Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome to the great and wonderful land of Gensokyo.

Well, I say that, but what kind of introduction would it be if I didn’t explain what Gensokyo even is?

You can say that Gensokyo is, poetically speaking, a land of fantasy interspersed with the unknown. A land painted with various phantasms bordering on the impossible, which makes it all the more fantastical. Anything you don’t believe exists, exists here. Whether it be legends, folktales, deities, or even something factually impossible, all of it is possible in Gensokyo! Of course, rules also apply here for a lot of things, and for very good reason.

“Hey! I see something over there!”

Why are there rules? Because the entirety of Gensokyo is predominantly inhabited by demons. Or as the locals like to call them and themselves, youkai. The first them are actually the humans who live in this land. Yes, there are humans, but I’d say they’re taking up at least 1-2% of the whole Gensokian population, give or take. The rest of them are, you guessed it, youkais!

Disregarding the fact that I may have botched up the classification of the entire population, those humans are said to fear youkais to the death. I honestly think that claim is bollocks, though. The way I see it, the humans who gathered up themselves up in their village seemed to coexist with youkais just fine. Trust me, I actually live there for the time being, and I often see humans with non-human features going on about with their lives. The village is known as the Human Village, a village with a clear, simple, and completely uninspired name!

Well, the name may be uninspired, but at least it doesn’t hamper those who are vertically challenged like I am!

Also, if humans are supposed to fear youkais, then it doesn’t even help that likely, more than 90% of the Gensokian youkai population are all in the form of humanoid girls. I’m not kidding at all here! Every single youkai here who are part of the 90% are just humanoid girls, full stop. The only way you can tell if someone’s a yokai is if it’s not even humanoid to begin with or if you spot an inhuman trait in them! At this point, you’re better off thinking of yokai as far less “demons” and far more “inhumans”. Though, even the classification of youkais themselves is blurry in some areas. Ah, what the heck. I’ll discuss that blur when I get the opportunity!

“Cirno, wait up! What exactly did you see!”

“Look! Look down there, Daiyousei! Some green glowing thing! Is that a bug?”

“A bug?”

…Ignoring the urges that compel me to blow these fairies away for insulting my very being, I figure now’s a good time to talk further on the classifications of youkai. For a land named Gensokyo, there’s actually a good amount of non-Japanese demons. Case and point, those fairies above me that actually dared to call me a bug.

“Um…, I don’t think that’s a bug. I don’t know why, but I can feel it.”

“What do you mean you can feel it?! This thing is definitely a… firefly, was it? Those bugs that Wriggle always has around!”

…If anyone wants to know, the fairies of Gensokyo can be said as embodiments of an aspect of nature. If for some manner or reason they somehow kick the bucket, nature will just bring them back. If you happen to be one particularly agitated person who just had a very bad day, you can go on ahead and vent some of your stress by beating them up till you’re satisfied. Crazy suggestion, I know! But trust me, sometimes teaching them a lesson is worth it.

“Cirno… I think he’s starting to get angry. He’s glowing red now.”

“Red? So what? It’s nothing more than a little glowy bug! I am the strongest of the fairies! There’s nothing it can do to me! HAHAHAHAHA!”

…Especially if one of those fairies happen to be VERY ANNOYING.

“Can you AT LEAST JUST SHUT UP?!!!”

Soon enough, the blue haired fairy that continued to talk smack was soon sent flying by a blistering gust of wind, screaming for her life while flailing her whole body around like the idiot she is. You can’t imagine how SATISFYING that was for me! This is what you get for testing my patience, Cirno!

“Cirnooo! I’m so sorry, mister! I’ll be off now!”

……….

Well! At least this Daiyousei still has her head screwed straight, meek as she may be. Now where was I?

Oh. I’ve been talking about Gensokyo and its population for a good amount, yet I never talked about the one who’s giving all these explanations in first person! I’ve been a fool.

As for who I am, I am Issun-boshi. Certified artist hailing from a village that is now long gone in the land of mortals, masterful swordsman able to contend with most stalwart of demons, and the profound and all-powerful Celestial Envoy of the Gods! A pleasure to meet you all!

Now, you might be wondering how the heck did I somehow end up in the land of fantasy of Gensokyo. Especially after everything that just happened to me way back then. Of course, I’d be happy to tell you everything, starting from the very beginning!

Also, this may sound funny to you, but a good bunch of guys went out and made a game featuring my adventures. If you want to learn about the journey itself from me, then you’re actually inbound into spoiler territory. Yeah, I know. It’s hilarious that the person who underwent the journey is warning you about spoilers regarding it.

If you want to really experience the journey I went through before I spill it out from my mouth, then I suggest that you take the valid equivalent of a finger, and scroll down with your eyes closed until you think you’ve gone past spoiler territory. You’re better off playing the game itself for the full experience. Having connections allowed me to play it for myself and they caught the story far better than words ever could.

But if you’ve already seen my grand adventure with your own eyes, or you want to hear my recount of it, then thanks. I appreciate having people who want to stick around. Now where to start…

I think it’s best I start from the very beginning. That Cirno called me a bug, and while I have every reason to lash out at her for making such senseless comments out of pure smugness, being literally one-inch tall won’t do you favors in beating the bug allegations. Yes, I am actually one-inch tall. If you’re thinking if I’m the only one who’s this tall, then you’re dead wrong. I belong to a race known as the Poncles, a whole group of people who are also severely vertically challenged like me by being one-inch tall. We even have our own village in a tree bark called Ponctan!

And it is there in Ponctan where I took up painting and heard of my grandfather’s exploits as the Celestial Envoy of the Gods, destined to travel with the Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu. Back then, I didn’t really think much about it. I was already content with pursuing painting what I want, and to the likely surprise of many, I enjoyed painting women that I fancy, whether they are fully dressed or in risque fits.

In retrospect, this is likely going to make me the greatest menace to Gensokian society due to the gender imbalance that is heavily skewed towards females. Because almost all youkais in this great land happens to look like human women! I will not hold shame in my pursue of craft in the slightest! And mind you, I never stopped painting in that category! I just decided to be very discreet when doing that or do those from requests!

Anyway! Introspective reflection on my hobby-turned-job aside, I was content with my love of painting. Everything I knew in regards to painting is all thanks to my grandfather, Isshaku. He has always been of the strict sort, but a kind one all around. He may have been hard on me way back when I started my path to be a painter, but that’s his way to push me to be all that I can be. He’s also the one who taught me how to fight with a sword, and the one I have with me, Denkomaru, remained my trusty pointer to this day!

Though, there’s a point where he ended up going too far, and started pushing me way harder than necessary, all because he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. At that time, I didn’t know, or care about being a Celestial Envoy like I am now. Again, I’d rather be there painting my passions away, then begin my journey to be one like the old man when the time is right! He wasn’t having it though, and kept on pushing despite protests. I ended up being so fed up with his haggling, and he disowned me on the spot.

