to me. “But you don't like that lust, do you, Ibarakasen? The things it prompts you to do—the sins you've committed. What would Reimu think of this? Hana? Anon despises you: he came to my arms to run away from Reimu and her abuse, looking for a way to heal her—but he never expected a friend to seek his body~”

I feel my heart pounding, the words piercing my clouded mind as my own hand reaches for my pussy, eyes never leaving Yukari's wet and perfect frame. Her words strike true, and though they don't affect the numbness of lust, I can feel my eyes watering—me, the hermit, the sage… captive to the curse of my birth.

“It doesn't need to be that way—you can have your mind, free will, back,” she turned to me, a gap opening above her head and pouring water as if a shower. I watched, entranced. “Though your options may look exasperatingly low: you can't go to Reimu for help without explaining where you discovered the fault in her seal, and good luck finding another piece of that sword…” She manipulates the gap between wet and dry hair, and I just want to sink my face into that ocean of gold. “But it's not hopeless. After all—” With a gap, she's in front of me again, smiling seductively as ever. “It takes one second to manipulate the boundaries between impossibly high and normal libido.”

She snaps her fingers, and suddenly, my mind is sane, the air feels fresh—the warmth disappearing. I gazed at Yukari, wide-eyed, before it came back just as quick as it went away, my body bending forward with a mewling, hands holding her shoulders…

… She gave me one moment of clarity. One moment of 'myself' back, then took it away.

Our eyes meet again, and I want to cry with quivering rage. This woman is the devil itself—ah…

Her hand attacked my lower parts, pressing her body against mine, halting my thoughts immediately as she whispered on my ear. “All you need to do to have your mind back, Ibarakasen, is obey.” She penetrates two long, slender fingers, and I moan louder, arms holding her and hips fucking her wet fingers. “You'll use your animal friends to gather information about plots against poor me; you're gonna be my first line of defense when Okina finally decides to play her cards—and, when Anon and Reimu are happy together again—only then, when all my goals are met, you can be free.”

She pulls her fingers out and hovers them over my mouth, knee grinding on my pussy.

Our eyes met… And I scandalously suck on her fingers. She grins devilishly.

“Good~for now, why don't we, hardworking sages, treat ourselves? Anon is waiting~”

I nod, red and horny, the thought of a good dicking and hot pussy drowning despair.

// Hana 39

Hana walked into the bamboo forest and down the path of the lost. She didn't know exactly where she was going, while Eientei was here the forest was a large place and Eientei was but a small fraction of the space.

Sighing in the autumn breeze the forest seemed alive, the thickets that flanked the path seemed to absorb most of the already dim sunlight that hid behind the clouds today. Normally there'd be Inaba or even that one strange immortal who enjoyed guiding others, but the absence of anyone gave the bamboo an almost sinister feeling.

Like the bamboo were long fingers raking the sky Hana felt as if the dirt that quieted her footsteps were the palm of a giant hand. She wanted to leave already, but she knew better than to turn back now. The odd way the forest flowed and how the bamboo obscured sight would ensure she'd never find her way out if she just turned around.

The sky above was distant, and while she could fly it would only serve to confuse her further. It was one of the lessons her mother taught her back during the early days, even her father who would often come here to sell hauls of medicinal plants and mushroom could easily lose his way if he strayed from the path.

Hana walked forward, only barely following the path with the edge of her eye while she daydreamed and watched the treelines with unease. She didn't feel anyone particularly, though there was a niggling presence that she just couldn't put her finger on. As if just by chance she wasn't able to lock onto it like it would take one step too far as if guided by some-

The world gave way under her too fast for her to even think to take to the sky. At first in that microsecond she thought it was a gap, but there were no eyes and unnatural presence. Then wher- with the sound of bone and flesh smacking against rock reverbating through her body her world went black.

Bright light shone in her eyes as they opened, Hana was dazed and confused. At first she couldn't recognize where she was, nor did she have the will to as her head was killing her. She sat up and cautiously looked around as she gingerly touched her head, finding it bandaged.

At first she didn't recognize it, the strange drapes surrounding the beds. The standing machinery tucked away in a corner or active on the side of a bed where someone lay. The room itself large enough to hold a banquet in but only consisting of two rows of bed with their headboards facing the wall and fitted with thin white sheets.

'Ah' she thought. 'I must be at Eientei...'

// Aya 35

The Youkai Mountain was within sight. While Aya and Momiji had mostly forgiven each other, it was hard to look each other in the eye without embarrassment creeping in. Regardless, the crow still had plans for her new peon. Aya wasn’t confident in using her backdoor to do much besides boost whatever abilities she already had. However, she could still do something as simple as feel out other sources of the Secret Goddess’ energu. Focusing her mind, she was surprised to find her home light up with secret doors. The ruins, the ravine, Moriya shrine, everywhere was shining like an evergreen tree Sanae set up for December. Did Okina really need her? From the looks of it, she already knew more about Tengu defenses than the Tengu did!

Spotting an entryway far off from the nightly patrol routes, Aya commanded her new companion to stay put while she “picked up a special daishogi board she commissioned.” It was wonderful to have someone so trusting close to her. Sneaking off, Aya focused on meeting Matarajin once more as she slipped past a large boulder to the door way behind it. The sight she saw was ghastly.

Multiple spotlights, microphones and detachable walls were scattered around a stage. Mirrors of various sizes, sample tiles with different degrees of dirt, and many styles of sinks and toilets were all lined up to the side. Dressed in white blouses and black skirts, Okina’s ever faithful attendants were rushing around as they constructed their set. All the while, Okina was holding down a struggling mouse with one hand and a tokin in the other. Nazrin already had on a skimpy white dress littered with white puffs. “Ahem, excuse, M-Matarajin?”

The goddess, wearing blackout shades and a stylish beret, smiled as she turned back towards the distressed tengu. “Ah, my muse! What can I do for you doll?” Since Okina was ignoring the mouse’s cries for help, Aya thought it would be safest to do the same.

“I came here to catch up on our deal. I believe I’ve provided you some “entertainment” recently, so I’ve earned some time outside of your sight, haven’t I?” To her surprise, the goddess was extremely receptive.

“Of course, of course! Anything for my best actor: Private time in the shower? No more peep shows while you sleep? By the way, you should really start sleeping on your side, it’ll make the coming weeks much easier.”

Putting aside her internal horror at everything the woman said, Aya made her demand simple: “Tonight, I just need a few hours to myself. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Oh, for that wolf tengu of yours. Alright, go ahead. Just keep something in mind.” She removed her cliché eye wear to give Aya a serious look. “My surveillance keeps what I see secret. Just between you and me. But playing with that girl outside of my view might allow certain… voyeurs to find out what you’re up to.” Just as she finished her sentence, Nazrin finally gave up her resistance, leaving her to Okina’s whims. “This isn’t any sort of threat, mind you. After all, you came to me for help! I’d just like to remind how much safer it is for you and yours to stay under my watch.”

The implications of her speech weren’t lost on Aya, despite the insanity surrounding her. With a curt “I’ll keep that in mind,” the tengu turned back towards the door she came from, ready to share some secrets with her confidant.

“Next time you return, please show Mai here how to properly shoot a scene? I swear, the girl can’t see the difference between wide and full! It ruins the entire experience! A haughty girl, squirming deliciously under her rival in an inescapable, narrow room, with 70% of the shot taken up by plain walls. That’s a true tragedy. I’ll give you bathroom time for free if you do~”

Refusing to be traumatized in a stall for the second time in one night, Aya ran out of the Land of the Backdoors and heard a loud *THUNK* as she smacked her head against a solid boulder. It wasn’t enough to knock her out, so the girl quietly called out for her companion as she wondered why this whole situation had to happen to her.

// Hana 40

Solid ground felt good under Hana's feet as she walked to the doorway of the room she found herself in. Nobody seemed to pay her much mind and since there was no nurse around she simply was able to make her way out unmolested.

Hana hadn't been to Eientei over much, only on the occasions when her father brought her over when she was younger for check-ups or errands. The corridors of the hospital were unfamiliar to her as such, and if she looked down the more quiet end of things beyond the doors that labeled 'Inaba only' she could feel a similar distortion to what was outside in the forest.

First on Hana's mind was what exactly happened, she fell but such a fall shouldn't put her put like that... It was embarrassing but she'd have to ask one of those youkai what happened, she wondered down the hall till she spotted a nurse that seemed free, "Ah, excuse me!" Catching the rabbits attention she continued, "I uhh, I'm not sure how I got he-"

The Inaba nurse seemed to be surprised as a dawning realization spread across her face, "Ah the little Hakurei! Well about that..." the Inaba scratched the back of her head, "well I think its better if you hear it from Tewi-chan herself..."

Confused at her reaction Hana simply nodded slowly, not letting her head get jostled too much, "right..." the Inaba ushered her forward with a wave of her arm, "erm, oh yeah and if you feel nausea or anything just let me know... I don't wanna clean the floors again..."

Hana followed the slightly skittish Inaba nurse down corridors of Inaba and human both, some humans clearly injured or sick while some, a mix of human and youkai women, didn't seem to have anything wrong with them at all. Hana didn't ask about it since she had other things on her mind but as they passed by a sliding door labeled 'maternity ward' she wondered if there was ever so many expectant mothers before? Youkai in such numbers on top of that? She felt a bit disgusted by the thought of the human hybrids in their bellies.

Seriously, what perverted fool would knock up all those youkai women? Hana was disgusted by the thought of it.

As they seemed to walk closer to the administrative area Hana also noticed something strange, the last few times she's been here the Inaba seemed a bit more mischievous and aloof in their profession. Now they seemed more caring as whole, almost coddling in the gentle ministrations they treated their patients with... Maybe that strange doctor of theirs gave them a talking too? Either way if Youkai were making themselves useful to humans and not a menace it for the best so Hana had no gripes.

As they rounded a junction to a seemingly empty part of the offices Hana noticed the nurse freeze up, it was as if the tight little pink nurses outfit she wore was constricting her. She could almost see a nervous sweat break out on her forehead, "erm, well just down the hall and the third door to the left! That's where you'll find her!"

Before Hana could formulate a question with her bogged down mind the Inaba, clearly not constrained in the legs by her short skirt hopped off in a hurry disappearing beyond a corner. Hana shrugged as she walked down the corridor feeling the presences of several youkai behind other doors labeled this and that, more than a few behind the door labeled 'break room'

As she reached the sliding paper door labeled, 'Reisen U. Inaba, Chief of Sales', Hana heard an angry voice on the other side of the door. It was familiar, like that youkai medicine seller with tired eyes she often saw in the village, "How many times have I told you to lay off the pranks?! Not only did Eirin tell you as well but you even put a pitfall in the center of the main path! If one of the women were to fa-" Hana knocked then cutting off the rant.

Hearing an audible sigh of relief and a, "don't you dare even think of running off!" she heard footsteps approach the door. The door slid open in a hurry only to reveal a women externally around the same age as Hana wearing a strange uniform consisting of a buttoned up blazer and a white skirt. Her hair was outrageously long reaching down to the back of her knees at least and she sported white ears on the top of her head. She was clearly a youkai by the energy she gave off, Hana pushed past that as she recognized her as the medicine seller, "I'm sorry to interrupt but I was told to come here by the nurse..."

// seija/goro 32-35

Today I would meet with the illustrious Toyosatomimi no Miko at her home in the Divine Spirit Mausoleum for which I was excited and nervous in equal measure.
I’d never been to Senkai where the Mausoleum was located, the realm was akin to the hells or the dream word, a place not within Gensokyou, but still connected to it and damn hard to reach if you weren’t a hermit.
The butterfly stamped invitation had strange instructions on how I was to arrive ‘take this invitation and whoever is you guest in hand and walk through the crack that’s appeared in your mind’. I instantly thought of a massive rock that had smashed itself a little way from the village, so after I had acquired the proper wares, I made my way there.
Seija refused to stay behind, not wanting to pass up the chance at being perhaps the first Youkai to visit Senkai. I didn’t put up too much of a fuss, since the realm was equally unknown to me, however I did insist on her wearing a more formal garb and from the village markets I quickly acquired some heeled sandals, a white dress with a cut that layered blue, black, and red fabrics behind it, and a black piece of cloth wrapped around her shoulders to complete the outfit.
She almost looked like Kagerou’s more formal sister, but I kept that to myself, she was being agreeable as it was and quite a few villagers had given us some strange looks. Although that could’ve been my choice of garb: the dark green kimono with the orange, padded sash, and the bracelet we’d acquired from the Youkai Slayer tomb. We were an odd couple to be sure.
“What’s the hold up? I want to see what those old coot hermits have been hiding from us!” Seija said as she tapped her foot beside the crack.
“Gathering my thoughts.” I remarked.
I didn’t like hermits. They were just the wrong mix of proud, eccentric, ego-driven, dangerous, and isolationist. Ask a hermit a question and they’ll give you an answer so far removed from any common understanding that you may as well have asked a whimsical child or the drunkest man. And that crazed model of the world they developed in their heads? Made trading with them absurdly difficult. Sometimes they’d say no to gold other times they’d get on their hands and knees for a random piece of rye you had in your mouth. They were a queer and chaotic kind.
“Alright, no use dallying then.” I say offering my hand to Seija.
She takes it and closes her eyes just as I do, and I lead her toward the crack invitation in hand.
Instead of colliding with the rock I feel a rush of air and the smell of lilac, I push forward a few more steps before opening my eyes to Senkai.
The Divine Sprit Mausoleum stood before us; a golden pillar surrounded by a moat dotted with Lilly pads. Behind it where rolling mountains, with peaks far too numerous to be natural, all cloaked in fog.
“Welcome honored guests.” A formal voice spoke.
Beside us stood the white-clad, eboshi-wearing servant of Miko: Mononobe No Futo and she went from bowing reverence to reserved contempt. I returned her bow regardless.
“Perhaps it is not for me to say, but mayhaps you should consider abandoning your company and that… garb.” She states.
As expected, Futo had little tolerance for Youkai and the outfit which we had acquired from the tomb resembled a Buddhist robe.
“My sincerest apologies, circumstances bound me to this one and this robe is one of legends, I wouldn’t want to offend by coming in anything less.” I justify.
“Tis not only that, but-“ Futo begins.
“What was that about us being honored guests?” Seija interjected. “Your master expects us, so wasting our time is wasting Her’s runt.” She said hauntingly.
Futo’s face scrunched up into a disgusted expression, but like a good Taoist she simply sighed and guided us inside rather than butt heads with a strong-willed woman.
As we ascended the tower we saw quite a few aspirants, some doing mundane tasks like cleaning and the like, while others looked to be doing more spiritual practices like tai-chi, transcribing scripture, and meditation.
I took some pleasure in watching them gawk and harrow at the sight of Seija in her more elegant, slightly risqué dress. Or where they surprised by my appearance? Either way the Oni and I where both taking some pleasure in their comic expressions. Futo merely gave the odd stare and only tossed a plate at one troublesome guy who was leaning on the ladder to get a better look, plummeting him to the ground.
As I said, hermits were a queer, ego-driven bunch. Learning anything from them was a fool’s errand and I couldn’t help but pity these poor disciples just a little.
When we finally arrived at the top of the Mausoleum’s Spire and the doors to the meeting chamber stood before us, we all laid eyes on the green dress wearing ghost who hovered a few inches off the ground.
She also gawked.
“You can’t be serious. I won’t allow you entry to this place with that-“she began.
Futo raised her hand. “Tis useless, he is intent to see The Crown Prince regardless of garb.”
“Fine. But her…” She pointed to Seija. “…I will not allow.”
Seija shrugged and took a seat on a bench crossing her legs as she did. “Not as if I wanted to be apart of some stuffy proceeding of royalty anyway. Go along Goro-kun, meet with that feather-brained prince so we can get out of this stuffy palace already.”
We were all taken aback by how flexible she was acting. Why was this Amanojaku being so aggregable?
“Well then, move along she’s waiting for you.” Tojiko said, pushing me toward the door, no doubt intent on me completing my business so Seija would leave sooner as well.
As I approached the golden engraved doors they opened as if they had a will of their own and shut just as gracefully. I didn’t hear the characteristic crack of wood or whining of metal hinges that usually accompany such large construction, but such was a hermits abode I suppose. Whatever the oddity, it didn’t compare to the one that stood before me now.
“Oh, you’ve arrived, come come, make yourself comfortable.” Toyosatomimi no Miko spoke, beckoning me toward the table.
The odd piece of furniture was lowered into a recess of the floor and the table was covered with an embroidered cloth that draped over its side. I bowed and took my seat, sitting cross legged, it almost appeared that I was buried waist down in the floor and found that beneath the table was slightly warm.
Across from me sat Miko, the Crown Prince who wore a flowing purple robe accented with gold, beside her sat the blue-haired hermit Seiga Kaku in a similar piece of comfort wear accented by the odd flower or two. As I took my seat, their expressions momentarily changed to shock for a moment, but they quickly regained their composure. Perhaps even they were sensitive to these Buddhist seeming robes? Ah, too late to consider now, my relationship with the Myouren Temple was probably already known to them anyway.
“So,” Miko began, sliding herself around the table until she was at my side. “you’re the petitioner who’s been asking to see me for so long, the human who brokers with Youkai are you not?”
“Yes, although I don’t deal exclusively with them, I simply don’t discriminate in my clientele. It is a privilege to have an audience with you, oh Illustrious Crown Prince.” I reply, bowing my head.
Seiga simply took a drag from a pipe she was smoking, saying nothing. ‘Good’ I thought. I’ve heard so many rumors about Seiga Kaku’s exploits and none of them were pleasant.
“My my, no need to be so formal! You know, had you arrived at any time I would’ve gladly taken your audience. Although I suppose you’re not a hermit so you can’t come and go into Senkai as you’d like without an invitation.” Miko said, thinking aloud.
It’s well known that Miko could intuit the desires of someone with a glance, in fact, she was rumored to be able to listen and reply to as many as ten people at once. Which made the fact that I had her exclusive audience all the stranger, a side-effect of her carefree attitude?
“Of course, Miko-sensei. I simply did not wish to waste your time or mine on a useless meeting.” I explain.
“Because the rejection itself would’ve been an answer to your question, yes, quite a broker, aren’t you?” Miko said, placing her elbow on the table and resting her face on it.
“You want to know my intentions regarding the brothel of one within the village? As you expect: I have none. My own involvement would hamper its destruction rather than help. Ah, but please don’t think of me as cruel, that place is an evil blight and I wish for its destruction as much as the rest of you.” She said with a casual smile.
Relief. She could be lying to me, but The Crown Prince’s word, the dignity of a saint, would be tarnished if she was.
“Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted will you indulge me for a moment?” She asked.
“Of course, what would Miko-sensei ask of me?”
“Are you picking a fight with that dress wear?” She accused.
Blasted robe. “Oh, of course not. I acquired this from, well let’s say it was entrusted to me by someone to fulfill my own role in all of this. It felt wrong to not be wearing it on such an auspicious occasion for myself. I mean no offense.” I reasoned.
Couldn’t very well say: ‘I grave robbed this from a tomb of legendary Youkai hunters’, ah, it probably didn’t even matter in the presence of Miko.
“Oh, not the robe. I mean this.” She said, tapping my bracelet with a single finger.
At this, Seiga stopped smoking and immediately turned in our direction, her interest piqued.
“Well, this was also entrusted to me as well.” I say, holding the bracelet to the light, examining the large, smooth black stones that composed it and the silver veins shining within. “It’s supposed to be an armament of some sort, although I suspect it’s inert. I’m only a little practiced in magic arts, charms, seals, and tools like that, but I can’t seem to get these beads to do anything no matter the chant, incantation, hand sign, or conditions I try.” I say, shrugging.
“It’s almost as if they’re really just some ornate stones and nothing else.”
Miko closed her eyes and breathed, as if formulating a response in her head. This put me on edge. Why had the Crown Prince, with her quick wit, taken a pause? Surly she could reply faster than I could inquire, unless, unless it was necessary for myself?
“Have you tried removing those stones?” Seiga interjected.
“No, I…” I think to myself. I hadn’t removed the bracelet since I donned it yesterday.
Grabbing the stones, I tried pulling it off my right hand, only for it to squeeze my wrist as if it were a snake constricting its prey. I tugged and tugged but couldn’t get it any farther.
“Stop! Stop! Oh, that’s a horrid and wonderful noise, but stop!” Seiga said, her hands clasped around her ears. I didn’t hear anything like that but stopped at her insistence.
Suddenly there was a banging on the door. With a wave, Miko produced a tiny golden sword in the air which zoomed past us and phased through the door. The banging stopped.
“Goro-kun, you are human, aren’t you?” Miko asked.
“Of course.” I said, confused.
“Have you ever harbored a spirit? Acted under a god’s influence? Or perhaps, consumed Youkai flesh?” She asked.
The room went silent, and the air felt heavy.
This was a Youkai-slaying weapon, I was still being treated after biting off Seija’s neck and swallowing it, was this bracelet trying to kill me?
“That bracelet is culmination of 108 human sacrifices.” Seiga spoke. “Human sacrifices, by humans, for humans you understand? Not as a Youkai or Terrible god would do, where one involves waste and the other is overly symbolic. It involved taking specific human bones, boiling out their marrow, grinding the bones into dust, mixing the resulting meal with silver, and trapping the conduits in obsidian.” She explained, tapping the ash out of her pipe.
“It’s refined human animosity, perfect and un-conditional negative emotion to anything that isn’t purely human. Its use is a conduit for Houjustsu, tranquil magic, but the resulting spells would resemble Youjutsu, chaotic magic.” She continued.
“Why would they make such a thing to fight Youkai?” I ask, feeling my panic creep in.
“Because even though it looks like Youjutsu it’s not. The malice is targeted, direct, and unlike a grudge it won’t ever grow or veer from its ire. Such a thing could scarcely be called Houjustsu either, the practitioner who finished it likely couldn’t find peace so chose instead to impose complete order on malice.” She waved.
I looked at the bracelet and let myself feel anger and I finally saw what everyone was gawking at.
In each stone there was a face, a human one cloaked in red with attentive expressions, uncanny expressions, as I moved the bracelet away from myself the size of the faces did not change and the red light they cast did not reflect on the shining palace floors. They were just, staring.
I felt a weight in my chest. “If someone wearing such a thing were to die…” I begin to ask.
“They would not pass the Sanzu. The beads will not let your soul leave.” Miko said.
“No, but I, I have pills from Eientei, they’re treating me.” I laugh. “Once I finish the treatment, these things, they’ll fall right off, right?”
Miko solemnly shakes her head. “Your life may not be at risk, but your body is irreversibly tainted. The bracelet will never let you go.”
“Then I’ll chop my arm off. It’ll be a nuisance, but I can at least die peacefully, right?”
Seiga spoke “You would only be down an arm, The beads grip isn’t a physical phenomenon, that’s just how you perceive it. Even more drastic actions like destroying the beads may just cause more harm.”
My head swam. What was all this for? Had I died on Youkai Mountain that day I would’ve died happy and now I was doomed, cursed.
“There might be one way.” Miko spoke.
I listened.
“The Gap Youkai: Yukari. She may be the only one with the power and skill to separate the beads and leave your soul intact. The same Yukari you’ve spent so much time plotting against. However, I could help you coerce her into saving you.” Miko explained.
“How?” I ask.
“If you were to offer up all you knew, the plans you’ve laid, and guarantee my support for her defense, she would have no other choice.” She put forth.
It would be a deal then, but at what cost? I would be forsaking everyone who I had bartered with, broken countless agreements, spat in the face of a man unjustly put through hell day in and day out that I had tried so hard to save.
And what if I didn’t? What was this all for if I meet the most terrible fate I could imagine? What would I become? How long had I labored so that my life would be a good one only to waste all those efforts and throw them away? What was Anon’s suffering to the agony I’d endure if I perished cursed? Surely this waste would be evil in itself! Surely his escape wouldn’t be impossible even if I betrayed him or guaranteed if I had not.
It was pointless to think about, the decision had already been made.
“I know my best interests. If I assist Yukari the result would be the same for me if I had not.” Miko said.
I raised my left hand to Miko.
“Not the inverted left hand or the cursed right Goro, there is one other way two people can make an exchange.” She said, closing her eyes and slightly pursing her lips.
I kissed the saint.
“Toyosatomimi no Miko, you will not engage with or against Yukari in this battle. In exchange you’ll have one favor from me, to be claimed at your leisure.” The pact was made. I could hear Seiga chuckle.
Miko smiled. “Was it pride and stubbornness in your status that kept you virtuous or tranquil love for those around you?”
She already knew the answer.
I made for the door, someone had much to answer for.

I, Soga no Tojiko, did not enjoy being a baby-sitter, so I was pleasantly surprised when the Amanojaku didn’t make a fuss and waited patiently while the Crown Prince met with The Broker.
When a deathly howl emitted from the room, Futo and I both made for the door, but a message from the Prince stayed us, for what reason, I cannot say.
I almost jumped as the doors finally careened open to reveal the Broker, the glowing red faces in the bracelet still staring at us, indifferently.
I made to greet him, but he ignored Futo and I both and made for Seija and with a swift motion grabbed her by the dress and slapped her across the face.
“You knew!” He yelled.
The Amanojaku smiled, chuckling “Why do you think I gave up such a fantastic tool? I wouldn’t just hand over a cheat item like that.”
“You’ve cured me you wrench! After everything you did, we worked together, you risked your own life to save me, we shared the same home, I, gods…” he said.
“I trusted you!”
“Then you truly are a fool.” The Amanojaku cackled. “You know what I am, who I am. What, did a little co-habitation fog your brain? I resented every second I spent with you, and that I can honestly say beyond all doubt. But it was worth it, to see that calm, pathetic demeanor crack just like all the rest!”
The man lifted her by her dress and put her against the wall.
“Even now you lie with every breath you take! What do you think tormenting everyone around you leads to?!”
“You still don’t understand? I’m an Amanojaku, being hated by all is ecstasy for me. Loneliness is a comfort!” She laughed.
This is unsightly. I nod to Futo and we begin to move, but something stops us.
“You think there’s not a person alive who enjoys being lonely?” The man quietly speaks.
“Or angry, sad, tired, even betrayed?” He continued, dropping the girl.
She falls to her knees, but not out of weakness. No, she’s in too much pleasure to even stand.
“My part in this, it’s done. But you’re going to realize something when I’m well in truly gone.” The man breathes in.
“You were happier when I was around.”

// Hana 41

Rage flashed in Reisen's eyes and Hana unconsciously reached for her gohei but stopped when Reisen turned around instead. She was now shouting at the small looking girl, "really now its even worse than I thought! Look at what you did the poor girl, all for a laugh!"

Standing there awkwardly Hana couldn't help but stare at the shifty eyed young girl sitting seiza style on the floor. Her hair was fluffy and a deep black that shone with natural luster, contrasting her hair were two fluffy ears that sat atop her head and flopped down to its sides. Her dress was a lovely pink almost the same shade as the nurse's uniforms. She was barefoot as well with the only other accessory being a carrot pendant that hung around her neck.

Despite her young looks and her playful personality she remembered back when she came here with her father, learning that she was one of the oldest in all of Gensokyo. Despite being a youkai she was at least friendly, Hana even playing with her at times while her father was on business here. Though that was long ago and while Hana wasn't the most friendly with her she was a familiar enough face.

The loud shouting as Reisen lectured Tewi with renewed vigor answered at least one of her questions, it was clear Hana had fallen into her pitfall trap. A fresh one that the little bunny hadn't cleared properly and a stone resided in at the bottom. A stone that was unfortunately lined up properly to collide with Hana's skull rendering her unconscious.

Although keen on letting the trickster rabbit be scolded a bit longer for her crime Hana's head was throbbing from the constant noise. Made even more grating by the fact it came from a youkai. Hana spoke up, "Excuse me Purple Inaba-san, my head is pounding. I need to go lay down so..."

Reisen spun around to her as Tewi slunk away behind her, "ah thats right! You'll need to see Eirin before I can let you go!"

Curiously what seemed to be guilt crossed the rabbit's face as she trotted up to her with some trepidation, "I don't suppose you were coming here initially on business were you...?"

Hana thought for a second as Tewi crept up behind Reisen, seeming to prepare for a dash, "No, I was just walking around as strange as it sounds. I just... wanted a change of scenery"

Reisen nodded and relief seemed to cross her face for some reason, it made Hana curious but it wouldn't do to be nosy to someone that was helping you. Even if it was a filthy youkai. Reisen spoke again as her hand darted out just as Tewi started her dash halting the little rabbit, "This one!" Reisen turned her head down to look Tewi, "will escort you! Its the least she could do after all, isn't that right Tewi-san?"

With a 'bwuh?' Tewi glanced between the two with upturned eyes as she adopted a casual stance as if pretending she wasn't about to cut and run. With a slightly forced carefree smile she smiled, "of course, I was just about to show her the way myself!"

Tewi smiled widely as she walked with all the haste of drunk stumbling down the streets. Hana walked side-by-side with in silence for a bit after Tewi informed her that Eirin was likely locked away in the maternity ward at this time of day.

There was something Hana couldn't quite grasp about the situation, this was only compounded now that her head cleared a bit. It seemed that like Reisen everyone seemed to have a strange reaction to her presence, the youkai and women who appeared uninjured seemed to avoid her entirely and the Inaba nurses seemed to greet her like they were friends.

It was enough that Hana couldn't help but bring it up, "Tewi-san... is it just me or does everyone seem to react strangely to my presence? I don't think I ever came here enough to be that noted..."

Tewi stopped walking for a second before resuming her seemingly easygoing steps, "ah, well the Hakurei maidens tend to be famous wherever they go right?"

Concussion be damned, something was up and Hana was certainly weirded out, "no that can't be it, its only the ladies that seem to do that. Even Udongein-san seemed to give me a look..."

Seeming to not want to meet her eyes Hana couldn't help but press her, alarm bells were ringing in Hana's head, a conspiracy? An incident in the making? Tewi's face was outwardly calm but there was a nervousness creeping in like a spider, "Well... well you see... ah I can't keep a secret from you Hana-chan! But uh, I can only tell you after we see doctor you know?!"

Winking, Tewi's face returned to that mischievous expression she so enjoyed displaying. Hana realized that at least at the moment she wouldn't get anything out of her, she'd have to try later. Sighing Hana remarked, "fine but it better not be a bald faced lie! I still owe you this after all!" Hana pointed to her wrapped head.

Giggling Tewi replied with a smile, "don't worry it'll be something good, I guarantee it on my luck!"

As they headed deeper into the ward Tewi piped up, "by the way, its Tewi. Not Tewi."

// Shanghai, The Doll 3

Dressed in her yellow vest and hard hat, foreman Shanghai directed the various teams of dolls as they each filled their role in the creator’s great design. What exactly that grand design is eludes Shanghai. Based on Alice’s instructions she was to make a house like the mean red one’s, but her creator never explained why that is.

Shanghai did have a few theories, however, and given the dolls had finally stopped trying to cut down trees that other dolls were working under, she had some time to indulge them. It may be wishful thinking on her part, but maybe it was supposed to be a home for Mr. Anon. If she remembered right, he used to live with the mean red one, but he couldn’t have been happy there. Afterward, he went to that other bad place in the village and that was super bad. Maybe he was like one of those hermit crabs from the stories Alice would read to her and could only live in specific kinds of shells. It makes sense that he'd need to live in a place like the ones he lived in, otherwise, he wouldn’t live there.

If that were the case, the fact that the site is between Alice’s house and the village makes super sense for a ton of reasons. 1: When Alice goes to the village, they could stop by for tea and cuddles with Mr. Anon. 2: It’s close to Alice’s house so she can notice if anyone tries to take him from his habitat. 3: It’s close to the village so he can get here quickly when they relocate. She knows that moving is scary for hermit crabs and Alice, so he likely wouldn’t want to travel too far in fear of predators.

Shanghai was about to move on to reason four, but her attention shifted to the sound of metal banging against metal in the trees. Drawing her razor sword, she and the rest of the dolls (except the ones that carry stuff in the air because she shook her fists at them for that) drop what they are doing and swarm over to face the incoming threat.

Reaching where the watchman doll was stationed, Shanghai sees a hairy dog woman nervously backing away from the growing army of dolls all around her. Raising her hands she says, “I’m sorry for disturbing… whatever this is. If you’ll forgive me I’ll be right on my way...”

At that, the youkai turns tail and runs in the other direction. It was to be expected really. Every time a youkai stumbled into the construction site, they quickly backed away after seeing the true power of the doll army. Still, if they don't give a show of force, the youkai think they could push dolls around as if they were weak.

Giving the signal for the others to go back to work, Shanghai tries to remember what she was thinking about before she was rudely interrupted… Ah! Why they were building this place?

If it’s not a Mr. Anon sanctuary, it could also be a house for Mima. Ever since they started working with Alice, Marisa and Mima have been sleeping in Alice’s house. Marisa definitely has a house and just likes taking Alice’s things, but maybe Mima doesn’t have a house? She’s never seen Mima’s house and she has to be going somewhere when she’s not causing trouble, so maybe she’s homeless?

She’d deserve to be homeless given how mean she is to Alice, but Shanghai wouldn’t be surprised if her creator was nice enough to give a homeless ghost lady a house. Who knows? Maybe it’s like one of those stories where the bad person is just bad because they’re sad and Mima will become nice if she has a house. While Shanghai would rather have Mr. Anon living in this place, it’d be pretty cool if Mima and Marisa left.

Still, at the end of the day, Shanghai can only guess. It’s probably going to be something weird like a magic building, or a really big doll house for really big dolls, or a place to put all those dresses Alice blushes while making and hides, or a place for Mima and Ms. Shinki to fight in, or…

Shanghai trails off as she watches a team of dolls who ARE NOT wearing their protective helmets wander under a tree laden with acorns. Her eye twitches for a second as she recalls the many many times she made it clear that the hats had to always be on, especially while under something dangerous! Do they not appreciate the time Alice spent making each of them a hard hat? Do they want Alice to cry when they bump their noggins? Do they even realize that Mr. Anon would be sad to know that dolls got hurt building his enclosure?

With building fury, Shanghai descends upon the foolish dolls. Unaware of the fact she’s slowly assuming the mantle of Goddess of OSHA regulations.

// Hana 42-43

Lunarians were always something of a wonder for Hana, not quite humans but far from being youkai in any sense of the word. They were something Hana rarely thought about and aside from a quiet distaste born, rightfully, from their own desire to rid the earth of impure life, as they saw it, she didn't harbor much feelings for them.

Hana could count the times she's ever interacted with a lunarian on one hand and most of them had been Eirin when she came in for various checkups and once or twice a rather remarkable girl named Kaguya who she'd seen but rarely talked too. The distinction was vague to her but supposedly Reisen and even a few inaba that lurked in the village were lunarian as well. Still, now that she met Eirin again for the first time in a good couple years the distinction between the inaba and her was like night and day.

Eirin had guided her to her private office after finishing up some strange ritual called an 'ultrasound' on some wild rat youkai that she was pretty sure she handled at some time or another for messing with the farmers. The youkai avoided eye contact and Hana was just as happy for that as she was quietly disgusted when Eirin mentioned that she needed to be more cautious since it was a half-human child.

Before she left with Eirin in tow she couldn't fathom why about every visible women seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she left the room, something to grill Tewi on she supposed...

Eirin's office itself was as neat and tidy as she remembered, in fact it was almost exactly as she remembered. It wasn't like Hana had photographic memory but she did remember that as a child she'd stare at the jar of sweets Eirin had on her desk for children. The jar seemed to be the exact same as from her memory and even in the exact same place, it was quite something.

A rich and dark wall length set of drawers seemed to cover the entirely of the right side of the room, Hana couldn't discern any labeling but she had a feeling that not a single thing was misplaced inside of them. The other wall was more conventional with a few bookshelves bound in material she couldn't recognize and with words she couldn't read, a small half-table was adorned with a tea set and some snacks for guests, if the way they were displayed was any indication, sat flush against the wall.

As Hana sat in a comfortable padded chair in front of the doctor's desk; Eirin seemed to forgo the rolling chair behind her desk for the other identical chair next to Hana. Eirin scooted her chair close allowing Hana to get a really good look at the doctor's face, her eyes seemed to be as piercing and enigmatic as Yukari's were but much different in nature. They were both unknowable but Eirin's seemed much more detached and Hana didn't get the sense of being stared down by a predator or even a guru, it was more akin to watching a master craftsman examine his product.

After a moment of analyzing Eirin spoke, "No paleness, trouble concentrating, nor other heavy symptoms seem to be visible. Good." Eirin leaned back in her chair while she wrote something in a notebook she pulled out from a pocket Hana didn't seem to notice, after a moment of quick but almost mechanically precise writing she looked off to her side and called over Reisen, who had been on standby by the doorway with practiced inattentiveness.

Reisen approached and without saying anything took a scrap of paper from her hand, Reisen glanced it over with no signs of the distressed and emotional bunny from earlier. With a business voice similar to when she was out selling meds, "Right away doctor, I'll have them prepared immediately" and made to leave.

Alone with the doctor Hana couldn't only ask with a small voice, "Am I alright doctor...?"

Eirin's expression didn't change nor did she even seem to move a muscle aside form her mouth as she spoke in a flat voice that still sounded like music to Hana's ears, "That is what we're here to discuss isn't it? Your head seems fine. However out of the interests of your health I'll have to ask if you've been feeling sick in the mornings, nauseous at times, unusually irritable or sexually frustrated, or having strange cravings."

Hana could barely process everything she said at once, sick in the morning...? sexually fustrated?! Hana couldn't help but sputter, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Eirin didn't react in any notable way to her panic and with a practiced ease let in a placating tone, "I'm not accusing you of anything of course and I know how touchy a topic this can be, but its for the best if you answer honestly, for you and the baby."

The what?! nononono! "D-doctor I'm not p-pregnant! I was just walking down the trail and hit my head and uh Tewi was there and... I woke up here and uh...!" Hana's arms raised before her and her hands splayed out as if to stop the accusations.

Eirin wrote something down in her little notebook and nodded quietly, "I see"

Hana wanted to shout out that she didn't see at all.

After a series of rather personal questions about if she's had intercourse with a man in the last weeks, if she'd been the victim of any god or spirit, had any wet dreams after visiting places with connections to the netherworld, and other invasive questions Hana couldn't help but feel that she noticed a smirk on her face as she wrote something in her notebook.

This damn doctor!

By now Reisen was already back in the room and had passed a bottle of pills to Eirin which she put on the desk next to her. Eirin seemed to have finished her line of questioning placing her notepad and pen back into her pocket, "Congratulations Hakurei-san, you seem to be in good health aside from the obvious."

Hana sighed, "I could've told you that myself you know... Really now what was with those questions?"

Eirin's face melted back into that analytical pokerface that Hana had grown to dislike on a personal level, "Take no offense, it is merely a statistical probability that when a young women braves the bamboo forest's path alone and enters my facilities that the chance of them being pregnant is high"

Despite her misgivings when Eirin delivered a line like that in such a straightforward way it was impossible to just dismiss out of hand, "I guess it makes sense that all those women in the maternity ward gave me weird looks then, must be awkward to have someone not in the same situation find out"

Eirin squinted at Hana for a second her expression barely changed but it did change notably like a ripple on a placid pond, "Yes, both human and youkai tend to be bothered by interlopers intruding upon their more delicate affairs..."

Nodding Hana simply accepted her words at face value, after all its not like Eirin had any reason to lie to her. Not that she really trusted her of course but she simply couldn't see a motive, "Well if that'll be all I'll have to go, I need to go and sleep this off..."

Taking the bottle of pills in hand Eirin presented it to her, "This is medication that will speed your recovery, restoring any damaged brain cells, bruising to the cranium, mend any micro-fractures and damaged blood vessels, as well as restore and regulate the balance to the blood-brain barrier that may cause undue headaches and migraines in the future"

ignoring the complicated words she didn't get she reached out for the bottle she stopped her hands, "Ah well, I'm sure I already owe you for the treatment and all... I'm not really made of money at the moment so I think I'll just heal the natural way"

Eirin's expression seemed to change again, it seemed softer now and there a subtle change in her voice that was different than the forced placating tone from earlier, it sounded almost sorry, "Don't worry about the treatment costs nor the medicine. I owe your father a debt of gratitude after all"

Hana raised her eyebrow, she never knew that Eirin and her father had any sort of relationship beyond a transactional one. With a puzzlement in her voice she glanced at the rabbit in the corner who feigned disinterest, "My father? Did you him a favor? I never knew that you and him had any sort of relationship..."

Of course her father had been in here multiple times over the years, way too many in fact and almost all due to her mother, did she and her father? There was no way but... Eirin interrupted her thoughts clearly seeing what the girl was thinking and raised a hand to forestall her thoughts, "No, nothing of a personal nature. He has simply provided me with enough materials and research data of value to ensure that there's no need for you and your immediate family to worry about the costs of medical care"

No less confused than before Hana nodded but she didn't press any more questions except one, "I see, well then I'll have to thank you again" taking the pills in hand she slipped it into her sleeves, "If there's nothing else then I'll be going"

Lifting herself off her chair Hana made to stand only for Eirin to stop her, "One more thing Hakurei-san" Hana stopped and lowered herself, "Tell me, have you yet to manifest your ability?"

Her ability? abilities were something Hana simply didn't think about too often, she lacked her mother's primary ability which made her so powerful despite its vagueness. The others like her intuition and keen sense of being able to sense others around her were said to be an ability of the Hakurei line in general but she never really thought about it. Her father didn't have any ability that she knew of and she never felt put out by it because of that.

Eirin nodded at her silence, "I see, still hasn't?" Hana nodded, "Although my data on the children of outsiders and natives is lacking in depth in so far as abilities are concerned it isn't entirely unusual to not manifest anything. Still, if you'd like to explore this further I'd like you to come by next week at the same time. Consider it a favor to your father"

With more questions than answers Hana left Eientei guided by a strangely friendly Inaba.

// Aya 36

Aya never really appreciated Momiji’s heightened senses. It always gave away her position when trying to take photos of her in the showers or sleeping on the job. Now that it helped her get over a searing headache, she promised to herself that she’d only ever photograph Momiji with her consent. As long as it wasn’t an emergency. Or a really good shot that wouldn’t ever come again. Or even-

“Aya? Your eyes started going blank again, are you okay?” The white wolf’s concern was all over her face. Right, she was in Momiji’s house. It was fairly spartan, probably because the girl spent all day outside either patrolling or playing shogi with the kappa. The soft pillow placed under her head smelled of dog, but it tempted her to such a soothing sleep… no, no, there’s only a few hours free from the pervert. Sitting up on Momiji’s bed, the crow collected her thoughts and began to explain the nature of Okina’s alliance to her host.

“So if you and Sanae are handling it, why do you need me?” Momiji was starting to get tired: Both of Aya verbally taking up her night and physically blocking her from getting in bed for a good night’s sleep.

“That’s because I need a backup. Someone who’s not on Yukari’s side or Okina’s side, but mine!” Aya sidled up towards Momiji and lowered her voice. “I’m not looking to put Anon in anyone’s hands but his own. If we can just get him back with his daughter, maybe they could find sanctuary with the Moriyans, Marisa, the SDM, anyone but Yukari and Reimu.” She started to blush, but her voice stayed firm. “I’d even let them live with me if they needed to…”

“That’s very noble, Aya, but how does dismantling society help?” Momiji’s concern went from warm and nurturing to wary.

“The tengu know, see and tell everything. They’ll tell Yukari where he Anon is before he’s there. Even if she’s defeated, someone’s bound to stir up trouble. If we cut off ties to her now, the Youkai Mountain will become a safe place for Anon. And if I can’t spirit him away, then you, someone neither Yukari now Okina knows about, can.”

“I understand. I’m surprised you gave this much thought into doing good for our people. If the path of treachery is needed, I’ll take it to make our society a shining beacon for Gensokyo! Now, how do you plan to convince our daitengu to cease relations with Yukari?” Momiji’s ears were perked up, ready to hear every detail of Aya’s plan to pursue justice.

“I’ll blow up the printers. If they prepared for that, I’ll find a way to use this backdoor to sabotage them or get somebody who can. Maybe Nitori can us out!” If she weren’t proposing terrorism, Momiji would find Aya’s exuberance child-like. “Oh, look at the time! It’s getting pretty late. Before we’re done, I need to give you something!” Aya rushed out of Momiji’s home and back in less than a minute. She set a large, heavy box down by Momiji’s front door and a baggie of 3 pills. “Here’s an account of every single detail I’ve had with the HSE! I can’t trust that hikkikomori with it, since she’ll just put it in her 3rd-rate newspaper. But you, you have some… uhhh… that thing that makes you bad at reporting…” It was at the tip of her tongue, but the tengu’s headache blocked it from her memory.

“Are you looking for ‘morals’?”

“Yeah, that’s it! If something happens and I end up biting the bullet, I want you to spread this to as many people as possible. Yukari would never let this run, and it has some details I’d rather publish after I can’t be punished for them.”

“I see, but what are these pills for? Wait a minute, you fed me this… earlier.”

“Oh, those negate the effects of that stupid incense inside the HSE. It lasts for hours. Just take it before you enter so Ran doesn’t see it.”

“You had something this powerful on you?! Where did you even get such a thing?”

Looking to her left and right, Aya got close to Momiji’s ear and whispered quietly. “Go to Eientei and ask Eirin, no one else. Then, somebody that looks like Reisen will sell them to you behind Eirin’s back.” That had to be far enough from the truth to that Eirin wouldn’t catch it.

“Oh, and just one more thing: If something happens to me after about, say, two months or so, look underneath my bed. There will be something important there.”

“Why couldn’t you just bring it now? You already brought this… bunker of records.” Momiji was straining to move the dense cube of newsprint.

Aya gave her an odd smile. “Hopefully you won’t have to know. But if it does happen… you’re the most responsible person I know.” Leaving Momiji with ominous words and a package heavier than her sword, Aya went home, satisfied with her hard effort today. Momiji was her ally, but she still had to make an effort herself to subjugate her bosses.

// Koishi 2

The Earth Spirit Palace was both more and less lively than usual, the brawl between the Oni and outsiders had left hundreds hospitalized, one of the now former outsiders had decided to stick around to clean up the mess the ice god had made, and then there was the news of the younger sister to the youthful mistress of the earth palace being pregnant, nearly nobody had even heard of such a girl mere days before. Hopefully, the information hadn’t slipped to any outsiders. “Koishi, are you okay?” Satori asked, seated across from her, sitting in a wheeled chair too big for the elementary school-sized mistress of the palace.

Koishi’s half-lidded third eye met her sisters, Koishi’s thoughts still unreadable, “Yes Satori, I’m fine really.” Koishi smiled as she spoke, radiating a happiness that Satori couldn’t trust.

Satori’s expression hardened, anger flaring in her eyes. “You can’t just say that after what that woman did to you.” The offense was clear in her voice and so was the subject. Neither that man nor Koishi, being indisposed as she always was, could have consented. “I half have a mind to send Ok-”

“Sister.” Koishi interrupted. ”Please, I don’t want that man any more trouble. We’d just be adding towards the mess.” Koishi bowed forward from her chair, making an earnest plea in the face of her sister's boiling rage.

The stillness of the palace made the beat of silence feel like it lasted much longer than it did, both of the sisters staring each other in the eyes. Taking the initiative, Satori presses her sister, “What do you remember?”

Looking to the ceiling with half-lidded eyes. “It’s like a dream. All of it, my life before and after I closed my eyes. I know what happened, and my feelings stay the same, but I see my actions through eyes different from my own.” Her vocabulary and sentence structure had gotten more complex, even though Satori still could not read her mind, it was a sure sign something was different. “Even now, I feel half awake, like any moment I might jolt awake or fa-”

She hadn’t been able to finish the word before Satori slammed her hands on her desk and pushed herself up from her chair. “Don’t, I won’t allow it, that’s an order.” Satori loved her sister, no matter what she was, but she won't allow the opportunity to restore her fall out of her hands.

Koishi nodded as she continued to smile. “It’s okay Satori, I won’t ever close my eyes again, I don’t think I could if I wanted to.” Koishi broke out into laughter as she finished her sentence, eerie and carefree, echoing through the halls and filling the minds of all who heard it.

The idea of wanting to close her eyes was hilarious to her now, although she didn’t know why. It’s not like she harbored any particularly strong emotions about it or opened her eye anyway, from her point of view they were just events that happened and held no weight to her personally.

Satori shook her head, she didn’t understand her sister at all, not before she closed her eye, and not after it became half-lidded. “I shouldn’t have let you wander, it may have been an accident, but it was my fault you closed your eyes, I should’ve stopped you.” Neither of them had known their parents, in truth, they didn’t even know for sure if they were related or how old either of them were, but their first memories were of each other, and that made them family in each other’s eyes.

“I-I-i.” Satori stuttered as she broke down crying. “I should have been there for you!” She screamed, “I-” She stopped as she found herself enveloped in her sister's arms. “It’s okay Satori, I don’t blame you, no one does, it’s my fault I closed my eye, and no one else's.”

Even as Koishi remained as youkaish and attached to the world as she was, she foolishly stumbled towards enlightenment, perhaps one day she might grace the likes of the buddhas and saints, or fight in some grand conflict, but just for this night she could afford to only be Satori’s sister, and in the coming years a mother.

Meanwhile, Oni schemed, rabbits played, ancient gods older talked, new gods would be born and perhaps even die, humans lived and died, youkai played games, the world turned around, and everybody collected Karma, both good and bad.

// Junko

She suspected Seiran somewhat regretted accepting their help with the stares she gave them, it’s as if she considered One was an awfully annoying overly smothering mother, and Tewi to be nuisances of sorts. Of course, their aesthetic design was also questioned, with neither of them liking the architecture of the lunar capital, so the sanctuary ended up with a mishmash of Japanese, greek, Egyptian, and ‘modern’ architecture that would occasionally cause eyes to bleed, but Tewi thought it was fine. At the very least it wasn’t the Lunar Capital.

The three masterminds of the sanctuary's creation within the bamboo forest. Tewi, Junko, and Seiran. Tewi and Junko have insisted on these meetings, but all they ever managed to do was harass Seiran while she tried to finish her paperwork.

Although Gensokyo, even their barrier within a barrier within a barrier sanctuary came with its risks. "So inaba-san I was wondering about this Anon." Junko started their conversation after several minutes of terrifying silence; they'd both arrived drunk and eaten in silence.

Seiran tripped on air and fell out of her seat with a resounding thud, Tewi nearly did a spit take. “Well, well, well, I didn't think you were one to take interest in such things Junko~" She said in a reading tone as she swallowed her carrot juice.

Junko herself was unfazed as ever, with that creepy even expression on her face and deep red eyes that gave the impression of an endless abyss of hatred. "One can only hear about one man and the amount of women he impregnated so much until they become curious." Somehow though her voice gave the impression of disinterest, but then again neither Seiran nor Tewi could be entirely sure with Junko.

"Well if you must know…" Tewi and Junko’s conversation about Anon meandered a bit, but it was clear Junko did not share the same level of interest in the supposed love-making ability of Gensokyo’s most unfortunate bachelor.

After several more minutes of Tewi’s recounting, which Seiran tried to block out as she continued to file her paperwork, Junko interrupted.“What of the man’s family?” Tewi grimaced, she could see where this was going, but Junko as always was totally unreadable, either pretending to be or earnestly oblivious to Tewi's opinion on this line of questioning.

Tewi rolls her head back in response, hand meeting her face as she speaks. “You know you can’t save everyone, Junko. You can’t save every child you run across.” She punctuates her statement by waving a wine glass in her other hand at Junko.

Junko’s response was instant, reflexive, and honest. "Just like how you-”

"Don't." Tewi said, an uncharacteristic bloodlust emanating from her as she grew serious. "you made your choices, I made mine, that's that." The atmosphere grew cool as the words left her mouth, an uneasy air of tension that forced Seiran to freeze as Junko mulled over Tewi’s words.

Junko nodded politely unfazed by the rabbit, but not continuing to press further. "It is as you say." Two didn't know exactly what she'd said that Junko was responding to, but it also didn't matter much to the old Inaba.

"Ugh, sorry, usa~" Tewi sighed, apologizing as she flopped her font half onto the table in a childish display in an attempt to return the mood to normal. “”

“I wonder why they would do that?” There was no trace of sarcasm in Junko’s voice, but it was apparent nonetheless.

Seiran almost jumped out of her seat. Distantly, they could hear a crackling sound, like straining glass as distant multicolored lights glowed from beyond the sanctuary and the bamboo forest beyond it. “So, it has begun, the great trial, this conflict that has shaken Gensokyo to its core.” The sound glass grew closer as the cracks in the barrier spread, spewing multicolored lights onto everything below as the light of the sun dimmed.

“A little over dramatic Usa~, well I have things to do Junko-chan.” Tewi hopped off the rooftop, disappearing into the streets below as Seiran could only stare at the certain doom above her. Eientei would be busy these coming days, no matter the outcome of this conflict.

The cracking sounds stopped for a moment, before a deafening shattering sound took its place, shaking the sanctuary and bamboo forest as the sky shattered into a million glass-like shards as space bent and broke. The previous sky, was now replaced with a blackened void filled with multicolored trails of energy, hateful-looking eyes, and floating doors. Seiran fell to the floor, somehow more terrified than ever.

Junko flexes her fingertip as a barrier materializes around the sanctuary, blocking out the destroyed sky with a false one of her own creation. Seiran lay on the floor, unable to scream or do anything as she processed what she’d just seen.

// Aya 37

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* “Who the hell?” *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* The rapping on her door continued. Taking her bedside-spell card with her, Aya crawled out of bed, neglecting to change out of her sleepwear, and ambled over to the door. She was going to blast whoever was bothering her off the mountain, which should give her enough time to finish her rest. Opening the door, all she saw was a flash of blue before suddenly being embraced. The tengu grappling her stood a head taller and had a strong grip. It was a good thing Aya was slow to the draw, since assaulting her daitengu would be a horrible start to the day.

“There’s my little best-seller!” Megumu wasn’t a bad boss: Strict, demanding, greedy, ambitious and cunning, sure; most tengu were. She was also protective of her subordinates, whether they were a reporter with a genuine problem or her kudagitsune feeding her another lie. She just didn’t usually do it in such a smothering way.

“Iizunamaru-sama?! What are you doing here?” The daitengu sounded happy, but Aya wasn’t sure if it was genuine or a ploy to lower her guard before another scolding. Did she mess up some of her manuscripts?

Letting herself in, Megumu raided Aya’s kitchen for tea leaves, a kettle and all her favorite additives. “I just wanted to see if you heard the latest rumors about the HSE. Seeing as Bunbunmaru has been giving it glowing reviews, I think it’d be in your best interest to get ahead of the flock. It would be a shame to lose such a coveted reputation to someone else~.” Visiting her reporters and encouraging them to compete with each other over a new scoop was one of Megumu’s common tactics to boost productivity. She’d probably visited a hundred crows before Aya and would visit a hundred more before the end of the day, not counting memos or her attendants.

“I’ve been too busy studying the attractions to notice. What’s going on?” It wasn’t a lie: Aya had been thinking about Anon a lot lately.

“Just like that? Well, never say I didn’t do anything for you: Rumor has it that someone from the Moriya Shrine has been visiting the HSE. Someone tall and hooded, coming from the mountain with an overwhelming prescence at night. Could you imagine what would happen if this came to light after everything that green shrine maiden’s been preaching? Her own goddess, falling to carnal sin! It practically writes itself!” The kettle started to whistle as Aya processed this information. Kanako was part of Okina’s alliance, right? There was something strange about this: Either Ran or Megumu wasn’t telling the whole story. Both of them were under Yukari’s thumb, but one had a worse track record with manipulating her allies.

“It’s a basic investigation: Trail the Moriyan, snap a picture of them entering the brothel and just like that we’re selling out! Yukari’s gonna owe me big time for this!” With her command heard, the daitengu left Aya behind in her juban, tea brewed but never poured. Pouring a small cup for herself, Aya took a sip before spitting it out. Bleh, too sweet.

Freshening herself up after her surprise meeting, Aya had to tell Momiji to do some dirty work in investigating the rumor itself. Before that, she’d head up to the Moriya Shrine to ask Kanako directly. They were part of the same alliance, so she’d surely tell Aya if she was meeting Ran for a secret meeting or something. It definitely wasn’t a powerful goddess exploiting Anon for his body. Surely.

Heading out the door, a tingle shot from Aya’s spine to her brain. The magic was Okina’s, and it popped an idea into her brain: Sometime, she’d have to attend a meeting with Anon’s Frens. Jeez, they used Chen’s name after all? And “Sometime?” Well, it wasn’t like she was doing something actually important today. When it happened, it happened. With a carefree mind, Aya ascended the Youkai Mountain, taking a neat shot of a kappa with her skirt rolled up near a tree. Business was business.

// Kosuzu 4

I slid from shadow to shadow, pausing to make sure I wasn't being followed. Dangit , I thought the streets were supposed to be empty this late in the evening, Why didn’t these people have better things to do than to hang around on the street? While I asked myself that question, I failed to notice the basket in my way, kicking it over. I had to spend a minute apologizing and tidying things up before I doubled back and took another way to get away form the prying eyes. If I ever hoped to have a future as a detective, I needed to work on my sneaking skills. After some delay, I reached the street the brothel was on. Most of the stalls and shops had closed up, so I was able to quickly dash through the alley leading to the back of the shrine experience. The buildings large profile made the shadows here dark and gloomy. It was the perfect place to get up to all shady business , but it was a good thing I was here for honest reasons. Not wanting to waste more time, I knocked on the door and waited.

A few moments later, the door opened. There standing was a woman with dark green hair and a dress with a pattern of different sorts of green. “Call me Yamashiro. I’m the manager. You’ve got twenty minutes before I leave, so get things done before then” She stepped aside to let me in, and I followed her. The backend was almost ordinal, a hallway with the occasional door leading off to somewhere. But I knew that behind each door laid dark and terrible secrets, just waiting for a detecitve to uncover them. That or it could be a bathroom or a closet. Yamashiro went off in one direction, and I tagged along.

“So you’re one of Anon’s friends, right?” she spook about him with shocking familiarity. Did they become friends as well or could it be that it was more? A man escapes his abusive wife and starts up a life of prostitution. He gets wrapped up in a conspiracy involving powerful youkai, and his relationship with the manager running the place becomes something more. It was romantic in a way. Ah, I was imagining things again. They were probably just friends.

“Yes I am. I knew him and Reimu before they got married, even. But it got harder to see him over the years, and it wasn’t until he left the shrine I was able to catch up with him again. He was surprised to hear I had gotten married, that’s how little we interacted over the years” I pass by a cart and pause to look at it. It was full of outfits that looked just like Reimu’s but in different sizes. If the rumors were true, then they had outfits for almost every woman in Gensokyo. Even me. Shame on them for assuming I'd want to go to a place like this!

“Ah, those are dirty. Don’t touch them” she warned me. Oh yeah, the clients must have worn them while doing ‘that’. I move my hand away. “So you run that bookstore in the village yeah? You said you also offer a printing service" We turned down at a bend in the hall and continued on. For some reason It seemed like this place was bigger then it should be.

"I've run it since my parents retired. Sometimes I do print books for clients, but I have to be careful about offering it to youkai. It's a lot riskier than renting out books, please understand" Youkai books might be incredibly valuable, But even I was able to learn printing youkai books would put a target on my back if not handled carefully.

"I get you. Well, I promise you that if I ever buy your services, it'll be completely honest and on the level. I swear on it" Yamashiro held up one hand in a pledge. She certainly seemed honest, and I was a very good judge of character.

We approach the end of the hall and I spy a someone small crouching down, looking at some sort of assortment of fails and gizmos on the wall. When they turned to us, I noticed they were wearing some strange mask. It covered the front of their face and was held in place by a strap, with two lens allowing them to see. Where the mouth would be, some canister jutted out. I couldn't understand why they were wearing it. Before I could ask Yamashiro, she moved away from me to the figure who took off their mask. It could be a Kappa, she was definitely small enough.

The two of them whispered something to each other until Yamashiro turned to me. "You can go ahead. Remember, twenty minutes and I'm leaving" Heading to the end of the hall, she pulled at a latch and the door flush with the wall opened.

We must have gotten turned around somewhere, all I saw behind the door was grass and a tree or two. "Is this it?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it is" She told me. That was the only answer I would get.

I stepped through the door and saw even more greenery surrounding me. I heard the door shut behind men and found that it disappeared. Running over to where it was, I ran my hands over the wall, sighing with relief when I felt a small crack of the door. So it was a secret door, just like the stories! But now there was only one question, where was I?

// Hana 44

The top of the youkai mountain was as always, cooler than the valley below it, it didn't help that the clouds grayed out the sun's light today making the wind bite despite the fact that it wasn't true winter just yet. The shrine wasn't always busy with foot traffic differing by the hour but during the mid afternoon like now there should be a sizable amount of faithful, romantics, and sightseers wondering about and shopping at the small market.

However, as the leaves turned red and drifted away during this moody day so did all but the more faithful goers and stubborn merchants. Though it seemed even their faith had limits, and instead of the usual ceremony by the lake of splashing the faithful with purifying waters; the priest was giving service around a smoky 'ceremonial' fire where he preached to the listeners about this and that.

On such a deeply gray day Hana found herself alone as she walked into the shrine grounds following the trail up to the shrine where the bells hung in solemn melancholy. Hana knew showing up at people's home without permission was a nuisance, one of the few lessons her mother taught her that was worthy of being listened too, but there was a problem that she couldn't turn to anyone else for.

That problem wore black and white.

Hana was usually fine with leaving well enough alone when it came to the eccentricities of her seniors and peers. Just about all of them were full of it after all and if it wasn't for her father she wouldn't even know what 'normal' meant. Marisa was the definition of strange if she compared her to her father or even other villagers, yet she somehow changed personality-wise in a way that Hana was having a hard time coming to terms with.

Normally the witch she happily called her mentor was at best cranky and irritable for only short bursts, the rest of the time she was the outgoing kleptomaniac with a penchant for trickery if it suited her and the energy Hana had come to adore was fading.

The changes seemed to start a few weeks after Hana had spotted her sneaking into the HSE, Marisa seemed more irritable as of late and even sometimes seemed a bit sick. She'd insist she was fine but when it came time for their sparring matches she seemed to be reluctant to let Hana get close enough to line up shots on her that would force her to dodge.

When Hana did hit her she'd be unreasonably moody afterwards, this one time she even kicked Hana out of her house before the tea was brewed. Hana could even hear her sobbing after through the door as she left, but not knowing what to do she overthought it and left. Hana regretted it but Marisa seemed to going through something deep, Hana didn't even know how to broach whatever was wrong without Marisa confiding in her.

Hana made it up to the main shrine and knocked on the private residence of her allies and friends she got no response. She waited for a bit longer before knocking again, no response this time either. Sighing she was just about to leave, fighting down the tinge of panic that somehow they found out about her own sins and were avoiding her.

It was a stupid worry of course and as she walked away from the door she felt a presence approach from the sky! She turned her face towards the clouds above and she saw a flash of red before someone landed next to her with barely a spec of dust being churned. There was no mistaking this divine aura and powerful presence as anyone but Kanako Yasaka.

Kanako and Hana were hovering in the sky above the mountain, the air was a little thin up here but Hana wasn't doing anything extraneous so it wasn't a huge issue. Kanako had supposedly been 'working' and that meant watching her domain and listening to all the prayers directed at her, Hana didn't really understand but it wasn't her station too so she didn't probe.

Despite Kanako's distant stare as she watched the limitless skies she seemed to grow quiet after the initial pleasantries. Hana never saw this side of Kanako before and she was majestic as she sat crosslegged in the sky. Normally the breeze this up high was unbearable but it must have been because of Kanako that it was gentler than it was when she was walking the village streets.

Hana was a bit nervous disturbing such a majestic scene but as surely as the wind caused the goddess's hair to flow in a constant flutter Hana had to say something. Swallowing her nervousness and knowing that she could trust Kanako just as much as Sanae, she spoke.

With a quiet voice, as if unsure where to begin Hana spoke, "I wanted to talk to you because... Well I saw Marisa sneaking in to meet my father a few weeks ago and now she seems all strange and moody! I'm worried she's in trouble with Yukari!"

Kanako's lotus pose faltered for a moment and a faint redness spread to her cheeks as she turned to Hana, her attention snapping too her as if that majestic god Hana spoke too never existed, "S-she what?!"

// Ran/Chen 30

Only five steps before I reach the top, and my body freezes. The cold autumn wind blows severe, winter on the horizon—further ahead, sounds of wood being hammered. With my ears drooped and legs trembling, I look at the neatly wrapped parcel in my hands and reminisce…

Meeting Ms. Reimu was… weird.

Years ago, I didn't think much about her, but as time passed, she became like a shadowy villain people whispered in the background; then a wrath-filled monster; a wandering, pitiful corpse—but those were cloak and dagger rumors, things a wise girl should ignore. Then we met, and she smiled, said wise things, and showed a sad that crushed my heart.

Mr. Anon's words linger in my mind and fill me with rage, fading away when Ms. Reimu's actions return, just to restart—this nauseating loop has been draining my energy like a hole, always getting bigger…

Breathing in and breathing out, I pretend Mr. Anon just hugged me, and, with that boost of confidence—yet with quivering legs and wide eyes—I walk up the rest of the way. The Hakurei Shrine looks bad… But there's a clear effort to change that. The Torii gate was cleaned and recently repaired, with patches of wood awaiting to be painted; the path leading to the shrine was reworked with flat stones, the sides pruned, and, on the roof, Ms. Reimu is hammering something, periodically taking a nail and repeating the process—a toolbox by her side.

I watch, tense, before walking forward, noticing how the windows and sliding doors looked new—to the side, close to the shrine of offerings, a wore-down axe, and a pile of hardwood.

The wind chimes sing when I reach the shrine, the cleaned donation box in front of me—looking inside, I see it's empty, so I reach for a 100 yen coin in my pocket and throw it in—

“Heh, your patronage is much appreciated!” I spin, red—hiding the parcel behind me—when Ms. Reimu's voice comes from behind, her miko outfit exchanged for something more heavy-duty: boots, gloves, a skirt, and a shirt too long for her, looking more like something a man would use— “Sorry, Chen, I'm too old for you.” She jokes, grinning, and I fume with embarrassment.

“G-Good morning, Ms. Reimu—s-sorry for staring…” She just laughs louder, and I grasp for anything. “U-Uh… You're renovating the shrine, huh?” Her eyes squint, trying to look at what's behind me, but I conceal it a bit more.

With a raised eyebrow, she walks inside, and, not wanting to fall behind, I follow. “Yup—It's all Hana's when I leave, so I want it to look new and, well, like a good place to live and… Raise a family, if she ever feels like it.” She shrugs, and I can't see her eyes, but there's something in the air that feels heavy, like guilt. The inside of the shrine is practically empty; only the essentials like kitchenware and the kotatsu… The whole place looks spotless, too.

“What do you mean by leave? Are you going on a trip?” I ask innocently, sitting down on the kotatsu.

She laughs a bit, “No—I'm talking about when I die.” Her voice is casual as she gathers the ingredients for tea…

My heart sinks, and, in the silence, I feel cold. This feeling… is compared to that one when I first cried in her arms: It's so otherworldly, impossible to comprehend, and somehow makes me so unbelievably sad…

Death shouldn't be mentioned like that. It's an event that hurts everyone, and with the short lifespan of humans it's even worse—I try not to think that Mr. Anon will die much earlier than me—stop! Don’t cry now! “B-But it's gonna take a while, right? Your hair is not even white yet, Ms. Reimu!” My fingers holding the parcel tighten with her following silence, but soon she sighs and slightly nods—it doesn't help my little heart—smile weary as she puts down the tea set and fills two cups.

“So, Chen, why did you come here today? Yukari is making you do errands now?” Her smirk is supposed to lighten the mood, eyes on the parcel, but I don't feel light.

The words get bogged in my throat, just like that day in her arms, and it's hard to man up the courage to say, “No, I… Ms. Reimu…” Her eyebrows rise, and it's just so, so hard—I think I'm trembling, and—oh, this heat on my face—am I crying? Why am I crying? I just need to talk to her; it's not that hard—but of course it is! She's trying to redeem her sins! To bring this up… It could help; it could—but she can get so mad too and—

A gentle hand brushes my face, and my restless thoughts come to a halt. Ms. Reimu's smile is simple and easy, yet it shines unlike the one of just now, and—with her so close and wearing a sleeveless shirt, I can see many scars on her arms, scars as old as me—her voice a choir; “Hey, kozo, calm down: whatever you want to say… I won't get mad, okay?”

Eyes wide, crying and frowning. I nod. “… M-Mr. Anon told me about you two. The things you did…” Liquid courage courses my blood. “I wanted to hear it from you, Ms. Reimu, just—

We look at each other's eyes…

“… Why?”

Hers eyes look dead, and I fear they're the truth.

// Seija/Goro 36-40

I was in ecstasy.
I had held off for so long, biding my time as Goro’s ‘partner’, restraining myself from ruining every negotiation, even holding my tongue for the most opportune retorts. It was agonizing, but I dare say it was worth it.
Flying through the full moon night, I looped and twirled through the air as I replayed my memories of him through my mind. When I first met him on the mountain and beat him half to death only for him to give as good as he got. At Eientei, when we cozied up next to each other in a blanket and Goro began to believe he could figure me out. At the Temple, where he played along and helped me make a fool out of Hijiri. Me trying to ruin his negotiations only for him to turn it around to his favor. Him holding me close in the bamboo forest, making me believe for a moment that he was anything more then a small-time con artist. Laughing together at my prank on Okina. Implicitly trusting me when I handed him that bracelet. His self-assuredness that everything was going smoothly, where everyone but him could see that item’s cursed nature. His incoherent and pathetic rage when he discovered he’d been tricked. And finally, that hollow look on his face when he walked away.
Oh, I felt as if all my troubles were elsewhere, and every part of my being was relaxed. So much more so than if I had eaten him alive! And what if he kills himself? Maybe then I could eat his corpse, round up a band, and play soccer with it at the Myouren Temple? What kind of expression would be on Byakuren Hijiri’s face then? Maybe even Nue would be disturbed? That’s why I can’t kill him, I must savor this flavor for as long as I can!
And yet, there was still something missing. As I fly though the night and gaze at the moon, I realize: this is the first time in months that I’ve been truly alone, and a particular nagging feeling hadn’t left me.
It was an itch. Some desire in me separate from my yearning for human flesh or the pleasure of betraying a confidant. No, not desire, more like annoyance.
It was this feeling in my gut I had since our time together started. At first, I thought it was some strange after effect of a drug that quack physician had tested on me or some after effect of using dirt to clog a flesh wound and then flying again infinity, but even after I recovered this feeling just didn’t go away. In fact, it only got worse!
It was like a pulsating expression that got more intense whenever I was around Goro or let him have his way. Maybe not even annoyance, but still not a desire, a sort of yearning. And even as I triumphantly flew through the sky, free, my betrayal complete, I still felt it.
I stop in mid-air.
It couldn’t be, was the answer staring me in the face this entire time? What everyone’s world seemed to revolve around these past months?
I smile wide. It was time for dessert.

Goro’s shoes where neatly arranged by the door, a sure sign he had come home. I kicked my sandals at them, trying to knock them aside as had been my routine.
His hound’s eye perked up at my entrance, but he quickly shut them and nuzzled his blankets to get back to sleep. The stupid dog hadn’t alerted on me in weeks, too used to my odor, I snickered as I thought how useless he was to his master.
Daintily, I slide open the door to Goro’s room and closed it behind me, then, carefully I un-did my dress, let if fall around my heels, and I crept to his sleeping form. I didn’t want him to awake until it was far too late.
Goro himself was laid out, his hands stretched in both directions as if he was nailed for execution, the hand I inverted to my right, the hand with the cursed beads to my left. The beads themselves still had those indifferent floating red faces; Voyeur’s I suppose.
With a hop I land on Goro’s stomach sending his legs and arms up like he was a toy, before settling back down again. His eyes were open and staring at me in tired contempt.
“Hello Goro-kun, lovely moonlit evening is it not?” I said, spreading my hands across his chest opening his robe.
“Leave me. You’ll only shame yourself.” He said, looking away.
“I don’t know the meaning of the word!” I said in a sing-song voice.
I laid myself on top of him. “You’re so cold Goro-kun and the night’s so chilly you know.”
With my nails, I felt across his built chest, tracing the pathetic muscles he got from hauling this or that for whomever. He ignored me, but I could tell this got to him, I had watched him long enough to know the difference between his false flirting for a client’s and genuine arousal, also for a client. Really, it was so pathetic.
“This is your one chance to punish me you know.” I whispered into his ear.
“You can’t take me in a fight and there’s nobody alive who could capture me alive so I’m taking a little pity on you see?” I said, stroking his hair. “Besides, I know you’ve wanted this all along, since you felt me up in the hospital bed.”
“I was thinking about killing you then, I should have.” Goro admitted.
Pleasure surged through me like lightning. He had planned to kill a sleeping me in the hospital and didn’t? Even after the thrashing I gave him? Oh, it was just so good, I couldn’t help myself but to lick his face, which caused his whole body to shake.
“Don’t worry, I won’t berate your idiocy anymore, in fact, I’m glad your such an idiot! Because only a special fool like you would trust someone vile like me.” I coo.
“I never loved you.” He turned his head away.
“Ah, lover you wound me! Why don’t we test that little theory of yours?” I ask, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Slowly I make my way down his torso and undo his sleeping robe’s belt to reveal his manhood. Then I lower myself until my face is beside it.
‘Such a strange little things humans used to reproduce’ I thought, as I idly poked it. I had never examined one too closely, only saw it in illustrations, photos in the paper, or on a voyeuristic whim. Such an odd, awkward thing to have between one’s legs.
Slowly I breathed a steady stream of air over his penis, causing it to twitch and pulse while I rubbed the inside of his leg which I could feel move against his will.
Based on a lewder book Nue had me smuggle it was like this, tease the man until he was desperate for release, touching him in all sorts of places, and then take him. But I was impatient, so I let my tongue lay out of my mouth and just barely used it to stroke the side of his shaft.
Instantly he jerked away as if a fire poker and touched him, but I held his leg so he couldn’t scramble farther away, licking softly all the while. It wasn’t long until his manhood rose high and perpendicular to his body.
“See, see?” I said, poking its tip “It didn’t take you so long to get excited, did it?”
“Any red-light district worker could do that.” He said, his head turned away, firmly tucked into his elbow.
“Is that so? Well,” I say, slowly brushing him with my nails. “If I’m just some common whore, why’re you so flush?”
“I just-hgh” He tried to explain but couldn’t as I started to stroke.
It was confusing at first, trying to figure out how and at what pressure to hold the skin, but slowly and surly I made less mistakes and got into a steady rhythm.
“Stop.” He groaned.
“Make me? Oh, that’s right, you can’t.” I said, spreading my other hand across his stomach.
“You’re just a Human after all and I’m a big scary Youkai who was born to toy with you. If you wanted to avoid this little fate, you’d have thrown away all those silly little convictions of dying like a normal person. Instead, here you are, my cursed little plaything, doomed to die in agony.” I teased.
I can feel him coming closer and our breathes, both mine and his were growing more rapid. I could tell, just a little bit more and he’d be entirely pathetic, maybe he’d even cry?
I stop and climb atop him once more, snapping the string on my panties and unhooking my bra, I throw both aside and sit on his chest, naked and bathed in moonlight.
I grab his wrists and move them away from his face so he can do nothing but look at me, those empty tired eyes almost devoid of hope, almost…
“I love you.” The words escape my mouth before I can consider as I stare in his eyes.
“I’ve never gotten to torment someone for so long and even then, I was just leading those people along to get stronger or flip things on it’s head, with you, I don’t need any of that, I just want to make you miserable.”
I kiss him, sliding my tongue into his mouth. He tries to bite it off, but I simply hold his mouth open from the side so he can’t.
“Now,” I say, disconnecting, saliva bridging our two mouths. “I’m gonna ruin you, body and soul.”
I lift myself carefully over his pelvis, steadying myself with one hand, and guiding his rod with my other, and lower myself slowly onto him.
He struggles, grits his teeth, covers his face in shame, even tries to roll away, but it’s all in vain.
It felt painful as the thing entered me even though it had ample lubrication, I proceeded anyway, even as it felt impossible to go any deeper, I forced through, breaking my hymn.
When I finally took him as deep as I could, all the way down to the base, I moaned, caressed my breast, and steadied myself on him as best I could.
Leaning over as if I’d be stabbed, I could just barely see his eyes and tormented expression, it was all I could do to grin back.
Then he convulsed and bucked his hips, seemingly thrusting even deeper into me. At first, I thought Goro finally succumbed to lust, but from the throbbing I felt inside and his grunts and moans I could tell his body had completely betrayed him.
For a moment I felt panic, like I was about to fall from some great height or mis-calculate a dodge, and I felt the urge to say something, mocking him, professing some satisfaction, anything, but it was all I could do to continue my labored breathing as he finished inside me.
Waves of pleasure crashed over me over and over again and shivers kept jolting up and down my body. It was then I realized that I was no more in control of my body then he was, like we were both stuck in cycles of vomiting.
When what seemed like forever past, I fell on to his chest and clung to it like a child. When his thing left me with a satisfying ‘plop’ I could feel his juices oozing out.
We were both heaving as if we’d won a marathon and sweating like it to, but even then, I couldn’t seem to stop feeling his warm, shameful, quivering body.
And it came again. I couldn’t do anything but clutch onto him as the pleasure seemed to rush back into my body, moaning and batting my leg, it just kept smashing into my senses like an ocean batters the shore.
As the rage of my second orgasm finally faltered, I couldn’t help but wonder: were woman seriously at this much of a dis-advantage? He hadn’t done anything to me and for some reason my body seemed to have many times the sensitivity!
Looking up, I could see him still covering his expression with his arms, as if waiting for another attack. I felt satisfaction, far more then enough, but I could still have more. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to see him cry.
Dislodging him from myself I sat down on my ass and spread myself before him.
“Why don’t you come here lover?” I beckoned.
“I’ve done all the work and you’ve already been violated at this point, so why not enjoy yourself a little?”
His response was merely to roll into a fetal position away from me, but I wouldn’t let him escape that easily.
“Such a nice, loyal dog you have here.” I told him. I could see his bodies shaking stop.
“Would be a shame if I finished what I started on that hill.”
Slowly he rose and, not even bothering to completely undo his robe, and approached me, setting himself on his knees, he was about to insert himself, but instead I grabbed his head and turned it to face mine.
His lips were trembling, and his eyes seemed to plead to me to put him out of his mercy.
“Put me against the wall and plunder me.” I ordered him.
With a strength I didn’t know he had, he looped his arms around my ass, hoisted, me up, and slammed me to the wall. Pleasure shot up my back as I felt myself impact the solid wood with such force.
Then he awkwardly jostled his way around until he was just about inside me, and, not to be outdone in force, I lifted my legs and locked them around his waist, once again forcing him deep inside me.
He almost fell over, and he wheezed, only saving himself from falling by leaning with me against the wall.
“Come on, push.” I whispered into his ear.
With some effort he began pushing into me with about as much grace as I had when I massaged him earlier. It didn’t bother me, the rough, awkward nature of it just made him look more pathetic, more miserable.
‘If I just taunt him here, at his lowest, he’ll break’ I thought, I pulled his face, so his eyes met mine once again, to deliver one final verbal jab, but already tears filled his face.
I kissed him on instinct and grabbed onto his back to try and draw him even closer. He finally figured out gravity and was only using force to lift me up, letting me fall back onto him myself. I clawed at him, bite him lightly, sucked on his neck in my sexual anguish.
From ripping out my Jugular, to desperately bedding me, how far this man had fallen. Oh, if he bit my neck out now I might not even mind.
That was the last thought that went through my head when we became one again.
Like statues about to fall we both were locked in position, throbbing and quivering like newborn babes, and heaving like birthing mothers. I could feel his juices overflow in me, leak onto the floor below, and then I fell there myself, let down by Goro, I was too woozy and drunk on sex to think, just stuck here, like a fawn who couldn’t yet walk.
When I finally came to, Goro had already returned to the bed and wrapped himself in his sheets. I shivered, the nights cold had set in and the sweat and juices that still clung to my body were like ice. I crawled over to his bed, snuck under his sheets, and nestled against his back, and felt the warmth coming off it.
“How was I lover? Better than all those other small-fry Youkai whores you’ve bed?” I softly asked him.
He said nothing.
“Come on, come on, tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself, or deny it a little maybe?” I play begged.
“Awful, my crotch feels like it’s been stabbed.” He replied.
“So,” I began “at least twice as good then?”
“My life, I’ve been completely chaste.”
“So, I’m your first? How rotten, I-“A realization hits me like a ton of bricks.
Completely chaste? Like a proper Buddah? He’s never even gone behind a bush and shamed himself? Even I’ve, oh, oh it’s just too good.
I clutch him again as the all too familiar wave of joy rushes though my system and even feel myself crying joyfully at how much I’ve just ruined. Wait, no, this is such a waste, I should force him to…
“Ah damnit damnit!” I scream as my fingers jut to my slit.
It was too much; I needed relief now!
Desperately I finger myself, rubbing myself against Goro, sucking on his neck, moaning into his back, until once again the jolts of pleasure wiped through my system and peaked again and again.
Quietly cursing myself for not being able to hold it in for one last hurrah, I drift off to sleep, naked and clinging to Goro.
The morning light on my face felt welcoming for a change. The past night’s events rushed through my head and caused me to lazily drool at the thought. Although who needs to reminisce when I could make some new memories with a little morning torture?
But as I rustled in the sheets Goro’s heat was noticeably absent. Maybe he went to prepare breakfast?
Sluggishly, I wrapped myself in the blankets and made for the door, expecting to open them to the sight of a hopeless man clinging to any sense of routine he could get.
I was met with an absent house, save for a whining dog pawing at me, and the door was left open.
Goro’s shoes were gone.

// Aya 38-39

It was a quiet, stress-free flight up to the shrine. The ropeway seemed active today, meaning there would probably be more than a few human visitors present. She considered disguising herself, but threw caution to the wind. These human were on Youkai Mountain, after all. Maybe seeing a tengu would put enough fear in them to squeeze out a little extra faith for her allies.

Landing on the pathway leading up to the shrine, Aya joined the procession of humans seeking their own personal miracles. Most of them were unaware that the cute girl next to them could fly faster than the wind. Some actually noticed her wings and made space, afraid that the scary tengu would kidnap them, never to be seen again. One little boy ran up to her and asked if she could fly. Before she could answer, his mother rushed behind him and pulled him away, offering praises to the great tengu for allowing these lowly humans to set foot in her territory. It was extremely tempting to keep playing with them, but she had more pressing matters. With a smile, she spread her wings and took flight. She’d get the attention she wanted behind the shrine anyways.

Landing in a nice, open area that overlooked the lake those Moriyans brought with them. Letting the wind blow through her hair, she waited until a familiar green-haired shrine maiden came to meet her. The commotion she caused must have captured her attention. However, she wasn’t she her normal self. Neither the chipper nature of a curious outsider nor the mien of a shrine maiden trained by goddesses to lead her masses was present. Instead, she was tired. Recognizing Aya’s face seemed to liven her up a little, “Oh, Aya. What brings you to the shrine this morning?” Confident that her ally would tell her the truth of the matter, the tengu whipped out a pen and notebook, ready to conduct her interview. With a big grin, Aya asked the damning question: “Kochiya-sama, Miko and Goddess of the Moriya Shrine, can you verify rumors that the goddess Kanako has been visiting the HSE? A simple yes or no will suffice!”

Sanae’s face went dark. “You too. All of you dirty tengu… slandering Kanako-sama!” Sanae pulled out and swung her gohei in one motion. Aya dodged back, surprised at the attack, but even more surprised at the lack of bullets. Her confusion turned to pain as Sanae flew at her, swinging the gohei down hard on Aya’s shoulder and knocking her back a few feet. As the miko summoned a barrage of glowing ofuda to chase her down directly, Aya pulled out her maple fan and blew them away with a gust of wind. “Get away from my home you dirty crow!” With those words, Sanae charged forwards once more.

It had been far too long since Aya got into a genuine brawl, but her adrenaline started pumping hard enough to bring her back into the swing of it. Holding her fan a little lower than usual to deflect attacks to her abdomen first, the tengu took a fighting stance. Sanea struck low at her feet, tripping her. So she wants to play dirty, huh? Before hitting the ground, Aya summoned the winds beneath her to lift her into the skies. Sanae rode the zephyr, intent on keeping this fight close-quarters and inflicting as much pain as physically possible.

In a fair fight, Aya wasn’t worried about her odds against the human god. She told herself that being pregnant made it okay to invoke the backdoor on her to ensure this berserk woman wouldn’t cause any accidents she wasn’t aware of. Feeling the energy flow through her, Aya’s fan clashed against Sanae’s gohei midair, both of them sending forward heavy waves of pressure. Feeling a little greedy, Aya pulled out a spellcard, flashing a smile of superiority. “Thrust Sign: Tengu’s Macroburst!” Empowered by her backdoor, Aya’s gales overcame the human and sent her back crashing towards the ground.

Free in the skies, Aya watched as her tornadoes trapped Sanae in the dirt while she gracefully danced in the sky. She didn’t hold anything against her, but Aya wasn’t going to run from another indignant miko. Holding her maple leaf firm and true, Aya stared her enemy down as she charged one last spell. The Crow Sign should end this quite stylishly! Musing about the best angle to make a record of her latest victory, the tengu failed to notice a bright star shining down on her from above until it was too late.”

“MIRACLE: NIGHT OF THE SUPERNOVA STORM!”

Aya’s body was bathed in light, sending her careening back down to land. So this is the hubris of a god. It hurts.

Dusting herself off, Aya could tell the backdoor made her far more resilient than usual. Unfortunately, Sanae’s rage must have had the same effect on her. Gohei grasped in both hands, she charged at Aya, gale force winds at her back. Betting it all on one last counter-attack, Aya dahsed to meet her, concentrating enough magic in her fan to blow Sanae clear out of Gensokyo. The point of contact was imminent. Both combatants raised their weapons and swung true-

Like a mole, the Earth goddess sprang out of the ground between the two, twirling a great iron ring. “Hold on Sanae, she’s on our side!” Suwako’s words came out just fast enough for Sanae to start bracing herself against the ground. It took a fair amount of magic to counter her initial headwind, but the miko was able to catch herself just before colliding with her divine ancestor head-first.

Empowered by truth, justice and Okina’s limitless energy, Aya couldn’t pull off the same miracle. Despite her best attempts, she couldn’t stop the full force of her blow from colliding with the short goddess. While Suwako’s appearance may have belied her true power, it did not belie her current mass. Like a yellow and purple cannonball, Suwako was sent flying at mach speed in the opposite direction of the tengu, directly into Sanae. Both ancestor and descendant were sent flying into the Wind God’s Lake, skipping a few times across the surface before sinking somewhere in the middle.

Rising out of the back walls of the main building, a set of doors opened to reveal the dignified figure of Yasaka Kanako, Goddess of Wind and Rain, mastermind behind the Moriya Shrine. Turning to the dusty tengu, she spoke with clear authority. “Aya Shameimaru. I’ve just received word from Okina that you’ve joined our alliance.” She allowed herself to crack the tiniest smile. “Welcome to the cause. I look forward to working with you.” Looking around in apparent confusion, she turned back to Aya with a confused expression: “Hmm. Suwako was supposed to tell Sanae and meet with you earlier. Do you have any idea where she is?” Aya pointed towards the drenched goddess floating out of the lake, carrying a waterlogged Sanae in her hands. Kanako shook her head and held the her face, apparently worried something like this could have happened.

“Well, before they come back, I do have an important question to ask you.” Summoning all her courage and widening her legs into a battle stance, Aya began her question: “Kanako-sama, representative of the Moriya Shrine, what do you have to say regarding rumors about you visiting the Anon at odd hours of the night at the Hakurei Shrine Experience?” Aya was ready to deflect an onbashira. Instead, it appeared that the goddess had the opposite reaction of her disciple.

Her face reddening and sweat forming on her neck, Aya could almost see the steam coming out of her ears and hearts in her eyes. “M-Me and Anon?! I could never! H-He’s a human and I’m a goddess! And I have to watch over Sanae! But not that there’s anything wrong with him! He’s a very fine man, one of the best I’ve ever seen! N-Not like that! I’ve never seen Anon romantically, ever! I don’t see him like that or think of him as a lover or how good of a husband he could be-how good he is! He’s a very good husband, so good I don’t think of him at all! Ever!” As the Aya’s mental image of Kanako crumbled it became abundantly clear that she hadn’t seen Anon since he was kidnapped. Starting a rumor this serious without evidence had to be part of someone’s plan. If Megumu thought Yukari would be surprised, then it had to be someone else influencing the daitengu to spread it.

“Thank you for your time, Kanako-sama. You’ve helped my investigation far more than you can imagine. I should probably go now, so please apologize to Sanae and Suwako-sama on my behalf. There was a little misunderstanding between us.” Giving the goddess a small bow and a light offering to restore a bit of her dignity, Aya turned towards the tengu settlement. “Before I go, I think you should be careful about the rumors on the wind.”

“Moreso than usual? What are the tengu plotting that we should be worried about?” In front of a threat to her shrine, the goddess regained the composure and aura befitting a deity in her role. It set Aya’s mind at ease that she had strong allies while reminding her what she had to lose if Yukari got her way.

“Someone’s trying to get people to lose faith in you. I’ll bet Yukari knows about it, but I’m going to stop the person behind it myself. They’re ruining the entire mountain and I won’t stand for it.” Giving Kanako a resolved nod, Aya set off to find a lead for her real investigation.

// Ran/Chen 31

Her eyes close, and a million thoughts go through my head as I watch Ms. Reimu breathe in and breathe out: Was this right? Would this help? She's mad; should I say I'm sorry? Why did I do this? What did I expect? I should leave—all thoughts vanished as she opened her eyes, elbow on the table, resting the cheek on her hand. Her eyes were still dead, but she smiled anyway. Resignation. “I thought a lot about that, even before Ran came and helped me get to the answer.”

I held my breath, heart pounding, expecting a motive, a reasonable 'why'…

“I'm just an awful person. Even now, doing all I'm doing, nothing has changed.” Ms. Reimu said those words as if ultimate truth. “The things I did to Hana and Anon, I did with an iron fist, thinking only how to never lose them… I loved and lost them the same way.” I… really couldn't process it straight. It can't be that simple; there must be something more, something she's hiding— “Chen,” she called me, the free hand reaching for my face and wiping away stranded tears. “Don't do this to yourself. Anon tried, again and again, to seek something good in me, and though he found it once and gave it form in Hana, keep on going will only hurt you. I'm lost.”

This wasn't the answer I was looking for. I'm crying harder. “B-But… You're trying to change, r-right? You said yourself—I-I saw it with my eyes—”

“It's not the first time.” Her tone was one of soothing patience, even though her words broke my heart. “I've tried to change before—when Hana was born; when I first hit Anon so hard that he cried. I tried, but I never succeeded—it won't be any different this time,” her eyes shone a bit. “Yet, I know that now. I know I won't change; I know that someday my resolve will break… That's why I'm repairing the shrine, steeling myself to ask Anon and Hana for forgiveness. It'll be the last time I do that—so our last memories of each other will be of happiness, not of the… abuse.”

It clicked. I wish it hadn't.

The dead eyes, the casual tones of those words… It was as if the world had stopped, and all that remained was us. This sad finally has a name, and it's crushing: “You… are going to kill yourself.” It wasn't a question.

Ms. Reimu looked at me, silent… Then she withdrew her hand, picked up the tray and teacups, turned, and went to the counter.

I was speechless, body frozen all over, eyes wide, feeling dizzy. I… never saw death, much less was confronted by it. It's such a supernatural concept. And Ms. Reimu just quietly admitted that she, the human with such a short lifespan, will take her own life. “Y-Y—”

“I'll float over reality, Chen,” she cut in, her back to me. “Over Gensokyo; over Earth, the solar system and the stars… I'll go somewhere far away, where I won’t hurt the people I love anymore—but don't worry: It'll be painless.”

Rage filled me like never before. What are those words? Painless? So what if it'll be painless?! Unable to control the growing wrath, I got up and bashed my open hands on the kotatsu, breaking it apart, my eyes on her and features twisted, tails bushy. Ms. Reimu wasn't affected. “YOU CAN'T DO THAT—” I sniffed, voice cracking. “—y-you can't…”

“It's for the best.”

“IT'S-s not—!” I tried to shout, but my throat hurt, and the tears are just so hot they're burning my face—

Two gentle hands caught my shoulders, and I looked at her—kneeled in front of me—with eyes so broad and perplexity so palpable it hurts, it hurts, it hurts… Ms. Reimu smiled softly, her hands holding me like Ran's when I was tiny. “I'm tired, Chen.” Her smile didn't falter, but her eyes… “I'm so very tired of waking up every day and remembering what I did to my family—that before I even notice, that person I was will be back… Death is what gives short human lives meaning: to know your days are numbered, your time is little… I won't have a better chance to make things right than this one, Chen. Then, I'll go to a better place and have my last memories here be good memories—is that asking for too much?” Her words sounded like another language, and… How? How can she talk about dying like it's freedom?

And it was all said with a smile, dead eyes glistening… Yet she was also crying. Ms. Reimu is afraid—of returning to the person she was? Of death?

I couldn't tell, but her words—“don't end up like me”—echoed like gongs and, at this moment, I felt like I had a choice:

I looked at the miko in front of me talking about her funeral as if it were the only way to escape a waking nightmare.

I looked at Hakurei Reimu and her many sins and regrets…

… Then, I looked at Ms. Reimu and her pained, kind smile.

I could hug her, cry, be a child, and let this be—

I remembered Mr. Anon's words about how hiding things hurts the people you love; Ms. Kogasa's smile and her words of forgiveness; Ran's arms and her words of rage, yet of understanding…

Yukari's cold gaze…

—or I could do something.

“Mr. Anon…” She frowned, confused. “He misses you.”

… Her eyes didn’t look as dead.

// Meiling 3-4

"Y'alright, dear?" Meiling looked up from the book she had just jobb- Er, dropped, at the woman running the stall. She looked just about human, but Meiling saw enough humans to spot the failures of her disguise immediately. "Not what you were expecting?" Meiling shook her head, trying to will the blush away from her cheeks. "Not to worry, not to worry. Can't say I've seen you around here before. First time?"
"No - Um, I mean, yes. I think I saw it before it was built." Meiling stammered, her hands awkwardly trying to put the book back on the pile while at the same time afraid to pick it up again. "What - Um, sorry. What's going on here...?" The woman smiled a little sympathetically at her, and Meiling was certain that she'd seen a shimmer in the air just behind her. Hidden wings? A tengu? "C-Can you really have this stuff out in the open?"
"Oh, yes! Dispensation from Yakumo herself." Meiling had only rarely seen Yukari Yakumo, and had fought her only once, during the daily feasts that had occurred at the Hakurei Shrine a long time ago. "That there," The tengu leaned over the counter and pointed at the big, ugly building. "That's the HSE."
"The...What?" Meiling repeated, still unable to stop herself from glancing down at the pile of books before getting embarrassed and looking away again. "What's the HSE?"
"Wow, you're really new to all this? I've always wanted to introduce someone!" The woman clapped in excitement and hopped over the stall, clearing it so easily that no human could ever have done it. She went to sling an arm around Meiling's shoulder, only to realise that Meiling was substantially taller and she couldn't do it. "Okay, that there is the HSE, the Hakurei Shrine Experience." She stared at Meiling and then seemed to come to a decision. "I'll skip the word-mincing, I think. You go there to get fucked."
Meiling stared blankly. "You what?"
"Youkai, humans, whoever. They say that it's for you to experience being the Shrine Maiden, but really, you just go there for a good, hard, cock." The woman's smile was very clearly based on experience and not fantasy, and frankly, it was beginning to fog up Meiling's mind just as much as it was turning her face bright red.
"Wh-What? Youkai going there? C... Cock...?" Her voice shrank to almost nothing by the last word. "But... Youkai in the village..."
"Like I said, special dispensation. Yakumo don't care none, long as we don't go flaunting it about." The woman looked at Meiling closer. "D'you want a book?"
"Huh?" Meiling asked, her voice raising an octave. "Oh, um, n-no!" She frantically waved her hands around in front of her. "I just, um, I was looking for - for someone."
But Remi loved unique things...
No, Hong, no! Do not buy the Slightly-Less-Young Mistress a pornography book! E-Even if the man on the cover is your type...
"Who're you looking for? I've seen all sorts through here. Even saw an oni once. Can't imagine that poor boytoy looked very good after her!" The woman sighed. "Ah, well... I'm only a few sales off affording another full VIP session, too..." Well, now it was Meiling's duty.
"U-Um, I guess I can take one book..." Meiling mumbled, trying not to look at the woman in the eye. "Two." Even quieter, that time. "Th-This one..." She picked two random books.
"That one? Okay, I guess... If you're into that." Meiling wanted to die, right then and there. At least the woman gave her a bag to hide the books in. "Can't believe she wanted vanilla. What a strange woman." Meiling heard her mutter under her breath as she stormed away, trying to resist the urge to bash her head against a wall.
But now, Meiling thought as she leaned against a wall around the corner and kept an eye on the HSE, what was she to do? No sign of Patchouli, but she'd apparently been around the HSE recently. And the consequences of returning to Miss Sakuya without having succeeded in her task... No, best to keep searching. And that meant...
"Ah-ha, knew you couldn't resist!" The woman she had bought the book from called as Meiling walked up to the HSE, her face as red as her hair. "Tell you what, ask for the 'Caught by the Shrine Husband' scenario'! It's right up your alley!" It took all Meiling had to not turn right around then and there.
Meiling pushed the door open and was surprised to bump into a woman with hair the colour of fire. She looked down, deliberately not meeting Meiling's eyes, then pushed past Meiling and disappeared into the distance. Confused, Meiling pushed through the doors and looked around. A room designed with extravagance in mind, but it felt like it was trying at it, while Remi's designs for the mansion exuded effortlessness.
At the counter, up a small set of steps, there was a green haired woman leaning against the counter, boredom etched on her face. "Huh? Whazzat?" She looked like she'd just snapped out of a deep daydream. "Oh, cust'mer?"
"Um, no. Maybe. I'm just looking for a friend." Going by the box strapped to her back, she was a kappa, but her outfit was green instead of the kappa's signature blue. Yamawaro?
"Can't be giving out everyone's personal information, Yanno?" She tapped her fingers against the desk. "Bit rude, isn't it? Some people come here to let off steam. Not the kind that want their name shouted from the rooftops."
Well, that was about as blunt as could be. Meiling fumbled around in the pocket of her shirt, then withdrew a few notes. "I just...really need to know if a purple-haired woman with bad eyes came in here. Hair like this?" She scrunched up her hair again.
The Yamawaro stared at her for several long, drawn out seconds. Meiling pressed both hands on the table, the money hidden underneath. "Are you sure you can't help me?"
After a long enough wait to make Meiling's heart pound, the Yamawaro placed her hands just in front of Meiling's. Meiling pulled her hands back, and quick as a flash, the bribe was gone. "Can't be revealing cust'mer info, Miss." She said cheerfully. "Not 'less I think they might be in danger. And there was a tired-looking purple girl in here recently. Haven't seen her come out, so she might still be in there." The Yamawaro narrowed her eyes. "You a friend?" Meiling nodded. "Hang about." The green-haired woman got up from the chair and disappeared through a door.
Meiling was nervous enough to begin tapping her fingers against the desk herself. What the hell was she doing there? There was no one in the corridor, but there was a waiting room just down the steps and even though no one could see her from the reception, she felt like everyone was staring. The offending books in her back - And why had she bought them!? - seemed to be curving space around them, drawing everyone's attention in.
"Boss lady says you can hop in. But yer friend's session's expirin', so you'd better pay up for an extension.."
Meiling's eyes widened. "Huh? Wait, no, I just wanted to-"
"Lady, quit wasting my time. Pay up, quick." The Yamawaro sounded exasperated. Somewhat speechless, Meiling fumbled around in her pocket and pulled out some more money. The Yamawaro took it, then she pointed at a door. "Through there, quick as you like." Sufficiently browbeaten and already far out of her element, Meiling found herself unable to mount much of a defence and walked through the door instead, ending up in some sort of changing room. Racks upon racks of red and white, in all sizes. There were signs above sections of outfits, labelling them by section. Oni, tengu, kappa, foxes, and everything else Meiling could think of. Now that she was here, Meiling was struggling to convince herself that she definitely didn't want to be here, which was absolutely the reason why she walked into the racks of outfits. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but once she spotted the tags on the outfits, she swallowed nervously. There was 'Yuugi Hoshiguma', and over there, 'Megumu Iizunamaru'.
There wasn't a section that Meiling would be under. After a few moments, Meiling spotted a Miscellaneous section, and it was there that she saw what she'd been worried about. 'Hong Meiling' was cleanly printed above the offending outfit, and it unnerved Meiling to think about how they'd gotten her sizes. She reached out a slightly shaking hand to poke the outfit. It swayed, but did nothing else. Eventually, she worked up the nerve to put down the paper bag of lewd books and pick the outfit up from the rail. There was something about the flow of energy coming from it that unnerved her, but it was just clothing, right? Patchouli would probably know.
But she couldn't NOT do it, could she? It was what you were supposed to do here, right? There were changing rooms just to the side, and before Meiling could let her nerve slip, she was inside and undressing. The outfit was definitely her exact size, though a little more form-fitting than anything else. It made Meiling feel a little weird, so she took a few moments to close her eyes and rely on her Tai Chi breathing practices. It helped to calm her down. It was awfully embarrassing, but she was in too deep to stop, so with a bright blush across her face and clutching the paper bag in front of her like a shield, Meiling stepped back out of the changing rooms.
"There y'are." The Yamawaro said, her hands on her hips. "Some of you take ages in there. Waste of my time. Right, what course d'you want? Some people get weird and decide they they want to-"
"Just the basics, please!" Meiling burst out, not wanting to dig herself in any deeper than she already had. "Um, can you keep this behind the counter...?" She offered the bag, and after a moment, the Yamawaro took it.with a slight grimace.
"Sit there, wait until your number's called." The Yamawaro handed her a slip of paper and shooed her away.
Meiling sat, then buried her face in her hands. She'd just been looking for Patchouli.
How the hell had she ended up entering a brothel?

