/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Nasu recycled Mahoyo in FSN.

Touko Aozaki is in fuyuki in the Fate/Zero novel(she's the one who does the surgery on kayneth)

Nasu even lifted lots of Rin scenes straight from Aoko to the extent he had to rewrite Mahoyo heavily when turning it into a VN.

Aoko chases Soujuurou in the house of mirrors was similar to the scene in UBW where Rin chases Shirou through the school

That's because Nasu lifted that scene from the original, unpublished Mahoyo novel, where it all took place in their school instead. Aoko even lists it as a possible location to set up her ambush before Alice indirectly gave her the idea to use the amusement park.

There are other things originally from Mahoyo that got used in Fate instead, like strategy meetings on the school roof (which got cut from the remake) as well as the original Soujuurou probably being the model for Kuzuki.

After HF, Shirou receives a new body from Touko Aozaki and stays in Fuyuki with Sakura and Rider while Rin returns to the Clock Tower

>>46990549
Cirno crossed her arms and made a sour face. “So, you're just going to get away like a bandit?” Okina didn’t have to guess Cirno considered this a personal betrayal. After all, Okina had, through willful negligence, allowed events to play out in order to capitalize on them, but what mattered to the goddess was how she could sell it to the fairy.

“Hmmm.” Okina hummed, holding her head in her hand as she was lost in thought. “I wouldn’t say that, I would say that I have gained less than I wanted or hoped for, but about within my reasonable expectations, and with the outcome not entirely within my control.” others had made sure of that for her.

Cirno didn’t respond, keeping her arms crossed and her expression huffy. Okina let the room rest in silence for a moment, she knew Cirno had nothing to say or rebut Okina with, and in turn Cirno knew she couldn’t create one that wasn’t just childish complaining. She would be a power in her own right yet.

Okina nodded. “I suppose once the funeral is held you’ll be leaving my service then.” It was the only thing left to do that this point, keeping a retainer who plotted against you was a hassle to deal with even if Cirno was inexperienced and she likely wouldn’t perform her duties well, besides she was always going in the Hakurei’s direction without Okina’s guidance, and one always needed more back ups.

Cirno crossed her arms, pouting like a child at not getting one over her elder. “Yes.” And then stuck out her tongue.

“Well for now we have some preparations to make.” Okina said, clapping her hands together as the Land of the Back Door rearranged itself.
Okina supposed there was still a lot of work to do.
After that, tea, cake, and then some drinking.
-Anon: Final talk-

“So that’s it.” Anon’s voice was ghostly, practically terrified as he stared into the viewing mirror. For what reason he couldn’t say.

After Tewi and Ran saw to Chen, Hecatia had grabbed him when he was returning from the restroom and brought him back to the roof and forced tea and small talk upon him. Then promptly forced him to watch as the events of Gensokyo unfolded.
Although he had gotten used to terrifying women bossing him around, something about seeing things wrap up unnerved him.

“Well whether you go back or not is entirely up to you, we don’t have any interest in forcing you to stay after all.”

“Although I wouldn’t recommend it.” Suko said, speaking up from her seat at the end of the table in between Hecatia and Anon. “Personally, I think you should just leave this all behind.”

“I… What.” Two decades, two decades of his life. Could he really go back on half of his entire life, but where would he even go.

Anticipating his question Junko answered. “Me and Hecatia have outside world contacts, if you so wished you could have a new name and identity by the end of the week.” Junko took a long sip from her cup of tea as she let Anon think on that.

“I don’t know, Ran and Chen, everybody, I can’t just abandon them.” Even if miss Takanae said that Ran took advantage of him, he didn’t want to leave her all alone with Chen in a new place. Regardless if he could help or not.

Hecatia theatrically sighed. “Nobody is forcing you to do anything Anon, honestly half o the people you feel indebted to abused you, why would you want to go back.”

“I… I don’t know.” Anon held his teacup with a irongrip fo hard it looked like he’d shatter the porcelain cup at any moment.

“Well, at the end of the day, the choice is up to you Anon, what do you want to do?”

-Finale: End-

Edit: There was a misunderstanding caused by lack of reading comprehension way back that I never corrected people on.
Genji never had his funeral, Cirno just performed corpse preservation magic, and besides the point it would.be extremely rude of Cirno and Okina to not inform Reimu of Genji’s passing and let her see the body.
They just never got the chance to do it, and I always had it planned as one of the final things that would happen.
Also that at the end was the realization moment I mentioned, but honestly it's so sad I wanted to kill off one of the fairies but it just didn't work out that way, they weren't important enough and I wasn't going to rewrite the story to include them.

>>46896954
—
I stare at the skies—rocky stalactites that litter the Underground's roof—with hands restlessly resting on my belly and eyes wide open, focused on nothing. The red eye on my chest reflected the exhaustion in the faces around me… Minus Suika’s, who looked rather amused as she drank copious amounts of sake, though I vaguely remember eyes of sorrow when we arrived from Eientei—maybe whatever she talked with that creep Okina and Satori-sama made her feel bad…?—; Yuugi’s shows kind concern and a bit of sympathy while Orin slept together with Kokoro. Here, on top of a soundly sleeping Koutei, I breathed in… Then uttered, after hours of thinking: “If I catch a big group of storks…” Yuugi sighs and slaps her face, making my heart race with righteous fervor. “No, no—listen to me: I can mutate their brains after exposing them to various types of radiation poisoning, making them smart enough to begin mass-producing babies! That could work, right…?”

“That's a good plan~” Suika offers, these hopeful eyes of mine turning to her while Yuugi shakes her head in disbelief. Why's she— “If ya desire to cause some mayhem by poking holes into ecosystems, that's it—heh, you need to accept it, Utsuho-chan~” the oni guzzles from her gourd with joy. “Either you do the deed and let a man poke YOUR ecosystem, or you let Eirin-chin poke you with some chemical syringes. No baby comes to Earth any other way—that guy Jesus? He's all special, so he doesn't count.” I grumble, then pout, and let my wings cover my body.

That doesn't make any sense!

Everything I knew—the respect I withheld for my white brothers and sisters who honorably delivered babies—gone! And to replace that magical idealization…? S-Some confusing act of putting together no-no spots!

Maybe the world needs some nuking and bionuclear mutation to fix itself; the actual way of making babies is just too silly! “Why does that affect you so much, Utsuho?” Yuugi asks, shifting closer and giving me this expectant gaze, my pout hardening and feathers ruffling…

… Well, that's all I have because putting it in words is just so, ugh…

From the frying pan to the thermonuclear bonfire.

“Look, I understand being upset about getting to know, well…” The dragon's breathing beneath me—so soothing~—is what prevents me from storming out as her cheeks redden and her massive hand inches closer to me. “… H-how baby making is done. Let me tell you: the first time I got… taught about it, I didn't, er, react very well too; it sucked, it really did!” Suika laughs out loud and Yuugi groans, a brief peek towards the petite oni revealing a gaze brimming with nostalgia. “But it's no big deal. It's just how the world works… The more you learn about it, the more confusion and, well, a bunch of other emotions you feel. Sadness, anger—curiosity even, heh.” Her hand finally reaches my head, patting there…

Ah, feels nice~

“Just know it’s all okay, Utsuho!”

… Ugh, I think I was being unreasonable again.

Satori-sama talks to me often about such behavior and how childish it is… Satori-sama was always so quick to scold; to stop but never, ever did she think about explaining things to me? What's not telling me about the origin of b-babies protecting me from?! Memories of these specific moments I never took seriously return to me, and a dense layer of bitterness spreads inside, hands on the dragon's iridescent scales firming with anxiety that resonates like the pounding of thunderstorms.