And thus, I became a wandering artist, walking the land of Nippon, present day Japan. I’ll admit that being a wanderer isn’t easy, considering that you’re a practical nobody to everybody else. Add my physical disadvantage to the mix, and it ended up being hard for me to get any attention. It didn’t help that demons also existed in Nippon, but didn’t evolve into becoming cute girls unlike the Gensokians. Real vicious sort, they are, I’ll say that!

Soon enough, my journey brought me to Kamiki Village, one of the biggest villages this side of Nippon. However, that was also the time when the vile serpent of legend Orochi came back unsealed and plunged the entire land to corruptive darkness. It was also the first time where I met who would be my lifelong companion, even if our first encounter was a little shaky, which literally involved her trying to literally EAT me. Funny times, once you get used to it.

Who was, and still is my lifelong companion? Any ordinary person wouldn’t believe me, but for anyone who knows me or are extraordinary, they’d believe that my greatest friend is the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Back then, I was already aware of her divinity, but who would have thought that she’s a leading figure of a religion? What was once a fateful encounter ended up becoming blessings upon blessings in the long run. If anyone ever studied up on mythology like I did, you’ll understand why!

From then on, me and Amaterasu embarked on a journey like no other, accomplishing feats unheard of at the time. From slaying a creepy a spider woman haunting ruins within a jungle, to restoring all the greenery in the land through bringing trees known as Guardian Saplings back to life. We even managed to vanquish Orochi and seal him back with the help of Kamiki’s infamous drunken swordsman, Nagi! Granted, he was there to save his not-so-subtly implied love interest and wine maker Kushi, and it took him a lot of time to get over himself, but hey, chalk some points to him for getting over himself!

And if you thought that was the end of it, then you thought wrong! The land of Nippon is larger than one might think, and with it, more adventures to be had! Our exploits only grew more and more from that point. Me and Ammy saved a whole city from demonic blight, with the added bonus of saving a princess that hailed from the moon. Then we went and tore a fox’s tails and body a new one after suffering its machinations that reeeally gnawed at our hearts, then we went back to Wep’keer to end the eternal winter surging over there. We somehow even crossed time and vanquished Orochi again and met both Ammy’s ancestor and old man Isshaku back when he’s still spry! It’s not every day one can be a time traveler!

…I’ve already gone this far, so I may as well spill the climax. All I’ll say is that after everything that has happened, me and Ammy had to go our separate ways. In our darkest hour, I finally embraced my duty as a Celestial Envoy, and through my paintings, I rallied every single person in Nippon to pray to the greatest furball that ever lived, all to defeat the fabled God of Darkness known as Tokoyami-no-Sumeragi. Apparently, that god was responsible for the demons that plagued Nippon, so having him dead was the best thing that could have happened to us!

Still… If I had embraced my role sooner, I’d have been able to be alongside Ammy and fight that god together with her. But if I did, I wouldn’t be able to convince everyone in Nippon to pray to Ammy at the time. Hmm…

Water under the bridge. What matters is that the entire mess with Yami is done and dusted, and peace went back to Nippon. After everything that’s happened, I went on to become a wandering artist, just like the times before I went upon this grand adventure. I traversed great peaks of earth, perfected my swordplay, shared my art with many a man, and so much more! What’s more, even though Yami kicked the bucket, apparently demonkind did not. Demons still ran rampant across the land, and I definitely didn’t decide to just stay idle! The biggest win I got was against a group of strong onis that were planning to eat the daughter of a noble!

And to top it all off, I managed to get myself married! I took up my wife’s last name, and we even had children together! You might be wondering how I managed to have a kid with a human when I’m only one inch, but I have with me a surprise tool that I’ll tell you all later! The problem with Poncles however is that we age slower than humans.

…Yeah, you can probably guess the repercussions of a Poncle marrying a regular human. It made for very sad times when the time came. Well, at least with that realization, I actually counted myself lucky that I had a mind to have a few kids of my own. By the time I kicked the bucket, however, I unfortunately didn't have any family by my side. That is not to say that my death is a lonely one! I was a respected elder back in my day, and I led a fulfilling and exciting life until that moment! My death was somber in a different way though, but that's an entirely different bowl of nuts. What matters is that due to my deeds in life, which mostly leaned towards greatness (because obviously, I busted my ass to get to where I am.), I was decreed to spend my new afterlife at the Celestial Plains, also known as Heaven, at the highest plane of Takamagahara.

Life at Takamagahara was bliss. The Celestial Plains is as heavenly as one might expect, and since Takamagahara is at the highest plane, I get to enjoy the highest honors that only the top gods of a religious pantheon can only have! Speaking of top gods, this also means that I get to spend my time with Amaterasu and the Celestial Brush Gods that reside there! It felt like a touching reunion all around, and we feasted for days in celebration of it. I think that was also one of the few times I bawled my eyes out from pure joy!

You’re probably wondering then. I practically won the afterlife jackpot, and I’ve practically slated myself to live out the rest of my immortal life in peace. So, why exactly am I in the mortal plane here in Gensokyo? Well, ladies and gentlemen, life in a world where every single thing you desire is fulfilled so easily gets boring. You gotta find something to struggle for if you want to ensure that life will stay interesting, even if it’s as simple as trying to flip two bottles all at once.

Which is why I decided to just go and shift residences, from Takamagahara to Gensokyo! Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean I abandoned the Celestial Plains entirely. It just went into being a vacation spot, where I hang out with the gods and eat and drink as much as I want! It’s also my only way of understanding what’s going on what they call the Outside World, also known as the actual world where humanity continued to progress through the ages! A man once said that the truly evolved man moves with the times. Well, I may not be an actual human, but I’m man enough to know that I gotta keep myself updated!

Pulling back to Gensokyo, this land of fantasy is actually closed off from the Outside World, which is understandable once you realize the amount of yokais skulking about. The yokai here thrive upon the fear of humanity, and man eating yokais are still on the table. If they were to break free, it would be a nightmare for the Outside with all the disastrous events that can be casually imposed upon them without a care.

Case and point, the dark red mist that’s currently wandering about without a care in the world! Unfortunately, this isn’t the kind of mist that can be swatted away with a single Galestorm. It’s so omnipresent that it’s even blotting out the sun. If the perpetrator is trying to create a macabre spin on the Day of Darkness, then congratulations. They’ve nearly made me consider actually getting off my ass and finding who they are so I can give them a proper beating!

I say nearly, because apparently this fantastic land has their equally fantastic problem solvers to handle issues like this! News around the Human Village have informed me about the existence of a powerful yokai exterminator known as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden able to solve incidents like this within a day and return to sleep as if nothing ever happened. Though, there’s extra rumors that say that she’s often accompanied by an ordinary stereotypically dressed witch, complete with the classic hat, and equally powerful on her own right!