// Cirno 11

The cold December mountain air blew past the pair as a Mishaguji swam through the ground, exposing the top half of its body, covered in pristine white scales, so Cirno and Suwako ran their hands against while they sat on their legs, Cirno’s stump has fully regrown now.

Suwako smiled lazily as they did so, even after all of these centuries she had never failed to enjoy doing this, and people never failed to be impressed by adorable Mishas, although they hated being called that. “Ya’ see these here, my Mishaguji, could also be considered ex-fairies due to being harvest gods, although that was early enough in history they wouldn’t even resemble the fairies of today,” Suwao said as stars appeared in Cirno’s eyes.

“Wow!” Cirno exclaimed as she continued to run her hand over the irate curse snake, before thinking for a moment. ”So, they’ve been like this since you got them?” The real question she asked was obvious, ‘why hadn't they grown’

Suwako shakes her hand in a so-so motion. “Well, growth really depends on the circumstances you find yourself in. After I subjugated them I placed part of myself in them in order to cement my position as a curse god. I don’t really allow them to do much anyway. Dismissing the Mishaguji, Suwako’s expression grew nostalgic, the eyes on her hat half-lidded, looking to the sky. “For myself, I started out like we all do, a base spirit that solidified into a fairy, after that it was a lot of allying and fighting, things we and still are pretty brutal in the outside world for fairies, youkai, and gods.” Her expression grew even more distant as she stood, looking out on the Moriya shrine’s lake she said. “Remind me to punch Kanako next time I see her.”

“So?...” Cirno trailed off as she flew next to her, Suwako didn’t exactly answer her question.

Still looking out on the lake rather than Cirno, Suwako spoke. “You’ll do fine, your un-ice-like attitude and instability will probably help you here. It took you decades to compare to the centuries I spent becoming a god, who knows where you’ll be a hundred years from now. “

“Un-ice-like?” Crino tilted her head, ‘Why can’t people be more straightforward? They always make things to Confusing.’ Even Okina vexed Cirno most of the time.

“Like I said earlier, I have no idea where you come from, the Misty Lake only freezes seasonally but you're around all year so it can’t be that, and it can’t be Youkai Mountain either, since you’re barely ever here. Not to mention you're barely even ice-like, if I had to make a guess just on your personality I'd say spring or summer fairy, not ice.” Suwako shook her head, turning from the lake and away from CIrno’s direction to walk back towards the living space behind the shrine.

“Is that bad?” Cirno asked she didn't understand everything Suwako was saying but it worried her.

Suwao shrugged as she walked, “Maybe, I dunno, I don’t go around inspecting and raising random fairies into godhood.” Suwako sounded too bitter to Cirno as she said that.

They reached the living space mostly in silence after that. Swinging open the door, Suwako yells "Sanae!" Suwako grew a mischievous expression, "Me and your senpai are here, you better have something ready for us!" Suwako chuckled as she said that.

Flying after her down the hall, Cirno came to a realization. "Hey Suwako? Where did Sanae come from?" Suwako stopped in her tracks.

“Huh?” It was like a shadow had been cast over the entire room as an aura began to radiate from Suwako.

“Like how’d you grow the parts, I know I don’t have them, and who was he?” Cirno’s question was completely innocent, without an inch of any other emotion on her face.

Suwako stood there, unanswering as she thought about the question, still emanating the same killing force before she opened her mouth and spoke. “As you persist more in faith, people will think of you more as a person and less as a fairy, you’ll grow into it. Also again, remind me to punch Kanako.” Suwako marched away towards the dining room, leaving Cirno only slightly less confused than before.

“Just be careful falling in love with and getting attached to humans, okay Cirno.” She could only nod in response.

// Ran/Chen 32-33

Her eyes grew confused and, even though the silences, this was the first time today Ms. Reimu was speechless. “When I asked him about y-you—” I stuttered, mind struggling and body begging for respite—this whole situation and the amount of stress makes me want to puke. “—and the things you did… He was sad and heartbroken—” her face bitterly contorted into anger and then heartbreak, all in the span of a second. “—but, when I asked if he missed you… He said he does! He does!” The unnamed rage of before returned, and my tiny palms clenched. “He misses when you were a good person—the very thing you're striving to become now—and you want to commit suicide?!”

Even though the words left me, I couldn't make the connection. I only know Mr. Anon will get sad if she dies.

“Chen…” She gulped something down, turning her eyes away from me, body physically reacting as if wounded before the words could leave her; “It won't last—”

“It doesn't need to!” I leave her arms, and they fall flat, her wide eyes following my motions. “Staying the same is impossible! If things remain the same… Then how can you stop someone when they're wrong?!” My mind flashed to Yukari's cold gaze. “Have you ever talked about those things with Mr. Anon? Asked his thoughts? Help? No! You just kept it all to yourself without seeking help—because that's what powerful people do! They move away from you, no matter how much you love them—they never share anything with you because they don't want to worry you, but you just worry so much more—and if Ms. Kogasa had never shown me things have to keep on changing, then I'd keep following Yukari; trying to mend my family and failing, and failing, and failing—egotistical, STUPID adults can never look down and see who they have by their side, who are there to love them and help—” My face hurt, the tears were so thick, and I was getting dizzy—

Strong arms caught me before I fell to the ground, and Ms. Reimu's face had this immense confusion, like trying to digest a million things at the same time…

Regaining my balance, I left her arms and stumbled to the parcel, the older woman following my movements and getting on her knees by the destroyed kotatsu. With no more tears to shed and a head full of cotton, I gently picked up the parcel and extended it to the dumbfounded miko. Ms. Reimu looked at me, then at the parcel and, carefully, opened it…

And, calmly, lifted the red and white scarf. The construction was, at best, a mess: It started smooth but then became all bumpy and heavy, with a general air of sadness to it, the threads getting even more troubled down the line until it suddenly stopped—embroidered at the very tip of the scarf, a pattern of circles with wavy lines crossing them, ending the knitted ware in lovely, warm note… It was a clashing design, and the colored threads didn't blend as well or expertly as Mr. Anon's knitting.

Her puzzled eyes seemed to grow in size, and whatever a million thoughts Ms. Reimu had faded into a single one—

“—it's beautiful…” She whispered, feeling the threads and bringing the scarf to her face, smelling it, frowning—then, tears—

Conscience heavy, I hugged her, tight to never let go, “… When you lose strength, Ms. Reimu, and are feeling weak—please… Come talk to me. To Mr. Anon. Let us know how you're feeling and how we can help you—you don't need to become the person you were before… You just need to become better.” I turned my face up and stared into her eyes with a burning passion… still, opened a wide, tired smile. “I'm already doing it, hahaha! You're smiling!” She reached her face, eyes widening even more as she traced the line of her trembling, beautiful smile.

She clutched the scarf, teeth bared, smile contorting as if trying to fade, but it just wouldn't go away, a closed hand on her face pressing there as if trying to use force to stop the gigantic, erratic smile; she failed.

Then she opened her eyes. “… Why? I don't deserve this…”

“I don't ask why—I just like to make friends.”

Ms. Reimu stared at me. I stared back… and I knew I was wrong:

These eyes of fear of death, of undying yet broken love, of regret so deep yet with an outlet that otherwise wasn't there, of tiredness and of relief…

These eyes are the truth.

I don't know if she still considers suicide…

… If so, I'll be there to help my friend.

Ms. Reimu hugged me back, holding the scarf as if the most precious thing, the warmth of her arms soothing my weary mind. It was like being protected by a big, comfy pillow, coupled with the laughs piercing the crying, and it was just the perfect atmosphere to snuggle…

Gravity changed, yet it was still comfortable, a gentle hand brushing the back of my head, my cheek resting on a strong shoulder as my arms clasped around her, her hold firm and true… I felt a sense of déjà vu, yet didn't pay much mind to it; it was just so, so comfortable—

“You've done enough, Kozo—thanks; rest now… And let this stupid adult deal with adult things.”

Chen was gone for some time. I went first to Anon, and she wasn't there. I looked and looked around, fear growing like a worry seed. She was nowhere in the HSE, and despite my growing panic, I paused and tried to think where she might've been—I remembered the bakeneko furiously knitting a scarf of red and white these last days, eyes wide and focused like nothing I'd ever seen her do before.

Within a moment, I was at the Hakurei Shrine, ready to scream Chen's name—

Then my ears heard a soft, whispered lullaby.

One I've heard before.

With my arms conjoined and eyes curious, I walked around the shrine, getting to the back, and—there they are…

Walking around the veranda with slow, rhythmical movements, the golden, orange, and red of the sunset reflecting on the pond’s surface and bathing them in a beautiful hue, Reimu swung Chen up and down, the sleeping bakeneko's face a bit red and with visible residual tears, clinging to the woman for dear life—Reimu, however, was the most peaceful I've ever seen her, wearing that scarf Chen was knitting and whispering the lullaby…

… The same one Anon sang to Chen the first time we three met, and Chen made a promise.

I smiled, feeling warm inside and, using a gap, left silently.

// Kasen 4

Yukari moaned loudly and, with one hand, would press my face harder on her pussy or massage my scalp, purring like a cat, all while pulling the chain of light connected to Anon's neck, making it impossible for him to stop thrusting his dick inside my pussy. I held her thighs, hot and shivering, eating the juice that'd leak and adoring her femininity, mind clouded by oni lust and pure sexual energy, the hard dick in and out, in and out—oh, oh~—not helping one bit.

Such a submissive position, head between her legs, a dick pounding me from behind—if stories of this were leaked, how would my reputation suffer? As hermit and sage? The thought alone made me eat Yukari's pussy with a newfound hunger, biting on her clit, “Oh, my! An oni never disappoints… Although you may need a performance booster, Anon~” Her upper half disappeared inside a gap, and I turned, the dick inside of me grinding like crazy as I now lay my nape on Yukari's pussy, heavy-breathing.

I watched as she appeared behind Anon, giggling and amused, caressing his neck and pressing her tits on his back, one arm rising and hiding his eyes. Yukari shared a look with me before Anon's neck tensed—a gap?—and a syringe appeared out of a gap and, mercilessly, punctured his neck—

His muffled howl of agony as his whole body tensed up made my body shiver with desire, his grasp on my hips growing out of proportion as Yukari whispered something in his ear—AH! Anon suddenly was pumping me like a machine and I can swear I fainted for a moment, a hand stimulating all my sensitive parts and, oh—by the Dragon God, this is goddamn Heaven~

His nostrils were bleeding, and a lot; Yukari's finger brushed the blood and sucked on it with finesse. She disappeared from behind him, hands catching the sides of my head before a warm, honeyed mouth laddered with sweet blood was kissing mine fervently; the dick didn't slow a second, Yukari's long and slender fingers were now playing with my nipples and—

Ah, I'm cumming, my back arching, drooling on her mouth and holding her head and not letting it go away, fucking Anon's dick just as much as he fucked me, and I'm so, so close, legs quivering, I just need the hot cum inside me and, oh, it's pulsing; it's almost there—

And Yukari was moaning before throwing my head to the side like a paper bag, getting up and sitting on my face—my eyes went wide with the taste of cum. This woman was really gapping away his cum as his dick pulsated deep inside of me? So greedy… Yet I drank the overflowing white gold with just as much covetousness as it filled her womb, trying my hardest not to cross my legs with the orgasmic waves and rip Anon in half, Yukari's thighs edging to crush my skull.

Panting, Yukari got up, pussy all drenched and legs wobbly, pulling me and Anon to her—his flowing blood, cum, and our saliva melting together as our three mouths connected in a sloppy kiss, hands groping all over the place—Anon's trembled, my femininity already ready for more as I heard a small sob. “Ah… You'll have to forgive me, Ibarakasen~” Yukari began, the first to leave the three-way kiss and getting up—one gap, and she was as clean as if just out of the shower, the sight of her warm pussy just at eye level calling to me… She dodged my needy hands with excellence, her eyes playful. “It seems, in my haste, I took your egg with me. I think I'll be keeping it; not like you have a use for it—oh, well, I think I owe Eirin a visit. Blood is a bad sign, after all.” A gap and Anon's nose was not bleeding anymore. “Have fun without me~”

A gap, she was dressed; another, she was gone.

Panting and recovering from my orgasm, I looked at the roof, glancing at Anon to the side, the friend I've known for two decades now, holding a forearm over his eyes, body sprawled, apparently crying…

My pussy dripped, mad at the lack of cum inside my womb.

… Yet another part of me, one clouded and muffled, cried together with Anon. It was promptly ignored as I sat on him, pulling the light chain to call his attention before sensually laying on his body, squashing my tits on his scarred chest, holding his cheeks, my face hovering centimeters above his, pink hair a curtain—just us~—his tensed-up breathing flipping all my right switches; “You didn't cum inside me. You tried, but Yukari is a greedy bastard~”

I kissed his face, drinking his blood and tears—

“Kasen… Can you hear my voice?” His voice is so weak, it makes me so wet.

“Yes, dear, I—”

“I'm talking to Kasen, not you,” he cuts me, which doesn't spark joy, yet I frown, staring at his face—huh? Water was falling on his cheeks…? “I know you're listening, Kasen…”

One of my hands went up, feeling around my eyes.

I’m crying.

“… And I don't blame you. I do not.” And then he closed his eyes…

I looked at him, my body a statue…

… My hand went down, squeezing his dick.

“I want my cum, Anon.” And I sat on his dick with enough force to crush his hips. He howled in pain, and my crying didn't stop.

// Kosuzu 5

I dropped down and felt the grass between my fingers. It felt real. I pulled at them and felt them come up, dirt shaking off of them as I lifted them up. It was real grass all right. I went over to the tree and gave one of the branches a shake. It bent just like a real branch and the leaves rustled, a few loose ones floating down to the ground. It was real as well. Then I turned my gaze upwards to see nothing but the evening sky. Was this entire place built around some sort of garden? It didn’t seem like a brothel to me. With my back back blocked, I made my way through the trees, being careful not to trip in the fading light. Maybe Ir was some sort of game whee I was supposed to chase him though the forest and catch him before anything could happen, like that one story about the hunter that lived on the island. That did seem like something youkai would enjoy. I was at a disadvantage than, my legs were a lot shorter then Anon’s and I hadn't been getting expertise lately although I promised myself I would. But when I pushed past the treeline, It all clicked.

There was a replica of the Hakurei Shrine just a short distance away. I was too far away to judge all the details, but it seemed very accurate. There was the torii gate, and the pathway leading up to the shrine, and the building itself. Everything was exactly as I remembered it. I stepped onto the path and made my way towards the shrine. I couldn’t help but feel a nostalgia wash over me. It was so long ago that I used to enjoy going up this path to the shrine. Reimu had seemed so cool to me back then, an idol almost. There were the festivals, or the banquets with friends, or just going over to discuss a few things. But those fun times were long gone, and this wasn’t the Hakurei shrine. Focus on your goal, Kosuzu! As I get nearer to the shrine, I hear something drop out of a tree. Turning my head, I see a small girl running towards me. As she got closer, it was then I noticed the twin tails and her cat ears. Another youkai. I braced myself for impact but she ran by me and opened the door to the shrine.

“Anon, someone is here!” She said, dropping down to the floor to stretch.

After a few moments, Anon appeared out from one of the doors. “Kosuzu? What are you doing here?” He asked as he moved towards me. He looked just as he did when I last saw him, although the outfit was new. It was a jinbei, but I’d near seen any so revealing. It definitely made it hard to ignore his new choice of career. It might have normally been rather exciting, but with me being a married woman and the revealed skin showing off scars, no doubt from his wife, I couldn’t feel it. But it was still rather nice. I think I saw one of the stalls outside selling outfits like this, maybe if I bought one for my husband-No he would just get mad if I tried. Dangit Kosuzu, focus! You’ve got better things to do!

“I’m just here to see you Anon, I thought you might want to talk and see what books we have to check out instead of having to run a message through someone else” I handed over the small catalog of our stock I had prepared and waited for him to take it. He took it from my hand and placed it down at the table. A small smile broke out on his face. “Would you like some tea? I still have a few things out so I can just whip it up”

"Oh, tea would be nice, thank you" Anon nodded and ducked behind a door- that would be the kitchen if the layout here was still the same. As I took my seat, the small cat scooted over to me and started to thumb through the catalog.

"Do you have any books in spiders? Me and Anon are doing an experiment on them so I have to know more so it'll be a success" She asked as she thumbed through the pages, eyes primed for any mention of arachnids. "Oh and knitting! I need to get better at knitting!"

I took it from her and flipped to the correct pages. "Here is a book on spiders and other insects, you might like that, and here is a good book on how to learn how to knit. I've read that one so I can tell you it's good"

The cats mouth widens. "Oh, I'll take them. But I don't get an allowance so I have to ask for money" Just as quickly, her smile turns into a pout.

"I'll just bill this place as I usually do, don't worry about it. Just treat the books right. Are you a friend of Anon?" I asked. She seemed too innocent to be a client, could she like being here for him?

She nods. "I'm Chen. Just Chen. I'm his friend, yes"

"Well that's good to hear. I'm Kosuzu, nice to meet you, Chen" we chatted for a few minutes, about things she caught on the fake shrine grounds, how my job worked, until we were interrupted by Anon returning from the kitchen. He placed down a platter with two tea cups and a plate of tea cakes.

"Sorry, the cakes are a little stale. But it's better then just tossing them out, right?" He placed my cup in front of me and I took a sip. He took the catalog and started to browse through it.

// Mina 7-8

Shinki and Yuuka are chattering about this and that as the three make their way through Makai, but Mima isn’t really listening. She can’t get the little Hakurei out of her head. The older brat is finished, her behavior more than makes clear that she’s no better than her predecessors. Is Hana doomed to the same fate? Well in some ways she already is better than her mother. Or rather, she never had the opportunity to sink into hatred of her own accord.

Still, despite the cynicism and bitterness… no because of the cynicism and bitterness, Mima can see a bit of herself in the girl. Is she already trapped on the path that damned Mima? Can she escape the cycle of suffering?

As Mima sinks deeper into such thoughts, a firm but gentle hand grips her shoulder, “Which of your girls has you worried?”

Looking up, Mima stares at Shinki in confusion, “What are you talking about.”

Shinki gives a patronizing smile as she replies, “You got that look. The kind Yuuka has when she’s talking about a flower she’s tending doing poorly and Sariel has when fretting over a child of Makai.”

Mima tuts internally. Shinki was a master in the mothering business so obviously she wouldn’t be able to slip anything by her. Sighing, Mima states, “It’s the Hakurei girl, Hana. I-I’m worried that she’s following a similar path I did back then.”

Yuuka seems to fall into deep thought at that, but Shinki is ready with a response, “I can’t speak specifics because I’ve not yet met the girl, though I should see to doing that soon. Nevertheless, I don’t have to be a genius to deduce she’s confused and going through a lot of pain. That’s going to be the case until this situation is over and even then… Either way, all you can do is be there for her and not let her lose sight of what matters.”

Mima nods, “Yeah. I get that, but still…”

Shinki gives a tired smile, “No logical argument is going to make you feel any better. It’s because you care, just do what you can.”

Emerging from her stupor Yuuka nods before abruptly stating, “Hana is a good girl.”

Shooting Yuuka an odd look, Shinki nods, “Yeah, what Yuuka said. She’s held strong through the worst of it. With the end of this nightmare in sight things should be looking up.”

Mima is silent as thinks. What more is there to do than to cut out the root of the problem? Easier said than done given said problem is Yukari, but when has Mima ever let that stop her?

Hoping to change the topic, Mima looks at many new additions to Makai whose designs seem foreign, “So what have you been doing with the place while I’ve been gone?”

Shinki shrugs, “This and that. Electrifying Makai was a major endeavor. Tightening security was another big thing, too many people thought they waltz right in and take things or pick fights. Given, present company excluded, those aren’t the kinds of people we want around, I’ve been warding the realm against intrusion. Besides that… Lousie left and is off somewhere.”

Mima raises a brow at that, “Somewhere? Given how you are with Alice, I’d have assumed you would have a tracker on her or something.”

Shinki shoots back, “When did I say I didn’t? But no, Louise and Alice are different matters. Some of my creations can go out and brave the world alone and others… need a little bit more nurturing. I exchange letters with Louise occasionally, but all in all she’s an independent girl.”

Mima nods, “I can see that, Alice is good with magic but…”

Shinki quickly turns to Yuuka and shifts the conversation again, “Yuuka, it’s been a while. How have you been? Anything big happen?”

Yuuka looks away, “I… the Garden of the Sun is growing.”

Shinki half-heartedly replies, “Ah, that’s good. Anything… else?”

Yuuka begins to blush, “That fairy Cirno hasn’t been around in a while. It’s nice since she sometimes freezes flowers and I have to kill her. I uhh… I’ve also have been training Marisa and Alice.”

Shinki’s damned patronizing smile returns as she replies, “So I’ve heard.”

There is a lull in the conversation as the three reach Pandemonium and Shinki leads the way through the crystalline halls of the castle before stopping outside a room deep in the fortress’ bowels.

Gesturing for her two companions to enter Shinki is quite smug as she states, “I’ve been working on this ever since our conversation at Alice’s house. I’m quite proud of the results.”

The room is relatively normal or what passes for normal down here if you ignore the dot in the middle of the room. Dot might not be the right word, but Mima can’t quite describe the ball of magical energy. It is both stagnatory and in flux, a state that would seem ridiculous if Mima wasn’t looking at it.

Grasping for words Mima asks, “What… What is that?”

Shinki puffs up in pride as she replies, “Pure potential condensed down for convenient use. At the moment it is filled with… well not infinite, but a lot of potential forms that it could take when it is forced to… define itself. In this state, it’d be an incomprehensible point without boundaries to Yukari, while we can design the perfect battleground to defeat her. Speaking of, don’t worry about her listening in. I’ve rigged Pandemonium to make a very unpleasant sound if its boundaries begin to warp.”

Yuuka seems to process this all faster than Mima as she soon asks, “This thing is supposed to be a battlefield?”

Shinki grins, “The potential form I am cultivating is that of a pocket dimension. One that’s laws are perfectly suited to minimize our enemies’ power and maximize our own. In addition, I plan to have a ritual set up within it to wholly engulf Yukari’s project, which should entirely bypass whatever protections she has set up.”

Frankly, Mima was astonished. Shinki was not one to boast unless she believed she was correct if her plan worked... Of course, Mima quickly schooled her expression to prevent Shinki from getting an even larger ego, “You plan to have a ritual that should work?”

Shinki fumbles over her words, caught off guard by the question, “W-Well it’s not done so I cannot say for certain it will work. B-but I have found no reason as to why it wouldn’t. As to why I haven’t finished it, well some of the parts fall out of my area of expertise, so I’ll allow you to handle such things.”

Yuuka sounds less than convinced, “How? While I’m confident in my abilities to complete most of what you have planned, I don’t have any experience working with…”

At that, Yuuka gestures vaguely towards the point in the middle of the room.

Mima adds, “And even if we could figure out how to configure the ball of ‘potential’ as you call it, how do you intend to engulf Yukari’s creation all the way from Makai?”

Shinki huffs, “One question at a time. It’s not too hard to work with, it just needs very precise adjustments. I can get into the technicals soon. As to how I intend to do the ritual from Makai, that’s simple. We’ll have Mima out in the village to act as the link for the ritual.”

Mima is astonished. Serving as the link for the ritual while being on the other side of the border of Makai? Pointing out the obvious Mima asks, “Wouldn’t that place the point of failure in the most danger? All it’d take are any of the more powerful players in Gensokyo fighting seriously for me to lose control of the ritual and from there who knows what the cascade of miscasting spells would do.”

Shinki shrugs, “It’s a possibility, but we don’t have many better options if we want to keep this secret until the last second, which is the only way this could possibly work. All we’d need to do is have our allies distract Yukari’s forces long enough for the ritual to go off. From there we’ll have a massive advantage.”

Yuuka interjects with uncharacteristic seriousness, “And what’s the plan if things do not go perfectly? Are we really banking Anon’s rescue on everything just happening to turn out right?”

Shinki shakes her head, clearly growing frustrated by the barrage of questions, “If the spell doesn’t work, I’ll tear open gates between Makai and the Village. Before you say anything, Yukari obviously would be able to close those gates. Still, we don’t have many options when fighting someone of her caliber. At that point our only real hope would be to rush her down and defeat her with overwhelming numbers, unless anyone has any better ideas?”

There’s a long drawn-out silence as Mima and Yuuka attempt to avoid looking at Shinki, which is made rather difficult due to the reflective nature of the room’s walls and doors. Finally, after the situation gets unbearably awkward, Shinki continues, “Hearing nothing, I think we should move on to how to work with the point rather than trying to tear down the carefully constructed plans of others. Are we all in agreement?”

Mima and Yuuka’s affirmations in response were not particularly enthusiastic.

// Yukari 18

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” I don't recoil from Eirin's tone, much less the audible thud as she hits the stack of papers on the counter, her eyes exuding spite. Mine, of course, remain calm and unaffected. “You want to use another's species ovule—somehow perfectly mixing one of yours, so the kid comes out more you than the oni you got this from—fertilize it, and then grow it inside your womb like it's not an affront to nature?! How much farther you intend to go before just overcoming your own inability and adopting a child?!” My eye twitched, and it took a great deal of self-control to not rip Eirin's throat—we're business partners, after all.

“My, my—you, the researcher, questioning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Because of some… confrontation with Mother Nature? And after all the pounds of foreign and untested medicine we pumped into a human's body—your last was a fluke, too. While I like the taste of blood, I don't want my man bleeding every time we make love." I felt delight with her face contorting with many thoughts, hand caressing the chin, so easily distracted by her own failures and whatnot. “Why exactly can't you do it, Eirin? Because I think you can.”

She sighed, sinking into the chair, looking sick. I wonder what goes on in her mind—is she blaming me for all this? Precious, although hardly a matter to worry about. She's so deep into her own quicksand of mistakes that trying to point a finger at me would just sink her even more.

“… I can try, Yukari. I can. But can you understand the consequences of this? The oni genetic strand and yours are too far apart, stabilizing and—” her voice had an immense distaste to it. “—merging them with magic… The byproduct—”

“The infant.” I corrected.

“The byproducts, Yukari. There's a chance—probably high—that whatever leaves you will be a sad excuse for existence, incapable of surviving, yet feeling all the pain—”

“Then I'll just manipulate the gap between everything needed to make it perfect, Eirin. Ugliness and beauty, retardation and smartness, dying and healthy—simple as that.”

Eirin's eyes narrowed, and, for the first time ever, I saw horror painting her features, which prompted me to raise an eyebrow. Her horror morphed into disbelief, free hand holding her forehead, eyes wide. “… Do you even care about the child?” If the pressure in the room was bad before, now it's almost unbearable. Eirin's voice didn't falter. “To play god with its existence, just thinking about the results and not what they'll have to go through… You may be condemning an innocent soul to years of suffering just to satisfy whatever sick desire you have for motherhood, Yukari—don't you have a heart?!”

I got up, parasol in hand; Eirin got up too, prepared. I approached her with elegant steps, our bodies practically shivering and thirsting for battle. Face to face, eye to eye; “I'm not 'playing' god, Eirin.” There's nothing more to say. Searching my face, Eirin deeply sighed, turning her back and going up to the counter, faking tweaking with papers—I could see she was using the furniture to support the crushing weight of her body.

“… I can't guarantee anything. With just one egg to work with, the chances—”

“Don't worry. I made sure to bring with me at least twenty spares.”

She looked at me with ultimate despise; “You're a monster…”

“… Have you ever looked into a mirror, Eirin?” The bite behind her eyes worsened, now consumed by a revolted dosage of self-hatred. “Don't lie to yourself—you want to see where this is going; research whatever comes next. You'll never have another opportunity like this. Losing it now would lose you a research paper with its weight in gold—not that it matters, right? What truly matters to you is knowledge—the answer to 'Would it work, or would it not?' That's all you have in your life, losing it now… We're not that different, Eirin—I'm just seeking something more to call mine,” a gap opened in front of her, a second VIP ticket to the HSE. “Why don't you seek something more to call yours too~?”

I waited, in silence, watching as she looked at the golden ticket, this whole conversation putting her on the edge—which is a good thing, unlike living in a bubble.

Sometimes it is important to look inward and understand yourself.

My smile didn't go away as she crushed the ticket and threw it to the side, bitterly preparing a lot of papers—the ticket, after all, wasn't even ripped apart. “I'll… research more. I'll need all you have already collected and harvest what I think necessary. This, Yukari, never leaves my office. If it does, I'll kill you and then myself.”

“My, my~” I giggle. “Leave it for a Lunarian to be so dramatic.”

Her eyes of pure rage never went away, but I didn't care. My hopes of finally bearing a child—one I'll call mine and who'll love me unconditionally—high, which in the land beyond common sense is perfect! Just thinking about it in my arms, so soft and innocent—

… There’ll be no father. Reimu is recovering…

I feel wrong, lonely.

// Cirno 12

Sanae, having prepared dinner for many years in a household where she was the only one who could cook quickly and quietly, made and served the goddess and goddess-to-bo. before quickly retreating from the terror radius of smug bullying energy the two shorties emitted.

Cirno had only noticed now, but while the building’s outside was more Gensokyo~ish, the inside was closer to Marisa's or Alice’s house, even a little bit like the scarlet mansion with all the idols everywhere in place of the SDM's crosses.

“Look, relationships between humans, and us, gods, as well as youkai are…” SUwako trailed off as she tried to collect her thoughts.

“That’s why I joined Okina, even if I can’t play a pivotal role. I want to be able to help the people I care about.” “At the very least, I want to say goodbye.” Cirno thought of the dead turtle she had found on the shore of the pond behind the Hakurei Shrine.

Suwako sighed, it’d be trouble in the future, but. “At least you aren’t in love with either of them.” Suwako went to her sake cup

“Oh! Like Hana and Aunn?”

Suako coughed on her sake, “Wait, wait, wait, Hana. Hana Hakurei. The same Hana Hakurei who’ll rant endlessly about how much she hates youkai and fairies.” That was an extremely awkward meeting, Suwako was half tempted to reveal her own origins, but the girl was under a lot of stress so she gave her mercy. For now, that is.

Cirno just tilted her head. “Hana hates fairies?” She sounded betrayed and confused, although she had barely even known the girl.

Suwako couldn’t stop laughing, she kicked her short feet under the table as she tried and failed to contain herself, nearly falling out of the chair. With Cirno sitting across from her, looking offended.

---

After what felt like several minutes, she managed to calm herself, putting on a straight face. She had almost forgotten about Akyuu’s books of slanderous lies, if she ever had a child in this age those were some of the books she was sure to keep from them.

“Ahhh~ But seriously Cirno, those types of relationships can be dangerous for us, even living gods like Sanae can be careful, it’s due to the nature of humans,” Suwako said with resignation in her voice. “Even Kanako is still like that, after all these years she’s still human-like. But that’s what makes them so strong and allowed her to defeat me in the first place.”

“But she didn’t subjugate you like you did to the Mishaguji?” Cirno asked, she’d known that Okina did something similar to her, and probably those two weird humans whose names she didn't remember as well. But it didn’t really make sense to Cirno, it’s not like Suwako was part of Kanako.

"That's different, Kanako never fully defeated me, she didn't want to subjugate me anyways, then she'd be the one dealing with the Mishaguji," Suwako said twirling her fork in the air. "Subjugation is a by-product of faith anyways, we can put parts of ourselves in others to empower and control them, fully merge with gods like Onika did, even living gods like Sanae back in the day drew power from me.” Suwako finished off as she stabbed a carrot with her fork.

“Well just so you know, I’ll subjugate my first god in no time!”Cirno said, stabbing a fork into the air. “Or maybe when I’m bigger I can get Dai-chan and the others as my servants.” Cirno's smile grew wider, she was a bit worried about leaving them behind, she hadn’t had the chance to spend much time with them lately. QUiet her voice to a whisper and leaning in she said, “But I didn’t know Sanae was like that”

“No, ugh.” Suwako swallowed a carrot a bit too fast in an effort to respond. ‘Why do humans always have to be named after each other’, she’d have to clarify or maybe just refer to them with different names “Sanae Moriya, The first Sanae, my son, although we’ve been confused in myth. Well both of them did it while they were little and didn’t have any faith of their own.” She said waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss the topic, this was going to get too confusing fast and she doubted Cirno would be able to follow the entire thing.

A devious smile crossed the froggy goddess's face as she placed her utensils down and slid her chair away from the table. “But, let's go outside, it’s time for your practical exam Cirno.” Cirno smiled in response, unaware of Suwako’s full might.

// Aya 40

Aya’s entire body was sore as she sat down and held her head in a bar on the lower section of the mountain. It was staffed by kappa, easy for crows to dive to and close to the white wolf patrol routes. It was a prime spot for trading rumors and making bad decisions. If someone got drunk, their pictures were gone, leads copied and clothes stolen. If they were sober, they wouldn’t be for long. Sometimes, humans snuck in to prove their bravery by drinking a tengu under the table or to seek a favor from one of the rare minor gods that bought advertisements from the less-scrupulous reporters. Aya recalled the one time she saw a human enter the bar herself: He was a cocky young man wearing wolf ears on a headband and a tail tied to his belt. When his hair shifted just enough to reveal his round ears, he found himself drowning in offers for free drinks. After he stumbled into a bathroom on the shoulder of a particularly helpful reporter, he didn’t come back out. Two more girls entered, and two girls left. After everyone else in the bar queued up for the bathroom in pairs, Aya knew that man wasn’t leaving for the rest of the week. It was strange to think that if she wasn’t focused on her paper at the time, she may have been part of that train. Definitely not because she was inexperienced with men! She could’ve joined at any time if she wanted to!

Sitting on a stool, she could feel eyes trained on her. Anyone who wasn’t drinking was obviously listening out for juicy tidbits. So, she gave them something else to focus on. Pulling out the last of Yukari’s bribe, Aya set the hefty sack down in front of an unamused bar-tending kappa.

“What’s this supposed to be, your tab payment?” Damn “tab” system, Geidontei didn’t track her debts! Of course, Megumu wasn’t invested in empowering Geidontei’s market viability.

“Nope. Drinks are on me!” A pang of silence came, followed by raucous cheers. It was a shame Aya couldn’t enjoy the rest of her dirty money, but she’d get something much better: A room full of loose lips. Flitting around from patron to patron, Aya’s subtle suggestions and clear head weeded out each and every tengu’s source of the Kanako rumor. Just like her, many of them were told by Megumu or picked it up from other tengu. However, some of them heard it by listening to the wind in the Human Village. Nobody had any claims of their own to seeing the virgin goddess nightcrawling Anon, so her leads weren’t much deeper than that. Partially recovered from her bout with Sanae, Aya made a quick detour to photograph some highly suggestible and gullible girls in the bathroom and headed out for Momiji’s patrol route.

The white wolf was expecting Aya when she arrived. While she led Aya to a secluded area, the crow took out her photos are rubbed them against her back. Feeling the sheets disappear, Aya could tell Okina accepted her bribe. She broke the silence first. “So, have you heard the latest rumor?”

“Of course I have. The other guards wouldn’t stop talking about it. Some of the less virtuous ones told me to keep an eye out for the goddess during my shift at Yukari’s establishment tomorrow. The nerve!”

“Great, you should know it’s fake. Someone’s trying get people to lose faith in the Moriyans and they’re using the tengu to do it.”

Momiji sighed and looked dour, the pain on her face evident as if the statement physically struck her. “Then it seems you’re not crazy. There really is an underhanded plot unfolding in our fair mountain. Do you have any idea who’s spreading these salacious lies? They must be stopped at once!”

“Settle down, we need to do this subtly. Whoever’s doing this is leaving late at night to support the myth. They know they’re dealing with tengu, so they’ve got their tracks covered well.” Aya paused for a moment, considering how best to word her plan. “Tomorrow, you’ll watch them from a distance and I’ll shoot past them, stripping their disguise. Then we’ll find out who’s behind this mess!”

“I suppose I’m in no position to argue… why not inform Ran-sama? Surely, she’d allow us to view the ledger and give us any information they know about the rumormonger?”

“Too risky. If this person is connected in any way to Yukari, they might have some dastardly method of circumventing Ran. We have to do this ourselves.” With their roles confirmed, the tengu went their separate ways. Aya retrieved a pill from home and set off for the HSE, feeling Okina’s gaze return shortly afterwards. That didn’t matter: Aya would have a good time, regardless of Okina watching, Ran watching, Yukari possibly watching, multiple tengu guards and kappa staff monitoring the rooms…

Aya crammed those dangerous thoughts deep down in her mind where they would never resurface.

// Cirno 13-14

Cirno ducked, flying underneath the earthen ring aimed at her head, sliding forward in mid-air she manifested and threw an ice spear at Suwako, only for it to be harmlessly intercepted, shattering midair harmlessly as it made contact with Suwako’s aura.

Feeling a presence beneath her, she dodged upwards, turning her body to the side just fast enough to avoid the two earth saws that shot out of the ground, one of them grazed her, shaving off pieces of her wings.

Flipping herself over she launched a series of ice bullets towards Suwako, only for them to be shattered on the same aura as before. She remembered Yuugi doing something similar when they were fighting Suika. There really were some ridiculous people in the world, capable of killing you with their presence alone.

Dodging more buzzaws being launched from the ground Cirno had an epiphany, ‘The lake, there’s no way to fight her in the courtyard.’ Cirno dodged in the direction of the shrine, even just hovering over it for a moment would give her time to get to the lake.

A storm of jade bullets followed as she retreated in, freezing in mid-air only to burst into more earth rings that’d shoot at her, exploding into dirt and jade as they hit each other and landing on the shrine below. Spinning Cirno spun up familiars and had them puff freezing cold in order to deal with the stray weak bullets.

Cresting over the shrine and tumbling towards the lake, Cirno was only granted a moment of respite as the earth in front of the shrine began to rise. Her eyes widened as she saw a Mishaguji bursting forth from the ground and launching itself at her

Pulling with all of her might she grabbed a portion of the frozen lake below her and threw it at the subjugated earth god. The snake wretches backward as the chuck of ice hits it, spreading a wave of cold throughout its body, Cirno has killed and frozen enough frogs and snakes in time to be particularly skilled at freezing them, giving her a near-useless conceptual advantage against reptiles and amphibians.

Somersaulting through the air backward Cirno spun up more familiars, constructing a larger copy of herself around her body and shooting out larger snowball-like bombs in the direction of the shrine; she had seen that green-eyed bridge youkai do something similar before. Suwako jumped over the shrine, waving her hand in the air as she created it, only for several of Cirno’s ice bombs to make it to her, shattering when they reached her aura but forcing her to dodge as they exploded into projectiles.

The Pillars in the lake split into a series of concentric earthen rings, floating long enough for Cirno to realize her mistake before they fired, slamming into the armor she crafted. Falling towards the frozen lake Cirno braced for impact.

With a resounding crash, she and her armor smash through the frozen surface of the lake and earthen rings orbited her, the ice construct floating in the lake as Cirno exited it from the back, exhausted. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to copy a trick a youkai she defeated in under a minute used, or maybe she should have just not gone towards the lake.

As soon as she heard Suwako step on the frozen lake surface Cirno clapped her hands together. Her icen armor exploded, releasing a wave of cold, snow flames, and ice projectile in every direction, grabbing two huge chunks she flung them at where she heard Suwako last, unable to see through her own Blizzard.

Cirno felt a cold metal press against her neck as the blizzard cleared, “Game set and match, now let's talk about how to gather faith.” Suwako said, levitating above the frozen lake as earthen rings orbited both of them.

The Cirno Suwako had her iron ring explode again, her aura activated reflexively but she couldn’t dodge and destroy all of the explosions at this range, especially when most of it was just cold and sheer force.

Tumbling backward Suwako kept her aura up as she turned two of her earthen rings into a shield of fine dirt particles on the outside of her aura. Three other Cirno emerged from the frozen lake, one with a sword, another with a spear, and the last with a battle axe.

Flying above the lake they charged at her, only for the spear one to explode as two earthen rings sliced into her abdomen and neck. The battle axe-wielding one launched forward as the sword one spun up several familiars.

Suwako solidified the earth around her into a pair of arms wielding two earthen rings she summoned, one clashed with the battle ax while the other arm threw its disc into the face of the corresponding Cirno. Not dodging the Cirno kept its axe locked as the top part of its head was shaved off.

The ring continued moving towards the sword Cirno who blocked it with her blade, the ring exploding on impact, sending Cirno reeling backwards. Suwko made quick work of the remaining part of the battle Axe Cirno approached her student.

“Ready to give up.” Suwako had an unfazed smile on her face that hid how surprised she was by Cirno’s performance.

“Yeah..” Cirno said, exhausted.

// Toutetsu 9

“So, the reporter's coming?” I ask Ran as we finish talking. With the attack on the Winter's Festival still months away, most of what needed to be talked about was discussed, leaving only minor things and whispers in the air—someone has been stirring heat against Yukari, the type that can be easily traced back by the hag, which is a good thing for our alliance. To whomever is doing it? I pity their souls.

Ran paces a bit, eyes following Reimu and Chen as the first meditates and the latter leans on the miko's back, knitting red and white gloves with a serene smile. “Aya…? I already alerted her with a gap-snap; with her speed, I give two minutes if she's indeed coming.”

I nod, sulking a bit. Ran seems confused with my reaction, so I elaborate; “I, uh… searched sum about crow tengu gestation—gah, don't give me that look, Ranni! It's the sensible thing to do with a preggo on the team, sheesh.” I kick a bit of earth in her direction, squatting on my spork. The fox simply giggles, dodging. “Argh… if the date she published her review on Anon—” Ran mumbled, and I cackled with the obvious jealously. “—is something to go by, her pregnancy should start showing pretty soon, which is a problem.” It's not a matter of if, but how soon till Yukari discovers and molests Ayaya for information… And knowing the hag, it won't take a hot minute before Okina's door is discovered.

The result will be bad.

Ran seems to share my thoughts, shoulders tense, eyes following as Chen guides Reimu to a fallen, mossy tree trunk a bit deeper into the forest, the happiest smile on the bakeneko's face, knitting exchanged for a sense of adventure. “I don't think Aya would like to hide, not when she has the purpose she has… But if it's for her children's sake, then—hm… no, we'd be losing a valuable ally—”

I grin as her face twists in thought. I just love to do what I am about to do. “You know…” White, pointy teeth shine with desire. “I could eat her belly.” To make a genius dumbfounded, eyes big as plates! There's no better feeling! “I've always wondered what tengu omelet tastes like, keh-heh-heh!” I joked, Ran's face melting into… second-hand embarrassment—what the—

Why's Ranni grinning…?

“Ah… Excuse me?”

That wasn't Ran's voice.

Fuckfuckfuck—

We turn in sync, the crow tengu close to the bush line, probably having heard at least a bit of our conversation, her face all white and hands—instinctively—clutching her abdomen, fight or flight growing behind her eyes. I sigh. Way to ruin a good fucking joke; “Sup, Ayaya. I was talking about eating your visible belly, y'know? Your kids would still be fine, and Yukari wouldn't make a pillow out of your feathers. The rest was just a bad joke, sorry!” I explain, perfectly faking calmness—inside, I thought about digging a hole with my horns to hide in…

Her bird brain digested my words—body relaxing, color returning to her face—still, as she approached, she took Ran's side. Fuck… I should get her a present. “Oh, it's okay… No wonder you don't have many friends.” I took that blow and turned the other cheek. Next one, I'll eat her leg.

“Good evening, Aya—any news?”

“Okina has been spying on me in the bath, if that counts.” Ran sighs, and I giggle a little, getting up and holding the spork over my shoulders. “Also, was that Reimu? Last time we met, she tried to kill me…”

“Happens to the best of us.” I shrug. “I kicked her ass, though.”

“It may not look like it, but Reimu has been in a bad place until recently—me and Chen have succeeded in helping her, and she's on our side now.” Aya looks at the shikigami as if she had grown a second head. Ran raises an eyebrow before sighing. Huh? “I know what she did to Anon, Aya. She's not absent of judgment, yes, but having her on our side is better than on our enemies’.”

Aya mumbles something, frowning, and I can barely hear; “I thought you loved him too…”

Oh. Oh…

The silence says we all noticed what she said, and the redness in her face speaks just as much as the following; “I-I'm sorry—probably shouldn't be the one talking about that after, well… What I did to him.”

“I understand, no damage done—but, please, don't contest my love again—it's as true as yours.” Sheesh, letting yourself be affected by a pregnant woman's words, Ran? These two are just head over heels…

Aya nods, silence setting like a tarp—well, time to break this ice.

“So, about eating your belly—”

“Stop wording it like that!” The two say at once, my ears ringing.

God fucking dammit! “Do you two wanna be to be ACTUALLY eaten?! You know what I mean, Ayaya: or you go around looking like a bloated chicken; immediately be discovered by Yukari; have your kids stolen and raised to look like her and only know of you as the funny wall decoration—or I can eat your belly and nothing of that happens!” I know I shouldn't be yelling at a pregnant woman, but they are pissing me off. “So, what's gonna be, reporter?!”

Aya is terrified. Ran facepalms.

… I’m a fucking disaster with people.

// Marisa 4

Praise be to Shinki. Despite the many issues the goddess caused when she visited, without those Makaian mushrooms Marisa would still be vomiting out in the woods. As to why she was vomiting in the first place, it’s… it’s probably nothing.

Still, it’s a good day to stay inside and tinker with the supplies Shinki brought over. It’s rare Marisa ever gets to handle regents of such quality and with Mima out there’s not much else to do.

As she working the door suddenly opens and Alice enters holding some sort of concoction.

Nervously greeting her, Marisa says, “Ah, morning ze. I was just uh preparing potions for the fight. Never uh never too prepared, right ze? What do you need?”

Alice sighs, “You don’t need to justify yourself to me. For better or worse we’re on the same side. As for why I’m here… well Mima has been putting it off for too long. You’re old enough to make your own decision.”

Marisa tilts her head. She’d been ready for Alice to start yelling or throwing Danmaku, but this felt unusual for the magician. “Eh? A decision? What are you talking about ze?”

Walking over and placing a sealed glass container of something on the table, Alice answers, “I… Marisa, do you want to become a youkai?”

A youkai?! She’d definitely thought about it for a long time, but Reimu made it rather clear that- well Marisa supposes Reimu is a non-issue now. Still, while it’d make her stronger, it’s a pretty serious decision. Even the safest methods of turning generally involve the consumption of heavy metals which would…

M-Maybe it’d be a good thing. By becoming a youkai magician she’d be leaving old problems aside. She wouldn’t have to worry if…

Alice cuts that train of thought off as she says, “I imagine that your silence isn’t from overwhelming joy at the offer, and you’re torn on the matter?”

Marisa nods prompting Alice to sigh, “This is why I was opposed to waiting to ask you. I’m not going to try to push you either way. Take your time and make up your mind, just remember that waiting without making a decision will eventually become a decision.”

Marisa nods, “Yeah… I… do you mind if I go out for a bit to think?”

Alice shrugs. There’s a certain earnestness to her that Marisa has rarely ever seen, “If you want. It’s your life, remember that either way you’ll live with your choice for the rest of your potentially very long life.”

That’s rather obvious, though Marisa does not point that fact out as she departs. Grabbing her broom, she lets it take her where it will. Maybe a change of scenery will clear things up.

// Hana 45

Hana didn't expect Kanako to react in such a way, she figured she was in trouble now. Her mentor not only wanted to keep her visits a secret, but maybe Marisa didn’t know just how opposed the gods of the Moriyan shrine were to it. Still, despite her powerful image of Marisa's true whimsical yet steadfast attitude Hana held deeper questions of what the witch was doing at her regular meetings with her father. She had little doubt about the witch’s sincerity and noble purpose, but the unease was irrational.

In retrospect, Hana had never seen a god blush, so this was a first to see the majestic figure of Kanako go red in the face. Kanako seemed to squirm at her words which Hana attributed to a deep rage barely contained, as Kanako’s wavering voice entered her ears Hana was frightened, “Y-you mean that Kirisame-san has been… she’s been… entering that place and all and d-doing… she’s all fussy and moody now on top of that?! And sometimes sick?!”

Hana was almost tearing up as that irrational panic welled up and could feel the lump in her throat form, did she just betray her mentor? Were her good intentions going to backfire? Was Hana’s precious mentor and the women she could almost see as her true mother going to land Marisa into receiving the ire of the very gods themselves? Hana could barely even nod as she knew her face was growing redder under Kanako’s barely concealed rage.

The goddess in front of her was still processing things as Hana couldn’t help but recall all the awful tales about the gods she could recall, petty revenge, horrible and infinite punishments, destruction of their very own lives and all future happiness. Did Hana make a mistake? She wasn’t her mother after all, there’s no way she could hold back the rage of a god of Kanako’s caliber!

Kanako opened her mouth to speak, the words forming behind her lips seemed posed to cast out a divine punishment as the red in her face must surely have been from her warth. Hana cut her off, she couldn’t… there was no way she could let her mentor and women she considered her closest ally be damned just because of her errant slip of the tongue!

With a throat pressed as if a ball were inflating inside of her Hana choked out, “P-please don’t be mad at her Kanako-sama… I know you don’t want anyone going there without permission but… but… I know Marisa-sensei is only trying to do something to help…!” She could feel the hot tears forming in her eyes, “I don’t want to see anything bad happen to her at all! I don’t wanna~!”

Hana was no longer looking at Kanako, her eyes watered and made the world blurry forcing her to close them as she tried swallowing the worst of fears and failed, all her ears could hear was the “w-wha- err, I’m not uh-! That’s-…”

Sobbing as the tears that breeched her thin defenses flowed out from her faster than she could wipe them from her face. It was all over if she couldn’t ease Kanako’s rage, it was all going to end for Marisa if she couldn’t, Marisa’s smile and friendly energy would be-!

Desperation was all she could feel as Hana spewed out anything she could think of to stay a god’s wrath, “Sensei wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t have a good reason and… and she’s a good person and doesn’t deserve to be punished for it! P-please don’t get mad her she wouldn’t be doing if it was for me so its me you should punish an-“

Racing thoughts were stopped in their tracks by a cool hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes still unable to halt the flow of fear and tears. So this was it, she’d pass down her punishment to her and force Hana to deliv- “T-there’s no need to cry you know…! I-I’m not angry or anything. Really, I promise! J-just stop crying okay!”

For the first time after she started panicking Hana could truly see Kanako’s face, a desperate smile adorned her face as she leaned towards Hana. Kanako’s eyes were piercing red and the snake like slits of her pupils which normally put her on edge, but as Hana’s panic cleared, she could make out a desperation behind them like the one she used to receive when as younger and started bawling her eyes out in front of Marisa or even Alice way back when.

Speaking panic laden words Kanako stammered out, “E-even if she’s seeing him a whole lot I’m sure its fine and nothing b-bad is going on for real! I’m sure she’s just confused cause I would be too if… if…!”

As the danger she perceived passed and Kanako desperately tried comfort her Hana couldn’t help but let out a thin laugh as an embarrassed smile formed on her face. Hana felt like a fool.

// Seija 41-42

I, Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, was completely dumb founded.
“You did what?” I asked.
Seija sighed. “I beat a man half to death, saved his life cause’ the Shrine Maiden would kill me if I didn’t, worked with him for months, tricked him into wearing a cursed bracelet that’ll make his death horrid, and well…” She rubbed her eye.
“…forced myself on him and then forced him to come onto me.” She finished. “Now do you need the long version or the short version again? Time is of the essence here.” She said, grinding her teeth.
I exhaled. “Seija, what is your plan here?” I asked.
She looked at me confused. “I want your help finding him. It’s as I told you; Goro left the house and hasn’t returned since. He needs to take these pills made from my blood or he’ll die, I think we had three or five left and I’ve been searching for him for two days already.”
“No, I mean what do you plan to do after you find him?” I ask.
“Ah, well.” She thinks, rubbing her chin. “Probably torment him some more?”
“A moment.” I asked, taking a pillow from my bed, and screaming into it.
“You want help finding someone you almost murdered, then betrayed and cursed, and violated? So, what, you can mess with them more?!” I yell.
“Hey, he’ll die if I don’t find him!” Seija retorted.
‘She’s worse than the shrine maiden’ I thought.
What’s more, how could I tell if she was lying about the pills or not? I could go to Eientei myself to confirm, but if she wasn’t lying that would just waste valuable time.
If there was any truth in what she was saying, then I couldn’t just ignore her bullying the small for her own enjoyment! I had to save this man from the despair she caused him! But what if it was all just another con to get me in some wicked scheme? Where there any inconsistencies in her story?
“Have you investigated all of his known whereabouts?” I ask.
“Yea, I’ve been checking back at his house every day, the places we met clients, his favorite tea houses, restaurants, and the, uh, Myouren Temple.” She answered.
“So, you went to the Myouren Temple? Did you ask anyone there for help?”
“Of course! I’m not some fool.” She said, looking away from me.
“Seija…” I began. “You’re telling me you begrudgingly asked someone else for help before coming to me?”
“Yeah! Look, we’re wasting time. Can we save the interrogation for later?” Seija insisted.
I simply cross my arms, legs, and narrow my eyes.
“Okay, okay, I just flew around to see if he was there and kept searching. I’m too pressed for time is all!” She continued to insist.
I tap my finger on my arm impatiently.
“They’ll axe me, okay? I caused some trouble at that temple awhile back and if they see me, I’ll catch some Buddhist magic to the face, which I don’t have time for!” She spoke, clutching her dress.
“You would rather he die then rough up some Buddhists into forming a search party?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound very Seija to me.”
Seija began to shake, and her eyes darted in all sorts of directions as if she were looking for an escape route. Then she broke.
“Fine, you want to know why I’m not asking that witch hag and her goons for help?! It’s because they’ll take him away from me! That guy is always going on about how he doesn’t want to cause Hijiri trouble, and she treats Goro like he’s already in her twisted flock! She was just waiting for something bad to happen to him so she could catch and convert him, it’s what she does with all the tepid humans who are on edge about entering the temple! I bet she even plans these things I bet…” Her face was red with frustration and grief.
“…I’m just not giving him to her okay! She had her chance to stop me, and she didn’t, so he’s mine!” Seija said, with all the dignity of a spoiled brat.
I’m aware that I’m somewhat naïve, but if this was an act it was a good one.
“Seija, are you in love with this man, Goro?” I ask.
“Eh! What are you even asking me? I think I’m gonna be sick.” Seija replied, holding her head.
Disgust? Did that mean she was pleased? Wait, she did torture him half to death and absolutely betray his confidence, so being an Amanojaku…
“You’re so far head over heels you’ve flipped over!” I shout.
“Stop. Please.” She falls to her knees, trying to hold it in.
Even putting her being an Amanojaku aside, Seija was an egotist. She cared about her own power and entertainment most of all, for her to go so far for a single person was insane. I feel lightheaded.
“I’ve never seen a love this pure.” I say, embarrassed.
Seija had cupped her hands over her ears as to not listen to my observations.
It was decided. I didn’t know if Seija was telling me the whole truth, but I was bearing witness to a miracle here and it was far too interesting to turn away from! Making sure Seija made proper amends for bullying the small could come later!
“Alright!” I said, pulling out the miracle mallet. “I’ll use the mallet to help you locate Goro, that should make for a light enough penalty to not jeopardize anything!”
“Thanks.” Seija groaned, recovering from her ill feelings.
I waved the miracle mallet in the air and thought on our objective. For a moment it glows brightly and the air crackles before returning to its inert state.
“Shouldn’t be long-“ I begin to say, but am interrupted by a gigantic tarp impacting my face.
Furiously tearing through what I realize now was paper, I gaze out my window to see a flying tengu.
“Special edition!” She says, before speeding away.
“Damn birds.” I complain, rubbing my head while crawling over the newspaper.
Which publication was this even? How many ‘free samples’ did they have to pelt at the castle before they realized we weren’t interested in their prattle?
The front page reads: ‘Buddhist Monk’s Ominous Protest!’
‘The HSE has become a well-known establishment within the Village in the past few months and has been met with no shortage of detractors from irate business owners to Youkai puritans and religious protests. Meanwhile the Yakumo-backed institution continues to see great success regardless, but a new protest of one could finally threaten its existence!’
‘A man identified as Goro Nomura has been sitting cross-legged across from the entrance to the HSE for the two days, speaking only in twisted sutras, and refusing to acknowledge anything except the business in front of him! Numerous attempts to remove him have been made but were unsuccessful as Nomura-San is operating within a well-known village compact that allows Buddhists to exercise their faith even in commercial zones. Which one can clearly see on the post beside Nomura-San’s protest spot.’
‘” I find it comforting” one local woman said. “That building has attracted all sorts of seedy people, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it! It’s the most we can do to keep our children away from it and try to go about our lives.”’
While local support for the man’s protest is evident, major issue has been taken with his ominous presence and apparel, mainly the threatening, possibly magic beads around the man’s right arm and the doll-like construction of his left.
‘” We respect right Nomura-San’s rights to exercise Buddhism, however as a business we are responsible for our patron’s safety.” A representative of the HSE explained. “We are carefully monitoring the situation and keeping around the clock watch for any unlawful or dangerous activity and will make every effort to remove Nomura-San if he has proven in contempt of any village compact.
‘Goro Nomura is well known within the village and Buddhist circles as a reliable broker, handy man, and acquisition agent, one who has found work with various small Youkai groups and may have performed jobs for larger organizations such as the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Earth Sprit Palace, and the gangs of New Hell. This has led some to question if this is not an act of religious devotion, but an ‘activist-for-hire’ job in progress.’
‘” It’s obviously an angle. This guy’s no different from the rest of these follow-on [local businesses] and the fact that he’s using Buddhism for sympathy is so shameful. Expect him to be walking around with full pockets in a few months. In fact, I bet Yakumo is paying him off!”’ a local HSE patron, who wished to stay anonymous, commented.
Seija, I think I found him.” I said, looking up from the paper to an empty room.
I sighed as I grabbed my bowl and needle off the wall. Intent on following her.

// Cirno 15

Standing next to the exhausted Cirno on the surface of the frozen Moriya temple’s lake, its grand pillars turned into earth rings that now littered the ice. “So the first thing you have to know is that they’re all insane, it sounds nice to have a bunch of young handsome men waiting on you hand and foot day and night, but then one of them slices himself open to prove his devotion to you.” Suwako was of course speaking from personal experience here, although she had ended up marrying him so there was a bit of hypocrisy in her statement.

Cirno stared up into the sky, too tired to formulate a response as she caught her breath.

Continuing her rant, Suwako said, “The second thing you should know is to not become a curse or harvest god, there’s already so many of us that you’d barely get any faith, and curse gods get a bad wrap, there’s a reason I had to subjugate the Mishaguji.” For good reason, there wasn’t any real way to be a strong curse god and also not be at least a little bit evil, although the same crimes Suwako would fault the Mishaguji for she was also guilty of.

Cirno nodded wordlessly as feeling began to return to her limbs, her wings embedded in the ice beginning to try to free themselves.

“Third thing, don’t go randomly raising people to godhood, having servants is nice, and making sure your children and their kids are safe is good and all, but you shouldn’t go out handing spare curse gods or divine powers for birthdays.” Suwako also needed to learn that the hard way, of course, she half blamed her husband and children for being so fecund. “I can’t believe what Kanako is thinking to do, that young lady.” Suwako shook her head disapprovingly, Cirno didn’t really understand what she was talking about there, but she felt like she agreed.

Breaking herself from the Ice Cirno levitated back upright, stretching as she felt strength return to her.

“Fourth thing, start a business, all big religions in the outside world work on the basis of exchanging goods for a service, we do the same thing here, Ju-” Of course, the Moriya also extorted, threatened, smuggled, and schemed, but those were things SUwako was wise enough to not encourage in CIrno.

Gears began turning in Cirno’s head as Suwako continued on increasingly personal and gossipy tips. ‘She had tried to sell shaved ice before, but apparently, people didn’t like her water-flavored shaved ice. Maybe she could get the Moriyas to help her? Wasn’t there also a lemon fairy somewhere, although it was winter so she should probably work more on that, saving her spray-on-tan ability for when she needed it.’ However, there was also something that had been bugging Cirno.

“Hey Suwako? What about Yukari? I know she’s hurting Anon, and Reimu never liked her, but why do all this?” Cirno had been wondering about it for some time, Okina’s recruitment made sense to her, and so did her preparation to fight Yukari, but Yukari herself was a complete enigma to Cirno

Suwako sighed. “Honestly, I don’t understand either Yukari or Okina, and I trust them to do what's best in their own interests, but I have no idea what that is. Just be careful, those two are schemers and creeps.” Cirno nodded, Okina seemed nice, but there were also times she saw her and Narzin doing something… weird.

“If I had to say something Yukari’s just mad, humans are just like that. That’s half the reason gods and youkai exist, to oppose and be defeated by humans, but like us, their pride is their downfall. So if you want to take some lessons from this incident, never rest on your laurels, don’t become an enemy of humanity or Gensokyo for that matter, and be careful.” Suwako was talking more about herself and Kanako there than Yukari, but it still mostly applied and these were lessons everybody needed to learn.

“Thanks Suwako.” Nodded Cirno, it didn’t entirely make sense to her, but she was sure she’d understand in time “I’ll see you later, oh bye the way, remember to hit Kanako.” Cirno flew behind a rock and entered a back door to the temple. Shou wanted her to be able to count on her as a senpai, right? Surely she’d be help in figuring out Yukari and Okina.

“Bye Cirno!” She heard Suwako call as the sound of footsteps came closer to the temple shrine and lake.

// Seija/Goro 44-45

‘The man was a gnat and he knew it’, yes, this was the problem Yukari had decided.
Goro was one of the hundred or so villagers on the ‘watch list’ for breaking taboos and becoming Youkai or worse, which would normally be the responsibility of the shrine maiden to watch, but as Reimu fell increasingly behind on her duties it fell to the Gap Sage instead.
Unlike other miscreants though, Goro almost seemed acutely aware of this fact and prodded, but never pushed, the rules. He would skim Youmu books, but never read them fully. He knew a few spells and incantations of various like but would rarely use them and only in unexciting fashions. He’d carried on business relationships with Youkai and accepted invitations into their domains, but always left early and abided by custom. And he honored his ancestors while safeguarding his own soul from taint with the minimum of Buddhist practice.
Even when it came to gods, Goro had been effortlessly evasive. He worshipped Okina, but only her aspects and never the whole. This syphoned any faith directed toward him in a myriad of directions, meaning he couldn’t be glorified, but also wasn’t glorifying Okina directly, so she was incapable of making him a surrogate.
‘If the old pervert was capable of taking male servants that is’ Yukari thought.
This all made it especially tricky to stop Goro’s recent efforts against her, but like a fly it was more of a passive annoyance. He might’ve greased palms, caused troublesome parties to join hands, found a way to get those fickle Grassroots Youkai to coordinate in a way nobody could decipher, gotten an Amanojaku as his aide, and just maybe, maybe it would result in her having to waste an hour or two to get a flyswatter. She had more important matters to attend to in the meantime.
That was until he showed up at her doorstep with the equivalence of a tactical nuke in the form of a cursed bracelet.
‘I should’ve have insisted on sealing that one permanently.’ Yukari grimaced, remembering the Youkai Hunter who’d manufactured those beads.
Which raised a more important concern: ‘Why had Okina allowed “that” to fall into his hands?’ Yukari questioned. The god was bound by ancient compacts to not allow the tomb to be pilfered unless the harmony of the village was under grave threat and while the rising tensions may qualify, why that cursed thing? Why not the spear that casted empty lightning or the braid that sealed words instead of the weapon made by a psychopath to win several bets at once!
‘Uses Houjustsu but behaves like Youjustsu, a grudge that never grows, made purely from humans without the assistance of gods, youkai, or spirit…’ Yukari listed off the dares she rembered.
Should she simply forsake subtly and respond in force?
‘No.’ Yukari decided, ‘This is just like Okina, to prod and provoke her opponent onto her turf and crush them with experience.’
“Yukari-sama.” A quiet but confident voice called from the door.
“We have a situation outside the establishment.” Yamashiro stated, seemingly unbothered by the dire nature of things.
Yukari had noted that her manager had become warmer and less jaded in the past few monthes, which had made the HSE run a little smoother and allowed her to address more dire matters, but for some reason she found herself a little annoyed by it.
“I’m aware.” Yukari stating, sliding forward a piece of parchment. “Read that statement when the Tengu arrive and keep our people from getting too close. At least until I have Ran take a look.”
“… like a good-tempered horse, stays stoic and tame; and content with daily food and clothing, announces quietly that he will remain still for some time…” The apparent monk chanted.
He had arrived in the mob of morning traffic at some point, using the cover of the crowd’s hustle and bustle to make his little spot before any of us could notice, and by the time we did, Goro had already made his place.
“Ran-sama…” A quiet voice said, tugging at my robe.
It was one of the workers at the HSE, a small tanuki, although lacking in the boldness and ill manners of her kin. I squatted next to her so that she could whisper into my ear.
“Goro-san is a kind person. He isn’t dangerous but…” she trailed off, trying to find the words. “…he looks different.”
I patted the girl’s head. “I’m sure he’s just a little confused, why don’t you go back inside hm? I believe Takane may have some work for you.”
The tanuki bowed and quickly scurried away.
Carefully I went back to my observations. The man was wearing an ancient, but well-kept, Buddhist robe although the branching, angular patterns sowed in white along the cuffs seemed irregular. His left hand resembled a mannequin, but seemed entirely functional despite that as if it was just another part of his body, unimportant then. On his neck were visible bruises and a few bite marks, probably Youkai? Was this an act of revenge?
What made analysis difficult was the thick, ominous presence of the energies that were pouring out of that bracelet of his. Like a single powerful light causes a photo to be over-exposed the malignant energies flooded my spiritual senses so that I could hardly see the man’s spiritual being.
What I could observe were the faces that seemed to inhabit each bead. Their expressions were indifferent, and the subject of their observation would rapidly and erratically change. I watched as one face tracked a merchant, then a bird, then a light particle, and finally a sound. Sometimes the faces would even disappear for a moment, perhaps tracking something that couldn’t be perceived normally?
My brain was working overtime trying to collect, aggregate, and analyze the faces behavior, including how long they observed a subject, categories of objects and phenomena they observed, pairs of objects they transitioned between, the transition time between different objects, which bead face observed what…
It would take decades for even someone as analytically powered as I am to discern their pattern, if any.
But for a fleeting moment, a fraction of a second so small most people wouldn’t even perceive it, I saw a face observe the HSE for longer than it had then it had previously.
Goro was calculating a firing solution.
“…To what the soul may be compared which is a predator to the defenses of the jovial…”

// Keine 1

With children, things never start big. It's always an ember that, unfortunately, starts the fire; "Keine-sensei!" I look at the student with her hand raised, the majority of the class focusing on their own cliques and drawing—it is their pause for drawing—and I approach. She looks like a mix of embarrassment and curiosity. Never a good thing.

"What is it, Fumiko-chan?" I ask, her brother—Daisuke—on the table by her side, trying his best to hold off his laughter.

This feeling… I sense impending doom—

"… Are you pregnant?"

Wha—

"WHAT?! Keine-sensei is pregnant?!" I hear the yell from behind me, the pepping tammy holding her cheeks with glitter in her eyes.

The whole class is now looking at me.

—What the—

"Wow! Keine-sensei is pregnant! Congrats—my mum is also pregnant; you can be pregnant friends!" Another student announces, raising her arms to the skies with a big smile.

"No, wait, I'm not—" OOF! A comet hits me, an excited boy putting his ear on my belly as if to listen for a baby and, as expected, he can only hear blood circulation—

"Wow, I can hear the baby! Congrats, Keine-sensei!” Not that a child could tell the difference… The fire is always small, but it can grow as fast as an ember on dry hay. The entire class, forgetting their drawings, rushed around me like a horde, a cacophony of shrieking voices congratulating me for my pregnancy or trying to listen to my blood circulating. Already red and growing angry with all the commotion, I'm about to yell for them to stop before a tiny voice somehow overlaps all the others.

"Wait—how did Keine-sensei get pregnant?"

Twenty pairs of eyes are over me, all laddered with confusion and expecting answers. I'm positively beet-red. "I-I… Uh… You see—"

"KEINE-SENSEI IS PREGNANT, NO MORE SCHOOL! HAHAHA!" I froze still when the yell echoes throughout the school's corridors, one of my more energetic students having left the classroom without me noticing and shouting that in the fucking corridor—worse of all, whispers start in the distance, and I can clearly discern my name—

This is getting out of hand! I need to do something! "Lis—"

"It was Ms. Yakumo, duh—she decided Keine-sensei should have a baby, and poof, Keine-sensei is pregnant—just like my mum." Someone says their theory, probably having heard similar things from that disgusting place run by the Gap Youkai—which I never ever placed a foot on!

"Wait, your mum is also pregnant?"

"I wonder if Ms. Yakumo can poof a baby in me too," a little girl says, holding her belly. Between rushing behind the boy still laughing in the corridors about the presumed lack of school days and this, my choice is made for me.

"NO! Don't even think about going near Yukari, okay?! You're too young for that!"

"Aw…"

“What about me? I’m three months older than her—”

“Only AFTER you’re 18!”

“Dammit.”

"So it is Ms. Yakumo—"

"No, it's not Yukari that is—GO AFTER HOMURA-KUN, PLEASE!" I yell at the classroom representative, who jumps like a scared cat, nods, and goes after the dumbass STILL yelling in the corridors. The whispers are loud, and I hear footsteps closing on my class. I'm sweating from nervousness, the kids talking lighting fast, and I'm just not able to accompany it all and— "L-Listen, I'm not—"

Strong arms lift me from the ground, and a lively laugh echoes through the classroom. Oh no… "KEINE, YOU DID IT! AHAHA! BEFORE ME, EVEN MORE! YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Mokou yells, her embrace crushing my ribs—cautious as to not squeeze my belly—her personality and loud voice rallying up the students even more with excitement and wonder, the girls talking with their heads on the clouds about pampering their teacher and accompanying close by the progress of my belly; the boys confusedly theorizing just how my pregnancy came to be.

My pregnancy that doesn't even fucking exist!

"I wish you weren't such an idiot and had told me—discovering it like this, from a snotty, annoying kid, is so anticlimactic! But I am just so happy for you, Keine! You, the one that always goes on and on about how you can never find a good man, becoming a mother!" Mokou puts me down, hands clasping my shoulders and the biggest smile on her face. "This gonna be so good, I'm gonna be an aunt! Who's the father, anyway?"

"Wow, who's the father?" A girl asks, excited about the prospect of a love story.

"Keine-sensei, Hagoromo-kun ran off to the village—he's still yelling about your baby!" The class representative returns, crying and shaking.

There's a crying child; all my other students are commemorating or confused about my pregnancy; the school already knows it, and the whole village will know it in minutes—even Mokou somehow got into this monumental mess…

I'm pale as a ghost, trembling and cold sweating with just how quickly this fire went from an ember to a full-on nuclear explosion—

“Wait… I can hear two babies! You're gonna have twins!” An overexcited kid yells, ear on my belly.

Mokou's eyes glow like stars, smile wide.

Oh, fuck off…

// Ran/Chen 34

It was a cold night, but knitted clothes kept me, Chen—hi!—and Mr. Anon warm and cozy. Clouds obstructed the moonlight, and although I could see well in the dark, Mr. Anon couldn't, so we got a fancy flashlight—a mini Ms. Okuu inside a tube! Wow!—and left the shrine, waving to Ran, who stayed behind to cook dinner.

"So," Mr. Anon started, holding my hand and guiding us to the forest, the flashlight illuminating the way, our heavy boots crushing fallen sticks and dead foliage. "What friend are we playing with tonight?"

My smile grows, looking forward in the darkness, tails bobbing as I think. There are many friends we have been accompanying recently, and I really just want to see everyone… But that'd be too straining for Mr. Anon, wouldn't it? So, as we jump over a small pebble hole in the ground, I decide, "Flan!"

"Ho? Flan? Hm…" There was something weird in Mr. Anon's face, like anxiety—but it vanished as fast as it came, his adventurous smile returning. "Okay—let's go see Flan!" And so he was running, my cat ears perking and blood rushing, following him and laughing. Mr. Anon is a bit slow to dodge the obstacles under the cover of the night, but that's from a youkai's point of view—and if he were to fall, I'd be there in a second to catch him!

I think he knows that.

We soon reach Flan's tree, Mr. Anon pulling me out from the ground and placing me on his shoulders—yeah, I can fly… but being carried around is so fun!—followed by the flashlight in his mouth and then climbing the tree with trained quickness, my arms loosely holding him.

Not like I'm gonna fall.

As we reach the thicker layer of branches, Mr. Anon stops and flashes mini Ms. Okuu around and—wow! "Flan's web is shining like gold!" I point, eyes wide with wonder.

I can hear his smile as he says, "Beautiful, isn't it?" He keeps the light on the glistening web, climbing the rest of the way up to a stable tree branch with much more careful movements—it's a 30ft fall. "Flan's a…" He stops, looking at me expectantly.

"Trichonephila clavata~" I purr, raising my chin with pride as he smiles and nods, finally stabilizing and letting me down. "The book Ms. Suzu got me makes it so much easier to remember names!"

"Oh, remember to thank her a lot when she visits again, 'kay? So…" Carefully, we approach the spider web, the gold shining brighter than my earring. So pretty~oh, and there's Flan! She threads around her web, eight legs as big as my hand, her red and gold coloration resembling the origin of her name—though this Flan is much calmer and likes to be watched, but no touching! "Notice something weird about Flan?"

Huh? I gaze a bit closer, Flan looking at me with all her freaky eyes, her not getting aggressive filling me with warmth—though… Wait a second; she's looking around more than usual. "She… looks like she's searching for something. What is she searching for, Mr. Anon?" His smile falters a bit, flashing the light around as if he were also looking for something.

"Flan is searching for a mate."

"A mate?"

"It's fall, so she needs to find a mate and have babies before winter comes." My eyes light up like fireworks. Babies?! I love babies! They're always so cuddly~ "Though it looks like she's out of luck for tonight, no males in sight… She still has a lot of time, so it shouldn't matter too much."

"Is she in a hurry?" I ask, watching as Mr. Anon moves a bit to a more comfortable position while also spreading his weight.

"Flan there must have her babies before winter, so she can pass on her genes," he sighs, apparently not knowing how to form whatever he's going to say next— "… Or she'll die without fulfilling her purpose."

I frown, tails stopping. Huh? "Flan will die…" I look at the golden web and Flan, the spider still searching for a mate. She's so young—not even a year old— "… Why?"

"That's the cycle of life of beings with such a short lifespan," he smiles awkwardly, free hand landing on my head and brushing my ears. "She has her children and does everything to protect them until her last breath. Then, during spring, the eggs hatch, and it all starts again—it may look sad, I know—" apparently he read my mind, my lungs deflating. "—but I'll say it's a joy. Having Hana, for example, gave me such purpose at a point in my life I was feeling so lost… I couldn't be happier that time."

"… It's always like this?" He looked at me, puzzled. “You’ll die…?”

He gasps quietly, but then pats my head, smiling. I feel like crying. "Don't worry about that, Chen… Death is what gives short lives like mine meaning. To know my days are numbered… That's why I love exploring, playing, and teaching you—doing all that makes me assured I'm not wasting my time in this world!"

I've heard those words before…

I look at Flan—oh, there's a smaller spider by her! Mr. Anon loudly laughs at my surprise. "Oh, I was wrong: looks like she found herself a mate—let's give them some privacy."

And, as Mr. Anon descends the tree, I cling to him like never before.

// Seija/Goro 46-49

The second I had seen Goro and the HSE in that picture I had rocketed off, not thinking about much else, in retrospect, that’s probably how they tracked and caught me so easily.
It started with a furry of translucent pink fists rocketing in all directions around me, which took me by surprise, but I knew they were the product of that bald-headed Nyuudou: Unzan.
He wasn’t the problem. Anyone who’d fought with Ichirin, his spokeswoman, was well aware of the fact that he was too pansy to hit people directly. Meaning one of the other Buddhist Youkai or Ichirin herself were probably in the wings. I couldn’t afford to let that wimp pinkie direct me into their assault!
But in charging as quickly I could to get out of his range I slammed into some kind of wall and felt the familiar feeling of surface tension breaking. A river? Up so far in the sky?
Couldn’t get stuck in impossibilities now, so holding my breath, I charged headlong in to try to find an exit before the drag of the water let them catch up to me, then I heard the cheers.
Men, woman, all dressed in sailor’s garb emerged from the bleakness of the water and were all making a beeline for me, wielding spears, nets, and oars. None of them looked panicked to be in some floating sky river nor did they seem focused like they were on a hunt, all of them just looked freakishly enthused, as if on their way to a party.
Well at least they knew how to enjoy a fight!
I charged into the weakest looking part of the crowd and began throwing their bodies to propel myself forward and give the other maritime rabble something to catch that wasn’t fish. For a while I was making progress, inching along through the width of the river. They were a persistent bunch however and a few nets here, some dodged spears there, and they were closing around me in all six directions.
From the corner of my eye, I could a shadow over the daylight cast into the water. Someone was above the surface.
Well, I don’t think I could flip our positions from this far away, but it was better then being made a cabin wrench for a bunch of psychotic fishmen spirits!
I snap my fingers and suddenly find myself floating in the sky once more, a strange trail of water behind me, seemingly all the iconic Buddhists brigade surrounding me, including a few strange people with helmets seemingly made from baskets I didn’t recognize, and Hijiri, the chief witch in charge herself, staring down at me with smiling contempt.
Out of the frying pan into the inferno, eh?
With a snap of my fingers, I flip positions with one of the basket men and rocket away as fast as I could. Leaving the whole mob in my dust.
For some reason I was on fire. Normally I couldn’t pull off flipping locations like this and especially not in quick succession. What’s more, none of their attacks were touching me. I sailed left and right, dodging whatever bullets came my way well before they had a chance to make their mark. Were they all taking me lightly or was I just that good? It didn’t seem like they were pulling punches.
But it was not to last. As I flew, I felt some weird increase in resistance, like the wind was guiding me in a particular way. I leaned into it, trying to increase my speed, right into a net lined with charms and Ofuda.
The characteristic shock and needling feeling caused by those charms’ effects coursed through my body and in a desperate gamble, I snaped my fingers.
The shock stopped and everything went quiet.
“You idiots put an off switch on these things?” I laughed.
Then I felt a metal rod strike my head and back, a rope tied around my neck, and a smog blown over my face. I was out within seconds.
When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the scent of tea.
The second thing I noticed was that the whole Myouren Temple fighting force had assembled as if it was a family meeting, plus that annoying Taoist brat Futo. Feh, I’d like to thrash her again if I could.
I was bound to a chair, and I felt weak, whatever they used this time I don’t think I could flip out of it too easily even if I was on a roll. That, combined with the barely lit confines of what I could only assume was a tea house made it clear that I was up for interrogation.
How long had it been?
“Seija Kijin” Hijiri spoke, approaching me.
The woman was clearly pissed. You could tell by that gait of Her’s, so practiced and refined, not as calm and serene as she usually walked, even if she did have that little smile of hers on.
“Congratulations!” She happily said, holding my cheeks and smiling.
I expected a lot, but this was far down the list.
“You all surprised that it took all of you more then a few tries to bring me down?” I spat on the floor “How about we have set of ‘fair’ bouts okay? You’ll be singing my praises as I level each of you one by one.”
“Oh no, not your evasion” She said, waving her hand “you formed a connection, didn’t you?”
“Connection? What are you on about? Some Buddhist nonsense? Sorry I don’t speak in riddles and sutras. Now let me go, I’ve got a life to save, see? Nothing you religious nuts have the right to get in the way of.” I commanded.
“Ah, how admirable.” Hijiri said, laying her check on her hand.
“You were once again charging ahead to save a loved one? This is the second time if what I learned is true.” She remarked.
Something about this whole situation was wrong. While Hijiri was seemingly all smiles, the rest of the peanut gallery was quiet, as if she was about to let me know I’ve been kicked out of the family and was just making small talk in the meanwhile. Plus, those bucket heads were still around. What was their deal?
“Yeah yeah, I’m a regular Buddha, if you understand that, then untie me and I’ll leave without pummeling you all as a courtesy.” I jeered.
She pulled up a chair and sat in it all lady like.
“You see Seija,” Hijiri began as if I hadn’t said anything. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to guide Youkai like yourselves who’s very nature makes it hard to co-exist with humans. I’ve tried several methods and observed several situations, but unfortunately it was all I could do to simply turn away Youkai who seemed trapped in their evil nature.” Her shoulders slumped.
“Can’t fix what isn’t broke.” I remark, shaking my head.
“One such method was a sort of ‘exchange’.” She started again, ignoring me. “You see, if a human being willingly offers an evil youkai their flesh and eats the flesh of an evil youkai in return, then they might form a bond. The youkai subsists on the human’s consumed flesh and the human, having consumed the youkai’s flesh, sustains a mutual existence. Just like a marriage, the two are bound to each other by love and by that method even an evil youkai may become good and wise.” She explained.
“Feh, what kind of quack methods are you taking about.” I joke. “Ain’t no way just eating an arm or leg is gonna satisfy something like an Oni.”
“Very observant Seija!” She said, clapping her hands. “That’s why the human must give it willingly. By doing so, the emotion of sacrifice elevates the value many times fold for the youkai. Oh, but this isn’t something like a god receiving faith or the like, it’s more like the human giving a gift of love that only one person can receive.” She clarified.
“However, to consume flesh is taboo and human flesh doubly so.” Hijiri clarified.
I could see the youkai in the back looking in other directions as if they didn’t all eat and drink and use the Sutras as napkins after the fact.
“What’s more, this method could lead to ‘Gaki-ai’ a ‘Ghoul Love’. It’s the height of destructive lust and attachment that leads only to pain, even subsuming pure love itself.” She spoke.
“Bleh, could you please stop talking about ‘love this’ and ‘love that’? It’s annoying to see someone so old go on and on about it.” I sneer.
“What I’m pursuing is a way to establish ‘Hou-ai’ or ‘Principled Love’ between man and youkai.” She continued, ignoring me once more. “Which I believe you’ve managed to create between Goro and yourself.”
“What?!” I yelled, rocking my chair as I did. “Hey you perverse granny! How many times do people gotta tell you to stop trying to play matchmaker and up and die already!”
Her fist struck me as soon as I finished speaking and I flew across the room before her hand grabbed my collar moments before I impacted the wall and tossed me gingerly to the other side of the room, landing on my side.
“It’s such a shame then, how you achieved such an end.” Hijiri spoke, slowly approaching me in that measured gait once again.
Everyone in the room froze and all the wandering, uncomfortable eyes looked at me. Even Nue’s, yes, I see you hiding back there in the shadows, jaw slightly dropped.
Hijiri knelt beside me and felt my stomach. Then raised and kicked me hard in the side. Like a soccer ball I flew into the air and just barely my chair touched the ceiling, before falling onto her fist.
As I gagged, I looked into her eyes. She was no longer smiling, and any false pretense was gone. She was livid.
“You truly are contemptible.” Hijiri said as I fell to the floor.
“Thanks.” I gagged. “I really-“I spit out before she gags me with a rope, tying it tightly around my head.
“When I saw you with Goro first, I was hopeful. That man had dealt with youkai far more dangerous and malevolent then you and never cursed anyone. He truly wished the best for everyone, even his enemies. But in the end, you just had to use him for your own twisted gratification, cursed him, and…” Her face twitched “…you even soiled him afterwards?”
What remarkable praise!
“You were pretty lucky that we found you first actually.” The Nazrin replacement (except she was rat) spoke up, whatever her name was, Chizhao? “Plenty of other people have a vendetta on you for this. It’s not like last time where I heard you just had a price on your head.” She remarked.
“It’s because Goro was never dishonest and didn’t patronize anyone!” Ichirin interjected. “He didn’t pity you or act condescending! He’d always made sure his deals where fair, and all parties benefited! He accepted everyone as they were and you…” She began, clenching her teeth. “…even when he accepted an Amanojaku like you, you still betrayed him!”
Was she speaking for herself, Unzan, or both?
“He was fool hearty sure.” Murasa chimed in. “But when he was just a lad and I helped him fish up his father’s corpse, he still sold everything he had to buy me hooch as payment uh,” She stuttered, realizing she’d probably just earned herself a punishment for drinking several years in the making. “Ah hell, he practically drowned my skirt in tears that night.”
What was this, a wake?
“When he discovered his ability, he confided in me first. When I asked him why when I had made such poor use of my own well…” Shou began, tightening her grip on the spear “…he told me it was cool how I could still look so confident regardless.”
“His fear would always spike when making a deal, the unknown between him and his client, that was his favorite thing.” Nue spoke from the shadows.
“Seija.” Hijiri began, untying the rope gag from my head. “Speak your piece and then we’ll decide what to do with your.”
Finally.
“You’re all a bunch of sad losers and hypocrites.” I spoke.
“You talk a big game about co-existence, acceptance, and all this other crap, but when it comes down to it, you’re just scared and seething about ‘how things are supposed to be’. You want to know why Goro’s mine and not saying Sutras with your sorry lot? It’s because he likes me better.”
“It you’re just going to jeer at us…” Hijiri’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, but I’m telling you the truth! He put you all at arm’s length because he can smell the failure on all of you and is afraid of what’ll happen if he takes the kid’s gloves off. You know what? I’ve stopped blaming him! Who wants to become a Lonely Sea-locked wrench who has to drown people to make friends, a pair of co-dependent fickle, alcoholic priests, a lazy avatar who can’t even be a puppet right, an indecisive introverted yet somehow attention-starved prankster, or a hypocrite witch hag who’s more afraid of death then a naked, beaten, broken man who at least had some fight in him!” I condemned.
“I mean, look at this circus! Look at the village! The HSE! I’d want to die a peaceful death to if these were my options! That’s why he belongs to me and not you. I may be a weak little contrarian, but I ate that fear out of him. All of you are too complacent to do the same.”
For a while the tea house was quiet as my words sunk in.
Most of what I said was meant to hurt them, but I believed every word.
Hijiri stepped over to me, raised my chair, and with a motion raised the window shutters with magic.
Outside I saw the HSE and in front of it, Goro, sitting as he was in the newspaper photo, chanting.
“I wonder how much of that spiritual energy you can see. Goro has been sitting there for more than a day chanting sutras and focusing on that building in the meantime. He’s turning himself into a missile, one that will target exclusively the HSE and destroy its target. When it’s done, his soul will most likely be annihilated.” Hijiri explained.
I did see the twisted aura coming off him. Like a dirty candle flame it flowed from below him and bellowed upward, terminating at a tip. Within it I couldn’t see any sort of screaming skulls, spinning knives, or anything else corporal, just malice.
“I’ll give you one chance to save him, but if you fail, I will take him somewhere you’ll never find him again.” Hijiri continued, stripping something from my back.
With my bindings gone I fell forward and smack my face into the floor.
“And at that point, I’ll assume your incapable of anything but sin and take appropriate precautions to protect this land.”
Getting up I gazed about the room one more time. It was as she said, all of them seem poised to let me leave, although that probably means they had other ways of tracking me.
“Hey Taoist brat.” I yell at Futo. “Why’re you here huh? Interested in some Buddhist family drama.”
She shook her head. “I would not lower myself to finding pleasure in other’s strife such as you would knave. Mine own master simply asked that I observe the situation regarding this man.”
Probably because that scheming Miko was up to something. Whatever, she could sit on her coach and watch all she wanted, just like the rest of these hacks.
“You all watch and learn.” I said, making for the door. “I’ll show you quacks how to actually ‘save’ someone’s soul”.

// Reimu 4

Holding Chen's hand on mine brings me back to a distant past, one I look with eyes of the densest regret. I squeeze her hand, the ghostly red and white ribbon on her head fading as her ears twitch and her big, round eyes stare at me. "Ms. Reimu?"

"… Sorry, you said something, Chen?"

"No—are you feeling well? No bad thoughts?"

My thumb caresses the back of her hand, and though her eyes are gray as cobblestone for a moment, I nod. "It's okay, I swear—wounds of old just… don't fade away easily." Her hand squeezes back, eyes of worry, the scarf around my neck stopping cold thoughts from crawling up my spine. I smile, picking her up from the ground with a surprised yelp from the cat, placing her on my shoulders and holding her legs. "If you keep being this precious, I'll fall in love!" She giggles, opening her arms as if to resemble a plane.

With a tinge of good humor, I look forward, seeing Ran and Tetsu in the distance and—

—Aya Shameimaru…

… I knew she was part of the team. Yet, I wasn't expecting to see her so soon—actually, seeing her at all. A remarkably foolish desire.

I feel my blood cooling, my gaze narrowing, latent power at my very fingertips.

Yet I won't attack.

Aya is the root of many of my problems—the defamation, the humiliation, the fake news… But what she's not is the seeds, nor the sower of them. Chen notices my silence and growing aura of tension, her tiny hand gently caressing the top of my head. I don't look at her as I whisper, "Thank you…"

We approach the group of three, a weird conversation I pay no mind to, my eyes glued to the crow's back, softly picking Chen from my shoulders and putting her down. Ran notice me first, nine-tails getting bushy and a glare that said "no." I nodded back, calmly, and she understood. Tetsu remained quiet, smile mischievous, and Chen never took her eyes from me, frowning and watching with her little heart pounding…

"—I really don't see how that's my best option. I'm sure there's something else we can do and—" I give one hard step, the entire of the tengu's body tensing like a rod… Slowly she turns, neck timidly bending backwards and eyes broad as she stares at me, body towering over hers, a cold gaze probably making her feel naked—sure, I'm not going to attack… But, despite everything, I still do have a sense of humor, and scaring people is funny—even though she looks terrorized, all visible hairs standing up. "… Reimu…"

"Aya." And I simply walk past her. I can almost hear her body jolting with relief, and a slight smile breaks my semblance—Toutetsu openly laughs, Ran breathing a sigh of relief.

Puzzled, Chen looks at the crow, huffing as if she just escaped drowning. "Are you okay, Ayaya? Ms. Reimu is not scary."

"Bless you, Chen, bless you…" The tengu murmurs, struggling to turn around and face me. Now, the four of us are here, and discussion of important matters should start. I look at Ran, asking for the first word, and she nods.

"In about two months, we're going to save my ex-husband from Yukari." Aya's eyes shine with the 'ex', and I glare at her, but don't do more. "I've fought Yukari before, and whatever she has in store is more than we can see. She always has something more. Be quick to adapt. Moreover: when we all go down on her—the Moriyas, Okina, Byakuren; us—spellcard rules will be forgotten. She'll be intangible with her gaps and will be able to open our hearts if desired. But she won't do that. Killing—mos—of us—" I look at Aya and Ran; the first recoils, the latter remains undisturbed, at least on surface level. "—could lead to disaster: so expect her to try tampering our minds with her gaps. Any way we can counter her gaps, Ran?" I ask, arms crossed.

"… Me." The single word raises a collective eyebrow. "I can close the gaps she opens immediately—" A gap opens, and she pulls an interesting talisman. The duality of the symbols and color rubs me the wrong way, especially the power imbued there. Too much, simply too much. "—after using this, I'll be able to break Yukari's command over me, but not our seal; she'll need to concentrate to do so, and in the middle of a battle… But closing her gaps should take all of my concentration, which means I'll be an easy and, most likely, a primary target—you'll have to defend me."

"That's on me—no better defense than eating everything she throws at you, Ranni, keh." Tetsu grins, and Ran nods, the slightest of smiles on her face.

With that set-up, I turn to Aya and, swallowing bitterness, speak, "You're the fastest of us. You take Anon, then scram. Got it?" I expected a simple nod, but Aya became red and looked at the ground, cringing under my gaze, giving Ran a side glance, begging for help. The shikigami sighs. "… What am I missing here?"

"Aya… will be recovering from a straining process at the time. It's unsure if she'll participate in the rescue efforts." What…? I look at her, squint—! Something pops up in her aura—

The… five of them.

She’s pregnant with four… Huh.

// Hana 46

Confusion danced across the imposing goddess’s face as Hana couldn’t help but let the humor of the situation wash over her. Here was a miko-in-training scared out of her mind and crying like she was child again while being comforted by the god of a rival shrine, all because she entirely misunderstood the goddess’s feelings and panicked while assuming the worst.

As Hana’s thin laugh grew deeper her smile shone brighter along with it and she could see Kanako’s confusion morph into a slightly nervous smile, which in turn only made Hana more amused as she realized that Kanako must have thought her mentally defective. The two shared a laugh for good bit until Hana finally got the last one out of her system, it felt good letting out that stress and fear.

Hana wiped her eyes, clearing the last bit of tears from her fit as Kanako visibly relaxed, she seemed to ‘lean back’ as her posture slackened despite the lack of anything to lean back to. The confusion and panic on her face from earlier was gone and replaced by an air of thoughtful serenity as a thin smile lifted the edges of her lips and with a sigh softly spoke, “I may have been surprised to learn of Kirisame-san’s visits in secret to your father, but neither of you have earned my ire”

Nodding her head Hana felt a little guilty at ever doubting Kanako as she continued to express her thoughts, “It is true that Suwako and myself are in agreeance in banning Sanae and our faithful from going there and it is also true that we would discourage anyone from going alone, but I know that the both of you are noble in spirit enough to handle yourselves.”

A pang of guilt jolted through Hana at those words but she kept silent. Kanako paused before her next words, clearing her throat and and rubbing the back of her neck as a faint redness spread to the edge of her cheeks, “As for her personality change… I cannot say in confidence what is in her heart, she has little faith and cares little to entrust me with it. We do not share the link letting me hear her prayers and true feelings after all”

Kindness spread across her face with a tender smile as she glided a little closer to Hana, “However, no matter what troubles her I know that if you are patient with her and support her through this you may gain a powerful bond stronger than what you had before.” Hana nodded, that infectious warm smile spreading to her own face, “Consider it the wisdom of chief god of the Moriya shrine and protector of the Youkai Mountain, your love will be rewarded.”

Hana knew it wouldn’t be appropriate, but she couldn’t help herself as she ‘leapt’ onto Kanako’s chest. The young miko wrapped her arms around the goddess as the viper let out a sound rather uncharacteristic for a being of her station. Hana buried her face in the warmth and let out a muffled, “Thank you, Kanako-sama…”

Feeling a hand on her back Kanako spoke with a bit of that embarrassment from earlier creeping in, “Y-your welcome, feel free to come to me with your worries. Hearing out the problems of humans is the job of a god.”

Hana was proud to have Kanako as a friend and confidant.

// Satori 1

With all the trouble lately and making preparations for Koishi’s child, who also turned out to be Kokoro’s due to the mask of hope, somehow. Satori hadn’t realized Orin's scarceness around lately, which was not totally worrying; she could take care of herself.

Satori sighed and grabbed the bottle of pills she kept on her desk, her headaches were becoming more frequent, maybe she could offload some work to Kokoro, but all that slacker seemed interested in doing was Noh and her sister. At the very least keeping track of them was relatively easy with Koishi not popping out of conscious perception, although the new problem of her sister’s bouts of narcolepsy and wandering into other people's dreams was also a problem.

Of course, the Oni were no help, paperwork wasn't fighting and partying so they weren't interested, and for all she loved her pets… well they were animals for a reason. Sighing as she got out of her office chair Satori decided, she'd have to find Orin herself.

Putting on her elementary schooler-sized detective hat and grabbing her magnifying glass, Satori struck a pose, it was time for ’The Return of Cheating Detective Satori.’ Of course, this was just her own way of getting out of work; hopefully, there were less vengeful spirits this time around.

--

According to some of the other cats she kept had last seen Orin when Kokoro and that troublesome fairy visited. While Satori was talking to Kokoro, Cirno had closed the exit to the waiting room before her office and had talked to Orin, when it had opened the other cats saw Orin fleeing the room as fast as possible.

Moving towards Koishi’s and now Kokoro’s room, opening the door she could see the two of them curled up together, clinging onto each other on the bed, both fully clothed, Satori wouldn’t tolerate Kokoro’s presence if she as so much as touched the bare skin of her sister.

Creeping into the pitch-black room she touched upon their minds with her eye. Koishi was the same from when she tried to read her mind earlier, unlike when she had touched oblivion she could feel the presence of a concise mind, but it was immaterial and would slip through Satori’s psychic grasp. Kokoro was easier, the minds of Tsukumogami were orderly and clean, She reached forward to find the information she pleased about the ice fairy a voice interrupted.

“My, my, I don’t believe we’ve met the little underworld princess.” The voice of a woman responded, it was sly and smug sounding, completely unlike the mostly emotionless and monotone used by Kokoro.

Satori had a good guess on who she was based on her conversations with Kokoro. ”Hata no Kawakatsu, Okina Matara. Your puppet has infiltrated my palace, made herself a companion to my sister, and brought strange enemies to my palace and kingdom, as the Queen of Former Hell. tell me, why should I not expel your presence.” The coils of Satori’s eyes wound and spread themselves across the room, tails tipped with pink hearts prepared to strike.

All she heard in response was laughter, “Hahaha… Well, other than your lack of ability to do so, you mistake my influence over my child as total control, while the ice godling is a servant of mine she came here of her own will, and her mission was only tangentially related to locating your sister.”

“What are your intentions towards my sister. This is not your place, return to the hell of blood pools or Gensokyo I do not care which.” Satori was tired of these interlopers, all the gods of Gensokyo had ever managed to do was create more problems for her to deal with and attack the already troublesome and exiled youkai she had to deal with.

“Do not worry yourself, your sister is safe and I have kept the sensitive information from prying eyes. Other than that, I have no intentions towards your sister, the actions of my creation, my daughter’s actions are entirely her own.” The voice sounded green and pink and Satori could feel the location Okina held in Kokoro’s mind, the very back, where you put things you’d rather not think about, but couldn’t avoid forgetting.

Satori did not entirely trust this foreign god, but she did not sense any lies. Waiting for a moment she spoke. “While that may be, she is of your creation, and by your will, she sought out my sister, do not return here or the Yama will be notified, I have enough trouble as is.”

The voice of the secret god returned, evading Satori's psychic touch deftly as she felt for it. “If you are truly worried, I would pay more attention to that cat of yours, she’s been making quite the trouble lately and I wouldn’t want anything happening to her.” The door in the back of Kokoro’s mind closed, stopping Satori’s psychic touch as she reached towards it.

After scanning the rest of Kokoro's mind she decided, “My sister cares a lot about you, Hata no Kokoro, be careful.” She still had to find Orin. Hopefully, Okuu would know where she was.

// Keine 2

Nuclear fallout has lasting effects; not telling—better: not being able to tell—the truth also has immense consequences.

Like an excited Mokou dragging you through the village, voice as loud as a Chinese ballista. "Since it's going to be twins, we'll need two cradles—or just one, and we cram them together! Gah, won't that be cute? Two bundles of joy holding each other~"

For the millionth time, I try, "Mokou, please, I'm not—"

"It's on me, dummy! Don't worry about money! You'd be surprised at the number of offerings people leave after I help them. Gratitude is a way to make a living, after all, and I don't have—oh, we're here!" The villagers stare at Mokou as she runs inside the weirdly populated store. I'm sure it's not rush hour still, and even though, would a store that only sells baby wares be so busy…?

A bit red when eyes fall on me, I follow Mokou inside, annoyance and frustration giving hands as I hear a whisper; 'oh, that's my son's teacher—I heard she is pregnant' in the background.

