Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bright orange light bathes the outside of the Shining Needle Castle in dusk’s glow. Hanging off one of the many inverted eaves, using her legs to anchor herself, rests an amanojaku infamous throughout Gensokyo. She gazes off into the horizon, taciturn.

…
I feel… off somehow. Is it because of what happened underground…? No, I don’t think that’s it.

“Seija! You out there?” calls a voice from a nearby window.

“Huh?” mumbles Seija, pulling up with a jolt. She sees Shinmyoumaru, human-sized, leaning on the windowsill in front of her.

“There you are! It’s our first day back, why are you moping?”

“I’m not ‘moping,’ thank you,” Seija responds indignantly.

Shin grins and hops over, sitting in front of her friend. “Riiiiiiiiight, you were just joyfully staring at the horizon in silence, my mistake. Though maybe you’re only showing the opposite of how you feel?”

“Aw, shut up.”

“Dang, not even a witty retort. Well Doctor Sukuna is on the case! Tell me, how do you feel?” says the inchling, leaning forward to get a better view of Seija’s embarrassed expression as the latter looks away.

“What’s with you today?” Seija asks in an attempt to deflect the topic. “You’re being weird.”

“Excuse me for attempting to cheer up my partner,” Shin says with a shrug.

Oh…

“I… guess I’m in a funk,” says Seija hesitantly, fiddling with her hair. “Lacking motivation.”

Ugh, can’t believe I’m saying this.

Despite Seija’s trepidation, Shin earnestly listens and says, “Did our loss in Former Hell really shake you that badly?”

“O-of course not!” Seija shouts, standing up and letting out her best fake maniacal laugh. “Who do you think you’re talking to?! I just need some inspiration is all!”

“It's okay, y'know? Really. I know it's…" she pauses to consider her words, "difficult for you to be honest sometimes, but you don't need to hide your feelings from me.”

“…”

“Wanna eat something?”

“…Sure.”

Seija slaves away in the Shining Needle Castle’s kitchen, cooking meat and vegetables while preparing the rice. “When you asked if I wanted to eat,” she says, “I thought the implication was that we’d either get food or you’d make it.”

Shin, now her original size, sips tea from a cup nearly as tall as her; the Miracle Mallet lays next to her. “You said you’d make dinner next time we were home. I even went to get the ingredients before finding you.”

“Hmph, fair enough.”

A momentary distraction wouldn’t hurt, anyway.

“So, wanna hear about the info I got while I was out?” says Shin, a glint in her eye.

Seija flips the food over the fire with her power. “Oh? What might that be?”

“I ran into Reisen near the human village. She was peddling her wares as usual and we chatted for a bit. She told me about a little contest the village would be holding during its next festival in two days: a dango cook-off.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“You know Seiran and Ringo?”

“Those bit-player moon rabbits you invited to help crash the fireworks festival?”

“Yeah, apparently they’re participating. They started selling their dango here after that debacle with the Moon a few years ago. Their cooking is delicious.”

“And…?” Seija trails off while dumping the rice into two bowls.

“Well my idea is twofold: gorge on delicious dango from some of the best chefs in Gensokyo, then cause a little chaos afterwards. A few other youkai in the mix can make it more fun, too.”

“Huh. I’m not against that, but what gave you the idea? And what's your goal here?”

“Humor me and find out,” Shin says with a sly smile.

She’s playing more coy than usual. But it sounds like a good time, so why not?

“Alright, I'm in." The amanojaku throws the finished meat and veggies on top of the rice. "Dinner’s ready.”

After Seija brings the food to the table, the duo brainstorms their plan of attack for the cook-off while eating.

Something this small scale is a good idea after how high profile our previous failure was. Having Reimu or whoever else breathing down our necks is better avoided for the moment.

Seija fidgets with a necklace fashioned out of a piece of metal cut from a certain person’s sword, hidden under her usual attire.

You’ll be getting this back one day, I swear. But it’s probably better not to worry about that for now.

“-and since we don’t have your cheating tools currently, we’ll have to be extra careful about being seen by anyone dangerous. Seija?”

“Huh? Oh, my bad, got distracted.”

“You gotta keep your head in the game,” the inchling says, tapping her temple with her index finger. “We don’t wanna cause a huge scene in town or Reimu and Marisa will be on us immediately.”

“Yeah,” says Seija, doing her best to stay focused.

Shin gives her a worried look. “Are you sure you’re okay? If you’d rather not do this-”

“Hey now, I’m raring to go! I promise I’ll be fine, if anything you’ll need to do your best to keep up with me!”

Despite the bravado, Seija feels her companion staring right through her.

She’s the only person who always knows exactly what I’m feeling, which at the moment is kind of infuriating.

“Look, I wouldn’t let my partner down, alright?” Seija continues, holding up a fist with her folded index finger slightly jutting out.

After a second of consideration, Shin relents and meets Seija’s closed finger with her own tiny fist; her worried expression is replaced by a determined smile.

“I’m holding you to that, alright? And I promise the same. Now let’s get going, we’ll need a lot of ingredients for this.”

“I swear we’ve stopped at a dozen stalls and still haven’t seen any sign of Seiran or Ringo,” Seija complains while picking her teeth with a leftover dango skewer.

The ill-intentioned duo wanders the streets of the human village, which is very crowded and immersed in festivities. Seija wears a kasa to hide her horns that mark her as a youkai; Shin also has one on and made herself human size before arriving, keeping the Miracle Mallet and her still small bowl hidden in her clothes. In the days leading up to the event, they decided the best way to sneak around during the festival would be traveling among the crowd and blending in until the time is right.

“I’m sure we’ll find them eventually,” Shin responds. “At least the dango’s been tasty.”

Eh, I’ve had better.

“Oh, Akyuu, let’s try this one!” yells an excited voice behind them.

“You need to slow down, I’m having a hard time keeping up,” says a more reserved and tired sounding voice in response.

Akyuu?

Seija and Shin glance backwards to see Kosuzu Motoori and Hieda no Akyuu behind them, the former leading the latter by the hand without a care in the world.

“That’s not good, those two might recognize us,” Shin says worriedly.

If they notice us then we’re in trouble. They’ll probably go get Reimu immediately.

As they get closer, Seija flips the direction they are running in an instant. This momentarily causes the bookkeeper to pause.

“Huh? Didn’t we just come from this way?” says Kosuzu.

“Now’s our chance, let’s move!” whispers Seija to Shin.

Grabbing her partner’s hand, the amanojaku forges a path through the crowd to put some distance between them and the potentially problematic pair. Seija keeps her head down while doing so, causing her to bump into a woman in front of her.

“Oh!” exclaims the woman, turning to face Seija. “Pardon me, dearie, don’t mean to be in the- hm?”

The woman wears glasses and a large robe with a checkered scarf. Her hair is long and brown, with a leaf accessory on top of her head.

What’s this lady’s deal? Get outta the way.

“Excuse us,” Seija says with false remorse. “Just trying to find the best dango stands before they run out.”

The bespectacled woman gives Seija a brief once-over, Shin a longer one. The latter averts her eyes, using her hat to conceal her face. Said woman's countenance shifts from slight surprise to contemplation until it settles on an affable smile.

“I see. Well, I just came from two very good stands that are a bit further down the street. They like to compete with each other for customers so it’s a very lively time. I’m sure you two will have some fun there.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

“Thank you very much,” Shin says with a small bow.

The increasingly mysterious woman pushes up her glasses. “No problem at all, little missy. You and your friend should hurry along.” She lets the duo by and waves as they walk past, appearing oddly smug.

After gaining some distance, Seija asks, “Do you know her? She gave us a look.”

“I don’t recognize her, but at the same time she seemed oddly familiar,” Shin muses.

“Thanks for the informative answer. Well, she's suspicious, so let’s avoid her if possible.”

It takes a few more minutes of walking, but eventually the two reach dango stands with a noticeable crowd around them. Mutterings leak out from the large group of people.

“These two girls are the frontrunners in the contest, right? Aren’t they youkai?” asks one man.

“Yeah, but they’ve been working the streets here regularly for a while so they don’t seem dangerous,” a woman next to him answers. “They constantly compete on who can sell more and their dango is heavenly. Both are making all sorts of variants to impress the judges and attract customers.”

“Well, no matter which of them take the prize, we’re the real winners!” the man says with a laugh, the woman joining him.

“Seems we’ve found our rabbits,” says Seija, happy to have finally arrived.

Shin nods. “Let’s get to the front so we can see them.”

With a bit of shoving they force their way to the action, where a sight to behold awaits them. On their left is Seiran, her bluish dress covered by an apron while her rabbit ears jut through holes in the bandana tied to her head. Her hands are a blur as she juggles multiple batches of dango at once, quickly switching between cutting the dough, forming it into spheres, and cooking it in the pots of boiling water in front of her. Meanwhile, to their right is Ringo; her ears shoot out from under the sides of her cap and she too wears an apron over her usual orange and yellow attire. As she forms her own dango, she munches on a few of the finished pieces. With every bite her strength grows, allowing her to cut and form the dough more efficiently. Neither moon rabbit has a single wasted movement; despite their speed, everything is calculated. The crowd is awestruck at their techniques.

“This will be the day I finally beat you, Ringo!” Seiran exclaims, never taking her eyes off her work.

“You say that every time we do this but I still always manage to sell more,” Ringo taunts, maintaining identical focus. “And this contest will end the same way!”

These two don’t need eye contact to glare at each other.

“Whoa, look at them go,” says Shin with genuine wonder.

Seija flashes a grin. “They’re definitely in their element, not a single mistake I can see. But what audience wants a show where nothing goes wrong? Let’s shake up this performance!”

While keeping her arm lowered, she discreetly points a finger up; at that moment, Seiran’s bowls that boil the dango spill over, causing a collective gasp from the crowd.

“What?! No!” yells Seiran, distraught.

“Gettin’ nervous, Seiran? You’re gonna have to be more careful if you wanna-” Ringo is cut short when she realizes her own stand is flipping over with seemingly no impetus. She barely manages to catch it in time, but much of her dango falls to the ground.

Seiran chuckles and says, “What was that about nerves?”

“It was a freak accident! You’re still going down!”

The sudden developments only further the crowd’s engagement, the people obviously enjoying the show.

“Folks love a little chaos when it doesn’t happen to them,” says Seija.

Shin gives her partner a side eye and says, “So you wanna raise the stakes a bit? I might be able to help with that.” She flashes the Miracle Mallet between her sleeves before withdrawing from the crowd, leaving Seija alone.

These people haven’t seen anything yet!

About a minute later, more strange phenomena occur at both Seiran and Ringo’s stands: random tools and ingredients disappear when they look away.

“Ringo, are you doing this?! It’s low to mess with another chef’s craft!” Seiran calls out.

Ringo scoffs. “You can’t hide the fact you’re cheating from me! This will end in your loss like always, no matter what tricks you pull!”

Shin must be using the mallet to shrink their stuff to a size almost unnoticeable. I’m amazed neither of those rabbits have figured out something else is going on yet. Maybe we should be a little less subtle!

Seija flicks her wrist; all the dango sitting on the rabbits' tables shoot up in the air as she flips their relative gravity. Both chefs pause, flabbergasted, to observe what is happening as the crowd lets out many “oooooo”s and “awwwww”s, apparently believing it to be all part of a performance. Just as they go out of sight, Seija precisely manipulates the pieces to scatter everywhere, raining down on the audience and herself. Everyone goes to catch and feast on the delicious bounty. Even she snags a few to munch on.

…Okay, I’ll admit, they're not bad.

The two moon rabbits stand there in disbelief at the turn of events, neither left with the necessary ingredients to make any more dango.

“You, uh… didn’t do that, did you?” Ringo asks.

“No, I did not,” Seiran answers.

“Neither did I.”

“So it was someone else pranking us?”

“Probably, yeah.”

Heh, took you two long enough.

As Seija thinks that, Shin comes back to her side looking pleased with herself. “A brilliant finale, nice job.”

“This is child’s play. I saved you some dango,” says Seija, tossing over a piece from each stall.

Shin scarfs them down, beaming. “They really are the best around.”

“Hmph. That was fun, though. Glad to know our warm-up went off without a hitch. Now we wait for the real thing at the award ceremony.”

“Mhm! Wanna keep roaming in the meantime and see more stalls? There are plenty of games and non-dango snacks around.”

Seija shrugs but finds the idea of exploring with Shin enticing. “Sure, why not?”

The dastardly duo does decidedly non-dastardly deeds in the human village while waiting for the evening’s award ceremony. One stall they happen across is home to a throwing game where anyone who can toss a sandbag into a hole five meters away gets any desert on display, which Shin becomes interested in. These include large quantities of dango, daifuku, manjū, and more.

“The sign says it only costs fifty yen a throw! This looks super easy too!” Shin exclaims.

“We didn’t bring much yen so don’t lose it all,” says Seija.

It’s weird to be hanging out with someone at a festival like this. Most of my life I didn’t have anyone to go with to events like these, and I liked it that way.

Shin throws the sandbag but comes up short by a meter.

I still don’t get why Shin approached me again after what happened between us initially. Or rather, what changed about her.

Another throw, another miss.

The only time I asked was when she came back and I didn’t get the clearest answer.

Determined, Shin gives it a third try, but that determination causes her to give the throw too much force and it appears as though the sandbag will overshoot. Yet suddenly, its momentum almost appears to reverse and it lands in the hole. The runner of the stall blinks in surprise but finds the bag in the goal, declaring Shin a winner.

“Yes! Seija, I did it!” she cheers.

Seija cannot help but smile as she stretches her arms over her head. “Yeah, looks like you did.”

But maybe this isn’t so bad.

They happily share the platter of manjū Shin chose for her prize as they continue down the street. Eventually they take a break at a bench on a narrow path between buildings, out of sight from the main road.

“Are you having a good time?” asks Shin, licking her fingers clean of the last pieces of desert.

“More than I expected to,” Seija admits. “I thought the only fun parts would be messing up the festival.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Hm, I suppose that means everything’s going according to your plan?”

“And what exactly are you implying?”

“I’m not blind. I can tell the reason you suggested this wasn’t just for messing with the festival. Acting secretive about your motives before, making sure I’m having fun, this was all a set-up. You want to cheer me up.”

“Hey, can’t have a layabout partner who spends all day staring into the sky.”

“...Thanks, Shin.”

“Oh?” the inchling feigns a gasp of surprise. “The friendless amanojaku Seija Kijin offering thanks? The contrarian who would never be caught enjoying frivolous gatherings like these? Have you overturned even yourself?”

Seija forces down an embarrassed smile.

Heh, idiot. It’s not the gathering I’m enjoying.

“Don’t get too comfy, I’m not about to get all cushy at a human festival. We’re still rocking this place later!”

“Now there’s the Seija I know!” Shin puffs out her chest, obviously pleased with herself.

While the partners in crime bask in the moment, neither hear the distinct sound of a danmaku bullet whizzing by until it goes right past their heads.

“What the-” Seija cuts herself off when she turns to see Seiran and Ringo standing four meters away, the former holding a giant wooden mallet and the latter cracking her knuckles while chewing on dango.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” says Ringo, barely hiding her anger.

“I suppose it makes sense that the ones who’d crash a fireworks festival wouldn’t value the sanctity of a dango festival,” Seiran says with utmost seriousness.

The pure fury emanating from the moon rabbits is enough to make Seija recoil slightly.

What the hell is this aura?!

"H-hey! What's the big idea?” Shin asks, feigning ignorance.

“What happened earlier at our stands made no sense,” says the blue rabbit. “The villagers might have been fooled, but Ringo and I have been at this long enough to know neither of us were responsible. But that left the question of who.”

“Luckily we got a tip you two were in town and it all made sense,” the orange rabbit continues. “Now we might have been complicit in what happened the night of the fireworks festival, but messin’ with our sales and craft crosses the line.”

The dango chefs get into fighting stances. Shin gives Seija a look that suggests they should do the same.

We’ll have to figure out who caught us later. But while I fully believe we can beat these bunnies, we can’t cause a ruckus before the intended time. Let’s make this quick.

The inchling and amanojaku stand shoulder to shoulder, prepared to attack. For a brief moment, the two teams stare each other down on the path devoid of humans. A breeze passes by while the nearby noises of the crowd fill the air. Seiran sprints forward, mallet at the ready, with Ringo right behind.

A telegraphed frontal assault seems too basic even for them, given their history in the Lunarian military. From what I know of Seiran’s ability, that means…!

Without exchanging a word, Shin gives Seija a nod before the latter flips their position with the bullets that silently appeared behind them. Seiran’s bullets from a different dimension shoot towards their owner, who immediately drops prone to avoid them. Ringo does not react fast enough and takes many direct hits, though her dango-boosted strength lets her continue her charge.

“Ow! Seiran, watch where you’re shooting those!” Ringo complains.

“Not my fault your reflexes are slow!” Seiran retorts.

One’s fast and one’s strong which could make them a good team, but the fools are too caught up in themselves and don’t have good coordination. Seiran reacted quickly enough to potentially help Ringo get down in time but didn’t. Combined with how angry they are, they probably aren’t entirely rational.

“Charging in with an empty head like that, can you believe this girl, Seiran?” says Seija, breaking right to easily dodge Ringo’s charge while Shin goes left. “A partner like that can’t be pleasant.”

“I never said-”

Seija cuts off Seiran, “Though you didn’t even help her dodge, so maybe you never cared about her to begin with?”

“What?!” yells Ringo.

“She’s trying to pit us against each other, don’t fall for it!” says Seiran.

The blue rabbit brings her mallet to bear on Shin and charges, using her danmaku as covering fire; Ringo comes up alongside her.

Another charge? There must be more to this. They’re moving too slowly for it to be any threat.

As if in response to Seija’s thought, Ringo grabs Seiran and begins spinning extremely fast. Before being let loose, Seiran summons more bullets between Seija and Shin, forcing them further apart. The moment their adversaries are off-balance, Ringo lets go, sending a dangerous spinning mallet attack in Shin’s direction.

What kinda nonsense is this? I’ll just reverse her momen-

The idea is interrupted by Ringo, who closes in while Seija is momentarily distracted, throwing a punch that the amanojaku narrowly dodges. Seija counters by flipping Ringo upside down and pelting her with a few more bullets, thoroughly discombobulating the rabbit.

“I remember hearing a while back that you Lunarian military types were trained where ‘not even a single hit was allowed,’ but you certainly don’t have much to show for it. Even with the element of surprise, you’re way too slow,” says Seija. “You’ll have to do much better than that.”

That punch had enough force to send me flying. She’s actually much quicker than I gave her credit for. But if they think we’re easily countering them, that’ll make them hastier and more desperate.

As this exchange occurs, Seiran reaches her target, though Shin seems largely unconcerned. The inchling calmly retreats into her now large bowl and, at the last second, uses the Miracle Mallet to shrink her opponent's mundane mallet. Shin covers her head with the bowl top and Seiran’s attack plinks off harmlessly.

“You can do that?” Seiran asks, incredulous.

“It takes a lot of concentration and the effect isn’t permanent, plus items and weapons with their own powerful magic take even longer to the point of it not being practical in a fight,” Shin explains.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Simple: you two never stood a chance, so this knowledge won’t help you.”

Seiran is at a loss for words but her irritation is evident.

Nice, Shin! Just a little more fuel to the fire and…!

“At first I thought you two might be dangerous given how furious you were,” says Seija, moving next to Shin. “Yet this is all you’ve got. I didn’t even need to help Shin stop that combo attack. Your teamwork is pretty basic.”

“Grr…” Ringo growls.

“Awww, is the wittle owange wabbit angwy?” Seija jeers.

“Gah, that’s it! I’m taking you down right now!”

“Oh, you’re gonna fight me one-on-one again?” Seija winks at Shin, who shrinks herself and moves away, before continuing, “Bring it! Maybe you’ll actually do something this time!”

“Wait, Ringo, stop!” Seiran calls out.

Her warning falls on deaf ears as Ringo, seeing red, charges Seija again, the latter simply floating there with a smug grin. Just as it appears Ringo will reach her target, Shin quickly makes herself large again and smashes the charging rabbit with the Miracle Mallet, who hits a nearby building with a thud. She falls to the ground unconscious, Seiran managing to catch her.

“Hahahaha!” Seija bursts out laughing, clutching her sides. “She really fell for the ‘one-on-one’ trick? C’mon, you’re making this too easy!”

After setting Ringo down, Seiran says, “That was risky, half a second off and Ringo would have either averted at the last second or done major damage to you.”

“Partners trust each other!” Shin proclaims proudly. “You two need some work.”

I didn’t doubt for a second that Shin would follow through.

Seiran lets out a sigh. “I concede, a well-trained Lunarian recognizes when they’ve lost. I’ll take Ringo back to her stall to rest, but know that we won’t forget what happened today.”

With that parting statement, Seiran runs away with Ringo slumped over her shoulder.

“I’m annoyed she escaped before we could find out who told them about us, but luckily we handled that quickly enough to not draw attention,” says Seija.

“Yeah,” Shin agrees. “Though this might affect our plans for the award ceremony. Seiran and Ringo were the obvious favorites to win, but with them out of the picture early we might be messing with a different winner.”

“All the other entrants are humans, right? If anything this makes our job easier. Not like the winner could be any more dangerous than those two losers.”

“Hohoho, I’m so flattered by your praise,” says a familiar bespectacled woman, the back of her left hand under her chin as she playfully waves with her right.

A small crowd gathers in front of a stall as three judges are about to declare the results of the festival's contest; the woman that Seija and Shin bumped into earlier heads the stall, which is named "Fresh from Sado". The judging board includes Hieda no Akyuu, Keine Kamishirasawa, and Rinnosuke Morichika. Keine is holding a wooden plaque meant for the winner.

“I get Akyuu and Keine being judges due to their respected positions in the village, but why Rinnosuke?” Seija asks Shin as they blend into the crowd.

“Beats me,” the inchling responds. “Though none of the judges seem overly thrilled about the prospect of that woman winning.”

As Shin says, the three judges appear less than enthused. Akyuu looks downright annoyed, a rare sight to most, while Keine wears a nervous smile. Rinnosuke’s fatigued expression indicates he would rather be back at his shop.

That old lady’s the one who told us where the rabbits’ stalls were. Didn’t realize she was a contestant herself.

“Where have I seen her before…?” Shin trails off.

“I'm getting a weird feeling, too,” says Seija. “You good to go or do you wanna abort?”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s do this.”

The duo turns to exit the crowd when they hear a voice call out, “You two girls in the hats, would you like to try some soon-to-be award-winning dango?”

All eyes turn towards Seija and Shin, both standing stiff in response to the sudden attention. They turn around sheepishly to see the familiar woman beckoning them to come to the stall.

Shoot! Why did she single us out? If we get too close then Akyuu will definitely recognize us, potentially the other two as well. And if Akyuu’s here then Kosuzu’s likely close by. This lady’s up to something.

“Uh, sorry, we have to be somewhere soon and it wouldn’t be right for us to eat before everyone else,” says Shin in a hurried voice.

“Not to worry dearies, I just wanted to do this as an apology for bumping into you two earlier,” the woman responds without missing a beat. “Won’t take a minute.”

Insistent old hag. What to do?

Seija quickly scans her surroundings. Only lines of buildings surrounding a long path on a cool autumn day. The crowd of people stand around them with occasional passersby joining in, currently around seventy people. Clear skies above that slowly turn orange as the evening progresses with a few scattered clouds. In all respects, it is a very nice day with nothing that can serve as a natural distraction.

It’ll be obvious I’m a youkai if I create a chaotic phenomenon when everything’s calm like this. We can’t afford being outed right now. Ugh.

“Uh, sorry for the delay, you see my friend is very shy in front of crowds,” says Seija, breaking the deafening silence. “If it’s alright, can she stay back while I come up?”

The woman narrows her eyes the slightest bit before saying, “Alright, that’s fine.”

Giving her partner an affirming nod, Seija slowly walks up as the crowd parts for her. She tilts her hat to cover her face from the judges.

I got the focus off you, Shin, so I really need you to pull out some trick right now!

The nervous amanojaku reaches the stall, still looking down.

“Dearie, no need to be bashful, why not take off that hat so everyone can see how much you enjoy my dango?” says the woman, seemingly enjoying Seija squirm. “Here, have some- YOWCH!”

She grabs her foot and rubs it, a small mark on the side indicating contact with a sharp object. In response to the pain, something strange happens. While the confused crowd cannot see the woman’s lower body behind the stall, Seija has a full view of it; around her legs a small mist-like essence appears and, for the briefest of moments, Seija catches a glimpse of a giant striped brown tail.

That tail, she’s a bake-danuki! And taking into account these mannerisms, she must be-

A devilish grin forms on Seija’s face. Leaning in, she whispers, “Mamizou Futatsuiwa, I’ll be glad to reveal who I am to this excitable crowd if you do first. I can promise you won’t have a choice if you continue this farce.”

Mamizou, while maintaining her smile for the crowd, squints at the youkai in front of her. “You finally caught on, congratulations. I knew you were up to something by coming up alone, but I didn’t think Shinmyoumaru would try something so base as to prod my foot with that needle of hers.”

Good ol’ Shin.

“So I take it you tipped off the rabbits about us?”

“A good way of dealing with problems is to pit them against each other. It’s no good to have you two running around here, but I can use you to get rid of competition. I was hoping they’d drive you off afterwards, though.”

“I almost respect you for coming up with something that devious, though you clearly underestimated us.”

“Seems we’ve hit a bit of a stalemate, dearie. How about I let you go and we call it even?”

“Heh,” Seija chuckles, “I don’t think you have enough leverage to say something like that, dearie.”

Before Mamizou can ask what Seija means, a nearby Akyuu says, “Um, excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to move on with the festivities.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Seija lies while bowing. “I’ll be going now.”

Without giving anyone a chance to stop her, she swiftly walks off and retreats to an alleyway down the street, out of the crowd’s sight. Shin soon follows, still small to remain hidden.

“Quick thinking back there, nice job,” says Seija.

“You too, splitting us up was a good play,” Shin responds. “Now onto the main event.”

The duo flies up and peeks over the building to see Akyuu handing Mamizou the award, the latter still appearing distracted by her previous encounter.

“You got the ball of dango?” Shin asks.

“Right here,” says Seija, pulling from her hidden pocket dango the size of her hand. It has a fuse sticking out. Using a match she pulls from the same pocket, Seija lights it and says, “On three.”

The Miracle Mallet can hypothetically do nearly anything, but it has limited energy reserves. Should it run out, then Shin is stuck being small and can’t do as much for a while. And that’s not even taking into account costs for any non-size altering wish she makes on it.

“One…”

Barring herself and her personal effects like the needle and bowl, making something bigger than what it should be uses a lot of that energy; as opposed to making an object smaller which uses much less. Plus releasing too much energy causes tsukumogami to pop up.

“Two…”

So by taking something big and making it small, she can return it to its original size later with minimal effort and risk.

“Three!”

Seija lobs the dango directly over the crowd. In response, Shin pulls out the Miracle Mallet and waves it, causing the foodstuff to grow to eleven meters in diameter. The suddenly huge shadow overhead causes the crowd to see what is hurtling towards them, throwing everyone into a panic as they flee. However, many of them cannot get out of the way in time.

Can’t have anyone getting hurt lest we fear Reimu’s wrath. Soooooooooooooo…

Before it makes contact with any villagers, Seija reverses the dango bomb's relative gravity which causes it to rocket up.

“Oh, this is like the trick those other dango salesgirls did earlier! It’s amazing!” a female villager, one that was at Seiran and Ringo’s stalls before, says to Mamizou.

“Uh, yes, of course!” the bake-danuki lies. “I launched it earlier while everyone was looking away. Apologies for the scare, seems the expansion was a bit bigger than anticipated.”

Able to hear the false gloating from the nearby rooftop, Shin says, “Dang, can’t fault her for being good at turning situations towards her favor.”

“I’m almost tempted to let it fall on her,” muses Seija, “but her saying that is about to backfire much more. Any second now.”

Right on cue, the fuse Seija lit reaches the center of the dango and an explosion erupts above the village. It is neither very bright nor very large, but more than powerful enough given its height to easily scatter the dango to a major portion of the human village. So many pieces come down that it briefly sounds like a light rainfall.

“Wow, this is quite impressive,” says Rinnosuke, standing up after initially taking shelter beneath a table he is conveniently near. “Given the quality of your earlier dango, I’m sure this will be good.” He puts a piece he caught into his mouth and instantly his eyes go wide. “Eurrgh…”

Many others in the area similarly gag after trying one of the fallen pieces. Eventually the judges and crowd all turn to Mamizou with an incredulous look, the trickster sweating buckets.

“O-oh, so terribly sorry, I guess that was a bad batch, hoho… ho…” she trails off.

Akyuu marches over to Mamizou, a fierce look in her eyes. “Your little stunt, while interesting on a technical level, scared everyone here half to death. And now we have who knows how much dango littered throughout the village that we will have to clean up, and it doesn’t even taste good. Your award is revoked, we will find someone else to give it to. To be honest, I’m glad it’s not you.”

“B-but!”

Mamizou’s protests are promptly ignored as Akyuu snatches the wooden plaque off the stand and walks away, the other two judges following suit. Kosuzu emerges from the crowd to go with Akyuu.

“The way you told her off was so cool!” says the bookkeeper.

Akyuu subtly puffs out her chest and says, “Well I have my pride and I will not tolerate someone inconveniencing the village.”

“We’ll have our hands full cleaning all this up,” says Keine.

“I might have something at my shop that can help. You see, it’s called a ‘vac-uum’ and…” Rinnosuke rambles on.

Soon the rest of the disgusted crowd disperses as well. The bake-danuki balls her fists and struts off.

That much vitriol from Akyuu must mean she knows who Mamizou really is; the other judges likely do as well.

“That went even better than expected!” Shin cheers.

Seija nods. “That old lady was dumb to think she could use us like that.”

“Oho, this ‘old lady’ is rather peeved at you two,” says a furious voice behind them.

Turning around, the duo sees Mamizou, having dropped her disguise, standing tall with her arms crossed.

She found us and got up here that fast?

“I must know, before I forcibly remove you from this village,” growls the trickster, “how you knew I’d lie and take credit for your stunt initially.”

“We never meant for you to,” says Seija.

“What?”

“I overturn things, it’s what I do. Seeing all these people having fun without a care in the world is disgusting. Shin and I figured that a good way of flipping the script on this festival would be to scatter sour tasting dango everywhere.”

“And,” Shin chimes in, “doing it during the award ceremony is a good way to cap it all off.”

Seija continues, “Originally we meant for Ringo or possibly Seiran to be the one accepting the award while we did this, which might even cause one to assume the other is responsible given our prior messing with them earlier today, though we didn’t care too much if that happened or not. In other words, we were fully prepared to run so the firework wouldn’t be pinned to us in the inevitable investigation.”

Realization slowly dawns on Mamizou. “So my interference just made things easier for you.”

“Bingo! Singling us out earlier nearly threw everything off, but all it accomplished was making your self-destruction all the more satisfying to watch. Claiming credit for our dango firework was the best part since now we have complete deniability. I guess you can’t resist an opportunity to make yourself look better.”

“There’s nothing stopping me from telling Akyuu and the others the truth about what happened,” Mamizou counters. “They know of you and would likely believe me, which could also get you in trouble with Reimu.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind me spreading the rumor in the village that the sweet brown-haired old lady with spectacles is actually a youkai. And yeah, maybe you could just transform into a different appearance for your forays here, but all your credibility would be washed away and you’d have to start over. Plus it’d give tanukis a bad name. I know you youkai leader types like to extend your influence in the village, that’s probably why you wanted to win this contest to start with; Aya and her newspaper are the same way.” Seija leisurely paces over to the obviously perturbed Mamizou. “Maybe after you won, you intended to have some of your ilk start a shop that you were the manager of, with tanukis as a mascot. Slowly sway public opinion of tanukis among humans as something to be trusted.”

“That imagination of yours is running a little too wild, dearie,” the bake-danuki says through gritted teeth. “Though obviously you’ve been paying attention to our little society in spite of how much you claim to hate it.”

“Knowing your enemy is the best way to subvert it.”

“You’re correct that I like to incite a bit of sympathy for my kind in the village from time to time, and I suppose I can’t have you destroying that reputation.”

“Like she said, we just wanted to cause a little chaos and flip people’s expectations at the last second,” says Shin. “Everything that went wrong for you today is your own fault. I highly doubt you would have cared about what we did had it not been you down there. You were presumptuous to try using us and got your retribution for ratting us out to the rabbits.”

“Hmph,” Mamizou grunts as she pushes up her glasses. “As much as I’d love to teach you two upstarts a lesson, I can’t deny that you have me pegged. I was overconfident this time. But know this, you’re talking to the perennial trickster. You’re a few hundred years too young to think you’ll get one over on me again.”

Don’t know how she can say stuff like that and still act insulted when we call her old.

“It certainly isn’t hard when you do all the work for us,” says Seija with the smuggest smile imaginable.

“You can savor your little victory, but I recommend you leave the village before someone with less restraint finds you.”

“We were about to leave this boring pit anyway. C’mon, Shin.”

“Coming!” the inchling responds.

Once they have flown out of earshot, Mamizou muses aloud, “They’re brats, but I can’t help admiring their gumption every time I see it. They better be careful about who they cross, though.”

Back at the Shining Needle Castle, Seija and Shin hold a toast to a job well done.

“The show with the dango, our fight with the rabbits, the explosion, it all went beautifully!” Shin exclaims. “It makes all the ingredients and time we spent making that gigantic dango bomb worth it. And the way you undermined all of Mamizou’s threats was awesome!”

Seija sips her drink. “You don’t survive as the most wanted youkai in Gensokyo by being stupid, I know the politics. Every major player wants a piece of that village.”

“You mean stuff like the religious wars?”

“Yeah, but not just that. The human village is the center of a very delicate balance of power. Youkai need it to exist so they can exist, but they also want to control it.”

“That’s true, though as long as people like Reimu and Marisa are around, none of them can do too much.”

“Yukari, too. That hag is always scheming one way or the other to preserve Gensokyo’s well-being or whatever. Makes this place feel stagnant and attempts to rock the boat like we do all the harder. Almost wish we could try overturning somewhere else…”

“Well we kind of tried that with Former Hell, though it backfired horribly.”

“Former Hell is still part of Gensokyo, is the thing. So the influence exerted by youkai like Yukari remains.”

Shin takes a large swig from her cup. “Honestly surprises me that she’s so willing to let youkai like Mamizou and the moon rabbits run around since they’re not from Gensokyo initially.”

“Well Mamizou seems to be on Reimu’s side whenever she isn’t pushing tanuki propaganda while the moon rabbits are mostly harmless. Though I’ve heard stories about how dangerous some Lunarians can be.”

Can’t be any worse than some of the things I’ve had to deal with here, though. Plus no Reimu or Yukari to worry about…

“Seija? Something on your mind?”

The question snaps Seija back to reality. “Oh, just thinking, don’t worry about it. And… thanks again, Shin. Today was better than I expected.”

“You gotta admit, my plans can be pretty fun, huh?” says the inchling, smiling ear to ear.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too big a head. I’ll say that between this and the fireworks festival, you’ve got quite the devious little brain.”

“Well it’s a two-person job, your quick thinking saved us a lot today.”

“It helps having a partner you can trust,” Seija says with a soft expression, surprising Shin.

“Awww, Seijaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Whoa!”

The half-drunk Shin rushes over to give the amanojaku a huge hug, knocking them both to the ground.

“Agh, get off me!” yells Seija in protest.

Shin sits up and says, “But I thought we were having a moment.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“...Fair point.”

There are a few seconds of silence while they sit there before both burst out laughing at the absurd situation.

Maybe some things can change.

The jovial pair make merry well into the night.

Chapter Text

Two days after their escapades at the dango festival, Seija and Shinmyoumaru aimlessly wander the woods that lie somewhere between the human village and the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The temperature is pleasant, not too cold as winter is still nearly two months away. The trees’ leaves are beautiful shades of orange, brown, and red, some beginning to fall. Just enough have come down that scattered sunlight pierces the treetops, creating many bright and dark spots on the surroundings.

Shin, human size, stretches her arms over her head and says, “It feels good to get out and walk around. Home’s huge but a change of scenery is good every once in a while.”

“It’s not like we were cooped up for a long time, y’know,” says Seija, resting her hands behind her head.

“True, but the last time we went on a walk like this was before all that Former Hell business.”

“Fair enough.”

I have to remember that she isn’t quite like me, I’m perfectly satisfied not moving around or going near anyone for long stretches of time. But she lived on her own in that castle for a good while before I ever met her… For someone who isn’t an amanojaku, I can imagine that got lonely.

The two’s idle chatter soon turns to brainstorming their next plan, something they have yet to decide on.

“-no, making a mess of Kourindou might be too risky with how often Reimu and Marisa stop by,” Seija says with a sigh. “Plus it doesn’t serve a greater goal very well, I don’t wanna exclusively do small jobs. Our mission is to overturn Gensokyo itself.”

Shin nods as she places a hand on her chin. “Fair point. The dango festival was more us getting our groove back, but now we need to think bigger. Although, if we cause a full blown incident for the third time, we’ll have to be ready for the consequences.”

“That’s never stopped me before,” Seija says adamantly. “But, while I hate to say it, we have too many strong enemies in Gensokyo for only the two of us to handle, especially without my cheating tools. We can be as discreet as possible but the moment someone catches wind of us we'll instantly have some human or half-phantom or whatever else on our backs.” The frustrated amanojaku runs a hand through her messy hair and scratches her head.

“So you’re saying our only option is gathering allies? I fear your reputation will make that difficult.”

“I like it that way! …But you’re right. Even if we come up with a large-scale plan of attack, it’ll be hard to convince any youkai to help us.”

“Hm, we can try stealing your tools back.”

“Sure, if we can locate and get the drop on Yukari, which is easier said than done. Not to mention that’d immediately alert her to the fact we’re up to something.”

But those things would up our chances of success immensely…

The two stand with their arms crossed and eyes closed, thinking. After a few moments, they hear a rustle in the bushes to their right.

“Who’s there?” Seija calls out, getting into a defensive stance. There is no response.

Shin puts a hand on her partner’s shoulder. “Calm down, it was probably a rabbit or squirrel.”

“What are you-” Seija stops speaking when she turns to face Shin and sees the inchling putting a finger over her mouth. “Yeah, my mistake. Let’s move on.”

I see what she’s doing.

Both begin walking away from the bushes and continue conversing as normal. But the moment they hear the faintest noise behind them, Seija rapidly flips the perception of anything that could be within twenty meters of her, barring Shin, to discombobulate any potential aggressors. Following this, both shoot a dozen bullets at the source of the sound.

“AGH!” yells a voice nearby.

The duo quickly splits up and advances on either flank of the voice, converging at its origin. They find someone’s head sticking out of the bushes, still dazed. This person is a girl with red hair and eyes, a blue bow on the back of her head.

Seija looks at her confused, not expecting this to be the stalker. “You’re, what was it… Sekibanki! Come here, you’re gonna tell us why-” As she goes to drag Sekibanki out of the bush, all that comes out is her head. “Whoa!”

Shin’s eyes go wide. “Oh no, did we- wait, I forgot, she’s a rokurokubi. Her head comes off and she can spawn multiple copies of it.”

“Is, uh, the rest of her in the bush? Or is this one of the copies?” Seija asks while holding out the head by the hair.

“I don’t see a body in here, so it’s probably safe to assume that’s a copy you’ve got.”

“But how did a head without a body scream? I’m no doctor but I thought that was an important component. Or does her species have some kind of magical workaround?”

“Don’t know. She was apparently one of the youkai affected by the Miracle Mallet back when that incident happened but we didn’t really meet until the fireworks festival. Even then, all she showed off was the weird long neck thing.”

“Hmm, she was also among the hoard that tried to capture me while I was on the run. I saw her do some weird multiple head stuff, but she didn’t speak. If anything she seemed pretty taciturn.”

While its captor is speaking, the disembodied head takes the opportunity to free itself from Seija’s grasp and ram into the amanojaku’s face before fleeing.

“Ow!” Seija yelps, rubbing her nose. After recovering, she looks around and says, “Dang it, I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Neither do I,” says Shin. “Why was she watching us?”

“Let’s find out, she couldn’t have gotten far.”

They fan out and quickly scan their environment as they fly around, being careful not to lose sight of each other. The leaves might have already begun falling, but the forest they are in is still very thick; it is hard for them to see too far in any direction. However, they are able to occasionally hear rustling ahead, which they follow. While Seija weaves between the trees, she encounters an especially dense set of woods she must force her way through.

Ugh, I love dealing with branches.

She covers her face with her arms and begins pushing through, gaining a few scratches for her trouble. Right when she is about to get out, she bumps into something that does not feel like a branch.

Huh?

“Flying Neck - Extreme Long Neck,” says a familiar voice some meters away. The dubious object Seija ran into begins elongating further and wraps around her multiple times before she can react, restraining her.

“What the- Shin!” Seija calls out. “It’s an ambush! Sekibanki has me in her neck!”

From the other side of the trees, Shin’s voice shouts, “Got it, I’ll get you out!”

“No you won’t,” the voice from before says. The absurdly long neck holding Seija ascends over the forest, revealing Sekibanki’s head on one end. Her body is still unaccounted for. The entire top of the forest is visible in all its vibrant colors. About four hundred meters away in the direction Seija faces is the Misty Lake, its water glistening under the Sun. Even further past that is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Soon Shin also rises above the trees and, armored by her bowl, holds both the Miracle Mallet and her needle at the ready.

“Let her go, Sekibanki!” Shin commands.

The rokurokubi’s voice, which is not coming from the head attached to the exceedingly long neck, responds, “You’re in no position to be making demands, inchling.”

What’s this girl’s game? Everything about this reeks of a premeditated ambush.

“Why are you… doing this?” asks Seija, her voice strained due to Sekibanki’s tight hold.

“You seem to forget that I live in the village, so I was in the splash zone of your stunt a few days ago. Mamizou took the fall but after some digging and a talk with the moon rabbits it wasn’t hard to figure out you two were behind it.”

“You’re this… mad at us… for raining some… dango on people?”

“I don’t care about that. What I do care about is what you two becoming active again means. Your nonsense with the ‘revolution’ and using the Miracle Mallet had an adverse effect on me and others. The fireworks festival was my first indication you two weren’t through yet, but that was also your only move for a while so I hoped that would be the end of it. But then, three months ago, I saw you near the village. I reported it to Reimu and soon after rumors leaked about trouble brewing underground that you two were tangled up in.”

“And our most recent excursion was the last straw?” Shin asks.

“Yes. You two were caught and punished in Former Hell yet almost immediately continued your nonsensical plans the moment you were cut loose. Make no mistake: I care little for humans and most other youkai, but I’m not gonna sit by and be swept up in whatever it is you’re trying to do again.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts, “I recall you having fun… at the fireworks festival… after Shin and I shook it up. Maybe you… enjoy cutting loose… more than you let on?”

Sekibanki further tightens her neck’s grip, causing Seija to wince. “You really need to learn when to stop speaking.”

She’s very no-nonsense, huh? Great. I can barely move a muscle now.

Shin continues her questioning. “Why tell us all this?”

“I guess you aren’t quite as wary as Seija after all if you still don’t know a distraction when you see one,” Sekibanki answers. Another head with a ludicrously lengthy neck shoots out of the forest, however Shin dodges with grace and forces it back with bullets of her own. She finishes it off with a slam on the head using her Miracle Mallet.

That was too telegraphed, I don’t think someone as seemingly level headed as Sekibanki would do something so obvious. But that means-!

Seija attempts to shout a warning but cannot physically get the words out with the neck still so firmly encasing her.

“If that’s your idea of a surprise attack, maybe next time don’t warn-” Shin’s taunt is cut off as a previously unseen and near silent figure jumps from a tree top and pounces on her, sending both hurtling into the woods. Seija catches a flash of red, white, and brown but is unable to make out any details.

Shin!

Mustering every last ounce of strength in her body, Seija pushes against the neck with all her might and gets the slightest wiggle room to catch her breath, move her limbs, and yell, “Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!"

The world appears to flip upside down as danmaku spawn from all sides to pelt the neck into submission, freeing Seija at last. With the sky below her, she flies up into the forest to see Shin, who has a few cuts and bruises on her after being tackled through the thicket. Seija grits her teeth at the sight.

If she’s hurt-!

The inchling is struggling to escape the grip of a youkai with brown hair, wolf ears, and hands with long red nails; her dress is half red and half white, the border between them curved, with a black trim and a red amulet at the chest. Shin’s bowl, still intact, lies nearby next to her dropped needle and mallet.

“W-what’s going on?” asks the youkai, confused by her flipped perception. However, that is not the only thing disturbing her. “Is Seija doing this? But this aggressive intent I feel doesn’t-”

Not giving her a chance, Seija unleashes a vicious flurry of bullets that knocks the wolf-like youkai to the ground above and proceeds to immediately check on Shin.

“You okay?” Seija asks, her tone betraying her worry.

“A little banged up but nothing that won’t be gone in a day or two. Thanks,” says Shin. 

That wolf is lucky.

“I need to get my weapons back.”

“I won’t allow it!” shouts Sekibanki, whose body and attached head make their first appearance as she rushes to collect Shin’s possessions, even the bowl. “Kagerou, let’s retreat to the Misty Lake!”

“Alright!” the other youkai responds. Though slowed by Seija’s spell card, they manage to keep moving.

Shin turns to Seija and yells, “We have to stop them!”

“One second,” says Seija, ending her spell card. “Sekibanki has been manipulating us since before we started fighting. I bet she knows that she loses a straight fight even with help, which is why she set the ambush and tricked you with that Kagerou stunt.”

“Yeah, but we can’t let them escape with the Miracle Mallet!”

“We won’t let her, but I can recognize when every last word someone says is meant to manipulate. She could have just run away with Kagerou and we’d have a harder time finding them, but she specified they were retreating to the lake. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“It’s another trap."

“Exactly. Sekibanki already has Kagerou helping her. So let’s rack our brains for a second: who else would side with them?”

After a moment of thinking, Shin says, “I believe Kagerou was also a youkai affected by the Miracle Mallet back then, though I’ve never had any real personal interaction with her. It’s likely that anyone else helping them would fall under the same umbrella. And if this youkai lives at Misty Lake… got it! It must be Wakasagihime, the mermaid. She and I won a white-water rafting championship once!”

That last statement takes a moment for Seija to process. “Uh, you can tell me the rest of that story later.” From there, they form their plan of attack. Once done, Seija indulges in an evil grin. 

Let’s flip these fools’ surprise and ‘enlighten’ them as to what a mistake they’ve made by targeting us.

The Sun is directly overhead when Seija and Shin arrive at Misty Lake. They tread carefully, waiting for a potential assault from any side. The shore of the lake is only five or so meters away.

Shin’s at least still big, but without her weapons she’s handicapped; that said she can still use danmaku so she’s not helpless. If Sekibanki is in league with the mermaid, either Shin or me getting knocked into the water is a potential lose condition for us. Their main advantages are numbers and surprise, but both are delicate and easily overturned if we can get even one opportunity.

With no warning, danmaku bullets emerge from two parts of the forest; one where Seija and Shin are, the other a bit to their left. The duo dodges to the right.

That was no miss, they’re funneling us somewhere. Sekibanki has been very careful this whole time, attacking without warning and attempting to catch us unaware. No doubt she’s the ringleader behind this whole alliance.

Another wave of bullets shoots out of the bushes, forcing them right even further. When they try to fly up to avoid, a second salvo from the treetops keeps them close to the ground. The terrain as they move has less and less land between the forest and water.

So that’s their play, keep us grounded and force us closer to the water’s edge.

The duo continues losing ground from the repeated onslaughts; any attempts to return fire prove fruitless.

Make them think their plan is working just a little longer…!

Soon Seija and Shin’s backs are to the lake, at which point Kagerou emerges from the woods to face them directly. Above them are Sekibanki and her multiple circling heads.

“You really derailed our relaxing day, y’know,” Shin complains.

“After how many people’s days you have derailed,” Sekibanki counters, “you’ve no room to talk.”

Seija chimes in, “And what about you, wolfy?”

“Don’t call me that,” says Kagerou.

“Whatever you say, wolfy. You the airhead’s lapdog now?”

“We’re both part of the Grassroots Youkai Network!”

The name alone gives Seija legitimate pause. “…The what?”

Kagerou perks up and, looking proud, says, “It’s an organization we less renowned youkai use to exchange information and generally stay in the know.”

She’s enthusiastic. She also doesn’t have Shin’s stuff on her from what I can tell, so Sekibanki has it under her cloak most likely. Unless that’s what she wants us to think.

“That’s enough, Kagerou. Let’s finish this,” says Sekibanki.

“Dang, you’re a barrel of laughs,” Seija says with a hand on her hip. “No back and forth? No banter?”

Not saying a word, their opponents both get ready to use spell cards, but their movements are ever so slightly delayed. Instead of responding in kind, Seija and Shin stand still, listening to their surroundings intently.

Time to see if our bet pays off!

A splash sounds behind them, exactly what Seija is waiting for. She instantly reacts by reversing her and Shin’s positions with Sekibanki and Kagerou. The latter two are subsequently grabbed and dragged underwater by a blue-haired mermaid in a green kimono: Wakasagihime.

“It worked!” Shin cheers.

Seija responds, “We don’t have long until she realizes the switch, move!”

Shin flies up high and looks down over the lake, the Sun to her back. Meanwhile, Seija hides among the trees similar to how her foes did moments ago. Only a few seconds later do the trio of submerged youkai surface.

Gasping for breath, Kagerou asks, “How… how did… she know?”

“I-I guess she figured out our plan,” says a flustered Sekibanki.

Wakasagihime, her concern apparent, says, “I'm so sorry! You said to keep them under until they passed out and-”

Wow, that’s ruthless. Though the mermaid seems very out of her element. In fact, despite the genuine cleverness of this whole plan, none of the three seem particularly ill-natured. Gutless idiots. Makes me wonder how much danger we were really in. Now for some payback!

With devious glee, Seija summons hundreds of bullets as she flies through the forest to vary their starting points, creating a huge fan of danmaku to rain down on the hapless trio. Sekibanki breaks away up and left, Kagerou up and right, and Wakasagihime dives into the water.

“Hey,” Shin shouts, “where do you think you’re going?!”

“Where-” Sekibanki is cut off when she looks up to where she hears Shin’s voice, blinded by the Sun behind the inchling. “Urgh…”

Kagerou growls, rubbing her eyes after doing the same thing. “Stupid Sun!”

The moment both are stunned, Shin calls out, “Small Bullet - Inchling’s Thorny Path!” Wave after wave of bullets fall upon the rokurokubi and werewolf, their blind attempts at dodging thwarted by Seija reversing their momentum to further confuse them. “Taste all of this overwhelming power! The trump card of the small!” Both Kagerou and Sekibanki scream before the danmaku knocks them out entirely. 

Wakasagihime, apparently having seen their bodies go limp from below, surfaces and says, “We surrender! We surrender!” She ferries her allies back to the shore and lays them down as Seija and Shin go to meet her.

Shin is the first to speak. “Before anything else, where are my things?”

“Seki had me hide them underwater in case you managed to beat her,” the mermaid answers.

“Go get them,” Seija commands. “Now.”

Wakasagihime complies and returns with Shin’s needle, bowl, and Miracle Mallet in less than a minute.

“Good to have them back!” says Shin cheerfully.

As this happens, Sekibanki and Kagerou begin to stir. “Ugh, what happened…?” asks the latter, still groggy.

Seija answers, “You bit off more than you can chew.”

“A-are you gonna hurt us?” asks a somewhat fearful Wakasagihime.

“I can think of no better use of time, really,” says Seija with a sarcastic smirk. “You lot have hopefully learned your lesson about messing with Shin and me. Not like you were ever threats to begin with.”

“Tch,” Sekibanki scoffs, staring into the sky. “You, of all people, showing mercy now?”

“Heh, if you really want me to hurt you-”

Shin grabs Seija’s arm. “C’mon, they’re not worth it. Like you said, they can’t threaten us as they are.”

Seija looks back at Shin’s serious expression, eventually relenting. “Fine. But,” she says, turning back to her defeated adversaries, “you three aren’t getting off that easy. Tell us exactly why you did all this.”

“It is as I said before, we came together to prevent you from causing us low profile youkai more trouble,” says Sekibanki.

“And you just so happened to know we were going on a walk today?”

“I had one of my heads do reconnaissance at the Shining Needle Castle after figuring out you were behind the mess at the dango festival. Your noticing and catching it earlier was all planned to lure you into our trap.”

We were spied on that easily?

“What were you intending on doing after capturing us?”

“Turn you into Reimu with my story; hopefully she would put you on a permanently shorter leash afterwards. With Mamizou, for whatever reason, lying to cover for you, my word alone wouldn’t be enough to convince her.”

“Wow,” says Shin. “You’d sell out your fellow youkai just like that? Do you not realize we were trying to give the weak power to rule over the strong? Wouldn’t that benefit you?”

Kagerou pouts. “All you accomplished was making us more aggressive to the point of being thrashed by that shrine maiden and her friends. And even you two don’t stand a chance against them.”

“You say that, but aren’t you just a pathetic pile who wants to wallow in self-pity over how irrelevant you are? We made you someone worth fighting!” Seija says, her twisted smile unnerving the werewolf.

Sitting up, Sekibanki looks Seija dead in the eye and responds, “Some youkai only want peaceful existences! Not everyone has some vague and asinine desire to ‘overturn Gensokyo’! What are you trying to accomplish, really? Are you just a contrarian without a cause? All you do is cause problems for others.”

The amanojaku floats into the air, rotating her body 180 degrees, and puts her upside down face a few centimeters from Sekibanki’s. “Do you even realize who you’re talking to, airhead?”

“Now, now,” says Wakasagihime, doing her best to diffuse the situation despite her nervousness. “You beat us and we apologize for causing you two trouble. It won’t happen again, so I humbly ask you to let us go.”

“Pft, hahahahahahaha!” Seija cannot contain her laughter at the request. “So polite! I guess this is why they keep you around despite how useless you are in any fight without water!”

“I-is that a yes?”

“You wish. Honestly, having the gall to say that after what you just pulled? Almost admirable! But the way I see it, none of you are in a position to refuse the little favor I wanna ask for."

Everyone else present, including Shin, looks at Seija in surprise.

“You want them to do something for us?” asks the inchling.

“Not yet I don’t,” says Seija, wagging her finger. “But they owe us for sparing them. And one day I’m gonna call that in. When that day comes, I expect these three extras to be standing at attention. Or flopping, as the case may be.”

“And if we aren’t?” asks Kagerou.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll let you off with a slap on the wrist and a firm ‘Now don’t do this again, dearie.’”

With a grin and shrug, Shin says, “Of course, taking everything an amanojaku says at face value is something you do at your own risk.”

“Urgh…” Kagerou groans.

“You all brought this on yourselves by antagonizing us.”

“You two antagonize everyone,” says an incredulous Sekibanki.

“Which you take issue with yet don’t expect to be punished yourself?” says Seija, feigning shock. “You attacked two poor, innocent youkai while they were taking a nice stroll! Talk about hypocrisy.”

“But you two-! That’s not even-!” Sekibanki stammers.

Seija makes a face that mockingly mimics a researcher examining a novel artifact. “And so the reserved girl finally loses her head, though I bet that happens all the time anyway.” Seeing the utterly flabbergasted rokurokubi’s face, she lets out a victorious maniacal laugh.

“Oh my gosh, Seija. That was bad even for you,” says Shin. Despite this, she also cannot hide her amusement and soon joins in. The partners’ audience is speechless.

“Anywho,” Seija says after she finishes basking in her own joke, “you idiots can think about what you’ve done while waiting for when we call you. Could be next week, could be next year, who knows! That’s part of the fun. Really, thanks for such a pathetic attempt at an ambush, I got a kick out of it. It completely makes up for interrupting our walk.” In a flash, Seija gets next to Sekibanki’s ear and whispers, “‘Completely.’ See ya!”

The beaten youkai watch with mouths agape as the amanojaku offers a two-finger salute before flying off, followed by Shin waving goodbye and joining her.

“Kagerou, Waka, I’m truly sorry for dragging you into this awful mistake I’ve made,” says Sekibanki apologetically.

The mermaid shakes her head. “Don’t be, I have a feeling everyone’s going to be caught up in their schemes at some point or another.”

“They’re such headaches, Seija especially. And we were so close to beating them at first, I don’t know how Seija managed to overpower my neck.”

“That was right after I attacked Shinmyoumaru, right?” Kagerou asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“Call it an animal’s intuition, but usually, whenever I encounter a human or youkai, I can get a feel for their intent. Be it normally or in a danmaku battle, everyone exudes a kind of aura that reflects their state of mind. When that aura says they’re intending to harm and they have the power to back it up, I stay away.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Normally, Seija doesn’t make me feel like I’m in legitimate danger; rather, she comes across as though she’s playing a game. A game that could result in a lot of annoyances for everyone involved, mind, but a game all the same. But when she used her spell card and freed Shinmyoumaru… my instincts were screaming at me to run away.”

Once again small, Shin reclines in her bowl while Seija holds it close as they fly home. “The gods are smiling on us today,” says the inchling, looking straight up at her partner. “Just as we wonder how we’ll acquire extra help, those three serve themselves up on a silver platter. The timing couldn’t have been better.”

“Eh, we’ve met some of those gods, and I don’t think many of them particularly care about us one way or the other. Though I suppose from where you’re sitting, life must feel real nice,” Seija responds.

“Hey, I like being big, but having you do the flying for me lets me kick back and enjoy the breeze; the view is nice too.”

You can fly just fine even when you’re small, but…

Seija looks down at her relaxed companion, who offers a reassuring smile. Despite none of the wounds being remotely serious, Shin’s numerous nicks from the ambush cause Seija immense discomfort.

I’ll let you have this.

A few silent minutes pass.

“So, white-water rafting? You’re a fan of that?” Seija asks.

“Yeah, I was actually thinking of participating in the next competition this winter since I missed the annual summer one.”

“Tell me the story of how you won with the mermaid before.”

“For reference, this was slightly under two years before we met again prior to the fireworks festival, so about four years ago altogether. There were two separate brackets: singles and doubles. The singles tournament was done first and, since I was small at the time, the water had way more influence on me than any of the other racers. However!” Shin exclaims, standing up in her bowl, closing her eyes, and holding up her fist in performative dramatics. “The story of an inchling doing her best against the cruel, callous waves of the rapids endeared me to the crowd. I might have lost the race, but I won everyone’s hearts.”

Seija raises an eyebrow at the explanation but lets it be. “And the doubles tournament?”

“That was the one where I asked Waka to team up with me. My lightweight was my bane in the singles bracket, but it sealed our victory in doubles! Waka was entirely unencumbered carrying me through the waves.”

“So she did all the work?”

“Seeing my rise to success after such adversity only bolstered the crowd’s support! I was an irreplaceable member of the team.”

“Heh, whatever you say.” The amanojaku takes a moment to consider before adding, “How about we enter together at the next one? People might dislike us but there isn’t a rule saying we can’t compete as long as they think we’re playing above board.”

Narrowing her eyes, Shin asks, “Care to explain what you mean by ‘they think’?”

“Hey now, I would never consider messing with the other racers to ensure our victory! That would be unfair,” says Seija, her face as innocent as a thief caught in a vault.

Shin shrugs slyly. “Who can define ‘unfair’ in a race among youkai, anyway? Sure, we can enter. The next one's been delayed until after the new year, though, so we’ll be waiting a little while yet. What makes you interested?”

“Just a feeling I get. It sounds super boring, after all.”

“Oh really? If you’re saying that, I’m getting fired up!”

“This is all a long ways off, though, so we should continue trying to hash out a larger scale plan like we were doing before getting derailed by Sekibanki.”

Though, thanks to that ambush, not only did we gain potentially useful tools, I also learned more about Shin. We’ve been working together consistently for a good two years now yet there’s probably still a lot we don’t know about each other; that’s definitely more on me than her, though.

“At the risk of further distracting from that topic,” says Shin, “we’ve only talked about my various escapades between our tenures working together. I’m curious, what did you do during those years?”

It’s like she read my mind.

“After we fought each other when you tried to capture me, and once I evaded every other dang youkai and incident solver in Gensokyo for that matter, I laid low. With the cheating tools, no one could catch me. I was universally hated and ostracized and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

“All alone versus a world that despises you. The ideal life for an amanojaku, right?”

“You could say that, yeah.”

Pausing as though she is building up courage, Shin asks, “Then why stay with me after the fireworks festival?”

“Huh?” Seija is caught off guard by the question. “Well, you impressed me with everything you accomplished that day; life’s more interesting with you around. Plus the Shining Needle Castle is a good base of operations and we never have to want for any material needs thanks to it and the Miracle Mallet. Having an ally in my corner also helps me in my plans.”

“So that’s why. Have I succeeded in keeping you amused?”

“Ha! I can’t deny it.”

“Good. I say we continue entertaining and helping each other with our goals.” The inchling offers a thumbs-up. “Deal?”

The amanojaku returns the favor with a thumbs-down. “Deal.”

Many hours have passed since Seija and Shin returned home. They lay on their backs opposite each other under a kotatsu. No idea they discussed has yet to bear fruit and the frustration is getting to them.

“Okay, let’s systematically lay out every possible target we can think of one more time besides Hakurei Shrine, the human village, Kourindou, and anything underground,” declares Seija.

“Kirisame Magic Shop,” Shin answers.

“Few know about it and half of those who do expect Marisa to accidently blow it up anyway.”

“Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

“Owned by a bat with a big ego but most aren’t affected by it one way or the other.”

“Moriya Shrine.”

“…A possibility, but let’s consider our other options first. They’re especially wary of us after we almost nixed their power source.”

“Hmm… Eientei?”

“More Lunarians and rabbits, huh? What else?”

“How about Myouren Temple?”

“Another possibility.”

“Every other major location I know of is somewhere separate from Gensokyo that we’d need to travel to get to,” says Shin. “The Netherworld wouldn’t be hard to reach but there’s not really much there. Neither Heaven nor Hell are places we could feasibly impact if we even managed to survive the trip. Makai has a barrier, I can’t think of anyone besides Byakuren who’s even from there, and it gives me a bad vibe. Then there’s the Lunar Capital but that would be the hardest one of all to even reach, not to mention the high danger level.”

I… don’t want to go to the Netherworld. And she’s right that Heaven, Hell, and Makai aren’t viable picks. Getting to the Lunar Capital would be hard, though those rabbits weren’t much to deal with; if they’re the standard for the military’s rank and file, hmmm.

Seija responds, “Just how dangerous would it be?”

“Huh?”

“The Lunarians invaded Gensokyo only, what, five years ago? They were repelled, so they can’t be invincible.”

“We don’t know all the details of that incident,” says Shin, visibly concerned over Seija’s line of thought. “Plus that was Reimu and the others who fended them off.”

“You seem oddly worried.”

Shin sits up and leans forward a bit. “They might not be willing to play by our rules.”

“I’ve had to deal with people breaking the rules to try and stop me before, I’m not letting that deter me now.”

“But isn’t this different? Incident solvers here never go past subduing most youkai. Lunarians might go further. Why go after the Lunar Capital, anyway?”

“Think about it: overturning Gensokyo directly has grown more and more difficult as others become aware of our movements. Most in the Lunar Capital don’t know we exist. Plus there are stories of insane technology existing there we could steal and put to good use here. So many possibilities!”

“Look, I know I agreed with you before that we need to think bigger, but I also don’t want you to get hurt.”

Seija gets a weird feeling in her stomach hearing her partner’s words.

Shin, you…

“It’s not like we won’t be careful,” Seija reassures. “And I’m not stupid; going there half-cocked could be the end of us. We need to do a lot of research to prepare. But the idea of subverting a supposedly ‘pure’ society like that…” Her excitement is palpable as she says, “I can think of few things less interesting!”

Shin’s trepidation melts away, a gentler expression replacing it. “There it is.”

“Huh? What is?”

“Your inspiration, you’ve found it again. The desire and ability to rebel against the world itself. I was being genuine when questioning if going to the Moon was a good idea, but I also wanted to see if you could still flip my expectations.”

The amanojaku is speechless.

“Which is why, if we go through with this,” Shin continues, “I want you to promise me you won’t lose. Promise me that together, despite how we’re perceived as small nuisances, we’ll show everyone just how big we really are!”

“It’s a promise!” says Seija. She holds out her fist to the inchling, who meets her halfway. “Besides, losing isn’t possible for us.”

“Why do you say that?”

Rubbing her nose, Seija says, “Cause we already have a white-water rafting contest to win afterwards. No stupid Lunarian can stop us from doing that.”

That is not the response Shin expected. She puts a hand over her mouth, failing to entirely hold back the emotion she feels. “Seija, I- Thanks.”

“You’ve got nothing to thank me for. Let’s go do some investigating, we gotta find everyone we can with some sort of tie to the Lunar Capital.”

“Understood!”

Chapter Text

“Seija, they’re gaining on us!” yells Shinmyoumaru.

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” an exasperated Seija responds in a panic.

They fly through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost as fast as they can. It is the day after their run-in with the three Grassroots Youkai Network members; the time is about an hour past sunset. Chasing them is a hoard of earth rabbits, many wielding giant mallets, led by Tewi Inaba. She wears her usual pink dress and carrot necklace while her white rabbit ears flop on her black hair. Beyond this hostile mob bearing down on the duo, the calm weather is quite nice with a full moon shining above.

This place is way too hard to navigate! I realize “Lost” is in the name but come on!

Tewi’s gang rapidly gains on the intruders as the former group is much more acclimated to and knowledgeable of the forest’s layout; beyond that, they are simply faster. Seija and Shin burst through some bamboo shoots to reach a clearing. On the other side are more rabbits, completely surrounding them with a pincer attack.

“That was quite a chase!” Tewi says jovially. “Looks like the end of the line.”

From over the forest into the clearing, Reisen Udongein Inaba reveals herself. Her outfit is a white shirt, red tie, and long-sleeved black blazer with a beige skirt, white socks, and maroon loafers. Both her flowing purple hair and rabbit ears gently sway as she descends, saying, “I don’t like how much fun you seem to be having. These youkai are dangerous.”

A smug Tewi counters, “I know for a fact you’ve fraternized with the inchling before.”

“Forcible possession and small talk hardly constitutes ‘fraternizing’!”

While they argue, Shin whispers to Seija, “They’ve got us cornered, any bright ideas?”

“Ask them nicely to let us go?” suggests the amanojaku.

“Very funny.”

It is at that moment a burst of light above the forest catches everyone’s attention.

The morning after Seija and Shin’s battle with the three lesser youkai, they have a discussion over breakfast on their first target for gathering information on the Lunar Capital: Eientei. 

“I’d say the main threat is Reisen,” says a small Shin before taking a bite out of onigiri nearly the size of her body.

Munching on mochi, Seija asks, “Wouldn’t an immortal like Kaguya be more problematic? Eirin, too.”

“They’re powerful but not exactly front line fighters. They’ll usually have Reisen or Tewi handle security and so forth from what I understand, meaning the rabbits are the ones we’re most likely to encounter. I single out Reisen because of her eyes; she can make you hallucinate and in general could be a massive hindrance to us should we be forced to fight her.”

“Huh, I take it you speak from experience. Never met her, myself. She wasn’t even part of the hordes that tried to catch me.”

“It’s weird. She didn’t exactly impress me when we briefly teamed up during the Perfect Possession incident, but before the incident was resolved I read in the paper she went on a rampage.”

“A rampage?” Seija repeats, incredulous. “Nothing I’ve heard about her indicates she’d be the type to do that.”

“Ah, uh, well, I guess she wanted to cut loose back then?”

Don’t know why that thought makes her nervous. Maybe Reisen really is dangerous.

“Either way, let’s keep our guard up no matter who we run into,” says Seija.

“Yeah. Since then I’ve spoken to her in the village a few times when she was pedaling Eirin’s wares, if you’ll recall. Back to the main point, the question remains on how we actually get information from Eientei. I doubt they have a sheet laying around with instructions on how to reach the Lunar Capital.”

“All the same, Eirin’s gotta have some absurd stuff lying around, right? She’s a genius and I bet some of what we could find in the capital would also be in Eientei. And if we find a path to our goal while there, all the better.”

“That intelligence is the same reason we can’t be flippant about it, you realize. I stand by Reisen being a more present danger, but Eirin could easily figure us out if we let her.”

“You’re right, which is why I already spent last night coming up with how we’ll infiltrate the place.”

Shin’s eyes narrow. “What’s your play?”

“Shrink both of us down with the Miracle Mallet,” Seija says while motioning to herself and Shin. “Two tiny intruders running around that huge manor will make us less likely to be caught while still covering double the ground.”

“Hmm…” Shin hums, putting a hand under her chin. “Doable but risky. If we’re too far separated then I can’t make you large again; at the very least, splitting up is out of the question. And you know full well I have to be careful using the mallet on other living beings.”

“Is that a no?”

“If you’re willing, we can do it.”

“Nice!” exclaims Seija with a big smile.

“Someone’s excited.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d go for the suggestion, to be honest. I was prepared to concede the point if you were too against it.”

“How courteous, Miss Kijin,” Shin says with an exaggerated posh tone, bowing playfully. “Who knew an amanojaku could be so thoughtful as to respect my wishes?”

Seija rolls her eyes and rubs the back of her head. “Besides, I always wanted to try using your mallet this way, just never had a good opportunity before now.”

“You know you could have always asked before now if you wanted to try.”

“I dunno, seemed like a weird thing to request. But anyway, we should test it now before the real deal tonight.”

“Wait, hold on. Tonight? Even if there isn’t much to do in the way of preparations, why so soon?”

“Do you know what tonight is?” Seija asks slyly.

“…The last night of the month?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I meant. It’s a full moon.”

Shin hits her left hand with her right fist as she realizes her partner’s meaning. “Eientei’s Moon Festival!”

“Exactly. I’ve never been but heard plenty of stories. And this is a special one since it’s the second full moon of the month; that doesn’t happen often. More guests are likely to show up and I bet Eirin and Kaguya will cook up something special for the occasion.”

“And you’re betting on the amount of people there helping distract them?”

“Yep. With everyone enjoying the festivities we can easily sneak around the manor.”

“My only major concern is the type of clientele this festival will attract. It’s not in the human village and takes place later in the day, meaning it’s likely there will be more youkai than humans.”

Seija snickers. “Guess it’ll be a dull evening.”

“Seems so. And you’re right, we should test shrinking you beforehand.”

They clear the table so Seija can sit on top. Shin takes her Miracle Mallet in hand and, after making herself big, prepares to use it once more.

“You ready?” the inchling asks.

“Make me small.”

As Shin slowly swings the mallet down, it subtly glows.

I don’t feel any differe-

Everything around Seija begins increasing in size rapidly. The ceiling that was formerly only a few meters away is now dozens. The table she sits on widens from every end. Shin becomes a giant in front of her. At this point, Seija processes it is not her surroundings growing.

Standing up and scanning the room, she yells, “Whoa! Imagining it is one thing, experiencing it is another. So this is what it’s like to be you. …Shin?” Seija turns to face her partner to see the latter’s eyes wide while she covers her mouth with her hand. “Yo, Shin, is something the matter?”

“I- you- you’re so CUTE!” Shin scoops up the tiny Seija and hugs her.

“Gah! Shin, what the hell-”

“You’re like a little bundle of evil! It’s adorable!”

Struggling to free herself from the inchling’s grip, Seija shouts, “Let me go already!”

Hearing those words, Shin realizes what she is doing. She holds out Seija in the palm of her hand, blushing and embarrassed.

“What in the world was that display?” the little bundle of evil asks, arms crossed.

“Sorry… Not sure what came over me there. I wasn’t mentally prepared to see you so small.”

Gosh that was humiliating. At least she got a kick out of it.

“Being bigger than someone else isn’t something you get to experience often, so I’ll let it slide this time,” says Seija. “But next time warn me if you’re gonna do that again!”

Shin sheepishly nods, still red in the face.

“Well, the shrinking worked. Time to see how effectively I can use my powers like this.”

Her hand points upwards as Seija attempts to flip the room.

“Uh, did you do it?” Shin asks.

The room appears normal to both of them.

I’ve flipped areas proportionally larger than this before, so what gives?

Seija focuses as hard as she can and wills for the room to be overturned. Finally it budges as she and Shin find themselves flying next to an upside down table still attached to the floor-turned-ceiling.

“I’m impressed you can maintain such precise control that only the two of us are affected by the inversion in your current state,” says Shin. “Being shrunk reduces the output of abilities, I’ve found.”

“It required way more focus than it normally should.”

“Seems you’ve acclimated decently well, though. We should be ready for tonight. What time do you want to head to Eientei?”

“The event doesn’t start until nightfall. I’m thinking it’d be a good idea to leave earlier and scout it out.”

“Sounds good!”

Silence prevails for a few moments after this agreement. Eventually Seija asks, “Uh, are you gonna return me to normal now?”

“Do I have to?”

“SHIN!”

The inchling cannot stifle her amusement. “Kidding!” she says with a wink.

Why do I feel I’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed…

“Hmm,” hums Seija.

“Huh,” Shin grunts.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That we’re hopelessly lost in a huge bamboo forest infested with potential enemy rabbits?”

“Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

They sit back-to-back, both human-sized, somewhere in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. It is the early afternoon, roughly an hour after they first arrived.

Twiddling with her needle, Shin says, “Sorry, the only time I’ve been to Eientei was while I was still possessing Reisen. I can’t remember the way there.”

“You’re fine. What I don’t get is why we can’t see it from above. I tried scanning the top of the forest and didn’t see the manor anywhere.”

“Gotta love Kaguya and Eirin’s magic,” says a voice nearby.

Springing to her feet, Seija calls out, “Who’s there?!”

From around some bamboo shoots, Fujiwara no Mokou struts out with her hands in her pockets. She is wearing a long-sleeved button-up shirt, her trademark red suspenders decorated by paper charms, and laced brown boots. “Couldn’t help overhearin’ you were trying to find Eientei.”

“What’s it to you?”

“I guide people to and from there regularly. Figured you could use a hand.”

“You want to help us?”

“That’s what I do for anyone lost here.”

“You tried to catch me back when I was on the run.”

Mokou scoffs. “That was years ago, a momentary distraction for a little fun. Water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned.”

“Seija,” Shin whispers, “we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If she’s willing to help us then let’s accept. Not like we’ve made any meaningful progress.”

“You’re right but you have to admit she’s suspicious.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“How’s your strategy meeting going?” the immortal asks. “If you don’t want my assistance then I can leave.”

“Fine, show us where to go,” says Seija.

“Now that’s not a very polite way of putting it. Not even a ‘please’?”

You pompous-

Before Seija gets to retort, Shin steps in front and says, “Please show us the way. Thank you for your kind offer.”

“Aw, the small one has manners. Last time I saw you, you were way more feisty.” Mokou stretches her arms and gazes at the swaying bamboo. “Before we get moving, you said earlier you’re going to Eientei for the Moon Festival and Lunar Expo?”

“Lunar Expo?” Shin echoes back. “We were headed there for the festival, yes, but I didn’t realize there was more to it.”

“Ya must’ve missed the memo. The Lunar Expo is a rarer thing, Kaguya hosts it once a year. I’m betting it’s today this year because of the second full moon this month.”

“What exactly is on display?” asks Seija.

“Different stuff from and related to the Moon. Rocks, a flag, a special kimono, you name it. Not my cup of tea but some people think it’s neat.”

That might include things we’d want to steal. Having it all on display will make it trickier if everyone’s eyes are on them.

“Anyway,” Mokou continues, “it’s not starting for at least another five hours or so. I was intending on making the rounds so no one got lost about an hour before but then I stumbled upon two lost youkai by chance. Why arrive so early?”

“We wanted to make sure we weren’t late,” Seija says.

It’s not a total lie.

“Uh-huh. And that’s also why you were worried about ‘potential enemy rabbits’?”

Seija and Shin tense up at the statement, ready to fight.

“Hey, relax,” says Mokou, leaning against some bamboo. “I’m under no obligation to warn Eientei if someone’s trying to pull something; that said, there’s also nothing stopping me from doing so. Since we’ve got time to kill, why don’t we drop by my place? I just so happen to be expecting company already.”

She has us in the palm of her hand and knows it. What’s her game?

“What company?” Shin asks.

“Someone with whom y’all are already acquainted, from what I understand.”

Sumireko Usami lazily lies on the floor in Mokou’s home, one arm under her head and holding her phone in her left hand, aimlessly swiping through its saved pictures. Her rune-inscribed cloak sits folded in the room’s corner with the matching bowed-hat on top.

The door to the house slides open with Mokou, Seija, and Shin walking inside. The first of them says, “Yo!”

“There you are, was wondering when-” Sumireko cuts herself off after sitting up and seeing Mokou’s company. “What are they doing here?!” she says, pointing at the festival crashers.

The ditzy human from the Outside World, so that’s what Mokou meant earlier.

“I ran into them while they were lost, so I invited them over,” Mokou answers.

“That doesn’t even begin to answer all my questions.”

“Look,” Seija interjects, “we don’t know what her reasons are either.” She turns to the host. “Care to explain what you’re trying to pull?”

Mokou walks to a cabinet, pulls out a pot already prepped with water, and begins heating it with fire from her hand. “Tea, anyone?”

All three guests gawk at her.

“Just tell us what you’re up to!” Shin demands.

“There’s the spunk I remember! Let’s not beat around the bush, then: you two’s plan for the festival and expo, what is it?”

“We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You can cut the ignorant act, otherwise I’ll be at Eientei before this water finishes boiling.”

Seija grits her teeth. “We’re trying to find information.”

“What kind of information?”

We can’t risk our plan being found out so early, even by people who aren’t related.

The tension in the room can be cut by a knife. Sumireko nervously glances back and forth between Seija and Shin, who have averted their eyes, and Mokou, whose face is as cold as her fire is hot.

The immortal finally lets out a sigh before saying, “That part is something you aren’t willing to disclose even with my threats, I take it. Fine, you can keep some of your secrets. Ain’t any use prying if you won’t crack.”

“Now it’s your turn,” says Seija. “Explain what you want.”

“Fair enough. You two’s presence means something’s about to get messed up; I want to use that to my advantage.”

“How do you intend to use us?”

“To entertain myself, you could say. I don’t wanna hurt any bystanders or security who might be in the way of Kaguya tonight.”

I’ve heard accounts of Mokou and Kaguya’s feud before. She wants us to be a distraction?

“That look on your face tells me you catch on fast,” Mokou says. “You two are experts at causing disturbances. Make me a clear path to Kaguya by throwing off Eirin and her army of rabbits.”

Sumireko, still on edge, chimes in, “S-since when do you need other people to help you reach Kaguya? You two go at each other all the time with no issue.”

“Normally that’s true, but this whole expo is Kaguya’s special night. She enjoys hosting it a lot and would be adamant about there not being any problems. To me, that’s the perfect time to pull the rug out from under her. I’ve let it go undisturbed in years past since others could cause problems or get hurt if I made a scene. I’m not out to ruin everyone’s night. Just as I was thinking this year would be the same story, I overheard a certain pair of ‘hopelessly lost’ youkai.”

“But, hypocritically, you would have us ruin everyone’s night,” says Shin, arms folded.

“Nah, you got it wrong. Just distracting security should be enough for me to get Kaguya alone. If anything, try not to mess with the visitors. Mass panic and hysteria could get the whole thing shut down prematurely. Ruining Kaguya’s night just means making her unable to enjoy it; letting everyone else admire the displays and gorge themselves on mochi is fine.”

Our whole plan was predicated on not being seen. She’s asking us to do the opposite. But I can’t think of an out that doesn’t involve doing what she says for now.

“You’ll need to give us a little time to do what we came for first,” Seija explains. “If you won’t, we’ll leave and try our luck another day while you’re stuck without help.”

“Of course. Just know that you’ll regret double crossing me if you try.”

“If you think we’re scared of you, you’re way too full of yourself,” Shin shoots back defiantly.

“Oh I don’t think you are. The two of you together might even be a little tough despite appearances. However, there's more than one way to get back at someone. Believe me when I say that eventually I'd get retribution.”

As much as I hate admitting it, I respect her angle. She has a goal and is willing to use us to reach it. Provided Shin and I get what we came for, it shouldn’t matter if we help her.

“Show us how to reach Eientei and we’ll handle everything,” says Seija.

Mokou grins. “Glad to know we’ve reached an understanding.” The pot in her hand starts whistling. “Looks like tea’s ready. Y’all should kick back.”

“W-what about me?!” Sumireko yells. “I witnessed this whole conversation, doesn’t that mean I’m an accomplice?!”

“You’ve got the most important job of all, Sumi,” Mokou says, putting a non-flaming hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Relax and enjoy the night. You were already planning on visiting and going to the expo for a while, I wouldn’t wanna ruin that with a last second scheme of my own.”

“I really don’t know how to feel about this!”

“You’ll be fiiiiine.”

This back and forth continues for a long while.

Late in the afternoon, the sky is slowly transitioning from light blue to orange. The time for the group to move has arrived.

Finally. I was getting sick of waiting and playing card games with glasses girl.

“You head out first, Sumi,” says Mokou. “Since you’re a normal visitor tonight, you shouldn’t be seen with us.”

“A-alright,” says Sumireko, still anxious as she heads out. Soon enough she is out of sight.

Turning back to Seija and Shin, Mokou says, “From here, I’ll lead y’all to Eientei then start guiding anyone in the forest who needs it. We’ve got about an hour from now until sunset, which is when it should really kick into gear. From there I’ll give you another hour before making my move. You can handle finishing in that amount of time, yeah?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Shin responds.

“Then follow me.”

The Bamboo Forest of the Lost is circuitous and unforgiving to the inexperienced, yet Mokou navigates with nary an issue. It only takes ten minutes of flying for the manor to be within sight through a thinner set of bamboo.

“How were we unable to find this?” asks Seija. “It took hardly any time to get here.”

“You were actually really close when I found you. In fact, you had been for a while,” Mokou answers.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I was watching y’all for a little longer than I indicated earlier. It’s not hard to guess you’re up to no good, so I waited for you to mention sensitive information before approaching.”

“You hustled us.”

Mokou shrugs. “Part of it was bad luck on your part; there were a few times I could’ve sworn you’d find it, only to take a wrong turn. This forest just has a knack for making folks lose their way. Factor in your lack of experience with the place and it’s not hard to see why you got so lost. Eirin made sure that locating Kaguya would be very difficult for the Lunar Capital.”

“Why is Kaguya hiding from the Lunarians, anyway?”

“You’ve never heard the story? The long and short is that drinking the Hourai Elixir to become immortal is a big taboo in the pretentiously ‘pure’ Lunarian society. Kaguya was sent to Earth as punishment over a millennia ago. Eventually they decided they wanted her back, so Eirin and a group of emissaries were sent to retrieve her. The good pharmacist had other plans, though, and that’s why she and Kaguya live here now.”

As she listens to Mokou’s explanation, Shin comes to a realization. “The emissaries that came with Eirin, are they…?”

“You should keep this between us, for your sake. And nowadays the Lunarians know Eirin and Kaguya are here; they just leave well enough alone. Rarely, a higher up or two comes to visit.”

A messy backstory for an innocent expo.

“How do you know all this?” Shin asks.

Very subtly, Mokou tenses up at the question. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve been around a long time myself. Let’s leave it at that, we’ve gotta hurry up and put this plan into motion.”

Not keen on sharing her own past, I see. If we hadn’t already known she’s an immortal, I wonder if she would’ve even said that much.

Their guide flies off after a quick wave, leaving Seija and Shin alone. “The Lunarians don’t have a very pretty history, I guess,” says the latter.

“Most places that last long enough don’t. While it’s not the main info we need, just the knowledge of how Kaguya and Eirin came to live here is valuable. I was thinking that they’d be completely cut off from the Moon hearing Mokou’s explanation. But if she says they get visitors from there every so often, that’s a good sign we might find a lead on how to get there ourselves.”

“True. Ready to shrink?”

“Together this time. Don’t need you getting distracted.”

Shin pouts. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Sure I will,” says Seija with a slight smile. “Let’s get moving.”

A few waves of the Miracle Mallet later, the duo is a bit more than twice the height of blades of grass on the ground.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to seeing the world like this,” Seija says as she messes with the flora in front of her.

“It’s natural to me. Everything is so huge and out of reach. Like you could just keep going and going and going and barely make any progress.”

Shin…

“But I don’t have to worry about that as long as I have the Miracle Mallet!” the inchling continues.

“Yeah. And we’ll show the world ‘just how big we are,’ right?”

“Right!”