Together, they can tackle any incident and clear it out with grace and efficiency! At least, that’s what the rumors say. If the rumors are true, then no doubt that they’ve already sniffed this chaos out and went out to deal with it right away! I won’t even have to lift a finger, and since I’m free from any dutiful obligation, I am not obligated to loop myself into this incident at all! I can just continue to sit away near the Misty Lake and paint the morbid scenery before me with no one to change my mind!

~ Thinking Warmly ~

…I say that, except the universe decided to throw me a bad bone.

Why? Because I’m seeing a girl in the distance walking along the road toward who knows what? Any sane human wouldn’t even try going out under such hostile weather, so what is she doing here of all places?!

Alas, my ancient heart still has a soft spot for cute girls, and it now drives me to leap on over and see why she’s out here. Let’s see… red skirt, white long sleeves, ribbon on her hair and… yellow hair. Nope. Not the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, the Shrine Maiden in the rumors have a dark brownish hair, not bright yellow like hers. Not to mention, what kind of shrine maiden would carry an erhu? I have a good idea on what erhus are like, but is it normally that small?

Ah well. I may as well go over and see what her business is. And what better way to do it than to stand in her way?

“Stop right there!”

“Eh? Who’s there?” She’s looking around trying to find who halted her. Glad she can hear, but figures my height will be an issue, as always.

“Down here! Down here, lady!”

Seeing as I’m a living green light, she should be able to spot me nicely. And spot me she did, as she crouched down!

“Eh? You are… a green firefly? No, normal insects can’t talk so… who are you?”

…At least she has the decency to not assume things. “You can call me Issun. What’s yours?”

“My name is Rin, Rin Satsuki. Excuse me, but did you say your name is Issun?”

“Yeah. What of it?”

For some reason, she started pacing around and letting out hums. “Mm… Issun, Issun… Issun-boshi?”

“…You know of me.”

I’ll be damned. Someone on the mortal world who is not an oni, folklorist, or historian actually knows of me. It’s honestly filling me with pride!

“Of course! I read about you from a book I bought a few days back! If I remember correctly, it’s the tale of the One-Inch Boy, you rode down a river to a capital city on a bowl and eventually married a noble, right?”

So, the official story decided to make a few changes and focused more upon how I got married, eh? Choice of storyboard aside, she must have a very good memory if she managed to remember that off of a single book.

“Well, that latter part is correct, but that’s beside the point! Where did you get that book?”

“Mm, have you heard of Suzunaan?”

“The bookstore ran by one Kosuzu Motoori? Yep. That little bundle of spectacles is one of my most ardent supporters. She sold this to you?”

“Yes. Reading your story has been a journey, but I didn’t expect to meet the real Issun-boshi in the flesh somehow! What are you doing out here?”

“Painting the morbid scenery, which is mostly irrelevant. What is more relevant is what YOU are doing here, Rin. This red mist is no good weather for a stroll!”

“Ah…”

Her expression was quick to grow serious. “Do you happen to know of Incidents, Issun-san?”

“Yes, and I’m dead certain that this red mist counts as one. Your point being?”

“Well, I want to help a friend of mine in solving this Incident. I saw her flying past while returning from the Human Village, so I made a quick run back home to prepare. The problem is that...”

She trailed off for a moment. What’s the problem? “What? What is it?”

“Well, would you believe me if I ended up being too tired to fly?”

…Are you for real right now?

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t have rushed out as soon as I was finished preparing, but still! Knowing her, she’d likely reached the site of the incident by now.”

“Hold up. Slow down! One by one! First, who’s her? Second, where’s the source of the incident?!”

“Oh… Sorry.”

Great. Now I made her feel dejected. “Look, I’m sorry for yelling like that, apart from our insane height difference. I’m rather out of the loop here. So, can you tell me?”

“I see. Alright.” That managed to soothe her somewhat, and she also decided to sit down. I should to. “First, the person I’m referring to is Reimu Hakurei, a loose friend of mine. You’ve probably known about her since she’s very popular as the Incident solver of Gensokyo. The last incident that she solved happened to be a big one.

“Loose friend, huh? And, what’s the last incident?”

“Well, it mostly involves demons from Makai suddenly appearing in Gensokyo, though they’re apparently here as tourists. It was short-lived though.”

Demons from Makai, also known as Western Hell came over as tourists. Considering that that is classified as an Incident, I’m guessing that whoever set up that tourism venture forgot to bring the idea up to the Gensokians. In other words, this was non-consensual tourism and it led people to think it was an invasion from Makai.

Honestly, it’s a shame, but alas, their fault for just going through with the business without asking for consent. It would have been glorious if the deal panned out.

“Okay then. Let’s pull towards the current Incident. Where’s the red mist coming from?”

“I don’t really know, but Reimu was flying in the direction of Misty Lake. The source of the red mist has to be around here somewhere.”

“Fair reason. Alright, I understand what’s happening much more clearly now, Rin.”

So, Reimu Hakurei, the resident problem solver of Gensokyo is already hot on the case. So, with any luck, the incident will be quick to go away. Rin seems to have already rested enough, since she’s standing up now.

“Hah… I’m all refreshed now. In any case, thank you, and you’re welcome, Issun-san. If I may, I should be going now.”

“Wa-wa-wa-wait. Hold on, since you’re friends with her, then you know of how strong they are, right? You’re still going to go after them?”

“Yes. Having two heads is better than one. That and, even with the Spell Card rules recently put into place, I’m afraid she’s going to cause a lot of…collateral damage, so to speak. She tends to be very thorough with her danmaku since most incidents are caused by yokai.”

…Okay, I know I wouldn’t want to be an assumed accomplice to someone’s act of wanton destruction, Incident or otherwise, but there’s something I want to know further.

“I see… By the way, what are danmaku and these so-called Spell Card rules?”

The next thing I knew, Rin was looking at me like I’ve been living under a rock. What?

“I’m sorry. With all due respect, Issun-san, you don’t know about the Spell Card rules? Danmaku too?”

“…No, I don’t. Can you… You know what, never mind. I have a better idea.”

I can see she’s about to say something, but I stopped her, thankfully! “What is it?”

“Mind if I join you? You look like you need all the help you can get, and you can tell me about the Spell Card rules and whatnot on the way.”

And so, her expression immediately brightens up! “You’re asking me?! It would be an honor, Issun-san! We better be quick though. Chances are, we’re already lagging behind her as we are now.”

“True! Put on leg out for me. I’m hitching a ride.”

As soon as she stretched a leg out, confused as she may be, I was quick to hop onto her feet, then leapt all the way to her shoulders through advanced acrobatics that can’t be seen by the naked eye!

…In hindsight, the fact that the description is literal makes the entire thing seem sadder in retrospect. But at least I made myself comfortable quick. Though I can’t shake this feeling now that I’m up here.

“Are you feeling comfy on my shoulder, Issun-san?”