Like drip-feeding a bucket, away from tipping over by mere surface tension—

A loud huff from below shakes the Underground like an earthquake, waking Orin up instantly; the hell-cat, wide-eyed, jumped on all fours and hissed, every hair on her body erected. Kokoro blinks, looks around and pulls the scared cat down, mumbling Koishi's name before resuming sleep. Orin followed suit, too tired to care for Armageddon. I was too busy staring at the dragon's claw that, much to Yuugi's shock and subsequent smirk, also gently patted my head to care about the duo or Suika's laughter, arms wrapped around her stomach, face all red.

Don't think I can ever tire of this~

… My pouting continues even as the massive claw retracts, my brows narrow, and my wings gradually drop and brush on the veridian scales. A brief silence followed as Yuugi's laughter died down to a kind smile. Fine, ugh… “S-Sorry for all this! Utsuho feels like she's becoming a waste of time; she doesn't like to be a b-burden when she's sulk—”

“Nope; no excuses~! It's all okay, Utsuho.” The big oni says it clearly and with no hesitation, a light in her eyes bearing strong pride. I smile fondly. It looks like Satori-sama's~

“Heh~” Suika giggles. “So it's all well—”

“—NO! Nothing is well because of impassive cretins like you!” The abrupt but familiar voice erodes Suika's smile, all eyes moving to the floating wound in the form of a door, Satori-sama entering it with a fire in her eyes.

Beyond the door, for a split second, I see—amidst others—Reimu Hakurei.

Hana left some time ago.

Suddenly, the shrine I worked so hard to renovate, the pylons and nails I made myself, the rocks I collected and exchanged to make a new, pristine rocky path to the entrance and even those painstakingly bought paints and tools… It all feels dull, lifeless, and empty without Hana's footsteps on the wood, her voice and even the rare laugh—a sentiment exacerbated by the accumulating heavy snow—and I can’t help but wonder, kneeling on the frozen surface of the pond, embers sieging me and regulating the temperatures to palatable levels: how should I feel?

For I doubt this is a situation worthy of this big smile on my face.

It's a rather freeing notion—one reinforced by the warm embrace of the scarf around my neck, the rather messed Hakurei pattern signs of care and attention absolute—despite how weird it might seem at first: all this effort will be wasted should Hana deny to assume the mantle of Hakurei miko and decide, maybe, to go live with Sanae, Marisa, Alice or even Yuuka following the end of the Solstice; Anon is not returning here, and I can't force someone to become the next Hakurei miko—though if I live, maybe, who knows, Chen entertains the idea of becoming my apprentice? The concept of a Youkai miko is odd, but she's very cute, so I don't think it matters~

… To know these efforts might be fruitless, not by a sad circumstance but by Hana's choice, is what soothes this old heart.

My eyes narrow a little and hands move, a surge of tender flames spawning from beneath my skin and curling above my palms, whirling and contorting as it illuminated my face, thoughts wandering as the fire slowly took form: the sad hollowness before Aya rushed to the shrine, begging for me to save Hana; the exhaustive efforts I'd made to not just openly attack Yukari, eyes focused on my Hana; the quarrel and screams, knees and forehead firmly resting on the ground as I plead, the heart-to-heart in the deepest part of the night as she wore again her Hakurei uniform… Drawings that adorned my face; Hana prostrated to my side as we meditated and then went around gathering resources~

I blink, my narrow eyes widening into wonder as I look at the shape my fire took on—the palm of a tiny hand, which I held carefully… Awe quickly faded, as did the palms in my memory, which were made of flesh and blood and connected to a small body with large eyes similar to mine. Hana is not a child anymore.

That past is gone, shaped by me…

… It's not suicide.

It’ll never be.

I accepted the consequences the day these crimson flames began pulsing beneath my skin. It'll be for the better—for Kasen, Chen, Ran, Anon and Hana…

I'll give them my all, even this miserable life.

… Yet…

—Chen tightly holding onto me, teaching me how to knit; Ran's gentle touch, actions without words as she gave me food and tools of cleaning—

Death will take all those memories away…

—Anon's curled-up body, scars that I left and which will never heal; Hana's cry as she clutched a broken nose, the gaze of terror, disgust that always pressed my worst buttons—

… Death will make everything alright.

The tiny palm of embers disperses like fireflies, and my hands recede to rest on my knees, a feeling of dread echoing inside as I glanced again at the empty and lifeless shrine, mind elsewhere: that cursed night of the Birthday Party, knees and forehead pressed against the floor… Feelings I didn't understand overtook me at that moment, made me say all those illogical things; I shouldn't have, yet I did.

Later that night, Hana was safely under my roof again.

I know the name of that feeling—love—the same one that made me desire to leave without saying a word…

What the hell do you even want anymore, Reimu Hakurei?! You'll burn to ashes so the adversaries of your daughter and former husband, of that chatterbox of a pink sage, of a cat and of a fox shall never, ever harm them! It's the only purpose of these newfound powers you have—the same fate of the mother whose face you can't even remember—a fitting end to your depressive life!

—And still, like the clusterfuck that you are, you dearly cling to that imagery of love, to the bygone bliss of holding a baby's hand that looked so much like you and that made your husband genuinely happy for once; of nestling that bakeneko in your arms and humming a lullaby until she fell asleep—

You want to give them all?! Or do you want to…

Before the words form inside my mind, I close my eyes and stop the crazy train of frenzied thoughts, meditation settling as intuitively as breathing and cleansing me from rage, disappointment and a latent… something.

A desire that burns like my flames do.

… Sheesh, life can be very confusing sometimes—

“Oi, Reimu!” Winds explode all around me as snow lifts in clouds—flames rush to shield me from a bad case of hypothermia—, and the Ordinary Magician plunges lightning fast from above, surfing on her broom as if 20 again with the biggest smiles…

Holding a jar on her right shoulder.

Chapter 8-
-Tewi-

“Ta dah!” Tewi exclaimed, placing the wardrobe down onto the marble floor of the large greco-roman style gazebo. Presenting the furniture to Junko and Hecatia as they sat at the table in the gazebo’s center.


Then, to continue her act, Tewi wrenched the door of the wardrobe open, causing Anon, and Ran who was now holding Chen, to stumble out of the wardrobe. Blinking confusedly as they entered into the blindingly bright roof top gazebo.

“Uh, Hi?” Anon, half greeted, half questioned as he tried to get his bearings

Ran opened her mouth to speak before freezing in her tracks, her eyes glued to Hecatia and Junko as they stared on amusedly. Turning to Tewi, Ran promptly ignored the two terrifying goddesses. “And just what are we doing here, if you don’t mind me asking miss Inaba.” Her tone was cold, professional, and unmistakably pissed off.

“Isn’t it obvious, I rescued you.” Tewi put her hands on her hips, and stuck out her tongue. Faux-offense coming through her voice as she smiled.

“I’m thankful for the rescue, but, forgive me for being suspicious, but could we know what’s going on with the village.” Ran’s tone was professional, spotless even, betraying not a hint of emotion. Tewi thought it’s a tone she might’ve been using with Yukari recently.

“Well I think they’re a bit too busy being caught up in that.” Hectic said, pointing to an empty point in space, right before a mirror showing the battle at the human village appeared. “At the moment.”

It was a scene of chaos and above it all sat an ominous black orb, looking out onto the world and through the viewing mirror with hateful eyes.

Anon and Ran stood surprised, looking out through the viewing glass and onto the destroyed human village and ongoing battle.

“Tewi…” Anon trailed off as he shifted his gaze to the two goddess as they watched Anon and Ran in silence. “And friends, I know this might be unreasonable, but can’t you do something about this.”

“We could.” Junko said, nodding but saying nothing else. Tewi really hated when she did that, couldn’t the woman just say ‘no’ like a normal person, or at least explain her response.

“But honestly they’re handling it fine on their own, no need for us to do anything.” Hecatia said, lounging back in her seat, Tewi issued a silent prayer to the goddess, she didn’t know where Junko would be, socially speaking, without Hecatia.