Spirits high, they begin flying to the wall around Eientei. Shin, having left her bowl at home so as to not stick out, helps her partner acclimate to her new size. Small breezes are now mighty winds, narrow gaps between bamboo shoots become huge openings for progress, and an objective one hundred meters away takes much longer to reach. Their approach is slowed by hiding whenever one of Eientei’s rabbits skips by, urgently preparing for the festival. Visitors begin arriving as well. While ducking under the grass, Seija spies a tengu flying over the wall into the manor grounds.

“Who was that?” Shin asks. “Aya?”

“I couldn’t get a good look. I saw some purple and black which, last I checked, aren’t her colors. I’m guessing Hatate.”

“That might be even worse. I was thinking that Aya showing up could cause the extra problem of us being found and put in the paper. Hatate’s thoughtography would make getting info on us even easier plus her articles tend to be better researched.”

“You read her paper?”

“It pays to get the news from multiple sources.”

“Rather savvy of you. Hatate isn’t as quick on the draw, though, which could give us an edge. Plus she isn’t an incident solv-”

Another figure rockets by overhead, this one on a broomstick.

“…”

An expressionless Shin looks at Seija. “Is that who I think it was?”

“Didn’t know this festival would be the understudy hour.”

“Look at this way: we have even more incentive to not get caught,” says Shin in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Which makes upholding our end of Mokou’s bargain harder.”

They stand there in an awkward silence for a few moments.

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” says Seija. “We’re too deep in to back out now.”

Spirits not quite as high, they reach the wall and, waiting for their opportunity, scale it when no rabbits are around. It has been twenty-five minutes since Seija and Shin departed from Mokou’s house. The grounds of the manor are very traditional; there is a well-maintained rock garden and a few scattered bamboo plants. It is also exceptionally large, especially for the shrunken intruders; they approached from a side nearer to the back and have a hard time making out everyone at the front. All they can tell is that multiple visitors have arrived, Sumireko, Hatate Himekaidou, and Marisa Kirisame apparently among them. The grounds immediately below have various rabbits coming and going, at one point including Reisen Udongein Inaba.

“We don’t have any openings to get to the manor from the wall,” Shin observes. “There aren’t good hiding spots and the distance to the deck is too long for us to break for it without being seen.”

“Couldn’t we fly straight up to the point we’re too small to be seen then descend from over the roof?”

“We’re big enough that someone could still spot us on the way up or down, not to mention anyone else flying here.”

“I don’t want to wait until the festival starts to get moving. There has to be a way…”

Examining the grounds a second time, Seija takes in the architecture of the manor itself more than before. There are separate buildings of various heights all merged together, with roofs of different elevations to match. Further down the wall, at the very back of Eientei, is a particularly low roof that juts out more than the rest.

“Let’s make our way down there and fly to that awning, see it?” Seija says, pointing.

“Not a bad idea. Might as well give it a try.”

They lay low and run across the outer wall, reaching the designated area in about two minutes. As soon as they arrive at the back, however, they realize there is a major problem: over a dozen rabbits pound mochi behind the building, Tewi Inaba supervising them. Any of them need only glance in Seija and Shin’s direction to see them flying if they attempt to cross now. Other rabbits periodically run by to drop off ingredients before leaving to fetch more.

“We need a solid eight second distraction to make it,” says Shin.

Seija cracks her knuckles. “Say no more.”

“C’mon, we’re on a schedule here!” Tewi shouts, unaware of the trespassers in her vicinity. “We need the last of it done in half an hour!”

The rabbits nod and pound with renewed vigor, praising the name Lord Daikoku as they do so.

I have no idea who that is. Rabbits are weird.

Tewi paces around, examining the work of her kin, when she randomly stumbles. “What was that? Did I trip over my own feet…?” She looks to the rabbits, who stop to see if Tewi is okay. “I’m fine, keep working!” At that moment, her ear twitches and she quickly spins around to face the outer wall. Seija and Shin sit motionless on the awning across from the wall Tewi stares at, not so much as breathing.

I’m too weak like this, she didn’t even fall over when I reversed her stride. And her instincts are insane. I can’t believe she sensed us like that. Maybe her rabbit ears are sensitive?

Tewi eventually turns back to her charges and continues monitoring their progress. Seija makes a hand motion pointing toward the center of the grounds, not risking speaking and alerting Tewi. Shin nods in agreement and they carefully fly until they find a courtyard, sectioned off from the outside.

“That was lucky,” says Shin, letting out a sigh of relief.

“We managed to get in but we still need to find what we came for and get out. Eirin or Kaguya might still be inside, too.”

“No one’s in the courtyard so let’s take our chance now.”

They swoop down to the deck after checking one more time that no is in the area. Upon reaching there, they encounter their next obstacle: a door. Seija glances at Shin, incredulous; the latter can only shrug.

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

They push with all their might but cannot get the door to slide even a centimeter. Seija facepalms.

Shin pats Seija’s back. “You get used to it.”

“We didn’t get past all those rabbits only to be stopped cold by a door.”

“I anticipated this would happen, luckily there are countermeasures! When you’re our size, there’s usually more than one way. Rotting wood, mouse holes, little nooks and crannies, entry points are everywhere.” Shin hops off the deck to ground. “You just gotta look!”

Following her partner, Seija finds Shin frantically examining the building’s foundation, all her prior suaveness gone without a trace. “This is unreal. It’s like the wood hasn’t aged a day.”

“Is it because of this place’s magical nonsense?”

“That’s the most plausible explanation I can think of. Maybe the walls or doors have holes?”

Their examination of the courtyard’s surroundings bears no fruit. Not a single opening to be found. Even the windows have been shuttered. They return to the part of the deck they started at and sit down.

“I’ve never seen a house so airtight,” says Shin. “There were open windows on the outside walls of the manor, too. Why just this area? So much for all my bravado.”

Seija leans back on her hands. “Ain’t your fault. Your only mistake was applying normal logic to Lunarians.”

“Do they even count as Lunarians anymore, given how long they’ve lived on Earth?”

“Semantics.”

They hear the door they failed to open a moment ago slide open while they deliberate. Immediately both fly below deck and drop prone, covering themselves behind the wood that outlines the lower part.

“It appears we already have quite a few guests,” says a refined voice.

“Indeed, Lady Kaguya,” responds a calm, deeper voice. “While it’s not quite sundown, would you like me to start the festivities? Tewi says the last batch of mochi is nearly done.”

“Moonrise is before sundown, so why not?” Kaguya Houraisan muses, her flowing burgundy skirt fluttering with each step she takes down to the courtyard. “Let them in.”

“On your word, then.”

The second voice descends the steps as well, with Seija and Shin recognizing it as Eirin Yagokoro based on the red and blue skirt they see walk by. The hosts walk to the opposite deck and head through the door, leaving the duo alone.

“Looks like people will be roaming the manor grounds very soon,” warns Shin.

Seija scratches her head. “This gets better by the second. Let’s check to see if they left either door cracked.”

Sadly for them, the door above them was closed properly. A quick flight over to the opposite door shows the same to be true for it as well.

“There’s nothing else for it, you’ll need to make yourself big briefly to open the door they came from,” says Seija.

“Even if I do that, we’ll run into this issue with every door. It’s too much of a risk and won’t solve the main problem.”

“Then we have to go up and over the house into one of the open windows we saw before.”

“That runs the risk of being seen again and still doesn’t address the doors inside. Hmm… What if you rotate the door’s gravity ninety degrees? Some of your spell cards rotate the area as opposed to flat-out flipping it, don’t they?”

“The ones you’re referring to rotate a full one-eighty degrees, but that could work. It’d still be overturning in the sense of flipping the concept of a closed door. Let me try.”

Returning to the initial door, Seija motions her hands and wills for the closed door to be overturned. “Push it now, Shin! The amount of focus this requires while I’m this size isn’t something I can maintain for long.”

“Understood!”

Shin shoves with everything she has and the door gives way, sliding very fast towards the wall once the initial hurdle is cleared. Seija drops the effect right before the collision, causing it to slow and not make a loud bang when it hits the wall.

“Whew,” Seija exhales.

“Great job!” says a jubilant Shin. “Let’s get inside and close the door quickly.”

They repeat the process from the other side, though closing the door proves less strenuous than opening it. They survey the hallway before them: six more rooms, three on each side. And this is only a small fraction of the gigantic Eientei.

“This is going to take a while,” says a not-so-jubilant Seija.

“On one hand, the sheer size of the place means we’re less likely to encounter people,” Shin begins. “On the other… we might wear ourselves out just opening doors before we find what we came for.”

“The time limit Mokou gave us is ticking, we’ll have to complain later.”

And so they begin their search, one room at a time. At their fastest, they can finish opening, searching, and closing a room in two to three minutes. Many are lounge rooms with little beyond a table, cushions, vases, and a tea set. The ones that vary from the norm do not offer much more. Rarely, they have to hide from a passing rabbit; they have yet to see any visitors, however. After thirteen rooms of searching, Seija notices that the Sun has set outside when passing by a cracked window on the way to the next room.

Of course this one isn’t shuttered. Less than an hour left to find what we need and cause a big distraction. We utterly underestimated how long this would take and both of us are getting tired. Eirin should have an office or something, right? What about Kaguya’s room? Where are they?

“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere!” 

The mounting irritation the duo feels is simultaneously washed away and amplified by that statement as they see Sumireko, who just turned the corner. She runs over and picks them up.

“What the- what are you doing here?” Seija asks.

“The visitors were given free reign to roam the grounds as soon as the expo started,” says the bespectacled girl. “It only took a few minutes of wandering for me to realize you two would never get around fast enough. And I figured, if I’m already complicit in Mokou’s plan, I might as well put my trepidation aside and help her see it through.”

“Even with that, you’d help us after we hijacked the fireworks festival?”

“You definitely made it more dangerous, but Reimers and everyone kept it safe for the audience, so it was still really exciting!”

This girl really doesn’t grasp what she’s getting herself into. At least she appreciates quality danmaku. And I’ll give her credit for noticing us before we noticed her.

“You came at the perfect time, just promise you won’t try to make me your pet again,” says Shin, unsure if she should be happy or concerned.

“Fine… Anyway, where do you need me to go?”

“Do you know where Eirin’s room would be? Maybe Kaguya’s?”

“Their rooms? No dice there. But I do know where Eirin’s pharmaceutical office is. Marisa mentioned it earlier before I slipped away.”

“That’s as good a place as any.”

Sumireko does an about-face and quickly strides down the halls, putting the small youkai on each shoulder.

“What all is on display?” Shin asks while en-route.

“A ton of wild stuff! A lunar rover, the U.S. flag from the Apollo 11 mission, an astronaut’s helmet, various moon rocks-”

“What the heck is a ‘U.S.’?” Seija interjects.

“Somewhere from the Outside World, don’t worry about it. That country was the first to land on the Moon. You know Clownpiece, right? Her outfit has the same pattern as that flag.”

“How did humans manage to get to the Moon? And what kind of idiot models their flag after a fairy’s outfit?”

“They used a rocket and the flag is- y’know what, never mind. Beyond conventional stuff, she showed off some relics she claims are from the Lunar Capital. But, while it’s not even part of the expo technically, I asked if I could see the items from her legendary five impossible tasks. It’s insane all of them were real! That Kaguya is a real person! AND SHE’S FROM THE MOON!”

“Keep it down, someone might hear you. Why are you so excited about all of this? Didn’t you know most of that already?”

“Yeah, but like, this stuff is mythical where I’m from. It’s insane to me that it’s all true and I can see it for myself.”

Humans are easily pleased. Seems nothing on display was worth our time after all.

“Wait,” Shin chimes in. “You asked to see all of these? I thought you started looking for us a few minutes after you were let in.”

“Oh! Well, you see, it was a few minutes after I started wandering around, not a few minutes after the event started. Heheh.”

If this girl wasn’t helping us I’d flip her into the ground.

Sumireko stops in front of a door. “Aaaaaaanyway, we’re here!”

Inside the room is an orderly desk with various tools and materials for producing medicine, a chair and small file cabinet tucked underneath it, and a huge cabinet against the back wall that has dozens of drawers with numerous jars and a few boxes on top. Shin returns the duo to normal size so they can more easily investigate.

“Glasses, stand watch outside and warn us if someone’s coming,” Seija commands, taking off her sandals to avoid marking the floor and leaving traces of the incursion now that she is human-sized once more. “Unlike us, you won’t immediately draw suspicion if you’re seen.”

“I have a name.”

“So does everyone else, it’s crazy.”

“No wonder no one likes you, jeez.”

Once Sumireko is on guard in the hallway, Shin returns them to human size and says, “I’m not exactly fond of her myself, but burning bridges while we’re still over the ravine might not be the best move.”

“I feel ya. Don’t worry, I won’t push her too far,” Seija reassures. “You check the desk, maybe there’s a letter or something from the capital. I’ll look through the cabinet to see if there’s anything worth taking.”

They rifle through their respective targets, movements hurried due to how pressed they are for time. Seija finds various medications in the drawers.

Vaccines? I think that’s something humans use to become immune to diseases. Nothing a youkai or Lunarian would need. This drawer has pills for ‘pain relief’ like headaches. Here there’s ‘cough medicine.’ Hmm… this one’s different. The note on top says ‘For pleasant dreams. Market to youkai.’ The label reads ‘Butterfly Dream Pill.’ And this other container says ‘Butterfly Dream Pill - Nightmare Type.’ Why make a version that gives you nightmares? …Huh, the only person who has a prescription bottle in here is ‘Alice Margatroid,’ for the normal version. None of this is useful to us, though.

The drawers on the top row all have keyholes, but - as Seija goes through them - she finds that they are all unlocked and empty save one: the top left drawer does not budge. “Shin, have you seen a key over there?”

“No, nothing of the sort. And the only notes I’ve found have been about patients who’ve stopped by.”

“Don’t suppose you have any lock picking experience with your needle?”

“Nope. I’m guessing there are locks over there?”

“Quite a few, but only one is currently locked.”

“That’s definitely suspicious. We can try opening it, but we need to make sure not to leave signs we were here if possible.”

“Yeah. Now help me with this.”

“Comin- wait,” Shin stops herself short. “Come over here first.”

Seija complies. “What did ya find?”

“Read for yourself,” says Shin, motioning to a piece of paper she laid on the table.

Lady Yagokoro,

I am incredibly grateful for your assistance with the previous incident. Your quick thinking saved both the Lunar Capital and Gensokyo a great deal of hardship. I would very much like to visit more frequently going forward, both to thank you in person and rekindle relations, if you would have me. And not as a meeting between whatever titles we have been given, but as friends. I know the princesses have visited before as well, so hopefully this is not too much to ask.

My Sincerest Regards,
Sagume Kishin

“Sagume Kishin?!” Seija cannot hold back her excitement. “This is from Ame-no-Sagume! I got to see her briefly at the fireworks festival, she’s the amanojaku! She reverses situations with only her words!”

“It’s rare to see you so awestruck. I remember you being ecstatic back then, too.”

“Ahem. Regardless, when was this letter written? The last incident I know of to involve the Lunar Capital was the invasion.”

“That might be exactly what it’s referring to. I found it neatly folded at the back of the desk’s bottom right drawer underneath a bunch of papers. Though this letter looks brand new, that might be because of how nothing in this place seems to age.”

“It’s probably important to Eirin, then. Put it back where you found it as best you can.”

After Shin does so, they return to Seija’s earlier target: the locked drawer.

“It could be boobytrapped or have some kind of magical seal,” says Shin.

“Maybe.”

“And you still want to try?”

“No risk, no reward.”

“I like your attitude.”

They insert Shin’s needle and try cracking the lock. A bunch of fumbling later, no progress has been made.

“What if we shrunk the drawer?” Seija suggests.

“Could work, but at best it’d leave scratch marks in the spots where the drawer and lock are overlapping the cabinet. At worst, it’d break whole parts of both. …I got it!”

“What is it?”

“We can ask Sumireko if her ESP is able to open a lock.”

“The heck is ‘ESP’?”

Sumireko bursts into the room and says, “It means ‘extrasensory perception’ but it’d be more accurate to call me an ‘esper’ as I have various psychic abilities such as-”

Seija cuts her off. “Were you eavesdropping this whole time?”

“Only after I heard you fangirl about Sagume.”

The amanojaku looks away, her face red.

“Putting all that aside,” says Shin, trying her best to not to crack up, “can you open a lock?”

“It’s a piece of cake for me! But of course I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not I have illegally broken and entered anywhere before now or intend to after this point in time.”

I might take some of Eirin’s headache medication after all.

“Shin, do you mind being our lookout while our esteemed friend Sumireko is working?”

“Leave it to me,” says Shin, still amused at the situation.

Sumireko says, “Aw, thanks for finally using my name. Maybe you aren’t so bad. If it’s too much of a mouthful, you can call me Sumi!” Seija cannot find any words to respond with. “Mind if I call you Seij? I think it’d be cute!”

Shin’s laughter is audible from the other end of the room.

This is where I die. My time has come. Evaded countless pursuers and I’ve finally met my end.

“Just… just Seija is fine. We’re on a time limit so please hurry up.” Saying those words causes the amanojaku almost physical pain.

“Oh, got it!” Sumireko responds with a two-finger salute. She closes her eyes as she telekinetically moves the inner workings of the lock, listening intently. Her brow furrows every so often whenever she meets resistance but her progress is slow and steady. In about three minutes, she and Seija hear the distinctive click of the lock.

“So what’s inside the mysterious drawer?” muses Sumireko as she goes for the handle.

Well, if there’s a booby trap, at least she’ll be the one to trigger it.

Despite the duo’s suspicions, Sumireko does not set anything off as the drawer slides open.

Really? Nothing? I have a hard time believing Erin would protect something with only a conventional lock.

Inside is a single multi-piece stand designed to hold four vials, which Sumireko pulls out. Two of the vials are empty and two are full.

“The label calls this the ‘Ultramarine Orb Elixir’ and each vial has a name on it,” she says, taking out an empty one. “I’ve never heard of this before.”

“Whose names?” Seija asks, similarly confused. She grabs a full vial.

“On the two empty ones, Reisen Udongein Inaba and Marisa Kirisame. On the two full ones, Sanae Kochiya…”

“…and Reimu Hakurei. Why these four-”

“Seija, we’ve got trouble!” Shin whispers as she brings her head back into the room and grabs her partner's sandals. “A dozen rabbits are charging down the hall from either end, with Reisen and Tewi leading them! I think they know we’re here!”

Chapter Text

Reisen forcefully opens the door to Eirin’s office with one hand while keeping her bunny-themed handgun trained in front of her.

“See anything?” Tewi asks, right behind Reisen along with a veritable battalion of rabbits.

The office appears completely undisturbed with no one inside. No sign of the window being broken into or used as an escape route.

“Nothing yet, but the door wasn’t completely closed when we got here,” says Reisen. “Be careful.”

Tewi lazily walks past her coworker. “I feel I should be the one saying that to you.”

“Now’s not the time for jokes, you know exactly what set off the alarm. We need to settle this fast without disturbing Lady Kaguya’s exposition. I’ll cover you; go check the drawer.”

Complying with the request, Tewi goes to the cabinet and opens the locked drawer containing the Ultramarine Orb Elixir. “Definitely wasn’t a false alarm,” she says. “It was unlocked and the elixir is gone.”

“The thieves are likely still in the manor somewhere. We made it to the room thirty seconds after the alarm sounded and, barring some kind of teleportation, it would be impossible to escape without us seeing them.”

“However, we can’t discount that possibility.” Tewi turns to the dozens of earth rabbits in the hallway, declaring, “Okay everyone, listen up! Pairs of two at every room with the rest patrolling the grounds. Call for backup immediately should you see our intruders. Reisen and I will be searching as well. Get moving!”

All of the rabbits nod in unison before fanning out, two staying behind to monitor Eirin’s office. As this happens, Seija, Shin, and Sumireko take themselves off the wall in the adjacent room they had pressed their ears against.

I didn’t know Sumireko had a short-distance teleport; she grabbed us and suddenly we were in here. Quick thinking.

They are in a room with multiple cushions and tables, which Seija assumes is meant for patients waiting to see Eirin.

“They said rabbit sentries would be posted at every room, we aren’t safe here,” Shin whispers.

Sumireko examines the vials she stole. “What’s so special about this elixir?”

“I wanna know what alerted them,” says Seija. “There wasn’t anything audible triggered by you opening the drawer.”

“Hmm… nothing audible to us, maybe, but rabbits are able to hear higher frequencies than humans. Presumably more than some other youkai, too. Maybe Eirin had a kind of magical alarm in place only rabbits hear so they could ambush would-be thieves?”

I knew that lock was too easy.

Shin moves between the other two and whispers, “Let’s discuss it later, we need to move now! Tewi was able to tell we were nearby earlier when we barely made a sound, talking is a liability.” 

Seija nods while Sumireko covers her mouth. The inchling, after returning her partner’s sandals, shrinks the amanojaku and herself back down.

A way out of this would be Sumireko teleporting to somewhere unsuspicious, rejoining the crowd from there, with Shin and I slipping away. But we haven’t found a lead on how to reach the Lunar Capital and we still have our deal with Mokou to cause a distraction. Then there’s the question of what this elixir does.

“For now, get us back to the main crowd,” Seija orders, barely at a whisper. “No talking unless necessary.”

Not needing to be told twice, Sumireko hides her tiny allies underneath her cloak, puts the elixir in her pocket, and teleports a few rooms down to lower their association with the crime scene. They wind up in one of the many lounge areas before Sumireko decides to start the walk back, worrying about drawing suspicion if found warping. She opens the door right as two earth rabbits run up, just as Tewi ordered.

“W-whoa! What’s the rush?” she asks.

“Official business, no need to be concerned,” a short and brown-haired rabbit replies. “Though, if you’re done looking around here, it’d be best to head back to the main exhibit for now.”

“G-got it!”

She’s not great at faking it, luckily these rabbits are even more dense.

The girl passes through without issue and, despite more rabbits hurrying by, makes it back to the main crowd near the front of Eientei in only five minutes. All around the exhibition hall are items Seija and Shin previously heard described, including an astronaut helmet, a four-wheeled device which Sumireko called a “lunar rover,” and the star-embroidered flag with red and white stripes. Also on display is a shining kimono which Seija recalls Mokou alluding to earlier. The room itself is the largest the duo have seen since arriving. Various tables with mochi dot the room along with a good few places to sit down and enjoy the food while admiring the exhibits. There is a notable amount of unrest among the crowd, the guests seemingly aware that something is amiss. Some are human, many are youkai, all are aggravated due to the sudden rabbit guards posted at the main exit. Sumireko notices an exchange happening across the room, deciding to approach so she and her accomplices can hear.

“What’s goin’ on?” Marisa Kirisame asks Eirin, the latter relaxed as she sits at a corner table sipping tea while the former stands across from her with folded arms. The ordinary magician wears a blue variant of her standard black and white attire. Her witch hat, buttoned vest, and skirt are all primarily blue with a white bow, accents, and frills respectively. She also has her white blouse, complete with blue bow tie, and apron as well as blue boots with white laces and soles. The usual ribbon in her hair has been forgone this time, her golden locks flowing unencumbered.

“Nothing you should worry over,” says the pharmacist. She gracefully holds her teacup while wearing her red and blue constellation-patterned medical outfit. Her blue hat with a red cross sits atop braided light silver hair.

Hatate Himekaidou, who is next to Marisa, puts a hand on the table. This tengu’s outfit consists of a purple and black checkered skirt, light pink shirt with a purple trim and thin black tie, knee-high black socks, and reddish sandals with purple straps. Her long brown hair is styled into twintails, tied by purple ribbons. “Which is why your rabbits are scrambling? You’re not slick.”

“You came here to write an article on the exhibit, yes? If you wish to keep your chances of an interview with Lady Kaguya, please do not cause a commotion.”

“I have no such stake,” Marisa counters. “It’s part of my job to resolve problems, y’know. If there’s an issue, we can work together. We certainly can’t have anyone here gettin’ hurt.”

“Your offer is noted, Miss Kirisame. Now please, return to the exhibit for the time being.”

The magician and journalist relent and walk away, leaving Eirin to her devices. Kaguya, meanwhile, is speaking to a few visitors about the exhibits as if there is no problem.

Sumireko whispers, “Eirin and Kaguya are putting up a front but no one’s buying it.”

“Kaguya doesn’t look like she’s particularly bothered,” says Shin.

This is tricky. That elixir could potentially be something huge given the security and names on it; however, our ability to hold onto it would be threatened if we reveal ourselves now for Mokou’s plan. Even if we did get away, Marisa would likely know and it’d get back to Reimu which puts us in hot water. Ugh, where’s the out that lets us all get what we want?

“Yo, Sumireko!” Marisa calls out, walking over. “You notice all the weird stuff happening?”

“Uh, yeah! Seems suspicious,” the girl answers, twiddling her thumbs.

“Eirin’s bein’ real coy about it. You think there’s some kind of intruder?”

“Couldn’t help overhearing,” Hatate cuts in as she approaches from the side. “I do have a way of finding out. We can even try and catch them if there is one. The three of us working together ups our chances.”

“Are ya sure you aren’t having us do the work for you and then cashing in with an article?” asks Marisa.

“I take offense to that. I’m offering you a helping hand.”

The magician sighs. “Fine, use your thinkography.”

“It’s called ‘thoughtography.’”

I can feel Sumireko’s shoulder tensing up. Hatate might be able to conjure up pictures of us in Eirin’s office, which puts this girl at risk of trouble. Hmph.

Hatate puts her hand to the brown pouch on her hip but finds it isn’t there. “Huh? Where did-” Looking down, she sees her pouch on the ground. “Odd…”

I can only accomplish so much hidden under your cloak, take a hint and do something!

“Um! Actually, I think I saw something earlier while wandering around!” Sumireko blurts out.

Marisa and Hatate turn to the girl, surprised. The former says, “Really? What was it?”

“Reisen and Tewi were panicking around Eirin’s office. I heard them mention an elixir got stolen by an… invisible thief.”

Mixing in lies with the truth. That’ll throw off Hatate’s thoughtography since it relies on keywords. This girl has flashes of cleverness.

“An invisible thief and elixir? What could-” The magician stops cold, a serious expression replacing her inquisitive one. “Sumireko, this is important: was the elixir called the ‘Ultramarine Orb Elixir’?”

“Uh, I think so? I didn’t mention it before now cause I wasn’t sure on the details and didn’t wanna freak anyone out, haha…”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. If someone drinks that, it’ll be a nightmare to take them down.”

‘Nightmare’? How strong is this thing?

“What does the elixir do?” Hatate asks.

“Suppose there’s no harm tellin’ y’all,” says Marisa. “The way Eirin described it, the elixir removes ‘the impurity of death’ and allows you to see into the immediate future temporarily. Instead of havin’ to react and dodge that way, you can always know what you need to do in order to win. Someone who can turn invisible drinking it will make them extra slippery.”

This answer leaves all other parties present speechless.

THAT’S what it does?!

Sumireko tenses up even more. “Something like that can even exist? I guess it’s to be expected in Gensokyo, but-”

“Calm down, it’s not as bad as you think,” Marisa reassures.

Hatate places a hand on her chin. “Hmm… yeah, now that the initial shock’s passed, I can see the limitations. Being able to see the future would be a massive edge in any fight, but seeing is different from preventing.”

“Exactly. You’re still limited by your own skill. Put someone in a no-win situation and they can’t do anything about it. Plus, there’s a time limit for how long it works. Like most medicine, it’ll eventually wear off.”

“Nice info, Sumireko,” says the crow tengu. “Now that we know what was stolen, we might be able to lord this information over Eirin to get more out of her.”

“Worth a shot, I guess.”

The investigating pair go back to Eirin, who even from Sumireko’s distance seems surprised and confused by what they’re saying.

“Good going,” whispers Shin, who was unable to do anything prior.

“We know what the elixir does now and we have double confirmation between Mokou and the letter that Lunarians from the capital visit here regularly,” Seija responds, reviewing their progress.

But still nothing on how to get to the capital.

Sumireko says, “You better uphold your end of the deal with Mokou after I stuck my neck out.”

“No one ever asked you-”

…Mokou definitely saw this all coming. Her familiarity with Eientei and Sumireko is too big. She knew how we’d get in with Shin’s mallet, she knew we’d be unable to cover enough ground with the time limit she gave, and she knew Sumireko’s curiosity would get the better of her. This was a multi-layered set-up. And there was no reason for her to go that far either; if we ran out of time we would have just done our end and left it at that. But she wanted to repay us for helping her by using Sumireko.

“Seija, you alright?” Shin asks.

“I’ll explain later, right now we need to follow through. We’re going to make a huge scene and get all the rabbits in this mansion focused on us. Sumireko, lay low and you should get out of this without being found out.”

That immortal will get what she asked for. If my read on her is right, I think I know exactly what she'll do from here.

“It was fun sneaking around, glad I don’t have to be worried about being found out anymore. And I feel bad lying to Marisa,” says Sumireko, relieved.

Seija stifles an evil smile and puts on her nicest face. “There is one more thing I’d like you to do for us, Sumi.”

“Huh?” Sumireko perks up hearing the amanojaku call her that. “Sure, what is it?”

“We can’t have you be found with the elixir nor can Shin and I get away with drinking it; not to mention it’d be a waste. So give it to us before we split up and we’ll make sure the rabbits get it back. That’ll clear all three of us.”

“If you really think that’ll work, okay!”

Having someone naïve nearby always makes things easier.

Seija feels her hidden sword-shard necklace against her chest.

Just don’t get cocky.

They begin moving towards a bathroom so they can split up unseen; two rabbits stand guard outside it but do not think anything is wrong when seeing Sumireko walk up. “I’ll teleport you outside so we’re not seen having come from the same place,” she whispers.

“We’ll wait to become big again after you leave, just set the elixir down before you go,” Seija explains.

“Got it!”

As fast as she can, Sumireko warps them to the area between the manor and the outside wall before just as quickly disappearing with a thumbs up, leaving behind the elixir.

“Now tell me your actual plan since I know you weren’t telling her the whole truth,” says Shin.

“I knew you’d realize. Quick, before patrols walk by, let me see the sheathe for your needle.”

The inchling pulls off the sheathe strapped to her back and takes her needle out of it. “What do you need it for?”

The guests get ever antsier in the exhibition hall as they are still not allowed to leave the room. Marisa, Hatate, and Eirin’s discussion has reached a point of aggravation for all of them between the secrets and false information. Sumireko walks in, returning from the bathroom, and all three’s gazes turn to her.

“Sumi, are you sure you heard Reisen and Tewi right?” Marisa asks. “Eirin gave up that the elixir was stolen but keeps sayin’ she doesn’t know what the deal on the ‘invisible’ thief you mentioned is.”

“I-I thought that’s what they said! Maybe I misheard them?” Sumireko lies, sweat forming on the back of her neck.

“I highly doubt that, Miss Usami,” says Eirin. “Especially because I made sure they wouldn’t specify the elixir’s name in case of theft should anyone unrelated be eavesdropping; information is a powerful resource. Yet you told Miss Kirisame that you did know the name. The only way that would be possible is if you read the label, which is on the vial itself.”

Hatate’s eyes narrow. “That would also explain why I couldn’t get any clear pictures with my camera.”

“Sumi, if there’s a problem, it’s okay to tell us,” says Marisa gently, putting a hand on the nervous girl's shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t do somethin’ actively malicious on your own accord.”

“I-I, but-”

While she fumbles over her words, a distressed rabbit runs up and says, “Lady Yagokoro, I’m very sorry to bother you, but-”

Eirin puts a hand up. “Calm down, come closer, and tell me what’s happened.” The rabbit whispers her report into Eirin’s ear. “It seems this girl is innocent after all, just lacking in her ability to parse words. The thieves have been located and are currently engaged with security.”

“‘Thieves’ as in more than one? Who are they?!” Marisa demands to know.

“This is an internal matter and I would have you not get involved. If you must occupy yourself, please make sure no harm befalls the rest of the guests should the culprits decide to make a move in here.”

“Can you please stop being so difficult and tell us what’s going on?” asks Hatate. “We are trying to help you.”

The pharmacist lets out a large sigh. “If you absolutely insist, it’s-” She stops short, eyes wide as she glances towards the front door. The rest of them turn to where Eirin looks: strutting in through the front door without a care is Fujiwara no Mokou. Many of the guests do not pay her any mind, as knowledge of her true nature is not widely known.

She walks over to Kaguya, currently on a tea break between explanations of exhibits, and says, “Yo. You know why I’m here. I assume you wanna take it outside.”

“Must you be so crass? This day does not come very often and I would rather it not be sullied by your presence.”

“You’ll just have to get rid of me, then.”

The princess smiles darkly. “Fine. No need to make a scene in here.”

They casually walk out of the room, only a few in the crowd even noticing.

“I have my own matters I must attend to now,” Eirin says before leaving with the rabbit.

“I’ll find out the truth of this no matter what!” Hatate declares. “Be sure to keep the guests safe, you two!” She follows Mokou and Kaguya before Marisa can stop her.

“Everything’s always so fun here!” says Sumireko, unable to contain her excitement for the intrigue around her.

Marisa, mentally drained because of the nonsense she has dealt with tonight, responds, “Fun for one of us, maybe. Ugh, I wish Reimu had agreed to come.”

How many of these things are there?

Seija and Shin, the latter dual-wielding her needle and Miracle Mallet, dodge and knock out the latest batch of rabbits that came at them with liberal use of danmaku. They are still surrounded by dozens more about fifty meters diagonally up and away from Eientei.

I’m surprised that Reisen and Tewi haven’t shown up yet. I want to lead them further away than this.

“Let’s take out all these bit players at once, Shin,” says Seija. “Maybe that’ll get their leaders’ attention.”

“Got it. Ready?”

They nod to each other.

“Reverse Sign - Evil in the Mirror!”

“Mallet - Grow Even Bigger!”

All the enemy rabbits attempt to scramble, however they keep running into each other as Seija mirrors left and right for the whole area while raining bullets down. Shin’s spell card creates such massive danmaku that there is no safe zone the discombobulated bunch can reach in time. They all fall to the ground, defeated.

“That was lame, I honestly expected at least a bit more resistance,” says Shin.

A voice behind them says, “Then please allow me!”

“That voice- Seija, don’t turn around!”

The warning comes too late as the amanojaku is already in the process of reacting to the voice. She sees Reisen looking directly at her, the rabbit’s eyes glowing bright red.

“Weak Heart - Demotivation.”

Seija’s entire sense of orientation and train of thought are utterly derailed, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

I… what…? What’s going on?

“Surrender, now!” Reisen demands, pointing her bunny gun at the pair.

“Like we’d listen to that!” Shin counters. Ensuring no eye contact is made, she rushes Reisen with her weapons, forcing the latter on the defensive. Without a word, she maintains distance and returns fire to stifle Shin’s approach. The inchling proves very evasive and dodges all of Reisen’s counterattacks, much to her annoyance. On the flip side, Shin is not gaining any meaningful ground.

Focus… focus…!

Seija, still wobbly, lines up a shot at Reisen while Shin distracts her.

Now!

A thin stream of bullets hones in on Seija’s adversary. They do not meet their mark, however; Tewi flies in and grabs her colleague out of the way in the nick of time. Shin backs off and checks on her partner.

“You gotta keep your head on a swivel,” says Tewi, very relaxed.

“Seija recovered faster than I thought she would,” Reisen admits. “Makes sense that disorienting someone who overturns perceptions all the time wouldn’t be as effective.”

Shin places a hand on Seija’s head. “You alright?”

“Sorry for letting myself fall for that.”

“I don’t care as long as you’re okay.”

Heh. Can’t think of anything worse than having someone always watching my back yet I’m getting all sappy.

Both duos get into fighting stances.

Reisen’s a nuisance, all it takes is one mistake and we’ll be incapacitated. Tewi will see through any shallow trick. We need to outlast them until it’s the right time, but taking our chances in a straight fight is dicey and more rabbits could show up. But what do we have that could surprise or counter them? Using the elixir would be a waste, beyond that I don’t have-

Memories come flooding back to Seija; memories of how a previous adversary was able to fight against confusion and illusion. She places a fist over her hidden necklace.

It had to be that, huh? I never wanted to use this thing. I despise what it represents.

“Oh man, now there are two errand rabbits?” Seija calls out. “Whatever will we do? They might throw mochi at us!”

“Big talk coming from someone who lost the moment she looked at me!” yells Reisen.

“You would’ve gotten shot in the back had your little friend not bailed you out. What makes you believe I didn’t want you to think I was beaten?”

“That’s absurd, your partner warned you!”

Shin, getting a feel for Seija’s intent, says, “How dense can you even be? It’s called lying. We’d never let ourselves get caught off guard by someone like you.”

Doubt begins to form in Reisen’s face. “Th-there’s no way you planned that!”

“Calm down, they’re trying to rile you up,” Tewi warns. “It doesn’t matter if they’re telling the truth or not. Take it from me, it’s not hard to get you to doubt yourself.”

I had a feeling she’d interject. But it’s too late; the seed is already placed in Reisen’s head. Just gotta help it grow!

“If you’re so confident in yourself, try messing with my head again! I’ll look right into those big ol’ red eyes of yours!” Seija taunts.

Either way, we’ve got the advantage. Either she doesn’t take the bait and actively handicaps herself for the fight or-

“Fine, fine! You’re on!” Reisen yells.

-she walks headlong into a trap.

The rabbit’s eyes shift from red to purple and massive waves emit from her body, creating an ultraviolet field that surrounds Seija specifically. From the amanojaku’s perspective, two clones of Reisen appear next to the original and they rush her.

Tewi shrugs. “Guess this is how we’re doing it today,” she says before flying around to flank Seija and Shin.

“I’ll head off Tewi,” Shin whispers. “I don’t know what your plan is, but I trust you’ve got this.”

If the battlefield is a sphere, Seija floats in the center. Reisen approaches her from the front, gun at the ready, and constantly switches positions with her clones well past the point Seija could ever guess which one is real. From the side, Tewi flies around with Shin going to meet her as they begin exchanging fire. The space between Seija and Reisen shrinks by the millisecond, both preparing their attacks.

I need to land a solid hit that will buy us time. A spell card would take too long for what I’m trying to do, just a single stream of bullets should do it. Wait for it…!

All three Reisens raise their guns.

The original sword can only be wielded by a Konpaku, so this is a gamble. She gave me this shard willingly so hopefully I can at least use it. This better work, Youmu!

Seija pulls out her necklace made of a shard of Hakurouken and nicks her left arm with it. She instantly feels a massive headache and can barely keep her thoughts straight. The action causes Reisen momentary pause, shocked by the odd maneuver; as the rabbit hesitates, Seija sees the clones collapse into a single being on the right.

“FALL!”

A swift and precise danmaku strike, faster than Reisen can react to under the circumstances, hits her square in the forehead. She yelps out in pain before plummeting towards the forest.

About a dozen meters away, Tewi shows genuine concern for the first time all day before saying, “How did she-?!”

“Your fight’s with me!” Shin shouts as she rockets towards the White Hare of Inaba, swinging the Miracle Mallet with great force.

“Runaway Rabbit - Fluster Escape!”

Mere moments before Shin’s attack can make contact, a veritable explosion of danmaku comes from Tewi. Fourteen curved streams of red bullets shoot out in all directions, flying all over the sky. The inchling is only able to evade by shrinking herself with the Miracle Mallet and using her small size to find gaps that would otherwise not be present at such close range. Tewi takes the opportunity to retreat and catch Reisen before she hits the trees, the whole exchange from Seija’s attack to now only encompassing a few seconds. Seija, for her part, is still recovering from using Hakurouken’s shard on herself and is too sluggish to intercept Tewi. The white rabbit goes below the trees to escape their opponents’ line of sight temporarily.

“Seija, what did you even do?! That was incredible!” Shin cheers.

“I busted out a trick I was hoping I wouldn’t need to use; I’ll explain the rest later. That attack won’t be enough to keep Reisen down for long.”

“But you bought us more time and that’s what matters.”

As they discuss, they spy far off a small light burning above Eientei.

“It’s starting,” says Seija. “We need to get Reisen and Tewi away before they notice.”

The duo flies down into the forest but does not see either of the rabbits.

Where did they go? Did she really recover that fast?

Carefully treading the ground, Seija sees a dark patch of grass.

That grass isn’t burnt. In fact, it looks like a person’s-

“Shin, get down!”

She tackles her partner to the ground as a flurry of bullets from Reisen’s gun fly by. At this point Seija notices, despite how dark it is amidst the bamboo at night, that the area is more red than is natural.

This is another of Reisen’s abilities!

“We need to run, it’s her ultrared field!” yells Shin. “She’s making herself and all the other rabbits invisible!”

That’s where all the ones we beat earlier went!

They take off sprinting before transitioning to flying, the dozens of rabbits revealing themselves behind them. Many wield mallets as Tewi leads them while Reisen flies up, presumably to catch any attempts of escaping over the forest. The speed of the rabbits outmatches that of Seija and Shin.

“Seija, they’re gaining on us!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Seija responds, exasperated and beginning to panic. Her unfamiliarity with the forest annoys her further.

This place is way too hard to navigate! I realize “Lost” is in the name but come on!

Soon they reach a clearing where more rabbits await them on the other side. Tewi’s gang approaches from behind.

“That was quite a chase!” says Tewi, jovial over how fun her quarry has proven to be. “Looks like the end of the line.”

Reisen descends from above the clearing, her bangs covering the bruise Seija’s attack left on her forehead. “I don’t like how much fun you seem to be having. These youkai are dangerous.”

“I know for a fact you’ve fraternized with the inchling before,” Tewi rebuts, her expression very smug.

“Forcible possession and small talk hardly constitute ‘fraternizing’!”

While they argue, Shin whispers to Seija, “They’ve got us cornered, any bright ideas?”

“Ask them nicely to let us go?”

“Very funny.”

It is at that moment a burst of light above the forest catches everyone’s attention. A flame in the shape of a phoenix spreads its wings in the night sky, causing all present to feel awestruck. Seija makes out a small twinkle in the aftermath that steadily approaches the clearing; it is, in fact, not a twinkle but rather Mokou and Kaguya, both limp, hurtling to the earth at obscene speed. Their bodies tear through the tops of nearby bamboo and a few rabbits run to dodge them colliding with the ground with a massive crash, unearthing a good amount of dirt. They each have dozens of cuts and scorch marks all over their clothes and skin, but the latter heals in moments. In a few seconds, both sit up. Mokou stretches her arms above her body while Kaguya runs a hand through her hair.

“Ah, it always feels good to kill you, but that was even better than usual,” says Mokou.

Kaguya responds, “You utterly lack class. I shan’t forgive you for depriving me this special night.”

“Oh shut it, you already won’t forgive me for a dozen other things.”

“L-lady Kaguya?!” Reisen says, utterly confused at this turn of events.

“Inaba, it is good to see you,” says Kaguya, much less annoyed than most would be after being killed and resurrected. “Please escort me back to the mansion now that this whelp is satisfied.”

“But- you- Seija-!”

“Udongein, it is alright,” says Eirin, emerging from the bamboo brush while holding her bow and arrow. “This was all a ploy by Mokou. The amanojaku and inchling were simply her accomplices to distract you and Tewi so she might get Lady Kaguya alone. They have no idea what they even took from my office barring the name.”

Mokou stands up, brushing dirt off her pants. “Yep, Eirin’s got the gist. I went to the Shining Needle Castle to enlist their help for this, they agreed to cause they thought it’d be fun. But that’s all they did, so no need to punish ‘em since no harm was done to any of the guests, right?”

Heh, she really is covering for us. I guessed she would but had no way of knowing for sure.

“If Lady Kaguya has no objections?”

“The two intruders do not concern me,” says the princess. “If anything, I’m thankful that they showed us the flaws in our security.”

Eirin nods. “Agreed. We’ll need to redouble your training, Udongein. Tewi can handle whipping the other rabbits into shape.”

Reisen lowers her head, dejected, before walking with Kaguya back to Eientei. Tewi rallies the rabbits and they all return as well, leaving behind Seija, Shin, Mokou, and Eirin.

“Now for the matter of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir. Return it to me. Now.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts. She pulls out the stand the four vials are in and hands it over the pharmacist. Just as she found them, two are empty and two are full. No corks look like they have been pulled out, either.

“You did not drink any?”

“Nope. You can check my blood or whatever if you don’t believe me. What’s the deal with it anyway? Why the security? And if it’s so important, why only a simple lock?”

“I believe you. I will decline to answer the former two questions, but I will grant you an answer to the third: you would be amazed how many youkai get befuddled by purely mechanical devices. They deal in the mystical and supernatural; any technology beyond the basics can cause them issues. Any that would not have issues are not the types to be sneaking around a mansion as thieves. Or so I thought; I admit I underestimated your capabilities if youkai on your level actually managed to break in without damaging the drawer. Of course, I have contingencies as you experienced.”

Extremely arrogant and pretentious way of going about it, she just wanted someone to break in so they’d feel smug before being blindsided by the high-frequency alarm.

“But that’s enough excitement for one night, eh?” Mokou interrupts. “You two should head home before Marisa hears about this. You’ll probably be in Hatate’s paper tomorrow too, so laying low for a while might be smart. I’ll head back to Eientei and let Marisa and Sumireko know you were following my instructions.”

Without missing a beat, she covers for Sumireko as well.

Mokou and Eirin walk off, the former holding up her hand to say goodbye without even turning around.

“She played the whole crowd perfectly,” Shin observes.

“Tch, I’m sure she feels real smug, getting everything she wants and even having the gall to help us when we didn’t ask for it.”

“Guess she respected us enough to do that.”

Well Mokou’s dreaming if she ever expects me to admit it’s mutual.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a certain crow tengu flies away without making a sound.

The duo eats a late dinner at the Shining Needle Castle, famished following the day’s events.

“I really can’t say it enough,” Shin begins, leaning against a corked bottle her size containing a miniscule amount of liquid matching that of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir, “your idea with the elixir was brilliant.”

“It’s obvious when you’ve uncorked any kind of vial or bottle and there was no way of getting any major amount of the elixir out without Eirin noticing the discrepancy. So shrink the cork with your mallet, pour a super tiny amount into your needle’s still small sheathe, hide it during the fight, and increase the stolen elixir’s size afterwards whenever we choose to use it. Your sheathe was the only thing we had that could act as a container so it was the best choice.”

“A little seeped into it, though. Because of how we did it, we’ll need to be wary of how we use this. Should my mallet ever lose power again, all the things whose sizes have changed will go back to normal. If you ingest something and it’s still in your system when it shrinks, it’ll be like you only consumed the originally small portion. Not to mention the risks of making something bigger if we get careless.”

“Just make sure you avoid creating more tsukumogami and it should be fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” says the inchling before taking a big sip of her drink.

Seija drinks a bit of her own. “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“You’re terrible sometimes, you know that?”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

They share a laugh.

“Guess we’ll be stuck here for a while until tonight’s fallout blows over.”

“We’ve laid low before, this won’t be anything new,” Seija responds.

“True enough. So, how about explaining to me that stunt you pulled with Reisen now?”

“I was always intending on telling you about this, just wasn’t sure when.” The amanojaku reveals and takes off her necklace, placing it on the table. “This is a shard of Hakurouken, Youmu’s ancestral sword. If you’ll recall, it’s able to cut through any kind of illusion or confusion.”

“Is this the shard she used to-”

“Yeah. She gave it to me last I saw her as a reminder of what happened. I hate having to feel that thing around my neck everyday. One day I’ll be returning it.”

“You using the word ‘hate’ in a negative context like that is rare.”

Seija looks away, bothered by the memories gazing at the shard stirs up. “But yeah, that’s what happened. I used it and momentarily saw through Reisen’s illusions, allowing me to hit her.”

“I can tell having this shard bothers you a lot, so I’m happy you chose to share it with me. We can bear the burden together since we lost together. And we’ll return it together, too.”

“You’re getting too good at cheering me up, it’s unnatural.”

“Amanojaku and inchlings both go against the grain in their own ways. I figure there’s some common ground there.”

It’s more than that. You get me in an uncanny way.

“To change the subject,” says Seija, lacking any subtlety in deflecting her embarrassment, “we made meaningful progress today. We still haven’t found a way to the Lunar Capital but acquired an extremely powerful tool. We’ll be unbeatable if we can also get my tools back and combine them with the elixir.”

“Are you saying you wanna shoot for those next?”

“Unsure, we need to hash out our next step. Luckily there isn’t any kind of rush.”

“For now I say we relax for the next week or so,” Shin says before getting more of her drink. “We earned it. And I dare say we made some allies today.”

“What, you mean Mokou and Sumireko?”

“Neither are exactly on our side so to speak, but we could swing it that Mokou owes us a favor plus Sumireko seems to like nearly everyone. You just sweet-talked her a bit and suddenly she was willing to follow what you said despite what happened between us.”

“Ha! ‘Sweet-talked’ implies I had to put effort into it. She’s somehow simultaneously clever and extremely gullible.”

“And she’s good in a fight, don’t forget. If we can use her, that’d be a boon. Her abilities bailed us out multiple times today.”

“I can’t disagree with that.”

“Anyway, want a refill?”

Downing the rest of her beverage, Seija nods.

Moukou and Sumi helping us reach for the Moon, huh? Maybe- Did I just call her ‘Sumi’?

A slight headache forms in her skull.

C’mon, Seija, you know worse than that.

Chapter Text

“Ugh… I had one too many drinks last night.”

Seija sits up from where she was unconscious, finding herself in a seemingly endless prairie with clear blue skies above. Only more grass as far as the eye can see.

Where am I? Last I remember, I was with Shin at the castle…

Standing up, she starts walking. Her environment does not change no matter how far she goes.

What kind of place is this? Am I still in Gensokyo?

Her mind wanders the same way her legs do.

There’s no one here. The weather’s completely calm. Nothing to see, nothing to do… Not even Shin’s here… What’s wrong with me? I need to find a way back!

For the first time since waking up, the amanojaku feels a sense of direction. Her efforts quickly prove fruitless, however, when she falls to the ground after trying to fly.

Huh?

Every attempt, each more desperate than the last, meets the same fate. No matter how much she wills it, Seija is stuck on the earth below.

Why can’t I fly? What the heck is going on?!

She calls upon her powers to flip the endless expanse around her. It refuses to budge.

“That’s… that’s impossible. Why isn’t anything working?!” she frustratedly screams into the sky.

Seija is not sure what to do when she spies a figure in the distance. Slowly approaching, she realizes the one standing in the middle of the field is Shin. The amanojaku is relieved and runs to her partner.

“Shin, finally!” says Seija while approaching. “Do you know where we are?”

The inchling does not respond. Also, despite how much Seija runs, no more distance is being closed between them.

“What the-? Shin! Do you know what’s going on? Come on over here!”

As though in response to Seija’s words, Shin begins walking away.

“Where are you going? Come back!”

Shin breaks into a run.

“Wait, please! Don’t leave!”

A sudden gale storm picks up ahead of Seija, despite there not being a cloud in the sky. The sheer force of winds causes ripples in the grass. She closes her eyes and braces herself before being blasted away.

“WAAAHHHH- OW!”

Everything is calm. Seija opens her eyes and finds herself in her room at the Shining Needle Castle. Looking around, she realizes she is lying on the room’s floor, the usually inverted area reversed which ironically makes it appear normal. Her futon is upside down next to her while her blanket is half a meter away from its counterpart, jumbled up. 

I… I must’ve flipped the room in my sleep.

The back of her head and body is sore from presumably slamming into the floor. She reverts the room to its normal state and floats down, taking a seat on her corrected mattress.

“Hey, is everything alright?!” Shin calls out before rushing inside. Her outfit is pink sleepwear similar to her normal kimono. “I heard a scream!”

The amanojaku responds, “Sorry, somehow managed to invert the room while asleep. I hit my head on the floor pretty hard.”

She doesn’t need to know about the dream.

“Oh my gosh, are you alright? Let me check!” says a concerned Shin. She walks around to Seija’s back before the latter can object and carefully examines the back of her head, gingerly moving Seija’s hair when needed. “Was it just your head you hit?”

“My whole back also took the impact but seriously, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“While luckily I don’t see any major injuries, saying you’re ‘fine’ is an overstatement with this bruise on your head. I’m sure the rest of you is aching, too. Lay down, I’ll be back with some ice and food; luckily I had just started making breakfast.”

Shin runs out, leaving Seija alone with nothing to do but comply with her wishes.

Well this is fantastic. I’ve never had this happen before, it has to be because of the dream and how vivid it felt. But it’s over, so time to move on.

Just like she promised, Shin returns with a cushioned bag of ice and a light breakfast with tea. “Here, I’ll help you sit up.”

“I’m not suddenly incapable of moving, it’s just a bump that’ll be gone in a few days,” says Seija, taking and holding the ice to her head. “You don’t need to treat me like I’m helpless.”

“Er, sorry. It’s just…” the inchling trails off.

“Just what?”

“I had never heard you yell like that before. It sounded like you were terrified, so I panicked.”

That’s…

“You probably misheard,” says Seija, her tone uncharacteristically comforting. “I bet it happened because of how much I drank last night. Heck, I don’t even remember coming back to my room.”

Shin breathes a sigh of relief. “Well, as long as you’re okay. And that’s not surprising, I had to help you walk here.” Her expression turns mischievous. “You were so drunk last night that you told me all about your dark secrets.”

Seija’s face becomes crimson. “I-I, what?! T-there’s gotta be some-”

“Pft, hahaha! I’m joking! But I couldn’t resist teasing you about it. Though, given your reaction, was there something specific you had in mind?”

“Oh shut up!”

The inchling’s childlike laughter only gets stronger. “I’d ask if I went too far, but I know you excel at holding on in the face of such terrible adversity, right? Truly a rebel against oppression.”

“Hmph,” Seija grunts with defiance.

Even when serious or upset, she’s never far away from messing with someone. Always wanting to get a leg up on those around her, it’s no wonder we work together so well.

The duo’s eventful morning lasts quite a while as they eat breakfast in Seija’s room. It manages to put the amanojaku’s mind at ease following her dreadful dream.

It’s been nearly a week since we got released from Former Hell community service. I’m gl- well, Shin’s being here has made sure I don’t lose my edge. We decided on a week of downtime last night, but…

“Hey,” Seija begins, “is there anything you wanna do? Since my idea is on hold and you’ve been looking out for me a lot, I figure I should return the favor.”

“Oh? Hmm…” muses Shin.

“Ain’t gotta be anything fancy. We’ve got plenty of free time since we need to stay under the radar. Both sabotaging the dango festival and sneaking into Eientei within six days after being freed is pushing it.”

“I agree, it’s just weird hearing you say it.”

Can’t say the shock’s unwarranted.

Continuing, Shin says, “Give me some time to think about it. It’s been one thing after another recently so I haven’t given more leisurely activities much consideration.”

“Let me know when you decide.”

Following their long and impromptu breakfast, the rest of their day is the most relaxing they have experienced since prior to their Former Hell plan. Lounging around the castle and making small talk are the most exciting events that transpire, not that either mind. The day passes them by quickly and soon it comes time for bed. Shin, out of lingering worry, makes sure Seija does not drink prior to sleeping. The latter stares at the floor of her room while lying on her futon after retiring for the day.

Shin never gave me an answer, I’ll pester her more tomorrow.

Similar thoughts fill her mind as she drifts off to sleep.

“Wait, please! Don’t leave!” Seija calls out in anguish.

Like clockwork, her nightmare from the previous night plays out the same way. Soon the gale storm picks up. Seija, for her part, does not process she is dreaming nor that she has experienced these events before.

Where is this coming from? There isn’t a cloud in the sky!

The wind pushes her back; however, before she is completely blown away, a recent memory flashes in her mind. She pictures a smiling Shin saying, “You excel at holding on in the face of such terrible adversity, right?” Without thinking, Seija grips the grass on the ground to help anchor herself and weather the storm.

Grass shouldn’t have been able to support my whole body weight. That’s not natural.
...
Wait, what do I care? I need to catch Shin!

She picks herself back up and charges forward to catch up to her friend slowly vanishing over the horizon.

“I don’t know who’s doing this,” Seija yells, “but you’ll need way more than a breeze to stop me!”

Her advance is met by another gust, almost like it is responding to Seija’s words, though this time she keeps her footing.

“How… do ya… like… that?” she says, pausing with every step.

Finally gaining ground, Seija gets closer to Shin. But right before she catches up, she hears a sound not unlike metal scraping the ground before the earth between them cracks. It then splits wide open, creating a chasm Seija could never hope to cross on foot.

Is this some kind of twisted joke?!

Despair creeps up on her, causing her not to notice the piece of ground she stands on giving way before both it and she plummet into the abyss.

“AHHHHH!”

The endless ravine morphs into the walls of her room as she wakes up from the fall, instinctively catching herself before hitting the wall like the previous day. Seija’s body has broken out into a cold sweat and she pants heavily.

“What in the… that’s the second time.”

She looks around to see her room once again flipped upside down. Unlike yesterday, it is still dark outside Seija’s window when she is forcibly awakened.

I can’t tell exactly what time it is, though judging by how dark it is and when I went to bed it’ll probably be at least another three or so hours until sunrise. Seems I was lucky enough to not have Shin hear me this time. But seriously, what is this dream? Why am I having it? No matter what I do, I can’t seem to catch up to her. Am I… afraid of losing her?

Seija is too shaken to fall back asleep.

Around an hour past dawn, Shin sleepily walks to the kitchen to prepare another breakfast for a new day. She is met by Seija already at work, slaving away at the counter with her back turned.

“Yo. Woke up before you so I got started already,” says the amanojaku.

“Wow, not often you’re up so early,” Shin says as she rubs her eyes. “Thanks!”

“Did you think more about what I asked you?”

“Yeah. An idea crossed my mind last night, but I need to confirm it by going to the village first. I was gonna buy more food anyway since we were running low, so it works out.”

Seija, holding a tray with two bowls of rice and miso soup and a pot of tencha tea, moves over to and sits down at the table. “You’re heading out later today, then?”

“Uh-huh, I-” Shin stops once she sees her partner’s face. “Did you sleep alright? You look exhausted.”

The lines under Seija’s eyes are very pronounced, an expected result following one night of disturbed rest and a second that got cut short.

Was hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“I’m more than alright. It’s only because I woke up early.”

“You didn’t hit the wall again, did you?”

“Nope.”

While Seija is technically telling the truth, it is obvious by Shin’s furrowed brow that she believes there is more to the story. Her eyes see right through Seija, who does her best to keep a straight face. The room’s tension is palpable.

“…Okay.”

Finally, she relented. Wasn’t sure how long I could keep that up with the look on her face.

Their conversation eventually goes back to business as usual, though a weight looms over them.

After both finish eating, Shin asks, “Any food requests while I’m out?”

“I’d love some more dango. Haven’t had enough recently.”

The inchling grins and rolls her eyes. “I'll make sure we don’t have any for a while, then.”

Seija sees her partner to the castle’s entrance and waves goodbye. She notes the clouds rolling in from the north.

We might be getting some rain.

After Shin leaves, Seija is listless while wandering the castle with nothing to do. It is while walking through one of its many inverted corridors that her mind drifts.

I can’t hide the truth from her forever. If it happens a third time, my face will be all the proof she needs.

Rain faintly patters against the castle walls.

I’ve never had nightmares before, let alone recurring ones. Did something cause this? Surely it’s not purely because I ca- er, Shin’s been my partner for a while. Doesn’t make sense for this to only start now. We’ve been in danger before, especially recently in Former Hell. And we’re not like those dysfunctional Komeiji sisters who can’t even protect each other. They needed Youmu to bail them out.
…
Ugh… We were the ones who put Koishi at risk, so it’s unfair to say that. Wait, what the hell am I saying? Since when do I care about what’s fair?

A sharp headache rapidly grows in Seija’s head as she thinks. “Urgh…!”

The lack of sleep must be getting to me.

While attempting to get her head straight, she hears a loud thud above her. It is followed by smaller taps that stick out amongst the sound of rain.

The heck is that?

Seija finds the nearest window and flies out to get on top of the castle where the sound originates. Waiting for her is a short and sopping wet young woman. Her hair is long and blue while her eyes are red. Her outfit includes a white blouse and red bow at the collar, a blue skirt featuring a cloud pattern with a white apron over it, a rainbow of shards linked around the skirt, and brown laced boots. Most distinctly, her hat is black and adorned with leaves and peaches. Seija knows exactly who stands before her: Tenshi Hinanawi. The celestial’s large keystone lies on the ground next to her.

That rock was the loud sound.

“What are you doing here?” Seija asks, her own hair and outfit quickly becoming drenched.

“Oh do you live here now? I haven’t visited in over three years,” says Tenshi nonchalantly. “I was bored, so I came down here. Wasn’t sure where to go since Shion said she’d be busy today and there isn’t anything fun going on like a festival at Reimu’s shrine.”

“Shin mentioned working with you before during the Perfect Possession incident. Is that why you chose to visit?”

Tenshi walks over, unconcerned with the weather. “Pretty much. That inchling is interesting in her own way and I’ve only seen her a few times since that happened. She knows how to have a fun time, like the fireworks festival.”

“But you only participated during Reimu’s portion.”

“Yeah, but I can appreciate quality danmaku as much as the next person. Was a bit disappointed at first when they told me it was only play stuff.”

I do recall her using real danmaku before the judges told her to stop.

Still bothered by her headache, an impatient Seija asks, “So what now? We amuse you until you’re done with us?”

“Are you complaining? You should feel honored that a celestial deigns to be in your presence. Or would you try to get rid of me?” says the confident gal. She pulls out a round-ended sword hilt from behind her back. “We still have a small score to settle after you escaped me last we dueled. I don’t see any of those tools you had before on you, so I’ll use ‘fair’ spell cards to keep it on the level.”

Just what I needed, a spoiled brat with too much power and time on her hands.

“Look, peaches, I’d love to babysit you, but let’s not today. Shin isn’t here, either. Scurry on home or I might have to call your mommy and daddy.”

The Sword of Hisou alights in Tenshi’s hand, emitting an orange glow around her that highlights the passing raindrops. Her face bears a smile of ill-intent. “If your goal is to make me mad, congratulations. You’ll regret making light of me.”

“Y’know what?” Seija begins as she stretches her arms in front of her. “Screw it. I’ve been in a weird mood all day. Putting a celestial in her place should turn that right over!”

“Let’s see if someone as weak as you can even last without any cheating!”

They hop and fly away from each other in sync to gain distance before letting out mutual volleys of danmaku. The bullets clash and explode amidst the rain, briefly rendering both combatants unable to see each other.

I didn’t plan on fighting anyone and I don’t have any backup. No tools or anything to speak of. And Tenshi isn’t someone to take lightly even if she’s arrogant.

Breaking right, Seija attempts to catch Tenshi unaware with a side attack. She finds that her opponent is not there, however.

Where-

A large keystone hurtles down from above, Seija barely dodging in time.

“Still as slippery as I remember!” Tenshi calls out.

“Are you sure it’s me being slippery or are you just an idiot?”

Tenshi descends from above Seija, standing proud on her keystone with her arms crossed. “Keystone - Kaname Funeral!” 

All around the celestial, three waves of smaller keystones manifest and move to surround Seija. The latter starts flying up to avoid them.

Is this like before where she’ll launch them at me?

Seija is faster than the stones, so they lock into position below her in a circle.

They stopped? That can only mean-!

All nine stones shoot a storm of lasers that target Seija. Due to the pattern the stones are in, the lasers create a pattern akin to a conical hourglass where Seija herself is the midpoint. She, recognizing this, moves to her left so as to not rise or fall into the lasers post-dodge.

So that attack homes in on me and fires after a set amount of time. It’s too slow to be a huge threat on its own, thou-

The Sword of Hisou grazes Seija’s arm while she instinctively skirts around the sneak attack. Her right sleeve is slightly torn.

“Tsk, that almost worked,” says Tenshi, mildly unenthused. “Oh well.”

A distraction? Didn’t know she had it in her.

Seija backs up again and shoots another flurry. This time, Tenshi calls upon four small keystones that orbit around her. They block Seija’s attack, cracking a bit in the process.

I can’t play my entire hand too early. If I reverse everything she does she’ll just adjust. I need to get her off-guard!

“Your bullets can’t hurt me!” Tenshi gloats. “Try this on for size!” She sends her shield of rocks towards Seija at high speeds, following closely behind.

She’s moving too fast to dodge, this is it!

Seija floats perfectly still for but a moment; a second later, she reverses the keystones’ momentum. They are on an inevitable collision course with Tenshi, whose eyes go wide but remain composed. Right before impact, her entire body is enveloped in a blue aura. She charges through the keystones like they are paper, utterly shattering them, and headbutts Seija in the gut with immense force.

“Guragh!” Seija grunts, coughing and nearly keeling over.

Tenshi, after laughing, says, “You underestimate the durability of a celestial’s body!”

“Is that right?!” The amanojaku wraps her arms around the smaller girl. “Turnabout - Reverse Hierarchy!”

She begins rapidly spinning clockwise and the immediate vicinity counterclockwise to make Tenshi dizzy, using the dozens of bullets her spell card creates to pelt the celestial from behind. This prevents Tenshi, who is physically stronger, from being able to break free right away. All the rain around them is affected, creating a sphere of water that visibly shows the thirty meter radius Seija is choosing to spin.

“I’ll send you falling back to Heaven!” Once she has built enough momentum, Seija lets go at the precise moment needed to throw Tenshi at the Shining Needle Castle. “Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!”

Up becomes down and down becomes up, the ground above and the sky below. The inverted castle now temporarily appears normal from the outside. Hundreds of bullets appear and shoot at Tenshi, whose reversed momentum causes her to fall back to Seija and towards the sky.

Regaining her bearings, Tenshi says, “It… won’t be… that easy! Temperament - State of Enlightenment!” A red glow appears around her and she powers through the danmaku, taking visible damage but much less than Seija expected.

I knew celestials were durable, but to this extent?

Tenshi manages to stay standing, or rather flying, after the onslaught. Many parts of her hat and dress are scuffed and she has a few bruises, but she is more than capable of continuing. “Looks like you got some fight in you after all! I was worried this would be way too quick with how you were acting at first.” She reignites her sword. “I think this deserves a change of scenery!”

I can’t let her control the pace any longer!

Seija summons an absurd amount of danmaku, desiring to fell her opponent for good. Tenshi summons another keystone to stand on, plants her sword into it, and breathes in to focus and gather energy. All the bullets land, yet Tenshi withstands every hit without batting an eye, focusing and gathering energy all the while.

Her ability is too powerful, I don’t have the strength to wail on her fast enough!

Raising her Sword of Hisou above her head, Tenshi shouts, “Sky of Scarlet Perception of All Humankind!”

She points the sword at Seija and it fires out a gigantic red laser with massive width. Normally the size would be such that Seija could get out of the way easily; however, her mental fatigue has built up the past two days and, combined with the pain from hits Tenshi already landed, she cannot fully dodge. Nearly her entire left leg is hit while flying right to avoid the attack. Seija stifles her yelp of pain through gritted teeth. Since the area is inverted due to her still active spell card, the blast keeps going and pierces the rain clouds below them. Seconds later the rain stops and the clouds part entirely, replaced by an expanding aurora of many beautiful colors.

“What do you think?” asks a smug Tenshi. “A beautiful battlefield to end this duel in, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely gorgeous,” Seija replies, trying to hide the fact her left leg is limp while flying.

“I’m impressed you made it through that attack. I’ll do you the honor of finishing you off in as flashy a method as possible, befitting a celestial!”

“It’s always celestial this, celestial that. Do you have a personality beyond living in Heaven?”

The confident girl’s eyes narrow. “Hmph, I’ll teach you to respect my power.” She returns to her earlier position, focusing with her eyes closed.

Heh, she didn’t like that. …What am I doing, trying to contest her in power? She outclasses me by a longshot. After my nightmares the past two days and her arrival, I just saw red when she challenged me. My mood is making me too aggressive. I have to attack where she’s weakest: her temper!

For the first time since Tenshi arrived, Seija cracks a smile. She ends her spell card, flipping the scenery back to normal, and says, “Earlier, were you really able to eat all of that danmaku thanks to a celestial’s thick skin? Or do you just have a thick skull?”

Tenshi’s eye twitches, however she continues concentrating.

“Must be embarrassing having to try this hard against a dreg of society like me when you’re supposed to be an almighty being. That’s twice now you haven’t beaten me.”

“This isn’t over yet, just wait!” the blue-haired girl snaps back. Her eyes are still closed.

She’s faltering, keep laying it on!

“I’ve been waiting yet you’ve got nothing. All of you’ve done is make it where I’ll need to ask Shin to sew up my sleeve later. Your light show was all flash, no substance. And the only thing that head of yours is good for is use as a blunt weapon which, from experience, still ain’t much.”

Well, it hurt like hell, but I don’t need to say that.

“Grr…” Tenshi growls.

“Oh my, is poor little peaches upset? Maybe you’d have won already if you didn’t spend so much time lounging and feasting in Heaven. A lethargic lifestyle isn’t healthy, y’know. Doesn’t fit the image of a celestial, either. So shameful! That sword does all the work for you.”

“Sword or no sword, my abilities are far beyond anything you’re capable of, which I’ll prove to you right now!”

Got her.

Tenshi flies straight up with her keystone, so high that Seija can barely see her anymore.

Whenever someone loses their cool, they always get sloppy. Time and again I see it. Even a celestial is no exception.

The speck that was once Tenshi turns a shade of orange as it gets bigger, closing in on Seija. All the latter can see is a gigantic keystone plummeting to Earth. From behind it, Tenshi shouts, “KEYSTONE - WORLD CREATION PRESS!”

It’s a huge rock but anyone could dodge-

Earlier events with Tenshi’s keystone lasers flash in Seija’s mind.

It’s a diversion!

Seija glances down to find a dozen newly summoned keystones rocketing at her, likely intended to launch her into the large one. Thanks to her anticipation, she narrowly threads the needle between them all, leaving only the main one.

That stone is moving obscenely fast and she can’t see from her side of it, this is my chance!

Tenshi finally reaches where she believes Seija should be and hears a thud on the other side of her keystone. “You said before you’d send me falling back to Heaven!” she taunts. “Where’s all that bluster now?!”

Using all her strength to reverse the ludicrously large rock’s direction while flying around behind Tenshi before she can be any wiser, Seija says, “It’s right here.” 

“What?!”

This idea is risky and might not truly defeat her, but I have a point to make!

Seija tackles Tenshi so the celestial’s face is pressed against the keystone. The act hurts the former more than the latter due to Seija not having a celestial’s resilience, as the rock has reached a speed that would grievously injure anyone were it not part of a spell card. By reversing the keystone’s momentum, it launches upward at the same speed it was previously falling. It is no longer falling to the ground at a constantly accelerating rate, instead rising at a constant speed thanks to Seija’s ability targeting just the keystone to render the effect of Earth’s gravity and air resistance on it null. Tenshi is pinned between the rock and Seija, the latter lying on top of the former.

“Mmf, Seija!” says the celestial’s muffled voice.

She’d be more than strong enough to break the rock and throw me off normally, but it was with the height of her strength she gave this rock such an immense velocity. Plus gravity helped her. Now that it’s pushing against her with that same amount of force, at most she could manage an equal amount of force against it, which isn’t enough to change the motion of the object or be enough to actually lift her body off. That last part is what seals it, there’s a major difference between pushing against something while lying on it and punching it with a huge wind-up. Even if she did manage any tangible resistance, my body acts as a weight to keep her completely pinned. It also helps that she’s so short. I just have to stay here to make sure gravity and air resistance remain non-factors.

Tenshi’s muffled shouts accomplish nothing while they ascend higher and higher. She is able to continuously summon the Sword of Hisou to her hand yet Seija, who uses her abilities on herself to gain a slight range of movement, knocks it away repeatedly despite the circumstances.

Now then, I told her she’d ‘fall’ back to Heaven. Time to keep that promise!

A minute passes while Seija lets the keystone carry them into the stratosphere. “Woo, it’s chilly up here. I’d say this is good enough to count as having kept my word!” she yells, barely audible due to their current velocity. She flips their perspectives of the world once more, now seeming as though the keystone is falling on them. Giving herself enough wiggle room, Seija gets out from underneath the keystone and focuses on keeping Tenshi stuck as long as she can, until she is finally unable to make out the girl amidst the unnaturally close-to-Earth aurora.

“Ha! How do you like… that…”

Her vision blurs. The amanojaku pushed her mind and body to the limit throughout the fight between the blows she took and the immense concentration required to precisely manipulate the keystone for so long. Her lack of rest prior is the final straw.

Shoot, I got too into it… And I'm this high above the ground… Real smart…

Seija, ironically, falls like a rock as the orientation of the world corrects itself. For a bit under a minute, she is completely out cold. She wakes up after that, half-conscious, and makes out the amorphous blobs of Youkai Mountain and the various greenery of Gensokyo. Her attempts to try and course correct are thwarted by her tired body.

This might… be a problem…

“SEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIJAAAAAAAAAAA!”

That voice… I know that voice…

Two figures fly to Seija as fast as they can, though she cannot make them out through her partially shut eyes.

“SEIJA!”

Shin rushes to her partner. Close behind is Marisa on her broom.

“We have to match her speed and slow her descent gradually!” the ordinary magician commands. “You’re not quite fast enough for this, so let me start!”

“Alright!” Shin responds.

Shin…

Marisa begins by aiming her broom perpendicular to the ground, the same position Seija’s body is in. Next, Marisa, who is now parallel to the ground, grabs Seija’s waist and gently slows their falling speed; were she to halt the amanojaku’s descent immediately, it would certainly injure them both.

“Okay, we’re slow enough now. Help me get her on the broom, Shin!”

Not even verbally responding, Shin instantly takes hold of Seija’s legs and moves her to the broom. While this entire process is occurring, they are rapidly running out of time before they reach the ground; there are now roughly twenty seconds before it is too late.

“Hurry!” Marisa yells.

Shin, after positioning Seija on the broom, gets behind her to make sure the latter does not fall off.

With a hand on her hat, Marisa says, “Hold on!” She veers the broom up so it is parallel with the Earth once again. By the time she levels it out, they are only fifty meters above nearby treetops. “Phew, that was a little too close.”

“Seija, Seija, are you alright?!” an extremely distraught Shin asks.

The barely conscious Seija manages to answer, “Ugh… not at all…”

“Heh,” chuckles Marisa. “Guess she’ll be fine. Let’s get her back to your castle.”

“Why the heck didya think that was a good idea?!” Marisa shouts at Tenshi. “A rock that size would’ve caused a massive tremor throughout Gensokyo and heavily damaged the area beneath the castle!”

Seija, Shin, Tenshi, and Marisa all sit around the former two’s meal table. Seija sports bandages in various spots, primarily her left leg. She is not wearing her iconic red, white, and black arrow pattern dress; instead, she only has her light purple undershirt usually worn beneath the dress and a spare dark blue jinbei Shin owns for when they need to do laundry. The strap for the Hakurouken necklace is visible to the others, but not the shard itself. Tenshi, despite some messy hair and scrapes on her clothing, looks much better off as the injuries she sustained were less major and are already healing. She returned to the castle soon after the other three did, raring to continue her fight with Seija before Marisa, who originally came to investigate the unnatural aurora, began telling her off.

“It’s not like anything bad happened. That rock was still technically danmaku; it wouldn’t do truly permanent damage. At best it’d give some folks a little scare,” Tenshi counters. “And it’s not my fault Seija went as far as she did. She could’ve just given up.”

“You clearly started- oh whatever.”

Odd feeling to be in a room with an incident solver where I’m not the one being yelled at.

Shin, equally annoyed, says, “Next time you drop by uninvited, can you please not hurt my partner? I would never forgive you if something happened to her and there are no gaps I wouldn’t cross to keep her safe, celestial or not.”

…Thanks, Shin.

“Hey,” says Seija, “I won as far as I’m concerned.”

“Only one of us is covered in bandages,” says the celestial, a fire in her voice.

“Be honest, peaches: do you really feel like you beat me?”

“Hahahahaha! In practice, yes, but I respect just how far you’re willing to go to overturn those above you, even if it’s an ill-fated endeavor. You’re not the worst person I’ve spent time with. While I don’t concede defeat, you’ve earned your respite. And, for what it’s worth, I knew that changing the weather like I did would draw some people to us.”

“What are you getting at?” Shin asks.

“I’d like to think I’m a pretty good judge of strength-”

“Pft, good one,” interrupts Marisa.

“-and I felt you might need some help. An aurora appearing over the castle was sure to draw Shin back. I might’ve gotten a little carried away afterwards-”

“‘A little’ she says,” Shin interjects.

“-but I never intended for you to be in legitimate danger. I also figured being a little rougher with you was fine given your reputation.”

I don’t care what she intended, it goes against who I am to kowtow to anyone, let alone someone like her.

“Well, and I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Marisa begins, “I’m glad you’re okay, Seija. Even if ya didn’t mean to, dealin’ with Tenshi like you did saved others the trouble. She would’ve looked for a fight somewhere else even if you didn’t give her one.”

“Thanks for the support, understudy,” says Seija with false gratitude.

“I’ll choose to ignore that. And don’t think I’m unaware of that stunt you two pulled with Mokou the other day. You’re still on thin ice after what happened underground, don’t push your luck. If you try something, we’ll find out eventually.”

Seija casually fidgets with her hair. “I’m shaking in my non-existent boots.”

“Sometimes I don’t know why I bother. I’m off to tell Reimu what happened so she doesn’t come runnin’ herself. Can’t say I know where she is that she didn’t already get here, though.”

With that, Marisa heads out, leaving the other three to their devices.

After a moment, Tenshi says, “Gotta say, I came here expecting to speak with my dreamy former partner, didn’t think I’d end up trying to settle an old score.”

Tenshi does not realize it, but her choice of words causes both Seija and Shin to tense up for differing reasons.

Seija is the first to speak, saying, “Hold on, what do you mean by ‘dreamy’?”

There’s no way Tenshi-

“Oh, just that this one is fro-”

“Tenshi, w-wait a second!” says Shin suddenly. “Yukari already took care of all that, you’re mistaken.”

Huh? Am I missing something here?

“What did you mean by ‘this one’?” Seija asks.

“Uh, don’t know why you two are acting so weird all of a sudden,” says Tenshi. “You know about those dream versions of folks that were running around during the Perfect Possession incident, right?”

“No, I don’t. Shin never mentioned that.”

“Really? I heard they caused quite a commotion. When I was teamed up with the inchling here, along the way we ran into her dream self. She pulled a switch on me, replacing the original.”

The room is dead silent. Seija turns to Shin with a shocked expression.

Shin’s… dream self?

The inchling, visibly nervous, says, “Okay, before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. Yes, that switch happened, but after Reimu and Yukari beat the Yorigami sisters, Yukari had them round up all the dream selves and send them back to the Dream World. She even knew that the switch occurred so there’s no way she’d let me fall through the cracks.”

Seija takes a moment to process her partner’s words. “So, you’re not the dream version of Shin?”

“She isn’t sure,” Tenshi chimes in.

“How can she not be sure? That seems like a very obvious either/or thing!”

“After we finished fighting people during that incident, we came back here to talk for a bit. She said herself that she wasn’t sure which one she was anymore. Personally, I don’t understand how you people and youkai on Earth can have such vague senses of self.”

Shin looks down, saying, “I was telling the truth when I said Yukari had them all rounded up back then and that she knew about what happened with me. But my memory of that time is… blurry. The dream and real word versions of someone are still the same person, just different facets. All the switching and confusion made me unsure who I was.”

“I definitely noticed you becoming a bit more crass after the switch happened. You’ve been with her longer than me, Seija. Did you notice a change?”

The amanojaku’s head spins. She frowns and puts a hand on her face.

Shin was always at least a little mischievous ever since I met her, but she was definitely further down the devious end once we met again prior to the fireworks festival. She went from unwilling to go against all of Gensokyo after losing to leading the charge. When before I had to trick her to work with me, she later came to me. It… It lines up… Was I being played for a fool this whole time…?

With both her hosts emotionally distraught, even Tenshi is able to read the room and says, “I’ll come back a different day. Um, sorry for causing trouble.” She quickly leaves, the other two barely paying her any mind.

“Shin, I… I need time to think,” says Seija with a level of sincerity that alarms the inchling. “Can you give me that?”

“S-sure,” Shin answers, unable to think of anything else to say.

Both retire to their rooms despite it only being a bit past noon. Seija is listless the whole time she lies on her futon.

Who cares if it’s the same one or not, it’s not like we were on equal terms until after the switch happened. Even if she is from the Dream World, she’s still the Shin I know and have spent over two years with. …So what the hell is the feeling of betrayal? Why do I feel lied to and, more importantly, why do I care? I’m still an amanojaku. Lying, cheating, stealing, it’s all on the table. I don’t connect with others and they don’t connect with me. Yet with Shin, it’s something more. At first, I stuck with her cause I thought it’d be interesting. Tenshi and I are similar in that sense, both just looking for a thrill. But now our connection has grown beyond that. Only a few days ago we promised to keep each other amused. I wasn’t being wholly honest about my intent then; I just want to stick with her for its own sake now. And… I don’t know why. What’s happening to me?

All these thoughts and many more linger in her head. The duo do not see each other for the rest of the day.

Successfully fighting against the wind, Seija almost reaches Shin in the field they stand in when a metal-like sound scrapes the ground, forging an impassable ravine. It all goes the same way as the previous night.

Is this some kind of twisted joke?!

Yet, as despair creeps in, another set of Shin’s words crosses Seija’s mind: “There are no gaps I wouldn’t cross to keep her safe.” She steps back and makes a running leap, purely on instinct. Despite it being too wide to jump across, once Seija blinks she sees that she made it to the other side without even feeling the impact of landing.

How did I- Think later, Shin now!

Seija finally makes it to Shin, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Wait up, I almost thought I lost you.”

“Huh?” Shin turns around. “Seija, what are you doing here? I told you before, societal upheaval is impossible.”

“What are you talking about? We’re working towards that goal right now! First we’ll overturn the Lunar Capital, then Gensokyo!”

“The Lunar Capital? What are you saying? There’s no way you stand a chance against them. You shouldn’t antagonize everyone.”

“But we already promised that we’d do it! And how we’d continue to entertain each other!”

“I think you’re insane,” says Shin coldly. “Right now you’re being the opposite of ‘entertaining.’ I guess that’s to be expected from an amanojaku. Can’t get along with anyone.”

Seija feels a massive knot in her stomach hearing those words; her expression is pained. “B-but… we promised to win the white-water rafting race afterwards! You have to remember that!”

“How do you know I enjoy rafting? I never mentioned it to you when we were working together.”

“Because we’re still working together! And have been for the past two years! You’re my partner, Shin!”

“Partner?”

“Yes! I… I care about you! For the first time in my life, I want to be with someone else!” Tears form in Seija’s eyes. “I don’t know how or why an amanojaku can feel that way, but that doesn't matter! You're my partner, Shin! Please…!”

Shin grabs her head, as though she is on the cusp of remembering something. However, just before she can get a word out, everything in the world freezes. The wind no longer blows, the grass stops swaying, and Shin herself is completely still.

“Shin? Shin! Are you alright?”

A new voice echoes, “It’s no use, she won’t hear you.”

“Who’s there?” Seija calls out, assuming a defensive stance and wiping her eyes before any tears can fall.

“I don’t intend to hurt you. My job is to make sure everything in the Dream World stays in order,” says the voice.

“Your job? Wait, if I’m dreaming right now, are you-”

“Doremy Sweet, at your service.” As she says that, the baku materializes in front of Seija. Her dress is black on the top and bottom and white in-between; black and white balls of various sizes adorn the opposite colors. Her dark blue eyes and hair matched with her immensely long red nightcap and white socks inspires drowsiness. A tail similar to an ox’s pokes out behind her and she holds in her left hand an open blue book with a bookmark to match said tail.

If I’m dreaming, then what was I last doing before sleeping? I was… in my room. Before that I fought Tenshi and found out that Shin might- Oh. Yeah.

“Are you listening to me, Seija?” Doremy asks.

“Yeah, yeah. So this Shin-”

“-is not the real one. You were talking to a fabrication made by the dream.”

Can’t believe I said all that junk to a fake Shin.

Seija sighs before asking, “What do you want with me?”

“As I said, my job is to keep order here. Recurring nightmares, however horrible, are normally a natural process in one’s psyche; usually they happen in response to a traumatic event. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they fade, but there’s a cause of some kind even if it isn’t obvious.”

“And? Where are you going with this?”

“Your nightmares have been decidedly unnatural. They’re eating away at your psyche, slowly but surely. Not as a natural slip into insanity, either. Every time you overcome some kind of mental or emotional hurdle, that gets reflected here. But there is never going to be an end to it. Had I not stopped it and you continued talking to Shinmyoumaru, a new event would occur to ensure a bad ending, however contrived.” Doremy now smiles, a hand on her chin. “Though I must say you overcame a few without realizing it just now. That part about how much you cared about her was downright moving.”