“Yep. Sure like my confidence in the sun, Rin. Feels like-“

…I had to stop midway. I’ve ridden on various animals and a wolf goddess before, but not a humanoid woman. Seeing her face up close was a first, enough to silence me for a moment.

Did I forget to mention that she’s also cute as a button up close? And…

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Feels like what?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I haven’t felt like this for a long time, traveling with a companion.”

“I see…” Rin’s growing contemplative for a moment. “Maybe you can tell me more about it? I’d like to hear more about you, Issun-san. Beyond what’s written in the books.”

“Sure, Rin. Well, as long as you tell me more about yourself. One story for another. Hpw’s that sound?”

Rin was so quick to nod. “Mm! I’ll commit all your stories to memory. I won’t forget!”

“Good. Good. Now let’s go! We have a Red Mist abnormality to clear out today and I’m not looking to be seeing red everywhere soon enough!”

So here I am, stumbling into a girl who’s earnest and kind, maybe a bit overzealous in getting involved in things, now joining her on my very first Incident resolution case, flying towards the sky in search for this abnormal weather and chasing after one Reimu Hakurei.

I’ll admit, I was getting bored of just lingering about, and just drawing a droll scenery like now is getting old fast. I need new inspiration, and what better way to get some than to go on a brand new adventure? Rin Satsuki may be no Amaterasu, but if my hunch is right, she’s no ordinary girl, much like how Ammy is no ordinary wolf. I have experience in this!

Who knows? Maybe with me and Rin around, we can shake things up and make the party more lively? I may not know anything about Spell Cards, but I’m a fast learner and history can attest to that! Besides, I have Rin to teach me!

Maybe in this quest, new inspiration will strike. We’ll see though! To a new adventure blessed under the sun!

...If only it was actually sunny today.

Chapter Text

"So, Issun-san. Can you fly?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"Well, almost everyone in Gensokyo I know of outside of the Human Village can fly, so I was wondering if you can too."

So here I am, flying through Misty Lake as I ride on the shoulder of my new friend, Rin Satsuki. Being an inchling gives me an advantage since I can hitch rides on pretty much anyone.

"Oh. I am capable of many things, Rin. Flying just so happens to be one of the things I CAN'T do. Believe it or not!"

You heard it here, folks. I, the great Issun-boshi, who has lived and died and ascended to Heaven, cannot fly. You'd think that after my ascendance, I'd be given the ability to fly wherever. But no. Apparently, flight is not an instant privilege to those who have risen to heaven. Granted, if that was the case, the landbound Brush Gods like Itegami and Bakugami would have been able to fly too!

I say that, but other gods like Tachigami and Kazegami can fly as well. Maybe they're the exceptions of that rule? Or is there something I'm completely missing out here? Then again, I wasn't exactly in a rush to learn how to fly.

Anyway, if you're wondering about what Brush Gods are, I'd tell you if I wasn't sensing how Rin may be looking at me like I'm dumb or something.

"Um… So, you don't know about danmaku or Spell Card duels, and you can't fly."

"Yeees… But hey, I'm a quick learner, Rin! I can teach myself how to fly if given the time, and if you teach me about this Spell Card duel thing, I'd be able to learn some too!"

That was able to placate her somewhat at least. "Alright then. We still have a long way to go in exploring this lake, so how about I teach you about Spell Cards here, Issun-san?"

"I'd appreciate it! You now have the honor of being the first to teach me something new!"

She was showing nothing more than a smile, but I can tell she's absolutely giddy at the prospect of teaching a figure of legend. I mean, who wouldn't? Especially when you're tutoring such a candid legend like your truly?

Anyway, now to make like a good kid I wasn't back then and pay attention.

"So, in regards to these Spell Card duels, they were initially brought when a vampire rampaged all across Gensokyo just because she was able to, and almost no one was able to stop her. She was eventually stopped at one point, but it took a lot of effort from the parties involved."

As the wind breezed by us, I nodded at her in understanding. So, a very strong vampire going about destroying things caused this mess? Hmm. "I'll take this as pretext for the creation of the Spell Card rules, but if I may! When did this happen?"

"A few months after the Makai Tourism Invasion incident. In any case, considering the strength disparity between the vampire and everyone else, Reimu along with a few others I know not of drafted the first iteration of the Spell Card rules, to allow for everyone, even the weak, to be able to stand up against the strong yokai."

"Nothing more than an equalizer then to ensure fair fights for everyone then. What's the specifics?" If I'm going to learn about this, specifics are key! Surely, it's won't be that bad!

"Well, there are a lot of variations of the rules ever since the first draft. One version state that combat is only to settled through ranged danmaku battles and capturing spell cards initiated by your opponents. Another variation is specifically meant for melee combat, combining physical capabilities with danmaku spell cards showcasing your prowess. And then there's one that combines both aspects of the previous variations, meaning that both melee and ranged combat are fair game."

…You know what? I'll take my words back. So, you're telling me there's three variations of the rules since the first conception, one for each specific style of combat? I can get that you need to prepare the rules for every circumstance, but!

"I see… Well, here's the problem, Rin. How am I supposed to know which iteration is the valid one for this current hour?!"

"Ahahah… Well, I do not know how the current active ruleset is determined, but I think it's safe to assume that the third variation takes effect right now."

"And how are you so sure?"

"Well, call it a girl's intuition! That's what Reimu calls it."

So now I have to go off a girl's gut instinct with the risk that she may have misled me with the wrong ruleset, and the risk of being smitten by the forces behind the rules if I am wrong. Can someone give me a more definite answer here?!

Alas, the only choice a proud Poncle like me can do is to just give and go with the flow.

"…Fine, fine. We'll roll with the third variation if you're sure of it. Now, those are the rules, but how about the cards? We can't have a duel without spell cards, right?"

"Yes. Here, I'll show you a card I have. Now let's see…"

And so, we stopped midway during the trip towards a slowing halt. I need to see this for myself… "Let's see… Ah, here!" She seems to have pulled something out, then held a card out near her shoulder for me to see.

I have to say, this card is like a showcase of art, what with the flowery motifs I'm seeing. It's like an abstract painting of flowers with petals scattering. I like what I'm seeing here!

"Now you have my interest. This is a Spell Card? I do like the artistry of this."

"I'm happy to hear! Through these cards, we channel our powers into a variety of attacks. Though the cards we have are tied to our inner nature and elemental affinities. I happen to have an affinity to the wind and nature, hence the card you see now."

Through these cards, people are able to channel their powers, eh? Kinda expected for the cards to be tied to our own inner strengths. Still, if that is to be…

"Does this apply to all our skills?"

"No, no. Spell Cards are wholly reserved for particularly powerful attacks, Issun-san. It would be far too much of a hassle if every attack had to use a card now, would it?"

Fair point, fair point. If the rules were like that, combat would be extremely stiff! These Spell Cards… Would it be accurate to call them, what's the world… Super Attacks? Is that even the right phrase?

"You got me there, Rin. I'd say you got me sold on the idea of Spell Cards. Heck, I wanna try them for myself!"