Deciding it was time to interject before Ran or Anon decided to do something rash, did Hecatia absolutely have to show them the battlefield?
“Well, you two can’t really do anything right now, and the little miss there is obviously out like a light, so thinking about shouldn’t you guys just enjoy your time here, for now!” Tewi hopped in the air, one hand raised, but only received spectacle glances from Ran and Anon.

‘Geeze, looks like they don’t like the cutise act, my fault for pushing it so much anyways.’ Although in her opinion they were being far too ungrateful, if she really wanted to kill or kidnap them she had a literal menagerie of demon lord she knew that could do the job, even a goldfish.

Ran warily eyed the three suspicious women as she held Chen in her arms. “Forgive me if I have some… reservations for leaving Anon here.”

“Reservations?” Ran and Anon flinched as Junko cocked her head, she really could be a scary woman when you didn’t know her too well, and admittedly when you did know her. Sometimes she would get so into her grudge-trance thing she’d forget about the entire world, even her own son.

Hecatia laughed. “You won’t have to worry about any of us trying to take your man, I’m a virgin goddess afterall.”

Junko shook her head in agreement. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now, and I believe Tewi is spoken for, is she not?” Junko tilted her head, innocently questioning Tewi’s relationship status. Tewi almost verbally sighed, Junko should really make less of an effort to be cute, it didn’t suit her at all and made people who didn’t know her too well uncomfortable with how robotic the woman acted.

“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone Anon, I have a reputation to uphold.” Tewi cut it, she ought to keep him from prying too much anyways, it wasn’t important and everything was nearly over. She doubted Yukari would win so having Anon stay here for now was the best option for avoiding instability.

“Just stay here for now, okay. Nothing’s going to happen, I’ll promise you that.” Tewi didn’t even want to get this involved in the first place, but a Gensokyo which was too unstable didn’t suit her and Yukari had gone down a darker path which would lead to trouble anyways.

Chen stirred slightly in Ran’s arm. Ran sighed. “You’re right, do you have a room where I could put Chen.”

“Yep, Yep, just follow me this way.” Finally Tewi bounded off, Ran and Anon following behind her.

>>46902316
-Aya-

“So now we have to…” Aya trailed off as they exited the land of the back door manually. They were floating in an expansive sky littered with various trash objects and large sphere’s, Mai and Satono had described it to her as a ‘maintenance area,’ but other than following the directions given to her Aya had no understanding of what it actually was or why it worked.

Bellow them lay a shattered glass half-sphere and inside it, Gensokyo. Above the glass sphere sat a giant spherical writhing mass of tentacles made out of a hideous black liquid that made Aya sick just looking at it.

“Yep, welcome to our life.” Chisazu complained from behind her desk, still covered with mountains of paperwork.

“Hey it's not so bad-”
“-Most of the time we-”
”-don’t have much to do-”
“-other than dance.”
Mai and Satono said, finishing each other’s sentences as everybody else looked at them as if the two were weirdos.

Nazrin chuckled as she held a length of wire in one hand. “Don't worry, unlike some people we’re in shape since we get out once in a while instead of spending a millennium behind a desk.

Chisazu muttered something as she lagged behind the rest, Aya couldn't make it out but it was clear those two were both too similar and too different oo get along. Although Nazrin was right, while the rat wasn't ‘out of shape,’ she was the least shapely of them there.
Maybe she could do an article about staying fit after all of this was over.

-Goro-

The world exploded into a series of sounds, lights, and sensations. Goro hadn’t even seen Seija and Biten clash when it had all happened at once.
He felt weightless, and then a falling sensation in the disorientation. The first thing his mind went to was Seija, where was she? Was she okay?
The second thing his mind went to was the mission, and from the mission his mind went to-

“Anon!”
Right before-

“Ow!” Goro yelped as he felt somebody slap him on the back of the head.

“You couldn’t have said my name?”

Looking up from where he had jolted awake, noticing the roof tiling he had been laid on, he saw Seija standing next to him and bent over so that her face was almost directly above his own.

“Ah, sorry, what’s going on.” Goro asked, looking around helplessly. The situation the village seemed to have determined since the last time the two were outside.
The streets were flooded with a ankle deep sickly black liquid and most of the houses had either been collapsed, covered by roots of the giant tree he was just now noticing, or were being hoisted in the air by either veins from the tree of tentacles which emerged from the viscous liquid.

“Fuck if I know, the things seem to be leaving us alone for now, but I didn't see where Biten or Anon ended up.”

“Hmm.” This was rather bad, they needed to at least ensure Anon was okay, last they knew of him they’d tracked him to the same room Biten was in, probably hiding somewhere.

“Anon, huh?” another voice interjected

Seija spun, unsheathing her red scissor sword from somewhere to slash at the voice.

*Clang* the sound of metal against metal sounded as Seija’s sword was casually blocked by a kitchen knife.
“That's pretty rude ya’know.”

“Ah, miss Komeiji.” Goro had already scrambled to his feet and gotten a third of the way through a bow apologizing to the satori Youkai.

“It’s okay, but if you’re looking for Anon, I saw Tewi making off with a rather conspicuous looking wardrobe a little bit ago.”

“Well that’s just dandy.” Seija sighed in exasperation. “Now we have to rescue him from that nymphomaniac hag of a Loli.”

Koishi chuckled. “Well I don't know about that, isn't Tewi in love with that one guy? Daiko-osmething? I’ve never met him, but Anon should be fine, right?” Koishi said shrugging.

“I’d have to agree with Koishi here Seija, while I don't really trust Tewi, Byakuren had said she was kind despite her trickster personality.”

Seija wanted to protest, in her mind Byakuren had no place judging other people as bad or good, she wouldn't even trust the woman to choose dinner. But she also didn’t care to search for Anon.

“Then, what are we even doing here now? And wasn’t the underground closed off or something?” Seija complains, looking to Koishi.

“ A giant mass of sentient hate drilling through the earth in order to fight a giant tree and attack people tends to make a few extra holes, and don't worry.” Koishi said, smiling as she slashed the air behind her with a knife, sending a wave of pressure to cut through multiple tentacles before it slammed into the liquid covering the village streets, dispersing in an explosion. “Now you can help the rest of us clean up this mess.”

>>46826350
—
Her answer didn't come immediately, those large eyes jumping to anything but the blood-soaked cloak and, naturally, I kept my silence. Things like this cannot be forced; applying pressure is a delicate process. Besides, everyone has pride, even the meekest of humans; to challenge it too much could shatter relationships… Hm, still, what should I do if Motoori decides she's not up to par? The requirements are few but specific: one cherished human that can be easily puppeteered into a position of power and with no real or small control over such power, to which I can perfectly fill…

No one comes to mind, which is a shame; having all this hard work wasted because of the lack of a compelling figurehead would be criminal…

Yes, it wouldn’t be right: the many efforts of the dead cannot be thrown away, and if it means resorting to unsavory strategies, then so be it—the thought clenches my heart with guilt, but I do my best to ignore it and so keep concentration on pouring magic onto the barrier and lure of desires.

Above, perhaps from the heavy smoke, rain starts to fall, my hands molding the shields so to have a cone-shaped roof, water droplets swimming down the walls of light in a visually hypnotizing fashion; more people enter, too, most in groups of humans and Youkai, mountains of wounded—limbs torn, holes through their bodies, immolation—awaiting field treatment, the few Inaba around working skillfully despite sluggishness from pregnancy.