“W-what the hell?!” an incredibly flustered Seija yells. “Who said you could look inside my head?!”

Doremy shrugs. “Just like how you can’t help your desire to overturn society, I can’t help but be a part of the process that regulates this world. There are few things in the hearts and minds of humans and youkai that I cannot access.”

“Never mind! Just tell me why my nightmare is unnatural already!”

“They’ve been induced somehow. Someone with the explicit desire to destroy you from the inside out is causing these dreams. Really, the cruelty in this nightmare’s design is obscene. Instead of putting you into a hopeless situation from the outset, you keep making what you think is progress before losing hope in progressively worse ways.”

Who would even want to- Alright dumb question.

Seija, left hand in her hair, says, “I’ve crossed way too many people to narrow it down.”

“I should be able to figure it out myself, yet this quarry is proving elusive. I didn’t even notice this nightmare the first night and only barely caught it the second, which is impressive.”

Some ‘Ruler of Dreams’ you are…

“Regardless,” Doremy continues, “do know that my appearance here tonight wasn’t just out of the kindness of my heart nor a sense of duty. I take it as a personal insult that someone is doing this under my watch and I intend to drag them into the light. In the interim, I’ll keep an eye on you and personally eat any more unnatural dreams so you can sleep well.”

“Don’t expect a ‘thank you’ or anything,” says Seija, crossing her arms.

“I would never ask for one. At least, not from you. Hopefully the next time we meet, it will be under better circumstances. Good night, Seija.” She closes her book and the area disappears, piece by piece. “Oh, and two more things. First, don’t worry about remembering this encounter. My eating this dream will wipe it from your memory as well as previous instances. But whenever you return, what we discussed today will come rushing back like a tidal wave.”

“So I won’t even remember that there’s someone attempting to destroy my mind or why I flipped my room in my sleep, got it. And the second thing I’ll immediately forget?”

“I caught a few bits and pieces of what you were thinking earlier. Let me reassure you of one thing: the border between dreams and reality is often indistinct, and that applies to your dream self. Regardless of which version of someone you spend time with, they are still the same being at their core; the connection you form with them is real, one just tempers their desires with inhibitions. Should one replace the other, they might do things they would normally never approve of; on the flip side, the beliefs of someone can change and what was once something they would never do might become commonplace for them. There's no telling which occurred without comparing the two selves directly, which is itself unnecessary since both will still feel the same way deep down.”

"…"

"In other words…" Doremy trails off for a moment. Her expression softens, gazing at Seija like an old friend. "Have faith in her. She's still your partner, dream or not."

Doremy fades away completely along with the rest of the dream, putting Seija’s consciousness back to rest.

Birds chirp outside the window in Seija’s room. The Sun rose over three hours ago, however she only now stirs after a long and comfortable rest. A yawn longer than any she has ever let out escapes her lips.

Man, I needed some quality shut-eye.

Sitting up and pulling her blanket off, her hair is an utter mess. Many parts sticking out in different directions in a tangled blob of black, white, and red. It is only when stretching her arms to her sides that Seija notices Shin, human-sized, sleeping with her back to a nearby wall. She is wearing a jinbei that matches the one she lent Seija.

What is she doing here?

The amanojaku lazily shuffles to her partner and shakes her by the shoulder. “Yo, Shin, wake up.”

“Uhhhnnnn… five more minutes…” says the sleep-talking inchling.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Seija flicks her wrist and points up with her finger, causing Shin to flip where she sits and end up face down on the ground.

“Owwwww, what’d you do that for…?”

“Because you slept in my room without telling me and wouldn't wake up.”

Shin sits up, rubs her eyes, and says, “I couldn’t fall asleep right away last night. Eventually I heard a crash in here and ran over to find you sleeping like a baby while all the parts of your futon were spread throughout the room. You were totally conked out so I rebuilt the futon and tucked you in. I still couldn’t sleep and was worried that you might hurt yourself in your sleep again, so I sat down to keep an eye on you. Must’ve fallen asleep after that at some point.”

Her partner’s story makes Seija fully wake up. “You stayed to make sure I was alright?”

And what happened to make me flip the room in my sleep…?

“Well, yeah. And I want to talk about what happened yesterday.”

Oh that. It’s weird, I don’t really feel bothered by it anymore.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“What? What do you mean ‘it’s fine’?”

Seija sits next to Shin unconcerned. “I mean it’s fine. I thought about it and decided it doesn’t matter.”

“But- That’s- Huh?!”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes there’s a problem! You looked so shaken yesterday, I was terrified you were gonna resent me for hiding this from you! And now you wake up in the morning with bedhead, tell me ‘it’s fine,’ and expect me to believe it?!”

“…Yeah?”

“Seija!” proclaims the inchling, moving in front of her partner. Her head is held high and her face is determined. “I am Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, descendent of the inchlings! What happened in the past doesn’t matter! I can promise you, in the here and now, that I am and always will be your partner! That together, you and I will continue to prove to this world that favors the strong over the weak just how big we are! That we’ll overturn the hierarchy!” Her expression turns a bit softer. “So please believe me that I trust you and that you can trust me. You don’t realize how much it means to me that you, an amanojaku, choose to stay with me. Like we made a connection that flipped nature itself on its head. That-”

Shin’s speech is cut short by Seija leaning over and embracing her.

“S-Seija?”

“I’m sorry I doubted you. You don’t need to justify yourself anymore.”

Shin is completely still in Seija’s arms. Once her shock passes, she reciprocates the hug, holding tight.

Seija, after many long moments, breaks it off and says, “Okay, that’s our sappiness quota for the decade and then some. To change the subject, did you confirm whatever it is you wanted to in the village? We might be out for more than a week while my leg recovers.”

“Actually, I did,” says Shin, a glint in her eyes. “I just never got a chance to tell you after Tenshi’s attack. How do you feel about concerts?”

“Depends on the style. Let’s continue this over breakfast. I don’t know why, but I’m starving.”

“That’s because the closest you’ve come to a meal since yesterday’s breakfast was nearly eating dirt in your fight with Tenshi.”

“Okay but you agree I won, right? Right?”

Shin looks away and rubs her neck. “Suuuuuuuure, we can go with that.”

“Shin!”

“Gonna go make breakfast!”

“No you aren’t, get back here!”

A chase ensues that runs all over the castle, Shin purposely slowing down so the injured Seija stands a chance. More than a handful of danmaku barrages are exchanged in the process. Both of them sleep very well the following night.

Chapter Text

Seija’s footsteps echo throughout the serene halls of the Shining Needle Castle. Three days after her heart-to-heart with Shin, most of her various bruises and injuries have faded with only her left leg yet to fully recover; likewise, thanks to Shin’s handiwork, all the tears and frays on her dress have been expertly mended. She paces the halls, vexed by her current dilemma.

No matter how much I rack my brain, I can’t think of where to go next for information on how to reach the Moon. Eientei is out of the question at this point and Shin is also drawing a blank when I ask. And on that subject, why hasn’t Hatate published an article in her paper about what happened? Shin says there still hasn’t been even a footnote about it. Tengu love their scoops, not to mention her and Aya’s rivalry; Hatate wouldn’t let this opportunity go. Nothing’s stopped either of them from writing about more minor events. I’m worried her spirit photography might reveal the truth of what happened, but at least if she does we’d know how to respond. This silence is really fishy.

Entering a guest room and flying through the window, Seija sits on an inverted eave identical to so many she has before. Grey clouds form an overcast while the afternoon chill reminds her of the transitioning seasons; she shivers slightly in response.

Putting that aside, the Choujuu Gigaku concert is tomorrow. Shin’s been so excited talking about it the past few days, even going back to the village today to double check the details.

She cannot help but smile while recalling Shin’s enthusiasm.

-Three Days Ago-

“Owowow…” Seija moans after chasing her partner halfway across the castle with her various bruises. She gingerly flies to the dining room while Shin walks below her.

The inchling, a smug smile plastered on her face, says, “Glad you’re so energetic even while injured.”

“Shut up and tell me about this concert already.”

“How can I tell you if I shut up?” An instant after the words leave Shin’s lips, she finds her face on the floor and legs in the air before tumbling over entirely. “Okay I had that coming,” she says after picking herself up.

Seija smirks. “Anyway, what’s the band? Do I know it?”

“They’ve been on hiatus for a little while, otherwise I would’ve taken you way sooner. They’re called Choujuu Gigaku, a punk rock band.”

“‘Punk rock’?”

“Yeah! It’s a two-youkai group: Kyouko Kasodani is the vocalist, Mystia Lorelei is the guitarist. They play music that comes straight from their souls, voicing their dissatisfaction with society. I figure you’d enjoy the style.”

“I’ll admit I’m intrigued, but isn’t Mystia the one known for her singing? Kyouko’s just loud.”

“Mystia’s singing could drive all the audience members insane.”

“I fail to see the problem.”

“You’re hilarious,” says Shin with the most emotionless tone she can produce.

“Now we’re even on dumb jokes,” Seija counters.

“Ignoring that, you are interested?”

“A band all about vocalizing the flaws of society does line up pretty well with our mission statement.”

Though there comes a point where if the band is or becomes too popular, it contradicts itself. But Shin appears to enjoy their work, which is reason enough to check it out.

“Since it’s a big comeback performance,” Shin continues, “there’s a lot of buzz surrounding it among various youkai sects. The possibility we might get seen by some we’d rather avoid is very real, so if you think we shouldn’t go then I understand.”

“Nah, ain’t like they can attack us for only attending a concert. And I assume it’s at night? Most attendees will be too focused on the music to make us out in a crowd.”

“Yes!” Shin cheers, all her previous concern gone without a trace. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, I’ve always wanted to go to a concert with you.”

The amanojaku rubs the back of her neck. “Having me there couldn’t change it too much.”

“I disagree. You being there is what will make this the best one I’ve gone to yet, guaranteed!”

These words elicit an odd reaction from Seija. Welling up in her stomach is a sensation she has been experiencing in her conversations with Shin more and more frequently. She still cannot adequately describe it.

This feeling again… I don’t get what it’s supposed to be. Though, I can’t say I’m against it being there.

“Suit yourself, then,” says Seija, doing her utmost to act cool. “When will it be?”

“It’s in four days, at sundown. I thought it’d be perfect since that would have been the last day of our week of laying low, but Tenshi’s stunt and your leg will, like you said, keep us down for a little longer.”

“I’ll definitely be feeling well enough to go to a concert by that point, even if my leg isn’t finished healing.”

“Yeah, after looking at it this morning, I agree. My only remaining concern is you flipping your room in your sleep again. Be sure to let me know if that happens, alright?”

“Will do.”

Can’t say I remember why I did that, though.

The smile on Seija’s face is replaced with a frown and furrowed brow.

…Thinking about it, I still can’t recall why that happened. I know something was bothering me but-

“To contemplate so much without taking action won’t get you anywhere,” says a voice that instantly annoys Seija.

Without turning around, she replies, “Advice from a slovenly celestial rings rather hollow, wouldn’t you say?”

Tenshi moves to sit down next to Seija. “And a retort from an amanojaku contradicting what I say only further adds credence to my words, doesn’t it?”

“Says the supposedly enlightened being who goes around picking fights and causing problems. Maybe you’re more similar to me than you’d like to admit?”

“Hardly. A celestial showcasing their power is the natural way of things, lest you forget your place.”

“And what power do you want to showcase that it brought you down again so soon?”

“I mainly wanted to check on you and the inchling, to see if you still have all that determination after what happened when I was here last.” Tenshi’s tone softens slightly as she says, “Just know I didn’t intend to drive some kind of wedge between you two.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. It would take far more than what you’re capable of to separate the two of us. Now tell me your other reason for coming since I know you’re not that altruistic.”

“Well, I did happen to wonder if you had any interesting plans coming up. I’ve been down here for days and Shion’s still busy helping Jo’on with her duties at Myouren Temple until tomorrow.”

“If you’re that bored, why not return to Heaven instead of loitering in Gensokyo?”

“That’s, er, private business. Going back wouldn’t be the best idea currently.”

And what’s that supposed to mean? Is something preventing her?

Before they can continue their conversation, Shin’s voice calls out, “Seija, I’m home!”

“I’m out here!” Seija yells towards the window. “We also have an uninvited guest.”

It does not take long for Shin to find the pair on the eave. They quickly catch her up to speed on why Tenshi is here.

“Let me guess,” the inchling begins, “you got kicked out again?”

Tenshi fidgets with her hat. “T-that’s not quite how I’d phrase it-”

“Pfffft, ‘again’? Is there trouble in paradise?” Seija asks while chuckling.

“I’ll be glad to defeat you like before should you persist in your ignorant insults!” As she says this, Tenshi stands up and puts a hand on her sword hilt.

Seija, rising up to meet her and looking slightly down at the shorter celestial, says, “Oh I’m so afraid of the heavenly delinquent. You were really pushing yourself before, do you honestly think you can take both of us at once?”

“That’s enough!” Shin commands, moving between them. “I’m not letting you get yourselves injured again or damage my castle!”

“Hmph. I suppose a bratty child isn’t worth the time anyway.”

“Your little princess sure has you on a tight leash,” Tenshi taunts. “What happened to the friendless amanojaku we all tried to hunt down?”

“You can’t go a single conversation without mentioning how you want to find Shion like she’s your little lost lamb.”

“I don’t appreciate your tone. Shion actually understands the value of my company, unlike you!”

Shin increases the size of her Miracle Mallet and smashes it onto the space between where Seija and Tenshi are standing, surprising the latter two. “I said that’s enough! Tenshi, despite everything, I consider you a friend. So please stop sparking conflict every time you visit. Seija, I know she can be grating, but I would appreciate it if you could not enable her. If she truly crosses the line, we can deal with her then.”

The amanojaku and celestial angrily glare at each other, yet both also wear confident smirks. They are in a mental tug of war, each side refusing to show even a drop of subjugation to the other.

“You don’t have to like each other. Let’s just avoid tearing the place down, alright?” Shin continues.

Without taking her eyes off of Tenshi, Seija asks, “Did you verify that the concert is still on for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Apparently Choujuu Gigagku is even having a few guest musicians get involved. I’m curious who they could be, though I have an inkling.”

“Oh?” Tenshi says with a raised eyebrow. “What’s this about a concert?”

Shoot, maybe mentioning that with her around wasn’t a great idea.

Shin explains the plan for tomorrow. All the while, Seija and Tenshi still refuse to budge from their positions.

“Interesting. I suppose experiencing the surface’s rudimentary music could fill some time. Shion might already know about this if Kyouko works at the temple.”

“If you’re satisfied with that information, you can leave,” says an impatient Seija.

“I think I’m rather content to stay here a little longer. Unless you want to try and force me?”

“Far be it from me to inconvenience your greatness, peaches. I’m sure we can entertain each other somehow.”

“This is gonna be a long day…” laments Shin.

The pressure surrounding Shin’s living room table is heavy. She, Seija, and Tenshi are deep into the third and final round of their thirteenth game of Daifugō, all three of them having won four games so far. The rules are simple: whoever empties their hand first is the winner of the round and claims the title of daifugō, also known as the tycoon. Whoever gets last is the daihinmin, or beggar. The one with the most points at the end of the third round is the game’s winner and ultimate tycoon. Players empty their hands by playing a card that is of greater value than the previous, with two simultaneously being the lowest number and a trump card that beats an ace. Whoever starts a trick, or set of cards played, can play whichever card they choose from their hand, also having the option to play two-, three-, or four-of-a-kinds. The former two force following players to match them or pass their turn, while the last of them causes a revolution that flips the card values. The tycoon acts as the dealer in the following round. Tenshi is the current tycoon with two points from placing last in the first round and first in the second round. Shin, likewise, has two points from placing first in the first round and last in the second round. Seija also possesses two points after placing second twice, making the score tied. Tenshi won the most recent trick, allowing her to go next. Her hand holds six cards, Seija's hand has eleven cards, and Shin's hand contains fourteen cards.

“You’ve put up quite a fight, amanojaku, but it’s over,” says the celestial. “My hand is too powerful to lose at this stage. How quaint, thinking you ever stood a chance against a celestial in anything! I look forward to you making good on your promise to admit I’m your better when I reach five wins. Prepare to grovel before me!”

“Bold words for someone one loss away from having to recognize that I beat them,” Seija responds. “If you’re so confident in your victory, play your cards!”

“Card Sign - Three-of-a-Kind!” Tenshi places down triple sevens, reducing her hand to only three cards.

Stupid celestial luck, she’s been saving that for a decisive moment! I have enough in my hand to match the number, but their value is too low!

“Grr…” Seija growls.

“Hahahaha! Judging by your reaction, you have no way of winning now! Fear the might of-”

“Three queens,” says Shin casually. Eleven cards remain in her hand.

“Huh?” Tenshi looks to the board and is taken aback by Shin’s assault. “I-I can’t match that!”

“Alright, so you both pass?” Once they nod, Shin starts the next trick. “Two jacks.” She has nine cards left.

Shin, you’re a lifesaver!

“I place two kings!” declares Seija with nine cards left.

Tenshi dramatically pulls two of her remaining three cards from her hand. “That won’t help you! I play two aces! How poetic that your partner’s cards would be your undoing!”

Since the tycoon gets to exchange any two cards for the beggar’s best two cards at the start of the round, she waited to use those in order to spite me!

Shin parses through her hand and says, “I pass.”

“She can’t save you this time! Now lay down your pathetic cards and surrender!”

“Be careful what you call 'pathetic'!” yells Seija. “I play a pair of twos!”

“What?! That’s impossible! You mean to tell you’ve been holding onto those trump cards this entire round?!”

“I was. As I only held two, there was no way for me to overturn your three-of-a-kind before. I was hesitant to use them at first, but just now you let something important slip: you couldn’t match Shin’s triple queens, so that last card in your hand isn’t an ace like the other two. It’s probably a different high value card you’ve been saving to either beat one of us or close out the round.”

“Like that knowledge will help you! You have seven cards left and there’s only one number that hasn’t had at least two of its cards used-” The proverbial house of cards Tenshi is in comes crashing down as she realizes what’s about to happen.

Seija cannot contain the maniacal laughter bursting from within her. “HAHAHAHAHA! CARD SIGN - REVOLUTION!” Grabbing four of her seven cards, she throws onto the table four fives, causing a revolution. Tenshi’s remaining card might as well be dead weight in her hand. “Since I’ve reversed this game’s hierarchy, I immediately get to start the next trick! I place two fours!”

“No! You can’t seriously-”

“Two threes,” says Shin, unaffected by the shenanigans around her. She now has seven cards. Since both Seija and Tenshi have one card remaining, neither can respond. “One eight.” No response. “One seven. Two sixes. Two tens. One ace.”

Death. Seija and Tenshi fall to the floor, holding a nine and a king, respectively.

“That’s two points for me,” Shin continues. “Since you both have one card left and Seija is next in the turn order, she gets second while you, Tenshi, are the beggar. I win the game with four points, beating Seija's three and your two. That means I’m the first to reach five games and the winner overall.”

The defeated players say nothing.

“The last time I played this was with Reimu and Marisa when I was living at Hakurei Shrine. Marisa taught it to us; she read about it in a book from Suzunaan and had us use these weird outside world cards she ‘borrowed’ from Kourindou. Since it requires a minimum of three players, I could never ask you to play, Seija.”

Sitting up, Tenshi asks, “Why do you have these cards, then?”

“I always beat them and eventually they got sick of it, so they stopped playing and let me keep the deck.”

“Wait a minute,” Seija interjects, “did you just hustle us?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, since I was the first to reach five wins, that means you two get to make dinner tonight,” says the inchling, sounding satisfied. “I’ve got something else to work on, so I’ll see you then.” She goes to leave the room, but stops short at the entryway. “A word of advice: card games, like danmaku, are all about power. And overestimating your own power to the point of ignoring a smaller opponent is just begging for the rug to be pulled out from under you.” With that, she is gone.

Seija and Tenshi turn to each other, mouths agape.

The latter breaks the silence first. “I take it we agree to never speak of this again?”

“Yes, yes we do.”

The dinner following Seija and Tenshi’s humiliation at Shin’s hands proves to be lively. The former two argue constantly, blaming each other for perceived problems with the meal. 

“Just because you reverse everything doesn’t mean you need to undercook the meat,” says Tenshi.

“I’m sooooo sorry I’ve failed to appease the palate of her greatness,” says Seija between bites. “Why not go home and- Oh wait, you can’t. A shame, that.”

Shin, for her part, greatly enjoys the food. While the fighting pair certainly do not like each other, she likes to think the two’s shared loss and incessant feuds help them understand one another a bit more.

“The sheer disrespect you constantly feel a need to show is truly sad,” Tenshi muses. “It’s okay to admit you were wrong and start anew. I could maybe put a word in for you in Heaven. Who knows? You might be let in some time next millennium.”

Seija makes a showy display of putting her hand over her mouth. “How considerate! Sadly I’d rather spend twice as much time in whatever version of Hell we’re on at that point then spend another day with you, let alone an eternity. My sincerest apologies.”

“I can really feel the love,” says Shin. “Will this be your only night with us, Tenshi? You certainly make things, uh, louder.”

Tenshi rises to her feet after finishing the last of her food, which she ate surprisingly fast given her many complaints. “It’s above a celestial to suffer this kind of disgrace a moment longer. Luckily for your companion, I’m feeling generous today. I will be departing tomorrow morning to find Shion and after that will likely see you at the concert. I’m going to explore the grounds a bit more before retiring for the night.” She struts off without a goodbye.

“Remarkable how she barges into people’s homes and does these things without permission.”

“Her confidence can’t be questioned, that’s for sure,” says Seija.

“I’d rather put up with this than fight her, though. To be honest, part of why I didn’t try to stop her from staying was the fear of something happening to you.”

“C’mon, you really think we can't take her?”

“It’s not that.”

“What is it, then?”

“Seeing you plummet through the sky… it scared me to death. You were in real danger and I don’t know what I would’ve done if Marisa hadn’t also been there.”

Only now does the weight of Shin’s worry hit Seija. The amanojaku looks down. “…If we’re exchanging secrets, I felt similarly back during Sekibanki’s ambush.”

“But we won that easily.”

“At the end, yeah. But for that brief moment when she had me restrained and I saw Kagerou take you into the forest, I saw red. Drew on strength I didn’t know I had. In retrospect, there was no point during that where you were even in a fraction of the danger I was after fighting Tenshi, but that’s not how it felt at the time.”

“Well, that’s why we’re partners, right? We watch each other’s backs. It’s comforting to know you’ll always be there for me.”

Seija scratches her face and averts her gaze to avoid embarrassment. “So what was this mysterious task you worked on while the brat and I made dinner?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Shin says with a knowing look.

“Far be it from me to pry. Is this something to look forward to or dread?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

What’s cooking in that devious mind?

“If you won’t talk, I guess I don’t have a choice but to wait,” says Seija. “Let me change the subject to something that’s been bothering me: Hatate. What do you think her angle is?”

“You mean how there hasn’t been a single article about what happened?”

“Exactly. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t have already published one. Even if she used her ability to find out what really happened, it’d be out in the open by now.”

“It’s very suspect, I agree. Fortunately, I have an idea regarding that.”

“Lay it on me.”

“A reunion concert like this tends to get press coverage, right? Hatate might be there.”

“Or Aya or both. And in the former case, it won’t be of any help.”

“True, but we don’t have anything to lose by looking around while we’re there.”

Seija crosses her arms to think. “Alright, say we do find her: wouldn’t it be incredibly suspicious to ask her about this?”

“I neglected to mention it before, but punk rock is a genre that originated in the outside world. And who do we know from the outside world that loves to see various events in Gensokyo? Someone who’s constant prying into things that aren’t her business wouldn’t attract any suspicion?”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If you can think of a better plan, I’m all ears.”

“Fine. But are you sure you’re okay with wasting time at the concert to do this? You’ve been talking about wanting to see it nearly non-stop.”

“If Sumireko does the investigating for us, we don’t lose any time. Worst case scenario, we don’t find anything out and enjoy the show.” There is a fire in Shin’s voice as she says, “Believe me, I have zero intention of missing this.”

The last time I’ve seen her this pumped was when she explained her plan at the fireworks festival.

“Then let’s get ready for a boring day tomorrow!”

True to her word, Tenshi departs for Myouren Temple after breakfast the following morning, though not before one last verbal sparring match with Seija. Each walks away self-assured that they won.

“With that waste of space gone, we should get started early,” says Seija, performing some morning stretches after putting the dirty dishes up. Her left leg is closer to full capacity but still noticeably sore.

Need to make sure I don’t overexert myself.

Shin nods. “First we should visit Mokou and ask if Sumireko mentioned going to a concert. Maybe she also has an idea of what happened with Hatate after we left Eientei.”

“You said the concert begins at sundown, yeah? That gives us about eleven hours.”

“Yep. The location is around halfway between Myouren Temple and the human village, so no matter where we go it won’t be far.”

“Time to move out, then.”

“Let’s grab our hats so we can disguise our faces if necessary,” says Shin.

All it really does is hide my horns since anyone who knows me would recognize the dress if they got close, but it’s better than nothing.

Hats in tow, they set out at a brisk pace towards the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, which happens to be in the same direction as Myouren Temple anyway. It is visible to them in the distance while flying by, along with a stage being constructed on the road between the temple and the village. After thirty minutes of flying, they reach the entrance of the forest.

“Now for the hard part, finding that stupid immor-” Seija cuts herself off when she sees Mokou casually walking on the path below them, hands in her pockets. “Never mind.”

“Wonder where she’s going?” Shin asks.

“There’s no one around at the moment, so this is as good a time as any to ask our questions.”

The duo descends to meet the immortal. Mokou tilts her head at the sight of them but does not appear bothered.

“Yo, doing another raid on Eientei?” she asks.

“Not exactly,” Shin responds. “We wanted to ask you something: did Sumireko mention anything about going to a concert last time you saw her?”

“What, do I look like her personal assistant? I don’t know everywhere she goes.”

“So is that a no?”

“…She invited me to tonight’s Choujuu Gigaku concert yesterday. I had already been asked by an acquaintance to help with the pyrotechnics, so I was going regardless.”

“An oddly practical use of your talents. Why head out so early, though?”

Mokou rubs the back of her head listlessly. “I don’t exactly leave the forest often, so I’m visiting a friend in the village while I’m out. Gonna explain where you’re going with these questions? Doubt it’s only a burning curiosity about the girl’s day-to-day location.”

“We’re not exactly the most trusted youkai around,” says Seija. “Sumireko can ask questions we can’t for us.”

“If you’re endangering her or abusing her good will, we’re gonna have problems. I don’t care what I owe you.”

“Calm down, we’re not planning to put her in any danger. If anything, you might be able to save us the trouble of going to her: do you know why Hatate still hasn’t put out an article about what we did last week?”

“Has she not? I don’t read the paper,” says Mokou with a shrug. “Not like I’m in a good location to receive it.”

“Let me rephrase for her,” Shin interjects. “What did you say to Hatate after going back to Eientei that night?”

“Nothing. She wasn’t even there anymore. I figured she already got the info she wanted from other sources and used that spirit photography thing to fill in the blanks. If she went back and asked questions later, you already know the cover story I gave Eirin.”

That’s even more suspicious.

Seija turns to her partner. “Shin, there have been new issues of Kakashi Spirit News since then, right?”

“Yeah. Since we don’t get any and the Scarlet Devil Mansion is close by, I always read over the papers delivered there since Meiling is still asleep at that time in the morning. Same with Bunbunmaru News.”

“So Hatate’s actively producing articles but hasn’t written one about this?”

“Maybe she decided against writing an article?” suggests Mokou.

“That doesn’t line up with those reporters’ way of doing things.”

“Look, I really don’t care. I told you what I know so I’m gonna move along. If I hear anything about this and see you tonight, I’ll tell you. Later.”

Mokou saunters off in her signature way, leaving the duo alone.

“We at least got confirmation that Sumireko would be there tonight,” says Shin.

“It was easier to find out than I expected,” Seija admits. “We’ve got over ten hours to kill now.”

“I guess we go home and wait until it’s time?”

“Or…” Seija flashes a mischievous grin, “we check out the stage grounds early.”

Shin responds in kind. “I like the way you think.”

No more deliberation is necessary for them to fly off to where the stage is being constructed. They arrive in less than ten minutes, moving to the ground and hiding in the bushes to avoid detection by the workers. All of them are kappa hurriedly transporting and assembling parts. The main platform is mostly finished, standing at two meters tall. Constructs on either side and a frame from which to hang the curtain are works in progress. Combined with that are pipes being inserted into the platform from underneath; they are designed to let out sparks and fog for dramatic effect once the performance begins.

“Make sure everything’s up to snuff!” shouts a twin-tailed, blue-haired kappa acting as the leader. She wears a green hat and a blue dress with a dozen pockets. On her back is a backpack nearly the size of her body, blue and covered in pockets like the dress. Seija and Shin recognize her as Nitori Kawashiro. “The Prismriver Ensemble is offering a generous payment and we have a reputation to maintain!”

The Prismrivers? They aren’t members of Choujuu Gigaku.

“Looks like my hunch was right,” Shin whispers.

“Oh, about the guest musicians?”

“Uh-huh. Choujuu Gigagku host their concerts on the road late at night due to their almost underground nature. The whole point is to appeal to societal outcasts and give a raw, unrefined performance. When I saw this much publicity and found out a whole stage was being propped up, I knew a more influential group was behind it.”

“Does this compromise what it is you enjoy about the band?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. If the music keeps the same soul it had before, then I don’t care who’s helping or what stage they’re on. The Prismriver Ensemble makes quality music, too. My only concern is the two not meshing well.”

Another pair approaches the stage while Seija and Shin are whispering, but instead of sneaking in, they march proudly. Or rather, one marches proudly and the other, despite being much taller, stays hunched over behind the first and is close enough to be her shadow.

Is that-

“As I expected, performances on the surface use stages that pale in comparison to those used in Heaven,” Tenshi says while examining the perimeter.

“It’s smaller than the one from when Jo’on and I perfect possessed everyone, but still very big,” says the girl behind Tenshi. She has dark blue hair and a matching bow with a grey short-sleeved hoodie and blue skirt, no shoes to speak of. All of her clothing is randomly adorned with various bills and eviction notices. On her wrists are golden bracelets a bit thinner and looser than Seija’s own. She holds a patched cat doll in her right arm and a chipped cup in her left hand.

Nitori notices the trespassers and instantly becomes aggravated upon recognizing them. “No one’s allowed to be here while we’re working! A poverty god’s misfortune is the last thing we need in a construction site!”

Shion Yorigami recoils a bit at the declaration, but Tenshi says, “You should be honored I’m even here, and that extends to my companion.”

“Try replacing ‘honored’ with ‘bothered’ and you’re right on the money,” Nitori responds, already exasperated. “I don’t mean any offense, but this is an important gig. Please come back tonight when any problems caused are no longer our legal concern.”

“Being so obsessed with money is a sin, kappa.”

“And so is unnecessarily disturbing others’ work.”

“I’ll leave you to your meager work for transient profits, then,” says Tenshi. Nitori does not say anything in return, immediately returning to work. “The surface has really gone to the dogs if no one shows any respect for a celestial.”

“W-well,” Shion says shakily, “Nitori’s a youkai and not a human, so maybe that makes her blind to all your amazing attributes?”

“You’re probably right.” Tenshi puts an arm around Shion’s neck. “One day everyone will come to see things the way you do!”

“I hope so!”

I feel like I’m gonna be sick. The last thing that brat needs is someone stroking her ego.

Shin taps on Seija’s shoulder and says, “We should get going.”

“Why the sudden rush?”

“Nothing ever works out well for those who are near the poverty god for too long. Our luck will take a nosedive if we don’t leave.”

“If you say so.” Seija begins walking away, but a root she failed to see earlier catches her left foot, making her trip and fall. “Agh!”

It had to be my left foot!

The noise does not go unnoticed by Nitori, Tenshi, and Shion, who all turn to where Seija and Shin are hiding.

“Stupid reporters!” Nitori yells. “This area is off-limits to everyone!” She manifests a stream of water and shoots it at the duo’s location, blasting away the bush and drenching many nearby trees. However, there is no one there she can see. “Huh. I could’ve sworn…”

Covered by loose leaves, Seija and Shin’s inchling-sized bodies remain undetected. Both are completely soaked and chilled to the bone by the light breeze. They get up once they confirm the kappa have refocused on their work and Tenshi and Shion have left.

“You alright?” Shin asks.

The amanojaku rings out her hair and clothes. “Ugh. Quick thinking on your part. Let’s just go home for now.”

“Sure, I’ll turn us back- uh…” Shin examines her person and the immediate vicinity, unable to locate what she is searching for.

“What’s the matter?”

“Do you see my mallet anywhere?”

Oh no.

Both scan the area and come up with nothing.

“I think Nitori’s attack blasted it out of my hands the moment I finished activating it,” says Shin, mild panic in her voice.

“It couldn’t have gone too far. Would it still be normal size or did it shrink down with us?”

“Normally it shrinks while I’m holding it but otherwise stays the same. Since it was knocked away at the moment of use, I think it’ll still be normal size. I can activate it either way.”

“Alright,” Seija says with a nod. “If it’s normal size, it’ll be easier to find. Let’s check everywhere still wet from the attack.”

The duo’s small stature slows their ability to scour the area, similar to their experience back in Eientei.

“What’s the worst case scenario here?” asks Seija while they walk.

“If we can’t find my mallet, we’re stuck like this,” Shin explains. “The only ways to return to normal are for me to use it or for it to run out of power. In the latter case, I’d still be small since this is my original size. While the magic is being applied to you, it will consistently lose a slight amount of power for the duration.”

“I imagine that low power drain will last a long time.”

“Likely at least a few months.”

“Fantastic. Let’s keep looking.”

Their searching proves fruitless over the next ten minutes.

I’d much rather not be tiny for months, though if I’m with Shin the whole time it wouldn’t be so- What the heck am I saying? Get those weird thoughts out of here, being small means you can’t enact your plans, Seija!

Eventually they spy a shimmer of gold on the ground amidst the trees.

There it is!

Before they can finish their approach, the sound of a slow violin solo from close by causes them to stop short. It produces a melancholic melody that resonates with the soul. Both partners find themselves entranced, taking in every single note. Each one to reach their ears is a call to let go of their worries and goals, to allow themselves to be enveloped by the music forevermore.

Who's playing that…? All I want is to keep listening…
…
Snap out of it! This must be a youkai’s ability!

Seija manages to resist the enrapturing tune, however Shin is not as successful.

“Where are you going…?” the inchling asks, sitting in the grass.

Pulling her partner to her feet, Seija says, “C’mon Shin, we need to keep moving! Your mallet is right over there!”

“My mallet, right…”

It’ll take at least a minute to drag her over there and I’m not sure how long I can keep moving. Dang it, think! …Hm, that might work provided my powers aren’t too diminished by my size.

Seija puts one of Shin’s arms around her to help keep the inchling steady and starts walking as quickly as they are able. The violin’s tune becomes clearer the closer they get. Before she succumbs to the music, Seija attempts to reverse the tone and pitch of the song. All she accomplishes with her small stature is making it sound a bit off-key, however that reduces the effect enough that they make it to the Miracle Mallet.

“We’re here. Now you just gotta use the mallet and make us big again,” says Seija, placing Shin’s hand on it.

“But… I don’t really wanna do anything…” Shin collapses in Seija’s arms. “Can’t we just stay together like this forever…?”

“W-what?! I-”

With Shin on the brink, the music abruptly stops.

Huh?

“Peculiar,” says a calm and collected voice from the same direction the music came from. “It suddenly went out of tune. Can’t have that happening the day of a performance.”

‘Performance’? And the instrument was a violin. That has to be Lunasa Prismriver.

“There you are! Everything okay?” asks a slightly younger sounding voice.

“I was practicing out here so nobody would be affected by the music,” Lunasa explains. “It was going well when my notes suddenly sounded off-key.”

“You’re right, that’s weird. Should we examine your violin with Merlin and Raiko?”

“There’s nothing else for it, I suppose. Let’s go.”

Lunasa and the other voice, who Seija assumes to be Lyrica Prismriver, fade away.

“They’re gone, wake up,” says Seija as she gently shakes her partner.

“Mmngh…” After a moment, Shin slowly opens her eyes to see Seija’s concerned face staring down at her. “Seija? What happened?”

“You fell under the spell of Lunasa’s music. We managed to reach your mallet, so you can return us to normal size now.”

“Huh? Oh, right!”

Shin touches the Miracle Mallet and focuses, causing it to glow. A moment later, they rapidly expand to human-size.

“That was a very unlucky string of events,” says a mentally worn-out Seija.

She wasn’t kidding about that poverty god.

“I don’t remember much of what happened while the song was playing,” Shin says as she stretches her arms over her head.

That’s… probably for the best.

Standing up, Shin continues, “But this doubly confirms that the Prismriver Ensemble is behind the event tonight. And that guarantees we’re on the right track with thinking Hatate will show up.”

“How do you figure?”

“Raiko Horikawa. If you recall, she’s one of the tsukumogami my mallet created. She’s known for abusing the news to give the band publicity. There are even rumors that the break-up and reformation the Prismrivers had four years ago was entirely staged by her, as that’s when she officially joined.”

“You’re suggesting everything about this event was set up to maximize publicity, including attracting Choujuu Gigaku fans?”

Shin taps her head with her right index finger. “Exactly. I don’t know if this collaboration is entirely in good faith or not, but no matter how you slice it there’s zero chance Raiko wouldn’t make sure all the major news outlets are covering it.”

“You’re very familiar with the inner workings of show business.”

“Years of living alone means you find ways to fill the time. You said yourself that knowing how a society works is the best way to subvert it.”

Something tells me this is less about our mission and more her just being into this kind of thing.

“We confirmed everything we needed to, so why don’t we go home and relax until the concert?” asks Shin.

Cracking her neck, Seija replies, “After how eventful this morning was, no objections here.”

Their departure is swift so as to avoid any further unwanted attention. So swift, in fact, that neither notices the slightest rustling of bushes near where they found the mallet. A certain tengu with protective ear muffs around her neck steps out, excitedly writing notes.

Chapter Text

“Seija!” says an excited voice. “C’mon, get up.”

Shinmyoumaru shakes Seija by the shoulder, the latter having been napping while sitting against the wall in her bedroom.

“Hm…? What’s going on?” says Seija between yawns.

“It’s time for us to leave for the concert! You’ve been asleep the past few hours.”

“Oh, right.”

Shin grabs Seija’s hand and pulls her up before they walk out.

Something feels… warm.

It takes a groggy Seija until they are halfway down the hall to realize Shin has yet to let go.

“Uh, why are you-”

“By the way,” Shin begins, cutting Seija off, “I made snacks for us to share while we’re there.”

“That’s not what-”

“I also know this spot that has a great view of the stars. We can stop by afterwards and lounge the night away!”

“SHIN!” Seija shouts, finally stopping both from walking any further. “Slow down! Why are you holding my hand?”

“What’s wrong with that?” asks Shin. Her tone carries the slightest tinge of fear, unsettling Seija.

“I- urgh!”

My head feels like it’s about to split open.

Shin continues, “If you want me to leave you alone, I will.”

“No, it’s not that-”

“Then there’s no problem?”

“I… I guess not?” Seija replies, hardly able to focus.

“Good to hear!”

They resume their journey through the hall, Shin leading the befuddled Seija along.

What’s happening? This situation isn’t right…

“There are loads of other things I’ve planned for us to do!” Shin declares. “Visiting more festivals, a trip to some far off places in Gensokyo, of course the white-water rafting competition-”

“Wait, didn’t we agree that the last one would be after going to the Lunar Capital?”

Shin grinds to a halt but does not turn around. “Do we really need to go there?”

“What kinda question is that? I thought you were completely on board with the plan.”

“I’ve been thinking recently, what’s the point of what we do?”

Seija is taken aback hearing this question from Shin, unable to immediately respond.

“All we accomplish is making our own lives harder,” says Shin. “We have this castle, we have each other, and we have all the time in the world. Who cares what anyone else is doing?”

“But that’s not our mission!”

The inchling turns around, her face full of disgust. “Oh that’s right, you’re an amanojaku. Overturning everything is your reason for being. I guess if I’m in the way of that, we don’t have any reason to stay together.”

“Wait a minute-”

“Wait for what, exactly? For you to ask me to stay? What a load of garbage. Shouldn’t you have realized by now that no connection you form lasts? All you are is a slave to your nature!”

Her words sting Seija infinitely more than any danmaku.

Has she felt this way along? That can’t… 

“That said,” Shin continues, “you really are a pathetic excuse for an amanojaku. Not only did you attempt to cultivate a relationship, but you also, for the briefest moment, felt guilt for what you put the Komeijis through. What a disgrace.”

…in fact, it isn’t true. Not only would Shin never say these things, but-!

“I never told you how I felt about what happened with Satori and Koishi,” says Seija.

Shin’s eyes widen slightly, her sneer faltering.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Seija taunts. “You really like rambling on like you somehow know me, yet now you’ve got nothing to say? If you’re gonna steal my partner’s face, at least try to be convincing!”

Ripping her hand away, the amanojaku summons a hundred bullets all around the imposter and lets loose. Each one is reflected back the way it came, prompting Seija to scramble out of the way.

“Hahaha…” the fake Shin laughs.

“How did you-”

“Oh I know you alright! Better than anyone, I’d say.” The fake’s face morphs into the evilest smile imaginable. “But it seems our time here is up.”

“What do you mean?”

“That is enough!” yells a disembodied voice.

Huh?

Doremy Sweet materializes behind Shin, the latter freezing in place. “…Blast it, seems they escaped from this dream.”

“You’re that Ruler of- Agh!” Seija cuts herself off, gripping her head.

What are these memories? Nightmares…?

“Yes, yes, glad you’re caught up,” says Doremy. “I sensed you were having a dream and was greeted by a baleful aura. The perpetrator probably thought they could do this under my nose by catching a midday nap since that’s outside your normal schedule.”

This influx of memories is a lot to process, but it answers everything I was wondering the other day.

Still with a hand on her head, Seija asks, “Can we reveal who this faker is? They’re frozen right in front of us.”

“The puppet through which they talked to you is here, yes, but currently the only beings I feel in this dream are you and me. The intruder is gone. It’s truly confounding, no one should be able to hide from me in this world.”

“How do you even go about investigating something like this?”

“I have to try and track any residual memories left behind, which isn’t foolproof. Last time, the nightmares you experienced ran as an automated machine; there was no one to find. They simply crafted the trap and let it run as intended. Your words managing to reach the previous Shinmyoumaru is a testament to how your memories affected it. For this dream, they took a more direct approach by controlling a version of your partner designed to actively tear you down. This should, ideally, give me an opportunity to track them after we’re done here.”

The moment we find them can’t come soon enough after they used Shin’s face like that.

Doremy, sensing Seija’s mood, smiles inscrutably. “For what it’s worth, you did a fine job of staying calm and recognizing the discrepancies in front of you.” She holds up her right hand and a pink circular blob appears. “What I would normally expect is that both cases were caused by a dream soul like this one. That’s the most direct way to force a dream on someone. Yet there’s no indication this happened either time.”

“So they’re using a method unknown to you?”

“I can rule out the nightmare being chemically caused through medicine by examining its makeup. So, barring the incredibly unlikely case they’re also a baku like me, you’re right.”

“Then why not let me remember this time so I can search as well?” an increasingly frustrated Seija asks.

Doremy sighs. “This dream is a prison. The only way for you to wake up is to experience some kind of change to your psyche, likely meant to be mental degradation, which is impossible now that I’m here and have chased off the cause. Either I devour it or you’re stuck here indefinitely. By doing the former, I’m erasing it from your conscious mind’s memory when you wake up. Even normal dreams do not stick around in the mind very long. Your experiences here still exist in your unconscious mind, however, as that’s where dreams reside. Hence why a trigger such as seeing me while knowing you're in a dream can bring those memories back.”

So this annoyance is forcing us to split our focus in case they don’t see immediate success. I still have no idea who they could even be.

“You could try telling me in the real world,” suggests Seija.

“Would you even believe me without your memories? You’re not the most trusting sort.”

“Hmph.”

I can’t deny it. …I wish I could talk to Shin about this.

“We’ll consider that a last resort. Farewell for now,” says Doremy, closing her book.

The creeping sense of unease in Seija’s mind fades with the dream.

“Seija,” says a soothing voice, “wake up.”

Shin tenderly rustles her partner by the shoulder, the latter waking from the nap she had while leaning against her bedroom’s wall. The amanojaku notes a blanket on her she does not recall having earlier that day.

“Hm…? What’s going on?” says Seija, yawning.

“It’s almost time for us to leave for the concert. You’ve been asleep the past three hours.”

“Oh, ri- ugh…”

Shin grabs Seija’s hand and helps her to stand before letting go and asking, “You alright?”

“Yeah, a little lightheaded but it passed.”

“That’s good. It took a little while for my shaking to stir you, guess you needed the sleep.”

“Suppose so,” Seija replies, stifling the smile that attempts to emerge in response to Shin’s consideration. She notices a tiny nick on her partner’s left thumb. “Something happen? Your thumb’s hurt.”

“Huh?” Shin earnestly examines her hand. “Oh, it’s nothing. Didn’t even notice it.”

That’s understandable. I’ve had plenty of scratches I don’t remember getting, too.

“Okay, I’m ready to head out if you are.”

“Then let’s go!” says Shin while shooting her fist forward.

The amanojaku does a routine of basic stretches. “When does it start?”

“In about forty minutes. I wanted to let you sleep as long as you could.”

“I wouldn’t have cared if you got me up sooner.”

“What fun would it be if you were grumpy?” Shin’s knowing look elicits an eye roll from Seija.

“Can it, shorty.”

“Why don’t you make me?”

“Is that an invitation?”

Unsheathing her needle and performing a series of practice swings, Shin says, “It has been a while since we last had a match. That chase from the other day was fun but not a real fight.”

She’s pretty excited. Seeing her get competitive hypes me up, too. But first thing’s first.

“We can put that on our list of things to do after tonight,” says Seija. 

Shin sheathes her needle. “It’s a date!”

“Oh, you’re mocking me now?”

“Who said I was mocking?”

“Whatever.”

The inchling cannot help but laugh while Seija starts walking, hands behind her head and elbows up in a laid-back fashion.

Hmmm…

They head out for the concert grounds, both full of anticipation.

Twenty minutes of flying is filled with going over what to do should they find Sumireko or Hatate.

“I figure if we’re shrunk down and have the girl hide us we can hear Hatate’s words for ourselves,” the amanojaku explains. She wears her not-so-trusty hat disguise.

Shin, small and in her bowl, replies, “I’m assuming you want to do that to avoid Sumireko potentially forgetting or embellishing details?”

“Yep. It also doesn’t need to be both us if the concert’s started and you’d-”

“You can stop right there. We experience it together or not at all.”

Should’ve known better than to try and convince her otherwise.

By the time the duo arrives, a large crowd has formed in front of the newly built stage, which is empty barring a drum set. The crowd itself is a mix of humans and youkai, though the former group does not seem to notice how many youkai are among them. A few kappa-run stalls stand a dozen meters from either side, selling snacks and drinks but not tickets.

“My bet is that Choujuu Gigaku refused to have tickets be sold,” says Shin as she and Seija dive into the woods opposite the stage so they can sneak in without notice. “They’re literally a roadside band, after all. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Prismriver Ensemble settled on a compromise with them of letting the kappa set up concessions and splitting the profits.”

“If it means being caught can’t get us in trouble for trespassing, I’ll take it- Is that Reisen?”

Shin directs her gaze to where Seija’s is and sees the restless moon rabbit pacing back and forth a few meters from the bush they hide behind. She is not wearing her suit and skirt but instead peddler attire of a loose top with a shirt underneath, baggy pants that stop a bit past the knee, and a sash around her waist. Both arms and legs are wrapped tightly and she wears a hat similar to Seija’s on her head. One of her ears slightly juts out on her right side seemingly without her noticing, which is what allowed Seija to identify her.

“That’s the disguise she wears when selling Eientei’s medicine in the village,” says Shin. “She must’ve come here after her shift ended.”

For someone as high-strung as her, these kinds of concerts must be a form of stress relief.

Once Reisen has moved on, Seija says, “We should avoid her. She’ll be extra wary of us given-”

“Get down!” Shin whispers, prompting the amanojaku to drop.

“-ank you again for agreeing to this, dearie,” says a certain refined voice nearby.

“I still don’t get why Raiko sent you to contact me,” a gruff and casual voice responds. “You said live music wasn’t your cup of tea last time we teamed up.”

That’s Mamizou and Mokou. So the hag was this ‘acquaintance’ Mokou mentioned.

“I’ll explain that later, for now I want to keep my involvement discreet,” Mamizou continues. “You’re not the type to ask too many questions or divulge secrets, so I went to you.”

“Hmph, fair enough. I got an invitation to come not long after you asked, so it worked out.”

“Sumireko, I assume? Is she here already?”

That question catches the duo’s attention more than anything else said.

Mokou nods. “Yeah, I ran into her in the village as I was leaving and we got here together about ten minutes ago. We went to get some takoyaki but she was held up by Hatate, if you know her. That reporter said she had questions about the differences between concerts in the outside world and Gensokyo.”

Seija and Shin share a bewildered expression.

Is that really why Hatate’s interviewing Sumireko? We need to find them!

“Well, as someone who lived in the outside world until recently…” Mamizou’s words fade as she and Mokou continue walking.

“If I shrink you down, it might take us too long to reach Sumireko,” says Shin.

Going around might work but would make our approach way too obvious. The crowd is the best cover we have.

“I’ll have to make a break for it, hold on.” Lowering her hat, Seija emerges from the bush as discreetly as she can and power walks east while Shin clams up in her bowl for Seija to carry. It takes roughly half a minute to push through the crowd without drawing attention, but she finally sees the stall ahead. However, upon arrival, neither Sumireko nor Hatate are anywhere to be seen.

Oh great. Did they already move on?

The amanojaku takes a brisk walk around the stalls and is still unable to see them.

“Wait, aren’t there stalls on both sides of the stage?” Shin whispers, peeking through her bowl.

“Shoot, you’re right. I’ll go- oof!”

“Ow!”

Post-impact, the duo sees a young woman on the ground. She is wearing an inexpensive and simple orange kimono and a bandanna tied around her head that covers most of her hair.

“Are you okay?!” the woman’s companion worriedly asks, kneeling down to check on her. This young lady has a red and white checkered-pattern kimono. Her light red hair and bell hair ornaments immediately give her identity away.

Kosuzu? I didn’t immediately recognize the other one, but is that-

“Do I know you…?” the woman Seija bumped into muses, looking up at her. From the ground, she can easily see Seija’s face and hair beneath the hat, including the distinguishable white and red streaks; however, this does not include the horns. “Now I recall, it was at the dango festival. You were the crowd member Mamizou called up. I didn’t notice it back then, but you unmistakably have the aura of a youkai.”

This has to be Akyuu. Her memory is really something else. At least she doesn’t realize my exact identity.

“A-a youkai?!” Kosuzu yelps. Her squeal attracts a few glances from nearby humans and a few kappa.

These two are gonna ruin everything!

“Oh get up!” says Seija, grabbing Akyuu’s hand and pulling her to her feet. “Yes, I’m a youkai, but so are dozens of others here. I’m sure you know all about that, Hieda no Akyuu.”

“How do you-”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m just here to see a concert, no harmful intent.”

Akyuu’s eyes narrow. “You’re certainly acting much more suspicious than other youkai here.” She points to Seija’s hand. “Why are you carrying around that small bowl?”

“If we’re asking questions, why are you hiding your identity? I know an attempted disguise when I see one. Is it above your prestigious station to be seen at a concert meant for the common folk?”

“T-that’s…”

“Uh, okay, maybe we should all calm down,” Kosuzu chimes in.

Very rich coming from you.

The bookkeeper continues. “You just want to enjoy the concert, right? So do we. We can pretend we didn’t see each other and move along.”

The girl seems more informed about how Gensokyo works than I gave her credit for. Makes sense considering who she associates with.

“Fine by me,” says Seija. “I won’t tell anyone the esteemed Child of Miare was here and no one will know about your little rendezvous.”

“One of those things isn’t even a secr-”

“That’s enough, Kosuzu,” says Akyuu. “Let’s get the food we came for.”

Kosuzu nods, locking her right arm with Akyuu’s left and hurriedly moving on.

Shin pops out of her bowl slightly. “That was close.”

“She knows my face now and she’s not one to forget.”

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s find Sumireko!”

Seija lets out a grunt of affirmation before starting the minute long ordeal of forcing her way through to the other side of the crowd. This time, no problematic collisions occur and she reaches the concert grounds’ other stalls without issue.

Now where… there!

As Mokou described, Sumireko is being interviewed by Hatate in a remote spot at the farthest point of the concession area. Hatate’s back is to the crowd while Sumireko has yet to notice Seija.

“Found her. I’ll swing around so you can shrink me and-”

A small flash comes from where the interview is taking place. The next moment, Hatate turns around and dashes to Seija with a tengu’s nearly unmatched speed.

“Hey there,” says the reporter with a simper.

“Whoa!” yells Seija, though not loud enough to attract much attention. “W-what are you-”

“I think we should have a chat, Seija Kijin. Or do you want me to blow the lid off of your Lunar Capital plan?”

The amanojaku’s face turns three shades paler, though the dusk lighting of the area makes it unnoticeable. In her hands, Shin’s bowl subtly shivers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seija says, her lying skills honed from a lifetime of practice.

“You saying that means you know exactly what I’m talking about. I really think it’d be in everyone’s best interest if you heard me out. Sumireko doesn’t know anything, I just asked her random questions to buy time. Speaking of…”

“Wait, where are you going?” the bespectacled girl calls out, catching up to Hatate. “Weren’t you still asking me questions? And what was that photo you just took?”

“Very sorry about that, I needed you to help draw her out,” Hatate says while pointing to Seija.

“Who’s… Is that you, Sei- mmf!” Sumireko’s words are halted by the tengu putting a hand over her mouth.

“No need to cause a panic by saying her name too loudly. Many here have heard of her.”

“What’s your game, crow?” Seija asks.

“I already told you. And Sumireko, legitimately, sorry. I don’t like having to do something this underhanded. Let me talk with her alone.”

Once Hatate’s hand is taken off, Sumireko says, “Part of me doesn’t like how shady this is, but I have to admit I’m intrigued! I’ll back off for now, but one of you better tell me what’s going on later!”

Always upbeat with her head in the clouds.

The Secret Sealing Club president walks off. Hatate wordlessly leads Seija to behind the farthest stall near the woods. The concert starts in fourteen minutes.

“I know Shin’s hiding in the bowl so she can come out too,” Hatate says matter-of-factly.

“Tch,” Seija sneers. She opens the bowl, however no one is inside.

“What? Where-”

Shin, human-size, pounces from the bush behind Hatate, covering her mouth in a similar fashion to what the tengu did to Sumireko moments earlier. As the inchling is still only a little more than three-fifths of Hatate's size, she wraps her legs around the tengu’s waist and pulls them back into the bush. Seija follows-up by knocking Hatate to the ground and slowly dragging her away from the stalls by the legs while Shin continues to restrain the arms and mouth. Hatate, for her part, willingly does not struggle.

She shouldn’t have taken her eyes off us.

Once there is sufficient distance between them and the nearest pair of prying eyes, Seija says, “We’ll be the ones asking questions. Shin’s gonna take her hand off when it’s time for you to answer. Oh but please do try calling for help, I’m sure it’ll work out for you. Now first, tell us what your goal is.”

“No wonder no one likes you, my outfit’s covered in dirt,” says Hatate the moment Shin lets her speak. “My goal is what it’s always been: to report on current events and publish articles that are beneficial to Gensokyo.”

“So what you’re saying is you want us to tie you up and leave you in a random neck of the woods.”

“I’m being sincere. Believe me, I hate that I’ve had to exert this much effort already. I’ve never been the outdoors type and honestly prefer to let my camera do most of the work for me.”

Seems like she’s telling the truth.

“Do you even know how absurd the workloads put on tengu can be?” Hatate continues. “Conducting an independent investigation like this on top of churning out stories to fill the paper doesn’t leave me much free time.”

“We’re not exactly feeling sympathetic, sorry to say,” Shin responds.

The reporter sighs. “I wouldn’t expect you to, that was the risk I took going into this. Look, deny it all you want, I know what I know. And I easily could have let the whole world know about your intentions before now.”

“You’re still going on about this thing, yet we have no idea what you’re talking about,” says Seija.

“If you wanna keep playing dumb, fine. Just know that I already asked colleagues to publish a story I made detailing every last event you two have been involved in the past few weeks, from Eientei to the dango festival to being here tonight. It also makes sure to describe your Lunar Capital plan in vivid detail. The only way to stop it is if I go back and retract the story before tomorrow morning.”

Seija clenches her fist. Shin glances up at her, a serious look on her face.

“That’s really interesting but doesn’t explain why you’ve orchestrated this meeting.”

“I set this all up to tell you that I want you to succeed.”

Of all the answers Hatate could have given, the duo is not prepared for that one.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shin demands to know.

“Exactly what I said. The Lunar Capital is a threat to Gensokyo’s well-being. You two destabilizing it even slightly means we have less to worry about. They play a defensive game. A long game. If they realize there was even the slightest breach in their security, they’ll spend who knows how long turtling up to make sure it never happens again.”

“Part of me has a hard time believing you're this altruistic,” says Seija.

“Thanks for the compliment. If you’ve gotta think about it in terms of what I gain, I’ll be the first to report on it and the resulting traffic will drive up sales for Kakashi Spirit News. Gensokyo benefits, I benefit, and you get what you want. That good enough?”

Really? That’s why she never reported on Eientei, to help us stay under the radar?

“…Let her go Shin.”

“You sure?” the inchling asks.

“Yeah.” Once Hatate stands back up and finishes wiping the muck of her skirt, Seija asks, “When did you start keeping tabs on us?”

“Almost overloading a nuclear reactor would alert any competent reporter,” Hatate explains. “Your plan was executed, exposed, and foiled the same day, so both Aya and I were left picking up the pieces of what happened and putting it in our papers. Then we were pressured to leave out details regarding the Komeijis’ involvement-”

Satori likely didn’t want Koishi’s role in that to become widespread knowledge.

“-which left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll be the first to admit I’d rather lounge around than break my back trying to figure out what others like Yukari, Satori, or Reimu are thinking, but I have pride in my work. And since you two were at the center of it last time, I decided to be proactive this go around once you were released from Former Hell community service. Gotta admit, you waste no time getting to work.”

Shin cannot help but chuckle hearing that. “Can’t let one loss keep us down.”

“I honestly admire the level of determination both of you show, shame you’re usually so destructive with it.”

“Do you even know who you’re talking to?” Seija says, placing a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, an amanojaku and an inchling maintaining and even thriving in a partnership. Can you blame me for wondering if it’s possible for you to change?”

A spark flashes in Seija’s mind. In Hatate’s place, she sees an exhausted half-phantom who struggles to stay on her feet. Instead of a forest, they stand on a raised metal grate with orange light glowing beneath them.

“Amanojaku aren’t meant to be liked or appreciated!”

“You get along well with Shin despite your words… If you finally have someone to call a partner, why do all of this?”

The memory passes. Looking at Hatate square in the eye, Seija declares, “You just don’t get it. You don’t see the world the way we do.”

“Guess not,” says the reporter with a shrug. “Regardless, at least this time, your efforts are directed at a target I can agree needs to be knocked down some pegs. But I don’t think Eientei should be harmed either. Their medicine is a major boon to many who live here.”

“Did you know we’d be there or was that a coincidence?”

“Thoughtography is reactive, not proactive. I can use it to get random snippets of your day-to-day lives, but that’s not much. Plus I’m limited by being unable to hear what you’re saying, only vague notions of intention. I found out you were behind the dango festival mishap and about your scuffle with Sekibanki’s gang, but that didn’t give me anything to work with. Then you happened to be at Eientei at the same time I was doing some obligatory field work and I got a lead.”

“So you got lucky.”

“True enough. From there the pieces fell into place. I overheard that Mokou was covering for you and I know you have a sample of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir in your castle. I found out soon after that the last time the elixir was used was to combat the Lunarians, which means that’s what you intend-”

“Wait, hold on. What are you talking about? We had no idea what it was used for, we just took the thing cause it looked important and potentially useful. Marisa’s explanation is when we found out what it did, same as you.”

Hatate tilts her head. “Really? But that doesn’t add up at all. If the Lunar Capital is your objective, why else would you infiltrate Eientei but to steal the best means of fighting Lunarians?”

Shin, whose arms have been crossed for a while as she thinks, speaks up and says, “There’s a misunderstanding here. We went to Eientei to get information, the elixir was a happy accident.”

This idiot reporter was right for the wrong reasons.

“We need to figure out how to get to the stupid place,” says Seija. “Our entire reason for the Eientei raid was to find out how to do that.”

“Back up for a second.” Shin rests her head on her left hand. “What was your full reasoning for thinking we were going to the Moon?”

“The fact you were at Eientei is what first gave me the idea. Next I researched the elixir and uncovered its intended purpose, which firmly planted the idea in my head. Putting ‘Lunar Capital’ into my camera as a key phrase along with your names produced results and showed the two of you having what appeared to be serious discussions, so I knew it was a topic you were thinking about. That was when I was certain. The fact you were so worried about me not publishing an article about Eientei also reinforced your desire to avoid premature exposure.”

“A logical misstep that let you reach the truth,” Seija says with a twisted smirk. “A contradiction in deduction if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Fitting given the subject matter,” Hatate admits.

“This is making my head hurt,” says Shin.

All three stand in a circle, unsure what to cover next. Seija is about to ask another question when they hear a distant BOOM.

Huh?

“FIRE! THERE’S A FIRE!” a voice shouts.

What?!

They run back to the stalls to see smoke rising from behind the stage. Over a hundred humans and youkai are in the area, so the resulting hysteria creates congestion in foot traffic. Seija spies Nitori forging a path through the panicking crowd with a crew of four kappa.

Someone who can summon and control water can handle a-

The smoke behind the stage is replaced with a full-on eruption of flame. It has not reached the stage or concert grounds yet, but is spreading fast in all directions. A small forest’s worth of kindling could keep it going for many hours.

This isn’t our problem, we need to get out of here!

“Shin, let’s-” When Seija turns to Shin, she sees a horrified expression on the inchling’s face. The amanojaku grits her teeth.

She’s been wanting to see this with me so badly…

“Grr… AGH!” Seija yells before she files straight up.

“Where are you going?!” asks a shocked Shin.

“To help stop this fire! Now get to safety!”

Seija does not wait for a response. She finds Nitori’s group near the stage’s right side, shooting huge streams of water to slow the blaze’s spread.

They’re undermanned. If they hold position then the fire might not reach the stage, but it could spread to the stalls and entrap any humans still stuck here. Not to mention the rest of the forest behind it all. Whichever way it goes, the concert will be canceled.

The stage’s main platform is adjacent to what is best described as a large tent in the back. Stairs connect them but a performer would not be visible from behind or above the tent. Seija notes a large burnt hole in the back side.

Are the Prismriver Ensemble and Choujuu Gigaku still in there? They need to get out!

She flies down, avoiding the kappa’s line of sight, and peeks into the tent. Mokou lies on the ground, the front of her body and especially face scuffed and lightly burned. Merlin Prismriver is currently on her knees tending to the immortal. The musician wears a short-sleeved black shirt with black pants that reach her shins and heeled boots, a leather overskirt surrounding the sides and back of said pants. Her light blue hair is tied back with a tuft loose over the right side of her head. There are noticeable skid marks on the ground that line up with Mokou’s likely trajectory and a dent in the metal framing behind them that is part of the stage.

What happened to her…? Ugh, now’s not the time!

“Yo, musicians!” Seija shouts, letting herself be seen. “There’s a fire, get out of here!”

“Who are you?” Merlin asks.

“This really isn’t the best time for questions!”

“I’m the only one here! My sisters and Raiko went to help evacuate people while Kyouko and Mystia are fighting the fire!”

The hell’s a pair of musicians gonna do?

“Alright. If you need to, don’t feel bad about leaving that woman behind. She’s got a knack for surviving things.”

Seija does not stick around to answer more of Merlin’s questions. However, the fire has yet to spread as far as she expected it would. That is when she notices bluish transparent barriers forming on all sides.

I’ve seen these before… Kyouko’s sound reflection! Sound travels along the air, so if she’s able to block sound, she can also limit airflow! It’s not a true vacuum, but that will help starve the fire!

In the sky above the fire is Kyouko, in her Choujuu Gigaku leather jacket and shades, focusing to maintain the barrier. Every time a lick of flame escapes her area of coverage, she expands it to compensate. Smoke rising from the fire is also lessened by the barrier, but the sheer amount lets some leak out, resulting in her frequently coughing.

She can’t keep that up forever, though. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to stop.

Another pair of trees alights on the left side.

“Fan out and support Kyouko!” Nitori shouts from nearby. “Anything that gets out of her range is our prime responsibility! That way the fire can burn itself out!”

They’re fighting a defensive battle. What can I do from here?

Seija takes a moment to reconsider. She sees kappa scrambling to shoot water, Kyouko up above, and even other youkai like Mamizou and Reisen showing up with buckets of water, the former directing a swarm of tanuki to do the same. After that is Mystia, who is commanding random assortments of birds and insects to work together and bring yet more water.

Starving the fire’s a good idea, but whatever started it definitely has a lot of fuel to burn judging by the temperature. That’s the main source of heat and killing it will help snuff out the rest. Depending on how rooted it is…

“There you are!” Shin calls out. Seija turns and finds her partner and Hatate touching down next to her. “We can do this together, do you have a plan?”

“…You’re right, sorry. And I do. You two go find Nitori and tell her to prepare a massive burst of water directed where Kyouko is. Hatate’s credibility should help. Shin, try to amplify Nitori’s burst with your mallet.”

Shin nods. “I won’t be able to safely maintain that for long, so whatever you do make sure it’s fast.”

“You’ll know when it’s time to shoot. I’m gonna overturn the source!” says Seija, making pointing gestures with her hands.

“Honestly didn’t expect to fight a fire with an amanojaku anytime in my life,” Hatate muses.

Everyone springs into action. Rocketing upward, Seija goes next to Kyouko and says, “We have a plan to kill this blaze! Get out of the way when I say to!”

Under normal circumstances, Kyouko would question what Seija is talking about, but holding this fire back requires immense concentration. All she can offer is an affirming nod.

After taking a deep breath, Seija shouts, “Now! Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!” The spell card, in this case, is a misnomer as Seija chooses to affect only a narrow area: the center of the fire and everything in a vertical line above it within a radius of five meters. She and Kyouko back up as various pieces of debris fall. At first only ash and dead branches plummet into the sky, but a moment later a dozen barrels meant to hold flammable liquid fall out. One leaks the substance their mostly fireproof exteriors hold and is engulfed such that it is akin to a fireball. Along with those are two boxes of fireworks volatilely sparking. Once all these containers are clearly in sight, a gigantic stream of water shoots from Nitori’s position; Seija can make out Shin and her glowing Miracle Mallet next to the kappa. The blast drenches every container, putting out their flames and sparks while killing any chance of them igniting again. The roughly seventy degree angle Nitori shot her attack at combines with the reversed gravity of Seija’s spell card, making much of the water spurt out in various directions. While it does not cover everything, it douses much of the fire.

Perfect! That one barrel leaked and somehow the fireworks were set off, causing a chain reaction in the woods. Those other eleven barrels were still fine but half-melted; if they had given out this would’ve gotten way out of hand.

This joint effort makes Seija’s presence known to the other youkai present, as her hat was lost in the aftermath of her spell card. Even from a distance, she can see Reisen’s mixture of confusion and annoyance as well as Mamizou’s indulgent chuckling.

Can’t believe I just did a public service. Disgusting.

Yet the fire, while greatly reduced, refuses to die despite the group's progress. They all prepare to double down and finish it off, however Seija notices a red light emitting from the area where the boxes were.

I’ve seen that shade of red recently… No way!

A red laser blasts out of the forest, past Seija and Kyouko. The Sun finished setting while the fire-fighting was progressing, so the laser lights up the night sky. Seconds later, a small and localized bundle of clouds form and it begins raining over the fire. That rain, in tandem with everyone's continued efforts, finally ends the blaze. Seija and Kyouko fly down to meet their respective groups.

Nitori approaches Seija and says, “I don’t know why you chose to help us, but thanks.”

“Save it,” the amanojaku responds. “I didn’t do it for any of you.”

“Let’s leave well enough alone, dearie,” says Mamizou, her dignified tone betrayed by her disheveled appearance following the ordeal. “Though these aren’t the circumstances I expected to meet you in next.”

“I would’ve been happy not to meet her again at all…” mumbles Reisen, arms crossed and ears droopy.

Shin goes to stand next to her partner. “Mystia took Kyouko to the backstage tent to rest. I overheard them say that they intend to go through with the performance once the rest of the ensemble is back.”

“I sent my crew to inform everyone that the fire’s out,” Nitori explains. “We likely lost a few customers, but it’s not like they paid for tickets anyway. I imagine some of them will find the whole thing, I believe the term is, ‘metal’?”

“Is no one gonna check on the person who saved the day?!” shouts an annoyed voice from within the charred trees. All present look to the source and see Tenshi, her outfit burned in fifty different spots. She, however, is no worse for wear. In her arms is Shion, who is clinging to Tenshi tightly.

“Why were you in there?!” an exasperated Shin asks.

“It’s an interesting stor-”

“We got into a fight which started the fire,” says Mokou, who arrived without anyone noticing.

“This, uh, isn’t quite what I meant by ‘pyrotechnics’ you know,” says Mamizou.

“Oh I didn’t use my abilities near the containers, I’m not an idiot like some people. I went to check on them since it was almost time when I saw those two snooping around. Shorty drew her sword and took a swing, but tripped and hit one of the fireworks boxes.”

Nitori says, “We supplied the band with twelve barrels of lighter fluid for the stage’s built-in sparklers, which Mokou would light, and three boxes of fireworks for the end of the performance.”

“But only two boxes came out with the barrels earlier,” Seija responds.

“Then you see the problem,” Mokou continues. “When her sword hit the box, it sparked. She had opened it while she was messing around and that spark lit some fuses. We tried to stop them, but then all the fireworks in it exploded outright.” 

“Those fireworks all have fail-safes!” Nitori counters. “You’re telling me an entire box’s worth exploded prematurely? The odds of that happening are astronomically low-”

Shion sneezes. Seija, Shin, Hatate, Nitori, Reisen, Mamizou, and Mokou all stare directly at the poverty god Tenshi carries. The celestial mouths, “Don’t you dare.”

“Anyway…” says Mokou after multiple agonizing seconds, “the box explosion happened right in my face. Specifically, one firework got loose and hit me in the face. It both dazed and knocked me back quite a ways. If that had hit someone more fragile, they’d have been down for the count a while.”

Explains why she was sprawled out in the tent earlier.

Tenshi walks over and sets Shion down. “As for me, the explosion launched me into one of those liquid holding things. My sword was still active and pierced it.”

Which, of course, is also obscenely unlucky.

“So much for the planned fireworks show and all the fuel for the pyrotechnic devices. Only the fog machine can be used now,” says Nitori. “And of course Raiko was our first customer to actually buy the insurance package…”

Reisen says, “Can’t Mokou still-”

“Consider me retired after this disaster,” Mokou interrupts.

“After that,” Tenshi continues, “sparks were flying from the fireworks and one touched the fluid, igniting the grass and soon everything else. Shion and I were stuck in the fire. If it was just me I could withstand it enough to get out and experience minimal pain, but Shion doesn’t have that luxury.”

Mamizou pushes up her glasses. “A god, even one of poverty, wouldn’t die from that. But at the same time, the experience certainly sounds less than pleasant.”

“So you stayed behind and covered her?” Hatate asks.

“Pretty much. I was preoccupied making sure she didn’t catch fire herself. Once the huge flame next to us was clear, it was safe to uncover her long enough to change the weather.”

“T-thank you so much…” Shion trails off.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. What’s a celestial if not someone who can handle anything?!” Tenshi declares with pride while puffing out her chest. Shion goes starry-eyed while everyone else’s eyes glaze over. The mystery is solved so the group splits off and starts shuffling back to the front of the stage. Mamizou, Mokou, and the duo all go in the same direction.

“I’m curious about something,” Shin says, scuttling next to Mamizou. “Why did you ask Mokou to help with the concert? And why are you here to begin with?”

“Kyouko lives and works at Myouren Temple, which I frequent,” says Mamizou. She takes a puff of her pipe. “Byakuren doesn’t approve of her moonlighting as a vocalist, but leaving her alone doesn’t feel right. The dear’s a nice girl who’s usually rather timid. Seems wrong to deny her the ability to let off stress and bring some joy to others, even if I don’t really get it. So I took the unilateral measure of approaching Raiko about the idea of them teaming up.”

“You’re the reason this collaboration happened?!”

Mamizou holds a finger to her mouth and winks. “Not so loud, little missy. The Prismriver Ensemble is a respectable group. If Kyouko is working with them, even if the style is still a bit ‘punkish,’ that reflects well on her and adds legitimacy to her hobby. Raiko was interested since Kyouko and Mystia already have an underground following. Once I offered Mokou’s services and some help with procuring outside world music technology, she was sold.”

“I’m not a bargaining chip,” Mokou mumbles in front of them.

Mamizou whispers so only Shin and Seija can hear, “I knew Sumireko would be all over this concert if she heard about it. She helps Mokou see the joy in things more and Mokou looks out for her in turn, almost like sisters. And I have a feeling that shut-in might enjoy the show.”

So Raiko isn’t taking advantage of them, it’s all in good faith. Boooooooooooring.

“You’re way too nice for a ‘trickster,’” Seija says mockingly.

“Try not to lose all the good will you gained earlier so fast,” says Mamizou with a sly grin. “That good will could help you pull the rug out from under everyone later.”

“Giving me advice now?”

“Just saying what I would do in your position, dearie. Take it as you will.” With that she waves goodbye and fades into the reforming crowd.

Nearly everyone who was evacuated slowly pours back in, including Kosuzu and Akyuu; both are too far away to notice Seija, however. A few people do give her a weird look, be they youkai who have read the paper or the occasional human who notices her horns, but no one bothers her.

This feels so wrong.

“There you are Mokou!” Sumireko rushes to the immortal. “I was being interviewed but then Seija showed up and then I was alone but then I had to evacuate because of the fire and-”

Mokou places her right hand on Sumireko’s shoulder. “Calm down, Sumi. I’ll explain what happened later. Let’s get closer to the stage, yeah?”

“Oh, sure!”

They go to the front of the stage, though Mokou makes a thumbs-up with a hand behind her back as they walk away.

That supposed to be a thank you?

“Well, you helped save the concert,” says Shin. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m gonna puke since I just did what many perceive as a good deed,” Seija replies, legitimately sickened.

“Then why did you do it?”

“I’m sure you can figure it out.”

Shin tilts her head but then comes to a realization. She immediately hugs her partner. The amanojaku stands stiff but eventually puts a hand on the back of the shorter girl’s head. Her feeling of disgust in the pit of her stomach is replaced by a different yet familiar sensation.

Still not sure what to call this feeling… 

Around them, the crowd starts cheering when Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble step out from backstage; the stage lights up via the spotlights built into it and the fog machine activates to make their entrance dramatic. The three sisters all carry electronic instruments to pair with their signature ones floating above them: Lunasa holds a bass guitar, Merlin wields an electronic wind instrument, also referred to as an EWI, and Lyrica brandishes a keytar. 

Never seen those instruments before. Is that what Mamizou meant by ‘outside world music technology’? The thing Lunasa’s holding does remind me a bit of the weird guitar Mystia has.

All six youkai are wearing punk-style clothing, with Kyouko and Mystia decked out in their signature full-body leather jackets and black shades. Seija already saw Merlin’s themed outfit, but examines Lunasa and Lyrica’s for the first time. Lunasa wears a graphic t-shirt, open leather jacket, a plaid red skirt with a chain on her left side and matching miniature top hat, black leggings with intersecting white lines, and black laced boots. Lyrica’s outfit consists of a black brimmed hat, closed leather jacket, fingerless gloves, shorts with a chain on her right side, knee-high socks, and ankle-high black shoes.

“HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT?!” Raiko yells into a microphone. Her costume includes a black collared button-up with a square maroon tie, leather pants with black straps, studded bracelets, and black laced boots similar to Lunasa’s. “All of us up here want to express our sincerest gratitude to you all for sticking around after that unfortunate accident. Thanks to the brave efforts of various volunteers as well as your own Choujuu Gigaku,” she pauses to allow the audience to cheer, “the fire’s been safely put out! The show must go on and you better be ready, cause our music will melt this place down faster than any blaze! However, while I apparently have a reputation as something of a spotlight stealer,” a few audience members, and even Merlin and Lyrica on stage, laugh, “I’m not the star tonight. This collaboration is meant to celebrate a synthesis of our two groups and the beauty apparent in any musical style!” The crowd applauds. “Kyouko has a few words for you as well.”

The yamabiko takes Raiko’s place at the microphone as the latter moves to a black drum set behind them. She adjusts her shades and says, “I hope you don’t mind the lack of a light show tonight, but honestly I don’t think we need it. Choujuu Gigaku was founded as a down-to-earth duo that lets anyone who listens bear their soul, isn’t that right?!” The audience shouts in agreement. “Normally I’m the only one singing, but thanks to Lyrica’s abilities, Mystia will be able to sing with me tonight!” There are murmurs in the crowd among those who know what Mystia’s singing can do. “She’s been wanting to sing for you a long time, so please give her a chance! The six of us have practiced together before and can guarantee there aren’t any adverse side effects… ASIDE FROM ROCKING OUT! ARE YOU ALL READY?!” The sheer volume and energy emanating from Kyouko alleviates the crowd’s worry instantly. Even Seija feels a degree of excitement. “PLAY US OFF, RAIKO!”

“ONE, TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR!” Raiko yells in time with the clicking of her drumsticks.

They start off with a song that is intense right from the outset, with a fierce drum beat and all six instruments the Prismrivers are playing going wild. Once the intro is over, Kyouko and Mystia start singing, the latter also joining the others with her guitar; their lyrics mirror each other in a call and response fashion:

“EV'RY DAY IT HAPPENS!”

“PUT DOWN FOR OUR PASSIONS!”

“TOLD TO QUIT YET AGAIN!”

“WE ASK OURSELVES, WHAT THEN?!”

"THEY'LL ALL COME TO PROMOTE!"

"'BEHAVE, DON'T ROCK THE BOAT!'"

"'IT'S NOT SAFE, YOU'RE TOO SMALL!'"

"'THAT'S NATURE, AFTER ALL!'"

"BUT IF THEY SAY WE'RE BRATS!"

"WE SAY TO HELL WITH THAT!"

"SO WE'VE GOT JUST ONE CHOICE!"

"WHICH WE'LL SHOUT WITH ONE VOICE!"

Mystia runs over to Kyouko so that they share a microphone, mere centimeters between their faces. They begin singing in unison:

"WE'LL SHOW OUR DEFIANCE!"

"WE'LL TEAR DOWN OUR SILENCE!"

“WE’LL BEAR OUR VERY SOULS!”

“WE’LL DECIDE OUR OWN ROLES!”

Right on cue with the music, Nitori flies over the crowd and drops dozens of glow sticks for people to hold. Shin snags one, though she has to hop to even see the band from within the crowd.

“Shrink yourself down, I’ve got an idea,” Seija yells, as that is the only way Shin can hear her.

“Alright!”

Once she is inchling-sized, Seija picks Shin up and places her partner on her shoulder. “Better?”

“Absolutely!” Shin holds the glow stick, which is now as tall as she is, above her head and waves it. Seija ensures she does not fall over. Both of them really get into the show after that. In front of them, Seija makes out Mokou waving her own glow stick with passion.

"WE'RE THE YOUKAI AT THE GATE!" Kyouko belts out.

"NOT JUST LITTLE REPROBATES!" sings Mystia, smiling ear to ear.

"WE'LL BE GOIN' ALL NIGHT LONG!"

"YOU'LL BE DEAF BUT TO THE SONG!"

Kyouko shouts, “CAN YOU HEAR US GENSOKYO?!”

The audience erupts in a unified cheer while Mamizou smiles from within the trees. Everyone there raises a hand in the air, from Reisen to Sumireko and Mokou to Seija and Shin. Shion is happy to be there while Tenshi admits to herself there might be merit to the surface’s music after all. Even the normally reserved Akyuu is able to cut loose along with Kosuzu. For the next three hours, all that exists in this portion of Gensokyo is music.

“My head’s ringing…” says Seija, sprawled out next to her and Shin’s dining table minutes after getting back to the castle.

“Isn’t it a great feeling?!” the inchling responds.

“Heh. Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“Same to you. I still can’t believe we got the bands’ autographs for helping with the fire!” Shin cheers, clutching the frame she has already put the signed parchment in. All six signatures from Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble are scrawled on it.

“Quite the fangirl over here.”

“Just imagine I’m Sagume and you can be the same.”

“Urgh…”

“But really,” says Shin, turning to Seija, “thank you. You helping with the fire for my sake, despite how much you hate helping others, means more than I can express.”

“You don’t have to remind me.”

I still feel awful I did something like that, yet Shin being this happy actually manages to outweigh that somehow. Honestly not sure why I feel that way. Shin’s my partner, sure, but this is extremely unlike me.

“Seija, I, um…” Shin trails off, as though she is building up the courage to say something.

“Yeah?”

“…I, er, uh, did you wanna open that letter Hatate gave you before we left?”

“Oh, sure,” says Seija. She whips out a folded piece of paper and reads aloud the contents. “‘I didn’t want to kill the mood, so I figured this was the best way to follow-up. You mentioned that your main roadblock was a way to reach the Lunar Capital. I’m not too privy on the details myself, but I know the Hell fairy Clownpiece was involved in the last invasion somehow. Back when I investigated that incident, Marisa mentioned meeting Clownpiece on the Moon. She currently lives under Hakurei Shrine if you want to find her. Good luck, you’ll need it.’”

“I remember her, she was one of the youkai I enlisted for the fireworks festival plan.”

That squirt has a lot of potential for chaos with her torch. If she has experience getting to the Moon, we can make good use of her.

Seija keeps reading the paper. “There’s more. ‘P. S. - Aya was snooping around tonight. She definitely knows that you two got involved with putting out the fire and might speculate that you're up to something, so be on the lookout for that.’”

“Of course she was,” says Shin. “Still, I’m surprised with how things turned out with Hatate. Her articles have always been more progressive than Aya’s, but this is going far with who she’s willing to work with. If her connection to us is exposed, she could end up in major trouble.”

“I’m sure she knows that,” Seija replies. “And she knows that we know that. Likely part of her plan to make us believe she won’t rat us out.”

“Well? Do you believe that?”

“For the moment. We can deal with her if she turns out to be a problem, but I won’t turn down tips from someone with access to the tengu's information network.”

The anticipation on Shin’s face is palpable. “This is getting big. If we can pull this off…”

“Yep. This past week’s been eventful, but break time’s over! Tomorrow, we restart our efforts!” Seija orders, holding out a fist.

Shin meets that fist with her own. “And no one can stop us!”

Chapter Text

Naught but the late autumn breeze can be heard at Hakurei Shrine. No souls to be seen on either the deck or the grounds; the only motion beyond rustling trees is the late afternoon Sun subtly changing the lighting of the area over time. Hidden in the nearby woods, Seija and Shin wait with bated breath.

Is she really not here?

The duo previously spent much of the day going over anti-Reimu maneuvers, up to and including running away.

“You think she’s lazing around again?” Shin asks quietly.

“If she is then we need to draw her out so we can look for Clownpiece,” Seija replies.

“Assuming we even do that successfully, what happens when Reimu comes back while we’re searching?”

They stare at each other and sigh.

Even with all our planning, there’s no clean way of dealing with Reimu if it comes to a fight. A numbers advantage doesn’t mean much when we’re against her, though my leg isn’t bothering me anymore so we’ll be fighting at full capacity. Avoiding a confrontation altogether is ideal since seeing us might tip her off about how we’re up to something bigger. Either way, I’m gonna lose my mind if we keep sitting here doing nothing.

Seija starts, “Shrink yourself down and get a closer-”

Mischievous giggling near the shrine interrupts the amanojaku’s strategy. Turning to the source, the duo sees four fairies loitering near the shrine’s entrance; Clownpiece’s red, white, and blue star-spangled outfit and hat loudly announce her presence.

She just saved us the trouble of looking for her; those other three with her are the Fairies of Light. If they’re being this brazen, Reimu must be gone.

“We should approach them,” says Shin. “Maybe playing along with whatever they’re scheming will get us on their good side to the point of Clownpiece helping us.”