"That's wonderful to hear! In that case…"

She removed the card from my sight and stuffed it in, well, wherever she stored it, only to present a few more cards at me. Well, other than the borders surrounding the cards, they're blank?

"…Is this what I think this is?"

"Yes! They're what's known as Blank Cards! It's pretty much how we make more Spell Cards for ourselves. Since you want to try Spell Card duels, you can have three for now, but…"

"Say less."

Finally, I can have these Spell Cards for myself! Sure, they're blank, and currently they're too big, but I have the tool just for this occasion!

I take out a wooden mallet and give the giant cards a knock. Right after, the cards started to shrink right down to my size! My size! I can hear Rin exclaim in wonder as I grab the cards,

"Was that… Was that the fabled Miracle Mallet in action?!"

"Lucky Mallet, but yep! You remember it from reading it from my book?"

"Yes! A storied treasure of the oni, capable of granting wishes for its bearer to the best of its capability! I'm actually able to see it!"

I'm happy to see Rin being happy as I work wonders with the mallet, but… "Rin? A question, where exactly do you think I got this? I didn't know this is an oni's treasure."

"Eh? You didn't know? You got this after-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Our fanciful conversation was so rudely interrupted! Now who dares to-

"Eh? But we've already stopped. Hold on, are you a fairy?"

Let's see… A fairy, blue dress, ice blue hair…Wait.

"Oh gods. Not you again."

~ Thinking Warmly ~

I may have to reconsider the definition of a bad bone of the universe since meeting Rin is a definition of a fine diamond under one. Right now. I'm just hiding right behind Rin's back just to avoid being spotted by the queen of all that is boisterously dumb, Cirno.

Honestly, I should have expected an encounter with Cirno and her posse known as the reasonable Daiyousei! If she finds that I'm here, she's going to try to freeze me to death like an ice cube in a meat freezer! Really doesn't help that she's still babbling about me and what I just did!

"Hey you! Have you seen a little glowing bug anywhere?!"

"Glowing bug? I don't think I follow."

"Cirno, please stop! That green glowing person must have already left by now!" She's trying her best to ironically cool her down, but alas. Apparently Daiyousei is classified as a meek kid.

"You can't stop me, Daiyousei! That green glowing bug has gotta be around here somewhere! Maybe he's already eaten by a fish!"

…You know what, maybe I can reconsider showing myself if she's going to be annoying again.

"Excuse me, but what exactly did this green fellow do?"

"He made me go all dizzy! I still have swirly eyes! My hair looks like icicles!"

"What she means is that… Well, she was busy trying to catch a green glow at the river's edge. I-I don't exactly know how, but suddenly a strong gust of wind blew her away into the sky!"

I can hear Rin humming. She's a smart girl, so I'm sure she'll get the memo.

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry. I don't think I've anything that's glowing or green other than grass anywhere."

"See, Cirno? We should go home. This kind lady hasn't seen them anywhere, so they have to be gone by now."

"Mmm…"

Okay, I hear humming, but it's not Rin this time. Who's humming?

"Mm? What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"…Nope! You can't fool me! I'm not only the strongest, but also the smartest fairy ever! He's gotta be on you, isn't it?!"

…Did I ever tell you that this story will feature slurs?

"Eh? What do you mean? I didn't lie at all, little fairy. Please believe me on this."

"You can try, but I won't be fooled! As the strongest fairy, I know if there's someone else who's strong! There's something strong behind you, isn't there?!"

…Well, fuck. I did warn you all beforehand.

"Maybe that something strong is just me! I'm stronger than you might know, you know?"

"Oh yeah? Then fight me! If I win, you're telling me where that something strong is! As the strongest, I never lose!"

"A Spell Card duel then. You're on!"

…If this is Rin's way of giving me a live demonstration of the Spell Card rules, then as much as I appreciate it, she could have picked a much better person to pick on. Well, no time like the present. This little Poncle has no choice but climb up to her shoulder to get front row seats on his first Spell Card duel showcase!

And considering how Cirno's went wide as soon as I got seated? She spotted me.

"Hey! I see that green glow on your shoulder! So you have that bug on you the entire time! You lied to me!"

"Oh! I didn't know. But that means you're saying that this little man is strong, right?"

"Grrrr… Don't care! I'm going to freeze the two of you like English beef all the same, and I won't fail this time! Take this!"

She reached her hands out, and a cold gust of wind came at us as… are those orbs flying along with the wind? Energy orbs on top of windy gusts. Quite the combination!

"Whew! Quite the cold wind. Alright, Issun-san. Please pay attention to how we Gensokians fight!"

"Alright then! Kindly demonstrate!"

And whatever she's trying to demonstrate, she better demonstrate fast. Those energy orbs are coming in with great numbers! Soon enough, I began to hear the buzzing of strings. Why is she playing-

No, wait, she's emitting physical music notes as she plays her erhu. She's actually dishing out brown notes in the most literal sense, and they're flying out in spreads to counter the blue orbs that are coming at us! In fact, right now both sides are spreading bullets all around the area with some clashing and dissipating all around! Cirno quickly flew to the side while maintaining her orb spray while Rin is deftly evading bullets while keeping the offensive with her erhu and her brown notes which Cirno flew away from!

Ranged attack… no, they're better off called bullets for generalization. Sprays of bullet spam, quick agile movement in evading said bullets… Is this how it is? Well, I'm just happy I can keep a good grip!

"So is this how Spell Card duels go? Just a war of dodging and hitting each other with bullets?!"

"That's one part of it, Issun-san! This is just the ranged aspects of Spell Card duels! Now I'll show you the melee part!"

She stopped playing her instrument right there. Right off the bat, she immediately dashed forward chasing after Cirno while weaving through her cold bullets that may have inched too close to comfort! As soon as she's in range, she went in to swing her erhu at Cirno! Too bad though, since the icy fairy was quick on her wings and narrowly dodged the hit.

"Hey! You almost hit me with that! Nobody told me you can hit people directly!"

"Well, that's how the rules are, little fairy. Right now, everything goes during a fight."

That was enough to make Cirno pout. "I mean, of course I know that! But I don't think to fight with my hands! You'll fall to this!"

I see… A card slowly coming into existence. She has a Spell Card of her own? It's colored blue with… are those raindrops? An ice fairy that controls rain is rather… No, those are icicles.

"Ice Sign "Icicle Fall"!"

"So that's how you call a Spell Card."

Just call it out and the card will activate. And right now, she's causing actual icicles to pop up and rain down on us! The only problem is that…

"…Is it just me, or are these icicles surprisingly small in numbers?"

"…I think so. This is actually my first attempt of a Spell Card duel, and I'm somewhat…baffled."

"I don't know about you, but there's a blind spot."

And that blind spot happens to be… right in front of her. I think it's safe to say that both me and Rin deadpanned at that moment. It doesn't help that the icicles never hit us and we only meandered about!