It's been only four, five hours since all that mess in the morning and the entire village already knows… How the hell am I going to explain this is a fucking lie!?

"OI, Keine! Look at this!" My eyes broaden as I see what she's holding, her smile shining. "We don't know the genders of your twins yet, so green and red would make a great neutral choice, right? Or we bet and buy all pink, or all blue—or maybe even all of them!!" Why is she so goddamn excited about MY pregnancy, anyway—a pregnancy that doesn't even exist?!

My body trembles, accelerating my pace towards Mokou with a new, growing fire. Okay, it MAY have been funny—it wasn't—at the start, but it's growing out of control! I clasp her shoulders; the height difference about two heads, yet my eyes on hers should've made the immortal feel small. "Mokou…" I start, voice deep. "I. Am. Not…" I stop, looking at the sides like a hawk. Nothing to disturb… Good. "I'm not pregnant. There are no kids inside of me. I am NOT pregnant." I finally say it after being thrown around like a doll by a bunch of kids and this overly excited gran the entire day.

Feels great.

Mokou stares at me. I stare back, the cogs turning behind her eyes visible. Great, so she got it—now, to clean the rest of this—

"HAHAHA!" Oh fuck… "Great joke, sis! No need to be ashamed of what’s growing inside of you! It's life! It's beautiful—I've decided: Let's get everything! Blue, pink, green, red, rainbow!" She picks up an empty basket from the ground and starts to fill it with everything that catches her eyes.

I growl, feeling the migraine in the back of my skull pulse like a wound. How dense can one's head be!? Will I need a fucking nutcracker to get through her? Preparing to try again, I'm stopped in my tracks when a gentle hand touches my shoulder, and I turn, frustration getting the best of me and scowling at whoever is—

A tiny rat lady looks at me from below, her belly protuberant and smile warm. The scowl hits that, bounces back to me, and melts away like ice cream, leaving only embarrassment behind. "Excuse me—is this your first pregnancy?" She asks softly.

"I-uh-sorry for that—but—I-I'm not—"

"Yup, this dummy here's a first-time mama!" Mokou barges in, arm around my neck. The rat youkai laughs a bit, the immortal laughs too, and the red of my face grows like a volcano. "You too, missy?"

"Oh, no, this is my second—like the first, 'twas unexpected," even though, she caresses the belly with utmost care. "Can I make an educated guess and say it was also unexpected for you, Miss…?"

"Keine. It's a pleasure…" Feeling weak, I don't try to correct her; just keep on listening.

"It's hard, Ms. Keine, and feeling anger is all right. But take it from me—when they finally arrive, all there'll be is smiles and joy. There may be postpartum depression, but with a friend like yours, I doubt it'll last long! So…" She hovers her little hand over my belly, and, sighing, I just nod. She touches it and gives it some fond slaps. Mokou 'awww's on my side. "While it won't be easy, try to keep your head up and your mind at ease; what's to come are the best years of your life!"

"Gaaah, this is too cute! Your first motherly counseling in the middle of a store, Keine! You've passed the ritual, and your children are blessed!" The rat lady—who presents herself as Pín—and Mokou laugh all bubbly and do a tad more small talk before the first waves and, with a bow exchange, leaves to keep on shopping. "Isn't this nice, Keine? I wish I could also get lovely advice from other pregnant women… Oh, well! Let's keep on! We still haven't discussed if it'll be one or two cradles!"

And Mokou sets off, basket in hand, smiling wide.

I sigh, facepalming…

… Then, I caress my belly, feeling the residual warmth of the mouse's hand, and soon enough, my blood circulation—and only that.

Groaning in dress, I lightly tap my belly and go after the immortal. So many problems because of such a small miscommunication…

// Kosuzu 6

He took a few minutes of silence as me and Chen competed to scarf down the tea cakes. For such a little thing, she could really stuff them down fast, but I was a master at eating sweets. By the time Anon had put down the catalog, the last cake had disappeared into Chen's mouth. I had let win and have it. Totally. Anon put down the catalog, having written down the titles he wanted. "I'll have these for now" He said.

I took it from him. There was a book on knitting and a novel in a series he was reading. I added the spider book Chen wanted as well. All in all, my business here was done, but twenty minutes was twenty minutes. I'm sure they wouldn't pay much attention to me sitting around and talking to a friend. The perfect cover.

"How is everything? Are the kids doing well?" He asked as he gathered up the empty plates and stacked them out of the way.

"It's all good. The kids are getting to that age where they can be a bit more to handle but my parents are there to help look after them when they're not running around the village getting up to how knows what"

A slight smile comes to his face "I get you. Kids will usually cause some trouble when they grow older and more independent but haven't matured yet. I know Hana caused a bit of mischief when she was younger"

"Oh?" I say as I lean forward. Did I detect a story to be told?

"I remember one time, she was about five or six. She had convinced some of the other kids to come to the shrine and go on a 'youkai hunt'. She must have gotten them all riled up with stories because they all come running into the shrine, scared about their wits about a youkai they had heard stomping through the bushes. So Reimu and I go out to investigate the site, and we find a very confused man hunting for mushrooms. He was scared because he heard a bunch of children yell about a youkai and run away screaming, so he thought there were a bunch of kids in danger. We had to explain what had happened and send all the other kids home after a scolding."

I let out a chuckle and take a sip of my tea. Hana, huh. I hadn't seen much of her after she came back from her months long isolation in the mountains, but she seemed to keep herself busy, always running around doing something. It seemed like everyone was busy since this place opened now that I thought about it. Marisa had come by a few times, but she had seemed oddly tired. Poor girl must be worried about Anon, even if she had downplayed it when I asked. I hadn't even seen Aya since she published the article about this place. She hadn't even come by to check if I was selling that issue. Which was all good and well by me as I hadn't. The Suzunaan was a family friendly store, and the issues talking about the HSE I refused to stuck. The nerve of that tengu, to brag about things like that.

"When are you coming back?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I realized it. It was way too personal and he clearly wouldn't be comfortable for him. Even Chen looked a bit sad, her ears flattening to her head.

Anon tenses up and looks into the distance as if looking for something. "I'll leave when it is safe for me to do so. When Reimu is sorry I'll return" I wanted to say that Reimu did seem better and it should be safe for him to return, that I wanted to see him again without having to slip into a brothel. But my gut told me it would be bad to ask. He was ready so involved with powerful youkai here, no doubt trying to mess with things would cause trouble.

"Ah. I see" I said as I took a other sip of tea. The realization hit me just as I swallowed and I gagged.

"You okay?" Anon asked as I coughed. So that's how it was. Suddenly deciding to change to such a disreputable career, avoiding friends and family, giving dodgy answers, being surrounded by youkai. He'd had gotten himself into trouble just like I used to when I was younger!

"I'm fine, just swallowed it wrong" I tell him. I had to act cool so I could get out of here and warn someone. As if on que, the door opened to reveal Yamashiro.

"Alright, I'm leaving so you better be ready." She says.

"Ah, this is it. Goodbye Anon, goodbye Chen" I get up. All smiles Kosuzu. You can do this.

They both returned my goodbye as I followed Yamashiro out of the shrine to where the door was already open. But Yamashiro stopped when we reached the hallway. Had she found out? Was this was the end for me? Goodbye worl-

"Hey, let me see those orders do I can record them for accounting" Oh. I hand it over and she disappears into a office for a minute before stepping out again. "Thanks. We can go now"

I tried to maintain a neutral expression as I again followed her, this time out of the building. As she trotted off into the distance to wherever she home was, I propped myself up against the wall and caught my breath.

// Halloween Special!

Anon’s day started normally. Rising from a bed he never had the luxury to sleep in even in the Outside, he made himself presentable before heading out to clean the courtyard. The natural flora never needed much tending, but the middle of the autumn season brought more work to keep him distracted. Expecting a scenery of yellow and brown, the entire area was instead bathed in an eerie red.

This wasn’t right. There were courses for immediate nighttime attacks, but this was far different. The sky would be clear, with stars scattered like tiny shards of glass. Not this cloudy atmosphere dominated by the majesty of the full moon. Yukari could be sadistic, but she never made the sky glow red, either. Something was going wrong. Or maybe, just maybe-no time to think about it, if there’s a chance, then it’s time to take it!

His heart was racing. For the first time in more than half a year, Anon set foot past the shrine grounds. The barrier was gone. The barrier was gone! Running as fast as he could, Anon came to set of doors standing conspicuously at the end of a stone path. Pushing through, the sight of an empty, sterile 4-way intersection nearly brought him to tears. A place outside of Yukari’s illusion, but still saturated in that crimson aura. He racked his brain, -C’mon, think! What did Yamashiro say about the exits? What did Ran tell you about the safe measures? Nobody briefed him before starting the breach, so he was left in the dark. The baths or the attraction area! From there, the front entrance should be nearby, then he could find Sanae or Marisa, anybody that could finally free him from this prison.

Going with his gut, the human turned right, his juban leaving him exposed. The door was unlocked, but it wouldn’t budge. Damnit, there was no time for this! After a few unsuccessful pushes, Anon backed up and slammed into the door, shoulder first. Finally, it cracked open enough to reveal the horrible sight within.

The attraction area wasn’t just lit red, it was stained. Anon quickly discovered that it wasn’t a thing blocking the door, it was people. Pale and listless tengu were laying about, moaning for help. Their bodies were piled in some places, wolves clearly stopped in a brave assault and crows caught while fleeing for their lives. In the center of the large room, a massive hole in the ceiling shined its infernal light on a small girl. Her white dress dyed red, her wings unfurled and her blue hair flowing freely in the wind. She held a kappa in her arms, mouth clamped over her neck. Mid-feeding, Remilia made direct eye contact with Anon. There was no sanity, no recognition, no anger. It was bloodlust, a feeling some ancient instinct in the human’s brain warned him of. Slamming the door shut, Anon darted to the opposite side of the hallway. Whatever the hell was happening, Remilia wasn’t in the right mind to help him. Not after sucking all of those girls dry.

The humid air hit him before the scent of iron. Large pools made to accommodate groups of women looked to be filled with wine instead of water. The room’s silence turned into suspense, shooting through Anon’s spine when he noticed what was floating in each pool: Hands, legs and heads belonging to humans, while wings and tails suggested youkai weren’t spared either. Red, semi-circle gashes adorned each limb. Taking careful steps around the pool perimeter, Anon found the only whole body in sight. It had a camouflage print left on the tattered remains of its clothes. Large bites were taken from the exposed chest and belly, leaving behind a cratered canvas of skin and blood crudely framed with fabric. The head was missing, giving Anon a guilty sense of deniability over the victim’s identity.

Further down the baths, a figure began rising from the blood-pool. Even bathed in warm lifeblood, the jiangshi held her arms out stiff and slowly waded her legs towards Anon. Her charms were kept dry, likely an enchantment by Seiga. What worried him, more than her visage, was the writing on her forehead. Instead of her master’s ancient calligraphy, one crude command adorned the paper tag.

“Eat.”

There was nothing he could do against the undead creature but pray she couldn’t open doors. Scrambling towards his entrance, Anon’s heart skipped a beat when he nearly slipped into the baths. He was too weak to help the kappa. Too weak to help the tengu. All he could do was try to help himself. Leaving the deadly waters behind him, Anon locked the door with the single bolt that would never stand up against Yoshika’s full power. Every action could mean the difference between life and death.

Anon’s attention was called by Remillia pounding on the door across from him. One door to freedom was left. Praying to any god that would listen, Anon rushed through the door to his right, directly across from his prison. Seeing the front desk, Anon’s heart was filled with hope before it immediately shattered.

Two bodies were thrown aside as a wild, furry beast feasted on the corpse pressed against the front door. Neither of those bodies had faces, just a gaping scarlet hole where eyes and noses should be. Those bodies didn’t belong to anyone. Any body could have pointed ears, brown fur and blonde fur, two tails and nine tails… they would never die. They were Youkai. They were Yukari’s shikigami. Those were just bodies. Yukari took them with her, leaving Anon for dead.

At least, she may have tried to. Sniffing the air for Anon’s scent, the brown-haired creature’s snout left the neck of the Yakumo household leader, revealing her features still intact and her eyes dead as a fish. No more cunning. No more lust. No more fear or affection or any of her conflicting emotions, hard to read under her constant guard. Nothing.

The creature feasting on the proud Sage was lithe, wrapped in a red, white and black dress and wore a brooch under it’s neck. And those ears… that timid girl? There were no Honshu wolves in the Outside and there were be few others even in Gensokyo. The entire Yakumo household, laid low by the wolf Reimu once described as one of the weakest youkai in Gensokyo. Now, she had the scent of a human on her nose. Spurred by a basic self-preservation instinct, Anon’s legs carried him back into the heart of the HSE.

As he fled down the intersection, Kagerou bounded after him on all fours. The iron door leading to the attraction area bent and broke under Remillia’s single-minded force. Yoshika shattered the wooden entry to the baths into splinters, sending the lock flying into Anon’s side as he ran past. Yet, he couldn’t stop. Every precious second he stayed alive was another chance something, someone would save him from this nightmare.

Entering the shrine room again, the death of Yukari had obvious effects. The entire forest had gone naked, like every leaf had suddenly evaporated. Running through the grounds, dirt and broken branches littered the yard. The shrine itself looked defiled: The wood rotten and covered in moss, paper torn and yellowed, and the scent of death emanating from the building itself. There was no other choice but to return to his cage, the only place that might retain some sense of normalcy.

The entryway to the main building was splintered and broken. Crawling between fallen beams, hoping the obstacle might throw the pursuers off his trail, Anon witnessed the side-effects of Yukari’s time-manipulation firsthand. Dust covered every surface, causing the entire scenery to glow bright red in the moonlight. The table he shared meals at was broken, the tatami mats busted, and the entire living room reeked of mold. The kitchen sink had rusted through and the rotten food could be smelt. Yet, none of the usual pests were present. This wasn’t Anon’s home or a copy of it. It was as if the building was an antithesis to life.

Anon heard rapid footsteps coming towards him. Not from the front-the veranda. Between the bathroom and bedroom, he went for the latter. Locking the door behind him, he rummaged through the room, looking for some kind of weapon or secret exit hidden by Yukari or the kappa. By the time the footsteps came to his door, Anon found nothing. Crawling under the bed, Anon prayed to every god he knew here and in the Outside that the youkai would overlook him.

His prayers went unanswered. Gripping one ankle with a clawed hand, Kagerou dragged the human out into the open. It was instant: The wolf-woman ripped off his juban, the jiangshi seized his head and the vampire lunged for his neck. Sharp and jagged, they tore into his flesh, ripping away fat and skin to expose muscle, organs and blood. He felt hot hot, stabbing pain before it became dull, the warm fluid on his shoulders, head and chest turning cold. So this was it? The Shrine Husband, ripped apart by youkai in the blasphemous mockery of the Hakurei God’s worship. How fitting…

Anon awoke with a start. Kagerou was still riding him, Yoshika’s cold tongue invaded his mouth and Remillia sucked at his neck, undoubtedly leaving a hickey mark. They hadn’t even noticed when he passed out twice before, and didn’t care now. The incense had ample time to condition their bodies and train their minds, leaving them as slaves to their carnal desires. None of them would be satisfied until every drop of his fluid in his body was shot into their wombs.

So Anon indulged in his waking nightmare, packing another dark memory into the recesses of his soul.

It's that time of the year, and the western tradition that the weird red, white, and blue fairy somehow managed to popularize in the last twenty years happens at full force, the village alive at night and decorations of known youkai—like Rumia, Yuyuko, and, who'd have guessed, me. Staying behind the counter of the most prominent business of the last year and looking all gloomy can achieve things like that—peppering each inch of the Human Village.

Though that's hardly new.

What's new is the immense line in the HSE, adults looking all tense or embarrassed—mostly women—and talking to each other… And, hard to believe, yes: a multitude of children. Children dressed in costumes of the above-cited youkai—yes, even one me themed. And it has only eight tails. Shameful—yelling and exploring the place until yesterday prohibited to them with wonder.

It all began with a conversation between Yukari and Takane-san, where the latter jokingly mentioned how we'd need to get Anon a bucket of candy, or children would destroy the fake shrine.

Yukari stared at Yamashiro-san, then simply smiled.

What followed was one arduous week of a lot of propaganda and preparation, but by Harrowen, the HSE had been transformed: All adult-themed attractions and stores? Gone for the day. Now it was a bunch of stands selling souvenirs and products, everything flying off shelves like hotcakes to the dismay of parents.

The outside of the building was also looking like your usual shrine festival, vendors having fought tooth and nail the entire week for Yukari's favor and, in so, a spot near the HSE—after all, the kids never leave the village and today is the only day ever they can see for themselves the mysterious HSE; and with children come parents and siblings. Money.

Ah, but the mess of tomorrow…

"Ran!" I look down, a smile growing when I see Chen's costume: a weird spider thing, three extra limbs on each side, long fangs protuberant from her mouth, tails around her waist like a belt, and extra eyes painted around her face. Her smile was immense, holding a bucket in the shape of a pumpkin. "It's almost time for our turn! C'mon, c'mon!" She picks me by the hand, and, even though I'm laughing, I still manage to put one of my employees on the front to deal with the stream of clients.

What Chen means with turn is the exclusive "Trick or Treat Course" of today, a limited 5-minute edition that, fortunately, doesn't include sex—

"Chen-chan!" A kid yells.

"Fumiko-chan—this is Ran!" She presents me to the younger kid dressed like a miniature version of Sanae, even the green hair, and I wave with a smile. So this is Kosuzu's daughter? The appearances certainly do match.

"H-Hi, Ran-sama! I'm Fumiko!"

"Good evening, Fumiko-chan—enjoying the premises? I didn't see you when your mother came to the counter."

"Chen was explaining what spider she is to me outside—it was soooo boring!"

"Don't say that; banana spiders ARE not boring!"

I laugh at their discussion as we thread around the massive line of clients leading to the door to the fake shrine, security guards—meaning a tired kappa and a distracted wolf tengu—put by the door to control the influx of clientele. They tense and recover their postures as they spot me coming close, nodding as if they weren't just slacking off. I sigh but smile anyway when we approach Kosuzu-san, the next in line to get into the fake shrine. "Kosuzu-san," I call her, the librarian bowing when our little group is complete.

"Ran-san, did Fumiko here give you any trouble?" She asks, putting her hands on the kid's—sulking—shoulders.

"No, no, she's a love! You raised her well." I look around, ears tickling a bit when I don't spot the other. "And where's Daisuke-kun? I swear he was around when you arrived." Kosuzu sighs at that, Fumiko laughs. Oh…?

"He and his troublemaker friends started throwing silver coins at the wolf tengu guards, so his father accompanied him back home…" Oh.

"He's grounded for TWO lives!" Chen and Fumiko laugh together, and I sigh. Boys, when together, really do share one single brain cell… Ah, I have to retain a groan when I think about a boy with one fluffy golden tail doing the same thing, a carbon copy of Anon, from the eyes to the smile. Those days just keep getting closer and closer— "Oh, it's our turn; it's our turn!" Chen yells, pointing to the family leaving the shrine, the father looking rather mad, the mother beaming, and the kid jumping in excitement.

We move forward, and, before we enter, I give the security a penetrating gaze, and they tense. Good. This should keep them focused for a good 15 minutes.

The fake shrine is all thematically decorated too; the Torii gate laddered with drawings of Yukari's gaps, Momiji-san waving to me from the top of a nearby treetop, on guard for anyone with bad intentions.

Chen and Fumiko rush to knock on the door, and it opens: "TRICK OR TREAT!" They yell together.

Anon's eyes light up, and he laughs out loud, my heart warming like crazy.

// Hana 47-49

As per usual Eientei was busy, unusually however; it seemed as if the maternity ward had grown larger. The hallways seemed to have grown longer and some of the rooms as well seemed grander and new ones had seemed to appear between the old ones. She’d never seen a practical example of what she knew as Kaguya Houraisan’s ability but if it was anything it’d have to be this.

It didn’t take long to find her way here, it seemed that some precautions had been taken to make the path of the lost easier to carry, strange markers lined the way and while looking around too hard might get you lost it seemed easy enough if you focused on the path. Kappa tech? Or maybe something Eirin came up with? Well, it didn’t matter she supposed, it was their business after all.

When Hana arrived at the tall wall and gate of the home and workplace of Eirin and the various youkai that served her it didn’t take long to spot movement beyond and around the walls. They were mostly uninjured women, pregnant as she learned earlier, milling about and getting some fresh air before their turn was called. Alongside the expecting mothers were the inaba nurses, they mostly clustered up in groups of pink like Sakura petals. If their matching armbands meant anything than it was indicating that each group seemed to have a special function. Though Hana couldn’t help but feel that they more resembled groups of friends chatting rather than working women.

Once Hana stepped onto the grounds the nearest group seemed to react, waving as they called out greetings. Hana was still bewildered as to why the other groups seemed to take special notice of her, Tewi slipped away last time she was here before she could ask. More confusingly was that even some of the women here for their checkups seemed to acknowledge her, even if nowhere near as friendly they at least gave small waves or ignored her pointedly.

It was all Hana could do to return the greetings, albeit with a bit of confusion as to why she needed to greet so many. Her bewilderment only continued as she entered into the lobby proper, two inaba nurses stood behind the counter, one with long messy locks of white hair and the other with fluffy brown hair. They looked bored at first till they locked eyes with her, they’re expressions brightened at once as the white haired one called out, “Hana-chan! Over here! You’re here for your appointment, right?”

Hana had no idea why youkai were greeting her with such enthusiasm and familiarity, it felt wrong. However, there wasn’t much you could gain by being rude; moreover, when you were a guest. It was just basic decency, so Hana merely locked in a plan into her heart to crack down on some weakling troublemaker later and lifter her hand to wave, “Yes and thank you, I’m supposed to see Doctor Eirin about now.”

The white and brown haired inaba, Sana and Sara, if their nametags were any indication, nearly hopped out from behind the large desk. Hana nearly recoiled as she thought they were going to try to hug her something, thankfully they stopped just short of her, although they did lean in a little too close for her comfort.

Hana kept up a polite smile as the two girls leaned in a little too close, one on each side of her as they started to whisper conspiratorially. The brown-haired girl, Sara, started first, “Miko-chan Miko-chan get this, I hear Kaguya-sama is going to help at your session!”

Sana whispered next, “Its big, super big! Kaguya only comes down to help with real big cases! Hana-chan isn’t troubled right? You can totally talk to us if you are!”

More than a little put off Hana shook her head as she raised a hand and waved it slightly, “No, It’s nothing like that, Its just that Eirin is going to help me see if I have any ability she can draw out…”

The two rabbits nodded while looking up at her, wait. Why was Hana whispering too? Before she could decide to do anything the two rabbits looked at each other, nodded, then looked up to Hana, “If its no problem” “if Hana is gonna see the princess!” the two spoke in unison, “We’ll have to fix up your looks!”

Hana didn’t have time to be insulted, she was going to refuse out of hand before her polite attitude vanished but the two girls grabbed her hands. They pulled her forward making Hana follow along, Hana could only ask, “Hey, where are you taking me?!” as they dragged her along. Sana shouted out to a nearby rabbit to cover for them for a mochi cake later as they pulled her to the employee areas.

Sana and Sara were intent on dragging her along with only the explanation that they ‘couldn’t let Hana/miko-chan see the princess without freshening up’. Hana was annoyed at this, youkai acting so familiar, touching her on top of that, insulting her… Still, she didn’t think fighting was wise in a location such as this, so once again she swallowed her disgust and irritations and allowed them to pull her into a powder room.

Well, at least she’d have a chance to fix her windswept hair…

Hana was barely able to keep the makeup brushes away from her as she had to kindly decline all sorts of blushes, bases, and mascaras from being applied to her face. Sana and Sara would have to be satisfied with brushing her hair and applying a harmless enough lotion and hair product.

Despite her internal complaints and hidden disgust at being pampered by youkai she was able to keep a smile on her face. She’d simply have to take a good bath when she got back to her home, maybe she’d even take Aunn to the public bathhouse. Either way, she couldn’t deny the results.

Innocent and undisciplined they may look, but Sana and Sara were good at playing dress up. Hana’s hair was shiny and well maintained now, not a strand of hair was out of place any more as if she didn’t have to fight the wind and drizzling rain to get here. The lotion they used on her made her skin feel perfectly moisturized and softer, she even looked a bit healthier.

Suitably impressed she spun around in front of the mirror of the vanity set letting her hair catch wind and splay out a bit before falling back to her sides, it looked like silk. Hana didn’t want to give them the satisfaction but her smile was growing genuine… She guessed it didn’t hurt to flatter a bit where credit was due, “Sana-san, Sara-san, thank you very much!” Hana announced to the two while giving a small bow.

The two pink inaba grinned as they replied, “no problem at all! Hana/miko-chan.” “and call me Sana” “You can just call me Sara, or Sarara!”

Although Hana did wonder why they were so friendly she didn’t have time to ask she noticed a clock on the wall, and panicking she realized she was only a minute till her appointment! After a few words the trio hurried along the halls, almost sprinting as the two bunnies ran interference with shouts of ‘medical emergency!’ ‘Please move, we’re coming through!’ Hana’s face was red but this was important after all, so she kept pace and ignored the looks from the others in the halls.

It didn’t take too long for Hana to find herself in front of the office of Eirin, Sara shouted out, “Excuse me!” as Sana opened the door. Before Hana knew it, she felt two firm hands on her back; launching her forward where she stumbled and fell onto the wooden floor of Eirin’s office.

As Hana recovered, hearing the sounds of footsteps patter away with the cry of ‘run away!’ ‘Sorry Hana-chan!’ she decided that she’d have to get her revenge later, maybe she’d grill them instead of Tewi before she left…

Lifting her head off the ground Hana saw a quickly disappearing smirk on the face of Eirin. She was as stoic as always and merely gave a, “I’m glad you could finally join us Hakurei-san”

Next to the doctor stood a girl externally around Hana’s age, one she’d rarely seen and only talked too long ago. She dressed in a pink shirt and Hana could see the start of a darker reddish dress, she was breathtaking, more so than even Eirin or as loathe as she was to admit it, Yukari. Hana didn’t pay much mind to her when she was younger as far as looks went, but as a practical adult she could realize why exactly that blasted Sana and Sara wanted to fix her up.

Though Hana was confident in her looks it was clear that even with their help she couldn’t hold a candle to the natural and seemingly effortless beauty of Kaguya. Kaguya didn’t hide her amusement at seeing Hana unceremoniously tossed onto the floor, yet Hana couldn’t hold it against her as she snickered.

She felt her face go red as she scrambled to her feet, and with a polite bow she muttered out an, “Sorry for being late I got caught up… and thank you for seeing me”

Eirin motioned to a chair and Hana took her seat wordlessly, Eirin put down a pen she was holding letting the black enameled thing click onto the table. She crossed her arms on the table as Kaguya’s face returned to a soft smile, she seemed content to let Eirin speak first. Hana merely crossed her legs over one another nervously as she felt much smaller in front of the statuesque princess.

With a voice that was already in ‘business mode’ Eirin started the conversation, “Let us not waste time. This will be a simple enough procedure, thanks to the princess agreeing to help our chances of success are approximately 84.23%”

With a wave of her arm in Kaguya’s direction she bowed slightly, which made Hana unconsciously bow her own head.

Without breaking stride and with the upmost grace Eirin continued talking as she strode to a specific drawer on the wall length cabinet, “The procedure will be non-invasive, it’ll entail a realignment of your qi at all major energy centers throughout your muscle tissue and nervous system”

Opening a drawer, she pulled open out a long and thin wooden box about the length of her forearm and about as thick. Walking back to her desk, she stated, “Of course such a procedure won’t cause any change to your temperaments nor elemental alignments that are normally associated with such operations. Thanks to the princess’s help and the use of her powers any chances are failure are nullified.”

Eirin taps on a small button on her desk as she then walks over to Hana, “Even with such assurances the manipulation of the instant can’t change the base reality of the situation and while I have received test results back of your affinity, regretfully my dataset on the children of outsiders and natives are lacking and you may not have anything able to bring out. Do you understand?”

Hana understood almost none of it, but a subconscious desire to not look like a fool in front of the princess made her lie, “I understand, doctor” Hana said with a nod.

Eirin raised an eyebrow but merely said, “Very well” and Kaguya started stepping to the door without a word. As if on queue Reisen stepped through the door, “The psychotropics are already measured out Eirin-sensei, we have the chambers prepared as well”

Getting the distinct feeling she should be following along Hana quickly rose to her feet and trotted off after the trio of women who passed silently by Reisen, Hana herself ignored Reisen entirely. If it bothered Reisen, and Hana hoped it did, she didn’t show it as she followed them down the side paths behind the double doors labeled ‘staff only’ and out of eyesight of any patients and most inaba nurses. Hana was led to a smaller room down another hallway, it was sitting behind a pair of sliding wooden doors Hana noted seemed to be enchanted in some way.

The room itself was unremarkable, the only curiosities being a large magical circle on the ground with long candle holders around it at certain points holding rather fragrant candles that were already burning. In the center of the circle was a padded table with a hole on one. The circle itself was way more advanced than Hana had ever seen under Marisa’s tutelage.

She received no explanation on this, as everyone filtered in Hana milled by the doorway trying to be out of the way of anyone. Eirin motioned for her to stand in a small corner by a generic looking table, “Strip” was the word that came out of the doctor’s mouth.

Hana vaguely made some sound of confusion, as she glanced around the faces of those assembled. Reisen had already taken her customary position by the doorway feigning disinterest as she stared into space. Kaguya had gone and found a seat behind the candles as she placed one graceful leg over another. Eirin had simply met Hana’s eyes with her analytical stare, “this will require access to your bare skin, it is a necessity”

Hana muttered something about, ’starting with that first’ as she undressed and placed her clothes neatly upon the table in front of her. It felt a little weird undressing around others outside the setting of the public bath.

Eirin had already moved on by the time she realized Hana was moving to obey her instructions, placing the box on a small section of the table as she revealed two rows of long needles in the box along with a small bottle on the side resting inside an indent on the velvet cloth. As Hana approached the table Eirin produced a small pill in her hand out of one of her many pockets, “Please swallow this medication and get on the table, Undonge will provide water if you need it.”

Hana took the pill after an, ‘I’m fine’ and swallowed it down, it was really bitter but like her father often told her ‘the best medicines taste the worst’. She climbed the table as well as she could to preserve her modesty, she still felt like a fool though and under Eirin’s instructions she lay on her belly, her face resting on the rim of the hole on the end of the table.

Eirin spoke again as she applied an oil to Hana’s back causing her to squirm from the chill of the liquid, “the psychoactive effects of the drug are relatively mild; however, it will force you to enter into a trance like state. During that time, I’ll complete the operation and with the help of the princess we’ll be finished before the effects wear off. Any questions Hakurei-san?”

Psycho…what? Her father said that word before… something to do with the mind? What did she swallow?! “Erm… how long will it take for this drug to kick in and how lon-“

Answering quickly Eirin wasted little time in replying, “Now, for 4 hours”

Hana wanted to ask something else, or even react to being cut off in conversation, but as she tried lifting her head to ask the world swam.

// Rikako/Lemontene 7-9

A Lemonfairy walked up to man at Kourindou.
And she said to the man runnin' the stand: "Hey! [(bam bam bam)] Got any grapes?".

Rinnosuke chuckled. “Actually, I do! But they have long since passed their expiration date. I forgot how they even got here. Think I brought them in for a snack a couple months ago and just forgot. Also they’re not even for sale, I’m afraid.”

"Awwww :( do you have anything else? Preferably doohickeys that help you save the world." The inquisitive fairy asked.

"...I have this set of sport equipment recently obtained from the outside world. Apparently it's a sport from the outside world called "Cricket". It's-"

"I'LL TAKE IT!"

“Okay! That’ll be $49.85” said the unbearably stingy bastard of a half-youkai. Don’t you have enough money already?

“Aw pussbuckets! I don’t know how money works yet.” Lemontene lamented. “Do you accept Bottlecaps?” she asked, taking out a rare brazilian bottle cap.

“WOAH! That’s a GI Joe Commandos Complete Bottle Cap Set 10 Brazil Coca Cola Coke Bottle Cap! Where on earth did you find something like this?” Rinnosuke was positively flabbergasted. This would look great in his collection of weird circular objects he kept in his kitchen.

“It’s a long story. You see it all started back a couple hours ago when Alice-”

“Yeah yeah, cool story bro. I’ll be taking that!” Rinnosuke said, nabbing the GI Joecoin. “This is more than enough payment for me. You can have the sportset for free, on the house.”

“Heya four-eyes! Haven’t seen you out here in a while. I've got some nice nicknacks in stock! wanna buy any?” Mike spouted towards Rikako.

“Depends, what are you selling exactly, Michael?” The scientist bit back.

“Just about anything, honestly. Cards, Lamp Oil, Expired Milk. If I can get my hands on it, it'll be sold here. Only rule is that All Sales Are Final.”

“Hmmm..” Rikako pondered for a few seconds. “Do you have anything with more offensive capabilities?”

Mike briefly flashed an expression of confusion before shifting back to her normal sly poker face and bending over to dig into one of her boxes. Guess she wasn’t expecting this kind of request.

“I do have this, but it’s gonna cost ‘ya a leg and an arm.” The cat pulled out a futuristic-esce blaster with the strange name tag sticker on it, containing the phrase “Level 10 Indivisible Particle Smasher”.

“I don’t usually carry this kind of heat on me, but this lad in particular was just too interesting to just shelf. Plus it’s Danmaku friendly! This is a retro-futuristic ray gun. Can only hold 4 bullets at a time, but makes up for it by not even needing to be physically reloaded. Just pull this handcrank on the side and it regenerates! Weird how somebody would just throw this away, it genuinely might be more high tech then any Gensokyo invention I’ve ever seen.”

(Well no wonder she was so hesitant to show me at first...) Rikako thought, this is some exquisite top of the shelf stuff. “How much for it?”

Oh, not much! Just 5 payments of $40.” Mike said.

“Ehh… how about 1 payment of $35?” Rikako responded.

“It’s 5 payments of $40. No ifs, ands or buts. And no rear ends, either!”

“Or 2 payments of $14?”

“WE’RE NOT HAGGLING! IT’S-”

“Would you like it if I chose 5 payments of $40?”

“ENOUGH!” Mike raged. “2 payments of $4, take it or leave it.”

“Okay, okay. You got me. I’ll pay the darn normal price.” Rikako said, handing over the 8 dollars.

“THANK YOU!” Mike sighed, relieved while opening the cash register. “Aaaaaand sold! Thank you, please consider coming again.”

“No problem! Good luck with your garage sale.” Rikako said, satisfied with her purchase.

“Heh, sucker.” Mike chuckled to herself as the scientist walked far enough away. Those 8 smackaroos were gonna feed her so well tonight.

…

Wait a minute.

"We're home!" Rikako said as she blasted open the door to her house.

“Welcome home, Mrs. Asakura! Should I dispose of this intruder?” Ruukoto waved.

“No! Heavens, no. Lemontene is a guest and a friend.” Rikako clarified.

“Woah! I didn’t know you had a cute maid!” Lemontene squeaked.

“Yup! It was a risky investment but buying Ruukoto was my greatest decision ever. I still remember it like it was yesterday.” Rikako explained, reminiscing. "I don't think I felt a bigger rush of adrenaline then when I found out that shrine maiden was selling her robot janitor with a renewable energy source more powerful and eco-friendly than nuclear energy for a few quick bucks to help keep her shrine afloat. I'm not sure what I'd do if that Kirisami or any Kappa got their hands on her first."

"Wooooow…"

"Okay I'm gonna go take a nap now. See you guys on the flipside. I'll tell you whatever game plan comes to me in my dreams." Rikako said, abruptly changing the subject.

"Huh?!? B-But we just got here! I thought after buying equipment we were gonna discuss how we're going to save the-"

Before Lemontene could even finish her sentence, Rikako jumped onto her couch and went out like a light.

"Apologies. Mrs. Asakura has never had a good sleep schedule. She was up until 4 AM last night reading a book. Whatever errands you two were running seem to have tired her out faster then usual. Would you care for some Hot Tea and Biscuits for the time being, unusual fairy of the lemons?

"Sweet Beans! I guess the prevention of Gensokyo's funeral can wait a couple more hours. We should learn how to play Cricket!" 'tene replied.

// Hana 50-52

When Hana came too, she was in a strange place, the last thing she remembered was being led onto that table and taking that strange drug the doctor gave her. After that, things got strange; the world became foggy and distorted, her mind swam, impossible shapes manifested themselves and the small view port of the face rest of the padded table took on strange dimensions. Still, as fogged as her mind was the nature of these strange distortions became clear. Like looking at an optical illusion for long enough she could decipher them just by looking at them, it was almost unnerving.

After that her memories go blank, now that she’s back to her conscious, albeit groggy, mind she simply looked around at the dark room she found herself in. Well, it was pitch black so there’s that. She summoned an orb of danmaku, nothing fancy; just an orb of light suspended in the air above her hand.

‘Ah’, she thought. I’m in a metal room…? No that wasn’t quite right, she looked down and there was wooden flooring. Strangely the grain on the wood was like she was looking at it through a powerful magnifying glass. The walls of the room were featureless, gray and metallic and not worth much mentioning. For a second, she panicked. Did they trap her in some weird kind of prison? Did those damnable youkai make their move? What were they going to try to do to her?!

As the panic settled in reality reasserted itself, well a strange sort of reality anyways. It was clearly something she didn’t quite fully understand on an intellectual level but it was something that knew nevertheless. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t the world she knew… she could just… flip her perspective…

Blinking physically the world around her changed, No longer did the world resemble some kind of metal prison with its hardwood flooring. No, it was more akin to being hyper focused on one thing while the world itself wrapped around it. It would’ve been enough for another panic attack but, there was something intuitive about it… Instead of the prison she thought herself in she was inside a larger room, she walked forward. The walls of the room she was in shifted around her spinning as she spotted the crates around her.

The crates almost seemed to be flipping as she walked up to the door, oh. She was on the righthand wall. She thought about walking up to the roof to reach the door, but going around would take a while, probably an hour or so, no it would just be shorter to fly diagonally across the room. So she did.
Looking back into the room that was clearly a store room, she realized that she was just way too small, that metallic prison? A tin cup sitting on a shelf with another shelf above it. The hour long journey? A mere second long walk along a roof, no more than 2 seconds of time if she was walking slowly. The diagonal jaunt across the room? It was near instant in how fast she reached the door.

Now then, her small size? Inconvenient. The only course of action? She flew diagonally down as her form grew in size back to what it should be, it was odd. Moving until her skin, organs, hair, etc all felt ‘right’. As she looked at the hallway in front of her, all the myriad of paths she could go. Through the walls if she wanted too, not in breaking them of course, merely moving through the space that could open and open until it was to her, the size of Gensokyo itself, would be stupidly easy.

However, it would be a pain if she kept having to tread strange paths and watching out for her size and the size of other things. Though to be fair she knew it would be much faster in getting to where she wanted. Now then… just a matter of looking at things… instead of making it squeeze or curve, just make it do both and… there! The world around her returned to ‘normal’ even if it was a little obtuse. It was strange, this was the normal world, the normal perspective, the world she shared for the last 16 years of her life or so.

It was a bit limited though, like it was just one way of looking at it. How did she never realize how silly that perspective was! She couldn’t wait to tell her father, Marisa, Sanae, and all her friends about it! Well, they might not understand it at first, but still it was really interesting!

It was then she heard pattering footsteps from down the hallway, no that wasn’t quite right, the sound was coming a few halls over. The footsteps weren’t even that loud, but they were clear and obvious and would’ve been even if someone was chatting her ear off right next to her. She didn’t even need that instinctual detection of others around her to know about it from how obvious it was.

Hana let her eyes wonder along the curves and spaces in the wall, inaba it seemed. A small group of them, all wearing armbands that dictated them as orderlies. They had worried expressions on their faces, was that Sana and Sara with them? Hana smirked; she did owe them for tossing her around like a rag doll.

Hana flew, finding space in the wood as she appeared ‘above’ them.

Hana’s little prank did make her happy seeing the inaba cower in fear like that as she rapidly grew in size after traveling with the light straight above them and growing larger as her body exited the space. Still, the tables did turn on her somewhat when she realized she was still as bare as the day she was born.

Sana and Sara were simply happy that they found her, though she could tell they a little unnerved by how Hana moved around them as she covered herself up and seemed, to them, to vanish into the walls with her voice coming from seemingly random, to them, directions. To Hana it made perfect sense as she dressed in an empty room on the opposite side of Eientei.

According to the relieved inaba Hana had started wandering around while coming down from her medically induced stupor. It was impossible to restrain her, even though Eirin summoned the orderlies and nearly instantaneously calculated where she would be able to walk or fly too it was almost impossible for the inaba to track her down without Eirin to micromanage them. They supposedly even found Hana once, crying and apologizing for being mean to them, which made Hana doubt that part of the story personally. When they went in to restrain her, she simply slipped out of their grasps as she walked through them and onto the roof where she sprinted away through the ceiling.

All Hana could do is let out a ‘bwuh’ as she felt kind of bad for giving everyone such a hard time, and apologized, albeit lightly. She’d have to save her real apology for Eirin and Kaguya… Still, it didn’t take long for her to dress in her usual outfit Sana was carrying and taking the shortest direction, a space in the flooring and a turn down the wall she elicited another yelp of fear from the group of inaba as she simply, to them, materialized from in between them.

Squeezing and expanding the lines again she let the nervous inaba lead her. Did they need to be that weirded out? Hana felt a bit strange at how they reacted to her entirely unremarkable ability, to her, on one hand it made her feel good knowing that minor youkai would give her respect off the bat now with a little demonstration.

On the other? It made her feel a bit awkward and even saddened thinking that her own loved ones might just treat her the same, well that and while Sana and Sara were considerate enough to her, she had to keep them on her side as she still had to sweat them for more of that lotion and other beauty products. That was the only reason, of course.

It didn’t take long, well it did in comparison of how fast Hana could make the journey, but the twists and turns ensured that it’d be a pain trying to reach Eirin’s office again even with her ability. Kaguya’s ability was fearsome in its application, the place was like a maze and she suspected that if it weren’t for the Inaba’s instincts and inherent knowledge someone could wonder these halls for years without any hope of escape… Terrifying to think about.

Sara and Sana, despite their seeming nervousness jumped in for a quick hug as the other Inaba give quick goodbyes as they left Hana at the doorway of Eirin’s office, they seemed to scamper away quickly like last time. Hana could’ve sworn she heard a, ‘quickly, before Reisen gives us more work!’, though she didn’t have the time to ponder the relationships of youkai she didn’t have to deal with personally. At least Sana and Sara didn’t seem to dislike her, which was good enough… for sweating them for beauty products, of course.

Eirin was sitting at her chair, Kaguya was sitting on a padded and equally comfortable looking chair that wasn’t there before. She was situated at Eirin’s side and a small foldable table was between them with some tea and snacks. Hana considered reaching over from across the room and nabbing one of the cookies now that she could feel how hungry she was but that’d be rude. Instead, she walked into a wall and took a seat, if Eirin or Kaguya were at all perturbed they didn’t show it in the slightest. In fact, it was Hana that was a little perturbed by how their eyes followed her around her path through the room.

Kaguya grinned and seemed like she had something she wanted to say but Eirin spoke first, “As you well know the procedure was a success. You have added to my datasets wonderfully.”

Hana didn’t know how to feel about being reduced to a number, but it was good if she helped right…?

A faint smile crested her lips as the silver haired beauty spoke, it was enchanting if not a tad bit unnerving, “The ability to move through non-euclidean spaces as it is called on Earth. Or to put it more poetically, ‘to never be chained’”

Hana spoke up next, looking to the left at her hands and muttering, “I’ve heard from the inaba, I do apologize for being an issue after you helped me out so much…”

Her smile vanished as she spoke softly and though it was hard to tell she didn’t seem angered, “That too added to my data and was recorded without issue, so it is not a problem. Naturally there is very little data about the effects on the human body when moving through non-standard geometry.” Hana was getting a little lost, “And of course, the entertainment you provided to the princess was invaluable.”

Upon being mentioned Kaguya, the grinning girl who’s entire being radiated a delicate grace, spoke as if she was an excited child, “It was much fun altering the properties of my ability to account for your movements! I have never previously had to expand it out in all directions to account for how you move on a hyperbolic and elliptic plane!”

What the hell was this girl saying, hyper whats? Kaguya didn’t stop though, “I have not had to use my mind all that much over the last 1000 years since I was still learning mathematics in the capital, so having to calculate your movements and chaotic wanderings was quite the challenge!”

Kaguya practically glided over to her, her dress barely showing her feet yet she somehow avoided disturbing it as she stepped around the table to reach her. Kaguya took Hana’s hand in her own as her eyes were practically glowing, “You do have to come back again, playing cat and mouse as such was great and I would love to see you move with direction and purpose! I have not had this much fun for decades!”

There was no other option other than to say yes, Hana couldn’t muster the will to oppose the princess’s earnest request and with a nod and, ‘I’d love too…?’ Kaguya let go of her hand and with a broad smile returned to her chair with a ‘I’m looking forward to it!’.

Eirin’s expression hardened a bit, adopting that craftsman gaze as she looked over Hana as if assessing something. Hana felt naked in front of her as she shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, she glanced at the princess for some kind of sign but she was merely sipping on tea while a soft smile adorned her face. Eirin’s gaze only lasted for a few seconds but it felt like much longer.

Hana couldn’t help but speak up, “Is there something the matter Yagokoro-sensei…?”

Eirin nodded before sighing, “Yes, I’m afraid I’ll have to schedule you for follow-up appointments”

Hana was confused by her words and the reaction she gave, follow up appointments? She wasn’t sick or anything and she felt fine. She simply had to ask, “You mean for my ability? There isn’t some risk of losing it is there?”

Eirin shook her head, her craftsman’s gaze not wavering as she spoke in the same even tone, “No, its for your, how is it called on Earth? Your Feminine Oedipus complex. Or more specifically the awaiting neurosis from the underlaying guilt about it.”

Her… what?

// Satori 2

The rumbling of the elevator and the buzzing of its fluorescent lights were strangely calming and energizing to Satori as she traveled downwards to the reactor, or that could have been the anti-headache she took early and the coffee she had in hand.

She was uncertain if the deal with the Moriyas was worth it, but the reactor had provided ample power to former hell, and the Moriyas had benefited less from it; they didn’t need the power as much as Satori and former hell needed it, electric lights, heating, machinery. The reactor had become a necessary factor in the life of the residents of former hell.

Satori did not even need to manage it, Okuu handled the reactor herself and if any problems arose with who used the energy it could swiftly be cut off due to the control Satori and the Earth Spirit Palace had over it.

Okuu herself was her own problem, so Satori mostly left her alone. As long as Okuu was within the reactor itself and not on the catwalks around the reactor which Satori was rapidly approaching, and questioned Okuu through the intercom she should be fine. It’s not like Okuu possessed the capacity for lying.

Satori smiled, holding her magnifying glass in her hand as she adjusted her hat. This would be the easy part, but if she couldn’t find any information about Orin here she’d have to organize a proper search.

That was until the elevator door opened revealing Okuu, with the dim, nearly blank expression she almost always wore. Satori’s legs bent.

Gazing into Okuu’s mind she felt her headache grow, her mind was stuffed to the brim, clogged with nuclear physics and the requisite information for her sun god powers to function. Nearly everything else was pushed to the wayside and almost immediately forgotten. Although it wasn’t as though she lacked space, any mind has practically unlimited space as long as it had enough fuel and time to adapt, but suddenly integrating parts of Yatagarasu into her being had done nearly irrevocable damage, it’d take her centuries for her mind to return to normalcy and a millennium for her to master her powers.

Satori’s mind bent under the strain and her headache returned, she grabbed at her detective cap trying to shield her eyes from the blazing blue light of the cavern which only aggravated her headache.

“Ma’am? Satori-sama?” Okuu asked, flying closer to Satori as her master's knees wobbled, Satori dropped her spyglass as she moved her third eye behind her and tried to distract herself from Okuu’s thoughts, thinking of her sister always helped.

“Orin… Where is she?” Satori struggled to say, her voice weak and strained, she should’ve woken Kokoro when she had the chance, she cursed the Moriya’s in her head as the drumming against her skull grew louder.

“OH, Orin! Yeah, she’s around here.” Okuu spoke as she grabbed Satori, taking her into a princess carry, flying upwards to a different section of the catwalk that lined the outside of the reactor. “She’s been spending a lot of time here recently, she has such nice friends as well, it’s always nice to meet new people.” Okuu continued on, oblivious to Satori’s suffering.

“Orin! Satori’s here to see you.” Okuu called, yelling with a voice so loud while her head was so close to Satori that it sounded like the clap of thunder to her. While the beat of Okuu’s wings was like crashing waves.

“Okuu! What are you doing!” Orin screamed, Satori flinched at the sound of the cat's screams, she could hear the shuffling of other feet, there were more people there than the three of them. She moved herself, and positioned her third eye forward and away from Okuu, removing the cap that covered her normal eyes.

Open animal and Oni minds greeted her psychic gaze, she was surprised for a moment, the idiocy of their plan overcoming her headache, this couldn’t be allowed, even with Koishi and Kokoro former hell could not afford to aggress Yukari or Gensokyo.

She tried to speak up in protest, or anger, but her headache returned stronger than before. “Satori-Sama!” Distantly she could hear Orin call out to her as everything faded to black.

// Seija/Goro 50-51

“Mama! Mama!” Little Goro shouted while running through the temple before falling flat on his face and getting up again.
“Hijiri-Sensei! Nue is bullying me again!” Goro said.
Byakuren Hijiri used every ounce of her superhuman will and uttered a small spell to maintain her composure, while Ichirin and another monk both bit their tongues as to not burst into laughter.
“What did Nue do to you this time little one?” Hijiri asked, kneeling next to the boy, and patting his head.
“She took the stave I was carving for my father and hid it! She’s always picking on me!” Goro pouted.
“Now, now, It’s alright.” Hijiri comforted. “Have you asked her nicely to give it back?”
“It won’t do any good, she’ll just taunt me again and make fun of me. I really hate her.” Goro said, kicking some dust.
“It won’t do any good to hate her you know.” Hijiri softly scolded. “Why don’t you try offering something in return? Nue may just want to play with you after all.”
“Fine. But I don’t know why she’s always messing with me and nobody else.” Goro said, giving a small bow. “Thank you, Hijiri-sensei.”
As he ran off, Hijiri couldn’t help but smile and fawn. “Kids really are the best, aren’t they?”
Ichirin and the other monk averted their eyes in embarrassment.
“Nue! Nue! Come out! I know your hiding here!” Little Goro yelled out into the temple bushes, were Nue had hung his stained sheets two weeks prior.
“Oh, little Goro-kun!” A small voice emanated from a bush.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You took my stave! I worked hard on that! Please give it back!” Goro demanded.
“Rude little boys don’t get any dinner you know. And their hard work and attachment to material things like staves and Papas will surely lead them to stary from the path. I really am helping you out here.” Nue jeered.
Goro’s little fists tensed up into a ball, but he remembered what Hijiri told him.
“What do you want?” He asked.
“Pardon?” Nue replied, “That’s a very open question little one.”
“I want my stave back so I’ll give you something you want, and we can both be happy.” Goro answered.
“Oh, but little Goro-kun, I already have what I want in ample supply! You’re afraid of what happened to your precious gift to Papa aren’t you? Of whether he’ll come back from his last little job too late to play with you? There’s nothing else for you to offer me now!” Nue laughed.
Little Goro frowned and was about to cry. ‘Why was this Nue so mean?’ he thought.
He never saw her at the temple festivities, and she only teased him while they were both by their lonesome, was it that she didn’t have any friends?
“Then I’ll be your friend.” Goro offered.
“Excuse me?” Nue replied, a little shocked.
“You said I didn’t have anything to offer you, but you don’t have any friends, so I’ll be your friend and you’ll give me back the stave!” Goro said, a little excited.
Nue sighed. “You just don’t get it do you?”
Goro saw the bush shaking and it’s leaves flutter and fly off like butterflies. The empty branches all twisted and sunk into the dirt, sneaking around like ground hogs, displacing the earth as they traveled through the ground and behind him. Before Goro could turn to look, he felt a hand hold his chin in place. He froze.
“I’m a Youkai, I don’t need friends. All a human like you has to offer me is your fear.” She said in a carefree tone.
“But Hijiri-sensei said-“
“Hijiri isn’t some weak little brat. That’s why she can say such things and offer me a little place to call home. Seriously, you’ve never even seen my face, there’s no way we could be friends.”
Goro sniffed, trying hard to maintain his composure. “That’s not true! I, I never saw my Mama’s face, but she was still my friend!”
“Really? Are you sure? Maybe she ran away from you and Papa because she found a better son who wasn’t such a crybaby?” Nue teased.
“She wouldn’t! Father said one day if I pray earnestly and live a good life, we’d all see each other again! You’ll see!”
“Ha, that sounds like attachment. Your mama would never want a son who’s such an awful failure of a Buddhist!” Nue said.
“No, I didn’t, she-“Goro struggled, holding back tears. “Mama won’t come back?” He muttered.
“Maybe never.” Nue whispered into his ear.
“Mama!” The dam had burst, Goro wailed and turning around, clutched onto the closest person he could find: Nue.
As if trying to empty his body of all fluid, little Goro sobbed into Nue’s dress, babbling incoherently about loneliness, his mother, and many other things Nue couldn’t understand.
What Nue did feel was a plummeting in the fear of unknown and a rise in the certainty of solitude.
So Nue comforted little Goro, awkwardly at first, patting his head saying, ‘there there’, then a little more closely by patting his back, until she found herself tearing up a little and pulled him into a full-on embrace.
“It’ll be alright for now; I’ll be your friend.” Nue said.
“…and you were so cute back then.” Nue said, floating and leaning on Goro’s back as he hutched over, digging through dirt.
“Hurhhhhhh!” A hound sounded beside the two.
“It’s ‘NUEEEE’ you little varmint, ‘NUEEEE’!” The Nue explained.
“That little ‘varmint’ is a godsend.” Goro said, pulling a root-like object out of the dirt “Finally going to get me an in with the Tengu, sniffing out these roots. you know these ingredients are a delicacy to them, but they’re too proud to dig it up themselves? Guess it’s because it’s never a given seeing how the growing season’s temperamental and they can’t cultivate it.”
“And certainly not because someone spread seeds of the unidentifiable around.” Nue whistled.
“I’ll be sure to spread rumors about the seasoning only the pious can taste in any case.” Goro laughed.
“So…you coming back to the temple any time soon? Hijiri will just keep on tacking more hours onto your eventual scolding session for never calling if you don’t.” Nue asked.
“Agh, it feels awkward coming around. She’ll ask me about becoming ordained, whether my business practices are ethical, or try playing match maker again. I just wish she would talk more about herself; my business isn’t that important.”
“Ha! Last week she tried to get me and this fortune teller together, but when I asked him to divine something, he said we’d have a big happy family! What a loon! I mean, can you imagine me as a mother?” Nue laughed.
“I don’t have to imagine.” Goro casually commented.
“Pardon?” Nue said, surprised.
“Oh nothing.” He said, trailing off.
“Goro? What did you mean by that?” Nue asked.
“I wonder, I wonder!” Goro replied as they walked off.

// Reimu 5

I… really don't know how to feel about this. I just stare straight into her belly, frowning. Ran, as if expecting that, approaches Chen. "Let's leave Ms. Aya and Ms. Reimu alone, okay? They need to have a conversation." So she catches the bakeneko's hand, opening a gap. Distraught with the sudden leaving, Chen asks Ran something, the fox youkai appearing surprised before nodding, slowly.

I share one last glance with Chen and smile before waving to her. In the next moment, they leave.

Toutetsu stares at the both of us, rhythmically hitting the spork on her shoulder, as if pondering, waiting. Aya paces in place, nervous to the point she's sweating… What am I missing here?

"We don't have the entire night, reporter," Tetsu says bluntly, squatting on a tree branch and watching us from above. "Don't worry—am not letting you and your little bastards die tonight."

… What? I tensed, digesting the words. She expects me to attack Aya in some capacity.

I feel betrayed—Toutetsu has seen it again and again, saw me changing, trying, and still… The thoughts are short-lived, followed by an even shorter meditation. No matter what, change is not ultimate. Without strength, there's always the chance everything returns to how it was before…

If anything, Tetsu being here is a challenge.

I've changed. I've become someone better.

And I'll show that with whatever Aya has to tell me.

The seconds pass in silence, a tarp of pressure layering the air, Aya uncomfortable, struggling to stay in place, tears welling behind her eyes as her trembling arms held dear to her belly, wings quivering uncontrollably and ready to raise flight at any given threat to her or her kids.

I wait, patient.

Truth comes one time or the other; "I-I'm… pregnant—you already know t-that—" The following words must've felt like lead in her mouth. “But, the f-father—" tears streamed, thick and of a regret so immense it was like looking into a mirror. My body perked up, hairs like metal rods. "… it's Anon." It was a whisper.

One that sounded like thunder.

… I'm not that far away from Aya. One swing, her head turns into tree decoration. It'd be immensely easy, and not even Toutetsu—watching like a hawk—would be able to do something…

But I don't move. Another time, I would've.

In the silence, I look up at the moon and stars, my eyes a bit droopy; breathe in and breathe out, then I fluff my scarf. It's so warm and cozy…

Aya's body trembled like a leaf in the wind with that small gesture. "It wasn't right, I know! I spoke of your crimes in my newspaper and profited out by calling them out—I-I, Anon… I didn't know at the time that he wasn't there by choice! I did not, too! And what it'd entail next—I—I—" Despite the breakdown, there was a smile on her face, one so fragile yet bathed in love. "—I love my children… They haven't been born yet, but I love them… Please don't kill me!" She kneels. "I know my mistakes; I've raped him, he doesn't even know he'll be a father yet! Please…—N-No! No! I won't bow and beg anymore! I'm tired of bowing to powerful monsters like you and Yukari! I'll be a mother, and I'll live! I WILL not let you kill us!"

… Woah. The range of emotions she showed felt like a metronome, going from one extreme to the next quickly. The words, however, struck true like a sword, the pain a deep wound that overflowed with memories of my little Hana, so tiny and so precious, yet with a shadow always looming, never able to see the sun properly with it on her back.

A shadow called 'me'.

A single tear escaped me, eyes turning down from the stars and looking into Aya's eyes, her body fervent with fight spirit…

I get my gohei in between my fingers. Aya tenses up like never before, tears still there, but facade and posture never breaking, danmaku shining at her fingertips, prepared to do whatever it takes to live.

… The moment stretches.

I smile, then sigh, storing the gohei in my sleeve. "… Congrats."

"… H-Huh…?"

I pity this smile forming on my face; having to fight so many dark emotions, explosive rage and regrets—just to show up in this moonlit face of mine… Though I don't think it cares, "It's your first, right? I dunno how it's for Tengus, but I know mine was tough. Ah, I'm so lucky he was there for me—he's a great man for the job… Under him, Hana was happy."

Her eyes shine, mouth opens, cheeks glow red—tears falling just as much. Oh, the metronome broke. Happiness.

"… Thanks…"

"You have everything prepared already?"

"I… need a bigger house. Some cradles… and a lot of diapers."

"You happy?"

"Never been happier."

"… You love him?"

"I do." No hesitation. Good.

"You should go tell him."

"… I will…" The smile growing on her face trembled like an earthquake.

"… Want a hug?" A hug can do wonders for someone in a bad spot—right, Chen?

Aya stared, pondered…

Toutetsu will never admit it, but I think she was crying too when I held Aya, crying like a kid, in my arms—smile wide.

"Thank you so much, Reimu…"

I cried too.

// Ran/Chen 35

As time passes and two events barrel down in my direction—one personal, the other life-changing—it's no surprise that stress piles up like a mountain.

Anon reads that on my face the moment I enter the fake shrine—outside, the moonlight soft and the buzz of the extended night a nice song—tea for two on the kotatsu; "Hard day, Ran?" I mumble, settling down by his side and laying my head on his chest, letting out a deep sigh—he giggles, a strong and gentle hand on my back pulling me closer. "Sorry—I forgot all day is a hard day for you!" He laughs, and I want to punch him, frowning and locking our eyes, ears twitching—

Am welcomed by a kiss. I don't want to punch him anymore.

Still…

"… Things are not slowing down…" I taste the tea, which is so routinely good and calming—once a balm for the jaded heart, but now… "Every day is more of the same bad, it's getting so hard to manage everything and—" I feel the area. No signs of Old Magic. "—we are threading the line: every day Yukari becomes more observant of Reimu, of Toutetsu; Aya… It's getting impossible to navigate beneath her nose safely. I fear we may slip up—or, worse, already have slipped up and simply didn't notice it yet…"

His hug tightens, sweet lips kissing my ears. I try to enjoy, I do—yet I can only imagine how easily it'd be to lose this while trying to build something new…

"… There's also my estrus. It's a fear of 'will it, or will it not' when it comes to Yukari and the actions she'll take, and it's so inconsequential, yet I cannot stop thinking probabilities and chance—" I sigh, and my eyelids feel like lead. I stare at the distance, through the window, the fake ceiling—and just wish… For something better.

Something that won't eat me inside every waking hour; that won't need a hard-to-maintain facade just so I don't screw up…

A house, children, this man—that sounds like THAT something…

… Yet, it's a world of distance away from now. A world I cannot fully grasp until—

"Ran," his voice calls to me, sounding unsure, my slits locking with his humane eyes. There's something in the air with the stretching moment of silence, his face tensing up a bit and pupils going from side to side on the sea of white, as if pondering; confused, anxious… I hold his hand on mine and gently squeeze it. His eyes calm down gradually, then focus on mine, and whatever he was considering was answered with: 'It is worth it'. "This fear of yours, of what Yukari may make you do during your estrus… I want to erase you from it."

… Huh?

My mind, one of the most powerful in Gensokyo, blanked.

I blinked and frowned, foxed, before understanding grew like a weed; "Anon, you—"

"I k-know… And I know it will never go away. What Yukari has done to me, to my body, what she makes me go through—it'll never go away…" There's a sad truth to his voice, and I squeeze his hand harder. He smiles, weary. "Yet, what we have, silly as it may sound… is special to me, and I don't want to lose it."

"Me too," I say as a reflex, and it feels natural, nine tails swarming between us in a fluffy sea of warmth. "Because of that, Anon, you shouldn't—"

"Ran, I don't care—I… want it!" He smiles, and it's full of hopes and dreams for a future. A good future. "For 19 years… I didn't want to have it. The choice was always taken away from me—here, it isn't a choice at all…" I reach for his face, caressing the rough skin. He leans on my palm, smile growing. "But, with you, the thought…" He gulps down one last fear, one last doubt, and opens his eyes pulsing with determination, placing his hand on top of mine. "I want to make love with you, Ran… Do you with me?"

I breathe in heavily, staring wide-eyed—my face burns… Are those tears? Of course, they're tears! Words like these from a man in his situation…

My heart grows tenfold as I let slim tears down, struggling between a smile and pursed lips, a trembling midterm that just grows and grows when his forehead touches mine, and his laugh in my ears is like a beautiful melody. The bright image, as if a photo held over a fireplace, of beautiful children with thick tails and pointy ears as mine, eyes like his…

"I do."

An image that didn't leave my mind as he took me off the ground and ran outside—because what we have is ours and ours alone.

Clothes flew off, kisses everywhere burned like scalds, and soon we're as natural as the day we came to this world, nine tails embracing him like an infinity of arms. The windy and cold breeze hits, yet the warmth dispels it like it never existed, nature surrounding us as, gently, Anon places me on a flat stone by the pond.

We stare at each other, breathing heavily, and though it's night and the moonlight is little, I still can perfectly see him—oh…

I didn't notice it at first, but fireflies surrounded us, casting spots of beautiful golden light over our naked bodies. The atmosphere; scenery; scents and temperature—all great…

But it takes him here with me, his smile fond and eyes shining, to be perfect.

// Seija/Goro 52-53

“…and yet by his labour and thought displays the animosity of the poor; thus dishonoring…” I chanted.
It was difficult at first to chant 24/7. I made mistakes, got distracted, was harassed by passersby’s, yelled at from all sides, but at a certain point, things fell away.
The surrounding stalls, the people, even the sky and earth left my perception. All that was left was the building, and it too was slowly being pealed apart bit by bit as my focus narrowed.
It was like a strange puzzle. I would jiggle a window and a roof tile might shift, blow on it instead and the glass might shatter or smell differently. Seemingly insane rules starting to emerge in my head, don’t ever touch the doors, ask rudely before biting something except when it was porous in which case be polite, the eyes would gaze at things that were part of the building or would become part of it.
I used to think hermits where insane, that they were so far into esotericism that besides their magic, long lives, and choice of dress and residence, there was little to distinguish them from crazed street urchins, but now, slowly walking this path toward hopeful annihilation, I knew for certain that they were all loons.
My focus became so honed and my connection to the target of my observation so intense that even when I physically felt myself being pulled away from the HSE, it did not appear to move, and this did not surprise me. Some buildings were made to move, others were forced to, but not this one, never this one.
When finally, I had collapsed all the walls and tied the pipes into the correct formation of ribbons the true work began, finding the path.
I started at a course granularity with kernels the size of small children from all sides and directions. The rays shot toward the place and moved on the map I had made, none making it past even the most meager of defenses. Over time I reduced the kernel size, made the rays non-uniform, cast at different angles, and slowly I began to see the way, even though maps had to be redrawn and promising solutions discarded.
Some collection of forces had to be helping me. The realization came before I could witness them and perhaps, I could not observe them until I had seen their efforts. Sometimes it was a unique freak circumstances that lead to a realization which made me magnitudes more efficient other times it was a surge of will when I thought I had expended all effort possible. When I watched them manifests these situations, I could not describe their appearance to intently, but I knew there was more then one force aiding my efforts and that not all of them aligned with each other.
It could not have been whatever sacrifices lead to the bracelet. No, this ominous thing did not a have a will of its own it only appeared to and that was the worst part. When I failed at the first step of a path, I felt it burning and when I took a step beyond what was normal, I felt my hand calm. This was a product of my mind, my attributions of these phenomena to my shackling to an awful death. The faces on the beads didn’t mean anything, but it would soothe me much if they did.
Yukari’s barriers did valiantly resist my intrusions, but it was a futile attempt on their part. For nothing I did would place me inside the HSE itself and the design of her defenses were built under this limitation, perhaps a necessary compromise? I didn’t know.
When finally, the solutions started to converge, where the seemingly infinite possibilities and aggregations of steps and scenarios began to collapse in upon themselves, I felt an elation and then dread.
My solution was flawed, it would annihilate my target.
Painfully I began from step one, but my methods remained, and a new solution began to emerge. One that would rebound the path many times over within the area and on several occasions slip into places which I could not see into, only surmise their output, and in some cases travel to distant planets and other astronomical bodies before returning. Sometimes the path would decelerate, shed excess power when it wasn’t needed, other times it would accumulate strength to defeat defenses.
The final result was a hand from the heavens, nudging Anon’s soul just outside of his body.
Until this day I have never held a sword in my life and as I put the final step into the answer, I knew it was like this. Materials and information from across the universe traveling at unfathomable speeds and entropy put together into a craft that would terminate.
The culmination of my life I would trade for his, in return is the end I asked for.
I never thought I would wake again, in fact, I hoped that I’d never fall asleep at all.
Yet here I was, in the bed of creaking, ornate wood room. Outside the window I could see clouds just beneath me and birds flying in formation atop them. Above me stood a tiny woman, no taller than a teacup, wearing glasses, holding what looked like a tiny clipboard, and looking at me expectantly. She said something.
I heard someone rushing toward me and the wood creak under their steps. I rose to see who.
She stopped just before she got to me, her arms almost outstretched, almost, but before she reached me, she slowed down, her expression going from elated surprise to quiet anxiety. As if I was someone who looked like a dear friend she knew, only for her to realize I was just a look alike, no, it was more as if her heart moved before her brain and the brain warned her too late to save face, but early enough to prevent a disaster.
Whatever the case, Seija stood before me and meekly uttered a single question.
“Why?”

// Hana 53-55

Swaying in the wind a grassy field shone with the amber colored dying light of the sun, the cool breeze was unmolested by the treeline in the distance and chilled it to a temperature that teased the coming winter. Small rodents and other such life scurried to and fro trying to find enough sustenance for the coming freeze, the coming of Letty was inching closer and closer.

Defying common sense and all reason one women and one girl stood facing each other, bundled up in thick cloth they buffeted the wind that swirled around them. Their words nor intention were not lost on each other, like two predators rearing up for a fight they stood tall against each other sizing up their opponent.

Well, at least as tall as a witch that hasn’t grown since she was 12 and a shrine maiden of 16 years of age could be.

Hana was getting no where fast and she knew it, her mentor simply stared at her with a blank stare only broken by a trace of confusion flitting across her face as she responded, “Non-whatidean hyperdaze…?”

Not for the first time today Hana had felt like an idiot, she was fresh back from the Eientei mid-morning appointment. Which after the procedure, fun on the psych-whatevers, and some testing of her abilities she rushed to her mentor’s cottage… well Alice’s at least… or did it belong to Mima now…? Yuuka sometimes stayed over right…?

Well, whatever.

Details aside she sought out her master for a private bout much to Marisa’s dismay. Mima and the others seemed busy at the moment anyways, which suited Hana just fine since green haired women were just… a little much. She still had her misgivings about pretending to be Mima’s miko but that was a problem for later.

Marisa was clearly unenthused about the whole thing, undoubtably today was her one day of relative peace since it seemed that stupidly powerful flower youkai was keeping Mima preoccupied. Regardless, Hana just had to do it. She had to brag to her mentor about her cool new ability!

Even if she did try using all the fancy and big words Eirin used on her, even if she did feel her face flush in embarrassment as she tried and failed to explain the simplest concepts, even if she didn’t have any sort of knowledge about the academic side of her power; she was going to show off her power to its fullest!

Raising her Gohei she shouted to her yawning mentor with a pose and voice like one of those heroes from those smuggled outsider action manga, “I’ll show you how much stronger I’ve become and force you to acknowledge my progress!”

To Marisa’s credit she did start hyping herself up despite her tired appearance, she let out a smirk and pushed her hat down with one hand letting it tilt back snugly on her messy hair, “Oh? Hanarin is that confident about her ability to ‘never be chained’ ze~?” Marisa clutched her broom tightly, “Fine then, if you can outlast two of my spellcards, I’ll tell you the secrets behind one and let you use it daze!”

Hana felt her blood get hot; her past embarrassment forgotten. This is exactly what she wanted; she’d prove she was strong enough to gain her mentor’s full trust! She’d get that spell card and make it her own… then she’d start making her own too! And then she’d bust her father out and then… It was perfect!

With a shout the miko exclaimed, “I’ll do more than that, I’ll force you out of the sky!”

With bold words shouted the two women took to the sky, getting up a few dozen of feet into the air, more than enough to maneuver easily.

Marisa lifted her finger and pointed it up, one of those large cutesy stars shot up into the air nearly a hundred feet up above her before exploding into a shower of smaller stars and bullets. Her usual signal to start was launched, and within the moment dozens of smaller stars of various speeds shot towards Hana.

The first of the bullets were simple to dodge, smaller stars that were of variable speeds spread over a decent enough arc enough to keep her moving to and fro. Hana wanted more; this wasn’t nearly enough to force her to use her ability!

The wave of training bullets was just the start of course, the stream of small stars narrowed as her larger bullets meant for herding shot out in a loose spiral out from around her in all three dimensions. It was almost too much but Hana didn’t want to use her ability just yet, she could last a bit longer.

She focused her mind from all extraneous thoughts, ducking, weaving, and misdirection were the way to go right now. Eventually she got into the swing of things properly. Now that she was in the zone, she even had time to let her mind get in an extra thought or two. She swam against the bullets letting them misdirect and she took that break in the flow to shoot up for a second as she summoned a magical seal onto Marisa which latched onto her clothing.

Grinning as she did so Marisa waved her hand sending an arc of bullets her way which Hana hurriedly dodged before feeling the heat of it across her face, way too close! Still now that Hana had backed up, she was safe enough and had proved her point so it was worth it.

The real test was now to come. She saw Marisa reach into her pocket and pull out the characteristic cards she favored, complete with little hearts and stars completely unbefitting of a woman her age. With a shout she heard Marisa whip out the spell card she favored using for Hana’s training, “Love sign, non-directional laser!”

There it was! A sphere of light comprised of magical script surrounded Marisa and bathed her in that light the flashy multi colored lasers Hana dreaded burst forth from in all directions along with torrents of bullets big and small! Hana could do it, she studied this card enough to know that they had a pattern, as hard as it was to see in the moment.

The bullets flew at her guiding her into a laser, the laser flew at her guiding her into a bullet. The smaller stars worked tirelessly to do the job of sorting her out. It was a storm that she normally couldn’t last against for this long, but Hana wasn’t the same normal Hana. Or so she would brag later if she could pull this off…

Letting the grid that formed her world squeeze the reality in front of her was no longer the world she was born into. Like she was looking through a sort of lens it became ‘distorted’, but to Hana it was just as natural as her mind grasped it perfectly. The lasers and bullets which surrounded her were formidable, they came from the ‘front’ as she would understand it normally but here? It was different.

Flying diagonally, she lurched ‘forward’, the bullets passed by her harmlessly as she simply flew to where they weren’t allowing the world to roll on itself as she found herself to the side of her mentor. A laser was coming now as well as the herding bullets, the path ‘forward’ was clear.

She ducked ‘into’ the laser and wall of those large bullets as the magical smaller stars doggedly followed her strange movements with, well… magic. Hana grinned as she saw the surprise on her mentor’s face and shouted out, “You’ll have to pull out a million cards before you can hit me like that!”

Hana knew she was acting way too cocky, but she didn’t care. This freedom, this unbridled feeling of superiority, breaking past her old limits and becoming more; it was intoxicating! She knew that like this, she could take on anyone in danmaku or direct combat. She’d be unstoppable! With this ability could be anywhere, move wherever she pleased, go through anything she wanted. If she wanted, she could even condense herself so no human eye could find her!

Finally, the spell card wore out and not being able to help herself Hana appeared ‘above’ Marisa taking the long way of spiraling around her and flipping several times over. An action which in reality took less than a moment, she shouted, letting her voice follow the strange spaced-out lines so it came from below, “Over here Marisa-sensei!”

This naturally caused the witch to look down, and with a grin like a fairy pulling off the funniest prank in the world she launched a true seal down on her mentor’s head. Hana couldn’t help but laugh knowing that her mentor felt the disruption to her magic.

She reached up and fired off a few lasers in a cone but Hana saw this coming and dodged out of the way of the blast. She could see Marisa squint as she deftly tore off the seal on her hat and let it fly away to the dirt. Marisa’s face was appraising, no longer was it confused nor bored and, there was something else there.

Hana however, dismissed it as she danced around in the air going where she pleased dodging the shots in the meantime. She knew her sensei had more tricks up her sleeve if she wanted to get serious, but she read all her abilities so surely nothing could sneak up on her.

A second spell card was in Marisa’s hand before Hana knew it, this one decorated with thunder clouds raining hearts of some kind and with another shout Marisa exclaimed loudly, “Love storm, Starlight Typhoon!”

Hana almost scoffed at this as another sphere of magical energy burst forth from Marisa, but it didn’t stop at hovering around her casually. It expanded past Hana a good distance; Hana was confused at first as she tried to recall her mentor’s moves she read in that grimoire Marisa gave her long ago.

Finally, and just in time, she remembered. Those large herding stars flew in from ‘behind’ Hana as smaller stars shot out from Marisa’s little furnace in front of her. It was intense, even for Hana as the bullets flew out at her causing some near misses. She only had eyes on one side of her head after all! Still, she knew the smaller bullets would follow her with those tracking spells as certainly as the larger ones would.

She used the squeezed reality to maneuver off to the side suddenly letting the bullets follow her before she ducked back to her original position. She even took the ‘long’ way around by dipping and curving towards her mentor. She couldn’t help but tease her again, firing off a singular paper seal as she shouted, “Are you asleep Marisa-sensei!?”

The crisscrossing streams of large herding bullets were absurdly easy to dodge when she could just thread around and to the sides of them. The smaller stars were a bit more annoying but nothing she couldn’t handle. If she wanted too, she could probably pelt Marisa with fantasy seals, even needles if she was a youkai. It was something that was beyond her just earlier today and it felt great.

The sphere had shrunk as she dipped and dodged, making the spell lose most of its effectiveness as the lasers themselves were easy enough to dodge with her new perspective on things and the spell faded soon after.

Hana was left hovering in front of Marisa after she maneuvered ‘away’ from her. With a grin on her face she proclaimed, “How was that Marisa-sensei, you think I’m good enough yet?!”

Marisa sighed as she nodded, “Its true, you did win and those movements are hard to keep track of. You really are a lot better than you were, and as your mentor I’m proud of your progress ze!”

Hana grinned widely; it was exactly what she wanted. Recognition as being strong, maybe she could even- Marisa cut her off, “However, as your mentor I also can’t let you get too big for your bloomers ze. That’s why… I’m going to teach you thoroughly what happens when you pick a fight against someone with more experience than you da ze!”

Huh? Did she piss off Marisa? Uh oh…

// Keine 3

It's easy to feel defeated after a terrible day, but I'm a teacher—I eat bad days for breakfast. Well, the analogy sounded better in my head as I left my room, eyes droopy and hair a mess, the sun just appearing on the horizon, not hurrying my routine: do my hygiene, get dressed, review the material for the day, catch the Bunbunmaru on the way to the school—and maybe, if I'm on a good mood—yeah…—pray at the Dragon Statue.

Thing is, it's never that simple; "Good morning, Keine!" Mokou yelled, all smiles as yesterday. I stare at her blankly, the immortal taking my obvious silence as a cue; "Sorry for barging in—that spare key you gave me came in handy! Just wanted to make sure the expecting mother would eat nicely!" She proudly glanced at the kotatsu, white rice—an immense bowl of it—thick broth soup, and a big fish all set. It looked like the feast of a sumo wrestler.

Frustration boiled just beneath my skin. My storage room was flooded yesterday with babyware, and Mokou was already planning to make it into a baby's room… Babies that, for the millionth time, do not exist. I breathe in and breathe out to control my rage—I don't have time for this. I do not. I have to get everything ready, or I might be late for class…

"Mokou…" I reminisced about how Mokou thought it was a joke yesterday. "… Good morning." So I sit at the kotatsu, fishing my teacher bag from the side before pulling out my big notebook full of colored and scribbled bookmarks. She giggles a bit, finishing cleaning the dishes before joining me. My worries about fitting all the leftovers in the fridge soon dissipated into thin air.

"So, when are you visiting Eientei?"

"Hm?"

"For your pre-natal accompaniment," she tossed a book to me after fishing it from a pocket; on the cover was the silhouette of a woman holding a tiny baby. "This helped me understand how to manage a pregnant woman—needs, changes in everyday life, cares, and signs something might not be okay. You know, that kind of important stuff."

… I stared at her, dumbfounded, then at the book, then at her again. "When did you study all that, Mokou?"

"Last night." Wide-eyed, I gave her face a closer look, spotting clear signs of a night not well-slept. She spent the whole night studying how to help me during my pregnancy…? I would be ecstatic and probably crying in her arms… if this was not a phony pregnancy. So all I did was look at her like she had grown a second head. Mokou, 'course, laughed. "Don't worry, don't worry! I wouldn't leave my best friend hanging during a life-changing moment like this—I'm not an ass, Keine! A bad night of sleep is nothing!"

"Mokou," I call her again: ‘I am not pregnant’. I wish I could say that and make that big, empty head of hers wrap around EXACTLY what those words meant. Still… "Why are you so excited about my… pregnancy?"

She stops laughing; her red eyes, normally so lively and energetic, taking on a tinge of… anxiety. "Huh?"

"I mean, you're more excited for that than I am."

"Well, you see…" The anxiety doesn't fade away but shares space with a weird desire-like feeling. My heart withers a bit as a hypothesis starts to form. "I don't think I'll ever experience it, you know? I love this immortal body of mine, but… Knowing it'll never change—it'll be forever like this—can be disheartening. I don't think much about it, but with the passing of the decades, it's hard not to wish something more…"

Oh. So she wants to experience the 'joys' of pregnancy through me… The person who's not even pregnant.

Way to strike the heart, Mokou, gee…

Now I feel terrible about telling her the truth. I look at the tiny book in my hands, bitterness taking over my tongue—not even quenched by Mokou's great cooking—and feel my bosom contort. What exactly should I do in this situation? Telling her would be for the best, not letting the lie grow roots. Yet, as I listened her go on and on about helping to build an extension for my house, the hours we’ll spend choosing the perfect spot for a cradle, the decorations, the plans…

I don't even notice I'm caressing my belly, feeling only blood circulation.

Mokou smiles fondly. "Are they kicking?" Her voice is soft as a pillow. I glance again at her face, my body trembling a bit.

… It won't take long.

Pregnancies usually show up six or seven weeks after the fertilization period. It'll be cruel when the time comes and the truth is revealed; I'll maybe even say, 'I told you'… but I nod anyway, tense, watching as she gets up from the kotatsu, treading lightly as if to not wake up a slumbering beast, kneeling by me, staring from below with eyes of pure expectancy and anxiety just as great…

"They… can’t kick already," she nods, frowning. "But it's about that time—their hearts have started to beat."

"… Can I?"

I nodded, and Mokou put her ear on my belly. A tiny pulsating danmaku pellet in my stomach simulated beating hearts.

Her smile was the biggest I’ve seen.

I can’t shake the feeling this is a mistake.

// Hana 56

Hana was having trouble now; the bullets were flying relentlessly and even though Marisa was still on the ‘defense’ as it were. It was taking all of Hana’s concentration just to keep in the air and keep dodging even with her advantage of her ability. Despite her strange movements that would unnerve the inaba from earlier she remembered that the strong are simply different like how Eirin and Kaguya seemed to be able to track her just fine. Marisa seemed to get a grasp on her movements as well.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true, it was more like Marisa could mostly guess where she’d head to and let Hana fall into a routine. Then she’d pull the rug from under her with streams of merciless bullets that would start and stop in short order to track her down. She hadn’t even used any new spell cards just yet which worried her.

Still, even if Marisa were pull out a final spark or something she could dodge it as long as she knew it was coming! Well, that’s what she thought at least, Marisa shouted out something as she pulled out a spell card decorated with two hakerro sitting on a large star, “Double magic, Duospark!”

The fucking what?! It was at that moment that Hana realized something about the grimoire Marisa gave her to study. It was old, nearly as old as her. Naturally, Marisa came up with new moves and cards in the meantime, it wasn’t like incidents stopped happening in recent years. They may have gotten a bit sparser but that’s all.

Hana learned the meaning of ‘improvement’ as Marisa became surrounded in blinding light. Like looking into a sun comprised of the colors of the rainbow Marisa summoned waves and waves of those large herding stars around her.

However, they didn’t venture forth, not yet, like a flash she vanished to the side as she did it again in the span of a second. To cover her movements smaller stars showered the field like a typhoon forcing Hana to continually dodge without rest, even her strange movements didn’t allow her a moments rest.

She could go to where the bullets weren’t, that was easy. What if there were nowhere bullets weren’t? What if they were always falling and never giving her a chance to rest? Hana was already out of breath, and that was before those two balls of rainbow light burst forth. The waves crisscrossed in all directions cutting off all escape routes and Hana regretted losing her composure and taunting her teacher so much.

In a last desperate gambit, she made her world go wide, looking into the distance behind her mentor as she tried to throw off her aim. Barely able to keep all but the heat of the bullets off of her. That was hardly the end, those smaller stars and herding bullets were just a ploy to keep her busy.

The real show began when Marisa took out her second furnace, a thin beam of light erupted… erupted…? No that wasn’t right, it was just the tracer. A sudden wide and bright light erupted where she was just a second ago, it took all her focus just to find a path into the beam that could even avoid it.

She tried to appear above the witch and do anything to gain some reprieve by finding a blind spot in between the waves of thick and clogging bullets. However there was no safe space, and before Hana even finished moving Marisa was already raising her Hakkero up and it was emitting a thin tracer beam as the other was just finishing.

Hana’s world went white

// Ran/Chen 36

There is no need for words.

His lips on mine are lava, my hands running across his back and feeling each individual sulk; each lump that didn't heal as properly—this is not the back of a fighter, no matter how toned or worked it is, but even so, these scars tell stories. They're sad stories… Yet, my fingers touch them gently, respecting their stories and the man that carries them, whose eyes just found mine, illuminated by dots of gold and pale moonlight, breathing struggling to recompose, back arched outwards, as if afraid to touch, to feel more than the focus of his eyes.

My hands go down, around his lower hips, then up, following the trail of his chest—the same book as his back—and end dearly holding each of his cheeks. I slightly nod to him, a reassurance. The moment he wants to stop, that he doesn't feel comfortable—that's when we stop.

He nods back, a bit uncertain but still here with me, and fondly presses his lips a little lower, following that line of the neck and trailing it down with a multitude of kisses, pinching on the right spots to make my back arch up—biting on the jawbone and pulling ever so slightly. I'm moaning, a jolt coursing through me like the flow of a river and tensing up my tails. The cold of the stone, the nearby pond, and the wind are dispelled as his mouth finally reaches its destination between my breasts.

His lips work, explore, teeth pulls and pushes, his hands following true and holding each of my hips, guiding the laying dance, caresses not lacking, his touch going from inch to inch with a sort of adoration that melts my heart—

—I moan louder, mewling sweet as the tip of his penis touches my entrance, no more than a chaste kiss… Which freezes him like a statue.

Anon's eyes are not of love anymore; they're wide, and behind his shrunk pupils I see fear, anxiety, a weight only those scars painting his body know of, his breathing going from a stream to a tornado, sweat forming in puddles. He trembles like a leaf…

I hold him. He's crying in my arms.

Even though his dick is still close by, poking my thigh, I simply don't care. I don't move forward or try to get more than what he's already giving me…

I wait patiently, drawing circles on his back and whispering truths in his ear—truths of love that blossomed even here, in this accursed place.

It takes a while—I don't mind—but soon, he calms down, the words from before, about the things Reimu and Yukari have done to him ring loudly.

They'll never go away.

Our eyes find each other again, and I'm about to reach his face, say 'It is okay', that we can stop here. I won't be mad.

He holds my wrist, and I watch as a courageous smile cross his face, tears forgotten, and even though some time has passed, the fireflies around us shine brighter, as if challenging the absolute shine born in his eyes. The fireflies lose.

Because each scar tells a story only they know.

… Yet, there's one thing all those scars, so silent and stoic, tell me just by existing: that the man who carries them got up and marched forward after each one, no matter what. Personal strength; strength harvested from the love for his daughter or maybe the hope for his wife… In me, his light… Strength nevertheless.

A man who never let fear chain him down.

I kiss that man, he kisses back, and his hand gently guided inside of me what many considered a simple tool for carnal pleasure—I welcomed it as he welcomes me every excruciating day: with fondness, care, and love.

We moaned to each other, never breaking eye contact, foreheads touching—my ears poking his scalp—the member inside me moving in and out, one of my hands holding his neck and the other having found its way to his free hand subconsciously, our grasp tough as diamonds, love honed just as one, too.

My name escaped his smiling lips, holding my body as if sacred, bushy tails in ecstasy clamping everywhere as if to keep a hold on reality, the growing necessity and the promised satisfaction—exacerbated by being in each other's arms—through the proverbial roof, my legs kicking, trying to get a hold of his waist—his hand goes down, a natural movement, and helps the tense lips to get a proper hold, his thrusting in and out—in and out, in and out—stronger, and I could feel it coming, back curving up, drooling, narrowed eyes, mind clouded, body so very warm it seemed on fire.

His mouth was on mine, and the world went white—

My legs quivered, fluffy tails tense like rods, and I came and, oh… It was like the world had lost its massive weight. He quickly followed suit, as if seeing this orgasmic, derpy-looking woman in his arms was the most beautiful sight in the whole world… The way he held me after finishing, laughing genuinely, eyes wide not with fear, made me think it was possible.

I laughed, too, hand on my full belly, and cried tears of healing with him.

The moments passed in bliss, silence, our personal paradise. Words finally came: "… Wanna go again?" He asked.

"Yes." I answered.

// Aya 41

Seeing Reimu again was supposed to be a death sentence. Listening to her orders was painful enough, but Ran revealing her pregnancy completely destroyed her composure. Some random at a bar, a secret boyfriend, Okina’s backdoor; Lies and alibis were constructed in her head until Toutetsu locked eyes with her. Letting the truth out, guilt burned her heart and her throat as she confessed her sins, begged forgiveness, then realized who she was bowing to. Reimu’s gaunt limbs and heavy eyes were gone: She was once again the Crimson Slasher that defied gods and suppressed the strongest youkai. Even weakened by Sanae, Aya decided that someone had to stop her before she hurt Anon again. Before she hurt Hana again. Before she could hurt her children.

When she put away her gohei, Aya realized the Crimson Slasher wouldn’t hurt anyone. Reimu was standing in front of her again.

Aya clung onto the miko tightly, letting all of her fears, anger and resentment flow onto her shoulders. Two decades of animosity were swept away in a tide, revealing the good days of banquets, incidents, and friendship that were smothered underneath. The tengu wouldn’t stay dry either: Like a little girl who found a lost toy, Reimu returned the embrace tenfold, releasing the heavy chains that weighed her heart down. Slowly, the stoic mistress that held Anon in bondage faded away, replaced by a mournful woman searching for atonement. The tengu could hear sniffling coming from neither her nor Reimu, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep that a secret. She’d make the mob boss cry another day, this moment was between her and Reimu!

Reimu composed herself first, letting go of the mother-to-be. Whether it was some senior instinct to protect her younger friend, maternal hormones, or a fear that letting go of Reimu would mean losing her again, Aya pulled her back in twice before Toutetsu had to force them apart. “Alright, alright, that’s enough now! *sniffle* Crying over each other isn’t a planning meeting. Look — Ranni and Chen already left us behind!”

Aya wanted to retort, but Toutetsu had a point: She came here to discuss liberating Anon and just started fighting with Reimu and Ran. It would be inevitable, sure, but freeing Anon from Yukari’s treacherous clutches took precedent over the cunning shikigami and the somewhat-less violent miko. Instead Reimu spoke up: “Sure, but isn’t the meeting pretty much over without Ran? She’s going to be necessary for a fight against Yukari, so there isn’t much left to talk about without her.” With those characteristically aloof words, Reimu turned towards home and prepared to leave.

The reporter chirped up: “We can still discuss an escape plan!” Capturing the miko’s attention, Aya delved into her proposition: “My delivery day is only two months away, so I’ll still be able to fly when the solstice comes around. Between Eirin’s pills and Okina’s backdoor, I’ll have the strength to locate Anon and pull him out of harm’s way before anyone” — that’s too broad, be specific! —“working with Yukari can catch me. Physically. Yukari’s barriers probably have secret countermeasures made to stop a jailbreak and the HSE building itself is definitely full of kappa traps that won’t be merciful.” She looked over to Toutetsu, signaling her to share.

“Yeah yeah, there’s a shitload of distractions packed into every inch of that place. I’ll take care of the most important trap since it’s not something you guys can handle delicately.” Toutetsu pointed her spork towards the miko and tengu that relied on strength and speed over strategy, annoying both. “The rest of them shouldn’t kill anyone of your caliber, but it’s another story for a human. That’s why you’ll take the easy way out.” Breaking out a grin, Toutetsu started describing the system of interconnected staff tunnels that held fewer traps and predictability than a frontal assault. While Reimu listened intently, Aya tried her best to to simultaneously remember everything and think about nothing.

This was it! This was what Aya needed to save Anon — and that’s the furthest she could let herself think. While Reimu discussed ways to pull attention away from the exits and entrances, Aya halfheartedly responded with affirmations of “that could work” and “I should be able to manage that.” Come on, stop thinking and just soak it up! She tired distracting herself with her tengu problems for a bit: Maybe she could use the staff entrances to catch the rumormonger when they left the HSE… It hit her immediately: The rumormonger was using the secret exits!

Saving Anon, protecting the Moriya Shrine and securing her happiness, Aya gave Toutetsu a big hug before flying off for her reservation. While the taotie was caught off guard, she squeezed back hard enough to remind Aya of her massive strength. Heh, secret plans and powerful friends; Everything was coming up Aya!

// Keine 4

I regretted it immediately.

Feeling strained after two hours of listening to Mokou gush about all things baby-related and what she read about them, I—surprisingly—felt some relief when we went our separate ways and I got to the school. In the hallways, I got looks and whispers, and I probably should go and have a talk with the headmaster to clarify things… Nah, better do it during break.

My eyes focus on the papers in my hands as I reach my classroom, ready to start the day, at least feeling at peace with the predictable fact most of my students should've already forgotten what happened yesterday—

"CONGRATULATIONS, MS. KEINE!" A chorus of shrill voices scares the ever-living crap out of me, papers scattering as I almost stumble backward. Rice flies over me, my eyes broad, heart through the roof. The classroom had been transformed: tables joined together to make a big one, a nice towel and a big cake over it. Students stood at the front, parents at the back—even Kosuzu-san, bless her soul, was beaming—then it started: the children rushed towards me, all screaming with smiles on their faces, and soon enough I was sunk into a massive group hug of tiny bodies, everyone trying to put their flag of affection on their teacher's body—and the parents were laughing.

"W-Wh—"

"Congrats on your pregnancy, Keine-sensei!" All yells followed that pattern as I, having to leave my stupor before drowning in a sea of softness, began hugging back each kid and putting them back down. It was immensely sweet, but it gnawed on the back of my head how far this lie was going, making the prospect of having to come clean just that much more harrowing… The parents then came forward, congratulating me with words of encouragement, small gifts—even hugs—mothers telling me how good of a mother I'll be…

I had to smile through it all. Say to their proud, smiling, and even jesting faces, 'Yes, I'm an expectant mother'.

Too overwhelming, too overwhelming…

… But why?

And then came the headmaster—I hadn't noticed Mr. Hieda in the bunch of parents, but I was wide-eyed when he hugged me, congratulating me and saying how he's gonna bring sweet Akyuu here when she's free, then guiding me to the cake—chocolate, beautifully made, yet it made the food inside my stomach turn and turn and oh—

"Excuse me!" I stumble to the class door, holding my mouth—I won't have time to get to the bathroom—

I blindly pick the closest thing to me and, unceremoniously, vomit inside of it.

The cheer stops, soon a sweet hand drawing circles on my back. "Oh, these are the worsts—I remember mine." It's Suzu's voice, Fumiko and Daisuke watching from behind, other mothers getting close to shield me from the curious students' eyes, fathers calming them and explaining it's a 'normal thing that comes with pregnancy'. I breathe heavily, slowly pulling my face from inside my… my teacher bag: full of class material, corrected tests, and agenda. All covered in gastric acid now. Great. Just great… "You okay, Keine-san?" Suzu asks, getting a bit closer—the other mothers are just out of hearing range…

"I'm not pregnant." I blurt out to Suzu, barely a whisper.

"… Huh?"

I'm trembling a little—her eyes are wide with disbelief… Layered on it, Mokou's face, disappointment; rage and… betrayal.

It was a terrible mistake. At the time, it sounded okay; it'd hurt only a little… Yet, remembering Mokou excitingly going around, happy like I’ve never seen because she thinks she’s a part of the biggest change in my life—her ear on my belly, her smile…

It was just too much at the time and I—

"Is she okay, Suzu-chan?" A parent's voice takes me out of my little world, and Suzu's face, frozen in utter confusion, tells me a terrible story; I was whispering all of that. Gladly—why?—it seems only she heard it all… But it'll be short-lived. Suzu will tell them the truth, which is sad considering all the effort that went into this sweet little party, but it has to be done—

… Please don't, please don't…

Suzu takes a good look at my begging face, moistens her lips, and, with an easy, simple smile, turns to the herd of mothers. "Oh, don't worry! Keine-san was telling me about this unfortunate incident," she points at my bag, heavy with foreign liquid. "Let's go, Keine-san, let's get you cleaned, so you can enjoy the party—don't let the kids take more of the cake, okay?" She commands the parents with a smile so sweet and empathy so affable it hurts, gentle hands guiding me out of the classroom—

"Get well, Keine-sensei!"

"We want to know what names you'll choose—"

"Oh, name them after my dogs, please!"

"She won't—name after mine, Keine-sensei!"

The kids said things, the parents said other things…

It was gradual, but their voices eventually condensed into a howling beast's idea of voice. We left, the silence between me and Suzu tasting like expired milk; "Keine-san…" She starts after we got to the women's bathroom…

“I’m not pregnant…” I repeat, crying, holding my face.