“Or we force her to spill the beans.”

“That can be our backup plan. First, though, I’ll try asking outright to make this quick.”

They leave the woods and reveal themselves, replacing Clownpiece and her companions’ jovial mood with an inquisitive one. The fairies huddle up and whisper to each other.

“They do know we can see them, yeah?” Seija asks.

Shin nods. “Sunny, Luna, and Star’s abilities could let them easily escape, so we need to play nice or we risk scaring them off.”

She’s right. The bright-eyed one can manipulate light, allowing her to render anyone invisible among other uses.

To the right of Clownpiece in the huddle stands Sunny Milk, her light reddish-brown hair adorned with two red ribbons on either side and a white maid-like hairband. Her red and white dress features various frills, more red ribbons on the sleeves, and a yellow neckerchief; the black sandals on her feet make the white socks they are paired with plainly visible. Vibrant blue eyes complete the eager and happy look, fitting her visible excitement in the fairies’ discussion.

If I recall correctly, the one with blonde hair styled in curls is able to mute any noise she chooses.

On Clownpiece’s left is Luna Child. A flowing white dress with a black trim at the bottom, decorated with black bows down the middle, a larger one at her neck, and an even bigger one on her back, covers her from neck to shin. On her head is a matching white beret and yet more black ribbons while her feet feature a pair of white slippers. The red eyes on her face are slightly squinted, indicating a degree of trepidation.

And the purple spacey one basically acts as a walking radar. Surprised she didn’t notice us sooner with how close we were.

Star Sapphire stands across Clownpiece and completes the circle. Black hair with a purple bow on top drapes halfway down her back. The main body of her dress is purple while the top, sleeves, and bottom frill are all white. Two bands go around her waist where the dress’ bottom layer begins. This fairy’s footwear of choice is tall brown boots. Her grey eyes fully sell the almost other-worldly appearance as she occasionally nods at what her friends are saying.

The group finishes their meeting and faces the visitors. Clownpiece, speaking for the fairies, says, “It’s been a while. Do you want my help with crashing another festival?”

“No, though we did come to find you,” Shin answers. “There’s something we want to know. Can you all promise you’ll keep this conversation to yourselves?”

“She’ll help you, but on one condition,” says Sunny. “Be a part of our group for a day!”

“Before we agree to that, do you know where Reimu is?” Seija interjects.

“She left around noon with Marisa somewhere,” Clownpiece explains. “Don’t know the details, but I did hear them mention they’re planning to come back by sundown. The sooner you do what we ask, the less likely it is she’ll catch you.”

Ha! I always felt this one was promising, but that’s quite an ultimatum.

Shrugging her shoulders, Seija says, “Alright, what’s our job?”

“Why are we playing hide and seek with fairies?” Seija asks Shin while they rummage through bushes and look behind trees around Hakurei Shrine.

“And here I thought you enjoyed seeing fairies do ‘great’ things,” Shin teases, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Enjoying yourself over there?”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just fun seeing you do something so, I dunno, trivial? Down to Earth? Not sure what word to use for it. Normally you’re so bombastic, making scenes everywhere you go. Even at home you talk a ton about your grand plans for uprooting the world.”

“Getting sick of me?”

“Quite the opposite, actually. I find your relentless drive motivating. That’s another reason why I wanted to help you reclaim your sense of purpose at the beginning of all this.”

Heh. I’m sure plenty of people would call me a bad influence on her.

An hour of searching comes and goes. Every nook and cranny at or near the shrine is empty. They both stretch their backs after another fruitless round of bending down to examine potential hiding spots in a neck of the woods to the back and right of the main grounds.

“We need a new strategy or we ain’t getting anywhere,” says Seija.

Shin twirls the Miracle Mallet in her left hand. “Neither of our abilities help us here, especially if we can’t see them.”

That’s assuming they’re all together, which wouldn’t be very sm- They’re definitely all together. I can picture them thinking sticking with Sunny would guarantee none of them are found. If we work off that assumption, Luna would be canceling any noise they make and Star would ensure we can’t get near them. But that doesn’t cover everything.

“Try shrinking down and letting me carry you in your bowl. That might lessen the amount of noise we make.” As she says this, Seija winks. Shin quickly catches on and, after becoming small, flies close to Seija’s mouth so the amanojaku can whisper, “Stay a ways behind me while I hold on to your bowl. Look for signs of them moving, like leaves or branches being disturbed. They might be walking around or following us to guarantee we can’t locate them.”

Shin nods and discreetly hides in a bush as Seija picks up her bowl. The latter continues roaming the forest, making a show of searching the bush and saying offhand comments as if Shin is with her. Only five minutes pass before she hears a collective scream of fairies about twenty meters behind her. Flying over, Seija finds a smug Shin with her hands on her hips holding her head high while the four fairies sit on the ground, disappointed.

Can’t believe that worked, and so quickly too. Actually, scratch that, I absolutely can.

“Dang it, I thought we had you,” Sunny says with a sigh.

“We’ve played your game,” says Seija. “Now tell us what we want to know.”

It’s really late in the afternoon now, so we need to hurry up.

“Not so fast!” Clownpiece objects while pointing at the duo. “We hold all the cards here, so you’ve gotta help us with one more thing first.”

“Wow, look at the little squirt being all assertive,” says Seija, grinning despite herself.

“Aw, is someone having fun?” Shin asks. The inchling gets her answer via her partner lightly punching her arm, though that does nothing to stop her amusement.

“Anyway,” Seija continues, “what’re we doing now? A game of tag? Peekaboo, perhaps?”

Sunny taps her head. “C’mon, we think bigger than that! We’re gonna turn this whole place on its head!”

That statement piques the duo’s interest. Seija crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow while Shin rests her face on her right hand to think.

“We got your attention? Good,” says Clownpiece. “You know how long Reimu spends maintaining the shrine? We’re gonna reverse all her hard work and create chaos!”

Where are they going with this? Wrecking the shrine has major repercussions and could get them in trouble way beyond a fairy’s purview. Color me impressed.

“Follow us!” Sunny declares. She leads the charge to the main pathway between the shrine and its torii, everyone else close behind. “You see how clean this ground is?”

“Reimu spent hours yesterday sweeping up leaves,” Luna explains.

“So we want to gather as many as we can and completely flood the place!” yells an enthusiastic Sunny.

Star winks. “It’ll be fun to see her reaction when she comes back and has to clean it all again.”

Seija and Shin stare blankly at the four fairies who are obviously proud of what they think is a fiendish and devious plan.

“Not exactly visionaries, are they?” Shin whispers.

Uplifting us dregs of society will stay a two-youkai job, it seems.

Clownpiece puts her hand forward, with the Fairies of Light following suit by placing theirs on top. All four look at the duo expectantly. Shin gives Seija a somewhat exasperated smile and places her hand; the amanojaku follows suit soon after.

“Break!” the fairies yell in unison as everyone raises their hands into the air. They all split off in different directions to gather their quarry, Seija and Shin exchanging nods before flying off. Seija takes the area behind the shrine, where she finds a particularly wide and tall tree. Given its size, there is a veritable sea of fallen orange and red leaves painting the grassy ground. 

Time to get to work.

Many peaceful minutes pass while she goes back and forth transporting leaves to the front of the shrine. The solitude this fetch quest provides lets her mind wander.

Can’t believe I’m out here picking up dead leaves to butter up some fairies. Anything for the mission, I guess. …Gosh I’m starting to sound like Youmu. She’ll get hers eventually.

Her right arm full of leafy cargo, she fidgets with her shard necklace using her left hand.

Like Shin said before, we’ll return this together.
…
Am I relying on her too much? I still can’t comprehend why I’m happy to be her partner. Plus I’ve been acting more serious lately. That’s not how an amanojaku is supposed to be. Maybe I-

“Urk!” she grunts, clutching her pounding skull and dropping her latest batch of leaves while only halfway to the shrine.

Another headache… Wait, ‘another’? When was the last time? When I fought Tenshi…? Why did I have one back then? My memories from that time aren’t clear, they’re full of blank spots. I wasn’t sleeping well, I remember that much. Shin said I flipped my room while asleep. There was something bothering me, a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. Beyond that, I feel like there’s been a time since then where my head hurt like this, yet I can’t place it at all. What’s going on?

“Are you alright?” asks a voice behind Seija. The sudden surprise is enough to snap the amanojaku out of her stupor. She turns around to see Clownpiece, who asks, “Does your head hurt or something?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” says Seija, composing herself.

What was that?

“There aren’t many leaves left where I was so I figured I’d help you out since I know how many are by the huge tree,” says Clownpiece. “Sunny, Luna, and Star live there, y’know.”

“Uh-huh.” Seija’s offhanded response betrays her distracted mind.

“Sure you’re okay? Ya seem real out of it.”

Now’s not the time to get lost in my own thoughts.

Seija rubs the back of her head. “Like I said, I’m fine. Don’t feel like you need to worry about me.”

“Doesn’t matter to me either way, but we need you to do your part for this to work.”

They gather up the leaves Seija dropped and transport them to the growing pile in front of the shrine. On their way back to the tree, Seija says, “Surprised a Hell fairy like you lives here so peacefully. I know what that torch you carry is capable of and you seemed pretty enthusiastic about raising hell back at the fireworks festival.”

“For the record, you can just call me ‘Piece,’” says the fairy. “My master told me to stand by in Gensokyo until further notice.”

“Your master’s Hecatia, the goddess of Hell, right?”

“Yep! What she says goes.”

I’ll never understand this mentality of servitude people like her have.

“‘Standing by’ doesn’t mean you have to stick to such low level pranks. Why not foster some real chaos? Shin and I could help you.”

“Well…” Piece trails off. “I could do worse, yeah, but Reimu does let me live here and I’m happy to spend time with the other three. Though I’d stick around even if Reimu tried to kick me out!”

Living here seems to have tempered her a good bit, but there’s still a spark in her for something more. I’ll consider her a work in progress. Even then, I can’t ignore an opportunity to mess with that annoying shrine maiden.

“Let me at least offer some advice, then,” says Seija.

“What kind of advice?”

“You did a good job of getting us to play to your tune, but if you really want to drive someone into a corner then it’s good to make them think they don’t have any options left.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only threat you gave us was the possibility of Reimu coming back today. In a worst case scenario, Shin and I could’ve just left and come back another day to get information out of you since we know where you live. What you should have done was threaten to tell Reimu if we declined and used your friends’ powers as leverage to show us how you could immediately escape if we attempted force.”

The gears in Piece’s head turn. “Oh, I think I get it. That puts way more pressure on you to make a snap decision with less time to think about it.”

“Exactly. A key part of manipulation is making your target think there’s nothing they can do except what you want. Especially in a situation like this where, as you said, you hold all the cards.”

“But why are you telling me this when I could immediately use that advice against you?”

“Take a look around, Piece,” says Seija, motioning to the sea of trees that surround them between the shrine and the fairies’ home. “See anyone here who could help you?”

“No…?”

Seija flips Piece upside down and catches her by the leg before her head hits the ground, the girl’s blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. “If I wanted to, I could force you to tell me what I want right now. It’d be easy.” Reverting the girl’s position back to how it was, Seija continues, “You made the mistake of separating yourself from the friends that form your trump card. Sure, you could scream, but that risks attracting Shin instead, which helps me rather than you. All this talk could be my attempt to lower your guard and strike when you’re vulnerable.” Piece’s jaw drops hearing Seija’s logic. The amanojaku smirks and does a little bow. “See how it’s done? There’s always a way to reverse a situation to your advantage.”

“I never thought about it that way!” exclaims the starstruck fairy. “Maybe I can try this next time I want Reimu to do something for me. But you shouldn’t underestimate me either!”

Of course, the next lesson is that you keep some cards close to your chest, sprinkle in some lies with the truth, and don’t say what you really think. She would definitely put up more of a fight than I made it sound like, giving the other three ample time to show up; Shin helping me would make things harder for them but doesn’t negate their capacity to escape. Just because I managed to flip her once while she was unaware doesn’t mean I win on the spot. If this talk gives her the nudge she needs to become a tad more devious, assuming it doesn’t go in one ear and out the other, I might find future use for her yet.

They carry on with their banter while they work. For another half an hour leaves are moved from the clearing to the shrine. While Piece is gone for one such trip, Seija stops for a moment and stares at the huge tree in front of her.

Funny that those three fairies live right on Gensokyo’s border. The life energy they give off is really something to make this tree so huge. Can’t imagine their home’s placement is a coincidence. Maybe it somehow empowers the border itself? Those fairies might be idiots, but underestimating their combined power is dangerous.

Another quiet wind passes through and a few more leaves gently float down. The Sun sinks down closer to the horizon.

Now’s not the time to entertain an inner monologue, but I can’t shake this sense of unease after that headache earlier. It feels like I’m forgetting something important-

A wave of drowsiness envelops Seija, who feels compelled to sit down against the gigantic home of the Fairies of Light.

So tired… Why…? And I wasn’t sleeping well before… Is the problem… sleep…
…
“Let’s try this again.”

Her thoughts become murky. Her eyelids are lead weights fighting to block out the world’s light. Her head droops back and forth until, at last, it happens.

“I leave you alone for one minute and you’re falling asleep on the job?” asks a voice to Seija’s right.

“Mngh- huh?!” Seija jumps to her feet as if the words she heard were a bolt of electricity that fully charged her body’s batteries. She faces the voice and sees Piece, whose arms are crossed while she holds her unlit torch in her right hand. “Oh, it’s you.”

Hm, not sure what came over me just then. What was I thinking about again…? “That’s right, I was annoyed that the idiot fairies were having me pick up leaves.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I caught you almost napping on the job!”

“Sorry your prank ideas are so boring,” says Seija dismissively.

The star-spangled girl is taken aback by the shift in Seija’s attitude. "No one asked you."

We need her to give us info on the Moon, so I shouldn’t push her too much. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t mess with her!”

“Oh, my bad, didn’t mean to insult your cute little plan. Maybe next we can send Reimu a strongly worded letter! That’ll show her what for!”

Piece, her annoyance growing, asks, “What’s with you all of-”

“Don’t you wanna make Hell on Earth?” Seija interrupts, her tone gleefully sinister, unable to stop the evil smile forming on her face. “I can help you. If we can drive Reimu insane, the rest will be easy.”

“I- What?!” The fairy takes a step back, visibly anxious.

“I’m sure your master wouldn’t mind. If anything, I bet she’d praise you for it!”

“No, that isn’t what she wants! And I told you before that I’m happy as I am now, spending time with my friends! We’ll show the world our version of Hell, not yours!”

“So easily riled up.” …No, I shouldn’t do this. Making her too angry will only hurt the plan. “But she needs to face reality and learn that life doesn’t get to be that easy!”

The amanojaku’s smile shifts to a sneer. “Okay, do what ya want. Seeing such a close-knit bond dull your edge like that is heartwarming. Well, I’d call it sickening. What a waste.”

“What do you know, you stupid amanojaku?!” Clownpiece’s anxiety is replaced by anger. “You call Shinmyoumaru your partner, but I bet you don’t even care about her if that’s what you think!”

All of Seija’s false congeniality shatters instantly, her taunting gaze now a glare. She wordlessly puts her face a centimeter from the fairy.

“W-what are you doing? I won’t hold back if you try something!” Clownpiece’s threat does not elicit a response from Seija. The latter remains silent, not out of sheer anger but because she cannot keep her thoughts straight.

“Why did her saying that make me so angry? My relationship with Shin is doomed to fail anyway-” Wait, what the hell?! I don’t believe that! “Hmph, of course that’s the line I can’t cross. Gotta make a note of that real quick.” Who are you?! “Nothing to concern yourself over. Not like we’ll remember the details of this anyway.” What are you-

“GAAAAH!” Seija screams, falling to her knees. She grips her head with both hands as hard as she can.

The display only scares Piece further. “Get away from me!” she yells, instinctively igniting her torch and brandishing it in front of her.

“There it is.”

Driven by an odd impulse, Seija looks up and takes in the full light of the supernatural flame. It shifts between red, orange, and purple, entrancing her completely. A distraught Piece says, “Wait, no, that’s not what I-!”

Overturn… everything…

Seija rises to her feet but her body is hunched over and her head faces the ground. Wriggling her fingers unnaturally, she lifts her right arm up. The world inverts abruptly, however both present do not turn with it, discombobulating Piece. Before she has a chance to comprehend what is happening, Seija grabs her by the collar and pulls her close. Glazed-over red eyes look right through her.

“Stop it…” the fairy barely manages to choke out.

“Seija, what’s going on?!” shouts Shin, flying over as fast as she can. “I heard a scream! Are you alright? Did Clownpiece attack you? I think you can back off, she looks scared half to death.”

The head on Seija’s body almost appears loose. It falls a bit to her right side before swinging around to her left. She stares at Shin for a moment, the light in her eyes regaining the slightest flicker, yet they remain dim. However, the shift in her focus causes her to drop Piece and revert the area to normal.

“What did you do to her?!” Shin demands to know.

“I-it was an accident! She started acting really weird!” Clownpiece responds, still very shaken. “I couldn’t stand hearing what she was saying, then when I snapped back she got aggressive and started screaming!”

“You seem too terrified to be lying, but why would she-” The question is interrupted by Seija flying at Shin, hand outstretched.

“Woah!” Shin yells, mostly dodging but getting a scratch on her right cheek from Seija’s nail. A very small drop of blood leaks out. “That wasn’t even danmaku, just a physical attack…” The inchling straightens her bowl hat before unsheathing her needle and Miracle Mallet. “I don’t know what’s going on inside your head right now, Seija, but I’ll beat it out of you if that’s what it takes! Looking out for each other is what partners do, right?!”

Partners…? “No… she’s holding… me back…”

Seija’s left eyelid twitches. She throws her arm to the side, reversing the flow of the breeze around her. It collides with the wind near Shin, creating a small vortex that blows leaves in all directions.

“You aren’t thinking straight!” Shin’s words do not reach Seija’s ears. The latter charges a second time, Shin matching her with a thrust of her needle that glances Seija’s side.

“Grrr…” the crazed amanojaku growls in pain.

The end of the thrust is flawlessly executed, Shin flourishing her needle when she comes to a stop. “Get out of here, Clownpiece, I’ll take care of her. But we’re gonna talk about this later, okay?” The Hell fairy does not need to be told twice as she flies off to find her friends. Turning around, Shin says, “C’mon, you’re smarter than this! A head on attack again? I could have done much worse to you if I wanted to. Where’s the cunning Seija I know? If you really wanna hurt me, I’m sure you’re capable of it!”

Nothing changes in Seija’s demeanor and she launches forward once more. However, as Shin goes to repeat her previous maneuver, Seija flips their positions so their backs are to each other. She immediately pivots and tackles the inchling, but Shin shrinks herself to avoid being pinned. Re-growing behind Seija, she smashes her mallet against Seija’s right side and arm, sending her tumbling down to ground and skidding two meters.

“Was that enough to knock some sense into you?!” the inchling yells. “Wake up, Seija!”

She’s trying… to help me… “You know… this isn’t who we are…”

Both voices in Seija’s head, hindered by the torch’s induced madness, wrestle for control. Every word from the foreign voice is like nails scratching a chalkboard in her mind. A tormented scream escapes Seija’s mouth. Immediately after, she reverses Shin’s perception of left and right and dashes from side to side, using danmaku for the first time all fight to assist her approach. All she can focus on is finding an outlet for the mental anguish she feels.

“Seija…” Shin trails off. Seeing her partner in such pain nearly causes her resolve to falter, yet, after a deep breath, she fights on. Dodging or slicing through every bullet, she evades Seija’s feral attacks one after the other. But the amanojaku, even while this handicapped, refuses to give up. The only thing that unifies her sense of self at this moment is her drive to rebel against anyone or anything that opposes her. Shin dodges every charge in nearly the same way each time, which Seija eventually catches on to. After one such instance, Seija flips Shin upside down but keeps herself right side up while still reversing Shin’s horizontal movement. This proves to be too much for Shin to adjust too in the heat of the moment; Seija kicks her needle out of her hand and, grabbing her by the right ankle, slams her onto the ground. The inchling grunts in pain and her bowl hat falls to the side. Before Seija can move in for a decisive blow, Shin summons danmaku that continuously grows in size between them, forcing the former to back off. 

“That… was dirty,” says Shin, rising to one knee and staving off an onset of dizziness. Fighting in a world where her sense of direction constantly shifts is beginning to take its toll. “Just what I’d expect from you. Starting to come around?”

Another flicker, brighter than before, flashes in Seija’s eyes, but she says nothing.

“She’s regaining her sense of tactics but isn’t making much progress mentally,” Shin mutters to herself as she stands up, retrieving her hat and needle before sheathing the latter. “That said, this still isn’t the extent of what she’s capable of. If she starts going all out, I’ll be forced to respond in kind. But I refuse to hurt her. There has to be another way here…”

Yet another gust passes through. Seija breathes heavily while Shin mulls over the circumstances of this fight. The smaller youkai's eyes squint before going wide and honing in on Seija’s neck. Shin cannot help but grin, her Miracle Mallet now glowing; once more she shrinks to her original size. Before Seija can track her movements, Shin summons random single bullets from various directions to distract her opponent. Thanks to their fighting disturbing the very leaves they were sent to collect, the fallen foliage forms an effective veil that renders finding the inchling a near impossible task. Shin runs up behind Seija and aims for the necklace she knows is hidden around her partner’s neck. However, reaching the necklace requires the slightest tug on the arrow-pattern flap at the top of Seija’s dress. The amanojaku, immediately in response to the feeling of something on her, spins the world around her vertically. Instead of being forced to choose between holding on - unable to do anything - or getting thrown off, Shin elects to become human-sized again and wraps her legs around Seija’s waist to give herself more leverage, similar to what she did to Hatate yesterday. Seija claws at Shin but the latter is quickly able to pull Seija’s Hakurouken necklace off.

“This should set you str- OW!” Shin’s declaration is cut short by Seija reeling her own head back to bash Shin’s face. This loosens the inchling’s grip to the point Seija is able to pry off the former’s leg and fling her away. The blow to the head dazes Shin and the effect is compounded by the still rotating world. “You’ve always been a hard one to pin down…” she says, the shard of Hakurouken in her balled fist. 

“Huff… huff…” Seija’s chest rises and falls with every breath. Once again, the world returns to its original position. The ground below and trees around them become a shade darker as the Sun sets.

“Shoot, this isn’t good, I’m starting to wind down,” says Shin, thinking aloud. “She looks exhausted too, but the insanity is pushing her to keep fighting. She’ll overexert herself if this keeps up.”

“Psst!” whispers Sunny’s voice behind Shin. It takes much of the inchling’s will power not to jump in shock. “Don’t turn around, I’m making us invisible! Act like we aren’t here so Seija doesn’t notice us!”

“What is it? You’re in danger here!”

“It’s my fault she’s like this,” says Piece’s voice. “If there’s anything we can do to help, tell us.”

“And hurry up so I can mute our noise again!” says Luna’s trembling voice.

A wave of relief washes over Shin. “Your timing’s perfect. Take this shard and cut her with it while I distract her. Try not to make it too deep, just a light nick will do. It has the ability to dispel confusion.” Shin puts her right hand behind her back and opens it so the fairies can take the necklace.

“I don’t really understand, but alright,” says Piece.

While this exchange occurs, Seija struggles with her own thoughts.

She took… the necklace… “How annoying…”

“Something’s… in my head…” she says, pained.

“Huh?” Shin turns back to Seija, surprised to hear coherent words. “What do you mean? Is it the torch’s influence?”

“We both know… it’s not gonna work out…” I don’t care…!

“Keep… fighting…” says Seija, her right hand on her face. “Don’t stop… until you’ve beaten this out of me!”

Shin tightens her grip on the Miracle Mallet. “That’s what I said before and I intend to follow through! Come at me as much as you want!”

And so Seija does. Over and over she flings herself at Shin like a wild animal, the fairies unable to find an opening, with the inchling not once slowing down and parrying nearly every blow. Not all of Seija’s attacks miss the mark, though; Shin gets more than a few scratches and bruises for her troubles. Every hit one lands on the other only bolsters her opponent’s drive to win, though their respective definitions in this case are not mutually exclusive. For Shin, a hit on her reflects a failure to help her partner, which she uses as motivation to redouble her efforts. For Seija, every attack she takes assists in weakening the strange voice in her head. It is as if Shin’s blows are a chorus of voices that amplify Seija’s own, proof that she is not alone.

She’ll never… give up on me. “Are you sure… this is the path… you wanna walk? It won’t… end well.” Shut up… and get out!

The duo flies at each other one final time while the Sun disappears over the tree line; as they do so, Shin clutches her mallet with both hands. Her swing comes down on Seija’s left, the latter raising her arm to block the brunt of the hit enough that she can grab Shin with her right hand. The block is fruitless, however, since Shin shrinks the Miracle Mallet just enough that it goes below Seija’s arm before increasing its size in time to slam Seija’s face. Seija holds fast against the mallet, not letting herself be knocked away, and manages to put her hand around Shin’s neck. For a moment, both are still. Only then does Piece suddenly emerge from Sunny’s concealment and lightly cut the back of Seija’s right leg. The amanojaku, surprisingly, does not yell out in pain. Her eyes simply widen and fully regain their shine a moment before she falls to the ground, splashing up waves of warmly-colored leaves, momentarily unconscious. Piece frantically returns the shard to Shin before going to check on her friends. Fortunately, Seija wakes up a minute later with some prodding from her partner.

“You good?” Shin asks, plopped on the ground and leaning back on her hands.

“Feels like I have a really bad hangover,” Seija responds while she lays on her back. “What just happened? Last I remember I was killing time talking to Piece while we were doing some gathering.”

“You kiiiiiind of went insane for a bit. Thank Clownpiece for that, though she claims you acted aggressive. Had to apply some percussive maintenance using my mallet and the shard.” Shin tosses the Hakurouken necklace to Seija, who re-knots and puts it back on.

“Huh. Don’t feel too beat up. You pulled your punches, didn’t you?”

“I could say the same. You were way slower and less calculated, and it wasn’t just because of the torch’s effect. Felt like you were holding back. Honestly, it was as if you were trying to scare me off rather than hurt me. But…”

“But what?” Seija asks.

The battle through and the conflict resolved, Shin’s earlier brave face finally reveals a couple of cracks. When Seija goes to sit up, Shin embraces her. “I’m really glad you’re alright.”

“That’s thanks to you,” says Seija, who reciprocates her partner’s show of affection after a moment’s hesitation. 

Shin, after basking in the moment for a few fleeting seconds, lets go and replies, “Thank the fairies, too. They helped me out at the end there, got you right on your leg with the shard.”

“Really?” Seija runs a finger along the laceration on the back of her right calf. It does not even bleed. “Wow. They actually had it in 'em.”

Seriously though, what the hell was that? Felt like someone was talking to me but now it’s all fuzzy. The only parts I clearly recall are looking at Clownpiece’s torch and fighting Shin. Guess it’s a side effect of being temporarily driven insane.

Her immense confusion causes the freshly-sane amanojaku to sigh. “Given the circumstances, this totally doesn’t count as you winning.”

“Oh not this again…”

“Um,” says Sunny’s voice, “is it over?”

All four fairies stand about five meters to Seija’s left, Sunny no longer rendering them invisible.

“Yeah, it is,” Shin replies.

“Seeing you two go at it like that for so long made me feel exhausted,” says Clownpiece, her fear a thing of the past. “Promise you won’t start acting weird again, Seija?”

That question matches Shin’s story, but what is she talking about? I sat down, almost dozed off, then… uh… I know she pulled out her torch, but what prompted that?

“How did I freak you out, exactly?” Seija asks, her apparent sincerity throwing Clownpiece off.

“Uh, you got all in my face after insulting my friends and me! How do you not remember this?!”

Everyone stares blankly at Seija and Clownpiece, with the former tilting her head while the latter appears bewildered.

“Ah, screw it, never mind,” says the fairy. Her three companions shrug the strange topic off; Shin, conversely, briefly places a hand on her chin in contemplation.

“The Sun just finished setting,” Luna says while pointing at the freshly made night sky. “Won’t Reimu be back soon?”

Star closes her eyes and focuses on nearby sounds. “I can hear two people approaching the shrine, though they’re still about a minute away. We have a ton of leaves set up but there isn’t time to finish preparing.”

“This is all your fault,” Sunny pouts, gesturing at Seija.

“I’m not the one who used that torch, sunshine!” Seija counters. “But, because I’m feeling gregarious today…”

And because we need Piece’s help…

“Leave the rest to Shin and me.”

“-and that’s the gist of it,” says Marisa, walking through the Hakurei Shrine’s torii alongside its resident shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei. While night has already fallen, the star- and moonlight let them see the way well enough.

“It’s good the fire was put out quickly,” says Reimu. She wears her staple red and white ensemble: a sleeveless red top over a white undershirt tucked into a red skirt, the last of which has a white trim and goes a little past her knees. On her arms are detached white sleeves with red strings weaved through on each end; the sleeves become wider as they get closer to the wrists. Her dark brown hair features a red and white bow on the back side and a matching pair of tubes on the front side which style her hair such that it frames her face. Finally are her white socks and black sandals. “Didn’t expect to hear a tale of heroism involving those two of all youkai while we were out investigating.”

“I honestly expected them to get up to no good the moment they were cut loose, but they haven’t caused any problems. Even the Eientei debacle was really Mokou’s fault.”

Reimu gives Marisa a knowing grin. “Maybe they’re turning over a new leaf?” The magician looks at her companion with eyebrows raised higher than most would think possible. Both immediately burst out laughing at the notion.

“Guess they’ve got us pegged,” Shin whispers to Seija while they hide in the bushes close by. The three Fairies of Light and Clownpiece peek their heads over the duo’s shoulders, the former group masking everyone’s presence.

“Nah,” Seija responds. “Ya see, we’re turning over plenty of leaves right now!”

The incident solving pair are too busy giggling to notice a mass casting a shadow on them as they approach the shrine. Seija points her finger towards the ground and a storm of leaves rains down.

Marisa looks up at the harmless onslaught. “What the…?”

“Oh come on, I just cleaned this place-” Reimu rants while a bomb made by Star expands from three centimeters in diameter to roughly twenty centimeters, courtesy of Shin’s mallet, without her or Marisa noticing. It was within the pile that fell, all of which was thrown up moments prior by Seija’s ability. The moment it touches the ground, the bomb explodes. Its destructive power is minimal and largely harmless to living creatures, but contains more than enough concussive force to blow off Marisa’s hat, dishevel both victims, and scatter the pile in all directions. Everything in the area is covered, from the path to the shrine’s roof and deck to even the donation box. Many get stuck in Reimu and Marisa’s hair and clothes, both of whom stand stunned at what just transpired. Seija, Shin, and the fairies, upon seeing the looks on their faces, howl out laughter.

Once the shock subsides, Marisa manages to say, “…Guess those fairies won’t leave you alone, huh?” Words cannot adequately describe Reimu’s expression when she turns her head to Marisa. However, if looks could kill, no one in Gensokyo would be safe. “I’ll, uh, get started with cleaning.”

“That’s what I thought,” says the unsettlingly calm voice of Reimu from within the avatar of rage standing next to the magician.

Luna taps Seija and Shin’s shoulders before saying, “Let’s get out of here before she starts looking for us.”

Won’t argue with that.

The six delinquents quickly and carefully rush back to the three fairies’ home and go inside. Neither Seija nor Shin have been within a fairy’s abode before and inquisitively examine the quaint room they find themselves in. A small living area with a table and kitchen greets them; on the wall is a staircase that leads further up the tree, but none go up there for the moment.

Everything’s so… tiny. I’d barely be able to sit on any of the chairs. Guess it’s all fairy-sized, though Shin probably feels right at home. How does a place like this even work inside a tree? Shouldn’t the tree be dead if it’s hollowed out like this? Must be another fairy thing.

“We did it!” Sunny exclaims, raising her hand for a high five that is mirrored by her three friends. Seija and Shin also join in, feeling pleased with themselves. After breaking, Luna goes to make coffee while Sunny and Star prepare a victory dinner.

“Well, guess you earned it,” says Piece, grabbing a seat at the table. “What was the question you wanted answered?”

Shin moves to the table and, sitting down herself, asks, “How did you get to the Moon back when the Lunar Capital invaded Gensokyo?”

“What? That’s all you wanted to know? My master’s friend was leading me at the time, but we took a path that cut through the Dream World.”

“You could go there physically? How? I thought the only ways there without Doremy Sweet’s help were sleeping or utilizing perfect possession.”

Hearing Shin say Doremy’s name makes Seija’s pointed ears perk up.

I’ve only ever seen Doremy at the fireworks festival, though from what I gather Shin’s met her a couple of times. Something about hearing her name bothers me, though. We should be wary of her.

“Heck if I know,” Piece answers. “We went to the capital straight from Hell but I think the Lunarians used a similar passageway to reach Gensokyo from the Moon - well, what they thought was the Moon since they were in some weird fake Lunar Capital at the time as the real thing was made temporarily impure. But a path to the capital does exist. It’s how Reimu and the others got there from here.”

A fake capital? Wonder what the story with that is.

“Do you know where Gensokyo’s version of this passageway is?” Shin continues.

“Nope. Your best bet would be asking Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, or Reisen directly.”

“Yeah that ain’t happening,” says Seija. “They had to find out where it is from someone else, right? Let’s figure out who that is and ask them.”

If the Lunarians’ forces and the do-gooders used the same path, that means the ones who told them are-

“The only candidates I can think of would be Seiran and Ringo,” says Shin, completing the thought.

“Yeah, but after the dango festival they’re not exactly our biggest fans.”

“Mhm. I doubt they’ll willingly give us that kind of info, deserters or not.”

We could try force but if we move on them directly they might take drastic measures and blow the whistle on us. Plus they normally do their business in the village, so even approaching them’s a risk.

The duo contemplates with crossed arms, closed eyes, and furrowed brows.

“Want some coffee?” Luna asks with a small but sincere smile, derailing their trains of thought. She holds a tray with a white porcelain pot and six matching mugs.

“Oh, thanks!” says Shin, placing two of the cups on the table and pouring the bitter liquid in. The relaxing aroma permeates the room as she does so. She grabs one and hands it to Seija, who leans against the wall behind her. “Here, have some.”

Seija, still feeling weary from her earlier bout of insanity and its consequential battle, nods and takes a sip.

Can’t help but imagine some know-it-all drinking this stuff whenever I have it. A pretentious airhead who thinks they have all the answers-

“That’s it!” she suddenly exclaims, startling everyone present.

Shin, who jumped in her chair from shock and spilled coffee on her kimono, exasperatedly asks, “What is it?”

“I know how we get close to the rabbits while keeping ourselves out of the line of fire.”

“And what’s your brilliant scheme that’s made it where I need to do an extra batch of laundry later?”

Seija rubs the back of her head upon seeing Shin’s stained clothes. “Our goals are way bigger than some pieces of cloth! And I’ll help you do laundry next time, don’t sweat it.”

“Pft, you help clean without being forced to? That I’ve gotta see.”

“Regardless, we’re gonna cash in a favor. Remember our little would-be ambushers? One of them happens to live in the village. We use her to get what we want.”

“…Huh, not a bad idea. But let’s hash out the details later,” says Shin, motioning to the four fairies gathered together and staring with serious yet curious expressions.

Seija turns to the hosts. “If any of what we talked about tonight leaves this room, I’ll show you way worse than whatever you saw earlier.” The fairies nod vigorously. “Glad you understand. Maybe one day you’ll reach our level after all.”

Not! But it’ll give these squirts something to work towards, heheh.

“Don’t count us out!” Sunny proclaims, Luna, Star, and Piece backing her up. “We’ll prove to the world the power of fairies!”

“Think they’ll ever succeed?” Shin quietly asks Seija.

“I have total faith in them.”

“Ouch, that little confidence, huh?”

“Who knows? Piece at least is pretty strong in her own right. And I’ve been surprised by the conviction of someone small before.”

Shin elbows her partner in the side, though it does nothing to reduce the smug grin said partner bears.

Chapter Text

Sekibanki, ever so slightly pulling down the part of her cape that envelops her neck, sips from a humble pale white cup while sitting at a small table in front of her favorite tea shop in the village. The small establishment, sandwiched between a larger bar on the left and restaurant on the right, might not look like much, but to her it is just right. Unassuming but quality. Despite cold weather starting to set in, the lack of wind today combines with the warmth of her coffee - which this café serves along with tea and various pastries - to keep the youkai comfortable. The midday Sun shines down on her. She indulges in a sigh after gulping down the last of her beverage. Taking note of the time of day, Sekibanki places a handful of yen on the table, covering the price of the drink and leaving a tip for good measure, and stands up before strolling down the village streets.

Heheh…

If only for a moment, Sekibanki senses something behind her. She swiftly rotates on one foot, yet a road devoid of all but a few villagers greets her. One set is a mother and daughter holding hands, another an older couple happily conversing, and the third is a young woman wearing a hat that obscures her face who appears to be making a delivery. That last one sparks a sense of familiarity with Sekibanki; while not having spoken with her before, she has seen the deliverer around the village for some years now. A busy Reisen prances by without a word, not giving the rokurokubi a second thought. There are alleyways between buildings that border the road, though, and Sekibanki doubles back to check them. Living in the village as a youkai is a dangerous game, after all; Sekibanki has not gone undiscovered for this long without being careful and Reisen maintains a low profile for a reason. That is not to say all youkai are outright banned from interacting with the village, however. A certain pair of dango-selling rabbits is well known and some humans have regular dealings with kappa, albeit purely professional in nature. But, for Sekibanki, safe is always better than sorry. She turns the corner of the nearest alley and finds no one. Her eyes, the only unobstructed part of her face, narrow. She scans the area and a few other nearby alleys before shrugging and moving on.

Paranoid, aren’t ya?

“Hmmm…” hums Sekibanki a few minutes later. She places a hand on her stomach before sighing and pulling out a wallet from underneath her cape. After taking into account essential expenses and her own self-imposed limits, it contains enough surplus for a light snack. Under her breath, she mutters, “Should’ve splurged on the onigiri…” The normally alert Sekibanki walks while she counts, distracted by hunger and looking down all the while. A figure steps out from a side path in front of her and she does not notice before the inevitable collision. The impact causes her to drop her wallet and spill her funds everywhere. She hurriedly bends down to gather it all up as she says, “Oh, my apologies, that was careless of me.”

“It sure was,” says a voice that immediately prompts the hairs on Sekibanki's neck to stand on end.

“How we handle Sekibanki tomorrow is gonna determine a lot,” says Shin, dressed in a spare kimono identical to her usual one. In her lap lies the coffee-stained original in the process of having its battle damage mended; Seija’s dress, meanwhile, is already finished and hanging on the drying rack after being washed. The duo sits on opposite sides of the table in their designated laundry room, where Shin keeps her sewing supplies. It is a few hours before their usual bedtime the night after returning from the fairies’ home.

“Yeah,” Seija replies, taking a break from laundry duty. She once again wears the spare jinbei. “If we flat-out order her to ask about the passageway to the Moon, she might convince herself we’re up to something dangerous and tell Reimu what we’re doing even with us threatening her.”

“She’d be right in that deduction, to be fair.”

“Which is exactly why we need to figure out the best way to be discreet while using her. Her self-confidence might be slightly bloated but she’s definitely not stupid.”

Shin gestures with her sewing needle. “It’s also possible that her previous loss humbled her. As soon as she realizes we’re there, she’ll be on high alert.”

“Hmm…” Seija, leaning on the table with her left arm, twirls the red streak in her hair with her fingers. “She’ll be skeptical of us no matter what we say. But there is one way to flip her preconceptions about us on their head.”

“And what’s that?”

Sekibanki looks up and, from this angle, is able to see underneath the domed straw hat of the person she bumped into. Seija, bearing a condescending smirk, looks down at her and says, “Don’t make a scene. Wouldn’t want word getting out of two youkai running around, catch my drift?”

“Cut to the chase.”

“Time’s come for you to atone for your unprovoked aggressions.”

“‘Unprovoked,’ right,” Sekibanki echoes, rolling her eyes. “No idea where you get off acting so self-righteous.” She stands up after picking up the last of her yen.

Seija wraps her right arm around the redhead, patting the latter’s right shoulder. “Let’s walk and talk.”

“Don’t touch me,” says Sekibanki as she shrugs Seija off.

“Such hostility. Make sure not to blow your top.”

“Ugh.”

“You’ll never get ahead in life with that attitude, y’know.”

Sekibanki pinches the bridge of her nose. They aimlessly traverse the streets, Seija whistling but not uttering a word. After far too much of this for her tastes, Sekibanki asks, “Are you gonna tell me what I have to do to never see you again or what?”

“We’re accomplices now, Seki. Don’t you think we should break the ice?”

“Don’t act familiar. Stick with ‘airhead’ or whatever else before treating me like a friend.”

Sumireko reminded me just how effective a nickname like that can be in infuriating someone.

“The level you hate me honestly feels unwarranted. We haven’t even spoken much before the other day.”

“I admit I have little in terms of personal vendetta, but you’re the type of person I inherently can’t stand. The fact you even dare to pretend you actually care about uplifting the weak disgusts me.”

“Who said I was pretending?” Seija asks, still smug but curious about Seki's reasoning.

“You and Shinmyoumaru have the Miracle Mallet. If you were less combative in how you used it, that thing could improve countless lives. Instead you try to overturn a perfectly functioning society and give anyone seen with you a bad name.”

“A ‘perfectly functioning society’ that requires you to hide your true nature?”

“It’s not like I need to detach my head for day-to-day life. The way I live is little different from any human. Each day I wake up the same way, I work the same way, I get drunk the same way. Don’t project on others. Shinmyoumaru is probably a victim of that kind of talk. I honestly feel bad she’s been twisted by someone like you.”

She really thinks she has the moral high ground, huh.

“Legitimate question for ya: do you really believe you know how the mallet works? That we can just wave it and everyone’s problems will go away?”

Seki is caught off guard by the question. “Isn’t it supposed to be able to do practically anything?”

“It’s fabled to be capable of anything, yeah, but don’t you think we would’ve accomplished all our goals if it was that easy?”

“Well, my theory is that you can’t stand being seen as anything but an underdog or outcast. An amanojaku goes against the grain by nature, right? Even if you could change everything in the blink of an eye, would you? And if you did, wouldn’t you do an immediate about face? You’re a hypocrite with a victim complex.”

Seija scoffs. “Man, how pretentious can ya get? Getting on my case for acting familiar yet thinking you know everything there is to about me. Let’s back up for a second: do you believe Shin works with me unwillingly? That, after all this time, she’s still a puppet?”

“I believe you tricked her and that’s why-”

“I fully admit that, when we first met, I lied to her. She found out. I don’t know if you forgot or are just unaware about this itsy-bitsy insignificant detail, but she was one of the people most determined to bring me in back when I was on the run. Tried to talk me down and everything. There’s a reason we weren’t together for a few years.”

“Then why-”

“We came to an understanding. Our goals are mutual and our methods are as effective as we can make them. And if we get what we want, we aren’t gonna suddenly turn our backs on each other. Get your head out of your cape.”

“That’s…” Seki trails off, remembering something Kagerou said to her the last time she encountered Seija. “Maybe I was mistaken on the nature of your cooperation. But that still doesn’t answer my question about the mallet’s limits.”

We still don’t know what those limits are, exactly. All we’re sure of is that there’s some kind of drawback, which usually takes the form of it being drained of power when we use it too much. Koishi’s request to open her Third Eye, had we gone through with it, would’ve been the first time we attempted something beyond size alteration, danmaku, and, somewhat unintentionally, empowering tsukumogami. Our only other frame of reference is Shin’s castle: her inchling ancestors used the Miracle Mallet to create it, draining the mallet of power in the process, which backfired and got it stuck upside down in the sky. Its position worked out great for me, though. Regardless, running tests would be risky.

“Enough stalling,” Seija responds, now desiring to shift topics. “It’s time for you to find out what we want you to do.”

“I suppose I must. But, after all this talk, I’m curious: where is Shinmyoumaru?”

“She’s been here the whole time.”

“Surprised you didn’t notice me with how careful you are,” says Shin, emerging from Seki’s pocket beneath her cape.

The rokurokubi jumps in shock. “When did you get there?!”

“Classic sleight of hand,” Seija explains. “I put an arm around you which focused your attention on that sensation. You didn’t notice Shin slipping into your pocket at the same time.”

“Why even do that?!”

“Insurance for if you ran off, though I think you’ve realized that wouldn’t be the best for your health. Had you tried something, Shin would’ve made sure you didn’t get very far.”

Shin flies over to Seija while no one around is looking. Today is a sleepy day in the village so few people are out and about; it does not take long for Shin to find an opportunity to grow to human size, unseen, wearing a pointed straw-hat and purple scarf for her disguise. “Kinda sad you didn’t. The look on all your heads’ faces would’ve been hilarious.”

“Unbelievable,” says Seki while the duo laughs.

“Anyway, our request is simple,” Seija begins. “Ask Seiran and Ringo about where the passageway from Gensokyo to the Lunar Capital is so that we can go there ourselves and foster societal upheaval, potentially stealing things that’ll help us do the same down here. And if we’re caught, who knows? Maybe we’ll spark a war. But don’t worry, we’ll be careful. Simple, yeah?”

Seki’s jaw, despite being hidden by her cape, noticeably drops.

Even still, never got anywhere in life without a few risks.

“That’s… not even remotely funny,” says the redhead. “Don’t know why I expected an honest explanation from you. Regardless, I’ll ask her the stupid question so long as you leave me alone when we’re done.”

Nailed it.

“Given how Sekibanki sees us, that could work,” Shin says after considering Seija’s strategy.

“Right?” Seija replies, her smile confidant.

Shin puts down her sewing needle. “There’s another thing we need to worry about, though.”

I think I know what she’s referring to.

“All the weird stuff that’s been happening to me lately, right?”

“Yeah. You can’t remember anything from when you flipped your room in your sleep before and now we have this Clownpiece debacle. Either on its own might be explainable as fatigue, but there’s a pattern now. Something’s up.”

The amanojaku scratches her scalp. “You said that, while we were fighting, I mentioned there being ‘something in my head.’ Are you sure it wasn’t just the torch I was talking about?”

“When you said that, your eyes had a certain quality to them,” Shin explains. The emotion in her own eyes gives Seija a window into how seriously she is taking this discussion. “That look you gave me wasn’t one of insanity; it was resolve, a determination to be rid of something - or someone - that had a hold over you. I’ve seen it before whenever you’ve had to fight against those you refuse to bend a knee to. I should know, having been one of them. The torch was the reason you were going berserk, but I could feel in my gut another force beneath the surface. That, combined with the lapses in your memory, have convinced me.”

She knows me well enough to be able to understand what I feel even when I’m not sure. The thought of that is… comforting, somehow. Weird.

Putting aside the strange warmth in her stomach she has by now grown accustomed to, Seija says, “If someone’s screwing with my head, we don’t have an effective way of finding out who.”

Bleh, the idea of anything in my head is nauseating.

“Unfortunately, you’re right. But no matter who it is, they can’t win for one simple reason.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m here. If you start acting off, I’ll set you straight. This idiot messing with you shouldn’t underestimate an inchling!”

“Ha! Look at you with all that bravado,” Seija responds. “Trying to seem cool in front of me?”

“Is it working?” Shin asks, grinning and rubbing her nose.

“Oh you’re absolutely the coolest.”

“Heheh, I’ll elect to take you at face value this one time.” The inchling returns to her sewing, her spirit high. Seija continues fiddling with her hair.

For once, it might not be wrong to do that, Shin.

Seija, Shin, and Seki peer around an alley corner to see Seiran and Ringo at their neighboring dango stands; Shin is at the bottom of the stack, Seija stands over her, and Seki’s detached head peeks over the top. Both moon rabbits wear the same work outfits they had on during the festival. Very few people are around, though the ones that do pass through usually buy dango from one of the two saleswomen.

Back during the festival their setups were opposite each other. Must’ve been for the performative value of showing off to the crowd.

One such individual walks by and, placing a hand on her chin, stops at the stalls. Both Seiran and Ringo have multiple examples of menu items laid out on racks. Upon closer inspection, everyone present realizes it is Reisen.

“What’s up?” asks Ringo, a confident smile on her face. “Been a while since you stopped by. What would ya like? As you know, I’ve got the best dango in town!”

“Well, I’ve got the best dango around! Nothing better!” Seiran counters, unwilling to be outdone.

“I’m worn out from all the deliveries,” says Reisen. Her words speak true, everything about her demeanor indicates fatigue. Her posture is hunched underneath her pack, her hat sits crookedly on her head, and the peddling outfit she wears is wrinkled. Even her usual nervousness has given way, resulting in a rather uncharacteristically direct pattern of speech. “Can you two hook me up with something sweet? That should give me the boost I need for the walk back home.”

I don’t envy the way Eirin works her to the bone. Beyond me why she puts up with it.

While Seiran and Ringo describe the myriad of flavors to Reisen, Seki whispers, “How in the world do you expect me to ask for details on how they got here from the Moon, pray tell? That’s not exactly something you bring up in casual conversation without arousing immense suspicion.”

“Well duh, get chummy with them first, whatever that entails,” Seija says nonchalantly. “Just don’t mention or allude to us while asking.”

“Fine. To be clear, that’s the only thing you want to know? Nothing else?”

Shin nods. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Hopefully you’re comfortable potentially causing what’s basically an international incident,” says Seija, eyes still on the rabbits. “I would hate to make you nervous or anything, Seki.”

“You’re incorrigible,” says Seki. “And stop calling me that.”

“Not my fault your name’s a mouthful.”

Back at the stalls, Reisen waves goodbye and says, “Thanks. I appreciate the discount. I’ll try to stop by more often in the future.” In her left hand are two packs with two dango skewers each, all different flavors. She saunters off with the slightest spring in her step.

“She ended up buying from both of us,” says Seiran before sighing.

“Guess you’re still down one customer compared to me,” Ringo replies, smug as ever.

“There’s plenty of time for more people to show up!”

The spying trio bring their heads back into the alleyway. Seija cracks her neck and begins, “Alright Seki, you’re up. Keep your head in the game and this should go off without a hitch.”

“I’m not gonna justify these trite jokes with responses anymore,” says the redhead. She turns the corner before Seija gets a chance to fire a retort.

Types like her who take themselves too seriously make it way too easy.

“Think she’ll betray us?” Shin asks while she and Seija look around the corner once more to watch. “I could’ve stayed in her pocket.”

“She’s not so reckless as to assume we don’t have another trick up our sleeve. The fact we told her where you were makes her more paranoid if anything,” Seija explains.

“That cockiness of yours might backfire, y’know. We don’t want you pushing her too far like you did Clownpiece, especially after we took the gamble of telling her our plans.”

A grimace forms on the amanojaku’s face, but one glance at Shin is enough for Seija to displace it with a smirk. “You’re right, but it’s like you said before: you’re here, so I’ll be fine.”

After a surprise-induced pause, an assured Shin says, “I’ll be certain not to disappoint.”

“You better not. And heads-up, it’s showtime over there.”

Seiran and Ringo’s never-ending arguing pauses when they notice Seki, still some paces away. The blue-haired rabbit manages to speak first this time, saying, “Hey, Sekibanki! Did you want some dango?”

“Uh, yeah. I, um, was feeling peckish,” Seki answers, doing her utmost to appear calm.

“Something buggin’ you?" asks Ringo. “Ya seem stiff.”

Wow, that airhead is awful at this.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll just take one of whatever you two consider your menu’s best item.”

“Alright, I’ll handle it,” the rabbits say in unison. Immediately they glare at each other. “I said ‘I’ll’ handle it.” Seiran rubs her temple while Ringo scratches her head.

“You’re gonna need to be more specific,” says an exasperated Ringo.

Seiran continues, “Preferably by picking me.”

Shin stifles a laugh. “The way they butt heads so much is almost cute.”

“We’re able to spectate some good ol’ vitriol,” Seija replies, nodding.

Wonder how Seki will go about shifting topics to how they came here. Given how reticent she is, it might take a while. I remember Shin saying this morning we might be waiting all day.

“Uhhhhh…” Seki drones on, unsure who to choose. “How should I know which of you is better?”

Ringo walks out from behind the stand, slyly holding a sample. “Try this and you’ll know I’m the best.”

“Hey!” Seiran objects, walking out and interlocking her right arm with Seki’s left to the latter’s discomfort. “Try mine! You’ll realize there’s nothing better!”

“Uhhh…” Seki’s eyes shift back to Seija and Shin, both of whom are greatly enjoying the show. She grits her teeth. “I guess I can spend some time trying some.”

“Sweet!” says Ringo. Both rabbits practically drag Seki over to the stands and lay out two sets of samples each. “These are on the house, tell us what ya think and pick who to buy from based on that. Could always use your multiple heads to eat them all at once.”

“That’s, um, quite unnecessary right now,” the redhead replies. Muttering, she adds, “This is what I get for complaining about hunger earlier…” She eats them all relatively quickly, not even bothering to savor the flavor very much. “They’re good, but I’m hardly a qualified judge. Are you two really so immature as chefs that you can’t recognize a better between yourselves?”

“Hey now, no need to act uppity,” says Ringo sharply, surprising everyone present. “It’s a healthy rivalry, keeps us both on our toes. Good for business, too. Customers rally behind whoever they want to win and receive quality dango no matter what.”

“Wasn’t expecting to hear that from you,” Seiran says after a brief hesitation.

“It’s true, ain’t it?”

“Yes, but hearing you verbalize it was a new experience.”

Despite their constant competition, they share a sense of camaraderie. Bleh. Wonder if their time in the Lunarian military has something to do with that? Don’t antagonize them, airhead.

“…My mistake,” says Seki, averting her eyes out of embarrassment. “I was too critical and dismissive just now. It’s come to my attention recently that I might need to ‘loosen up,’ so to speak.”

Ringo puts a hand up. “Don’t worry about it, I get why we give off that impression. Sorry if we were too pushy just now.”

“We’ve also done some more thinking recently,” says Seiran. “You recall our run-in with that amanojaku and inchling we spoke to you about?”

Both the concealed duo and Seki’s eyes go wide before the latter says, “Y-yes, why?”

“After being humiliated like that, it made us reexamine how we interact with each other. I think we let ourselves get too competitive to the point of not listening to each other as much as we should. Frustrating as it might be to admit, those two had flawless teamwork; we were greatly lacking in comparison.”

“Heh, I can understand that more than you might realize,” muses Seki.

“Whaddaya mean?” Ringo asks.

“Had my own encounter with Seija and Shinmyoumaru recently; it was a few days after you two and I last spoke. My own hubris caused problems for me as well as my friends. Helped put into perspective how fallible I really am.”

“Didn’t know we were life coaches,” whispers Shin.

Seija sneers. “Not sure if I appreciate helping others come to flowery realizations.”

“Seems like we’ve all got our own baggage, eh?” Ringo says with a sympathetic smile.

Seiran adds, “My advice is to do what we did: reflect on where you went wrong and try to do better.”

“Huh. I’ll bear that in mind. Your words are appreciated,” says Seki, bowing slightly.

“Tell ya what, red: we were gonna go drinking here in a bit,” Ringo explains. “Wanna join us? I have a feeling we could all use it.”

Oh? That’s perfect. If the airhead agrees, it’ll make this easier since the rabbits will be tipsy. And them not remembering being asked the question would be perfect.

“Eh? I’m not sure if- WAH!” Seki is interrupted when she suddenly loses her sense of balance and falls over. It does not take her long to realize Seija reversed the position of her feet, causing a chain reaction throughout her body, to send a message.

“You alright?” Seiran asks while she and Ringo peer over their stalls.

“Ugh. Actually, I will take you up on that offer.”

“Nice,” Ringo replies, making the OK gesture with her right hand. “We’re workin’ another four hours so stop by after that, we’ll head to the bar together. And here.” When Seki is back on her feet, she sees Ringo offering her a dango skewer; Seiran silently presents one as well, apparently having the same idea.

The rokurokubi stares at the offerings. “What?”

“These are a grade above the samples,” Seiran explains. “You don’t have to judge them like a critic; please, simply enjoy them and tell us what you think later.”

“You don’t have to-”

“We’ve got plenty, take it,” insists the orange-haired rabbit.

The blue-haired counterpart nods. “Look at it as saving us the trouble of our earlier argument.”

“I- Thank you,” says Seki, moved by the gesture but doing her utmost to hide that fact. “And, uh, I know you meant no insult by ‘red’ but I prefer to be called my actual name. You can shorten it to ‘Seki’ if you’d like.”

Oh so they can do it but not me. I see how it is.

Ringo smiles. “Will do. See ya later, Seki.” She and Seiran wave farewell.

“G-goodbye.” A skewer in each hand, Seki walks back to Seija and Shin’s hiding spot. She ducks into the alley once the rabbits look away.

“Made some friends, eh? Good for you!” Seija mockingly cheers.

“I feel awful for being deceitful about my intentions…”

Shin rolls her eyes and says, “You realize that’s not necessarily the case, right?”

“Huh?”

“We’re forcing you to get information from them. The fact you had a legitimate moment of connection is independent of that and no fault of your own. Plus you wouldn’t be in this position to start with if you hadn’t attacked us. Quit it with the pity party.” The inchling grins deviously before adding, “And I have an inkling you’re secretly happy Seija pushed you to agree.”

No more words exit Seki’s agape mouth as she is too stunned by what she just heard.

“If you’re lucky, it’ll be a happy memory for you,” says Seija. Despite the partially sarcastic tone, Seki’s eyes light up when she hears that. “Right now we’ve gotta kill four hours. Any ideas?”

“I’m… going to go for a walk. A long walk,” Seki mutters, barely audible.

In this state, we shouldn’t have to worry about her doing anything.

“You better be here when it’s time, got it?” Seija commands.

With barely a nod, Seki shuffles off, deep in thought. She takes a bite from each dango skewer before the duo loses sight of her, visibly regaining a bit of energy after doing so.

“How considerate of you to let her go freely,” says Shin, bending over playfully while looking at Seija.

“Ah, shut it. I just figured she wouldn’t be a nuisance for the time being.”

“Well it’s you, me, and a sleepy village for four hours. I say we go on a walk of our own.”

“Eh, nothing better to do, I guess.”

The quiet peace enveloping the village is only further accentuated by Seija and Shin’s recent memories of the festivities. They currently find themselves at a secluded park blanketed by autumn-colored trees; the mid-afternoon sunlight shines through them such to create an otherworldly atmosphere. Fragmented light paints the wooden benches, grass, fallen leaves, and the resident god’s small shrine with bright flakes. Neither of the duo have spoken the past few minutes, though this silence is one of mutual understanding. Simply being in each other’s company as they take in the scenery is satisfying. After a bit of wandering, they rest at the furthest rightmost bench at the back of the park to avoid any potential prying eyes and curious ears.

Normally this type of contemplative pastime isn’t my thing.

Seija steals a glance at Shin, who took off her hat and is looking up through the trees; the same light that decorates everything else falls on her face in a way that mesmerizes the amanojaku. When Shin looks back to her partner, the latter does not consciously process the change, instead continuing to gaze deeply.

“Uh, Seija? Is there something on my face? You’re staring.”

“Ah.”

“You in there? Hellooooooo?”

“…Huh?” Seija blinks three times before jolting back with her face matching the red streak in her hair. “AGH!”

Shin cannot contain her laughter at the sight. “Glad the gears finally started turning. Did you enjoy the view?”

“I- You- Ugh. Guess I zoned out."

“No worries. I’ll take it as a compliment.” After saying that, Shin faces forward and takes a deep breath. It is a patient and determined breath.

Can’t believe I just did that. Why the hell did I do that?! I’m- I’m gonna forget that happened.

Seija looks around everywhere except at Shin, trying and failing to distract her mind. Taking note of this behavior and desiring to lighten the mood, Shin says, “It’s no more embarrassing than what I did when I first shrunk you, right?”

“…You’ve got a point there,” Seija replies, managing a smile. “Still dumbfounded you did that, no clue what was running through your mind at the time.”

The inchling clenches her fist but swiftly releases. “Yeah… Um, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Huh? Sure, go for it.”

“Earlier, when you were talking to Seki, you said that we’d never turn our backs on each other. Is it safe to assume our partnership has moved past simple mutual entertainment?”

“Eh?”

“A lot’s happened recently, you know? Former Hell, spending time together at the festival, our talk the morning after Tenshi first arrived, the concert, our fight yesterday, everything. It’s all got me thinking.”

“About what?”

“It’s… not the kind of thing that’s easy to say. Sorry, forget I brought it up, I’m being stupid.”

What’s wrong with her?

Seija turns her entire upper body towards Shin, her brow furrowed, and says, “I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, but- Gah, I’m no good at this kind of thing.” She runs a hand through her hair anxiously. “Look, you know how I am. But you’re the first person I’ve ever had any kind of extended partnership with, so you’ll have to bear with me. In a lot of ways, it still doesn’t feel quite right; that’s entirely because of me, not you, I should clarify. But being with you, it’s been really dull- I mean, fun? Uh, yeah, that. Not just in an ‘entertaining’ way, either; it’s something more meaningful. And there are times when I get this weird feeling in my stomach.”

“‘Weird feeling’?” Shin echoes, perking up.

“Yeah. It only ever happens with you. Do you know what it is? I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it for a while now.”

A few seconds go by with Seija earnestly looking at her partner, waiting for an answer. Shin is utterly stunned. Finally, the inchling bursts out laughing. She laughs and laughs, harder than Seija has ever seen. It causes the amanojaku to feel irrationally self-conscious.

“Sh-shin! What the hell?! I’m trying to be upfront with ya here! And that's really hard for me to do!”

Shin keeps on howling laughter, emboldened by the reaction. She could not stop even if she wanted to. Tears soon form in her eyes.

What the hell is going on?! Is it something I said?

After what feels like an eternity to Seija, who squirms in her seat, Shin composes herself; a chuckle still escapes every few seconds, however. “Seija, I’ve always had a mental image of you as the cool roguish type, but this is just… Pffft, hahahahaha!”

“Oh knock it off! What’s so funny?!”

The smaller youkai wipes her eyes. “Sorry, sorry. Guess I never fully understood exactly how your life up to now has given you a limi- er, unique perspective. I was worried about something earlier, but what you said made me realize there was never any cause for concern.” Mumbling to herself, she continues, “A ‘weird feeling’? Staring at me? Can’t believe I ever doubted to begin with.”

“Tell me what in the hell you’re going on about already!” Seija shouts, no longer caring about keeping a low profile.

“We’re on a mission right now, so I don’t wanna distract you too much. But what you said is all the reassurance I needed. And, to answer your question, that feeling in your stomach won’t hurt you. I have experience with it as well. I promise to talk more about it later, alright?”

Well… if she’s feeling better, I guess I can’t be mad about being laughed at. …Oh who am I kidding, I’m super ticked off! Why is she being so cryptic? But she also seems happy? Ah, screw it.

“Fine, whatever,” says Seija dismissively, crossing her arms. Shin giggles, renewed in her convictions. While only one of the two realizes it, their conversation has yielded much fruit. The one less-in-the-know spends the next few hours flustered for reasons she does not quite grasp.

The silence of daylight gives way to a bustling evening where the streets become populated by those getting off work. Many adults head straight home to be with their families, but others make a beeline for a different destination: the bars. Nearly everyone in Gensokyo, human and youkai, has a strong taste for liquor and the number of drinking establishments in the village alone attests to that. Walking amid these soon-to-be drunks are Seija and Shin, on their way to meeting up with Seki.

That was certainly an afternoon. Shin’s still acting all bubbly but I’ve given up trying to figure out why.

“It crosses my mind we never talked about how we’re handling the bar hangout,” says Shin.

“Yeah, I wonder why we were so preoccupied,” Seija says in response, performing not only an exaggerated eye roll but even rolling her whole head to really sell it.

“A mystery for the ages, truly. We gonna wait outside the bar or what?”

“Loitering while it’s dark out will raise some eyebrows, plus we won’t be able to confirm the info ourselves. We’ll need to go inside and blend in.”

“I agree. Let’s hurry, don’t want to be late and give Seki an excuse to act unilaterally.”

Seija nods and the duo soon arrives at the alley from earlier. To their surprise, Seki is already there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

“Yo!” calls out Seija, gesturing with her right index and middle fingers. “Should’ve figured you’d be early.”

“I only got here a few minutes ago,” says the redhead, her countenance more self-assured than when she was last seen.

Her soul-searching produced results, looks like. For her sake, she better not get any cute ideas.

“So you know, we’ll be following you into whatever bar the rabbits take you to,” Shin clarifies.

“I figured as much.”

“It’ll be simple: get them drunk then ask the question. Lead the way, Seki,” orders Seija. In spite of the amanojaku’s intentions, Seki is unfazed. Instead she nods and complies with the command.

Definitely something up here.

Seija exchanges a look with Shin, the latter’s crinkled expression affirming that she shares the same suspicions. They give each other a nod before peeking around the corner to see Seki already at the disassembled stalls.

“Glad ya made it!” Ringo exclaims with a toothy smile.

“Thank you for inviting me. This will be my first time going out with people different from my usual group, I admit, so please excuse any of my odd behaviors.”

“Seki, ya don’t gotta be so high strung. It’s gonna be a fun night on the town!”

“If by ‘night on the town’ you mean ‘night in a single bar,’ then yes,” Seiran adds.

“C’mon, don’t kill the mood.”

To the surprise of everyone present, Seki quietly laughs.

“Dang,” says Ringo, placing a hand on her hip. “Get started without us earlier?”

The redhead shakes her head. “No, I simply found your banter funny. Is that strange?”

“S’pose not. Happy to see this side of you.”

“We need to put our materials into storage here, then we’ll head out,” says Seiran.

“Understood,” Seki replies. “Do you mind if I pick the bar? There’s a place I’d like to introduce you to.”

“We haven’t narrowed down a specific spot yet, so I don’t mind. Ringo?”

“No objections here,” Ringo affirms.

“Splendid, I’ll take you there,” says Seki, smiling.

Back in the alley, Shin whispers, “That attitude 180 is making me uneasy.”

This isn’t the same airhead we’ve been dealing with. She’s confident and it’s not baseless.

“We’re here,” says Seki, Seiran and Ringo right behind her. She turns around and gestures to the sign above the entryway of the bar.

Ringo, no longer wearing her work apron, reads it aloud. “‘Geidontei.’ There somethin’ special about this place?”

“I’ve come here a few times before and the sake is superb,” Seki explains. “You’ll usually only see old men here, but the regulars are all jovial and the hostess is very hospitable. It’s an enjoyable atmosphere.”

“Nice. Gettin’ this one drunk is the only way she can hold a conversation with someone besides me,” Ringo teases, resting her arm on Seiran’s shoulder.

“E-excuse you!” Seiran shouts. She, too, has taken off her work apron along with her bandanna.

“Shall we head inside, then?” asks Seki.

Both rabbits nod and all three enter. Roughly twenty paces to the right of Geidontei are the duo, ready to spring into action. Once they reach the entrance themselves, Seija gives it a once-over and asks, “You ever heard of this place?”

“Nope,” Shin answers, shrugging. “Ready to take the plunge? Seki’s plotting something.”

“No reason to wait. Be wary.”

“Same to you.”

Before they get the chance to go in, however, a woman walks out. She wears a light brown suit coat with shorts, shoes, and a messenger bag that match, a white button-up dress shirt, and a dark tie. On her head is a flat-top cap of the same color as the coat to complete the look. Her chin-length black hair, red eyes, and pointed ears give away her identity, prompting Seija and Shin to immediately hide their faces.

Why is Aya here?!

The duo attempts to walk by coolly, yet Aya Shameimaru, who is currently reading her notepad, spares a glance at them. She squints while Seija and Shin sweat bullets. Soon enough, though, she moves along. Both youkai breathe a sigh of relief.

“What could’ve brought her to a bar in the village?” Shin asks.

“Maybe she wanted a drink and this was the closest place?” Seija spitballs. “Since she visits the town to deliver her paper, it’s possible.”

“Wouldn’t that be in the morning, though?”

“Could be doing some kind of investigation, then.”

Neither can surmise anything further. Putting that aside for now, the duo ducks into Geidontei and quickly acquires a lay of the land. Seiran, Ringo, and Seki, in that order from farthest to nearest, are already seated at the bar, specifically the side closest to the left wall. On the side nearest to the entrance are two older men, one with thin grey hair and the other bald. A cheerful, pink-haired young woman with green eyes wearing a whale hat serves them drinks. Two locks fall on either side of her hair, the right one shaped like a hook. Her shirt is light blue and long-sleeved, featuring two ribbons crossing diagonally along the front. What can be seen of her skirt is purple and over that is a whale-themed apron. The woman, who Seija guesses is the hostess Seki mentioned, checks to see who came in; the duo lowers their hats to cover their eyes before briskly shuffling to a table behind Seki and the rabbits.

Gotta keep a low profile.

The hostess immediately notes their odd behavior. In Seija’s opinion, she notices almost too quickly. Her expression, however, is inscrutable. Neither Seija nor Shin are able to look at her face without fear of being profiled further.

Do we really look so shady that whale girl’s already apprehensive of us? She doesn’t seem normal herself.

A voice from outside inquires, “Miyoi, dearie, got room for one more? I realize I’m here earlier than my usual time, but I promise not to get too rowdy.”

“O-of course! Welcome!” the hostess, Miyoi Okunoda, shakily yells back. Inside walks none other than Mamizou, donning her usual human disguise. The other youkai present are surprised to see the bake-danuki.

Of course it’s her. It’s always her. First Aya, now this. What’s next, the bookworms? Tenshi?

“Do you mind waiting so I can serve those two who walked in before you first?” Miyoi asks.

“No problem at-” Mamizou cuts herself off when she sees the duo, both of whom are very nervous at this point. Her mouth hangs open for a moment. “Ahem. As I was saying, it’s no problem. I’ll, um, sit over there,” she says, motioning towards the farthest seat on the side where Seki is.

“We might have to abort this mission,” whispers Shin.

Seija grinds her teeth. “Doing that’s the same as cutting Seki loose. We lose our best chance to get what we need.”

“Excuse me,” says Miyoi, already standing next to the table. “What would you like?”

Now isn’t the time for drinking.

“Just two waters for now,” Seija replies. While speaking in the bar, she lowers her voice a few octaves as a precaution.

“Of course. Let me know when you want anything else!” says Miyoi. She returns to behind the bar; if she is aware of her customers’ true natures, she hides that fact. Meanwhile, the still dumbfounded Mamizou bores a hole through Seija and Shin with her line of sight. Miyoi comes to take her order after bringing two waters to the duo’s table; the trickster mindlessly asks for whatever Miyoi recommends. Throughout all of this, Ringo has been chatting up a storm with Seiran periodically interjecting while Seki contentedly sips from her cup. Neither of the old men notice anything amiss, either.

While the hag definitely realizes it’s us, it seems we’re in the clear for now. Only getting water might make whale girl raise an eyebrow so we’ll need to buy something eventually. That is, unless airhead over there hurries up and asks them the stupid question!

“For what it’s worth,” says Shin, “I agree that this was a good idea in theory. Putting it into practice leaves a bit to be desired, though.”

Seija annoyedly gulps from her glass then says, “Thank you so much for the input.”

“I do my best to offer good feedback,” the inchling replies with a smirk.

Can’t say her being here doesn’t at least help me stay level. Anyway, despite the unexpected arrivals, what we need to do hasn’t really changed: stay quiet, stay still, and listen. Once the rabbits spill, we bolt.

The game is afoot. Seki, fully aware of the duo’s presence behind her, takes her time enjoying her first drink. Seiran and Ringo go faster, the latter especially. In only twenty minutes, both are much looser than before. Not quite obnoxious but certainly animated. Mamizou continues drinking quietly in her corner, still trying to determine what is going on. The pair of old men are in a state comparable to the rabbits.

“Ay, Seki, tell me,” Ringo begins, “on the real, whose dango didya like more? This ain’t a competition thing, honestly curious.”

“It was mine, right? Right?” insists Seiran.

Seki stares into her cup for a second, contemplating. “Those skewers you gave me when I left were some of the best I’ve ever had. Ringo, the sheer quality and professionalism of your product was unbelievable… A bit of a far cry to how you come across normally, which surprised me.”

“Pffft, she’s calling you rough!” Seiran says with a laugh.

Rigno shrugs. “What can I say, don’t judge a book by the cover.”

“Seiran,” Seki continues, “I could feel your love of the craft in every bite. The ground you lose to Ringo’s slight edge in skill is made up for with color. Ringo’s were all consistently amazing; yours had variance, each piece felt like a different experience despite the shared flavors.”

“Hear that, Seiran?” the orange-haired rabbit teases. “You’ve got color.”

“Didn’t you just say this was about satisfying curiosity, not a competition?” Seiran asks.

“I didn’t throw the first punch this time. But puttin’ that aside,” Ringo turns back to Seki and continues, “what’s your final answer?”

There is a beat of silence. “To be honest, I can’t pick,” says Seki before finishing her first glass.

“Boo, boooooooooooo, lame answer!”

The blue-haired rabbit puts back another swig. “Quite the cop out, I must agree. But it’s not like Seki to cause conflict, is it?”

“True ‘nuff. Bartender, mind hookin’ us up with another round?”

“Coming right up!” Miyoi shouts back while speaking with the two men. Meanwhile, Seija and Shin’s legs are stiff from sitting still for so long.

This cheeky airhead really means to drag this out as long as she can. She knows she’s safe while there’s a crowd.

“Wait, before you order anymore,” Seki interjects, “I have an idea for a game I’d like to try.”

A game?

“What kind of game could she mean?” whispers Shin.

An intrigued Ringo rests her head in her hand. “Lay it on us.”

“It’s meant to be an icebreaker. You gather a group of people and give everyone a shot of alcohol. Doesn’t matter what kind as long as it’s all the same. Everyone who finishes their shot without passing out or backing out is allowed to ask any question of one other person in the group, no strings attached. You can refuse to answer a question, but you also forfeit your right to continue playing. Once all players are done, you go again. Repeat until only one person’s left or the group collectively decides to stop. The only catch is that no one can be asked a question twice in the same round, unless it works out where only one person has yet to ask and all others have answered once.”

So that’s how she intends to find out. Clever, I’ll admit.

“I see,” Seiran says while nodding. “It acts like your typical drinking contest but with the added twist of getting to know each other."

“You dirty cheater, is that why you’ve been letting us fill up?” Ringo asks, pointing facetiously at Seki.

The redhead shrugs. “Not my fault the game’s already started.”

“Didn’t take you to be so devious, I like it! Let’s do this, I’ll win anyway!”

“Hold on. Who said it would just be us? We can invite everyone in the bar to join. Besides Miyoi of course.”

What.

“Fine by me,” says Ringo. “Yo, for anyone who was listen’ - and I know y’all were - who wants in? I’ll put all y’all under the table!”

“Normally I wouldn’t back down from a challenge,” replies the grey-haired old man. “But my wife wants me to pace myself better.”

The bald man shakes his head. “I got a bad hangover yesterday so I want to relax today. Just seein’ you youngins in high spirits is enough for me.”

Considering both of their faces are flushed already, it’s a wonder they don’t float away with all that hot air they’re blowing.

“Respectable reasons,” says Seki. “What about you, miss?”

Mamizou clears her throat. “Sure, I’m intrigued.”

“And you two?” With Seki’s question, all eyes fall on the duo.

Shin leans in closer to Seija and says, “We have no reason to play along with this. Let’s refuse.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Seija replies. She speaks up to say, “Sorry, we aren’t in the mood right now.”

“Really? That’s a shame,” says Seki in a forlorn tone. “My alcohol tolerance isn’t the highest, so I wanted to involve the other patrons to hear more from my new friends before I lost. If there’s too few of us, I might not get the chance to ask them anything important.”

She’s trying to trap us! Is that why she’s been acting so confident? When’d she build this kind of nerve? She should know she won’t be safe from us the moment she leaves this bar. Is she just stupid?

The bald man slams down his cup. “C’mon, you two, ya can’t leave the poor lass hangin’ like that!”

“Sir, please don’t be rough with bar property…” Miyoi says with a nervous smile.

“Oh, sorry Miyoi.”

“Well, you two, are you sure?” Seki asks.

Seija and Shin exchange worried expressions right under the brims of their hats.

She’s daring us to say no. Must figure that if we’re relying on her to start with, this information is too important for us to pass up.

“…Guess we’re in,” Seija says through gritted teeth.

“Splendid. Bartender, six shots of whatever sake you recommend!”

“No problem!” shouts Miyoi.

“What to ask…” Seiran muses, her mind already foggy.

Ringo wobbly stands up and leans an arm on her, saying, “Just try to keep it interesting. Wouldn’t want these folks to think we’re boring!”

The room’s atmosphere is light to everyone but the duo. Mamizou pushes up her glasses, chuckling to herself. All six players stay in their seats while Miyoi begins handing out drinks.

“Seiran and Ringo are probably far enough along that we can ask them ourselves and they won’t catch on provided they don’t see too much of our faces,” Shin observes.

“At the same time, we can’t act like we know them. We’ll need to lead up to it with other questions first,” says Seija. “Our effective time limit is until they pass out, but even with what they already have in their systems there should be enough time. Just try not to get drunk yourself.”

“C’mon, I’m not a lightweight.”

“You pack it away well for your size, yeah. Just a warning.”

Miyoi reaches their table last, setting them up with small cups of aromatic sake.

“We’re all ready,” says the rokurokubi. “I’ll start off and then we’ll go counterclockwise.”

The only thing missing from that statement was a fireworks show that spells out ‘Seija and Shin will go last!’

Seki downs her shot in one fluid motion. “I’ll ask Ringo a question: what’s your favorite color?”

The grip of Seija’s hand on her cup becomes so tight it might shatter.

She’s wasting even more time! Now Seiran’s our only option.

“Slow rollin’ me?” Ringo asks, squinting. “Alright, take a wild guess. …Orange. It’s orange.”

Shocking.

“My turn?” Seiran manages to down her first drink of the game with little issue. “Um, Seki, what are your goals in life?”

The redhead visibly processes the weighty question. “Wow. Went right for it. I guess I’d say it’s to live peacefully? To enjoy the small things. Ideally with a close circle of friends.”

“Sounds like she’s pretty close to her goals already,” says Shin, quietly enough that only Seija hears.

“That answer’s pretty fitting comin’ from you,” Ringo says with a grin. She knocks back her drink quickly. “Seems I’ve gotta be the first of us three to branch out. Yo, shorty, what’s your name? Can’t get to know you without learnin’ that much.”

Shin bites her tongue to not snap back at the nickname Ringo chose. “…Jin.” The awkward silence after her answer is deafening.

Huh, must’ve taken that pronunciation from my last name. Kinda close to her actual name.

“…My turn. And the name’s Mamizou, dearies; I’ll give you that one for free.” She indulges in her drink with a kind of poise that belies her immense experience. “You, Jin’s friend, I take it you’ll offer us the same courtesy, so here’s my question: what brought you here this evening? This little place usually doesn’t get folks as young as you, though today seems to be an exception.”

She knows it’s us so she can’t be expecting a straight answer, right?

“Heard the food and drink were good here, same as Jin,” says Seija. Now it is her turn to drink, which she does without any outward fuss. Yet the story inwardly is very different.

Whoa, this stuff’s strong! This must be a class above what the rabbits were drinking before the game started if they’re still standing. We might have less time than we thought.

Not letting that revelation slow her down, Seija says, “My name’s Masashi. You, in the blue, where are you from? Couldn’t help but notice the ears.”

“I’m from the Moon, same as Ringo. Oh, and since I didn’t properly introduce myself, I’m Seiran,” says the blue-haired rabbit before bowing, though that bow is not exactly stable. She fails to realize how her answer confuses the two men; however, due to drunkeness, they do not question it.

“The Moon, huh? Interesting.”

That should be all the pretense necessary to ask how they got here.

Now comes Shin’s turn, the inchling making short work of her shot. “Since you’re the only one left, Mamizou, it has to be you.” She grins slightly, as if happy with an idea she has. “How old are you?”

“Oho, wouldn’t you like to know,” says the bespectacled youkai, teeth clenched.

Ha! Make her squirm, Shin!

Mamizou continues, “From where you’re standing, I probably seem centuries old. Is that sufficient as an answer?”

“Hmph, alright,” Shin replies, willing to let it go. “Hey - Seki, was it? - don’t you think this game’s a bit unfair to those who go last? We don’t have much choice in who we ask. Why not flip it around?”

“Can’t say I disagree,” says Mamizou.

Seki’s eyes narrow briefly but she recovers just as fast. “I concede the point. To get a move on, how about this alternative: we all drink at once, with the order of asking going from fastest to slowest.”

That’s a free ticket for the hag to go first, but it shouldn’t be too big an issue. I can outpace airhead even if that first drink was stronger than I expected.

“Alright, dearie, I’ll play that game. Miyoi, do you mind watching us to verify?” Mamizou asks.

“Yes, of course,” says the hostess. She remains cheerful, however cracks are beginning to appear in her façade since she feels the bubbling tension. Without any delay, she pours and delivers six fresh shots then gets in position to watch. “On your marks… now!”

Mamizou, as expected, is first. Next, unlike Seija’s prediction, Seki beats her by half a second. After that, the order is Shin, Ringo, and finally Seiran.

Shoot! Keeping this down is already getting difficult. I never took Seki for such a hardened drinker. Forget the rabbits, Shin and I might be in trouble if-

A switch flicks in the amanojaku’s mind.

…If the airhead gets us drunk, we could forget most of the details of tonight, which puts her in the clear. She’ll just claim we were irresponsible and that her debt is paid. We might also get caught flat-out if we wander around in that state.

“Everything alright, Masashi?” Seki asks, her tone carrying the slightest edge of satisfaction. “If you want to quit, you can. No shame in it.”

You…!

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” says Seija through a forced smile.

“Then let’s continue. Mamizou, if you would.”

This has been her plan all along! She knew how strong this place’s sake is and that’s why she led us here. But she should be just as much at risk of getting wasted. All our shots have been from the same source. How is she…?

“Seems you all still have a lot to learn,” Mamizou says with a laugh. “Though you came very close, Seki. I’ll make that my question: what’s your secret? You drank that up like a thirsty man in a desert.”

Seemingly unconsciously, Seki rubs the back of her neck. “Must be having a good night, normally it’s harder.” Both Seija and Mamizou tilt their heads upon hearing that.

Just now, that was… Hmmm. That could be it.

“My, how interesting,” the bake-danuki muses.

“Seiran, what’s your favorite food?” Seki asks without missing a beat.

Bleh, more time wasting.

“Ya hafta -yawn- ask?” questions Seiran, slurring her words. “Dango.”

Seija rolls her neck. “Alright, now me. Ringo, to follow-up on what I asked last round, how did you and Seiran get here from the Moon? I’m curious how that’s possible.”

“Now that’sh… a good queshtion,” says Ringo. “Man, what do y’all put in this shake? Ushually don’t get shloshed this eashily. Anyway… Uh, what’d ya ashk again?”

“How you got here from the Moon,” Seija repeats, doing her utmost to sound congenial.

“Oh, uh, we jusht kinda… went through a passhageway. Yeah.”

“And where was-”

“Hey, only one question at a time, remember?” Seki interrupts. “If you want to know more, keep playing.”

Seija bites her tongue. “Yeah, right.”

“Um,” mutters Shin, who has been mostly silent this round. “Masashi, where -hiccup- do you see yourself in five years?”

“Huh?” Only now does Seija see just how flushed her partner is. “Uh, same place as now, I guess.” Leaning in, she whispers to say, “Why are you asking me questions?”

Shin lightly pats her face with her hands. “Oh, sorry. This stuff is… having more of an effect on me than I thought. But your -burp- answer made me happy.”

Uh, okay? But that’s odd, Shin isn’t this easy to get drunk, I should know. My tolerance is higher, true, but we’ve had the same amount and two shots definitely isn’t enough for her.

Even Mamizou notices something is wrong seeing Shin and the rabbits acting this way. She looks to Miyoi and asks, “Uh, you don’t happen to be using that with the sake, are you?”

“I-is that a problem?” Miyoi asks, her eyes betraying her smile.

What’s she talking about?

Mamizou raises an eyebrow but shakes her head and does not question further. Instead, she glances at Seija and winks.

Huh? Does the hag know something? Whale girl’s been acting suspicious ever since we got here, too. Hm, I'm starting to piece together the full picture I think.

“Jin!” Ringo shouts with zero tact. “I bet this queshtion’ll get ya good! What’sh your motivation in life? The thing that getsh ya outta bed each day!”

“Hmmm… That’s a tough one,” Shin admits.

You can feed her some nonsense answ-

“Probably the hope that one day my actions will prove, to myself and others, how powerful and valued my existence is. To show how big I really am and leave a mark on the world. And also… well, that’s one reason.”