"Let's just use the time to crack your first Spell Card. Any good picks?"

"I think I do. Let's just try to get closer."

"Honestly? It'd be easy to do that. Far. Too. Easy."

And so, we made our move, dodging Cirno's gaze who's just busy cackling to herself. With how the icicles keep spawning in on us up above, we still had to be careful. I say that, but again, low number of icicles for what is supposed to be of the bullet barrage genre!

It also gave me time to add Cirno into a very helpful book that I'll definitely keep for myself!

"Hahaah! Fear my icy power! You can't escape my icicles… Wait, where did you go?!"

She noticed. Well, too bad, so sad! Too late for that.

"Wind Sign "Red Whirlwind"!"

The moment Cirno heard that, she was quick to turn her head all over, trying to find us. Too bad she's too slow to realize that the whirlwinds that came from right under her! The expression she had when she noticed was…

"Ack! Oh no, no, no!"

I take my words back. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for it in speed. And she's very good at evasion to boot! Rin's red whirlwinds keep spreading red balls as it flies about, but she keeps on dodging them like flies avoiding hands!

Well, with how Cirno keeps scurrying about, now would be a good time to have a talk.

"So this is your wind affinity Spell Card, Rin."

"Yes, Issun-san. I made this on the fly as soon as I came home. You could say it's one of my first Spell Cards."

"For your first, I'd say you did well. You can trust my keen eye on that!"

As for its effectiveness… Well, it leaves much to be desired. Though I shouldn't be too harsh on Rin since it's her first. Right now, she's playing her erhu again, manifesting more whirlwinds to come at Cirno. But either there's too few gusts, we need more bullets in those whirlwinds, or the boisterous is too fast to evade them… Yeah that might be it.

Hmm…Since Spell Cards can be drawn on…

"Rin, is it possible for me to have your Spell Card for a moment?"

"Ah! Hold on."

She stopped playing just to grab her Spell Card. Kinda expected that this skill is a channeled one, and I can see Cirno gasping for air after zipping about.

"Thanks. Keep an eye on her and see if we can sneak by."

Rin affirmed with a nod, and after shrinking her card with my mallet, I quickly got to work in… one can say, making creative liberties! We quietly flew past the buzzed up fairy…

"Ugh… Wha, hey! You can't run away, you coward!"

Well, it was nice when it lasted. Next thing we knew, she's shooting a lot of blue ice shards this time. Trying way harder than that horrible showcase of a Spell Card, I see!

"She's actually starting to get serious, I think. Issun-san? Can I have my card back?"

"Hold up a bit… And done! Here, use it and you can thank me later."

One smack and the card is back to regular human size for Rin to catch, and then I see her turning her head at me.

"This Spell Card… Did you?"

"Use it. We're still fighting here."

"Okay!"

Rin was quick to swerve and fly about. All the shards barely grazed us, and especially her right shoulder! I had to lie down often for that!

But, after setting up right in front of the fairy…

"I gots you now!"

"Here goes! Storm Sign "Crimson Typhoon!"

"Wait, wha-"

With one single strum of her erhu, Rin conjured a flurry of large typhoons encased with red orbs of various sizes! And since we did it at close range, Cirno was caught inside one and was tossed around while pelted by the wind and bullets within! Dare I say, a deserved treatment!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Music to my ears.

"Oh dear… I didn't expect the Spell Card to be this potent. Issun-san? What did you do to my Spell Card?"

"Simple. I just gave it an upgrade, like a sword tempered by a blacksmith, I made your Spell Card more powerful through the power of wind!"

She turned her head to me, and I can see her eyes wide. "…You have power over wind, Issun-san? Since when?"

"Unspoken history never recorded in the books. I'd tell you more about it, but that's a story for later. The little fairy is slowly getting back to it."

We turned our heads towards Cirno as the winds petered out, dizzy as ever to be expected from someone who's been tossed around in a typhoon. While she's busy recovering…

"Rin, I have a feeling that Cirno would be mighty angered after being tossed around like that. How are you faring?"

"I'm doing well. I'm not exactly too winded, so I'll still be able to move relatively easily. What is it?"

"Just do what you always do in danmaku fights. Fight back as much as you can while weaving through the bullets. But don't use any Spell Cards."

"…Why?"

"Why? I'm making my own, of course!"

She let out an "Ooooh" and nodded earnestly. Likely, she's excited to see me try my first Spell Card. Well, I may as well get started in making one!

"Urrrgh… Ah! Cheater! Those wind things are too big compared to last time!"

"Anything goes in a Spell Card duel, Cirno."

"Grrrr… Then this goes too! Hail Sign "Hailstorm"!"

"Hailstorm?"

I had to stop my painting just to look, except we're immediately blasted by snow pelting our faces and a barrage of blue bullets coming right at us! Not good!

"Rin, I sincerely hope you're good at the art of grazing!"

"Leave it to me, Issun-san!"

Rin was quick on the move upon my pleading, and she was quick to move while the hail is upon us. The hail isn't the issue, but the huge number of bullets are! Think it's safe to say that Cirno is sufficiently pissed!

"I'm not done yet! Freeze Sign "Perfect Freeeeeeze"!"

"A second?!"

"Wait, you can STACK Spell Cards on top of one another?!"

A very chilling air immediately hit us as soon as Cirno proclaimed that Spell Card. I thought we're about to be frozen over, but instead the blue bullets from the Hailstorm… came to a stop?

Wait, no. The Hailstorm is still ongoing! I immediately put two and two together while Rin's doing her best in weaving about.

"I'll be damned. Cirno's smarter than I give her any credit for! She's freezing some of the bullets on her first Spell Card with her second so she can jump us!"

I can hear Rin's breath getting unsteady. "I can still do my best in this, Issun-san! But this is the first time I've dealt with two Spell Cards at once!"

"Then nothing's stopping us from doing the same, Rin! Ready your second Spell Card! I'm almost done drawing mine! Be wary of the frozen falling bullets!"

I need to give myself more credit for being able to create a new Spell Card while in combat on someone's body! With the storm of blue coming from above, frozen balls coming down from above, and low visibility from harsh winds, finding Cirno is becoming a tough call, and we really have to hit her where it hurts!

Which means it's time to dispel this mediocre blizzard with a stronger one!

"Rin, I'm gonna dispel the hail! Be ready to move on my mark!"

"Got it!"

A wise man has likely once asked this. What is the power of a mere fairy compared to a god? Well, I'd be happy to answer that right now.

Using the brush I used to paint my Spell Card, I drew a large looping spiral in front of me. At that moment, a billowing gust of wind raged forth, blowing away the snow and hail along with the bullets and sending them forward!

And through all the great winds, we can see our enemy right in front of us~

"Rrrrrrgh! These winds are too strong! Can't hooooold~!"

"Rin, now!"