I and Kosuzu watched it in silence…

… Finally, she speaks. “I don't know…” I glance at her, still kneeling on the ground, before moving back to stare at the communal efforts. Who, a year ago, would've thought? “E-Every moment I carried her, I was lashing out inside, thinking I was committing a mistake. Mokou's embers wouldn't last forever, and I-I could've died at any time… If Keine were a ghost, she'd be begging me to let her body go so I'd run faster…” She attempts to laugh at the end, but the accumulating tears make it futile; they get her on her feet and soon, albeit weakly, Kosuzu lifts the dead body and moves it to a more respectable spot. “B-But I couldn't, because…” She cleans up the tears, bells jingling with her small movements, one hand grasping tenderly the right of the dead woman—a desire, latent, pulses into the air, and I hide the sudden temptation to sigh; poor, poor Motoori. “… I t-think she'll come back to us!” Kosuzu looks at me shakily, and I can see the lingering shock of seeing her world go up in flames behind her eyes. Bitterness fills my mouth.

A coping mechanism; denial; survivor's guilt; delusion—doesn't matter. Not here, in hell, where it's all the same.

… There was, however, the same determination burning like embers against a fierce blizzard, the rain above intensifying to include thunders. “It wouldn't be the first time; I saw it happening at Eientei; at that night with Mr. Hieda and his s-samurai…” Her tears stop streaming and, at length, her eyes land on the cloak in my hands. “If someone could squeeze from the Yama a second chance at life, I think it'd be her.”

Hope born from delusion; hope to keep going.

Eiki is incredibly averse to the idea of second chances and only grants them to people she deems worthy or are purely white, but Kosuzu doesn't know that—better, doesn't need to know that—meaning hope pulses and the desire will keep on burning despite the attempts of the blizzard.

Useful.

“You thought highly of her, didn’t you?” I say, looking over at Keine briefly—you had good friends, didn't you~?—before resuming. “Okay, I believe you.”

Kosuzu doesn’t react, just blinks in sheer disbelief… Then, “H-Huh…?!”

“Your desires speak truthfully of your experience, so I choose to believe our revolutionary leader shall return—I'll even send a message to Eiki~” A gleaming ball of light births from in between my protuberant locks of hair, shooting up to the skies. It’s made up of nothing but a pound of magic that’ll scare Eiki by popping behind her; sad that I won't be there to see, but oh well. “So, until Keine walks amidst the living again, I think you should hold the fort. Our enemies don't have infinite ammo, and these walls shall hold on until I deem it necessary; we'll let them waste everything they have, then we'll attack them with all the rage this revolution has built for its entire existence… But to make it work, we'll need a leader—a leader that doesn't need to fight, yet a leader that'll keep the people's spirits up! Someone to shine brightly and show them a smile; confidence—we need you…” I move behind her and, reckoning the moment is perfect, apply the final pressure, laying the blood-soaked cloak on her shoulders. “The fight is not over yet, Kosuzu Motoori.”

She freezes, tense as a rod, gawking at the regal cloak. A flicker of heavenly magic makes it flutter majestically. “It's… v-very heavy.”

“As it should be—it bears all of these people's futures and by wearing it, so do you. Don’t worry, I’m here with you~”

>>46824419
—
Danmaku duels boil down to making beautiful patterns and gracefully destroying your opponent.

Truly, you can stall out your opponent's spellcards, and with enough time, you learn to dodge like a lunatic, always searching for small gaps and shooting without looking much. Finesse, observance and, above all, dodging: That's Danmaku, and I taught all my apprentices such style because Gensokyo never needed anything different… “MOKOU! Stop this!” I yell, dodging for the life of me stakes of flames that collapse from the skies like a falling skyscraper, fire surges thrown widely and still barely dodgeable by my apprentices that orbit our battle from a 'safe' distance, casting Moriyan seals and barriers to stop the deluges of fire and though they dissipate long before reaching the village down below, embers and flickers feed the already existing fires from the first two explosions—at least Mokou is still sane, despite being incredibly pissed off…

Sweating from the pain of my broken arm, I clench my teeth and look into Mokou's wide, murderous eyes once more. She stares past me and out into the Hieda State, fires roaring and spreading quickly to the rest of the village, villagers fleeing in desperation to the unscathed HSE.

… A sliver of purple on the edge of my vision, far away, watching from the roof of the brothel, pumps through my body. A vulture to a carcass, just awaiting the perfect moment…

At least I know Hana is safe with Suwako- and Kanako-sama—it means I can’t summon them for help without putting her in danger, but it is what it is…

Ignoring my broken arm and aware of my apprentices, their eyes laced with fear and astonishment with Mokou's wild fighting style, I try talking—

The immortal plunges, trying to get past me once again, but I meet her midway through with Gohei in hand, that flaming hair of propane white swaying in blazes as she dodges and counterattacks in the same movements, tornadoes of fire with each movement—this presence, she'll die! “NO!” I scream, turning slightly to my apprentice who tries to use a spellcard on Mokou’s back—the millisecond of distraction all a woman who's been fighting for a thousand years needs.

My world shakes as her elbow sinks into my stomach, lifting me in the middle of the air, her other hand grabbing my face as if a toy, unbearable heat spreading and—

… Hesitation.

—reflex clicks and a short and rather unprofessional miracle explodes the surrounding air as if heavily pressurized, propelling Mokou away from me and lacerating her body into ribbons, the same for mine, though on much lesser scale as the immortal took the full-blown explosion, small itchy cuts covering my flesh as if I had crawled out from a pit of sharp paper… B-But am alive, and that's what matters.

Mokou is a shredded hunk of burning meat, floating weirdly as her blood and guts pour into the rubble down below. “Sanae-sensei!!” The apprentice that tried to attack Mokou rushes towards me—Sayori, the same idiot who fought Mr. Hieda yesterday. Ugh, teenagers: they lose once and feel like they need to prove themselves… “Are you okay?!” She ask, the rest of my apprentices sieging me and staring either at my wounds or morbidly at the pulsating clump of red—

—Which, expectantly, explodes, Mokou there again a moment later, her eyes furious as wings sprawl to their full span. Her revival is too fast; I need to kill and be right on her face to have just enough time to seal her away…

My body hurts like crazy—there's a cut in my eyeball. In my fucking eyeball! I‘d be bawling like a baby if it wouldn’t ruin my cool reputation as a gentle yet strict teacher. Exploding air particles is an awful idea…—mind numb and slightly fuzzy… My apprentices can contain her attacks, but that's it; Mokou will eviscerate them sooner or later. With Mr. Hieda, they'd be kept as hostages… With the revolutionaries, they'd be k-killed on sight.

This situation is becoming really hard to control…

… Calm down, Sanae. Calm down. You're a trained shrine maiden, a living goddess! No matter how much you want to cry from the unbelievable pain, you've got an incident to solve!

And Mokou hesitated just now. That could be used against her. But how…?

“Nothing of this needed to happen.” She suddenly speaks, my apprentices jolting a little and clasping firmly to their goheis. She looks down with tired eyes, her hands—trembling hands—plunging into her pants’ pockets, the sky around us red from the raging inferno. I was so focused on the fight that I did not even notice the light cylinder in the background until now… “I listened to Keine, Kaguya… I shouldn't have. I should've killed him. This was preventable… But it's already too late. The mother of my children is dead.” Her eyes moved bitterly to the HSE. “You're protecting her murderer; her friends are suffering because I’m not there to help them.” My heart is frantic; w-what can I even say…? “Tell me, Sanae, why shouldn’t I kill you and your maidens right fucking now?!”

>>46771489
—
For Patchouli, who was virtually competing with herself, one test was insufficient; each one proceeded without a hitch. Restoring the children to their mothers, testing with larger animals and their offspring, and even transplanting the children to other mothers—though we only tested that once and decided not to try that offense against mother nature again—the battery of tests ended without one big magical explosion or flood of gore.