Or you can be completely sincere, I guess. Didn’t think she’d be the one spilling her guts tonight. Oddly nice to listen to, though.

“Wow, that’sh deep,” Ringo replies. Seki and Mamizou silently contemplate Shin’s words as well, surprised to hear such a heartfelt response.

Seiran speaks up, “Don’t think… I can top that. Also, after this round I need… to stop. Someone has to take Ringo home. And I’m… really… sleepy…” Barely a half-second later she conks out on the bar’s counter.

“And then there were five,” says Seki. “The round now ends without Mamizou being asked anything.”

“What am I, chopped liver…?” Mamizou says to no one in particular.

Great. Now if I don’t beat airhead, she’ll eat up Ringo’s answer. But if there’s only one potential answer anyway-

“Shin, tap out,” Seija whispers. “Can’t say for sure why yet, but the sake isn’t normal. You’re already starting to fall under, too, if your last answer was any indication. I have a better shot of beating her.”

Rubbing her eyes, Shin says, “Dang it… Sorry. I’ll make sure we both get out of here, so win.” She turns to Seki. “I’m done. You all continue.”

“That’s fine. I’m happy you joined us strangers,” Seki replies without a hint of tipsiness.

My head’s starting to buzz… Focus, Seija. I know Seki’s cheating and have a good idea how, but can I prove it? With Miyoi and those old dudes here, I can’t cause a scene. Then again, airhead’s messing with the master if that’s how she’s playing this.

Four more shots are distributed by Miyoi. Mamizou still appears unfazed by the drinks and Seki is completely sober. Seija’s face is turning red while Ringo barely hangs on.

It’s now or never, I’ve gotta use ol’ reliable!

“What the hell’s that?!” Seija suddenly shouts, pointing towards the opposite wall. Everyone in the bar turns to where she points, wondering what caused such a reaction.

Works every time. And next up…!

With a flick of her wrist, she flips the direction Seki’s body is facing. Her head does not go with it. “Hey Seki,” says Seija, “I was joking. Can’t you keep your head on straight?”

“Wha-?!” The rokurokubi goes wide-eyed. She corrects her position before the old men, Ringo, and Miyoi notice, but Mamizou and Shin see everything.

She disconnected her head from her body to minimize the alcohol’s effects. It’s all marinating down there with none going to her mind.

“Ohohohoho!” Mamizou cannot help but laugh. “Well then! Appears I need to go over there to keep a closer eye on you.”

Let's see what you do now that your method's been exposed!

With Mamizou moving to the open stool next to Seki, the latter becomes visibly displeased and says, “Hmph. I have no idea what you mean.”

“Oh I’m sure you don’t, dearie. But why not take off your cape? It can get rather stuffy in here.” The trickster’s voice nears a growl when she adds, “I’d be happy to remove it for you if you want.”

“That’s… quite unnecessary. I can do it myself.” Seki takes a roll of gauze out of her pocket and wraps it around her neck underneath her cape before removing said article. “It’s an ugly scar, you understand. Shall we continue?”

Miyoi somehow manages to maintain her smile and says, “Ready… go!”

Once again, Mamizou wins, but this time Seija handily outpaces Seki. Despite it being the first actual drink the redhead can feel go down her throat, the sheer strength of it causes her to cough on her initial attempt. Ringo miraculously finishes hers after the others and maintains consciousness.

“Nice, Sei- er, Masashi!” Shin cheers, still woozy herself.

She gets ‘drunk the same way’ as a human, huh? Idiot, that’s what you deserve. …Ugh. I beat her but man am I FEELING it now. Just gotta… ask the question.

“Seki,” Mamizou begins, “I just happened to be passing through today, so I hope I haven’t… cramped your style, as it were. This will be my final question and then I’ll bow out. What were you speaking with Miyoi about earlier today? As it turns out, when I was on my way to Suzunaan a few hours ago, I saw you walk in here. Color me curious.”

The duo, Miyoi, and Seki all stop cold. Mamizou pulls out her pipe and takes an expectant puff.

Now this I gotta hear.

“I’m sure Miyoi can fill me in on any details you leave out, so please be thorough,” the trickster insists.

“…” Seki does not say a word at first. At long last, she rubs her face, sighs, and says, “You got me. Miyoi, you can stop adding your special touch to the drinks now.”

“Bwuh?!” Miyoi yelps. “…A-alright. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

So that girl is a youkai.

“For reasons some here know,” says Seki, “I haven’t exactly been in the greatest of moods recently and an encounter I had today didn’t help. But then some kind words from Seiran and Ringo along with a wake-up call from the last people I expected made me realize something: I always let my own perceived weaknesses weigh me down. I’ll try something and then give up after one failure. Basically, I’m ‘weak.’ An extra in this complicated world. It’s not my place to act up, right?”

You…

She continues. “But I cannot shake the feeling that standing by and doing nothing is wrong. No matter how much I try to harden myself and pretend what I do is only so I won’t be disturbed, I find I persist in doing this confounding thing called ‘caring.’ So I decided to take a stand and not roll over for those who I think are in the wrong just because I lost once, especially when friends got in trouble because of me the first time.” Seki turns to the duo and looks them dead in the eyes. “Even now, I refuse to bend a knee to them. And, if nothing else, I’m observant; I know what goes on in this bar at night. That’s why, when I was reminded of Miyoi’s skills and resolved not to give up, I asked her to enhance the sake and rig this game in my favor. Had it all gone according to plan, I’d have been the only player to remember what happened.” Her speech complete, she takes a deep breath. It is almost as if a weight is visibly lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you for listening to my self-indulgent rambling. I did my utmost and have no regrets. Do what you will.”

Not an atom of smug satisfaction remains on Seija, Shin, or Mamizou’s faces. None of them have a response.

“Y’know,” Ringo says, shattering the mood, “I barely caught any o’ that, but what I shaid before ish ‘till true: you gotta looshen up. Barten- -hiccup- -der! Another round for her, on me!”

“Uh, right away,” says Miyoi, still smiling despite everything, as is befitting of someone who values customer service.

Seki can only stare at Ringo giving her a thumbs-up. “Thank you, truly. If you’d like, I would love to introduce you and Seiran to my friends Kagerou and Waka one day.”

“Shounds like a plan! But uh, you might need to -hiccup- write it down for me.”

“Masashi… it’s your turn to ask a question,” says a sobered up Shin.

Seija looks at Shin’s face. It portrays mixed emotions, mirroring her own. “Right,” the amanojaku replies. “Ringo, where’s the entrance to the passageway you mentioned earlier?”

“-yawn- Hm?” Ringo grunts.

“The passageway. You mentioned. Earlier. Where is it?”

”Oh, it’sh at… the lake on top of… Youkai… Mountain…” Not a second after the long sought after answer leaves her mouth does Ringo join Seiran in the latter’s nap.

We got it. We won.

“For what it’s worth, dearie,” says Mamizou, eyeing the redhead, “you definitely have more presence now than the girl who angrily told me I was a fool to cover for them a few weeks ago. I could tell you were a bit lacking in conviction then. Setting all this up on your own was rather inspired.”

Oh yeah, Seki mentioned back during the ambush she tried to get Mamizou to rat us out. But the stupid tanuki can try to sound wise all she wants; the long and short is that she was afraid of us messing with her setup.

“Hmph. I suppose you want to take it outside now, Seija?” Seki asks, solemn but ever-determined. She rolls her neck and shoulders, readying herself for a fight.

“What are you talking about, airhead?” Seija counters, regaining her signature devilish grin. “With the hag dropping out and orange down for the count, this game still has two players left: you and me.”

“You can’t possibly-”

“Oh I absolutely can ‘possibly.’ Take your next drink, you just used up your question for the round.” Mamizou gracefully vacates her seat next to Seki so Seija can use it. “We go until one of us passes out and I ain’t hearing any complaints. Consider this paying off your friends’ remaining debts.”

The rokurokubi’s fully exposed face expresses her shock in a way that was impossible before. Her cheeks subtly rise with how she squints and the way her mouth hangs open reveals a new kind of vulnerability. “Seija, you-”

“It’s Masashi tonight. Just a stranger having a drink. You better bore me like your life depends on it, cause this is a one time thing.”

“…Fine. Know that I still greatly dislike you and hope you fail in all you do.”

“I would have it no other way.” From there, they continue the game, insulting each other constantly.

Doing this after hearing just one little speech… Maybe I’m the one full of hot air.

Mamizou, after a quick conversation with Miyoi, claims the chair next to Shin. “Whatever could you hope to accomplish with that information about the passageway, I wonder?” she muses. “But don’t worry, I’m not wont to snitch in cases like this. And your memories will be fine; I already talked with Miyoi to make sure nothing happens. Poor girl’s so kind-hearted that she assisted Sekibanki after one genuine plea for help. Try not to tell anyone about her true nature, alright?”

“We won’t. Why did you help us?” Shin asks.

“I hardly helped, your partner figured out and exposed Seki’s trick without any input from me. If you must have some form of justification, it’s repayment for your fire-fighting. But honestly, I sensed something stirring and just wanted some entertainment.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Oh? And what makes you think you know me so well?”

Shin grins. “My eyes are all I need to see that look on your face.”

“Hoho, so they are,” says the beaming Mamizou. “But don’t get cocky, little missy. You still have a long way to go, it seems. Would hate for you to get in over your head. Seki was the one who was raising a ruckus at my favorite bar, not you two; should you cross me, I won’t hold back. Don’t expect anyone else to, either.”

“That’s exactly what we’re counting on. Don’t underestimate the ones beneath you.”

Mamizou nods and puffs her pipe once again. Shin is content to be the designated flier for Seija this evening. All the while, Sekibanki finally, finally cuts loose and lets herself simply enjoy a night of drinking. She periodically glances at the sleeping rabbits and smiles.

“Y’know, I think we may have witnessed something very special here,” says the grey-haired man. “Too bad I couldn’t understand a lick of it.”

“Youth’s a beautiful thing,” says the bald man.

Chapter Text

-Six Years, Six Months Ago-

“Pant… pant… I… I did it!” proclaims the exhausted but victorious amanojaku. “With these tools, I’m invincible! Not even the shrine maiden can stop me now! Gensokyo, get ready to face your new ruler!”

Following her escape from the last group of would-be captors, Seija sits against a tree in a nondescript forest somewhere between Hakurei Shrine and Myouren Temple. Attached to her waist ribbon and tied around her torso are all nine cheating tools. Dark grey clouds hide the sky late in the afternoon; once the rain comes, any remaining tracks Seija left behind will be washed away.

They’ve given up for now but I’m sure they’ll be back. No way they’ll leave me alone if they were willing to bend spell card rules to capture me.

Her former partner’s words replay in her mind as she reflects on previous battles, “Unfortunately… upheaval is impossible at this point. We’ve already lost this fight.”

Seija grasps the Replica Miracle Mallet on her side and holds it up to her face, sneering. “Hmph. Idiotic weakling. I went to all that trouble finding the Miracle Mallet for her and she gave up that easily. Even if those annoying incident resolvers beat us once, there’s no way we’d lose again now that I found these tools. The past ten days are proof, yet still she submits to them.” Her eyes angle upward and stare through the thick trees.

Sure by now she told everyone the story I fed her. They’ve probably done their homework and cleared things up, too. No way she’ll work with me again now that the truth’s out. Guess that ship’s sunk for good. Luckily, these tools hold all the power from the Miracle Mallet I’ll need. I’m still not proficient at using more than two at a time but my improvement’s been quick. Soon enough no one will stand a chance!

Drops of rain begin falling, prompting Seija to stretch her arms and stand up.

I should find shelter and stay hidden tonight, then leave the forest tomorrow.

Fortunately for her, the trees prove an effective shield during the downpour’s early stages. She manages to find a particularly tall, wide, and slightly arcing trunk to fully protect herself before it really pours down. Using the Nimble Fabric as a blanket, Seija wraps herself up and attempts to settle into a comfortable position while leaning against the tree. Her initial high from victory simmers amid the rainy ambience.

…I won today. I escaped the strongest figures of Gensokyo. So why am I still in the same position I was before everything started? All this power at my fingertips and I’m hiding under a tree in the middle of a rainstorm somewhere in a random forest.

Over and over she retraces her steps from the past six months in her mind.

The inchling and I had something going there with our plan for a while, yet we lost. Still, when it first seemed like she might be beaten, I only thought it was a setback. Those three humans using their corrupted tools should have made them easily influenced afterwards. But Reimu cast hers aside before coming for us and captured Shinmyoumaru. The maid brought hers but was more interested in using it than anything else and went back to her mistress with no fanfare. In the end, only the magician was a potential target. I almost got her on our side, then it utterly fell through since I didn’t know about the mallet’s recoil effect.

Her brow furrows and she balls her fists.

That stupid recoil effect. All that work we did enraging youkai and empowering tools to gather allies, blown back in our face because the mallet ran out of power. Spent months tracking down these nine tools that still held residual magic while that inchling cozied up to Reimu and gathered back most of the mallet’s scattered energy. Thought it was a bluff at first and we’d turn the tables on them, but that was giving her way too much credit. She lacks the conviction necessary to rise up from her station. And, even though she turned the power of the Miracle Mallet against me, I defeated her and the magic in my tools persists. With them I’ll overturn the social hierarchy! I don’t care if it’s her birthright or whatever, I’m the one who found that mallet and I’m not giving this piece of its power back. For all I care, Shin can-

The amanojaku’s eyes widen, only slightly.

‘Shin…’ Why did I just call her that? It was a shorthand meant to endear myself to her while we were working together. Guess I need to break the habit.

Smiling, she says, “Heh, lost with her and won without her, some partner that inchling was… Eh, shouldn’t be surprised. An amanojaku doesn’t need friends anyway. I only went to her because I couldn’t overturn Gensokyo on my own before. That’s now a thing of the past!”

“-yawn- …What a weird thing to remember.” Stirring in bed is a very hungover Seija. “What time is it…?”

My head’s pounding like Shin whacked me with her mallet…

She sits up and rubs her face when her nose catches a whiff of a calming aroma. Looking around the room, she spots a tray with a plugged teapot wrapped in a cloth and an empty cup an arms length from her futon. A note lies next to it, which Seija picks up.

This tea should still be warm when you wake up, use it to clear your head.
I’ve got food prepared when you want to eat. Don’t worry about it going bad,
most of it can sit out. The rest is easily reheated. I’ll be in the dining room.
Take your time.
-Shin

I told her already that she doesn’t need to wait on me like I’m helpless, yet… Hmph, she never did follow up on telling me about that feeling I described to her. But this headache hurts too much for me to think about that topic right now.

In spite of the annoyance she tries to convince herself she feels, Seija pours herself a cup and finishes it in one long chug. The temperature is just cool enough that it does not burn, letting her rapidly drink with no consequence. And she continues doing so, downing a second cup nearly as fast. It greatly mitigates the throbbing in her head.

Thanks, Shin. …It’s been six and a half years since that day. Why did I dream about it? Reminds me of how convinced I was that I’d soon be at the top. Turns out all I would accomplish is becoming yesterday’s news. That said, can’t deny how good it felt putting all those self-aggrandizing idiots in their place.

Through the window she can see light from the midday Sun, cluing her in on the current time.

Not as late as I thought, I should head to the dining room.

“We’ve officially completed phase one of planning!” Shin cheers, pumping her fist into the air and holding up a freshly finished glass of water.

“Ugh, not so loud…” Seija complains while rubbing her temple. On the duo’s table is a simple but tasty spread of rice, vegetable, and fish dishes, of which a good amount has been eaten.

“Sorry. But at least you had fun last night, right?”

“Blasted airhead lasted longer than I figured. Thought she had my number for a second since I drank more than her beforehand.”

“Either way,” says Shin, “we didn’t get a chance to properly celebrate last night, so I wanted to make it official.”

Slightly smiling at her partner’s enthusiasm, Seija replies, “True enough. Now that we have a path, it’s time to scope it out, not to mention the capital itself. We’ll need to figure out exactly what we’ll do to the place once there, which likely means having to come home first to hash out the details before putting our plan into action.”

“Basically what we did with Former Hell, on a larger scale.”

“Yeah, this time with one less sword-wielding nitwit. It might take a bit but it sure as heck beats having to wait on something and dance around a bunch of idiots.” The amanojaku winks. “Now we just have to work around lunatics.”

“Do you never worry jokes like that will get you kicked out?”

“Like you could ever get rid of me.”

“Ha! I doubt anyone can. Back to the topic at hand, there’s one thing I want to clarify about our preparations.”

“What’s that?”

“Your cheating tools,” the shorter youkai says with complete seriousness. “Do we try going for them before executing the plan? While we have the Ultramarine Orb Elixir as a trump card, it wouldn’t hurt to have more than once ace up our sleeves.”

Not having them’s been less than convenient. Sneaking around Eientei, fighting the rabbits and Tenshi, it all would’ve been stupidly simple otherwise. Even Youmu only stood a chance cause we got careless and let her use them herself. …Bleh, getting annoyed just thinking about it.

Seija crosses her arms. “I’m… honestly not sure.”

“Because of Yukari?” Shin asks.

“We’ve talked about it before, but finding her is next to impossible. And even if we do, her ability lets her escape at will. Fighting that border manipulation nonsense is one thing, her capacity to avoid us should she choose to is another. Best case, she’s still smart enough not to keep them on her if we attempt an ambush. Not to mention any kind of attack gets us wanted immediately.”

“The only way would be to find where she lives and steal the tools from there… if anyone knew where that was.”

“Exactly. From what I can tell, it’s somewhere close to or along the border, which doesn’t narrow it down enough. Could be a place only she can access with her ability. Plus she might not even keep them there. We have zero leads.”

“Well…” Shin trails off. Seija raises an eyebrow, prompting the inchling to continue. “My mallet could maybe get them back.”

That’s true, but…

“…That’s not a bad idea and we do need to test the limits of the mallet more, but we have to start small. If it backfires on us, we’ll be way worse off than we would be with no tools,” says Seija.

“Then where do we start? I’m the last person who wants it to run out of power, believe me, but it’s a waste not to utilize it more. The most we’ve done beyond usual uses are that stunt with the dango at the festival, amplifying Nitori’s water, and Star’s bomb.” The inchling balls her fist. “Whether or not we want to admit it, we’re letting the fear of us suffering my ancestors’ fate dictate our actions. It isn’t our style to be so lame and cowardly. I want to go out full force!”

“Heh, I get you. I’d hate to go wild with the thing,” the amanojaku says with devious glee, “but we have to be in one piece to accomplish anything at all. Up to now we’ve only dealt with one kind of drawback: the mallet’s power running out. Nothing explicitly bad has happened to us. However, taking into account your family history, we know it’s possible for it to be much more severe.”

Shin scoffs but smiles. “I guess you are the one who found it. Point taken. Not treating an oni’s tool with respect is a recipe for disaster.”

“Let’s break the issue down,” says Seija. She snags a porcelain mug full of water on the table and chugs it down. “If the drawback is proportional to the wish, we should minimize how much the wish is doing. And to best plan around it, we need a frame of reference for the ratio. Use your mallet to fill this cup up with water.”

“A wish that minor probably won’t have any apparent side effect. I’ve used it to get us some ingredients for meals before when we were missing some and it was too inconvenient to go shopping.”

“Just do it.” Complying, Shin holds up the Miracle Mallet, causing it to glow faintly. Within the glass manifests the purest water Seija has ever seen. Beyond that, nothing happens. After examining the cup and taking a sip for good measure, Seija continues, “Now let me ask, do you feel thirsty at all?”

“Huh?” Shin looks at her partner inquisitively before realizing what she is getting at. “No, not at all. You’re thinking that since I was the one behind the wish, the drawback would be exacted onto me, right?”

“Yeah. By all accounts, nothing we’ve done with your mallet recently has backfired. The reason I went with this example is because you finished your drink only a few minutes ago. If you got thirsty, then we’d know the effect is immediate. So it’s safe to assume that we’re fine until everything blows up in our faces all at once.”

“This supports the story of Issun-Boushi,” Shin muses, staring at the mallet in her hand. “He knew not to overuse the Miracle Mallet and, after making his wishes to be normal-sized and have a princess by his side, lived the rest of his life with seemingly no issues. Provided we don’t overuse it either, we shouldn’t encounter any problems.”

Seija leans back on her hands and gazes at the ceiling. “But if we do, we’ll be like his descendants who lavished themselves with its power before losing everything once they crossed the line by wishing for this castle. Let me ask you a follow-up question: after manifesting that water, do you feel the mallet’s power waning at all? Is anything even remotely off?”

“No, can’t say I notice anything. Since it’s only completely run out of power once while I’ve been using it, I don’t have a great frame of reference. But if Issun-Boushi wished for an entire person and didn’t immediately experience a recoil, I’d think that means we could at least wish for your tools to return with no worries.”

“It’s entirely possible that was the absolute extent of what he could do. He was clearly cautious about the whole thing in the story. Also, you’re actively using it right now to be human-sized. We’ve been using it to varying degrees for nearly two weeks since being released. The fact you haven’t noticed anything during all that usage means that we likely can’t know when it’s running low, making it all guesswork. There’s also one more factor to consider.”

“Which is?” Shin asks, adjusting her sitting position to straighten her back more.

“My tools have been holding on to some of your mallet’s magic this entire time. You never succeeded in getting that back. By the time we teamed back up, it was in our mutual best interest to keep them as is for use in our plans.”

“And you think that lowers the cap on what we can do.”

“Exactly,” says Seija, also sitting up to get a better view of Shin. “We need to figure out how to use the Miracle Mallet most effectively, but that process inherently puts us at risk. Just letting its magic run amok, like we did the first time, we know won’t hurt us but it took over half a year for it to recover enough such that you could become big again. That method’s doubly unviable since it’ll definitely get a few incident resolvers on us in no time flat. Our only option is doing controlled tests-”

“-which will still likely result in me being out of action for a while. And with a narrower focus, there’s room for more specific recoil effects.”

“Yeah.”

There are too many unknowns no matter how we slice it. …Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be so afraid of testing it, normally I’m fine with risks like this. But I just… I don’t want her to get hurt.

“Ergh…!” Seija grunts. She hunches over and grips her skull harder than before. The pain is worse than anything she has felt since waking up.

Shin immediately puts the current topic aside when she sees this, asking, “Are you okay? Still hungover? We can take a break if you want to rest.”

“Must be, and don’t worry.” Shaking her head to stave off the discomfort, the amanojaku continues, “I have one other hypothesis about the Miracle Mallet.”

“If you’re sure you’re okay to continue, let’s hear it.”

“If we think of wishing on it like asking it to perform a task, then a harder task equates to more magic consumed, right?”

“We’ve established that, yes. Where are you going with this?”

“If I ask you to get something for me, what do you need to know to make that task easier?”

Placing her chin in her hand, Shin replies, “Well, first I’d need to know what I’m getting. If it’s multiple things, exactly how many, how big they are, and so on are important pieces of info as more stuff makes it harder to transport. I’d also need to know where it is and how far away so I could appropriately judge the time necessary.”

“Bringing it back to my tools, how much of that can we answer?”

“Nine items, each easily carried by a person individually. All nine at once would be a bit harder but you’ve shown it’s not too hard to keep them all on hand. We know exactly what they look like so that’s not an issue. The question here is where.”

“If my guess is right, answering that ‘where’ question would make our wish on the mallet less unreasonable, even if the difference is small. A more reasonable wish means less magic consumed, hopefully.”

“That’s actually really clever,” says Shin while nodding. “Still one problem, the one we started with: where the heck did Yukari hide them?”

Yep, she’s exactly right. If we want to minimize the risk of a drawback as much as possible, we still need to find out where they are.

Both members of the duo scratch their heads, frustrated at the circular nature of this conversation.

There has to be a way of finding out. Wishing on the Miracle Mallet would be one way, albeit incredibly self-defeating. Something that can tell us where my tools are from anywhere… There’s so many types of magic in Gensokyo that one of them besides the mallet has to be able to do this, right?

“This is probably wishful thinking, but most of them are everyday objects my mallet’s magic infected. Maybe they were hidden in plain sight?” Shin wearily suggests.

“Not sure where you could hide a bomb using that logic besides with Star. And the Nimble Fabric’s color scheme sticks out like a sore thumb.”

“It is rather loud-” Shin, eyes wider than her head, slams her hands on the table. “Oh my gosh Seija we’re so dumb! Hatate can find them with thoughtography!”

“You’re right!” says an elated Seija. “She said she supported our plan so she might be willing to help!” However, after a few seconds of the duo silently grinning, the edges of her mouth fall and she continues, “We don’t have a way of easily contacting her. I assume there aren’t any more newsworthy events like the concert soon?”

“Nothing I’ve heard about. But since the passageway to the Lunar Capital is on Youkai Mountain, we can meet her there before scouting since that’s where she lives.”

“And what, walk headlong into tengu territory? We can't exactly blend in there. Not to mention that finding her would still be a hassle since we have no way of letting her know we want to meet up.”

Tapping her head with her index finger, Shin confidently says, “She threw her lot in with us, two known troublemakers. If we start causing problems, that could put her in hot water. What would you do if you were afraid of an ally double-crossing you?”

“I’d keep an eye on- Ooooooh, I getcha. She’s probably using her ability to spy on us daily.”

“Yep! And while she can’t hear us, she can see us. Let’s advertise our intentions to her!”

Seija chuckles at her self-satisfied partner. “We’re really using our thinking caps today, huh? Let’s do it. I’m curious, though: what made you think of Hatate?”

“Have you seen her skirt?” the inchling asks with a raised eyebrow. “When you mentioned the Nimble Fabric, while not exactly the same, it reminded me of her.”

“Pfffft, hahahahaha! Fair enough!”

Immediately the duo sets to work. A few minutes later they prop up four massive signs against every side of their table that read, “TO HATATE: MEET UP AT YOUKAI MOUNTAIN LAKE TOMORROW EARLY EVENING.” There are little doodles of Shin and Seija’s smirking faces in the bottom right corner of each, courtesy of the former. The Shin doodle has a hand making a V sign next to it while the Seija doodle has the amanojaku’s tongue sticking out.

“That ought to do it!” proclaims a proud Shin, setting down her ink brush. “With one on each side, no matter what angle her photos end up taking, the message should be in frame. We just have to keep the signs near us until it’s time to leave tomorrow to ensure she sees them.”

“Guess we can kill time here for at least a day, then,” says Seija, admiring their handiwork.

“Luckily I know exactly how to do that. It’s like I said earlier, I always keep more than one ace up my sleeve!” As she says this, Shin pulls out a deck from her sleeve.

“Did you hide that in there while we were working just so you could make that joke?”

“…Maybe.”

-Six Years, Five Months Ago-

Fairies fly around, youkai lounge around, and even humans walk around Hakurei Shrine. The day is truly beautiful, and not only because of the gentle shining light of early summer’s Sun. A genuine wave of content permeates the very air, uplifting the spirits of everyone near it. That is, of course, due to the fact all these visitors took over the shrine in Reimu’s absence. However, one Youkai there floats on her own upside down, not interacting with anyone.

How are they all so cheerful and laid back? I know at least one of them has seen me. I mean come on, nearly everyone here tried to capture me only a month ago!

Seija, levitating over the donation box, scans the crowd. Present are all four incident resolvers who attempted to capture her on the seventh day of her escape. They engage in idle chit-chat with nary a care. The head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion simply relaxes on the shrine’s steps, of course using a parasol as protection from the Sun. A pair of cat youkai, a nameless fairy and the strongest fairy, the profiteering kappa, an umbrella-holding tsukumogami, even a certain rokurokubi; all of them seemingly have yet to notice the amanojaku.

I heard the hermit was letting a bunch of youkai have the run of the place to lure Reimu back while she’s distracted by some fortune telling gig in the village. Figured this would be the best time to gauge how others react to me after what happened recently. Shin- I mean the inchling isn’t living here anymore and I guess the others have moved on. Either that or they’re ignoring me for the sake of this scheme with Reimu.

Hidden behind her is Tengu’s Toy Camera so that she can beat a hasty retreat should the need arise. To an observer, it would appear as though she holds none of her cheating tools currently.

Honestly thought a bunch of them would jump at the chance of getting me while I seemed unarmed.

Nearby, she spies Kasen Ibaraki, wearing a spare set of Reimu’s clothes, and the shrine maiden herself conversing.

What are they-

“-YOUKAI EXTERMINATION!” Reimu shouts with a fire in her voice, apparently finishing a thought she was expressing to Kasen.

Instantly the expression of every youkai present - barring Seija - shifts to panic, like a group of students goofing off when they should be working as the teacher walks in. Pandemonium ensues and they all scatter to the four winds. Reimu makes a show of chasing them off, the other incident resolvers and Kasen taking their leave as well. While this transpires, Seija hides behind some nearby bushes and smirks to herself.

Finally, let’s see what you’re gonna do!

She flies out from her hiding place and, while Reimu sits down to catch her breath, performs a taunting gesture by pulling down her lower right eyelid and sticking out her tongue.

Reimu, surprised that anyone is still here, says, “Didn’t you see what just happened? Don’t make me exterminate you too!”

I’ll never get your definition of ‘exterminate’ given that those youkai barely got a slap on the wrist.

“Oh, is that all? Here I was thinking I might need to be careful!” Seija responds, smiling with her back partially turned to her adversary.

“Look, if you’re just here to be a nuisance, you can do it somewhere else. Stick around too long and you’ll make the shrine look bad.”

What? Seriously? That’s it?

“Pretty lame response,” Seija says, hiding her mixed feelings behind a veil of smugness. “Is that lackadaisical attitude because you know you can’t catch me? Or is it your usual laziness? Hardly fitting for the Hakurei shrine maiden.”

Reimu’s expression is inscrutable. “What are you trying to get at here? While we might’ve failed to capture you, it’s not like you’re running around causing a bunch of incidents right now. If you start doing so, the others and I will stop you. Simple as that.”

The amanojaku’s veneer begins cracking as she says, “Don’t you hate me? Here I thought you couldn’t stand my presence! And you’re just letting me go with a warning?”

“Oh you annoy me, sure. But to say I hate you? Maybe others feel that way, but I wouldn’t go that far.” Standing up, Reimu pulls out her gohei. Yin-yang orbs manifest on either side of her shoulders. “If you’re trying to get a rise out of me, I’ll be happy to send you packing physically if I have to, but that’s only because you’re in the way and being stupid. Also, let me guess, you’re hiding one of those cheating tools so you can surprise me? No way you’d move around without them.”

The hell is this detached response? And she even figured out the trick? Her instincts are way too good. Bah, fighting her wouldn’t be satisfying at all at this point.

“I’m outta here,” says the amanojaku after a brief stare down. She turns to leave and begins flying off.

“Hold on!” Reimu calls out, prompting Seija to stop in place but not face her. “Really, what are you trying to do? I briefly saw you among everyone else when I first got back and assumed you left immediately. The fact you’re still here means you hid and waited. Why?”

“Someone like me is everyone’s enemy. I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

Guess she forgot about that detail.

Seija swiftly leaves, using the camera to make her exit all the faster. Reimu, while puzzled, does nothing to stop her.

Seija’s eyes snap open, seeing nothing but the faint glow from a waning candle on the dining table. She and Shin fell asleep in this room due to their desire to stay near the signs. The former has her legs underneath the kotatsu and a pillow to cushion her head; the latter is inchling-sized and sound asleep on top of Seija’s abdomen. Neither bothered changing into nightclothes and instead fell asleep in their standard outfits.

Again? Two similar dreams in a row. Didn’t something like this happen before- Agh!

A recurring feeling to match the pleasant one she experiences with Shin returns to torment her mind. She does her best not to convulse such that the inchling’s rest would be disturbed.

Another headache. Memory’s fuzzy, I can’t place this sense of familiarity. But these dreams are just more memories, so they can’t mean anything bad, right? The question is why am I remembering them?

Sparing a glance at her partner, the amanojaku attempts to clear her head. Slow and deep breathes, in and out.

It’s still dark out, I’ll think about this more later.

If Seija had been alone, it is possible she would have failed to find sleep for the rest of the night altogether. However, the calming presence with her proves to be enough.

“So you think these dreams showing you your memories are suspect?” Shin asks, contemplating the scenes Seija just finished describing to her. The duo ended up sleeping in, giving them a late start. They intend to leave for Youkai Mountain in five and a half hours.

“Yeah,” says Seija with a subtle nod. “I don’t exactly think about those days often. No reason why I should be reminded of them now.”

“Why’s that? I figured you’d be on cloud nine during that time, if anything.”

Makes sense she would think that from her perspective.

The taller youkai shrugs dismissively. “Eh, just didn’t find them very memorable. Hard to top the first ten days, y’know?”

“Right…” Shin’s eyes narrow. “But didn’t you say before you laid low after evading capture? Why put yourself at risk by going to the shrine?”

Dang it, this is exactly why I didn’t want to bring this up.
…
Everything that’s been happening to me recently isn’t normal. I started this conversation since I felt she needed to know about these dreams, just in case. She deserves some kind of response.

“I was admittedly a bit… listless at the time,” Seija answers, attempting to stay vague. “Heard youkai were taking over the shrine and figured it might be pretty boring, turns out it actually was.”

“Well, I suppose that’s understandable. Not sure what I would’ve done to pass the time had I been in your position. Thanks for telling me about all this. The fact you’re comfortable enough confiding in me is reassuring.”

“W-well, duh. Who else am I gonna tell?”

Shin holds a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. “If you say so. I stand by my promise before: whoever’s messing with your head won’t win while I’m around. If these dreams are part of that, then they’re just wasting their time.”

An almost blinding radiance emanates from the inchling’s grinning face. Seija averts her eyes but smiles in return, scratching the side of her head with her right pointer finger.

Seriously, when did you become so reliable?

To gaze at Youkai Mountain from a distance at this time of year usually means to see an eclectic mix of green and orange wrapping around the sky-piercing mound. The warmer colors would begin from the top as the goddess of autumn leaves paints the foliage by hand, with the lower parts soon following. However, this year is an exception. Compared to Hakurei Shrine, Youkai Mountain could still pass for being in summer.

“You think Shizuha is saving the mountain for last?” Shin asks, closing in on the lake near the mountain’s peak with Seija. She is human-sized and geared up with her bowl, needle, and mallet. “I’ve never seen it so green in the second to last month of the year.”

“It makes sense for a god wanting faith to prioritize locations with humans. The village already had autumn leaves, too,” says Seija while scanning the area for any youkai who might see them. Her hair ruffles in the strong wind.

“Good point. Still, the fact not all of them are done at this point makes it seem like she’s slacking off.” The inchling lets out a hearty sneeze. “It’s chilly but not as cold as I expected given our level of elevation. You’re fine even with those short sleeves, I hope?”

“Of course I- ACHOO!”

Eugh, my nose is stuffed.

“You really need some proper clothing for colder weather,” says a smirking Shin.

Seija rolls her eyes. “We can discuss your fashion opinions later, we’re nearly there. Let’s dive into the trees so no one at Moriya Shrine can see us.”

While making a beeline for the ground, the duo catches a glimpse of a handful of visiting humans at the entrance to the mountain shrine. They just disembarked from the ropeway connecting it and the foot of the mountain. Beyond them is a crowd forming on the shrine grounds.

Surprised this many humans are willing to come out here so late in the day. That tram does wonders for Kanako’s business, I bet.

The conniving pair pierce the tree line and make their way to the lake on foot. Staying on guard, they do not encounter a single soul by the time they reach the water’s edge. The current time is right on the border of afternoon and evening; the sky retains its blue hue, but the Moon is visible above the far side of the lake. If Hatate received the duo’s message, she should soon arrive.

Apparently a passageway to the Lunar Capital is here somewhere. We weren’t able to ask exactly what triggers it appearing, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Worst case, that’s another question for Hatate’s thoughtography.

Shin removes her bowl and excitedly sits down to stick her feet into the lake.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Seija asks, standing behind her. “I bet the water’s freezing.”

Leaning her head back to look at Seija upside down, Shin replies, “Remember, Moriya Shrine uses the Nuclear Furnace for power and a direct line to it exists here. That affects the water too since this lake belongs to Kanako. It’s so warm and relaxing, you should give it a try!”

“Huh. Alright.”

The amanojaku mimics her partner and lets the water encompass her from the shin down. True to Shin’s words, it feels incredible.

This incessant cold breeze barely bothers me now, wow. If we have to wait, this is a great place to do it. I could get used to this…

In spite of their earlier caution, the duo allows themselves to be completely taken in by their bliss. They lean back on their hands with closed eyes, listening to the peaceful noises of rustling leaves.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…

And so the leaves rustle more.

Ahhhhhh… 

And more.

Ahhh… 

And yet more.

Ah… Eh?

The rustling has become obnoxiously loud. They turn around to see Hatate flying between the trees and rapidly closing in.

What the-?!

The tengu grabs the back of both their collars, prompting them to tense up and prepare for a fight, but Hatate then lets go.

“What was that for?” Seija asks, standing up and adjusting her collar.

“You’ll totally get caught if you keep that up,” says Hatate. She bears a sly smile. “I want to make sure you won’t do something like this at the Lunar Capital. I considered pulling you into the woods purely to make us even for what you did at the concert, but I think this gets my point across well enough.”

“Look at the nerve on this one! We were only sitting there for about a minute.”

“A crow tengu’s speed makes a minute translate to all the time in the world. …Also I thought entering that way would be cool.”

Now that we’re talking to her in a less serious context, she must be comfortable cutting loose a bit more.

Shin and Seija exchange a look and shrug before the former asks, “Putting that aside, you got our message?”

“Yep. We can speak over there, under the trees, so anyone flying over won’t see us. There’s a nice log to sit on.” Hatate points to a spot about twenty paces away. Soon the three get there and she sits down, asking, “So what’s up? Your little message was pretty cute and clever. Glad you realized I'm doing daily check-ins.”

“You know about my tools, yeah? We don’t know where Yukari hid them after they were confiscated,” Seija explains. “Can you use your ability to find them?”

“Hmmm. It should be possible, but why not just wish for them back or create new ones with the Miracle Mallet? That was what created them, right?”

“Their creation was more of a freak accident caused by my mallet’s power spreading out everywhere,” says Shin.

“What does that matter?”

“It’s like asking lightning to strike somewhere a second time. The first was pure chance and didn’t cost anything. Trying to force it to happen again requires concerted effort.”

“I still don’t quite follow. Hard shouldn’t mean impossible.”

Seija stretches her neck and says, “More effort means more magic consumed. If the mallet runs out of energy, things backfire. And too big a wish causes the drawback to be upfront, at least from what we understand. I can only imagine outright creating nine new magical items would require a ton of energy and might explode in our faces. We figure even one unique magical item is worth far more than any amount of money, status, or even food and water.”

“So it’s possible but a risk you don’t want to take…” Hatate trails off, taking out a notebook and writing details of the conversation down. “I wonder if providing an appropriate host for the magic, like the items your tools originally were, would make it less costly?”

“That’s along the lines of our logic about how the mallet works,” Shin says with a nod. “We decided that if the only way to get her tools back is through wishing for it, knowing where they are would lessen the cost. That’s assuming we can’t go there ourselves, of course.”

“Knowing Yukari, they could literally be anywhere, so I don’t blame you for thinking that. Relatedly, wanna know a little secret?”

Oh?

The reporter continues, “I’ve tried looking into her before. I mean, she’s super suspicious, right? Some kind of invisible hand manipulating Gensokyo behind the scenes?”

“I take it that means some kind of barrier prevents you from getting dirt on her?” Seija asks.

“Here’s the weird thing, I can get a picture of her in her house anytime I want.”

“Huh?!” the duo exclaims in unison.

“Lemme show you.” Hatate unhooks her flip camera from her skirt and Shin peeks her head over the former’s shoulder. “Let’s use a simple example: ‘Yukari Yakumo’ and ‘Yukari Yakumo’s home’ will be our key phrases.”

She finishes inputting the words, presses the confirmation key, and a picture appears on screen. In it, the one and only Yukari lies asleep under a blanket in a nondescript room. Sitting beside her is her shikigami Ran Yakumo, in her standard outfit consisting of a white dress with purple cuffs and similar collar decorated by an indigo tabard. Her white hat that normally covers the top of her blonde hair and fox ears sits to her right on a tall stack of books. Ran herself is holding one such difficult looking book; while the image obviously lacks motion, the intense look in the fox’s yellow eyes gives the impression she is reading incredibly fast.

It’s this easy for Hatate to see even these two? Her power is even stronger than I thought.

While Seija is attempting not to show her interest as visibly as Shin, Hatate says, “Before you start thinking my ability is, like, super strong or something, you need to understand the limitations. I’ve mentioned before that it’s reactive, which is almost an understatement. Here’s a fun question: when do you think what this picture depicts happened?”

“Is it not right now?” Shin asks.

“I don’t know. Presumably it is, but I can’t say that definitively. When it comes to these key words and phrases, I have to be extremely specific to know something for sure. Otherwise I’ll end up thinking one thing when the truth is entirely different. It’s important to note that a picture that’s more relevant to the search will take precedence over the current time. Simply adding ‘current time’ can result in an error since the other phrases might be two things, places, or people in separate locations. And, fun fact, that photo of Yukari and Ran? I’ve gotten countless others that are nearly identical.”

“Which means you’re either always getting the same thing or they’re in that exact position extremely frequently,” says Seija.

“Both are equally likely. Yukari sleeps for extremely long periods and Ran, as a shikigami, doesn’t need to move around or do anything on her own if it’s not necessary. I do know that outside forces can interfere with my camera. Trying to take photos of the happenings within Hell or Makai, among others, gives me static and errors; certainly nothing I can use. Anywhere not easily accessible from within Gensokyo, primarily the Outside World, also gives me issues, but I can still get some things from there. It’s iffy. The Lunar Capital is worse, a strong barrier not unlike the Great Hakurei Barrier surrounds it and is very inhospitable to any kind of magical prying. Going back to Yukari, my real suspicion is that she’s somehow rigged my photos of her. No matter what I try, unless she gets directly involved with an incident, the pictures are always the same story. I can’t even get a look at the outside of her house, let alone its location.”

“Huh.” Shin places a finger on her forehead to think. “If you can get more specific photos of her when she’s involved with an incident, that must mean the issue is tied to her home’s location and not her, right?”

“My thoughts exactly. It’s said she’s responsible for the creation of the barrier; having a similar type of magic protecting where she lives is entirely plausible.” Stretching her arms over her head, Hatate adds, “At the end of the day, though, this is entirely educated guesswork. I might be utterly misunderstanding how this all works. That said, I’m confident in my skills and can’t think of many other explanations.”

Divination, thoughtography, whatever someone wants to call it, the core idea isn’t new. This type of magic has existed forever. Anybody with something to hide and the means to hide it would logically wish to do so.

“I wanna backtrack to the time vs relevance issue,” says Seija, messing with her hair as the breeze picks up again. “If you look up any of our names right now, what will you get?”

Hatate holds up a finger. “Before we do that, there’s one more axis you need to consider: intent. This is still my ability doing this, so what I want to get, or even what I’m thinking about, will subtly influence the result. Say I input ‘an idyllic location’ and enter the search, that’s a super vague and subjective idea, right?”

“If it were me, I’d probably think of some kind of grassy area with a large river running through and colorful plants everywhere,” says Shin.

“And that’s my point,” says the tengu. “My first thought would be a quiet room with a window to a majestic mountainous area. Basically, where I already live. Your answer, Shin, is closer to the stereotypical one but still had personal biases thrown in, such as you specifying a river. Probably because you enjoy rafting, right? I’ve read about your exploits.”

“I wasn’t actively considering that, but yeah. That probably influenced my response.”

I’d go for, well, probably something similar to the castle. An isolated place where I can rest my head. Wouldn’t necessarily need to be naturally occurring.

“Those, like, unconscious predispositions we all have affect everything we do, including our abilities. That applies to humans too, but there’s more to it in our case. It’s really neat, actually; the nature of a youkai is determined when they’re created or born. Our abilities are an extension of that nature, even within the same species. Compare me to Aya and you can see what I mean. I’m called a shut-in and have an ability that lets me stay in one place to gather information. Aya is the fastest tengu of them all, goes from place to place constantly, and can manipulate wind. But it also begs the question of whether or not we’re more than that nature, y’know? To what extent can we change? All of us have room for improvement, after all. …Sorry, I’m going off on a tangent here, I just think about this stuff sometimes. Back to your question, Seija.”

‘Whether or not we’re more than that nature…’ What nonsensical flowery prose. Still, the disparity between her and Aya when it comes to showing genuine introspection is stark. I can understand why Shin calls her articles better written.

“Basically, when you type my name, the first thing you think of when it comes to me will influence the result,” Seija surmises.

“Yeah, and that influence, whether I’m causing it consciously or not, will be strong since just typing your name is vague. If I do it right now…” Hatate quickly conducts a search. She holds up her camera for the duo to see and it is Seija standing where she currently is. “…I get you right there since we’re literally in the middle of a conversation that’s at the forefront of my mind. If I type your name and add ‘Replica Miracle Mallet’ to the search, I’ll get the last time I saw you with it.” This time her camera depicts Seija fighting Hatate six and a half years ago when the latter attempted to capture her. “Meeting someone personally can permanently skew my search results, which has become a more noticeable drawback as I’ve taken to doing more fieldwork. And that’s the gist of the rules that govern my camera.”

“The fact you got a picture from back then means time isn’t an object at all?”

“Insofar as my ability to specify a time, yes. But think about how absurdly vast time is and how specific I’d need to be to get, say, a picture of a fight I wasn’t there for a decade ago. I would not only need correct details on who was involved, but also the exact time and location. That’s the brunt of my job, really; spending hours, days, and weeks just trying to get the right pictures. Once I have the facts and evidence, writing an article is the easy part. Admittedly, Aya likes to disparage me for taking too long.”

So she can see any past event, then? Hm, I wonder…

“Now that we fully understand how it works, let’s start searching!” the excited Shin proclaims.

“There’s a part of me that wonders if I even should help you get back those tools since it means you’ll be harder to deal with later,” says Hatate mischievously.

Seija raises an eyebrow. “You did not just take up that much time explaining only to deny us.”

“Kidding! Kidding. You’ve lost with them before and you’ll need all the help you can get against the Lunarians. Just make sure not to mention my name if you get caught. Deal?”

“Not like we have a choice here.”

“Nice. The first search can be simple to give you an idea of the process: ‘Seija Kijin’s nine cheating tools’.” She types out the words as she says them, hits confirm, and only gets a picture of Seija from over six years ago. “Figured this might happen. It can be slow-going, so bear with me. You probably wanna get comfortable.”

Yaaaaaaaaay. At this rate we won’t have time to scope out the entrance to the Dream-

“Got a hit,” says an incredibly smug Hatate.

Seija rushes over to check the camera. All three present see on screen a location completely foreign to them. It seems like a building but not one Seija has ever seen before. It is built from what she assumes is stone, but the walls are continuous, like giant slabs. It is also smoother than basic stone on top of being a purplish color. A double-door made of glass is at the front, with signs attached that say things like “HOURS: 5PM-3AM” and “TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO COMPLY WITH GOVERNMENT AND HEALTH REGULATIONS”. The building itself appears relatively new, as though it were recently built. At the very top are neon Japanese characters that read “OLD ADAM BAR”. Seija’s Replica Miracle Mallet is lodged behind and blends into those characters, such that no one would ever notice unless they knew it was there.

“I considered the possibility Yukari kept them with her or hid them somewhere in Gensokyo, but the most effective - and honestly most obvious - place to hide them has to be the Outside World,” Hatate explains. “You two would never be able to get there. And she would probably separate them so it’d be harder for you to get them all back at once, so I started by looking for the one you like the most, Seija.”

She found it just like that. The fruits of years of practice, I guess. I’ve honestly missed that dumb replica.

“Judging by the language on the building, that’s in Japan?” Shin asks, who at this point is having trouble keeping her hair out her eyes as the wind continues to get worse.

Seriously, what’s up with this wind? I don’t see any storm clouds but it’s gotten progressively worse since getting here.

“Presumably, let me run a few more tests.” Hatate rapidly types for a couple seconds and then says, “Yep, included ‘Japan’ in the search and got the same thing. Are you gonna try wishing for it to return now?”

Seija pushes her hair out of her face and says, “Hold off on that until we know where all nine are. It’s possible Yukari set up some kind of failsafe or alarm, like Eirin did with the elixir.”

As soon as the words leave Seija’s mouth, they all hear a distant SNAP from behind. They turn towards the lake and see a flying figure in a white collared shirt and black skirt above the water, the Moon superimposed behind them.

No way, that’s-!

The figure flies up even faster than Hatate did earlier, making it readily apparent they are Aya, and says, “What’s this merry band up to? Hatate, I know your newspaper is desperate to be even close to mine in sales, but consorting with the likes of those two is going too far. I’m afraid I’ll have to write an article about this. Hopefully your actions today don’t go over too poorly with Miss Iizunamaru.”

Shoot! We’re covered from above, why was she flying so close to the lake? Why is she even here?

“Don’t jump to unfounded conclusions for once, please,” an already annoyed Hatate retorts. “A reporter conducting interviews is hardly something to get upset about. You’ve done plenty with other questionable parties, too. I’m just trying to get information for an article.”

Good thing twintails is quick on the uptake.

“Yeah? You three have been talking non-stop for a good few minutes now. Couldn’t make it out exactly, but I saw you showing them some pictures you were taking with your camera. What was that about?”

“I just wanted them to confirm a few facts about their role in the fire-fighting and clear up some details.”

Aya places a hand on her hip. “I’d almost be inclined to believe that if it wasn’t Seija Kijin we were talking about. An interview with her is an exercise in madness. Besides, my article about the concert already got all the necessary facts out there.”

“For one thing, Shin being here makes your point about Seija void. For another, your article made them out as having ulterior motives when all they wanted to do was save a concert they came to see! You just write out whatever drivel is convenient for engagement and call it ‘truth’! A waste of your picture taking skills, honestly.”

While the tengu go at it, Seija and Shin exchange eye contact. They both get the idea that this argument is less about them and more a recurring interaction these reporters have.

“-then let me ask you this!” Aya prattles on. “How in the world did you get them to agree to meet you? And why here, instead of the Shining Needle Castle? There has to be a reason for why you all chose this spot.”

Dang it, Aya may bend the truth in her articles but her intuition’s the real deal. This is going downhill fast.

“I went to them and these were their conditions! This place at this time!” Hatate partially lies.

I’ve gotta step in, she can only cover for us so much.

“Ha! You two birdies sure are dull,” Seija declares. “But now that you’ve shown up, crow, I’m outta here. Shin had to practically drag me to this anyway and twintails’ questions were stupidly easy. Not sure how either of you can call yourselves reporters if you can’t even figure out what happened at a concert with hundreds of witnesses.”

“You’re not leaving that easily, I will find out what's really going on here,” says Aya, holding up her fan.

“I already told you!” protests Hatate.

“I’ll admit she seems less on your side than I thought, but then why did they choose this time and place for the interview? Even you have to realize there’s more to this. Help me capture these two and we can sort out the details later. It’ll be lucrative for both our papers if we can get some truth out of them.”

Shin stares at Aya angrily. “We didn’t do anything wrong! You have no grounds for this!”

“Call it a reporter’s intuition if you must!” Aya counters. “Hatate, it’s now or never. Help me take them down if you really aren’t on their side.”

The purple-leaning tengu turns and looks at the duo. She initially appears conflicted but steels her resolve.

Good, you realize there’s only one way all three of us are getting out of this. And that means…

“Fine then!” says Seija, gesturing outward with her right arm. “Come at us with everything you’ve got! We’ll flip it right back at you!”

Chapter Text

Not a moment after Seija finishes speaking do all four youkai spring into action, spreading out and flying above the lake where the trees will not get in their way. The breeze instantly picks up, causing everyone’s hair to flap wildly.

As the Sun continues its slow evening descent, Aya, who is ahead of the others, faces them and shouts, “Wind Sign - Wind God’s Fan!” Multiple stacks of red bullets form and progressively fan out in Seija’s direction line by line. The amanojaku is the closest to Aya while Shin, fully geared up, and Hatate bring up the rear about ten meters away; Aya, not wanting to hit her partner, focuses on Seija for the moment.

So she’s at least willing to make sure Hatate doesn’t get caught up in it.

Thanks to the spell card’s simple pattern, Seija easily weaves through before saying, “If this is all you can do, you should stick to reporting! Not like you’re any better at that.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, a weakling like you isn’t worth my full effort,” Aya replies with a smile more confident than Seija has ever seen. Yet, to her surprise, Seija only laughs in response.

“You’re exactly the kind of person I do this all for!” says Seija, matching Aya’s expression with her own. “This kind of arrogance is just begging for an upheaval! Deceit Sign - Reverse Needle Attack!” She shoots pinkish bullets behind herself while continuing to approach Aya, who is confused by this maneuver. Shin, on the other hand, shrunk down and got out of the way before Seija finished saying the name thanks to her familiarity with the move; Hatate reacts quickly enough to evade without much issue.

“That can’t be what you-” Aya cuts herself off as she deftly dodges the danmaku that discreetly manifested behind her when the attack was called. Their trajectory matches the bullets Seija shot at Hatate, as if they had wrapped around the battlefield and continued moving. Aya scoffs and continues, “‘Never take anything an amanojaku says or does at face value.’ That’s an obvious rule anyone familiar with you should follow. All of your spell cards rely on tricks. Let me show you true strength! Hatate, follow my lead! Telescoping - Candid Shot!”

The brunette tengu, who’s annoyed face is plain for all to see, answers, “Fine. Continuous Shooting - Rapid Shot!”

From either side of Seija, the pair of tengu whip out their cameras and shoot circles of bullets - Aya’s being red and Hatate’s purple - from their positions. Aya’s bullets are very controlled, perfect circles as she lines her camera up on Seija from a distance; Hatate’s, by contrast, go out much more wildly while she closes in on Seija and gets ready to take multiple photos.

I remember this from when they tried to capture me; well, different spell cards but the principle is the same. They’ve designed their danmaku around their cameras where it’ll hurt me if I get caught in their pictures.

The tension from every dodged photo makes time feel like it slows down for Seija, who has her work cut out for her as she narrowly escapes the joint assault. Aya’s bullets are predictable, but they lure their target into a false sense of security as she quickly photographs her enemy, leaving a harrowingly small amount of time to get out of frame. Hatate’s attack requires more of Seija’s attention due to its up-close and seemingly irregular layout; all it takes is a moment’s distraction for Aya to catch Seija in her sights just as the latter spent a second too long evading yet another of Hatate’s pictures.

Aya brings her finger down on the trigger. “Say hello to the front- Huh?” Her camera shrinks in her hand until it sits in her palm smaller than a coin. Turning around, she sees Shin sticking her tongue out and the Miracle Mallet’s glow fading. “You little-!”

Nice! Knew she was planning something after disappearing earlier.

“Your reflexes are fast enough that you’d probably dodge if I tried to sneak up on you,” Shin explains, grinning. “This method completely eliminates one of your methods of attack. And we don’t need you using that picture you took earlier to falsely incriminate us.”

Stifling a laugh, Aya replies, “Oh I’m sure the two biggest troublemakers in Gensokyo are at Moriya Shrine the day it’s hosting an event completely benevolently.”

“An event? What are you talking about?”

While they discuss, Hatate’s spell card ends and she approaches them, saying, “I told you they just came here for an interview! They don’t know about the Moriya Autumn Miracle Showcase.”

The heck’s an ‘Autumn Miracle Showcase’?

“Do you still not get it, Hatate?” Aya asks, narrowing her eyes. “These two can’t be trusted! Even if you’re too naïve to see it, I can tell they’re up to something. I’ll expose the truth no matter what!”

“…And promptly misconstrue it before putting something that could generously be called a vague resemblance in your paper,” says Shin, shaking her head. “I should know, I read it. Do you even listen to yourself?”

“I appreciate your patronage,” Aya responds with a bow.

“A broken clock and all that. Oh, and so you know, I only borrow it. Would never give your trashy writing a single yen.”

“Hmph. If an amanojaku’s partner is criticizing me, I must be doing something right after all. Journalists are forever hounded by those who wish to muzzle them. But I’m not about to let you two stop me.”

She’s really bought into her own hype.

“Think what you want, it won’t make a difference!” shouts Seija. “You had your chance, now let us show you what a real combination looks like! Right, Shin?!”

The inchling draws her needle. “Yeah!”

In order for our cover to hold, we’ll need to go all out on twintails too. Welp, this is what she signed up for.

“Reverse Bow - Dream Bow of Heaven and Earth!”

“Mallet - Grow Bigger!”

Seija and Shin dive diagonally down from opposite sides of the battlefield and fly together such that they face Aya and Hatate above them. Very slowly, the duo moves closer to the water’s surface without the other pair realizing. Bullets in the shape of arrows are summoned by Seija behind the tengu while circular and heart-shaped ones come forth from Shin that, fittingly, grow bigger as they move away.

“Seija already tried hitting me from behind. Is she really this uncreative?” Aya muses as she mindlessly weaves through the pincer attack.

Hatate, similarly having an easy time, says, “Just adding on Shin’s bullets to a previous strategy seems too simple for them.”

“I agree. There’s a trick here we’re not- Urgh!”

“Owch!”

Gottem.

Two of Seija’s small arrows nick Hatate’s left shoulder and Aya’s right leg, respectively. While they were busy dodging, they did not notice what the real effect of Shin’s spell card was. Aya looks at the shrunken camera in her hand and sees that it is even smaller than a coin now, at least from her perspective.

“Shinmyoumaru’s using her mallet to make us bigger!” Aya yells.

Heh. You shouldn’t let yourself get too complacent while dodging danmaku. All it takes is one change to make it all fall apart.

The reporters had been keeping an eye on Shin’s seemingly more dangerous bullets this whole time, letting themselves use gaps in Seija’s attack without looking once they got into the rhythm of its pattern. By moving closer to the water and manipulating the size of Shin’s bullets, the duo played with their opponents’ perspectives; Aya and Hatate did not notice their own growth until it was too late.

Using weaker versions of our spell cards worked like a charm, they were completely taken in. All Shin needed to do was sneak in a different attack’s attribute, heheh.

A few more bullets pelt the tengu while they reacclimate, but the damage is far from critical. They split up and get on either side of the duo after returning to normal size.

“I’d bring up an old saying about cornered rats, but even Nazrin is less of a vermin than you,” says Aya, more annoyed than hurt.

“Nazrin’s a mouse youkai…” Hatate mutters.

“To borrow your logic, all this vitriol coming from a ‘proud’ and ‘powerful’ tengu is really high praise,” says an exceedingly smug Seija.

“Let me correct myself,” Aya continues. “You’re not a vermin, you’re a parasite. Shallow and weak on your own. Reliant on Shinmyoumaru and her Miracle Mallet or a slew of cheating tools to accomplish anything. You need to understand your place, which I’ll be happy to show you.”

Now you just sound like Tenshi, which says a lot.

“That overconfidence is gonna get you on the wrong side of some danmaku one of these days,” says Shin, moving between Seija and Aya. “Not to mention the hypocrisy. Don’t you have issues with the tengu caste system? You’re, what, centuries old and still have to run around making mostly baseless articles to appease your boss? If anything I would have thought you’d sympathize with what Seija and I tried to do before.”

“She’s got us there,” Hatate admits, cracking a grin.

The senior reporter rolls her eyes. “Firstly, don’t agree with them, Hatate. Secondly, you two don’t know the first thing about me or my life, so I don’t need to hear thoughtless falsehoods. And lastly, you really shouldn’t have prevented me from using my camera.”

“I’ll humor you: why’s that?” Seija asks.

“Because your defeat would’ve been much more painless.” She clenches her fist and suddenly the already strong breeze multiplies exponentially. Large ripples form on the water’s surface and the other three present have to brace themselves to not be blown away. Unlike Aya’s earlier smile of confidence, she now bears one completely different: the smile of someone ready and willing to cut loose. “I’ll ask one more time, to avoid making a scene: why are you here?”

What the-?! This is completely different from the vibe she was just giving off! I knew she always held back before but… Is my hand shaking? I’m afraid…? No, that’s not it.

The amanojaku responds to Aya’s smile in kind. “We were just here for an interview, but now that’s changed to putting a pompous bird in her place!”

She’s standing in our way to the Lunar Capital. I’m not about to let someone like her stop us from achieving our goals!

“Wrong answer, amanojaku. Hatate, keep the inchling in check!” Aya orders.

“I don’t recall you being in charge of me,” Hatate complains, “but sure.”

“Haven’t seen you this fired up in a while,” says Shin quietly enough that only Seija hears her.

Seija rolls her shoulders. “Aya is one of the most well known youkai in Gensokyo. She always keeps her cards close to her chest and never exerts more force than necessary. Only a few can stand against her if she’s being serious, or so she likes to think. I bet that’s exactly what’s running through her head right now; she doesn’t believe we can beat her. And y’know what I say to that? We’re going to overturn that notion here and now! Losing isn’t an option!”

“I’m with you!” says Shin, her expression determined and eyes bright. “I’ll keep Hatate busy but support you where I can.”

Playing into two separate fights is what the crow wants. She knows we have better teamwork. If we follow her tune until the right moment, we can trap her.

Aya, pocketing her camera, calmly holds her fan to her face and says, “Illusionary Dominance.” Immediately she flies above Seija and repeatedly moves back and forth, picking up speed each time. Every pass rains bullets; the faster Aya becomes, the denser it gets. Seija expertly flies up through the gaps to try and cut her opponent off, though she cannot keep track of her for more than half a second at a time. Soon enough Aya’s form can only be perceived as a laser-like streak of red. Realizing the bullet method is ineffective and what Seija intends to do, the reporter forgoes it for repeated homing strikes to catch the amanojaku unaware. Her first fly-by grazes Seija’s side after the latter momentarily loses visual contact, with subsequent charges barely missing their mark as Seija skirts around at the last possible moment each time.

I’ve never seen her move this fast! But she must not be able to fully control speed of this level if I’m not immediately getting blasted, which means…!

In contrast to her early strategy, Seija instead goes straight down towards the water like her maneuver with Shin, the tengu very quickly gaining ground. Yet it only takes about five seconds before Seija is centimeters from the surface; she now has nowhere to go and Aya will be on her in one second at most even if she tries moving left or right. Seija faces Aya and, before the latter makes contact, reverses their positions with the reporter flying headfirst into the water. Since the two are so close when the flip occurs, Seija gets soaked in the ensuing massive splash but is otherwise no worse for wear.

It’s the same principle as Tenshi’s keystone attack. If you put your all into something, you can’t recover in time if someone uses your momentum against you.

Aya emerges from the water shooting circles of red and blue bullets in independent spiral patterns, seemingly unfazed by Seija’s counter. The latter flies away along the lake’s surface, with the former following suit. Both carve lines in the water with their flight path. Seija takes a moment to look at Shin and Hatate’s battle while navigating Aya’s danmaku. Hatate continually cuts off any attempts by Shin to get to Seija with her camera, but is slowly losing ground from Shin’s spell cards pushing her back. By the same token, Shin only barely evades getting caught in Hatate’s numerous photos.

They’re putting on a good show. Too good if Shin is having this much trouble. Twintails sure has a lotta power tucked away for someone who willingly calls herself a shut-in. Suppose you need that much to be rivals with this stupid crow.

Suddenly wind blowing in the opposite direction of Seija manifests out of nowhere, nearly knocking her back. Turning around, she sees a counterclockwise vortex of air and water forming in front of Aya.

“Whirlwind - Torii Whorl-Wind!” yells the reporter. A tornado roughly five times Seija’s height begins approaching her, with Aya following it up with waves of her fan that create miniature tornadoes to accompany it.

Seija maintains her cocky demeanor. “Not a word or quip besides that, huh? C’mon, don’t be so lame!”

“You’ll get to hear my voice plenty when you’re being interrogated!”

“Like hell I will! Turnabout - Change Air Brave!” Streams of bullets moving clockwise emerge from Seija, intercepting the smaller tornadoes, however the largest one powers its way through and protects Aya while she continually waves her fan to make more of the small variety. Yet, something strange happens as the world periodically spins due to Seija’s spell card. Aya’s tornado gradually loses speed every rotation, until dissipating entirely. All the amanojaku feels is a cool breath of air.

“Clever. You countered my tornado’s spin with your spell card, canceling it out,” says Aya, now having to dodge bullets again.

“What, you want a reward for figuring it out?”

“You’re quick to adapt, I’ll give you that much,” Aya continues, ignoring the question. “You can only do one thing, but your application of it is varied. The ways you ‘reverse’ can take on a number of meanings.”

The odd shift to praise causes Seija to wince. “What’s with the sudden accolades?”

“Oh, do you not like me describing your strong points? My occupation requires me to make these kinds of honest assessments.”

“Yeah, sure. Here’s one of my own, then: you-”

“Not interested. Should you really be talking when your spell card is about to end?” Sure enough, the last of the bullets fade and the two youkai stare at each other roughly ten meters apart. “You like to get under people’s skin and throw them off-balance. It’s a cheap tactic, but an effective one. I can tell it’s rubbed off on Shinmyoumaru based on what she was saying earlier.”

I see what you’re doing.

“Cutting people off like that’s rude, y’know,” says Seija, lazily rubbing her nose with her left index finger. “You really are a hypocrite, just like Shin said. And you aren’t about to beat me at my own game. I bet you started throwing out compliments since you figured that would unnerve me, right? Same for calling out my attack ending. For one thing, I can tell when someone isn’t being genuine. For another, praise from you isn’t the cool reward you think it is. When Shin or I insult you, it isn’t just some mind game; from what I can tell, very few people actually like you very much. Between that, the hypocrisy, and the lies in your newspaper, you wouldn’t make a bad amanojaku yourself.”

Aya’s poise does not falter but her eyes thin by the tiniest margin. She idly twirls the fan in her hand and says, “This is the first time I’ve gotten to interact with you so directly since your ‘great’ escape. Six years really fly by, don’t they? You were pretty quiet for much of that time until the Fireworks Festival. Tell me, what changed?”

“Nothing ‘changed,’ I am who I am.”

“Really? I beg to differ. I can see one huge change only halfway across the lake.” Underneath the combined light of the rising and setting celestial bodies, Seija spies the battling Shin and Hatate, with Aya pointing towards the former. “Shinmyoumaru is a really curious case. She started off impressionable, to be sure, but as time’s gone on she’s really come into her own. Obviously she still needs the Miracle Mallet to fight, but now she’s more than just the vessel for its power. I’m sure battling more experienced youkai during the Urban Legend and Perfect Possession incidents helped. So why?”

At this point I’m getting sick of having to say the same line.

“I already know where you’re going with this,” Seija responds dismissively. “Shin and I are equal partners now, I’m not using-”

“You misunderstand. I fully acknowledge her capacity to grow and decide, on her own terms, to work with you again. Anyone who looks at the two of you and thinks her negligence is the cause either hasn’t been paying attention or lacks perspective. My question is why are you still in this partnership?”

Now it is Seija’s turn to feel discomfort. “H-huh?”

“Shinmyoumaru is beyond your trite tricks. She wouldn’t be taken in by you a second time, especially after coming to blows when you avoided capture. So how are you able to continue in, using your phrasing, an ‘equal’ partnership? You shouldn’t be able to do that! Is it a long con? Some unseen goal? That’s what I thought at first, but here you still are, two years and a botched plan later. It’s well past the point of you putting on an act. So what’s your reason?”

Throbbing. A sudden and increasing throbbing in the mind and chest. Seija’s vision blurs.

W-what?! It’s… happening again. Why…?

She becomes wobbly in her levitation above the lake. Aya tilts her head, noticing something amiss.

Not now… I still need to… find the entryway!

From the Moon behind Aya where only Seija can see, a single pulse of square-patterned light emanates from Earth’s satellite. It does not repeat, perhaps due to the Moon not even being close to its peak height. The Sun, conversely, has only just begun dipping behind the trees and shrine due to the elevation. All the same, that one pulse triggers an inexplicable resurgence of energy through Seija’s body.

The hell…?

“If you’re going to act strange to avoid the question, you’re better off in custody!” declares Aya. She points her fan below Seija; the reason she had been spinning it the whole conversation was to set up a wind-fueled whirlpool below them without Seija noticing. During the half-second the amanojaku looks down after realizing this, Aya surrounds herself with spinning wind discs and darts above her target. Seija cannot move out of the way before Aya roughly stomps her head, the wind around the tengu like a flurry of blows to her body, and sends her hurtling towards the whirlpool. “Here’s a ‘quip’ for you: another word for ‘autumn’ is ‘fall’!”

Agh!

Shin’s eyes go wide as she witnesses her partner’s fall from twenty meters away, a mix of worry and fury on her face. She rushes over, using her mallet to quickly knock Hatate out of the way, and grabs Seija’s hand right before the amanojaku would be caught by the whirlpool. The twintailed tengu had also looked towards the other fight and did not see the blow coming; to her credit, she does not hold the sucker punch against the smaller youkai given the situation.

“You okay?” Shin asks.

Seija’s head clears and she is able to float normally again. “A little bruised, but I’m fine. Thanks. I had another headache and it threw me off.”

“That’s why I’m here, don’t even worry about it. Stay behind me while you get your bearings.” Turning to Aya, Shin shouts, “Wall of Issun!” From around her and Seija comes ring after ring of red bullets that each have four large blue orbs equally spaced throughout.

“Hatate, what did I tell you?!” an irritated Aya asks. Whenever a blue orb gets closer to her, it turns red and homes in, creating an opening in the danmaku for her to narrowly move through.

“You really don’t get it…” Hatate mutters under her breath. Before rushing over to help, however, an idea flashes in her mind and she rapidly types something into her camera.

Meanwhile, thanks to Shin keeping Aya at bay, Seija organizes her scattered thoughts.

What was that trippy aura that came from the Moon? It felt like it was responding to my thoughts… Ugh, I’m getting distracted, I need to focus on the fight for now! The crow’s tough. And, compared to Tenshi, smart. Even if we can beat her, this fight’s getting flashy and loud to the point it might attract the shrine’s attention. No way we walk away cleanly if that happens. …Heh, that said, I can’t deny how boring this is!

“You’re a ways from matching me, inchling!” says Aya. After Hatate rejoins, the older tengu has her clear out some of the bullets and then follows up by saying, “Squall - Sarutahiko's Guidance!”

“Seija, get down!” Shin commands before she retreats into her bowl. Seija complies right before Aya, enveloped by a whirlwind, charges forward. The attack hits home, knocking Shin back a good ten meters, but she successfully blocks at the cost of some major cracks in her bowl.

“Stubborn girl…” says Aya, rolling her neck. After so much fighting, she finally shows signs of fatigue.

“I wouldn’t lose to someone so conceited!” Shin retorts, emerging from her damaged cover. She might have guarded the attack, but it still shook her up a bit.

“Shin, I’m sorry,” Hatate, flying over to Aya, cuts in, “but you and Seija can’t win. It would take two of those mallets to beat Aya when she’s this serious. Give up now and I can promise you’ll be treated well.”

“What are you…?”

This isn’t like twintails at all. Is she trying to double down on the act?

The junior reporter continues, “You’re just too inexperienced. Maybe give it a hundred years to close that distance and try again.”

Wait, that’s…!

“Glad to finally have you on my side,” says a slightly less irritated Aya.

“…Fine then,” states the ever-determined inchling. “If you’re gonna backstab us, Hatate, we’ll beat you too!” Shin’s Miracle Mallet glows with the declaration as she holds it in front of her face. Unseen by the two tengu, she steals a glance at Seija right below them, who gives a thumbs-down in return.

“Get ready, she’s trying something!” Aya warns.

“Thanks, would never have been able to tell!” Hatate replies, rolling her eyes and assuming a defensive stance.

“Now’s not the time for sarcasm! Actually keep her away this time so I can finish off her maladjusted accomplice.” Aya turns her back to Hatate and looks down at Seija. “They’re strongest when working together but still resourceful when apart. I underestimated them, honestly. Stay mindful.”

The sincerity of those words catches Hatate off-guard. She feels a twinge of guilt but only responds, “Okay.”

An invisible weight slowly manifests in Seija’s right hand while she motionlessly stares up at the others.

C’mon…! Just a little while longer!

Aya floats down to be level with Seija and immediately creates a tornado larger than any seen previously, roughly fifteen meters wide, around the two of them. “Even you can’t reverse a storm of this size immediately. And if you’re unable to react to my actions in time, you can’t flip those either.”

“I doubt even you can move that fast,” says Seija, outwardly confident but with sweat forming on the back of her still drenched neck.

“Let’s test our opposing theories. Peerless Wind God!” Before it took a few moments for Aya to appear laser-like when using Illusionary Dominance. This time, the change happens instantly. Seija reverses Aya’s momentum a fraction of a second before the latter would have rammed her, but the tengu adjusts faster than the blink of an eye and repeatedly charges. With each attack, Aya flies in and out of the tornado to cover her approach and give Seija less time to respond. No matter which direction Seija forces her to move, Aya instantly course-corrects and tries again, hardly slowing down. Even when coming from above and letting Seija mirror her previous maneuver of flipping their positions, Aya predicts the counter. She keeps her bearings enough to turn on a dime and land a glancing blow on Seija’s left arm. This all occurs within a few seconds of her calling the spell card. Yet, despite being utterly outmatched in raw speed, Seija rises to the challenge and manages to dodge or reverse nearly every attack with pattern prediction of her own and a bit of luck; though a few are such close calls that were she even a nanosecond slower, it would be all over.

I didn’t think ‘a little while longer’ would be this hard to endure!

A flock of crows coast high over the lake, their caws echoing out, as Aya momentarily stops and spreads her up to now hidden jet-black wings. She throws her arm to the side and the entire tornado coalesces around her. Instantly moving below Seija, she yells, “Tornado - Guidepost for the Advent of the Divine Grandson!"

The shrunken tornado expands upward and, using water it sucked up from the lake, catches the tiring Seija in its torrent. It throws her up into the sky like a ragdoll. When Shin sees this, her mallet stops glowing and she tries to rush to her partner’s side; however, Hatate cuts in front of her before she can rescue the amanojaku. Aya smiles and flies past them to deliver the finishing blow, not noticing the grin the seemingly distressed Shin flashes.

“This is the end, Seija Kijin!” the proud crow tengu roars, fully giving into her fighting spirit.

I agree!

The Replica Miracle Mallet fully materializes in Seija’s hand; as she was anticipating this, her arm is already in the process of swinging when it does. The replica meets Aya’s head with a sickening crack that reverberates over the mountaintop. A million questions run through the tengu’s mind at that moment, but they are drowned out by the sheer annoyance she feels before blacking out. Her eyes dim and what was only seconds ago an implacable red streak hurtles to the water, before getting caught by Hatate swooping in at the last second.

“We did it!” Shin cheers, flying up to embrace Seija from behind.

“Yeah we did!” shouts Seija in response, raising the Replica Miracle Mallet in victory.

I finally have one of them back…

The duo descends to meet Hatate, who carries Aya on her back and says, “I hate that it came to this, but at the same time, she was really out of line to instigate this with no proof. Her ego could stand to be knocked down some pegs.”

Seija examines the limp tengu and chuckles. “You could say that again.”

Even if she wasn’t exactly wrong. But y’know, it seemed like she was having fun the whole time. Can’t fault her for that.

“That was a real gutsy trick you pulled, Hatate,” says Shin. “It took me a second to piece together what you were saying. I can confirm that having a rough estimation of the distance seemed to make the wish easier.”

It might’ve been easier, but since Shin was focusing on using the knowledge she had to be as efficient as possible with magic consumption, it wasn’t instant.

“‘Rough’ is right,” says Hatate. “A hundred’s not the most ideal estimation of the distance in ri I could’ve given, but it was the only way I could drop hints with Aya listening.”

Shaking her head, Shin replies, “I have a hard time imagining distances of that scale anyway, so I doubt a more specific number would’ve affected things.”

“Hopefully we don’t regret jumping the gun on it. I know you were concerned about an alarm, Seija, and wanted to know where all nine were first, but using the replica on Aya seemed like the best way to deal with a more immediate problem.”

“I agree, though I can tell you feel guilty about betraying her,” says Seija with a raised eyebrow. “We can cut off this working relationship now if there’s a conflict of interests.”

“Seija, she’s helped us so much, that low of a blow isn’t necessary,” Shin objects.

“No, no, she’s right to bring that up,” a slightly weary Hatate reassures. “Aya and I don’t get along, as you can plainly tell, but I respect her as a rival. That said, my conviction is still plenty strong. I’ll continue supporting your plan, if for no other reason than my utter distaste for the Lunarians’ attitude and tactics. Did you know their invasion was largely motivated by their own home temporarily becoming uninhabitable? Instead of swallowing their pride and dealing with that, they immediately tried to ‘purify’ Gensokyo instead. If a human or youkai could fix their problem, it means they just refused to get their perfect and pure hands dirty. That kind of misplaced pride reminds me of my problems with Aya and tengu society as a whole.”

The more I learn about these Moon people the more I can’t wait to get up there myself.

“Tirade aside, even if it’s risky, I’m willing to stick my neck out for your plan. Gensokyo’s better off with the Lunarians handicapped until they learn to accept and treat other cultures with respect. If they ever do change their ways for the better, I’d gladly support communications with them. …If my boss allows me the time, anyway.”

Aaaaand ya lost me. All that cleverness doesn’t fix this girl’s idealism.

“Anyway, what now?” Hatate asks. “I don’t know how long Aya’s gonna be out.”

“In my experience, we’ve probably got somewhere in the range of ten to twenty minutes from when I smacked her,” Seija guesses.

That’s taking into account how it took Youmu a bit under an hour to reach the Former Capital after I clocked her underground. No one’s sure how much time she spent drifting down the river unconscious, but it had to have been at least ten minutes for her to take so long to catch up. Although, the force I just hit the crow with exceeds the amount I used then, on top of her moving into it at top speed. She could be down for way longer. On the flip side, I don’t know if her species would be more immediately resilient.

“Let’s try to run through stuff quickly and not take any chances,” says Shin. “But first thing’s first.” She takes Aya’s still miniature camera out of the tengu’s pocket and uses the Miracle Mallet to revert its size. From there, she removes the roll of film inside and smashes it - hiding the remains in her damaged bowl - before returning the camera to Hatate. “Now there’s no evidence. I can throw out the film with my bowl later.”

Hatate nods. Once the group flies over to where their earlier discussion took place, she sets Aya down against a tree with the camera facing the lake. Sitting down against the same tree herself but facing the woods, she says, “It’s a safe bet Aya’ll hold a grudge about this. Normally I would tell you to expect an article within a few days about the ‘Insidious Amanojaku/Inchling Duo Prowling Mountain’ that mentions you having the replica again, but she can’t do squat without pictures to back up her claims.”

Shin and Seija sit against a log opposite the tengu, the shorter member of the duo asking, “Won’t she just ask for your pictures you took during the fight? Or have you use thoughtography to get a shot of Seija with the Replica Miracle Mallet?”

“Ha! You expect her to come to me for help? That’s rich! She’d never ‘belittle’ herself to ask to use my photos even if her life depended on it. The real problem is if I don’t put out an article about this myself, then she’ll question my intentions.”

“You can just tell her that we negotiated your terms of surrender once you realized you couldn’t win or get away while defending her,” Seija dictates. “Something like we made you promise to not tell anyone about me having the replica back since, as far as she knows, she attacked us completely unprovoked. Considering she’s at our mercy right now, she’ll have no choice but to accept that.”

“That’s what I was thinking, yeah. Just bear in mind Aya won’t take this loss lying down. She’s gonna hound your every move from now on, searching for any clue she can. Make sure not to give her even the smallest lead, otherwise her instincts could easily blow the lid on everything. This is your first time encountering her directly since you put your plan into motion, right?” Both halves of the duo avert their eyes and rub the back of their heads while bearing nervous smiles. “…Oh my gosh, where?”

“We don’t know if she realized it was us, but we ran into her in the village two days ago,” Shin explains. “She looked at us for a second and walked off. Couldn’t tell you if it was a passing glance or not.”

“Why in the world were you in the village again?”

“That lead you gave us on Clownpiece led us to Seiran and Ringo; from them we found out that the entrance to a passageway to the Moon is here at the lake. That’s why we wanted to meet you here, to take care of two things at once.”

“Now it all makes sense. I was always suspicious of this place since the invasion landing point seemed to be somewhere on the mountain, but I couldn’t ever get a clear picture of how they got here. All my results that used keywords like ‘passageway’ or ‘route’ came back with static.”

“Probably because the passageway goes through the Dream World according to the rabbits,” says Seija.

“Huh. Never would’ve guessed the Dream World had something to do with it. I barely know anything about that place. No wonder I was having such a hard time getting results on my camera.”

Oh yeah, that reminds me!

Seija suddenly turns to her partner and says, “Shin, remember when I had a headache during the fight?”

“Yeah?”

“Before it could get worse, I saw a weird aura come from the Moon. It felt like it was responding to me somehow. Did either of you see it?” Both the inchling and the reporter shake their heads. “Figures. Still, I think that might have something to do with the entrance. We should wait for the Moon to finish rising then investigate.”

“You two can’t stay here too much longer,” says Hatate, her expression becoming more nervous. “Aya will likely wake up soon and, when she does, it won’t be pretty.”

Seija shakes her head. “Hold up, twintails. You’re the one who just said your dear friend’s gonna keep tabs on us going forward, which means leaving the castle will always be a risk now. With that in mind, this is our best opportunity to do initial scouting.”

“Okay, before arguing that,” says Shin, holding up a hand, “I have to know: why is Aya here? And why was she flying so low near the lake?”

Sighing, Hatate replies, “I couldn’t answer the second question, but as for the first one: I assume Aya is here to cover the Moriya Autumn Miracle Showcase we mentioned earlier. Before you ask, no one is exactly sure what it is. All we have to go by are vague and sensational advertisements Sanae handed out in the village today and yesterday, though some rumors suggest it might be related to why the mountain’s still green so late into autumn.”

“That’s not exactly Moriya Shrine’s purview, though.”

“Your guess is as good as mine. Kanako’s really enterprising, so maybe she’s trying to break into the season market or something.”

“Hmmm…” the inchling crosses her arms, unsure what to make of the situation.

“Regardless, staying here is really not a good idea. Let me handle Aya while you two head home. Honestly, I’m surprised no one at Moriya Shrine noticed all the ruckus-”

A rustling coming from nearby trees interrupts the conversation, immediately prompting Seija and Shin to rise to their feet and quietly fly over to where the noise comes from. Hatate hides behind the tree where she placed Aya. Upon the duo reaching the source, they see a young-looking blonde woman slowly meandering in the lake’s general direction. Atop her head is a red hat with grapes over the front brim. Her poofy yellow blouse is covered by a black dress that reaches her waist before securing itself with over-the-shoulder straps. Overlaid on that is a red apron with an embroidered wheat pattern. Completing the ensemble is a black choker tied like a ribbon around her neck.

Minoriko Aki? The heck is she wandering around here for?

The harvest goddess appears dejected, sighing every few steps.

She’s headed towards us, but definitely isn’t in a rush.

“Stupid Kanako…” Minoriko mutters. “Why does Shizuha get the spotlight while I’m stuck being her errand girl?! I don't get why she's concerned about ‘strong winds’ from the lake. It’s always breezy in this area! Some wind god.”

The partners exchange a look of mutual understanding before silently flying back to Hatate, all three now standing in front of Aya. Above them the sky becomes even darker, but a shrinking layer of sunlight still remains.

“Minoriko’s here, apparently on Kanako’s orders,” Shin whispers. “Seija and I are gonna do what we came here for. I’ll shrink the two of us so we can hide and wait it out. Thanks for all your help, really.”

After taking a deep breath, Hatate says, “Guess I can’t stop you. Just make sure all my effort doesn’t go to waste, yeah? I’ll try to get Aya away from here.”

This exchange, while not very long, briefly steals the attention of those involved. As a result, none notice the slight twitch of a certain black wing. Shin’s mallet begins glowing as she is about to shrink Seija and herself down.

Minoriko shouldn’t be an issue. We could hide anywhere and be-

It happens in an instant. An extremely strong gust of wind surprises Shin, blowing the mallet out of her hand and into the lake; likewise, Seija’s replica that she holstered on her waist ribbon meets the same fate. Hatate, about to pick up Aya to carry her home, gets hit by the gale point blank and is knocked back into another tree a couple meters away. Aya’s wings spread wide - even while the rest of her body still appears unconscious - and flap to lift her half a meter off the ground. She raises her head, visibly struggling while doing so, and opens her eyes.

Oh you’ve gotta be KIDDING me! This fast?! Dang it, we got too caught up in other stuff!

“What… happened…?” the reporter asks no one in particular. Her vision is blurry, but she makes out two blobs in front of her: one pink and purple on the left, the other black, red, and white on the right. Suddenly her entire body snaps to attention and she shouts, “Shinmyoumaru! Seija!”