// Seija/Goro 54-56

“Why?” I had said.
All that time I had to think since I snatched Goro from the front of the HSE and brought him to the Inchling Castle and that was the best I could come up with.
Shinmyoumaru had told me, she had said ‘You’d better think good and hard on what to say before he comes out of that trance.’, but of course wouldn’t elaborate or give me any advice regarding that ‘it should be obvious.’ Is all she said.
So, what the hell? I figured I’d just wing it and come up with something on the fly and I go and mouth out something dumb a human child would say when a Youkai was about to bully them. So stupid of me.
“Eh-hem.” The little Inchling doctor interrupted, “It seems like your body went into a bit of coma after your trance ended. You seem better now, try to get some rest in the meantime.” She told Goro.
“I’ll leave you two alone for now.” She said, waddling to the room’s door and exiting through a much smaller door embedded inside it.
I suppose these were guest rooms for normal sized folks, but they still had to accommodate the castles residents.
Goro’s expression was a strange mixture of shock and spiritual calm. It’s as if the face of despair that he had when last I saw him conscious, when I debased him, had imprinted itself unto his being, but over it was a serenity, some universal acknowledgement of things. I wasn’t sure what to think of it.
“’Why?’ That’s a strange question to come from a traitor.” He said plainly. “Whatever could you mean?”
“I mean why were you trying to blow yourself up?!” I said, surprising myself with how frustrated I had gotten.
“Because of what you did to me perhaps?” I felt my blood pressure rise. “No, no, don’t misunderstand, I didn’t just lose my will to live because you took the possibility of a good death from me.” He waved, almost laughing.
“I’ve set my soul to target Anon’s. When I die so does he by that much.” He said, making a pinching sign with fingers. “of course, I didn’t think too long about how I’m going to die, but it must happen before the winter solstice. Say, that window doesn’t open does it?”
“You’re giving up? I thought humans were supposed to treasure their short lives!” I screamed.
He closed his eyes and exhaled, as if he were about to lecture a child.
“Humans molt into new lives several times before we die, we treasure it as much as we do the passing of the seasons. You Youkai just reflect that change back at us. Our ‘living’ isn’t that important.” He waved.
I gritted my teeth. “And that fancy little philosophy of yours justifies a little murder-suicide?”
“Oh no, just suicide. Anon will survive I saw to that a long time ago with that underground cat. No, my actual objective is taking Anon of the table while everyone has all those arms on hand, but no Yukari to throw them at.” He said with a smile.
“Turns out you were right Seija, the whole system was lopsided and balanced on the Hakurei family. Now that the one pillar supporting Gensokyo is gone, we have a good century or so of stagnation until everything disappears and I’m not going to let that happen. No, instead there’s going to be one big firework display where everyone’s going to duke it out, so this ‘harmony’ doesn’t end up being the death of us all.” He explained.
I almost couldn’t recognize Goro. Every dealing I’d seen him make seemed pragmatic, sickeningly kind, and honest. Now he was gleefully talking about igniting a cataclysm by striking his soul like a match. A lot of me liked that.
“Every deal I’ve made was based on that harmony, that the best thing for humans was a good life and a peaceful death, based on the lie that I always dealt in my client’s best interests. And all I must do to atone for that sin and escape a cursed existence is trade my life to topple it all over.”
“Goro…” I began to say walking to his side. “…That’s fantastic.”
I grab him by the robe and pull his face to mine, kissing him. He was shocked, it was messy, but I didn’t mind. Then I slapped him across the face.
“But it’s wrong.” I said, grinning.
“You- “He began, but before I could I jumped on the bed, straddling him.
“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t disagree with a word you said, but you’re mine and I’m not giving you up just to save this rotting place.” I tell him.
“I’m not owned by you.” He sneered.
“I ate a piece of your soul, and you took my flesh, so we’re practically married.” I said, crossing two fingers in the air, smiling.
“But I suppose it’ll take a little more convincing.” From my pocket I take a bottle of pills, extract one and pop it in my mouth.
“Fertility enhancers.” I say, shaking the bottle before slipping it back in my pocket. “I picked some up at Eientei since it didn’t take last time.”
Goro’s eyes widen, then narrow. “Just where is the bottom with you? How do you keep finding new lows to stoop to?”
“But lover…” I begin, laying down on top of him putting my face to his. “…You did this to me, you seduced me over and over again. If you could’ve been a little less confident or lacked a little backbone, I wouldn’t have done those things I did. I’d have served my time with you, maybe burned down your house, and been on my way.”
I can see his eyes twitch and feel his arms trying to push me away, but he’s too weak.
“And I’m sorry.” I say.
He stops.
“I’m an Amanojaku, but you were right, I am happier with you. Just because I’m twisted doesn’t mean I want to be hated and alone more then I want you around. It’s so stupid.” I say burying my face in his chest.
“I’m just so stupid. I didn’t rush you to Eientei because the shrine maiden threatened me, I wanted to see what kind of person was nuts enough to bite my neck off. I wanted to be alone with you when I asked you to take a different route back to the hospital room. I was happy when you pulled me close under the blanket. I laughed when we pulled that joke on Hijiri, doubly so when we embarrassed Okina! I swooned when you fooled me in the bamboo forest! Every night we were together I thought about sneaking into your bed cause’ I wanted to ruin your good night sleep and just be closer to you!” Once I start, I just can’t stop.
“I want to keep messing with people with you for the rest of my life.” I tell him.
“You’re lying.” Goro told me.
I was, in part, but a lot more of it was embarrassingly true.
“All you ever do with other people is use them like tools. That’s the kind of person who I hate, no, who’s the most boring to me!” He yelled.
“What good is it tossing perfectly good people aside? Even if I dealt with a devil, I would do what’s best for both of us! I can’t stand that waste, that, callousness you and everyone else has toward all the people around them!” Goro continued.
“That’s why I despise you so much. I believed in you, despite what everyone told me. I held you close because I know there’s a lot more you’re capable of, if you just stopped throwing people away. But I guess Amanojaku aren’t just twisted, your also entirely stuck in your own ways. Always a traitor.”
“I won’t. Not again.” I say.
He doesn’t answer.
“I’m not the type of woman who’d be satisfied with a reaction like ‘oh, she did it again, shame on me I suppose’!” I yell. “So, I’ll, I’ll never do that again, to you.” I stutter.
“And did you forget that you cursed me?” Goro said.
“We can find a way to undo it! And if we can’t, we can find a way to extend your life until we do!”
“And the rape.”
“I was… I can take responsibility.” I gnashed my teeth. How many more embarrassing things was I going to have to say?
“I won’t say it again, I can never trust you.” He resigned.
We both laid there in silence for a while. To calm down, I listened to his heartbeat. I knew what I had to say.
“Then I’ll drink poison with you.” I finally said.
“I’m not giving you away to this awful place and if your gonna go ahead with it anyway then I’ll follow you as far as I can.”
Reaching around him, I hugged him. Hoping he’d understand.
Goro sighed.
“You are so embarrassing.” He said, patting my head.
“And stupidly tactful. Seriously, how did you know I needed you alive for any of that plan to work?” He asked.
“I…”
“You didn’t even know? Oh man, I didn’t think my father would ever be right about woman’s intuition…” he said, shaking his head. “…what good is it to suddenly turn things on its head if there’s no Amanojaku to take advantage? Really, you were that worried about me that you didn’t think about that?”
Ugh, I was, and I’m never living this down. If people, all at once suddenly became afraid of upheavals I’d pretty much be unrivaled and could do as I pleased. Which would probably be necessary for change to come to Gensokyo.
“And I really thought you’d just let me be after you had your fun. Guess I was stupid to think you were that shallow.” He said, stroking my hair.
“Are you saying you’re not gonna, I mean, that you’ll let me, uh” I couldn’t get a word out.
“All I’m saying is that someone has to fall on their sword for such a horrible woman like you and you’re lucky I’m just dumb enough to do it.” He says, Hugging me.
I start tearing up and clutching him. It’s sickening being shown such affection, but my hearts fluttering at being berated all the same.
Then a telltale warmth starts to rise throughout my body.
“Uhm, you know that pill I took?”
“Em?” Goro murmured.
I could feel myself going lightheaded and my body start to tingle. That damned Eiren, did she put an aphrodisiac in the pill as well? She had to have thought about it, she knows she has to reverse the dosage for me after all! Damnit now was not the time! Needed to think of something fast…
“Goro, move over!” I tell him, struggling my way under the blankets beside him.
He’s surprised at first and is about to say something, but I interject “I don’t want to conceive like this, and I don’t want to be apart from you right now, so I need you to help me handle this!” I hurriedly complain.
I position myself to face away from him and grab his hand, pulling him into a spooning position and guiding him under my dress to my sex.
“Just, just touch it okay.” I whimper.
He does. Gingerly, until I force his fingers with my own to enter it. The sensations tickle up my body and cause me to quietly moan as I feel him touch inside me.
“Rub it, please.” I tell him.
I was going to kill Eiren for this, that much was certain, but how many times? That I wasn’t sure about. I couldn’t think about that now with my body convulsing against his touch, amplified by whatever drug she laced that pill with.
With all the sudden sensations and his warmth against me I didn’t hold out for long, after all, when he was in a trance and sleeping, I hadn’t touched him except to bring him here. Shinmyoumaru told me it was a condition for hiding him here and I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was cursing her now.
“Ahh, augh.” I cried, biting into a blanket to suppress my moans.
The orgasm felt painful at first, causing my body to jerk and flinch in strange ways, but the familiar wave of pleasure surged over it, stupefying my senses, and making me lose proper motor control.
Goro took his fingers out from my woman hood and examined it. In my haze, I saw the trail of fluids that came from it.
“Yeah.” I say. “You want to taste it?”
In a gesture that implied ‘no thanks’ he wiped it on the sheets and just put his hand across my stomach.
“You know Goro, I can feel it pressing against my back.”
“Yeah?” he says.
This idiot. Don’t make me spell it out.
“You can use my thighs, just make sure you take care of me to.” I offer.
Wordlessly, he shifts behind me until I feel something warm between my legs. His right hand finds it way back slowly into my crotch and he begins moving again.
The pleasure isn’t as intense, but I felt a serenity, like a oneness with Goro at that moment. I don’t know how to feel about something so sappy, it’s just I didn’t want it to end, and I wanted more.
“Goro, your other hand…” I said between moans.
Gently I guided his boney left hand under me, under my dress, under my bra, and felt it’s exoskeleton against my sensitive flesh. He got the message and started moving, feeling, pinching me, all the while pushing and touching me a little faster.
I could feel myself reaching my limit when the tiny door opened.
“Goro! I hear you finally woke up, I’m so glad to finally meet you!” Shinmyoumaru said.
I freeze and curse, but it’s too late, it only amplifies the incoming crash. I cry out without even biting into the sheet and Goro holds me tight to himself as the feelings take hold and peak over and over again.
Shinmyoumaru’s is stuck all the while, her friendly and enthusiastic expression stuck on her face, but the light completely dead in her eyes.
When I finally recover enough from the high, I toss a pillow in her direction.
“Do you mind!” I yell.
“Ah my deepest apologies, no, a thousand apologies!” She says, bowing formally before departing and closing the door.
“Seriously.” I sigh. Trying to get comfortable in the sheets. “You think the nurse would have dropped her a hint.”
“Mehm” Goro murmured, pulling me close.
I guess resting a little more was fine.

// the RanOS incident

Anon lay on his futon after the world turned dark. Sleep was coming to him, tomorrow wouldn't be better but at least for now he didn't have to be conscious.

His eye lids grew heavy, there was snores on his lips already, Ran's vermicelli... Anon sank into the worlds of dreams, grateful for the respite of the horror he faces everyday.

His lifelines were few here, very few could resist Yukari's machinations after all. Fortunely he had one friend he could rely on. It was his memories of the time before he migrated to Gensokyo.

His dreams came alive and he was watching a stage, lights shone down onto it. It was a simple thing, Japanese style and with artful scrolls and other decorations lining the wall behind a few chairs.

On those chairs there sat three women, he recognized them all. Yukari, Nitori, Ran who sat on Yukari's lap and Chen who sat on Rans. It looked uncomfortable...

Nitori was babbling about something, it was boring and Yukari had that gleam in her eye of pure mischief. It was fine though, anon was the crowd and nothing bad happens to the crowd.

As Nitori rambled on about Shikigami operating systems Yukari spoke up, holding up Ran in both hands while she maintained that perfect sitting pose as she wasn't being held aloft.

Yukari began her rant as she stared straight at Anon, "I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Chen, is in fact, RAN/Chen, or as I've recently taken to calling it, RAN plus Chen.

Chen is not a shikigami unto herself, but rather another free component
of a fully functioning RAN shikigami made useful by the RAN houselibs, math
utilities and vital spin components comprising a full shikigami as defined by ZUN.

Many shikigami users run a modified version of the RAN system every day,
without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of RAN
which is widely used today is often called "Chen", and many of its users are
not aware that it is basically the RAN shikigami, developed by the Touhou Project.

There really is a Chen, and these people are using it, but it is just a
part of the shikigami they use. Chen is the servant: the part in the shikigami
that is just a stage 2 boss without the RAN component; but an extra stage boss with it.
The servant is an essential part of a shikigami, but useless by itself;
it can only function in the context of a complete shikigami. Chen is
normally used in combination with the RAN shikigami: the whole shikigami
is basically RAN with Chen added, or RAN/Chen. All the so-called "Chen"
distributions are really distributions of RAN/Chen."

Anon finally understood.

// Takane, the latina mother

Recently I’ve felt conflicted.
Anon and I had slept together. He’d ask for it, wanted it, offered to help me, and I had given him every opportunity to say no, encouraged him to even. So, I was so happy when he joined with me anyway, that he’d do that for me willingly even though it was the source of so much torment for him.
But in the end, he was still trapped here and maybe I wasn’t so different from the other woman who’d come to him time after time forcing him down. Perhaps I had just coerced him, strung him along so Anon would love me honestly and not feel obligated, when in the end I’d just tricked him into loving me. Something Yukari might’ve been proud of if it was any other man.
It would do me no good to agonize over it! I had to tell him honestly, confess how I felt instead of letting this shame eat me alive. So, I went into the fake shrine during his break period alone and made for his bedroom.
What I found was the Yamawaro, Yamashiro, stroking his sleeping head. When she noticed me, she put a finger to her lips, warning me not to disturb him.
It irritated me. Anon had confided in her, she’d helped him, and unlike the rest of the woman she hadn’t had her way with him, for that I was grateful. She even took on whatever task was thrown at her, no matter if it was tutoring Chen in math or getting a trench dug, what’s more, she lately had become less apathetic more, caring. And that’s what made me itch, all that, yet she was also a beneficiary of this cursed place, even if she wasn’t personally tormenting Anon, she made sure it happened in the most efficient way possible.
Maybe I was angry because she was a better hypocrite.
After a while she beckoned me out of the room and out to the porch where we both sat down next to each other.
“So, you took the plunge?” She asked.
I nodded.
Yamashiro sighed. “I should have guessed with how close you two were getting. That man has no control over his own charms after all, it was only a matter of time until you were bewitched.”
This surprised me. “I hadn’t asked him, I told him about my estrus and my concerns and he, just wanted to help.”
It was surreal saying these things to such a younger Youkai, let alone hearing me talk about it out loud. What trick had this Yamawaro learned…
“Makes sense, he always wants to help, to support the people around him, those he loves. That’s the worst part about this place.” She waved her finger in the air, as if pointing to the entire space at once.
“He can’t meaningfully do anything for anyone from here. It’s all a façade to him, being the center of attention, and having to put on act of himself. The bedroom, however much of a performance he must put on, is maybe the one place he can genuinely love people here, and you know how he feels about that.”
“I’m sorry.” I say, before Yamashiro slaps me on the back of the head.
“Fool, I don’t have the right to condemn anything you did to him, and it was his choice to reciprocate your feelings. He’s not such a trophy or so weak that he’d cuddle up to you like a child craves the love of an abusive parent, even if he is stuck in this place.” She explained.
Yamashiro exhaled. “Some annoying guy once told me: ‘Good business is built on good deeds and evil acts lead to no business at all’, and we’ve both done a lot of bad things to keep this place running. Eventually it’ll all come crashing down and those of us complicit with this place will have to answer for what we did.”
I bite me tongue thinking about it. All this time I’d paid attention to Anon, Chen, Yukari, and myself, but this place was taking its toll from so many others as well. So many people we’ve ignored, so like me to not see the bigger picture and trust Yukari.
As if seeing my frustration, the Yamawaro speaks “You two are alike in a way, both bound to abusive people who monopolize your attention, your love. It’s a wonder what the world would be like if either of you could’ve worked together with those people instead of being bound. I think you both just wanted to escape that toxic partnership with one another.”
I felt flush with embarrassment at her words. It’s as if Anon and I were some runaway teenage royalties eloping against the wishes of our parents. Ah, such romantic thoughts were unbecoming of me, I didn’t deserve them-
Then I felt Yamashiro’s hug from behind. It wasn’t sudden or quick, but a slow, warm embrace.
“It’ll be hard Ran. After this you’ll want to monopolize him, have him all to yourself like a fairy tale. But that won’t make Anon happy, so don’t try to re-tread the mistakes of the past or he’ll just drift away.”
“You mean, the others?” I asked.
“Yes. He’ll want to help them, love them as well. It’ll make you more jealous than you’ve ever been and maybe even bitter. Just remember, this is the price we pay for our sins. Bad business just means you pay a greater cost later.”
I placed my hand on hers and let myself feel that warmth. It wasn’t clear how much of what she said was for me and how much was for herself, but that made it feel authentic. Unlike an impassionate judge, more like an understanding mother.
“I’ll try.” I answered.
“Good.” She said, slapping me on the back of the head again.
I turned around, surprised, to be greeted by Takane’s cruel, angry looking smile.
“Because if you hurt him, I’ll make sure to repay the favor with compounding interest.”

// Aya 42

Time was ticking as Aya rushed into the HSE, a look of determination on her face. Today, she’d tell Anon how she felt. Reimu gave Aya her blessing (in a way), so this wasn’t homewrecking. Plus, that damn fox would seduce him if Aya didn’t strike first. Yet again, that tall hooded customer walked past her. Now wasn’t the time to draw attention to herself. The tengu simply walked over to Ran, whom had a conflicted look on her face. “My reservation is open, right?”

“You’re right on time. Please enjoy your stay.” It was lip service, but a tinge of wisfulness seeped into her tone.

The reporter waited until the third party left before replying. “I’ll be sure to, and so should you. It’s all for his best interests, right?”.

The kitsune’s expression darkened at Aya’s apparent challenge. “My motives should be the least of your worries.” There was emphasis on the “your” part. “Everything I do for Anon is to help him, nothing less.” Under her hat, Aya could see Ran’s ears standing at attention.

The reporter adopted a slick smile. “Good. Second-guessing yourself isn’t going to do favors for either of you. He needs our full support and if you can’t provide it, I’ll just have to pick up the slack~”

The shikigami’s face brightened and returned a knowing grin. Their banter over, Aya went to the changing room. She knew she’d crush her rival for Anon’s heart, it just wouldn’t be worth it if Ran didn’t put up a fight.

Entering the shrine grounds again, the reporter felt as accustomed to this walk as she did the journey to the real shrine. Perhaps it was for the best that her next two visits would be the last, otherwise she might be ensnared like the rest of Anon’s clientele. Attracted to a simple life with Anon… Her thoughts began to wander, reminding the tengu to choke down her little survival aid. Can’t lose control or she’d lose every bit of progress she made. Opening the doors to the main building, Aya invited herself in. “Honey, I’m home!”

Anon was still in the kitchen, an apron with the HSE’s trademark two ying-yang balls and gohei emblazed on it tied around his scandalous juban. “Oh, Aya! Nice to see you again. I was just starting on dinner, could you wait a moment?”

“Did you really forget what I said last time? ‘I’ll cook for you in the future.’ Guess what today is.” Without missing a beat, Aya reached around Anon’s waist, untying the apron and donning it herself before the human could stop her. “You’ve been so good to me this week, it’s time I return the favor.”

“Really, it’s no trouble at all. You’ve been a lifeline of information, and good food is best accompanied by a good story.” There was hesitation in his voice. Was it from yesterday’s visit or something else?

She put his reticence aside. “If you really insist, then this will be your lesson in tengu cuisine. Watch and learn Anon, you’ll never be able to live without my cooking after your first bite!” Watching the human back away from the kitchen, the tea lesson fresh in his mind, Aya made a mad dash around cabinets, gathering and measuring ingredients in a blur. While rice and meat cooked, Anon cleaned up behind the excited chef and brewed tea on the side. It seemed he was using his go-to blend, but mixing a few of Aya’s favorite additions. The tengu’s chest swelled with pride.

After most of her prep was done and she finally kept her feet on the ground, Aya decided to make this downtime meaningful. “Hey Anon, I wanted to ask you something… what kind of meals did you make for Hana? When she was little, I mean. Children are notoriously picky eaters. How did you get around that?”

The question struck deep, as Anon took a deep breath before replying. “Why are asking?” There was no levity in his voice.

Aya had the perfect reply. ‘Oh, no reason. I just have four of your kids on the way and wanted to know their pallet.’ As if! His daughter was a touchier subject than she expected. Telling him her situation might be too much for him to handle. Yet, something flippant like a column in Bunbunmaru might sound too shallow (to him, that is).

“I’m not going to just force some food down your throat and call it a day. Cooking for someone else is a meaningful gesture. Whatever you made for Hana shows how much you care about her, right? You can still cook what you want here, so don’t forget about the person you made it for. Those good times won’t fade away if you remember them.” Hoping and praying that Ran wouldn’t gap her out into the street, Aya watched as Anon picked up pack of spaghetti noodles.

“Watch carefully.” He washed the pasta and set a pot to boil, his face softening and slowly returning to normal. Yes! It worked! Maybe a little more prodding with Hana and—

Anon broke the noodles in half before dropping them in. Aya nearly broke down herself.

// Ran/Chen 37

"—Most spiders build their web somewhat close to the ground, so they can easily catch small prey—that is?"

"Small insects!" Chen promptly says, and Anon smiles, patting her head. I watch with a faraway look, sitting on the same tree branch they're squatting on, Chen guiding a massive spider around the backs of her hands like a treadmill. I don't normally like to come on their expeditions—my tails get filled with the weirdest things—but Anon asked me today. There are its perks: watching them from a distance is nice, but seeing their faces contort in happiness every time an arachnid climb onto their hands from so close is… Very nice. It helps with the feeling eating away my stomach. "But why most here build theirs so high in the trees?"

There's a pinch of sadness on Anon's face. "Well… Since it's a closed habitat without big predators and with only one water source—the pond—insects have to seek food sources away from the ground and the water, where ants and amphibians, respectively, dominate—which means spiders have to build their webs higher to catch more insects." Chen looks disheartened that the answer is 'they're locked here, so they have to adapt', and the hollowness behind Anon's eyes appears to grow—his eyes met mine, as if seeking them, and a light shines in there. "—but, even poor, caged animals—despite their circumstances…" He messes around the spider's web, his smile growing when he lifts a leaf and finds small, green balls covered in web. "—may find something to keep them going."

"Eggs…?" Chen whispers, face lighting like a candle, tails bopping—Anon nods. "Oooh, you gonna be a mama~!" She brought the spider close to her face, giggling.

"Well! Now that we have everything—eggs; structure and web pattern—can you tell me her family, genus, and species?" Chen paused, ears perking and eyes closing, murmuring what she thought was the answer… Then she was frowning and, quickly—but gently—she passed the spider onto a grinning Anon, saying:

"I'll go look at my book!" And flew off towards the shrine, leaving us two—three?—here. Anon laughed with taste… Our eyes soon met, and his smile grew.

"Something on my face?" I try to play dumb, hairs standing, but he sees through me. He does it better than anyone, after all…

"Why don't you come closer, and I have a better look at it?" His grin was enough moving force, and, despite the massive monster walking on his hand, I got closer, sitting by him. "Not close enough—" and so he kisses me, and I didn't resist laughing in joy—stealing two little pecks as we separated. "There—a big, silly smile. Now it's perfect… So, what happened?”

I gulped dry, the conversation with Takane-san popping back into my mind, especially about what'll happen if our plans come to fruiting. What may come next, what I may lose… From the beginning—receiving Chen from his arms—I intended to release him from this cursed place. But as time passed, things changed, got complicated, and, suddenly, love. Though intentions are the same, the purpose…

It scares me.

"Hey." He calls again, arm behind my neck— "… I think she likes you." He points down, and my pupils shrink and my body tenses up when I see the massive spider on my hands. "No, no—no panic, 'kay? Calm down, stay put… It's docile, and at the moment it doesn't feel threatened." I followed his commands like a gospel, controlling my breathing while juggling the confusion of why such a small animal sparked this reaction in me. "… New things are hard, aren't they? Picking a spider for the first time and not freaking out, not killing it—it's something not many people experience." I frown, taking my eyes off the spider clawing on my hands and locking on his. These words… "Are you afraid, Ran? Of what we did?"

What the—

… Oh. Of course, Takane would've talked about our conversation with him. Embarrassed and feeling my heart rise even more, I stutter, tense, then look at the spider on my hands… And nod. He nods back, still smiling, "I, Anon… I’m s—"

"Don't say it." His smile didn't falter. There was only confidence there. "You want to make an educated guess of what I had in mind during today's 'work hours'?" He giggles a bit. It's not funny. "… Today, I closed my eyes and felt your arms, whereas the past week I'd have closed my eyes and only felt the clients using me—today… I felt safe." I nodded, breathing in, trying to stay calm—but tears were already escaping me, scaring the spider, which quickly scattered back to Anon's hands.

I hate this place, I hate this place so much… For such an act of love to be transformed into a safe place, a small ember against a blizzard.

It shouldn't be like this. His hug anchored me down.

"I-I… am afraid where 'us' will lead to, that the things I'm doing… Are just not enough, and I've lost sight of what is important and—"

Anon stares at me. I feel naked.

… He laughs out loud. "Ha! And I thought you were the smart one!"

I stare, dumbfounded. What the—

—then, he kisses me.

What?!

// Marisa 4-6

Flying swiftly above the treetops of the Forest of Magic, Marisa finally has room to think. Everything has been so hectic ever since… Where did it all go wrong?

Things were simple when Marisa was a little girl. Or rather they were simple after she left her old life behind and throw herself at Mima’s uhhh whatever you’d call Mima’s lower body while begging for her tutelage. Magic was so freeing. She no longer had to cower in the village terrified of everything beyond. It was as if Marisa had discovered a brand new Gensokyo of endless possibilities.

Reimu entering the picture changed things. At first, it was for the better. For as cool as Marisa’s master was, Reimu was her only real friend back then. That’s not to say things were perfect. Reimu threatened Marisa on a couple of occasions, though they always were half-hearted. The fact that Reimu never exterminated her for abandoning the village and embracing magic was proof enough of that. Mima’s last sealing created a more serious rift, but the constant incidents back then pushed the issue onto the back burner until she stopped thinking about it.

Marisa forgot about her own master. It’d almost be better if that was a lame excuse covering for something else, so it’d have been a matter of treachery rather than incompetence. But that’s the honest truth. Marisa cared too much about fighting the big bad of the week and stealing to spare a second for the woman who raised and trained her.

It’s ironic that the sole person who could have pointed out Marisa’s misjudgment and set her on the right path was the one she left to rot. How different things could have been if Mima was never sealed.

Still, no amount of wishing can change the past. While Marisa stagnated in her magical prowess, Anon entered the picture. Marisa had feelings for him, but she can at the very least say she was happy for Anon and Reimu’s loving relationship. Or what she thought was a happy relationship.

How long did Marisa just ignore the signs? Look over the ‘little things’ because she was too weak to acknowledge the truth? Was it really ever a happy marriage or did everyone just play pretend until Hana forced Gensokyo to finally acknowledge the truth?

Hana… Marisa has failed at many things, but the fact that Hana had to grow up like that is undoubtedly her greatest failure. Why couldn’t Marisa ever find it in her to storm up to the shrine and put an end to it? Even if she did it after the abuse became impossible to ignore it would have been better than this.

This… Looking down at the Hakurei Shrine Experience, Marisa wanted to jump from her broom onto the nearest hard surface. Why did she come here? Is that even a question? She came here to take advantage of Anon, to… to rape him. She’s no better-no, she’s worse than the normal patrons of this place. At least they don’t cloak their lust in ‘good intentions’ and manipulate Anon into thinking they’re on his side.

She… she should tell Anon the truth. If she rips off the bandage and comes clean, she can at least ensure he hates her for the next time she finds it in herself to justify raping him. It’ll be better that way, then he can tell Hana the truth and Marisa won’t have to see the trust fade from Hana’s eyes after yet another betrayal.

The building isn’t quite empty as Marisa arrives, but it’s a thinner crowd this late into the evening. There’s thankfully no one Marisa recognizes amongst those waiting, just the lowest common denominator of youkai society… not that Marisa has a pedestal to speak from.

Ran’s eyes are as always impenetrable as she gives that fake smile of hers, “Hello miss Kirisame, the usual?”

There’s judgment in those eyes, Marisa can tell. Though Ran doesn’t have a place to judge either. She’s quite a large ingredient in this wretched brew Yukari has created. Marisa can’t even begin to fathom the expression she must be making as she nods. Disgust? Despair? Depravity?

It doesn’t really matter at this point, as Marisa buys her ticket and broods in the corner.

The false shrine is just another kick in the teeth for Marisa. Had she not been a coward back then…

Anon, poor sweet Anon, greets Marisa warmly, “Good evening, dear-Ah, Marisa. It’s been a little while, how are you?”

Marisa fumbles over the carefully constructed speeches she made on why she was a vile woman that Anon should hate. All that comes out is a choked noise as Marisa eyes grow wide.

Anon’s pleasant expression immediately turns to one of serious concern. A concern Marisa does not deserve. Still, as he has yet to learn the truth he frets over her wretchedness, “Marisa, what happened? You look…”

Awful? That’d be a fitting word to describe Marisa. It’d be so easy to spin a lie and win his sympathy. If she cried about how hard she’s been working, she’d be able to milk his pity for all it’s worth. But no matter how low she’s sunken, she’s not that far gone. Steeling herself Marisa replies, “I… I’m sorry I’ve taken advantage of you.”

The words are hard to get out. There’s no backing out of this, which is why she must press on. Still, seeing Anon’s face shift to confusion without losing that soft concern is a bitter gall. So much misplaced trust… Before Anon gets a chance to speak Marisa continues, “When I… took advantage of you about a month back I… I laced your tea with a fertility drug. I believe I’m pregnant as a result.”

Anon is silent. His mind surely racing with thoughts of shock and betrayal. Marisa should have given him time to process but the catharsis of admitting the truth much like the relief felt after retching up the last bits of a misbrewed potion drives her forward, “I can make things right. If I were to become a youkai it’d cause a… it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. I understand things could never be the same but-”

Finally torn from his stupor Anon shouts, “No!” Before lunging forward and grabbing Marisa by the shoulders, “Please don’t do that. I-I understand that you’re upset but please don’t. We can move forward from here. I’m not happy that you lied, but I don’t hate you or our child!”

What? How could he not? It-it’s a rape baby! As Anon holds her tiny frame Marisa tearfully protests, “How could you not? I betrayed you after everything! I took advantage of you at your darkest hour. I’m a monster! I’m worse than a monster. I looked Hana in the eyes and dared to play mentor even after I raped her father!”

Anon seems to cool quickly, a talent that must have developed from years with Reimu and the stresses of this hell. Much to Marisa’s shame, his first action after regaining composure is to console her. Her! The woman whom he should be all rights despise and drive away. Still, he pats on the back before saying, “It’s okay. I don’t hate you. You’ve done so much for me and Hana. We should be thinking about our future and our child’s future.”

Despite his soothing words, Marisa keeps crying into his chest for a while.

Marisa wants to curl up into a ball and die. How wretched is she that Anon still feels bad for her after she confesses to drugging and raping him? He just took it all on the chin before wrapping her up in a blanket and going to make tea.

Idly she considers the possibility that he’s going to poison her before quickly discarding it. It’d be deserved if it happened, but Anon doesn’t have the malice to do it. It’s honestly concerning. People should feel angry when they’ve been wronged and yet when’s the last time Marisa has ever seen Anon with a temper?

Watching Anon return with a tea set, Marisa can’t help but frown. He’s so giving, too giving.

After pouring the two a cup Anon begins, “I’d like to clear something up before we go any further. You didn’t rape me. I was happy at the time that we were able to share something and if you’d just been clear with your intentions, I think I would have said yes.”

Marisa wilts. She could have had it all. That could have been free of shame, she could have had a real family, and she could have spared Hana from yet another betrayal, but she was just too cowardly to ask.

Anon sighs as he continues, “I won’t lie and say what you did was okay. You drugged me after all, but… at least you are honest about it? It was a-no, no child of mine will be a mistake, but there was a lack of communication. Still… I… I don’t know what to say. I care about you Marisa and you clearly care too. I don’t want this to be the rift that tears us apart especially not when we’ve been blessed with a child.”

It's funny. Marisa’s redeeming quality is that she’s the rapist that cares. That she’s the one who created a little ball and chain to trap Anon. That she’s the one to- to dwell in self-pity about how awful she is despite the fact that she can, while not fix what she’s done, at least help the person she’s hurt.

Marisa nods, “If that’s what you want then I’ll be happy to oblige.”

The silence is palpable after that. The two steal looks at each other and sip tea until Anon finally speaks up, “So how is Hana doing? It’s been a while since she’s visited.”

Momentarily putting her problems aside, Marisa chuckles, “She’s come a long way, but she still has a long way to go if she ever is going to surpass her teacher. Still, she’s got the drive so it might be possible. Emotionally, she’s troubled given… y’know, but Aunn is always there for her. I can’t see anyone getting that sad when they’re constantly being bothered for pats from an overly affectionate komainu.”

Anon smiles at happier memories, “I can’t see that happen either. I know you will, but still please keep an eye on her if only to stop this old man from fretting.”

Marisa blushes, “Old? Please, you’re the same as me. Given I’m an ageless beauty, you can only be one thing da ze.”

Anon tuts, “Careful, you’re starting to sound like Kanako.”

Marisa shudders at that, “Please tell me if I’m ever that hopeless.”

Anon pretends to consider, “I don’t know, it’d be pretty funny to see you like that.”

Dramatically Marisa begins to fake tears, “Please, you’re my only hope! Alice would laugh at me even though she’d be even worse and Patchy would be happy to see me making a fool of myself. Can’t I rely on you da ze?”

The remainder of Marisa’s session passed in a similar fashion. The two pushed thoughts of the present off until later and slipped into more familiar roles. Still, as the end of the session drew near Marisa finally returned to the matter at hand.

Looking up at Anon with a fire in her eyes she says, “I can’t say when and I can’t say how, but one day I’m getting you out of here no matter what it takes.”

With that the two exchange their final goodbyes before Marisa returns to Alice’s home with newfound drive. Said drive was only slightly dampened when Marisa realized that Yukari almost definitely saw everything.

// Flandre 1

Death of fun spawns from predictability.

Yukari has, at the moment, the Myouren, Moriyas, her shikigami, the Hakurei Madein, the Flower Maiden, two phony goddesses, and even some onis, and, of course, the catalyst of it all—me—against her. Even with Ibarakasen at her 'side', the imbalance was clear, more so after the fascinating revelation of the fox. Sure, it'll still be fun when things go down, but the outcome is foreseeable: Yukari will lose, then there'll be chaos—maybe I'll snag her adorable, innocent cat for myself just to mess with her—and, finally, order and balance.

It wouldn't be fun if things went down like that…

That's why I'm watching my favorite little girl play so carefree with her dolls and whatnot, silk-like blonde hair; a slim figure, and, oh, a so tiny and innocent—

I recoil back as my invisible backdoor erupts into scarlet flames, quickly reduced to nothing. I barely dodged the ray of destruction, face undisturbed, my flowing robes hiding my trembling hands and fastened pulse. It's never a dull moment around Flan-chan~… Opening a second backdoor and slouching over it, I smiled face-to-face with the grinning little girl: "Hi, Kina! Next time, I won't miss!" She waves to me, holding dear a teddy bear.

"Ouch, my fairest maiden heart~" I hold my heart—135bpm, calm down, calm down… And simply smile. "How've you been, Flan-chan?"

"Fine! The goat lady comes to play with me sometimes, and it's so nice, it makes me all giddy inside~!" Her excited features twist a bit, and I think I feel sweat on my nape. "Though she hasn't come to visit in the last three days… I'll probably just have to search for her anyway if she doesn't visit for two more." She shrugs, as if the confirmation wasn't a red alert for the entirety of Gensokyo by itself. "And you, Kina—have you come to play?" The wide smile returns, genuine, yet it fills the air with lead, Flan excitedly jumping on each foot.

"Sorry, I'm a busy god, Flan-chan—maybe when your sister stops being so prude, we can play the way I like." I smile at her confusion, but don't dwindle on that. "For now—I may have, and you won't believe, something even better than my time and presence!" Flan doesn't seem thrilled. "—someone who is willing to play with you!" Oh, the shine came back in buckets.

"Someone to play with me?!" Her wings swung up and down, like a dog's tail.

"Yes! You've met him before—Anon, Reimu's ex-husband."

"Oooh~! I remember him! We didn't do much, but he was so nice! Reimu was a stick in the mud and didn't let us play, though—bleh, she's a big idiot! As if I don't know that you can't play Danmaku with regular humans! Baka, baka, baka!" She kicks a toy. It explodes into nothingness. "I enjoy playing other things too, but that idiot didn't believe me."

"Yep—and no Shrine Maiden around to spoil the fun. He'll play with whoever visits, even quirky little girls like you," she beamed at that. Getting friends is hard, getting human friends? Ho, that's unthinkable… And exactly what Yukarin needs to balance things out: a hyperactive doomsday device around her—and Flan's growing excitement says she has no saying in it.

Ah, the karmic justice~

"I'll go ask sis to take me to him—"

"It's better if you don't talk about it with Remi—you know how she is. She'd want you to stay behind, stay under her wing and protected… Ah, she's always like this, isn't she? Always spoiling the fun. Maybe she and Reimu should marry already, don't you think?"

Cogs turn behind her eyes, too much information for her smooth brain to process at once, so she just nods. "Well, I guess—?"

"Then, let's get you to the beautiful place that is the Hakurei Shrine Experience! I'm sure Yukari and Anon will be overjoyed about seeing you." I gently take her hand, fearing for a single, fleeting moment, for my life—but Flan just lets me guide her through a backdoor, all hyped in her little world about having a human friend to play with—

Oh, just in time, the maid is about to break my last barrier. Heh~

Smiling, the backdoor closes, the room's door exploding with the maid popping out of thin air.

Too late.

"What is this Hakurei Shrine XP, though, Kina?" Flan asks as I guide us through the Land of Backdoors, searching for just the right door—an arduous task, thanks to Yukari, but even she can't hide an entrance from the Matarajin for too long.

"Ah, you see: it's the place Anon works at. It's a lot of fun, and he meets a lot of people daily—wouldn't it be nice to go there every day? Always have a friend close by that'll play with you and won't judge?"

"That sounds mega cool…" She whispers, wings going up and down, up and down, and oh, it's just so very cute~sadly, she'll probably destroy me if I try anything remotely silly. Ah, poor me. Top quality stuff just in front of me, but just out of reach…

Oh, well—time to deliver Yukari her biggest problem yet!

We stop in front of a double glass door, and I smile at Flan; "Welp! Hope you enjoy the HSE, Flan-chan!"

// Hana 56-58

Once again for the second time, too many if you asked her, Hana’s burns were being tended to by Alice and the various dolls she manipulated. She didn’t groan on the coach and neither did her burns hurt so much she cried. Not Hana, nope. Not her. No way.

That’s why it was simply weird that Aunn stayed by her side patting her hair and why Shanghai kept bringing her little icepacks and creams to rub on her wounds. There was no other reason why shanghai let Hana have at Alice’s hidden stash of gelato. It wasn’t because Hana had been crying from the pain for the last hour while Yuuka strung up the magician outside to the upper branches of a tree with vines sprouted from her ability.

Mima sat opposite of the sofa Hana lay on sipping tea while Shanghai and Hourai administer medicine to her stripped and prone form. Mima didn’t bother speaking while the brunt of the healing was being done, but after Hana’s definitely-not-tears stopped and the pain assuaged by the quickly acting alchemical agents Mima felt the need to speak.

Setting down the tea cup onto the plate situated on the delicate low laying table, lined with an elaborate doily that spoke of its creator’s intense creative and technical genius. The sorta-vengeful goddess spoke in that calm voice right as Yuuka came in humming a chipper tune twirling her closed parasol.

Mima seemed to finish collecting her thoughts, “I was quite impressed with your ability, and you say you just gathered the use of it today, is that correct?”

Hana let out a groan as she nodded on the full-sized couch Alice owned, “That’s right…”

Mima nodded as Yuuka sat above Hana on the section of the couch where Hana wasn’t. The face of the green death machine of a youkai donned a forced smile as her eyes squinted. She patted her lap as if inviting Hana to her death, but the injured miko-in-training was too battered to put up a fight and instead of showing her fear, something her mother always warned her against when it came to the powerful kind of youkai; she lay her head on her lap with trepidation but without showing her fear or mistrust.

Not like it would’ve told behind her definitely-not teary eyes.

Instead of having her head crushed or any other sort of cruel fate being met Yuuka merely patted her hair like a bag of sand trying to rub her hair off. Aunn sniffed at Yuuka’s hand and whined which seemed to convince the stupidly powerful youkai into taking a gentler approach to her caresses.

Mima continued not taking heed to the display of strange affection in front of her, “Despite my trepidations of having you join the assault in freeing your father you’ve proven that you can at least hold your own against all but the more powerful in this land”

Crossing her legs, or at least that’s what Hana could’ve sworn Mima was doing if she still had legs, Mima continued, “I see great potential in your ability, with the proper spells and attacks at your disposal it would be child’s play to defeat most beings of this land”

Hana let out a sound that kind of half sounded like agreement if you weren’t paying attention as Mima prattled on, “As I understand it my lackadaisical apprentice has promised you use of one of her spell cards in the future. That simply will not do; the circles are unrefined, the balance of the elements is off, the efficiency is laughable.”

Sighing Mima lays back on the sofa with a look a parent reserves for their failure of a child, “Instead, as part of your training I’ll show you how to make a spell card similar in functionality yet much more efficient. It’ll reduce the strain upon you while casting greatly.”

Hana was feeling warm, not just from the dull heat from the burns either. Yuuka’s lap, while dangerous and off-putting was indeed comfortable, and now that she seemed to applying the right pressure her strokes felt great. Despite being bare to the world, Aunn had gone off and found a blanket to drape over Hana. It was woolen and warm.

Mima kept talking about her plans and going off on the details of what makes a good spellcard and how they affect the mind during battle. It was interesting and Hana could follow along just fine, but in between the disturbingly soothing strokes, the aroma of tea, and the ebbing of her pain as the balm soothed and healed her pain Hana quickly felt her eyes growing heavy.

The ethereal qualities of Mima’s voice entered Hana’s ears but fell short of really entering her brain, it didn’t take long till her eyes closed properly. Before Hana knew it, she was visiting the land of dreams.

Like a child with a new toy Hana gingerly felt the waxy paper her spell card was made of, it sat snugly in the pouches festooned on her hip. As she strolled around the village this evening, making up for not being able to patrol the last few days as she recovered, she felt almost giddy at the prospect of finding some uppity youkai to bully. Hell, she could probably even bully an oni if she plays her cards and didn’t grow overconfident again.

As the sky turned purple and the dense clouds promised a very dark night the more reputable villagers trickled into the various homes and businesses that thronged the gravel roads. Lamps were lit outside the businesses still open for commerce and the atmosphere quickly became quiet and almost cloistered. The coming darkness all but ensured that more elicit business could be carried out in secret.

Hana of course was no such person, and walking along the eastern road she figured that she should be coming back home soon, Aunn would grow frantic if she didn’t at least check in soon. Still, there was one thing she needed to try. Now that the night cloaked her… Well, when else would she be able to try it?

She produced a little paper doll from one of the pouches on her leg, as she focused on it a little message became scrawled on it’s back. The message was simple, ‘will be out late’ and looking it over with the last rays of sun Hana sent it off letting it fly on home. That should keep the girl from going crazy with worry at least, Hana will have to pick up something delicious and greasy for dinner to make it up to her.

Traveling down the eastern road it didn’t take too long to reach the main square as night fell properly. The stalls that usually comprised the main bulk of the market were all shuttered or otherwise veiled along with being pushed off to a side. Hana breathed in deeply enjoying the cool air that filled her lungs, her breath formed a small cloud in the chill before drifting away.

Hana could see faster ways to her objective, save a few minutes of walking if were to just let the lines of the world relax. There weren’t many people around it at the moment, barely any whispers either with only the nocturnal types milling around. Still, it was common sense that you didn’t fly or use abilities in the village if you didn’t have too and she knew better than most as to the importance of such seemingly irrelevant rules.

Hana took a side path, one of the smaller roads that split off from the main paths and soon found herself plunged into darkness with barely any of the moon’s obscured light to guide her. Not wanting to catch her foot in a hole or slip on some piece of litter she started floating ever so slightly. The world grew quiet with only the sounds of her breathing and the muted ambience from conversation and activities of the people sequestered away in their homes to listen too.

It was peaceful, and the drifting smells of food being prepared made her empty belly grumble and her mind think of home. She couldn’t wait to head back and be done with it but there was something needed to be done first. Hana drifted into an alley barely large enough to admit a person and a half, she hovered a bit higher as she made her way. Not wanting to hit any debris and bother the people enjoying their night she made sure to advance at a leisurely pace.

Drifting across the alleys like some kind of spirit Hana only encountered the usual youkai pests; a few urban legends that manifested erratically and were put down quickly with a seal, animal-form kitsune and tanuki which scampered away quickly once the Gohei appeared in her hand, and a tool spirit down on her luck sitting alone in the alley. Nothing worth worrying about honestly.

Finally, Hana reached her prize as she skirted the last of the woodframed homes. The blackened side of the HSE stood out like a sore thumb even in the dark, its alley way was large and had much more space to allow for deliveries and other things to pass through. Even if the building itself did try blending by matching the wooden exterior its gaudy decorations and clearly different construction methods ensured no one would mistake it for anything but something that doesn’t belong.

Hana touched the wall of the building, letting her senses turn inward as she felt the barrier that lined the exterior of the building. It wasn’t much insofar as protection went, a few overlapping barriers that protected it from wear and tear, some temporal barriers that kept the wood from degrading and rotting, some kind of barrier that affected the space inside making it bigger inside…

It wasn’t much even though it was well crafted, and Hana knew that she could carefully peel off a layer or two if need be without alerting anyone on the short term. She ‘moved’ the barrier lightly, not removing it in any meaningful way but shifting it enough to where she could slip in using her ability if she wanted. Already she could practically see the space in between the wood open up as wide as the sky was. Despite that the HSE was still operating the hallway in front of her was empty.
She’d have to be quick, if she could make it to where the main barrier was and sneak into the space between things or hide the old fashion way then she could truly analyze that barrier…

// Junko 4-5

"Ugh, it's just no fun anymore, ya know?"
Far away from Gensokyo, four women are bemoaning their current situation under the influence of sake.
Or rather, one woman listens diligently to her friend of three bodies.
"There used to be always something fun going on. Like, youkai making trouble, or a bunch of festivals, or fairies pulling elaborate pranks, or even just people getting wasted and having fun, but now they're all like "I wanna have Anon pump my womb full of cum again", "Don't forget about the big orgy at the HSE tomorrow", or "I'm so glad that I got to have Anon's child". It's all so boring in Gensokyo now."
"Well, all of these things will pass, too. It is just one incident amongst many, and when Yakumo's little house of cards falls apart, I am sure things will go back to normal soon enough."
"I am surprised that you never went there yourself, however. You are usually rather enjoy open about enjoying the labors of those men and women of ill repute."
When the pure being asks this of her long-time friend, the gaudily dressed goddess of hell responds with an indignant expression on her faces.
"Woah there, Junko, what do you take me for? This is totally different. Totally. The peeps I visit actually choose to do this, and most of 'em really enjoy their jobs. Yukarin's not running a real whorehouse, she just turned a guy into a slave. It's a seriously nasty fucking place."
"Besides, they make you wear one of those totally unfashionable shrine maiden outfits, and that's just so not my style."
Junko chuckles a little when she realizes her friend's true priorities.
"Well, if you find the place to be so distasteful, why do you not simply break it all up? There is no way Yakumo could hope to stand up against you, after all."
"Simply do as you did with that place that was taking humans from the outside world and forcing them to work there. From what I hear, the crater is still smoldering even now."
"That was different. Totally different. They hadn't given up yet, and clearly did everything they could to defy the bastards who enslaved them."
"When one of 'em asked me for help, I knew they would be fine after I sent them back home, and there was no way I was gonna leave them be."
"Anon's just hopeless. All the women I talked to just went on and on about how he meekly goes along with anything, as if he has no will of his own. I've got zero respect for a dude without any balls like that."
"Well, I guess he must have literal balls if he keeps cumming inside all those women, but like, he definitely doesn't have the more important kind left."
Feeling as if her friend has rambled on long enough, Junko speaks up.
"Come now, you are hardly being fair to him. There is nothing he can do about his current situation. I am sure that once he has been freed, he will be able to stand up for himself again."
"He just needs a little time to himself and the support of his daughter, and I am sure he will be able to overcome even this experience."
"Oh, come oooon. We both know that he's just gonna go back to his bitch of a wife, or one of the skanks who've been fucking him, or if not that, try to be a dad to all the kids he unwillingly sired with just about half of Gensokyo. He just can't help himself. He's always far too concerned with others to think about his own well-being."
"Do not be so ridiculous, Hecatia. That is his finest quality. For all of his faults, he has always sought to be a wonderful father."
"Sure, sure. I bet he sincerely cares about all of his unfortunate spawn. But even if he wants to, he can't be a dad to all of those kids. He'd just run himself ragged trying to be involved with all of them until he collapses, never once considering his own needs. He'd just destroy himself completely."
"I really thought things were looking up for him for a while when he finally ditched Reimu and left for the village, y'know? Even thought about visiting. Just pop in, give him a pat on the ass, and commend him for finally standing up for himself. But then some psycho bitch of a youkai pulled some crazy shit and now he's totally done for. I don't see any way things are gonna get better for him now."
Dismissively shaking her head at Anon's hopelessness, Hecatia pours herself more sake as Junko takes the word.
"Well, I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. I would appear a lot of people have more faith in him than you do. With all of them scheming against her, Yakumo's plans have little chance of continuing much longer."
"Hmmmm, I wouldn't be too sure of that. I took a look at the building, and there's a lot of odd stuff going on there. I thought I knew Yukarin well enough, but it all seems really weird to me."
"Weird how?", Junko asks quizzically.
"Well, it just doesn't seem like the kind of thing she'd do. You know how she usually works; make everything look half-assed and ambiguous, build porous barriers you can easily bypass with a little knowledge, concoct elaborate plans that would fall apart if any of the pieces made an unexpected move, and so on. Basically do everything in the least straightforward way possible. I talked to little Akyuu as she slaved away for the Yama, too, and she said that she never heard anything about Yukari ever acting differently."
"Yes, she does tend to be rather indirect in her approach, but how does this relate to the false shrine building?", Junko says, urging her friend to get to the point.
"Well, that's just it, everything about the building is just surprisingly robust. Layers upon layers of interwoven barriers supporting and reinforcing each other, countless traps spread throughout it while accounting for every possibility, and incredibly formidable magics that all perfectly together, with not a single weakness to be found."
"It'd take some serious magic power to break through all of them. Nothing to either of us, sure, but I dunno if there's anyone down in Gensokyo who could break it all open."
"So Yakumo decided to make a serious effort for once. Is that really so odd?"
"I dunno, Junko. Even if she was completely serious about this, I don't think she actually could make something as good at this."
"Even the Great Hakurei Barrier, her supposed magnum opus, is nowhere near as well-crafted as this. Oh sure, the design is quite elaborate, but the actual power behind the barrier is quite lacking. It's mostly built around trickery and illusions, and even those with only a middling understanding of magic would be able to get through if they kept a level head and don't get lost in its deceit."
"No, I think Yukari had outside help for this one. And when you think about it, it could only be one bunch of people, right?"
"Hecatia, surely you do not mean to say-"
"Of course it's them. Who else could it be?", Hecatia responds, rudely interrupting her friend.
"Who else but the Lunarians would back a scheme like this?! The formidable magics, the slavery, the clear attempt to undermine Gensokyo's stability... It's obviously just another of their plots, and they have Yukari wrapped entirely around their finger."
"You are being ridiculous, Hecatia. You always see Lunarians behind everything. We would have known if Chang'e or her cohorts were behind this."
"She may just be a youkai, but she is still one of Gensokyo's sages. Surely she just went for a different approach than she usually does, and you simply didn't realize she was hiding all this power."
"Youkai do not just change their nature and get smarter on a whim, they're shaped entirely by how they're perceived by humans. Nobody knows Yukari as anything but a secretive bitch, there's no way she manage all this by herself."
"Nonsense, it is simply-"
As their argument grows more and more heated, Junko suddenly collects herself and calms down.
"Now look at us, you actually made me defend the Lunarians of all people."
"I do wish to continue this conversation any further. Let us talk about something else."
"You're right. Sorry Junko, I really flew off the handle there."
"It is okay, I know how passionate you are about your beliefs and would never seek to diminish them. Now, you said that you had an idea for our next assault on the Capital, did you not?"
"Ah right, right. I was thinking-"

Putting Gensokyo's troubles out of their minds, the women move on to more important matters, as they continue their scheming deep into the night.

// Reimu 6

Muscles ache. Eyes red with tiredness, stomach rumbles and my legs tremble, trying to give up… Yet, I stand at the Torii gate with a gigantic smile reluctant to leave my face. Calloused hand, one that swung the gohei for far too long, gently brushes the repainted and renovated proud red gate, looking as if it were made yesterday. I ignore the encumbering pain as I walk the path, each stone new and polished beforehand with care, the sides pruned. I stop at the Shrine of Offerings, the insides empty—expecting a new offering, an epitaph, for adoration.

… Then I breathe in and breathe out, standing before the Hakurei Shrine in its beautiful totality, not a nail out of place, every broken board replaced and repainted, doors and windows remade from scratch, the roof perfectly capable of standing a thousand storms to come. Impossible to see on the inside, but all rooms were cleaned and repaired, each stain arduously scrubbed from the ceiling and walls, trees and nearby vegetation also pruned, keeping a respectful distance from the house of the Hakurei God.

… I cry tears of joy.

The house of my mother and her mother, then mine and of my family, which I unequivocally pushed away time and time again—left-hand brushes on pylons and walls as I walk around the veranda, following to the back of the shrine—the house I painstakingly re-erected from the umbrageous, sad husk it stood as for decades under me. A selfish desire yearns for their arms around me, for them to bask in my work and be proud and happy about it.

A chance to instill in their heart anything more than despise and bad memories…

Yet, I know that may not be the case—

I stop in front of the pond, glistening with an otherworldly gleam, the sun reflecting on it with might through the heavy clouds of fall… Then, I fall softly on my knees, hands on my thighs—breathe in, breathe out.

—And I don't mind.

I cry, yes, but I don't mind. I don't mind if they never return to see the shrine, or choose to not forgive me, ignore me—not even look me in the eyes.

I'll try, but I won't mind if they don't.

Because my family… will be free.

When this is over, I'll make sure nothing ever bounds them again, and I won't wish for anything in return. The simple thought of them being free to go where they want to go, to be with whomever they want to be and to smile and feel alive… It fills me with such supernatural happiness that it threatens to explode my chest. My smile grows impossibly, heart swelling tenfold as ecstasy washes over me—despite my aching body, my weary soul, I unconsciously get up and march forward, not an ounce of hesitation as I feel the soft, cold breeze rush through my skin, the pond entirely stopping its ripples as if responding to my state of being.

Unceremoniously, I retake my meditation pose on the waters.

I do not sink.

For twelve hours, I do not sink.

As my hand clutches the warm scarf around my neck and I smile, I safely say: "I am happy for them."

A droplet ripples through, be it on the pond or in my mind. My eyes slowly opened. Two Hakurei Yin-Yangs spin in front of me…

I bow respectfully, "… It's an honor, Hakurei-sama."

Waves of… something ripple on the surface of the Yin-Yangs, and it's almost as if it's calling to me—

—I extend my hand forward, and God extends his. Our fingertips touch ever so slightly, and my newfound inner peace blends, morphs, and then electrifies every inch of my flesh, yet my concentration doesn't falter; my resolve does not wave. For who knows how long, I stood there, sharing with the God who gave me my blessings an eternal moment.

His generous gift stays close to my heart. It'll be used accordingly.

God withdraws his hand and starts to fade with the soft wind, uttering a final question without words, one that echoed inside my mind with great weight; "You understand the consequences?"

I stopped, my body relaxed yet unmoved like a rock…

I'm old. I've fought for too long and have grown tired. My body, once a paragon of strength, has been poisoned by years of drinking and lack of discipline, all irreversible at this stage of my life… I'll do whatever I can to regain that lost strength and have better chances to save my family, but I have no doubts about what’ll happen to me after fighting Yukari… Nor do I have qualms.

I am at peace with whatever may befall me.

"I do," I answer without words.

The Yin-Yangs pulse gently one last time before turning into dust fluttering in the wind.

I open my eyes.

When I began meditating, the sun was shining on my scalp. Now, the sun is rising, and the cold of a new autumn day hits my skin.

I breathe in, then I breathe out, and for the first time in decades, my body feels light as a feather. I walk over the pond—carefree, smiling—before stopping by the crate of tools next to the Shrine of Offerings, murmuring a sweet lullaby.

I'll build new furniture to decorate the interior of the shrine.

If it’ll ever be seen, it does not matter. It’ll make me smile anyway.

// Ran/Chen 38

Dumbfounded, I stare at him. This… Everything in the last five seconds threw me for a loop, my 'genius' mind coming to a screeching halt—all while Anon laughed, my cheeks glowing red in embarrassment; "Anon, what's the meaning—"

"Knocking on some sense onto you—you looked like you needed it," his laughter dies down to a grin, expertly handling the spider, apparently having never forgotten it was there. "Can you believe her?" He talks to the arachnid. "She thinks she's not doing enough—that she, you won't believe, has lost sight of what's important!" I feel the red deepening, stomach growling with a bitter feeling, tails getting bushy. Why is he treating my words as jokes?! Was what I said—

—fingertips slide behind my gown, and I tense like a rod… They gently pressed on whip scars, already healed, but never closed. Bitterness went with the wind, and our eyes met, mine growing tired, confused, sad…

He pulled himself close, leaving the spider on its net, catching my hand on his free one—subconsciously, my tails swarmed around us. Cozy. "Ran… I understand your fears—sorry for the bluntness." He touches my forehead with his, and it's like that bitterness never existed to begin with. "But we're all doing everything we can. In this situation, without me; Chen, or you… Yukari would've already won, and I wouldn't be here, playing with spiders with Chen!" He giggles, eyes glancing at the shrine before returning to me, shining. "I don't doubt thoughts like those won't stop coming—so, during them, remember this moment," he squeezes my hand. "—and what are you fighting for." His open hand soothe my scars—heaven…—before withdrawing it.

I swallow dry, digesting his words—such heartwarming words—incapable of stopping a smile from creeping on my face, tears of before threatening to return.

"About us," his smile is still there, tense but firm. Decisive—and though I can spot anxiety there, confidence overpowers it; he trusts me to hear. "I… don't want an immediate relationship when I leave. A lover, sex—I want to heal, Ran. Have friends close to me; take care of… responsibilities. I want freedom to let this terrible past where it belongs—in the past—, and move on." My mouth goes plain, eyes wide, heart freezes. The feeling is overpowering, and I feel like going numb—oh, he's laughing again. "Already jumping to conclusions? Gee, you're worse than Hana, Ran!"

"W-What?!"

"Sorry!" He touches our foreheads again. It's becoming a habit… I like it, though my heart rate is through the clouds. "… I want you there for the path, Ran. I don't know if you will, but I do. Every day that I feel like a human again—like I'm not falling into a hole so deep the fall gets extremely boring—I want you there to hug me, to talk about weird, complicated math, to sing as I swing a nightmare out of Chen…" His eyes reflect mine, and both are shining, a smile free of pain taking on his face. "I want you in my life!"

Ah… now it's clear. It seems I indeed lost sight of my objective—his hand is warm and firm on mine—letting my desires for a better life, one without whippings, without this stress, threats on Chen, corruption; the gnawing fear that one bad client may go too far and break my whole world apart…

Amidst all that, I did lose sight of what’s important.

I feel hot tears leaving me, yet I keep smiling.

… Because it's good to have someone there to put you back on the path. Someone to guide you when you're lost, to hold you when it's too hard—after all, a relationship is more than cuddles; sex; words, and kisses—

… It is this safety.

"Sometimes…" Words threaten to get frozen in my throat, but I push through. "… I think about us. A home. Kids." I smile fondly, laughing when I don't see an ounce of surprise in his face. Ah, I wonder when he got so good at reading me~ "… Thoughts like these keep me going through the day, growing with the proximity of my estrus…" I close my eyes and exhale. "I want you in my life, Anon, I do… But not like this, where you're just an end goal—I'm sorry."

"Heh, it's okay—it's a sweet dream, for sure…” Oh! My eyes slit as I notice he's blushing. "… Though not immediately the others… I think we can start with the house. Takane-san and I talked about a big project of hers, where I could live and be happy. We three together can build something we'd be proud of." I giggle, and he raises a brow. "What?"

"Just pondering if I’ll need to ask her for your hand in marriage." I joke.

He pauses, then laughs. The blush grows. "Who knows!" He grins before resuming. "After the house is done, and we've healed from this place…" He brings my hand close to his mouth and gently kisses it, his blush unlike anything I've seen before. "Then I'd love to work with a woman like you for the rest!"

We stare… Then, we laugh in each other’s arms, joy washing over us in waves.

It’s nice to have someone you feel safe with.

Unbeknownst to me, In the distance, Chen reads on the veranda. She glances at us and smiles.

// Seija/Gor 57-60

“How did she find us?!” The Kappa yelled.
“It doesn’t matter! Just move!” The man answered.
It’s hard to find a private meeting place in Genskyo. The village was full of gossips and silent observers, go just about anywhere else and they were bound to be a Youkai or spirit listening in, maybe if you got permission from someone powerful who held reign over their domain you could work out an arrangement, but those were always strenuous. So, your best bet at remaining undetected was just appearing as part of the normal background noise as possible.
‘Managed attribution’ is what an outside humans called it. You copy the mannerisms and behaviors that were the norm wherever you wanted to stay hidden. On Youkai Mountain you danced like an awkward tengu, in old hell you got cocky and tried to out drink Oni, with the animal spirit gangs you spouted off your favorite things about whoever’s boss you were pretending to be under, and if, like these folks, you wanted to exchange information on Youkai trail and not be noticed, you pretended it was a lover’s rendezvous.
It was a good ploy, but it had one huge flaw, it wouldn’t work if someone was playing chaperone on every perspective couple. Eventually you’d get found out unless you really committed to the bit.
We’d be in real trouble if they had looked all ashamed and clingy like the real lovers we’d ambushed. I was disappointed.
“Scatter scatter! Break line of sight!” A fox Youkai voice yelled.
She was about 2 minutes late to saying that, for all the good it would do them. Did they do any preparation? Thankfully, we did.
Like a river I could see the paths they took, how they we’re bending around the tree lines and trying to disappear into the brush. With a few waves of my finger, they’re relative position appeared, each like a flare in the night and all the sudden the occlusion of the tree line meant nothing.
Flip, flip, flip. The Kappa found herself upside down in a tree, the man rolled sideways into a ditch, the fox made a valiant effort to compensate for the disorientation but found herself on her back before long. Seems flipping along directions perpendicular to gravity was a success.
Before long, our quarry was tied up on their backs in all manner of restraints, seven of them in total. Three of them got away, but they were probably just mules, we’d pick up the packs they dropped later.
“Well, well, well, what are you naughty children doing here at this time of night?” Seija asked enthusiastically.
“Leave us alone you creatin! We’re just minding our own business!” The Kappa yelled.
Ughh, strike three. Shut up while your captors in a good mood and let them feed you all the info they please. Making a fuss only works in a social setting after all.
“Ehh?” Seija began, squatting next to the Kappa. “You mean to tell me you were trying to make off with a sweetheart in the dead of night like the other horny girls who come around here? Oh, my mistake! I’d never get between such a beautiful, subversive covenant!” Seija apologized.
“Unless of course, you aren’t here to make passionate love to your secret lover and are just piggy backing on other desperate hearts to do some black-market dealings. That’s the sort of besmirching I won’t allow!” She valiantly declared.
I was never sure how serious she was about that. Although she had said ‘they’ll just elope out of excitement’ when we’d ambushed actual couples and let them off.
“Goro! Goro, I know you’re around! Come out! I’m not dealing with your lovesick lapdog!” The Kappa yelled.
From behind them I walked around to Seija and shrugged. “You called?”
“I can’t believe it. You of all people working with that Yakumo devil. Did Seija steal your skin and give it to some youkai to wear?” She sneered.
Seija snicked at this, and I felt none to happy about the Kappa giving her ideas nor was I pleased that she was losing her cool like this after getting caught.
I sighed and waved my hand over to Seija who grabbed the Kappa by the collar and tore off her clothing, revealing her back. On the small of it, a tiny ornate door was embedded. The door was closed.
“See, I’m annoyed. I thought the last time we dealt over dill seasoning I’d imparted on your how important it was NOT to deal through intermediaries when you couldn’t verify their accountability.” I told her, rubbing my face.
“Did you even meet with Okina when getting that thing?”
“Okina! Okina! Please help us!” She cried.
Seija and I gave it a moment, looking at the door, looking at the sky, tilting our heads side-to-side, and nothing happened. Guess she didn’t.
“You’re a rube.” Seija said, pulling a crow tengu she captured and gagged out from behind the tree.
“Your little plan was to pass on that thing to this one here, right? Well, based on how little that paraplegic cares to help you out, I guess you all were just a distraction.” She explained.
“I’m betting she already has a plant in the Tengu, and you all were just to get some insurance.” I said, resting my cheek on my fist.
“Now” I began, crouching next to the Kappa. “Does this one speak for all of you?” I asked the group.
For a moment they froze, until Seija began juggling the crow tengu up and down, flipping her in all six directions. They all emphatically nodded after that.
“All right.” I said, clapping my hands. “You’re going to tell us all about your plans and where you cached the rest of your illicit goods then when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll all apologize to this little illicit spot by giving love an honest shot with your phony relationships. In exchange, you get to wake up tomorrow and we’ll leave you alone.” I promised, untying the Kappa so just her hand was free.
She begrudgingly shook it, sealing the contract.
“Ahh, you shoulda let me rough em’ up more!” Seija complained as I hauled the cache from its hiding spot within a massive tree stump.
“Leave it for when they’re ripe.” I said. “Their plan wasn’t bad, and I believe they’ll learn from this. The market could use a few more business-oriented cross-species marriages instead of horny kids.”
“Whatever your say.” Seija said, kicking some dirt.
From beside us, space began to crackle and then smooth out, a vertical split appeared in the air that opened elliptically like an eye and from the blackness behind it a blonde woman walked forth.
“You have my attention. Now what do you want? Be brief, I’m very busy after all.” She said in a tone that had equal parts edge and amusement.
Time for a pitch.
“I’ll help you defend the HSE, in exchange you answer my questions about it’s defenses.” I offered.
For a moment Yukari observed me, turned her attention to Seija who stuck her tongue out at her in reply. Then she took out a fan and waved it at herself, probably contemplating or trying to make us feel nervous by increasing the tension.
“Why would I need your help?” She asked. “I already have a few choice servants and allies at my disposal, far better then the likes of you two, and as you’ve already seen, the defenses of the HSE are impenetrable from the outside.” The last line was punctuated by narrowed eyes directed at me.
“Heh, that’s why you felt so inclined to appear in front of us? Because you’re just that sure your little pillow fort is better than everyone else’s?” Seija joked.
She was right of course with her trademark crudeness. Yukari didn’t explicitly say she didn’t need help and her presence here meant she thought we had something to offer, maybe just entertainment, but even that was workable.
“What you have is a few barely restrained power houses and a fortified position against a collection of tailor-made plans, overwhelming circumstances surpassing any incident, and a few warriors that have fought far more head-on battles then you.” I answer, pausing for effect.
She’s quiet. Good, meant I could continue.
“I’ve tailored or had a part in quite a few of those plans against you, while I won’t go back on my dealings, we have the information and ability to counter the ones I wasn’t involved in. When it comes to circumstances, I can shift even more around in your favor in ways your reputation won’t allow, make things a little more favorable leveraging my connections. And as for the enemy fighters-“
“I’ve heard enough.” Yukari said raising her hand. “It’s cute seeing your appeal up close like this, however I know about your ties to the Buddhists and that your own ideals won’t allow you to side with me.” She sighed.
“I don’t hate humans like you who’ll turncoat to do good deeds and would’ve gladly had you for the fun of it were this a battle I couldn’t lose. You understand right?” She smiled.
“Oi hag.” Seija said, approaching Yukari. “Let him finish, he was just getting to the good part.”
“I don’t recall addressing you Aman-“She began, only to be cut off by the sound of Seija snapping her fingers.
Like nails on a chalkboard, an awful sound emitted from behind Yukari. She turned around to see her gap fluctuate, it’s border oscillating randomly before slamming shut with a bang.
I found a tree to learn again, heaving, I vomited something fierce under the strain the spell had put me under. Thankfully, once I regained my composure, I could see a little touch of surprise was still on the Sage’s face. Seija’s was plastered in smugness.
“So, ah, as I was saying.” I begin again, trying to work past the painful convulsions of my stomach. “As for enemy fighters, most of them have some ‘conceptual ability’. I believe you could counter two, maybe three on your own, and probably have a trap or two prepared for some problem actors, which might work if things were consistent, and if this battle wasn’t going to be an absolute mess.” I explained.
“You’ve become her cheat item.” Yukari stated.
“Not quite spinster, but we are an item of sorts.” Seija said, placing her hand on my head.
“You have monsters in stock, right? People you can control with overwhelming power and confidence in a one on one, they’ll be helpless in a complex battlefield. Not us though.” I say, raising the cursed bracelet up. “Flipping something doesn’t require ‘power’ so much as the right fulcrum. Just like I tore apart the HSE with this accursed thing, people, concepts, directions, we can turn it on it’s head no matter the length or type of distance. That’s why I need answers about your little house’s defenses, I’m at my limit at what intuition will tell me and you’re rumored to be an expert in these types of things. Help me help you.”
Yukari paused again, perhaps this time not just for effect.
“Why are you changing sides?” perfect, she accepted what we had to offer, this was the last hurdle.
“Because I want maximize it.” I told her.
“I’m cursed, doomed to die horribly. So, before that, I want to see heaven on earth and the best way to do that is to make everyone the best version of themselves. ‘What does that have to do with your little squabble?’ You’re probably asking? ‘Why would I turn my back on people you consider family?’, It’s for their sake as well. The outcome of this battle could result in the collapse of our home and even if it doesn’t, I won’t let everyone say ‘it was all Yukari’s fault, now things can go back to normal’ when all’s said and done. All of us are guilty in this disaster. And don’t worry,” I begin, outstretching my arms to both sides “you don’t have to trust me, my deals are absolute.”
“I’ll defend the HSE and in exchange, you’ll teach me about it’s defenses.” I offer.
Seija is uncharacteristically quiet. I can see from the corner of my eyes that her arms are crossed and she’s laser focused on Yukari, who looks somewhat dumbfounded at the moment.
Then Yukari starts to snicker, growing into a chuckle, until she’s full-on laughing.
“Ha! I’ve heard a lot of excuses from all kinds of traitors in my day, but that one has to be the best yet.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “You can’t fool me though; I can see it clearly in both your eyes ‘it’s because it’ll be fun’ right? Pitting yourselves against everyone else in a battle Gensokyo has never seen before and will never see again?”
“Very well then. I’ll accept your deal.” She said approaching me.
Slowly Yukari embraced me tightly and I reciprocated. She felt feeble in a way despite being a great sage, which I suppose was just one of her mysteries. What wasn’t subtle was her body, it was impossible to ignore the mounds pressing against my chest, her wide hips against me, that golden hair laying on my neck, but despite all of this I didn’t feel any sort of lust. It felt more like I was holding up an elderly grandmother who couldn’t stand up to the weight of the world anymore.
“Make yourselves available at mid-day tomorrow. Don’t bother looking for me, I’ll find you.” She said, breaking from the embrace and slipping into a gap.
“You enjoy yourself?” Seija asked, slapping me on the back, sending me upward a foot or two. “Thought you preferred modest woman.”
“It’s not like that.” I said waving my hand. “It felt like I was hugging my mother.” I say, surprised at my own words.
“Ha! If that Yukari’s a mom, I’ll put on a nice concealing Kimono and make sure to walk ten paces behind you from now on!” Seija laughed.
This feeling was odd, and when I thought about it, the Yakumo household’s duty was to maintain Gensokyo. Maybe at some point the HSE was a part of that plan? No, even if it was, Yukari had clearly been pushed into a situation where she was out of here element, but was this the first time she had done something purely for herself?
‘Gensokyo’s mother’ I thought. Giving it all she’s got and never able to get any love in return. What a strange idea.
“Come on.” Seija said, grabbing my hand and pulling me off. “Forget the cache, we need to get you home and wipe that Sage’s stink off you before I puke.”
Grabbing her hand, I pull the jealous Amanojaku back, and put my arms around her waist.
Seija was small in comparison to Yukari, but she was soft and her hair kind of smelled of chestnuts. She didn’t have the toned, brutish body of the Oni species she resembled; Her’s was much daintier than that. It made me want to manhandle her.
“Seija…” I began. “…I’m not willing to wait until we get home.”
The Amanojaku doesn’t fight me much, after all, this was one of those situations where she was happier getting what she wanted in a roundabout way. I suppose sometimes that had its appeal to. Maybe if I was lucky, if I kept making deals and building value, somehow, we could even flip this curse of mine into a blessing.

// Hana 59-60

It was easy to hide from the wandering staff, not even the white wolves were looking for intruders in the maintenance halls as the normal barriers kept out the drunks well enough. Combined with her intuition and ability to detect others it was child’s play to hide herself in the spaces between things or even make herself tiny enough to hide behind fixtures. Well, as long as she could ignore the feelings of wrongness in her body as she shifted sizes.

Letting her senses take her, and guided by the signage… Hana found herself traversing through a rather unsecure storeroom, it was filled with useless things and mundane objects packed into large boxes and crates. The walkways were rather open and well maintained enough that she didn’t find any obstructions till she made her way to the light wooden doorway that led out to the narrow service hall ahead.

Hana knew her objective was beyond that door; she’d have to find a little room or nook to use her ability in and keep herself hidden from even the sensitive noses of the wolf patrols. It was simple enough despite the risk of being found out while she meditated. Still, something was ringing alarm bells in her head, she couldn’t place down on anything particularly. Nothing changed in her surroundings after all, the room was quiet and as she expected most workers didn’t seem to enter or leave this area often enough to cause her to have to duck under cover or otherwise.

Everything was pointing to an easy stroll to her objective, and yet… No, she couldn’t let herself be cowed now. She was close, and any information she was able to wrest from a deep dive into the barrier’s structure would only aid Kanako and Mima in their future attempt to spring him from this prison. She had to do it, only she could manipulate the barriers finely enough to find some sort of weakness. After all, as the future shrine maiden she was trained for this despite her mother’s penchant to let her other aspects of her training fall by the wayside.

Leaving her misgivings at the door she opened the passageway after slipping through the light barrier without triggering its inbuilt alarms. She didn’t feel anyone in the hallway beyond the corners nor did a cursory investigation reveal anything. She was alone in the long and narrow hallway. Perfect.

She felt against the wall letting her hand run across it as she checked for any weaknesses, nothing. There weren’t any kinks or faults she could exploit from this side and the strange smooth stone the walls were made out of gave no indication of any hidden passages. Even if there was a hidden door there’s no way she could open it given the strength of that jeering barrier. She couldn’t even peer through the material thanks to it.

It was mocking her efforts but she had to swallow down her anger and resist the ball forming in her throat, she’d just have to ignore the wrongness in her body and shrink herself after all. She eyed a fixture installed onto the wall, some kind of machinery looking like it was manufactured by the kappa, its function eluded her.

The fixture itself seemed like a shiny tinted glass dome fasted to the wall with a base made of thin and weak metal, Hana could barely make out some kind of shiny black glass inside of it. Well, it didn’t matter to her, must be some kind of alarm or something. She made her body squeeze together like the lines of the world and powered through the subtle feelings of wrongness. Once she was the right size, she followed the obscured path straight through a space in the glassware that housed the alarm and then into the slight bit of space in the base.

It was a simple case to lean back now and regulate her breathing, letting the world fade, which wasn’t hard in the darkness she found herself in, she let her senses fade towards the grand barrier behind her. Protection spells interweaved with the already hardy physical barriers overlapped with a variety of utility spells and barriers to alter the flow of time. The structure of the spells was advanced, way too advanced for Hana to decipher alone, and there was still that mountain like hurdle to climb to truly see the peak of what made this barrier so formidable.

There was some missing piece of the puzzle, something she’d have to find before any hope of a rescue could be mounted… but what? The sheer amount of information confused Hana, there was seemingly no end to the spells and minor barriers interwoven into that malicious piece of defense. Eventually however, Hana found… something… that caught her attention.

The first thing she found; an alteration of the temporal spell that made time move in strange ways inside the barrier. It wasn’t like the one she found before, nor like the one on the great barrier itself. It was conditional and seemed to trigger upon being either it or another piece of the elaborate defenses being altered. It was terrifying in how potent was, able to slow down time inside its area entirely… It seemed embedded into the barrier itself, and not attached to any one point aside from maybe the torii gate. Though she couldn’t be sure.

The second was something more malicious, it seemed primed to extend to the outside of the barrier. Though she couldn’t tell exactly what it would do nor how long of a reach it had, yet she did know it would be potent. Hana tried to read the spell that was interwoven into it but it was little use, it was different than Maria’s spells of pure firepower. It wasn’t like a mishmash of differing and competing elements used to create powerful damage nor even the concentration of one or two to produce effects when sieved through finer mechanisms like she was taught.

It seemed to not invoke any of the base elements that she knew, instead it seemed to do the opposite, it seemed to drain the elements used against and around it. Would it depower the magics used around it? Maybe, but it didn’t feel like some kind of antimagic field exactly. It was something closer to the seals she used sans the divine blessings, something was made to remove the foundation of magics itself… She didn’t like it at all.

The third thing she found was something… something… something mesmerizing. If the barriers and spells her senses were flooded with were flyers raining down around her like last weeks Bunbunmaru into the garbage heap this was more like the glittering of silver under a majestic sunset.

Before she realized it Hana was reading the make up the spell, it was a simple thing. Its only purpose to be read and attract attention, the only way it could be activated was to read it. It was inefficient and impractical in every sense of the word, Hana reread the spell just to be sure. Once again, she reached the same conclusion, pointless except to attract attention. It wasn’t even potent; it didn’t use nor emit that much power and could easily be halted by the right safeguards.

As if plucking a leaf that fell through the air Hana focused on reading that spell again, it was way too simple and there must be more to it. This spell… it could easily be the key to unraveling this damned place, it could be a cipher or maybe even call upon some other sort of program meant to control sections of the barrier.

‘Yes, that must be it!’ Hana thought, ‘It must be something so vital that I’m just missing the trees for the forest!’ Hana felt as if she was struck by a bolt of lighting as she read and reread the lines of magical syntax all flowing together like a masterwork poem. Hana let the other spells and barriers fall by the wayside as she hyper focused on the words and symbols that made up this strange spell.

Her ‘eyes’ were starting to feel heavy, her mind was growing foggy, all the spells but that shiny and eye-catching spell faded away. Hana read the spell one last time as her consciousness faded, regret filled her as the last bastion of conscious thought that she was just so close to the truth. So close to figuring out the riddle that could save her father.

// Flandre 2

I yawn, fiddling with papers, reading and rereading, trying to distract my mind. Eirin has had stellar results in creating a triple-way egg that should resist more than a normal one—or, best-case scenario, be ignored—being gapped. Still, I'll have to keep immense concentration to stop any loose gaps from killing it before it turns into a morula. Amuses me how intensively Eirin is focusing on the research—all those words of morals easily forgotten. Hm, hypocrisy.

There's also my new pawns, Seija and Goro…

And, I'll admit, they scared me at first—closing a gap of mine is no small thing. In any other situation, I would've exploded Seija's head and eaten Goro alive, but I saw an opportunity. Knowledge, then usefulness. It's funny to think how I got the first. Men are so easy~all you need to do is press your breasts on them, and they don't even notice you probing their cursed bracelet and stealing a piece of its… hm… 'soul'?

I giggle, playing with the translucent red skull at my fingertips like a coin, its influence safely contained by a gap. To think I'd never have access to such energy through normal means: bowing down to Okina, morphing into the image of a child, and sexually serving the Matarajin… Ugh, the horror.

Indeed, the plethora of things I can mold this infinite cursed energy into—blending it into my gaps so they can't close them again; create barriers with such powerful curses they doom people's souls by mere contact. Seija seems able to control it to a degree with the broker's help, but that’s just the surface of this ocean. This energy on the hands of someone who can dominate it… My, my.

Also, it seems I won our 300 years old bet. Hope she has trained her tongue~

I giggle, sending the cursed thing to the depths of the gaps, where it safely awaits testing.

… My pregnancy is on the horizon, more hopeful and sure than ever; I've acquired power, pawns, and trade coins; and my business is going on steadily.

It's good to be on top of the world—

Then all my defenses are screaming, and I fall from my chair.

Okina's backdoor appeared on the HSE—is she attacking? Already?!—with no delay, I catch my parasol, open a gap, and go to the reception of the HSE, expecting to be face-to-face with my sister sage—

What I see is much, much worse.

"Wow… So many Reimus!" Flan excitedly says, eyes shining, crystal wings swinging up and down. The room is frozen, Ran has fallen on her buttocks, eyes wide. "I want a Reimu costume too~! Oh, hi, Kari!" Flandre is openly staring at me. The clientele rushes towards the nearest emergency exit. Those who don't know who Flan is followed the herd, an even worse reaction than what the Flower Maiden is capable of…

Why did Okina bring her here?! She normally isn't so direct. Is this her idea of a sick prank? Dropping Gensokyo's most unstable nuclear device in the middle of the Human Village…

It sounds exactly like the Matarajin I know.

Ran got up, looking at me with despair as Flan happily skipped to me, ignoring the commotion. "H-Hi… Flandre—where's your sister?"

"Remi doesn't know I'm here!" She says as she opens her arms. I freeze, but my logical mind immediately comes to the forefront, and I hug her. Not doing so, making her mad… No. "Kina said I could come and play with you and Anon! Gaah, it's so nice to hug you~so soft!" She laughed out loud, a cooling sound of death, rubbing her cheeks on my cleavage. I laugh, throwing a stare at Ran. She nods before racing out to calm the workers and stop any panic; word should be already spreading about Flan being here. And, mainly, Ran should make one thing clear to everyone: 'do NOT approach Flandre.'

"Why were everyone dressed like Reimu?" She asks, leaving the hug and wandering to the doors—she hits the barrier that doesn't see her as a client, confusedly massaging her forehead. I was about to lay the barriers down, but they exploded in red-scarlet hellfire, and Flan walked inside.

I sighed… It'll take at least twenty hours to rebuild that.

"It's to emulate the experience of being a miko, like Reimu—wait, Flan—"

"Oh! I want to dress like Reimu too!"

Saying 'we don't have an outfit for you' seemed like a death sentence, so I decided to play smart: "We're already making you your outfit, Flan-chan—" I sent Ran the message through a gap. She sends back '1h30m'. So that's the time I need to distract her for. "—it'll take roughly an hour more—sorry. Do you want to see the attractions before we go meet Anon?"

"Attractions?! Like those of amusement parks I see in comics?!" Her eyes shine bright red, as do her cheeks. I nod, "YES!" She laughs out loud before coming for a second hug, little arms around me a frown away from ultimate death…

… Despite that, it's weird how reciprocating the hug makes her little heart beat faster and her laughter louder and sillier.

Does she feel such joy in being hugged back? It's a small thing, yet it fills me with warmth.

Who'd think a nuclear device could be so cuddly?

// Yukari 19-20

Yukari yawned loudly as she stretched her back and stiffened shoulders, it wasn’t easy being breezy. However, there was only one woman in Gensokyo who could manage a reformation facility, maintain the great barrier, and put a smile on everyone’s face. ‘That woman was me’ thought the great(est) sage of Gensokyo.

This was all really a labor of love if she was being honest, which was something that nobody understood. Even Ran seemed a little more invested in this for base personal reasons rather than the good of Gensokyo and the Hakurei bloodline that managed the balance of it all. Of course, Yukari was only a youkai after all. While she did do it all for the sake of her beloved child and all that lived in it, she’d be remiss if she couldn’t admit that she’d taken a certain affection to the Hakurei family.

Opening a gap in front of her hand she reached and scratched that sweet spot on her back, cooing out satisfaction as she withdrew her hand snagging a steaming cup of tea sourced from one of those overly ritzy British cafes. The cup of Darjeeling tea warmed her fingers and its aroma tickled her nose, it was in the perfect temperature range of 83.1345 degrees centigrade and only dipping in minor amounts thanks to the lovely ceramics of it container. And the taste? Exceptional~

Yup, Yukari. You truly know how to enjoy the high life even while you entertain the peons and keep giving so much to those below you~ Yukari leaned back in her padded leather chair to exactly 73.54 degrees, the perfect amount to let someone relax while still having their head in the game.

Yukari was feeling good, even if certain little stunts done by certain jakus, foolish humans, and irritable youkai alike all conspired against her. Although she tried to clear her mind of such petty distractions it was no secret that many wished her harm.

That Moriyan god, for example, was a true menace if her informants were right, contracting oni to do her bidding? How annoying. Oh, and she couldn’t forget about that pervert god of a sage, actively weaving the most troublesome plots all to settle some old bet… The last thing Yukari wanted to do was have to assume her child form just to please her…

Ugh, and there goes Yukari’s enjoyment… She carelessly tossed the half full tea cup into a gap letting it land exactly where that waiter was going to step. She pushed herself back up letting the chair resume its normal position as she considered her options. When push came to shove, and it will shove indeed. Who could she rely on for the last leg of her plot?

The winter solstice and festival would be coming up soon, an obvious weakpoint and if there was any time to strike it’d be then. She knew that none of the concerned would be able to resist, its why she would have the Kiketsu family and Kasen in attendance as extra muscle in case things went south. She couldn’t rely on the tengu for anything more than crowd control and keeping the lower level youkai in line. Once Okina or the oni make their moves they’d be like fairies playing around the focal point of an incident, only good as time wasting fodder.

No, she needed someone to balance things. Her Ran could only be counted on for protecting the front gate and even then, not for very long. Of course, that left the pool rather small. Still, there was one or two women that she could broker with. After all, to beings such as them there is little easier than to work a few mere months for massive rewards.

Yukari thought of all the assets at her disposal, more importantly she thought of the future assets she’d gain after pulling this off successfully. She knew Reimu wouldn’t be long for this world, she’d visited sparingly since Ran worked on her little project. It was clear that she’d relapse like always, and more importantly the decades of bad living had taken their toll. It was subtle but she suspected that within the next year she’d be too infirm to even walk.

That quack of a doctor named Eirin could treat her of course, but she knew Reimu was too proud to head to Eientei before it progressed to the point of no return. There was also the matter that while she could release Anon to that troubled miko’s clutches after the big song and dance of Anon’s farewell and their remarriage ceremony that it’d be impossible to halt the rumors of the suspected pregnancies that resulted from this little operation.

Eirin was tight lipped about that of course, but Yukari could read between the lines, foot traffic of lone women was up nearly 284% percent than it was just 3 months ago. Though the exact cause eluded her the faces she remembered seeing there matched the names of several patrons on the ledger, and it wasn’t exactly a secret that the maternity ward, a place Yukari certainly didn’t visit on more than one occasion when she was feeling whimsical, had grown larger to accommodate said increase in traffic.

Of course, Yukari wouldn’t be Yukari if she didn’t turn these mistakes into miracles! She had a plan, there was some in Gensokyo that greatly enjoyed children after all. With a few clever maneuvers they’d have all the children she could handle and then some. Ah Yukari, you’ve done it again! Seiga will certainly never pass up this opportunity!

And to make Yukari’s mood even brighter a certain girl she loved to visit had just altered the barrier as if Yukari wouldn’t have installed a detection spell on it. She turned to the monitor along the wall pulling up the relevant information, it seemed her investment in outsider technology paid off as she pulled an image of a girl peeking around and glancing right at one of the many cameras before ‘sneaking’ down the maintenance corridor.

// Meiling 3-5

Hong Meiling was not normally given to fits of major embarrassment, not even when that black-and-white rat got into the mansion, but here, sitting in a brothel wearing a erotic version of the Shrine Maiden's outfit, she felt like dying. If Miss Sakuya saw her, or...Well, just about anyone, actually, she'd have to end her life before the shame killed her.

"Number 14!" The tiny Yamawaro bellowed. "You! Redhead! You're up!" Meiling lurched to her feet, feeling like the ground was shaking all around her. She wanted to perform some tai chi relaxation techniques, but she wasn't getting a chance. "I ain't got all day, girlie!" The Yamawaro, barely even half her height, shouted, and Meiling quailed. Ignoring the looks of the few others in the waiting room, she fixed her gaze firmly on the floor and walked forward. Then, she walked into the door, and it took all of her willpower not to die right then and there. She was certain she heard the Yamawaro snicker. All she'd even wanted to do was find Lady Patchouli!

Stepping through the door, she felt a strange vertigo, something she had only felt once before, on the single occasion that she had fought Yakumo Yukari. Immediately, she felt panicked, and now that she was free from prying eyes, she did let her eyes slide shut and her body fall into poses that were ingrained into her purple memory so deep that she could perform them while asleep.

Her breathing techniques helped calm her, and she felt a restlessness that she hadn't realised she was feeling fade away. With a clear head, she stopped stalling and walked further inside, the vertigo feeling intensifying until it reached a crescendo and immediately stopped. Suddenly, Meiling was not in the human village.

She was at the courtyard of the Hakurei Shrine, in early autumn. It was quite wonderful, actually. Especially for Meiling, who never really got to see many views aside from the ones she saw from the gates of the mansion. The valley expanding below her was lit in hues of gold, red and brown, and it was truly breath-taking, even compared to the view of the Misty Lake that Meiling could see from her position at the Mansion's gate. For a moment, she forgot what she was supposed to be doing and was content to just stare.

And then, she began to feel the flow of qi, and it was all wrong. The place wasn't truly expansive, it ended some ways forward. It was nothing but a paper tiger, if paper tigers could be pretty scenery. Meiling wondered who's benefit it was for. Was it just to enhance the experience?

Speaking of, what exactly was the experience? Behind her, quiet but easily audible in the true, small environment, was a conversation.

"That wire. No, not that one. Quite right." Meiling turned, finding herself quite surprised by the sheer scale of the replica of the Hakurei Shrine. Nothing compared to Remi's mansion, of course, but it was still very impressive. Meiling couldn't remember the last time she had been to the real Hakurei Shrine, or if she ever even had, but it certainly looked like a real Shrine. The voices she could hear were coming from inside, and Meiling could hear a man, presumably this 'Shrine Husband' that she'd been hearing about. And the other voice... "There. And then - Yes, exactly. That one. Koakuma could learn a thing or two from you." There she was. Lady Patchouli, at last.

"Was she the one with the wings?" The male voice was asking a question. "With...pale blue hair?"

"That was Remi. Koakuma has rather striking red hair. And a tail." Patchouli's voice grew clearer as Meiling got closer and hopped up onto the veranda. "Next...That one."

Meiling rounded the side of the veranda and paused, very confused at the scene before her. Happily, there was no sex going on, as that tengu woman had insinuated. Still, that likely would have been easier to explain than what was actually happening. Patchouli stood on the edge of the veranda, her arms crossed. She wasn't wearing the weird Hakurei outfit, but rather her normal clothing. Open in her hand was a large grimoire that could only have come from her library. Below her, on the grass of the Shrine's exterior, stood a man. Meiling felt her face heat up slightly because she knew the man. She'd just seen him in a book, a fact that was much worse than it sounded. And worse, he was just as much her type in reality as he was in the book. She took a second to run through some more tai chi techniques to clear her mind, and then she stepped forward.

But more interesting than the people involved was what they were involved with. Spread out on the ground below the veranda was a massive network of rippling lines of magic. They crossed over each other, linked together, split apart and reconnected seemingly at random. Some lines were bigger and some were smaller, and as she watched, the man knelt down and pushed his hand against one of the strands, which pushed outward, away from the mass. "Good. Hold it there." Patchouli told him. "Now, just..." She turned, a ball of fire growing in her free hand, and then she spotted Meiling. "Oh. Meiling." Feeling a little awkward, Meiling waved hesitantly.

"Um, hello, Lady Patchouli." She said, slowly shifting her gaze between Patchouli and the man on his knees.

"Hi." The man said, sounding slightly strained. "I'd greet you properly, but..." With his free hand, he gestured to the tangle of magic surrounding him. "I'm Anon, by the way."

"H-Hi, Anon." Meiling mumbled.

"What are you doing here?" Patchouli asked Meiling, who opened her mouth. "No, actually. Don't answer that. Just move slightly to the side." After a moment, she gave Meiling a pointed stare, and Meiling moved. "Okay, watch the wire." She told Anon, then she pointed her hand forward and launched the ball of fire outward, beyond the veranda and toward the torii gate. It flew straight through the gate, then suddenly froze and faded from existence. "There." Patchouli turned. "Anything?"

"I think I felt it pulse?" Anon replied, looking up with a frown. "Was it meant to do anything else?"

"No. I'm trying to isolate the barrier that feeds the magic back into the building." Patchouli looked down. "Two wires to the right. If it pulsed, we're in the right area." Anon looked down at the mess of magic, then shifted so that he was pulling on a thicker line of magic. "This one?"

"That one." Patchouli said, turning back. "Meiling. Why are you here?" She raised her hand, and another fireball began to grow.

"Um..." Meiling pressed herself against the wall of the Shrine, feeling a little concerned as Patchouli's fireball grew larger. "Miss Sakuya charged me with finding you." Patchouli didn't answer, and she looked back down at her grimoire. "She said that you'd been gone longer than usual."

"I've only been here for... Four hours and three minutes." Patchouli said, her eyes flashing for a brief moment.

"I was told that time was distorted in here." Anon said, looking up. "Four times slower than the real world, I think."

"So it's only been an hour..." Patchouli muttered to herself. " The movement of the celestial bodies were not matching up to the passage of time. Now I know why." She pushed more energy into the fireball, then paused. "Meiling." She said, drawing Meiling's attention from the fireball in her hand. "Do you feel calm?"

"Huh?" Meiling unthinkingly asked, then tried again. "Oh, er, I suppose so? Apart from the...fireball."

"Oh, yes. Let us take care of that." Patchouli turned her head toward Anon. "Watch for the magic." Anon nodded, and Patchouli launched the massive fireball. Meiling felt the heat pass dangerously close to her, and then the fireball was past her and through the torii gate. This time, it froze, but didn't immediately disappear. Instead, it began to expand, and Meiling wondered if something bad was about to happen.
"Patchouli!" Anon called, sounding somewhat nervous. "It's vibrating!" Meiling looked over, noticing that the 'wire' of magic that he was pulling on was beginning to shake clearly in his hand. "Should I let go?"

"No." Patchouli, like always, seemed entirely calm. "It's just coping with the stronger energy." She floated forward. "Look at the fireball." Meiling turned back in surprise. Where there was a large fireball before, there were now distinct layers of magic being held in mid-air. "A layer of oxygen, a layer of magical energy that constituted fuel for the fireball, and a layer of simple flame." Patchouli said, her eyes taking on a different shine that Meiling had learnt to mean that she was using spells on her eyes. "That is the barrier's energy source." She turned back to Anon. "The time distortion is interfering with several spells of mine that require precise calculations of the celestial bodies. That, I cannot disable presently."

"Oh, well..." Anon looked down, then gingerly released the vibrating wire. In the air above the torii gate, the fireball condensed, then faded from existence. "I got used to it after a while." Meiling looked over at Patchouli and wondered if she was seeing something that Meiling wasn't. "So, what was your name, again? You look familiar."

"Ah, er, Hong Meiling." Meiling said, breaking her gaze from Patchouli. "Um, I think I saw you entering the mansion with the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and a little girl several years ago." She'd completely forgotten about that. Funny.

But at the mention of the little girl, Anon's mood became sour. "Ah, that's Hana..." He murmured, looking down. "My little Hana." He shook his head and looked back, any traces of sadness gone as if they're never been there at all. "She's all grown up now. So...Would you like some tea, dear?" He asked, and Meiling's mind went completely blank. "I like to think that I've got a handle on this tea-making business by now."

"You can drink it." Patchouli muttered, ignoring them both. "Whatever you're doing is protecting you from the toxins in the air and in the clothes. Keep doing it." And she hopped off of the veranda and began to examine the mass of magical wires.

"Um, O-Okay." Meiling stammered, turning back to Anon. Dear? She probably should have told him not to call her that, but she couldn't quite resist. "Thank you!"

He led her inside and got to work, while Meiling stared at the Shrine interior surrounding them. It looked perfect, but she had no real idea what the original Shrine looked like these days, so it could have been entirely wrong and she wouldn't have noticed. In a matter of minutes, there was a steaming cup in front of her, and Anon was sat next to her. She took it, and while it was delicious, it just wasn't quite like the tea she prepared herself. "You look quite stiff, dear." Anon told her, and she jumped, sitting upright stiffly. "Would you like a bath? A massage?" He looked like he was about to say something else, but had chosen to restrain himself. Meiling thought for a moment, then took in a deep breath.

"A-A massage would be nice." She mumbled, and then jumped again when she heard Patchouli's voice from outside.

"Restrain yourself to nothing but a massage, Meiling. I have no desire to listen to...that." For a second, Meiling didn't know what she was talking about, and then it dawned on her and her face turned bright red. There was a bang from outside, followed by the sound of Patchouli coughing. "Ignore that." She called.

Anon stood, leading Meiling to the Shrine's bedroom. Suddenly feeling very nervous, Meiling forced herself to calm down, then sat on the edge of the bed, with Anon sitting behind her.

The massage then proceeded to wipe any knowledge of herself, Lady Patchouli, Anon himself, and any inkling of anything except the wonderful feeling of all the tension in her body disappearing. She may have cried. She probably fell asleep. She almost certainly let out some very embarrassing noises that she dearly hoped Lady Patchouli hadn't heard. But at the end of it, she felt rested in a way that nothing in her entire life had accomplished before.

// Hana 61-62

The world was inky black and reality faded in and out as her subconscious struggled to retain control of her awareness. Eventually, her conscious mind won out and Hana opened her eyes truly taking in her surroundings.

It was dark, well no surprise there. Her eyes were barely adjusted to the darkness, only minor amounts of light seeping in through the windows and the illuminated panes of the paper sliding door that made up the entrance to this room. Still, from what she could see, which admittedly wasn’t much, the room itself and even the door had a eerily familiar vibe. It was uncanny in how much she recognized this room, yet she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

She let the lines of the world relax, arcing them out of the windows and into the world beyond. It… was even worse now, that uncanny feeling, she let her vision dart around as much as it could with her ability until it hit her like a sack of rocks. The forest on to the edge of the field, the layout of the building she was in, the distinctive form of the building itself… She was in the shrine…!

Her vision snapped back to ‘normal’ as she tried getting up. She didn’t realize it at first, being that she was dressed in her winter’s outfit but she seemed to be on a very plush futon sitting on a raised wooden platform. Hana soon found that she was unable to get up, her arms, legs, and even waist seemed bound. Well, no matter, Hana let the world lines squeeze and opened up endless possibilities. Seeing the shortest route to ‘stand’ she took it.

Except that she didn’t budge!

Panic was starting to set in now, she tried using her ability to fly in order to levitate enough to move ‘into’ the mattress, it would help her to shrink her body enough to be free of any restraints.

Except that once again she didn’t budge…

She looked at her arms in the dim lighting, not finding anything worth noting in the gray on black of the world she found herself in. She pulled her arms and legs trying to physically free herself, only to realize that she felt no push back from anything as mundane as rope or even chain. There wasn’t even the silken feel of softer cloth restraints. Now that she was able to focus she felt it, magic!

She tried ‘reading’ that magic, finding it was only simple in part. It was a simple spell at heart but the complexity of the security system on these was astounding, she never even saw anything remotely similar in Marisa’s spells and it was more akin to what she saw in those damnable barriers.

Hana wanted to shout, if she was at the fake shrine then her father was here! Before the words escaped her lips, she heard shouting come from another room at the shrine; it was her father’s voice?! Is he in trouble?! Hana tried listening in as she flutily struggled against the restraints, only able to catch snippets of it.

Her father’s voice was like thunder, “You monster you want me to do what?!” Hana had never heard him so angry before, “Isn’t this game enough for you Yukari?!”.

What sounded like silence followed, but in truth she merely couldn’t hear the other side of this conversation. For a few uneasy moments Hana squirmed in silence till she heard her father’s voice again though it was more muted, it was still angry. The voices quieted down again till even her father’s voice was gone as if absorbed into the wood frame of the shrine.

A sudden shout of anger from her father made her jump as something beyond the door of her prison clattered loudly, it was sadly a sound she recognized. The sound of a table spilling its contents as it was flipped by an angered hand. Hana heard the sounds of flesh hitting flesh as her father yelled in rage, “You won’t touch her again! Not again!”

Then as suddenly as that outburst began, it ended. It was silent for a few minutes; she could hear whispers of Yukari’s voice now. It was simply too low for the miko-in-training to decipher, as the minutes egged onwards, she heard another sound: the sounds of desperation.

Silence again… and somehow this one was the most painful of all, Hana breathed in and out trying to listen to anything happening. Even trying to let her vision wonder outside the windows again, maybe she could angle it so she could see what’s happening through an open window or door?

As she once again squeezed the lines of the world, she struggled to find the right path, until suddenly her breath cut off. She was choking?! Her eyes shot around as she gasped for air that couldn’t come. But nobody was around her?!

Hana could see nothing, but she could feel it, a barrier formed inside of her throat!

Hana tried yelling for help but her own voice was blocked by the lack of air, terror soon set in as her body clenched and her hands fruitlessly grasped at the air. It didn’t take long till she heard stomping coming down the way and with relief filling her she saw her father burst in through the door.

He shouted her name and she tried reaching out for him to no avail, Hana had no clue what was going on as her father scooped her. The spells seeming to only restrain her own movements, and now that the light was streaming in she could make out a purple colored ink-like magical script engraved onto her wrists.

Hana tried to choke out that she needed help but there was simply no air to do so, she couldn’t even cling to her father. All she could do is watch through blurry eyes as his own filled with tears, he raised his head tearing his gaze from Hana as the world was starting to go dark.

With a shout of pure desperation, he announced to the air, “I’ll do it! I’ll do it! For the love of the gods Yukari don’t do it!”

The world was fading in blotches as her vision failed and soon, she couldn’t even find the strength to struggle against her restraints. She didn’t feel powerless nor terror, both of those sensations were leaving her as she heard only her father’s voice yell out again, “Please! Please don’t do this to me! Not Hana, not my girl!”

Just as the last of the light was to leave her world and her consciousness vanished the pressure in her esophagus faded. With a jerking gasp she inhaled the sweet air into her burning lungs, the world felt alive again as she coughed and greedily gobbled the air trying to make up for lost time.

Her father held her in her arms, rocking her like she was a child again, it comforted her as for a second she felt like things might be all right. Her arms were still bound and as her lightheaded mind struggled to recover, she could hear him whisper words of apology as he nuzzled her neck. What was he sorry for?

As if she was an animal, she felt a terrifying presence enter the room and caused her to stiffen up with the hair on the back of her neck standing on end, how she wished she could cling to her father back… Like an oncoming storm it was impossible to ignore, her father felt it too and pried his face away from Hana. Hana felt the chill replace his warmth as she too turned her head to Yukari, her footsteps only now heard after her presence was.

Yukari was wearing her purple dress, the occasional ribbon was disturbed from their usual perfect place and the dress itself had a thin tear under the breast with a small blood stain staining the edges of it. Though it was clear that there was no longer a wound underneath from how she strolled in.