Patchy didn't seem to be coping very well with that fact, and it all had to do with that powerful book she occasionally summons. Respecting her wishes—and I don’t want that death glare again—I decided not to pry, but man, curiosity is killing me…

Thanking Koa for the tea and whole loaf of pure bread, I began munching for much of Patchy's concern and the succubus' amusement. “Lady Patchouli, staring is rude—pregnant women have cravings…” She offers, the week magician watching with clear judgment as I pour four tablespoons of sugar into my tea. “A-At least is not as bad as the women of Makai…” I awkwardly peered at Koa, who went red in the cheeks. Yeah, I don't want to know whatever the fuck she's talking about.

Exchanging some final words with Patchy, Koa soon saw herself out, the magician draining her tea before addressing me, her eyes keen. “Are you prepared, Marisa?”

We've done a lot of tests; none went wrong…

… But the possibility of something just exploding in the magical world simply because it feels like it is never a round zero. Laughing after swallowing a chunk of the bread, though, I say. “I was born ready, da-ze~!” The forced lie buffets her face and ricochets; something inside stirring… I recall Reimu's face by that pond and I swallow dry, my eyes darting to the jar over the table that we'll use to store my children—one hand caressing my belly. “… It's the safer choice.” Patchy keeps staring in silence. Listening. It urges me like nothing else. “… I'm not as young as I used to be, you know? Even before getting pregnant, I was starting to notice it. I can still fly, fight—act like the badass I am… But my age is catching up: I'm committing mistakes I never did before, my reaction time is not lunatic-tier anymore, and…” I clutch my belly like it will grow legs and run away. “The Winter Solstice m-may be my last battle, so I need to make sure these silly little guys are safe… That's my responsibility as their mother.” My eyes burn, but I remain still; strong. “Can you believe this, Patchy…? Me, becoming a mother! And I, I… Mima doesn't want me fighting in the Solstice. We'd have a nasty fight if she knew that I'm planning to fight anyway… But want to know something-ze? I don't think I care.” It's the hormones of pregnancy. Nothing else explains these tears that strand down my face under the penetrating gaze of Gensokyo's harshest magician: “… Even if I die in the Solstice, I know they'll still have you. I simply do. You'll find a way to bring these kids to life, Patchy, and they'll hear that their short, old and very foolish mother fought bravely for their poor father… They may then hear she was one of Gensokyo's most notorious thieves and that she died with so many regrets… But they'll be proud of their mother nonetheless, won't they? I want them to be proud of me, because then I think that I'll… I’ll finally be proud of myself…” I glance towards the hovering universe brushing against the roof of the Voilé. “Heh, so silly, ain't me-da-ze—?”

“I'm proud of you, Marisa.” Simple words, said with a simple smile.

… Fuck, my bread is all drenched and salty now, and I cannot talk so I shakily nod. It's enough for Patchouli Knowledge.

About thirty minutes later, recovered and feeling much better than ever before, almost light—not really, ouch, ouch… I walk for ten seconds, and my feet are already killing me—we decide it's time to conduct the process, determination placating my frantic heart as I lay on the wooden table and feel my magic humming on my back. Tensed discomfort settled inside my stomach like a frozen boulder, weighing me down and draining my strength… It was crippling anxiety like none I have felt since I was a young girl with flamboyant ideas and odd hair choices, trying my hardest to cast my first ever spell…

… I exchange a glance with Patchiouli and know that nothing is going wrong.

The chance is never zero, but for the people you love—even those you haven't even seen the faces of—you brave those chances.

Somehow, I feel like Patchy understands me perfectly.

Soothing magic soon calms my mind and my eyes wander to the handcrafted universe above me, fluctuating and groaning ever so frequently, such grandiose display way beyond that of an ordinary magician—still, as I watch the lights, my eyes pick up that sigil of gold, white and black Patchy made a while ago, the thing floating around and making connections with its peers…

I smile for whatever reason, arms clutching my belly as darkness welcomes me.

It’s nice not being alone, isn’t it~?

>>46768892
The black swarm shifted and changed into a drill shape, bright Danmaku lasers forming the ridges before launching itself into the Senkai’s barrier.

Suika’s form drilled into the barrier of the Senkais, already weakened by Kasen’s state and the damage inadvertently caused by Yukari and Okina, it soon gave way, a minuscule crack, all Suika needed, appearing across its previously seamless surface.

Dissipating the effect of her Spell Card card, Suika once again separated into a cloud of black miasma, rushing shooting Forward into it and entering Kasen’s Senkai.

The animals growled as she approached, prancing across the roof and staling the perimeter of the mansion as some of the beasts circled. The birds and cats gathered on the roof sward together surrounding a scythe-wielding hooded figure, who looked down at the Oni intruder.

Looking up at the person seated there, Suika instantly recognized her uniform. “So, you're her Shinigami friend right.” Suika eyed the box she held underneath one arm and measured the distance between them, Shinigami could control distance but Suika was among all Oni, the strongest. A being tantamount to a god, maybe this petty death job salary woman could prove a worthy challenge, but she doubted it.

“Yep.” Komachi gave Suika an anxious wave as they were both inspected by the animal of the half-abandoned Senkai.

“You gonna try and stop me from getting that box?” Suika remained unbothered as the animals stalked closer, the leader of the eagles, whom Kasen had certainly told her the name of but Suika couldn’t remember leading them.

“Calm down, I want to help Kasen just as much as you,” awkwardly and tensely she removed the box from underneath her arm, throwing it to Suika “Here’s the arm.”

“Well, thanks for the help, not like I needed it, but maybe you should try to save Kasen yourself next time.”

“I…” Komachi stuttered, remembering the words she had recited earlier. “The situation in Gensokyo is very perilous, you know this, as a Shinigami, I act in service to my Yama and the Yama kings.”

“So what? Just because the boss man doesn’t allow you to do something means ya’ can’t? Maybe you should take a look in the mirror and think about your life before blindly following orders.” Suika’s words were venom, a poison that seeped through Komachi’s veins.
To a spiritual being like her, it was as good as being punched across the face.

Komachi gave Suika a rotten look, she couldn’t refute what the Oni had said, it wasn’t that she lacked a response, she just didn’t believe in the rotten words that appeared in her mind.
Suika exploded into a cloud of black particles, flying away and seeping out of the crack in the Senkai she entered.
--

Goro gayley tapped a finger against his lip, deep in thought as he cast out his awareness into the structure of the now former Hakurei Shrine Experience. “Well, the facade does look to be a tree now, but inside its dimensions haven't changed to fit, in fact, I think they’ve expanded…”
“Great, just what we needed,” Seija complained, facepalming. “Those hags creating more problems for us.” Of course, coming from an Amanojaku, a statement like that was the purest hypocrisy. “Can you still find Yukari’s office?”

Goro’s eyes were blank and milky, blind to the real and physical world. Looking elsewhere into the systems that governed the former Hakurei Shrine Experience.

“Well, the tree has a sort of…” Goro tilted his head as he tried to make sense of what he was looking at. “Hollow? On the inside, it’s shaped like a cell, with the Shrine being a Nucleus of sorts, but at its edges, there’s this ‘non-existence’ but on the tree’s ‘outside’ face the ‘non-existence’ is at its center?” Goro wasn’t entirely sure that he was correct, this also didn’t look like either Yukari or Okina’s work, which made him even more suspicious.

“Okay, okay.” Seija interrupted, waving her hands to dismiss Goro’s ramblings. “I'm sorry for asking.” Her tone was half sincere, Goro had worried her when his eyes went white. “Do you have a way to get us to Yukari’s office? Yes or no?”

Goro clicked his nails against each other, examining the structure of the former Hakurei Shrine Experience. “…yes?”

“Yes?” Seija raised her eyebrow.

“Well…” Goro tapped his fingers together as he collected his thoughts, only having returned to lucidity moments ago. “It's a very tentative yes, but I think I can get us there, just follow my lead okay?.” Without another word, Goro began walking, eyes still blind to the physical reality around him and firmly planted upon the map in his head.

“Ugh…” Seija grunted in annoyance as she clung to the man, she half wished that hadn't even taken the request from Okina, but it wasn't like they had any choice in the first place and Goro was adamant about helping Anon.