The amanojaku’s mind runs through a dozen plans in an instant before she says, “Heh, you really are one tough bird! After beating you and your lying partner, we were gonna let both of you nap your bruises away!” While speaking, Seija glances at Hatate, who takes the hint and pretends she is passed out against the tree.

Twintails is gonna have to come up with a different cover story for not writing an article now…

Aya also looks over to Hatate and, seeing her position, takes Seija’s words at face value for once. She does not offer a retort, instead charging faster than the duo can react and grabbing both of their collars with one hand each. Due to how she carries them, Seija and Shin can see each other between wing flaps while Aya has her arms spread sideways and slightly back. The speed with which Aya drags them over the lake creates waves on its surface.

“H-how are you able to move so easily after that hit?!” yells Shin, hardly audible due to their velocity.

“Don’t hold me to such an insultingly low standard!” Aya retorts, a fire in her voice.

Seija barely manages to get out, “You have no proof we did anything! No one’s gonna take your side on this!”

“At this point, I just refuse to let you beat me!” With that statement, Aya somehow increases her speed even further, never letting Seija or Shin get their bearings. Any danmaku the duo tries to create is outrun by the time it materializes.

Shin’s at a disadvantage now, I need to help her escape!

The amanojaku reverses Aya’s momentum, but not the direction she is facing, back towards the woods. This causes the tengu’s arms to fly out in front of her body, allowing Seija to gain the leverage necessary to kick Aya’s opposite hand and free Shin. The inchling falls away and is quickly left behind as Aya turns around and grabs Seija with both hands, now holding her in front.

“How selfless!” Aya shouts. “That reminds me how you never answered my question before!”

Struggling to break free, Seija says, “There’s nothing to answer!”

“Maybe this will loosen your tongue!”

Since Seija redirected them, Aya takes advantage by holding Seija in front and using her as a shield as they approach the edge of the woods.

“Guess you’re outta tricks if you’re resorting to battering me with trees!” yells Seija.

“Do you really think I'm so simple-minded as to do that? I’m just getting us alone so we can properly finish what we started!”

“Dang, that’s unfortunate, guess it’s too ‘simple-minded’ for me to do THIS!”

Seija, grabbing Aya’s own collar, flips their positions and gladly lets the unyielding reporter collide with the branches and bushes. In response, Aya takes this as an excuse to forgo her sense of fair play, maintain their speed, and use her superior air mobility to switch their places back so Seija starts taking the hits instead. This war for advantage repeats ad nauseam as they swathe a path through the trees, though Aya willingly goes through a much less dense section to save herself, and as a by-product, Seija, from any major physical danger.

This stings, but she’s having to feel the same pain. It ain’t danmaku if no one’s afraid of getting hurt! Bullets, foliage, the medium doesn’t matter!

“How does it -Ow!- feel to be this closely matched with someone like me?!” Seija taunts as she once more swaps their positions.

“I don’t know how you can -Urgh!- say stuff like that in this situation!” says Aya before switching right back.

“Admit it, underneath that -Gah!- cool exterior, you love a good fight!” Their positions reverse. “But you can’t bring yourself to say that to someone as ‘lowly’ as me! That attitude is the problem with this world! The strong and powerful should be brought down!”

“Quit it with the nonsense! You really -Agh!- don’t know when to stop talking!” Their positions reverse. “You’ve done a much better job fighting back than I expected, but now you don’t have Shinmyoumaru, the Miracle Mallet, or a surprise tool to save you!”

Again and again, their positions reverse.

“It’s not hard to see how this kind of thrill is fun for you! That excited look on your face proves me right!”

“Wha-?”

While Aya processes that, they enter a clearing that immediately feeds into the grounds of Moriya Shrine. The pair skids onto the pavement and loses their grip on each other, separately rolling out and roughly sliding to a stop about four meters apart. Both have numerous minor cuts and tears on their bodies and clothes, though nothing terrible. It takes them a second to realize that they landed in the space right between a crowd of mostly humans and a stage holding Kanako Yasaka, Sanae Kochiya, and Shizuha Aki. For some reason, a tear-down fence with a diameter of twenty meters surrounds everyone. The amanojaku and tengu, who landed just inside that fence, briefly take in the bewildered faces of everyone before looking back at each other.

Well crap.

“…Don’t worry, everyone!” proclaims Kanako, not an ounce of uncertainty in her voice. Her blue hair rustles gently but majestically in the breeze. “These two are here to help with the miracle! It seems they ran late due to an argument, but truly, who doesn’t argue with the ones they care about?”

What the heck is she going on about?

The humans murmur amongst themselves, justifiably wary of two youkai randomly crashing into the proceedings. A few youkai in the crowd recognize them, with Nitori standing dumbfounded in her nearby stall. As this occurs, Seija notices that Kanako and Sanae are wearing altered versions of their usual attire. Kanako’s fancy short-sleeved red shirt has an autumn leaf pattern on it; her long black skirt’s red flower pattern has been replaced with the same. Conversely, her long-sleeved white undershirt and red sandals have not changed while the shimenawa and shide behind her stand as tall as ever. Sanae, meanwhile, also has a leaf pattern on her blue skirt to match her patron’s, but her blue and white sleeveless top and matching detached sleeves are the same as when Seija last saw her. In her green hair, both the frog and snake decorations have small red leaves on them. To the right of both Moriya representatives with much less presence is Shizuha. Her short blonde hair features a band with red leaves - likely what Sanae is trying to match - while her white-collared button-up shirt and skirt’s color combo chromatically descends from dark red to a light orange. The bottom of the skirt has beautiful leaf cut-outs that remind others of autumn with every movement.

Kanako raises her hand to quell the crowd, the setting Sun reflecting in the mirror on her chest such that she appears to be glowing. “Be not afraid! I can promise that neither of these two pose a danger while Sanae and I are here. The tengu has come to record today’s events while the amanojaku will help us overturn the season once and for all! I enlisted them for this, so please have some faith. Sanae, if you could help Seija up here.”

“A-at once!” says Sanae. She walks down and nudges the confused youkai to the stage, whispering, “Right this way, please.”

“The hell are you trying to pull here?!” Seija asks, trying and failing to resist after a grueling battle.

“We could ask you the same thing. Keep your voice down and play along, otherwise you could cause a panic.”

Aya begrudgingly joins the crowd, which is somehow rolling with this turn of events, and retracts her wings while Seija stands next to Sanae on stage. The disheveled amanojaku sticks out like a sore thumb.

How can this crowd just eat up Kanako’s blatant improv like that?! How’d it even end up like this…?

“Now then, as I was saying,” Kanako continues, “many of you know how Shizuha lovingly paints the leaves by hand every year! It’s a truly remarkable and admirable role, something I respect as a fellow god! However, it often goes unappreciated until after the deed is done. I had a desire to change that.”

Translation being you saw an opportunity to wring out a few drops of faith with a gimmick.

The ever up-beat Sanae declares, “Okay everyone, please get as close together as you can and brace yourselves!”

Right on cue, the ground the crowd and stage rest on begins to rumble before rising up twenty-five meters; the chest-high fence had been placed as a safety precaution in anticipation for this moment. While some humans panic initially, many become exhilarated upon witnessing such a feat of strength. Children in the audience are especially starry-eyed. Everyone is able to see across the mountaintop into the horizon as well as far down the slant towards the base.

This has to be Suwako’s handiwork.

“I’m sure many of you have noticed these past few months how the mountain has remained green despite the rest of the land already being blessed by Shizuha’s power. This was all by design! I want to showcase a genuine autumn miracle for you all today by combining my powers with those of Shizuha, Sanae, and -ahem- Seija. Through our dominion over earth, winds, and autumn itself - not to mention the faith of all of you - we shall overturn the remnants summer has left behind! Gaze upon a miracle!”

Suwako’s the one with ‘dominion’ over earth, not you.

Kanako and Shizuha close their eyes to focus while Sanae begins praying. Many in the crowd go to the fence in anticipation, though Aya simply sighs before taking out her notepad. On the stage with nothing to do, Seija still struggles to process the absurd situation she has ended up in.

I hope Shin’s alright after we left her in the dust…

A sudden pounding in the amanojaku’s head nearly causes her to lose her balance. She rubs the top of her scalp and mindlessly looks towards the lake; the Moon is now even higher above it. From the distant space rock, only barely visible, she sees more waves of the aura it gave off earlier.

I don’t know how or why but… I’m certain that’s where we need to go. “That’s where I need to go.”

“Psst, Seija, act like you’re doing something!” whispers Sanae, bringing the youkai back to reality.

…Huh? What was I just thinking about?

“Lady Kanako is probably really mad you crashed the event! I can tell you’re worn out, so don’t push your luck.”

“I don’t recall asking for your input,” an annoyed Seija whispers back. “But if you really want me to do ‘something’ I’m happy to oblige! It’s been a while since I last had an audience!”

“What do you-”

I’m already deep in it anyway, might as well have some fun!

Seija cups her mouth with her hands and shouts, “Hey folks! Do any of you remember me?!” The crowd returns its collective gaze back to her while Sanae appears horrified.

One nondescript young man in the audience answers, “W-weren’t you that other MC from the fireworks contest a few years ago? I’d never be able to forget that stage presence!”

“Glad to see I left an impression! Ya see, as the esteemed Kanako so nicely described a second ago, I’m here to help overturn the seasons. But I can do way more than just that. Are y’all ready to experience the kinds of thrills you can only get while scraping the heavens themselves?!”

Every human in the crowd cheers, much to Sanae’s chagrin. Kanako tensed up a bit when Seija started speaking, but now relaxes after hearing the positive reaction.

I bet most, if not all, of these people were also at the festival back then. It’s the same old story: they’ll eat up any kind of entertainment, even if it puts them in danger, if they have people like Reimu or Sanae to protect them.

Seija shifts her eyes to Sanae and says, “You might want to get ready to prevent any unfortunate accidents.”

“What?!” Sanae exclaims. “Lady Kanako, we can’t let her-”

“Follow her lead for now, Sanae,” Kanako interrupts, eyes still closed.

“Thank you ever so much for the go ahead, snake!” says the deviously gleeful Seija. “Let’s light this place up! Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!”

Bullets, which Seija manipulates to be shaped like leaves, appear above and below the raised platform and shoot out far around the area. She does not try to direct her bullets away from people or stalls, prompting Sanae and Nitori, respectively, to hurriedly defend them. All the people in question love the show, of course. Next, everyone’s perceptions of up and down flip, making it seem as though the mountain is above them. This is what Kanako was waiting for; her eyes snap open with Shizuha’s and, like a wave, all the foliage turns red and orange from the peak to the base. Seija assumes Suwako is hidden nearby and providing further assistance. It takes about fifteen seconds for the miracle to finish, which gives everyone ample time to gaze in awe; the leaf-like bullets add to the effect. Kanako summons winds to scatter many genuine leaves that fall from the trees, which mingle with the bullets to paint the upside down sky a gorgeous orange-red. During all of this, Aya annoyedly taps her pencil on her notebook.

Hm, everyone’s enjoying this too much. Can’t have that!

Seija ups the intensity of the bullets such that Sanae can no longer block all the ones heading for humans. A few people have to jump out of the way themselves, screaming as they do so. Others run into each other due to the discombobulation caused by Seija’s spell card. Just as it seems one woman is about to be hit, Kanako herself flies from the stage and deflects the bullet.

“I stay true to my word,” the wind god says calmly. “While Sanae and I are here, all of you will be safe!”

The crowd starts cheering for Kanako and Sanae instead, with the latter feeling rather pleased that Seija is no longer the fan favorite. No longer needing to fear injury, the visitors go back to enjoying the beautiful scenery above them as Seija’s spell card ends. Shizuha bows and steps off the stage after Suwako lowers the ground back to where it was from an unseen location; the elder Aki sister is happy to see so many admiring her handiwork, with some coming up to thank her personally.

“It’s all just part of the show, right?!” Seija calls out, laughing maniacally without a care in the world. “Hope you didn't regret having me on! I’d call this collaboration a major step in bridging the gap between the lowest and highest tiers of society!”

For how impromptu this was, I got a pretty good kick out of it.

Descending back to the stage and looking down at Seija, Kanako says, “Think whatever you would like, amanojaku, just take care not to sully my shrine. I neither know nor care why you and Aya were fighting, but take it somewhere else next time. If I see you here uninvited again, you’ll need to climb a mountain higher than this one to escape in one piece. I must say, though, your appearance here today was excellent for garnering faith. A villain like you makes a great point to rally against. And I respect the showmanship of your danmaku, at least. It’s little wonder the humans enjoy your performances so much.”

“Tch. Pleasing you and the humans wasn’t my intent.”

“I believe you. All the same, I’ll offer the due courtesy of allowing you to leave freely today.”

Aya, overhearing this, flies up to the stage and says, “You can’t just let her go, she was snooping at the lake!”

“Was she now?” Kanako narrows her eyes. “For what reason?”

“I… don’t know yet, but-”

“Do you have proof she was up to something I need to be concerned with?”

“No, but that’s because my camera’s missing its film, which means they-”

“You’re just as guilty of almost costing this shrine profits and faith, something I do not tolerate. Seija’s one thing, but this kind of unruly behavior from you is not something I expected. I would report this to your superior were she not so bothersome to deal with.”

“You have to realize that Seija going anywhere isn’t something to overlook!”

“I agree, but you must greatly respect her influence if you think a bug has a chance of overturning a mountain. She’s certainly gotten your reporter’s spirit flowing.”

The tengu’s eyes go wide hearing Kanako’s words. She looks at Seija, who gives her a slight yet taunting grin, before shifting back to an annoyed expression. It holds an edge of contemplation, however. Unable to do anything else, Aya turns to walk away. Shin, Hatate, and Minoriko arrive at the same time, the former two rather confused to see their respective partners on stage. The latter one goes to her sister, where they debate whose dominion over autumn is better.

“What happened?” Hatate asks. “After I, uh, woke up, Shin and I declared a truce. Both of you look like wrecks, which I suppose explains the trail of debris we saw on our way here.”

“Oh, so there’s more of you,” says Kanako. “Seems I was right to send Minoriko to check, a shame she's so slow. Well, she wouldn’t have been any help during the proceedings regardless. Hatate, you can tell me what happened later since your colleague is obviously predisposed.”

“Uh, sure.”

“If I find out anything untoward is being planned, I’ll send Sanae to teach them a lesson. Does that satisfy you, Aya?”

“Fine,” says the tengu without even turning back to face everyone.

“You alright?” Shin asks Seija.

“Yeah,” she responds. “I’ll fill you in on the details of what you missed on our way home.”

The Sun finishes setting while the group talks, the sky fully darkened. Sanae, who has been mingling with the crowd, thanks everyone for coming and goes with them on the ropeway to escort the villagers home. Nitori and her kappa squad dismantle their damaged stalls and leave right after.

Shizuha returns to offer Kanako and, surprising everybody, Seija a bow before saying, “I could feel the faith of those people as we and Suwako performed the miracle. While I acknowledge that Kanako was taking advantage of the situation to bolster her own faith as well, being able to put on a show for the humans and see their reactions made the effort we put into this worth it. There was a noticeable uptick in the faith I felt when you took center stage, Seija, which I appreciate. The leaf bullets were a good touch.”

Ugh, I don’t want your praise!

With a sly smile, Kanako replies, “I can assure you, I simply wished to help you and thought this would be a mutually profitable method. If you want to partake in this venture again next year, just let me know.” Turning to Seija, she adds, “If you ever temper that rebellious personality of yours, I wouldn’t mind bringing you back too.”

“Ha! Not on your life,” says Seija bluntly. “But man, you really care so much about faith and profits that you’re willing to ask me? I’m almost impressed.”

“Hmph. I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Seija walks off the stage with Shin, the duo sharing a smile and shrug.

We didn’t get to finish talking to twintails and we’ll have to sneak up here again later. Setting up another meeting with her is gonna be risky, too. Word we were here will spread fast and more eyes will be on us going forward.

She briefly stares at the Moon before turning her gaze to Hatate, who offers a slight wave, and Aya, who looks to the sky and is unsure what to feel about the day’s events.

But my gut’s telling me I’ve found our entryway. And, more importantly, I was able to rock an egotistical idiot’s world a bit!

“You’re in a better mood than I would’ve expected after seeing Aya drag you away,” the inchling observes. “Sorry for not being there at the end.”

“Don’t worry about it. Did you get the stuff back?” Seija asks.

Shin gives a knowing smile and pulls her now normal-sized cracked bowl out of her sleeve, sliding open the lid by just smidge. Inside are the smashed roll of film and the freshly shrunken Replica Miracle Mallet.

Nice.

The duo bumps fists before taking off, already plotting their next move. No one hears Suwako chuckling into the night while sitting on the branch of a far-off tree, quite amused by what she witnessed today.

Chapter Text

-Two Months, Ten Days Ago, Afternoon-

“Hey, watch it you two!” Yuugi Hoshiguma orders while sitting cross-legged on the ground and leaning against her home’s dining table. She wears a loose blue kimono and has her long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail; every so often she sips from her trademark Hoshiguma Dish. “Ya gotta get the wood tiling exactly right, I won’t accept a rush job.”

“You’re the one who cracked them in the first place with all your angry stomping!” Seija retorts. Currently she wears basic blue work coveralls over a white t-shirt. “You should be the one fixing this!”

“Shin set off a bomb in here, don’t give me lip!”

That bombing inchling, who wears an identical outfit to Seija and is using the Miracle Mallet as a literal mallet for construction, says, “Look, the faster we fix this, the sooner we can go home. We can fight all we want after that.”

Shin’s used to forced residency after living with Reimu for a while, but I’m starting to lose it. I didn’t realize just how much damage we did to buildings in the capital. With just the two of us, we probably still have nearly two months to go before everything that needs repairs is fixed. And besides Yuugi monitoring us, every single oni down here doesn’t even care and just drinks the day away, sometimes causing more damage. Longhorn over here is the only one with any presence. …Hm, that nickname is below my usual standard.

“Well, ya don’t hafta worry about finishin’ the floor today,” says Yuugi. “Once you’re worn out, grab some food at the stall nearby. Tell ‘em I sent ya and they’ll make sure you’re well fed. When you’re through there, head back to the palace whenever ya want.”

Hmph. With how lenient they’ve been with us, it wouldn’t be hard to escape at any time.

“But I know you have no intention of doing that, so I won’t concern myself with that possibility,” says a voice from outside the freshly replaced sliding door. Opening it and entering, everyone present recognizes the new arrival as Satori Komeiji. She is clad in a pink skirt with a rose pattern and a frilly pale blue shirt featuring yellow heart-shaped buttons, with pink slippers and white socks covering her feet. Atop her purple hair sits a black headband that connects to a red cord that wraps around her body, converging on an open red eye right over her heart. “As stated before, you’re only responsible for fixing damage you caused, directly or indirectly; anything the capital’s residents do following the incident is their own mess to clean.”

“I don’t recall giving you permission to read my mind,” Seija mutters, looking down as she continues placing new pieces of wood.

Yuugi chuckles. “Shoulda thought about that when ya messed with our home. To what do I owe the pleasure, Satori? Checkin’ on these two goons?”

“‘Goons’…?” Shin echoes.

“Pardon my intrusion,” Satori says with a bow. “I wanted to let all three of you know I’ll be absent until late tonight, so if you need to report anything make sure to tell Orin.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. Where're ya goin’?” Yuugi asks.

“I’m attempting to set aside more time to spend with Koishi, so this morning I asked her if she wanted to do something tonight. Apparently she visited Moriya Shrine before making a decision and Sanae told her about a party happening at Hakurei Shrine in a few hours. Koishi decided that she wanted to attend the party with me, so that’s where I’ll be.”

“Oh, nice. What’s that shrine’s latest excuse for gettin’ drunk?”

“Sanae reportedly said that it was largely for its own sake, but apparently tonight is a full moon so I suppose that could be seen as the reason.”

“Can’t fault ‘em for that. But I know ya don’t play too well with crowds and can get tired travelin’ so far, sure you’ll be alright?”

The mind reader holds up a hand. “I can take care of myself, you need not worry. If this is Koishi's decision, I am happy to go along.”

“How sweet! Wait, no, it makes me sick,” says Seija mockingly.

“Listen here, you-” Yuugi begins.

“It’s fine,” Satori cuts her off. “Shinmyoumaru, make sure to turn in your and Seija’s progress report to Orin before retiring for the evening.”

“Got it,” says Shin, continuing her work. She then slyly adds, “Try not to overexert yourself out there, you gotta look out for Koishi as the big sister.”

“Hmph, I am well aware. I shall leave you all to it, then.” With that, Former Hell’s overseer turns and briskly leaves the way she came.

Yuugi snorts loudly and says, “Being passive aggressive is one thing, but I’m not gonna stand for you preying on Satori’s insecurity about her relationship with Koishi.”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” the amanojaku replies without a modicum of emotion, still not lifting her head.

Slamming her dish on the table, Yuugi walks over and lifts Seija by the scruff of her neck. Looking her square in the eye, the oni says, “I’m being completely serious. Don’t make me teach you another lesson.”

Seija returns the glare with a defiant and knowing sneer. “‘Another’? Think you got a faulty memory, bear. You never managed to accomplish anything. Shin held you off just fine when the chips were down. It’s Youmu who has the right to say that, not you. So step off.”

“If you attack us unprovoked, Yuugi, we’re entirely in the right to defend ourselves,” Shin cuts in, pointing the Miracle Mallet at them. “And it’s not your call to get angry on Satori’s behalf.”

“Grrr…” After multiple tense seconds, Yuugi lets Seija go, the latter already flying so she simply stays in place. “I admit the two of ya are doing your work properly, but I don’t get why Satori lets you,” she says, pointing at Seija, “get away with everything short of murder. Cross me personally and I won’t be as nice, we clear?”

“You honestly expect me to respond to that positively?” Seija asks with a raised eyebrow and slightest of grins.

“Heh, guess not.” Yuugi moves to grab her dish and goes to the door. “I’m gonna go knock some back at that stall I recommended. If I’m still there when y’all decide ya want some grub, we can have a ‘friendly’ competition. See ya.”

Shin, once Yuugi leaves, exhales a breath she had not realized she was holding in. “Let’s try not to push our luck too much, okay? Yuugi’s right that we’re being treated really well, all things considered.”

“You already know I intend on upholding our end of the deal,” Seija reassures. “All the problems we caused will be undone and then we can leave. Satori knows that, which is why she’s fine with some mouthing off.”

“Part of me wonders if that’s really all there is to it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I dunno, call it a hunch. Sometimes you have to eyeball these things.”

That gets a legitimate laugh out of the Seija, who responds, “The only ‘hunch’ I need to see right now is us hunched over and fixing this stupid floor already.”

“Pft, shut up!” says Shin, laughing in kind. The duo returns to work soon after.

Heh, ‘bear’ will work. Can’t let that oni get too comfortable around us.

Distant stars, the lights from which travel millions of lightyears to provide a glimpse into eras long past, dot the space around Seija’s floating, unconscious body. They are framed by plaid-like red and blue lines. In this void, the amanojaku starts to stir.

…Huh? Where am I?

She orients herself - as much as such a thing is possible in this circumstance, at least - and takes in her surroundings. Lines under her eyes prove that whatever slumber she awoke from was far from restful.

Am I… in space? I’ve heard of it but never actually seen-

She turns around and sees the near side of the Moon bearing down on her. The celestial body is much, much larger than how it appears on Earth.

It’s so close! How did I even get here?!

Panic starts to set in. Her mind races to find any sort of explanation.

Was I transported somehow? How long have I been here? Okay, stay calm, the last thing I remember is… uhhhh…

No matter how hard she tries, Seija cannot remember anything after going to bed the night she and Shin visited Youkai Mountain.

This has to be a dream, right? Just pinch myself and I’ll wake up.

She pinches her right arm with her left hand and waits. Nothing happens. She tries again and still nothing. She switches arms and even bites her lip for good measure, to no avail.

Ugh, that’s gonna leave a mark. Okay, I’m in space for real without even my mallet, got it. Great. But if I’m here, where’s Shin? Was she dragged here too? Is she okay?

“SHIN! ARE YOU HERE?!”

Not even an echo responds.

Looks like I’m alone. Hopefully she’s alright- AGH!

A more visceral kind of pain than what Seija has experienced previously grips her entire body, momentarily paralyzing her.

Dang it…! I’m getting REALLY sick of this!

“Why does this keep happening?!” she shouts in frustration. “And how the hell did I get here?!”

“Incredible, you lost your cool in record time,” a voice behind her says.

“Wha-?” Looking back at the source, Seija finds a familiar youkai with an easily recognizable red eye. “Satori…? Why are you here? Is this all some kind of illusion you’re making?”

Satori bears a disinterested expression. “I couldn’t do something like this even if I wanted to, try not to make baseless accusations. What you’re experiencing right now is very real. More real than it should be, in fact.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hold that thought, we need to get away from here. I can feel hostile thoughts nearby. Whoever it is, they’re hunting you.”

Who would even want to- alright dumb question. …Why do I feel like I’ve had that same thought recently?

“Probably because your memory is being manipulated somehow,” says Satori.

“Huh? Did you-”

“Yes. And no, you don’t need to tell me that it’s annoying when I read your mind. Air your complaints another time.”

“Whatever! Let whoever it is come, I want to know who’s behind this!”

“In your disheveled state, I doubt you could even beat me, let alone someone capable of organizing all this. Now move! We don’t have time to waste here.”

The still groggy Seija sighs and eventually nods, unable to come up with a good counter-argument. After the unlikely pair has flown in the opposite direction of the Moon for about a minute, Seija speaks up and asks, “Why are you here? Where are we even going? Why can’t we see whoever’s after me? There shouldn’t be anywhere to hide in space!”

“Patience, I can only answer so many questions at once. To start with the most important part, we aren’t in space, though I can see why you would think that given the area’s appearance. This is the Dream World.”

“What?! Does that mean-”

“You didn’t arrive in this world by dreaming. Your body is here in the flesh, which is exactly the problem.”

“Uh, okay. And you’re-”

“-the dream self of the Satori Komeiji you’re familiar with, yes. This is the first time you and I have met directly.”

“And the one after us-”

“-is another denizen of this world, yes. I… can’t read their mind. All I feel is hostility primarily fixated on you. And I don’t know how this person could be concealing themself visually, but it’s not too far-fetched an idea given our location.”

Seija, annoyance growing, glares at Satori. “Would you-”

“-cut it out? No. It’s faster this way and as I said we don’t have the luxury of time.”

“Ugh.”

Seems it’s true what I’ve heard about dream selves: they have less inhibition than their real world counterparts. She’s still a bit subdued and the original was already curt, but this version of Satori doesn’t bother with any fake pleasantries. I’d prefer this version if she wasn’t still such a know-it-all.

“Can’t say I’m interested in your analysis,” says Satori, whose agitated tone betrays her neutral expression.

“Then answer my other questions already.”

“Hmph. Well, first, I’m here because I’m conducting an independent investigation into a malevolent force I have felt roaming around recently. Doremy Sweet may be the ruler of this world but that doesn’t make the rest of us mindless drones. We’re free to move freely while our counterparts in reality are awake, provided we don’t try to leave or cause trouble.”

The way she phrased that means-

“You’re quick on the uptake. Rebellion, albeit very rare, can happen. Prior to this aforementioned force, the last time I can recall where trouble brewed here was a bit over two years ago: Sumireko Usami’s dream self caused a great deal of commotion for a few weeks until the one from reality defeated her. That girl has had a few issues regarding her dreams, from what I’ve heard; despite that, though, she managed to hold onto her sense of self and make it back to her world each time.”

Her sense of self… Shin had to deal with something similar. I wonder, could I meet the version of her in this world?

“Don’t get distracted,” Satori snaps. “We need to get you out of here immediately and there’s still much to explain-” She cuts herself off when her third eye goes wide. “Fly down!”

Are we fighting after all?!

Both immediately nosedive, however this puts them directly in the path of a danmaku salvo that manifests from seemingly nowhere and mercilessly pelts both of them. Fortunately, many of the bullets somehow miss their mark.

“Ow!” Seija yelps. “What the hell?! You said to go down!”

Satori’s face is scrunched in a mixture of pain and shock. “I… I don’t know! I definitely heard a thought that said they would attack our previous position. Wait, I’m hearing another! Go right!”

With the Moon and distantly visible Earth as their only reference points, they once more follow Satori’s direction. The bullets again shoot at where the two fly, but Seija is prepared this time and flips their position with the attack to dodge it.

“Get your act together!” the amanojaku orders. “Obviously there’s some kind of foul play going on!”

“I can tell, thank you!”

“Didn’t you say before you couldn’t read their mind? How are you getting anything in the first place?”

“It’s complicated, give me a moment!” Satori’s third eye scans their surroundings. “I’ve never been able to read the thoughts of this being, just their residual presence. If I’m hearing thoughts now…” All three of the mind reader’s eyes widen with realization. “Fly down!”

“And why should I-”

“Just trust me one last time!”

You better be right!

Seija begrudgingly complies to great success; the latest attack harmlessly goes by above them.

“I guess a one-in-three chance isn’t the worst odds,” says Seija through gritted teeth.

“I’ll take that as a thank you. That time the thought indicated we should have gone up. I don’t know how, but they’re somehow thinking the opposite of what they’re doing.”

“Like they think to themself ‘I’ll attack from below’ but still knowingly shoot from above?”

“That’s not how that works. Barring clinical insanity or some other kind of mental condition, you can’t lie to yourself in your own thoughts. The forefront of your mind might have that statement in your example, but you still know your actual target. It’s no different from knowingly saying a lie aloud.”

“Okay, psychology theory can wait. Where are they now?”

The third eye makes a show of attempting to pinpoint any nearby presences. “They’re… gone. All I can detect now is you.”

“That means we’re safe for now, right?”

“Hmm… Regardless, I don’t want to take any chances. Let’s keep moving.”

Really know how to inspire confidence, huh? Had that first attack been more precise we would already be finished. I might be better off ditching her.

“And cut off your only clue as to what’s going on or how to get home?” Satori asks, venom in her voice. “Please, be my guest. While I can still experience pain, I’m not flesh and blood; provided my other self is alive, I’ll be fine. The same can’t be said for your living body.”

“Why help me in the first place? I would’ve thought you’d want nothing to do with me.”

“My motivations aren’t your concern. I’m trying to get you to safety so all you need to do is follow me.”

This is all sorts of fishy. “She’s hiding something from me.”

Having just turned around to lead the way, Satori’s head snaps back to look at Seija. “Hm…? I swear I just heard-”

Seija’s own aggravation boils over. “You can’t seriously expect me to just go along with everything you say like I’m one of your little pets. Yeah, sure, it was premature to accuse you of creating some kind of illusion that’s obviously beyond your ability, but last I checked, you can give people amnesia. That’s how you manipulated Youmu to dance to your tune before.” She runs her right hand through her hair and sneers. “You like to play detective, right? Why don’t I give you my take on that kind of deductive reasoning: first, I wake up in the Dream World with no memory of how I got her. Second, I immediately get found - very conveniently, mind - by you. Third, right after that, we get attacked by someone who - once again, very conveniently - can’t be seen and is somehow able to resist your mind reading. All this, on top of you having a solid motive to screw with me given our past encounters. From where I’m standing, it seems much more likely that this is some elaborate set-up you’ve orchestrated using that over-inflated skull of yours.”

“What?!” Satori balls her fists, clearly angered and insulted, but takes a few deep breaths. She then exhales and says, “Apologies for snapping at you, I can see the logic in your words. There’s no point in us arguing. But please, I implore you to listen to me. There’s more going on here than you realize.”

“Then tell me instead of dancing around it! I’ll reserve judgement until after you’re done.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Satori says, “Okay. First, and you’re not going to like this, but I have reason to believe Shinmyoumaru also got spirited away to this world.”

Dang it, that’s what I was afraid of! I need to find her!

“Why didn’t you say that at the beginning?!” the extremely annoyed amanojaku shouts.

“Because I knew it would make you act irrationally. You were already somewhat emotional when I found you, I wanted to let you calm down.”

“Oh screw off! Stop acting like you know what’s best all the time! You’re on very thin ice right now.”

“…I’m sorry, I was wrong to do that,” Satori concedes, choosing her words carefully.

“How do you know for sure she’s here? Where is she?” asks Seija impatiently.

“While I do not know her exact location, residents of the world all share an innate quality: being able to tell when something is off. We know when a person with a real, physical body comes here. A little while ago, I felt two arrive simultaneously; once I found you, I realized the other had to be your partner. This area we’re in right now is a passageway between Earth and the Moon that has seen many traverse through it. Normally, if any of us feel someone here, we ignore it since the visitor is gone before long. But you two stuck around and, when I came here to look for you, I heard the malevolent thoughts I’ve been searching for.”

“Wait, back up, a ‘passageway’ that goes between Earth and the Moon? The same one that you can reach from Youkai Mountain?”

Seems pretty empty if this place is what I think it is. Shin and I will be able to reach the Lunar Capital no problem.

“So you’re aware of it? How do you… Oh,” says a mildly shocked Satori. “That’s your current plan? Quite an ambitious endeavor, even for you.”

Shoot! Got too caught up in thinking about it after she reminded me!

“You shouldn’t worry, that information is irrelevant to me,” the mind reader continues. “I don’t care what you’re attempting to accomplish with the Lunar Capital; to be blunt, the only time I have given that purity obsessed society a thought beyond their relation to Eientei was when I heard the news of their thwarted invasion. They do not have Gensokyo’s best interest at heart and I have no reason to protect them. Even if I wanted to expose your plot, I would have to leave the Dream World, which is extremely difficult for one of its inhabitants.”

Mentally cooling off, Seija places a hand on her hip. “Huh. Between you and Hatate, I’m noticing a trend.”

“Well, I can hardly blame you for avoiding letting anyone unnecessary know given the potential risks.”

“Hmmm…”

…While I hate to admit it, especially if she’s reading my mind right now-

Satori rubs her left arm nervously.

-my gut’s telling me this Satori doesn’t have any ill-intent. Plus she didn’t seem to hold a grudge after Shin and I lost before, at least not enough of one to do something on this scale. No reason for that to have changed. Annoying or not, I’ll probably find Shin and get home faster if we work together… “What am I thinking? None of this negates how suspicious she is and she still refuses to say exactly why she wants to help me! There’s no way I can trust her.”

“Wha-?” The third eye shakes over Satori’s chest. “Your thoughts, that shouldn’t-”

“I don’t need some mind reading nuisance sabotaging me!” Seija declares, a crooked smile forming.

“Seija, please, clear your mind and listen to what I’m saying.”

“My mind is perfectly clear! I bet you read it earlier to find out about the plan and now you’re trying to get on my good side!” The amanojaku flies backwards while shooting waves of danmaku at Satori, the latter dodging with moderate effort. “Why don’t you go find a corner to hide in and pretend it’s underground so I don’t have to look at you again? Later!”

“Wait, there’s still more…!” Satori’s plea falls on deaf ears as Seija rockets off. “That attitude reversal was alarmingly swift. And if that attack was what I think it was…”

-Two Months, Ten Days Ago, Late Night-

This place reminds me of Shin’s castle in some ways, but it’s so solemn in comparison.

Seija, unable to sleep, strolls the halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. Stained glass windows allow in the only light currently illuminating the desolate mansion, painting the tiled floor in even intervals with blurrier versions of the gorgeous bird-esque patterns the windows have built into them. Bored, she makes a point of alternating where she walks on the squares, always stepping on a color opposite of the previous one. The stone pillars are the same shade of white as the walls they are built along, though higher up appears to switch to a different, multi-colored material that Seija cannot fully make out in the darkness.

Didn’t give the architecture much thought before now. A wandering mind does that, I guess.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” a playful voice says behind her, breaking the silence and prompting Seija to spin around and assume a defensive stance. She relaxes her guard upon finding Koishi Komeiji. Purple cords attached to the ankles of her featureless shoes run around her green, flower-pattern skirt and end at the closed eye over her heart. Her dark golden-colored button-up, which features a green collar, has sleeves that are slightly too long for her arms; on the collar and sleeves is a trim possessing a coloration that borders between dark blue and black, with her shoes, hat, and the shirt’s diamond shaped buttons all having that same hue. Said hat rests atop her bright green hair and has a ribbon tied around it that matches the shirt’s primary color. She smiles, looking at Seija with wide dark green eyes, and says, “We can play if you want!”

“I don’t think your sister would want me playing with you,” Seija responds, looking away and rubbing the back of her head.

“Really? Why?”

Makes sense she wouldn’t realize.

Managing to look the mentally shut-off satori in the eyes, Seija answers, “I’m the reason all that bad stuff happened, remember? You were forced to hurt Orin and Okuu because of me.”

“I know that!” says Koishi, surprising Seija with her confidence. “But it wasn’t really bad, I think. Orin and Okuu are fine now, plus Satori’s playing with me more. Today we got to go above ground together for the first time in a whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile. Things have gotten more fun thanks to you!”

A variety of mixed emotions stir in the amanojaku’s heart. She averts her gaze again and says, “Yeah, well, I didn’t want that to happen. I took advantage of you for my own gain. And I’ll do it again in a heartbeat if that helps me achieve my goals. I’m not your or anyone else’s friend.”

“Really?” Koishi puts a finger to her head. “But I’ve seen you laughing with Shinmy plenty of times before. You were even doing it right before she went to bed earlier. Seemed like you were having toooooooons of fun together!”

“H-hey, don’t spy on us!”

“I told you I was there, you just didn’t notice me. When you left the room, I followed you to see where you were going.”

Oh. Guess she can still fall through the cracks of our perception. Hm…

An idea pops into Seija’s mind. Grinning, she places a hand on her chin and says, “What you really need is to learn how to make an entrance. Ya gotta be forceful! Turn everyone’s world upside down as you subvert all their expectations!”

“How do I do that?”

“Here, follow my example.” Seija stands to Koishi’s right and flies up, the latter doing the same. “Overturn the heavens, underworld, and whatever else stands in your way!” She flips the immediate vicinity vertically and shoots two thin, parallel lines of blue bullets. The danmaku passes through the light shining in from the windows on both sides before stopping in place throughout the hallway. “Then let the world know how we, the weak who have been oppressed, will usurp the strong and put them under our heel! Show them what life and death truly mean!” With a clench of her fist, Seija’s bullets explode, lighting up all the darkened areas and drowning out the light petering in from outside. “Prove to the world how big you really are!”

“Wooooooow! That was really pretty!” Koishi excitedly observes while the area returns to normal.

Not quite what I intended for her to get out of that.

“So I gotta overturn the world and show my power? Like this?” As Koishi asks, Seija perceives the hallway distorting before it clears up to seem upside down again. The younger sister then creates danmaku that look and move similar to Seija’s but are much larger. “The forgotten and oppressed shall rise up!” she yells. Her bullets explode in the same fashion, but are much brighter to the point Seija needs to shield her eyes. Once the light and distortion subsides, Koishi cheers, “Yaaaaaaaaaay, I did it!”

The amanojaku’s jaw hangs open for a moment. “Uh, yeah, decent first attempt.”

She made us see an illusion of a flipped world by influencing our minds. Even if she can’t physically overturn stuff like me, that’s quite a clever workaround. Might make an asset out of her yet.

“OI! WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?!” shouts a voice down the hall both recognize as Orin, a.k.a. Rin Kaenbyou. “IS THAT YOU, SEIJA?! PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! I’LL CART YOU OFF TO THE FURNACE IF I HAVE TO!”

“I think that’s our cue to head to bed,” says Seija, stifling laughter.

“Aw, alright,” Koishi replies. “It was fun overturning the world with you! We should play again later!”

Yeah, don’t think that’s gonna fly with your big sister.

Both go their separate ways to their rooms, neither noticing Satori rubbing her eyes in a dark doorway a mere seven meters away.

Ten minutes after forcibly leaving Dream Satori behind, Seija has yet to encounter anyone else or be attacked again. All she sees while flying through the enormous expanse, besides the rapidly growing Earth, are occasional floating bubble-like blobs; most are pink but a non-negligible amount range a variety of darker tints.

Those must be dream souls. Touching one would make me experience the dream within, I think. …When did I learn that? It’s on the tip of my tongue… “Eh, it doesn’t matter.” If they’re already in this world, they must represent different dreams people are currently having. Satori’s dream self might be around, but I’m guessing the vast majority of Gensokyo is asleep right now. I wonder, if I did touch one, would I be able to interact with whoever’s having the dream? “It’d be fun to mess with them.” Probably not a good idea right now, though. Need to find Shin and get outta here. I think I’m a little less than halfway to Earth. Doesn’t take too long to travel through this place, which ideally means Shin can’t be far.

Like clockwork, a small pink and black figure comes into view very far ahead. It is hard to judge the exact distance.

Who is that? “It must be another dream self, I should avoid it.” No, wait, that has to be Shin!

“Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! Over here!” Seija shouts while waving. There is no response.

Must not hear me, I need to get closer.

Seija begins closing the gap separating them; however, something small with white and light tan colors to the right catches her eye. Glancing at it, she realizes the object is her missing Four-Foot Magic Bomb. The tool is seemingly closer to her than Shin but still rather far.

Why is that here?! I guess the Dream World would be a great place to hide my tools, but for it to just be floating in a random spot? “Still, it’s right there, I should grab it.” But Shin comes first. Not like it’s going anywhere. “Yeah…”

She forgoes the tool for now and resumes flying forward, calling out, “Yoooooooooo, Shin! Can you hear me?”

A few moments pass but soon the figure - who Seija is now certain is Shin - waves her arm and, barely audible, shouts, “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!”

“Yes!” Seija celebrates with a small fist pump. “I’m on my way!”

They continue approaching each other. By the time Seija thinks she is halfway there, another oddity floats right by her head: a dream soul with a scene visibly transpiring inside. Eirin Yagokoro sits at a table, upon which rests four tea cups and a plate of peaches, in what Seija assumes is some kind of palace. With her are three women. The first has brown eyes and long, light purple hair tied into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon; her dark red dress, which bears a loose belt with a gold and sword-shaped buckle, has a single strap that goes over her short-sleeved, white blouse’s right shoulder. The second in many ways mirrors and contrasts the first. Her light blonde hair is roughly as long but flows freely, decorated by a white bonnet with a red ribbon; her golden eyes starkly oppose the first’s brown ones; and her similarly white blouse is long-sleeved with the single strap of a blue dress going over her left shoulder. Even the golden buckle on the second’s dress is mirror-shaped instead.

I don’t recognize those two, but the third is-!

The last woman has braided, chin-length silver hair with a single matching wing, red eyes, a purple dress cut into an arrow pattern at the bottom, red bowtie, and a tan jacket. The jacket features various patterns and arrow markings on the shoulders and above the bottom trim.

Sagume Kishin! If she’s there, given how opulent the place looks, Eirin - or maybe one of the other three - must be dreaming of the Lunar Capital! There’s gotta be all sorts of info in here! “I know I decided messing with these could wait, but this is too good to pass up!” …But Shin comes first. “Hm, but I might lose track of this if I don’t do it now!” Still, Shin comes first. “This is such a good opportunity, though! This could make or break the whole plan!” Wait, no, that’s not right. The plan was always to infiltrate directly and figure out what to do from there. This could potentially be helpful, but it doesn’t trump the fact I need to regroup with Shin first. “…”

Finally managing to break away from staring at the dream soul, Seija carries on with her trek towards Shin. They can now clearly see each other, Shin’s bowl a plain black color after her fancy one was damaged during the battle with the tengu.

“What are you doing here?” the inchling asks once she gets close enough.

“I could say the same to you,” Seija replies. “We’re in the Dream-”

Shin, staring right through her partner, cuts her off by saying, “Hello? Anyone in there? Are you gonna answer me or not?”

“Eh? The heck are you talking about?”

“Um…” a familiar voice behind Seija mutters. She turns around to see Dream Satori, who is biting her lip and looking down. “I see you’re unaware of your situation, Shinmyoumaru.”

At this point the amanojaku’s confusion mixes with anger, her face contorting into a snarl. “Hey, I told you to stay away! Shin, don’t trust her!”

“Are you saying you know where I am?” asks Shin, ignoring Seija’s warning.

What the…? Can she still not hear me?

“I don’t know what you’re doing, Satori, but I’m getting Shin outta here. This is your last warning to leave us alone.” After saying this, Seija moves to grab Shin’s arm and lead her away, but the former’s hand goes right through the latter. “Huh?!”

“You’re in the Dream World and I’m its counterpart of the Satori you know,” Satori explains, similarly to before.

“Hey, what have you done?! Answer me!” shouts Seija, who goes to grab Satori by the collar but once more passes through her body.

Her too?! So they can’t see, hear, or touch me at all?

Balling her fist to stop it from shaking, Satori continues giving Shin the same spiel Seija received earlier; however, she does not mention her earlier encounter with the amanojaku.

She’s… nervous? Afraid? Why?

The mind reader puts her left hand behind her back and points her index finger at Seija.

So you do still know I’m here?

Satori’s hand simulates a nodding motion.

We never made any sort of physical contact before; I must’ve already been like this when I woke up. But if Shin can’t hear me and neither can touch me, what makes Satori different? “It must be a trick, she’s doing something to Shin and me.”

Shin continues prodding Satori questions and listening to any explanations provided, but sees, for the briefest of moments, the latter’s eyes go wide. “Something wrong?”

“Er, it’s nothing,” Satori assures.

Hm, not only can she read minds, she’s also able to detect lingering thoughts even if there isn’t a person attached to them. Is it that she can’t see me but rather hear me via my thoughts and get a picture of how I look and move through that? That would make sense and doesn’t necessarily prove this is her fault.

“-so the exit is back where I came from, got it,” says Shin. “Admittedly my curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to look around some. I’ll head back now, thanks. Glad you didn’t attack me, heheh.”

Satori nonchalantly crosses her arms. “Yes, well, I have no reason to do that presently. But, before you leave, it would be wrong of me not to mention: I found your partner, unconscious, not too long ago. She woke up and quickly left me behind due to thinking I was the reason she was brought here. I was at least able to tell her this passage goes between Earth and the Moon before she stormed off, but I can still feel her presence somewhere nearby. It’s possible she’s in danger.”

“What?! You should’ve said that at the start! Can you point me to where she is? I’m not leaving without her.”

“I… cannot say. But I know for certain she still has yet to escape.”

“Great. Well, thanks for everything you’ve done. I’ll be sure to let Seija know this isn’t your fault.” After saying this, Shin waves goodbye and races off to scour the Dream World for her partner, ironically leaving said partner behind in the process.

I wanna go after her so badly but-

“You wish to question me,” says Satori.

“Stop beating around the bush!” Seija snaps at her.

“Your deduction was correct, right now all you are is a blob of consciousness. I didn’t get a good opportunity to say as much earlier, plus it would have only bolstered your suspicions towards me. Right now, I’m the only one who can perceive you at all.”

“You said earlier my ‘flesh and blood’ body was here! And now you lied to Shin! All you’ve done up to now is give me less reason to trust you!”

“I didn’t lie to either of you per say. Your body is here, just disconnected from your mind.”

“If that’s the case, can’t you tell me where it is?”

“Explaining that would be… difficult.”

“And what’s so ‘difficult’ about it?”

Satori’s winching expression shows great discomfort, as if she desperately wants to say something, but cannot.

Ugh, none of this makes any sense. Satori’s being way too vague and Shin can’t perceive me at all. “I just want to go home.” But even more than that, I want to find Shin and somehow get her to notice me so we can leave together.

That last thought makes the mind reader perk up slightly. “Then go, I can promise I won’t get in your way.”

“You better not.”

“One more thing: I can guarantee that, if you leave this world, your mind will be returned to your body and both will be restored to reality.”

“That’s the first genuinely helpful thing you’ve said all day,” says Seija dismissively before flying off.

Once she is out of earshot, Satori whispers, “I know you’re there. Hasn’t this gone on long enough?”

“She’s doing well, all things considered, but still needs to make one more push,” responds a sweet, disembodied voice.

“You could have told me more about what’s going on beforehand. That would have saved us all a great deal of agitation.”

“It’s important that she go through this. Now that you have the full picture, I’m sure you agree the same applies for yourself?”

“Hmph.”

Dang it, I only stalled with Satori for a minute, why can’t I find her?!

While not truly space, to Seija the passageway feels like it spans infinitely in any direction that does not go towards Earth or the Moon. She cannot measure her progress, assuming she is even making any.

“Shin! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!” she repeatedly calls out.

“It’s no use, I saw earlier she couldn’t hear me even if I was right next to her.” But I’m not gonna give up!

Again and again, Seija shouts her partner’s name while flying through the endless expanse as fast as she can.

“If I go home, Shin will likely do the same eventually. We both know where the exit is.” But she knows I’m here and thinks I could be in trouble; she won’t rest until she finds me. No way I can leave her like that! Can’t believe I let myself consider otherwise for even a second.

Her search continues for a long time, slowly taking her back the way she came and closer to the Moon.

Now that I think about it, I didn’t see the bomb after turning around. Same for that dream soul. “Must’ve drifted away, annoyed I didn’t take the opportunities when I had the chance.” Well, not that annoyed. I wasn’t counting on finding stuff like that here so it’s not like I lost anything. If anything, what I’m annoyed at is how all over the place my headspace has been. The fatigue must be getting to me.

Interrupting that thought, she hears Shin’s voice yell, “SEIJAAAAAAAAA!” The amanojaku immediately pinpoints the source and finds her partner quickly looking around. Cupping her mouth to help direct her voice, Shin again calls out, “SEIJA! ARE YOU HERE?”

“I’M OVER HERE!” Seija shouts back, but it is no use. The inchling starts moving along, but Seija, ever determined, follows her and rapidly catches up. Everything she tries from noises to hand signs go unnoticed. “There has to be a way…”

What can I do that she would perceive? “Nothing I’ve tried works so it might be better to leave for now.” …No, there is a way to do it. Earlier, both Satori and I felt some of that danmaku and I was even able to flip our position with it!

Seija flicks her wrist and suddenly Shin finds herself facing the opposite direction of where she was going.

“What the…? That felt exactly like-” Shin is cut off by her body flipping again, this time vertically. After orienting herself, she says, “Seija! Where are you?! Why are you doing this?”

Yes! Okay, next let’s try…

Flying in front of her partner, Seija shoots bullets and has them hover in place so they form the words, “I’m right here.”

Ugh, I’m not used to manipulating danmaku quite like this. It’s trickier than I thought. My answers will have to be simple.

“You’re here?” Shin asks. “Those bullets came out of nowhere. Are you invisible?”

“Yes,” the next wave of bullets reads.

“And I can’t touch or hear you?” Once the bullets confirm this as well, Shin adds, “That’s… different. Do you know how this happened?” The bullets deny it. “How about any details on how we got here? Cause I’m drawing a blank.” Another denial. “Hmmm. This is definitely up there on the list of strange situations we’ve gotten into. But I’m relieved you're okay, er, relatively speaking.”

A mutual wave of relief washes over Seija.

Took some doing, but we’re together. Now we can get the heck outta here. “…Wait, behind me!”

Out of nowhere, a volley of danmaku - shaped and colored like Seija’s - blindsides the duo. Seija manages to evade most of it somehow, but Shin takes a major beating on her right side.

“Agh!” The inchling scrunches over in pain, gripping her right arm. “Those are the same kind of bullets that spelled the messages!” She unsheathes her needle, utterly furious. “Coward, how dare you pretend to be Seija! Show yourself!”

What?! No! That wasn’t me!

Shin slowly rotates in place, maintaining her defensive posture while scanning for an enemy. Without a word, she shoots bullets from her position at all angles; Seija is far too close to dodge them all, but she quickly realizes that any that should hit her instead pass through harmlessly.

Huh? But that last attack and the one from earlier both got a few stray hits on me. Why could I feel those but not this?

Once the attack clears out, Shin is nowhere to be found.

No! Did she shrink down and run off?!

The immensely frustrated Seija yells into the silent void. She frantically searches anywhere and everywhere nearby for her partner but comes up with nothing.

Where did that attack come from?! Now Shin won’t trust any of my messages even if I find her again! What do I do?! “Should… should I just give up?”

She falls back and lets herself float in place. Up to now, the dull headache she has continuously felt was successfully pushed aside thanks to raw determination. Now, however, it starts to fade. A serene peace of mind takes its place.

“If I go home, I can rest and rethink this situation. There’s no way Shin wouldn’t eventually try to leave. Staying here is pointless.” Yeah… But what if Shin doesn’t? What if she stays here, looking for me? “I can always come back and continue searching.” By that point, though, she could be anywhere. Maybe a part of the Dream World that isn’t this passageway. At that point, I’d never be able to find her. “It’s her choice if she stays here, I shouldn’t kill myself trying to fix that. An amanojaku being alone is natural anyway.” That’s… not wrong. But things are different now. Being Shin’s partner is fun. She’s important to me. “That won’t last and I know it. It isn’t who I am.” I… I…!

Seija propels up with a jolt, a fire in her eyes and heart. “I don’t care! I’ll find Shin and get us both out of here somehow! No amount of negative feelings will stop me!”

“That’s reassuring,” says Satori behind her.

“Wha-?” Seija turns around. “Ugh, what do you want?”

“She’s such an annoyance!”

Narrowing her eyes, Satori asks, “Don’t you find those intrusive thoughts strange? They always try to push you in specific directions.”

“I don’t get your meaning,” the amanojaku answers, rubbing her temples.

“I think you do, at least subconsciously. Your mind has been a battleground for weeks now and it’s hitting the breaking point.”

“A ‘battleground’…?

…That’s right! Something screwed with my head before, back at the shrine. How could I have forgotten? “It must’ve been her giving me amnesia! Reading my mind is the only way she could’ve known about that! I’m best off ignoring her. After all, messing around with her won’t get me any closer to escaping.”

“What about Shinmyoumaru?” Satori asks, piercing right through Seija’s muddled thoughts.

“The hell are you getting at? Of course she’s my top priority!” Seija shouts back.

“Then why did you think only about leaving just then?”

“I…”

She’s right, why do I keep thinking about leaving first? “It’s natural to think about self-preservation, that doesn’t change what we want. She’s trying to psych us out!”

“Oh?” Satori tilts her head. “‘What we want’? ‘Psych us out’? What is this collective these intrusive thoughts refer to? Or maybe that was a panicked slip of the tongue?”

That’s… What’s going on? I feel like I’m on the verge of remembering something, but my mind’s getting foggy. So tired… “This has to be a trick, every story she’s told me has been full of holes. I need to get away from her!”

For the first time, Satori cracks a smile. “Let me fill those ‘holes’ right now, intruder. I previously referred to you, Seija, as being here in the flesh. To quote myself directly, I said, ‘your body is here in the flesh’ while your mind is currently outside of it.”

“Which has to be your fault!” Seija retorts, not entirely of her own volition.

“I would like to pose a question: if the mind goes to the Dream World when it falls asleep in reality, where does the mind go if it falls asleep already in the Dream World?”

Where is she going with this? “No, don't listen to her!”

“No response? Then allow me to elucidate. There’s no trick to it, the answer remains the same: your consciousness simply drifts to another part of the Dream World. But that poses a different question: how does the dream self factor in? Normally one uses that body while here, but in your case you seem to be missing it, which is why Shinmyoumaru can’t perceive you. Honestly, need I explain any further? I would hope the truth of this is obvious now. Now then,” says Satori as she points right at Seija’s face, “you’ve lost your gamble. Face us!”

Seija holds her head with both hands as the umpteenth headache she has experienced these past few weeks swallows her senses.

“How did this nuisance even find out?! She’s ruined everything! Of all the stupid luck.” I… I remember now!

Six Hours Ago

“Seija! Stop!” Shin yells as she flies after her partner in the dead of night, high in the cloudless sky.

Seija, in a trance-like state, does not respond, instead repeatedly muttering, “That’s where I have to go.”

The chase continues all the way to Youkai Mountain Lake, above which the crescent Moon shines. A weak pulsation exactly like the one Seija saw the previous evening emanates from the waning crescent; she flies to the very center of the lake, Shin right behind her.

“Why -pant- are we here?” asks Shin, winded by prolonged high speed flight. “Could you just -pant- not wait to scope it out? And why aren’t you answering me?!”

Her questions go unanswered as Seija ascends into the pulsing light. A dark gap appears in the middle when she gets close, less than half a meter from her head. 

“Oh no you don’t! Not without me!” The inchling, with a will that eclipses the size of her body, grabs Seija’s ankle and pulls the amanojaku down with sheer power. She puts a hand on each of her partner’s shoulders, looks her dead in the eyes, and says, “The heck’s gotten into you? We do this together or not at all! And if someone’s in your head, forcing you to do this, then they have to get through me!”

Seija blinks once. Then twice. Then thrice. Her glazed over eyes light up. “…Eh? How’d we get here?” she asks.

“You just up and left, unresponsive to anything I said. You’re lucky I wasn’t asleep yet and heard your door open. It kinda reminds me of what happened at Hakurei Shrine.”

That’s… concerning.

While they try to figure out what happened, an arm with a gold bracelet creeps out of the black gap above and seizes Seija by the back of her collar.

“What the-?!” Seija does not have time to finish the thought before being pulled inside, Shin grabbing her leg and being dragged in as well. A moment later, they open their eyes and see the entirety of Earth in front of them. “Whoa. I guess we’re inside the passageway?”

“Looks like it,” says Shin. “But why does our mystery friend want you here so badly? We were gonna head this way eventually anyway.”

“Well, when all else fails, you do what you gotta do.”

“Why are you answering for them?”

“That wasn’t me,” Seija says nervously.

The Dream World has counterparts of everyone. Fantastic, this was one thing I wanted to avoid.

The inchling glances at her partner, incredulous. “Excuse me? That was definitely your voice.”

“C’mon now, princess, can’t you trust your partner?” the soundalike asks behind them. The duo spins around to find a perfect double of Seija. “Surprise! Or maybe not, I’m sure at least one of you figured this out.”

“Oh this is gonna get annoying to keep track of real fast,” laments Shin, shaking her head.

“What, so I have you to thank for the weird memory issues and that episode at the shrine?” Seija asks. “Don’t see how hurting yourself gets you anywhere. Do you wanna replace me or some garbage? If that’s all, let’s get this over with already.”

Dream Seija shrugs, her sly smile steadfast. “Hey now, do you both really think I’d be so predictable? Y’all should know me better than that!” The duo, already prepared to fight, exchanges an uncertain look. “Well, I’m happy to subvert your expectations! I’ve always been satisfied with how you’ve done things, me. We’ve continued to be a menace that does our best to overturn society. There really is no greater high than seeing someone strong or arrogant get the rug pulled out from under them.”

“If we’re on the same page, what’s your reason for hindering Shin and me?”

“Ah, y’see, that’s the issue right there: the ever-present Shin. It’s always ‘Shin’ this and ‘Shin’ that,” says Dream Seija, hamming up her forlorn tone. “That’s not how amanojaku work. We don’t form connections.”

“I’m plenty fine with where my life is going,” Seija counters, trying to put aside Shin’s worried expression in the corner of her eye. “And that should mean you are, too. Even if you’re some exaggerated version of me, we share that belief.”

“You’re right! But another thing you and I share is our fear. And right now, you fear you’re losing your edge.”

“I-I don’t know what you mean!”

Shaking her head, Dream Seija lifts her nose up at the duo and says, “I’m literally the one person you can never lie to, but I respect the attempt. Or I would if it wasn’t such a weak-willed denial!” She flips positions with them and then flies over to put her head between theirs in an instant. After an initial shock, both try to hit her with close-quarters bullets, but she slips away easily. “Oh sure, it’s not like we’ve stopped doing what we do after partnering up with the little princess, but the small things start to accumulate. How many people have you acted chummy with in the past two weeks alone? Mamizou, Mokou, Sumireko, Hatate, even Sekibanki, and those are just the indisputable ones!”

“Three of those fought against or used us initially!” Shin says, finally speaking up. “Sumi and Hatate are cases where it was in our best interest to work together.”

“I’m not talking to you, princess,” says Dream Seija, rolling her eyes. Even if Shin knows that is not how the real Seija acts, seeing the image of her partner talk to her that way is painful.

The real Seija glares at her opposite number. “Where do you get off? If I care about her, so do you!”

“True, luckily for me I’m not held back by the idiotic inhibitions that entails. Further discussion isn’t necessary when, deep down, you know what I’m talking about. You’ve really become a pathetic excuse for an amanojaku; I’m going to set us straight.”

“And how do you plan on winning this two-on-one?”

Knowing myself, which I do, she must have a trick or three at the ready.

“I see, I need to help you find your way and your vision,” says the dream amanojaku with a hand on her chin. “Koishi! It’s time to play some more!”

A very guttural sense of unease paralyzes the duo when they hear that name. They go back-to-back to cover their blind spots while searching for the green-haired youkai.

How did she get Koishi to help her? No, scratch that, why did she enlist Koishi?!

“You don’t think a denizen of the Dream World can just assume direct control of their real world equivalent at will, do you?” Dream Seija asks, clearly enjoying herself as everyone’s perception of the world distorts and flips. Two lines of blue danmaku appear on either side of the duo; one between them and Earth, the other between them and their opponent. “I’m the personification of your unconscious mind. You could call me a backdoor to your consciousness.”

“You had Koishi’s dream self influence me through you?!”

“Woo, I knew I could figure it out! Good job, me!” says the dream self with a mocking, toothy grin. Following that, the bullets explode, blinding the duo.

“Gah!” Shin grunts.

This attack is…!

“Gotcha!” says a cheerful voice. Two hands from baggy sleeves reach out from the light and touch both Seija and Shin’s heads. “I win!”

I have to act fast!

Seija roughly pulls off her necklace, but it is shot out of her hand by a single precise bullet.

NO!

Dream Seija holds her left hand forward in the shape of a gun, one eye closed and the other staring down the imaginary sights right to where she got Seija’s hand. “I see why Reisen likes to mimic this pose so much, it’s got a fun feel to it,” she muses. As Seija and Shin lose consciousness, all they can hear is her laughter, Koishi innocently joining in before the end.

Chapter Text

“Get out of my head!” Seija shouts as the pressure in her mind builds. Another voice that sounds like two of her overlaid on each other then says, “I’m a part of you, there is no getting rid of me!”

Extending a hand, Dream Satori says, “Seija, you need to stay calm. I should be able to put you in a trance and sever her attempt to control you.”

The amanojaku grips her head, pressing her fingers hard against her scalp. “J-just do it already! I feel like I'm about to split open!”

“Understood. Try to stay as still as possible.”

“Dang it, I need to dispose of her before she makes things worse!”

Involuntarily summoning more bullets behind herself than she can count, Seija manages to say, “S-stay back! I… can’t control them!” She lets the danmaku loose in waves, pushing Satori back and preventing further approach. Some track her position which forces her to constantly be on the move.

“Don’t let yourself break down!” says Satori as the homing bullets close in. “Focus on my voice! Someone like you is far too strong-willed to let a manifestation of your doubts dictate your actions!”

“Just let me in already! I’m doing what’s best for both of us!” I… will not let you control me!

A deafening scream escapes Seija’s mouth. Right when it seems Satori will be shot down, the bullets disappear; at the same time, the amanojaku’s body begins to fall limp.

“Why are you trying so hard to help the real one?” asks the voice as Satori gets close. “What’s your game here?”

“It’s actually quite simple…” says the mind reader. She closes both her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening her left eye and staring right through the mentally fractured amanojaku. “I know full well you used my sister for this plan. I’m not kind enough to forgive that a second time.”

“When the hell did she find out?”

Satori’s third eye tenses up and juts forward. Seija’s gaze is attracted to it; she cannot look away, with her own eyes soon glazing over. “Your consciousness will now return to wherever your bodies are. I’ll hopefully be joining you soon, so try not to waste all this time and effort by losing to yourself right away, alright?”

Cracks in the scenery appear, spreading throughout space and over both the Moon and Earth and even Satori. They break and reveal a darkness in which Seija feels herself peacefully falling. A few seconds later, her eyes open, her real body shoots up, and she sees an unfamiliar landscape. Above her is a dark blue sky dotted with five-pointed yellow stars that look like a child’s drawing; in the center of it all hangs a jagged crescent moon. Under that is a black castle whose only visible details are numerous windows glowing a pale yellow and the bluish lines where the stronghold’s stone and brick meet to form a greater whole. Numerous spires splinter off the castle, with more budding out the further from the base it goes. Black outlines of trees line the ground in front, matching the sprawling and shadowed structures spread out far behind the castle. One is a giant wheel made up of a series of bars that come out from the center with circular pods evenly spaced along the connecting outer edge; the other is a winding and looping railway where smaller automated cars speed along it. Both are unrecognizable to the amanojaku.

Where am I…? Is this another part of the Dream World? I don’t feel that irritating presence inside me anymore.

As she rubs her head, Seija notices another sluggishly moving figure in the corner of her eye. Both directly face each other and see reflections of themselves.

“Ugh, Satori really went and did it this time,” says Dream Seija, shaking off her fatigue.

“You!” the real Seija shouts, pointing at her double. “Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!”

“Should’ve expected that reaction. I’ll match yours with my own!” The bullets they summon perfectly crash into each other, neither side making any headway. It does not take long until they notice the area remains oriented normally, no flipping to be seen.

That’s… really lame. We cancel each other out?

Dream Seija’s scrunched face mirrors the real one’s feelings.

A fight between us would just turn into an extended slog. I could maybe win, but that’s gonna take a lot of time and effort. How else to deal with her?

“I was afraid of it coming to this,” says the dream self. “How about we at least try talking it out since force doesn’t seem to work well.”

Seija scowls at her counterpart. “Fine. Why do this? You’re hurting yourself!”

“I thought you remembered our earlier encounter, you should know the reason.”

“I can’t accept that. Shin doesn’t bear any fault here! This is just some kind of weird insecurity!”

“It doesn’t matter whether or not you can ‘accept’ it,” says the Dream World denizen. “My feelings are your feelings! Wake up and face reality!”

“Oh that’s rich coming from you. All you are is a caricature of the real Seija Kijin!”

“So rejection is all you can muster for me?”

Seija balls her fists so hard that her knuckles turn white. “I reject the notion I’m as pathetic as you! I can do what I want while still being with Shin!”

“Getting so worked up over someone else… We really have lost our edge. I feel the same contempt for myself that you do. It’s so overpowering that she’s getting tunnel vision, wouldn’t you say, Koishi?”

“Wha-?!” The original looks around and then behind for any sign of the satori, but cannot find anything.

I’m ready for her if she tries to blind me again!

While thinking that, the amanojaku suddenly flips upside down before a salvo of bullets batter her back. Her body arches backwards instinctively due to how much they sting.

“Tch, idiot,” says Dream Seija. “Falling for your own tricks, now? I can’t believe you trusted me when I said we could just talk this out.”

“You…!” The original trails off while she reorients herself, circling around such that she is directly in front of the castle while her double is between it and her.

“How slow can you be? Koishi was following us around the whole time earlier! That’s why our mutual ‘friend’ couldn’t get a read on me! By hiding myself within you while Koishi did some of the dirty work and messed with everyone’s subconscious, I could selectively make Satori hear certain thoughts and intents from me while flipping them at my leisure with you none the wiser. Seeing her flounder while trying to figure out my attacks was hysterical!”

“So you are responsible for shooting at Shin earlier!”

“Wow, ten stars, bang-up job on piecing that together.”

“Because of you, she’s still wandering that place, looking for me. You’ve constantly stood between us.” Seija bares her teeth, her face contorted in anger. “You used her image to attack me in those nightmares! You made me hurt her back at the shrine!”

“Yeah, I - which is to say, you - did. I thought that was already established. What other earth-shattering revelations will you-” An enraged Seija yells and reverses the distance between them from 10 meters to 01 meter without even thinking and tackles the dream self in a fit of rage, sending both straight into the castle wall. “OW! What the hell was that?! Since when can we…?”

“I don’t care what you try to do to me, but if you so much as touch her again, I’ll- AGH!” she yelps as Dream Seija headbutts her to break free.

“Do you even realize what you just did?” the counterpart asks, rubbing her head while putting distance between them.

“Grrr…” Seija ignores the question as well as the pain in her head and back. She offers no words, instead attacking with bullets from every direction she is able.

“Fine, if that’s how you want to play this!” While flying through and over the assault, the dream amanojaku says, “Don’t you see what this ‘partnership’ is doing to us? You’re just lashing out like a wild animal! We’re losing sight of the big picture!”

“I don’t care about any big picture Shin isn’t a part of!” says Seija, rocketing after her doppelgänger with a speed exceeding anything she has shown before.

“Moron.” Dream Seija, using the real one as a center point, flips her position such that she is on the other side and instantly follows up with more bullet volleys to Seija’s back. One lands squarely on her head, stunning and knocking her down towards the trees.

Gah…! I can’t… lose…!

Continuing, the double says, “All this fighting we’ve been doing recently has started to bear fruit. We’re getting faster and our abilities are growing. Our instincts were already sharp but now they’re being honed further.” She rapidly descends and catches Seija by the scruff of her neck, following this by lifting her up, turning her around, and holding her by the collar. “But this unnatural focus on Shin is making us act stupid. Sentimental. You legitimately caught me off guard yet let your affection blind you to an obvious counterattack. I can feel it, too. We’re the same person and I have to fight against inchling-sized weights tying down my every limb.”

“Aren’t you… supposed to not have any inhibitions?” says the amanojaku between pants. The blow to the head she endured was the jolt needed to stymy her blind rage, calming her slightly. “I would’ve thought that our feelings towards her would affect you more than me.”

“Who said they don’t?”

“What?”

“I feel everything you do and without any filters. I’ve had a very long time to cope with these conflicting emotions before deciding what I needed to do while you were still wondering if they were even there.” Dream Seija tightens her grip. “How can I make it any clearer to you? I’m only doing what you desire but are too afraid to admit. So make this easy for yourself and let me take it from here.” She drops her sneer and replaces it with a stone-faced stare. “It’s… for our own good. Our goals will eventually put us at odds with her. Alternatively, if we mess up and Shin’s with us, she’ll suffer for it too. This relationship will only backfire in the end, regardless of how the pieces fall.”

Is this really how I feel deep down? …My hands are trembling. I can feel my throat catching. All her fear and sadness is resonating with me. I’m… afraid. Not of her, but the possibilities she’s presenting. I can’t deny it anymore.
…
Dang it, what am I doing, letting her get to me?! Even if that’s all true…!

“…No.”

The dream self’s eyes narrow. “What was that?”

“I said ‘No’! You’re only one part of me! A weak-willed part that can’t handle her own life possibly being overturned! Now that’s what I’d call unacceptable amanojaku behavior! I’ll find a way to turn the world upside down without sacrificing anything! All you’re doing is giving in!”

This whole time, I’ve been letting her get under my skin. Normally that’s my job. Figures I would know how to do it better than anyone.

“Tch.” Letting her real world counterpart go and preparing a spell card, the dream self says, “After this is over, I’ll maintain enough influence to ensure that what led us here won’t happen again. I might pay little Miss Detective a visit, too. Can’t have her interfering anymore.”

“I’ll ask you once, because you’re me,” says Seija, spreading her arms out pleadingly to seem open and welcoming instead of withdrawn and defensive despite the imminent attack. “Do you really want to do this?”

The double regains her smile. “What is this, some kinda last second redemption chance? Ha! I wouldn’t have gone through all this effort if I didn’t. I’ll break your body if that’s what it takes to make you understand!”

Can’t expect it to be that easy. I’ve taken more damage than her and am having a really hard time tuning out the aching in my back. Matching her blow for blow now would only wear me out first. I have noticed one weakness, though: barring my earlier outburst, she’s consistently been more aggressive than me, constantly trying to tear down my will to fight. It was like that when she messed with my head and dreams before, too. Now that she sees I won’t go down without a fight, she’s aggravated. I can exploit that lack of restraint!

“Reverse Sign - Evil in the Mirror!” With Dream Seija’s call, left and right switch while a storm of bullets rain down from behind her. The real Seija, instead of countering with her own, elects to dodge the attack. As the spell card’s creator, she understands the ins and outs better than anyone; none of the bullets even come close. “I see what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter what kind of trick or strategy you come up with, I know them all!” Then, as if she just noticed something, the double’s eyes go wide. She proceeds to laugh and say, “Real talk, I’m sure you remember a certain orb we used before, right?!”

Wait, she can’t be-!

She pulls out, from seemingly nowhere, a red and white yin-yang orb before disappearing. An instant later, she manifests in front of the original, putting their noses within centimeters of each other. Each simultaneously goes to reverse an aspect of the situation. The original flips their positions but maintains the directions they face such that they have their backs to each other, all in a bid to fly away and prevent up-close combat; the aggressor does the inverse, reversing their horizontal orientations but leaving the positioning untouched. This results in an effective net gain of zero for both maneuvers, as they still face each other.

What a meaningful interaction.

Immediately following this, they shoot a slew of basic bullets at each other while flying to the left relative to the front of the castle; Seija flies backwards while the dream self flies forwards in pursuit. Anytime the latter attempts to teleport closer, the former is able to predict and outmaneuver it by considering what she would do in her opponent’s position. 

“‘I can just dodge the spell cards and let her wear herself out, which will make winning easy.’ That was your strategy, right?” Dream Seija asks, putting on a relaxed tone. “But now, you’re wondering what to do if I have access to at least one of our tools. If I just keep up the pressure, that pain you feel simmering will cause you to slow down first. And you can’t shift to an aggressive approach since the tools give me an advantage; even if you switched to some kind of impossible danmaku, they’ll keep me safe while you wear yourself out.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it already.”

Do I always sound this insufferable? If so, good, that means my skill for irritation hasn’t dulled at all.

“You’re pretty casual for someone fighting a losing battle,” says the dream self, unrelenting in her chase. “What happened to that feral and whining ‘don’t touch my precious princess Shinmyoumaru’ display from earlier?”

“Those weren’t my exact words, but anyway, I realized getting upset at the possibility of you hurting her was stupid. I’m not very impressed with your showing so far, all things considered. Shin would beat you easily. And you’re right about the effect all the fighting I’ve done recently has had; I feel myself improving. Compared to me, you’re just a cheap copy.”

“That so?” Seija leads them to the gigantic wheel-like contraption behind the castle’s left and goes between the slowly moving bars, using them to ward off some bullets. Seeing this, Dream Seija goes to the center axis and says, “Why not try this? Turnabout - Reverse Hierarchy!” Everything around them rotates counterclockwise, which matches the direction the wheel already moves. It starts accelerating as a result, with the bars inside comboing with the spell card’s danmaku. Seija finds herself in a hazardous trap, compelled to dodge both bullets and a swiftly turning metal framework.

Don’t let her fluster me, she even used a weaker version of the spell card. She’s conserving her strength since she doesn’t believe this will be enough!

First, Seija uses her knowledge of Reverse Hierarchy to predict where bullets will come from. Second, instead of staying in one spot and dodging the bars, she moves with them and the rotating spell card while adjusting laterally as needed; the structure itself still provides cover from a few bullets and now poses minimal danger. Finally, thanks to everything prior alleviating some pressure, she focuses on reversing the direction of any critical bullets that would be too difficult to dodge in the somewhat cramped space. Her breathing is more labored by the end, but she outlasts the spell card without taking a single hit.

“Well I tried it,” says a grinning Seija, choosing to remain in the framework. “Maybe take it for another spin after doing some tuning? Seems to have broken down.”

The dream self squints before going after Seija directly. They weave through the symmetrical metal bars all over the wheel, exchanging attacks as they do so. “Do you honestly believe such an obvious attempt to bait my annoyance will work? Everything we think and feel bleeds into each other! I can’t read your exact thoughts while we’re separated and fighting like this, but they’re not hard to guess.”

“That’s an interesting tidbit. So you admit that you felt sad a minute ago? Cause I certainly felt that bleeding from you!”

“You’ve already proven that you don’t understand your surface level feelings, how could you possibly comprehend your deepest ones?!” shouts Dream Seija as she increases the density of her bullets.

Definitely seems like I touched a nerve on that one. …This is so weird, trying to infuriate myself. It’s not very strong, but I’m getting annoyed by my own words.

Hiding behind what she guesses to be a passenger car near the top of the wheel to let it eat some of the latest attack, Seija says, “You’re right, for a while I didn’t and to a large degree I still don’t. I can’t say why exactly Shin matters to me as much as she does or what caused this change in my behavior to happen. Never would’ve let myself get caught dead acting chummy with someone like Sekibanki a couple years ago, either.”

“So you realize we’re going soft!” The car’s windows break under the pressure from the barrage, but when Seija begins moving again, her double teleports in front of her. However, the original flips Dream Seija when the latter goes for a grapple and slips away by going over her. “This isn’t us! What don’t you get?!”

Flying away from the wheel and towards the railway where open-air passenger cars intermittently race by on the thin and circuitous track, the real amanojaku says, “I don’t consider that airhead a friend. She was a means to an end. But we want to overturn this world we live in, don’t we? In order for the weak to stand a chance against the strong, some cooperation among the weak is necessary. She proved her resolve that day, which is why I was willing to acknowledge her.”

“We shouldn’t be ‘acknowledging’ anyone. I agree cooperation is sometimes required, but we only use tools like her when there isn’t any other choice. That doesn’t equate to drinking with someone at a bar after they nearly ruined all our plans! It doesn’t mean we can start indulging that outside world dunce’s idiotic nicknames! And it definitely doesn’t excuse us feeling any sympathy or guilt towards those stupid sisters!” Dream Seija teleports using the orb again and collides with her counterpart going full speed, sending both tumbling onto a level section of the railway’s track. The former recovers first and gets on top of the latter, pinning her by holding an arm with each hand while using her legs to weigh down Seija’s own.

“…How did you get Koishi’s dream self to help with your plan?”

“It was easy enough. I searched this world for her and, when I found her, asked if she wanted to play again. She jumped at the chance and we’ve played a variety of ‘games’ the past few weeks. Not the sharpest knife, is she?”

“You don’t believe that.”

The double raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“What was it you said before? ‘I’m literally the one person you can never lie to’?” Seija indulges a wide grin. “She plays with you because she likes us and knows we don’t intend to hurt her. You should heed your own advice and not get so emotional about things. You only got this far through subterfuge and staying one step ahead of me. Now that we’re on equal footing, you can’t hide anything from me just like I can’t you.”

“Look at the ‘real’ one acting superior. Stop trying to push my buttons, I already know this song and dance.”

“If you know it so well, why are you so intent on stopping me? Maybe it’s working and you’re painfully aware of that fact? Though, I guess it’s in our nature to deny and subvert the truth we present to each other.”

“Heh. Hahahahaha!”

“What’s got you so tickled?”

“I’m just happy you always refuse to give up. It means we’re not a total lost cause.” Both feel a rumbling on the track they lie on and hear a swiftly approaching car. Dream Seija reluctantly frees her constrained opponent so both can move out of the way. “Fortunate timing for you.”

I’ve gotta form a new plan. Her weaknesses are still there but if she keeps running me ragged using the orb I don’t have a way out. If I can’t catch my breath soon-

“Let me guess: you’re thinking about how you’re about to lose?” says the double, finishing Seija’s thought. “Accept it, this situation isn’t tenable. You can let me do what you can’t either before or after I render you unable to move even a finger.”

Ugh, I thought I was making progress there for a minute, too! I need more time. If only Shin was here…!

“I’m no inchling, but maybe I can suffice?” says a disembodied voice both present immediately identify. Satori’s form slowly materializes to the right of Seija. “Apologies for the delay. I told you I would be joining you as soon as I could. Pleased to see you were able to endure while I was gone, though you certainly look worse for wear.”

“…Y’know maybe I can deal with having to win on my own if this is the back-up I’m getting,” says Seija while rolling her eyes.

“We could temporarily team up to deal with her if you want,” suggests her counterpart.

“E-excuse you!” Satori stammers. “Do you want me to abandon you to your fate?”

“C’mon, detective, it’s just a joke,” says the amanojaku, chuckling. “Hopefully you can deduce that much.”

To be honest, it’s a massive weight off to know I might not be completely screwed.

Satori squirms where she levitates, embarrassed.

“Well, ain’t that swell?” the antagonistic dream self muses, hands behind her head. “I wanted to deal with you alone since this issue is pretty personal, but if you get help it’s only fair I do too. Koishi, real talk, can you join us now?”

“Okay!” responds the younger sister, skipping out from behind Seija and Satori.

So she is here. I’m guessing she was briefed on where to go in case the two of me returned to our bodies. Probably showed up a bit after we did but stayed hidden.

A hurried Satori says, "Koishi?! Please stay away from that version of Seija, she’s only using you!”

“Got it!”

“Thank goodness.” Despite the apparent affirmation, Koishi does not budge from Dream Seija’s side. “Koishi? Did you hear me?”

“Nope!”

“Um, I see. Let me repeat myself: come over here. That one is not to be trusted.”

“Alright!” Once again, no one moves. Another car speeds by on the rail below them.

Uh, detective, if you can hear my thoughts right now, I think it’s safe to assume my worse half has done something to make her unresponsive to what you’re saying.

“You’re probably right, unfortunately,” whispers the pink and purple youkai. “Koishi seems to think this is some kind of game, so we need to unravel the trick. I also can’t get a solid read on your dream self’s thoughts. Koishi’s manipulation of unconsciousness is surprisingly robust.”

So happy to hear you praising your sister, brings a tear to my eye, really. Definitely the best thing to be doing right now.

“Yes, well, I think we should focus on the issue at hand before making more snide remarks.”

“What are you whispering out, Miss Detective? You two doing some weird telepathy nonsense?” Dream Seija asks. “Rude to exclude the rest of us. I’ll teach you proper manners!”

Man that was lame. What’s your expert insight, detective? My one liners are better than that, right?

“Putting aside the absurdity of that question in this situation, how in the world would I know?” Satori asks. “You and I, dream selves or otherwise, have only directly interacted a few times before now.”

You’ve got a lot to learn about this banter thing.

The older sister rubs her temples. “I sincerely hope you and I never need to work together again.”

“You handle your big sis, Koishi, while I take care of the other me,” the double commands. The hat-wearing girl giggles and they both rush at the unlikely pair with Dream Seija brandishing the orb while Koishi extends purple cords from inside her sleeves. Seija breaks right while Satori flies left, each preparing countermeasures to deal with their assigned partners. However, when Seija goes to flip positions with her double, she is beaten to the punch as the latter swaps places with Koishi; the real amanojaku’s right leg is ensnared by the younger sister’s cords and she gets wildly thrown about. Satori, meanwhile, barely dodges a point blank blitz of ten large bullets when Dream Seija teleports close in an attempt to immediately incapacitate her.

We probably should’ve expected that!

“And now that you’re close,” says Koishi after dragging Seija in, “Instinct - Release of the Id!” Heart-shaped bullets half the size of the green-haired girl shoot out from her in all directions, a few managing to graze the wriggling amanojaku whose movement options are limited. “Having fun?”

“Oh I’m having a hell of a time,” Seija responds while wincing in pain, her fatigue from her earlier bout compounding her sluggishness.

“Really? Oh…” Koishi’s eyes droop as she trails off and she lets go of Seija.

“What?”

Why did she lay off?

“Koishi, keep up the pressure on her!” shouts Dream Seija while backing off from Satori.

Perking up again, the green-and-gold clad youkai replies, “Okay!” She extends her cords again but, before Seija even has a chance to dodge them, the former is replaced by the latter’s sneering dream self who then teleports behind Seija. However, the original anticipates this and lands a good few bullets by summoning them where she expects her other self to appear, effectively spawning them on her.

Dream Seija reels back a bit before correcting herself and saying, “Think you’re smart, huh?”

“Don’t need to be if you’re this predictable!” Seija counters.

They keep switching opponents whenever this half-baked wannabe says the opposite. I would’ve expected them to mix it up more by throwing in some genuine orders too, but they’ve consistently stuck with their gimmick. Her attack just now was also super telegraphed. Does she want to distract me somehow?

“It is time to quit playing and go home, Koishi!” Satori orders to no avail as her sister chases her with bullets.

“Alright!” says Koishi, showing no signs of complying.

“I will not attack you so please stop!”

“Ohhhh, okay.” The younger youkai proceeds to defensively curl up.

This prompts a concerned Satori to approach. “Is something wro-”

“Suppression - Super-Ego!” A huge and bright burst of energy expands from Koishi’s body, engulfing her older sister completely. When it fades, Seija sees Satori doubled-over, barely able to stay flying. Koishi tilts her head and stops smiling. “…Satori?”

“Ugh…”

Shoot!

Dream Seija calls out, “It seems your big sis isn’t having fun at all, you shouldn’t continue playing with her.”

“Really?” says Koishi, her smile returning. She extends her cords and tightly wraps them around Satori.

“Please… put me down,” the older sister says, still appearing dazed.