Sporting a wicked grin her tone was like ice despite it outwardly sounding warm, “Hana darling, I’m so happy you came to visit. Though I must say that you should come in through the front door instead, sneaking around hardly suits you~”

Anon didn’t say anything as he stared daggers into her, oh if only looks could kill. Yukari ignored him as she stared directly into her eyes, “You snuck in so efficiently, so I must commend you on that. Though I must say that if it was not for my generosity, you would have run yourself afoul of some of my less elegant traps.”

What did this woman mean… Nobody saw her right? Wasn’t she careful? Hana was about to open her mouth to speak before she was cut off, “Now now, I see that confusion on your face Hana-chan and I will be kind enough to inform you that I knew you were skulking about the moment you walked in” Yukari giggled at her shock, “And what were those strange movements of yours? Did you manifest an ability while I wasn’t looking? They are most interesting, but there is not much special about once know the equations behind it”

Clutching Hana’s prone form tighter as if to shield her Anon spoke, “It’ll never happen again Yukari, she’ll never do such a thing again so please. Spare her!”

Tutting as she extended her fan and covered her face she spoke again, all traces of that levity and warmth gone with the dark as she flicked the light switch on, her voice was nothing but frigid ice, “After that brutish display you used to spurn at my offer of peace you dare to think you are in a position to broker?”

Feeling her wrath hidden under the surface Hana cowered inwardly, she didn’t dare to speak in this moment, “Fortunately for you, I have need of you and your daughter to be healthy and happy. You think I am a liar for telling you the truth, you think that I am some cruel tyrant; both are fine with me. For your actions you will both be punished and advance my plans to mend your damaged family in one go.”

Snapping her fan closed she commanded her father, “Strip”

// Seija/Goro 61-63

After all this time being on the receiving end of their effects, neutralizing Yukari’s gaps felt good.
I didn’t even need to close them, sometimes it was enough to flip their border and they’d collapse on their own, other times making exits into entrances sent whatever projectile right back at the Sage Hag, but by far my favorite was when she’d project a series of gaps using star light, only for those rays to be flipped relocating the gaps to some forsaken location I couldn’t image.
The one issue is that the bitch in purple just kept opening them time after time without breaking a sweat and I could tell it was taking a tool on Goro who was floating behind me.
‘he’s your cheat item’ she had said, ha! It was better then those lousy things, all those little trinkets were like toys, what I had with this man was on a whole other level. It was as if I could just think things and they would happen, like all I had to do was a turn a key, and better yet the possibilities just kept flying into my brain.
“Poke!” I felt a light touch on my midriff.
Looking down, I saw Yukari, ideally rubbing her finger on my waist.
“My, how soft for such a rough girl!” She teased.
I tried to punch her, but she slipped back into her gap and in a moment both Goro and I stood in front of Yukari and her Fox slave.
“I’d say about 3 points this time, your thinking was a little more creative and the two of you are more in sync, but it’s still quite a way off. What about you Ran?” She asked the fox.
“If were discussing orders of magnitude Yukari-Sama I would say 2 points.” Stingy mutt. “4 points when Goro is able to remain stationary and unmolested. The issue arises when the two-way, multiplex communication between the two must also bear a PID feedback loop so that Goro remains in proximity to Seija, that, as well as wasteful operations in the target analysis step and error prone wholesale communication of target information limit both the capability and speed at which attacks can be performed.”
“And what does that mean in plain speak you emotionless vixen?” I asked.
“It means keeping me floating besides you is slowing us down, I’m redoing work finding new targets, and feeding you target data as one complete set can fail, so I have to send It-agh, again.” He says, leaning against me.
I’d never admit it but having him act all pathetic and worn out like this after our little sparing session was my favorite thing. Bet this scholarly fox woman didn’t have anyone like this in her life.
“I’d recommend you find better ways to encode target information so it can be re-used and granularize firing instructions so you can send partial solutions.” The fox said.
I narrowed my eyes.
She sighed. “If Goro’s able to re-use old targeting data you’ll be able to swap faster the longer a battle continues and if you, Seija can remember old solutions Goro need only send a minuscule amount of information to modify them.”
“You’ll have to pull your weight to Seija! No slouching!” Yukari said in a sing-song voice.
“Aren’t you supposed to tell us about the HSE? Why don’t we skip the whole technical lectures and get to the useful stuff?” I ask.
Yukari disappears, then from behind, two white gloved hands embrace mine and Goro’s neck.
“Because dear child, I need to properly groom your minds first! If you two are going to be my little guard dogs, I can’t have you lying catatonic in your own drool! Isn’t that right Goro-kun?” She said.
“Yeah.” Goro uttered. “Wouldn’t do for us to not fulfill our end of the bargain. However, Yukari-sensei…” He trailed off, whispering something into her ear.
“Oh my, how greedy.” She smirked, before once again teleporting to appear in front of us.
“That’ll have to be it for our little session today, but don’t feel too lonely, I’ve found a fun playmate for the both of you!” Yukari said with a small wave of her hand.
In front of her an opaque gap opened. For the briefest moment, I saw Ran’s face change expressions. Was it longing? Pity!? Did she think we were just gonna be a lapdog like her? No, something told me it was envy. I smiled, letting myself feel a little better for making her feel worse. That was, until the gap covered her as well and popped out of existence, revealing a small blonde child in a short red dress.
“Ah! Are you two my new playmates!” She said, skipping over to us.
The pale girl shone like a ghost in the star light and those red eyes of her’s glimmered like rubies. I thought in that instant to run, but Goro gave my hand a soft squeeze and I stayed. He had some kind of plan.
“Oh, are you injured mister?” She asked as she neared us.
“No, no just winded little one.” He replied.
“Hey no fair! Yukari said I’d get me some fun new playmates! But you look like you’ve already had all the fun!” She stomped her feet.
I would haunt and jeer at the best of them, but even I knew that the Scarlet Brat wasn’t to be trifled with. Ah hell, maybe a little, had to buy time for Goro to recover after all!
“Ey brat.” I told her, setting Goro down and picking up two rocks “What’s your name?”
“Flan.” She said, look disapprovingly at me.
“Well Flan, I bet I can toss this rock farther then you can toss this one!” I tell her, flinging a stone at her.
“No way! You look way too weak!” She said. “Here, watch!”
With an impressive wind up the girl spun like a tornado and sent the rock hurtling through the air, far off into the horizon. I’m pretty sure if I was listening hard enough, I could hear it smash into tiny bits on the Harkurei barrier.
“See!” The little brat said with a confident smirk.
“That’s pretty good squirt!” I say winking to Goro. “But I can do you one better!” I say, gingerly tossing the stone into the air, which proceeds to meekly fall almost to the ground.
“Hey! You didn’t even try! Are you making fun of me!” She pouted, clenching her fists. “If your not gonna play seriously I’ll just smash you and go-“She shouted, but stopped.
The stone rose into the air, slowly at first, and began to pick up speed. Flipping gravity sure was useful after all.
As the stone became a tiny speck in the night sky I smirked back at the Scarlet Tyke “Looks like I win!”
“Ah! No fair, no fair! You didn’t tell me I could use my ability!” She cried.
Reaching a hand into the night she closed it into a fist, and I heard a faint pop well above us.
“How about that? My stone certainly flew farther then that!” She declared smugly.
“Flan-chan, that was very clever!” Goro declared, walking over to her.
“Eh wah?” Flan blurted out, surprised by the sudden praise.
“We didn’t even think about using our ability on your throw! You sure got one on us.” He said, patting her head.
“Uh, yeah! I’m not just strong after all! I’m pretty smart to!” Flan proudly declared.
“Hm? Then how about a game of wits then?” Goro said, pulling three cups from his sack and a piece of candy.
Grabbing a flat stone, Goro set all three teacups upside down and slid the candy under it. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“The game is simple, I’ll put this this candy under one of these cups and slide them around, then, you guess which cup it’s under. If you guess right, you get the candy if you guess wrong, we win. It’s a little dark out, so I’ll go easy on you, okay?” He explained.
“Don’t worry about that! Flan is used to seeing in the dark after all! I don’t even need my ability for this!” She asked.
Goro lifted a teacup and placed the candy under it. Then he began sliding the cups around and swapping their positions rapidly. Goro’s ability wasn’t bad, but I could see Flan’s eyes were locked on the cup with the candy, which would be great if this was such a game of skill.
“There. Take your guess.” Goro presented.
“That one!” Flan said, placing her finger on the right cup.
Goro lifted the right cup to revel nothing then the center cup to reveal a singular candy.
“Hey! You used an ability didn’t you! I didn’t take my eye off that cup for a second!” Flan said, gnashing her teeth and clenching her hand.
In that moment, the cup in Goro’s hand popped out of existence, utterly destroyed. He remained mostly unfazed.
“You followed the cup very well Flan-chan! But take a look.” Goro said.
Placing the two remaining cups in front of him, Goro slid the candy under one and swapped them much as he had before, but slower. As he did the last swap, he flicked the cup, sending the candy into the cup next to it.
“See? This isn’t just a boring game of watching cups you know, that would be too boring for someone smart like you Flan-chan! Let’s keep going.” He said, pulling out another cup. “Best two out of three.”
“Alright.” Flan said.
Again, Goro did his cup swapping and Flan watched, this time her eyes darted all over the place following every single movement he made and this time Goro really showboated it. Flinging the cups instead of sliding them, turning them upside down, juggling the candy between them in the open, until finally all three cups where once again face-down and presented.
“That one!” Flan said after some hesitation.
Slowly Goro began to peel back a cup she hadn’t chosen. Empty. Then he slowly tilted the chosen cup back, watching the eyes of the vampire child in front of him to reveal the glistening prize.
“Yes!” She said, snatching the candy and plopping it into her mouth.
“Alright, lets up the stakes for the last round.” Goro said, putting two candies under the cup.
Again, in a flurry the cups moved, and the vampire watched, until all three were placed before her.
“That one.” She said, pointing to the center cup.
Revealing it, Goro showed two candies. For a moment, the vampire smiled sure in her victory, before Goro lifted the left and right cups to reveal two small mounds of treats. The vampire’s face sullied.
“Congrats Flan-chan!” he said.
Meekly, the vampire grabbed the two candies and pocketed them, and enviously eyed the two piles. Dark, red energy began to pour out of her being.
“Best two out of three.” She said, rising into the air.
Oh no.
“You both got to pick a game, so now it’s my turn! Winner gets all the candies! It’s time for Danmaku!”
Goro and I readied ourselves once again.

“Hehehe.” The Vampire snickered holding her small sack of treats. “Thanks for the candies mister Goro, I haven’t tasted anything like these before!”

“Your welcome.” Goro groaned.
Both him and I were laid back in the grass, battered and beaten, staring up at the stars with the vampiric brat in between us, munching on candies. I guess I should be thankful we’re not dead.
“Hey, I wanted to ask something. Is Yukari evil?” The vampire said.
“Oh yea, She’s super bad news. Haunty and a spoilsport you know?” I cough. “She’s probably up to some sick act as we speak toying with some people like it’s her job.”
“Is being evil bad though?” She asked.
Ugh, I hated explaining things to kids. They always asked stupid questions expecting adults to give consistent answers. I guess star gazing while punch drunk was the right mood for philosophical discussion though.
“’Evil’ is just a word people use for things a lot of people dislike. It doesn’t really mean anything, just superficial nonsense that holds everyone back. Try holding on to one definition of it for a hundred years and it’ll change before you can blink.” I told her.
“But everyone seems to hate Yukari as long as Flan can remember. I don’t understand why, she’s always nice to me after all.”
“She toys with people you know. Like the opposite of playing where she’s the only one who gets to have fun, although she is consistent, I’ll give her that.” I added.
“So, it would be better if she wasn’t around? Would everyone be able to have more fun playing?” Flan asked.
“Ehh, if she wasn’t around there’s a couple people like her who’ll just take up the throne.” I told her, scratching my head.
“Sometimes…” Flan began, clutching her knees “…I just want to make all the troublesome people disappear.”
“Flan…” Goro began.
Oh great, time for some proper children’s education on why murder won’t solve all your problems.
“I feel the same way.” He spoke.
Flan and I both looked at him in surprise.
“If I had your ability, I probably would take care of all the bad people.” He said, turning over in the grass.
“After all, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with people and learning who they are. No good villains who take the fun out of everything even for themselves. They can only ever ruin things. If I told you who those people were, would you get rid of them for me? So, everyone else can have more fun?” He asked.
“I, I don’t know.” Flan replied.
Goro sighed. “That’s right, because everyone’s another toy in the chest and there’s no way less toys would be more fun.”
For awhile we all sat there, taking in the night air, thinking about toys and genocide all the while.
“Well Flan’s had her fun. Time for bed” She said, yawning.
“Goodnight mister Goro.” She said pecking him on the cheek. “Goodnight, Missus Goro” and a peck for me as well.
Wait a second.
“Make sure you bring more candy next time!” She commanded, flying off.
“Well, I guess we survived.” Goro shrugged. “That ‘play session’ felt like a hazing ritual.”
“It’s just that Hag’s way of threatening us with the big guns, but as expected, she can’t really rely on anyone but herself to do the browbeating. You don’t trust her do you?” I asked.
Goro wheezed “Trust Yukari? Ha! No, she’s probably already thought of a way to screw us. I like Flan a lot more even if playing with her is like walking a tightrope, such a cute kid.”
He looked a little wistful and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that he’d be asking for something after this whole mess was over. Which reminded me…
“Hey what did you whisper to that wretched woman?” I said, sitting next to him all lady-like.
He leaned his head on my shoulder. “That I wanted to monopolize your skinship.”

// Shanghai 4

Another successful trip to the village under the oversight of foreman Shanghai! Alice is going to be so pleased. After all, it was pretty much an entirely self-directed operation. All it took was Alice complaining about how much Marisa was drinking and pondering aloud about how great it’d be if someone went out on a supply run for Shanghai to come up with the idea.

It was a lucky break too. Shanghai wasn’t given any money by Alice recently, so she had to make do with what she had. If a human owned that stall's things they’d never accept a bottle cap as payment, but thankfully fairies understand the nuances of little people currency.

In the safety of the mighty triangle (the strongest shape), Shanghai leads her cohort back to base camp. While she could fly all the way back to Alice’s house, the stuff they were carrying was heavy. As such, it is her duty as a responsible overseer to allow her team to take a break before finishing the journey. It would be awful if they had to miss teatime.

Drawing close Shanghai suddenly tensed. Rather than the sounds of hard-working dolls, she heard the clamor of battle and a young girl laughing!

Rushing forward, Shanghai comes to a grizzly sight. One of the big pillars to hold up the top sorta-pillar was knocked over and hurt dolls littered the grounds. The culprit was obvious given the giant black ball floating in the middle of the clearing.

Rumia sneers from inside her ball of night, “Really? That’s it? I suppose this is what I get from expecting anything out of a bunch of stringless puppets. That’ll show you for putting up uh… whatever the stupid thing is you put up in my way!”

Stupid? STUPID?! This unproductive stupid butt-faced bully dares call Shanghai’s girls’ work stupid? The work Alice herself asked Shanghai to oversee? The work that might be to make Mr. Anon a new home so he can leave his old shell? That’s it, Shanghai is going to teach Rumia a lesson she won’t soon forget.

Flying out and drawing her blade, Shanghai rises to challenge Rumia. For some reason, Rumia doesn’t seem to notice, “Why’d you even put it up there? Don’t you know the visually impaired fly around these forests? It’s rude and inconsiderate.”

Shanghai is torn. On one hand, Rumia is stupid and smells like a stinky unwashed sock. On the other, she raises a good point. While Rumia is a stupid dumb idiot baby who chooses to fly around blind, Shanghai should have had some way to warn people who couldn’t see the construction. Still, she can think about that later, far more pressing is the question of why Rumia isn’t acknowled… acknowledging… Rumia can’t see anything and Shanghai didn't make any noise…

Quickly rectifying this, Shanghai sends Rumia a universal message in the form of a Danmaku bullet to the face.

The shot is well aimed and Rumia is soon cut off by a yelp of pain. That pain soon turns to anger as she shouts, “Oh you little shit! Which one of you did that? You’re gonna regret that! [Darkness Sign: Demarcation]!”

Suddenly intersecting rings of Danmaku emerge from the sphere towards Shanghai. Thinking quickly the doll begins to return fire and moves to slip through the cracks. A fact that is exceptionally easy since the gaps seem to have been made with a human in mind, so it’s trivial for a doll.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Shanghai uses every free second she has to aim shots to hit Rumia’s stupid… uhh dumb face. Admittedly aiming is kinda of pointless given Rumia’s method of dodging consists of flying around randomly because she can’t see, but it’s nevertheless quite fulfilling to hear Rumia cry out every time she gets a taste of Shanghai’s doll power.

Frustration in her voice Rumia calls out, “I’ll give it to ya, you’re tough for a doll. But ‘tough for a doll’ doesn’t cut it when fighting a real youkai!”

Suddenly the pattern is interrupted as a wave of Danmaku emerges and homes in on Shanghai, so she dodges to the left. Another wave follows suit, so she dodges to the right, and so on.

It’s honestly pathetic and that’s not even mentioning the fact that the spell card ends soon. Rumia is even out of breath because of that 'attack'! If only Shanghai had her own spell card, alas she has to make do with throwing out as much magic as she can.

Calling forth a wave of Danmaku, Shanghai sends it straight towards the center of the orb of darkness and is rewarded by a loud, “Ouch!” and the orb falling to the ground.

Soon after the orb flickers out and Rumia gets up with a snarl, “Alright fuck this. Dolls aren’t protected by Spell Card Rules, I’m gonna rip out your stuffing, and then I’m gonna rip out every single one of your friend’s stuffing.”

R-Rip out? Shanghai needs to get out of here, she can’t win. But… if she runs then all of her subordinates would be in danger. No, she needs to fight here and now! For all of doll kind!

Shanghai stares the behemoth down without fear as she draws her razor sword. If it is a fight Rumia wants, it’s a fight she’s going to get!

// Aya 43

“It’s not about the taste, it’s about your reputation! You served some of the most violent people in Gensokyo! If they ever found out you broke pasta — not just for Hana, for them — your credibility would be shot!” Aya’s attempts to protect the human from the social consequences of his actions fell on deaf ears.

“Eh, you’re overreacting. You said you wanted to know how Hana liked her food, right? Back when she was six, she used to play outside near the shrine. She was a little bundle of energy and always eager to explore.” As he mixed together a bechamel, Aya noticed him add extra cheese to mask the taste of vegetables. Fit for a child’s palette. “One spring while Reimu and I were with her, Hana stepped in a pile of leaves a snake was hiding under. The snake reared up and hissed at her, but before it could lunge, Reimu had already blasted it apart. It was a mess. Hana started crying for a few days afterwards. For months, she absolutely hated long noodles or anything red.”

It was a cute story and had a good morals humans and youkai could appreciate: Be careful of your surroundings and always be prepared to kill for your children. “Hana must’ve been afraid of snakes ever since, huh?”

“Actually, she got over it pretty quickly. The next week, she insisted on bringing one of Reimu’s gohei outside to hunt the 'stringy youkai’. Hana refused to eat any noodles longer than her hand because they were all the ‘youkai’s evil friends’.” His chest swelled with paternal pride. “She’s tough and a little strong-willed. I just wonder how she’s dealing with things, if Marisa and Aunn are looking after her…” He stopped stirring the pot, his expression darkening, certainly concerned about his daughter’s well-being.

The tengu squeezed Anon’s shoulder. “She’s every bit as smart as her father. I’m sure she knows how to handle herself. Even with Marisa to take care of, Aunn’s responsible enough to make sure Hana doesn’t end up in trouble.” Hiding her thoughts with a smile, Aya considered Hana’s companions. Marisa and Aunn weren’t only close to Anon, they were close to Okina. Even if Marisa held her independence, that pervert goddess might try to involve his daughter in her schemes through Aunn. Reimu was younger than her when she started solving incidents, but she wasn’t a schemer nor were incidents this… perverse. Something this traumatic and personal might just infect Hana the same way it did her mother.

When Anon turned back to Aya, he realized his mask was slipping and cheerfully re-directed to their meals. “Ah. We should probably eat now. I might have gotten a bit carried away with this.” Even after taking seconds, both the tengu and human’s dishes were barely dented. Monopolizing on the situation, Aya insisted on exchanging leftovers. Battles neither begin nor end at the battlefield, and the same hold true for a man’s stomach. “Of course I don’t mind taking it home, since you don’t mind keeping my food either. It didn’t taste terribly inedible, did it?” With subtle suggestions, the reporter successfully finished her transaction, winning Anon’s stomach and soon, heart.

As time passed, Aya continued to bother her companion with questions about Hana before transitioning to questions about children in general. More than learning about Anon’s experiences, it was preparation for her own future. All the resources she needed: Toys, blankets, clothes, high chairs — another bribe from Yukari wouldn’t hurt. But by then, the HSE should be destroyed and she’ll have published her seminal work chronicling the Sage’s transgressions. By then, her children will be far safer than ever...

Bellies full and bodies washed, the time came for Anon and Aya to enter the bedroom once more. He kept silent as always. The candles were dimmer, suited for rest and relaxation instead of wild procreation. Breaking routine once more, he entered the bed first before holding the covers open for Aya. “Come on in.” His smile was unbroken, but his voice wavered.

Aya could join him in bed. They’d cuddle, fall asleep together, maybe kiss again. Then the tengu would fly back home and come back the next night to repeat the process again, edging a little closer to Anon but fearing the slightest bit of sexual contact. For three more nights she could live in a quiet dream of sleeping with the man she loved. All she had to was say ‘yes’.

“Do you really want this?” She stood still, looking straight into the bottomless pits he called pupils.

He hesitated. “Of course, dear.”

Walking around the bed, Aya sat down on the covers next to Anon. “You had a really good chance here. I want to believe you, really. I don’t even need to think it’s true: I just want to believe your words. But I know a lie when I hear one. You, Anon, are a very kind, gentle, loving man. You’re just a terrible liar.”

// Shanghai 5

As Rumia walks ominously towards Shanghai a voice cuts across the clearing, “That’s enough of that. Rumia, clear out before I rip out your stuffing.”

Huh? Looking over in surprise it’s none other than Big Sis Melancholy! Rumia glares at her, “This is none of your business Melancholy, let me finish this.”

Big Sis shoots back, “A youkai bullying dolls is entirely my business. You’re lucky that I have better things to do than kick your teeth in, so don’t waste the opportunity and scram.”

Looking between Melancholy and Shanghai, Rumia shakes her head and flies off, “This isn’t over.”

Big Sis is not impressed at all, “You always say that.”

Rumia’s response is pathetic, “Because it’s never over!”

Sighing, big sis looks over the carnage of her fellow dolls, “What a mess. Still, no one is beyond repair, right?”

Looking the dolls over once more with a critical eye, Shanghai is relieved to see only superficial injuries. Already the nurse dolls are beginning to emerge from their medical tents and carry dolls back on stretchers. The dolls creeping back from the woods join in too, which is good because otherwise they’d get quite the talking to for cowardice.

As Shanghai ponders where she needs to insert herself into the process, her team comes over carrying the lemonade. Thankfully none of it was spilled, failing the very first self-assigned doll mission would be bad.

Big Sis looks over at the supplies in amusement, “Oh? You got refreshments for the other dolls? I approve of the sentiment but…”

Shanghai shakes her head at that before pantomiming a large witch’s hat on her head and flying around on the base of her sword.

Drawing closer and looking over the containers, Big Sis guesses, “It’s for… Marisa? Huh, I wouldn- uhhh, where did you get this?”

Tilting her head, Shanghai points towards the village.

Big Sis looks quite concerned as she asks, “And the person selling this was selling it as lemonade or something?”

Again, Shanghai nods.

Frowning, Big Sis takes a sip of the liquid and swishes it around in her mouth for a bit, “Polychlorinated biphenyl…”

Taking another sip she adds, “Tastes coplanar. Someone was selling this as a refreshment to people in the village?”

Shanghai gives a confused nod. She doesn’t quite know what a polycholor- wait! Poly means multiple! So it's uhh… multiple of something. Still, the way Big Sis is talking makes it sound bad.

Seeing her confusion, Big Sis explains, “Essentially, they were selling bad stuff as a drink that’d really hurt people if they bought it. How did they even get their hands on this stuff?”

They were selling bad stuff? Bad stuff that hurt people? They were selling bad stuff that hurt people as good stuff that helps people! How dare they! At the very least they should have had a sign that said ‘This is bad stuff that you shouldn’t drink!’, but instead they just pretended like it was lemonade! If that's okay what’s next? Rumia could sell her pee (which she would do because she’s a stupid ugly bedwetter) as lemonade and everyone would die!

She needs to do something! This is urgent! But… she also has a responsibility to watch over her dolls. At this point, all she needs to do is wait for Alice to get here and then she can bring that dishonest ‘lemonade’ fairy to justice. To that end, she sends two dolls (because the friend system is important!) to get Alice and heads down to the medical tents.

Entering the first tent, Shanghai is met with a tragic sight. One of the doll team bosses is facing a doctor doll while gesturing to one of her workers with a scratched arm. Tapping her empty little clipboard, the doctor doll shakes her head. This prompts the boss to fall to her knees and shake her fists at the sky as the doctor pats her on the back. Meanwhile, the injured doll watches the whole thing from bed. Going off the vitals monitor she doesn’t seem too bad, but that might be because the vitals bit is just painted on.

Heading through the rest of the tents, it’s a similar sight. None of the dolls are too injured, heck they even got teatime in bed. Now that was a heart-warming sight seeing each one bring the little cup to their face before a nurse doll refills it. Still, it could use some work. Some dolls were holding the cups way longer or shorter than a person drinking tea would and the same thing could be said about the nurses with the kettles.

// Keine 5

Tears stream down, and through empathy, Suzu's eyes demand an explanation; "I'm not pregnant," I emphasize again, a pathetic attempt at gathering myself punctuated by a loud sniff. "I-I… A student—" I didn't say 'your daughter'. "—asked me if I was pregnant, then others heard it, thinking it was true—it escalated so quickly, I-I couldn't do anything—then Mokou came, and she was so happy… I tried again and again to tell her the truth, but something would always get in the way—yet I had a chance this morning! A chance to clean this—and I ignored it! I gave in to the lie! Because my best friend is so happy about this lie… this lie she'll never feel, not with her immortal body… She wants to see it, to feel it through me—b-but it's still a lie, and in two, three weeks it'll become apparent—I don't know what to do, I don't, I'm afraid, a-and—"

Arms around me. My tears are big and unstoppable; my head spins; I'm hyperventilating; my voice rising; my nails sinking into my scalp; trying to distract the insurmountable pressure on my shoulders with anything, even pain. But Suzu's arms quickly cut off the destructive behavior, stagnated air finally found its way to my lungs in the silence… Calmness befalls me.

I was having a panic attack, wasn't I? "Yes." She answers softly. I hadn't noticed I said that out loud. So pathetic. A panic attack on a school's bathroom… I giggle, feeling dissociative. "Keine… I understand not wanting to let down a friend." Her hand runs through my hair. It offers some comfort. "But lies are meant to be uncovered—you still have time to decide how yours are going to be discovered: let time pass, the truth will come out slowly and painfully; or walk to your best friend and come clean—if she's really your best friend, she'll understand."

… All undeniable truth. One of those two things will happen. I can't eat this history; it has already reached people my powers are unable to affect—the worst offender, Mokou herself—though, create this history, my pregnancy? Do I want my children—it must be twins—to be a result of guilt and fear? Would they come out normally? I've never created humans before… I close my eyes in the silence, hating myself for trying to concoct excuses and shortcuts that'd only lead to even more pain born out of an innocent question.

Suzu's warm embrace is like a life jacket.

"It'll hurt her so much…"

"The alternative will hurt even more."

I nod slowly, heart sinking, remembering Mokou's ear on my belly, smile so warm and welcoming, believing she's hearing the symphony of forming life… Knowing she desires that so much but is limited by a choice made a millennium ago hurts…

… And it’s here, in Suzu's arms, kneeling on the bathroom floor, that the third option pops into my mind, "I could… get pregnant normally." Suzu sighed, moving away from the hug with frowning brows and disappointed eyes. "I've never seen Mokou this happy before—to think I can give her happiness that may last even after my skeleton turns to dust… We could go through it—the good, the bad, the terrible—together."

Suzu cuts in, "But it's not only her happiness that matters, Keine. Children are responsibilities; you know that" 'You're a teacher' was left in the air. “They won't go away if it gets unbearable, and every day will be their day, not yours—for years! There's happiness, there's joy, but it will take a monumental effort to get there—”

"Mokou won't miss a day of their lives," I answer, tiredness and numbness giving way to a rising determination that, though laced with unfathomable fear, was also backed by the almost necessity of making a friend happy. "We'll take care of them and… I think I can be happy if it makes her happy too—"

"Keine… Will they have a present father?"

"… Huh?"

"A present father. I'll understand if you and Mokou have love between you and decide to raise the children together; but if not, will your children have a father figure?" My silence is enough of an answer, and Suzu sighs again. "You have a week at maximum to get pregnant, so the lie won't crumble. That's not enough to build a significant relationship—would you bring a man you don't know into your household? Have children with him?" The silence goes on, Suzu's eyes warming, but with clear pain there. "If you are going to get pregnant, I can't stop you—but think: your children won't have a father figure; Mokou has her things to attend to, as do you. You'd have to juggle your time between them and your work… That may change in the future; you may find someone—but if you do not, know that your children will notice. They'll notice something is missing in their household—that their mother doesn't give them enough attention—and they won't be happy with that… And the only person they'll have to blame is you."

Her arms release me, but I stay on the ground. Suzu looks at me with pity as she turns to leave the bathroom.

“Think well about your choices, Keine—children don’t go away when it gets unbearable.”

// Hana 64-68

It hurt to see her father in such pain and the old guilt that’s been plaguing her every time she thought back to that day resurfaced. Anon was already dressed rather lightly in loungewear, a small silken robe like the one he wore she first visited him. This one was a good bit more covering, yet the thin material was clearly designed to entice. There was little enticing about this situation however, Hana ripped her eyes from her father as he undid his robe unable to bear the horror in his eyes.

She turned to Yukari, anger filled her eyes at this humiliation as she shouted out, “W-what are you trying to do here?! This isn’t… this isn’t right!” That sickening smile that promised that she’d get her way no matter who would be trampled creeped up into her face, yet it wasn’t Yukari that spoke.

Her father’s voice was stern, like it was when he was disciplining her, yet she could hear a deep desperation in it, “Don’t make this worse then it has to be! you… I have no choice in this…”

With the sound of a robe dropping, she turned her head like a guilty child; she felt small and powerless. She also felt disgust, a deep revulsion as could do nothing but squirm against the restraints. The revulsion wasn’t towards her father, nor even towards that demon Yukari; it was towards herself.

There wasn’t that tell tale sweet smell in the air, nor was that garment altering her mind, neither was she seduced and tempted into losing her better judgement. Even then, her eyes naturally drifted across his body as she gulped down another shout of resistance, she didn’t want to be killed again. That’s what she told herself at least, as her eyes darted between her father who approached from the right, and Yukari who sat daintily on the right side of the raised futon she could feel a heat growing deep inside her.

Her father got on the futon properly, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his solid body nor… that. Despite its flaccidity she well remembered what it was capable of, her guilt stained memories and disgust were cut off as she felt a hand in hers. Yukari was leaning over, a sadistic amusement was the only thing visible in them.

Yukari spoke as a small gap formed at her hand and the lights shut off, only to allow candles she didn’t see appear light the room with their soft glow, “Hana-chan isn’t this what you wanted? Tonight your father will take you like you have so desired. My with any luck you might even be able to bear his child~”

Yukari stroked her hair and pulled the ribbon she had wrapping her hair like a ponytail loose; Hana shook her head trying to get away from her hand. Yukari cooed as she stroked her cheek deftly avoiding Hana trying to bite at her fingers and through gritted tears Hana remarked, “I didn’t want this at all! Especially not with you here, not doing this!”

Yukari slapped her with a clear and sharp smack resounding through the room, she metered her power well and it was just enough to sting without doing any real damage. Hana could see her father kneeling to her side tense up as he quickly scooped Hana into her arms, but they both knew he could do nothing.

Turning to her father whose face showed nothing but pain as his eyes dug themselves an even deeper pit in which to hide from his reality Yukari spoke with the same teasing tone, “Hana-chan does deny it heavily, but did you know how she calls your name when she is alone? Ah, it truly is a sight to see her piston her fingers insid-“

Anon’s voice was quick to speak, cutting her off and trying to avoid the next words she spoke, “Yukari please, that’s enough!” He was trembling, his whole body was trembling as he held her against his chest, “I get it… please, don’t…”

Hana glared at Yukari, but the powerful youkai didn’t seem phased in the slightest, “Yes yes, it seems even Hana-chan is quite cross at me for revealing her secrets. It is fine however, she will be telling you herself soon enough.”

Scowling he placed Hana down on the bed sheet, as if stalling for time he adjusted her arms and legs, making sure her hair wouldn’t get in the way. Hana could feel her own eyes tearing up, it was like back then in that shared bath. They both knew that something was lost and never to be regained, worse yet was that this time she couldn’t even hug him back.

Leaning down he kissed her forehead and whispered, “It’ll be quick, and… and I won’t let it hurt. Yukari will keep her word and never harm you again…”

Hana nodded and blinked a tear off the corner of her eyes, she could almost believe the lies her father gritted out through clenched teeth and a fake smile.

Wearing a frilly lingerie, the same color as the purple of her eyes, that appeared after a short-lived gap engulfed her. Yukari was as eye catching as Hana remembered. No, she was even more enchanting now that her stockings ended in garter belts that accentuated her femininity. Hana felt herself was much plainer in comparison, her limbs were still bound but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel a heat rising as she stole glances between her father’s masculine frame and Yukari’s own wiles.

Her father was deft in how he removed her outer layer of thick and warm autumn clothing without missing a beat, though he did pause a second as he properly removed her hand knitted muffler. She was still dressed in the under layer of thin garments but she already felt naked as day she was born as Yukari’s eyes glistened with mischievousness. Hana shivered at their touch, her skin rejoiced at the sensations building in her as her father and Yukari seemed to touch her in all the right places.

Hana turned her head from Yukari who lifted her arms and removed the thin spaghetti strap dress from her body. Yukari let the words dance from her mouth as admired Hana’s modest chest whose pink caps already rose in anticipation, “I see our little darling Hana is excited, is that not right papa-san?”

His expression was unreadable as he turned his head away from the seductress, Hana was glad she didn’t catch his eyes as she protested, “I-I’m not! Stop messing with me!”

She clenched her hands in anger trying her level best to cover her shame, which only helped in eliciting a chuckle from Yukari. Yukari took her face by the chin as Hana let out a yelp of surprise, she leaned down letting her blonde hair form a curtain over her world and with a whisper caused Hana’s face to burn with embarrassment, “Shall we show your father how well I know your body?”

‘Warm’ was the first word that popped into Hana’s mind as Yukari’s lips met her own, it didn’t take long at all that kiss to turn deep and even less time for that fire burning in Hana to cause her to take the lead. Hana melted under her assault as she opened her mouth, her tongue was nearly desperate to explore Yukari’s mouth… and she couldn’t keep out the thought of trying it again with her father…

She was so enraptured that she barely registered her bloomers being slid off, it didn’t come to her until she tried spreading her legs unconsciously only to find them unable to move much. Her frustrations were only compounded by a wet heat as she furiously explored Yukari’s mouth, repressed memories flooded back of that women teasing her and the taste of her and her father’s union. The taste that got her addicted.

Wiggling her hips was all she could do as she felt her father’s rough yet nimble fingers tease her most important place. It was just as she remembered it, he seemed to know all of her weak spots almost prenaturally. The heat in her loins built quickly, despite the guilt, pain, and fear from everything that happened she couldn’t deny those emotions she kept buried. She wouldn’t care even if it hurt, as long she had her father it was okay.

After an eternity of bliss as Yukari returned the affections of her fervent tongue and teased her chest while her father quickly built tension with his skillful fingers; Yukari parted from Hana’s lustful lips. A string of saliva was proof of her lust as Hana panted, her face flushed and body already yearning for more. She knew her face was a mess, she knew she looked no better than some beast in heat, she knew the man she loved most in the world could see it all.

With a smile bordering between a strange sort of maternal affection and sadistic joy her lips parted as words dripping with seduction filled the space between them, “See that papa-san? Look at the truth, of how your Hana is so easy to get to succumb to pleasure.”

Hana wanted to hide her face from her father, but she was unable to rip her eyes from him. Merely seeing his body, how he worked her drenched garden capped with her thin black pubic hair, was almost enough to make her throw off all her shame and beg for it if it would unite them faster. Still, as they locked eyes Hana couldn’t see even a tinge of joy, not even a trace of the happiness she wanted him to look at her with was visible.

She could only stare with a strange mixture of shame, disappointment, and powerful lust at the man she wanted the most in the world. Yukari ran her fingers down Hana’s chest and belly till she reached her groin, Hana shivered with anticipation as Yukari skipped her drenched pussy entirely and reached to grab Anon’s still soft penis.

Her words flowed like silk as she chided both of them, “Now now, Hana dear you won’t be able to entice your father like this” she began to stroke and caress him with delicate motions as Hana stared transfixed, “Only good and honest girls will get what they want in my household, after all.”

Hana swallowed down a lump in her throat as with a word she guided her father to straddle Hana’s chest, placing his now half-hard cock directly in front of her lips.

Slowly, carefully, deliberately Yukari stroked Anon’s cock right above Hana’s mouth. Hana couldn’t help but stare at it as she glanced up at her father’s rod, it was as delicious looking as she remembered. The mere memory of its taste flashed over her tongue and stimulated a deep and buried part of mind.

She avoided looking too long in his eyes, they showed nothing while seeming to absorb everything and give nothing in return. Still, like a mischievous cat testing their limits Hana opened her pursed lips as she reached her tongue out with some hesitation. Yukari’s finger crossed her mouth as she giggled, “Bad Hana-chan, lusting after your own father and greedily trying to seduce him without properly conveying your feelings? There is a proper order to things you know~”

Hana glanced at Yukari, her face scornful and strangely maternal in equal measure. She glanced at her father, the man whose body alone exuded a story of suffering and who’s face was a mask of neutrality. Hana thought for a second, she was hesitant; the last time she had been drugged and brought to her situation like a pig to be slaughtered. Now? There was no strange drugs, there was nothing to blame. What could she hide behind if she said yes?

If she said yes… Memories, fragments of dreams, fantasies she dared never tell others about… All came rushing through her head and danced around the thoughts of what she’d lose; her friends, family and bonds she’s made, the support of those she trusts the most… She deliberated and as Yukari slowly worked her father’s cock at such a pace, letting even Hana vicariously feel the stimulation as she coaxed it into a full and proud erection; the heat radiating off it infected Hana’s brain further.

She gulped down, no matter what… as long as she’d be there to help him after… as long as she and him were alive and together… Did they really need anyone else? Hana would become strong enough that no one could split them up, and then… and then!

Hana looked up at her father, she looked into those dead eyes, eyes that she would revive on her own if need be. She spoke, “Father… I… I’ve loved you for a long time and…” the words came out softly at first, “I didn’t want to believe it for a long time but… I- I’ve wanted you and only you for a long time…! I really do want you to look at me like a women and love me!”

He closed his eyes, for just a second she could see the mask crack as pain, and nothing but, flashed across his face like he was struck with a jagged blade. Hana knew there was no other way forward, and with the heat of that confession and the pressure from Yukari she nearly shouted, “That’s why I don’t care even if I’m forced to, I’d want to have your children no matter what! I want us to be a real family again and never be broken up again and-!”

Yukari plunged that meaty staff in to Hana’s mouth, cutting her off before she could babble on. Like it was sweet air she nearly choked it down, relishing the taste and fulfillment she felt with a mind unburdened by the terror she felt till now. That guilt she felt, at least for this moment, was gone now as she licked the bulbous head of his cock fervently. She felt the weight on her wrists, legs, and waist dissipate along with her hesitation, and like he would vanish if she didn’t, she used that newfound freedom to grab onto his shaft; treasuring it like it a gift from the Hakurei god itself.

She felt only a pang of jealousy as Yukari rose up to her knees with the grace of an eagle ascending to the ceiling of the sky and draped an arm over her fathers shoulder. She kissed his cheek, grabbing his hand and guiding it to her belly, “Did you hear that, Papa-san? Our dear little girl had such strong feelings for you~”

Her body was burning with lust as she wanted more, and deeper, she wanted him on top of her expending himself entirely. She listened to Yukari’s amorous voice overlay upon the lewd sounds of her sucking, “There is no need to feel bad about it, this is the result of the girl you loved and raised. There is no need to hold back anymore, and no need to feel anything but joy. We will be a family for a long time Papa-san~”

Yukari laughed as Anon kept his silence, Yukari pushed him back and watched him fall onto the futon cleanly. Yukari held out her unassuming delicate hand to Hana, “Hana dear, although Mama should get the first turn, since you’ve been such a good girl I’ll let you go first.”

Hana took that hand without a second thought; her mind was too clouded by a strange mix of lust and hope to resist. Yukari helped her to her knees where Hana quickly moved to straddle her father. As Hana moved to bring her aching pussy over where their love would express itself Yukari’s voice dripped out in a low husky tone, “Hana-chan, I do believe this is where a good girl thanks her mother for such a treat isn’t that right?”

Hana froze, mother…? What was she saying…? Did… did she mean…? Yukari cut off her spinning mind with, “Of course bad girls don’t get anything at all, and I’ll be very cross at you otherwise~”

Hana looked down at her father, who merely turned his face away and then looked at Yukari’s overly sweet face that hid everything but her pleasure at getting exactly what she wanted. Hana gulped feeling the throbbing heat from her expected contact with her father.

Trembling, her voice was thin and near panting, “T-thank you…” she swallowed the last bit of her pride, “Thank you for letting go first… Mama…”

For a reason Hana couldn’t decipher Yukari stroke her abdomen right above her pubic area as she grinned.

// Flandre 3

Flandre is fascinating. She's unstable by circumstance, yet there's a mind behind those wide eyes full of excitement that could kill with mere thought—a mini-me~—; a mind that understands her surroundings but prefers the simple things of life. Like testing her strength.

Tongue half out and brows frowned, Flan looked at me again before, with might, swinging the hammer down onto the plate, the counterweight flying like a rocket and ripping the bell off the attraction with an explosion. Smiling, I clap, "Wow, what a strong girl!" Her cheeks redden with the praise, chest puffing with pride. Cute. "What does the strong girl want as a prize?" I get up from the bench as she comes running to me, arms open and eyes on the false sky—an ever-intricate barrier to simulate a beautiful starry night or a clear summer day—thinking as we continued our walkthrough of the small indoor carnival, dodging the most promiscuous stalls.

Most attendees had already fled the 'wrath' of the 515-year-old kid vampire, leaving only us, wide-eyed and sweating stall owners and my employees, who'll undoubtedly ask for many raises tomorrow.

"Hm~…" She laughs for some motive, spinning in front of me. My, my, having fun through only enjoying company and chitchat? What a lonely 'kid'… "I want something very sweet from the other side of the world!" I think for a moment, languidly spinning my parasol, before opening a smile, then a gap, and pulling out of it a thick, red popsicle and handing it to a curious Flan. She disintegrated the plastic cover as if nothing—an interesting use of her ability. Humanity would kill much more than usual for such a conventional way to dispose of plastic—and biting on the popsicle. The effect was immediate. "SO GOOD!"

"Glad you liked it, Flan. It's called Paleta Mexicana—an ice cream from a very far place away from here." I doubt she listened to it, enjoying the sweet as if a godsend. I giggled—oh, a gap! Good job, Ran! 12.56 minutes ahead of schedule~ "What about we go get your miko costume and go have some fun with Anon, hm?" If her eyes were shining as she ate the sweet, they now outshone the sun… Ugh, terrible analogy.

Flan and The Bird in the same room, and I'd destroy Gensokyo myself.

It'd be a much more merciful end.

—

Ran outdid herself. It was a conservative iteration of the uniform, following what a younger Hana would dress like but still akin to a Hakurei miko's outfit. My shikigami glanced at me, tense. "It is acceptable." We watched Flan spinning in place and looking at the costume from all angles, striking poses, swinging a phantom gohei, and even yelling fake spellcard names. Scarlet Seal? Not very creative.

The cuteness still inflicted death's fear on nearby workers who came to see one of Gensokyo's nuclear devices flamboyantly dance in her Hakurei miko outfit, her laugh filling the entire room. "It's perfect! Thanks, Kari, thanks!!" She was now hugging me, my skin itching with death… yet, it was getting much easier to hug her back.

Ran stared with an unfathomable feeling behind her eyes, and I'm sure I heard a kappa's camera taking pictures.

She should be happy I control the media—otherwise, heads would've rolled.

"Everything for you, sweet Flan~" I whisper to Ran. "You told Anon?" She nods. Great. "We'll be back in an hour. Take care of the mess outside. Make sure to say: 'Flandre got lost, then came to me for help'—we're making that mainstream tomorrow through the news." Ran nodded, retaining the information like a sponge before moving away—one glance and all the curious eyes were on the move too. I huffed, opening a gap. "Shall we go?"

Flandre nodded, clinging to me and giggling as we passed through the gap and into the fake shrine. As always, the closed topography is thriving, both aesthetically and environmentally. My genius will never stop scaring me.

"Wow! It's so pretty! Are we in the shrine Hakurei?!" She asks, immediately going to climb the Torii gate. Weird how all the children during the Harroween festival did that.

"I fear no—we're still inside the HSE."

"So it's like Sakuya's powers?! Soooo amazing!!" She jumps from the top and into a pile of dry, brown leaves, her laughter never ceasing—and it's quite the intoxicating laugh, as I giggle too.

"Already having all the fun without me?" His voice reaches us, and we turn in sync; his stride is confident, and there's light in his eyes—he always had a weak spot for little ones—though the moment he glimpses at me, his body stiffens ever so slightly.

"Anon!!" Flan yells, jumping into his arms, wings going up and down; he doesn't falter, catching her and spinning in place to dispel inertia. I approach as they laugh in each other's arms, Anon correcting his hold on her—like she's 12~very cute.

"Anon."

"Yukari…" Unlike Flan's, my voice doesn't spark joy in him. He fakes it anyway.

"Yay! We're all three here—let's have tons of fun!" She laughs as Anon and I exchange a glance. This is gonna be interesting~

// Ran/Chen 39

I breathe in, then out, preparing myself. The memory of that day with Yukari—feels so long ago—when I asked about her objectives with the HSE resurfaces, and I gulp air. I have a hunch she has deeper objectives than simply 'reuniting Anon and Reimu', and the loose threads are scarily easy to connect: Fertility decreasers make sense. Increasers? Don't. Her constant sessions with him, her much more frequent visits to Eirin…

… Is Yukari…

I swing my head, pursing my lips, nape sweating. Releasing a breath, I walk through a gap to her office, the woman herself not sparing me a glance, entranced in her work. I straighten my spine, conjoin my sleeves, appearing as proud to be hers as ever; "Yukari-sama." I call in that tone that eludes conversation, her pen released as her purple, deep eyes stare into mine. "My experiments near their end, so I wanted to share the data I've collected."

She narrows her eyes slightly, and then comprehension comes. "About Reimu?"

"Yes—my time of observation has shown me great change; she is docile and prone to not tackle things with either violence or disassociation. But I also noticed something lacking." I paused, giving her enough time to absorb the information—but also to measure my own words. "She wanted to take care of someone. Reimu was suffering from empty nest syndrome, making whatever development come with a notch of depression, as she had no one to share it. Therefore, I sent my shikigami to aid her, and I can safely say Reimu has become a treat to be close by. Chen loved her so much that she knitted pieces of clothing for her. All the love propelled Reimu to rebuild the Hakurei Shrine entirely." I stopped, hiding my smile, though it was an easy task considering the weird feeling in the air… Yukari just listened. She's not one to only listen. Yukari makes conversations, not participates in them. I gulp the chilly feeling, ready to finish, ears perking, tails bushy. "So, Yukari-sama… Reimu is now someone who can be trusted again with responsibilities—she's nurturing, calm, hardworking, and rehabilitated. To me, her punishment is done."

That meant one thing: releasing Anon to Reimu and see if they can successfully rebuild their marriage.

At least, that's Yukari's plan.

The wall clock ticks and tacks, Yukari's eyes closed, hands together immobile. I pace a bit in place, growing tense with her silence. It lasts almost an entire minute. "I see." She simply says. "Keep watching her."

H-Huh…?

"B-But Yukari-sama… there's nothing more to watch—"

"Ran, are you that easily fooled?" I stop, body freezing with her words, and stare—if only the latter could kill… "Reimu changed. I'll trust you in that. But for how long? Keep Chen around her, collect more data through the winter—we'll see if Reimu did really change, or is just faking it to have her man back." Then Yukari grabbed her pen again, keeping on with her work.

Now, I should've left the room.

… Yet…

That's unlike Yukari. To waste resources like this, to deny my word and brush it aside like it had no weight to it…

Once upon a time, she saw me as an extension of herself and therefore dignified of respect, and likely still does—as it seemed days ago with the Amanojaku and the human—so it's something else that’s keeping Anon here. My chest swelled, mouth plain, eyes a bit broader; she noticed all that, narrowing her eyes with a question. The fertility increasers; the constant sessions with Anon; visits to Eirin… "Yukari-sama… Are you trying to get—"

"Perhaps." I freeze, staring at her piercing eyes—eyes that undressed me and my treachery. Yet, blinded by something else, she can’t see what I hide underneath her control. "Any problem with what I do or do not do, Ran?"

"N-No, I was just curious… Why Anon specifically? You could have any man in the world—" use of force or not, that's the truth. "He is Reimu's husband…" I point out the obvious.

Yukari stares, and that scares unlike anything else: she doesn't have an answer. Didn't she think about this…? Does she not—

"Ran."

"… Yukari-sama?"

"Leave me be, and return to your functions."

The pressure in the room rises through the roof with simple words, and I can feel death creeping in my veins, animal instincts screaming, gaps I use so carefree metaphorically staring back at me—a power not mine… And that I'll use against its own master. I gulp again my fears and terror, nod and, going through a gap, leave her office.

I immediately collapse from the pressure on the wooden floor of my office, eyes on the ceiling, chest clenching, heart nearing 140bpm—my hand clutches my breast, eyes shut tight, gasping for air and trying to calm myself down, sweat drenching my hair and back, free hand pulling my hat off.

This information… What exactly can I use it for? Can I use it for anything? Yukari wants to get pregnant from Anon, and she does not know why…

The most probable answer comes in the form of a question: ‘Is Yukari in love with him?’

The answer scares me.

// Kosuzu 7

It was a few days since I left the HSE. The last few days have been quiet,other than the whole issue with Keine's pregnancy-or her lack of it. Of course I only found out after I put in all that effort for the party for her. Well, it was her job to deal with it now. I guess I could understand how the rumors started. The baby boom was hard to ignore, and even the children were all talking about it, with plenty excited to see their new siblings. Maybe I could have a third as well? No, I had to focus! There was a major youkai presence in the village, my friend was held captive there, and my life could be in danger for noticing.I had to figure things out so I should next-

"Excuse me"

I jolt up and try not to look too startled. An assassin? She looked perfectly human to me, but of course that didn't mean much. If she was here to threaten my life, then she had guts to do so here right in my shop. But then she must be powerful and connected to get away with it if my experience with this taught me anything. Or she could be just a normal customer and I was overreacting.

"Can I help you?" I ask, trying to seem like I hadn't just spent the last few moments thinking of the best way to scream for help if she attacked me.

"Are there any books you don't put on the shelves, books about certain subjects maybe?"

"Like what?" I look around to make sure the kids aren't listening in and shift forward in my seat.

"Uh, do you have 'Pay your debts, Shrine Husband'?"

"We don't"

"How about the one where he catches the rabbit breaking into the kitchen and punishes her?"

"No, we don't have that one either" I say, silently disappointed in her for bringing another one of those books to my attention.

"Oh, what about 'A night in the shrine'? That's a good one from what I've heard'

"Huh I do-No wait, I don't!" Shit, I still had that one hidden away. I swear, once I can't get any more leads out of it, its going right in the trash. "We don't have any of those books here, just get them elsewhere"

The woman groaned and leaned forward. "It's too expensive to buy them and they hassle you to pay if you try to read it. Are you sure you don't have any?"

"Certain. Besides, why'd you want to rent a book like that? Don't you know what people do while reading those?" I gave her my most judgemental look. I had gotten good at it by taking notes from Akyuu.

"Fine,I get it. Thanks anyway" she slinks away, finally.

Why were so many people coming in for books like this recently? The books on pregnancy and childrearing I could understand. There was so much demand for those we never had them in stock and had to make waiting lists for them. But there were plenty of customers that wanted books of a more stimulating nature. Bedroom guides one could say. I suppose it was better than the ones asking for outright smut. Maybe the Hakurei Shrine Experience was getting everyone worked up. It would explain the baby boom if the mere presence of the HSE had people in the mood to do it more. At least Anon could have a laugh at what was going on when he was free, I'm sure her find it amusing.

But still. I needed to get help and tell someone about what I found out. I could tell Reimu who certainly would be able to do something about this. But I wasn't sure how good her mood would be if I told her. Maybe Hana? She'd been seen around more recently and had proven herself to be capable, but I've never told anyone that their father was being held in sexual slavery and I didn't feel like changing that. Akyuu would be perfect, but reaching out to her would be a one way street with no way back and she couldn't do much in her certain position anyway.

How about Marisa? Of course! Gensokyo's back-up hero was just the help I needed. Strong, wise, of good moral character. She was a close friend of Anon so she would take it seriously. But there was one issue. I hadn't seen her in a while. She'd gradually stopped coming over and I haven't seen her for weeks. The last time I saw her she seemed sluggish and tired. Maybe she was doing her own investigation and the whole thing was draining her. If I tracked her down we could compare notes and make a lot of progress. I got up from my desk and stepped outside. It wasn't too late, I could spare a few hours out of the shop and be home to make dinner. I went inside and told my husband I was going out to see Marisa about some books she never returned. He nodded and told me he'd watch the place. In all honesty, with Maris's habit of forgetting to return things, she probably did have a few books of mine in that heap she called a home. I put on my cost and quickly make my way outside. The path to her home was usually save, but I wanted to get home before it got too dark.

// Aya 44

“...Aya. I’m okay doing this with you — I want to. What’s the matter?” Anon shifted to a sitting position, still covered from the waist-down while giving the tengu a concerned look.

Aya’s gaze remained fixed on the human. Every twitch could reveal his feelings. “That’s not all there is to it, is it? You’ve still been holding your tongue and masking your emotions when you get passionate. Ever since you find out about the pills, you’ve been calling me by my name… but you called me ‘dear’ just now.”

“I’m sorry I gave you that impression. I don’t hate your company at all, I look forward to your visits! You’re always here to talk and listen to me. It’s just that at night in this bed, I feel like I’m doing something unfair to you.”

Unfair to her? She reserved him all to herself for 7 straight nights, how was she being wronged here? “Could you explain? You’ve been feeding me and bathing with me; I don’t see how I’m being taken advantage of. If anything, I still owe you for—“ Anon suddenly raised his voice as he interrupted her.

“That’s the point! You’re still visiting me for something you didn’t have control over. Every session with you this week has felt like an oddity. Like the HSE has turned into some alternate version where sex isn’t an inevitable end to the day and I can talk to somebody in their right mind.” Anon paused to calm himself down, considering his words and fixing his posture. “Ever since you started using those pills, it was you, Aya, coming to these sessions. Not a customer or HSE affiliate, but a friend visiting me without falling victim to the incense. And that scares me.”

It was the first time Aya saw Anon’s true emotions. She wanted to encourage him with a gentle touch, but balled her fist instead. He had to let it out himself. Touching him in this room, in this bed, would defeat the point of his confession.

“What’s so scary about it? I like spending time with you. Do you think something bad’s going to happen if it keeps going?” She had to give him some topic to focus on and unearth his full thoughts. As she shifted her body to move in front of Anon, he gripped the sheets on both sides of him tightly.

“Aya, I don’t want to trap you here. I don’t want you to come here and try to make amends for something that wasn’t your fault. Just knowing that you’re sanity is intact and you’re still going through the routine and I can’t stop it… I can’t stand it! You can leave the HSE and stay away from Yukari’s influence. Please. Don’t let your guilt chain you to this place.” His eyes changed: The empty darkness was replaced by a strong, unmistakably human sadness. Guilt and self-loathing swirled in the whirlpool, suggesting to the seasoned reporter that his words weren’t just inspired by her visits. Something new peeked out too: Out of all the faces Aya imagined, she never thought she’d see Anon cry.

Taking one of his trembling hand in her own, she put all of his words together into one cohesive narrative. He was torturing himself this much because she was too much of a coward to admit the truth to him. Yet, there was one more thing she had to know for certain before she could resolve this. She needed to know the full extent of his guilt in order to uproot all of it. “Anon. After I leave… Yukari comes here, doesn’t she?”

At the woman’s name, Anon breath hitched before he gave a single nod and hung his head. He spoke softly: “Spending a quiet night with you before she comes to this bed… It’s a refreshing contrast. I shouldn’t do that to you. It’s not fair to use you as some crutch before I have to meet her again. That’s not your responsibility.” As Anon retracted his hands, the tengu gripped his wrists. The strength in her slender fingers forced him to look up at her, barely holding back tears.

She put on her bravest front, diminished very slightly by the salty dam threatening to break behind her eyes. “Anon, you’ve been carrying some heavy guilt, but unfortunately you got two things wrong! Number one: Yukari’s pretty much able to reach anyone she wants in Gensokyo, so running away from her is useless. I’m standing up to her with everyone else! And number two: I’m not visiting you out of any guilt or obligation! Don’t even consider that for a second!”

Her bold enthusiasm shocked him. He couldn’t deny the first point: After all, the people he was closest with felt the same way. They chose to fight Yukari, and so was the girl sitting before him. The second point gave him a bit of relief, yet raised another question. “So if it’s not pity… why do you keep coming back? Why do you keeping making tea and bathing with me? Why—“ A possibility struck his mind just as the tengu locked fingers with him.

Tears flowed freely from Aya’s face as she smiled widely and spoke from her heart: “Because I love you, you dummy!”

// Ran/Chen 40

Life is precious.

I, Chen—…—made sure to hammer that into Ms. Reimu's head. I don't know if she still wants to commit suicide, but I like to think my support should hold her back enough for her to seek help. But no matter what we do—no amount of knitted scarves, words, or hugs—nothing can stop death.

Autumn—as all things—is dying, patches of snow visible throughout the fake shrine. I sit silently on a tree branch, 30ft off the ground, alone… But not truly.

Glassy eyes struggle to move down, a small ember of hope that this is not happening; it’s all a bad dream… But what is meant to be cannot be changed. Flan, the spider, treads weakly on my palms, not an ounce of the usual energy or curiosity backing her movements. My eyes fill with water, mouth pursed, and I look up at the clouds, tears streaming once more.

Flan is dying, having reached the natural end of her life cycle… and there's nothing I can do but hold her, my thumb gently caressing what many perceive as a dangerous, mindless arachnid. She stays put, calm and docile, and shutting my eyes only increases the strength of the tears.

… It's not fair. It's not. Why do I get to live 1000, 2000 years, but this little spider only a year? Who decided things should be like this?! It shouldn't be… It's not fair, it's not—Ms. Reimu said alcoholism has extensively deteriorated her body, and she won't live as long as other humans…—Are her experiences of life seen as meaningless to the point she deserves only four seasons?! It's not fair! My body shakes, I open my eyes, but nothing has changed; she's still weak, her movements slowing down—Mr. Anon… he's already 40. That's half a human's life—and it's so, so very hard—

A hand reaches my back, and I don't need to open my eyes to know it's him. I do it anyway, and the look in his eyes hurts—compassion, empathy. Understanding. Love.

"… It was good while it lasted, wasn't it?" He has a glass environment by his side containing her eggs, where they'll be able to hatch safely before being returned to nature. "We have many fun memories together." He smiles, a finger poking Flan's abdomen. Normally she'd have reacted, but she kept still, apparently not having the strength to move anymore—her eyes on the environment.

"It could've lasted more…" I lean on his shoulder, voice cracking, eyes never leaving the dying spider. "It’s not fair…" He doesn't say anything, free hand patting my head. "… I'll outlast you, Ms. Reimu, Ms. Suzu… Won’t I? It's not fair." My tears thicken, and his hand on my head is so soft it hurts.

"No, it's not. And yes, you will… Yet, you'll remember all of us, right?" I slowly nod, feeling Flan's heart slowing down by the second, her body relaxing on my palm, eyes on her precious eggs. God… My heart… I want to laugh—why do I want to laugh? My heart is tearing apart. “That's enough for me. When your long life ends, and we meet again in heaven—or whatever—I'll want to hear everything! Be sad stories, happy stories, your marriage, your children, your battles, everything you ate, puked, and more and more! Because that's the meaning of a long life like yours, isn't it? To appreciate each moment to the fullest, so when we meet again on the other side, our conversations never get boring!" And he's laughing, hugging me tight—

—and he was also crying. It was thin, unlike my thick tears, but they were there, his side hug shaking a bit.

It meant the world to me.

…

… Flan's legs curled up suddenly. I looked at her, a confused, trembling smile rising, ears perked up, tails down. Flan died looking at her children, knowing they’ll have a future.

I laughed, head dizzy with the tears, and clutched her body to my heart, where the many memories we made reside.

Mr. Anon now hugs me with his two strong arms, and the cold air is forgotten, my face red with tears, our laughs blending to create a symphony that echoes through the forest. It's a funeral, but not one of sad, instead of happy memories. "I-I'll… never forget you, Ms. Reimu, Ms. Suzu, Ran, Yukari and, and…" I manage to say, clutching his body. "And I'll tell so many cool stories, we'll be able to write ten billion books!"

Mr. Anon nods frantically, giggling, "Only ten billion?! Too low! That's nothing compared to the number of stars in the sky! We'll write a book for each of them; what do you say?!"

"A BOOK FOR EACH OF THEM!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT, MY BAKA-NEKO!" His strong hand messes my hair to no end, and my green hat falls from my head.

I pay no mind.

We go on laughing in our hug, warmth against the coming of the season of death, and I can hear happiness coursing through his body. Later, by the torii gate, we bury Flan, the spider, her beautiful golden silk adorning the small, polished rocks that demarcate her place of rest. We pray before returning to the shrine holding hands, and I decide that the first of the quinquazatrillion books I'll write for each star in the sky will be a story about the life and death of an unknown little spider.

// Yukari 21

“You have already seen that the barriers within the HSE aren’t just simple shells or spheres that contain the entire building rather they exist all throughout it in so many more shapes and geometries, however, to truly understand the majesty of my construction you must realize that, in concept, my barriers are just what they appear to be.” I explained.
“Shells?” Goro asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Precisely. When you see the world as I do a wedding ring and a coffee cup will appear the same in the correct perspective and constraints.”
“So… if I can see a ‘scene’ as something more familiar, the same thing as a place I’m used to, then more complicated targets will appear simple?” He asked.
“Yes, you could call it ‘primordial pattern matching’.” I answered, pleased.
‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ is not a turn of phrase I was fond of. After all, who could really be said to be on the same level as the great Yukari Yakumo? My alleged ‘adversaries’ were just playthings and served my interests regardless of where they stood.
That said, it was a neat little distraction to teach the topology of barrier techniques to someone who didn’t already understand them implicitly like Ran or bumpkins who couldn’t care less.
“But then, wouldn’t everything just collapse into one universal form? How would you distinguish anything?” Goro asked.
I sighed, disappointed that he hadn’t already realized the next step. Then again, he was just a simple man after all.
I waved a few gaps into the air to illustrate, “That’s why we apply constraints. Returning to the example of a ring and a coffee cup, both topologies contain a single hole, and we achieve the transformation by merely deforming the ring without breaking its surface. The same transformation would not be possible for a multi-pane window frame since it has four holes.”
“Why don’t you try reaching into this place once more and tell me it’s shape?” I asked.
Goro nodded, closed his eyes, reached forward with his hand, and began to chant ‘nor the vitality that prances in light…’. Instantly the alarms I had set for intrusion went off and I temporarily silenced them. I could tell his probing was not as brutish as last time, and yet…
From behind I took his hand and, like a mother teaching her child how to dance, pushed him forward and let his hand sink into one of my gaps.
At this moment, I felt I could kill him. I merely had to shut the gap to slice off his hand, seal him in a time dilated space so that he couldn’t die, and his Deadman switch would be disarmed. Would that truly be enough to stop him? Was it a violation of the deal we made? Those thoughts didn’t occur to me.
No, I wasn’t some savage who needed to resort to brutish tactics. After all, I was an expectant mother! One far more deserving than the likes of that abusive Reimu. Had I not loved the entirety of Gensokyo as if it were a child all this time? Even Flandare, the scarlet devil feared by all, was now like a daughter to me.
Yes. This child, everyone else, and everything here were born of the Gensokyo that I created. His ability forced deals that were always in others ‘best interests’? Then it was not only best that he defends the HSE, but also that I teach him about its construction. I will trust what has been derived from my design, my motherhood.
Soon they’d see. Hana, Reimu, Anon, they would see that I loved them all more then they could fathom. And when they saw me with my child, they will all see the error of their ways, and I will forgive them. It would be my complete victory!
“Well?” I asked, returning to matters at hand.
“It’s some porous shape. Like, if a sponge had rigid holes.” He answered.
A Menger Sponge. That was one of the bases I had used for the observation layer.
“Why did you hesitate? Are you still afraid of stepping over the line?” I asked.
He shook his head and smiled. “It’s harder without someone else there. I just hadn’t noticed since Seija and I are rarely apart these days.”
How strange these two were. I suppose they should be thankful they were under Yakumo household protection now since nobody else would shelter such queer children.
“Say, Yukari-Sensei, what you said about turning rings into mugs, does the same apply to people?”
“Hmm, what do you mean?” I asked, flipping open my fan.
“Seija ate my fear of dying cursed and it’s like she punched a hole into my soul, I haven’t felt the same since.” He explained. “It’s like I’m a cup with new hole, I’ll never be a ring again. Sorry if it sounds weird, the two ideas just feel familiar is all.”
“It’s good that your thinking isn’t tunneled visioned to topologies, however…” I begin, before flicking his forehead. “You’re about 1,000 years to early to see people as I do.”
Perhaps I was foolish not to realize. My duty as a mother began more then a millennia before my first child was born. All these broken people had gaps in their heart, and it was my nature to fill them.

// Aya 45

Anon’s reactions told a short story: It began with shock, transitioned to denial, and ended with shock. “W-Wait a minute, you love me? But it’s been just a few times… did you forget your pill? No, we’re in bed and you haven’t jumped me… oh.” The human never had to respond to a confession before, but had the sense to realize that ‘oh’ is the worst answer he could give a girl. “So, uh… since when?” It was the best he could do after his own whiplash of emotions, hoping that it wouldn’t anger the tengu sitting in front of him, her enamored gaze and countless intimate actions taking on a far deeper meaning.

Aya prepared herself for an outright rejection, to leave heartbroken and with a lifelong hatred of blonde, kidnapping hussies. In this moment, a neutral response felt like the sweetest ambrosia. So much so she barely remembered to respond to his question. Wiping away her tears, Aya recounted her motive. “After the first visit, I had some questions to ask myself. All of that lust and incense was clouding my senses, so I needed to clear it up in order to talk to you. I didn’t know back then that it was still honestly you during my interview, but I think I genuinely fell in love by the second second night of my reservation, if not before then. You’re a very charming man, after all.”

As Anon cleared his throat and blushed, Aya reflected on her words a bit. Right, he still thought you were visiting out of pity back then. Talking to him the same way would probably make him uneasy now. “Well, I mean you were still as kind and funny as always. I just couldn’t help but fall for you, even after I realized the truth about the HSE. As a reporter, I’d have to be a fool to pass up such a hot story. But as a lady, I can’t just let you suffer without doing something about it.”

“Thank you Aya, really. I’m relieved that I wasn’t guilting you back here, just a little bit conflicted how I should respond. I’m not really in the best position to give you an answer.” Aya followed his gaze: From their skimpy clothing to the luxury bed, to the door that could easily lock him in and finally to the dresser that they separately knew contained his proof of holy matrimony.

“I understand. You’ve got bigger things to worry about right now, so do I. I just want you to know that you’ve got someone on your side, inside and outside, for the right reasons.” Feeling the mood was properly lifted, the tengu seized her initiative, embracing Anon’s upper body. “But that doesn’t mean get to assault you! Everything is going to be 100% consensual, every time! If there’s a single thing you don’t want me to do, just say the word and I’ll back off, just like a normal relationship. You know it’s me, so you have just as much say in this relationship, or lack of one!”

Feeling his chest move against her face, Anon chuckled at her exuberance. “’Relationship or lack of one,’ huh? You know, you didn’t really ask for consent before hugging me. Isn’t that getting off on the wrong foot?”

Nuzzling into him deeper, Aya replied flawlessy: “Hugs don’t need consent.”

“I guess they don’t.” Accepting his fate, Anon embraced the tengu back, allowing himself to enjoy the guilty pleasure of her warmth. “You know, we still have some time left to relax. Do you want to come underneath the covers? The room isn’t that cold, but these outfits don’t really warm us up.”

Cheerfully accepting the invitation, Aya finally entered the bed with Anon, giddier than a kappa with a set of new screwdrivers. Facing each other on their sides, Aya felt a tingle as they locked eyes and smiled. Shifting closer, the tengu asked the human a question only she understood the significance of. “Hey Anon, is it okay it I wrap my wings around you?”
“Sure. You already wrapped your arms around me before, your wings won’t be a bother.” Taking any consent as full consent, the tengu cocooned herself and Anon together, a downy barrier shielding the two from the sinful bed, room and shrine. As her heart rate and breathing finally slowed, Aya swore her eggs were just as happy as she was.

Waking up to the tell-tale chime, the tengu was pleasantly surprised to find Anon still asleep in her embrace. Preparing for departure, Aya gave her mate a peck on the cheek before setting off, the proper boundaries in her affection established. Stopping off at the HSE’s kitchen, she whipped up a few side dishes before Yukari would return. Waving goodbye to Ran, the tengu quickly relocated Hana’s house and left behind Anon’s nostalgic leftovers with her own cooking. Aya already got what she needed to tonight. Hana deserved it more.

Lacking a companion to cover her blindspots, the tengu failed to notice the komainu statue hidden in the shadows of an alley across from the doorway. Her mission complete, Aya flew to the mountain, heart soaring as well.

// Hana 68

Today’s training was, as usual, tiring and extensive. Though Mima and Marisa both were lenient on her due to the fact that she had village patrols and other jobs come up often, it didn’t mean that they went easy on her when it came to practical lessons. She’d figure a pregnant woman like Marisa would take it easier but it was just like her to make sure Hana was learning properly.

Despite her misgivings about Mima and her nature she’d proven to be an encyclopedia of knowledge and wisdom. Although she’d not admit it to Marisa, Mima was a much better teacher than her. Whereas Marisa’s lessons were easy to understand and she could teach the basics to Hana well it was much less structured than Mima’s lessons were. That isn’t even to mention the efficiency of the spells taught, Mima’s magical circles and other spells were much easier on Hana’s body.

As she walked the streets of the village on her patrol, letting the bright and unclouded afternoon sun wash over her and reinvigorate her body she felt good. Soon enough she’d be strong, strong enough to break down that abomination… That abomination that exploited her father and the proprietress that operated it…

It wasn’t until Hana bumped into a passerbyer that she even realized she’d been staring in the direction of that tall building that could be spotted from most anywhere in the village. After a quick apology that was easily accepted Hana continued on her way, trying to pointedly ignore the building.

Ever since that night she’d avoided coming back, she just couldn’t get the guilt out of her system when she wasn’t focusing on training or other things. How she let herself get caught, used, and then… how she abused her father’s trust in telling him those things she was once sure she would take with her to her grave.

That night went on for a long while after, Hana could only focus on anything else lest the vivid memories of indulging in Yukari’s and her father’s flesh come back in full force. The taste, the smell, the heat… it was all intoxicating as it was filthy and it stained her soul terribly. It took quite a bit of scrubbing in a hot bath after that to get rid of the sounds of her moans and feeling of her father spending himself time and time again inside of her.

She shivered involuntarily, and it certainly wasn’t from the chill in the air.

Still, a singular and circling thought had been brewing inside of her this whole time. One that she suspected she never got a true answer too: Why? She remembered well the cryptic warnings she once got from Yukari, those taunts about how breaking a promise to her would exact vengeance. About how she couldn’t protect her father from youkai who wanted to harm him. Even how she’d have to struggle with herself and the darkness in her blood.

They were warnings, they were answers, but they didn’t feel right. If Yukari wanted to punish her father, punish her; then why go through all this? Why break the rules of the village she so carefully guarded for decades, if not longer? It couldn’t be revenge nor retribution. After all, one thing Mima and that strangely affectionate flower youkai like doing was telling her tales about things that passed. Even Marisa enjoyed doing as such, this one time when she and Marisa visited Kosuzu-chan to pick up an encyclopedic book on youkai they couldn’t help but reminisce about the trouble they’d get into.

For all these stories, there was always a constant when it came to Yukari: She did seem to truly value Gensokyo and its balance. She constantly went through great pains to maintain it, even if she was hands off most of the time she’d step in enough times to keep things peaceful. The Yukari that her mentors and friends knew was not the one she knew. Even her own memories of when Yukari would come to the shrine uninvited or for business were consistent on this, at least when it came too the times she was asked to sit in as part of her training.

So why? Something was strange with her, more than usual anyways. Hana hated her for what she did, that was a truth that she couldn’t deny. Yukari had destroyed her life, humiliated her at her leisure, made her family a laughing stock in the village and yet… underneath that hatred was concern.

Hakurei mikos knew better than anyone else short of a sage that maintaining the truth of the village that youkai were their feared enemies was their top priority, yet she brought them in the dozens. Hana didn’t like youkai, even if some of them were okay and even something of a friend, but the village needed them as much as they needed the village. To intermingle this much was taboo upon taboo being broken.

Another shiver ran through Hana at the thought of what she had to do, if she wanted to find the truth there was only one person to ask. Only one person could give her the answers she desired. Only one person truly knew the method to this madness.

That person was Yukari Yakumo herself, and Hana would have to get an appointment.

// Aya 46

The morning was refreshing and the sky clear. It was a perfect day to take a siesta and let her worries fade away. However, a tantalizing tengu like Aya, close to winning her man’s heart, still had work to do. Flying to Momiji’s house, she found no signs of life. Damn, if the wolf wasn’t a goody-two-shoes Aya could’ve told her about the secret exits. Taking her mission seriously, the tengu set off for the Human Village. She’d have to keep watch herself until she could meet up with her partner.

Listening to the wind as she drifted through the streets, the tengu was worried that she was too lax with her warning to Kanako. The words “Shrine Experience” and “Moriya God” came up far too often for comfort. It was spoken of in hushed voices and uneasy veracity, not yet an urban legend or wives’ gossip.

Finding herself in a market plaza near the HSE, the tengu could appreciate how influential the brothel was. Gift shops and knick-knack stalls used the initials in clever ways, such as “Holy Souvenir Emporium” and “Hakurei Shop Express” to draw customers while avoiding the infringement. One youkai bookseller had a stock of neatly-bound comics, all depicting Anon. The cover of “Pay your debts, shrine maiden husband-san!” peeved her off a bit more. She couldn’t tell why. Something about the tengu’s evil glare that made her feel… dirty.

What really caught her eye was another title: “Shrine Husband’s Holy Hell – Non-stop Faith Milking Experience!” Flipping through the manga, even Aya was impressed by the goddess’ enticing figure and cock-wringing skills. It was amusing to see how the author turned the love-shy deity into a cum-starved demon and the tired husband into a human sieve. Anon didn’t really ejaculate THAT much… well, not after 3 hours… With little else to do, she bought the book and a cozy for the cover. At this time, that girl should be around here somewhere…

Finding a small congregation of humans, the tengu poised herself to eavesdrop. Their green-haired leader told them of the evil and sin that governed the HSE. One conversation between two people carrying innocuous books caught her attention:

“Did you see her new work? Damn, I didn’t know the Moriya Goddess had tits like that!”

“Quiet down! Besides, I bet it’s exaggerated to sell more copies. It’s all just a rumor anyways, the goddess wouldn’t really come down here for a man-whore.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point. Still, imagine how hot it would be if it was true…”

As Sanae preached on, similar sentiments arose around the tengu. The miko’s words were dampening the mass’ lust, but it might not be enough if the HSE’s continued unabated. After the sermon was over, Aya walked straight to the miko, notepad and pencil drawn out to put on a show for onlookers. “Sanae! Care to talk for a minute?”

After a moment, the miko recognized the tengu in disguise. “Of course! Listen, I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I should have listened to you further before attacking. There’s just been so much stress, between Hana and maintaining the faith, I’ve been a little high-strung. Water under the bridge?” The miko thrust out her hand, allowing the tengu to return the gesture. It was nice that the Moriyan didn’t hold resentment. However, she still needed to learn the consequences of attacking a pregnant woman…

“No hard feelings, I should have known the rumors would hit you first. Speaking of, I’ve got a hunch that I’ll find a lead today. It’s just the rumors, well, they’ve been getting REALLY bad lately.”

“How bad?” This was too easy.

Pulling the incognito manga out of her bag, the reporter kept a serious expression as she handed it over to the miko. “Take a look yourself.” Sanae opened the book, reading a wholesome preamble about Anon’s simple life as a woodsman and believer of the Moriya faith. As she did, the tengy slowly moved behind her to get a better look at her face and the pages. Once Sanae got past the human being caught in a landslide, secretly caused by the goddess of the land in order to kidnap him, her face turned a bright crimson as she saw a drawing of Kanako, completely naked, straddle Anon in a ritual to “wring out his most potent source of faith.” To the tengu’s surprise, Sanae kept flipping pages, seemingly unaware that Aya was stifling giggles.

Deciding she had enough fun, Aya pointed to a page and spoke softly. “You see what I mean? Kanako’s womb is clearly stuffed, yet the artist has her ride him for another 6 panels. Outrageous.”

The red-and-green miko slammed the book shut and jumped back. “I-I’m confiscating this! This is hearsay! Heresy! Both!” The tengu had no reply other than laughter, taking off before Sanae could grab her gohei. Alone with the smut, the living god dropped it into her bag before anyone could see it, vowing to destroy it when she got home.

// Hana 69-71

Embarrassing was understating it, walking into the HSE even under the cover of a disguise was hard enough but the fact was that to make an appointment she’d have to deal with that kitsune. The same kitsune that worked with that monster of a women to kidnap and imprison her father. Even if she were to take it up with the manager of the place, some kind of yamawaro from what she understood, it would still require her dealing with the fox in some manner given her status as the direct subordinate of Yukari.

She really didn’t like that fox, Ran, as she knew her from the times she visited the shrine in Yukari’s stead, was almost as emotionless and robotic from one of those manga or fiction books from Kosuzu’s shop. Her often slitted eyes and mechanical way of talking unsettled her greatly, she didn’t trust that fox at all. That lack of trust was made even worse by how it seemed to regard her as filth the last time she left the HSE. Damn fox was probably making moves on her father anyways, or at least she’d think so if it wasn’t clear about how robotic that thing was.

As it was, Hana had to do something, and as she spent that morning with Aunn in the kitchen making breakfast and rice balls stuffed with pickled plums for the both of them she could try to ask for advice. Advice that she didn’t want to ask for, after all Aunn was innocent as to the true goings on of the HSE and Hana’s own sins.

Aunn’s face, that was twisted by concentration as she molded Hana’s portion of the onigiri, was just too innocent to let her in on the truth. At the very least, Hana didn’t want to be one that told her of the truth. Instead of the direct approach Hana broached the subject in a roundabout way.

With unskilled hands Aunn formed the ball the rice into a lump vaguely resembling a triangle, with a satisfied nod she placed it onto a piece of waxed paper before gathering another lump out of the rice pot between them. Hana couldn’t help but stare at the girl she regarded as her older sister so sincerely prepare her lunch without any pretense. Hana couldn’t help but admire the slightly shorter ‘older sister’ she had, who wore her father’s old apron which was simply too large for her, as well as the awkwardly fitted headwrap that had to wrap around her horns.

A part of Hana wanted to wrap her arms around her and give her a big kiss, maybe even pay her back for last night where Aunn… Well anyways, aside from the gratitude and playful teasing that filled her heart in equal measure Hana knew that she was just dancing around the issue. She could just not ask, she could just not make the appointment, she could just ignore it entirely and train under Mima, Alice, and Yuuka before they visited Sanae for their strategy meetings.

However, that wouldn’t settle her mind in any way. She had to uncover why Yukari breeched the taboos of the village so severely, to risk her and everyone’s home on this sort of thing!

Trepidation filled the girl, and as she formed a ball of white rice in her hands she stopped; placing the half formed onigiri onto the little mat. She asked Aunn with a voice filled with unrestrainable uncertainty, “Aunn-chan, I have a kinda weird question…” Aunn let out a ‘hmm~?’ without breaking her activity as Hana continued, “It’s just, I know this is kinda heavy for the morning and all… but why do you think Yukari took father…?”

Almost at once she saw Aunn’s concentration fade as she frowned suddenly and turned her face to Hana, “Errm, cause she’s evil of course, and mean, and she even bumped into me without apologizing before!”

Hana sighed inwardly, she should’ve expected this kind of answer but still she pressed on, “No, I mean aside from that. What she’s doing is real real bad, it isn’t like her right? You’ve always seen her when she came to the shrine for years right? Is she different somehow?”

At that question Aunn slowed her hands, the onigiri turning from a rough triangle to a misshapen polygon. Letting out another ‘hmm~’ Aunn seemed to think before saying slowly, “I guess that if anything that meanie became a lot more hidden and stuff.”

Looking at the Komainu as her face delved into that curious shape when someone was thinking hard, she continued, “Ermmm, before I got and a body and all it was like she didn’t come around a whoooole lot, but after she did Reimu-san and her got along well enough and all. Ah, sometimes she’d leave donations even before they started hanging out and stuff!”

Realizing her mistake she quickly tried molding the ball of rice back into a triangle to some success, “And, and! Uhh… after she did though she usually tried to make Reimu-san smile and all that, she would come to events and stuff as long as it wasn’t winter and sometimes even then!”

If Aunn had a tail Hana was sure it’d be wagging at those happy memories as she recollected with a smile on her face, “Reimu-san didn’t want to admit but Yukari-san and her servants would come around sometimes and it’d make her happy to have friends and stuff even though she didn’t like to call them friends!”

It seemed like Aunn hit something of a damper on her memory as she spoke, and if she had a tail it’d have sunk, “Erm, it wasn’t like she really changed much after Anon-san came by… but…”

Hana listened keenly to Aunn’s words and replied with a, “but?”

As if hesitating Aunn seemed to collect her thoughts, “You know Anon-san was suppper happy after he got married and all, and Yukari-san would start visiting a whole lot more after that and all. Sometimes she’d even send in her Shikigami to check up on them during the winter and all but they’d be fine even though Reimu-san would insist on taking the gifts of food and stuff she brought.”

Her tail would’ve started wagging if she had one as she continued, “There was this one time where Reimu even chased around the fox saying, ‘next time bring sweets, we got tons of rice already! Do you think Anon slacks off or what?!’”

Letting out a carefree giggle Aunn’s eyes were beyond the kitchen, far beyond into the past. A past where she wasn’t born yet and everyone was happy enough to play without a care. The mood didn’t last long however, and with a bit of time as Aunn settled down before grabbing out clump of rice, her third, she spoke again, “Ah, but that’s when… well you know… Reimu-san started being a meanie too and it didn’t’ take long for everyone to stop coming…”

There was a sadness in her voice, a palpable and deep-seated sadness buried in her voice that was as present as the delightful smell of warm rice, “Lots of people stopped coming by then and all, only times they did and all was during incidents and stuff. Erm, I think the onis were the last to stop by and Kasen-sama and Yuuka-sama only came by to mess with Reimu-san or lecture her.”

Aunn just kind of messed with the ball of rice in her hands, not really shaping it but not putting it down again either, “When it was real bad at first Yukari-sama stopped coming by at all, well at least sometimes when Anon got real hurt there’d be donations but no one would come by, so it had to be her and all!”

Nervousness seemed to take the girl as she tried thinking things through, “Umm, but she always came by time after time, you know on times like during festivals and when Reimu first got pregnant…”

Hana shifted around uncomfortable as well, she would’ve told her to stop a long time ago due to how painful it was making her feel, but Hana needed to know the truth if she was to stop all this! She let Aunn continue, “You know, now that I think about it I guess it was kinda weird, cause before all… that happened and Reimu was all mean to everyone there was a time when Yukari-sama would come by to visit, but she’d always find Anon-san first. You know before she’d either hide where Reimu-san didn’t think to look or just did silly things like leaving stuff and gifts!”

Aunn nibbled on a piece of rice that fell off the ball of rice before continuing, “I guess sometimes I thought that it was weird cause Yukari-sama always came by to talk about business and stuff or tease Reimu-san. Though she’d always make sure to talk to Anon-san first… Maybe she was just trying to be nice or something? Cause even after she was told when Reimu come by on certain days she’d always take tea with him before Reimu-san came home”

Placing the last misshapen ball of rice on the wax paper and wrapping it up before finishing it into a cute little bowtie Aunn said the last bit of her recollection slowly enough, “You know, I think Yukari-sama liked talking to Anon a lot. She didn’t come around too much after you were born and all but, when she did, she liked to do the same things and stuff. Sometimes she’d even play with you, ah but you were really little and all so I don’t think you’d remember!”

A picture coming together in her mind Hana couldn’t help but asking one more question, “So you think what changed is that she liked talking to father more and stuff…? But why? I can’t imagine that monster wanting to talk with anyone longer than it took to rip their guts out!”

A curious expression came across Aunn’s face, “Yeah but she wasn’t always all mean and stuff, she was dumb and did dumb things like do stupid plans that made people in danger and all, but she wasn’t mean like that. Its like after you were born she tried messing with Anon more, even during the few years where Reimu-san started making friends again she’d always try to speak with Anon-san first and all.”

With one last bit of musing Aunn spoke, “If I had to say it’s cause Anon-san would always tell her nice things when she came over. Like he’d always smile to her and make all sorts of happy talk and stuff! Now that I think about it, Yukari-sama would sometimes change her outfits. Like changing the ribbons or her hat and stuff and no one but Anon-san would notice… Ah but that’s just normal isn’t it? So I still wonder why… Well its probably nothing cause Anon-san is nice like that with everyone!”

// Seija/Goro 64-65

For Youkai, most places are either were the strong gather or the weak flee too. In contrast, the HSE was where all whelps gathered, fierce, and feeble both. I guess this is where the lustful gathered, but where were the celebrate gathering nowadays? Questions for a scholar and certainly not my bored ass.
Yukari wanted to lecture Goro in private about ‘topology’ and said she ‘didn’t want to bore me’, well here I was, bored anyway, with my only entertainment being voyeuristically watching these women from the shadows get excited for their turn. It made me feel uneasy.
Goro said I should talk to anyone that looked interesting since they might be on Yakumo’s side and knowing our allies would be useful. I think it was just to keep me out of trouble, but I was bored enough to give it a shot.
Let’s see, group of Onis? Nah, they’re wearing miko uniforms after all. Yukari probably wouldn’t let her friends dip their pen in company ink unless she was a sick freak…
They look like lovesick puppies anyway, what about the staff? Also, a miss, they’re all over the place and I can’t see anyone in charge. Must have a pretty good boss if there was this much activity without fastidious middle-management, I’d like to meet them if possible.
Quiet loner waiting in the other dark corner of the room with a cloak? Ehh, stereotypical, but can’t say I haven’t been guilty of rocking the look in my fugitive days. May as well greet a comrade.
“Sup degenerate. You here for work or pleasure?” I ask, sliding next to her.
“Ah, please excuse me, I don’t want to be disturbed. And it’s rude to suddenly come up to someone like that.”
A little mouthy for a loner. Say, is that a strand of pink hair?
“Wait a minute you’re-“ I try to say before a hand covers my mouth.
Kasen, that pink-haired, lecture addict, put a finger to her mouth and made a shushing nose. I waved my hands and chilled out.
“Don’t tell anyone okay? Or I’ll- “She whispered.
“What smite me? Look Nee-chan, nobodies taking any pictures in this place and it’s not as if they’re going to be the ones to rat on you and admit they frequent here as well.” I whisper back, restraining every urge to yell ‘look! Look! It’s the pervy hermit!’
It’d be funny but wouldn’t help me figure out why she was here, which would certainly be more hilarious.
“You’re the one out of touch if you think the visitors here are all so bashful. Shame left them a long time ago.” She said, shaking her head.
Really? Youkai pride’s gone down the drain cause’ Yukari let’s them go down on a man? And not like, many men, but just one old divorcee? I’m going to have a field day when this whole ‘New Generation Incident’ gets in full swing flaunting it in their faces. Walking around town, showing off how my kids had a father-
Ah fuck that. I’m not like these lovey dovy lasses. I didn’t pay for mine at a shady stall! Which begged the question.
“So, you never answered my question: why are you here? Work or pleasure?” I asked.
“I’m here to teach Anon how to strengthen his body so he can, well, live to see himself leave this place. Why are you here exactly? You’re not wearing a miko outfit.” She said, eyeing me wearily.
Have to say I’ve seen her in better shape. Her eyes looked a little sullen, that hair wasn’t so vibrant of a color, and she seemed a little fidgety. And what was that deflection? Proud Kasen not talking endlessly until you interrupt her?
“I’m working with Yukari.” I tell her jokingly. “You gonna smite me now?”
“You? How? Why?” She said, surprised.
Bought it at face value? Yup. Something was wrong with this chick.
“You know, Youkai Girl meets Human Boy, we end up in bed after turbulence, then we both make a deal with Yukari because it was rebel thing to do.” I say, reminiscing.
Suddenly she reaches out, touches my stomach, and feels me up a little.
“An exchange? You used such a taboo method? You, the Amanojaku!?” She said a little too loudly.
“Hey pipe down. Aren’t you incognito?” I say, plugging my ears.
“Youkai shouldn’t be getting close to humans you understand. What you’ve done with him, whichever poor soul you committed this with, it threatens both your existences. More to the point, why would you of all people take a lover? Have you locked him in a basement somewhere as a torture puppet? This is why…” Kasen old self comes back, lecturing all the way.
“Ah, cram it you shitty hermit. Just because I’ve got someone, I’m fond of to warm my bed doesn’t mean the worlds gonna collapse.” I speak up.
“You’ve had sex with him?!” She hisses under her breath.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, I raped him first to put the ole’ ‘fear of Youkai’ in him if that makes any difference. If that pisses you off, toss a stone in this place and you’ll find someone else guilty of the same. In fact, you look pretty shady yourself.”
“How dare you. I’m here to help Anon and you’re just here as part of Yukari’s scheme, I-I-“She stutters, breathes in, and pulls me close.
“Listen Seija and listen well. I don’t know if you care about this man, you’ve ensnared or if you have any self-preservation left, but take heed: Yukari’s become unhinged and completely possessive. She’s made a claim, and I can’t see her endgame, but I know she’ll do anything to hold on to this place and that includes whatever let’s her hold others under her thumb.” She exhales.
“Be it sex, blackmail, or Heavens knows what, if you stay at her side, Yakumo will sink her hooks into you.”
Oh. Well, Goro, guess we found one of our allies.
“Now go away, I’m done talking.” She said, wrapping herself in her cloak and rolling over.

// Flandre 4

Flan is a refreshment.

Yukari is not.

Every second since that day I've been in her presence has been the worst second of my life, and although it'd be easy to loathe that forever, to lie down and cry as I did so much at the beginning of this nightmare, I refrain from doing so now. She already won too much—enslaving Kasen's mind, Hana’s… I won't let her have the satisfaction of breaking me.
a
It's easier said than done, and I thank every God for the shining lights—cat ears, fluffy fox tails, pitch-black wings, green uniform with an attitude, light brown hair, smell of booze—in my life that keep me moving forward.

Someday, we'll fly away from here…

Now, I gesture my head, cleaning it from the thoughts, arms crossed as I watch Flan climb a tall tree, her eyes shining with playfulness—a giggling by my side chills my spine; "My, my~isn't she the sweetest kid?" Yukari says, sitting on a floating gap—wide, red eyes stare with cunning passivity. "What leads her, capable of flight, to do what she's about to do?"

Before being able to answer, a 'YA-HAHA!!' echoes: I move; eyes up, and—there! I catch a falling Flan in my arms, her laugh filling the forest as she struggles to get off my arms, immediately setting off to find another big tree to climb, grasping branches and bark like a little monkey. I watch from the bottom, awaiting, a small smile; "She's a kid at heart—so just likes to have fun." Yukari 'hmms…' to my answer.

"Kids will be kids, 500 years or not—refreshing, isn't it?" Something… tingles on my spine. Something bad, like a centipede crawling on me. I stare at her, and she giggles. "Nothing, nothing~just thinking about the future." It worsens. By a lot.

"Yukari—"

"YAHAHA!!" I move before noticing, watching as she falls and aligning my arms with her gliding body, not as heavy as it should be. She hugs me tight, laughing out loud, legs swinging, before repeating the routine and going to find an ever bigger tree.

"Beautiful paternal instincts." She continues, getting up from her gap—the edges of her dress magically avoiding scraping the ground—and standing by me, the silence between us thick as we watch Flan climb the tree, her parasol turning, a sweet humming leaving her lips… Feeling tiny in my own body, I turn to her, our eyes meeting. Her amethysts are as beautiful as ever, yet there's something in them that wasn't there that night she told me about Reimu's situation and what would be the only way to save her—something that gave me nightmares until the day Chen told me all she did for my ex-wife and brought me to tears.

… Certainty.

"—Atta, girl!" I jolt as Yukari's slim arms catch a falling Flan, parasol consumed by a gap; Flan's wings go up and down full of life, thin arms hugging Yukari with a grasp strong enough to crush boulders, rubbing their cheeks together—and my eyes go wide as I watch Yukari laugh and rub back with joy, one eye closed as she opens her arms to let Flan go, the little vampire not resting a second before finding her next target. "… My~you saw something you want to fuck? Just wait for nightfall, dear~" She whispers, recovering her parasol, knowing purple eyes looking at mine with intensity.

My body freezes, and I move unconsciously away from her, that image of Flan in her arms and what I saw in her glistening eyes. I recognize all that—saw it first hand… Reimu's smile; Hana in her arms—my wife's deep silver eyes glinting with something impossible to put in words.

Something changed or is changing… But what?

… Did she—no, no, no… If she had, she'd have told—bragged—it to me already… Wouldn’t she?

I gulp down the cold, a buzz reaching my ears, my body already on the move—Flan is in my arms again. Her laugh is so tasteful; arms hug me with strength and warmth aplenty—it soothes my soul the same way a baka-neko’s hug does… Yet, Yukari's shadow looms over us, Flan innocent of it before running off again, perhaps to find the biggest tree in the forest.

She's at my side again, and for a second, so is Reimu. For a second, it's 17 years in the past—she catches my hand, glove gapped away, and her slim fingers are so very warm—

For a second, I'm happy in her presence.

It dies immediately, and I'm scared… Still, I don't lie down and cry or ignore the problem. I stare into her eyes. The abyss stares back.

"Yukari…"

"Yes, my dear~?"

"Are you pregnant?"

She smiles, thumb caressing the back of my hand. The second stretches infinitely, and I gulp down… something.

"Not yet." A definitive no, yet my body feels like under the pressure of a thousand rocks, breathe clogged in my throat and I feel like drowning—

—"YA-HAHAHA!!"

We move at the same time, the handholding doesn’t break, and we catch Flan together. Her laughter is louder and more alive than before—you wouldn't think she's a vampire—and her hug is tighter, joyously bringing us three together… as if to not let go.

I stare at Yukari, and that's the happiest I’ve ever seen her.

I'm drowning. I’m scared.

// Yukari 22-23

Yukari never cared much for Taoists if she was being honest, Kasen was an interesting case and while she did like her particularly, hermits tended to be busy bodies or way too in their own little worlds. It was either that they wanted to mastermind some kind of grand kingdom composed of their ideals or that they wanted to do nothing and just sit around practicing their magics.

While an enigmatic and elusive women such as her could appreciate their subtle ways of doing things, and even say that their eccentric ways of thinking could lead to some interesting stories, she didn’t like dealing with them as a rule. However, all rules had exceptions and Seiga Kaku was an exception by far.

Seiga was always an interest to Yukari, a human who through her own efforts chose to live not as some bother of a wanna-be celestial but as she pleased as someone bound to the earth. Honestly as much as she liked Kasen, that masquerading oni could learn a thing or two from her. Still, despite her interest in the blue haired women and her antics she was happy to leave well enough alone and not bother her if she wasn’t a bother the balance of Gensokyo.

Normally she’d be happy enough to keep up with this arrangement and merely watch her fun as she goes around bothering random people, but today she had need of her. Yukari might have prepared several surprises to anyone foolish enough to try and breech her important project from the inside and out, but she knew well that even the highest castle walls mean nothing without souls to defend it.

Souls was something that she lacked, sadly. While she herself was powerful, the strongest if she could say so herself. She was not foolish enough to think that she could handle an alliance made up of beings of Okina, Totetsu, and Kanako’s power when the gloves came off. Knowing that the up coming struggle would be very personal to some Yukari knew that the spellcard rules would be thrown out the window shortly after the fighting began, while Yukari could do some thing as simple as removing the barrier between opponents and their surroundings, and effectively remove them from existence that wouldn’t work on beings of sufficient power.

Seiga was an ally she needed to plug that gap, theoretically she wasn’t the most powerful as her hermit arts only extended to mere trifling tricks. Yukari couldn’t remember any mentions of her own senkai being known, yet as someone that was undeniably human at base she could fight off quite the fearsome opponents to maintain her lifespan.

That was what she needed, if she was going to continue the path to ensuring Genoskyo’s long term stability then what she had to do was simple, she had to track down Seiga Kaku and ensure that she could be relied upon. Fortunately for Yukari, the tracking part was easy enough as it just so happened Seiga was a regular in her little diorama.

Sitting in her office Yukari felt satisfied in pulling the little strings together, it must have been the same kind of satisfaction that Anon felt when knitting together his little scarves and clothing. She and him were so alike after all, truly he was a good compliment to her. Shame about how short sighted he was and thickheaded in interpreting her plans, but that was the charming thing about humans.

Seiga drifted in after a small message from Ran filtered in through a micro gap, the sage quite literally floated in with a smile that only grew brighter as she entered the tastefully furnished office space. Yukari had already double catalogued anything that could be taken before she even made it through the door and the sound of a, ‘welcome and thank you for agreeing to come’ left Yukari’s lips.

Giving an overly bubbly greeting Seiga waved letting her raiment bob in a nonexistent breeze as it graced her miko’s outfit. An outfit that from the reports Yukari got, was one of those regularly restored or replaced. Yukari gestured to the padded chair opposite her desk as she opened a gap letting a tray of tea and artful snacks appear on a silver platter.

Sitting daintily with one leg crossed over the other at the knee, yet still exuding an atmosphere that was just as outgoing as the little blonde witch. Much like that excitable witch when she’s in her element she even stole the first word of their conversation.

With a voice that as lofty as her raiment she let her words float into Yukari’s ears, “Has the great sage Yukari-chan finally seen fit to draft me into her plan to defend her little toy from those horny hussies?”

Yukari raised her eyebrow at that choice of the words and the implied disrespect of being cut off, but that was just like Seiga after all. Instead she used some of the oldest tricks in the book and sat back with her arms draped over her lap in vague mimicry of Seiga’s own casual form.

Smiling with a pretense of that breezy and carefree attitude she was so well known for, “Of course, Seiga-san is simply too observant to not notice the writing on the walls” flattery never hurt, “It is as you think, I need help in holding back those ‘hussies’ from dismantling this place”

With a mock frown she placed a hand over her own heart, “I will add however, that I am hurt you would think this place is merely some kind of diversion to sate my own desire for amusement~”

The wicked hermit was the picture perfect ideal of the affable guest, “Oh my Yukari-chan, there’s no need for pretense with me” she shook her head as she giggled, “This place is quiet a wonderful thing you have going on and Anon is so well trained! I quite admire how much control you have over him and the entirely of Gensokyo without seeming to even lift a muscle. Say, have you considered Taoism? It may just suit you more than you think~”

In hindsight, there was no surprise that Seiga would be able to see a shadow of the purpose of this place. The blue hermit’s wink and casual offer was bounced off Yukari like rubber ball as she kept up the casual conversation, “Your offer is as generous as your compliments, and how nice for it to be as unclouded with that petty morality that Kasen-san seems to think this place lacks.”