>>46760557
—
I was stabbed and slashed in half; then I was reborn.

… The last time I felt so dead, I was still a child.

The fire spreads across wood and cloth, growing overwhelmingly, but I do not care. I do not care about the people screaming and running for their lives; the stampede out from the festival grounds or trying to invade the Hieda State and kill everyone inside—I do not care because my eyes never leave her. “K-Keine!” I yell, an explosion of flames bringing me from the fence to her side immediately. Samurai were burning inside their clunky armors; Sanae had to react lightning-fast to save a few of her apprentices, her left arm caught in the burst of flames, a scorching and effervescent mess.

I ignored the pain of my knees scraping the gravel during the landing, wrapped my arms around Keine's head, caught the sides of her face, and peered into her crimson eyes in the hopes of seeing the same light I see in our nights.

The light steadily faded away; blood coughed, stopping her from uttering any words.

This is Aki's and Mochi's mother, and she's dying.

No, no, no—t-this is impossible! Of course, it is! I talked to future Keine, so she's not dying; there must be something we can do—anything—to stop this. “I-I'll take you to Eientei! Hold on, Keine! Don't you fucking dare leave your family alone!” Suzu and Mystia watch as I try to lift her, Keine's eyes immediately widening, a shriek of pain escaping her and, in so, I let her go, her back obliquely hitting the gravel…

I held her for mere moments, and both my arms are tainted with so much cold blood…

I've died like this before.

It's always so quick.

Trying to get her to Eientei would be impossible; she'd die in the way… “YUKARI!” I yell, Suzu's eyes bulging. Shots echo over screams, bullets hitting flesh and Danmaku beginning to fly in both directions; some hit close to us, but the blessing shields inside Suzu and Mystia stopped bullets from hitting them—I ignore any bullet that hits mine, using it to shield Keine's…

Why didn't the blessing stop the bullet that hit Keine…? Why did it not?! Am I really that big of a failure?!

“SHOW YOURSELF, YUKARI! Please, help her!!”

No one comes.

I clench my teeth in white fury, hair floating up in a blazing rage of blue. Why did she do anything?! That woman, that Gap terror, there's something she wanted from us—she won't get it if Keine is dead! Kaguya could help, but where is she now?! Where's Toyosatomimi no Miko?! I try lifting Keine again; m-maybe I'll—

She's crying in pain, yet still conscious. If Aki and Mochi could be as strong as you someday… You'd like to see that, right, Keine?

“Mokou, please, stop!” Suzu tries, the fucking woman cradling my arms as if I couldn't scorch her entire body into ashes in moments. Mystia continues watching, at a loss… Suzu meets my eyes, doesn't back down, and I am about to scream at her—

—a hand, trembling, reaches from below and, tenderly, holds my cheek. It'll hurt until the day I see the death of the universe the look we share: sheer determination and love. Like nothing of this is happening; as if everything will be okay…

Eyes that say: I'll come back.

Father never came back, even if he'd said the same.

I try holding Keine's hand, but by the time I am to meet hers, that hand falls flat on the gravel, and the light in those eyes is completely gone.

… Perhaps, with her, I've died too…

Because this is hell.

Teeth clenched and hair still floating, I gently unwrapped my hands from Keine's head and let Suzu hold her corpse. “… Protect her, please…” I mutter an order to Mystia Lorelei and Kosuzu Motoori, my back turning to them as I finally stand up.

I had one split second before, but I got a glimpse of who shot Keine.

And if I'm in hell, I'll make sure the devils cry.

Wings of sheer fire sprout and, with hair burning as white as the fury that paints every inch of my face, I soar through the burning fences and towards the Hieda State, half the roof exploding as if a volcano eruption, ribbons of wrathful fire following my movements as I hovered on the sky, hands holding an old human with only one leg, his eyes wide and confused, frightful… Yet they meet mine, a massive beam of wood protuberant from my waist. “You killed my woman…” I state through bloodied teeth.

“… And I'll see her in hell—”

Before the man can say anything more, his entire body inflates and is soon engulfed in scarlet flames that fill the skies with red, his ashes raining down on those watching from below.

Murdering a man has never felt this empty.

—

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!” Sanae yells, unable to stop the back and forth of potshots between my samurai and the Youkai. Any that tried to fly were easy prey to incredibly small and rapid bullets, and the panicked crowd made it impossible to navigate—

—until the immortal burst into the skies and pops a man like a balloon in a show of flames, eyes watching in sheer horror…

“You have an incident to fix, Shrine Maiden.”

>>46748199
After my run in with the Oni, I began to notice that there were many of these 'youkai' even within the village walls, which felt strange given the amount of caution some of the resident showed. I guess they were pretty confident in the local shrine maiden! Whom I had been a little delinquent on making a delivery too as work was plentiful around the village, preparing for an upcoming festival. Granny tried to explain what it was for, something about a flood? I just nodded and pretended to understand, she was nice enough to let me stay in her home after all.

「I'm back with food Obaa-chan.」I announced as I entered the house. What I found was her and Reimu sitting down for tea.

「Oh? How good of you, here let me take that, no no, you can entertain our guest okay? She came all this way to see you after all, ah, I remember when her mother was born like it was yesterday...」 she murmured before curtly taking the bags I held and gestured for me to take a seat, which I did so.

"Ah, Konnichiha wakai onnanoko." I nervously said, noticing her expression looked a little forced.

「Just a 'hello' huh? I haven't heard anything from you for more then a week after running into an Oni, you missed your scheduled delivery, and it turns out you were just taking side-jobs?!」She said, looking a little terse. I raised a hand, trying to explain, but was cut off. 「No, I understand. You saw a little Danamku and lost your nerve didn't you? Well the least you could do was write, I thought you might have been eaten...」She finished looking a little hurt and dejected.

I'm not sure what I would say even if I understood everything she conveyed, but I get the feeling that maybe this was one of those times where saying nothing was better? So, gingerly, I reached out to the girl and rubbed her slightly on the arm. "Watashi wa mada koko ni iru." I told her. Reimu blinked at me for a few moments before collapsing onto me and burying her face in my chest, hugging me tightly. Gently I patted her on the back. Definitely one of those times I was glad to be less fluent.

「You know...」She said, after a while 「There's a lot of space at the Shrine and a lot of chores to be done, if you're willing to put in some work, I can host you. It'd ease my nerves to knowing you haven't ended up in some Youkai's belly! 」She asked rapid fire.

"Uh..." I said, trying to comprehend her offer.

「And I already asked Obaa-chan! She said she's fine with it to!」Reimu added, staring me dead in the face.

I looked to the side and saw Granny peaking out from the corner. What had they talked about?

"Uhh, hai?" I said, not knowing what I'd agreed to.

「Great! Let's get going immediately! If we hurry, you can be set up before nightfall! Come on, Come on, I already packed all your belongings!」She said, pushing me up and along.

After a quick(and mostly smooth) flight we had arrived at the Hakurei Shrine, which I quickly learned would be my new home. The whole situation was a little confusing to me, I understood the Shrine Maiden was concerned with my safety and it did seem weird to me that a young girl lived all by herself, but wasn't it a little wrong for an older man and young girl to be living in one household by themselves? I mean, sure there were separate buildings we were sleeping in, I just wonder if I haven't been roped into some strange marriage agreement or perhaps was being readied as a ritualistic sacrifice? Ah, I must be thinking strangely after such a long day, maybe some sleep would clear this all up.

However I did hear the Shrine Maiden mutter something strange when she left me for the evening.