“Okay!” Instead of doing as her sister asks, Koishi proceeds to launch Satori upward as hard as she can, allowing Dream Seija to teleport in, orb in hand, for a decisive blow.

“Reverse Sign-”

Oh no you don’t!

Seija moves quickly and flips positions with Satori before kicking the orb out of her counterpart’s hand, who had left herself open when calling the spell card. When she moves up to grab it, though, it simply fades away.

Huh?

“Good, that worked,” says Satori, flying over from Seija’s prior spot while only showing slight signs of slowness.

“Weren’t you barely able to stay upright a second ago?” Dream Seija asks.

“That attack certainly wasn’t pleasant but I have practiced enough with Koishi to be a bit more resilient than you give me credit for. I needed to test a hypothesis by appearing weak and getting you to drop your guard.”

Seija raises an eyebrow. “And you were expecting me to bail you out?”

“I have been digging your mind via a harmless form of hypnosis since this fight started for spell cards that would be effective against your dream self; in other words, ones you struggled against in the past. That is my standard method of combat. But I found that you lacked much trauma related to spell cards - barring some impossible ones you dealt with while on the run - and most of your negative experiences are associated with seeing Shinmyoumaru in danger and hurrying to help her, so I elected to bet on that. While I was already aware that your caring for her was genuine, I was… surprised to see such a side of you in action.”

“Gee, thanks for the unsolicited compliment that required you to invade my mind without permission. I’d deck you if we weren’t in this situation.”

“Regardless, given what became of the tools following their confiscation, I had a hard time believing she could have one; it seems I was right.” Pointing an accusatory finger at Dream Seija, she continues, “You never had the real Bloodthirsty Yin-Yang Orb, did you? You used Koishi to manipulate our perception from the outset to make us think you did, utilizing that same manipulation to appear as though you were teleporting.”

Dream Seija only shrugs. “Cat’s out of the bag. Keeping the pretense of a ‘one-on-one’ fight earlier was necessary, but Koishi’s been pulling some strings all along. She got here soon after me and the lamer me did; it pays to make contingencies.”

My guess was pretty close. That also explains the Four-Foot Magic Bomb I saw before.

“You little-” Seija cuts herself off. “That’s exactly what I would’ve done, yeah.”

“Then why did you not think of it sooner?!” says Satori, her volume bordering on a shout and red in the face. Despite herself, her semblance of calm falters.

“It’s been a long day, alright?”

“Now that we’ve sorted that out…” The Dream World’s amanojaku snaps her fingers and more purple cords shoot out from below that wrap around and restrain both Seija and Satori. “Way to ruin the fun, Miss Detective. Now any mental advantage I had is gone since she knows I’ve been cheating the whole time. Gotta try again, I guess. Koishi, real talk, do what we talked about before. The first round of the game is about to end.”

They caught us so easily… Have we only been dancing in the palm of her hand all along?

“What’s this about a ‘mental advantage’?” Seija asks. “How does that relate to cutting our fight short now?”

“Forcing my will on you only results in major pushback, which you’ve proven repeatedly. I need to convince you I’m right psychologically, whether it’s through overpowering you alone - at least from your perspective - or simple persuasion. You could think of this as a prolonged internal argument; one where it doesn’t matter if the subconscious knows it cheated provided the forefront of the mind believes it. People lie to themselves like that all the time. But now its supposed integrity has been uprooted and we’re back to square one, just like those nightmares I made that Doremy interrupted. I’ll try a different method next time and ensure it doesn’t allow you to be bailed out by a meddling sister.”

“Ah yes, because only having a cheating tool wouldn’t qualify as cheating in our mind. Give me a break.”

“Seija,” Satori interrupts, “we have moments before Koishi forces everything you’ve experienced today into your innermost subconscious while I am rendered helpless for who knows how long, so less snarking and more thinking.”

Koishi pulls both in, innocently smiling as always. “Real talk, does this mean I win?”

“Yes, now hurry up,” says the doppelgänger with an annoyed and impatient frown.

That was the first time I’ve heard Koishi say something without meaning the opposite since after she knocked Shin and me out. Oddly aggressive from the other me, too. Was there something Koishi said? She’s picked up that weird ‘real talk’ thing, but…

Hearing Seija’s thoughts, a bulb alights in the older satori’s head, who clears her throat and says, “Koishi, real talk, let us go right now.”

“Okay!” says Koishi. Like clockwork, she releases them without a fuss.

What?

“No!” Dream Seija yells, clenching her fists.

“You established a key phrase to ensure you could give her direct orders when required,” says Satori. “But since you needed to fool her into thinking this was all a fair and fun game - especially after I got involved - you were unable to justify a reason why no one else could say it. Thus you used it sparingly, made it seem like part of your standard eccentric mannerisms so we would ignore it.”

“…But Koishi saying it and the reaction it got tipped us off,” says Seija, completing the explanation after piecing it together herself.

Thinking back, she didn’t use the phrase when pretending to call Koishi the first time, which is how Koishi knew not to reveal herself. And she did use it right before pulling out the fake orb!

“You’re… more clever than you used to be, huh, Miss Detective? Last I checked, you needed your mind reading as a crutch,” says the counterpart through her teeth. “Koishi, real talk, don’t listen-”

“How about you stop talking?!” shouts Seija, distracting her desperate dream self by tackling her at full speed and performing a body lock. She holds on tightly to ensure neither can flip away without taking the other and starts pushing them away from the Komeijis. “We’re not done yet!”

“Gah, let me go!”

“After everything you’ve done, I don’t think I will!”

Satori flies to her sister while the Seijas tussle and places a hand on her head. “Thank you. Real talk, the game is over now. From now on, do not listen to Seija if she tells you to do something without my approval, alright?”

“Oh… But she seemed nice when I played with her the night after the party at the shrine.”

“Yes, she did. I really am happy you were able to get through to her somewhat after what she tried to do to our home. You are very kind, Koishi. However, even if Seija seems nicer than before, you need to be wary of her.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Nothing I could be mad at you for as long as you promise to be more careful.” Koishi nods, looking down slightly. Satori smiles at her. “And… I love you. I don’t say that enough.”

The younger sister perks up and hugs Satori, who responds in kind. “I love you too!”

“What now, me?” Seija asks, continuing her push. “Seems your last resort just fizzled out!”

Dream Seija repeatedly reverses the direction they move in but gets undone each time. “Now you’re protecting them? What is wrong with you?!” she asks as they reach the castle.

“I’m just making sure you can’t use Koishi against me again!”

“Then why do I feel your catharsis for helping them?” Those words make the amanojaku falter slightly, giving her dream self the chance to push back against Seija’s grip and break free. They stare each other down, both with ragged hair and sweat visible on their faces; the real one still has noticeably heavier breathing, however. “Do you think I directly caused all the headaches you’ve been having?”

She's asking that now?

“Well, duh,” says Seija, wiping her brow. “It’s because you’ve been trying to exert control and I pushed back. You even said as much before!”

“That’s only been the case three times: when I tried to take over at the shrine, during your fight with Aya, and today; in the last case, I didn’t even cause all of them. And you’ve been having them for longer than that. Think back.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I’m trying to save us! We’re unraveling!”

It’s true the headaches have been around since before the mess at the shrine but…

“Stop trying to pretend you’ve accomplished anything but inconveniencing Shin and me!”

“And again with Shin…” Dream Seija shakes her head. “I… I want to stay with her too, y’know?”

This attitude shift prompts Seija to narrow her eyes. “Then stop doing all this. I said before that I’ll find a way to keep her by my side no matter what happens.”

“Yeah. That’s part of the problem.” One flick of the wrist from the dream self overturns the world once more. “I still might be able to make an impact on our psyche. You better be ready!”

“Hmph. Fine.” Seija cannot help but smirk. “Just which one of us will be able to overturn the other, I wonder?”

“If you have to ask then you’ve already lo-” Before she can finish speaking, Dream Seija freezes in place and the world reorients. “N-no… Why… now…?”

What just happened? She can’t move? Isn’t this like-

“I’ve seen enough.” Doremy Sweet pops into existence behind the double. “You’ve proven your tenacity to be more than sufficient, Seija. And I mean both of you.”

“Wait, have you been watching this whole time?!” Seija asks.

“Yes. Satori over there was aware of this, but I asked her not to tell you.” A million combinations of questions and insults race through the dumbfounded amanojaku’s mind, but Doremy preempts her by continuing, “Before you do anything rash, please try to listen. When your dream self lured you here last night, I was able to finally determine that she was the one responsible for this mess.”

So not only was this puffed-up baku watching and doing nothing before now, Satori knew?!

Doing her utmost not to lash out in pure frustration, Seija asks, “And what, if I may be so discourteous to ask, let you finally figure it out?”

“I know when any denizens leave this place. It was only barely and lasted hardly a moment, but I felt this one reach into reality. Immediately I went to investigate and observed her setting this up.”

When did she- Wait, that’s right. Shin snapped me out of the trance I was in and pulled me back from the entrance. Then I felt a tug on my clothes and we were dragged in.

“That inchling always manages to come through for you,” says Doremy with half-closed eyes and a smug smile.

“…Yeah, she does.”

“Well, well. You seem a tad more forward about your connection than the first time we met. Regardless, once I realized it wasn’t some random interloper and was actually your other self, I decided to watch things unfold for a bit. I have a policy of giving my world’s individuals a chance at proving themselves if they intend to act out, though I’ll never let them stray too far without directly taking action. Since this case is, at its core, an internal conflict for you, I shouldn’t be interfering too much. Your other self didn’t even plan on leaving, she just wanted to influence you. Her methods were incredibly well thought out and using herself as a backdoor for Koishi’s abilities was ingenious. Designing those deceptive nightmares must’ve taken a great deal of effort, too.”

“The same nightmares you called ‘obscene’?”

“Obscene or not, I can acknowledge the sheer amount of introspection it takes to so expertly play on her own insecurities. She also made use of the fact she shares a consciousness with you to hide her presence from me in the second nightmare I interrupted; since you were using her body at the time due to it being a dream, it must’ve been simple. Leave it to an amanojaku to help find exploitable flaws.”

“Praising everything she’s done to hinder me isn’t exactly comforting,” says Seija.

“If anything I would’ve thought your contrarianism would make you inclined to think the same way, though I suppose disagreeing with me also works,” Doremy replies with a shrug. “Think of it as me praising you by extension. Remember that the border between-”

“-dreams and reality is indistinct, I get it. Why not put that on a sign or something?”

“Doremy, you finally decided enough was enough?” asks Satori, who arrives from behind the castle along with Koishi.

“I deemed further conflict unnecessary. Seija’s dream self has lost her only means of influence and the real one’s proven that she’s willing to stand by Shinmyoumaru in the face of outside temptation and her own psyche. I can’t have her doing irreparable damage to herself on my watch were they to continue fighting, that would just be negligent.”

Putting up a hand, Seija turns to Satori and says, “So you knew Doremy was involved the whole time and said nothing?”

“Not at first. I really had been investigating a malevolent force moving around. As I now realize, your dream self had been taking action with Koishi while I was asleep in reality so this body would be preoccupied while that went on.”

“But one of the nightmares and the time at the shrine were both in the early evening.”

“Satori’s asleep at her desk pretty often,” Koishi chimes in.

“Yes, my sleep schedule can be… erratic.”

“And Koishi was always awake when you were asleep?” Seija asks.

“That girl is a special case,” says Doremy. “Since she only operates using her subconscious, there is zero mental distinction between her two selves. They act exactly the same way and what each sees affects them equally; this is different from how the experiences of a dream self usually don’t impact the real one at all unless the latter is asleep. Think of it like two independently operating bodies feeding information to the same brain at the same rate. But since her actions are largely reactive to her current environment and desire-driven, the bodies will not acknowledge what the other is doing. The real one can fall asleep, but it happens less frequently than the average person and only serves to turn that body off, so to speak. Perhaps due to her current state, she doesn’t truly dream when sleeping. She merely… roams.”

Wow. If she opened her third eye, would her dream self still act like this?

“Assuming the act of doing so doesn’t fundamentally change her personality,” Satori begins, “possibly. But, if I had to guess, she would act less… youthful were that to occur. Maybe one day we will find out, but that will only be when she’s ready.”

“Unrelated to that,” Seija interjects, “considering how much you seem to love creeping people out by responding to their thoughts, maybe you should go out more and not just with Koishi. It’d be entertaining to watch all the chaos you would cause.”

“Ugh…”

If you don’t like me saying that stuff, stop doing it. That should be simple enough to deduce for someone of your prestigious station, I'd hope.

“Would you return to the subject at hand now?”

Seija, bearing a sly grin, says, “Okay: when did Doremy approach you?”

“Extremely recently. To be precise, between our first and second meetings earlier. The real me only woke up - which freed me to search - about an hour before I found you, so I had to hurry and locate the foreign presence that turned out to be you and Shinmyoumaru. I felt some overtly negative thoughts lingering on you, which is when I pieced together your connection with my investigation. Apparently Doremy had noticed my looking around the past ten or so days and determined we were on the same trail, so she brought me up to speed after seeing that my sister was involved. She also transported me here so I could join you once Koishi showed her face.”

“I’m willing to let internal conflicts play out, but if it was you, Seija, against both yourself and someone who specializes in manipulating the subconscious,” Doremy says while summoning and twirling a dream soul with her right hand, “your disadvantage would be nearly insurmountable. Call it petty, but I still need to exert my authority here. So, with Satori right there and already having a stake in the matter, I figured both of your selves should have a sister on their side to even the playing field.”

“‘Playing field’?” Seija echoes. “I guess this is just a game to you. I’m so happy you got such a kick out of it. Meanwhile, Shin is still wandering this world looking for me! This was never a purely ‘internal conflict’! She has had to help me deal with the fallout and has been caught in its crossfire multiple times! You should’ve intervened before it reached this point!”

The ruler of dreams opens her book and flips through the pages, her expression neutral. “You’re blaming me, yet I did all I could to help you by saving you from those nightmares. By the time I realized it was internal, your partner had already been brought here.”

“If not me, you could’ve at least gotten her out!”

“The only reason you didn’t leave this world immediately was to search for her. If you had, the seeds your other self planted would have taken root and influenced your actions more strongly than ever going forward, all with you none the wiser. I knew leaving Shinmyoumaru alone would give you the motivation needed to confront yourself directly. Beyond that, it was your mind’s machinations that put her in danger. If you can’t control your worst impulses, you must deal with the consequences. Or would you have preferred me do nothing?”

“Listen, you-”

Doremy’s book slams shut, the sound reverberating across the silhouetted landscape. “I think you should be the one listening. What was the first thing you saw Satori do when you saw her the second time? In other words, after I had first spoken to her?”

“Um, she talked to Shin and… told her the way out and that I was also here.”

“And what did your partner do when presented with this knowledge?”

Seija averts her eyes. “…She decided to stay and look for me.”

“Now, will you ask me again why I didn’t immediately take Shinmyoumaru away from here?” Despite balling her fists, Seija says nothing. “I’m glad you understand.”

“Heh… pathetic,” mutters someone no one had been paying attention to: the still frozen Dream Seija. “Letting yourself be… talked down to like that… You… really are… an awful amanojaku…!”

“Still able to speak after I ate all your non-vital energy? Your stubbornness continues to impress,” muses Doremy.

Dream Seija manages a pained smile. “I’m not the type… to let myself… be controlled…” She looks at her other self. They stare at each other, the former’s eyes full of defiance. “Right?”

Is she… trying to motivate me?

“Right,” says Seija. She gives her dream self a thumbs-down. “I’ll overturn even my own expectations if I have to!”

“You… better…”

Placing a hand on her chin, Doremy quietly chuckles to herself. “I’ll return you to the passageway now.” Looking to the Komeijis, she says, “Thank you for your assistance, Satori.”

Satori bows before replying, “I only did what was needed to ensure Koishi would not get dragged into another of Seija’s schemes. My other self let fear stay her hand once before; I refuse to ever let that happen again.”

Well look at the big sis actually doing her job!

“Do you intentionally only think these barbs so that they annoy me exclusively?”

I don’t know what you mean.

“…Goodbye, Seija.”

“Bye, Seija! Say hi to Shinmy for me!” says Koishi with a wave. “Honestly, I disagree with Satori that I need to be careful around you. You’re fun!”

Seija laughs while Satori facepalms, with the former saying, “Right back at ya. Never be afraid of subverting a few folks, got it?”

“Got it!”

“Now wait a minute!” Satori objects. “Don’t put questionable ideas in-” Before she can finish, Doremy snaps her fingers and Seija is gone.

“For crying out loud, how big is this place?!” Shin shouts, stretching her arms upward while being taunted by the space-like expanse. “If I don’t find her, should I just sleep here? How would that even work? I guess I could make some food with the mallet… Hm, if it comes to that, I should use it to find her flat-out.”

“Do you make a habit of talking to yourself while I’m gone?” says a voice behind her. She instantly turns around and sees her somewhat disheveled but still-in-one-piece partner.

“Seija!” Shin immediately hugs her so hard and fast it could qualify as a tackle. “What happened to you?! Satori’s dream self told me you were still here and-”

“I know. You, uh, missed a lot. I’ll tell you everything on the… way… home…” Seija’s knees buckle and she falls forward in Shin’s arms, but the latter keeps her stable. “Before you say a word, I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

“I can tell,” says Shin, smiling despite herself. “I’ve got an idea. Let me carry you for once.”

“Huh? That’s not-”

“Too late!” The inchling activates the Miracle Mallet and Seija condenses to the size of Shin’s hand. She shrinks her bowl too and puts the little bundle of evil inside. “Let’s go home!”

“Shin, hold on a second!”

“It’s faster this way. And I want to be the one supporting you sometimes.”

A familiar feeling in Seija’s stomach returns with a vengeance and her face turns red. “Idiot…”

You’re always supporting me.

Unable to stop this turn of events, she performs circular stretches with her neck to loosen up while getting comfortable within the bowl.

…Am I forgetting something?
…
THE NECKLACE!

“Wait, Shin, my necklace with the Hakurouken shard is-”

“Oh, I’m glad you mentioned that.” Shin pulls on a strap hidden by the poofy collar of her white undershirt. Taking it out completely reveals Seija’s necklace. “When I woke up, this was around my neck. No idea how I got it.”

“What the hell…?”

It was shot out of my hand. I figured it would’ve been aimlessly drifting here somewhere. Did she want to ensure we didn’t lose it?

“Judging by your expression, this is part of what I missed?” Shin asks.

“Yeah,” says the wiped out but relieved amanojaku.

Annoying as it is to admit it, that other me knows full well what I value. Her belief that we’ll inevitably lose those things sparked the fears that caused this. I’ll prove her fears - my fears - wrong.

Chapter Text

“I… That’s…” Shin’s words catch in her throat at the duo’s dining table. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

“I’m telling you, it’s fine-”

“No it’s not!” Her partner’s sudden yelling causes Seija to recoil in surprise. “Your dream self did that because of me, right?”

I knew mentioning that part would cause problems, but I don’t wanna hide this from her. 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter,” says the amanojaku, lines under her eyes. It is still morning outside; Seija explained what happened in the Dream World while they flew home, so neither has gotten a chance to rest yet. “It was a stupid part of me that got put in its place. I’m here to stay.”

“Seija, that’s not the point! Well, in one sense, the fact you went through that at least partially for my sake is gratifying, but that’s not what I mean. Knowing you were in such pain and danger while I couldn’t do anything - largely because of me - is infuriating!” Shin rubs her face and gazes down at her trembling hands. “I’m not mad at you, just at myself. Should’ve known I’d end up dragging you down…”

“Hey, that’s not true and you know it. We don’t do pity parties here. You’re stronger than that.”

“It… It hurts to know that I caused pain for someone I care so much about. You got through it this time, but what if I can’t help you when it matters most?”

“Look, Shin,” says Seija before taking a deep breath. “What you and I do, what we plan to do, is risky. It always has been. Maybe this time was a bit beyond what we could’ve expected, but the point stands. There’s only so much either of us can do alone and we can’t be with each other at all times. Way I see it, if literal weeks of precise self-sabotage are what it takes to keep us apart for even one night, then I think our chances are pretty good.” Silence prevails for a handful of seconds, Shin’s face still contorted with guilt. Seija reaches over, gently puts her hand under the shorter one’s chin, and lifts it up so their eyes meet. “We won’t succeed by moping, so let’s start by overturning that frown.”

The inchling’s eyes widen more than Seija’s ever seen. Her cheeks warm slightly. “U-uh, um…” She swallows despite there being nothing in her throat. “I, uhhhhhhhhh…”

Huh? What’s wrong with her?

“Y-y-you’re absolutely right!” says Shin, much louder than she intends, while jumping up to a standing position. Her smile returns but the slightest tension in her face remains visible. “I’m being selfish, wallowing like this when you’re the one who had it tougher than me, hahaha! I’ll go make us some food so you can eat and get some actual sleep!” She waves - a thin gash on her left palm catching Seija’s eye - and proceeds to practically run to the kitchen.

“…What?” The taller youkai scratches her head before resting it on the table with her arms as a cushion.

I’ll ask about it when… she comes… back…

Walking down the hallway, Seija rubs her eyes.

Ugh, I still feel groggy. Falling asleep keeled over on a table wasn’t my best idea. Still, no dreams I can recall, so that’s a good sign. Shin left food and put a blanket over me, too. …It tasted even better than usual.

She walks past Shin’s room, whose door is open. Peeking inside, her partner is absent, with only a few back-up bowls stacked on a waist-high dresser and sewing supplies strewn about on the ground near a small table.

Not here either. My room was cleaned so she must’ve stopped by there, but I guess she didn’t fully bother with her own. Did she go to the village for supplies?

Intentionally flourishing her arms far more than necessary, Seija enters a readied stance and looks towards the window to see if it is raining. The sky is clear and glows orange with evening sunlight. 

No surprise Tenshi this time. …Really slept for a while, huh. Shin must’ve expected that since all the food she left me was sealed.

Every step the youkai takes makes a soft tapping sound that she would normally tune out. Yet right now, in this quiet place, she is acutely aware of every small and ambient noise.

Could probably hear Shin walking even if she was inchling-sized right now.

Seija climbs through the window, not even bothering to fly, and stares at the horizon. Long stretches of forest go out in most directions; if she turns slightly to the right and northwest, she can spy Youkai Mountain. A passing cold breeze snaps her out of her trance.

I’m not sure what to do. Can’t get much strategizing done without Shin here. During periods between plans, we’d play games or go out and mess with someone to pass the time. Hard to believe we’ve only been together again for a bit more than two years. I have a hard time visualizing life without her there. Even back when we caused an incident over seven years ago, I can clearly remember stuff we did together. Before that… it all blends. I know what I did, it just wasn’t very, I dunno, memorable? Exciting? Well, it was fun at the time, but I can’t say any of it left a lasting impact. All I accomplished was killing time alone. Finding the Miracle Mallet and working with Shin let me affect Gensokyo in a tangible way for the first time.

She paces around the eave of the castle clockwise, hands relaxed behind her head. Every once in a while she thinks she notices Shin flying by, but it always ends up being some random bird. By the time she reaches the fourth and final side of the castle, the most consistently visible movement is the slowly setting Sun, as if it wants to mock her.

Tch. Maybe we’ll target you next! How’d you like to be shrunk down while having your arc for rising and setting reversed?
…
I’m trash-talking the Sun. Shin would probably get a kick out of it, though.

Thoughts of her partner remain in the amanojaku’s mind as she lies down in a gap in the eave, letting her head hang off the ledge.

After hearing what that other me had to say, it’s become painfully obvious how much I think about Shin these days. I’m not against it but I don’t really understand it. I acknowledge that I care about her. I recognize that our partnership is mutually beneficial. We work well together. Yet there’s something else to it I can’t quite place… Oh right! Shin said she’d explain this before! I forgot to follow-up on that.

“U-uh, hey.”

“Hm?” Seija’s upper body shoots up like a catapult to find her partner standing by the corner of the outer wall, left hand behind her back and face flushed. “Oh, hey Shin. Where’ve ya been?”

“I, um, went to the village to grab stuff but got held up,” says the inchling, averting her eyes.

“Something buggin’ you? You were acting weird before I fell asleep, too.”

“Well, you see, I, uh… HERE!” Shin pulls a neatly tied gift bag from behind her back and holds it forward with both hands, head bowed.

Standing up and walking over, Seija looks at the girl with a raised eyebrow. “What’s this?”

“J-just open it!”

“Alright.” The bag feels fairly light to the amanojaku as she grabs it. After untying the bow, she opens the gift and pulls out a long piece of fabric with an intricate yet familiar design. “This is… a scarf?” Examining it longways, the top half is white while the bottom half is horizontally split into two quarters: a red stripe over a black one. A blue arrow pattern wraps around vertically near one end while two-thirds down the other way are three similarly patterned grey arrows of varying width. A small red and blue arrow emblem is sewn on the white portion near those. After that, the scarf splits into four arrow-shaped trails: two white, one red, and one black, all following their respective sections. “It’s styled like my outfit…” A handful of innocuous moments from the past two weeks replay in Seija’s mind. “Wait a second, did you make this yourself? Is that where those cuts on your hand came from?”

“You’re way too perceptive sometimes,” says Shin while she rubs her neck. Now that the deed is done, her posture has greatly relaxed. “It’s a miracle I was able to finish this without you finding out. Had to take every opportunity to sneak away so that I could work on it, plus some late nights were necessary. Tenshi coming by to hang out before the concert was super helpful since she distracted you so much.”

“Huh. …Hold on. You only noticed me leaving last night because you were still awake. Does that mean-”

“Hehe.” Shin rubs her nose. “Guess luck’s still on our side.”

Seija’s jaw drops and her eyes widen to match. “Really? That was what saved the day?”

“If nothing else, that makes the effort I put into this worth it. Now, be honest, and I mean actually honest,” says the inchling, clenching her fists and looking right into the amanojaku’s eyes. “Do you like it? Don’t sugarcoat anything, not that I expect you to.”

The scarf in Seija’s hands ruffles lightly as the breeze picks up.

I’m no expert, but I can tell how much work went into this. Everything about it parallels my usual outfit. Even the stitching is done such that it looks like hundreds of little arrows if you examine it closely. I knew Shin was good at sewing, but this blows everything else I’ve seen her do out of the water.

“Why did you make this?” Seija asks.

“I’ve never seen you wear super warm clothing and could tell the recent cold waves have been affecting you more than usual. Honestly, I thought about doing this last year, but I’ve always been nervous about the idea of giving you a normal gift.”

“You should be, someone wanting to make me happy usually skeeves me out. If it were anyone else, I’d throw this back in their face.” Shin winces slightly, but Seija, wrapping the scarf around her neck, continues, “I’ll make good use of it. …Thanks.”

This thing works fast, I feel way warmer.

Her partner’s face is quickly conquered by a huge smile. She jumps at Seija and wraps her arms around the latter, saying, “I’m so glad you like it!”

This would be a good time to ask for that explanation she owes me.

Shin’s beaming face and palpable relief consume Seija’s focus. The taller youkai’s words catch in her throat.

…Maybe I don’t need to. I don’t… I just… Nothing about this makes sense. It’s all so foreign. If it was anyone else, I’d do something to subvert that expression. But she’s different and has been for a while now. I know my dream self accused me of going soft after cooperating with so many others recently - and I’ll admit that does bother me - but I still can safely say I don’t like them. Yet whenever I see Shin smiling, the part of me that wants to reverse her happiness is always drowned out by something stronger. I was able to push aside these conflicting thoughts before, but after last night I can’t ignore them anymore.

“Er, sorry, I shouldn’t get so carried away,” says the shorter one, reluctantly releasing her tight grip around Seija. “…You asked before for me to tell you what that feeling in your stomach is, right?”

Okay she's been doing this too often recently. Did Satori teach her a trick or something?

“Uh, yeah…” Seija trails off, fiddling with her new scarf.

“It’s a complicated thing,” says Shin, speaking slowly so she has enough time to find the right words, “and it’ll take some time to fully understand. For the first lesson, it’s a feeling that makes you want to do things like this.”

“Sew scarves? What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s not specifically that. What I mean is that you get a desire to do things for the person that feeling’s directed towards. It can be making or getting them gifts, getting them to smile, or even just looking out for them. That said, it’s not quite the same as friendship.”

“Uh, ya lost me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. This’ll be a learning process for you especially.”

“Because I’m an amanojaku?”

“Well, yes. But it’s less to do with who you are and more about what you have - and haven’t - experienced. You’ve saved me dozens of times, proven you care about me despite the lies we originally met each other under, and generally been the best partner I could ever ask for, so I know you’re capable of understanding this eventually.”

Seija rubs her temples. “This is giving me a headache. Basically you’re saying that it’s just an extension of our existing partnership?”

“That’s… one way of looking at it, yeah,” says Shin. Her face is slightly red again but she smiles widely. “As long as we’re together, I think we’ll be fine. I’ll try to explain more once you fully get this first part.”

Whatever the hell she’s going on about, I can tell she’s happy. So I guess I’m doing something right in her eyes. ‘A desire to do things for the person…’

“Hey,” Seija begins, “once we aren’t on the brink of exhaustion, wanna start practicing for the white-water rafting competition?”

“Huh?!” Shin jolts back up. “But what about the Lunar-”

“We aren’t in any rush. I still want to execute the plan soon, but a few days off won’t hurt anything.”

Back in my nightmare before the concert, the other me used Shin’s face to try and get me to act against our goals. I still view the competition as an eventual reward, but if the real Shin enjoys rafting in general, we can spare some time to practice. Hopefully this will help me figure out what she’s trying to tell me.

“Well, if you’re sure, we can head out first thing tomorrow!” says the excited inchling, raising her right fist up high.

Cracking a grin, Seija raises her left fist in response. “I finally get to find out if you’re all talk.”

“Oh don’t you worry, soon you’ll get to see my skills in action!”

“Lean right, lean right!” orders Shin, paddling with all her might.

The duo - Seija in the back and Shin in the front, both of them wielding paddles - race down a particularly rough patch of rapids on the lower half of Youkai Mountain the day after Shin gave the scarf to her partner. Their wooden boat, a pointed ovular shape, barely swerves around a large rock jutting half a meter above the surface.

“I thought you said you were good at this!” says Seija. She takes her precious seconds of reprieve to stretch her already sore arms.

“Even when I become human-sized, you’re still taller and heavier than me, so you have to sit in the back. The person in the back has more influence on the boat. I told you that we shouldn’t take on rapids this intense as your first attempt!”

…Yeah, she did say that.

Noticing the water speeding up again, Seija asks, “How did you even survive this when you were still small? We only barely beat the current when paddling together.”

“I had to work with the river’s flow very carefully. Being small also made me less likely to get hit by debris as an exchange. That said, the two of us together should be more effective than I was alone after you get the hang of things.” Shin spies a drop-off ahead and yells, “Hang on!” Their vessel flies off the two meter tall waterfall and lands with a thundering SPLASH, dousing Seija in bitterly cold water. The midday sunlight does little to warm her. Shin, meanwhile, shrinks and hides in her capped bowl before they touch down, protecting herself from the fallout. Much of the water gets inside the boat, rendering it heavier and harder to influence via paddling. Shin returns to her prior size and grits her teeth. “We’re gonna sink if we take on too much more water! You’re in the helmsman position, so keep us moving in the right direction while I get some out!”

“Got it!” Seija replies. More rocks appear ahead, but mostly on the sides. The amanojaku keeps the boat straight for about fifteen seconds while nearly scraping the outcroppings around them. “I’m getting better at this!” However, right as she thinks they are in the clear, the boat approaches something: an inconspicuous and pointy stone that only breaches the surface by a fifth of a meter. Seija, too focused on the more obvious danger, does not notice it. The collision shakes up both occupants and cracks their wooden craft, letting in more water right before Shin can finish removing it. “Oh come on!”

“…That’s not good,” says Shin. The hit knocks their boat away from the center and soon the duo find themselves heading towards an outcropping from the shore. They do not have enough time to course correct. “It’s too late, fly out!” Not a second before both are safe in the air above do they hear the sickening sound of splitting wood. The broken pieces shrink down to their original size with a flourish of Shin’s mallet. “There goes that bowl. Luckily I have spares we can expand for future attempts.”

“This was my fault, I shouldn't have overestimated myself,” Seija says while averting her eyes.

“Ah, don’t sweat it. Honestly, despite how stressful this seems, I had a lotta fun. It’s really fulfilling to fight against something as strong as nature itself.”

“Beating it proves how big you are, right?”

“Exactly!” shouts Shin with sparkling eyes. “It’s exhilarating!”

‘Getting them to smile,’ huh? Glad I seem to be doing that part right.

“Not for nothing, that wasn’t bad for your first try given the circumstances. But let’s tone things down a bit next time, alright?”

“Fine, fine. There were plenty of times my ability could’ve made things easier for us, though.”

“Yeah, except you’ll never improve if you don’t learn normally. Building fundamentals is important.”

“I acknowledge the point but I won’t pretend I’m happy about it.”

I can’t remember the last time I did or learned something so honestly. But I can live with it if it’s for Shin.

“Keep up the effort and you’ll be more than ready when the competition comes around!” says the grinning inchling. “Good practice for me, too. You had to do a lot of heavy lifting out there, so you wanna rest here while I go grab another bowl? I didn’t expect us to break the first one. Shouldn’t take me that long if I hustle. …Plus you might need to spend some time drying off.”

My arms being tired doesn’t affect my flying… But yeah, airing out wouldn’t hurt.

Nodding, Seija points to a clearing below them near the shore and responds, “Alright, I’ll set up a small fire there. See ya in a bit.” She sees Shin off with a wave, who responds in kind, then mutters, “Ugh, just got this scarf and already let it get doused.”

She spends the next five minutes gathering the driest pieces of wood she can find and sparks a fire next to a wide maple tree. After removing her scarf and hanging it to dry on a branch growing out of said tree, the soft grass welcomes her as she sits down. The air is calm despite this area’s minor elevation.

The cold never bothered me very much. Even if it was snowing and all I had were my sandals and short sleeves, I didn’t think about it very long. Always chalked it up to me being me, something along the lines of being fine in the cold since that’s the opposite of how most living things are. Could also be a youkai thing, since I was fine in the Remains of Blazing Hell without any magical protection. Shin used the Miracle Mallet to make sure she was heat resistant since she wasn’t sure. Inchlings are basically just tiny humans if they don’t have a power source, so it’s smart to be cautious. I still see plenty of other youkai dress lighter or heavier depending on the season, though. …Huh. How does that work? Is it a case-by-case thing? I guess it depends on the youkai’s ability and disposition. Youkai are still ‘living’ creatures but they’re inherently magical. Maybe just fashion preferences?

Seija sneezes.

…Trying to make sense of this is a waste of time. But yeah, I feel the cold more than I used to. It’s not a bad sensation, though. Something about it is invigorating.

As her inner tangent trails off, all it takes is the smallest rustle in a bush five meters away for the amanojaku to jump to her feet and tense up. “I know you’re there!”

“Can never get anything past you, dearie,” says the one and only Mamizou, standing up in the bush with a grin that is just crooked enough for Seija to know this was a mistake on the former’s part.

“And what could you possibly want?” Seija asks, relaxing a bit despite herself.

“Youkai roaming the mountain is hardly unusual.”

“What about youkai spying on other youkai while hiding in a bush?”

“Is it so wrong to make sure you’re in the mood for chatting? I didn’t want to disturb your rest.”

“Yeah, sure. Look, granny, just tell me why you’re here so we can get this over with. I’m not causing you or any of your villager pets trouble so it can’t be that.”

“Oho, I see your tongue’s sharp as ever. Maybe I should leave to avoid the venom on it.”

“Big talk from someone so…” Seija makes a show of crossing her arms and looking off to the side as if she were thinking. “‘Indirect’ might be putting it lightly.”

“There’s a saying in the outside world about how someone in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones,” says the still smiling bake-danuki, twirling the pipe in her right hand. “Unfortunately, I think the meaning’s lost on you.”

“Are you incapable of not wasting time when talking? Half the reason everyone calls you old is because the way you speak meanders so much. You gotta know your audience better.”

“And there it is, your old standby of insulting someone to distract from the point.”

“Oh you want me to address it directly, huh? How about this: when’s the last time you were completely honest with anyone?” The younger youkai chuckles. “People know what they’re getting into by dealing with me. My goals have been plainly stated from the outset. I’m more honest than anyone in Gensokyo! All you and the rest care about is your image and precious status quo. How many years did you spend lying to Kosuzu, again?”

Mamizou adjusts her glasses, the glare of sunlight now obscuring her eyes. “It’s almost cute that you pretend to understand things you know so little about, dearie. I’ll give you credit for one thing: your ability to foster animosity so quickly is unmatched. I came here out of concern, you know.”

‘Concern’?

“So you admit that you followed me here,” says Seija.

“In that case, let’s not beat around the bush: I followed both of you here.” The amanojaku’s eyes narrow but Mamizou continues, “You’re quite skilled at manipulating the flow of a conversation, keeping the focus on you and not once alluding to your absent little partner. Sadly, dearie, that won’t work anymore. Everyone knows the two of you are closer knit than a shrine and its donations.” She puts a hand behind her back and pulls out a heretofore hidden newspaper. “‘Known Menaces from Hakurei Fireworks Festival Appear at Moriya Shrine’. Aya’s been in quite the tizzy the past two days. Haven’t seen her fly around with this much purpose in a long time. I’d be shocked if there was a soul in Gensokyo who hasn’t heard about your latest outing.”

Not quite the headline we guessed before but close enough.

“She’s trying to entrap us. You should be among the ones most aware of how much hot air she spews.”

“Hmm,” hums Mamizou as she scans the front page. “She leads with your little show during the event since that’s undisputed. After that, let’s see here… ‘While Bunbunmaru News lacks photographic evidence at this time, we have eye witness accounts that Kijin has re-acquired her Replica Miracle Mallet. Three and a half months ago, there were reports from Former Hell regarding the amanojaku’s detainment (along with her co-conspirator) and the confiscation of her tools she previously used to evade capture in years past. The details regarding that incident are still being obstructed by those involved, but this reporter will do her utmost to lay bare the facts for both that incident and whatever Kijin and Sukuna are planning, as that is what this paper prides itself on. All readers should remain cautious of of them should they be sighted, as we do not yet know if they have also regained the other dangerous tools.’”

By the end of the reading, Seija's eyes cannot roll any further. “She’s such a sore loser.”

“Agreed, but she’s still a dangerous enemy to have. If you don’t mind my asking, what happened between you that made her so angry? Just a fight gone sour doesn’t seem enough to spark such an extreme reaction.”

“Hmph.”

Shin’s not back yet and there’s a chance a tengu patrol could spot us if we make a scene. Guess I’ll play along with this hag’s game for now.

“I damaged her pride,” Seija answers. “She underestimated Shin and me, plain and simple, and got what was coming to her for trying to frame us. This stupid article is just her throwing a tantrum.”

“Alright then. If it is just an attempt to frame you, then you wouldn’t mind if I mentioned to her that you visited Geidontei the other night?”

“Only if you don’t mind your entire human façade being blown wide open. Might need to let the village know about Miyoi, too.”

The older youkai takes out her pipe and puffs it, the resulting smoke mingling with that coming from Seija’s campfire. “You waste no time with the threats. Why so defensive?”

“It doesn’t matter how innocent Shin and I are. Our reputation means that anyone finding out about us going into the village will create a panic and result in Reimu knocking on our door.”

“I can’t deny that the odds are stacked against you, dearie. That said, those cheating tools of yours might just tip the scales back your way. Is Aya telling the truth? Do you have your replica back?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time answering your questions, so why not answer some of mine for a minute?”

“…Only fair, I suppose.”

“How long have you been following us? And what’s your angle? Even you should have better things to do then find us just to read off a paper that, as far as you know, we could’ve already read.”

“My eyes are everywhere, dearie.” As Mamizou says this, a small tanuki climbs up her body from inside the bush and rests on her shoulder. She scratches under its chin. “If you stay in your flying castle, that’s one thing, but the moment you start making moves on the land, be mindful. After hearing about your Moriya show, I asked them to keep a lookout. Didn’t take me long to hear about this little practice session. Showed up just in time to see the ending.”

We got lucky. She must’ve only found out after the whole debacle in the Dream World since that was the same night. No one should know about that, at least.

“Okay. Now, for the umpteenth time, why seek us out?”

“All things considered, you’ve covered your tracks well. I asked Seki some questions yesterday and all she could express was a desire to be left alone about anything regarding you. Seiran and Ringo still don’t realize you were there back then. When I spoke with Aya while we were both at Geidontei last night, she complained about how you must’ve destroyed her film during your punch-up.”

“Get to the point.”

Mamizou inhales from her pipe one last time, now staring at the sky. “I first thought something was strange the night of the concert. Reisen reacted pretty negatively to seeing you while we were fire fighting. Didn’t have much time to think on it, of course. Just figured you two were there to enjoy the show and Reisen was, understandably, wary of you. Then I heard something interesting on the grapevine: you two were at the Moon Festival and caused a ruckus. For some reason, that part wasn’t in the papers. Apparently it was Kakashi Spirit News who were reporting on the event; can’t imagine why that Hatate girl left it out. She was at Moriya, too, and was pretty vague on your involvement there as well. Strange, isn’t it?”

Her disinterested demeanor persists, but Seija feels her throat drying up.

“It was actually Marisa, of all people, who told me. She and Reimu were drinking a lot that night when I decided to visit, so they were pretty loose-lipped. Poor Reimu was real annoyed. From what I could tell, it was some sort of fairy prank that left a huge mess outside.”

Seija bites her tongue.

“But anyway, Marisa was at the Moon Festival, ya see, and heard about you being there. She also told me about that celestial’s home invasion, which I could tell was self-defense on your part. Still, learning about you getting involved in so much piqued my curiosity. Why invade Eientei? Then, while going out to get a drink and determine how to approach this, who do I find but you two. A pair that puts themselves at major risk by even going to the village for long periods. A pair that I thought already got their fill after making a fool out of me.” Mamizou’s right ear twitches. “Remind me, what was it again? Can’t quite recall what you were asking those rabbits about. Must be getting old.”

“…You’ve made yourself clear,” says Seija, now gripping her sleeve tightly while still crossing her arms. “And? Shin told me you promised not to pry.”

“Oh I said nothing of the sort. I promised not to snitch. Now that we’ve cleared that up, what do you plan on doing at the Lunar-”

“We get it, we get it,” says a voice from behind Mamizou that surprises both youkai. Shin, at first small but growing to human size, continues, “I figured you might be onto us after Geidontei, but I didn’t realize you knew so much already.”

“Sneaky girl,” mutters Mamizou. “How long have you been listening?”

“Long enough that I wanted to make sure I could surprise you if a fight broke out. Now, though, it seems like we have to talk.”

“I don’t have any proof, of course. You could leave right now, say I’m talking nonsense, and it’d be up to me to convince anyone I’m right with evidence that’s circumstantial at best. But Aya and I agreeing on something is very rare. If we pooled our resources, well, I’m sure you can imagine what might happen.”

The amanojaku, holding back the urge to vent her annoyance, retorts, “But you wouldn’t do that. For one thing, you’re too proud to ask Aya for help. More to the point, if that was your intent, you would’ve done it already. You really love wasting our time. Tell us what you want.”

Contrary to the duo’s expectations of a sly expression or condescending laugh, Mamizou remains unassuming, only sighing. “At Geidontei, I had a solid hunch about what you might be planning, but I was willing to turn a blind eye. After hearing about the trouble at Moriya, I knew there was no way it could be anything else. So I’m only gonna say this once, dearies: the spotlight’s on you now. One misstep and everything will fall apart. Reimu and Marisa are getting suspicious about how often your names have come up in the news recently. I’m sure Yukari will find out you somehow got your replica mallet back if she hasn’t already. I don’t know what your in with Hatate is, but she can’t cover for you much longer. Aya simply has more sway than her. And that’s putting aside the danger of where you’re going. Even if you succeed in whatever it is you’re planning there, people here will find out and take action. You’d best be prepared for the fallout. Might not be wise to spend precious time on rafting practice.”

Neither half of the duo has the words to respond.

I… I don’t get it. The dirt she has on us right now could easily put us on the run for months. All she’s doing is warning us?

“Gensokyo needs a bit of chaos to prevent it from becoming stagnant,” says the bake-danuki after over ten seconds of silence. “Try to keep that spark alive while pursuing your goals, alright?” She begins flying off, but adds before leaving, “That’s a nice scarf, I can tell it’s well made. Take good care of it, dearie.”

By the time Mamizou is out of sight, Seija’s fire has gone out.

“And another thing!” shouts the amanojaku as she slams down an emptied dish that was filled with sake seconds prior. “That hag had the nerve to ask ‘You're leaving one hand idle, aren't you?’ Like I needed someone to tell me I could use both my hands!”

“…But you weren’t beforehand?” asks Shin, face flushed as she finishes her latest drink.

“Details! My point is that she always likes to act as if she’s better than everyone! And she expects us to just sit around and take it?! Well I say to hell with that!”

“Yeah! Who does she think she is?! All the rest of her little clique, too! They fancy themselves Gensokyo influencers when really they’re all just cowards who don’t wanna get their hands dirty!”

Seija grabs a jug to refill her dish. “They’ll be in for a wake up call when they see we’ve brought the Lunarians to heel. And if we take the initiative here with all the tools and Lunarian technology, I bet they’ll be so busy wasting time talking that, by the time they do something, we’ll have already won! Poor little Hatate’s gonna be in for it when she realizes she miscalculated by helping us get the replica back!”

While Shin initially nods, she then stares at the drink in her hand for a moment and responds, “I dunno, she’s pretty smart. I’m sure she’s thought about the aftermath. Plus we don’t have any of the other eight yet; they’ll be hard to get without Hatate’s help unless we stake a lot on my mallet. We can’t let ourselves get too cocky.”

“You’re killing the mood, Shin.”

“Sorry, it’s just that we shouldn’t get too overindulgent when so much is still up in the air. And, okay, say we do get as far as having all those resources: Reimu and Marisa aren’t the types to sit around talking. When they run into a problem, their first instinct is blowing it away. They’ll be on us the moment we try something. I don’t care how much of an edge we have, they’re still dangerous. Not to mention others like Sakuya, Sanae, and…” She stops herself before finishing the statement.

“Hmph.” Seija brings her dish to her lips but puts it down before drinking more, unable to get back into the spirit of things. “Some people are so stupid and single-minded that any trick you try will blow right past them.” Undoing her necklace and tossing it to the center of the dining room table, she continues, “When I fight Youmu again, I’ll win. That’s a guarantee. She and all the other meddlers won’t be able to stop us once we’ve gotten everything we need.”

“That’s easy to say, but we still need a real strategy for them all when the time comes.”

She’s right, annoying as it is.

“…Ugh, it’s so frustrating!” says the taller youkai as she pounds her hand on the table.

“Seija…”

“We’ve been jumping through hoops for weeks and all it takes for everything to be pointless is the slightest screw up. We have to move on the capital now or we’ll lose our chance. Too many people are too close and I despise the idea of being at that washed-up racoon’s mercy.”

…Which means we won’t get to practice rafting for a while.

The inchling’s face, scrunched up to now, straightens out. “I agree. It might not have gone perfectly, but we’ve done a good job getting this far. We know how to get the capital and have access to it basically any time. If you think you’re ready, we can head out tomorrow night.” She smiles at her partner as widely as she can manage. “After that, we can raft all we want.”

Seija feels her breath catch in her throat but quickly recovers and says, “Y-yeah. I’m not sure how many trips we’ll have to make, so let’s plan on this first one not being more than four to six hours so we can head there and leave while it’s still night time here. We have to ensure no tengu patrols or any of those Moriya dunces spot us.”

“And we need to gauge just how long even moving through the passageway in a straight shot to the Moon will be. Last time was a bit all over the place, to put it mildly.”

“Worst case, we hide there or somewhere on the Moon outside the capital during the day. …How would day and night work on the Moon?”

“I… don’t know either,” answers Shin, a hand under her chin. “It might be smart to bring something that’ll help us keep track of time. I’m sure Kourindou has a pocket watch I can buy; I’ll check it out tomorrow morning.”

“Alright. We also need to go over backup plans for if we’re spotted by anyone on the way.”

“Mhm. And we need to account for the chance that time somehow moves differently on the Moon or in the Dream World.”

“There’s also…”

The duo spends the next hour going over various logistics with renewed vigor, despite their tipsiness.

Once all other trains of thought have been exhausted, Seija says, “There’s one more thing: even if we only ever leave the castle to work on the plan and play it safe at all times, there’s still evidence of what we’ve done in the form of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir and my mallet.”

“Well I keep the elixir hidden underneath a floor tile in my room. No one would find that without knowing where to look and I’ll only take it out for Moon runs.”

“That still leaves the replica,” says the amanojaku, motioning towards the tool to her right. "We can’t exactly hide it if I want to be able to use it on a moment’s notice.”

After a moment of deliberation, Shin’s face lights up. “I’ve got an idea-”

“Shinmyoumaru! Seija!” shouts a voice that causes the duo’s blood to run cold.

There’s no way!

The voice of the Hakurei shrine maiden continues, “Where are you? We need to talk!”

Seija immediately hides the Replica Miracle Mallet underneath the duo’s kotatsu, then puts her necklace back on.

We’re so, so close to finally putting the main part of the plan in motion. I won’t give her a single reason to suspect us.

“Let’s go,” says Shin. The two leave the room and head out to the hallway to find the one and only Reimu Hakurei flying towards them. Along with her usual outfit, she wears a large yellow scarf and brown laced boots. “Reimu, it’s rude to enter unannounced!”

Landing in front of them, Reimu says, “I can’t exactly knock with how big this place is. You’d never hear me.”

“…Alright, that’s fair. So what brings you here?”

“You two are causing problems, right?”

Seija stifles a genuine chuckle. “Man, straight to the point as always. How do you expect us to answer that question? We’re making trouble as much as we always do.”

“You know what I mean,” Reimu responds. She places a hand behind her head and rolls her neck. “The two of you have popped up all over the place recently. My instincts are telling me something’s going on. If there is, we can fight it out right here and avoid another incident.”

“Nice to see we’re worth such consideration,” says Shin, rolling her eyes.

“Well? What are you up to?”

The amanojaku stretches her arms above her head. “Even if we were up to something, you’re usually too lazy to take initiative like this. How long was your gohei being empowered by the Miracle Mallet before you did something, again?”

Averting her eyes while bearing a nervous smile, Reimu says, “Well… to be honest, I’m only here because Aya pestered me about it for over an hour this morning. She was really annoying, going on and on about how she knew you two were planning something sinister. Kinda zoned out after a few minutes since I was still groggy at the time.”

How nonchalant can she be?

“I have noticed you two being more active recently,” the youkai exterminator continues, “but I figured it was just you stretching your legs a bit after being stuck underground for a few months. Said as much to Aya, but she kept going on about how I had to be a responsible shrine maiden. That’s her normal schtick whenever she’s trying to get me to do something for her. I figured it’d be bad if she wrote another smear article about me when New Years is less than two months away - it might drive away donations - so here I am.”

“Okay, where does that leave us?” says Shin, doing her best to keep a straight face.

“It’d look bad if I came here, left, and then you two did something,” Reimu replies. “Just tell me about your recent activities. If I hear anything suspicious, I’ll handle it and we’ll all move on.”

“Pft, hahahaha!” Seija belts out, no longer able to suppress her amusement.

“What’s so funny?”

“Here you are, the Hakurei shrine maiden talking to some of Gensokyo’s most problematic youkai, and you’re treating it like a day trip! Should we put on some tea for you?”

Brandishing her ofuda, a clearly annoyed Reimu says, “We can cut to the chase if you want.”

“Heh, it’d probably be fun-”

Shin puts a hand in front of her partner. “Let’s not. We don’t want Aya’s lies to make us look even worse.”

“…Fine.”

“Alright,” says the shrine maiden, lowering her weapons. “And I’ll take you up on that tea offer. I smell some sake from that room you were in, too.”

…Wait, if we sit in there-!

Exchanging a glance with Shin communicates to Seija that the former has come to the same conclusion.

Dang it, I was joking about the tea.

Reimu walks past them and enters their living room, where a pot of sake and a slew of dishes lie on the table. The two follow her inside.

“Um, are you sure you want to sit in here?” Shin asks. “It’s a mess and we have other rooms.”

“It takes way too long to move around your stupidly huge castle, this is fine,” says Reimu, already moving to sit down where Seija was earlier.

Her luck is something else.

Seija flicks her wrist and flips the position of the replica under the kotatsu, putting it opposite Reimu’s position.

“I’ll, uh, go put the tea on,” says Shin. “Should only be a minute.”

Her departure leaves Seija and Reimu alone. The former awkwardly shuffles to the side of the table where her mallet rests and takes a seat.

“That scarf’s new, did Shinmyoumaru make it?” Reimu asks.

“She did, yeah,” Seija answers. She slowly pulls the replica closer so there’s no chance of Reimu accidentally touching it.

“She’s always been good at sewing. Surprised that you accepted a gift, though.”

Seija ignores the remark. “I see you only do your job when coerced, true to form.”

“Hmph, getting the approval of a youkai like you isn’t on my list of priorities.”

“You’re acting pretty civil despite apparently looking down on us.”

“For one thing, I don’t know if Aya’s ravings are true. For another, I never said I looked down on Shinmyoumaru.”

“Oh? What makes her so special?”

“The incidents with the tsukumogami and what happened underground were your ideas that she only helped with, and I have to admit she had a point during the fireworks festival.” The shrine maiden grabs a clean dish and pours herself some sake. “If something’s her idea, I can trust that she at least has an understandable reason. Putting people at risk was stupid of her but it helped get us to listen. Danmaku with no danger takes away some of its spirit. Even you agree with that.”

“I’m amazed how laidback you are given what happened,” says Seija, resting her chin on her hand and offering the guest a mocking smirk.

“I was there, so no one got hurt. Keeping people safe is one part of my job; making sure youkai like you remember their place is another. But… it was a pain since so many people showed up. I’m glad some of them weren’t being serious about trying to hurt the crowd, like Junko.”

“That’s the ‘fear thine death’ lady, right?”

“Yeah, stupid of her as it was, she was joking during that part. Her grievances with the Lunarians are real, though, and she can be pretty imposing. That’s why no one realized it was a joke. I think she’s found some degree of peace these days, at least; she gets along well with that goddess of Hell. But who knows, maybe she’ll attack the Moon again eventually. Hopefully I’ll be able to stay out of it.”

While Reimu speaks, Seija’s demeanor shifts from taunting to exasperated.

She talks about dealing with gods and wars as casually as someone would mention what they ate yesterday. I swear she’d find Cirno no more or less annoying than Kanako. Guess that’s the attitude of someone with so much power.
…
She’s pretty loose-lipped about these major events, maybe I can get info out of her from when she went to the Moon.

“Those Lunarians seem pretty full of themselves from what I’ve heard,” says Seija, choosing her words carefully. “Just like everyone who places themselves at the top of the social hierarchy. Is that why Junko hates them so much?”

“No, it’s about this goddess Chang'e and…” Reimu scratches her face. “I didn’t really catch all the details. But yeah, some of them are pretty arrogant; can’t say I care too much about what happens to the Lunar Capital after all the problems they’ve caused us. They aren’t all bad, though. When I had to stay there for a few weeks a while back, I was treated well, especially by the two princesses. One of them, Yorihime, is pretty tough but-”

Shin slides the door to the room open and strolls inside, saying, “Okay, the tea’s heating up and should be ready soon.”

Shoot, I think she was about to say something juicy.

“Now that you’re both here, tell me what you’ve been up to. And make it quick!” says Reimu, taking another gulp of the duo’s sake.

You say that, but it doesn’t seem like you’re in a rush to leave before drinking your fill.

“So Hatate just wanted to interview you?” Reimu asks, having just finished her third cup of tea. She has also downed multiple servings of sake at this point, so her face is noticeably red.

“Yep, then the crow attacked us for daring to exist near her,” says Seija. The alcohol she ingested both prior to Reimu’s arrival and during does nothing to assist her inhibitions.

“You two making back-to-back public appearances made her see possible connections in your behavior. You know how she is with her scoops. She’s also still upset that no one involved in the incident underground was willing to tell her the full story; your involvement in this probably annoys her even more.”

Shin, also mildly inebriated, slams down a fist and says, “It’s all a set-up! We’re innocent this time.”

“Hmmmm,” the shrine maiden hums for a bit too long. “I’d never call the two of you ‘innocent’ exactly, but it seems like Aya’s full of hot air as usual. Everyone knows you two are always up to something, but fretting about it isn’t worth the hassle.”

Good to know we demand such respect. She’ll be wishing she took us more seriously soon enough. Aya’s right for the wrong reasons but it’ll be hilarious seeing Reimu squirm when she finds out!

Seija does not vocalize her inner bravado, but she cannot help but smile.

“Did you want anything else or should I show you out?” Shin asks.

“I can manage on my own, thank you,” says the defiant shrine maiden. She gets up and begins walking out, letting the duo sigh in relief, when she turns around and adds, “I know you have the Replica Miracle Mallet back. You can’t hide that from me.”

Both Seija and Shin’s eyes go wide, with the latter responding, “W-what are you talking about?”

“It’s underneath the kotatsu, right?”

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

“All the tools have some of the magic of the real Miracle Mallet inside of them. When Yukari confiscated them before, I was able to familiarize myself with their energy. I know when one’s nearby.”

Wow. Is that some kind of shrine maiden power? She really can be sharp when she wants to be.

“Alright, you got us,” says Seija, standing up while gripping the replica. “Are you gonna do something about it?”

A glint appears in Reimu’s eyes. “No need. I just made that up, thanks for the confirmation.”

“What?!”

“‘Familiarize myself with their energy’? Did you really believe such an absurd lie? You acted shifty the moment I came into this room; I figured there had to be something. Took a guess and it paid off.”

How the hell…?

“Hearing Aya’s story and then yours made it clear she was fostering a grudge about you getting one up on her.” The intuitive shrine maiden holds her arms forward, stretching. “She’s trying to make a big deal about you getting a tool back so that I’ll do her dirty work by fighting you. It wouldn’t make sense for her to latch onto this story so hard if it didn’t have any truth to it, but she also couldn’t provide a single reason why you’d target Moriya Shrine beyond your standard troublemaking behavior.”

“But us getting the tools back-”

“-was always going to happen. Think about it, how can anyone keep something away from the owner of the Miracle Mallet? You could wish them all back to your side whenever you want. Worst case, I figure you two could make new ones.”

…We discussed that but agreed it was too big a risk. Reimu’s careless or ignorant enough to not have considered the potential backfire, though.

Reimu turns back around to the exit. “That was my thought, at least. Don’t know if Yukari feels differently since she’s the one who hid them, but I’ll leave it up to her to take initiative if she has a problem with it. Anyway, don’t cause me any headaches. Bye.”

The duo stands in stunned silence.

She’s flippant, lazy, and immediately passed the buck when she had the chance. And she just baited us hook, line, and sinker.

“I refuse to believe she came up with that fake-out on her own,” says Shin after half a minute, peeking out the door to make sure their visitor is gone.

The amanojaku rubs the back of her head. “What, you think Marisa gave her the idea?”

“Dunno. But that was too clever.”

“Either way, I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“My gut was telling me something was off but I didn’t warn you in time.” Shin returns to the kotatsu, flops down, and continues, “Let’s just say it was the drinks hampering our judgement. Can’t win ‘em all, I suppose.”

Joining her partner, Seija says, “Well, what matters is that she thinks this was just a small squabble and that we’re only raising a normal amount of hell.”

“Yep. She’ll have way more hell than she bargained for soon.”

“Mhm. The hag’s warning to us before was pretty unfounded.” Seija refills her dish once more. “Who would’ve guessed?”

Still, seeing how Reimu didn’t care about us having the replica reminds me of that day at the shrine… Even though that was right after everyone gave up trying to catch me, she didn’t care that I was there. The only time she’s ever been worried in front of me was when she realized people were in danger at the festival. Taken on our own, she doesn’t seem concerned about what we can do, what I can do. Why? Shin and I came extremely close to upsetting Gensokyo’s current order when we were underground. Is that her attitude towards everything? No, she gets annoyed way too easily for that. But she’s also quick to forgive and forget…

“Ugh, screw it, it doesn’t matter,” says Seija.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah, nothin’. Let’s just focus on preparing for our recon mission tomorrow.” She holds up her dish to the inchling. “Cheers!”

“Right, cheers!”

Hmm, should I bring it or not?

It is late in the afternoon of the next day and the pair’s preparations are nearly complete. Shin - now the proud owner of a silver pocket watch similar to that of a certain maid’s - went to her room earlier to grab the elixir. Seija, meanwhile, sits in her room, staring at her new scarf.

I don’t want it getting damaged if something happens. At the same time… I have a desire to wear it. A strong one.

“‘Take good care of it, dearie,’” says Seija in her best old woman impression. “Bleh.”

That hag’s ‘charitable’ attitude disgusts me. I never asked for her help. Anyway, Shin gave this to me to wear, not to leave it lying around. I’m bringing it. Nothing will stop me from doing things my way. Not the hag, not the crow-

She places a fist over where her necklace is underneath her shirt.

-and definitely not any meddling incident resolvers.

Her scarf around her neck and the Replica Miracle Mallet in her right hand, the amanojaku steps out of her room with renewed purpose.

We’ve done a lot to get this far. Time to overturn a capital.

Chapter Text

-Five Years, One Month Ago-

“I realize you’re annoyed but surely you-”

“…”

“Oh, I suppose my expectations were wrong. I take it everything worked out?”

“Mm.”

“Wonderful! Then, might I say, what a farce. I don’t know why you even expected me to go along with it for so long.”

“…My apologies. You have every right to be angry.”

“You saying that won’t magically alleviate my annoyance.”

“…Didn’t you start this conversation to alleviate mine?”

“Formalities. If anything, your serenity has ruined any chance of me enjoying this.”

“…How unpleasant.”

“What’s unpleasant is how many of your messes I’ve had to clean up, and I’m not even done. Your little stunt still hasn’t subsided on Earth. I can feel something brewing, slowly but surely. Yet another future headache.”

“…Then may it continue without issue.”

“Am I supposed to be thankful for that?”

“…”

“Well, fun as this was, I have work to do. Give me a call if you need me. Or not. In fact, please don’t, at least for a while. Nothing’s simple with you involved.”

“I… I didn’t mean…”

“…”

“…”

“Look, I don’t begrudge your motivations nor do I envy your position. But I also have my own responsibilities to fulfill, which I’m sure you can appreciate. I can’t promise I’ll help you on a scale like this again, but I’m not against chatting every once in a while.”

“…Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“Rather mindless phrasing there, my mistake. Regardless, I hope you understand the sentiment behind it.”

“…Thank you.”

“Hmph, I can’t help but feel I’m dancing to your tune at times like this.”

“…Ah, no, I did no such thing.”

“I’m only kidding. That said, may I ask for one thing?”

“…?”

“I’d like some insurance, should something like this happen again.”

“…That’s a dangerous request.”

“One that I have full faith and confidence you’ll give adequate consideration. No need to answer today; perhaps next time. And to be clear, I am looking forward to seeing how you might entertain.”

“O-oh. Then see you- erm…”

“Don’t worry yourself, I’ll say it: see you soon.”

…Feels like we’ve been waiting a long time.

Seija and Shin lie hidden in the thicket near Youkai Mountain Lake, having flown in without issue. Upon arrival, they had spotted a sign they missed during their prior visits that labels the place “Wind God’s Lake”; Seija chooses to ignore this reverent epithet. More pressing to them is the absence of the Lunar passage’s distinctive refracting light.

“Do you know when the light show is supposed to start?” Shin asks.

Seija waits a moment before replying, “Uh, no.”

“And we can’t access the passageway otherwise?”

“I’m not sure.”

“So we know nothing about how it actually works.”

“Correct.”

“Gotcha.”

The duo waits. The evening Sun teeters closer to the horizon.

“It probably needs to be night, right?” says Seija.

“Maybe?” Shin responds, scratching her head.

“Or what if it’s tied to the Moon’s position, nighttime or not? That would explain me seeing the light during the daytime after we fought Aya.”

Shrugging, Shin says, “I honestly have no clue.”

“Great. Well, do you at least see the Moon? I’ve been scanning the sky for it but no dice.”

“You too, huh? …Wait, what day of the month is it?”

“It’s, uh…” Seija closes her eyes to think, her sense of time having been thrown off after recent events. “Oh! It’s been two weeks since the Moon Festival, which was the last day of-” She stops herself, realizing the same thing as Shin.

“It’s nearly a new moon. Tomorrow it'll be completely blacked out and today won’t be much better.”

“And by the time the Sun sets, it’ll be annoying to find with just our eyesight.”

“Wait wait wait,” Shin repeats, racking her brain. “The Moon sets with the Sun during a new moon. We went to the passageway two days ago in the dead of night. The Moon shouldn’t have been in the sky at all by that time, yet we saw it.”

“The first time definitely had the light coming from the real thing, though; it was still daylight and I looked at it a lot before and after. And the night we got dragged in still showed the Moon waning a lot, like it was close to a new moon.”

“Yeah, but that second case could be Dream World stuff. Like, it manifests an image of the Moon when there isn’t one as necessary since the passageway doesn’t exist in this reality anyway.”

The amanojaku is incredulous. “You’re saying the Moon is a selective metaphor?”

“I’m saying the passageway exists in dreams, so it might respond to our wills.”

“How do ya figure?”

“Well, we’ve been waiting for it to appear. That act assumes that it isn’t here yet. We don’t believe it’s here, so it’s not.”

“So just by wishing real hard we can-” Seija cuts herself off as she notices a familiar pattern in her periphery. “Well I’ll be damned.”

Shin bears a wide smile, clearly pleased with herself. “This was a secret passage only used by Lunarians, so there had to be a trick to it. Putting it somewhere so remote was only a secondary precaution; the real gatekeeper is your own mind.”

That’s why only I could see it the first time; my dream self was undoing the mental block for me.

“I bet when Reimu and the others went through, it was because they knew the invasion was coming from here,” Shin continues. “Even if they didn’t understand how it worked, they knew a door was there.”

“Orrrrrrrrrr Reisen just told them.”

“Well if you wanna be unimaginative about it, sure.”

Heh. Part of me wonders if they even communicated much. What was it like for those four back then?

They fly up to the passageway’s entrance quickly and quietly, entering the Dream World with little fanfare. Only one set of eyes on a frog hat bears witness to their departure. Once on the other side, Shin looks around to find her bearings; Seija, however, ponders further on what started as a rhetorical question.

Apparently all of them had elixirs prepared, though I guess only Marisa and Reisen drank them if I’m remembering the vials right… Huh. Why did it work out that way? Reimu and Sanae are both religious figures - even if Reimu barely qualifies as one - so maybe drinking something that artificially removes the impurity of death goes against doctrine. …It could be even simpler than that. To remove the very concept of death from a person might change not just the body, but the mind too.

That thought makes Seija wince.

“Hey, we need to get moving,” says Shin, looking back at her partner.

The callout snaps Seija back to reality, or rather the current reality. “Oh, right.” She catches up and matches Shin’s flying speed.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Wondering what it was like for Reimu and the rest when they went to stop the invasion.”

“You mean how they did it? What they thought of the whole thing?”

Seija’s scarf oscillates behind her. “That’s part of it, sure. Did they fight together or let one deal with a given enemy while the rest moved on? Were any of them besides Reisen aware it would be more than just one of them? I’m curious about everything. But what I really wanna learn more about is the elixir.”

“Like, beyond what it does?”

“Kinda? Things have moved so fast that we never sat down and asked why this thing even exists.” Running a hand through her hair, Seija continues, “Reimu and Marisa are some of the most experienced fighters in Gensokyo, right? Sanae and Reisen aren’t exactly pushovers either. Four people with proven track records all working together suddenly need an ‘I win’ button? Why would Eirin bother?”

“Lunarians are supposed to be really tough, maybe she thought they needed it,” Shin counters. “She’d be the best judge of anyone down here.”

“‘Tough’ is the word Reimu used to describe one of the princesses, uh… Yorihime, I think she said? No idea who that is.”

“Back up, Reimu actually called someone tough? She never does that.”

“Really?” asks Seija, raising an eyebrow at Shin’s strong denial.

“Most people realize how irreverent she is after one conversation, but my time living with her really hammered it in. She has countless stories about the incidents she’s been involved with and never once have Gensokyo’s literal gods been anything more than ‘annoyances’ to her, regardless of how much trouble they made. She must really respect this person.”

“The difference is that those gods are the ones causing the incidents.”

“And the Lunar Capital hasn’t?”

“The way Reimu described it, she visited years ago for other reasons. She also said this Yorihime gal and the other princess treated her nicely, so that might play into it.”

“Eh, pleasantries alone usually aren’t enough to endear Reimu to someone. I bet Yorihime’s strength is the real deal.”

“Either way, we’re getting sidetracked, so let’s circle back. Even if Eirin genuinely believed the people she sent needed an edge, Reimu has complete confidence in her own power. Getting her to drink the elixir seems like a hard sell.”

Shin tilts her head. “Okay, I still don’t get the bigger point you’re driving at.”

“Even if you thought Reimu, or better yet someone like Marisa, needed this elixir, would you still go through the effort to make it if you didn’t expect them to drink it? Eirin doesn’t strike me as someone willing to waste effort.”

“But, bare minimum, Marisa and Reisen did drink it.”

“Going off the labels, yeah.”

“Marisa knew what it did and Reisen was worried when we stole it. They definitely acted like they were intimately familiar.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What?”

I could say that Eirin just told them what it did before they declined to drink it but that’s not strong enough logic to refute the empty bottles. The only evidence we have of anything are the labels and how Marisa and Reisen acted…

Picking back up, Seija says, “Didn’t Marisa’s description seem kinda secondhand? Like it was something she was told about but didn’t experience.”

“I guess, but that’s kinda reaching. Really though, why the sudden paranoia? Not saying it’s unwarranted, but it came outta nowhere.”

“…”

“Seija?”

“If it really removes the 'impurity of death’ from someone, could it make us start acting differently? After everything that’s happened, I’d rather avoid anything that messes with my head.”

“Look,” says Shin, her previously scrunched up face softening at Seija’s admission, “we don’t have to drink it if you’re nervous about the danger. And I agree the whole thing is sketchy the more you think about it. That said, couldn’t Eirin have managed to convince at least Marisa? She’s always looking for ways to make herself stronger and someone as savvy as Eirin could play on that. As for Reisen, Eirin might’ve ordered or outright forced her to drink it, maybe as a test. We won’t know unless we ask them.”

“Which won’t be happening,” Seija concedes.

“Yep. Again, I don’t mind avoiding the elixir entirely if you’re more comfortable that way.”

“Let’s… keep it in our back pocket. Worst case, whatever it does to us still beats death or capture, yeah?”

“Like that'll ever happen!” Shin declares with a triumphant fist over her chest.

“You realize we were captured once already, right? I can’t even say you’re tempting fate, just denying history.”

The shorter gal, a sly grin forming, gets in front of her partner to look up and say, “Oh so now the amanojaku is gonna preach to me about not being contradictory.”

“Ha ha,” replies the taller one, putting her hand on Shin’s head to slide her out of the way. “That’s quite offensive, y’know.”

“Wouldn’t you of all people find it endearing, then?”

“That’s also quite offensive!”

“So you’re saying I should be doing it more!”

“Ooo, and that’s three in a row, munchkin.”

“Okay now that’s offensive.”

“Touché.”

“…”

“…”

Both burst out laughing, neither able to keep up the act a second longer.

-Seven Years, Three Months Ago-

“…Oh? Hello there. Need a hand?”

“Nah, this spot just looked inviting. Wanted to relax a bit.”

“I’m inclined to agree. Been walking quite a ways, so would you mind me joining ya for a spell?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“Hmm… Yep, I needed this. You have the right idea, little missy.”

“…”

“Not much for conversation, are ya?”

“Just busy thinking, I guess.”

“Might I ask what about?”

“Not to be rude, but what’s it matter to you?”

“Sorry, sorry. Don’t mean to interrupt your introspection.”

“Eh, it’s nothing that serious, I’m mostly trying to relax.”

“Oho, you’re an interesting one.”

“Whatever you say, lady.”

“Hmm… You’re gonna be here a while, then?”

“Don’t have anywhere I need to be right now, so probably.”

“Would you like to pass the time with a game?”

“Sure, I’m always up for one. Did you bring pieces or cards?”

“No, we have everything we need right here. The first component is all around us. Do you know what these flowers are?”

“Red spider lilies, right? This is my first time seeing them. Oh, but I’ve read books that describe various flora so I know to avoid touching or ingesting them.”

“That’s good. To be honest, I was a little concerned seeing you lying so close to some.”

“No worries. So this game uses the flowers?”

“Mhm. If you’ve read about them, I assume you’re familiar with their symbolism?”

“Yeah, but unless your game is a certain kind of exciting, I don’t see the correlation.”

“Don’t fret. They’re meant to be a thematic backdrop for what we’ll be doing. The second and final component is… this!”

“That’s just a foreign coin.”

“Indeed! We’ll each decide on different sequences of three, such as Tails-Heads-Tails. Whoever’s sequence comes up first wins the round, with the winner being allowed any question that relates to the loser’s past. It specifically needs to be a memory of some kind to stay on theme, so nothing banal like favorite foods.”

“Seems like an overly complicated way to break the ice.”

“Well, isn’t that half the fun of games?”

“Heh, alright, let’s do it. Who picks first?”

“I challenged you, so you may go first if you’d like.”

“Got it. I’ll keep it simple, triple Tails.”

“A fine choice. I’ll pick Heads-Tails-Tails. I hope you don’t find the process of repeated flipping too enthralling.”

“Ah it’s fine, you’re the one doing all the work.”

“Then here we go.”

“…”

“…Oh, you almost got it. The third flip decided to favor me though… And the round’s mine.”

“Dang, really? Four out of five were Tails. Bad luck.”

“The trick to good luck is patience.”

“That makes no sense.”

“You’ll understand in time. Now let’s see, what to ask first… You mentioned reading about flora, so do you remember the first books you read? If it’s too hazy or you’re unsure, just pick.”

“Oh, that’s easy. It was a collection of popular legends. I’m talking real basic stuff, like Izanagi and Izanami, Amaterasu and the cave, you get the idea. Ancient history like that’s always been cool to me, helped me learn about the world.”

“How I love to see the youth be so interested in what came before.”

“Uh, why’d you go all formal and stiff?”

“Just a bit fun, little missy. Ready to go again?”

“Okay, this time I’ll vary it up: Heads-Tails-Heads!”

“Ooo, a classic string. It’s so good, I think I’ll just reorder it: Heads-Heads-Tails. Time to flip!”

“C’mon… Ah man, seriously?”

“Your fate was sealed by the second Heads, I’m afraid.”

“Huh?”

“Call it intuition. Anyway, I get another question! Do you remember the first game you played? What it was, who taught you, and so forth?”

“Every game I know is self-taught using different books and stuff lying around my home. I think the first one was sugoroku, but I learned a bunch in succession. There was no one to play with, so I just played against myself if it required multiple people.”

“I… see. Um, what would you like as your sequence this round?”

“Nothing’s worked so I’ll just copy you: Heads-Heads-Tails.”

“Then I’ll choose Tails-Heads-Heads.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Wow. We’ve alternated between Heads and Tails five times. I gotta admit, it’s kinda exciting.”

“The simple things are often just as enjoyable as the complicated stuff.”

“…Hold on. Can I even win now? It doesn’t matter if it keeps going on like this or gives Tails over and over, eventually two Heads in a row will mean you win first.”

“So it does, little missy.”

“Dang it!”

“You concede the round, then?”

“Ugh, I guess.”

“Don’t be too upset, recognizing how you lost is still an improvement.”

“How can I improve at something luck-based?”

“Think about it while I ask my next question: can you tell me about your first experience playing a game with someone else?”

“Oh, this was actually fairly recently! Not long after I met my friend, she showed me something I never heard of: a shell game. One person takes three small containers, hides a ball underneath one, and shuffles them around super quickly. The other person observes and has to track which container has the ball. If the observer picks the right one after the shuffler is done, they win.”

“I’m familiar. How did it go?”

“I could never keep up, so I lost fifteen times in a row.”

“Quite unlucky to not even approach five wins.”

“Why? It’s a skill-based game to track the ball. If she uses precise enough movements to intentionally get my eyes to track another container, then it makes sense I’d always lose.”

“So you never blindly guessed?”

“Not once. I realize what you’re saying; if I never pay attention and pick randomly each time, I’d be bound to win every third game on average. But that’s no fun. I only prove myself by winning on my own merit, not dumb luck.”

“You should know shell games are famous for being a con. She might have been cheating.”

“Then it’s my fault for not catching her.”

“Ohoho, that’s not the attitude I expected.”

“I thought she might’ve been cheating too, but I gave her the ball, containers, and table. Before and after she started I examined them all pretty thoroughly and couldn’t find traces of foul play. Never once saw the ball get swapped while the shuffling was happening, either. Made sure to watch from every possible angle.”

“So all’s fair, eh?”

“Honestly the fact I couldn’t find anything makes me trust her more.”

“Well I’m sure she appreciates the confidence. Ready for the fourth and final round?”

“Really, only four rounds?”

“We are surrounded by death. Let it be known my thematics are multi-layered.”

“Your layers are thin, lady.”

“Everyone’s a critic. What’s your pick?”

“Hmm… Why don’t you pick first this time?”

“That’s quite an honor you’re bestowing me. Are you certain?”

“More than I was before.”

“In that case, all Heads.”

“Then I pick Tails-Heads-Heads.”

“Clever girl. Hopefully the coin rewards you.”

“…Heads.”

“…Heads.”

“…OH COME ON!”

“You recognized the trick but there’s no accounting for fortune, little missy.”

“I thought I had you that time.”

“Seven out of eight times, you did. But this just happened to be the eighth. Feel free to check the coin if you’d like.”

“Ehhhhhh, it’s fine. I’m satisfied enough by figuring out the strategy. That’s real sneaky, offering the opponent the first choice.”

“What can I say? It seems you and I are of similar minds when it comes to games like these.”

“What I don’t get is why you went all Heads. Going all in on either side gives you the worst odds as the first player, right?”

“I just wanted to reward you for figuring it out. Too bad the coin disagreed.”

“Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. So, what’s your question?”

“I think I’ll bank it.”

“Huh?”

“How else will I learn what you’ve been up to when we next meet? It’ll all be a memory by then.”

“Bold to assume we’ll meet again at all.”

“I’m something of a busybody and more than a little nosy. I think it’s a safe bet.”

“What if you get the one-in-eight chance?”

“In that case, all I have to do is cheat and not get caught, right?”

“Hmph. Maybe I’ll let myself be a little negligent.”

After the duo’s laughter calms down, they stay silent for a few minutes. Shin periodically checks her new pocket watch to see if it continues tracking time correctly in the Dream World; Seija aimlessly spins the Replica Miracle Mallet in her right hand. The former, once finished for the moment, stares at the rotating replica intently.

“Oh yeah!”

“Huh-wha?” The sudden outburst nearly causes Seija to lose her grip on her tool.

“Right before Reimu showed up yesterday, we started talking about how we could hide our stuff, remember?”

“Yeah…?”

“We never figured out what to do with your replica. I had just come up with an idea when she dropped by. Completely forgot until now.”

Don’t blame her considering how sudden the interruption was on top of all the drinking.

“But,” says Seija, holding out her replica, “do we even need to bother now? Just the crow’s word is one thing, but we confirmed it straight to Reimu’s face. There’s no plausible deniability anymore. She didn’t even seem to care.”

“Yes, however!” Shin holds up her index finger as though similar to an instructor. “My idea covers long term concealment and the normal sleight of hand stuff you normally do with tools in fights. And I think it’d be useful to try even if, for now, we don’t need to pretend we don’t have it.”

“I’m all ears, then. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“Seija, how far does your ability to overturn go?”

“…How do you mean? As in the physical range?”

“No, I mean conceptually. Remember when we opened the door in Eientei while small? You were able to rationalize ‘overturning’ as opening the closed door, reversing its state.”

Where is she going with this? It’s true my ability is, in a sense, based around concepts I perceive but…

“That was mostly just me repurposing something I do in my spell cards, plus you still helped by pushing. I couldn’t open it alone.”

“It was your first time trying it and we were extremely small. You just didn’t have the energy or experience necessary. I bet if you were in front of a sliding door and willed it right now, you could open it.”

“Maybe, but that’s not very far on the conceptual-physical scale. Even physical stuff can be taxing past a point. When I fought Tenshi, it took most of my energy to not just reverse the momentum of her massive keystone, but maintain that reversal so that gravity and air resistance wouldn’t slow or course correct it.”

“Really? I’m sure that’s hard, but don’t you reverse gravity for all the folks in an area sometimes? That must be just as difficult.”

“Uh…” Seija looks away and whistles. “You could call that cheating.”

“Huh?!”

“You’re right, reversing the gravity of an area is hard, even painful if I maintain it too long. But reversing a person’s perceptions, that’s much easier.” Shin tilts her head, prompting Seija to continue. “A person’s senses are extremely fragile. Shine a light in someone’s eyes and you’ll blind them for a few seconds. Play a loud enough sound and their ears will ring. One strong scent can overpower everything in a room. The amount of stimulation needed for that is low, shockingly low. It makes you realize how easy it is to trick ourselves. When I make someone see up as down or left as right, when I make them feel as though they’re falling towards the sky, I’m not changing the world; I’m changing them.”

“Wouldn’t that still be harder? It requires a lot more awareness to manipulate individual aspects of a person, I’d think.”

“Awareness and practice. But that’s all. Once I get the technique down, the amount of force I need to apply is the same as holding up a tower of three dango. Dango are light, right? But balancing a stack requires skill, not strength. Once you get good, it’s easy and you barely feel it.”

“Dango are very sticky, so I see how they’d be easy to balance even without a skewer…”

Maybe not my best analogy.

Shin’s mind continues racing with extrapolations. “So reversing gravity is like holding up a huge rock?”

“Exactly. There’s no trick to it, gravity is a single physical thing I need to overturn. Just like our senses, barring a disaster or special circumstances, it’s always applying, so I need to keep holding it. But that single thing is heavy. Excruciatingly heavy.”

“Then how do your spell cards work, like Overturning All Under Heaven? I’ve seen you use that on individuals and whole groups. Do you change the perceptions of everyone in a crowd?”

“That’s where the cheating comes in,” says Seija with a slight smirk. “I call it the same thing, but I’ll use different versions of the same spell card depending on the situation. It’s draining, but I’ll reverse gravity when necessary, like with the source of the fire at the concert. Not only could I not see it, I had no idea what the source was. No concept to overturn. So I reversed gravity and caused everything in a narrowly defined area to fall up. As far as crowds go, once I got used to reversing perceptions instead of the world itself, I didn’t find it difficult to subconsciously apply it to a bunch of people in my vicinity. I used dango as my analogy earlier, but honestly it’s more like a grain of rice for each extra person. It takes a lot of people to really drain me. Even a hundred folks is nothing compared to most natural forces.”

“That’s… wow. Can’t believe I never asked about this sooner. That’s incredible, I can only imagine how long it took to perfect.”

“Had a lot of free time before I found the Miracle Mallet. All that said,” Seija lets out a sigh, “this is why it’s those all-out power types that really annoy me.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m skilled; I know how good I am at what I do. But whenever things come to blows or contests of power, any truly powerful human or youkai will outmatch me. They could have more strength or stamina or speed or raw determination. Regardless of the specifics, it’s hard to keep up.”

And finally the last piece clicks into place within Shin’s mind. “…And those are exactly the kinds of people who resolve incidents and stand in our way.”

“Those incident resolvers, Tenshi, Aya, hell even you with that mallet. People like you possess something utterly overwhelming, a power I can’t contest and struggle to overturn. But that’s the kicker, Shin.” Seija looks her partner dead in the eye. “Danmaku is all about power.”

-Eleven Years, Three Months Ago-

“Now now, missy. No need for- whoa!”

“Why’d you come to a place like this?! No one else should be here!”

“Can a beautiful flower not bask in the autumn evening peacefully?”

“Try a wilting flower!”

“Well that’s just rude.”

“I don’t care- AGH!”

“Do you normally charge into trees like that?”

“How… did you…”

“Maybe while you’re busy trying not to keel over, you can listen to me for a moment?”

“…Do you even know what I am?” 

“A hooligan with no manners.”

“Please, just kill me if you’re about to give a lecture.”

“I’ll take that as you wanting the lecture, then.”

“Ugh…”

“To start, I don’t know what hole you crawled out of, missy, but there are rules to these kinds of things. If you don’t follow them, it’ll be your head.”

“Of course I know them, that’s the whole point. Following them is-”

“The only way you’ll stay alive.”