Leaning forward slightly Seiga mentioned with a slightly conspiratorial air, “Kasen-chan is quite the moral busybody, isn’t she? Why I wouldn’t be surprised if she filling up that Hakurei miko and her daughter with all sorts of non-sense like how wrong it is~!”

Oh, did she not know Kasen was a regular here? No way she could know of how deep her hooks went, but it could simply be a ruse. Maybe she was even trying to get Yukari to think she had the upper hand here, which Yukari did, but nevertheless it was admirable and that cunning mind was what she needed.

Sighing as she leaned back at a precise angle of 68.65 degrees, showing her exhaustion without seeming like she was checking out of the conversation, “Once again you are right, frighteningly so I must add. Its true, I have been beset by enemies on all sides with only few I can bring into my inner circle. Allies are so hard to come by when everyone is so worked up about nothing”

Yukari drifted back up into a proper sitting position as she gauged Seiga’s face, it was unreadable aside from a good bit of cunning behind those friendly eyes, perfect. Letting her voice harden back into ‘business mode’ Yukari continued, “Which is why, as you have already guessed I would like to secure your cooperation in continuing my little slice of fun”

For the first time the platter of tea and snacks were touched as Seiga reached for one of the steaming cups of tea and Yukari followed suit, a good sign. Seiga spoke up after taking a delicate sip and sighing in satisfaction while holding her cheek in her free hand, “Why of course, if it’s a request directly from Yukari-chan It wouldn’t be out of all possibility that I could help. That said…”

Frowning cutely and letting a pout form as her eyebrows furrowed lightly she rang out in a slightly melancholic voice, “Anon-san may be a fun diversion and a sure way to brighten my day, but if Miko-chan or that bothersome ghost were find my involvement it’d only work to hamper the spread of Taoism far and wide~” shrugging added on last little detail, “if there was some sort of compensation to help negate that risk I’d love to help preserve my own fun”

There it was, the real meat of this conversation. Yukari grinned with sincerity as she leaned forward onto her desk, letting her fingers knit as she rests her chin on the back of her hands. The forelocks of her blonde hair fell and almost brushed the desk below her as her eyes locked onto the sage’s own, “It would be truly unfitting to ask a favor of the great hermit who could make kings without any recompensate.”

It wouldn’t take much but she’d better play it safely, “Tell me, do you observe the others that come and go much?” With a nod Seiga answered, “Very good, very good… I am sure a hermit like you can sense the new life forming in the women that come and go, yes?”

Yukari didn’t wait for an answer this time, “Simply speaking there will be many women who cannot take care of those children, human and youkai alike. Before the first birth shall take place this facility will have served its purpose, and who else but a caring sage has the resources to take care of and raise all those children?” Yukari sat up straight now, she knew she had Seiga’s rapt attention, “Seiga Nyan Nyan’s love of human children is well known to me, and as such I promise you that should you help guarantee me my victory it would only be right to allow you to work as closely with the little wards you so love and cherish!”

Seeing a gleam in Seiga’s eye and smile that showed only darkness behind its lips, Yukari knew she’d have a new ally to work with.

// Kasen 5

I'm furious.

Working under Yukari bad enough; I'm a sage too! But what truly hurts are the things she orders me to do… And what would happen if I were to deny them—it takes a simple shake of the hips, a lick of the lips…—I swing my head, fixing my hood as bitterness takes over my tongue, eyes staring into the distance, the cover of night barely making it harder to see the small commotion inside the 'hidden away' shack.

Gee… That's work for a unit of Wolf Tengu. Why me?

Sighing and checking the hood one last time, I jump, crossing the distance between me and the shack in a flash, falling from the skies like a meteor, wind resistance burning, and, if in a lower atmosphere, would've created a fire trail. It doesn't, and I carve a hole in the roof and punt the floor, wooden boards flying like if on top of a geyser and big, bulging eyes over me—

—one moment away from taking action.

There's no need for Spellcard Rules. Not against foul cultists.

Danmaku pellets fly, colored and shining, dodging them a nature, my open hand striking a youkai's chest and sending it flying across the wooden wall and into the tree line—white, shining chains locking it to the ground—the next Youkai, taking advantage of me not having eyes on the back of the head, was about to do something—

A foot was sunk into his chin, sending a crashing wave through his skull and shutting down his brain. 2 down, 18 more to go.

Sounds of fighting saturate the night, screams of help, and full silence—all within a minute.

Carrying five lower youkai, I throw them onto the pile of bodies outside, counting again—20, no one missing—and sigh, massaging my shoulder. I give them a look of disgust before following inside the destroyed shack, not happy at the sight of wooden idols and what they represent—a painting hangs on the main wall of a powerful-looking horned figure over a mass of naked human men and women telling creepy stories…?—quickly scrounging up the place for anything else.

… A cult for Youkai supremacy and what it should entail towards humans. My disgust grows and grows, and as it does, interior hatred towers over my soul.

To exert your power over 'inferior' humans, to treat them as flesh puppets, for consumption and nefarious acts…

I close my bandaged fist, remembering his words — "I don't blame you. I do not." —, and fight against thin tears before leaving the shack of horrors, piling every adoration, idol, prayer book, and so in the main room. With a wave of my hand, a firestorm consumes the shack, illuminating the night—

Deep in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed my hood had fallen.

—my senses shiver, and I spin in place.

With the burning shack behind me, my hair buns deface and broad to look like horns, my gargantuan shadow looming over the woken youkai cultist, ours eyes meeting—she's weak, nothing but a bottom-feeder of this land…

And then she bows, praying…

Adoring an idol.

My eyes go wide, and before I can think properly, I've punched the youkai again, her face buried into the ground—not dead, but close.

I feel sweat on my nape, chest going up and down painfully, a clenching in my heart unlike any other. Why was the youkai adoring me?! She doesn't even know me, and if she did, she'd know my hermit nature! Why was she bowing, why was she—

… I look at the mass of flames, the putrid smell of burning wood and fresh blood by my shoes littering the air…

And I recall the painting.

It's not possible, right?! That old me—a me of vice and decadence; a ‘me’ that once stood atop those ‘inferior beings’ just like the horned figure in the painting—was sealed hundreds of years ago! There's just no way! There's not.

I'm hyperventilating, finding a nearby tree to support myself, eyes wide, my left hand clenching my bleeding heart—

A well-known sound by my side makes me grasp the bark with enough force to crush it. I stare into a gleeful Yukari, looking at the pile of unconscious cultists. "My~enjoyed yourself, Kasen? You look a bit shaken, though."

"You knew beforehand, didn't you…? Or was it you that introduced the disgusting religion of Ibaradouji to them?!" I spit, eyes narrowing.

Yukari, as always, only giggles. "Those are some hefty accusations—what would I gain with this endeavor, anyway? I simply wanted you to take care of this problem before it became my problem, Kasen. Nothing else." Her posture is elegant, her eyes sultry, and, with a motion of her hand, a gap consumes the cultists. "You did your job very well… Care to join me and Anon, Ibarakasen? We miss you dearly~"

And she turns, shaking just a little that perfect ass, purple dress kissing every single one of her curves, my mind promptly slipping away, a deep-seated hatred following my sane mind as that ‘thing’ takes over my body, biting my lower lip as if hers and eagerly following Yukari into the gap, arm greedily around the sage's waist.

I try to ignore the questions; the fear; the implications and everything else…

… Alone in my mind, I can only hear myself.

// Yuuka 3-4

Yuuka sighs as she realizes the wheelbarrow is slightly too wide to fit through the HSE doorway. She could tilt it, but that might spill seeds and fertilizer. Alternatively, she could…

Those inside the HSE all jump at the cracking sound that signals the death of that unfortunate doorframe. In the proceeding moments the many patrons of the establishment ready their magic, until they realize who exactly the green haired woman pushing a wheelbarrow and slinging a shovel over her shoulder is.

Yuuka for her part barely notices any of this as she approaches the counter. The Fox seems conflicted, though she hides it well behind a disinterested mask. Still, she greets Yuuka with sufficient professionalism to not warrant a fight, “Good morning, lady Kazami. I do not recall my master ever requesting your aid for renovations, so I presume you are here for a session with Anon?”

Yuuka nods with a blush. It’s not really a session, is it? She’s not paying to do anything l-lewd with Anon, she just wants to pay him a visit. Though if Anon wanted to do something, it’s not like she’d say no. Maybe she could up for what she did before by holding him and… and…

Coughing while choking on her words Yuuka nods, “Y-Yes. I-I’d like a normal one please, at the shrine with Anon.”

Yuuka thinks she almost saw a smirk from the fox but that must have been her imagination. With the same robotic motions Ran takes her money and gives her a ticket, “You are currently fifteenth place in the line. Please entertain yourself with the activities provided in the lobby and… ahem, please ask for assistance if you are having difficulties with any doorways.”

Yuuka missed that last part as she turns back to look at the other patrons. Fifteenth place? Unfortunately, the number of other guests matches up with Ran’s number. Heeeh, it’ll be ages until Yuuka will be able to see Anon. Not to mention it’ll be after all these compost level Youkai have had their way with him. To think they even dare look at Anon, let alone take advantage of him like filthy worms making their way into her gar-

Oh, Yuuka’s train of thought was cut off when a trembling tanuki approached Ran’s desk, “Ummm I’d like to move down in line. Could I take fifteenth place?”

Ran frowns for a moment before regaining her indifference and nodding, “Very well, the order has been adjusted. Can the former second person in line please come forward.”

For some reason, everyone after the Tanuki had similar sentiments. It was odd, why would they buy an appointment with the HSE if they didn’t want to go as soon as they could? Maybe they had cold feet and weren’t really going to go through with… being with Anon. That was good. If that is the case, she won’t need to-

The fox clears her throat, “I don’t suppose you also intend to move back in line miss Kazami?”

Yuuka shakes her head, “No, as a matter of fact, I’ll be seeing Anon now, a good day to you.”

With that, Yuuka pushes her wheelbarrow towards the door leading further into the building. That prompts a panicked, “Wait!” from Ran before a gap opens to bypass the door.

Rolling (her wheelbarrow) up to the shrine, Yuuka’s pleased to see Anon sitting under the veranda drinking tea. Undoubtedly pleased to see her, Anon greets Yuuka, “Mornin’ Yuuka, what’s with the… everything?”

Yuuka’s words catch in her throat as she stares at Anon red faced. She replies slowly, her pause clearly planned to show her poise b-but not too aloof to be unreachable, “The last time I came here, I realized it was missing something. While Yukari successfully copied the form of the shrine, there is no true life to it. It feels artificial, without the connection to nature that makes a home a home. Though there are other problems that’d disqualify it from being such.”

Anon frowns slightly at her words about what makes a home, “I understand. Still, what’s the plan?”

Blushing that elegance Yuuka found mere moments ago was nowhere to be found, “W-Well I just... it’d be nice to... You see since you missed the autumn… Ah, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A GARDEN WITH ME?”

Yuuka cringes as she realizes that the last part came out too fast and too loud. Thankfully Anon doesn’t comment on it as he smiles and nods, “Sure, I’d been meaning to for a while now, though I couldn’t exactly run to the store to grab anything. I suppose I could have asked Takane, but… Uh anyway, I’d love to learn under a master of gardening. What did you have in mind?”

Still bashful from her previous faux pas Yuuka replies, “Could we head in? Since you’re the one living here I’d like your input.”

Anon chuckles at that though there’s something strained about it, “Ha, fair enough. I’m not used to… Uh, why don’t you come in and make yourself at home? I’ll see to making some tea.”

As Anon heads off to the kitchen, Yuuka lays out a large canvas over his living room table and begins sketching the false shrine’s layout.

Returning with a tea tray, Anon looks over Yuuka’s handiwork, “So what’s the plan?”

Any lingering embarrassment forgotten, Yuuka answers, “Again it depends on what you want. While the main point of focus should be the entrance, there’s a lot to do in the back. While I am less familiar with ponds, there are many interesting water flowers and the contrast with water gives a lot of possibilities. Not to mention as I imagine most have little interest in it, the back area could serve as a hideaway from the rest of the Shrine. Still, the flowers themselves are the lynchpin for all of that and we should have specific floral arrangements in mind before committing to anything.”

Anon’s eyes linger on the sketch of the pond for a while before he catches himself and nods, “Right, so what flowers do you have?”

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, Yuuka replies, “The better question would be what flowers I do not have, which is a very short list that grows ever shorter. If you want suggestions, I’d recommend Autumn flowers. It’s a bit late in the season, but I doubt that matters here. So, chrysanthemums are a given. Beyond there nemesia, anemone, sunflower lookalikes, azaleas…

***

The two have fallen into a steady rhythm. Few words pass between them, but there is little need for such things. Anon digs, Yuuka fills the gap with fertilizer, and then they both take a side and keep planting seeds until they meet in the middle. After that, they move on to the next patch of land. It’s a lot of work, but it must have passed quickly given no one has come to tell her that her session is over.

As the two rest under the surprising heat of the artificial midday sun drinking lemonade (that Yuuka made while Anon was finishing up his side of the pond), Yuuka remarks, “She’s a good kid, Hana. She’s taking to magic like a fish to water while not becoming a total recluse or… a strange person. You raised her well.”

Anon for some reason seems troubled by Yuuka’s words, “T-Thanks… It’s been hard.”

Yuuka nods, “Still, flowers can bloom in even the most desolate places, though they can only reach their true potential through loving care. I-I’d like to show you something.”

Getting up and walking out into the yard Yuuka begins to explain, “I uh suppose this isn’t the best way of doing things, but I think it’d be a shame for the Shrine to remain empty for now. Don’t… just…”

Cutting herself off, Yuuka gets down on one knee and touches the ground. Reaching out into the soil, she feels the sterile fakeness of it all. Pushing past the artificiality, she reaches out to the seeds, the bearers of potential, and begins to feed them life.

It’s imperceptible at first, but soon the first stalks begin to peak out of the soil. They are soon joined by their brothers before they all begin to grow. An outsider might liken the scene to a timelapse, but there is something indescribable about the way the flowers all begin to bloom with color at once. Seeing her job done, Yuuka cuts off the tap before the flowers wither.

Fidgeting Yuuka asks, “It’s nice, isn’t it.”

Staring out at the field of flowers Anon replies, “It’s beautiful.”

// Keine 6

Suzu's words didn't leave my head as we enjoyed the party, my eyes wild and open—smiling anyway—nor when acquaintances stopped me and congratulate me on my pregnancy; nor when I bought groceries for dinner and the owner, mother of one of my students, gave me a discount and talked my ears off on why she couldn't show at the small party this morning, but wishes the best for me and my kids…

Every single step was accompanied by Suzu's words and others' words, all mixing into one big, loud blob of 'CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PREGNANCY!'

Standing in front of my house's door—eyes big, hands shaking, the night cold—I wished I could rip my ears off.

… It's simply a bad idea. What was I thinking? Getting pregnant just to make Mokou happy?! That doesn't make any sense; i-it's sickening and—

"Yo, Keine!" Mokou's voice reaches me as I open the door. My house, normally a tad on the messy side, was properly tidied up and smelled of a nice mix of wildflowers and fruit. I looked at Mokou, smiling cheerfully as she put on the table—heavy food just like breakfast, although with a pleasant combo of steamed veggies. All that meat is bad for the heart…

I should tell her. I really should.

I should rip that smile from her face and taint that memory of her ear on my belly… Shouldn’t I?

"Bleh, what's with this thing?" She picked up my teacher's bag wrapped in another bag, her nose twisted, the foul smell impossible to mask. "Can I throw this away?" The grocery bags were recovered and Mokou was already putting everything in their place, Ingredients for dinner now for tomorrow's breakfast…

"Yeah, I'll use my spare one…" Still wide-eyed, I slowly went through the motions, hanging my coat and taking out my gloves. The indoor heating comes in the form of my stove, acclimatizing the house with cozy warmth.

"Kay! Take a bath before dinner—already heated the water for you, so no worries!"

"… Thanks."

I enter the bathroom, undress, and get in the bathtub—spotting an open booklet by the side, "Expectant Mothers—How to Prepare the Perfect Bath for Her," hurriedly left aside, probably because Mokou had to finish dinner—the scented hot waters tickling my nose.

I can hear Mokou humming in the kitchen. The food smells nice.

My hands go down, holding my belly, feeling nothing but my blood circulation. I close my eyes…

… I will tell her…

Tomorrow.

It's tomorrow already. It's becoming routine, assimilated. Just another part of the day-to-day. I want to puke. Mokou is here again, waving to me and prompting me to go take a bath, finishing setting dinner on the table.

My hands go down, holding my belly, feeling nothing but my blood circulation. I close my eyes. I cry.

… I will tell her…

Tomorrow.

It's tomorrow already. My head is heavy, my eyes go from spot to spot wildly, and I feel uneasy as if something is crawling on my skin. Mokou shows me a lotion Kaguya gave her after their death-match, saying it'll ease pregnancy cramps if applied during a bath massage.

My hands go down, massaging my belly with the lotion, feeling nothing but my blood circulation. I close my eyes. I cry.

I will tell her! I will do it!

… Tomorrow.

It's tomorrow already. God.

I blink, another day has passed, the one-week countdown before the lie crumbles—if I don’t have anything to show in three weeks, It will be impossible to keep on lying further—and my body shivers with the smallest sounds, tense like I've never been before… Yet, I keep smiling.

Because that makes Mokou smile too…

I want to puke. I want to puke—

Hands come from behind and hug my belly, and I almost jump in place, holding the plate I'm washing with force. Mokou giggles, "Sorry, sorry—just wanted to scare you three!"

"Gee, Mokou! Unlike you, I can be killed!" I sigh, smiling anyway.

… For some reason, Mokou doesn't let go of me. I kept washing the plates and cutlery, puzzled, and was about to talk if she hadn't done it first, apparently having used the silence to muster courage; "Hey, Keine… I was thinking."

"Not a good sign," I whisper, she laughs.

Her hold tightens, yet remains gentle. "It's just a dumb idea, don't worry, but… When your children are born, if one of them is a boy…" I frown, a bad feeling in the air raising the acid in my stomach. What is Mokou— "… Can you name him… Kuramochi?"

I freeze still. Slowly, I turn to Mokou, and there's an anxiety in her eyes unlike any other I've ever seen—and I've seen parents bringing their children to their first day of school…

"That's… your father's name."

"I-I know it might be silly—because it is! I-I shouldn’t have even—"

"—Yes…” Mokou halts. “If one is a boy, we can name him Kuramochi.”

Anxiety morphs into pure, blissful happiness. Her hold on my belly strengthens, yet it trembles as the almighty Fujiwara no Mokou cries from joy.

"… Thanks, Keine."

I stare at the wall, lost, scared and wanting to puke… Yet, holding Mokou—trembling and giggling all giddy—, I also feel determined.

I know what I have to do…

// Seija/Goro 66

Goro waved to Seija from beyond the HSE waiting area, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
Seija looked at Kasen’s huddled form and considered dragging her along, with what she said about Yukari’s possessive nature and ‘sinking her hooks into people’ still fresh in her mind, ‘maybe we should all huddle up?’ she thought.
Shaking her head, she decided against it. The hermit was too far gone tonight, better to prod that nerve when she was in a better mood and away from this place.
“Come on, let’s get out of here already, I’m bored to shit.” She remarked, grabbing Goro’s arm and leading him out of the HSE and into the night.
After getting a fair bit of distance from the HSE, Goro asked “That was the Hermit Sage, Kasen, wasn’t it?”
Seija nodded “How’d you know?”
“Because she’s hasn’t been seen lecturing people up and down those streets?” Goro said with a pained smile. “Also, the two protrusions on her hood, but she was cloaked unlike that Oni party, and I told you to talk to interesting people so…”
“Oh, your so brilliant mister detective.” She said, tightening her grip on his arm. “Now tell me what Yukari has planned if you’re so smart.”
Goro sighed. “She’s holding out on me. That Purple Sage is playing it close to her chest until the time is right, probably won’t tell us squat until she’s filled out her villain roster and we’re all plotting at one evil table. At the very least she’s very open about teaching me ‘topology’, enjoying herself even.”
“You’re not getting too involved with that woman, are you?” Seija interrogated.
Goro gave her an inquisitive look. “You seem nervous. Did you learn something from Kasen?”
“She said Yukari liked having her allies under her thumb. I don’t want you to get caught in another women’s net.” She said, learning her head against his shoulder, slightly poking it with her horn.
Goro didn’t reply, instead he just walked through the empty and dark roads of the village a little slower, taking in the night ambiance with his possessive lover.
“You know,” he began, breaking the silence. “They sell these strange comics around that place. Look” he said, handing over a thick, opaque brown envelope.
Seija took the suspicious pacakge and began flipping through the booklets contained within and slowly became more and more disgusted.
“Anon Wants Attention?” She scowled at the book depicting the after-mentioned man stealing a glance at a Tanuki and an Oni sitting in the shrine.
“Puppy Love?” She balked at a cover showing Anon being swarmed by several White Wolf Tengu and their fluff.
“Shrine Husband’s Revenge?” She said, slightly more intrigued at the booklet showing Reimu and Yukari bound with rope, looking up at the reader, with a shadow of a man looming over them.
“You bought all this stuff?!” Seija asked.
“Oh no, those were all freebies. They don’t get a lot of male customers, so they just piled those on me. I did buy this one though.” Goro remarked, pointing to the last book.
“Delinquent’s party…” Seija said, pinching the bridge of her nose after regarding the artwork of Anon, terrified and surrounded by a Celestial, an Amanojaku, a Vampire, and a Nue.
“That was the only one I could find with you on it. I’m not sure what to make of that. Oh, and make sure Flan doesn’t see it, I’m not qualified for that kind of parental counseling.”
Seija gave him a look. “Do you want to read a book about me fucking another man?”
“Oh no, I’m just trying to figure out how Youkai culture is changing.” He said, slipping the books back into his robes.
“This could all just go away once the HSE is gone, but I think the genie’s out of the bottle on this one. All that lust has gotta go somewhere. Best to be ready when it does.” He shrugs.
“Well, I’m not letting you tie me up with ropes no matter how much you beg.” Seija huffed, crossing her arms, knowing full well that she’d do exactly that, but reluctantly. “And I’m not sharing you.”
“Who said I’m the type to be shared? I’ll have you know Yukari isn’t the only one who’s possessive.” Goro said, stroking Seija’s hair and kissing the back of her head.
“Besides, I’m not as nice or as accommodating as that man. I’d bite my tongue off before making myself a cheat.”
“You’d better.” Seija replied, jumping up and wrapping her arms around Goro’s neck.
‘Enjoy this while you can’ Goro told himself, wrapping his arms around her small waist. ‘No telling how long little moments like this might last.’
“Disgusting…” a passerby muttered while walking past the couple.
Instantly Seija’s eyes darted in their direction and saw the back of a young girl wearing a red-white miko uniform.

// Flandre 5

Their smiles reminded me of mine before I made any friends.

I'm in her arms, legs crossed around her chest and arms around her neck, cheek laying on her shoulder. She's standing up, humming a cute lullaby that soothes my mind, and we wait in the HSE's reception. My body feels sore, yet I'm blissfully happy: This was the best afternoon ever! I ate odd sweets, dressed cutely, met two new friends, and just had so much fun I almost felt sad—what about other people?

I fear I hoarded too much of the world's supply of happiness… Oh, well, it'll restock tomorrow!

Yet… Something they hide, their smiles betray them.

They're not like Okina's, which are evil and lecherous—they're smiles of lack of control and fear, of anxiety and loneliness. I can't even pinpoint exactly what emotion irradiates more from Yukari or Anon, though one hides more of each than the other.

Like two sides of the same coin…

Together, they make a beautiful, tragic color, and it makes me wanna hug both so much—

Pressure fills the room as the front doors opens and a scarlet red light bathes the reception, Yukari's arms relaxing, unafraid of Sis ignoring the law and entering a home without permission. Ugh…

"Remilia. Good to see you tonight."

"Yukari… And dear sister." Remi's voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

Sulking, I turn to face Remi, noticing that the Gap Youkai and her are staring down at each other on eye level—Sis floats…—, Remi looking mad as hell, her red eyes shining as if reflecting lightening.

Ten feet apart, an itch called 'battle' begged to be scratched.

Outside, the Moon was painted in blood. UGGGH…

"Remi—" I'm cut off by Remi gesturing with her hand.

"Later, dear sister. I want to know first why you abducted my sister, Yukari, to your… respectable establishment." There was magnanimous spite in her words, and I just now noticed Sakuya on the backdrop, knives ready to kill. It gnaws on my spine—why are they acting like this?! I just left the basement to have some harmless fun!

"My, such uncanny accusations~"

Remi narrowed her eyes, anger flaring liquid. "Answer, Yukari! And if you did a-anything weird to my sister—" Did sis… stutter? Why is she red? It lasted a moment before the 'elegant' death repainted her features. "—I swear I'll plant the evilest of seeds in the poor soil you call your fate—"

"Gee! Stop embarrassing me, sis!" I yell, leaving Yukari's arms, cheeks red. Remi goes silent, frowning, about to ask me again to shut up in that condescending way of hers, but I'm faster. "It was Okina who got me and threw me here, not Kari!" I point to Yukari, getting even redder when she giggles behind her fan. "I, K-Kari and Anon just had fun! Nothing weird! Stop being a pest, please!"

Her eyes clearly showed offense, yet she merely hums, glancing at Sakuya who promptly starts; "I saw Flan being abducted, but couldn't see the culprit. Then heard about the panic and that the young lady was here. Sorry for my mistake, mis—"

"Enough, Sakuya. Hm… It seems there must've been a misunderstanding." Remi sighs, folding her wings and slowly falling to the ground, as elegant as ever. "Let's clear this misconception with some tea, right, Yukari?" She snapped her fingers, her smile perpetually smug, and Sakuya was already holding a tray with our fine china and a teapot steaming with the smell of Remi's favorite mix of herbs.

"It'd be lovely, Remilia~Ran?" A gap opened by Sakuya, the shikigami with eyes like that of a razor—a stare Sakuya reflected perfectly—leaving it.

I wanted to groan.

"Your room is ready, Yukari-sama, Remilia-dono," she gestured to the gap, Yukari leading the way; Remilia glanced at me, but I ignored her and walked forth too, pouting. I kept ignored everything as I sat at the table, Remi to my side; tea was served, and I made SURE to drink it angrily—sis sighed.

"You shouldn't be mad at your sister, Flan~she's concerned with your safety." Yukari jested, and I struggled to hide red cheeks.

"Indeed—It was a calamity knowing you were whisked away," Remi drank her tea, pinky outstretched so elegantly, as if we still have to worry about spice shortages… "Don't blame me for reacting the way I did."

"You painted the moon red!" I yell at her, flabbergasted.

"It's a beautiful color." To my surprise, Yukari and Remi say it together. They stare at each other and smile, their conversation parting away from me and to ELEGANTLY gushing over refined manipulation of celestial bodies and going to the moon through a reflection…

I sighed, hiding my face in my hands. So embarrassing…

Suddenly, a plate of cookies—freshly made—appears in front of me, my tea replaced by chocolate milk—

—A small gap opens, and one of those heavenly sweet things Yukari gave me earlier today comes out.

Wide-eyed, I look over to Sakuya and Ran, both quietly behind their talkative masters… They stare at me, then at each other, and I swear I see 'respect' flashing between them.

Happy and ignoring the dummies, I eat my sweets.

// Aya 47

The village was abuzz with rumor. Women on every corner were gossiping about pregnancy and promiscuity. Aya heard libertine accusations whispered in grocery stalls and restaurants about neighbors, friends, sisters; even mothers and daughters. While the tengu felt partially responsible for causing a new wave of life, the slight bellies shown by the women who weren’t ashamed of their affairs reminded her that someone else did it before her. While the thought inspired questions about the mysterious mother’s motives, it also caused a feeling Aya refused to acknowledge to kindle in the pit of her stomach.

Approaching the HSE, Aya scoped out the exterior. From plain eyesight, the building was utterly unremarkable. The only obvious egress was the front door, as the box was devoid of windows or vents. After a first look, the reporter took photos at specific angles and points Toutetsu mentioned. The entire exterior was an illusion: Generators, pipes, AC units, loading bays— it was like an Outside building was dropped into Gensokyo. Light was manipulated at odd angles to project images that hid the real structure of the HSE. The disguise certainly wasn’t solid, but touching it would be foolish: The second one photon hit her body, Yukari would know her favorite correspondent was skulking.

The tengu traveled far from the HSE before feeling for any backdoors the yuri goddess had in the village. A large circle of doors infested the human habitat before terminating in a wide radius around Yukari’s stronghold. Either Matarajin was being ridiculously careful, or Yukari’s observance was massive. Either way, it would make a quick escape difficult. If Anon’s Frens couldn’t find someway to keep him hidden from Yukari’s sight, Aya would have to fly him quite a distance. No matter what, this incident was going to ruin any clandestine youkai operations for generations to come…

As Aya re-approached the HSE to visit her Momiji, she took one more trip around the perimeter of the building to see if she missed anything important. The sound of rattling metal caught her attention. Retreating to an alley nearby, the tengu watched every vent for motion through her camera. Five minutes passed. Ten. As her ankles started going numb, the rattling returned! A vent, large enough for two kappa to crawl through, opened up. The reporter shuttered picture after picture as a yellow-white figure streaked into another passage nearby. Finally, a break!

Aya sped off into her own lane, heading towards an intersection between the two. The streak obviously wasn’t human, so it was definitely heading straight out to freedom. Encountering the figure again, it started running along the walls of tight back alleys above gates and fences. Unless she wanted to reveal her own youkai nature, Aya couldn’t give chase directly. Instead, she bolted off for one of the backdoors. She kept her mind on Okina’s power, tracking down the door closest to her and waiting for the streak to pass by another. Finally, the reporter reached an ingress in the nick of time. The streak? They practically ran into a minefield.

Jumping through the backdoor at top speed, Aya allowed her momentum to carry her through door after door as she snapped pictures of the streak at every possible angle. No matter how fast it was, the dense concentration of Matarajin’s portals allowed the tengu to stay seven steps ahead of them. With enough photos to fill a room, Aya ended her chase by grabbing the streak from below, pulling upwards, and photographing whatever showed up before dashing into the Land of the Backdoor. Hopefully this youkai had the parts Okina liked.

Slowing down in the goddess’ realm, Aya was met by a small, white, furry creature desperately hugging her leg for protection. Her first instinct told her it was Momiji, but the ears were far too round. Oh, it was just Nazrin again. It seemed she was almost ready for Okina’s next feature film. Checking her camera, Aya was immediately confronted with a smooth slit between lips of creamy skin, framed by v-shaped bones. Better than a panty-shot; this pervert was nopan! As Aya scrolled through her album, the blur slowly gained features. A thin white dress, green ribbons, yellow fur… a tail…

The embers within Aya’s stomach were stoked in a green, blazing inferno. With nonchalance, the secret goddess came to retrieve her actress and found the tengu stewing in bloodlust. “Ah, Shameimaru! You were investigating that awful rumor about Kanako. Tell me, how’s that little adventure treating you?”

Navigating to the picture of her subject’s cunt, Aya thrust the camera into Okina’s hands. “I want the night free. Extra time, too.”

“My my, and what makes this picture so valuable?” It was nice, but she was having fun watching the tengu seethe.

“It’s the last picture of this slut-fox alive. I’m going to rip off this little tramp’s tail and make her eat it.”

// Yuuka 5

Rolling her wheelbarrow out of the HSE (after breaking another door), the world seemed a little brighter. Turning her attention to the various stalls around the main building, Yuuka decides to peruse them before returning home.

As to be expected some sold food, and others various trinkets. One particularly foolish soul was even selling shirts with 'Welcome to HSE' and a white splatter on them. Strangely though a very large percentage sold booklets and drawings. Unsurprisingly said drawings were of Anon, though they seemed to include other prominent Youkai as well. It goes to show how much this incident has thrown everything on its head. In her day, villagers would never dare draw Youkai so casually.

Approaching one of these stalls, she was met with a mousy woman wearing glasses. Picking up a prominently displayed booklet entitled ‘Puppy Love’, Yuuka asks, “What… what is this?”

The woman must be slow given she repeated the question multiple times while sweating (presumably from intense concentration), “T-This is my… I uhh sell doujin here to people w-who go to the HSE.”

Yuuka blinked at that, “You sell… groups? What do you mean?”

The woman shook her head, “N-No, I uh I sell… like manga and stuff.”

Manga? Ah! Those picture book things with all the fighting that Wriggle likes. Hmmm, she should buy some for Wriggle. That’ll surprise the little bug.

Wriggle probably wouldn’t be interested in something about Wolf Tengu, so Yuuka browses the collection. The covers are often strange, often placing Anon in precarious positions against domineering Youkai. Anon must be one of those underdog characters who defeat the evil Youkai with the power of friendship. Still, it’s strange that no Youkai has taken offense to being defeated by a human yet…

Yuuka freezes as she reads the title of the last manga that she took out, ‘Anon and the Ultimate Sadistic Creature’. The cover depicts her looming over a cowering Anon with cruel eyes, fang-like teeth, and nails akin to claws.

As Yuuka’s hand begins to shake she wordlessly looks over to the deathly still artist who seems to have lost all color in her face. Is this what the people in the village see her as? A monster to be beaten? A sadistic creature? Despite herself, Yuuka opens the booklet. She needs to know what’s inside.

The story begins with her assaulting the Hakurei shrine and presenting Reimu’s severed head to Anon. Far too much effort was put into said head, though it’s not that realistic. After that she mocks him a-and beats him around, all the while tormenting him over the death of his wife.

Looking up at the mangaka, Yuuka is pleased to see her trembling. As she should be for producing this… this awful thing. Drawn back to the story, Yuuka is shocked to see the slanderous character strip and then makes Anon… and then take out the rope and wax… and… and then… Yuuka herself begins to shake as it just doesn’t seem to end.

The final straw came when she grew a massive vine and s-shoved it up Anon’s… Looking down at the hyperventilating mangaka, Yuuka felt her hand tighten involuntarily and crush the doujin. Yuuka’s shaking grew more intense as the manga was crushed ever tighter in her hand. As the mangaka began to pray, Yuuka’s vision began to cloud-

-with tears as she ran away crying, “I-I’m not a monster! I w-would never do that! Why do you all hate me?!"

The startled mangaka, upon realizing she was not dead, quickly began packing up while plotting how to fake her own death to become a hermit.

// Kasen 6

It wasn't a single occasion.

Days later, I'm again on Yukari’s orders, now stalking through a thick swamp on the deep outskirts of Gensokyo. I frown, frustrated: Rumors, whispers of cloak and dagger, have reached my ears—the HSE is a hot spot for gossiping, and when you pass most of your time there quietly brooding in the sides, you end hearing a lot—about a growing… uneasiness spreading throughout the land; that a powerful, betrayed—why 'betrayed'…?—oni that lived long ago would return and destroy Gensokyo whole.

These rumors and whispers are the cause of these dark circles under my eyes. First, all that ruckus about Kanako; then Flandre appearing on the HSE and 'threatening to explode the Human Village'—wild exaggeration, Yukari said, and it was the first time I felt no lie from her—; and now this mess personally involving me… I sulk, lips pursed, when my target becomes visible, dim lights shining under the thick grime and cloudy waters of the swamp.

I sigh. Going to such lengths to hide their cults dedicated to adoring… 'me'.

What is spawning these sects? Where did the word about the second coming of the 'betrayed oni of the mountain' originates from? In my mind pops Yukari, though I have no proofs—what use does she have for me here, hunting cultists in the middle of the night and trudging through a freezing swamp? I'd be much better with either the broker or the Amanojaku doing actual work, or maybe trying to babysit Flandre…

… I can't find an answer, but the thought doesn't leave me.

It's simply too weird. Is this an incident? Will we need to call Reimu? It's so widespread and young that there are no leads for her—or any other miko—to follow, just as there's no evil done towards Gensokyo or its inhabitants… Yet. Yukari wants me specifically—her 'first line of defense against Okina'—to defeat them, and I imagine it's because it's a cult to Ibaradouji. There's no link to the 3rd sage that I can see.

But that loops back to the first question; who is spawning them? Who's feeding them information about Ibaradouji?

Nibbling on my lower lip, I sigh with utter confusion. So many questions…

… Just one way to sate them.

Holding my breath, I dive into the swamp. Seconds later, a body explodes out of the water like a geyser, light chains locking them to the nearby trees.

A minute later, and I'm slogging out of the water with an ever worse crease on my face, carrying seven defeated bodies on my back. I throw them unceremoniously onto dry land, taking a centipede away from my hair before lowering the cultist locked into chains of light to eye level, the lower youkai's eyes burning with hatred. I feel the air… Yukari is not watching. I don't have much time. "Do not waste my time and answer: I want to know why this cult to Ibaradouji exists," I say, the chains dispersing from his mouth—

"You're not getting answers from me, puppet!"

… "'Puppet'?"

"I know who you are, Puppet! You stole her body! You'll never be the real oni, no matter if you try to kill her children! You're just a puppet, a vessel! She'll retu—" I grind the chains and restore the light bindings in his mouth. What is this bullshit he's spilling?! I don't know, but my identity might've been compromised… And, clutching my bandaged arm, I conclude that the thing I hide may also have been compromised—faintly, I hear a wicked laugh in the back of my mind.

But it seems distorted… Does he think I and Ibaradouji are different people and that I sealed her in my body? Whoever is feeding them information, it's faulty to a degree… Would Yukari purposely feed them wrong information? For what motive? I clench my teeth, the stale air drenching my brain in a thick fog, and I have to take deep breaths to recompose myself: piling up, questions simply piling up… A breadcrumb here, then another there, and another, another, and I'm back at the start, with more questions and close to no answers—

"Hm… Perhaps I should lay you off this work? You always seem so affected by the end." Her voice sends chills down my spine, the bound man in front of me replaced by a gap of a thousand and one red, curious eyes.

"… They know," I say, not turning to face Yukari. "They know who I was."

"Oh, my, my… That's bad. Very bad," I can almost hear her slight smile, "So, then I shouldn't take you off the job… Oh, anyway—hard-working sages deserve rewards~" I turn.

She's hiding a big smile behind that uchiwa of hers…

The questions are on the tip of my tongue. Just there, waiting to leave, to make things clear. I just need to ask.

"Yukari—"

—I watch as her soft hand slowly trails her collarbone, confused—then my mind is screaming and screaming: 'LOOK AWAY!'

I don't, and she pulls down slightly her purple dress, showing more of her cleavage and the lacy bra underneath. My mind slips as fast as a landslide, eyes bulging, pleading—no, no, no…—yet it falls on deaf ears as I bite my lower lip.

Rage.

Budding rage in the bowels of my mind.

Not oni rage… worse.

// Seija/Goro 67-71

“Disgusting…” Hana had said.
Seija’s mood instantly flipped, and she dashed over to the girl in the dark street, turned her around, and grabbed her by the cuff.
“What did you say brat!” Seija asked.
Working with Seija, I had seen her display a large spectrum of emotions, but never rage. Angry, frustrated, spiteful? Sure, but losing her cool was so rare I was starting to believe that she might be one of those rare people who’re impossible to really piss off.
“I don’t have to repeat something to a serial criminal Youkai like you, now let me go or you’ll be sorry.” Hana threatened.
“Oh, I’ll let you go alright…” Seija answered, releasing her grip on the girl.
Then reeling back, Seija primed a punch, “Right into my first- “before her hand even passed her face the young miko had readied her weapon and smacked the Amanojaku in the stomach, sending her flying.
“Stay here.” She commanded, before rocketing after her.
Watching Danmaku battles at a distance and analyzing them was really an art to itself. The casual observer might say whoever has more bullets on the field is winning, but a real pro will watch the openings left, zones of control, how intricate the bullet patterns were, and even then, be no closer to telling you who had the upper hand. Yup, an art alright, because all an onlooker could do was wax poetically about beautiful it looked. Only one person could know who was winning a Danmaku match: The winner.
But unfortunately for me I wasn’t just a casual observer, so I wasn’t allowed to appreciate the roses exploding in the sky or how they were transposed in all six directions erratically, instead all I was doing was waiting for a particular signal that would tell me when a vial of my blood Seija had hopefully remembered to toss was halfway between me and the fight. And when it was, I clapped my hands and found myself besides Seija, floating upside down in a cascade of shining lights once again.
The applications for her inversion ability were plentiful, but not almighty even with my helping her. For instance, the blood vial trick only worked because it contained an anticoagulant and other materials that kept it alive to the point where it could still be considered ‘a part’ of my body, so flipping my direction while it was a far bit of distance away from me would seem to teleport me, but only because the ‘me’ that was being flipped spanned a few miles.
‘Took you long enough’ I felt the Amanojaku think.
As Seija threaded us through the blazing suns and fans of Ofuda seals I was taking in the field, feeding targets to her, and evaluating options.
Flipping bullet directions was an obvious choice, so was reversing the whole battlefield to throw off our opponent, but it wasn’t enough. ‘Danmaku is a battle of imagination’ Yukari had told us, and it was the one thing she had said that I was sure was true. Inverting luminance, flipping acceleration but not velocity, exploding small bullets into large ones, and turning wide bullets into thin planes we were throwing everything we could at the small shrine maiden, and it was all meaningless.
Her movements were completely irregular. Just when she appeared far away it would seem as if she was right on top of us and for any bullet of ours that did approach her, she seemed to simply appear on the other side of, completely unharmed.
What’s more, her offense was also strange. Bullets that were flying toward us seem to become much faster as they traveled as if they were propelling themselves in reverse and the direction her shots took flew at angles so sharp it would put all Tengu maneuvering to shame. Stranger yet, when our bullets would seem to collide, hers seemed to curve around them as if our shots we’re some kind of flying cyclone, so interception was right out.
When Seija finally took a hit, I wasn’t surprised. It was all we could do to try and tear up and confuse the battlefield apart as much as we could in the hopes that we’d throw off whatever strange ability she was utilizing and maybe score a lucky hit, which might have worked if this was the naïve, confused, although slightly budding shrine maiden I’d heard about.
No, the rumors were wrong. Yukari had been wrong. I could tell from Seija’s experience and all her battles that Hana wasn’t just working off an immense amount or raw talent and ability, she was also doing something rarely seen in Danmaku play: careful, cautious moves to eliminate the opponents’ options and put them in check. Not like the savage instincts of a powerful Youkai or the careful machinations of a saint or sage, but a slow, almost gentle trapping of her opponent. This, I decided, was a Hakurei Shrine maiden.
We lashed out against it. I decided to throw all schemes to the wind and populate the field with chaos. Like a monsoon ranging against a muddy field, I sent Seija views of disorderly flips, sowing more and more noise across the sky until even our own navigation became hampered in the onslaught. And even then, I could still feel the cage shrink around us.
I clenched my teeth and thought to decimate the noise even more, down to the most inseparable kernel of existence, to such an extent that my mind would crack under the pressure with such force that my soul would be cast across the afterlife and whatever oblivion lay beyond.
‘That’s not right Goro.’ Seija thought to me.
‘If something’s in our way, we’ll just flip it on its head.’
‘But how!?’ My mind screamed.
We couldn’t grasp her ability and if I couldn’t even conceive of the space she was occupying targeting her directly was a faraway dream. Nothing we were doing to the environment, or her bullets were working as we expected and if there was a pattern, I couldn’t find it. Chaos, constantly rolling the dice was our one option here.
‘Then flip chaos into order.’ She sent to me.
At that moment, the truth of Danmaku revealed itself to the both of us. From the epoch of everything, the spread of all things: earth, the sky, the rivers, plants, animals, people, commerce, it all came together in this moment into something new. One complete thing born of all this confusion all this noise.
We wept, having forgotten almost the whole of it as the moment past us, unsure if we’d ever see it again, but at the very least the path before us was clear.
I took the noise, the muddy, rain-spattered fields I’d laid across the sky and gave them shapes, not forms that were predictable and consistent, but a shape the chaos arrived at none the less. Starry nights, smoky rooms, mold covered buildings, I hunted and hunted until I finally saw The Hive.
“Reverse Sign: Disordinate Harmonics!” Seija screamed.
As Yukari had taught me, once I had found the shape it was easy to produce targeting solutions in any permutation and I barely felt the strain as I fed Seija an unfathomably dense number of instructions, which she gleefully executed.
The sky became something completely alien and it was as if we were no longer amid a fire fight, but floating above it all, watching our bullets fly in weird directions and finally clashing with our opponent’s. Yet, I still couldn’t comprehend it at all, the model I had created was a seemingly chaotic one, even if the result was something strangely beautiful.
The Shrine Maiden still eluded us, but we could see the tides had turned. Her bullet density was lower, we were able to move more freely, and what movements we could perceive of hers were becoming increasingly erratic.
A single bullet striking Seija put an end to our hubris, then three more broke the spell we’d cast, and if it were not Seija quickly flipping her velocity, twelve more bullets that grazed past her would spell her end.
When I looked up to see Hana floating in front of the moon, appearing normally at last, I knew our mistake. She had let us overextend, take on too much risk, bided her time while we relished our freedom, all the while we were unaware, we’d never truly left her cage.
Neither of us heard her say the name of her spell card, instead as the Shrine Maiden rocketed toward her, Seija’s mind raced to find options for evasion, and I fed her one last targeting solution, one that flipped my position with hers.
Hana didn’t stop. Instead, she spun in the air, her selves spreading to her side giving her the appearance of a kite, casting off power until she sped into me, striking me squarely in the gut.
Despite the punches’ location, I felt the hit throughout my entire body, as if each part across and through had been individually hit by a nail. I coughed up blood and had I not willed myself with everything I had prior to her attack, I wouldn’t have managed to clasp her arm.
‘Gotcha’ the expression I saw in the reflection of her small eyes said through a blood-stained smile.
“Let’s call this a draw and talk things out.” I struggled to say.
Her eyes twitched, but she nodded, helpless before her own best interests.

Seija set me down on a grassy hill, looking far worse for wear then me, but still insistent that I let her coddle me. Probably sweet revenge on her part.
Hana simply squinted at us and crossed her arms.
“I’m not apologizing if that’s what you’re after. Your little Oni started that fight, not me.” The little girl complained.
“Water under the bridge. That’s what Danmaku is for right? Resolving *cough* disagreements.” I struggled to say.
Her expression shifted to have some concern, but she remained steadfast.
“If anything, I’m sorry I pulled such a dirty trick on you.” I speak.
“You knew a shrine maiden would hesitate to attack a human.” Hana guessed.
“Oh no, I just gambled on you learning from your mother’s example.” I explained.
At this, I could hear Hana’s grip tighten on her weapon. “Don’t talk about something you don’t know anything about.” She says coldly.
Sore subject I could tell, but she had learned, otherwise a new kind of pink mist would be drifting through the night air.
It was good though, letting her get angry like this at the start of negotiations. Kids don’t get to complain much and get scolded by everyone when they do, let her get express herself a little.
“Do you blame yourself? For what happened to your Dad I mean.” I ask.
She doesn’t yell angerly, doesn’t swing her stick at us, instead she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before replying.
“No. I didn’t understand anything and when I finally did, I was able to get him out of that house. It was…Mom, everything was that woman’s and Yukari’s fault.” She answered, a hand squeezing her sword arm as she did, looking down at the ground.
“That’s a lie.” I say, throwing my hands up.
For a moment, I can see her about to snap at us again, until she notices a crucial detail: Seija had yet to say anything and, thinking to behave better then a foul-mouth Youkai, waited for me to continue.
“You can rationalize it all you want, but blame isn’t rationale. You’re still thinking about it right? What you could have done?” I ask.
She nodded.
“Yeah. It’s terrible, isn’t it? ‘If only I was tougher’, ‘if only someone had helped’, ‘if only I’d insisted a little more and that person wasn’t so nice, dear old Dad would still be around.’”
“Dad’s not at fault!” She yelled. “He did everything right and things still turned out this way!”
“You and I both know that’s not true. He’s your father, he was supposed to protect you above all else.”
“He did! Dad did everything for me! Everyone else just, all of you just, why couldn’t you all just leave us alone!” She screamed stamping the ground.
Completely unlike the all-powerful monster that had thrashed us mere moments before, the girl before us was beside herself with grief. I could let up, but this was a particular splinter that had festered far too long.
“Then you ask him, tell him ‘If you could do it all over again, would you have made me watch you suffer?’ and if he was happy leaving you all alone, because take it from my experience, it’s a lot easier to ask forgiveness from the living then trying to find solace in hundreds of gave visits.” I spoke.
At first her expression clenched in anger, then realization. “You also…”
“His body was giving out on him, but he kept going foraging anyway because he wanted to take care of me all on his own. We found his body in a river besides a cliff, probably tripped and fell off.” I recount.
I didn’t like this. Hell, I longed to go back to getting swatted out of the air instead of mouthing off to a trauma beaten child. The last thing I needed was for her to feel sorry for something that happened years ago, and I had well gotten over.
Looking at her though, all confused and angry with no real parent to help her, I wasn’t going to let a little shame get in the way of telling her what she needed to hear. Although the fact that she was responsible for this omnipresent feeling of pain I was experiencing helped me along a bit.
After a while, she spoke up “Oh, how about you shut up you…you perverts!”
Ah, I guess she was still a teenager after all.
“I-I’m not about to be lectured by some l-lecherous man who was about to do unsavory things with his Youkai girl toy in the middle of the village!” She accused.
“Hey! I’m not his toy, if anything, I’m the one who ruined him alright!? Also, who’s the pervert? What kind of voyeuristic lunatic do you have to be to think people getting a little close means they’re gonna screw then and there? Even we wait until we’re home for that kind of thing!” Seija retorted, choosing an amazing time to speak up.
Although she was technically incorrect on the last point, I figured anything I could say would only make the situation that much worse and made myself comfy while the bickering continued.
“You share a household?! Are you two even married? No, wait, you’re saying you two have already…oh that is just sick! Amanojaku are truly the lowest of the low!” She says with a disgusted face.
At this, Seija grins. “Ha that’s exactly right! And guess what? Sometimes, we just sleep together normally! Get all cuddly like two foxes in a tube!”
“I’ll bet!” Hana replies, marching over to me and with a surprising amount of dexterity and what I imagine is some strange application of her powers, pulls the back of my robe down, revealing the rear of my torso.
“I knew it! Look at all these scratch marks and bruises! Oh gods, some of them even look fresh!” She exclaimed.
“Okay, you come over here now.” Seija said, pulling the girl by the neck to the side before she gets any more curious about the damage love making has done to my body and strips me further.
“Alright, look, you had your fun and beat the crap out of us. So, can we go?” I asked the horny little shrine maiden.
Goro, probably high on adrenaline and paternal instinct, probably couldn’t see it, but I could tell this girl was way too interested in our private life. Call it woman’s intuition or whatever, point was, I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t follow us home and come knocking at inopportune hours to validate whatever teenage fantasy she was formulating in her head.
“I don’t know,” She began, crossing her arms “my duty is to protect the humans of the village from Youkai. How can I be certain that you aren’t lying or that you don’t plan to eat him when you get bored?”
Well shit. Maybe I had underestimated the girl, that was the most rationale thing I’ve heard her say all night! Kind of disappointing honestly.
“I don’t know what to tell ya aside from that he and I have an understanding. Didn’t you see us working together up there? You think I’m just going to throw that away because I’m a little hungry?” I ask, scratching my neck.
“Of course, Youkai are impulsive after all. You’ve already laid hands on him from what I can see, who’s to say eating him is so far off?” She explained.
Ahhh, I so wanna tell her that her mom did the same thing, but I guess that’d only prove her point more.
“Look, I have to be a little rough with him or it’s not enjoyable at all, but I…uh, compromise and let him enjoy himself. Does he look like he’s scared of me?” I say through clenched teeth.
Hana and I look over our shoulders at Goro, who was resting on his back, stargazing, not a care in the world.
“Then tell me how you two do it.” Hana commanded.
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. Tell me and I’ll know if it’s safe to let you go or not.” She spoke.
‘Because of woman’s intuition’ she forgot to say. I swear she was worse than a village auntie.
“Where do you want me to start?” I asked.
“When you two get home.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath.
“So, Goro will usually give his dog a bone or something else to chew on to get him out of the room on our romantic fucking evenings, otherwise he’ll howl all night. I’ll wait for him on the futon all dainty and lady like and let him come to me- “
“Wait, you wait for him to come to you? And how exactly does he…” She asks, rubbing her chin.
“Most of the time. It feels better if I tempt him to do it instead of forcing him oddly enough, makes me feel victorious in a way. When he does, uh, he’ll reach under my dress and other times he’ll hug from behind, romantic shit like that. I guess he sometimes throws me a curve ball like resting his head on my thighs or just ignoring me and slipping under the covers, which is nice in its own way.” I say scratching my cheek.
Damnit, this was embarrassing to think about, let alone say out loud and this girl was just lapping it up like a brownnosing underdog of a hermit.
“So, you don’t take your clothes off beforehand or even change into sleepwear?”
“He got me some longue robes for the evenings we take it easy, so I guess? But otherwise, it’s feels better to peel stuff off during to build uh, tension. I suppose I did strip down buck naked to surprise him one time.”
At this she clasps her hands over her mouth and face reddens. I am beyond commenting at this point.
“Are you, do, do you wear ‘that’ to prepare? Can you show me?”
I gnash my teeth even harder and curse the entire Hakurei household for a hundred generations, but after verifying that Goro is still indeed star gazing, I lift my skirt to show what the perverse young lady asks. Her eyes grow even wider.
“Where did you buy that?!” She whispers.
“The second-hand store run by the for-eyes.” I jokingly whisper back.
“No way! Rinnosuke-San doesn’t know anything about that kind of stuff! All the village girls know that.”
“Of course, idiot. You have to go to Youkai Seamstresses for such clothing or find a human dealer. Now I’ve told you enough and flashed you, can we leave?” I ask.
“What do you two tell each other in the act?” She asks, her face about as red as her uniform at this point “Tell me that and I’ll let you go.”
Stay strong Seija, last stretch then you can go home and have lovey dovey bandaged sex.
“I’ll tease him about shit, he’ll say nice things about me to get under my skin, normal things like that. I guess the only thing out of the ordinary is that we’ll play this game where he tries to force me to say ‘it’. That’s typically where those claw marks on his back come from. Can we go now?”
“What is ‘it’?” She asks.
“I love you.”
For a moment, blissful silence.
“A-a-alright. I’ll let you go t-this time!” Hana begins, completely overloaded. “But that doesn’t mean I approve of people like you! If I ever catch you two flaunting that disgusting relationship around the village again, they’ll be consequences!” She yells, before quickly flying off.
Defeated in more ways than one, I walk over to Goro, who’s by this time gotten himself back up.
“Well, I guess this wasn’t a complete loss.” He speaks.
“How you figure?” I tell him, hand on my hip, I begin to count the reasons on my other hand. “We got thrashed by a Shrine Maiden, had her pry harder into our personal lives then a tengu looking for a scoop, and since our luck is so shit, Yukari probably saw all of it, so we’ll never hear the end of that. Hell, I bet that pervert Okina is watching just as well.”
“Yeah, about that, Voyeur number two, you want to come out now?” Goro asked.
From the ground a hole appeared and out of it popped two aqua blue hoops followed by a horrid woman talking in a voice ten years too young for her.
“Ahhh, no fun Goro-kun! Where’s that overt politeness you showed to Miko-san hmm? Or that impudent rage?” She asked.
“Sometimes it’s fun to be formal, other times it’s not my lady.” Goro shrugged. “Now care to tell us why you’re here?”
“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted so I’ll make this quick.” Seiga pouted. “Yukari has two missions for you freeloaders, the first was to help her gather intel on Hana’s ability, which you’ve already done a splendid job at.”
I knew it. If there was any constant in the world, it was that all sages and hermits were Voyeuristic perverts and now I was allied with another one. Just fantastic.
“I must commend you by the way, it’s rare Danmaku battles end in such a savage way let alone with two people being whipped! Although that was an admirable connection you two formed and a promising foundation for a new Danmaku style, say, are you two interested in Taoism?”
“Are you interested in my sandal up your ass?” I ask.
“You are the last person I’d ask to learn Taoism from and that list is long.” Goro remarked.
“Really! I can’t believe I share a side with sore losers like you two! But if you’re so desperate to get rid of me, I’ll finish my job as messenger and be on my way!” She began with a huff.
Great. What little errand did that purple clothed bitch want us to go on.
“So, have you two ever been to Hell?”

// Kosuzu 8

The route to Marisa's house wasn't too dangerous. As long as you followed the path and never left it, that is. Oh, and you had to get out of there before night fell or you'd be in danger anyways. Even did you shouldn't breathe in too deeply or you might inhale some spores that would play with your mind. The upcoming winter made even a forest like this seem to fall into a slumber. There wasn't even a hint of any animals, youkai or otherwise, as I followed the winding beaten path to Marisa's place. If I weren't so pressed for time, I could stop and admire the sights. The dim light filtering through the canopy, the browns and reds of the forest, it was all beautiful. Maybe I could back here and have a picnic with everyone when this was all over. That would be nice.

The road continues to twist and turn through the trees until it opens up into a clearing. There it was-The Kirisame magic shop. It still looked the same as it did when I last visited years ago. Her being holed up in a place as dirty as that wouldn't do her any favors so my being here was for her own good. Going up to the door, I see a note pinned there before I can knock.

"The Kirisame Magic Shop is currently closed. For personal manners, please see Alice Margatroid in the Forest of Magic. For inquiries about returning goods or paying debts, don't bother" I groan. I went all the way here only to find out Marisa had packed up and left. Even if I knew who Alice was, tromping through the forest looking for her home was not something little old me should do. I'd just have to turn back now and see what I could do. Maybe I'd take my chances with Reimu or ask Hana where she was, I did hear the two of them were close.

Something catches my eye before I can turn and head home. A doll had risen up from a little chair near the door and floated in the air in front of me. It was so cute, but not really Marisa's style. It points to the door and then to me, pausing in the air.

It took longer then I'd admit to realize what it wanted. "Yes, I'm here to see Marisa. Take me to her" I feel a little bit silly talking to a doll, magic or not. I'm not a little girl anymore.

With a bow of its head, the doll floats away before turning to make sure I'm following. I'm right behind my only lead. Though the many tall trees of the forest, onto old paths nearly reclaimed by nature we travel deeper into the woods. I feel vulnerable. We're heading further in the forest I've ever gone before and even a weak youkai would have no issue fighting off a doll and a regular woman if it wanted to.

I didn't have much time to worry as soon after I see another house. The doll floats ahead of me and disappears somewhere behind the house. The home seemed to be pretty normal, at least from my understanding of Western style houses. It was what was going on outside the home that caught my attention.

A bit further in the distance there was something being built. A house or some other structure, I couldn't tell what exactly it was. More dolls floated around, carrying supplies, working together to saw the wood and put it in piles. So cute! I stood there watching until I heard a voice speak from right behind me. "I enjoy watching them work as well. It's impressive what they can do"

I jump a bit at the unrecognized voice and spin around. There was a woman there. Green hair, red eyes, a plaid outfit. Something about her was strangely famil-Oh no. I've heard about Yuuka, one of the most feared youkai in Gensokyo. Here she was right in front of me, staring me down like a predator stares down it's prey. If she was here that mean Marisa and Alice were already-. The construction must be her work as well. It might be some sort of jail, or shack to cure the meat in. I'd be there as well. Maybe she'd serve me over rice and use the rest in a soup, or she'd just roast me with some herbs. She might even turn me into one of those hamburgers so popular in the outside world! I didn't want to end up as a Kozoburger!

"What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head as a slight friend forms on her lips. Play it cool, Kosuzu.

"I'm Kosuzu. I was going to see Marisa. She's here, right?" I say, standing tall and proud, ready to be struck down by this monster knowing my last moments would be one of bravery.

The frown on Yuuka's lips vanishes and she smiled instead. I honestly wished she didn't. "Oh, so you're one of Kirisame's friends? It's good to meet you. Yuuka Kazami, I'm currently working with her. She's here so you can come on in"

"Yeah. Sure" I say, at odds with the sudden familiarity she had. I followed Yuuka as she made her way to the door. No use in running so I had to follow into the trap. The door opened and I stepped inside to see something that surprised me.

It was normal. There were no corpses or rugs made out of flayed magicians. It was a clean and orderly room, nothing too bizarre about it.

There slumped in a large chair was Marisa, with a strange woman floating behind her.

// Hana 72-73

Hana often didn’t care for the more roundabout methods of doing things, she’d have rather walked right into the reception area and break down the door to Yukari’s office if she had business. She didn’t like sneaking and subtle things like that, only resorting to them when she had too. Something she had to do often it seemed, her weakness was obvious to even her, when it came to the powerful like Yukari she had no choice to do what she must. Well that and, there’s simply no way she’d just saunter up to the front desk and loudly tell the world her purpose, she didn’t have the fortitude of her mentor.

What must she do now? Well it was nothing she cared to do at least, every now and then that reporter tengu that helped make her life a living hell would come by and drop a bundle of food. According to Aunn, who watched from the miniature Komainu statue sitting in the mouth of the alley by their home, she’d drop by at least every other day at almost the same time. Apparently, she’d drop the parcel at the door, knock a few times, then leave in a flash once she heard someone coming to the door.

Why did she need that birdbrained nuisance? The answer was simple, there was no way in hell she’d venture into the HSE willingly and she couldn’t arrange a meetup during one of the, now at least, bluemoon visits with her mentor. That fox never left that building through normal means either, Hana knew since she often watched that building during the closing time and observed just about all kinds of kappa and tengu leave. Among their numbers was never the fox nor gap youkai herself, the solution was obvious in that they either lived there or simply used their gaps to get around. Hana was betting on the latter.

The only way to get in contact with that damned fox or even the gap hag herself was simple, she’d shake down the bird to get to the fox to get to the hag. Surely, if anyone knew where Ran went off too it’d be her, and the time she dropped her package was the only time she’d be able to find her. Aya had as of recent times, rarely been spotted in the village itself anymore, meaning that this was the only viable moment she’d nab her. Plus, you couldn’t beat that home turf advantage

Setting her ‘trap’ carefully, which in reality was merely her waiting by inside a broom closet. She stood inside her home along the ‘shortest’ path to the front porch and waited for Aunn to give the signal. Hana would slow her down with a seal to bind her movements before Aunn’s two bodies would restrain the dastardly bird with their strength. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but that’d never been Hana’s strong suit anyways…

Hana’s heart thumped in her chest, the little closet she was sequestered away in was stuffy as it could be, but if she just walked ‘forward’ from here after letting the world squeeze she could be beyond the front door in less than a second. Aya was fast, she knew that well from the times she saw her mother chase her off the shrine grounds, or when she dropped a paper in a dive before flying off without a trace.

Still, all Hana had to do was get a proper seal on at least one wing and that should be enough to bind them long enough for Aunn to pounce her… Hana hoped anyways, otherwise she’d have to brave all those jeering youkai AND the reporter tengu who’d undoubtable run an overblown story about how she ventured in all alone. At least this way she could leave things ambiguous as to what her purpose with the shikigami was, fortunately Hana knew well that the factions of youkai didn’t often talk with each other.

As well, it would answer her question as to why that tengu had seen fit to taunt her with her father’s cooking in more recent times. Damn slut not only rubbed it in her face that she was making moves on her father, but even sullied their precious memories! She’d know his take on comfort foods no matter how long ago it was he last made it, and she’d seen fit to insult her with it?! Hana wouldn’t be satisfied with only one or two swings of her Gohei… Perhaps they’d have some fried chicken for dinner?

It took awhile of stewing in her own violent thoughts and keeping the mop company, but finally the shadows of the deep night beyond her door must have moved. She heard Aunn’s signal first before she heard the knock reverberate through the frame of her home. Clutching the seals in her fingers she moved, she was fast as she walked into the wall. Fast enough that she let herself move ‘through’ the ground itself in order to get a perfect angle at the wings she let jut out from behind her. Aya was already ready to jet it seemed.

That bird’s instincts were sharp though, she must have felt her ill intent and turned quickly. Still, it wasn’t enough, Hana’s target wasn’t to harm the tengu after all. Neither did she need a straight line to hit those wings, Hana must have seemed to materialize behind the tengu as she sent off three seals towards her. She could tell, since the fierce anger and determination in the tengu’s eyes widened into something like surprise.

Aya had barely the time to shout in surprise before the seals landed true, Hana knew they must have appeared to vanish as she launched them to the sides and behind her. Aya was able to dodge the one that took the roundabout path and chased her from the front but the two on the sides were trickier, and approached her from a blind spot. Even as she kicked upwards it was already too late, the bird’s wings were clipped now. The seals did as intended and practically disabled the limbs affected, her wings dropped and could barely flutter the wind into a breeze.

That was when, and without wasting time, Aunn materialized; one coming from the statue in the alley and the other bursting out from the house through the door. Aya let out something approaching a squawk of, “Wait a minu-“ before the two Komainu’s let out a shout of, “Bad guys won’t get away~!”

Hana felt bad if she was to bother the neighbors so as the now flightless bird struggled to escape the grasp of the two komainu Hana moved in with the preprepared blessed ropes and muzzle. She could feel a bit of a smile creep up on her face as she forcefully looped the rope around her arms and waist before shoving in the cloth muzzle and tying it tight. With one last ‘Heave-ho!’ the two Komainu rushed the squirming bird inside her home as Hana followed suit, grateful for the dark of the night to mask her assault. The last thing she’d want was the neighborhood aunties to have a story to tell.

// Aya 48

Aya never knew there were lemons in Gensokyo, yet Nazrin’s lemonade wasn’t too sweet and went down smoothly. She reclined in one of the goddess’ many lounging chairs, one hand on her citric drink and the other subconsciously patting the attending mouse. Okina did the same across from her, insisting the tengu stay until nightfall. Her reason being that Tsukasa, if she recognized Aya, could track her movements at the mountain and village and advise her hooded acquaintance accordingly. Begrudgingly, the tengu agreed.

“The little strumpet was using a hidden exit. She has to be in cahoots with Yukari, meaning she’s up to no good. Threatening the Moriyan faith, spreading the lie to the tengu first, the fact Megumu thinks it’ll win brownie points with Yukari: Everything leads back to Tsukasa being the source of this rumor. That tall visitor has to be part of the lie. That’s the loose thread I’ll pull to unravel her entire conspiracy.”

The goddess held a glass of rich, blood-red wine that she swished as she listened to the bird squawking “I see. And how, pray tell, are you certain Tsukasa is the leader behind this? Perhaps Yukari is using her to control the entire mountain. It’d certainly be a mutually-beneficial arrangement.”

“Being a tool isn’t Tsukasa’s role, it’s her cover. Marisa told me about it: Three different people Tsukasa pledged loyalty to and when push came to shove, she ran away from each one. Megumu included.” The tengu chugged her drink down to dregs. With a snap from Okina’s fingers, Nazrin took the glass and walked off, a door appearing in front of her and disappearing with her just as quickly. “The only person that knows her goals is the harlot herself.”

“So between the Sage, daitengu and kuda-gitsune, you trust the trickster?”

Aya paused, mulling over her words. “Trust…? Wait, wait, I understand. All three of these people are liars and schemers. So Tsukasa’s appearance is about as honest as Yukari’s! But being afraid of my enemy’s plans won’t help me: I have to use the facts available to guide my actions. If my foes have armed a trap, I’ll devise my own plan to circumvent them. If I can’t, I’ll make them believe I have a plan good enough to make them hesitant to spring their own!”

The goddess was in awe at how far the girl had extrapolated her insult. The skill of a reporter, she assumed. “Sure, if that works for you. Just keep in mind that killing the fox may not be the best end for either of you. After all, can you bring yourself to kill the girl if you don’t know who she really is?” Ahh, the profound role of goddess, caretaker of Gensokyo’s inhabitants. Even a lowly tengu was worthy of her guidance.

“Why not? If that slut’s stealing Anon’s seed, I’ll wring every drop out of that blonde fox-hussy’s corpse.” There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in her voice.

Of course, Okina couldn’t resist testing her resolve. “And if she is, would you be willing to kill the children taking root in her womb? Sex is procreative, and you aren’t the only one to find the workaround to the contraception. Isn’t that right, Naz-chan?”

The tengu’s mind buzzed. Nazrin was pregnant by Anon too? Myouren temple’s strange additions took on a new meaning. And yet, this wasn’t Aya’s curent focus. Not yet, at least. “I’ll find out if she’s pregnant first, then I’ll decide what to do with her. Before that, I still need to dismantle this rumor at the source. It’s the best thing I can do for Anon and myself to make sure the Moriyans have the power to help him.”

It was frustrating how single-minded the girl had become. Too stupid to recognize the danger she was playing with, still too smart to back off from empty threats. Perhaps some mixture of drugs, magic, pregnancy and puppy love turned her brain to mush. “If you’re really this dead-set on your plans, then by all means—just show me your pictures before you end up on a griddle.”

Until nightfall, Matarajin’s spy went through each and every photograph in painstaking detail with her.

// Kosuzu 9

Marisa groggily sat up to look at me "Kosuzu? What are you doing here?" Marisa looked really out of it, like she hadn't had any sleep for days. The strange woman behind her handed her a blanket which Marisa took and wrapped around herself. With her green hair, blue dress with matching blue pointy hat and lack of any legs the woman certainly grabbed my attention but it would be rude to ignore the question.

"It's about Anon. I've been investigating the brothel and I think he's been held there against his will. I need your help" It was embarrassing to say something like this in front of new and unexpected people.

"Oh, we know that" the floating woman says.

"Uh, well did you know that powerful youkai are involved in keeping him there?" I say, caught a bit of guard.

"We do"

Ah fuck, I guess I should have expected someone to figure it out. It was Marisa's duty to look into incidents like this, and this one involved a friend so no wonder she knew. It didn't explain who her friend was, or why Yuuka was casually hanging around her.

Marisa looked up at her friend. The woman looked back. "This is my friend Kosuzu. She runs the bookstore in the village. We've known each other for decades"

The woman turns to me. "Well then. I am Mima. A goddess of magic and this one's mentor" She put a hand on Marisa's head leading to the magician batting it away with a grunt. I had known Marisa for decades and she never once mentioned this mentor to me. An obvious sign to not delve too deeply into this strange situation.

"So you wanted help to free Anon . We do have a plan to dismantle the HSE, but do you have anything to bring to the table?"

I bit my lip. I expected Marisa to be here alone so we could make a plan in which she did all the fighting. If Mima wanted me to join in on the brawling she'd be disappointed. "Well, I have the ability to read any language. I can detect things about books if they contain Youma energy, and I convinced them to let me inside if I have business there. I'm not a fighter"

Mima's eyebrow raises slightly. "I suppose I can find a use for you. For now just don't bring attention to yourself and see if you can keep your ear to the ground. Welcome to the gang Kosuzu. I'm sure Yuuka already introduced herself to you" I turn to see Yuuka give me a smile and I suppress a shudder. "The others are out. Alice is doing some shopping. Shinki is off preparing some regents we need. Hana is probably on her rounds in the village now"

So that meant Hana must know her father's actually imprisoned if she's part of this. Poor girl, I hoped she had someone to help her through this. But I was glad in a way, just including the people I knew about, we had a lot of firepower on this team. Our chances were looking good.

"I'll help out in anyway I can. You can find me in the Suzunaan if you need me. It's a bit risky coming all the way out here" I tell them.

"We can arrange for your safety, don't worry. Now Marisa. Tell your friend what you've been up to lately. She deserves to know" Mima floats in front of Marisa how did her best to burrow into the blanket. My ears peeked up, was there something going on I didn't know?

Marisa grunts. "Sorry for not visiting you lately. I've been busy training and helping figure out a plan to put an end to the HSE. I had to get settled into Alice's house after my equipment at my own house disappeared and..." She sighs "I'm pregnant"

I snort with laughter. Of course Marisa would try to throw in a joke. "You can't fool me, I believed Keine at first when pretended to be pregnant, but come on"

Marisa seemed to be a bit hurt by my words. she threw off her blanket and adjusted her body so her side was facing me. Taking her hands, she pressed her dress taut against her body. With the dress flush against her I could tell she gained a bit of weight. Oh. The sluggish and tired behavior, the protruding stomach. I've been there before.

My surprise quickly gives away to excitement. "Really Marisa? That's great! If you need any help just tell me okay, I'll babysit them if you need it. I still have some of the baby stuff from when I had mine, I'm.surebthe crib is still good so I can bring it over. Oh, it'll have to wait until we save Anon, but we have time, right? How long along are you? Who's the father? Why didn't you tell me about him?" I couldn't believe she would just drop something like this on me. I'm not sure why she hid it, but I'd support her all the same.

Marisa squirms and looks to Mima for support. She glared back at her. Marisa looks like she's about to be sick. "It's Anon" she chokes out.

There was a sharp pain in my chest and my vision goes white. The world fades away and I feel myself drifting off. When my vision clears, I'm in a grey fog and see Akyuu in front of me. She looked just as she did when she left. She smiles and opens her mouth to say.

"Don't be so fucking dramatic. You're fine. Get back there"

I open my eyes. I'm back in Alice's home.

// Yukari 24

In the hands of her caretakers, Flan left—a third ice cream in her hands, many affectionate hugs and promises of her returning to play more, to the migraine of her quaint sister—Ran audibly sighing of relief in the reception. The little blonde vampire is a delight when you get to know her, cuddly and excited, yet it still takes one mistake, one wrong spoken word…

Oh, well. Even with that solved and the HSE closed earlier, I have many things in my agenda: guide the media to write this 'incident' as just another good deed of mine, not the mess it was; check on Eirin's progress; have, of course, my joyous time with Anon and deal with Ibarakasen…

Still, something is much more of concern. "I'll be back in seven minutes, Ran," I say to my shikigami on the counter, nonchalant towards her answer as I focus, feet together, parasol clutched, eyes of incarnated death…! If not for my thick barriers, this monstrous magical pressure would've squashed the whole building into the ground…

—Found it~

I grin nevertheless as the space in front of me—unlike my elegant and smooth gaps—rips like a wound, a thousand red eyes crying blood.

I step through the gap, and, as the world changes, I stare forward with a placid smile, my sheer anger cold.

Okina stares back, a devilish smile.

Her minions are another story entirely, all frozen in fear, confusion, and awe, their master's sacred realm having been torn open like a sheet of paper—all barriers and defenses crushed under an almighty thumb. "Would you look at this?" Okina begins, resting her cheek on a palm. "… A visitor~"

"O-Okina-sama—" The purple one tries, but Okina simply raises her free hand, silencing them. I'm stared at from all sides, but my eyes never leave the Matarajin, and as I move forward, the tension is palpable, my pointé shoes leaving cracks on the ground.

One of Byakuren’s rats cowers by Okina; utter confusion paints a low fairy's—hm… no, not a fairy. More—face; yet even a being like her can feel the pressure in the room; finally, the colored servants prepare to fight, even though their limbs tremble—admirable, but useless.

I stop in front of the sat down Matarajin and stab my parasol's pointy end in the floor, leaning closer—so very close~one gap, her head rolls; a door, mine rolls.

The room holds its breath…

… And I softly say; "Flan was a sweetheart. We had lots of fun today~"

"Is that so?" Okina replies.

"You just had to see—it was adorable when Anon showed her our pond and the fishes~oh, she started to ask their names, but always got a tangled tongue trying repeating them. It filled my heart with warmth being her caretaker for the afternoon—" Okina was about to say some faux humorous remark and continue the charade, but decided to remain silent as I took a small, golden coin from a gap and wordlessly threw it up. "—but I don't commend imprudently bringing another nuclear device to my doorstep. It's quite nescient, and if you dare do it again—" All eyes followed the coin as it arched before landing on the blue newborn god's feet, whose confused eyes locked with mine… My face was of cold fury. "—I'll lock her in a gap, where she'll horribly die one million times, unable to revive here until I see it fit—each death will be more excruciating than the last, and you won't be capable of doing a thing. A minute for us, centuries for her—am I clear, Okina?"

The Secret God kept smiling—the emergent god wincing in sudden fear, unable to grasp the extent of what may be of her. Now she should understand what true godhood looks like—before waving with her hand, "Crystal, 'Kari… Next time, I'll be sure to send you a fax." The sweat drop on her forehead said more than her words.

I smiled, silent in front of Okina, letting the moment stretch, the fear settle, the consequences weigh… Slowly, I pulled my parasol out of the ground—elegantly posing it on my shoulder—turned and walked off.

However, stopped in my tracks and made a 'v' with my fingers, materializing between them a menacingly red bead with a nonchalant skull inside, my face pure smugness. Okina's breath hitched, but then she huffed. "Gah, it's been so long since I've been in the giving end of a cunnilingus… Ah, anyway~can you take pity on your sister sage and take on your cute 12-year-old form—"

"No." And I punctually leave, closing the gap with a sound akin to nails scratching a chalkboard.

Back at the Land of Backdoors, Okina practically melted on her seat, breath wild and hand massaging her temples, wide eyes on the spot where the bloody gash on reality stood until just now…

So many barriers and precautions broken; months of scrupulous work evaporated, "I have to prepare more…" Though, it's useless: just like Yukari can't hide a door from the Matarajin for too long, the Matarajin can't hide a boundary from Yukari for too long…

Looking at a shaken Cirno and panicked servants, Okina breathed heavily…

… Then she grinned, whispering something only the rat caught; "So much fun~"

// Aya 49

Appearing far from her encounter with Tsukasa, Aya felt the cold wind of the night. While she was tempted to check on Hana, it was imperative that she unmask Yukari’s associate now. Besides, she’d be back later with a treat for her: Dad’s homemade meals! Sooner or later, she’d have to talk to Hana. Sooner would be easier, considering Hana would notice her new half-siblings later… maybe she could put it off for two months.

Finding an empty area in the outskirts of the village, Aya took to the skies to spot Momiji at the roof of the HSE. Kilometers away, Momiji gave a signal to her far-off companion: The customer was still in reception and would soon leave through the front door. Diving close to the ground, the crow tengu made her way into the village, arriving at her hiding spot. Her camera was set and strapped tightly, legs ready to push, and eyes locked firmly on the front door. There was a minute left until her reservation came up. After fifteen seconds that stretched for eternity, the door to the HSE opened. A hooded figure causally ambled out, the sound of clinking metal accompanying them.

As soon as the door shut, Aya shot out, grabbing the tall figure’s cloak. It came off easily. As her camera automatically took shots, the tengu noticed that the mask came off too. In fact, it was sown in, along with a pair of hair buns and four iron manacles. Looking back to the spot the stranger was standing revealed nothing but darkness.

Dammit, this was supposed to be her big break! Capture Tsukasa’s ally and sweat them for details! Maybe it was some kind of illusion: The Three Fairies came to mind, but it was the dead of night. The moon wasn’t even full: Only the lonely stars shined. Then again, so did the HSE’s lights. Looking a little harder… There, on the ground—a shadow!

Aya could barely make out a figure: The head blended into the rest of the shadows, but around the shoulders were sharp angles. The abdomen seemed to have bulky clothes, and one arm extended outwards, holding something long and thin… that moved! Aya dodged the shadow of the invisible tool, hearing the wind whistle as her bangs fell to the ground. A blunt force followed quickly, colliding with the middle of her chest. Aya heard a clang of steel against steel as she tumbled, her body thrown back with enough force to skip across dry land. Braking herself, she saw Momiji looking into the sky, gripping her shield and giant sword tightly. The shadow was gone, leaving only a wolf with bristled fur.

Aya grabbed the cloak and ran over to her guardian, eager to investigate her piece of evidence. “Momiji, we got a lead! Let’s go inside, I’ll explain everything. Nice moves, by the way. I thought all that free time would you make you soft, but your reflexes are sharp as ever!” However, the wolf tengu didn’t reply, simply staring at Aya’s face with a weird expression. The reporter felt something hot and wet was flowing under her right eye. How embarrassing, crying after a fight. Wiping her cheek, she felt a sharp pain when she made contact with her face. As soon as she retracted her hand, the crimson stain explained everything. She didn’t completely avoid the swing.

The wolf tengu spared no effort, dragging Aya into the HSE by the shoulder and loudly calling for a medic. Aya pulled away, but the pain in her chest kept her escaping the wolf’s grasp. Ran, in shock at the crow tengu apparently missing half of her face, called for a group of yamawaro to take the girl for immediate medical attention. As much as it hurt, the tengu tried to end this farce before it got too far, wiping away all the blood to reveal the thin cut that spanned the bridge of her nose to her ear.

Her heart rate stabilizing, the shikigami waved the employees away. “Thank goodness you’re okay… What happened to you?!”
“I’ll tell you later. I’d just like to see Anon for a bit. I gotta cook something with him, alright?” The tengu stumbled to Ran’s desk and took a fistful of napkins to blot her cut. “I’ll wear a mask, don’t worry. I don’t want him seeing me like this.”

“Aya, I’m far more worried about you right now. Can you even make it to the shrine in your condition?” The kitsune’s genuine compassion made Aya feel warm inside… no, that was her lungs throbbing.

“Just let Momiji in with me. She’s a good girl, I won’t let her do anything bad to Anon. Right Momiji?”

The white wolf locked eyes with Ran. “I swear on my life that I won’t attack Anon. My duty is to ensure Aya yet lives.”

Two troublesome tengu, one bloody and the other bloodlusty. If Aya was vouching for her, perhaps she shared her pill with the girl before. Momiji was more attentive today… this girl. She flashed Aya a small grin. “Very well. Just don’t die on Anon. It’d be a sorry way to go.”

“Of course I won't. I gotta marry him first.”

// Yamashiro 16-18

Hello, I’m Kuma, a young Tanuki working under Miss Takane at the HSE. Don’t worry if you don’t remember my name, hardly anyone does.
Tonight, Miss Takane is taking me to a ‘business meeting’ at a youkai dinning pub so I can learn how to properly behave in professional matters. I’m happy that she’s taken me under her wing, although I don’t know why she bothers with someone so feeble as I…
Anyway! Master Futatsuiwa told me I shouldn’t reject an opportunity to learn from someone above my station, even if I don’t feel deserving so I’m going to give it my all regardless!
From the outside, the place looked like any other closed up shop, but as we passed the entry the difference was as if we’d dived into a lake. All kinds of Youkai, big and small we’re eating, drinking, conversing, and there was even a human or two here and there.
This gave me pause, Master always told me to be cautious about getting too close to humans, told me there were consequences for such a thing. It was strange since she and my sisters were always soliciting pets, guiding lost and drunk people home, and playing with children. What were the rules really?
At the back of the building, I saw two people seated at a table we approached, the strange broker we met before, Goro, and with him was what looked like a small Oni. They were sitting awfully close and Goro seemed more… comfortable? mature? I couldn’t say. Perhaps it was that strange priestly garb he wore or the black gloves he had on, humans are always changing but it’s so hard to tell how.
“Good evening you two.” He said with a smile as we approached.
The woman merely grunted, her chin firmly rested on her hand and staring at us as if we’d intruded on something.
“Yes, it’s been quite a while since we saw each other. Not sense Seija here last attempted to assault the HSE.” Miss Takane commented, nodding at the small Oni-like woman. “Or sense you protested in front of it. Gave us quite a scare.” She continued, this time nodding to Goro.
“Ehhh, I’ve seen inside that place to know it’s practically just another workday for you all.” The woman named Seija scoffed.
“My apologizes for that. Although I hope you know me well enough to tell my actions weren’t so senseless.” Goro remarked.
There had been several attacks at the HSE since it started, but Goro’s protest had made everyone nervous for some reason, even Ran, who is usually so cold looked at me with kind eyes and gently told me to retreat, even though I’m a tanuki and she’s a, well, I’m told slurring is bad and all our words for her kind qualify as one.
“Not senseless? Perhaps, but I wonder if you could say the same thing about coming over to our side or your choice of company.” Miss Takane said, squinting at the two.
That had seemed strange to me. As far as I knew, Miss Takane and Goro were plotting to free Anon somehow, but now Goro was working with Yukari? What’s more, I didn’t think that a Youkai so high up as her would ever deal directly with humans, although I heard Master Futatsuiwa and him where on good terms. It was all so confusing.
“Things are complex. You could say I’ve exhausted my options on one side and sitting on my laurels is just boring. I’m still working toward the same end.” Goro shrugged.
“Things are more fun around this idiot is all.” Seija sighed.
“Then I’ll take your word for it.” Miss Takane said with a curt smile.
“So, how is Anon? I’ve heard some wild rumors about him lately, but I can’t tell fact from those comics they’re selling around the place.” Goro asked.
“He’s doing better if you can believe it. A few visitors have become more, conjugal-like and less carnal. It’s not as if we still don’t have problem customers and the bosses’ private sessions are taking a toll, but he’s less defeated than before at least. The real concern is the number of bombs we’ve had to defuse these last few weeks, the scarlet vampire showed up out of the blue and that flower demon, Yuuka, brought an entire wheelbarrow full of compost for something we couldn’t fathom at the time.” Takane explained.
“I was wondering how she got all friendly with Flan.” Goro said, rubbing his chin.
“You’re acquainted? I didn’t think she ever left The Scarlet Devil Mansion or even roamed that place freely.”
“That blonde brat was dropped on us by the blonde hag.” Seija grimaced.
“She’s a handful alright. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy my time with her though, kind of a sweetheart if you’re durable enough. What about Yuuka though?” Goro added.
“She made a garden with Anon. Yuuka’s been the most surprising turn around, going from thrashing him to being one of his most cherished supports. I might rethink my image of her, were it not for those scars she left on him. “Takane answered, closing her eyes.
As Miss Takane got closer to Mister Anon, she had become more like a mother hen I thought. Nesting with Mister Anon and at times even protecting him from harm when she could. It was unlike before when she had only focused on strange things like ‘efficiency’ and ‘throughput’. Now, even as our workload had increased, she seemed less stressed and more kind.
“That tracks, I always wanted to pay her a visit, figured we could work out a deal where she could sell her flowers to the village and I would take care of the people side of things, but then that lead me down a rabbit hole of what kind of flowers can be moved without killing them and what happens if she shows up at a buyer’s house and they forgot to water it?” Goro waved his hand, taking a sip of his drink.
“Her reputation just doesn’t match her outcomes you know; most violent Youkai leave a bloody trail. Either means she’s nuts but hides it exceptionally well or that she’s just anti-social and lonely, like my little Amanojaku here.” Goro said, smiling at Seija who promptly jabbed him in the arm.
Anti-social? What a strange phrase, I’ve been called that before, does that mean Yuuka isn’t a blood thirsty monster and is just nervous around people like me? But Mister Anon’s scars…
Also, I don’t have a good sense for these things, but it seemed to me that these two adults may be lovers. That’s definitely too close for a Youkai and a Human!
“And what about you two? Besides Vampiric babysitting, what work has she given you?” miss Takane asked.
“Getting our asses kicked by a shrine maiden and now we gotta march through two hells on a ‘diplomatic mission’.” The Amanojaku groaned.
“She’s been training us a bit. Seija and I have a working relationship that convinced her we were worth brining on and she’s currently helping us to maximize that potential, which seems to involve us meeting with Hana-chan and getting whipped proper.”
“Anon’s daughter?” Miss Takane said, her face turning concerned.
“Is she well? I’ve wanted to visit her for so long, but I think I’d only trouble her since so many other women, especially those expectant mothers, must be causing her trouble.”
“Smart move Yamawaro, that girl hates Youkai even more then her mother and she well, she’s a teenager.” Seija added, blushing.
She seemed to be hiding something, acting so meek after being so blunt earlier.
“She’s young and taking her job a little too seriously, I think it’s a way to make up for her mother’s mistakes. Once she’s with her father again I believe she’ll get sorted out.” Goro commented.
I really wanted to meet her now, this Hana. These adults talked about her sort of like I’ve heard older Tanuki discuss me while they thought I wasn’t listening. Maybe we could be friends?
Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but feel lonely in places like this. All these people around and all this discussion, but where was I supposed to jump in? I wanted to ask these questions, even if it would be too much of a bother for these people.
This was probably why I had no friends. I couldn’t reach out to a that black cat that serves under Ran who’s my age, I couldn’t talk back to Master Futatsuiwa, and I could barely hold a conversation with a fairy.
“What’s this I heard about two hells then? Are you two being sent to create provisioning deals or some other kind of diplomacy?” Takane asked.
“Nothing. The head boss lady just wants us to meet with the big wigs of both and nothing else.” Seija said.
“She’s right I’m afraid. Our only instructions are to show up, tell them who sent us, stay for tea, and be on our way.” Goro shrugged. “In exchange well, we’ve been promised an ‘impossible meeting’.” Goro explained scratching his head.
I’ve heard about the two hells, the former one is where all the bad youkai were put so they wouldn’t bother anyone else and the other is an afterlife for evil humans and animal spirit gangs. It didn’t seem like a place a living human should go to!
“An ‘impossible meeting’ huh, how auspicious. Must be something only the boss could put together.” Takane thought aloud, tapping her arm. “Just be careful in either hell. They’re quite proud and territorial down there, not that it’s so different from up here, but they have a dogma you’re not used to.”
“Yeah sure ‘Mom’, just make sure to pack our lunches.” Seija jeered.
Their conversations went on much like this, casually brining up many topics I didn’t understand like ‘maternity leave’, ‘topology’, and ‘economic imbalances’. By the time they were finished, I could feel my head spinning round and round.
Ah, I’ve been here all night, but I haven’t even said anything! I should really bring up some topic, just so they know I’m not mute, but what to ask, what to ask…
“Are you two getting married!?” I blurt out.
For a single moment, the entire bar is silent. In the distance, I hear one of the odd humans holler a ‘way to go bro!’.
Miss Takane and Seija are both frozen, but Goro merely smiles and approaches my seat. Kneeling, he whispers something in my ear.
I blush at the absurdity of the statement but find myself nodding at it regardless.

// Hana 74-77

How do you intimidate a 1000+ year old crow tengu you have bound and tied in your living room? Well in all honesty Hana had no idea, its not like she didn’t think that far ahead or anything! Its just… Well usually the way to scare a youkai was too beat them around a bit, once you establish that you’re the more powerful one they’ll eat out the palm of your hand while you kick them in the ribs.

In the case of the bird, well... She certainly didn’t look scared, even all bound up with the double dogs giving her best growls periodically. Aya simply glanced between them while keeping her eyes away from Hana’s own. Hana had met them on occasion, as she sat on the other side of the small table that was bare of all but a small basket of mandarins and a candle that sat between them.

Under the warm light of the lamps on the wall and the candle that blazed brightly Hana could make out something behind her eyes as they sat in relative silence. Though its nature eluded her, it wasn’t fear or even anger. Despite the lack of knowledge as to the true nature of the emotion hidden behind the crow tengu’s eyes, Hana had already wasted too much time on staring her down and letting Aunn’s… terrifying? Display of aggression play out.

Finally Hana spoke, her voice in her professional exterminator mode; a voice utterly devoid of levity and with an underlying coldness to it, “Shameimaru-san, I’ll make this simple. You have information I want about that youkai fox that runs that damn den of evil.”

Hana reaches into her pouch, pulling out a sizable number of seals and placing them on the table directly in front of her. After a moment of letting Aya eye them and discerning their true nature she spoke again, “I don’t have time to play guessing games with you simply speaking, for every lie I or my friend detects I’ll place another seal on you.”

Aya squinted at Hana, it didn’t exactly seem like a glare but… she returned it with one, “You’ve been a thorn in my father’s and my own side for quite a while, printing out that slander non-stop for years, even…” Rage was flaring in the back of Hana’s mind now that she remembered it all, “Even printing those lies about me and my father’s situation! Making everyone believe outright lies about how horrible we were!”

Hana quelled that anger quickly, not letting it influence her conscious mind and cooling her voice, “It takes four seals to destroy the spirit of a weakling youkai, around 6 is they’re particularly feisty, I’ve never had the chance to see how much it’d take to destroy a tengu. I’m very curious to find out.”

With that threat out of the way Hana could see a sort of wariness in the tengu’s eyes, well it wasn’t fear, but good enough. She’d make the fear come later if it was needed. Hana glanced at Aunn who caught the glance and followed Hana’s eyes down to the tengu, Aunn nodded.

One of the Aunn’s pranced off with a “Right away, I’ll get the tea!” Hana wanted to facepalm or shout something. Instead, with an outward calm she looked at the Aunn left in the living room who returned her gaze with a big happy expression as if she wanted to be praised. Hana sighed, “T-thank you for getting the tea ready, but I meant the gag, just take it off Shameimaru-san already, please!”

With an ‘ah!’ Aunn leaned down and loosed the cloth gag, Hana could practically see the repressed smirk on Aya’s face as the atmosphere was blown away by that happy-go-lucky pup. Hana wasn’t one to miss a beat at this juncture, she’d been humiliated worse after all.

Readopting her exterminator voice Hana tried her best to recover, “Shamimaru-san, my first question to you i-“

Suddenly Aya very nearly slammed her head onto the table and with a loud nearly squawking voice exclaimed, “On behalf of the Bunbunmaru and this humble reporter I ask your forgiveness for all I’ve done to wrong you and your familyandiknowitisn’tenoughtomerelyaskforgivenesswithwordsbu-“

This time it was Hana’s turn interrupt, she was completely thrown off guard by this, “S-shut up I get it, I get it! I can’t even understand you!”

Aya lifted her head, looking into Hana’s eyes, whatever fell mood came over the tengu was clearly enough to put both Hana and Aunn in a state of confusion… Was… Was Aya actually crying?! A sniff left the crow tengu’s nose as her eyes were waterlogged and she suddenly burst into tears, letting out a loud sob as she choked out, ‘I’m swrry I’m swrry I did dat pwease don hate me~!’

Hana looked at Aunn, who looked at Hana, who looked at Aunn in return. With an unsteady hand Hana reached across the table and patted the Tengu’s back as she awkwardly soothed her, “Uh… Er… Sorry for scaring you and uh…”

At a complete loss Aunn too patted the sobbing tengu, the trio stayed like that for a bit until the other Aunn came back with a tray of tea and snacks for them all, it seems Aunn had gotten the good sweets from the local confectionary Hana wanted to save… well… if it’d settle this stupid crow…

Aya was nibbling on a square slice of the chestnut speckled treat. Despite still being bound and fed by hand by Aunn, who was all smiles and still in ‘big sister’ mode ever since the tengu cracked into tears, Aya was notably more calm. Albeit she was still a bit weepy, saying that she ‘was so happy that Hana-chan took after her father so well’

First sobbing, now so happy that she shed tears of joy? And what was with that bird calling her ‘chan’? Hana barely even knew the bird after all, the amount of times she talked to her personally could be counted on her hands, and even then it was for her stupid paper.

Hana would’ve pressed the tengu but every time Hana tried asking a question Aunn would give her those eyes, mad eyes she’d give her back when she was getting scolded for being naughty. Hana had shut up then and sipped at her own tea and nibbled on her share of the sweets. At least it was clear that Aya was recovering, Aunn’s ministrations and spoiling seemed to go a long way along with Hana’s occasional half-hearted word confirming that she wasn’t really mad anymore.

Even Hana’s seals were tucked away now and out of sight, she could still grab them at a moments’ notice. Though Hana didn’t feel it would be all that necessary all things considered, she couldn’t detect a trace of falsehood in Aya’s act and it seemed her emotions were genuine. Plus, she did trust Aunn’s senses about this, that little Komainu was perceptive at times like these.

Aunn wiped Aya’s tears once more and let her clear her nose into a handkerchief after the tea and snacks were finished. Silence took hold for a bit as Hana figured that now would be the time to continue her questions, albeit with more tact than before lest she get a grumpy Aunn to deal with later.

Hana couldn’t help but scratch her head as she thought. It was paradoxically harder to deal with the tengu now that she was docile and comfortable, but Hana wouldn’t get anywhere if she didn’t take the initiative and she couldn’t press her too hard right now. The miko-in-training cleared her throat, getting the mollified crow tengu to look at her with eyes still red from the tears, “Shameimaru-san, I was hoping you could answer some questions for me…” The tengu nodded without a word, “I have need to contact Yukari’s shikigami, the ninetailed fox named Ran, it seems she’s quite elusive when she’s not manning the reception desk. I’ve little interest in meeting her in such settings. you see…”

Aya nodded, an understanding filled her eyes as she seemed to connect some kind of threads, “I can do that… I…” she seemed to settle on a thought, “I do know what she gets up too outside of that place, so I can find her and pass along a message. Ah, she will ask what the purpose of the meeting is before she’ll meet with you, what should I tell her?”

Hana thought about things for a moment, but decided that in this case the truth would be for the best. After all, knowing Aya she’d find out afterwards anyways, “Simply put, I’ve been trying to figure out the reasons for why Yukari-san has done this, I have my suspicious but… The fastest way would be to pry it out of her”

Staring at Hana Aya suddenly burst out laughing, surprising Aunn and Hana alike with her outburst. A throaty laugh, as if she couldn’t suppress that inner crowlike aspect of herself which threatened to overtake her, “Y-you wanna…! For such a reason...!” Another outburst overcame her as she choked out, “Just going to walk up to Yukari and…!”

Clearing her throat Hana got the crow tengu’s attention as the outburst faded away, “Yes…” she sighed, “I’m done speculating about why and why not, nothing she’s done makes sense from how I heard she was before! I think that if I can simply figure out why she’s doing this then me and my friends can shut it down faster than if we don’t!”

Aya seemed to have recover finally, an unusually sharp look overtook her face. Hana couldn’t help but wonder if all the tengu were this insane in how they acted as Aya spoke with the laughter in her voice gone, “What makes you think Yukari will allow you to walk out of there alive? What makes you so sure that she needs any reason at all to do such things?”

Meeting the tengu’s gaze she answered clearly, she’d had a long time to think of this before, “Yukari-san isn’t acting normally, from who I’ve spoken too about it and my own memories they seem to agree that the way Yukari-san is acting isn’t consistent with the past. She’s never worked like this before and it seems that even her personality has changed from what it once was. She is, I believe, acting under some specific compulsion… though, what I don’t know.”

Hana gathered her thoughts for a second before continuing, though now she was less certain than before, “I don’t… I don’t know if I’ll walk out of there alive, but I think that she isn’t insane. She’s too collected for that and I think we both know that she wouldn’t hurt someone without reason. And… well…”

The only word that could describe the tengu’s eyes was ‘scrutinizing’, and Hana could tell that her experience in discerning the truth was no joke. If only she’d actually tell the truth on her own papers… With caution in her voice as she tried snubbing down the fleshy memories of her past dealings, “Yukari has… She’s harassed me several times, threatened me and my father, even used me as a bargaining chip to control my father. Long before all this she’s given me warnings and threats and yet, I don’t believe she’d go through with taking my life so easily”

Shuddering at the memories of it all she continued, “Shameimaru-san, before I go into this next part. I have one question for you, if you’d answer it.”

Nodding the reporter tengu waited for Hana to continue, “Shameimaru-san, for what reason do you drop off that food to my house in the dead of night. I could believe it was an apology if that was it, but you somehow were able to get my father to make his old cooking that he used to make when I was a child… I don’t believe your relationship is merely… as casual as you made it out to be in your reviews of the place, is it?”

Aya faltered as her critical eyes melted under the question, though it was short lived and Hana was surprised to see a fiery resolve burn inside her. Aya’s voice took on a softer edge now but there was no mistaking a solid determination behind her voice, “Hana-chan, you’re right. Its not as casual as you think, but don’t believe I sent you that food as anything but a gesture of goodwill. Hana-chan, I’m eggnant.”

She was… what? Even Aunn, who’d been following this conversation with one of her bodies on each side of the crow was looking a bit perplexed. Aya didn’t stop however, the same determination carried her on, “I used him, yes. I used him like many of those other women did, but I regret it deeply. You should rightfully hate me for that, but I’ve grown to love him deeply! I had him make his cooking to give to you because I wanted you to be able to communicate with him in some way.” Hana’s world was spinning already, she was… what? “I never touch him without consent anymore, and I respect his wishes. I’m as determined as you to get him out because I’m pregnant with four of his children and the only thing I want more than to make him my husband is to set him free and let him choose to come with me willingly!”

Hana’s world spun around in a hyperbolic circle until she closed her eyes, she felt them scrunch as she massaged her temples feeling an oncoming headache. It took her a second before she spoke, “I’m sorry Shameimaru-san, it seems I misheard you… can you repeat that?”

Without fear Aya spoke up again, “Hana-chan, I’m pregnant with your father’s children and I want to make things right”

‘I uh… Well… t-that’s…’ Was all Hana could get out, out of all the possible answers she expected that wasn’t it, there was just no way she could reasonably expect that answer you know! It was insane. A youkai falling in love with her own father and getting… pregnant…!? WITH FOUR CHILDREN?!

Aunn herself was at a loss letting out a whine as she looked at Hana. Aya was quick to bring her back on track, “Hana-chan, I know it’s a lot to take in but now its time for your side of the bargain, why don’t you believe Yukari-san would kill you?”