My earnest friend was quick to answer as she dashed in flow with my conjured wind! With Cirno effectively disarmed, we readied our final blow!

"Nature Sign…"

"Elemental Sign…"

"Huh… Wait, wha-?!"

Too late.

"Floral Memoria! / Permafrost Whirlwind!"

With our Spell Cards combined, what emerged was a massive whirlwind of flower petals, all infused with chilling wintry energy that immediately consumed Cirno in an instant!

"No, no, no! NOT AGAAAAAAIN!"

And once again, Cirno is thoroughly demolished, this time through the power of her own cold medicine as she was spun about by the utterly nail-biting windstorm, pelted by sharp flowers splitting into many petals. It's like a work of art Rin and I made together, made lethal!

Soon the whirlwind was quick to dissipate, and the most energetic fairy to ever Gensokyo is finally spent, falling towards Misty Lake without much fanfare…

"Oh no! Cirnoooo!"

…And with her friend Daiyousei quick to chase her down to the waters below. Where was she during the entire fight? Was she busy spectating, or does she think she's currently too weak to join in the fight, or perhaps there's another reason that can only be comprehended between fairies?

Well, doesn't change how we finally have our road cleared to go towards where the venerable Reimu Hakurei may be. But first, I gotta check on someone.

"Hah. Glad that's over. How are you faring, Rin?"

"Well… I didn't expect this much from a fairy. Maybe she really is the strongest fairy ever."

"Heh. Maybe for a fairy. But who's to say that we'll encounter even stronger fairies down the line?"

"That's true. Speaking of…" Rin glanced at the shoulder I'm sitting on. "Say, how powerful are you really, Issun-san?"

You know, I probably should have expected this. "Why do you ask?"

There was a brief silence before she spoke. "Well, I'm sorry if I may seem presumptuous, but the Issun-boshi I've read in stories isn't capable of conjuring powerful gusts of wind, much less having power over frost and ice. Sure, you have the Mira-sorry, Lucky Mallet that can grant wishes for you, but you didn't just wish so you can have those powers, did you?"

"You're a perceptive girl, Rin. You're right. I can control ice and wind, but not by wishing through the little hammer. That said, you're not exactly honest about your power level, aren't you?"

Now that caught her off guard, "Eh?! What do you mean, Issun-san?"

"Since I don't like beating bushes, I'll just say it outright. You're a kirin, aren't you?"

"…How did you know?"

"I'll tell you while we move. I found a point of interest."

I made sure to conjure a small gust just to tell her where I'm looking. There's an awfully inconspicuous mansion that doesn't fit the local aesthetics far at the distance. Rin only silently nodded as we began flying there. Well, more her flying and me riding her like always.

~~ Please Wait Warmly ~~

I hate driving this entire trip into a pure silence.

Though, I guess it's entirely on me since I suddenly brought up her race as an inhuman. Way to go, Issun. It's not even a full day and you've already made a kind girl uncomfortable. At this rate, even in the land of cute girls that is Gensokyo, you'll end up getting ostracized by the entire female race.

In any case, I should try to break the ice as we go ever closer to the non-Japanese mansion in the distance. I did say I'll tell why.

"…Sorry for bringing up who you really are, Rin."

I'm happy to say that Rin was quick to answer. "Ah. It's okay, Issun-san. I tend to keep my yokai race a secret from others. You may not know, but kirins like me tend to have an unsavory reception here among humans and yokai."

"Due to your capability to do anything with one's memory. I can definitely see why. They fear the possibility of having their precious memories messed with when they least expect." And it's a case where I can't exactly blame them for fearing her since she is one.

Rather a shame, really. Since Kirins are classified as holy beasts that only show themselves to the benevolent. Gods happen to favor their race.

"Yes. I'm very happy to say that I've done a very good job at hiding how I'm a Kirin with humans. With yokai, not so much, but I can accept that."

"I see. Well, if you don't mind, and wondering how I knew you are a kirin, then I'll tell you three key points."

"Three reasons? And those are?"

I raised my first unseeable finger. "One. No sane regular human would come all the way out here to Misty Lake while an incident is happening, much less wanting to help the resident Incident solver in this regard. Memory serves that you don't live at the Human Village. Where exactly did you live, Rin?"

"At the Forest of Magic. Though, I'm sure this is just helping your case, Issun-san."

"Yep. The Forest of Magic is littered with wild yokais, dangerous wildlife and potentially dangerous flora. You either have to be a yokai, a hermit, or a human undergoing long survival training to even consider living there."

Rin let out a hum. "I suppose your reasoning is fair here. What's your other reasons?"

"I'm glad you asked." And I raised my second finger. "Two. This was honestly quite a stretch, but I have to commend your capability for memorizing things, Rin. And as far as I remembered. Kirins are well known for having very good memory, seeing that they can manipulate memory itself. Again, a stretch entirely based on how good your memory is."

"Oh! Well, thank you, Issun-san. You're right on your assessment, but I prefer not to use my powers all too much. It makes me uncomfortable."

"You're a kind soul, Rin. Memories are a delicate thing, and tampering with them is very much a dangerous thing." Gods bless Rin for ever being so considerate of others. "But… I'm sure you've used it at some points, right?"

"Ehehe… Well, I mostly use it to ensure I don't forget something whenever I go out, and even then, it's not often! Like you said, I have a very good memory!"

"Hahah. I'm glad to hear it. Now for my third reason…"

I can feel Rin becoming anticipative of what I'll say. With that in mind…

"I'm a god. Sensing your strength is pretty much piss easy for me."

I must have shocked Rin, because she came to an abrupt stop. I almost fell off!

"Wait, wait. I must have misheard. What did you say, Issun-san?"

She asked in pure disbelief as I slowly climbed back up to her shoulder. Conveniently enough, we've reached our destination!

"I'm a god. I'm able to tell that you're a Kirin after I took a very good look at you."

Well, judging by her expression, I didn't do a good job at un-shocking her. She actually took a deep breath.

"…Okay. Let me try to make sense of this. Issun-boshi, the fabled One-Inch-Boy, is a god. Well, I guess that explains why you are… Wait, no. You were born from a yearning couple who wanted a child, and a normal old couple at that! No, this doesn't make sense at all! Issun-san, you're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"I can assure you with all my gods-given right that I am not swirling mist into your brain, Rin. Believe me when I say that I am a god. Or rather, became a god." I'm not going to bother quipping how she got the other part wrong, though I honestly wish my grandpa felt like that while I was gone.

"But…But how? How did you ascend to godhood?"

"That's a long story. A story that I can't tell right now because it seems your friend made quite the dynamic entry. Look down."

Rin followed my eyes, and she looked way more flabbergasted than I was. Right now, we're floating above a path of rocks leading to the front gate of a mansion, and it's quite the well-decorated mansion too. Whoever built all this must have an insane budget to burn, because they even have their own clock tower!