「He's under my roof now, all to myself, how nice...」

>>46723601
—
Man, this is messed up…

Everyone below is having some nice moments, enjoying the great music—if I'm not misremembering, the Prismrivers perform at weddings, right? Hm—and the food, and here I am stuck on a roof staring at a geezer flaunt his army of squishy toy soldiers, trying my hardest not to scratch my nose as that'd destroy the scary feel Keine said I exude… Eh, at least it's not all boring. Creating multicolored fire is a kinda useless technique I've developed a thousand years ago, but it's cool that it finally has a use. Watching the people do stuff is also 'interesting'. Yams left sometime ago in a hurry; Mystia's Izakaya is one of the main hotspots of the festival with its proximity to the stage of the Prsmrivers and it's kind of heartwarming seeing her go all out and give that pushy guy a run for his money—he was smiling, though, so not all that bad?—; Suzu, who apparently tamed the green pest who now wanders the festival towards the Hieda State with a pensive expression, not looking all pissy anymore. I wonder what they talked about…

There was also Keine and that weird girl who seemed very carefree about getting very close to others' wives… Bleh, Kags would be laughing her ass off if she were here—

—Oh, there it is.

I seize it with an iron grip before it can stick itself to my face, the ‘living paper’ wriggling. “Not today, asshole.” I mutter and wait for the squirming to stop, opening it then. Terrible idea and way beyond my ability to understand how it works, but good for these types of situations—though Keine said she needed to thank that Bozo guy and apologize for borrowing his idea without asking permission first.

I say, screw it; that is history, especially for her, who uses the imagery of the Yata Mirror, Kusanagi, and Yasakani no Magatama without repercussion~

… She gave me the cold shoulder after that conversation…

Sighing, I read, “Sanae-san and I talked a bit, but couldn't do much to convince her to switch sides—I got emotionally invested in a problem she was facing…” What the fuck? “But I'm quite sure she won't fight us. Sanae-san is a good person and wasn't aware of all that is at stake, but she's now; so if you, Keine and her talk together, there's no way she's not siding with us.” Hm… Sanae looked so pissed off; I suppose that was the best we could have hoped for. It makes chances to convince her to turn to our side—or, at least, lowering her guard enough for me to knock her out in one fell swoop—much larger.

My eyes narrowed, however, when the letter continued:

“PS: Don't call me Mii-dera Bonshuzu again. It helped in this letter, but made me very annoyed when I realized it was a joke about my breast-size after spending hours trying to understand it…”

… It was impossible to hide it, so I just let my laughter free, eyes falling to the mini-Suzunaan—

—From an open window in the back of the stall, I saw Suzu staring at me. She was pouting and looked very embarrassed.

I laughed even more… After all, laughing hides the pain well. Keine's are big, Suzu's are massive and Mystia's doesn't count as breastfeeding three is—in her own words—a living nightmare, leaving only me, the goddamned anvil.

Eh, no point worrying about that millennium-old anxiety.

… I ponder pulling the cig pack from my pocket, but decide against it—now that's something that'd make Kags laugh. Immortal, so never to face the consequences, yet refraining from such a small pleasure anyway…

Letting my laughter die, I get up and, stuffing the letter into a pocket, turn my hand to the sky and shoot three continuous bursts of fireworks that paint the sky brown in the beginning, then red-white, then blue-black. It turns out it was also well-timed with the music the Prismrivers were playing—a round of applause and cheers echoing through the festival.

I ignore it as I return old man Hieda's distant glare from behind the demonic mask. “Stare well, oni-jiji… I'd love it if my face were the last thing you’d ever see.” Of course, he doesn’t listen to my whispering, but the thought of cleaning the world of that stain makes me very happy.

Someone jumps to my side from the alley below. The wafting black cloak is immediately recognizable, as I had made sure it'd be~ “Everything went alright?” Keine asks me, watching the Hieda State, though she looked a bit off. Sanae had just returned and was talking to the oni-jiji.

“It did; our Suzu knows how to play with others' heart strings,” I offer her the letter, to which Keine reads and, by the end, sighs. “In more ways than she reckons…” I pout, arms crossing.

“Stop whining; that's the twins' role.” Neatly, she folds the letter and stores it in her dress, scowl turning a tad softer. “While in hiding, I talked to this girl wh—”

“Yeah, yeah, I saw it all. Cutesy, younger gal—”

“—And also a saint,” I stop just before rolling my eyes, pout fading as I look at her. Keine doesn't seem amused. “That was Toyosatomimi no Miko. I welcomed her into our revolution.”

… Huh.

>>46717541
Weaving my way through the crowds, I found my stall. It looked just like the real Suzunaan, It had the slanted tiled roof, and it even had curtains that can be pulled to cover everything that had the same patterns as the one back home. So cute~ I sat down on the seat behind the stall. It was nice and plush, I might have to see if I can take this home with me. The inventory is in good condition too, no signs of damaged pages or frayed covers. If they treat books this carefully then the Kurodanis truly are civilized. Adjusting myself to be more comfortable, I wait for things to begin.

It doesn’t take too long. The Prismrivers start to play, their lively music energizing the crowds and drawing more onlookers in. The food stalls start to cook, sending their delicious smells wafting all over the festival grounds. My stomach grumbles a bit. Maybe I’ll drop by the Izakaya a bit latter. I look over to see how Mystia is doing, and it seems like shes already busy, and she has that man that is always sticking around her helping her out. Ah, that's so sweet to see. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun, the strangeness and fear of having youkai so openly in the village seems to be evaporating quickly. It’s almost like this is just another normal festival, and there are no men just a stone’s throw away, ready to attack at a moment's notice. Seeing such a friendly and lively atmosphere from his proclaimed enemies right on his doorstep must be making Mr Hieda upset. I really hope he doesn’t do anything rash, or we’re in in trouble.

When I turn my attention back to my stall, I see I already have a customer. A young man, couldn’t be much older then his mid-twenties, is browsing the books I have on display.

“Looking for anything specific?” I ask

“Oh, You go anything on grooming? Like for animals and such” He says, putting down a book.

“I don’t think we have anything like that here, but we might have something like that back at the Suzunaan” I point a thumb in the general direction “If you’re looking to get a pet, we have books on that as well”

“Oh it’s not like that” He mutters “There’s this kitsune I’ve seen coming to the meetings all of you people have been having. She just walks right by my place, doesn’t even bother hiding who is she anymore. We’ve talked a few times, but I’d like to get to know more about kitsunes So I was looking for something on cleaning fur, like tails and such, because well you know-”

I smile, there’s nothing quite like the awkward fumbling of young love. “I might not have something like that in stock here, but I do have something you might like” I pull out a book and hand it over to him “It’s a collection of tales on kitsune. It should tell you more about them. You can always come by the Suzunaan later and read up on how to brush fluffy tails if you want”

He flips through a few pages. “I’ll take it. Thanks!” Money exchanges hands and he goes off into the crowd. I wished him luck in his love life.

A new customer slides up to the stall. She looks familiar to me, but I can’t quite place it. But as she gets right up to me it clicks. It’s that tengu! The one that was selling those dirty books at the market in front of the HSE! She smiles and waves at me. “Oh hey, it’s you! How are you doing?” Of course she’d remember me, out of all her customers.

“I’m doing well enough, isn’t this festival great?” I respond, putting on a friendly face. At least she was in disguise. Considering how Mr Hieda’s delusions were published in a tengu paper, he might run down her and strangle her himself if he knew. Could she be an agent sent by Yukari? Maybe, I didn’t know how how of a hold she had on the merchants outside the HSE proper. I could send a signal to Mokou, and she could lead her away- no that’s an awful idea. I glance out at the Hieda estate, men still on the walls. They would be looking for any signs of wrong-doing and use that as a sign to attack.

Mokou could probably control herself well enough to not make a big scene. This tengu could be considered an enemy to us, but one that was indirectly profiting off the place that had indirectly lead to Keine’s firing from her job as a teacher. Mokou wouldn’t get too angry off someone that was so far removed from Keine’s suffering, but there would be singed feathers regardless. No. Better not waste her time with something like this and risk ruining everything. I'd have to be nice.