“…”

“Nothing wrong with a bit of subversion if that tickles ya so much, just have some sense of self-preservation. You can’t run into a wolves’ den and expect to not get mauled. Observe and prepare. Plan things out. Then, if that spark for rebellion is still inside, give them a taste of your earnest frustration.”

“Okay, seriously, who the hell are you?”

“A curious bystander.”

“Give me a real answer.”

“A nosy gal.”

“You’re not going to, are you?”

“Ruler of the earth!”

“Okay, I get it.”

“Well I don’t think any of those were lies. Regardless, you seem to have calmed down a bit. Care for a game?”

“Oh joy, this oughta be fun.”

“I’ll take you at face value on that one. Now, as you can see, we are surrounded by red spider lilies-”

“I swear if this is somehow a segway to the game having four rounds, I’m leaving.”

“… Ahem. Have you ever tried a shell game?”

“No, but I know what they are.”

“Care to join me by that rock over there, then? Should be flat enough for our purposes.”

“I don’t know what exactly humans like you think of youkai, but I don’t have any money for you to scam me out of.”

“To your first point, plenty of youkai, such as the kappa and tengu, use the same money as humans. To your second point, I resent the implication.”

“Then let me state it plainly: I don’t care to play on top of not seeing the point. What’s your angle here?”

“Must everything have an angle?”

“Yes.”

“Well I appreciate your candor.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Dislike compliments? I suppose that makes sense.”

“Stop deflecting the question.”

“Fine. My angle is wanting to entertain myself a bit while I’m in the area, maybe teach a young’un like you some things while I’m at it.”

“Not really beating the wilting allegations with that remark.”

“I’ll take the fact you’re still here as a yes. Come over and watch closely. Should either of us try to unfairly manipulate the shuffling, the offending party will be disqualified.”

“…”

“…Done. State your guess and lift a shell. Any shell with a ball underneath is a winner; any with a leaf is a loser.”

“Left.”

“And a winner you are. You may claim your prize.”

“Which is?”

“A question. You can ask anything and I must answer truthfully.”

“How old are you?”

“From where you’re standing, I probably seem centuries old.”

“That’s hardly an answer.”

“I said I’d answer truthfully, not specifically. Was I wrong?”

“Just start shuffling.”

“As you wish. …There.”

“Middle.”

“Right again! That is, right in terms of correctness, not right as in-”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you aren’t funny?”

“Can’t say I recall that happening. That’s your question, so time for Round 3!”

“Hey wait a second-”

“You should be paying attention instead of complaining.”

“Ugh. Left again.”

“You’ve got a knack for this, my shuffling is nothing to scoff at.”

“I’ll concede that, but I’m better.”

“Oh? Maybe you’d like to reverse roles in a few rounds?”

“Does the shuffler get anything for winning?”

“Sure they do! However, what they get will only be revealed when it happens. Since you asked a question, I’ll begin the next round.”

“Wait- Dang it!”

“Keep a level head, missy.”

“…It’s right.”

“And so are you! I’ll save the spiel.”

“Happy to see you develop comedic sense in real time.”

“I aim to please.”

“You’ve got a comeback for everything.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Pot, meet kettle.”

“If you keep winning then maybe I can help you move out of your glass house, missy.”

“I have a name, y’know.”

“Yet ya never asked mine.”

“Common courtesy ain’t exactly my wheelhouse.”

“That much we agree on.”

“On second thought, keeping it impersonal seems easier.”

“If that’s your preference. Gonna ask a question before the Sun goes down?”

“You’re clearly not an average person. Are you an eccentric? From a shrine or temple? An independent exterminator? You don’t strike me as a hermit.”

“That was three questions but I’ll be nice and answer them all: somewhat, not quite, and occasionally. And no, I’m not a hermit.”

“Are you really so afraid of me that you need to be this cagey?”

“It’s not about fear. My identity isn’t the point.”

“What is the point, then?”

“I told ya already, sometimes it’s good to do a bit of teaching. And your wit’s sharp enough to make it much more fun than it would be otherwise.”

“Putting aside the fact no one asked you to, care to share what you’re trying to convey here?”

“There’s no fun in spelling it out. Let’s switch roles. If you successfully mislead me, I’ll answer your question.”

“Fine. This’ll be quick.”

“…”

“…”

“…You’re quite dexterous, there’s no denying you’re faster at this than me. The way some of them swap is almost instantaneous.”

“Flattery will only make it harder for yourself.”

“You’re quite confident when I still have a one-in-three chance of guessing correctly should I lose my place.”

“If you think that then you’re already doomed.”

“Oho?”

“Everything’s misdirection. You don’t just hide the truth, you draw attention to the lies. Make people question the foundations of their thinking. Alter their perceptions and they’ll change the world for you. All you need to do is get the ball rolling. …Or in this case, shuffled. Go ahead, pick.”

“…Middle.”

“I knew you- Huh?!”

“Would you look at that, it’s a winner.”

“But the real one was under your right- What? A second ball? But when I started-”

“There was only one. When I was shuffling, you probably figured I’d try cheating and always used that little power of yours to make sure the ball was where you wanted, right? You could call this something similar.”

“…Guilty as charged. Guess I underestimated you.”

“Well, I admit the feeling’s mutual. Even if you cheated when you were picking, you didn’t do anything similar when you were shuffling. If I had to guess, your speed was partially due to your ability, but you never illegally switched the ball. You were confident in your misdirection and didn’t wanna risk me finding out if you tried.”

“Heh, this has been much more boring than I expected. Guess we’re a couple of cheating players.”

“Not quite. You cheated, certainly, by outright manipulating the shuffling as an observer. I, however, did no such thing.”

“You added a second ball! How does that not count?”

“I said at the beginning: any shell with a ball underneath is a winner. Why don’t you try lifting the last shell, the one on my left?”

“…It’s a ball. Both leaves are balls now. So that’s all you did.”

“You’re a sharp one, missy, dangerously so. But you’re confined by your own mind. Once people realize they’re clever, it’s easy for them to get complacent about it. They’ll define their own terms, what they’re capable of, and never try to challenge those findings. You interpreted the rules of the game in a specific way and already decided how you’d win.”

“…”

“I genuinely did try to track the ball, for personal satisfaction. And you really did get me to pick the ‘wrong’ one.”

“…So you admit I successfully misled you?”

“Well, in a way, yes.”

“Then answer my earlier question. You never said I had to win the round and I think it’s too late to disqualify me if you didn’t call out my cheating when it happened.”

“Pft, really now?”

“Turnabout’s fair play.”

“You definitely have a knack for that, but I already answered you a moment ago.”

“And that’s it? All this just to tell me to keep an open mind? I don’t need you to teach me that. ‘Entertainment’ as an excuse also doesn’t fly. Why do you even care enough to talk to me?”

“My, you really can only conceptualize everything as self-serving angles. And you still miss the point on top of that.”

“Can you be straight for once?!”

“Well that’s a multi-layered question-”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Your first try didn’t go so well but I love a determined go-getter.”

“…Fine, you win, I’m leaving.”

“Come now missy, where’s your spunk? You find a wall you can’t overcome and you just give up?”

“If a situation isn’t tenable, leave. That’s how you survive long enough to try again.”

“Yet your survival instinct is trumped by a need to always have the last word.”

“…”

“We can stand here all day, missy. If you want to leave, leave. But I know you’re curious. Why not play one more game? You still don't know what happens when the shuffler wins. Try again, no more tricks from either of us. Mislead me one more time. I have no more aces up my sleeve to wriggle out of conceding if you do.”

“…Y’know, I still can’t help but feel like you’ve been stringing me along.”

“And?”

“And more than that, I really wanna see you humbled.”

“Then here’s your chance.”

“I… huh.” Shin processes Seija’s explanation. “Goes to show how little about your powers I understand.”

“It’s a hard thing to explain, but it makes sense to me instinctually. I get new ideas on how to apply it all the time, too. It always comes down to how I can internally justify and process the idea of overturning.” Seija waves her hand and Shin is suddenly upside down. “People are simple. Visually we’re just objects in a given space.” She waves her hand again and her partner’s vision rotates. “And the way I figure, our sight takes in our surroundings like any other image, so I can reverse that image.” One more wave and both Shin and her sight return to being right side up.

Never conceived of a ‘logical’ reason for why it works beyond that, but Gensokyo doesn’t exactly run on common sense. I can just do it.

The rectified Shin asks, “What about an object that’s really big but still floating, like the castle? It’s not exactly beholden to gravity as is.”

“I actually did try a few times, years ago. It was back not long after we met each other, you were out on a walk or something. Wanted to see if I could do it.”

“And?”

“Nothing. It wouldn’t give.”

“So like how you struggled with the door.”

“No, you misunderstand. It wouldn’t give. That doesn’t happen. I could overturn the door, it was just a matter of maintaining pressure long enough to have an effect. The castle didn’t respond at all. Trying to open the door was like pushing something heavy, a feeling I’ve dealt with plenty of times. Every time I tried flipping the castle - hell, having any effect on it at all - it was like pushing the ground. There’s nowhere to push it to. Completely unaffected by any force that isn’t its own. It doesn’t push back, it just is. Even a mountain wouldn’t no-sell me that hard.”

“That’s…” Shin picks her jaw off the Dream World’s non-existent ground. “But why would-” She cuts herself off, slamming her right fist down into her left palm.

Seija smirks. “Seems you realized the same thing as me. It’s because of the Miracle Mallet.”

“The story goes that overuse of the mallet lead to the castle’s current state-”

“-and magic of that magnitude flies in the face of just about anything. It doesn’t have to make sense; the Miracle Mallet is just that absurd.”

“And it’s not like you’re the only one in Gensokyo with a nebulous ability like that. Yukari would probably have a hard time messing with the borders of the castle itself for the same reason.”

“My thoughts exactly. I can work around or with the castle, like flipping the perception of the whole area or messing with gravity in specific rooms. But the castle is an entity that I wholly can’t interact with and the only way I can rationalize that is if the mallet’s magic is overruling me.”

“Huh, the more you know.”

“That in mind, always found it funny how the castle can still be damaged. Guess the punishment was ‘you get the castle upside down or not at all’.”

“Good point. Do you think we could renovate the inside while keeping the outdoor shell mostly the same?”

“You wanna trick an old magic punishment?” Seija asks with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t know the struggles of someone who’s only a few inches tall and spent most of her life having to climb over door frames since the sides now on the bottom were designed to stick out from the ceiling.”

“Yeah but I like the place as it is.”

“Well it’s my castle,” says Shin with puffed cheeks.

“Hey, freeloaders have rights.”

“The right to laze around, maybe.”

-Eleven Years, Three Months Ago, cont.-

“Watch closely. Just one ball, no leaves underneath.”

“Alright.”

“…”

“…”

“…Your move.”

“Right.”

“…Dammit.”

“A win’s a win, missy. No special prize for you. On the flip side, I get a question.”

“Fine, not really in a position to refuse.”

“Why did you attack me?”

“You’re a human, I’m a youkai. What kind of question-”

“An amanojaku conforms with societal norms now?”

“…”

“Cat got your tongue? Then let me hypothesize. We both know what this place is. There are only a few reasons to come here. For humans, it either turns out well or exceptionally poorly. For youkai, they tend to walk away rather full. That’s how the stories go, at least.”

“I’m not that kind of youkai.”

“Yes, I figured as much. In my brief time here, that’s how most seem to be. There’s even a temple allowing youkai and humans to train together that only sprang up earlier this year.”

“‘Brief time here’? You’re from the outside?”

“The barrier’s weak in this area and I’m rather skilled besides. Honestly, I was just in the area to visit a friend who moved here. There are folks who don’t like people coming and going like this, so I’d appreciate you keeping this between us, missy.”

“Based on pictures that’ve wound up on this side, I was under the impression that humans from the outside dressed differently nowadays.”

“Oho, you know your stuff. You’re correct, I’m just old-fashioned in that respect. Helps maintain my cover here as well.”

“Surprised you’re being so candid about this.”

“Who’re ya gonna tell? The shrine maiden?”

“Hmph.”

“Now, since I’ve been honest to a fault, would you like to return the favor? Or should I continue my deduction?”

“Please, knock yourself out.”

“Then let’s see: given how you reacted at the start, I think you were upset that someone saw you. You’re isolating yourself out here since the stories of youkai preying on humans keeps people away. Even most youkai avoid this place since they know there’s little reason to stick around.”

“Got plenty of ghosts to keep me company.”

“Quite a few are phantoms, not ghosts.”

“Same difference.”

“Regardless, I’m warm, aren’t I?”

“Yeah yeah, you got me. Being around the village with people passing by carefree days, going anywhere near the mountain or shrine and those who lead them, it’s all disgusting. They benefit from the current hierarchy with no mind being paid to those beneath them.”

“If you want refuge, that new temple-”

“Is just another faction making a power grab. Sure, it looks benign since they need people to fall for it. Got to catch a speech the head priest made in the village once, full of flowery prose and other schlock. Beyond me how smart you’d have to be to believe any of it.”

“Seemed pretty honest to me. Sounds like a good deal for youkai especially.”

“If we wanna lose our teeth, sure. Sand off all our edges, placate us, peace and love throughout Gensokyo achieved. That’s unacceptable.”

“You’d prefer youkai be at each other's throats, then?”

“Sounds a helluva lot better than that farce!”

“Forgive me if I come across as an ignorant outsider, but that’s not what most folks I’ve spoken with think.”

“Of course not, cause they’re happy where they are.”

“And what makes you so confident you know better than their happiness?”

“Their happiness doesn’t matter. It’s the principle.”

“Ohohoho.”

“Something funny?”

“Sorry, you just keep giving real surprising answers. To ensure we’re on the same page, what’s this ‘principle’?”

“The will of the weak to overturn the strong. It doesn’t matter who’s at the top. Maybe the humans bring us to heel, maybe a god or the tengu control us all. That temple is just another name. What matters is individual will, which anyone who reaches the top of the totem pole wants to stamp out.”

“So the temple ‘sanding off your edges’ is another form of control?”

“All in the name of coexistence. They’ll tell you it’s an acceptable compromise, but all it really does is try and confine youkai to human-shaped boxes!”

“Do you have a problem with humans themselves?”

“There are a few powerful ones but honestly the bulk of them are super ignorant. Anyone with power views them as a resource, just a volatile one you can’t shake too much lest it shatter and cut your hands.”

“Doesn’t that make them yet another group oppressed by the strong? Earlier you said they benefited from the power structure.”

“Oh they do. They’ll pray at shrines and hope the people there do everything from saving their harvests to doing their laundry with enough bellyaching. Pitiable and disgusting at the best of times. Sure, they’re oppressed in their own way-”

“-but not in the ‘right’ way? That seems rather arbitrary.”

“I call it as I see it; no one ever accused me of being charitable. If they’re not worth the time then I’m not gonna bother. Youkai have more ambition to overturn those above them, anyway.”

“If you say so. Yet that begs the question: how does a group of weaklings banding together factor in? If that puts them on even footing with these power hungry factions, do they become just as reprehensible to you?”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

“Excuse me?”

“The ‘even footing’ part hasn’t happened yet. If I help an uprising and it succeeds, I’ll go from there.”

“All that biting social commentary and you haven’t even figured out your endgame?”

“I follow what I believe even if I’m not sure where it’ll take me. I don’t care what I have to do to get there, either.”

“That attitude might give you a hard time finding allies.”

“Maybe it’s just my nature, but I’m not intending on getting attached to anyone. Not exactly keen on anyone else trying to be buddy-buddy with me, either.”

“Hmm.”

“Does the self-proclaimed ruler have something to add?”

“I’d like to think we’ve been quite buddy-buddy, at least for your standards.”

“Not on your life, granny.”

“Suit yourself. All the same, I’ve truly enjoyed this chat-”

“Please tell me that’s a segway to you leaving.”

“-and I hope you take the time to consider at least a bit of what I said before.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“Heh, try to hold onto that gumption. I’m off, but I might be back someday.”

“Well now just color me excited! Here’s hoping we meet again.”

“Careful what you wish for, this place doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Aaaaaanyway, we got way off topic. What was your idea for hiding everything?” Seija asks.

“A book I read recently from Suzunaan mentioned how we see thanks to light reflecting off of stuff, so I was wondering if you could, like, reverse the light so people couldn’t see it.”

…I never knew that. Guess it makes sense. That even accounts for the vision thing earlier. But-

“Wouldn’t that just create voids in a person’s vision?” Seija responds. “If reflected light is how we see, then reversing that would make anything that light would’ve touched super dark, right? Say someone searches you and suddenly they come across a giant black spot. Yeah, they might not see what it is, but they’d know something’s up.”

“Hm, I dunno. A lot of the book went over my head, to be honest.”

“I can try later, just don’t expect me to get it right away. I’d give it a shot right now but I doubt any sort of physics will hold in the Dream World.”

“Well, does that matter? It’s about conceptualizing it, right? Even if the method doesn’t strictly make logical sense-”

“-if I can picture it, I might still be able to do it. Okay, you win, here goes nothing.”

Seija stops moving and holds her replica in front of her face, focusing on it. Shin watches with wide eyes and clenched fists.

Turning over the concept of visibility… Never done anything quite like this. …No, that’s wrong. I have, back with my dream self. I was focused on the fight at the time so I didn’t think about it, but I recognized the distance between us and overturned it from ‘10’ to ‘01’. A purely conceptual reversal. This should be easier than that. Then again, we were in a dream, so maybe that’s not-

“Oh my gosh you did it!” shouts a fist-pumping Shin.

“Wha-” Seija shakes herself out of her thoughts to see not her replica, but a blacker than black void in her hand. The dark blue horizon and perpendicular lines of the Dream World surround its outline, the only indication of the replica’s shape. Not even a sense of depth can be gleaned from it. “Huh.”

Exactly like I guessed.

Shin, still quite giddy, says, “This won’t work the way I envisioned, but still, there have to be plenty of applications for making something pure black. Seriously, the fact you can even do this is awesome.”

“What can I say?” Seija rubs her nose and smirks. After a few moments of basking in the glory, she reverts her replica and says, “Hey, can you put a distance of about twenty-one meters between us? I wanna test something.”

“Meters?” Shin echoes. “Uh, that’s an outside world measurement, right? Remember reading about it a while back. Isn't that a unit in the metric system?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know conversions off the top of my head.”

“Oh, one shaku is just a hair shy of one-third of a meter.”

“A meter’s pretty big then. But why are you using metric?”

“I first learned about it before I met you. Came across some outside world math textbook near the border and read it on a whim. Started using metric for mental math afterwards since a meter is bigger than a shaku. Makes the numbers smaller and more digestible.”

“Yeah right,” says Shin, rolling her eyes. “That’s flagrant contrarianism and you know it. Why else would you use a different system from everyone else?”

“Hey, Ichirin had that 235 centimeter woman thing during the Urban Legend incident, didn’t she?”

“How do you even know that?”

“Just do it, will ya?”

“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I guess twenty-one meters converts to… sixty-three shaku?”

“When the numbers get that big the conversion’s about sixty-nine shaku.”

“Gotcha.” While Shin traverses the desired distance, she mutters, “How the heck has this never come up until now? I guess she’s never had to specify exact distances for anything in the time we’ve lived together but still.” She arrives and shouts, “Now what?”

Twenty-one meters… Flip 21 to 12…

Seija blinks and suddenly the distance between her and Shin has nearly halved.

Yes!

“Huh?” Shin tilts her head.

“Alright, we’re twelve meters apart now!” Seija yells. “Can you move about thirty-eight more meters away for an even fifty? I’ll explain at the end.”

“Okay!”

Once Shin comes to a stop in a small part of Seija’s vision, the latter focuses once again.

Last time I moved myself, so for this one try focusing on Shin. 50 into 05, 50 into 05…

Shin suddenly finds herself, to her bewilderment, much closer to her partner than before.

“Hahaha, yes!” Seija laughs at her success.

“Are you flipping the distance itself?” Shin asks as she flies back over.

“Exactly. It’s like a ruler where I can put either me or someone else at the end of it. I flip the ruler to move whoever’s on it.”

“Oh, so that’s how you rotate stuff in your spell cards, by visualizing it on a protractor? Instead of flipping instantly, you slow it down for a rotating effect.”

“…”

“…Seija?”

That makes it so much easier. How the hell did I never think of it like that before?

After finishing Seija’s tests, the duo continues their trek. It does not take much longer for the Moon to become quite large in front of them. Shin checks her pocket watch.

“Assuming it’s been keeping time normally, we’ve been in here for about forty minutes.”

“We weren’t rushing and even stopped for a bit, so that’s really good time,” says Seija.

“So now we have to use the same trick that got us in here to get out?”

“I guess so.”

They both picture an exit in their mind’s eye and, right on cue, a tear in space appears in front of them. Inside is a beach.

“Been a long time coming,” says Shin.

Seija nods. “Let’s go!”

-???-

“-and that’s all there is to it. Provided you know it’s there, it’s quite easy to use. But please, for my sake, try not to let this get used by too many people. It could cause me a headache later.”

“…Mm.”

“And with that done, it’s been a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I shall be heading out.”

“…Wait.”

“Hm?”

“…”

“‘Would you like to stay for tea?’ With all due respect, you’ve already been nothing but courteous. Don’t feel like you have to-”

“Um…!”

“Oh, uh, if it’s that important to you, I don’t mind sticking around a bit longer.”

“…”

“…”

“…Here.”

“This is quite lovely! It makes sense someone in your position would have such high quality tea leaves. I can feel myself being purified of all my ills.”

“…That’s a risky joke.”

“Oh please, no one here could ever hold me anyway.”

“…”

“…That isn’t to say I’m unwilling to visit on my own terms from time to time.”

“That’s- Mhm.”

“Don’t get too excited now, you might spill.”

“Mm.”

“Heh. …I understand your position, but surely it couldn’t hurt to speak a bit more.”

“…Am I boring you?”

“Nothing of the sort, you just seem so stiff. Hard to relax when your company can’t.”

“There’s… always much to consider.”

“Well I hope that’s a sign of easier days ahead. Please, don’t feel you have to talk my ear off - or talk at all for that matter - just let yourself exist. My line of work has shown me how much it can help to let go every once in a while.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Maybe some quiet time could do me some good as well. Here’s to a mutually beneficial partnership.”

“Indeed.”

The instant Seija and Shin fly through the exit, that eerie calmness of the Dream World they had grown so accustomed to gets displaced by pure serenity. Peach trees stand undisturbed, a white beach more pristine than any garden bridges the forest and water, the climate is so unobtrusive that its absence is palpable, and a nearly imperceptible breeze comes from the sea as the sole reminder of the universe’s continuous movement.

This place…

There are no living creatures hiding in the trees, scurrying in the forest, flying through the air, or hiding in the depths. The landscape could be compared to a painting were it not for the inevitable flaws a painter would leave behind. This is a pure place devoid of any imperfections, save for three. Two of those three decide to go through the forest to avoid being spotted by any potential patrols and use the highest tree as a vantage point, staying obscured by the trunk and branches as they ascend. The third imperfection hangs in the sky, a distant blue orb reflected in a sea Seija and Shin have already left behind.

Chapter Text

A wick wrapped in wax, away in its case

Shining bright ev’ry night without fail

It burns to no end, down to the base

The poor candle’s just terribly frail

Remnants of a smoldering wick

The smoke deters passersby

It keeps burning, hoping

A soul watches it die

Sputtering, alone

Wax long melted

The wick says

“Goodbye.”

Fury

Born of grief

It spreads the smoke

Where all hear its cry

What greets the duo is a fusion of fantastic and familiar, a sprawling city where buildings scraping the space above them surround steadily shrinking neighbors. At the center is a district full of architecture that aligns more closely with the duo’s experience, where curved eaves line the roofs.

Shin makes a few rudimentary hand signs directed at Seija, the meaning of which they decided on the night before. Nodding, Seija grabs her partner and descends from the tree, ensuring they stay obscured relative to the capital. She does her best not to make direct contact with anything more than necessary, minimizing all sound they make.

We should thank Eirin for her trap; it made us realize how sensitive rabbit hearing is. Reisen heard just as well as Tewi, so it doesn’t matter if they’re from Earth or the Moon. I’m guessing the only reason they didn’t hear us sneak in was because of how noisy preparations for the expo were.

Once near ground level, the duo rapidly scans their vicinity for patrols once more. They wordlessly skulk towards the capital upon determining the coast is clear. Shin positions herself between the back of Seija’s head and scarf so as to keep watch on their rear, shrinking her bowl to keep it out of the way.

Don’t speak unless required, don’t walk and leave tracks, don’t even scrape against a tree or branch. They could be anywhere at any time.

The thicket is such that they cannot see too far in any direction and only get glimpses of outer space visible above them, Earth included. Or at least, Seija assumes it is outer space and not just nighttime as it exists on the Moon.

Can’t see the Sun anywhere. …If I remember right, the Lunar Capital is supposed to be on the Moon’s far side. Why can we see Earth?

Shin taps Seija’s shoulder to say something out of habit, causing the latter to turn her head, but stops herself before the words leave her mouth. She crosses her arms, racking her brain for a way to communicate the thought that came to mind.

Most of the signs we made and memorized deal with movement and battle tactics…

The sight of Shin’s pouting causes Seija to crack a grin despite herself. Relenting, Shin waves off the issue and signifies they should keep moving.

Guess it’s not that important. We can get away with talking more once we reach a populated area.

Five minutes pass without incident. In terms of area, the earlier vantage point made it clear to the duo how much smaller the Lunar Capital’s total landmass is compared to Gensokyo. Going from the beach to the capital proper would, in their estimation, only take about seven or eight minutes at full tilt. Faster folks like Aya or Marisa could make the trip in even less time. However, they move slower to avoid unnecessary risk. Seija ponders this other world during the downtime.

From where we came in, that sea seems to stretch forever, well beyond the horizon. But it looked tangible - real - and was only on this side of the capital. I didn’t see much besides trees on the opposite side from the vantage point. Trying to make out anything too far past there started to make everything blend together endlessly, just like the barrier around Gensokyo. Hatate was right on the money. It’s like the barrier here forms a long, thin line that stretches around the sea and ends at the capital. Wonder how far the sea goes…

The next moment, they hear the faintest sound somewhere to Seija’s right. It only takes a second for them to be hidden in the nearest bushes, taking care not to rustle any leaves and staying suspended above the ground. Then they wait. And wait. Sixty seconds pass.

“…walk in peace?”

“…deepest apologies…was ordered by…”

The voices come steadily closer. Seija’s focus is locked in their direction, her body not even rising and falling to breathe. Shin, however, notices something about the lone branch of a short tree next to their hiding place. She, rougher than intended, pats the back of Seija’s head and points to their right. Stunning jewels that encompass every color of the rainbow, larger and more beautiful than either have ever seen, seem to be growing out of the branch.

Gems?! Can Lunarians grow them? I’ve noticed a few like it among the peach trees so far. They’ve all looked nearly dead, or at least dormant. Didn’t pay them much mind, though. Why is this one blooming now?

“Tell her I’m on my way back, then,” says a voice that would sound serene were it not for the hint of annoyance behind that statement.

“Understood! And once again, I’m terribly sorry to have bothered you!” says a squeakier and clearly panicked voice.

The voices are getting louder. Maybe we should cut off the branch? It could draw their attention over here if they see it actively growing, but a rabbit might hear us chop it.

With a decidedly gentler tone, the first speaker replies, “Take this for your troubles, I appreciate your effort in finding me.”

“T-thank you very much!”

Once the sound of the second speaker’s running fades from earshot, the first speaker muses, “What a cute new recruit. I hope Yori hasn’t been too harsh with her.”

'Recruit’ means the person who left was probably a rabbit. This is our best opportunity.

Seija does a slicing motion at the branch while looking at Shin to convey her idea. Immediately understanding, Shin unsheathes her needle and performs a rapid grow-and-shrink maneuver where she leaps up, slices off the bejeweled branch, and brings it back down into their hiding place. The nearly inaudible whistle of the needle slicing through the air and wood is the only sound she makes.

Nice! She’s gotten good with that thing, even Youmu’d be jealous of how clean that cut was. Must’ve sharpened the edges of her needle, too.

Following the successful pruning, a woman wearing a white bonnet emerges from the foliage, humming a soft tune. Seija immediately recognizes her.

She’s one of the people from that dream soul with the Lunarians!

Shin wordlessly shrinks Seija to maximize their chances of remaining undetected, resulting in them floating side-by-side a centimeter off the ground. They had kept Seija her regular size on arrival since that allows them to move much quicker; should they need to hide, they already agreed Shin would shrink her without a signal.

“Hm?”

Piercing golden eyes stare directly at the freshly shaved tree. Without the duo realizing, its branch had already begun growing back; however, its rate of growth seems to have severely decreased. If before its pace was comparable to the second hand of a clock, now its speed matches the minute hand.

What the hell is this thing? Is it… reacting to us?

The lady in blue approaches their hiding place, stopping close enough that she could grab them. Crouching down, she brushes her hand along the short tree’s new branch. Slight crackles sporadically escape it, signifying the supernatural growth.

“Someone…” the woman trails off. She scans the area, her earlier humming now much punchier. Standing up straight and stretching her arms over her head, she says, “Well, I suppose I was already off to see Yori.” With her parting words directed at no one but herself, she strolls away without a care.

The duo waits until they can no longer hear her plus another thirty seconds just to be safe. Seija makes a motion with her hand mimicking a moving mouth, deciding that her being small while away from the capital is their best opportunity to exchange a few words.

“I bet that gal holds some sway around here,” says Seija.

Shin nods. “You think ‘Yori’ is the Yorihime woman that Reimu mentioned?”

“Mhm. And I bet I know what she looks like now.”

“How could you-”

“I saw a dream soul while we were separated before. It had Sagume Kishin, Eirin, and two women I didn’t know. That lady we just saw is one of them. The two had kinda similar outfits, one blue and the other red; my money’s on them having the same rank. The one just now said ‘Yori’ super casually, so they must be close.”

“Convenient you saw that,” says Shin after a moment’s consideration, “but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Seems like they know we’re here cause of that weird tree.”

“They think we were here. Far as they know, we left after stealing a branch with valuable gems. I don’t what about us specifically triggers this thing’s growth, but it lessened when you shrunk me. We can leverage that. It’s gonna make the trip longer, but keep me small for a while. Let’s also steer clear of any trees like this we see. With some luck, we won’t set off another one and they’ll think we turned around here.”

“We might’ve set off more of these on the way here. Plus there’s no way they take a sign of invasion that lightly.”

“Maybe, but they’ll be preoccupied securing the areas with trees that show growth. That draws attention away from where we’re going.”

Shin sighs. “How’d I know our ‘recon’ mission would get so involved?”

“Hey, it’s way more boring this way.”

“I knew you’d say that, too.”

A toad hops down the road

“Oh dear, oh dear,” it repeats

The poor toad is quite stressed!

And rather indiscreet

Along strolls a passerby

(who’s ever eager to aid)

They see the panicked toad

And ask, “Why so afraid?”

“It’s gone, it’s gone!” it says

“Please tell me, what did you lose?”

The toad trembles, speechless

“Okay, don’t blow a fuse”

So they search without end

But the toad keeps trembling

“It would help to tell me…”

They keep on questioning

The toad, weary from walking

Finds comfort in its new friend

It decides to trust them

And put this to an end

“I was given, I was-”

The toad’s words catch in its throat

But the friend waits, at ease

Quite used to the toad’s rote

“Couldn’t choose, couldn’t choose…

But I- But I had to!”

The friend smiles gently

“A choice you can’t undo?”

“Yes, yes,” the toad sobs out

“So what did you choose?” they ask

“To drink it, to drink-”

The toad is then squashed

Fifteen minutes later, the foliage begins thinning enough for the tiny duo to finally see buildings ahead.

Alright. Think we avoided the rest of those weird trees. No signs of guards in this area, either.

Ever cautious, the duo slinks towards an alley between two of the massive structures ahead. The one on their left has windows with glass panes; rows of them stretch all the way to the top, each line separated by roughly three meters. Neither of them see movement behind the windows on ground level, though their small size makes gauging that difficult. Upon reaching the alley, they faintly hear the din of civilization from the street beyond it.

“With the extra noise, it should be safe to talk openly provided we aren’t very loud,” says Seija.

Shin, studying the area, says, “So what’s the play? If they suspect there’s an intruder, I’m not sure our original idea of me carrying you around is the safest option.”

“Based on everything we’ve seen, the capital’s perimeter doesn’t have a strict checkpoint system or barricade. That means we don’t need a hard and fast escape route. If things go sideways, we can just run.”

“And that’s one thing we’re good at.”

“Among others. Doesn’t seem possible for them to box us in even if we loiter here a while. We’re golden unless they catch us dead to rights.”

“So we stick to the plan and adapt as needed.”

“Yep. Right now I want to make a beeline for the capital’s center; that’s where the more traditional buildings are. I’m betting the good stuff’s in one of those, most likely the palace or one of the structures near it.”

“This trip was supposed to just be recon.”

“And we’ll try to keep it that way. But if we have to fight our way out, a Lunarian weapon or two could help.”

“Only if there’s no other option, alright?”

Their plan of action decided, Shin grows and dons her favorite incognito hat before making her way down the alley with Seija in her sleeve. Yet they aren’t halfway to the capital’s outermost street when two rabbits wearing matching white caps, dark blazers, and light skirts turn the corner and march in their direction. Neither pay any mind to the old hat on the ground.

“-a Waning Gibbous,” says one with a calm expression.

The antsier one behind her says, “It’s my first time doing this, will everything be okay?”

“Don’t worry, last time we got this alert, we squashed the problem easily.”

“O-okay! Thank you for being so reliable…”

The more experienced soldier looks back and grins. “Heh, you’ll be the same someday soon. Just follow my lead.” Her junior merely blushes and nods as both head into the forest.

Shin waits for their footsteps to fade before whispering, “Today’s Moon phase is a waning crescent, not a gibbous. That sounded more like a proper name for something.”

“Maybe a code name for the alert they mentioned, but we’ll be fine,” says Seija, grinning at her partner.

“‘Thank you for being so reliable’,” Shin repeats, batting her eyes excessively. Seija merely rolls her own. “Anyway, let’s get back to it.”

They make their way to the alley’s exit - with Shin no longer small - and take in the sights. Lunarians, outwardly similar to the average human villager, and moon rabbits go about their day. Some move with purpose, likely having somewhere to be; others saunter along, often stopping to chat with those they recognize. The main difference between them and Gensokyo’s folks is fashion, with many wearing slick clothes that reminds the duo of outside world magazines they scavenged over the years. Some still dress traditionally, though, so the kimono-clad Shin discreetly slides onto the road as if she belongs. No one in the area bats an eye. To the duo’s estimation, this street belongs to a business district, as they cannot see any restaurants or other places for leisure.

Only a moderate amount of foot traffic, which makes sense. Doubt a place on the outskirts with nothing fun to do gets many visitors. None of the rabbits here are in uniform so either they’re on leave or not required to enlist.

And so Shin begins in earnest her peaceful, albeit tense, journey through the Lunar Capital. She holds her arms together, each hand going into the opposite sleeve to fully cover them. Seija, for her part, looks through a nearly imperceptible hole in Shin’s right sleeve they poked out prior for this purpose.

The capital’s raw size is pretty comparable to the village. Denser for sure and much bigger buildings, but the diameter seems smaller without even taking into account the village’s farmland. Speaking of, with the whole perimeter surrounded by forest and nothing but ocean past it, where do they make food? I guess the Moon’s dark side lacks sunlight- Wait, where does the light here come from? Is it artificially infused within the barrier? Does the barrier somehow project space from the near side? That would explain how Earth’s visible. But then, do they not have a day/night cycle? Is it always bright? Does that affect people’s sleep? …Do people here sleep? I guess someone in that dream soul had to be the source…

“Y’know how the barriers here and back home make the edge look like the same landscape stretching forever?” Shin whispers, unprompted.

The question distracts Seija from her thoughts’ exponential growth. “Uh, yeah?”

“How do you think that effect is achieved?”

“I’m guessing you want a better answer than ‘magic’.”

“All magic has rules, right? At least any magic I’ve seen. My mallet can probably do almost anything but has rules governing it. If we figure out the barriers’ rules-”

“Knowing the rules of how to use something isn’t the same as understanding its underlying systems.”

“How do you mean?”

“Say you wanna make something, like dango-”

“Are all your analogies gonna include dango now?”

“It seemed fitting, given earlier. But to my point, you might know how it or any other food is made in a rough sense, but not strictly what governs its flavor.”

“I mean, I have a decent idea. There’s, what, five major flavor groups that determine how food is perceived? At least for humans and adjacent species like me, not sure if a youkai like you is different-”

“Okay fine new analogy: you like to read, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“You understand how to use a book?”

“I know how to read and turn pages, yes.”

“Alright, now tell me how to actually write a novel, as in figuring out a satisfying and engaging storyline.”

“I’ve dabbled in some amateur writing.”

“What? Really?”

“With years of downtime to pass, you try anything that comes to mind. I remember first thinking a good story needed a certain number of chapters cause all my favorites had at least sixteen,” says Shin, doing her best to maintain a neutral expression as some conversing Lunarians come closer. She leans against a nearby wall and places her right hand on her neck as if stretching, which lets Seija speak even softer while still being audible.

“Oooookay. Then tell me how the book is physically made. Tell me how to distribute it. All of this, in detail.”

“Alright, in seriousness, I see your point. Don’t just rely on observation; we need to get at the inner workings.”

“Then why’d you string me along?!”

“Cause it’s funny seeing you try to avoid a question you can’t answer.”

“…Look, there might be some actually accessible documentation here we can learn from. It'll be leagues better than anything from the village's chronicle, at least."

"Ain't that the truth."

"So better that than random guesswork, yeah?"

"Agreed. We have other stuff to focus on right now anyway."

A light flips on in Seija’s mind. “Was this what you wanted to talk about back in the woods?”

“Yeah. Were you thinking the same thing?”

“Oh absolutely. This place is nonsensical.”

“So we’ll be right at home.”

There was a time, once, when I found love.

Every look, every whisper, made my heart dance. 

I never expected it to last; happiness rarely does.

Someday one would die, leaving the other alone.

I made peace with that.

But is it a sin to wish, to pray, to yearn for a long life together?

To hold each other for thousands of years until the Sun stops rising?

Some find beauty in transience.

I did not count myself among them.

My spirit is ugly, covered in warts.

Maybe that is what blinded me.

To be so focused on love, yet not see the one behind it.

And so I acted in fear.

At least a candle is beautiful.

The duo does not see much of note until fifteen minutes later. By Seija’s estimation, they are roughly halfway to the capital’s central district when Shin reaches a break in all the tightly squeezed buildings.

Is this… a park?

Her guess appears correct, with scattered benches lining the grassy clearing. However, no play areas are set up, nor are there any gardens. Not even food stalls grace the small plot.

“Pretty lame excuse for a park,” Shin mutters.

“If there’s not much to see, might as well move-” Seija stops short when she spots two people on the far side from where they are. One bears a rabbit’s distinctive ears but otherwise wears drab civilian clothes; the Lunarian she speaks to is quite elegant in comparison, whose blue and white ensemble strikes a familiar chord. “We need to go. Now.”

“Way ahead of you,” says Shin, already turning around when a voice calls out.

“Pardon me, young lady, could I borrow you for a moment?” Shin freezes. Seija can feel her partner tremble slightly, clearly contemplating making a break for it. The voice sounds again, “I’m terribly sorry, did you hear me? If it’s no trouble, I could use a hand.”

“You’re alright,” says Seija. “Just tell her you stopped here briefly but have an appointment you can’t be late for.”

Clearing her throat, Shin slowly looks back and replies, “I’m on my way to meet someone. Don’t wanna keep them waiting. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh that won’t do,” says the bonnet-wearing woman they saw in the forest. “Normally I wouldn’t want to be such a bother, but I’d really appreciate your help. Consider it a royal request. I’ll be happy to go with you and apologize when we’re done if you’d like!”

Despite their trepidation, the duo cannot help but feel disarmed by her affable cadence. Every word is slathered in sweet honey, enticing passersby with its aroma.

If she’s royalty, it’d be bad if we refused…

Shin wordlessly comes to the same conclusion and, hesitation bogging down each step, crosses the park.

“Thank you, truly.” The woman’s smile is among the warmest either Seija or Shin have seen. “I wouldn’t want to condescend by acting like you don’t know my name, so let me introduce you to Reisen,” she says, gesturing to the moon rabbit next to her.

…Is that name common here?

“I-I can introduce myself, Lady Toyohime!” says Reisen, bowing towards Shin.

‘Toyohime’, huh?

Bowing in return, Shin says, “I’m… Jin.” Facing Toyohime, she adds, “My sincerest apologies, milady, I didn’t realize it was you from so far.”

“It’s no problem. And please, don’t feel you need to stand on ceremony. Now then, here I thought I knew all the regulars around this park, but it’s my first time seeing you. New to the area?”

“Yes. Honestly, I was a little lost. Finally got my bearings when I found this place. Was surprised to see it over here.”

Toyohime chuckles. “It is odd, isn’t it? Sticks out given the district. Still, I imagine the people who work here appreciate having some green to bask in every little while.”

“…Mhm.”

They might appreciate it more if there were something to do.

“Anyway!” Toyohime brings her hands together. “Reisen here works under my sister and me, but today’s her day off. I ran into her on my way while on a stroll and simply had to play with her a bit, no hierarchy involved.”

I’m sure she’s thrilled to be with her boss on her day off.

“So what do you need me for?” Shin asks, maintaining her cool.

“To officiate!”

“Eh?”

“You’re not the first that Lady Toyohime has asked,” Reisen explains. “It’s simple: come up with a simple game we can play verbally or with what’s on hand, nothing physical. She and I will play and you’ll determine the winner.” Her apologetic expression makes clear just how many Toyohime has put on the spot in the past, with Shin as the latest.

Wonder how many of this rabbit’s days off have been interrupted by bonnet’s whims.

“Alright, I understand. Give me a moment,” says Shin. Given how barren the park is, she does not bother scanning for props, instead opting to close her eyes and think. A few moments later, she says, “How about two truths and a lie? Both of you take turns coming up with three facts about yourself, but make up one of them. If one person guesses the other’s lie, they win. If you both guess correctly, we can keep going until a winner is decided if that’s desired. Lastly, to ensure everyone’s playing honestly, whisper to me what the lie is before you start so I can verify.”

Is she trying to dig for info? Smart.

“Hm, more original than the word chain games usually suggested,” says Toyohime.

Reisen adds, “But I’m no good at lying! She’ll know which isn’t true just from looking at me!”

“Why not let Jin be the mouthpiece, then? Neither of us can look at each other until the game ends.”

Shin, while surprised by the suggestion, says, “I don’t mind. Provided you’re okay with it, Reisen.”

“Um, that’s fine with me,” Reisen answers. “Maybe this time I’ll win!”

Nodding, Toyohime next asks, “And what’s the reward for winning? The penalty for losing?”

“Personally, I think winning’s a good reward in itself,” Shin replies.

“And losing?”

“A frustration you can use to fuel future attempts at victory.”

“My, you’ve got quite a competitive streak behind that formality, don’t you? You must like games.”

Shin smiles in spite of her nerves. “I appreciate a good contest. Proving your worth, especially to those above you, can be a lotta fun.”

“Now I finally feel you’re opening up with us!”

Try not to get too friendly.

Reapplying her formal façade, Shin says, “Apologies if it seemed I was trying to conceal myself somehow. Are you confident in your ability to read people, milady?”

“When you’re in a position like mine, it’s important to gauge the motivations of those around you. I’m not so arrogant as to believe I can read others’ minds, though.” Gazing up at Earth, she adds, “Thinking you totally understand someone is far too easy a pitfall to find yourself in.”

…Not as full of herself as I expected.

“But enough of that, let’s play!” says Toyohime, her cheeriness persisting unabated. “You should go first, Reisen.”

“Yes ma’am! I already have my three facts picked out.” Reisen then approaches and whispers to Shin, “First, I’ve won more Lunar Defense Corps shogi tournaments than any other rabbit. Second, I once managed to land a hit on Lady Yorihime in training. Third, and this is the lie, I’ve seen Lady XX.”

Huh…? I didn’t catch the name. And why’s seeing this person so notable?

Once Reisen has returned to Toyohime’s side, Shin begins repeating the facts.

After the first one, Toyohime interrupts. “Have you ever beaten Yori at shogi?”

“Well, no…” says Reisen. “But she doesn’t join our game nights very often. And last time she did, I got pretty close! I’ll beat her one day!”

Good job tipping your hand. A story like that makes it clear the first thing’s true.

Once Shin says the second fact, Toyohime lets out a small laugh, but does not say anything else.

“And the third is…” Shin trails off.

Did she not hear the name either?

Soon enough, she says, “…that she saw someone she wouldn’t be able to normally.”

“Oh?” Toyohime tilts her head. “A riddle, is it?”

“T-that’s not quite it. What I said was that I’ve seen Lady XX,” says Reisen.

Again, I can’t understand her. What’s the deal?

“Now Reisen, many might feel uncomfortable discussing her. Be more considerate.”

“Yes ma’am…”

The stigma around this person just bailed us out. But why can’t I understand the name?

“More to the point, surely you aren’t using a game to admit to a crime?” Toyohime asks, lighthearted as ever.

The rabbit’s ears stand on end. “H-huh? But I didn’t say how I happened to see her! It could have been above board!”

“Well? Was it?”

“Uh… I… When I said that, I wasn’t exactly…”

A few seconds pass before Toyohime begins laughing even more than before. “I must say, I’m impressed. Landing a hit on Yori’s no small feat.”

“Huh?!”

“The lie is the third statement.”

“…Correct,” says Shin. She keeps a straight face, but Seija feels her body tense up.

Bonnet intimidated her into basically admitting she didn’t have a story to back-up the claim, all without them looking at each other.

“Lady Toyohime! Scaring me like that’s hardly fair!”

“Sorry, sorry. Yori knows that I often spend time with you and the others, so she asked me to try and include a lesson every little while. Remember to keep your cool next time, alright? You genuinely had me perplexed. If you hadn’t reacted that way, I probably would’ve been forced to guess.”

“U-understood.”

“Though do tell, how did you get one over Yori? I’d love to tease her about it later.”

“She wanted to practice dodging without relying on her sword for blocking, so she had the whole corp fire on her. It was also to serve as target practice for us. I just got lucky after a while when her fatigue set in…”

“Oh? Was she practicing for those danmaku duels Earthlings love so much?”

“I assume so. This was years ago, though, and it only happened the one time.”

“Surprised she never told me,” Toyohime muses. “Still, seems I win this round. If I can get Reisen to guess wrong, I win the game, right Jin?”

“Yeah. Otherwise you can call it a draw or go again,” says Shin.

The princess nods and approaches Shin. The latter, and Seija in her sleeve, stay completely still.

If she can clock us as Earthlings somehow, we’re gonna have to fight our way out.

After what feels like an hour to them, Toyohime’s honey-laced words slide into Shin’s ear. “First, I’m better at games than Yori. It depends on what we’re playing, but I’d estimate our record to be around 65-35 in my favor.”

Seija relaxes at the game proceeding normally.

Okay, we’re clear for now.

However, with Toyohime so close, Seija cannot see her face from inside the sleeve. The slightest amount of sweat from Shin’s arm moistens Seija’s hand.

Huh?

“Second, just today, I saw some intruders right outside the capital.”

No. Nonono.

Her composure cracking, Shin blurts out, “What?! If that’s true-”

“Don’t worry, silly. That’s the lie,” Toyohime whispers.

…What?

“Um, is something wrong?” Reisen asks, surprised at Shin’s outburst.

“It’s nothing,” says Shin. “The princess just has some fascinating facts. Couldn’t believe them at first.”

Toyohime’s whispers continue. “Good recovery. I think I’d enjoy playing a game with you sometime, but let’s focus on the current one for now.” She pauses briefly. “Since that lie was in poor taste, here’s a different one: my favorite food is mochi.”

What is this woman playing at? Was she trying to gauge Shin’s reaction? Does she suspect something?

“Lastly - and this is true, to be clear - I’ve read a good deal of Earthling literature.” With that, Toyohime steps away, allowing Seija to see her expression. Nothing about it has changed or indicates concern.

Shin clears her throat and starts listing off the facts. The first earns a simple nod from Reisen, the second causes her head to tilt similar to her boss’s earlier, and the third sees her arms cross.

“Hmmm, I know you like mochi, milady, but I have a hard time believing you prefer it to peaches.” Reisen’s ears twitch. “I also don’t always recognize the languages your books are written in, despite my literacy improving a good bit.”

Toyohime simply hums.

Reisen nods to herself once more, an act of self-assurance, and says, “I’ll go with the second one! That’s the lie!”

“Correct,” says Shin, less than enthusiastic.

“Yes!” Reisen cheers, pumping her first.

Great, since it’s a draw we’re stuck for another-

Toyohime abruptly cuts in, “I don’t want to hold you up, Jin, so please don’t feel you need to keep playing with us here.”

“H-huh?” Shin blinks a few times. “Um, if you’re sure, milady. Thank you.”

“Though before you go, are you headed towards the palace? If so, we can walk together. You mentioned needing to meet with someone and I do owe them an apology for keeping you.”

…Not good. Tell her no, Shin.

“Oh, uh, I could hardly ask that of you-”

“So you are headed towards the city center, then?”

Crap. She got too caught up in acting formal.

Toyohime presses further. “Then please, I insist.”

“…I welcome the company,” says Shin with a bow.

“I appreciate it just as much; it’s not like I can take away all of Reisen’s day off.”

Right on cue, Reisen says, “I-I don’t mind!”

“Come now, even I realize when I’m being overbearing. Go and see your other friends. Gods know you see me nearly every day already.”

“If you insist, but… I really do enjoy spending leisure time with you, for what that’s worth. I-I realize I’m just a rabbit, so-”

“Enough of that, no need to couch yourself in such terms. Now go on.”

“Y-yes ma’am! And thank you!” After giving a salute with her face beaming, Reisen heads out, a spring in her step.

I… Huh. What was that about?

Once Reisen turns the corner, Toyohime says, “Let me ask you something, Jin: do you think I’m denigrating myself, interacting with Reisen in such a way?”

“…That’s a loaded question, milady,” Shin replies.

“You think so?”

“…”

“…Maybe it is. Shall we be off?”

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love is the force that binds.

Love makes you strong.

Love makes you wise.

Love makes you go ‘til you die.

Love helps you listen.

Love helps you grow.

Love helps you survive your woes.

Love blinds you.

Love tries you.

Love throws you from view.

Love grows

and grows

and grows

and grows

and grows

and grows

and grows

and grows

and gr      

“…I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?” says Toyohime, her usual cheeriness dulled.

“E-excuse me?” says Shin, stopping to look at her unwanted companion.

Since leaving the park, the two had been walking in relative silence for about fifteen minutes, only broken up by the occasional superficial comment. Many they passed did a double take upon noticing a princess, but otherwise went on as usual. Seija remains silent within Shin’s sleeve as they near the capital’s center. Currently, the group is on a quiet back road.

“You said differently earlier, but I imagine you were content being alone.”

“Well, it’s not a personal slight to you, I’ve just never been a people person.”

That’s a riot. She’s hit it off with plenty of folks since first getting chummy with Reimu.

“I have a hard time believing that,” Toyohime replies.

“Why?”

“You’ve been quite cordial with me, for starters. Even if it’s out of deference for my position, it takes skill to be able to turn that behavior ‘on’, as it were.”

“You flatter me, this is just how I am.”

Toyohime smiles widely. “You’re a good actor.”

Yet again, her honeyed words hide a piercing suspicion that makes the duo’s blood run cold.

“If you mean me hiding what your first lie was from Reisen, I just wanted to avoid making her panic.”

“I suppose that’s related, but not really what I mean.”

“Then I’m afraid you’ve lost me, milady. Do you think I’ve lied to you somehow?”

“…Let me ask this: do you respect me? Be honest.”

What? Of course we don’t, by why…?

Shin takes a moment to consider. Her silence persists so long that Seija begins to gently tap her.

C’mon, get the lead out!

Finally, she says, “This is my first time meeting you, and during said time I’ve seen you strongarm your subordinate and me into playing a game despite our own plans. You then whispered outlandish things into my ear and proceeded to force your way into my commute after already realizing I would have preferred you not. Regardless of your position, I can’t say your behavior has been ‘respectable’.”

There’s such a thing as being too honest! What the hell are you-

“Pft, hahahahaha!” Despite how many times Seija and Shin have heard Toyohime laugh already, this instance strikes them as uniquely genuine. Less elegant, with even a hiccup in the middle. The display leaves Seija with her jaw hung open. “Oh my goodness, I needed that.”

Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, while much more worldly wise than she was in years past, still would not consider herself Seija’s equal when it comes to reading the moods of others and how to best aggravate or appeal to them. But one thing she has over her partner is extended casual experience with those in positions of power. There are times to appeal to their ego. There are times to be combative. And there are times it is best to offer nothing but blunt honesty.

After recovering, Toyohime says, “I can’t remember the last time anyone besides Yori was so straight with me, and I’m married!”

Shin snickers a bit herself. “Do you still believe I’m acting?”

“You finally aren’t anymore. I got a whiff of this strong personality of yours and had to see it in earnest. You’ve been walking on pins and needles since the moment you saw me. Don’t think I didn’t see through that lie about not recognizing who I was at the park.”

“Ah, well, guilty as charged.”

“I wish more people had your gumption! Everyone’s always so eager to please.”

“Well, if we’re dropping all pretenses, why bother me so much?”

“Think of it as me keeping my hand on the pulse of the people. I need to learn how they see me, interact with me. Do they genuinely like having me around? If not, why? That sort of thing. So sometimes I’ll strike up a conversation with someone on the street, maybe invite them to do something. I got the urge to call out to you the moment I saw how closed off your body language was. Maybe it’s cruel of me, but I thought someone like that would give more honest reactions to my prodding.”

It was certainly annoying.

“And do you always give everyone such a thorough rundown afterwards?” Shin asks.

“Most of the time I let them go when it’s clear we’re getting nowhere. You, however, strike me as someone who marches by the beat of her own drum. Being willing to use such a bold-faced lie like not recognizing me says a lot.”

“…So, are we done for real now?”

“Almost, but there’s one more thing to clear up.”

What now?

“Why were you really in the area near the park? You clearly didn’t recognize the area, but since we left you’ve taken the most direct route to the city center. Hard to believe you had to meet someone near here - a place you know better - when you were over there earlier.”

She’s wrong in such an odd way, but that’s reassuring if anything. The way we’re suspicious is like a townsperson hiding something rather than a foreigner wandering.

Choosing her words carefully, Shin says, “Would you be willing to accept that it isn’t your business and move on now that we’ve ditched the pretenses?”

“I would say yes if not for one small problem.” Toyohime’s left hand juts out and grabs Shin’s right arm - sleeve and all - between her wrist and Seija. “There’s this lingering stench of impurity that’s followed you this whole time.”

Shin cannot bring a word to her lips, her shock momentarily paralyzing her.

She can detect us?! We need to run!

“It’s not you, Jin. The impurity has latched onto you like a parasite. Stay calm and don’t move a muscle.”

Wha-?!

With one fluid motion, Toyohime grabs a hand fan attached to her belt while maintaining her grip on Shin’s arm.

“The winds from this fan can purify large swathes of land at once, but that could cause mass destruction even here in a land as pure as the capital,” she explains. “But, for an impurity as small and insidious as the one I feel on your arm, just smashing it with this should suffice. It might sting, though, so brace yourself.”

“H-hold on a second!” Shin shouts, though her protests fall on deaf ears.

If Shin fights back, it’ll blow everything! Which means…!

Seija squirms up Shin’s sleeve and, after taking the slightest moment to steel herself, emerges from the right side of her partner’s collar.

“There you are!” says Toyohime, a glint in her eye. She narrows her focus on Seija’s small form, as if attempting something. But at the same time, Seija goes to invert Toyohime’s sight, which requires much more exertion while small. The princess, who has little experience with direct combat, is thrown by the sudden disorientation. From the duo’s perspective, she blinks out of existence for a second before popping back in, nearly falling over. “How did…?”

She can teleport?! Was she gonna take us somewhere? …I need to get away from Shin to keep the focus on me!

Seija flies off her partner and, as loud as her small stature can muster, shouts, “There’s more where that came from!” Her tiny and high-pitched voice, while drawing the reoriented Toyohime’s attention, does not add to the intimidation factor.

This is rapidly becoming a worst-case scenario. It’s only a matter of time before someone comes to investigate the shouting. Normally we could restrain her, but she’ll probably teleport out.

Shin clenches her fists nearby, clearly frustrated.

There has to be a way out of this that doesn’t throw out all the effort spent to get this far. The palace is a stone’s throw away!

“You’re what I sensed traces of in the forest,” says Toyohime, holding up her closed fan defensively. “I figured I could let Yori handle you; color me surprised when I felt your presence again when I whispered to Jin.”

“Is that why you made such a weird face?” Shin asks.

That’s what made Shin nervous.

“Yes. Same reason for the fake lie,” Toyohime answers, not taking her eyes off Seija. “I couldn’t feel any from you specifically, but needed to gauge if you were together. Seems it really is a lone agent. I can’t blame you for not noticing, Jin; something is minimizing her impurity. I have no idea what.”

Does she mean the Miracle Mallet?

“Regardless, I assume you’re a youkai of some sort? The horns are a giveaway.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Seija replies.

“How did you get here? Is this a declaration of war? Is that gap youkai behind this?”

“Don’t associate me with that hag.”

“So not with her, at least. Either way, if you know Yakumo, that confirms you’re a youkai from Gensokyo.”

“Tch.”

Briefly looking back at Shin before returning her gaze to Seija, Toyohime says, “Why latch onto a civilian?”

Is she worried about Shin?

“…To hide my impurity. I figured one of you snobs would make good camouflage.”

“I see. Since I instigated earlier in the heat of the moment, let me offer an apology and a deal.”

“What…?”

“Submit yourself quietly now and I guarantee you’ll be returned to Gensokyo unharmed after we’ve learned how and why you came here.”

“Why do you think I’d ever agree to that?”

“Because it means no one here has to get hurt.”

…I don’t think she’s lying. Maybe she’s afraid I’ll beat or escape from her since I threw her off balance earlier. She might also be looking out for the innocent ‘civilian’. Or she’s just buying time.

“Now be on your way, Jin,” says Toyohime. “I’ll follow up with you later. It’s dangerous here.”

While Seija weighs her options, Shin takes progressively softer steps towards Toyohime, simulating walking away.

Is she gonna whack her? That might be our only option, but if it doesn’t knock her out-

However, after revealing the Miracle Mallet, Shin does not bring it down on Toyohime. She instead closes her eyes and mouths something Seija cannot make out. Toyohime seems to notice a presence behind her right as the mallet flashes, causing the princess to stop cold mid-turn. She does not move.

“What did you do?” Seija asks.

“I… made a wish,” says Shin. “One that would remove all traces of you from her memory.”

“That’s- Huh. Isn’t it risky to wish for such high-concept stuff?”

“Yes, but… I couldn’t let it end like this. We’re too close.”

“…”

“I wracked my brain on what might count as the ‘least’ amount of work for the mallet. I figured removing solely you from her mind would let her retain most everything else up to now, so the wish should cost less.”

“Still, something like that can’t be cheap, right?”

“Right now, I feel the mallet’s energy in her head. I won’t know until afterwards if the power’s waning. It should be done soon, so you need to go and do as much as you can while I finish up with her. We can meet at the edge of the forest near the passageway when you’re done.”

“It’ll take me forever to move around while I’m small, though. And I can’t switch sizes without you nearby.”

“…Do you think you could use that trick you showed me before to bridge certain swathes of distances while small?”

“Hypothetically, maybe? But I bet it’d be mentally taxing.”

“In that case, I can leave a trigger on you. I’ve actually been messing around with this idea since we made the giant dango for the festival.”

“A trigger? What do you mean?”

“Basically, I implement a condition in the wish that would prompt the magic to be dispelled. With the dango, I wasn’t practiced enough with the idea by the time we had to execute, so I did it the normal way. Since then, I ran some tests using playing cards-”

“Hold on,” says Seija, raising a finger. “Did you cheat when we played Daifugō?”

“…Tenshi has cosmically good luck and you have the ability to overturn any situation. I was just making things fair.”

I don’t know whether to compliment or throttle her.

“Anyway, I can wish for you to grow small but only if you perform a certain action after the wish has been made. By extension, I can have that same action dispel it.”

“But I can only go back and forth once?”

“I could wish for more or to give you the ability outright, but that potentially pushes the mallet’s limits. We need to space out big ticket wishes if we want to avoid any backfires.”

“Considering bonnet here potentially used up our trump card, I think I can work with the cheaper idea. Give me the one time effect, I’ll find a way to make it work.”

Shin nods. “Alright. Since you’re already small, I don’t think it’s a stretch to tack the wish onto you as is. That means you can willingly change sizes three times.”

“Got it. So start small, then go big to small to big again as needed?”

“Yep. To switch, just raise your arms while thinking ‘grow big’ or ‘become small’.” As Toyohime begins to stir, Shin raises her mallet once more and infuses her partner with the wish. She then tosses over the shrunken replica mallet, adding, “Please be careful. I want you to prioritize getting home safe.”

Catching and fastening the replica to the back of her waist, Seija says, “Don’t worry. If they try to capture me, I’ll give ‘em hell.”

“You better.”

And with that, Seija proceeds to the palace while Shin begins smoothing things over with the discombobulated Toyohime.

Shin got us this far, time for me to pull my weight.

I write this letter knowing it can never be sent.

I can only hope that, somehow, the sentiment reaches you.

Your anger is something I could never know.

Your pain greatly eclipses mine.

You watched your loved one die.

I watched my love for another die.

But does that mean we can never commiserate?

Hearing what you did to reach me was shocking.

Yet, even in hate, you showed me more consideration than most.

After all, who would reject death at this stage?

Not that I have that luxury.

Maybe you, with your pure light, could find a way.

Erase my name, my history, my sins.

Or maybe you would leave me like this?

I have never seen you, but I know you to be beautiful.

To so thoroughly love another that the loss shapes you such.

My heart is far too selfish for that.

Too covered in life’s warts.

A simple candle could burn it away.

So please, do come back.

It would be nice to finally meet you.

It takes twenty minutes - much longer than she would like - but Seija manages to reach the palace’s outer wall from the back road without being detected. She passed by many establishments and stalls that hosted food, games, and general merriment; notably, these places seem to host far more rabbits than other Lunarians.

There aren’t any rabbits in uniform around; most must still be patrolling the forest. That might make it harder to return later, but one thing at a time.

A plethora of thick trees and bushes, which she passed through earlier, encompass the wall’s perimeter, providing plenty of cover for her as she ascends.

We didn’t have enough time to discuss it, but based on bonnet’s words, the Miracle Mallet somehow disguises impurity. Maybe it’s a literal size thing, where when I’m shrunken down, that energy’s mitigated. But that doesn’t explain Shin not registering on bonnet’s senses at all. Either way, as long as I’m tiny, whatever device or technique they use to detect it only works when I’m really close.

Once at the top, she plans her route to the main building.

The courtyard’s pretty sparse between here and the inner wall, but it doesn't seem like there’s anyone roaming the grounds. I can fly between the treetops near the main path.

Her movements go unnoticed by the guards in front of the gate, who never turn around. Seija then arrives at the inner wall without issue; however, she immediately spies a new problem. A rabbit stands under the arch that marks the entrance of the palace itself, facing the interior. Her outfit, at least from the back, matches that of the others Seija saw in the outskirts.

A soldier. Is she talking to someone? Can’t make it out.

Emboldened and curious, Seija flies directly to the balcony surrounding a smaller structure that rests on top of the arch. She assumes it to be primarily decorative, though it could also serve as a lookout. The arch itself is built into the palace; the actual doorway, Seija guesses, is directly below her. She then lies flat near the edge and focuses on any sounds she can make out.

“…tially bloo… …moved fast…”

Ugh, hardly getting anything from here.

Bits of a different voice reach her.

“…the route…”

“…beach… …Kaian…”

There is a pause.

“…with me.”

Footsteps and the shutting of a door are the last things Seija makes out before it goes silent.

They know we came from the beach? If that’s true, they’ll post guards by the passageway. Should I go back? …No. Shin knows how to stay hidden if she runs into them; I’d only endanger us both by regrouping early. I have to believe she’ll be fine until we meet up.

The Lunar Capital’s palace looms over her.

…I really want to go in there, but without Shin to back me up, I shouldn’t risk entering what has to be the most well secured place in the capital. Besides, there are other buildings behind the palace; maybe I’ll find something usable in those.

So begins her skittering over the palace roof like a squirrel, where she makes sure to avoid going too low or high. The palace’s back half has an extra story, which looks like a square house jutting out of a rectangular building. Seija gives it a wide berth.

Last thing I need is to run into Tsukuyomi or whoever calls the shots here.

Once at the back of the palace and close to the inner wall’s far side, Seija gets a better view of an equally large - though far more drab - building behind it.

Didn’t realize from the viewpoint before, but this rear building would be hard to see from ground level. Even the trees around this area are taller. So dull looking, too. Might be a storehouse.

She clears the far wall and descends the narrow gap between it and the building. Once on the ground, she scours for a defect in the building she can use as an entrance, but soon finds the stone to be immaculate on all sides.

Their maintenance is airtight. I can see where small blemishes were fixed, too. It’s not like how Eientei had barely aged.

After five minutes of scouting, the only way in to be found is the presumably intended one: a set of red wooden doors that face away from the palace. They are two-and-a-half meters tall and, from what Seija can tell, not particularly thick. No handle or keyhole to be seen, but seem easy to open were she regularly sized. The standout feature, though, is what rests over the doors: a criss-crossing arrangement of shimenawa.

Is this building sacred somehow?

Seija moves to the door and, as she expects, it does not budge from her tiny form’s pushing.

Let’s try the trick from Eientei.

Clearing her mind, she uses the protractor analogy Shin suggested to better help visualize the doors rotating inward. However, they do not budge.

This isn’t normal resistance. It’s similar to Shin’s castle, but weaker. Some kind of magical force. The shimenawa, maybe?

The sacred ropes, on closer examination, are attached to the wall on one end via hooks.

Oh, guess you just remove them that way. They must enter this place a lot.

Not a sound besides Seija has been audible since she reached ground level around this building. The lack of weather and animals in the capital, including insects, results in far less ambience than anyone from Earth would be used to.

No one’s nearby and I'll definitely hear if someone comes close. Plus I need to be able to actually move and take whatever’s in here.

Seija raises her arms.

Grow big!

Near instantly, her body returns to normal.

Good trick, Shin.

Not wanting to waste a moment in case her impurity has become more easily sensed, Seija cleanly unhooks the shimenawa and opens the doors in seconds. She re-hooks them just as fast once inside and leaves the entrance open with the slightest crack.

Don’t wanna get stuck in here but I have to make it seem closed from a distance. This should be fine for now.

Only after ensuring that does Seija let herself absorb the interior. The lighting is dim and the wooden floors creak. Nothing lines the walls nearby, nor are there any doors. Just a path stretches in front of her.

Weird place, but can’t let that slow me down.

Her steps are brisk yet controlled, ready to stop cold or break into flight at a moment’s notice. Nothing changes in the building barring the rare sharp turn. Minutes pass.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say this place is bigger on the inside.

With so little to see, Seija focuses on the finer details.

I don’t see or feel any dust. How sealed off can this hallway be? And the light fixtures in the ceiling are so, I dunno, blocky? They’re encased in some kinda opaque glass. The floor and walls aren’t grossly colored, so they don’t draw attention, but they’re dark enough in the light that I barely register them. It’s a different feeling from wandering in the dark.

Another turn.

So austere yet not quite barren. I wouldn’t call it oppressing, just… lonely. Isolated from the world.

Seija turns the next corner. This time, she sees something new. An end to the path.

Finally. …Is that a screen? There’s light and some shadows behind it.

She subconsciously slows down as the distance between her and the screen lessens. The floor stops creaking. All Seija hears is her own breathing. Then, as she gets closer, a sudden sound. Paper ruffling, so quiet yet so audible in the hall. Then the clink of a cup. Something tapping on wood. Signs of life. Finally, Seija reaches the screen and, crouching down, pulls it up enough for her to cross the threshold.

They pick the toad up

But it breathes in their hand

“Worth a try,” they say

And ascend from the land

It’s put in a cage

For a very long time

Left to consider

All the sins of its crime

The years pass it by

While every day lingers

Soon it goes quiet

Waiting for the stinger

But then there’s a change

More moving than a song

From under the screen

A new face comes a-

“Hm?”

The poem’s writer, engrossed as she was, only now realizes she has no room left on the page. She retrieves a fresh sheet from below her writing table and lays it flat. But instead of immediately resuming, she takes a moment to reconsider her unfinished poem. Her finger runs over each line as if they were on the new page, counting syllables and gauging their meter. She then reaches for her tea cup and goes to take a sip while her writing hand taps the table with the bottom of her brush, only to realize the cup’s lid is still on. But just as she finishes processing this, a noise from behind startles her so much she drops the tea.

Seija looks around, exceedingly puzzled by the room she has stumbled into. The clang of the dropped cup immediately prompts her to face forward. She freezes upon noticing the person there.

“Well this is a surprise,” says the writer, turning around. While the cup did land on the table, a combination of the lid and her own hand immediately stabilizing it prevented a spill. “Who might you be?”

“Uhhhh…”

I heard noises but didn’t think someone was actually here!

Now mostly past her surprise, the writer smiles casually and says, “I take it you’re trespassing? Can’t say I’ve ever seen you before, and they’re very particular about who gets to see me. The horns are a giveaway as well.”

“Are you going to arrest me?” Seija asks, readying herself for battle.

“Odd thing to ask a prisoner.”

“Huh?”

“You must not know who I am. My name is XX, but if you’re from Earth, you can simply call me Chang’e.”

Chapter Text

“Chang’e…?” Seija repeats.

Reimu mentioned her before.

The imprisoned goddess’s hair, white but sky blue at the ends, is done up in two buns atop her head while the rest, barring the fringes over her forehead and ears, drapes pristinely down her back. A thin headpiece - green, with blue near the edges and an eye pattern in the center - lies between the buns and bangs. Her face is more difficult for Seija to scrutinize. It is undoubtedly beautiful, nearly flawless barring the thin lines under her light blue eyes; yet something about her expression, the subtle movements, strikes Seija as ancient. Like thousands of years stored in a few decades. It reminds her of Eirin.

“You’re… an immortal, aren’t you?” she says, almost unconsciously.

Chang’e replies, “You didn’t already know? Here I thought Earthlings knew me well enough to name their space programs in my honor. Maybe some parts of the story have faded…”

‘Space program’? I remember Sumireko talking about ‘Apollo’ or something…

“I suppose that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll ask again: who are you? Not to be rude, but you did barge into my room without announcing yourself.”

“I have no reason to tell you anything,” says Seija, returning to her proper headspace.

“Really? You’re a trespasser, I’m a prisoner; I think we could be friends.”

“Now that’s a riot. Here’s a question: broken taboo or not, why’s a goddess a prisoner?”

“Does godhood absolve one of sin? Any power we have comes from effort and prayer.”

“Spare me the philosophy, you get my meaning.”

Chang’e chuckles and says, “Your sharp tongue is quite refreshing. My usual interactions are such sordid affairs. Even after all this time, my fellows can’t seem to reconcile their respect for me and their distaste for my actions. To answer your question, no one is above the taboo. Another goddess, even older and wiser than Lord Tsukuyomi, drank the Hourai Elixir and is now stuck on Earth.”

“You mean Eirin?”

“Oh, you know her? Have you met Kaguya as well, then?”

“In passing a couple times, but we’ve never spoken directly.”

“I see. Still, pass on my regards next time you meet,” says Chang’e, a dubious smile on her face. “And yes, I was referring to XX- Excuse me, Eirin.”

“Okay, seriously, what’s with… whatever that is. It’s like you’re saying something I can’t process.”

“Hehe.”

“Something funny?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to demean. To your question, among this realm’s founders, we all have names unpronounceable to Earthlings. Without proper tutelage, you could never hope to speak or even understand them. That’s why we all have a second name, for use by those like you.”

Neat, but irrelevant. Let’s get back on track.

“Are you the only reason for this building?” Seija asks.

“Unfortunately for would-be thieves, yes. Is that what you are?”

“Save it. What’ll it take for you not to snitch?”

Chang’e raises an eyebrow. “Did you see another soul in that hallway? Or do you think me free to leave on a whim?”

“Great, then I’m heading out.”

“So soon?”

“I don’t have time to play house with you.”

“A shame. Here I thought I could make another friend from Earth.”

Despite already having her hand on the screen to leave, those words stop Seija instantly.

‘Another’? She must mean someone she knew from before her imprisonment. …Right?

“Curious, are you?” Chang’e asks. “If we chat for a bit, you might learn more than just that. Information is but another thing to steal.”

She glances to her right, drawing Seija’s attention to the wall left of the entrance. Massive bookshelves, filled to bursting, cover it from floor to ceiling. Incidentally, the far wall features the work table Chang’e sits at - itself covered in supplies and a handful of amenities, such as a tea set on a built-in shelf - and a door to what Seija assumes is where she bathes and sleeps. The right wall is much more plain, with only a few texts stacked on the ground and a rectangular object covered with a tarp leaning on the wall.

Seija approaches the shelf-filled wall near two of them and asks, “Are these all Lunarian texts?”

“History books, legal tomes, novels written by noble and commoner alike. Of course, some of my own works are mixed in as well, but I would guess you have little interest in the ramblings of a prisoner.”

There’s so many… More than I can carry, let alone read. It would take hours just to parse which are useful.

“Oh, pardon me. You don’t know where to begin, do you?” says Chang’e, her expression more mischievous than before.

“I get the picture. You must really want someone to talk to.”

“It breaks up the monotony.”

Guess this is the safest method to gather info. Might as well play nice for now.

Seija goes to sit down at the table while her new host procures a small box from underneath. 

“Wonderful! Please, help yourself to one of these,” says Chang’e. She opens the box and inside are a half-dozen confections shaped like thick discs. “They’re called mooncakes!”

Pretty on the nose. They even have the characters for the name on it.

As Seija grabs and bites into one, the taste immediately reminds her of the manjū she shared with Shin at the dango festival.

Heh…

“I’ll take that smile as a sign you like it,” says Chang’e.

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, now tell me-”

“Hold on, that’s no way to start a conversation. At least lead with a fact about yourself before interrogating me.”

Where the hell does this lady get off?

“…Masashi. That’s my name.”

“No it’s not.”

Silence, though only for a moment. Seija is thrown by how flatly Chang’e denies the lie.

Uh…

“You’re a clever sort,” says Chang’e, the same affable smile still plastered to her face. “You’d have to be to make it here, so I don’t blame you for wanting to hide your identity. Leave as few traces behind as possible, right?”

“…Guilty as charged.”

“Though given how distinct your appearance is, I don’t think hiding your name affords you much insurance in this instance. If I even had the ability to report you, that is.”

Well I wasn’t planning on being spotted at all.

Chang’e continues, “So, that being the case, I’ll ask again: what’s your name?”

“Fine. It’s Seija. Seija Kijin.”

“‘Kijin’, hm? Which characters does it use?”

“‘Oni’ and ‘human’, though I’m neither. Why do you care?”

“Hehe.”

“Stop doing that.”

“Pardon me. You are a youkai, yes?”

“…Yeah?”

“What kind?”

“An amanojaku. You trying to profile me or something?”

“Just curious. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Seija.”

“Uh huh. Now, what kinda info are you offering?”

“What would you like to know?”

Where to even start… Don’t want to keep Shin waiting too long either. If we’re planning on coming back, anything to make future visits go smoother would be good.

Following a brief deliberation, Seija asks, “What’s the deal with that princess, Toyohime? She can sense impurity. No one else I passed by seemed to notice me. And what about those weird gem-growing plants? They reacted when I got close.”

“Hold on,” says Chang’e, raising an eyebrow. “You encountered Toyohime, yet you’re still here? That seems ill-advised. She probably has troops scouring for you as we speak.”

“Let me worry about that. Just answer.”

Rather not let slip Shin being here.

“Oh? Just what have you been up to?” Chang’e asks with a renewed smile, clearly not expecting an answer. “Well, to start from the end, those plants are exactly what you think: an alarm system. They react to impurity. Patrol units routinely go through the forest and check to see if any have been triggered. Those same units are also in charge of maintaining and, if need be, replace them; the plants are always growing ever so slightly, you see.”

“Why? Isn’t this a pure land?”

“In much the same way any land untouched by life is. It was not created from nothing to house us like, say, the celestials’ Heaven. While other pure lands might be more resistant to outside influences, this place’s primary purpose is to give those below a light in the night. The guardians here must wrestle with that vulnerability.”

“You came up here and locked everyone out, despite having plenty of wealth and space to go around. Sounds just like Heaven to me.”

“Ha! You’re not wrong. But even still, their citizens differ. In Heaven, it’s the devout who are rewarded with eternity; this is a land of immigrants who cast aside their lifespans. All here came from Earth and, likewise, all here carry a kernel of impurity inside. The barrier protects the capital from outside contaminants and those in power do their utmost to maintain it all, but they delay the inevitable. Nothing can stop its inexorable decline, since we - and the planet we reflect - are the cause.”

“You can rattle off all the technicalities you want. What makes Lunarians functionally any different from celestials? Both were purified by gods, right?”

“I am not Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi. I couldn’t tell you what they think or how their divine acts differ here or there. Honestly, I doubt even they know. You’d have to view the beginning of everything to gain any true understanding.” Chang’e goes quiet for a moment, hand on her chin. “If I had to offer a guess, maybe we aren’t different in the end. Nothing and no one can ever be truly rid of impurity once it touches them. Even celestials are still stalked by death, correct? Whatever has a beginning must eventually end. Maybe Heaven too will one day cease to be.”

…Huh.

“Alright,” says Seija. “What about Toyohime? Why was she the only one to sense me?”

-Thirty Minutes Before Seija Finds Chang’e-

Shin watches her partner vanish from view behind a recovering Toyohime.

Stay safe, Seija.

A groan escapes the princess’s lips.

Time to focus. What should I say? What will she remember?

Toyohime shakes her head while rubbing her temples. “What was I…?”

“Milady!” Shin nearly shouts. “Are you alright? You seemed to zone out for a moment.”

“I did…?” Glancing down at the fan still in her hand, she says, “There was… impurity…?”

“You’re getting mixed up. That was outside the capital.”

I really hope whatever’s preventing her from sensing mine holds out.

“I could have sworn there was something here,” says Toyohime, scanning the area.

“I haven’t noticed anything, though admittedly I don’t have much experience in the topic.”

Those words cause Toyohime’s ears to perk up. “…But you are able to notice?”

Shoot. Is that not an intrinsic skill for Lunarians? Kinda assumed… Should try to keep it vague.

“Um, I think so?” says Shin, which prompts Toyohime to bend down slightly and study her. “Could be mistaken.”

“Do you recall when you first thought you could feel it?”

Oh great. She’ll probably know if I just make something up. Think think think…!

Once Toyohime vacates her personal bubble, Shin says, “It was… when the human shrine maiden came here. She wasn’t pure. Maybe it was a placebo since everyone knew where she was from.”

Reimu never talked much about her first time in the capital. Really hope I didn’t contradict the story.

“Everyone has the potential to perceive it,” says Toyohime after a moment. “But living here makes us accustomed to purity, doubly so for those born in the capital that have never experienced anything else.”

“…”

“What I mean to say is that, culturally, it’s an underdeveloped skill. A small enough impurity could probably hide on someone’s back and, depending on the person, they would never know. That’s why we have the plants to detect it.”

Keep a straight face, keep a straight face, keep a straight face…

“Why is that?” Shin asks. “Er, I mean, if anything, wouldn’t impurity stand out to us more since it’s so foreign?”

“Institutions here need better oversight if even that much is beyond you.”

“Sorry for not knowing everything.”

Need to still be a little blunt since that’s what she expects.

“Heh, it’s not your fault. Pitiable, yes, but no one should be blamed for circumstances out of their control.”

Condescending, but surprisingly reasonable.

“Well, I appreciate you saying that. I feel the same,” says Shin.

Those words strike a chord in Toyohime, who responds, “Though you are an odd one.”

“H-how so?”

“Before, when I asked your opinion on my interactions with Reisen, you seemed to think it was a problematic question.”

Oh are they actually that racist here?

“Well, uh, I-”

“Please, as with your manners, don’t feel you need to act that way with me either.”

…Huh.

Shin, after a moment, says, “Well, if you want my honest opinion, yes, the question was weird. Regardless of the reasons, othering the rabbits like that is wrong.”

“Quite the progressive, aren’t you? Though I won’t deny that sentiment has gradually grown over the years, despite some of my colleagues' grumblings.”

“Are you… allowed to say something like that to a civilian?”

“It might ruffle some feathers but there are few with the ability to overrule me. And I’m hardly a stranger to being a social pariah after that incident with the Hakurei woman you mentioned.”

Um… Reimu came here with Marisa and some folks from the mansion. Only Reimu stayed behind. That’s all I know, but…

“She stuck around for a while to help clear that up, if I recall,” says Shin, hoping her guess lands.

“…Yes, that’s right. There were quite a few unsavory rumors about my sister and me at the time.”

“You’ll forgive me for believing a few of them at first.”

Toyohime chuckles. “Again, I appreciate your honesty. The circumstances were rather damning. I’m thankful to Reimu Hakurei, in a way; her arrival exonerated Yori and me before we could be formally accused of conspiracy.”

“Still, the rumors and having Earthlings invade made it quite a stressful time.”

“Yes, we must always nip any social unease in the bud lest it spiral. That Yakumo tried to sow discontent, you see. She was sore after losing the first time and taught that shrine maiden how to summon gods. And since only Yori was known to have that skill at the time-”

“-it perfectly set you two up.”

“Exactly,” says Toyohime.

Even on the Moon, finishing someone’s sentence is a surefire way to seem smart. Or annoying.

She continues, “Yet rumors can also be spun to your advantage. Instead of forcefully shutting them down and inviting mistrust, you can manipulate their circulation. Inject new ‘truths’. Create urban legends.”

“…”

“And eventually, when the pin drops, you can influence which ‘truth’ will emerge.”

“Kinda chilling when you put it that way.”

“Politics often are. But I digress, we’ve strayed far from the main point.” Toyohime looks Shin dead in the eye, her smile inscrutable. “I graciously accept that your plans are none of my business-”

So she remembers everything up to right before attacking Seija.

“-but be that as it may, may I invite you to postpone them and join me for some tea at my home? You’re an extremely interesting person, if you don’t mind my saying so. And I get the feeling you might want to learn more about me. If nothing else, it would give me the opportunity to seem more ‘respectable’ to a valued constituent.”

Is she…? No, focus Shin, she’s married. This is a good chance to get some insider info. The wish worked from what I can tell; she doesn’t seem to suspect me right now. My mallet’s magic isn’t waning either. Seija’s gonna need time to finish her end and I know she’d take this chance in my position.

“Well, Jin?” Toyohime asks again.

“An opportunity like this doesn’t come around every day. I can put my plans on hold if you’re really offering.”

“Far be it from me to fib,” says Toyohime, offering Shin an arm.

…Stay vigilant, Shin.

Their arms lock as Toyohime says, “This might feel disorienting.”

Wait, is she gonna-!

The scene in front of Shin distorts, turning into a busy street filled with stalls attended by and selling to hundreds of moon rabbits. Earth overhead has become the tiniest bit more distant and none of the behemoth buildings of steel can be seen on the horizon. Rather, many shorter, traditional towers dot the area.

Crap. She teleported us. Are there multiple cities on the Moon?

“You seem confused,” says Toyohime. “Should’ve expected as much. Most are loath to leave the capital proper.”

“I… just never had good reason. Color me interested.”

“While the gods live in the Dragon Palace and others, like my husband, reside in the surrounding area, my sister and I live here in Mare Ingenii.”

…As in THE Dragon Palace? I thought that was underwater on Earth. No idea what ‘Mare Ingenii’ means, either. Asking would probably blow my cover.

Shin assumes a calm veneer and says, “And you’ll take me back once we’re done?” 

“Of course. I wouldn’t force a civilian to cross the seas on their own.”

‘Seas’ plural?

“Just wanted to be sure.” Shin scans the area again. “There are so many rabbits here, even more than in the main city.”

“Yes, most of them veterans or family thereof. This area wasn’t always so bustling or had this many buildings. Originally, it was just the manor that my sister and I now reside in.”

“So it’s because of the rabbits this place grew into its own town?”

“Mhm. It seems many who served in the corps like us enough to stay here. It probably helps that things are less strict here than the capital.”