Trying to focus all the subtly was gone from the shellshocked miko and all she could do was reply, “Ah, that’s because I think Yukari-san is obsessed with my father and is using me to control him to try and gain his affections…”

Hana could feel her soul leak out of her mouth already, Marisa was one thing and she would be proud to have to have the witch as her mother. Yukari’s affections was another thing all together, it wasn’t even certain as it was anything more than just a women’s, and perhaps a Hakurei’s intuition. This though? This was just… It made her stomach roil.

By the time Hana could really take in Aya’s expression the tengu was looking at her with that same disbelief in her eyes, though now there was no laughter. Hana could barely even hear her voice, “Hana-chan… what is your reason to believe that…?”

Still reeling Hana could only make the suggestion blankly, “ah well, it’s simple. I just started feeling that Yukari-san had some kind of ulterior motive than what she used to tell me of punishing father and all. The more I looked into it the more I learned of how she would always accost father without my mother around before they divorced and all.”

Using the remaining bit of her mental faculties she continued while censoring just enough of the true details with her monotone voice, “There’s simply no reason for her to do all this just to punish one man even if he broke a promise to her, it breaks all of the taboos of Gensokyo and all, and it is entirely irrational…” Hana breathed in, “It’s… the more I learned of her methods, like when I spoke to Kosuzu-san about her experiences with her before, the more I realized that the only reason she was keeping father caged was for herself… I can’t ignore my gut that’s telling me the cause of all of this is that Yukari-san is obsessed with father. So, until she gets what she wants or is denied it she won’t kill me or she’d risk losing him.”

Hana couldn’t, or didn’t care to make out Aya’s expression that settled over her face. Hana was in her own little world, a world of coming to grips that her own father impregnated, and got a rumor-mongering crow tengu of all youkai, so insanely devoted to him. All Hana knew is that the room went silent, Aya wasn’t laughing and even Aunn who already knew the situation loosely didn’t make a peep.

It didn’t take long for Aya’s binds to be removed, the package of food left on the table, and Hana to be ushered by Aunn into a hot bath. Aya left shortly after the conversation ended, she herself didn’t seem to want to say a word either. It really didn’t help things that Aya didn’t make fun of her supposition, though at least she agreed to arrange a meeting between Ran and Hana.

In bed now, Hana couldn’t help but let a whimsical thought take over. Tengu did lay eggs, right? Would Aya be okay birthing four eggs? It must look amazing… She’d ask later if she could, for now she hugged her dear sister and let sleep take her.

// Ran/Chen 41

My hat is busted. It happened yesterday before Flan's funeral; it fell off from my head onto the forest floor—small animals nibbled on it; some stomped it, and it must've tossed around, fraying on sharp sticks and stones… But that's nothing: Ran can just fix it in a second with a gap—yet…

I approached Ran, sat with Mr. Anon—calmly knitting our last batch of warm clothes before winter—on the kotatsu, her tails lazily hanging around them—it should be so warm and fuzzy in there… No! Cuddling comes later!—, eyes focused on a paper with a bunch of math on it; "Ran." I call and, with two pairs of eyes on me, show my ruined hat and the remaining of Flan's golden silk, cleaned and rolled into a beautiful yarn—a work done by me and Mr. Anon yesterday. His eyes flare with love. "I wanted to repair my hat with this silk—b-but not with the gap! It'll ruin Flan's silk!" It probably wouldn't… The thought made me uneasy anyway. "So I wanted to ask if you know someone who knows how to fix hats, specifically with spider silk."

Ran's ears perk, and she looks at Mr. Anon for knowledge; "Spider silk is very sturdy and fine; it starts as liquid, after all—so it takes tremendous skill to repair something like Chen's hat with it… Sadly, my experience with hats is lackluster at best—not like Hana or Reimu needed knitted hats with those outrageously big bows they use!" Pain flashed in his eyes, but it lasted only a moment before being replaced with something that filled my heart with joy.

"So there is something you're not good at~" Ran remarks with a giggle, and Mr. Anon pokes her ear in revenge. They play fight, and though it's endearing, it aggravates my mood—I make sure to make it clear with a pout. Composing herself as if she's not blushing and hiding laughter, Ran resumes, "Well, hm… I do know someone with capable hands. I'll think you'll like her a lot—just a moment, I'll check if her atelier is open." In a whim, she pecks Mr. Anon's lips and disappears into a gap.

I stare at him, tails bobbing, and he signs for me to get close. I do it, confused—

—and then he pets my head, "Thanks." His voice is soft. Huh?

"For what?"

He glances at the yarn we three made together, and I understand— "For being you." —… because it's fresh, raw, and many fears and doubts persist. Still, I think it makes him happy to see that these wounds won't remain only wounds but will close and turn into scars and, like the books I'll write for each star, another story to tell—in a different way, but a story all the same.

… It scares me, though, how the wounds of his departure may feel—would they ever truly close? It feels like a hole too big to be filled…

My eyes squint, and I pull him into a tight hug, the man reciprocating it, unaware of the sad thoughts crossing my mind. I store them away, to think more, elaborate them—and enjoy the now… On my hands, a little spider threads—

Ran returns a moment later, and I think Mr. Anon communicates something to her with his eyes because Ran soon joins the hug, her nine tails like a protective cocoon around us. Two sets of kisses are planted on my scalp, and any remaining bad thoughts vanish.

A quiet moment of love, only ours…

—and the 'now' feels that much more precious.

—

Some minutes later, I and Ran go through a gap and end up in what appears to be deep inside a cave with the ceiling obscured by rocks and stalactites, though as we walk a beautifully paved path with many colored, shining stones, it may also have been a different world full of wonders: the walls were covered in artisanal spider webs, which serve no purpose but were breathtaking to look at—the patterns, hm… It can't be the doing of a spider like Flan, who was an orb weaver; one would think then 'tangled webs', but I doubt a Black widow or such would live under these conditions—oh, so probably—

My eyes go wide, and I gasp as we reach our destination; a cozy home nestled in the walls, a hole in the cave-ceiling showering the house with natural light and flora.

But the most impressive had to be the layout: a massive funnel of bonny, sturdy web, strong enough to withstand storms.

With big, glimmering eyes, I turn to Ran and point at the house. "A tunnel weaver did that!" I said, and Ran giggled. "Ran! A tunnel waver! I've always wanted to see a tunnel weaver, but there are none back at the HSE, and I found none in my expeditions throughout Gensokyo! RAN…!" I yell, then excitedly whisper: "… a tunnel weaver built that house—how big do you think it is?"

"I fear to disappoint, but only 4'11," the voice says as the door opens—a beautiful blonde lady stands there, draped in warm browns and golds, making her warm smile an invitation by itself—then I see the idle, thick limbs hovering behind her and immediately recognize: SPIDER LEGS! I look at her with adoration as she turns to Ran with a nervous smile. "Wow… y-you didn't lie."

I'm beet-red embarrassed. Ran laughs.

"Well… Welcome to my humble atelier! The name's Yamame Kurodani!"

// Alice 6-8

Breathe Alice, breathe. No one is judging her, heck no one even knows that she’s going to the HSE. For all they know she’s going to buy food or something. Those glances and murmurs are just because she’s a Youkai magician who rarely comes to the village. O-Or they aren’t even about her. After all, why would people pay attention to someone who looks human?

The same cannot be said about approaching the building proper. The place is given a wide berth save for its patrons and the hawkers peddling their goods. It's not that far in purely physical terms, but to leave the crowd and form of plausible deniability…

Though she’s already lost that hasn’t she? What person would just stand out in the open and stare at the HSE? That’s extra weird. As her pulse quickens, Alice begins to walk towards the building. It’s simple really, all she has to do is keep her head up and walk normally. Tons of people come to the HSE so it’s not weird. Not to mention she’s walked every day of her life since she was a baby. All she has to do is not think about it and keep moving forward. That is important though because if she started walking funny then everyone would look at her and then people would know.

Thankfully she isn’t walking funny and no one has noticed her. No Tengu mangaka spotted her and began calling her over for a free copy of ‘A Night in the Doll House’. Even if that did happen, Alice isn’t such an idiot that she’d hurry up and then start walking funny and then realize that she was walking weirdly and so try to correct but she’d overcorrect and…

None of that happens thankfully, so she has a normal expression upon entering the establishment (through a door whose lower hinge is broken for some reason). Entering, Alice wilts from everyone turning to look at her, said feeling is made worse when the snickering begins along with murmurs about Shanghai.

Standing proud like her mother taught, Alice puffs up her chest and walks to Ran. The fox gives her a friendly smile that has just a few too many teeth, “Hello miss Margatroid. I presume your Shanghai is fine now?”

Keeping her eyes trained on her feet Alice replies, “Shanghai is doing fine. Thank you for asking. How much for a ‘lazy Saturday’ package?”

Ran raises a tail up to silence Alice as she digs through a binder, “Free. Or rather, you do not have to pay for anything today as you’ve already paid for…”

Ran again flips through the binder before continuing, “Twelve sessions. You have paid for twelve sessions but have yet to attend one.”

There’s a pause after that. Seeing that Ran for whatever reason won’t give her the queue ticket Alice finally replies, “Okay.”

As the silence returns Alice adds, “Give me the ticket.”

The damn fox gives that toothy smile again as she replies, “Ah, my apologies. I must have forgotten” and hands Alice the ticket. In a huff, Alice storms over to a corner to wait until her number is called.

***

The changing room is quite expansive and carries miko costumes for pretty much all of Gensokyo. The quality is quite impressive when one factors in the sheer number that had to be produced and the presumably short timeframe it had to be done. Alice would like to share notes with whoever made them… were it not for the reason they made them. Maybe she could get Marisa’s help in assaulting and robbing whoever made the dresses, though that line of thinking is probably why said mysterious seamstress is mysterious.

The racks are convoluted and messy, she’ll need to check each rack individually. Starting with say the one with Kasen, Suika, and Yuugi before ending on the rack for Marisa, Patchouli, and that third one that she doesn’t need to check.

Phew, Aya, Hatate, Megumu, Momiji, Ran, if only these racks were organized in a clear manner so sh-wait! Ran? Looking back, Alice spots the rather unimpressed fox looking through a small gap. Long after the eye contact gets awkward Ran asks, “Are you having issues finding anything? I can’t help but notice you are in the Tengu section rather than the Magician section.”

Alice chuckles nervously, “Oh, this is the Tengu section? That’d explain… all the tengu. Where’s the Magician section?”

A tail reaches through the portal to point at the racks across the room, “Over there, the ones starting with Marisa and Patchouli.”

Alice begins to sweat as she replies, “Over there? Ah, I didn’t realize that uh… Thank you.”

With a curt, “You’re welcome” Ran closes the gap.

Deep breath in, slow breath out. Deep in, slow out. The path to the shrine feels long, far too long. Maybe Ran or Yukari made it longer. Even going from her house to the shrine is faster than thi-Flowers.

There are a lot of flowers in the yard. An unreasonable amount, how could so many flowers possibly be in full bloom at the same time? It’s beautiful certainly, b-but it’s weird and she should go investigate.

As Alice gets on a knee for a closer look, a voice behind her asks, “Lovely, aren’t they?”

With an entirely dignified noise, Alice falls while attempting to both run from and turn to the voice at the same time. Succeeding in only the latter action Alice stares up at Anon before nodding, “Y-Yeah.”

Anon seems taken aback by Alice’s tumble before quickly offering a hand, “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to frighten you. Are you alright?”

Anon… is holding out his hand towards Alice… for her to hold. Her first… Alice quickly accepts Anon’s offer while desperately attempting to quell the rising heat in her cheeks. Remembering that he said something or other, Alice nods again, “Yeah.”

When Alice gets up and yet does not let go, Anon shoots a quick glance at his hand prompting her to pull hers back, “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

Anon waves it off, “It’s fine, heck it wasn’t a problem to begin with. Do you want to come in?”

Suddenly becoming very interested in the patterns in the packed dirt leading to the shrine, Alice replies, “Yeah, I have… I want to talk with you.”

Looking back, Anon says, “Right, come on. Make yourself at home in the living room, I’ll go whip something up.”

Alice fidgets with the hem of her, rather short, miko costume as Anon brings in tea and cookies. Despite the number of times she’s had this conversation in her head, everything she wants to say has merged into one big shapeless ball—always so close yet so far away.

Anon however does not seem interested in giving her time to place her thoughts in order as he asks, “So to what do I owe the pleasure?”

How to respond? ‘Because I want to give to you for-’ no, that’s too forward it has to be something a bit more meandering. ‘I owe you-’ no, no that’s also weird. Anon probably doesn’t consider it a debt so throwing that in would only make things more awkward. Maybe something like ‘I appreciate what you did for Shanghai-

Tired of this, a doll crawls out of Alice’s pocket and flies onto the table. Upon landing, she curtises to Anon. Seeing this Alice panics and words begin to tumble out unbidden, “I uhh owe you for Shanghai so I wanted to give you something. I-I made a doll. I-If you don’t like it or can’t accept it t-that’s okay.”

Bringing his hand out to the doll, Anon chuckles as she hugs it, “I wouldn’t say you owed me anything for Shanghai, but I definitely appreciate it. Does she have a name?”

Alice’s panic subsides somewhat as she replies, “Y-You’re right, I didn’t owe you. Still, you left a very good impression on Shanghai so I uhh wanted to do something in return. I didn’t give her a name yet, so you can. Just uhh please ask for her approval. Not that I think you wouldn’t, it’s just that people think less of them because they are dolls even though they have feelings just like us.”

Anon’s attention is split between Alice and the doll currently climbing his arm like it’s Everest as he replies, “I understand. No offense taken, you just want to look out for ‘em. Trust me, I get that. Speaking of, is she going to be fine staying away from her creator and other dolls? I wouldn’t want to pull away from her friends and family.”

Alice seems to puff up a little as she replies, “Of course! Ever since I met Medicine I always ask dolls if they want to do things before giving them orders. I can ask again if you like.”

Leaning over to get close to the doll on Anon’s shoulder (and Anon by extension) Alice asks, “Hey, are you fine with living here with Anon?”

The doll in turn nods before nuzzling Anon’s neck, prompting him to smile, “Well that solves that I suppose. Still, if she ever gets homesick and wants to go back I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

Alice shrugs, “If it ever comes to that. Truth be told I can’t remember the last time a doll didn’t want to do something when asked. When I’m making them, I create them with a specific purpose in mind and they almost always take to their purpose like fish to water.”

Anon nods sagely as the doll begins to explore his chin and facial hair, “And the dolls that don’t take to their purpose?”

Alice smiles wistfully, “Then there’s always something that they’re even more interested in. Accommodating them is easy enough, just let them do the thing they want and make another doll to fill the job they were supposed to do.”

Anon sighs, “Well that certainly seems like an easier form of parenthood, though I’d not give up my own for anything in the world.”

Alice shakes her head, “It might be easier per creation, but you forget how many dolls I need to watch over. B-But, in response to what you said before, I don’t think she’d need to come home. We could just come over and visit.”

Anon looks down at the doll trying to pull back one of his fingers, “If you have as many dolls as I’ve been led to believe, I’m not sure I’d survive that.”

Alice blushes, “They’re not all clingy… No, that’s a lie. They aren’t all as clingy as her. Given that she wasn’t created with an occupational duty she’s a bit more… affectionate than say a gardener doll.”

For some reason that analogy seems to click for Anon given how his eyes light up, “Oh, like a working dog and a lap dog. A working doll and a lap doll.”

That… foolish comment prompts the doll to stomp on his hand. Alice can’t imagine that hurts, but from experience, she can say that the look said doll is giving him definitely does. Turning to the doll Alice says, “Don’t say that. Every doll is a working doll. It doesn’t matter if they are a doll that helps sew, oversees other dolls, or cuddles, they each fill an important and unique role.”

The doll beams at that prompting Anon to scratch his neck (with the hand a doll isn’t currently standing on), “Ah, my mistake. I’m sorry Miss Doll, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

The doll huffs for a moment before immediately caving and nodding enthusiastically. For some reason, she then begins rubbing her eyes and wanders over to a napkin. Before slipping under her makeshift blanket, she shoots Alice a wink of all things.

It’s quiet for a while after that. Anon is staring at the doll with a genuine look of happiness and even Alice knows that such a thing shouldn’t be interrupted. Finally, he sighs before looking back up at Alice, “Thank you. I… appreciate it. You didn’t have to.”

That… there’s a good response to that! Think Alice, think! Hit by a sudden divine (presumably from Shinki) wave of inspiration Alice replies, “No, but I wanted to.”

As the inspiration fades away she continues, “Anyways. I suppose that’s everything. I’ll come back to check on you soon.”

With what could perhaps be called a forward look Anon replies, “Ah wait, you still have time in the session. If you wanted to we could…”

Whatever Anon was going to say was cut off by the sound of Alice’s chair falling over and her subsequent scrambling away towards the door on all fours. Somewhere along the way, she realized she can fly as she’s flying when she replies, “I’mSorryButINeedToGoTalkToShanghai.I’llBeBackSoon.ILoveYou.IMeanUhIUhhIUhhhSeeYouLater!”

The doll who got up during all this places her hands on her hips and shakes her head towards her creator.

It was right around this time Anon realized that he’s gonna need to send said doll somewhere else when most clients were in to avoid it seeing things it never should be exposed to.

// Seija/Goro 72-73

“Well, that felt like a total waste of time, I thought you told me there’d be some fun along the way.” I remarked as the bridge to Old Hell was finally in sight.
“Not my fault all those cowards ran at the sight of us. I remember underworld Youkai having more of a spine. Makes me wonder why we had to go the long way instead of just being gapped here.” Seija complained.
“Because It’s about the journey you know!” a sing-song voice said from behind.
There floated the torso of Yukari, chin resting on her hands, happy as a clam. She kind of looked like one of those pictures of a mermaid I saw once upon a time.
“Everyone’s working hard on our side see, so I can’t just play favorites. It’ll breed contempt in the ranks. You should see how hard I’m working Ran, Kasen, even that Yamawaro is doing her part!” Yukari proudly explained.
We were far from a unified front, that much was certain. I knew Takane from prior engagements and Flan we could mostly deal with, but Kasen, Ran, Seiga, the Great Tengu, and whoever else Yukari had under her thumb I either hadn’t properly met, didn’t get along with, or were a mystery to me. At least when we visited New Hell, I’d get a chance to talk with the Otter Spirit gang. Whatever round table we had coming up couldn’t come soon enough.
“Yet you came all this way just to explain that? What, are you lonely or something?” Seija asked.
“Oh no, my dear Amanojaku, on the contrary, I wanted to check up on your two! This is a very important assignment after all.”
“We just show up at the Satori’s house, have tea, and leave right? Nothing else?” I clarified.
“My what an excellent memory you have Goro!” Yukari said. If she was patronizing me, I couldn’t tell, it could just as well be genuine.
“Be on guard though. Those on the surface may misunderstand my intentions at the best of times, but the denizens of Old Hell especially so! So, I took the liberty to seed rumors that I was sending agents from the surface world to spy on them. Have fun you two!” She said, before giving Seija and I a peck on the cheek each and receding into her gap.
“Okay, you’re the businessman, what’s her angle?” Seija asked while wiping her cheek aggressively.
“If I had to hazard a guess, she wants us to stir up trouble, so our opponents expose themselves.” I answer.
“So, we’re bait yeah?” She remarked, now aggressively rubbing my cheek to remove the lipstick stain.
“Could very well be. Not every powerful Youkai is coming to the HSE after all. But this is Yukari, I doubt it’s as simple as us just stirring the pot. If that were the case, Seiga or even Flan would be a better pick, although the latter may have made things too much of a blood bath.”
“She could also just be taking us lightly.” Seija said, fists on her hips.
“Well then let’s at least hit up a bar while we’re in town then. Treat it like a vacation, I’ve always wanted to try Oni drinks after all.”
Seija smiled as we crossed the bridge. “You’re gonna be puking your guts out before we get to that shut-in’s mansion.”
“Hey, you two, are you sure you want to be crossing this bridge? Old Hell is dangerous for surface dwellers after all.” a voice spoke up.
Before us stood a young-looking short woman with blonde hair and green eyes, who seemed oddly normal for being this far underground. I always assumed subterranean Youkai were a bit more fearsome, but I guess that’s just prejudice.
“Eh, I’m not impressed so far.” Seija said with her hand behind her head. “We can handle ourselves, so piss off.”
“Very well, I wish you a pleasant stay.” The lady told us, letting us pass.
“…you damn ugly, mis-matched couple…” I heard whispered.
“Now just-“Seija began.
“Miss.” I interjected. “Are you the type of girl we’re allowed to punch?” I ask cheerfully.
“W-what?” She stammered. “What kind of question is that?! How’re you so brazen and calm at the same time? Is that why you’re with this delinquent. Break up immediately you two pees in a pod!” She yelled.
The polite, cheerful girl that once stood before us was now spiteful, bitter, and the very image of what I expected from the Underground. When in Rome or so I’ve heard.
“Damnit, I’m jealous of two confident looking people being a couple. Where’s the balance? How did you two meet even? And a Youkai on Human relationship? There’s no human prince who would make his way down here to sweep me off my feet! Bring some of your men down here already! Or better yet just have everyone break up already! It’s all unsightly after all!” She said, biting her sleeve in frustration.
“Oh gladly.” I said, grabbing her hands. “If you take her place, I’ll have a jade eye beauty like you as my bridge bride in a heartbeat.”
“y-y-you…” She started.
“You know Goro, I will kill you if you cheat, but if it’s with such a good girl like this I might make it quick and painless.” Seija smiled.
“Stop it! Taking pity on someone like me who can’t be so nice, I really hate it!”
“Well, if you’re not satisfied with me, I could bring a few bachelor candidates. There’s a surprising number of men available in the village you know. I bet it’s because they prefer sharp-tongue women like yourself.” I commented.
She finally pulled her hands away from me and clasped them over my face. “Just go, I can’t stand being around such a sick couple for any longer. It’s not even worth attacking you two.”
“I think I like here.” Seija laughed as we finished cross the bridge into Old Hell.

// Hana 78

It seemed to be a reoccurring theme as of late, Hana wakes up, eats breakfast, Aunn and her give each other a peak on the cheek before running off to their chores, and one of Gensokyo’s many hags bamboozles Hana. Today’s hag was Eirin it seemed, the silver haired doctor who always maintained a stoic air around her patients. Her patient? Today that was none other than the miko-in-training Hana Hakurei.

Hana laid down in a well-appointed office, a light yet aromatic incense burned in a nearby holder making Hana subconsciously say a prayer to a god of health. Old habits died hard she supposed, then again it was her job… well whatever. The sofa she lay on was a curious thing, it was soft and nicely padded as befitting ownership by a woman like Eirin. However, one end of the sofa was raised in a way that allowed one to both sit and recline comfortably.

Its design was nothing like she’d see in the village nor even out of it, that wasn’t to mention the appointments of the rest of the office. Unlike most of the other rooms she’d been in here this one was especially decorated nicely, it seemed designed to bring someone to a state of tranquility. From the pastel walls, to the landscape paintings, and painted sculptures of abstract design that decorated the shelving and tables of the room.

Eirin herself sat in a well made padded chair, like one she would often see Marisa study tomes in, or even Yuuka sip tea in and make conversation that one time she visited. It’s upholstery matched the sofa she sat on, and its occupant sat with one leg draped over the other while holding a pad and pen. Eirin’s very body language seemed to disarm, Hana thought idly that she was truly good at her job.

Finally, after letting Hana settle in after offering her a snack and beverage, which Hana declined, Eirin dismissed Undonge leaving the two of them alone. The pad flipped open, but Eirin didn’t put pen to paper just yet and instead gave a small smile. It was a bit awkward to Hana since she’d rarely seen her smile and had a feeling nothing good would happen, still she persisted.

Eirin broke the silence after Hana seemed to settle in, “Now Hana, I trust you find the accommodations adequate? This is may merely be a preliminary session, but it is important you remain comfortable and honest.”

Hana nodded unable to keep the confusion out of her voice, “Yeah I’m fine, thank you doctor… But, I don’t exactly know why I’m here, you said it was therapy right? Err… what exactly for?”

Hana couldn’t help but notice the soft edge to her voice, almost motherly perhaps in her approach, “It is for your Electra Complex that became apparent to me during our last little visit, do you know what that is?”

Hana did remember that term being used, but everything happening as they did she never had the time to follow through in finding out what exactly it was, “No, is that an outsider word? It sounds like it.”

Eirin nodded, “that’s right, it is a term coined by the outside world psychologists in their attempts to master the human mind.”

Hana nodded along at the big words and thought the whole thing sounded a bit dangerous which Eirin took as a go-ahead, “Of course, your life is yours to live and while such relationships are common enough among humans and even lunarians, repressing or having such relationships denied can lead to neuroticism. Such negative stressors building up will lead to erratic behavior over time and its all too common for humans to simply let them overtake the mind causing any number of mental illness to develop. I aim to treat the underlying stressors so you may retain a healthy mind no matter the outcome of the emotions spawned of your Electra Complex.”

Furrowing her brow Hana tried processing the information, “So err… If I keep accumulating bad thoughts it’ll form an uh… youkai in my head or something…?”

Eirin stared at her for a moment and Hana could swear she was stifling a laugh, this bitch… However, Eirin merely nodded and with the same gentle tone she continued, “Quite an apt comparison, you are very sharp Hakurei-san!”

Much like usual when dealing with non-human hags Hana was already regretting coming, but if it showed on her face Eirin didn’t care, “Of course, if you feel uncomfortable we can stop at any time, but I will warn you that leaving the problem unresolved will only affect you and the target of this complex negatively”

Hana nodded warily and wanting to get this over with she exclaimed, “I get it, I get it! Just what is an Electra Complex anyways?!”

With placating words Eirin spoke as if she was talking about nothing more than the weather, “Last you were here, your ramblings as I tracked you down made it apparent that you are deeply in love with your father and harbor a deep seated regret over it.”

Hana wanted to bury herself in a hole, where was one of Tewi’s pitfalls when you need it?

// Keine 7-8

Saying to Mokou that I had something important to do in the village, I left my house with an Atlas ball weighing my shoulders, watching as she snuggled on the couch with a big smile. Gulping down a nauseating feeling, I march forward. I know what I have to do—it's already night, but that place shouldn't be closed yet…

Entering an alley, I dress in a dark cloak I got before leaving home, concealing my identity.

On the horizon, THAT building reared its ugly head.

I glance at my surroundings, the market with the HSE in the center growing like a tumor each day—porn magazines; trinkets and clothing; foods, and… What the hell is that? A 'Cosplay saloon'? They dye and make hairdos, rent contact lenses and accessories like horns and wings… Amazing. Simply amazing—, but pay no further attention, stopping by the HSE’s doors, the feeling in my stomach screaming of terror and uncertainty.

This is the father of one of my former students! Sweet Hana…

Yet that looming expectation over my shoulders, breathing on my neck like a hound, propels me to hold my belly—only my blood circulation…—Mokou's arms around me again, her ear listening and—

The world around me buzzed as if my head was stuck in a bee hive, tears welling behind my eyes, and I had to take deep breaths to recompose myself—eye bulging, reality distant—tightening my grip. Suzu's words echoed, a battle against Mokou's smile, and I cowered inside my own mind—

Someone bumps my shoulder; shorter than me, horns, wearing white—wait, is that Seija?! What the hell is she doing in the Human—She gives me a disgusted side glance and, before entering the HSE, snorts, "Freak." And I freeze. What the…

… That monster called me…

My fists clench, anger boils my blood—yet I don't move, legs shaking and feet planted… What does she know?! I want to make a friend happy! Give her a gift she'll never have! Yes, that's sudden; yes, Suzu's words may be the truth—b-but I'm certain Mokou will be there to help me raise them, she even wants me to name one of them after her father…

What is so wrong with wanting to make her happy…?

Furiously whipping my face from tears, I walk inside, the lights blinding me momentarily, but I don't care.

There's no line to the counter, and very few people wait their turns—all dressed in the much-discussed miko outfit—; The kitsune behind the counter staring me with an ounce of pity in her eyes before replacing it with positive stoicism. "Good evening, dear customer. What—"

"T-the shortest, please," I utter, something cold threatening to overflow my throat. The kitsune nods, then a ticket—I ignore all; the world around me is a blur… Suzu's words yell, Mokou's words yell, and there's no space in my head for any of my own thoughts—I just want to puke. I want to puke—

"—number 04-04-18!" An angered voice calls me, two kappas—oh, no, that's a green uniform; so a kappa and a yamawaro—standing before me. "Can't you hear, lady? That's your number!" Says the angry one, the other looking incredibly tired.

It’s my turn already…

… How long have I waited? Not thinking properly, I follow them as they guide me further inside. The world still blurs as I take a bath with many aromatized oils and essences—if I wasn't on the verge of a breakdown, I suppose I would have greatly enjoyed all this luxury…—dressing in my miko outfit, a perfect fit; then there's a door in front of me; and then I'm standing beneath a Torii gate, and it's just so cold…

Oh. This is the fake shrine.

… If anything, it seems like a perfect recreation, though the many autumn flowers at the height of their blossoming literally everywhere and the small, adorned grave on the side were not there that I remember. But it's been years… I again gulp something horribly tasting—every time getting harder—and with wobbling legs march forward, mind rushing though exhausted, limbs trembling, sins crawling on my back—

"Dear? Are you okay?" A man—Anon—is in front of me, his eyes worried—his right-hand pulls me inside the shrine by the wrist. Under a better light, I get a good look at him and his thin clothing and toned body… I feel hollow. The better lighting also helps him: "… Keine?! God, it's you, Keine—it's been so long! We haven't talked properly since Hana was nine!" Though there's joy in his eyes, it soon dies out, be it a bad memory or this situation.

I ignore it, my mind filled with two blaring voices.

He guides me to the kotatsu and prepares tea and a light snack—a floating doll helps him, and they play together as they finish setting things.

I ignore it.

He sits across me, and the doll sits on a hand-made mini chair by him, looking like it was made recently.

I ignore it.

He talks, trying to get my attention; asking what happened to me and if I'm feeling okay—through the buzz, I heard 'Eirin'.

I ignore it.

I disassociate, hand on my belly…

… Mokou's voice echoes louder, and I want to puke.

I ignore it, and as if a casual topic, say, "… I need to get pregnant, Anon."

Anon recoils as if hit by a trolley, eyes bulging and staring at me as if I had grown another head, utterly foxed. The dolly, confused, looks at us, and the hollow feeling starts to get filled, like a pool, with liquid desperation. "Something happened this past week; one of my students said I was pregnant, then rumors… That's not important—" I notice I'm shaking. "—but now everyone in the village but Suzu thinks I'm pregnant, and I should've cleared the rumors just as they began, but couldn't, and now Mokou believes it and she's so happy with it—but I've got no one to help me, and it's making me go crazy: I'm sick all the times, yet I need to keep on smiling or the lie will blow up and Mokou would know, she would, and-and then she'd get so sad and I—"

"W-Wow, wow, calm down, Keine!" He rounds the kotatsu and keels by my side, strong hands clasping my shaking shoulders.

Looking at me with worried eyes, the doll races to the kitchen. It disgusts me how easily this topic breaks my character, but I've been holding everything inside, it's rotting away…

The dolly returned with a cup of water, which I unsteadily drank, trying to recompose myself and gulp the bloated shame. "Better?"

"Yes—thanks…" The doll doesn't answer, just awkwardly bows. "… I need your help with that, Anon. Please: I want to make Mokou happy, and you're one of the kindest people I know—it reflected on little Hana, and… I have no one else to ask from." The well of desperation reaches its overflows, and I wonder how things got to this point. I'm the protector of the Human village; not even the mikos can answer faster than me if a threat is to befall the village… Yet here I am.

But at least I can be sure; Anon is a good man. He must understand I have no better options here, and— "No."

My thoughts come to a screeching halt, wide eyes on him. "… What?"

"No." He replies calmly. The doll seems anxious. "Kids don't work like that, Keine." The sweet, passive man was gone, his words carrying iron—enormous rage grew in my stomach.

"B-But… your work here is—"

"I know what I do here and won't refuse to have sex with you if it comes to that—but I refuse to get you pregnant." I feel my knuckles going white, my obvious escape rope from this hell of a situation slipping through my fingers. I could look for other men who wouldn't bat an eye about this… But just the thought of a stranger doing this—fathering my kids—makes me sick. I taught this man's daughter, played with her when she was feeling lonely, got her back home safely when neither parent was available—

… That's how I'm repaid? With a 'no'?

If he's not willing to give, then maybe I should outright take what I need—

"I know how it is, Keine," his hand reaches for mine, his grip tight, shutting down the heinous thoughts. "I understand the desire to make someone happy; I caved to that overwhelming pressure… And got 17 years of torture for me and my daughter—you know; you read the news." His voice, firm and up close, hits like a rock and sends shivers through my skin, the thought of just now withering like a witch's ashes. "They aren’t a neatly wrapped-up gifts to be presented to someone. They won't solve issues like a broken person, broken marriage; or bring happiness all by themselves—kids are… More. Much more. Hana, to me, was hope, one that hasn't died out yet… Don't do this to yourself, to Mokou, and mostly to these kids. No one deserves to be an object." The sheer weight of that sentence hurt.

First scolded by a mother, now by a father…

Welled tears start to fall; I'm shaking, looking away from his face—then back—then away again—and then I'm holding my face, my lips quivering—I want to puke. I want to—

His arms, gentle and warm, envelop me. Tiny dolly hands brush my hair…

I cannot contain it anymore.

"I-I'm so sorry… I was trying to make her happy, b-but… I don't want any of this!" I finally puked the truth out, grasping at his clothes as if to save my life. "I don't! I love being a teacher, but a mother…? I don't know anything about that! I don't have a husband to help me support them, and I work too much—I barely have time for myself… Yet, I wanted to make Mokou happy. She'll never experience pregnancy, so she wanted to experience it through me, a-and I wanted her to feel joy… I don't want to disappoint her. I don't want to disappoint my students, their parents… I'm so sorry—I should've stopped when it began—"

"It's not your fault." He whispers.

"It is! It is…" His hold doesn't falter; my words feel weak and weightless. I sigh of relief, not cumbersome with the bottled-up feelings anymore—though a deep chasm lies inside. "… What should I do?"

"Tell the truth. She's your friend. She'll understand—people will have to understand, too."

I close my eyes, think, take a deep breath…

And nod: "I will."

"Just know: you're not alone—you've got me, Suzu… Don't try to live a lie like I did."

"I won't."

For the first time in a week, the voices in my head are silent.

// Aya 50

Aya’s sternum ached during her bath with Momiji. The wolf tengu wouldn’t leave her alone for a second! After appropriating staff supplies to clean and dress Aya’s wound, Momiji found masks belonging to their proud race. In a box of long-nosed faces resembling those contemptible printer tengu, she found a half-mask bearing a crow’s beak. It just barely covered Aya’s wound. While the wolf tengu she was safe from small doses of incense, she had yet to test it against Anon’s residence. There was no room for hesitation: She had to brave this miasma to ensure the safety of her kinsmen. She just had to hope Aya wasn’t lying about the pill’s efficacy.

__

While the wolf insisted on supporting her through the door, the crow tengu separated from her as soon as the trees came into view. Anon had enough to worry about on his own. Her battles didn’t need to compound that.

Reaching the shrine grounds, Aya was greeted with a brand new sight: Rows of flowers popped out of the ground, spreading life to every inch of the prison. Even during the Hakureis’ honeymoon period, the landscape never looked this gorgeous. She could hardly believe it was the same place. “Did… Did Yukari really do this?”

“Didn’t you know? The Flower Master came in earlier today carrying a load of tools, soil and seeds. I suppose this is the end result.” The white wolf was impressed at the delicacy of her craft, considering some of Yuuka’s earliest visits to the HSE.

Aya, however, had other concerns. Yuuka visited Anon? She planted flowers on his porch? That meant these plants were the product of Yuuka sowing her seeds together with Anon. This powerful youkai, comparable to the sages… why did she have to chase after him too?! Marisa, Tsukasa, Yukari, Ran… all of these blonde women were ready to pounce on him… Now the master of Mugenkan was after him as well. No, even worse—she was bringing the Garden of the Sun to him!

Ignoring her pain, Aya walked as fast she could to her beloved’s home. There was no time to listen to Momiji’s warnings: While she was reclining with Matarajin, everyone was making their moves. Every second counted if she wanted to stake her claim on Anon’s heart. Approaching his front door, Aya stopped as she heard Anon speak. What gave her pause wasn’t his voice, it was the one-sided conversation he was having with someone. Someone Aya couldn’t hear replying, but Anon did. A horrifying thought crossed her mind: What if Yuuka was too much for Anon to handle? She was probably the strongest being in Gensokyo. Maybe strong enough to finally break his mind with her sadistic, relentless hip thrusts!

Sliding the door open, what Aya saw was in some ways better and worse. Anon’s sanity, thankfully was intact. His conversation partner was just a little automaton. A blonde one. One that got to nuzzle against his hand freely. Et tu, Margatroid? The little tease couldn’t muster the courage to visit him, so she made a doll to seduce him for her! This was the last straw: It was time for Anon to put out. She began, “Anon! I want you to pet… me… too!” She could barely choke out the words as the pain in her chest returned with a vengeance, stopping the jealous reporter in her tracks.

Momiji caught Aya from behind and steadied her balance. “I’m terribly sorry to bother you, Anon. Aya is here for her reservation. She’s been… discombobulated from her work recently.” The white wolf bit her tongue, disgusted at herself for bending the truth like a reporter. However, she felt the human’s hand gently stoke her head, wiping away any guilt.

“It’s no trouble at all. Thank you for your help. Are you okay with the scent?” His fingers started to slow down as concern filled his tone.

“Yes, absolutely! Aya assisted me in me reducing the effect of the incense on my body. I won’t s-succumb to my instincts again! Either way, I am here to assist Aya with anything she may need. Is that alright with you?”

Before he could reply, Aya interjected. “I already said you’re joining me, geez! And don’t talk about me like I’m drunk or dead. As for you:” She turned her face to Anon, the mask hiding her intentions, “It’s rude for you to pat another woman during my session, isn’t it? To make it up to me, you’re gonna have to satisfy both of us all day long. Here’s how you can start!” Leveraging Momiji’s weight against her, Aya pressed both of the tengu’s bodies against Anon, pushiing the trio to the floor. Grabbing Anon’s free arm, he guided it to her back, right at the base of her wings.

“You’re not allowed to stop until we say so.”

With no alternatives, Anon stroked the clingy crow’s back and the rapidly-submitting wolf’s head, buried in a soft pile of feathers, fur and flesh. Having lost her conversation partner, the doll hopped onto Anon’s head and hugged it from above, content to nuzzle into his hair.

// Mima 9

Marisa’s hair is soft and fluffy. That is one of the many reasons that Mima can’t remain annoyed at the girl for too long. Well, that and the way she pouts after being patted on the head. One would think that Marisa would eventually learn that the reaction she makes is why people pat her, but if she hasn’t learned that by now…

Mima almost feels pity for the girl as she jumps back and exclaims, “Hey! I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t just touch me da ze!”

Holding back a harsher response pointing out Marisa’s disregard for consent, Mima elects to loom over the girl, “Girl, the time you’ve lived upon this earth is a mere rounding error from the perspective of my life. Until you are a thousand years old, I shall continue to pet you and treat you like a child. After that… well, we shall see.”

Marisa sits back down with a pout while pointedly looking away from Mima, “You aren’t even a thousand years old.”

Mima flies out in front of Marisa before theatrically billing her cloak with magic, though the real trick is to make the Sun on her hat glow and have stars form on her cloak. Sufficiently impressive, Mima conjures up a haughty tone as she replies, “You dare? I am the goddess of magic and ruler of the earth! I existed since before your pathetic race emerged from the primordial slime and I shall reign long after your race returns to the soil.”

Marisa’s first reaction is as always that childlike awe she had back when Mima did magic before her for the first time, but the brat quickly tries to hide it with a huff, “You aren’t the ruler of the earth nor does putting on a fancy light show make you the goddess of magic da ze.”

Mima shrugs, “Perhaps, but do you think it’s enough to fool the villagers?”

Marisa scoffs, “Even Cirno could pass as a goddess to them if she had the mind to try da ze.”

Mima’s smile fades, “I suppose my worry isn’t that I won’t be able to pass as a goddess, but rather that I won’t be able to attract worshipers. Not many beings interested in magic would be too keen on worshipping another. I stabbed myself in the proverbial foot there.”

Marisa shakes her head at that, “Get off it da ze. Most of the goddess stuff is just window dressing anyway. What’s Kanako the goddess of? Snakes or something? People don’t care about that when they visit her shrine. They just want blessings to deal with whatever is bothering them. Just do some cool magic stuff to help your followers and people will come. I mean people took your seals, didn’t they? You got a good bit of faith from that, right?”

Mima nods, “Yes, though I’d say that’s more the result of Hana’s efforts than anything else. Speaking of, I’m worried about that girl. She always was a little aloof for understandable reasons, but now it feels like she’s getting worse. I don’t want something to happen before we rectify the current situation.”

That darkens Marisa demeanor as she seems to contemplate Mima’s words. It’s a shame that it takes Yukari kidnapping her love interest and said love interest’s daughter clearly struggling to get her to think, but Mima will take victories where she can get them.

Finally, Marisa makes a sagely observation befitting her position as Mima’s apprentice, “We should do something.”

Mima deadpans at Marisa as she quickly continues, “I-I uh think we should try to cheer her up or get her mind off of it or something. Maybe just remind her that she has people who care about her. We uh could throw her a party! She missed her birthday when Yukari did her time gap thing, so we could have a late birthday party. I’m sure I could get Aunn on board.”

That… was not the most idiotic thing Mima has ever heard, which means a lot when talking about Marisa. Nodding Mima replies, “Very well, make the arrangements.”

Marisa frowns, “Shouldn’t we work on this together?”

Mima considers for a moment before replying, “No, if you aren’t capable of doing this on your own then we have a problem.”

Before Marisa could reply, Mima flies off to go watch the dolls build her shrine.

// Konngara 1

Silence.

Total. Deafening. Silence.

Many beings, both Human, Youkai and all else inbetween seem to hate it. LOATHE it. It drives them insane to be alone for more than 5 minutes. But I quite enjoy it. At least enough to slouch here for an epoch. Perhaps it’s because I’m not much of a people’s person. So many eons of living, and I cannot recall a time where I had friends.

…

Well, I guess you could consider The Jailbreak King as one. She’s apparently a native from that hobbling relocated Hell project by Mrs. Nippaku. Not a clue how she manages to waltz her way into this quiet temple buried deep within a Rotting World of Flames. Listening to her absurd opinions and worldview may make for an amusing distraction every once in a while, But I’d still argue it’s more of an acquaintance-like relationship.

…

I imagine Suika Ibuki likely still tries to argue that we were friends all this time later, but the blind-faithed fool just can't seem to accept that our “friendship” was always just a means to an end. I only j-

>Door Kick Down Break - Sound Effect for editing

“HEY! IT'S ME, GOKU!”

“...Pardon?” I respond. Confused as to how some odd creature looking like it crawled straight out of the animal realm is now currently in my vicinity.

“Nah, I'm just messing with ‘ya. It's a Moriya Shrine joke. Real name is Son Biten, and I come here after surviving the several dangerous quarrels of hell to grant my wish: the assistance of a powerful Oni to help protect a mystical building of value! Preferably Yuugi, pretty please.”

// Hana 78

Hana was wondering if she could get lost in the hallways for eternity as Eirin coaxed Hana into speaking of her relationship with her father. Eirin was good at least, starting off on ‘safe’ subjects like how she was making money currently and if she’d read any good books lately, small talk really. Though when it came time for more serious talks Hana danced around it with enough agility to stall things.

Eirin sat with one leg over another as she had the pen and pad in hand, ready to scribble on it or whatever she usually did. Eirin kept that soft tone, one that she remembered vaguely that she seemed to like to use on her when she was a kid coming for checkups or those vaccine things, “Of course, we don’t have to talk it about it now Hakurei-san. However, I do believe that it’s taking a great toll on you subconsciously”

Sitting on the couch facing Eirin Hana scoffed at the idea, there was no way she knew what she was talking about. Even if she did, there was no way she’d confide in Eirin of all people. Still, Eirin continued without being offended by Hana’s flippant attitude, “I understand that you don’t think there’s an issue with the situation so far. In fact, I’m sure that in your daily life you’re getting along quite nicely.”

Cocking an eyebrow at her Hana couldn’t help but say, “Then why bother saying all that stuff about it making me sick?”

Eirin shifted in her seat slightly, “Because it will, you don’t have any memory of what exactly happened after awakening your ability, do you?”

Shaking her head and getting a feeling of dread overcoming her Eirin continued, “I’d be more worried if you could, allow me to tell you what happened.”

Eirin always enjoyed that state her patients got in when coming down from the harder drugs like the psychotropics the young Hakurei ingested. It was the treat after a long and tedious procedure like this one was. Even with the precious princess’s ability to choose which thread of fate to pull at every instant of the acupuncture, nothing in this world is guaranteed without arduous effort.

Still, there was nothing within the real of medicine she couldn’t accomplish, that wasn’t an idle boast either. She was quite literally the god of medicine and knowledge as far as even her fellow lunarians were concerned. Hell, she penned most of the books that are taught in the medical and scientific institutions at the capital. As one particularly whimsical outsider put it once, she had a huge fucking brain.

That was why now that the task is done and the needles are being put away by Reisen, the princess occupied enough to not seem bored, and the Hakurei girl sorting herself out enough to come too that Eirin felt good. Once Reisen came back from depositing the needles she’d have her call over some inaba and escort the nude girl to a recovery room.

Kaguya got up from her seat, stretching her legs and back after relaxing for so long. That was around the time Hana started moving from her prone position on the table, her face was still in the face rest of the table and her back was marked with the standard energy conduit diagrams.

The princess’s voice called out to her, “Hakurei-san, its time to wake up now. You have to get ready or Keine-sensei will scold you~”

Eirin sighed, the princess was willful at times and if she didn’t let her have her fun she’d pout at her all day… or at least till she found some other entertainment. Hana struggled to get up, that was when it caught her eye, the way her arms and legs moved. They seemed to move into the bed itself yet splay themselves out as if trying to find purchase, her legs moved much the same way. With professional curiosity she held up her hand to quiet the princess as she stepped closer to the girl.

Now whining, Hana was making some headway in the task of getting up, as her body righted itself, by turning clockwise as if the padded table she was on wasn’t there and moving backwards. She soon found herself sitting roughly cross legged while staring at Kaguya and Eirin.

Eirin couldn’t help but be intrigued, these movements were something she’d never seen a human pull off. She couldn’t help but reach into her pocket to pull out her pad and pen, she didn’t even look at it as she started scribbling notes on it. Hana however, didn’t care much nor did she have any shame as she stretched before blinking, she looked around the room giving a groggy, “Good morning~”

Confusion overcame her as Reisen came into the room and Eirin quickly gave her the subtle signal to call for the orderlies. Hana called out, “Papa, where are you?” Hana looked straight at Eirin and Kaguya, “Erm, big sis do you know where Papa is?”

// Kosuzu 10

The first thing I see is Yuuka's face looking down on me. My best guess was that she was trying to convey concern with her expression, but her face was ill equipped to do so. My heart tries to save me by dragging me back to the Sanzu, but I calm myself and sit up. "Usually people have that reaction to me. I never expected you could do it, Marisa" Yuuka says as she gives me a hand. Seeing no trap and wanting to be on her good side, I take it and get yanked up in the air.

"Come on" Marisa scoffs as she adjusted her position on the chair so she could lean forward a bit. "Are you okay Kosuzu? You can sit down and rest while I get you something. Maybe you should see a doctor we can talk about this later?"

"I just fainted, that's all. I'm fine" I pant out as I wait for the strength to return to my body. My heart steadily returns to a normal rhythm and my legs begin to steadily support my weight, but my mind still races. Almost dying was lucky for me in a way, it allowed me an excuse to figure things out.

So Anon was the father. The grannies in the village would wag their tongues over that. They'd gossip back and forth about how she waited her chance until he left his wife to make her move, and it would soon become something so exaggerated that it would be more ridiculous than even the tawdiest romance novel. But that wasn't the issue. Marisa couldn't be more then a few months along in her pregnancy. So that meant there was only one way it could have happened. But here she was, saying she wanted to free him with a straight face. This wasn't the Marisa I knew. Sure she would lie and never pay her debts but this was heinous, and she admitted it with only some hesitation and talked about how she wanted to save him. With the present company it wouldn't do good blowing up at her, so I tried to ask in the nicest way I could. "So. It happened while he was in there?"

Mima shifted a bit closer to me, her face moody. Marisa in contrast crumpled. Body slumped, face downcast, she took a few moments to respond. "It's not like that, just hear me out, okay? I visited him to try to break him out, but I couldn't do it. He offered himself and I accepted, okay! I didn't know if it was right or not, but I said yes anyways, and then I did it again and again until it happened." Her voice warbled and her shoulders slumped down.

I felt a pang of guilt for being so accusatory towards her. Marisa really wasn't the type of person to take advantage of another person in that sort of way. As she tried to compose herself after her confession, body slumped sniffling and on the verge of tears I saw her in a different light.

This wasn't the powerful and confident hero who faced down the various threats in Gensokyo. It wasn't the freewheeling and eccentric witch that lived her own way. It wasn't even the friend I had known for decades. She was an expectant mother with everything that came with it. The days that seem to go on forever where the pregnancy taxes your body. Excitement and pride for carrying something so precious and important. But also nervousness, wondering if everything will go right and the fragile life inside of you will go right, if you can take on the task of raising and caring for them as they grow. I remember Keine. If things continued like this Marisa would have to do everything on her own. Nobody around to share the burdens and joys of being a parent with. Always knowing the father of her child would never be in their life. Being a wife and a mother will change in, I knew that. Decades ago, everyone babied me. Marisa, Reimu, Akyuu. If they weren't running around to protect me they were using me like Mamizou and Aya. But so much has changed and I was not longer the naive girl I used to be. In some ways kids will get you to wise up better than a dozen youksi

Once again I found myself in a position to help guide a friend and use my experience that my own mundane life gave me. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was just surprised. You're not the type to use him like that. Marisa, I will help you in anyway I can. If you need help bring a mother or with the HSE, I'll be there. We're going to make this work out, you got that?"

Marisa shifted upright, her usual confidence starting to return. "Thank you"

"Now, who else knows about you and Anon?" I ask.

"Everyone working with me knows. I already told Hana and she accepted it. Anon's aware, I think we'll be able to discuss my-our future when he's free. I haven't told Reimu yet. I haven't figured out what to say to her"

I understood that. Announcing you've been successfully creampied by someone's ex husband would be awkward at best. But with the aspect of forced prostitution and Marisa being Reimu's lifelong friend, I could tell it be be a very difficult thing to confess even if Reimu's improved mood held.

"Don't worry about that for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's focus on your future, alright?"

Marisa smiled genuinely.

// Ran/Chen 42

Yamame and Ran exchanged a few words that I didn't listen to, much more focused on Ms. Yamame legs—she's a funnel weaver, but what infraorder? Family? It makes me wonder the same about me; all I know is that I’m a 'monster cat'… which is so mean! But it doesn't matter right now! Hmm… a tarantula? Nah, most aren't even tunnel weavers! So maybe— "Uh, Chen?" Ms. Yamame's voice calls me and I snap, noticing Ran's nowhere to be seen… And I've been silent all the time, staring a hole through her hind legs.

… Maybe I'll need to dig a tunnel to hide in.

"S-Sorry, Ms. Yamame! I didn't mean to stare so much!" I scramble, squirming in place, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm—a warmth that grows when Ms. Yamame's answer is a simple soft giggle… I think my whole face is red.

"It's okay—Ran told me you're very fond of my species." She guided me inside the atelier, and though I was confused at her for not using her hind legs for locomotion, the interior left me speechless—all manner of knitting and crochet spread neatly for viewing, beautiful pieces of weird and exotic colors, of patterns unlike all I've ever seen before, wooden coziness accentuated by a well-lit fireplace behind the counter, an enormous portrait an extensive family hanging over the fire—also, the spider thematics made my face hurt of smiling; so otherworldly beautiful…

… If only I could live here…

—Oh, Ms. Yamame had made a question! "Uh, yes! Yes! M-Mr. Anon—someone I love dearly—likes them and showed me their world; I got hooked, and now we do all sorts of things with them!" I explain with a wave of excitement rushing through me, but I contain it. "Sorry if I come across as weird—this hobby helped me and Mr. Anon bond a lot…"

"Don't think of it like that, dear, it's adorable—hm…" she stopped, critical, then nimbly moved her legs on a loose collection of threads. I watched, entranced, the cohesively beautiful movements, her nervous smile of just now morphing into one more… Comfortable? Yes, something like that; her eyes on me. "Ran also said you love knitting—you did that scarf?"

I clutched said scarf, that who got destroyed when I met Ms. Kogasa, then repaired by Mr. Anon—so sturdy~ "Nuh-uh, this was Mr. Anon—he taught me how to knit!" Not resisting anymore, I float by Ms. Yamame, getting a better view of how easily she composed the threads into a symphony of understanding, giving life and form to it so naturally it takes my breath away. "Where did you learn how to knit? I want to be this good someday…" My ears perk up when her reaction is a small giggle.

"You flatter me, but I must say—I'm not even the best out of my family, let alone my species~" she says, glancing at the massive picture overhanging the fireplace.

I gasp. What? How?! Giggling even more—a sweet melody—, Ms. Yamame finished her creation—a nice pillowcase. I slid my fingers on it: felt like Yukari's gaps: so smooth it doesn’t even feel like it’s there…

"Earth spiders are born with a natural sense of how to weave, some much better than others. And that's okay—being the very best hardly is worth it; some just love what they do," she follows to the counter as I nod to myself, a clear passion for her craft seen in the number of times she stops to correct a tread out of place or excess not noticed before. "Do you have anything you've knitted on you?"

Hm? "Well… Mr. Anon and I like to knit things for each other, so nope—why?"

"Nothing, just curious about something Ran told me." She stops behind the counter as I sit on top of it, taking out from my zansae my busted hat and Flan's golden silk. Ms. Yamame's eyes smile when she spots the yarn. "My world… If I'd to produce such prime silk, I'd be charging by the millimeter~" I smiled fondly, happy that even a master had complimented Flan's silk. "Now, hm… Let's see what I'm working with today." She picks up the cleaned hat and yarn, eyeing the first with such sudden intensity it makes me hold my breath.

It doesn't last as she fishes a sheet of paper, pens, and… three colored—yellow, brown, and black—skeins. I stare, confused; she just smiles, and unlike her sweet and motherly ones, this one exudes challenge. "What? Don't you have your needles on you?"

… With a smile of my own, I pull my pair of knitting needles from my left sleeve. She looks proud; and that fills my heart. "A seamstress without their needles—"

"—might as well be naked. This Mr. Anon has taught you well… But how well, hm?" And she looks away, starting to sketch on the sheet.

Thirsting to prove myself, I take the skeins and, without much thought, start to knit, emptying my head just like I was taught. Though it's hard to so in sheer the presence of a master, the calm atmosphere, the cozy fire, the browns, and golds, even Ms. Yamame's very soothing presence… Before I've even noticed, I was already halfway done on… something—wandering eyes falling on that big picture, curiously looking for Ms. Yamame—

Oh. That man looks like Mr. Anon.

… Huh.

// Seija/Goro 74-75

“I can barely taste anything, it’s like water.” I said, having downed another drink.
The bar was full of all type of underground Youkai, spiders, centipedes, all sorts of other animals, and Onis, just a lot of horned women. And they were all glaring at us.
At least they weren’t the backwards, ill-dressed, barbarians some had led me to believe. No, in fact, many of them were dressed in fine, colorful silks and this little bar here was very well decorated. Their outfits we’re a bit lewder, sure, showing much cleavage, neck napes, and some gaudy jewelry, but I wouldn’t call any of it cheap. In fact, I’d say there’s money to be made in starting a tourist industry down here, were it not for one problem…
“Do you fuckers think were light weights! Bring out the real thing come on!” Seija called.
The woman serving this place, an Oni with yellow horns with black stripes, looked disdainfully at us.
“Surface dwelling boot lickers get swill. Them’s the rules.” She said, pointing to a placard written in Oni script that I didn’t need to translate to know was offensive. Something like ‘If you’ve seen the sun, you’ll get none!’.
“If you don’t start serving us some real alcohol I’ll-“Seija began.
“You’ll what small stuff? Spit on me?” The Oni jeered.
Without a word I eyed every patron in the establishment, their refreshments, and counted all the drinks on the wall. This was going to be such a waste, but I really was looking forward to trying Oni’s sake and had been so patient.
“Hey what gives? This stuff tastes like lukewarm tea!” A spider youkai from across the bar shouted.
Similar sentiments issued throughout the alehouse and servers rushed to replace the disorderly customer’s beverages, only to find their entire stock had also been soiled. Seija, not one to miss letting a crowd of people know she’d ruined their night, stood up on a table and started cackling.
“Guess were all surface-dwelling boot lookers now huh!”
She would have continued jeering, had the Oni’s fist not come into contact with her face, and immediately seen the same Oni thrust straight to the ground into a hole made for her, by her, propelled by some kind of invisible force. Looking down the hole and seeing the hostess unconscious proved a little quandary of mine: can an Ogre take her own punch? This was one point for ‘no’.
As the rest of the patrons rose from the seats, I imagined I’d be putting a lot more points on the scoreboard tonight.

“30 ‘no’s and 2 ‘yes’s” I tallied aloud, sitting on the back of a much taller, knocked out Oni.
“Ah damnit, Goro they had their entire stock on display! There’s not a drop back here.” Seija said, still rummaging in hopes of finding un-flipped alcohol.
“You deceitful dogs, I hope the Yakumo shoves you into a pit twice as deep as this and half as wide.” The server Oni struggled to say, just barely managing to crawl out of her personal hole.
“Ah, just take the loss, will you?” I say rubbing my face. “You provoked us, we responded in kind, you threw a punch, and now it’s the end of the line. Not like it was hard since you all came at us the same way every time.”
“You’ll see that little trick of yours is nothing special to real strength, seen a hundred men like you try to cheat it, and they all found their way into the pits eventually.” She smiled.
“Bah just a loser spouting off.” Seija waved. “Isn’t being deceit just another strength? In that respect, even Yukari may be above you pedantic Oni.”
“What’s this about Yukari?” A new voice said.
“And what happened here? Have I missed out on all the fun?”
Before us stood a tall Oni with a singular red horn, wearing a blue kimono which was worn far more conservatively, and holding a red sake dish in one hand and a bottle of the stuff in the other. The air around her felt thick and inviting, but the pressure of her presence made my hairs stand on end. This was surly Yuugi Hoshiguma, the legendary Oni.
“Mayhap your majesty.” Seija said with a deep, exaggerated bow. “This establishment’s been closed by us, so unless you’re willing to share some of that sake please kindly fuck off.” Seija stated, punctuated with a middle finger.
“Ha! A little fledging Amanojaku is the one who caused all this? You all must’ve gotten soft!” Yuugi laughed.
“It’s a shame then that you won’t survive this fight, I’ve got a real beef with that Yakumo see and I’ll be taking it out on you.” She said, laying down her sake bottle, her fingers cackling with power.
“No.” I said aloud.
Both Yuugi and Seija turned their heads to look at me.
“What’s that pipsqueak? I don’t recall addressing a weakling like you.” She said in a cherry, yet matter-of-fact kind of tone.
“We’re not going to fight you.” I Reiterated.
Seija’s, surprise faded and was replaced with a toothy grin. Walking over to me, she took a seat besides me on the fallen Oni and cross her legs. “Yeah, I’m a bit sick of fighting Oni all day.” She speaks.
For a moment Yuugi is befuddled, but quickly regains her composure.
“So, this must be a Yakumo trick hm? Well...”
With the same urgency as a cricket propels itself into the air her fist reeled back and snapped forward, sending bodies, seats, furniture, and everything around us flying. Behind us I’m pretty sure the wall had blown out entirely, yet we remained completely unharmed.
“Next one will be through your skull if you don’t move.” She said, reeling back her arm again for effect.
I merely sighed and rested my chin on my two hands. Seija tensed ever so slightly but remained at my side.
What I experienced was something akin to the sensation when falling within a dream. I was fully conscious of what was happening to me and at the same time utterly helpless to do anything about it. Yuugi’s fist had entered my head, passed through it, came back to its resting position, but I was completely unharmed.
“Seriously, you surface dwellers have no courtesy” She remarked. “You go bar wrecking somehow, yet, when I come around you holster your strength?”
Yuugi sat, almost cross-legged at first, but thought better of it and sat on her legs instead, then she took a big gulp of sake from her red cup and asked “Why have you two come here? And, more importantly, why the hesitation?”
“We came here because Yukari promised us an ‘Impossible Meeting’ in return for saying ‘hello’ to the administrator of this place, as for the pacifism…” Seija began.
“… your hearts not in it, otherwise you’d set down the cup.” I smiled.
Yuugi laughed “That’s a handicap for you two! Otherwise, I wouldn’t enjoy myself since the fight would be over so quickly!”
“Uh huh, and why is that despite every other Oni here dressing like this…” I say, tugging at the downed Oni’s loose garb. “…You’re covering yourself like an innocent spring chicken going to a new year’s celebration?”
It was imperceptible if you weren’t looking for it, but I could see Yuugi’s red face turned just a shade redder.
“It’s lewd.” She answered.
“Pardon?!” Seija asked.
“I mean if I show too much skin men will think I’m going to have sex with them, right?” Yuugi answered, scratching her chin.
To her immense credit, there wasn’t a stammer or any hint of hesitation in her voice. She was being 100% genuine.
“You’re kidding!” Seija jumped. “Aren’t Oni supposed to take whatever they please with that freakish strength of yours? Who cares what men think about what you want? If you wanted them, you’d have them, right?”
“This and that are two separate things. Rape is just cowardly after all.” She said, waving her hand.
As Seija’s expression contorted, I wondered if she was taking the insult in stride as an Amanojaku or was feeling the weight of Yuugi’s predisposition naturally condemning her pride. It was hilarious either way.
“That’s why I can’t abide Yukari’s minions scuttling about down here, not while ‘that’ building still stands.” She threatened.
“Well then, our impasse is at an impasse. You can’t let us go because of who we serve, but we won’t fight you because you’re holding back. So how about this, you take us to meet with the administrator at the Earth Spirit Palace and afterwards we’ll accept your handicap if you still want to fight.” I say, holding out my boney hand.
Without a moment hesitation Yuugi took my hand and shook it, then let out another laugh.
“Ha! Just like a feeble human to have an ability to force people to be honest!”
“Just like an Oni to have such a self-centered viewpoint.” Seija remarked.
“Oh, you two are such a treat. It’s going to be sweet thrashing you after Satori strips your intentions bare.”
“You’re going to strip us bare? Both of us? At once? How bold!” Seija exclaimed.
Yuugi merely turned away, her pointed ears burning just a bit hotter.

// Hana 79-80

Eirin saw that innocent look in Hana’s eyes, like Reisen’s before she learned of the trickery of Tewi and the whimsy of Kaguya in full. Eirin glanced at Kaguya, who was now at her side inside the calibrating circle. Oh no, her eyes were full of mischief, a sight Eirin was too familiar with.

She was going to interrupt Kaguya’s thoughts by maybe putting up a hand, telling the princess that this was a valuable scientific opportunity, maybe even being stern in telling her no. However, the princess was also expecting that and the willful girl spoke up with faux pain in her voice before Eirin could react, “Eh, Hana-chan didn’t you hear? Your papa is being bullied by an evvvvil women~”

Hana looked at Kaguya as she didn’t understand letting out a sound of confusion, Eirin knew it was already too late as the princess had found her amusement. She only could hope the inaba would arrive quick enough to drag her off before she had to- Ah there it was.

Barely holding back a wide and stupid grin the princess gravely said, “that’s right Hana-chan, your papa is being bullied a whole bunch!”

Knowing that it was too late, the suggestion had been planted in the young Hakurei’s mind, Eirin gripped her pen and pad to observe any more strange movements. Hana didn’t move at first, instead her features started scrunching, her eyes watered, and a frown creased her chin. Here we go…

A loud whine escaped Hana’s lips and her eyes started to go red, her voice was trembling like her arms were, “Noooo~ I don’t want papa to be sad! Tell Yukari to stop bullying papa~!”

Eirin thought that she would really have to keep Tewi from hanging out with Kaguya in the future as the princess approached the padded table, she crossed her arms and shook her head, “I can’t get your papa out but I can pass on a message if you want, what should I tell your papa, Hana-chan?”

Hana flung ‘out’ by rotating her body in place while moving diagonally to the right of Eirin, Eirin wasted no time in jotting down the movement and its visible effects as Hana clung onto Kaguya’s chest. Hana wailed loudly, though she was muffled as she stuffed her face into Kaguya’s bosom, “T-tell pappa I love him and I’m sorry for doing bad things to him and I want to hug him and love him and we’ll get married and-“
Eirin wrote down everything that happened physically, she wasn’t to surprised about that confession of love, regression to childish tendencies is quite normal in the juveniles after al-, “We’ll have children! I’ll keep him safe from mama, and we’ll do lots of lewd things~ I’ll make him happy I swear, I’ll be the best wife ever!”

That however, wasn’t normal for juveniles at all.

Ah, the look on Kaguya’s face, another thing she learned from Tewi? It was that kind of grin where she cocked her sleeved hand right over her mouth, looking like she just found gold as she looked down at the huddling Hakurei girl. Kaguya would be inviting her back, that was certain.

That was when another interesting thing happened, Kaguya patted the girls back speaking soothing words, but she wasn’t done yet, “Tell papa I’m sorry~! Its all my fault he’s stuck, I’ll never do it again! It’s all that mean youkai’s fault! I never wanted to hurt hiiiiim! I’m sorry I’m so sorry~!”

There she goes, collapsing into a puddle on the floor with more of those unique movements. Just in time the inaba orderlies come in with Reisen at the lead, they open the door and some can barely contain their laughter while the others look on in concern.

For a moment Eirin sighs inwardly, these girls simply get way too distracted and attached to patients as of late. Eirin knew why of course, she personally gave them their exams only to find, to her horror, that the Hakurei bloodline and Eientei will forever be intertwined from now on. She supposed it wasn’t a huge loss considering the normally willful and prank loving rabbits have been more docile and attentive in their duties as nurses, thanks to their pregnancies. Still, when it came to the girl sitting in a heap of sadness on the floor they didn’t seem to be able to act fully.

Kaguya stepped aside letting the inaba take her by the arms and putting Hana’s limp appendages over their own, at the very least she could trust them to not make the situation worse. However, it was as the doting inaba escorted the sobbing wreck of a miko with gentle words that Kaguya got that silly look on her face again.

Once again Eirin was too late, and it didn’t take long before the princess whispered something into her ear. The inaba who were escorting Hana turned to the princess in disbelief as Kaguya grinned, and with a shout of, ‘nooooooo let me go you stinky youkai~!’ Hana seemed to stretch, get closer, waver, and get bigger simultaneously as her voice seemed to filter in from different directions. The inaba looked scared as they weaved around while Reisen shouted at them to catch her. None were successful, Hana slipped out of their grasps and seemed to phase through the walls themselves.

Eirin sighed and ran out of the room, she’d have to do some extra work as she calculated where Hana would run too next, she shouted out her orders and led the inaba on a merry chase.

// Keine 9

To say is easy. To do…

I gulp, hands trembling, standing still in front of my own house's door, night a cold and harsh blanket… The living room lights were on, which meant Mokou was awake. I feel tears welling behind my eyes, but swiftly clean them, Anon's words fresh in my mind melding together with Suzu's to create an amalgamation of inevitability—one I knew too well would come. The lie was unsustainable; I've got no courage to pursue alternative methods, and, as I said to Anon, "I never wanted any of this." I repeat lowly to myself, feeling slumped.

May or may not want, I pushed the lie forward and now reap what I sowed…

… Clenching my eyes and feeling a bout of courage, I open the door, blood scalding—

"Yo!" Mokou's voice reaches me, courage turns to dust. She's sat upside down on the couch, holding a book to her face—'1st Year With your Twins'—which she throws to the side, getting up and closing on me, and, before I can protest, I'm lifted in a tight hug, the immortal carefully avoiding squeezing my belly; my upper bones, however… "How's my favorite trio doing? You dumbasses made me all worried, taking all night to return home!" Laughing, she puts me down. I stare at her, eyebrows furrowed, instinctively hiding my shaking hands—even so, Mokou looks confused. "You okay there, Keine? You hungry or… oh! Is it one of those 'cravings'? Just say, and I'll make it!—though: no bricks, 'kay? They ain't nutritious for our kiddos!" She moves into the kitchen, preparing condiments and pans for cooking.

Outside, it starts to rain.

I watch her back for an elongated moment, that well of despair thought to be dry after talking to Anon rapidly filling, eyes watering… I can't do this; I can't—but I have to!

I gulp a block of ice and move, legs wobbly. "Mokou…"

"Keine! I know bricks look tast—"

"I'm not pregnant." Words burn like acid.

Mokou spits, choking on her own words, and I'd have gone to help her if she hadn't started to cackle like a hyena. "What the hell, Keine?! My sides! Bleh, I hate gulping saliva…" My face contorted as she finally recomposed herself, turning to me and showing her tongue. "You took them to the circus to return home a jester?" Her laughter goes on but quickly fades away as tears strand down my face, worry taking over as she rushes over to me. "Fuck—Keine? Keine! You okay? Damn, is this one of those extreme mood swings…?" The last part is whispered, her strong arms leading me to a chair. Inside, the shame—a growling monster—takes over at seeing just how enthralled in the lie Mokou is.

It hurts so much… yet…

"No, no… Mokou," I clench her white shirt, her puzzled eyes on me. "I'm not pregnant," I repeat, her eyes frowning even more. "Everything started as a rumor; the kids spread it! It's not real! I'm not pre—"

"Wow, wow, stop and calm yourself down, Keine—can't you listen to what you're saying?!" Anger painted her tone, her hand unconsciously reaching for my belly. "I heard their hearts; you told me—"

"I-It was a lie." I dodged her eyes and looked at the ground, the dam busting. Mokou remained silent, still, then her gentle hand grasped my chin and turned my eyes back to hers, now kneeling in front of me—her smile pained, confused; eyes wide.

"T-This all a joke, right?" I denied it with my head, biting my lower lip. "—I listened to their hearts beating—"

"It was Danmaku pulsing in my stomach…"

I could feel her skin itching, and averted my gaze. "—e-everyone was saying you are; they threw a party, but the beginning was screwed because you had morning sickness—" I gestured again, and I could feel her trembling, daring to look into her eyes. Few are the times one would see Fujiwara no Mokou, the immortal, crying, and one I can remember is— "—… We were going to name the boy after my father." I stared deep into her eyes—the disbelief, pain, confusion… anger, and betrayal—crying and dizzy, I denied it again.

Behind her eyes, something good died.

"… Y-You… had fun with this, Keine? Lying, deceiving… torturing me? Your friend?" Her voice trembled.

"No! N-No, I—" Words froze inside my throat as I watched her face go through immense anger, reddened eyes of fury, tears rolling, body rigid, and I prepared myself to be punched so hard I'd forget my name—

"… Oh, but I think you had fun, Keine. It's amusing to prank the immortal, isn't it? She has no feelings; she's not alive nor dead, but she's also not a youkai—she's just a murderer with no heart—might as well be the whole truth now…" I feel thrashed.

On the way back home, I thought about how this would go down—maybe a fight, screaming, emotions flying, violence—but this… This is much worse.

"No! Let me explain, ple—" I try to catch her hand, explain things—she'll understand, she's my—

But Mokou violently pulls her hand away, and I fall from my chair face-first onto the floor. Ignoring the hot liquids flowing on my face, mind a mess, I stare at her from the ground.

She was devastated.

And, silently, Mokou left.

// Kasen 7

With time, a certain pattern became clear: I'm always on the move.

Yukari needs something done: keep watch; go destroy some cultists or an enemy of the HSE, maybe wait idly on the reception for just long enough to not lose your head—I thank the fool who attacked me by the HSE's front doors sometime ago. It kind of helped with the momentary boredom… Then, after a hunt, I join Yukari and Anon for hours upon hours in bed, wild passion and lust muddling my thoughts, making the details and particularities of my missions hard to parse—important ones, even more…

It doesn't take a genius to see the big picture: Yukari doesn't want me to think of ways to free myself of her control. There are things I can do, venues I can try—if I'd hard train my hermit power of opening portals in pockets of energy, then with time I'd be able to imitate manipulation of boundaries on my lust… It'd take centuries, but I'd manage. That's just one example; I don't doubt there must be more out there.

Point is: thinking would break her control over me.

So every day I am on the move, hunting those who idolize the worst of me, having my mind consumed by the same lust depicted in their paintings, losing my sense of self, torturing a friend… It's like an unending nightmare.

And now Yukari and this cult mess…—because who else has information on my past? Who can manipulate lowly youkai minds to create a fast-growing cult in the shadows? Everything points at her… But one thing still eludes me: why is it like this? There must be easier ways to keep me busy than creating a cult for Ibaradouji and risking Hakurei/Moriyan involvement… Maybe something to do with this lurking rage? I don't know, and asking Yukari directly is impossible; she'll just seduce me with her perfect skin, plump breasts, slim figure—

I shake my head, munching on my lower lip. It's infuriating how easily she can get to me, and my stomach turns as I trudge forward in the forest… If I can't ask her directly, then I have to resort to alternative methods.

My target comes into view, and I have to give it to these cultists; every time I strike, they appear to be better organized, their numbers bigger, nerves on edge—though they're still composed entirely of weak youkai.

What's your plan, Yukari…?

Fixing my hood, danmaku prepared, I jump and crash through their small alcove's roof, the fight proceeding like all others; I spank them and dodge 'impossible' danmaku patterns, defeat within a minute—though my mind focuses elsewhere—gathering energy.

Piling them outside, breathing in and breathing out, I wait…

—The sound of a gap opening behind me, "My, m—"

I spring into action, pupils dilating as if hyperfocused, tapping into that growing, burning primal anger—Old Magic, weak yet existent, coursing my veins as I instantaneously close the distance between me and the swiftly closing gap, Yukari likely going to open it somewhere else—

My fingers slide inside the gap… And I vicariously pull it open like curtains, tearing space as if made of flesh, blood, and bone!

Inside, floating amidst a sea of wide, red eyes staring at me, is Yukari. And she is not happy. "Daft mistake, Ibarakasen." I hold the gap open with my left arm and shoulder, eyes of fury on Yukari, my bandaged arm exploding in a powerful blue missile that barrels towards her, shaking the strange dimension of the gap.

Bored, the Gap Youkai falls on her back, sinking inside another gap, dodging.

… I smile. The plan worked!

My eyes shine victorious, laboriously holding the breach in space open with all my oni might—physical and magical—, entire body trembling with the effort, concentrating my whole well of energy on one single place and—

My body shakes in agony; my teeth clench, eyes broad. Doing this, pumping energy into a bottomless well of Old Magic… It's like feeding a taotie, ever consuming and never satisfied with anything—more, more, more—and I feel my consciousness slip, yet remain strong, muscles scorching, eyes widening as I feel blood vessels popping around my face and back of the nose, momentarily nauseous.

… Anon…

I keep going, pouring as much magic—it hurts, it hurts—as I can and—

… Her gap, finally, bends to my will.

Took only a second.

Yukari's been controlling my mind for far too long, acting like the worst of owl mothers… Time for some rebelliousness!

As she reappears, frowning with a dangerous glint in her eyes, I jump inside the hijacked gap, nowhere to be seen…

Not as graciously, I fall onto the earth, rolling down a rocky hill, a cloud of dust following my body. I stand up, gasping and sweating, bloodied—yet grinning… Though, I can't waste my precious minutes. I only have a few before Yukari pinpoints my location and brings with her a world of pain and… lust.

Ignoring the stale air—and memories…—of the Underground, I fly through maze-like caves, avoiding weaklings and any waste of my time, determined on reaching the Earth Spirit Palace.

I need Satori Komeiji's help.

// Aya 51-52

It was Aya who broke off the embrace first. Her stomach rumbled for food and drink. Momiji remained attached to Anon, indulging in her chance to relax. The doll joined, asleep on her living perch. The head chef indisposed, sous-chef Aya Shameimaru began preparing food and drink for the three—four—people in the living room.

While preparing ingredients, Aya was tempted by the medicine cabinet. The thought persisted in her mind: Someone before her used it. Aya herself found it by snooping. Nazrin apparently did the same. There was no doubt in Aya’s mind that Tsukasa was just as wily. If there was any proof for or against her taking his seed, it was in there.

Covered in fur, Anon stood outside the kitchen. Noticing his hesitance, the tengu chef called him out: “What’s the matter Anon, too hot in the kitchen for you?” She stretched one leg out, trying to strike an enticing pose without knocking anything over.

“Hot might have a little to do with it. But unless you want some extra fiber in your food, I’d better stay out of the way.” He punctuated words by patting his chest once, unleashing a cloud of Momiji’s fur.

“I-In that case, just lend me your new friend for a bit. I’ll be done soon.” While the mask hid her expression, the insinuation that Anon called her ‘hot’ clouded head. She hadn’t expected him to go along with it! Maybe he was starting to fall in love after her heartfelt confession! A whistling kettle broke her reverie: Tea was almost done.

Commanding ‘Dolly’ was more difficult than she expected. Aya knew that Alice had dolls to help her cook, but this one wasn’t nearly as fast or knowledgeable as she wanted. The automaton could only do small tasks by herself. Washing the dishes would too big a task for the diminutive girl. Once the crow was done cooking, Dolly set the table as best she could and carried tea cups for each of her giant friends. After plating meals for everyone, Aya still felt like something was missing… Heading back to the kitchen, she looked around the cabinets until she found a small wooden plate and cup, roughly made for the doll’s size. Finally serving a meal fit for four, Aya and Momiji quickly scarfed down their plates while Anon savored his, trying to analyze the tengu flavors.

Bellies stuffed, bedroom time was approaching. The three adults agreed for Anon to bathe first and the girls to go in second. Waiting for the second he entered the bathroom. Aya pulled Momiji into the kitchen. Raiding the medicine cabinet with precision, Aya found the pill bottle. She spilled them onto the counter and counted them all up. 27. One for mystery woman, one for Aya, one for Nazrin. A wave of relief washed over her. “Momiji, count these over for me. I need to be sure it’s 27 pills exact.”

“Alright, alright, stop tugging! You’re going to knot my fur and Anon got them all out!” One by one, Momiji overturned all 27 pills, reaffirming the crow. “Are we going to discuss our enemy, the hermit, now?”

“Hair buns, shackles, martial prowess, invisibility… it all just screams Kasen doesn’t it? That’s why it can’t be her. It’s too obvious.” Aya recounted the pills again and took a picture, making sure she could count them again later.

The wolf was confused. “It’s obvious, yes, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“Remember, this whole investigation started over a rumor that Kanako was visiting the HSE. Kanako doesn’t dress like an oni. Kanako doesn’t slice people up with a sword or turn invisible. If our suspect wants everyone to think Kanako is visiting the HSE, why wear Kasen’s accessories?” The crow finally looked away from the counter, facing Momiji dead-on.

“To draw attention away from themselves?” Sweat beaded on her neck under Aya’s scrutiny.

“It’s because the only thing more dramatic than a goddess visiting the HSE would be a Sage! If the rumor against the Moriyans failed, they could instead start a new rumor around Kasen! Plus, the cloak: The manacles and hair buns were sown into it. I couldn’t rip those off the hermit’s body if she were wearing them! Plus, Kasen probably would’ve destroyed the evidence and utterly crushed us to hide her own identity instead of cutting me once and leaving the cloak for us to keep. No, Tsukasa and her accomplice are piling lies on lies!”

“Wait, Tsukasa is involved?” She followed along well enough, but the kuda-gitsune’s name threw her for a loop.

Slamming the pill container down on the counter, Aya began in a low voice. “Momiji. Let me tell you how much I’ve come to hate Tsukasa since this morning. She—“

Momiji’s pupils shrank into dots as she read the label. “Aya. Why are you counting pregnancy pills?”

“So anyways, there’s also the invisibility. Kasen may have a mastery over hermit arts, but she—“

Momiji slapped the counter, rattling the pills. The crow quickly collected them and set the bottle back in the cupboard, resolving a potential altercation before returning to the one she was trying desperately to avoid. “AYA! Why are you counting Anon’s pills? Do you have any idea how dangerous these things are? These are not something to be trifled with!”

“Well, uh, you see… during my first investigation, I saw the bottle! Back then, there were 29 pills. That means two more pills were taken since then! I’m just keeping track of an important variable!” That had to believable enough, it was mostly true!

“You don’t get it, do you? This is incredibly potent. Everyone here knows never to mess with these drugs. All it takes is one pill to make Anon’s sperm fecund. After that, all it takes is one drop here—“ The wolf grapped Aya by the upper pelvic region “—and a new life will, a new life… a new…”

——

She knew Aya slacked off sometimes, but she still kept her figure. This bloat, however slight, was firm. Moreover, she could feel something hard underneath. Slightly prodding the vague shape allowed another to move in and take its place. This was not a normal egg cycle. Her belly was too warm. It felt too… lively.

“You know, Eirin said it would take less than two weeks to start showing. If you count the time I spent inside the HSE with Anon, it’s probably been about that long.” Aya’s voice cracked when she mentioned the man. Tears were streaming down the left side of her face. When Momiji took off Aya’s mask, it revealed puffy eyes and a wet spot forming on her bandage. “I just wanted them to spend some time with him before I layed them.”

The reporter was trembling, clearly trying to hold herself together. If Aya was pregnant with Anon’s children, that meant one of those missing pills was Aya’s fault. Yet, she came back for a whole week. Pregnancy and sanity pills, scheming against tengu, plotting with gods… what was she doing?

Calm and firmly, Momiji began to speak. “Aya. I need you to answer something honestly; Don’t lie to me. Were you serious when you said you loved Anon?”

“I love him. I love him and I hate what I did to him. It’s all my fault this happened. If I just never—“

Momiji wrapped her arms around Aya, feeling her grasp back tightly. She knew what kind of guilt Aya was chiding herself for. Momiji was thankful herself for Aya’s embrace, as she realized there was another dimension to her sin against the crow in the bathroom. She was no paragon herself. Furthermore, their struggles was no longer a fight for love and justice. They were giving Anon a chance to see his children after the end of this. That alone was enough to keep fighting for.

——

Aya nearly broke down while confessing the details of her “accident” to Momiji. While she was relieved that Momiji agreed to keep helping her, she felt happier in the moment to have her emotional support. Perhaps noticing her sadness, Dolly had come over and touched her arm, giving the tengu some impartial support… How long has the doll been watching?

The shock snapped Aya back to attention: The doll saw her take out the pills, count them, and put them back while her and Momiji talked back and forth about pregnancy. Shit, what if Alice made that doll a tattle-tale to relay information back about all of Anon’s partners? Even if that wasn’t the case, what if Dolly showed Anon the pills because she was curious and somehow mentioned Aya? Dammit, even after she made her tea, the doll would be Aya’s undoing! “Momiji, we gotta do something about Dolly. Look, I know a kappa interested in dolls. We can smuggle her out in my bag and—“

Momiji just faced the doll and put a finger to her lips. “This is very secret talk for grown-ups, okay? If you tell Anon about this, he’ll be very sad. When it’s okay, I promise we’ll tell him everything. Until then, you have to keep our conversation secret, okay?” After her proposition, the wolf offered her pinky. Taking a full minute to consider her conditions, Dolly finally shook back, interested in keeping Anon happy. The two smiled to each other, quickly becoming friends over their shared secret. Aya watched on, just a little guilty about trying to kidnap the automaton so quickly.

As Anon left the bathroom, the two tengu quickly excused themselves in. The night was still young, and Aya only had so many minutes to talk with Momiji all alone. Between the crow’s newfound hatred of Tsukasa, arguing whether the accomplice was Kasen or some mysterious interloper Aya wouldn’t let go of, and discussing secret paths in the HSE Momiji could carry Anon down, the two girls chattered on and on while Anon mulled over a cupt of tea why Aya, of all people, brought a friend over.

// Ran/Chen 43

Yukari wants to get pregnant and will likely keep Anon locked until she gets it… Knowing her, that wouldn't be the end of things.

Sighing, I glance at Toutetsu and Reimu training in the distance. It may harbor attention, but the area is concealed by my barriers, and Yukari just started her nightly sessions. I mull the thought of sharing this information with them—what would we gain from this? Toutetsu doesn't care much about Anon himself, so nothing from there. Reimu, though… I fear she might do something reckless if this comes to her knowledge.

It's unfair to store this information away from her, and according to Tetsu, she accepted Aya and her offspring pretty calmly. Hm… I'll ask Aya's direct opinion about this—

—Speaking of the devil, I looked at my side as a fluttering missile of jet-black feathers landed with care. "Aya." I greeted her, assessing the wound on her face. Looks better. The tengu nods, puzzled eyes on the danmaku fight between Taotie and miko. "They're training—Reimu is concerned with the possible decline of her abilities—" I huff as Toutetsu crashes through a tree, swiftly getting back to the fight with a wicked smile. "I think she exaggerated."

"Ugh… I'm thankful she's on our side." Toutetsu did say something about Reimu pulling her gohei on Aya as a symbolic gesture. I giggle at the pouting crow, but she brushes it off. "We gotta talk." Her tone kills my laughter, and I nod. With a gap snap in Reimu's and Tetsu's palms, their fight comes to an end. Aya looks tense, to my puzzlement—she wanted to talk alone?

"Sup, Ayaya!" Tetsu says, piercing her spork on the ground and squatting on top of it. Reimu bows with a slight smile to Aya before sitting down—talk circle formed—; the crow bows back, trying to hide her anxiety—terrible idea around two beings born in the Animal Realm. Toutetsu's playful glare said she thought the same. "What ya got today? News on Yukari, things we should know?"

"Well…" She moistens her lips, looking at Reimu, who frowns. "Two associates of Yukari were spotted conversing with Kaku Seiga—so it's safe to say they're allies—; you also heard the Flandre Situation?" Toutetsu trembles, scratching her hair; Reimu sighs. "Yep, all true—minus the terrorism threats; that's media decoration—; Alice gave Anon an automaton doll and… Where's Chen, by the way?"

I smile. "With a friend."

"Uh… anyway. That's all that concerns our efforts, but—" Aya glances at Reimu, then at me, and I scowl with her seriousness. "—I had a… civil discussion with Hana Hakurei," Reimu's breathing hitches, her body tensing, investment in the conversation growing tenfold. "And Hana wants to have a particular meeting with you, Ran." Hm, that's unexpected. The little miko—who's always staring at me as if searching for a breach to justify a temper tantrum. I can understand her disgust, but I'm hardly the cause of her or Anon's pain…—wants to talk.

… I gulp bitterness. What an awful lie. All goes back to sweet little Reimu, sitting on the porch alone and with a shrine to take care of. If only I—

Reimu stares at me, our eyes meeting. She gives me a reassuring smile that takes my breath away before returning to Aya. "… Is Hana okay? Taking care of herself, not alone?"

Aya giggles a bit. "Yeah, you can say that; she lives with both Aunns—she has a great war face, too. I almost felt threatened~!" Reimu snickers, a jovial sound unlike anything I've ever seen coming from her, a conversation about Hana blossoming between them, and it warms my heart…

… Yet, the thought I could've stopped all this suffering if only I had gone against Yukari—

I feel a pat on my back and look to see Tetsu has come down from her spork and is by my side. "I don't know what's going on in here," she drums my head. "But whatever you're thinking of, it's not your fault, dork." I open my mouth to explain, and Tetsu taps again. "Did I stutter, Ranni?"

… I huff, with a fond smile, "Thanks, Tetsu." And turn to Reimu and Aya, Tetsu returning to her spork, looking satisfied. "Aya—Hana said her motives for a meeting?"

"Yukari. She wants to ask you about Yukari's motives for obsessing over Anon… Don't look at me like that! I don't understand human teens either!" It did nothing to clean the flabbergasted looks of everyone. I stared at Reimu, she denied it with her head. Reimu then stared at Tetsu, Tetsu shrugged…

And I sighed when all eyes came back to me. "… I'll be sure to question that further." Gladly, everyone nodded. "Now—did she say anything about other people appearing at this meeting?" Aya slowly denied it, anxious—

We glanced at the miko, who, to my surprise, nodded. "I won't go. I don't want to exert the pressure of my presence over Hana—if she wants to talk, I want her to choose to come to me." However, she bit her lip. "But… If she asks, and only if she asks, about me—can you tell her…" Her smile shone. "I'm proud of her?"

The subsequent smile was collective, and the meeting of me, Aya, Tetsu, and Hana was set.

// Seija/Goro 76-78

Orin’s ridiculous plan had given me such an aneurism that I had been bedridden for the last couple of days. Regardless, when we received forwarding that two of Yukari’s agents would be visiting us personally, I decided to forgo bed rest to meet them. I was still the Mistress of the Earth Spirit Palace and even If I wasn’t well enough to perform my usual duties, getting to the root of this problem was still too important.
At the very least, it wasn’t paperwork.
“Satori we’re here.” Yuugi said, opening my office doors with some bravado.
Behind her was the Amanojaku, Seija, and a man who looked somewhere in between a priest, a salesman, and a solider, Goro. Instantly my ability told me who they were, why they were here, and that I wanted nothing to do with either of them.
“Very good, now see them out.” I waved.
But it was too late, Orin and Kokoro, who were both at my side in case things turned violent, saw these two and a spark of familiarity ignited.
“Aunt Kokoro.” Goro said with an abundance of nostalgia.
The Menreiki’s mask shifted to the befuddled monkey face.
“Forgive me, I don’t recall making your acquaintance.” She spoke.
Were she to dig deeply into her memories and remember one of the children at the Buddhist temples who had asked her all sorts of piecing questions about her masks, including their material, make, and storage all in the hopes of possibly starting his own little mask business.
“Oh, the onus is on me, don’t give it another thought.” He said, bowing. “This is Seija and I’m Goro. We’re agents of the Yakumo and we’ve come to talk.”
At this, Kokoro’s mask shifted to the demonic Hannya mask and no sooner then it had was her polearm besides Goro’s neck.
“State your business or lose your head.” She commanded.
“Do you have ears you violent woman? He said were here to talk and you’re pointing your blade at the wrong person.” Seija answered, jamming a thumb at her own neck.
“Goro! What are you doing underground?” Orin interjected, more relieved to have a break from the meager part of my duties I tasked her with then surprised at meeting the fool who had laid the seed that would grow into her awful plan. Which was even more reason to dispatch these two immediately.
“Kokoro would you be so kind to escort these two off the premise?” I asked, knowing the Menreiki wasn’t entirely amicable to me, but would be grateful for the opportunity to remove these two.
And then the damn dog walked in.
The large hound was a resident of the mansion, She looked at me with those deep brown eyes and I saw her displeasure at seeing her new friend go since he knew the secret to making friends with any hound: The ribcage rub.
“On second thought, I suppose I could entertain you for a spell.” I said, gesturing to the circle of furniture and for Orin to get tea.
The Menreiki retracted her polearm and her mask shifted to the red Shikami face to denote her suspicion as we all made way for our seats. Seija and Goro sat beside each other on the coach, the dog taking the open space besides Goro, while Yuugi, Kokoro, and I tool three of the chairs.
“So, let’s play a little game.” I proposed. “If I’m able to make you two leave with my words alone by the time Orin returns with tea, you’ll leave old hell immediately after Yuugi defeats you. If you endure, I’ll help you get into New Hell.”
Surprise passes Seija’s face, but not Goro’s since it’s what he planned to ask from the beginning.
“Deal.” he said, reaching his hand across the table, which I shook.
‘Such dainty hands.’ He thought.
“Now let’s begin. Seija, Goro purchased a hairbrush to help him apologize to Hijiri, which you like to guess how?”
Instantly the Amanojaku’s mind swirled with possibilities but before she could say aloud, I became impatient and simply answered.
“He wants to brush her hair like he did when he was young, should I tell her about your ulterior motive Goro?” I ask.
He thought for a second, realized, and smirked.
“You want to be dotted on by everyone like when you were young. Ever since you distanced yourself from them you’ve been starving for motherly affection.”
Kokoro’s mask changed to a confused monkey, wondering why a servant of someone so despicable had such cravings, let alone an adult.
Yuugi crossed her arms and feigned indifference, but the concept of motherhood was alien to her and she was a little intrigued.
“Mama’s little boy!” Seija teased, pinching his cheek. “Should I help you prepare a proper apology essay?”
“Ha, who isn’t nostalgic for simpler times? I was a pretty needy kid after all. Maybe not much has changed.” He admitted.
‘You call that a jab?’ he thought.
You’ll see, I always start small.
“You also thought about using the same brush to tend to Yukari’s hair, because you believe that showing her platonic kindness will improve her temperament. In fact, at this point you have thought about brushing every woman’s hair in this room.”
Yuugi and Kokoro both avert their eyes, trying desperately not to imagine the very scenario I described as well as avoiding checking the current condition of their own hair.
“Hey, you haven’t ever brushed me.” Seija said, poking his arm. “Is there something inadequate about hair?”
“Ah no. I’m just waiting for a day where I can force you into it so I can maximize your embarrassment. Besides Miss Satori, your own hair is crying out for proper care you know. Isn’t that right little lady? I bet you haven’t gotten a good brushing in a while.” He deflected, directing that last bit at the hound while rubbing her ears like it wasn’t a gentle jab at me.
“Actually, he’s torn between tricking you into thinking he likes short hair so you’ll grow it out or causing you to feel so much embarrassment from him brushing other woman’s hair that you grow it out so you can claim his exclusive use.” I explained.
“Well good luck with that.” She said, jabbing him in the arm. “Long hair’s such a pain. You’re going to suffer living with a short haired woman for the rest of your life.”
It was at this point that Yuugi and Kokoro both connected the dots that these two were lovers, causing Yuugi’s embarrassment to grow just a little more and Kokoro’s mask to shift to Ko-omote revealing her own interest in this matter. This setup another strike.
“Goro, do you know Seija flashed her underwear at the young shrine maiden’s request? The black one with the lace.”
“She asked for that?!” Goro asked Seija, somewhat surprised.
“She asked a lot of stuff.” Seija said, gnashing her teeth.
“Like about whether you two wear clothes in the act, how you got those nail marks on your back, and how she feels victorious whenever she seduces you. And I should add she’s enjoying this embarrassment.” I remarked.
Well only so much. There was also the mixture of displeasure from others being interested in her love life, which Yuugi and Kokoro both where infatuated by at this point.
“Maybe this is a little too far.” Yuugi said, not wanting to pry too far into bedroom matters.
“It might not be proper.” Kokoro added, having not forgotten the fact that they were Yakumo agents, but still wanted to practice proper manners.
I on the other hand didn’t give a damn.
“Goro, you still don’t completely trust Seija. You believe she could still brutalize someone else like she did to you and have nightmares that you’ll enable her. You Seija on the other hand worry that- “
“Shut yer trap!” Seija, says, almost rising from her seat, but Goro stops her with a hand on her lap.
“You believe that Goro might martyr himself to stop you and that it will be in his best interests.” I finish.
The room grows silent. Yuugi and Kokoro don’t know what to make of this sort of situation, Goro doesn’t take his hand of Seija’s lap, Seija looked away from Goro.
“This is just a glimpse of the iceberg. If you force me, I won’t hold anything back. Childhood trauma, broken promises, intrusive thoughts, I’ll leverage them all.” I threatened.
But neither of them flinched. Exposed as they were, it wasn’t enough to sway them. So, I used my trump card.
“Between you two they’re three consciousness.” I spoke.
“You-.” This time it was Goro that rose, but it wasn’t Seija’s hand that stopped him, instead a small hand on his shoulder kept him from standing and conceding the game.
“That won’t do sister. After all, he’s in the same predicament as I am.” Koishi stated. “Do you see it also Kokoro? Little Goro’s grew up to be a Papa!”
Kokoro looked to the couple and squinted for a moment before her eyes went wide with realization.
Goro simply looked at Kioshi confused. “Have we met?”
“Don’t know!” Koishi happily stated.
Goro thought for a moment, trying to recall if he ever encountered my sister, but failed to do so.
Gingerly he took the hound and pulled her across himself and Seija and offered the seat. When my sister did, he produced a comb and took a lock of hair from my sister’s head and brushed it.
“Koishi…” he said, a fuzzy image appearing in his mind.
She smiled, still clueless about the man, but happy to be recognized by him, nonetheless.
“Hold on a minute, what do you mean Goro’s going to be a father? I’m not pregnant...” Seija asked, confused.
“You aren’t, but you’re still going to be a parent.” I said, rubbing the side of my face.
“Look at your bracelet Goro, do you notice anything missing?” I asked.
He looked it over, turning his hand over to examine both sides. The faces contained within the beads grew and shrank in luminance as he did. “No, it all seems there.”
“Really? You don’t see a sort of gap, do you?”
Looking again his mind focused and like a microscope changes lens he reassessed the bracelet in different contexts and models, turning its analytical capabilities upon itself. That’s how he realized.
“It’s all there, but a part has been ‘displaced’. It’s still a part of the bracelet, still bound to me, just moved in a different sense…” he began before his expression changed to shock. “…and something’s growing in that ‘space.’”
This was why I wanted them gone.
“Sorry for the wait, I’ve brought tea.” Orin gleefully announced.

// Marisa 7

Marisa is not particularly fond of the village. She’d defend the villagers of course, but there’s just something about the place. It’s probably just the old memories. It doesn’t really matter either way, she’s here for a reason.

Nothing particularly stands out about Hana’s home. In terms of design the building perfectly fits its neighbors, and yet not a soul dares walk near it. It’s not surprising that villagers fear the unknown. That’s what keeps them hiding away in the village, desperately praying to the Gods to protect them from the Youkai. It’s a system they were born into and likely never questioned once in their lives, so when faced with said system not working they’ll cower away from it. No matter, such things aren’t worth thinking about when there are more important things such as Hana’s birthday.

Flying down, Marisa begins to knock on the door. There’s no immediate response, perhaps Hana is out? She’s likely very busy so it wouldn’t be surprising if-oh wait the door is open. Snapping back to attention, Marisa is greeted by an expressionless Aunn staring back at her. Is she angry about something?

As Marisa runs through the rather short list of what Aunn could be offended over she asks, “Ahh hey, can I uhh come in da ze?”

Aunn gives no sign that she even heard Marisa’s question, she just continues to stare blankly into Marisa’s eyes. Eventually, she tilts her head down and then up in a jerky motion before moving deeper into the house.

There’s a familiar level of mess in the home. It’s nowhere near the point where it’d become an issue, but’s clearly a home occupied by 2 or 3 girls. As Marisa takes a seat in the living room, Aunn elects to stand in front of her looking down without a word.

It’s quite uncomfortable. Had Aunn looked angry that would have been one thing, but her expression is rigid and entirely unfeeling. Even when she blinks it seems like a conscious effort rather than a subconscious movement.

Swallowing whatever apprehension the dog gave her Marisa says, “So I was planning on throwing Hana a birthday party. To make up for the one she missed while she was… y’know. I can’t give an exact date yet, but I was thinking of having it in a week or two. I was hoping for it to be a surprise party, so I’ll need your help. Are you in?”

Again Aunn’s expression does not change as she tilts her head up and down.

Wishing that the other Aunn was here Marisa replies, “Great! Alice is in on it and likely where are going to host the party. Mima gave her blessing. Yuuka was really into the idea but ran off to do something soon after I told her. I’ll keep you updated. By the way, where is Hana?”

Aunn is silent for a few moments before stating, “Eientei.”

Eientei? Is she sick? Was she captured? Did something happen while she wasn’t around? What if Hana doesn’t get better? How could she face Anon if… if…

Marisa begins to fidget as she asks, “Hana, is she okay? What happened? You should have said something sooner, if I had known I'd have come down-”

Aunn remains inexpressive as she cuts Marisa off with a brusque, “Hana fine.”

Slumping back into the chair Marisa allowed her worries to disappear. She’s fine, of course she is. Getting up Marisa says, “That’s good… I should get going. I got lots to do, see you soon da ze!”

As Marisa turns to go, she catches a glimpse of Aunn giving a rigid wave as her tail wags, “Soon.”

// Keine 10

After this last week, waking up to an empty house with nothing on the table feels jarring. I have no tears to spare—it was a long night…—, so I just sigh and make something to eat. The day outside was gray…

Mokou was just the first step and therefore the hardest. There are still Mr. Hieda and the students, who would then talk to their parents, and, hopefully, this lie dies by next daybreak. I stare at empty space, pondering just sending a letter saying I'm sick… Funny how I don't have the motivation to do even that.

I want my bed…

I touch my belly, gulping acrid smoke, and force myself to get ready for the day, hoping things go at least an ounce better than last night.