Problem is, I highly doubt this entire mansion is going to last much longer, because the front gate area looked as if a fight just happened. Various cracks on the road, holes on the wall, the massive metal gate blown open so hard the hinges fell off, you name it. Whoever caused this must be one powerful sort with little regard for collateral damage.

Especially when you consider the orangey redhead victim in green laying down on the road like that. Rin was quick to land and check on the person as I leapt down, staring at the entrance before me.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?"

"Nh… Huh?" Thankfully, the presumed gate guard is not dead or anything. She's just utterly wasted without any influence of alcohol! "Ah… How long was I out?"

"I can't exactly answer that. We just found you lying down like this when we arrived."

"If I may! First up, what's your name? Second, what happened here?"

I turn to face her, and her green eyes looked like they're fresh off of a nightmare. "Urgh… Am I still dreaming, or am I hearing a talking green b-"

"Do not."

The force of my words was apparently strong enough to jolt the guard fully awake into a standing salute position, and so did Rin, apparently! Is this what flexing godly influence feels like?

"Oh-of course, of course! I wouldn't dare offend a visitor! Ow… My body hurts all over still…"

"A-anyway! Can you tell us about yourself and what happened here, miss?"

"I shall do so as… common courtesy." She says while she's still nursing her whole body. "I am Hong Meiling, appointed guard of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Though, I have pretty much failed in my duties based on what you've seen…"

She still looks relatively defeated in a literal sense. Even her countenance feels so dour! "Ominous naming aside, whoever did this to you looked like a powerhouse. Who's the unwanted visitor?"

"It's…she is a powerhouse indeed. It's the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. She came here because she believed my mistress is the one who caused this red mist. I tried to stop her, but as you can see, I stood no chance…"

"Is your mistress known as the Scarlet Devil, by any chance? The name of your mansion is rather on the nose, if I'm being honest?"

Meiling can only laugh weakly. "You're right, young miss. The mistress is a truly powerful and charismatic being, but she is still young by the standards of her kind. She is… prone to such naming conventions."

"Heh, no wonder her home's name is utterly uninspired." I can see Meiling and Rin giving me a side eye, but really, who cares? "In any case, I have a trade offer, Meiling."

"A trade offer? What do you mean?"

"It's going to be like this. We'll put you into a gentle sleep, and we'll help you flush out the intruder. How about it?"

"Oh." Rin is having a confused look in her eyes, but Meiling smiled. "Honestly? I could use a long nap after being beaten so thoroughly. There's not even a gate to defend now, so I'll take your offer."

"Wise choice."

The addled gave guard bowed at us, first at Rin, then at me who's busy climbing back up the former's shoulder. She then spoke more. "Before I slumber, may I know the names of our new visitors?"

"Mm. My name is Rin, Rin Satsuki."

"Issun. You would do well to remember that."

"Of course. Now if you'll excuse me, I will rest…"

"W-wait!"

I expected to do some of my brush techniques, but I didn't expect her to fall asleep on the spot! Good thing Rin managed to catch her, and we gently leaned her against the wall, even if the wall is wrecked! Though if she can sleep like that, I think she'll be fine.

"Okay. She should be fine now."

"Good. In any case, you thinking what I'm thinking, Rin?"

Rin nodded. "The culprit of this entire incident has got to be in here. Though, I didn't think entering the mansion would be this easy."

That warrants a hum of approval and pride. "It's a combination of friendliness, fatigue, and preordained events, Rin. All that combined allowed us to breach into the area without much trouble. Reimu literally busting the gate wide open played in our favor, so now we're going to cash in on it and infiltrate the mansion!"

"Right! Let's go!"

And so begins our infiltration into the ground zero of the Red Mist Incident, known as the Scarlet Devil Mansion! If the security of the inside is as bad as the mistress' creativity, then we're going to have a grand old time trying to find her and demand that she stops spilling the mist out! This weather is only good for a one-time painting, and I am not happy to see it continue any further!

Though, I'll be honest. I'm sure Rin's thinking the same, but this mansion is positively massive. There's only so much ground to cover when there's only the two of us, and there's also the matter of security. We can't risk getting harassed by any passersby while we try to find the culprit. There's also the fact that the Hakurei Shrine Maiden has already infiltrated the area, and who knows what we'll see inside? Here's hoping the interior hasn't been utterly wrecked.

Well. I'll cross that bridge when we get there! For now, getting inside is what's more important! Any future plans come later!

"Say, Issun-san. Are we just going to march into the front entrance?"

"Gods no! We're going through the window! Go for the second-floor windows."

"Oh! Okay then!"

…Now that I think about it, this is Rin's first experience of breaking and entering.

I sincerely hope I don't end up becoming a bad influence on her.

Character Log Updated!

Cirno

Species: Fairy

Ability: Freezing anything within the capabilities of a fairy.

Affinity: Anything related to ice!

An ice fairy that is surprisingly strong and smart by fairy standards as much as I don't like to admit. However, she's held back by her great impulsivity which gives her the impression of someone who's very much an idiot. Honestly, if she can curb her impulsiveness, it's good. Alas, she's forever doomed to be an idiot, it seems. Then again, children are very impulsive too, so...

Did I also mention that she can be very annoying?

Daiyousei

Species: Fairy

Ability: Requires proper assessment through whatever is necessary

Affinity: Same case as her ability!

A green-haired fairy that seems to be a good friend to Cirno. A great complement to the ever so boisterous ice fairy since she happens to be of the meek sort. She doesn't seem like the kind to fight, and prefers to sit on the sidelines while her energetic friend does whatever she wants, which includes getting into fights she'll mostly inevitably lose in. Verily, Cirno is lucky to have someone like Daiyousei to hold her back at times.

Further addendum may be necessary, especially when it comes to what she can do!

Rin Satsuki

Species: Kirin (Holy Beast)

Ability: Manipulation of memory

Affinity: Memory, wind, and nature

A kindhearted Kirin, and my first friend outside of the Human Village. Kirin are known to be masters of memory manipulation, but with all the goodwill in the heart, Rin refuses to use her innate ability to preserve the sanctity of memories within others, truly befitting her kind and auspicious soul. She has innocence and bite in equal measure, able to be gentle with others and trade barbs when situation calls for it.

I have to correct her perceptions about my entire life at one point though. There's only so much she can learn through books, and some may even give false info!

Also, I do not know who named her, but her species becomes way more overt if you read her name backwards.

Hong Meiling

Species: Unknown (Likely of Chinese origin)

Ability: Sleeping whenever she wants. (Addendum required)

Affinity: Unknown

The Gate Guard of the grand yet uninspiringly named Scarlet Devil Mansion. She seems to be a human, but what kind of human would willingly serve someone like the Scarlet Devil? Upon first encounter, was already utterly demolished with zero fanfare by the famed Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Shame.

Honestly, Meiling seems polite and easy to talk with. In the off time, I should get to know her better later on. On top of that, I need to request a duel too. She definitely can do more than just sleep whenever, right?!