—

Shocked, I stare at Mr. Hieda—he's livid. Normally a man so calm and intrinsic; but now looking at me like I'm a trash pile, "What do you mean by that?" He spits.

"The rumors grew uncontrollably, and I couldn't—"

"No, you absolute fool! If you're not pregnant, Akyuu won't be able to come back to this realm!" I freeze, eyes wide. Akyuu…? W-What?! "I received dreams from beyond—by Yama herself—; livid dreams of my Akyuu’s pure soul awaiting on the shore of the Sanzu to be reincarnated—and it'd have been through you, one of her best friends! I was excited to receive you in my family and treat you like my own daughter! But you deceived me with lies, even using your students!"

… This cannot be real.

It's so outlandish that I can't help but laugh. Shouldn't have: his face twists in scorn. Mr. Hieda never got over Akyuu's death, trying to revert it, acting like it didn't happen… we all just played along to not sadden him—but this is ridiculous! "Mr. Hieda, please. I would never do something like that—"

He slams the table, and I shut up. "Your power over history is the perfect cover; don't try to make a fool out of me, Keine! You're laughing on the inside, aren’t you? Because that's who you are: a monster that plays with people's feelings!" There was a connotation in his words that made my heart skip a beat; Mokou told?! No, she wouldn't… would she? Maybe neighbors heard all, then saw her flying in the midnight, perhaps heard me crying— "To think you'd turn out to be like this…"

I sigh, massaging my temples. "Mr. Hied—"

"You're fired."

I pause. I look at him, frowning. His eyes have a cold fury behind them. "… Mr. Hieda—"

"Did I stutter, Keine? Go pick up your things and leave the temple at once. You're not welcome here anymore."

"You can't do this to me." I affirm, getting up, trembling, feeling an utter rage grow inside like a parasite. He doesn't bulge. "… Don't you know how much I sacrificed for this school?! Decades! You can't fire me over the assumption that I'd give birth to your dead daughter!" I point at his face, free hand slamming the table.

He stares through me. "You're fired, Keine."

I'm boiling with rage, an urge to explode his face corroding me from the inside… But outside the room, footsteps; shrill laughter, and I know whatever I do or say will be heard by the children outside…

… Children that talk a lot.

Mouth a line, eyes fire, I slowly walk away from the table, fists clenched and quaking… And turn, leaving the room with a quick pace—a hiccup, and I can feel the tears streaming, using my hair to cover my red face.

I make it to my classroom in record time, trying hard not to think as my quivering hands push everything I consider worthwhile—personal things, utensils… drawings of me with the students—into my bag, cursing under my breath: who let a man who never properly grieved decide things? Me, birthing Akyuu?! And because it was all a FUCKING LIE, I lost my job?!

I bite my lower lip, hand clinching my chest, trying not to hyperventilate—what can I do to reverse this? Can I talk to someone within Clan Hieda and make him change his mind? Why did things turn out like this?!—crushing a fistful of hair, I remember Anon's words, my heart withering…

Are these the consequences of living a lie? Losing those you love; what you love to do…?

I gulp a block of ice, weak, yet manage to get the full bag beneath my arm, glassy eyes as I open the window and fly back home, desperate to just sink my face in my pillow and, somehow, wake up in a world not as fucked up.

Subconsciously, my hand touches my belly, mind screaming when the only thing I can feel is blood circulation.

I get home—after wrecking myself on the front porch and breaking the fence—feeling absolutely spent, wild eyes and body shivering, biting cold against the enormous, itching, uncomfortable heat cooking me inside. Unsure how to react to the sheer amount of stress, I drop into my bed, still in my teacher's robes, and just… stare at the ceiling.

I don't yell, throw a temper tantrum; rather, my mind buzzes, eyes refuse to focus on anything, and I hug my flat belly… This is just too much…

… How much money do I have on me anyway? Not much. Never thought I'd be unemployed.

Can I buy food? Yes. Supplies for winter? Maybe…

I start to cry.

// Yuuka 6

The wind is fierce near the top of Youkai Mountain. It howls against the cold stone of the mountain and would steal the warmth of any human who had to endure it in minutes. Of course for some, such as the figure standing dramatically against said wind, it is just a trifle.

Still, the desolation gets old quickly. While the barren, frozen peak of a mountain overlooking Gensokyo sounds nice on paper, barren places are by their very nature unchanging and even she can’t see well enough to spy on the residence of Gensokyo from up here. Perhaps it would be a splendid sight for one could not fly, but alas she can.

…at this point, her patience is beginning to be tested. She’s in the awkward spot where complaining about being bored is getting old, but she’s not quite ready to begin throwing rocks off the side of a cliff to see if she can hit a Tengu. Why didn’t she suggest somewhere more lively like Geidontei? Though this wouldn’t even be a problem if Yuuka was here right now. Really it is quite rude to not arrive an hour early, surely Yuuka knew that she’d be here early or very late.

Ah, finally! There is something green floating up the mountainside and unless Sanae put on some pounds it must be Yuuka. Hmmm,
she could stand to be faster though. Maybe a few rocks would speed her up?

No… no that’d be a terrible idea. There are things even someone like her can’t get away with. Unless she made it look like a coincidence… No… not even then.

Eventually, Yuuka makes her way to the top. Naturally, she is entirely unaffected by the harsh environment. Somehow even her hair remains in place despite the wind. Not at all jealous of that feat, the girl asks pointedly, “You got the stuff?”

Yuuka tosses the bag she was carrying at the other girl’s feet as she replies, “Would I waste my time if I did not?”

The girl heard none of that barb, however, as she dives to catch the bag before it hits the ground. Barely registering the bare stone she scrapped, she hisses, “Careful! This stuff is delicate, you shouldn’t just toss it around willy nilly.”

As the girl is digging through the bag making sure everything is in order, Yuuka gives an amused reply, “I’ll keep that in mind. More importantly, is everything in order?”

Poking her head up from the bag, the girl answers, “Yeah. Everything is good to go on my end. I can get you in there though getting out is on you. Still, why do you even wanna go?”

For a second Yuuka’s mask slips as her expression becomes… complex. Before the girl could even begin to comprehend what she was seeing, Yuuka returned to her normal aloof self, “I have my reasons. I don’t, however, see why you must know them.”

She wasn’t really sure what she expected. No matter how weird of a situation it is Yuuka would never explain herself properly. Actually, especially because of how weird the situation is Yuuka is not going to explain herself. Lifting up bag she figures that she doesn’t need to understand the situation to profit off of it.

Still it’s in the girl’s nature to push so she might as well go a little further with it, “It’s tied to that HSE incident, right? Reimu is what giving handies behind the shrine to make money? I can’t see how this connects, but you people always make the craziest schemes over the littlest things.”

Ah, perhaps she pushed a little too far. Yuuka’s glower goes beyond the normal natural threatening… threateningness? Whatever it’s her thoughts, grammar doesn’t matter. Yuuka looks more scary than normal.

Thankfully the Flower Youkai grits her teeth and pointedly asks, "Here tomorrow night?"

The other girl gives a timid nod, "Yeah, I'll be here and ready by then."

After Yuuka walks off the side of a cliff, the other girl breathes a sigh of relief. This will definitely cause problems for somebody soon, but hopefully not her. With any luck, she’ll be able to kick back her feet and watch from the sidelines. Free entertainment to go along with her payment that’s worth more than its weight in gold.

// Ran/Chen 44

"There, you see? You have to be careful about what type of thread to use—this one," Ms. Yamame points at the brown skein. "Goes all whirl-whirl," using one of her hind legs she makes a spin motion; then points to the gold skein. "But this goes uppity-uppity," now a motion up and down. Some would listen to this esoteric explanation and get utterly lost… My eyes shone, burning the knowledge of a master on the white of my skull. "If you intertwine them without giving breathing room or consideration about friction against what part of the body the crochet will be against, then it might be uncomfortable to wear and will quickly decay."

Two hours or so had passed since I'd arrived, and ten minutes since I glimpsed at the man who looked like Mr. Anon, and, by now, Ms. Yamame had finished fifty sketches of my hat: so many patterns, locations of said patterns, sizes~a master on their craft is simply on another level; "Okay, Ms. Yam—"

"Call me Yamame, dear." She pokes my nose with the tip of one of her hind legs, her smile angelic, and I think I reach Shangri-la for a moment.

"… Okay, Yamame~!"

"Heh~… Any idea what that is, or you're still in the zone?" She points to my hands knitting by themselves; my technique already adapted to her advice. The piece is rectangular and smooth, though obtuse edges sprinkle here and there, the three warm colors blending to create a flow of dark chocolate and gold. Form, however… I shrug, embarrassed. Yamame giggles. "Surprises are nice. Often, surprising ourselves is the best feeling!" I frown at the words and, for whatever motive, my eyes glance at the massive picture hanging over the fire.

"Yamame… that man," I say, and Yamame fondly follows my glance, eyes focusing on the same spot with familiarity. "He looks like Mr. Anon." Her eyes return to mine, surprised and joyous, hind leg drawing another design for my hat.

"Is that so?" I nod—oh, that's a rhetorical question. "Well… My human was well-adventured. Maybe too well. Sometimes I wonder if he loved Eirin considering the many times he ended up at Eientei," she giggled with uncontained nostalgia, her happiness intoxicating. "What about Mr. Anon?"

I smiled, proud of my following words. "He's the best! We climb big trees together, run in the forest at night, and he makes the best food! Maybe they're brothers~" My hands knit faster, printing love on the threads, which seems to make Yamame's smile grow. "Where's your human?" I ask innocently, and there's a sharp pain in her eyes.

"He… has left this world many moons ago—" My eyes drop, and I'm about to apologize, but she continues, pain drowned by immense warmth. "—though, surrounded by 192 daughters and sons and one wife that loved him very much, I bet he crossed the Sanzu with a big, silly smile." I blink at the sheer number, though don't hold it much longer, my heart bombarded by the love in her voice and features—she also had started a new sketch for my hat subconsciously, eyes dreamy.

Feeling a pained smile crossing my face and focusing on her human in the picture, I say before thinking, "Their lives are so short compared to ours…" Yamame looks at me, slowly nodding. "Mr. Anon is already forty years old, and I know him for barely a year… Feels like so much lost time."

Yamame brushes my hair, and her smile, though mirroring mine, has something… more. "Don't think of it as lost time—it's just the time that it took to bring you two together. Without it, the connection between you couldn't exist."

Her words land with a weird taste, like bitter medicine, and I can't contain my next words: "I've been… thinking about how it'll be when I lose Mr. Anon—that it’ll be like a hole, always getting bigger…" I hold my heart, feeling haunted. "How did you deal with it? Losing your human?"

Her hand stops brushing, the pneumatics of her legs tensing hard, as if seeing the question as dangerous… It lasts only a moment before the sweetest of smiles is born on her face. It's so beautiful, it takes my breath away. "Ah, sweetling… It was hard. Harder than anything I've ever done," my heart clenches, her words a book I'll never fully read or understand, but the emotions there are universal and timeless. I kept furiously knitting; she drawing. "It was like I went to sleep and never woke up, imprisoned in a bad dream that lasted far too long—all while knowing I was asleep and missing the rest of my life, my children's lives…" Swallowing something, her smile loses its sharp edge, giving way to feelings that fill my heart with joy. "But I wasn't alone. I had people around me who missed him just as much… Alone inside our little holes, it was certainly tough, but together we filled them and moved forward, and that hole he left with his departure is now fertile soil where our memories can blossom and things like these—" she points at her big smile. "—can be born!"

… Gently, she wipes a tear of mine, then looks at my knitting and I at her drawing—and, together, we say:

“Perfect.”

// Yamashiro 19

Lately the Fake Shrine had taken on a life of its own. Flowerbeds lined the path to it, ecosystems of various animals had been cataloged living about, and a new permanent resident, a small doll that the Forest Witch had left, now floated about the place.
I was thankful for the phenomenon. The flowers instilled those who approached the small home with a sense of peace and relaxation while the new life that sprung up around ate away at the commercial superficiality of the HSE. Visitors purchased fewer extreme courses, Anon’s own mood had vastly improved, and most surprising of all, Yukari didn’t seem to mind any of it, although perhaps she was too busy to notice.
Hopeful as I was for the peace to continue, I knew good market trends and weather had one thing in common, peaceful lulls could foretell cataclysmic periods. I prayed I was wrong.
“Hello Takane.” Anon said, seated comfortably at the table, peeling an orange for the doll beside him.
The doll itself noticed me, gingerly flew over, and gave me a small bow and pack on the cheek. With a solitary finger, I rubbed its little face which she hugged.
“She really likes you.” Anon remarked.
“Children are often friendly.” I tell him, setting a basket on the table.
Contained within where various soaps, ingredients, and other little luxuries I had procured from the village markets and beyond. Carefully Anon took each out, examined it, sometimes sniffed it, and began separating them into piles. The doll inquisitively felt each item until it found a stocky herb she started swinging around like a sword.
“These are a no go.” He started, pointing to a collection of soaps. “Their textured with seeds, some of which I’ve seen uh, excite certain woman. These on the other hand will do great.” Anon held up a collection of bath bombs. “The fragrance makes most people more relaxed. Pretty ideal I’d say.”
“I’ll put in an order right away.” I say, making some notes.
While the HSE wouldn’t deny most requests for foodstuffs and other luxuries, we were able to stock the fake shrine however we pleased otherwise. I long ago started to come up with different ‘weapons’ Anon could use in his arsenal to temper some of the more vicious Youkai, but it was when I started these meetings with him that the incident rate started to decline in earnest.
It also gave me an opportunity to better take care of Anon’s own health, since he sub-consciously chose things that put him at ease, useful for when I would schedule worker’s sessions or my own maintenance windows to take care of him as much as possible.
“Everything going well?” He asked.
“It is.” I said with a smile. “We’re seeing a few new faces here and there, but things have been running smoother, due in no small part to your help.”
The ‘new faces’ were Yukari’s growing collection of ‘personal’. I couldn’t say so directly, but letting Anon know, even a little bit about the situation outside put his mind more at ease then a lie.
“Oh, meeting new people isn’t always so bad.” He told me, now dueling the doll with a herb of his own.
“Are they fun at least?” He chuckled.
Kasen, Flandre, some Tengu, the Otter Yakuza boss, Seija, and Goro, I suppose all these people were ‘exciting’ in some way, but most weren’t the type to share a nice chat like this. Yukari’s new company all had some erratic quality to them, which, considering the massive forces allied against her, wasn’t unexpected.
“They are. Although I wished they’d get along better. A team’s only as good as it’s network after all.” I say.
But Anon doesn’t answer, instead his gaze seems to be captured by something on the ceiling, but when I turn to look, nothing is there.
“Oh, sorry I’ve just been seeing some things lately.” He waved. “Probably should be getting a little more sleep I suppose.”
I put my hand on his and look into his eyes with a firm glance.
“Ah, well, I think it looks like a larva of some kind. I thought it was an eye squiggly at some point, but it’s too much like a circle.” He says, helpless against my gaze.
“There!” He points.
This time when I turn my head, I see something. A small pulsating thing whose form is barely defined hovering ghostly just below the ceiling. It vanishes just as soon as it appears. The doll looks at both of us, confused.
“It started about a week ago. I don’t think it’s something dangerous otherwise you all would know immediately. Might just be a trick of the light.” He says, shaking his head.
“I’ll get someone to look into It immediately.” I say, patting his hand.

// Keine 11-12

Losing Mokou was losing my heart; losing my job, my purpose… And now, I'm losing my mind.

Recent events have proven that the only thing faster than light is gossip, and it goes both ways: happy and proud about someone's pregnancy… Disgusted and angry about a lie. Never properly explained, people didn't know what to do with the 'scandalous' revelation of my fake pregnancy, so they did what they do best and blew it out of proportion. Perhaps I should've tried to clean it immediately and do damage control, but it took an entire day before I gathered energy to leave my bed—I wish I hadn't…

"Did you hear? Some say she lost the kids, poor woman…"

"No, it's something else: Mr. Hieda was enraged at her, calling her a devil; and some say that Immortal girlfriend of hers left the house in the middle of the night, furious. All clues point she got an abortion."

"An abortion?! How could she? I thought she loved children…"

"I know, right?"

They think I can't hear them. I can. "Hey," I call the two gossipers, giving them a side glance after putting the cheaper rice than what I'm used to inside my shopping basket. They look at me perplexed, lowering their voice, watching me as if I were an animal. It's hard to contain the bitterness and stop it from taking form. "The rumors were all lies; I wasn't—" And they already left in a hurry, other pairs of eyes over me, people giving me more space before unceremoniously resuming their gossiping. It filled each of my nerves with sulfur, but I gulped it down, focusing on the supplies I'll be stocking for winter: cheaper, fewer…

I tried to find respite in my mind, closing my eyes, yet I only saw Mokou heartbroken, trembling body, tears.

Weary, I sighed.

Nowhere am I safe from guilt and pain.
—
The Korindou can't employ someone else, not with winter just down the line and the ever-present HSE cracking the village's economy like a rotten egg—and though Rinnosuke-san said he could balloon his prices and use the surplus money to pay me a salary, I promptly denied it, not wanting his reputation or sales to suffer just for my sake, but grateful for his kindness anyway. Suzu was the same case, but worse, considering the change in the literature market inside the village…

That pattern repeated everywhere I looked—'winter will be harsh and with the shaken economy, we can't employ more. We're already staffed—Wait, aren't you the teacher who had an abortion?' That latter hit like a gut punch. The lie itself wasn't enough; now an even worse lie overlaps it, whispered beneath breaths like the name of a monster and getting more ridiculous every time it crawled out of someone else's mouth. Abortion is a touchy subject for the villagers: humans are already so outmatched by youkai, even in numbers, something we should excel at. To have a birth subdued for whatever reason is already bad, but abortion might as well be a cardinal sin… Having this slander on me because a crazy man decided I'd give birth to his dead daughter is infuriating.

Worst of all is what happens when I try to defend myself and lash out. They look at me as if I'm crazy and move away, all in silence—such apathy and betrayal culminated in my visit to House Hieda to try to have someone talk sense into Mr. Hieda… I was treated like a criminal! Me, the FUCKING PROTECTOR OR THIS—… the protector of the Village, treated like a criminal, and was escorted out of the property with threats of having Sanae called to 'deal with me'.

I almost gave them an actual motive to call the Moriyan miko…

Slowly, I make my way back home, the last two weeks having driven me into feeling jaded, though each glance of disgust; each whispered word—all still cut deeply…

Tired, hungry, stressed out of my mind, every day missing a strong palm at the end of the afternoon to anchor me back down—a loud, snickering voice of truth and excitement.

… By the Dragon God, it can't get any worse than this—

Drifting in my own mind, I don't sense the projectile until it has already hit the side of my head and thrown me off balance. Steadying myself, I turned, wide-eyed: “I'm being attacked by Danmaku”, I thought—though whatever hit me lacked the strength and burning of a Danmaku pellet…

My eyes land on three unknown children. They hold rocks. By my bare feet rests a rock that wasn't there a moment ago—blood pours down the side of my head in a fine line, a minor scratch, but still there… Yet that's the least of my concerns. I stay there, still and confused as to what just happened. Were they aiming for something else? Did it slip— "Murderer!" The tallest, snottier boy yells, throwing another rock at me. I dodge it, brows furrowing.

… What the…

"Get out of our village!" A little girl yells, and her stone curves and hits nothing.

Baffled and wordless, I look around, and no adult does anything to stop them. They just stand as if it’s none of their business, yet watch with eyes of fury—

—another stone lands. It barely does any damage…

I'm crying.

I really am crying in the middle of the street. Not thinking, I turn and walk away, head low—their words give chase like ghosts, stares wide and many, murmurs deafening, and it's hurting, it's hurting, it's hurting—

My hands clasp my ears, eyes shut like heavy floodgates, and before I notice I'm flying, groceries exploding out of their bags and scattering everywhere as I dart towards the forest like a missile, recklessly accelerating, narrowly dodging trees and wild life, tears streaming, not an ounce of understanding of my actions. Why am I flying? Why can't I control my speed? Why did I keep the lie alive, knowing it'd explode in my face one day? Why do these consequences hurt so much? I've already lost everything, so why does it hurt still?

I hold flocks of my hair, eyes wild, tears thick—

—then, in a flash, I crashed into a tree, exploding its trunk, my body flung around like a rag doll, hitting another tree, then another, a massive rock, and, finally, rolling down a small hill. As the cloud of dust rose, I decided not to get up, body hurting all over… A good hurt: something that's not whispers or the decay of innocence…

I don't know how long I stay here, amidst dry leaves and focusing on my fading pain—no, don't go… It does anyway, and all it leaves behind is poison on my tongue, body feeling like a carcass.

… All those supplies cost a lot. It's all lost. I'll have to buy more; maybe find timber in the forest instead of buying it now? Yeah, that's an expense I can cut. Fish too. I can use D-Danmaku to—to f-fish—…

My whole face contorts. I have no tears to shed.

So I roll over, staring at the starry skies. I spent a lot of time here, floating in this pool of self-pity, that it became night… Breathing in and out steadily, trying my hardest to recompose, I get off the ground, looking around as I fix my clothes—wincing and holding my right arm, which hurts like hell.

Hopefully not broken—I don't think I could pay Eientei…

As I walk, I wonder if I could use my powers to eat these past events. Truly is tempting… But my power, great as it is, also represents much of the worst Gensokyo searches for: convenience. Strong as you may be, if you commit a mistake, people will exploit that and try to take you down. A power like mine takes that out of the equation.

Without that variable, 'incident' will be an understatement to explain the outcome.

Using it freely would attract the big wigs that aren't affected, and I'd be caught between a wall and the sword, a chip to be bargained…

'No one deserves to be an object.'

… Yet, to keep on living in this horror makes the acid in my stomach rise. Every day something new and worse than the last is born; every day I have to live knowing I hurt Mokou so deeply and so thoroughly, she admitted having lost her heart—such words haunt me—; I'm not a teacher anymore, the thing I loved the most to be… the world is dark and the days darker, the Sun—her smile, red eyes—gone…

Standing in the dark forest, hurt and battered, I look up, face bathed with moonlight, arms holding my belly—blood circulation…

… It was the first time I truly felt hopeless.

—the drumming of a tsudzumi echoes in the forest, like a placid rain blessing my ears. With worn eyes, I look around, searching for its origin as it gets closer and closer, and— "What a day, hm?" The tsudzumi stops nicely, my eyes falling on the small lady wearing a big hat covered in snow and dressed in grayish colors by my side, her smile breathtaking: kind, beautiful, selfless—prompting me to nod, awestruck. "… You look lonely, Keine." She lowers the tsudzumi, gentle eyes on mine.

"I lost my best friend; people hate me…" I don't question how she knows my name. "… Because of lies."

She nods, looking saddened. "Terrible things have happened to you…" I stare better at her clothing, noticing that the scriptures are poems—her eyes smile, shining like the moon. "… But it doesn't mean things should stay bad. You're going to do something about that, won't you?" A moment of silence stretches… And I nod again. Somehow, her smile gets bigger. "… Your thoughts about sweet little ones these last two weeks have been my obsession, I must admit. Watching you slip again and again… yet, always come back to your feet—and yet to face the greatest struggle of your life, too… So, I think you'll be the perfect person~" She stopped, looking around and nodding satisfied.

I hadn't even noticed that the whole time we talked, we were walking; weird rustling sounds filled my ears.

—then, she began to disappear in the moonlight.

What the?! "H-Huh? Wait!"

"This world is cruel, Keine… Yet, very beautiful. Don't give up, 'kay? Now, catch!"

"W-What does—"

The rustling grew: two projectiles coming from above—I should've dodged, but her words…

I caught the projectiles—

… Two small, winged babies, sparse white-pinkish hair tufts on their heads. I stare at them; they stare back.

They began crying.

My hurt arm creaks. I wanted to cry, too.

// Seija/Goro 79

Somehow Yukari had managed to displace one of the cursed bracelets beads with a gap without separating it from the whole which was impossible since the thing was bound to me. The result was an empty ‘space’ which had been slowly filled with runoff of Seija and my own spirit that leaked from our mutual connection which was growing into its own consciousness. In short, I was bearing a child, Seija’s and my own.
The response to this news had thrown a damper towel on the mood then any of the jabs Satori had managed up until this point. Yuugi passed on our fight for now, not wanting to bash a pregnant couple, but stated ‘she wouldn’t hold back if we appeared in front of her again’, which I think was just her trying to save face. Satori reached her limit and was carted off by Orin, who gave Seija and I room keys and promised to bring her up in the morning to direct us to New Hell, as was promised. Seija had stormed off to clear her head over the whole matter, which I didn’t blame her for.
Which Is how I ended up here, brushing Kioshi’s hair, Kanako sitting on one side of me, Satori’s hound nestled up on the other. The wavy green hair was familiar to me, as was the technique of gently brushing a little more of it each time to avoid painfully pulling on it, but I just couldn’t remember the girl. I was told this wasn’t unusual for the Youkai, made me start to wonder if certain gaps in my memory weren’t due to the passage of time, but had been Kioshi instead. Or was that just how Youkai were born…
“Eh he he, you’ve gotten really good at this haven’t you Goro.” She remarked.
“Don’t be so easily fooled Kioshi. This man is allied with Yukari after all.” Kanako warned in a plain tone.
“You shouldn’t be so mean Kanako! After all, Goro is pregnant.”
I winced. Every time it was said the weirder it felt to hear. I wanted to talk with Seija desperately, but I knew there were times when I should leave her alone and now was one of those times.
“Aren’t you as well Kioshi? And with two partners, that’s quite the accomplishment.” I complimented.
“Yup! Although it makes me feel sorry for everyone else. There’s only going to be so much of Anon going around and I at least have Kanako.”
At this, the Menreiki turned away. I couldn’t tell what her mask was at this angle, although I imagined her feelings toward Kioshi’s abnormal pregnancy were like my own.
“Why ally with Yukari. What exactly do you and the Amanojaku stand to gain?” Kanako asked.
“In a word: Revitalization” I start “If Yukari falls too easily it’ll be just like any other incident. ‘Huray! We beat the troublemaker’, and everyone will shirk all the responsibility. It can’t go on like this, too much is about to change. So, we’re going to make it hard for them, show them that all the weight of their history, all their strength, isn’t worth squat to the upheaval that’s about to happen.”
“Even if you two perish?” Kanako added.
“I don’t plan on it! Besides, before I even allied with Yukari, I put a lot of little schemes in motion. With any luck, the Winter Solstice will be the least bloody and most impactful event in all of history.”
“And your child?” Kioshi asked.
This gave me pause. What would happen if I died? Something horrible no doubt, but would this affect the new soul that I was currently bearing? I didn’t know, but I felt there was a way to figure some of this out.
“Beyond the upheaval, Yukari promised Seija and I something, an ‘Impossible Meeting’, someone that she said would help us understand our connection better. I don’t think Yukari knows about the child, but I think whoever she introduces us to might.” I sighed. “And I’m bound to protect the HSE as Yukari tells me it’s secrets. There’s no going back on that deal.”
“Well…” Kioshi began, letting her head fall backwards into my lap. “Maybe you could just ask for maternity leave!”
I suppressed a laugh. Something about this feeling was familiar alright. I think I even heard Kanako giggle.
“Hey, why are you even with such a nasty looking woman anyway? I thought Goro would marry one of the priestesses.” Kioshi asked.
“That’s like saying I’d marry my mother.” I said, clasping her ears and shaking her head. “It’s because Seija loves me.”
“Oh!” Kioshi said, shooting up. “So, Goro is the kind of guy who rolls over to aggressive women!” She said pleased with herself.
Kanako steadied the excited girl, seemingly worried about her injuring herself with sudden moves.
“I’m not that easy. Her feelings are just so strong it’s impossible for me not to respond in kind.” I smile.
“Even though you’re worried she might hurt people like she did to you?” Kanako asked, holding a squirming Kioshi.
“Nobody has a perfect relationship.” I said, looking at the bracelet. “And I don’t want any child of mine to lack a mother or a father.”
Kioshi, looking as if she has an idea, puts her ear to my wrist. “I think I hear a heartbeat! You should show Seija!” She says, pulling me off the coach and pushing me along.

// Konngara 2-4

“...Come again? You’re saying this like I’m a bottled genie that can just grant wishes for you.”

“Well, It’s true! If the legend my momma told me when I was younger is to be believed, coming into contact with all Big Four of the Mountain in your lifetime entitles you to wishes. How many? Well it fluctuated depending on the person she were asking but I can confirm that I get at least one!”

It appears that the monkey thinks I am part of the Big Four of the Mountain’s ensemble. While this was… technically true at one point, it was nothing more but a hoax to help me rise the ladder in the end. My body is that of Yaksha and my heart belongs to the Vidyaraja.

“...I suppose.” I lied, perhaps out of bad habit. “Why do you need to know?

“Cuz I need my wish. You see, recently there’s been rumors of an attack on this place that I love and I need protection for it. And I’m not talking about the sexual kind. You’ve probably heard about it before. It’s run by the grand sage Yukari Yakumo. The-”

“Not Interested.” I snap back. I knew almost immediately knew what this thing was talking about. I’m not even gonna entertain using her filthy preferred maiden name. Maribel Hearn is a cowardly toddler in the body of a supreme god. I hate her. I hate her, her obtuse little cattle farm running on life support and her secret friend with the ability that’s essentially a watered-down version of her boundary manipulation. I am not going to engage with one of her harebrained projects that perish with ease as soon as her interest wanes.

“WHAT?!?” The rodent sneezes. “B-But I came all this way here! I’m breaking several rules given by people with significantly more power than me just to talk to you right now! I… I had to fight this really weird collection of stones to reach this temple I wasn’t even sure existed! I’m not sure if they’re sentient but they sure were highly aggressive. Please prepare a good meal for me before I have to go back, at the very least!

“Give me one good reason why I, a denizen of Hell, should care about this situation? It is likely no more important than that dumb incident involving cards. You are wasting both of our lives with this meaningless proposition.”

“Uhh… Well uh… Sex? No, I don’t think you Oni really care for that. Uhh… By even something as miniscule as donating a dollar to The Hakurei Experience (trademark), you get to cuck Reimu out of a loving family life? That one is an enforced company motto. You can… Something kinda… you might like this…”

The words this monk is spouting are drowned out as I lose focus on everything around me but singular words. Remiu?!? Hakurei?!? That damned name… That DAMNED DAY…

REIMU
REIMUUUUUUUUUUU
WHERE IS REIMU?
I’M GOING TO REIMU!
REIMU

PAIN. HULLIMILATION.
OUR MOST POWERFUL FOUGHT VALIANTLY AGAINST A DUMB CHILD AND LOST.
IT WASN’T EVEN OUR FAULT. IT WAS THE HAUGHTY SARIEL WHO DESTROYED HER SHINE
BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DEALT.

REIMU
REIMUUUUUUUUUUU
REIMU
I WANNA BREAK REIMU’S FINGERS!
I WANNA BEAR REIMU’S 5TH CHILD!

I COULDN’T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT PEOPLE MOCKING ME.
LAUGHING AT ME.
TAINTING MY GOOD AND HONORED NAME.

REIMU
REIMUUUUUUUUUUU
KISSING REIMU
REIMU A CUTE!
SMASHING REIMU INTO A FINE RED PASTE
SMASH HER INTO HELL'S FINEST CONCRETE
TOTAL REIMU DEATH

I tried so hard to forget
The look on Fudoo Myoo’s face…
The grueling taste of diss..ap..oint…ment…

I loathe that shrine maiden. HATE. HATE. HAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!

As I regain my composure, I notice the chimp looking at me with a horrified expression.

“...W-Well would y-you look at the time! I apologize for wasting your valuable attention on something so goof… so silly.. I’ll get going n-”

Near instantaneously, I grab it’s hasty arm with an iron, scalding grisp. Apparently too much, as the wild beast begins screaming as the skin on it’s arm begins to sizzle

>Chimpanzee Sound Effect in High Quality

“I’m only going to say this once, and I’m not going to repeat myself.” I say in the calmest screaming voice I can use without potentially grabbing attention from anyone else. “After some thinking, I have reconsidered my rebuttal. I would like to help protect The Hakurei Experience from intruders. Now please show me the way back to Gensokyo with haste. Unless that is, you’d like me to burn your body more than just on the arm.”

“But you… I kinda need some ointment right away for-”

“NOW.”

O-Okay.” The monkey says. I don’t point it out to her, but I can hear the thing silently sobbing. Good to see the fire helped get it through her thin skull. It’s actually quite rare for a being visiting hell to listen to their superiors.

…

“H-Heyyyy Yachie! I’m back…”

“Finally!” a voice from beyond my peripheral vision in the other room says. “Where have you been, Biten? You left without even finishing your job of raking the l-GAAAAH! What happened to your arm? GAAAAAAH! Who the hell is that?!?” A dragon-turtle looking mistress says. Must be a Jidiao of some kind. It also appears even after all this time, they still aren’t very used to beings that aren’t 1 to 1 mystical beings playing dress-up as cute girls. Strange, didn’t Mima The Vengeful Spirit move here a long time ago in the name of vengeance? I thought that would’ve left an impression.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll cut it short.” The monkey pipes up. This fella is… uh… Shit, did you ever give me your name, good sir? Please don't hurt m-”

“You may call me… Konngara. Konngara The Astral Knight. I come here in peace to help keep The Hakurei Experience afloat from the bad guys.”

Of course, if you’ve been paying attention to my tale as of now, this is also another one of my false truths. I couldn’t care less about whatever is currently happening in this waste bin of human sperm. What I do care about is that it's a once-in-a-lifetime locale with a weird ability to seemingly mesmerize every single vermin and sheeple imaginable. When the time is right, when everyone least expects it, I will turn this filthy tumor they lovingly call “Gensokyo” into dust and ash right under their noses. Just like Reimu unjustly did to Hell those years ago for something none of us were even highly responsible for. For the first time, that boundary-breaking brat will bear witness to what a real God should look like.

They shall all kneel to their new head sage of the revamped Gensokyo as I quickly turn it into an expansion of my home.
 
// Seija/Goro 80

“Go away.” Seija told me as I opened the door to her room.
She was huddled up in the bed’s blankets, slightly illuminated by the orange glow of the window, and turned away from the door.
“Don’t worry, it’s just me.” I said, looking over my shoulder to make sure Koishi and Kokoro were no longer following me.
“I don’t care.” She grumbled. “We got two rooms right? Leave me alone.”
I entered the room and softly shut the door behind me. Disrobing, I donned the sleep wear that I had picked up from the other room and approached the bed. I slipped under the covers behind her but didn’t wrap my hands around her. ‘Not yet’ I thought.
“Are you nervous?” I asked.
A hand pushing my face away was my reply. Thankfully there’s a trick to this. I took her hand and lightly kissed her palm, gently rubbing her fingers with my thumb in the meanwhile.
“Gross.” She remarked but didn’t pull away from.
“You know, this was always a possibility, right? It’s not as if we couldn’t have conceived a child already.” I said in the gentlest way possible.
“That was before I knew you wanted to put a leash on me, because now you feel responsible for me, right?”
“I always did.” I began, slowly reaching around her waist and letting my arm rest on her. “But that was because I didn’t want blood on my hands, now, I’m afraid you’ll kill everyone else, be bored to tears after the fact, and disappear as a result. Even for an Amanojaku, it’s a waste.”
She didn’t reply, opting instead to shift just a little closer to me.
“If you want to, you can still leave me. I was the one who made the deal to defend the HSE and I’m sure the child would be in good company.” I said, letting my arm drift over her waist.
At this, she pivoted around and put her face to my chest. “Trying to get rid of me so you can run off with some loose woman? Fat chance fool, I’m clinging to you like a barnacle until the day you die and after that if I can find a way. Besides…” she begins, touching the bracelet with a solitary finger “I want to know what my kid looks like.”
We stayed like that for a bit, not quite the image of an expectant couple you’d imagine, but serene in its own way, nonetheless.
“What about Yukari? She might hold this against us.” Seija asked, surprisingly forward thinking.
“That’s if she knows and the Yakumo has a lot more to distract herself with then what resulted from a probable accident on her part. Let’s not clue her in until that meeting of hers we were promised, then we can make a better decision. Ugh, to have such a troublesome godmother...” I thought aloud.
“Truly. The gap pervert probably has better couples to salivate over in the meantime.” She said, circling my chest with her finger.
“You know,” I began, slipping my other hand under her and brining her into an embrace. “It wouldn’t be polite to do such things while we’re a guest in someone else’s home.”
“We can be a bit quieter for a change, you at least made sure nobody followed you to bed, right?” She asked, kissing my neck.
“Of course.” I said, praying Kokoro was not so studious as to keep watch after hours, let alone inside the room AND that Koishi wasn’t using that power of Her’s for lewd purposes. How did she get pregnant in the first place…
“Wait.” I said, slightly pushing her away. “Satori will know when we talk to her tomorrow.”
Seija takes me by the shoulders and turns me on my back, staring over me like a predator. A blushing, anxious, sweating predator. Just barely I can make out her small naked breast in her robe illuminated by the orange glow from the window.
“She’ll know we were about to do it anyway so may as well…”

// Keine 13-15

I'm speechless, pain coursing through my arm ignored, holding the two tiniest babies I've ever seen in my life, minuscule quivering wings folded and hair sparse, their bodies together barely weighing 10 pounds… And they cry. Loudly—their shrill sounds somewhat melodic, traveling through the forest like a gong. Wide-eyed, confused, hungry, tired, and in pain, I look around, searching for any trace of the woman who guided me, but as I feared, she's gone…

Did she know these babies would fall from the sky? It can’t be a coincidence… But for what—

"Wow, maybe they're more resilient than I—oh, a human…? Not just any human~" A voice, one familiar to me, comes from above. Fluttering wings framed by moonlight reveal Mystia Lorelei, one of the worst youkai I've ever had the displeasure to meet. She looked amused, albeit surprised and smug. "Keine Kamishirasawa." the babies kept crying out loud and… I looked at them, then at Mystia. Pinkish hair; wings of the same pattern…

… A volcanic rage fills my skull. "Mystia, you dumbass birdbrain! Did you FUCKING drop these two from the sky?!"

She cocked her head, then shrugged. "It wasn't from the sky, baka! I dropped them from my nest."

"That doesn't help anything!" I kept going, their little kicks and struggles numbing my arms. "You still dropped them and—"

Her words suddenly clicked.

My eyes grew from rage to utter shock, mouth agape, brows furrowed, fully processing those words. I heard them wrong, right? I'm so on edge, I probably did. There's no way she’d actually—

"Bah, humans… Always the same reaction—half, in your case, but anyway," she huffs, as if tired of having to explain an obvious thing. I simply stared at her, feeling rooted. "These two," she points at the newborns, and I hold them closer as if protecting from… something. "Are tiny and frail. The rest of my clutch came in much better shape—Yukari sells a great product~—and I’m sure they'll survive the winter… But I doubt those two would, so they're nothing but dead weight in my nest."

… Is she for real? "A-And… because of that, you threw them away?"

"What else should I do?"

The sheer apathy of those words boiled me alive, tiny arms grasping my tattered clothes, struggling, stressed; "Put them to adoption?! Maybe give them a chance?! Anything but drop them to their deaths, you psycho retard! How can you even do such a thing—"

"You talk too much about things you don't understand…" She shrugs and yawns. "This is just how nature works. I'm a mother with limited resources and time; I have to think about my other kids… Not like you would understand, didn't you abort yours?" I wince with the lie, heartbeat on top of my throat, deeply wounded by her words but ready to give her a big and very mean piece of my mind—

Her ears perked with an unrelated, distant sound, a devilish smile growing on her face as her eyes lit up.

"… Fuck you, Reimu Hakurei!" I frown, confused. Why is Mystia singing… "FUCK YOU, REIMU HAKUREI!" before I can shield my ears from 'we don't need no Shrine Maiden', her voice takes on a terrible intonation, shaking my inner core and melting my brain. Subconsciously, I press the babies onto my chest tighter, but my strength wanes quickly. "YEAH, SHE RALLIES 'ROUND THAT FAMILY—" She flies up, wings fluttering and casting a shadow over my contorting body, voice grinding my brain like sandpaper. "WITH A POCKET FULL OF OFUDAS~!"

With a haunting note, her voice fades into the thick canopy, covered by night, and I fall to my knees, gladly not letting go of the babies, their shrieking not as deafening anymore—as if the moon had been swallowed whole, my surroundings are pitch black, grayish cold fog at feet height… I get up, laboriously breathing. My arm’s dormant and legs tremble, body feeling weak all over, not having eaten anything in 30 hours.

Yet, the emotion that prevails is an immense rage towards that sparrow. Throwing her babies away just because they're not up to par?! And blaming it on ‘nature’? Her species isn't as evolved as Tengu, but she still has a thinking brain! She shouldn't follow all of her instincts… That smile, her carefree attitude…

I look into these babies' eyes, holding onto me and lowly weeping, weak… Poor things, so soon in their lives and already going through such stress, treated like things instead of living beings…

… 'No one deserves to be treated like an object'.

With a pained smile, I touch their faces; their weeping soothed, and I do my best to juggle their weight. "Hey… name's Keine. Sorry for all that. That mother of yours is a dumbass… I'll leave you at Eientei tomorrow, kay? It's already late, so let's go to my home—I'll get your bellies full, bathe you, and you can sleep in my bed tonig—"

Low growls, clawed footsteps. I stop, shivers running up my spine, pressing the babies on my chest as I tense up—right arms hurt; famished; body fatigued; mind drained; vision impaired…

… Surrounding me, a thousand pairs of predatory, shining eyes.

2 seconds. The world slows down.

Arms? Holding the babies. Can't drop them. One arm is in massive pain, the other numb. Careful—heart beating in my ears, blood pumping powered by pneumatics—; Legs? Functional, too much exhaustion. Adrenaline will do its job—palms sweating, the youkais, animals, and malevolent night spirits in the darkness approaching me, attracted by Mystia's terror song and the babies' cries—danmaku? Impossible; holding two very flammable and fragile babies. Eat this history? Too little time—0.4 seconds until they jump me. Fight…? Hopeless—

The world returns to speed as the menacing lights in the shadows lunge—howling monsters with and red, gleaming eyes.

—FLIGHT!

With eyes wide and clutching the crying newborns, my teeth bared, I explode into velocity, incapable of guiding myself thoroughly in the darkened forest and dodging monsters at the same time, maneuvering between sharp claws and wet, pointy teeth, not a pellet of Danmaku cast in my direction: This is not a duel worth of Spellcard Rules.

For them, this is hunt.

—I grit my teeth in pain. My flight is all unbalanced by the added weight and weariness of my body, so I'm caught off guard by sharp claws slashing open my back, missing centimeters from cutting deep. I spin in the air to regain my balance, desperately dodging everything in the dark—a deafening howl comes from my front as a mouth, agape and hungry, materializes out of the darkness, and I can't stop; they're on my back; I can't dodge, too close!

One split second, a decision made, and, making myself as small as possible—shielding the kids—I burst forth into massive forward momentum, piercing through the beast and coming out the other side with gushes of blood and shadow taken form, drenched in warm and sickening fluids.

This barely puts a dent in the pursuit. It probably made it worse, blood and guts all over my body…

… I'm so tired, so hungry… Everything hurts so much…

Breath heavy, adrenaline saturating my blood and speeding inside a darkened forest sieged by hungry monsters, I can't help but wonder how I ended up in this situation, an aphotic feeling clawing its way up my spine and threatening to freeze my body, tears streaming with the distress… To think I might die without asking Mokou for forgiveness; remembered only by lies, a pariah, not the village's protector, teacher…

Why am I even here? Why am I even doing all this?

This echo in my tired heart has a name, and it's hopelessness.

… Why don't I just stop and let it hap—a little hand touches my chin, eyes go down, tiny eyes hardly open looking back at me in a beautiful red coloration. Fear. It lasts a second…

Broken from the illusion of hopelessness, I clutch them harder, a new fire burning inside as my worn body gets a second wind, ailments ignored as a single thought burns through my mind: who Mystia thinks she is?

It doesn't start big, merely an ember…

Tears well in my eyes, tears of utter rage.

… Calling herself a mother…

The monsters don't stop; my maneuvers getting sharper and bolder as claws and teeth scrap my skin and draw blood, yet it does nothing to stop this newfound strength—searching a way out, any help—

—!! A strong hit to my head—blood pours like crazy on the left side, dizzy—and I drop one of the babies from the skies, “NOOO!!” darkness consuming it as it falls into the mass of predators—still, I can hear its melodic crying!

I immediately spring into action, free hand shooting danmaku on the surroundings of the crying and exploding beasts—does nothing, too many—plunging into the darkness without second thought, harassed by the mindless things all the way through and carving a way downwards with blood and tears—

I finally get close enough to see the second baby… Inside a beast's gaping maw. It closes, swallowing it whole.

Many would see this as the end… Mystia would.

… But what does that birdbrain know about being a mother?!

I land on the beast's face like a meteor, bare feet opening its mouth like curtains—the others were closing on me, my body's shivering—, my both arms free, holding the second baby's plain dress with my teeth… Violently, I sink my arms into the beast's throat, prompting its gag reflex as it struggles and spasms, trying to eat me and the other baby—but I keep strong, a shine in my eyes, that ember now a fire.

Throwing her kids away as if mere trash for things they have no control over!

My hands catch something—

—a true mother—Suzu…—a true father—Anon…—WOULD NEVER GIVE UP!

And I pull the kid off with a visceral sound; it's still crying. Alive. I feel relief. Body still shuddering, I fly away, the mass of mindless monsters cannibalizing the monster I saved the baby from.

I don't even try to watch, focused on my speed forward—

The forest opens to a clearing, and, feeling the woes of tiredness like a striking thunder, I fall from the skies, rolling across the grass and shielding the babies from any damage. The monsters follow close behind…

… I could've stayed on the ground, crying, like I did earlier today.

My whole body hurts, my stomach rumbles, eating itself alive; adrenaline escaping my body through the many wounds—aside from the bloodied gash on my head, all were small, though cumulative—, my legs feeling weak. Yet, as I hear sobbing so close to me, it's like the flip of a switch, light shining in my eyes… It aches so, so very much, but I slowly get onto all fours, breathing a mess, darkness still a tarp encapsulating all over me, Moon eaten, though the sieging red eyes are unmistakable. My eyes are on the babies laid on the soft grass.

For the second time, the world slows down to a crawl.

Unlike the first, this one is much more dire: bleeding so much, head vertiginous, about to trip over at any given moment, two defenseless babies clearly also battered by all the sharp maneuvering and hits I couldn't graze or dodge properly, their small wings folded around them as if blankets… So cute, it puts a smile on my bloodied face~

… I breathe profoundly, laboriously getting on my feet, mind wandering: Leaving these two here to be eaten and gored would be my best chance of survival.

It's cruel, so cruel, but also the truth…

It's a cruel world, and they've been put through so much pain already… Though it's also a very beautiful world.

I'm sure they haven't seen this beauty yet.

… I'd like to show it to them…

As I finally stand up over them and stare at the looming wall of predatory eyes, Suzu's words return to me, words about responsibility; then Anon's on what sweet Hana meant to him, hope… Then Mokou. I still haven't apologized for lying. In the lack of a moon, her eyes shone red and illuminated the path.

It would be easy to let myself be crushed by all this: odds; slander; whispers; mistakes old and new…

… I gave in to the pressure, let myself be stomped by this world…

Danmaku in my hands produces gusts of wind, illuminating the area in a menacing heaven blue.

But this is not about just me anymore.

"God, please…" I whisper.

The monsters finally get onto me, a crashing tsunami wave… And I fight all of them to protect these innocent children, hovering over them as the only wall between life and death—body weak and broken, yet of a spirit that has never been stronger—, attacking and defending, never leaving their sides, shadows of danmaku and spellcards dancing over the babies as they watch their sole protector fight an infinite horde of beasts of night and mindless youkai, blood and carcasses littering the area as my last stand continues… And it continues on, and on, and on.

Help never came. No one descended from the skies to save me in this dire moment… To be in the Forest of Magic during the night is a mistake few want to commit and many would regret.

I do not regret it.

I should've… But I do not.

The beasts were restless, and as the hours blurred together, I committed mistakes, got hit hard, and almost crumbled multiple times under the assault from all sides, bleeding and fatigued…

But I never fell.

I never stopped being their wall.

… And as day breaks, I stand amidst an ocean of blood and corpses, some of them fading in a black mist; others simply dead bodies that'd return to dust.

I wanted to fall and never get up again.

Birds chirped with the rising sun and, heavily breathing, knuckles busted and covered in a layer of muck and blood, I gently picked up the newborns from the ground, their skin pale and heartbeats weak… But alive. Beautifully alive. I was too dehydrated to cry. "Hey," I say, my voice raspy and knifing my throat. "… Sorry for lying to you two about a meal, bath and a comfy, warm bed. Didn't expect the night to go like that, heh…" I giggle to myself and, with some effort, can feel the closest presence to the west…

3 whole miles to the west.

I'm dehydrated, haven't eaten in almost 40 hours, bled the entire night, and am standing on willpower alone.

I breathe in, then breathe out, looking at them… The boy opens his small eyes and looks at my face…

… And sweetly giggles.

I fondly smile.

"Very funny, I know…” I nurture them close, eyes soft. “Well, let's get going, shall we?” Despite wanting to lie down and never move again, I fly those 3 miles.

… Because that's what you would do… Isn’t that right, Anon, Suzu?

My vision is blurred, time passes, I move, body begging to give up; a house; tiny, floating humans building it… I couldn't properly discern it, but they looked worried upon seeing me.

No danger. Safety.

With a smile, I collapse, always shielding the babies.

// Hana 81-84

Hana was considering the effectiveness of her placing seals on herself as Eirin spoke up, “of course only me and the princess were present during your little speech, and as such we’ll be able to keep confidentiality”

Rocking back and forth, Hana felt her legs and arms go cold, it was all she could do to stay calm outwardly. Yup, this was it. She’d go and take a long flight straight up past the moon and challenge a star to duel. It’d be more preferable, confidentiality? Yeah right! Hana was sure Eirin would spread word of this as quick as she could, then after she spreads word to the inaba Sara and Sana would start to hate her thenAunnwouldhateherandherfatherwouldrefusetoseehisdisgustingdaughterandeve-

Eirin spoke up, rather loudly despite her gentle tone which snapped Hana out of her stupor, “I assure you, Hakurei-san. That not a word of it will leave our lips outside this this office, both Kaguya and I understand that Humans in this era would view such things as a scandal.”

Rubbing the bridge of her nose gingerly as Hana recomposed herself, she didn’t even notice till now how quickly she was breathing and how tightly she was clutching the sofa she sat upon. Placatingly Eirin asked, “We are not your enemies, nor do we stand to gain from revealing yours, nor any other patient’s secrets. Can you trust me and the Princess?”

Hana wiped her sweaty palms on the side of her dress as she gulped, was that a threat? Did she threaten me? Would the princess…? No… Kaguya would never… Finally, Reimu spoke up, “Y-yeah, I’ll trust you… for now at least.”

Nodding, Eirin let her arms rest as a smile took over her face, it seemed natural though Hana couldn’t be sure. The only thing she knew is that if the princess trusted Eirin, then surely, she can’t be all to bad. Eirin was one of the few that would genuinely help the village, and one of the few that helped her father recover his health many over times if Marisa and her father’s friends are to be believed.

There was nothing to lose by trusting her, at least that’s what Hana thought at the time, and if there was, she’d be the first to shut this place down. With that conviction in her heart Hana let Eirin proceed with her next question.

Eirin’s voice was unwavering in its purpose, using her words like a knife, the question of, “Can you tell me about your childhood in relation to your father?” Stabbed Hana like a knife, and as Hana was encouraged to speak, it didn’t make it very easy at all to open up.

Leaning back against the arm rest of the sofa and her twiddling her thumbs Eirin was patient in letting her collect her thoughts. It didn’t take that long for Hana to recollect her happier memories, childhood memories when she was still innocent as to the sins of her mother. She spoke with another soul for the first time about her life at the Hakurei shrine under her mother’s insanity…

Hana had grumbled through her childhood with Eirin sitting there taking notes like a women possessed. She had barely noticed that Kaguya came in and leaned over the crown of Eirin’s chair listening in to the conversation right as Hana exited her early childhood. Like she was releasing a long-held weight on her shoulders, the burden threatened to relieve her regardless if Eirin and Kaguya was there or not.

She had just finished up how she was around 12 years old and how her crush at the time, a village boy around the same age, had been pried from her affections by his parents who were wary of her. Hana had barely even realized how much such a small memory had been eating at her until she talked about how for the dozenth time her father had been the one to hold and comfort her after her friendships with the other children ended prematurely and often cruelly.

The parents of that boy had driven her away politely enough, but it was no small wonder in hindsight as to why they asked her to stop seeing their son. There was hardly a parent in the village that wasn’t informed on the stories of how her mother abused her father, naturally they were worried about Hana doing the same to their sons and daughters. All it took was one errant scrape, or small fight ending up in a scuffle to destroy any friendships Hana fostered.

Kaguya and Eirin were impassive, their faces only nodding or giving quiet affirmations to her memories. Hana barely even realized she was tearing up again until Kaguya crossed the room, patted her back, and offered her a handkerchief as the miko-in-training told them about how her father took her on mock dates under the wide moon at night to let her forget about her worries.

Often times, be it Spring, Autumn, Winter, or Summer; her father and Aunn were the ones that took her out to the back yards after her mother was placated on cleverly suggested oni sake. The strong brew knocked her out early, and let her loved ones hold her as she watched the moon without a care. Those were the best memories of her life, free from fear and in the comfort of the arms of the man she thought the strongest in Gensokyo.

Without realizing what she was saying she quickly blabbed about how that time in her mid-teens was the time she learned to realize her father was the only one who truly loved her.

Once the floodgates were open, they couldn’t be closed easily, like one of the Kappa’s dams opening after a full season. The sediment that had built up just behind Hana’s tears couldn’t be quelled until it was flushed properly. Despite Eirin’s attempts at guiding her, Hana was simply letting everything spill as Kaguya patted her back and gave her a shoulder to lean on.

It was simply too much, the torrent of repressed emotions threated to drown her; like Hana was sitting on the bottom of a deep abyss. It all flashed before her, her life at the shrine once she became aware of her surroundings in full. She spared no detail as they came to her fragile mind, telling all about how her mother would brutalize her father for the smallest thing. Brutalize her to a lesser extent when Hana had messed up on trainings and learning the rituals necessary to become a miko.

How she had thought she was doing the right thing in finding a new home in the village, and bringing her father out of that environment once she was in the latter part of her 15th year. How Yukari had threatened her with a promise of the horrors to come just when things were looking up.

Hana had ignored it at the time, a thinly veiled threat to one high on life at the time. Hana had thought she could handle whatever was thrown at her. She was ignorant as to the truth of the land she found herself in, despite her hatred for her mother her teachings on how deep the pond Hana was to maintain was no lie.

The miko-in-training let out how she regretted just how arrogant she was in thinking she could just deal with what was to come. Once it started it was like a tidal wave. Hana could do little to censor the story she told Eirin and Kaguya about that day when she came home after cracking down on some trouble-making weakling youkai, one that she saw entering the HSE later at that. Only to find her father missing with blood splatters decorating his room like pockets of stagnant air.

She was in her own little world as she remembered it all, all the memories she tried so hard to suppress in her waking life. How she plunged into that gap in reality despite the terror she felt, how she witnessed her battered and brutalized father getting mercilessly violated, how he seemed to try to cry out for her only to realize Hana was just as much at Yukari’s mercy as he was.

Kaguya’s patting had slowed, even the pen and pad of Eirin had faltered until it settled at a steady pace as Hana unloaded the next part of the story: How Yukari triggered something inside Hana after wearing her out like a fish on the line.

For the first time ever, she told another soul about how she was forced to taste the union of her father and Yukari. How that taste, smell, and heat enraptured her like a slave to her dormant passions. She could only tell of the lust and terror as she found herself in what she now knows was the HSE. She could’ve sworn she heard the pen stop writing at a certain point as she went on about how her father’s trust was spurned as Hana gave into her own passions. Drugging and… tempting… her own father using the strange concoctions she found in the HSE just so she could have her way with him.

She glanced up at Eirin through teary eyes, only to find Eirin’s own eyes averted from her as she told her in no small part about how she spiked his tea with those mysteriously placed drugs. How she was like a puppet on strings as she did everything in her power to ignore her father’s desperation, as even he gave in to the strong drugs.

Disgust filled Hana as she felt that familiar heat in her building as she remembered and told the two lunarians all about how she took advantage of her father. No detail was spared in how she took and gave to her father all just to build his lust enough to take her without thinking. Hana couldn’t deny the tinge of joy she felt at feeling the touch of her father, regardless of terrible situation.

Hana couldn’t stop shaking, she felt her limbs and body trembling as the weight radiated off of her appendages. The terror of what she did fell off like water off a Kappa’s dress as she let it all out for the first time, and how after that she wanted nothing more than to devote herself to her father’s happiness to make it up to him. She’d do anything to go back and take it back, yet at the same time she’d do anything to go back and do it again to see if there was anyway to make him fall in love with her properly.

Finally, Hana ended her story as she left the HSE, only to find herself home again six months later without any knowledge of what everyone believed about her and her father’s situation. Like a fraction of the weight Hana was festooned with was lifted, she raised her head and looked up at Eirin and Kaguya. Both of which avoided her gaze like it was a danmaku blast until Eirin cleared her throat after hearing Hana stop her story.

A subtle mix of emotion was fighting over Eirin’s face until she realized Hana was staring at her, it made Hana curious, but it was only a second until that practiced therapist’s demeanor reasserted itself. Eirin spoke up seeing as how Hana finished her monologue, “R-right, I see that you certainly have a deep-seated guilt and complex already. In order redirect that negative pressure you’ve revealed to me-“

Hana knew that cutting off others was wrong, much less her elders and people helping but she couldn’t help it. She felt safe and comfortable now, finally someone that could understand her and let her speak! The tears and trembling in her voice taking a back seat she interrupted, “That’s not all Yagakoro-sensei, after that I was vist-“

However, it was Eirin that cut her off now, “Hakurei-san, that’s quite a-alright! There’s no need to force yourself in your first session after all!”

A smile grew on Hana’s face, it was nice to have someone to care for her to this extent even if it was just professional, she snagged Kaguya’s hand which rested on the burgundy-colored lap of the princess. Kaguya squirmed lightly, but Hana didn’t pay much mind to it. After all, the princess was her friend and someone she could trust!

Brightly, like someone wiped the filth from a window and let in the noon-time sun Hana cheerfully replied, “It’s okay, I don’t want to waste your time! I still have to tell you all about how Yukari would visit me wh-“

This time, interestingly, it was Kaguya that spoke up, “Its alright Hana-chan! Eirin-sensei needs time to compile everything and formulate a proper treatment, you see. T-that’s why its important for you to rest and think about what’s truly important for the next session!”

Ah, Hana’s face flushed as she realized what an imposition she was on the doctor and princess! Of course, they needed time to compile everything before they could hear the rest. Honestly Hana could be here for hours, but it wouldn’t do as they were all busy women. Instead, Hana stood up and bowed, “Thank you for hearing me out Yagakoro-sensei, you’re the only one I’ve been able to talk about this with so it really helps and all!”

Eirin nodded, that strange mix of emotions mingled on her normally stoic face as she seemed to write something on her pad, though it seemed less like writing and more like errant markings. It was strange but Hana wasn’t going to bother her about it, instead she turned to the princess. Hana repeated the same message and Kaguya nodded, though she seemed a bit stiff. Maybe the princess was a bit sore?

Offering to give her a massage as ‘she was really good with her fingers’ Kaguya seemed to hurry to decline her, “That’s alright Hana-chan! Really! You’re our patient after all, I’m sure you’re tired so we’ll play later. For now, why don’t you go home and rest? We’ll send for you when its time for your next session, r-right Eirin-sensei?”

Eirin was quick to nod along with that. Without much else to be said, it didn’t take long for Hana to excuse herself after that, feeling light on her feat she nearly skipped out of that room as Eirin and Kaguya glanced at each other before waving her goodbye. Hana could’ve sworn she saw the pattering of a familiar pink dress and black hair, but she paid it no mind as the busy inaba were just that: busy.

Hana returned to the village before the midday feeling much better, for the first time she felt her shoulders light. Even if her problems weren’t solved it felt good to simply have them out in the open with someone she trusted. Maybe she’d even take Aunn off too the Moriyan shrine for some sightseeing, she did love those chicken filled dumplings they sold there. Maybe it’d even get her in the mood for… well, no need to count her tool spirits before they hatch!

// Kosuzu 11

We spent some time going over some concerns Marisa had out the future. Of course childcare isn't something that can be taught in a single conversation so we went over what to expect in the coming months. No need to tell her about setting up sleep schedules and preparing food when she hadn't even picked out a name yet.

"You should see about seeing a tailor. I doesn't seem like too too much of an issue now, but you'll want something with more space later on"

Marisa nods as she takes in my words. "So when will I..?" She said as she held her hands to her chest.

"It'll happen, don't fret over it. But maybe you shouldn't expect to look like Keine by the end"

Marisa chuckled a bit to herself as she shifted slightly in the chair, trying to accommodate her new weight. She she tried to find the right position, the door opened behind me. Two woman entered. One was a regular looking human with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her frilly, multilayered dress was a bit too fancy for someone that lived in a house in the woods. She was lugging a basket in her hands. Behind her was a taller woman wearing a red robe and long white hair which was tied off to a small ponytail on the top of her red with red hair decorations. It made her look a bit childish. Geez, wearing hair decorations as an adult is just silly. My hair bells on the other hand were completely necessary to keep everything together.

The two of them look over to Marisa. "Kosuzu. A friend of mine. She offered to help us with everything. Kosuzu, this is Alice and Shinki" she introduced me and waved over to the blonde and silver haired women respectively.

Oh, so that was Alice. I had completely forgotten about her. I had seen her occasionally over the years, but it seemed like after a while she had just disappeared and stopped involving herself in events. Shinki was still a stranger to me.

"Greetings Kosuzu.Good to have extra firepower. I Shinki, am the creator of the realm Makai and of this little one here" Alice tried to dodge Shinki's hand but failed and her head was ruffled and set askew.

"Oh, so you're her mother? Nice to meet you" I said. I had never heard anyone call themselves a creator rather then a mother but there were all types in Gensokyo. Maybe things are different in Makai, wherever that was. But if she could create some kind of realm she was powerful. Or lying.

"Oh no, I created her. Just like she makes all her little dolls. Isn't that right?" Shinki responded as Alice looked away from her mothe- creator. Alice didn't seem like some sort of creation to me. Some distant memory floated to the top of my mind, no longer irrelevant.

"Huh, you're not a human? I don't think you ever mentioned that to Akyuu. I thought you told her that you were born human and changed into a magician" I said as I tried to piece things together.

"Oh really now" Shinki said, her eyes narrowing. Alice shot me a glare that made me glad I had my own place to stay. There was no greater embarrassment then accidentally causing domestic problems for someone else without meaning it.

"Well, I'm sure she has her own reason for being so embarrassed to be connected to me" Shinki said as Alice took the opportunity to scurry off and put the basket on a table. Shinki turned to Mimi. "I've made advancements in our plan. Since we have a new member, I'll just fill her in as well"

Shinki preceded to launch into an explanation of the plan. Something about Makai, magical traps, powerful rituals and linkage. Partway through the whole thing, I came to the realization that everyone in this house was an accomplished magic user. Thief plan was made for them and not for a simple village girl whose experience in magic was just a footnote compared to them. Here I had gone and joined up with them anyways. I had thought things would be a lot simpler, like they would break in and beat up and few people as I assisted them safely out of danger. Ah hell.

"You understand the plan?" Shinki asked

"I'll pick it up" I said, trying my best that to hide that would likely never be the case.

Mima starts to float towards the door. "Well, since you're all caught up, there's something you need to do, follow me" she said. I followed her out, assuming it was something necessary. "Now, you're no fighter, so I'm not expecting much. But it's going to be dangerous. If we decide that we have to bring you along and be useful, you'll need to not know how to stay safe" Multiple brightly colored lights appeared around her as she floated up in the air. "I don't have the time to go easy on you, so you better be good at running" Before I could react, many of those lights streamed towards me. I followed her advice and ran.

// Kasen 8

As Former Hell appears in the distance, the stale air of the tunnels surrounding the city disperses and I clean a strand of blood. Hijacking Yukari's gap was a bold move, and I don't doubt her punishment shall be terrible… Doesn't matter. This rebellion serves first to get answers I otherwise would never have, second to challenge her control.

Involving Satori is a risk, yes… But my immediate options are far too thin to let that stop me.

Moistening my lips, I supersonically fly over the city, heart rate through the ceiling as I land by the Palace of Earth Spirits' doors, inviting myself in, "SATORI KOMEIJI!" I yell in the main hall, bandaged arm reformed from my attack on Yukari—danmaku explodes the floor where I stood a moment ago, my eyes following up to a figure in the shadows.

"Wow, isn't that, like, really uneducated? Entering a lady's home and just shouting—K-KASEN?!" Rin's eyes land on me, her theater blown up by the utter confusion and fear painting her face. "O-Oh, man… Sorry for shooting at you like that! I didn't mean—"

"Orin, I need to see Satori, now!" I instantaneously move to be face-to-face with the hell-cat, and she winces back, jumping with my sudden proximity. "Sorry for barging like this; I'll be sure to repay Satori and seek her forgiveness—but I'm against the clock here!" I catch her shoulders, looming over the poor cat like a mountain, droplets of sweat popping into existence on her trembling body.

"O-Okay, okay! Gee… First Yukari's lackeys, now a Sage—things have been so rowdy recently…" She whispers to herself, trying to get off my clutch, but those words just now gave an iron-like force to my grasp. Yukari's lackeys? Does this mean… Orin, seemingly noticing my confusion and a bit desperate to get away from my hands, says, "Y-Yukari sent some of her friends to visit: a human and Seija—wait, is that blood—"

"Seija and Goro are here?! Why?" I ponder, at last letting go of Rin—to her absolute relief—my eyes bulging. If we'd to meet, Yukari would know immediately where I am; she likely has already informed Seiga and them about the manhunt… I gulp air, eyes wide. "Where are they now?"

"Breeding in one of the rooms." She answers promptly. I stare at her in shock, and she furrows her brows. "You know—having sex."

"I know what you mean, Orin! Just, please take me to Satori at once." I hide the redness of my face, paranoia on a harsh crescendo with this new information—no, not the sex—: If the lewd Amanojaku and her human keep themselves busy while I talk to Satori, then they won't be a problem… But I need to keep myself alert if they decide to appear close by before I can lay my trap: I don't want to, but I'll knock them down if my hand is forced.

Rin, weirded and somewhat tense, guides me through the halls of the palace, her frowning deepening as she stares at the blood pouring from blasted superficial blood vessels. "Are you okay? I can mend those if you—"

"No. We can't waste any time."

"Why are you so in a hurry, anyan~way?" She yawns. "Sorry! Had to deal with a genocide of vengeful spirits recently. So much work~"

… Genocide? No, later.

"I'll answer when time is proper, and we're in Satori's presence," I say, and Rin pouts—though, as we turn a corner, something further ahead catches my attention. On a table by a big double door and playing cards were an even bigger blonde I'd recognize anywhere; a green-haired girl, and… Isn't that Okina's kid? The one she'd gush nonstop about in our old tea parties? Hata no Kokoro, if I'm not mistaken. "Yo, guys, look who came to visit~" They all turn in sync, and Yuugi's eyes shine with recognition.

"Kasen?! I'll be damned!" She gets up and walks right up to me, hand stretched for an oni handshake. I met her hold with mine, and the combined power cracks slightly the floorboards, much to Rin's despair. "Hah! It's been so long! Where have you been?" If I were a human, the subsequent hug would've made me into a paste.

"Busy, very busy—like now: I need to speak to Satori; where's she?"

"Sis' asleep!" The green one yells… wait, 'sis'? She waves to me with a small smile. "Hello! I'm Koishi, and I've been dead to reality until I was impregnated recently." She lightly taps Kokoro's shoulder, Yuugi blushing fervently, hiding the crimson behind her cards—oh, is that a royal flush—?

—No! Focus! "… I'll have to wake her up, then; I'll apologize later."

"Wait. Are your intentions bad?" Kokoro asks, hiding her cards from Koishi’s half-open curious 3rd eye, a confused monkey mask taking over Okina’s daughter’s face.

"I only have good intentions." I say, antsy. Time's short…

"Oh…" she looks at Yuugi and Rin; they nod. "Okay then—she's in there." She points at the doors.

"Wait… this weird smell," Orin smells the air, frowning—wide eyes, she looks at me absolutely haunted. "DON'T—"

Too late.

"KYAAAA!!" Satori was on her bed, naked, sweaty and fingering herself. "DON'T LOOK—"

I ignore all, flushed.

"S-Satori, I need your help!"

// Ran/Chen 45

The next hours with Yamame were, for the lack of a better word, magical. Our conversations brought to the surface the worst of my heart, yet as we knitted together, laughed, and exchanged stories of both her human and Mr. Anon, the sad hole that undoubtedly awaits me in the future began to feel less antagonistic… It'll be dug; nothing can stop death—postpone it, maybe, but that's it—however, it doesn't need to remain a hole forever. I'll fill it with the many books I'll write of stories about a gentle man; a small spider; a tall kitsune; a purple hat; red and white; hair bells; green camo; a lone woman with power over boundaries—all I love so much…

Ran will also have a hole in her heart; Ms. Takane; Ms. Reimu; Suzu—if they're still here—, Yukari and so on.

I'll be there for them, to help close the hole… because that's just another part of life.

The cozy fire and atmosphere of Yamame's atelier served as the background; her voice and presence my guiding moonlight; this undying love and loyalty to those I love the many threads, and these tears I shed, with a smile on my face, blessed the three-colored… Gloves. Warm and snug to the touch, a surface so perfect and smooth one could use them as pillows—though lumps and mistakes were visible, I didn't bother. A story without those is not a story.

As I finished knitting the gloves and released a sigh I didn't notice I was holding, Yamame came from her sewing station… And my eyes grew big when I saw my hat on her hands. The remarkable silhouette of a Joro Spider hovered in the front, just above the right eye, and across the entire lower part of it an aureate spider-web was stretched, the exact patterns of Flan's web with the precision that only a master could achieve.

Her smile as she gave me it was one of utter happiness, her eyes on the pair of gloves. "May I?" I nodded, watching honored as a sewing master gently picked up the gloves, tested the firmness, consistency, friction, and, finally, rubbed them on her face… Her proud smile filled my heart. "There's more heart than threads here—perfect~… But why gloves, Chen?"

"It was the first thing Mr. Anon gave me…" I say, fondly, inspecting the hat: the patching was impossible to see without focusing, new additions nicely woven onto the hat as if an expensive tapestry, feeling like they were always there. I rub my finger on the small spider—

—stopping when something on one of its legs catches my eye: two shadows, one of a man and the other, smaller, a girl with two tails. I look at Yamame, my eyes gigantic and gleaming.

She simply opens her arms, smiling kindly, already knowing what's about to happen… My hugging is tight; ten limbs hug back even tighter. "I love it…" I whisper. She pats my head. "… It's so beautiful."

"It's to reflect a beautiful heart, is it not? It has to be up to par." She giggles, I follow true. "Chen… I've decided I want to teach you; help your latent talent to flourish—so, if you'd like it, I wish to be your teacher." Perplexed, I look at her from beneath, not breaking the hug; her smile is genuine… and makes me so impossibly embarrassed.

A master asking me to be their apprentice?! I've never heard of such a thing! Yet, all I could do with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was frantically nod, tails bopping fast. Mr. Anon will be so proud of me~!

She titters, patting my head, and I purr. "Many thanks, Chen~now, I guess you should go home. Ran and Mr. Anon will be worried if you spend the whole night here." Confused, I look through the window—it's already night! Time passed so fast… "Come to learn or simply to visit whenever you want, okay? You and your loved ones are welcome anytime!" And so she kisses me on the forehead, breaking the hug and going to put the gloves in a small sack made out of strong webbing.

"Wait!" I say, rummaging my pockets. "How much I owe—"

"Nothing~I already got what I wanted." She hums and giggles, giving me the sack…

Red and confused, albeit excited and happy, I nod respectfully. "O-Okay! See ya, Yamame! I-It was very fun!" I fly to the door, hard waving constantly, her eyes smiling as she demurely waves back, and, when I finally leave, it is with a hearty laughter that echoes through the cave as I shoot through the hole in the cave roof.

The Moon is my background as I spin and laugh, feeling lighter than ever before, parcel in hands and heart ready to burst.

I swim amidst the sea of stars, whirling with delight as memories come rushing back, joyous tears in my eyes: Mr. Anon teaching me; our first meeting, his gentle arms, his lessons; Ran and her love; Yukari's cold eyes, yet her undeniable love; Ms. Kogasa's forgiveness; Ms. Reimu's happiness upon overcoming her sad, every day appreciating life a tad more…

A long life; a short life…

A happy life with people by your side to help when the inevitable hole is dug.

The path ahead is hard, for sure…

Yet, I’m just so happy…

… That this long life of mine can be used to help others!

// Hana 85-87

There was a strange tenseness in the air that Hana was immersed in, dampened somewhat by the cats that rested on her lap and around her. That tenseness was still obvious however, maybe it was the dilapidated house she found herself in, or even the note lightly brushed with youkai energy that gave her exact instructions of how to find this place.

Either way, despite the cute occupants, the house itself was one that you couldn’t just settle into comfortably, everything in it was run down just enough to make one feel uneasy. This didn’t even go into how bad the other homes of this abandoned village were in, which only compounded the discomfort Hana felt. It was eerie seeing so many perfectly good homes without even a trace of things that had gone wrong lay abandoned.

She supposed that the lamp on the table was doing its best to hold the moonless night creeping in through the open windows at bay, though its effects were mitigated by the way the dark of the walls absorbed the light. She considered lighting a danmaku pellet and having it hover, but she felt that it would only betray her feelings to others and decided against showing weakness.

The rest of the room was no better as far as homeliness went, there was little decorations on the walls except signs of scratches and childish scribbles made with once vibrant colors. Aside from the table, waxy drawings all over the walls, and slightly shredded cushions coated with the fur of many different cats the home still maintained a certain level of charm. That charm was severely dampened by the bare floors and lack of most comforts that any sane human expected, but that was Mayohiga for you.

Hana’s discomfort was only compounded by her company in this worn-out home, as at each side of the square table that sat in the living room was a powerful youkai. All of whom Hana knew by reputation or personally; from Hana’s right sat Aya, the contemptable tengu that tempted her father and held her half-siblings. To Aya’s right and directly across from Hana sat Ran, the shikigami who worked with that devil women; the fox’s only saving grace was that she was likely too emotionless to try seducing her father. To Ran’s right sat someone she only knew through name and reputation as one of the youkai her mother warned her against ever fighting, Totetsu Yuuma.

Totetsu’s comically large spork sat across her shoulders and Hana shuttered inwardly while trying to ignore her, Hana realized a show of force when she saw one. She should’ve vanished as soon as she saw her, but Aya promised that she’d be on her best behavior and that she was vital. All Hana could do was not give that Taotie the satisfaction of seeing her quail when her teeth flashed as she grinned at their meeting.

With the women sitting around the table and all assembled not much had been said, though Hana did want take the moment to complain to Aya that when she meant meeting, she meant a one-on-one meeting. Still, the meeting was starting as everyone had gathered and giving away any signs of discomfort would only weaken her position.

Instead, she took the initiative after the Taotie took her place and settled in after shooing away one of the felines with a gnash of her teeth and growl. Hana wasn’t trying to be threatening and use her ‘exterminator’ voice, instead she opted for her ‘business’ voice which lacked that dangerous edge as she spoke loudly and with a confidence she didn’t feel deep down, “Yakumo-san, I thank you for appearing at such short notice.” Hana bowed her head lightly, showing respect but not submission, “As I’m sure Shameimaru-san told you I wish to discuss your master, I hope to learn about her motives and confirm my own suspicions.”

Ran joined her sleeves as she stared directly into Hana’s eyes, her tails swished around behind her back gently disturbing the air. For a moment Hana thought she wasn’t going to speak until the fox seemed to finish weighing her words, “I do know of your reason for calling me, though I can’t say that I understand your desire. Tell me, what use do you have for learning about my master?”

Hana was careful with her words, she knew that Ran was powerful, and if she thought that Hana would use this information to try and bring about Yukari’s downfall it’d be all Hana could do to escape. Knowing full well that even the prospects of her escaping from both of these youkai would be poor she spoke, “Yukari-san is no friend of mine, she destroyed the life of my father and took away our happiness.” Ran squinted at Hana, as if appraising her, “However, I suspect she isn’t too far gone as to not see sense. I have a feeling that somethings been building up inside her for quite some time. I believe if I can confirm my belief, I may be able to win back my father’s freedom before things get worse.”

Ran’s face was a mask as far as reading her emotions went, her body language was no good either, with the tails ceasing their activity the only sign of what she thinking was gone. At least Aya and Totetsu were easier to read, though Hana wasn’t focusing on them at all, she could see Aya raise an eyebrow and Totetsu give one of her smirks. One of the two cats on Hana’s lap yawned and pawed at the air as it stretched, got up, and walked a few steps before licking itself.

The silence was broken quickly by Ran after she took a moment to consider her words, “I do not have long to talk with you” there was a softer side to her voice now, and instead the closed off posture she let her arms rest on her lap, “I can answer your questions to the best of my knowledge, but I am expected elsewhere soon.”

It almost threw Hana off, where just a moment ago her eyes were cold and analytical like a predator sizing up its prey; her eyes were now expressive along with her face, she almost looked pained as if some kind of guilt lurked in the back of her mind. She couldn’t spare much time to think about it and instead focused her mind on the task at hand, “Yakumo-san, I know that Yukari-san was once something like a friend of the family when I was a child. That said, father never really talked about how they first met, mother never talked about her at all if she could help it. For my first question: I want to know how long she’s known father.”

Ran was quick, a testament to her mind at how quickly she seemed to recall things, “Yukari-sama informs of things sporadically and only if she thinks I need to know, but I do know a few details she’s let loose. You know that the barrier is known to fluctuate, which has the side effect of sometimes allowing outsiders and materials to pass through.”

Hana nodded without interrupting and listened to Ran speak, “That is by design, Yukari-sama has a habit of allowing humans from the outside to cross, sometimes even taking them herself if there is a need.” Hana shifted on her cushion, soliciting a sound of annoyance from the cat on her lap, this was the first time she heard about this, “Those she takes are usually those who have given up on life, or those of villainous nature and were slated to end their own lives. Those are usually used to feed the various uncivilized youkai in order to keep them tame.”

Feeling a little sick at that statement Hana was going to open her mouth, but the nine-tailed kitsune was not done yet, “Not all of those she takes are for the purpose of sustaining the wild youkai, some are taken because they have talents that Yukari-sama wishes to bring into Gensokyo to enrich the life here.” Ran raised a finger up, “However, there has traditionally been another reason as to why she does so. There are certain humans that are foundational to the preservation of Gensokyo as a whole, such as the Hieda clan… and the Hakurei clan…”

Hana furrowed her brow, what was she trying to say? Still, Ran seemed intent on continuing, “No matter what those bloodlines must continue at all cost, sometimes a bottleneck occurs in in their lineage where through lack of interest or circumstance they cannot find a partner. In those cases, a mate must be carefully selected, and sourcing them from the outside world will ensure strong genetic makeup of the future child and strengthen the family as a whole. I do not believe he was aware of this, but Yukari-sama choose your father after careful selection and ensured that your father would eventually meet your mother on that spring day.”

All Hana could do was mouth a ‘what…?’ as she glanced at the others by her, Totetsu didn’t seem to have a great reaction, instead yawning and stretching her back. Aya’s was much more interested, though she didn’t speak up it was clear from how she leaned in that it was news to her as well. Hana tried to make sense of it, a strange feeling rising up in her belly as if there was a piece of the puzzle still missing.

Seeming like she was done, Hana mustered up the words from the air to speak, “So father… was chosen…?” Ran nodded, a look of guilt and pity flashed across her face, “I see… So even before he came here, she knew of him, it wasn’t just random that he arrived here…”

Ran gave Hana a moment, her mind was racing that feeling in her belly not going away, but she didn’t know how long it would be till Ran had to leave. Hana quickly blurted out her the next thing she needed, “Then, my second question: Why my father, why bring him here I mean?”

To that Ran thought for a moment, a frown forming on her face as she considered her words. Aya couldn’t help but listen intently as well, “There were a few criteria we selected for: Ambition, temperament, ethics, interests, and looks to name a few. Anon-san passed those criteria, so we observed him for a time along with other candidates.”

So, her father was only one of a few, the one that passed… It was a concerning thought to see how much influence Yukari had in her life just from that alone. Hana’s voice was grimmer than she intended as she asked, “Then, how was my father chosen above the others…?”

A complex expression was forming on Ran’s face, as her eyes shifted around side to side like she was piecing something together just as Hana was. Ran’s voice became softer now, like she was feeling out something in her own mind, “My role in the process was just busywork, finding the candidates, researching them, and compiling reports… It was Yukari-sama that had the final decision, and it was on her initiative that they be observed… Master had to be careful at that stage, it was important to not let even minor personality flaws and secrets be unknown.”

It was then that it finally clicked for Hana, the HSE, Yukari’s night visits with her, how she perverted her relationship with her father, and the way she played with Hana when she was trapped… Hana found her hands starting to sweat as she crossed her arms across her belly, “Thank you for answering my questions and… I think I have my answer now…”

Ran gazed at the face of Hana, her own face looked haunted by some previous memory, “I believe I’ve come to my own as well.”

Seeing that the most of the conversation was done for the first time Totetsu spoke up, for some reason the monster wearing human skin sighed and tapped Ran on the head using her spork, “I told you Ranni, don’t let it eat you up. Eating things is my job around here!”

They were friends…? Hana supposed it made sense as to why she was here then. Ran did lighten up at Totetsu’s jest waving away the spork and seeming unable to conceal a small smile, “Yes, you’re right. It’s not a thought I need weighing me down…”

Aya spoke up next, she turned to Hana. Despite the more easy-going mood the two across from them fostered her own face was still analytical. Aya’s voice was measured, but she could feel a tinge of concern, “Hana-san, what conclusion did you come too?”

Her words caught the attention of Ran and Totetsu who turned to face her, Hana realized it sounded idiotic now. Still, it was a gut feeling and one of the few good lessons her mother gave her was to trust her instincts. Hana addressed Aya but let her voice carry to the rest, “I… For awhile I thought it was a simple obsession, that Yukari-san had a simple… infatuation… with father.” Hana swallowed down spit and tried to collect her thoughts, “But now, I think its worse than that. I can’t tell you exactly why I believe it, but it’s a strong feeling I got that Yukari-san doesn’t just want father. She wants a family.”

// Aya 53

After washing up fully, Aya and Momiji quickly dressed the crow’s cut. It had re-opened while they were talking, which unfortunately coincided with Aya rinsing shampoo out of her hair. Only after they were certain that the bleeding stopped did they leave the bathroom, ensuring the mask wouldn’t agitate Aya’s cut. With just a few minutes before the HSE’s nightfall, Dolly brought Anon’s tea for the tengu. Momiji, surprised that a human knew how to use herbs from the mountain, savored her tea. Aya checked through her bag, loudly rifling through the toys she brought just for today.

“So Aya, what’s in the bag? Something special?” Anon was taking it easy, comfortable enough around Aya and familiar enough with Momiji to let his guard down.

Striking at this vulnerability, Aya put on a coquettish voice: “It’s something very special, alright. I’m sure Momiji-chan here will appreciate it too. After all, it’s something that becomes far more enjoyable with more people.”

Her innuendo was not lost on either of her companions. Momiji blushed, wondering if she had accidentally awoken something in Aya. Anon, on the other hand, had faith the tengu wouldn’t try to initiate a threesome the day after confessing her love for him. At the very least, she promised to ask consent first. “Before you go on, let me put Dolly to bed. She shouldn’t see or hear about mature activities.” The man picked up the little doll in one hand, heading towards the kitchen.

However, instead of allowing Anon to put her to bed, Dolly flew over to Momiji’s head and gave her a hug, nuzzling into her hair. Momiji patted the doll back, happy to say goodnight to her friend. From on top of her wolfy perch, the doll stared at Aya. Hesitantly, the crow walked forward and gave her the pat she was waiting for. Aya was surprised to find the doll nuzzle her palm for a bit before flying off to the kitchen.

“What’s so surprising? She really enjoyed cooking with you, you know.” Anon’s words turned in her head. It was very naive of the doll to just focus on the things she enjoyed instead of telling her keeper about the pills. Incredibly naive to trust the word of a tengu she only met today. Extremely naive to ask for cuddles from the tengu that considered kidnapping her.

Aya hoped against all common sense that the doll could stay that innocent in this cage.

While Dolly disappeared into a cupboard far from the bedroom, Momiji and Aya followed Anon. The lights were dimming, signaling the final stage of their experience. While Momiji was sweating bullets over entering Anon’s bed, Aya kept calm, carrying her bag with her. “So Anon, are you ready to have some fun on the bed tonight?”

“That depends. What did you have in mind?” He chose his words carefully. Answering with a question wasn’t clear consent, right?

The reporter was emboldened by his response. ‘Depends’ was practically an invitation! “You’ll see soon. Now, close your eyes and sit at the head of the bed. You too, Momiji. Don’t look until I tell you too.” The human and wolf complied. Momiji’s ears perked up as she listened to the crow tengu move around nightstands and candles, brightening the bed. When Aya unpacked her surprise, Momiji’s tail was wagging expectantly, whacking Anon in a steady rhythm. After a few minutes setting everything up, Aya sat down at the edge of the bed, ready to begin.

“Let’s play a game, Anon ~.” The human blinked, adjusting to the light. Laid out in front of him was a flat rectangular board surrounded by arches, ladders, small fences, even houses? The board was littered with pentagonal tiles, making it look very similar to shogi, just a bit… stranger.

Before he could say anything, Momiji bombarded the crow with questions: “Did you bring enough pieces for Savage Tengu rules? How about the landscape pieces for a Ravine game? Do you think there’s enough room to play ShadowInvaderRuleswiththeTengutilesetusingThreeDimensionalAerialAttackClauses—“

“That’s enough! We’re starting with human daishogi and then we’ll ease Anon into real Tengu daishogi. After all, we have all night to teach him!” Momiji’s eyes lit up as the two tengu discussed phrases completely foreign to the human regarding board games, much less shogi. Regardless, he couldn’t stop himself from being swept up in their pace. He was actually looking forward to having women in his room tonight.

// Rikako/Lemontene 10

It had been a couple days since Lemontene accidentally found out about Mima’s revival & befriended the shut-in scientist Asakura Rikako and her janitorial robot. The little goblin had quite the time to reflect on all that had happened. “End of Gensokyo as we know it” huh? What a horrifying concept. Fairies don’t often need to think about the end of anything really, much less something as deep as existence itself.
Well, okay. Fairies aren’t THAT clueless. It’s just that due to never having to seriously worry about anything like death means the most experience they have to the concept of an ending is when that one ice cream store had to permanently shut down due to a rabid bullet ant & termite infestation.

Anyways, Lemontene decided to go back and visit the misty lake with what remaining time she had left. Despite not being the place she respawns at whenever she died, She basically considered it her home with how much time she’d spend there. It’d been a while since she last went there. Ever since the Hakurei Shrine Experience opened, Lemontene has been somewhat hyperfixated on operating her refreshment stand. When was the last time she ever took it easy & went stone skipping? Or just took time out of her day to hang out with other fairies her (mental) age anyway? Too long, that's for sure.

Waltzing into one of the lake’s most famous forest hotspots, Lemontene was greeted with an unusual site. It was a folic of fairies and some other smaller-tier youkai. But they weren’t happy like they usually were. Like they were supposed to. It reeked of a strange anger & vitriol. One that'd been brewing for a while.

// Kasen 9

It had been a couple days since Lemontene accidentally found out about Mima’s revival & befriended the shut-in scientist Asakura Rikako and her janitorial robot. The little goblin had quite the time to reflect on all that had happened. “End of Gensokyo as we know it” huh? What a horrifying concept. Fairies don’t often need to think about the end of anything really, much less something as deep as existence itself.
Well, okay. Fairies aren’t THAT clueless. It’s just that due to never having to seriously worry about anything like death means the most experience they have to the concept of an ending is when that one ice cream store had to permanently shut down due to a rabid bullet ant & termite infestation.

Anyways, Lemontene decided to go back and visit the misty lake with what remaining time she had left. Despite not being the place she respawns at whenever she died, She basically considered it her home with how much time she’d spend there. It’d been a while since she last went there. Ever since the Hakurei Shrine Experience opened, Lemontene has been somewhat hyperfixated on operating her refreshment stand. When was the last time she ever took it easy & went stone skipping? Or just took time out of her day to hang out with other fairies her (mental) age anyway? Too long, that's for sure.

Waltzing into one of the lake’s most famous forest hotspots, Lemontene was greeted with an unusual site. It was a folic of fairies and some other smaller-tier youkai. But they weren’t happy like they usually were. Like they were supposed to. It reeked of a strange anger & vitriol. One that'd been brewing for a while.

// Thanksgiving Special

Anon’s day began peacefully. As was his new custom, he freshened up before checking on his new roommate. Odd… The doll Alice left him was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she went ahead of him and began tending to the garden Yuuka grew? He left the fake shrine’s main building and headed towards the mock lake, finding a sight he hadn’t expected.

A large table and a stout pillar stood proudly near the lake, adorned with silver platters, a candelabra, and a tasteful scattering of autumn leaves and vines. Eight seats and plates were already set, presumably for a large group today. He’d have to look for Dolly before they came in. Suddenly, a shadow flew overhead, blocking the sun from his sight. Looking to the sky, four silhouetted figures began to dive towards him. At the same time, a voice rang out in a strangely catchy tune:

“S-O-S
MY SIGNAL OF DISTRESS
S-O-S
IT’S TIME THAT WE CONFESS
L-O-V-E LOVE
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU~”

Even out of her usual punk genre, he could recognize Mystia’s… unique voice anywhere. What surprised him were her three companions: Three tengu, all dressed rather conservatively in fall fashion that fit the outside world rather than Gensokyo, much less the HSE. Aya was there with two girls he recognized from the complaints she and many other tengu shared with him: The brunette must be Hatate, the lazy writer that coasts by thanks to her high rank in society. The black-haired one standing a head over both of them and exuding an air of arrogance must be the daitengu, Megumu. She sent many of her employees to ‘partake’ in his services, so her name must have slipped into his mind at some point.

Befitting her rank, the daitengu stepped forwards first, cowing her usually-exuberant reporter. She had a smug smirk on her face, looking directly into his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to finally see you face-to-face, Anon. I’ve heard so much about your skills as a husband and provider. For that, some associates of mine came together to reward you for your efforts in, shall we say, providing for the community?” She quickly swiveled her head towards Hatate, carrying a book with a red ribbon and black cover. “Is that okay? Serving the community?”

The tengu quickly leafed through her book, searching for some excerpt to back up her boss. “Um, there’s something here about serving tables…”

“Good enough!” Seemingly satisfied, Megume grasped Anon by the shoulders and led him to the head of the table. “Since you’ve fed so much of my flock, it would only be right for us to return the favor.” Her two subordinates began lifting lids to reveal dishes still steaming: Mashed potatoes topped with cheese and breadcrumbs, pies filled with fruit, casseroles, corn slathered in butter, a smattering of roasted vegetables… everything was there simply to taste great. However, they left the platter in the center a mystery, only a carving knife and skewer gave any indication to what lied beneath. Regardless, his mouth watered and his stomach grumbled in anticipation.

“Now now, I know you can’t wait to dig into what the girls prepared for you. However, we still have to wait for the rest of our guests. They’re bringing a surprise!” As if on cue, three girls entered, struggling to carry a giant platter through the veranda. Momiji was apparently taking the brunt of the weight while a fox he recognized as Tsukasa pretended to help and a girl with bright, puffy wings tried her best to assist. Miraculously, they managed to maneuver their load to the stand between the table and pond, the lid dangerously askew.

“I’m terribly sorry, Iizunamaru-sama! We were ready to secure the target, but Kutaka forgot to bring a rod, so we had to wait for another opportunity while she retrieved it. But we got her, and we got her good!” The kuda-gitsune proudly delivered her report to her superior while the chicken goddess hung her head and blushed.

“As long as you have her secured, it’s fine.” Her? Did they have someone trapped underneath that dish?! “Now don’t worry about that Anon, you’ll see what’s underneath it soon. You have one last thing to do.” Every seat now filled, Anon looked over his group. Four tengu, two youkai and a goddess from Hell. Now Mystia was humming something about someone named Cathy going to the supermarket? All eyes locked on him as he lifted the lid at the center of the table, revealing a succulent turkey, stuffed and basted with a cup of gravy standing next to it. Kutaka and Mystia squirmed a little, but the tengu looked ready to pounce.

As he revealed the prize bird, the lid of the “surprise” fell off. Hog-tied and gagged with an apple, Yukari Yakumo was faced directly towards the table. Thanks to the angle, Anon was spared from seeing the point of connection between the gap hag and the golden Rod of Remorse sticking out of her ass.

If it weren’t for the panicked movement of her eyes, Anon would’ve been certain Yukari was dead. Megumu didn’t miss a beat diverting from the reveal of their new guest. “Don’t worry about her, all she can do is watch. Now, please cut us all a piece of and we’ll say Grace!” Anon complied with the malice hidden in her command, wondering what she meant by ‘grace’. He cut thin slices for the nervous guard and the singer, while giving whole legs to each of the tengu. Once everyone had a full plate, Mystia stood up and read from a paper Kutaka handed her.

“Bless us, O Lord, and Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Let us forever remember Thy grace through the love of Christ.”

Christ?! Lord?! What the hell were they talking about? As if reading his mind, Aya spoke up “I know you probably have a lot of questions. So did all of us. But I’m sure that if Dolly could see the light of the Lord from this morning, you will too!” As she spoke, she brought her bag on top of the table, opening it up to release a little doll dressed in a black robe and habit. It carried a black book similar to Hatate’s flying over to Anon. He took the tome from his little companion, reading the title:

HOLY BIBLE
KING JAMES VERSION

A second later, the ground began to shake. The entirety of the fake shrine rose into the sky as giant wooden masts sprouted form the ground. A large flag bearing a crucifix unfurled as turbines began spinning above on top of great pillars. As a funnel began rising from the ground across from the pond, something bright shot out and flew towards the group. It revealed a girl wearing a stuffy smock and apron that was cut open at the chest to expose an iridescent red eye.

“Captain Iizunamaru, the engines are ready to go! We’re ready to head to the New Paradise!”

“Perfect. We’ve just got one last thing to take care of.” Walking over to the sage, whom was desperately balancing on her stand, Megumu hoisted the woman over her shoulder and walked to a seemingly arbitrary point away from the shrine. She made sure the blonde woman had the perfect angle to watch as the ground separated an inch away from her, revealing a wooden hull that steadily gained altitude.

A mixture of relief and deep dread mixed in Anon’s stomach. “Aya, what the hell is going on?! Why is there a ship inside the HSE and why are there so many birds around?” The tengu put a finger up to her lips and dragged Anon down into the lower deck, bringing him to a room full of cloth outfits and hats with buckles. There, she passed him a white shirt and vest and drew a curtain between them to protect her modesty.

“It all happened a few days ago when Hatate brought back a book from Kourindou. The Good Book. Iizunamaru-sama immediately had it printed and distributed across the mountain. Everyone loved it, except for the Moriyans. So, we decided to flee from Kanako’s persecution and travel eastward to practice Gensokyian Christianity freely!”

“That still doesn’t explain Mystia or Utsuho. Or hell, even Kutaka!” Gensokyian Chrisitanity?! This was getting out of hand. How did the Bible convert them when they had three gods living as neighbors?

“Obviously our missionaries reached their hearts. Sister Kutaka even decided to become our nun!” Through the curtain, he could see that Aya was putting on a long dress and frilly cuffs. His own outfit seemed a little formal as well.

“So, that’s great and all, but why do you need me to come with you? I won’t be much help colonizing a new island or anything.” He was looking around for a porthole, anywhere close by to escape from.

“That’s because you aren’t supposed to separate a husband and a wife, silly!” The tengu threw aside the curtains, dressed in a white dress and veil just like a western bride. The plunging neckline contrasted heavily with her earlier outfit, but that didn’t draw his attention. It was the round bump around her belly, the telltale sign of pregnancy. His own outfit was fit to match her, and he realized in an instant why Aya was kidnapping him. He was still a little lost on how she was converted.

“You don’t want our children living in sin, do you? And I… I…. I want to save your soul worshiping the false Hakurei God! Together, we’ll bask in the light of the Lord and his infinite forgiveness!”

At this point, the tengu was grabbing Anon’s shoulders while the man gave up all pretenses and yelled desperately for help from anyone. Ran, Chen, Reimu, hell, even Yukari. Bolting out of the room, he ran back up to deck, surrounded by winged girls wearing white dresses. The ship had neared the ceiling of the HSE at this point, before the nuclear hell raven raised her control rod upwards and blasted away the roof. There was nothing left to stop the Gensokyian Christians from escaping.

Everyone on deck stared at Anon. An arch had been raised in front of his home with a lectern nearby for Kutaka to read from. She wore a wedding dress as well. Everyone on this damn ship was dressed for matrimony! Even Okuu managed to change while he was with Aya!

Megumu strode up to him once more, her dress revealing her toned legs through a slit at the side. “Well well well, if it isn’t the man of the hour! I hope you weren’t having too much fun with your bride-to-be down there. Save it for after your vows.”

“This is crazy. This is insane. Why are you all dressed like brides? Why is Kutaka dressed like a bride when she’s officiating this? I know I’ve been away from the Outside for a while, but I don’t remember Jesus allowing polygamy!”

“Hatate, Mark 12:25!”

“For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven!”

“So, there you have it. It’s fine for all of us to marry you during our colonization since marriage rules aren’t going to screw us over once we actually get to Heaven!” Her argument supported by Christ himself, Megumu hooked an arm around Anon, leading him down to the crowd of eager girls. Aya came up behind him, taking his other arm. He could feel her baby bump pressing against him, reminding him that one of these girls had a genuine reason to push for this.

“Aya, are you alright with this? Why don’t I just marry you alone, I already got you pregnant! Besides, better to stay on God’s good side instead of pushing the rules, right?” If he could get Aya on his side, maybe he had a shot arguing against all the other girls!

“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. I can’t wait to spend my life together with you and our children, away from all the horrible things you had to go through. I’ll never look at any man besides you, but as long as you still have room in your heart for me, I don’t mind sharing you with other girls eager to please you. Plus, marrying all of us means nobody can commit the sin of adultery or coveting one’s spouse!” Anon felt visceral shock: She’d been completely indoctrinated. Every hint of jealousy she’d ever shown before was gone, replaced with a pure—no, naive affection.

“We need you as a communal husband anyways to secure the future of the colony. I have it all planned out: My children will be governers, Aya and Hatate’s will be white-collar, Momiji’s will be military…” Megumu went on and on, detailing an entire system of Anon’s children to be used to replace an island of fairies with his winged progeny.

“Aha! Won’t God be disappointed in you committing genocide against an island of fairies?!” It was an infallible argument that worked multiples times in the Outside throughout history.

“Why would He? They just come back to life anyways.” His arguments were exhausted. They were at the alter anyways. After every girl aboard the N.S. Gensokyian Christian Experience said their vows, Dolly brought a box holding nine rings… and a tenth for her. Dolly and Kutaka officiated each other, leaving Anon breathless as each of his blushing brides swarmed him with kisses and carried him to their marital bed. As he was engulfed in a holy hell of caressing feathers, he heard Tsukasa whisper something into his ear before losing consciousness:
“After all, they stuffed a turkey for you. Time to return the favor.”
____

Anon awoke with a start. He was in bed alone, a book in his lap. “The Story of the First Thanksgiving”. His common sense told him everything he needed to know, but he still left his bedroom to check the shrine grounds. The sky was still moonless. The pond was still covered in flowers. The perimeter was certainly still on solid ground, housed safely inside Yukari’s building. With a sigh of relief, Anon traveled to the fake offering box for the Hakurei God and ruminated on his dream. Finally, he offered his prayer, not caring if the deity could hear him or not.

“Please Hakurei-sama, the Taoist lady was already too much. Don’t let Jesus into Gensokyo. I can’t handle this many people vying for my soul.”

A lone star high in Yukari’s simulated sky shone on him, causing his heart to skip a beat. Just as quickly, it was snuffed out. Maybe, just maybe, someone heard his prayer. Hoping against hope, Anon returned to bed, vowing to never read about American history again.