Patchouli drained her tea cup and stood. "Thank you for your hospitality, Yamame. And for the answers to my questions." She patted her bag, containing the new additions to the ritual.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, I forgot to actually get you the silk." Yamame rose from the chair too, heading over to the workshop part of her home. "No, no, no...Where are- Ah, here we are." Yamame raised her hand, containing a small spool of white thread. "I hope that this is enough for your needs."

Patchouli took the offered thread and delicately slid it into her bag. "I'm sure it will be." She nodded, then headed for the door. "Once again, thank you. This is more important than you know." She couldn't explain any further, but Yamame seemed to understand the need for restraint.

"That's okay. Perhaps I'll learn more in the future." Yamame accompanied Patchouli to the door. "I'll have to head back out to the festival in the Human Village soon, but I'll tidy up in here first. Can you find your way back?" Patchouli squinted through the column of light in front of her and into the darkness of the caves. Undoubtedly there would be someone out there who could guide her, but...

"Where does this come out?" Patchouli asked, pointing up at the hole in the roof of the cave. "I can fly."

"Ah, it's, er...Up on the mountain. Shouldn't cause any problems, but the tengu like to get all territorial about it from time to time and say that they own the whole mountain, so..." The tengu were certainly annoying creatures. Patchouli had plenty of aggravating encounters with Shameimaru to attest to that. "Well, good luck with your project. I - Or one of my family members - Will see you soon, I'm sure." Yamame gave one of those motherly smiles, then closed the door as Patchouli took to the air.

Patchouli burst out into the cold air and took a moment to orient herself. Yes, she was somewhere on the mountain, but she could see the Human Village in the distance, so she already had some vague idea of where she was. She did need a few more ingredients, though. Fortunately, none of them were particularly strenuous. Patchouli thought for a moment, then pulled Sekai's book out. The child was in a pensive mood, it seemed. Was, as in she was going off of the conversation she had seen while going through their fates. Patchouli had to remind herself that Sekai wasn't actually communicating in real time through the book. "Well, brat? Any wisdom to share with me?" Patchouli muttered to herself.


It's funny. So, Yamame Kurodani is what a mother should be like. I'm not trying to upset you, Mother, but I would love to have a mother like that. I look at them - At Anon Hakurei and Yukari Yakumo, and I just...I can't see it. Even if it wasn't for all the horribleness of the HSE, I just can't see a love like what Yamame has for her husband ever blossoming between them.


"It sounds like you could use a hug, but you're not getting one from me." Patchouli whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut. Just get Sekai out of the HSE. Everything else could come after. "And - No, I somewhat doubt Yukari Yakumo is capable of something like that." Baseless speculation was pointless, but Patchouli doubted that Yukari still remembered what true, unadulterated love was. "Time's wasting." She sighed. That was the thing about being alive. Especially as a youkai. Yukari Yakumo was old - Older than Patchouli by many hundreds of years, and as young as Patchouli was in comparison, she knew that some emotions became harder to hold onto without constant reminders. Yamame Kurodani would likely never forget, and she had enough family and reminders around her to always remember the love she felt. Yukari Yakumo, on the other hand, kept everything aloof and at arm's length. Perhaps she had been hurt at some point in the past. It wasn't Patchouli's concern. But it was very unlikely that she could be the mother any child needed, let alone the mother that Hata no Sekai needed.

Patchouli shook her head and took off. Ingredients needed to be collected, and she wanted to get back to the Mansion before sundown.

Much to her pleasure, the rest of the things she had on her list came easily. At one point, she had to frighten off a cocky fairy, but she made good time, and just as the shadows began to lengthen, she alighted at the gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Meiling was leaning against the brick wall, her head tapping against the bricks every few seconds. A single coin lay in her hand, which she was idly rolling across her knuckles as she stared off into the snow. She looked pensive, too. Everyone, it seemed, was deep in thought these days. "Meiling." Patchouli sharply called.

Unlike usual, Meiling didn't startle. She looked over, then flipped the coin into the air, catching it in her other hand. "Lady Patchouli, you're back." The gatekeeper looked up at the sky. "And just before sundown."

The spider resumed fidgeting with her sleeves. "Just...Don't know. Got a feeling that you could keep a secret. Yams is very forgiving, though. She might hit me on the head, but she'll get over it." Well, that presumably was something that siblings did. Not that Patchouli would know. "Good...Good luck with whatever it is you're here for."

"Thank you. And thank you for talking to me." Patchouli nodded once more, and the spider took off. Patchouli strode forward, into the natural light that poured into the cave like a waterfall, and waited in silence for a moment. Then, she opened Sekai's book.


The only spiders I see are the ones that live in the HSE. I hope...I hope that they'll survive whatever comes during the Solstice. There's never been an earth spider in these walls. Not a Kurodani.


"I suspect that Yamame Kurodani wouldn't approve." Patchouli whispered in reply. "She who loved a human. Word spreads in whispers and rumours, Sekai. There's no doubt that the Kurodani family already know of the HSE and of the man who is trapped inside. And if Yamame loved a human..."

"Loves." A voice said, making Patchouli jump. She whipped her head round, reigning in her breathing. Past the light, standing on the paved pathway with her hands folded in front of her and four more limbs extended behind her, was Yamame Kurodani. She still dressed much like she did when Patchouli had seen her during the Hell Raven's incident all those years ago. Warm browns and golds, matching the gentle amber of her eyes. She had a warm smile, too. "Loves a human, I think you mean. I never stopped loving him." She continued, striding forward. Her boots made echoing noises off of the roof of the caves, and she pushed forward into the light. "And I never will." Patchouli snapped Sekai's book shut. "Patchouli Knowledge, yes? My sister fetched me. You wanted to speak?"

"I did." Patchouli nodded, taking in Yamame's appearance. "It's something of a sensitive matter."

"Ah, I see." Yamame spread her hands wide. "I've only got so long, but...Shall we step inside?" She walked past Patchouli, but the magician still caught the moment that one of the additional limbs on her back reaching into her vest and withdrew a key which she passed down to the human hand. Yamame unlocked the door, pushed it open, and then turned to Patchouli. "After you, please. Would you like some tea?"

"Only if you wouldn't mind. I've no wish to keep you unnecessarily." Patchouli stepped into Yamame's atelier and paused, taking a moment to admire the place. Spools of thread everywhere, along with knitting needles, crochet, and sewing needles. It was clear that one side of the room was her work space, and she'd filled it with all sorts of materials. Outfits that she'd finished, a desk full of papers, and so many colours that it made Patchouli's head spin. That was the mark of a master at their craft. And yet, the other side of the room...Was a home. Here, warm colours dominated, from the rich browns and golds to the cosy reds. Wooden floor, though there was a large rug in front of a currently unlit fireplace. Here, too, the walls bore signs of Yamame's spider mind at work. She'd decorated the walls with almost unnoticeable carvings of webs, just enough that Patchouli could make them out. She suspected that when the fireplace was lit, the light would catch the edge of them and make them look as if they were almost alive. Out beyond, there were doors which presumably led to the rest of Yamame's house.

There were three armchairs arranged on the rug, and here was where Yamame directed Patchouli. "Have a seat, please. I'll be back in a moment." Wordlessly, Patchouli took one of the seats and looked at the fireplace. She wished that she'd caught Yamame on a different day, when she wasn't rushed and could have lit the fireplace. She wanted to see those flickering lights.

Above the fireplace, a massive frame hung. In it, a photograph. A photograph of so many faces that Patchouli had to pause for a moment to count them. She didn't recognise the majority, but...There, that one was the girl who had led Patchouli to Yamame's home. Younger here, but undoubtedly the same. Of course, it was clear where the focus was. In the centre of the front row sat Yamame Kurodani, next to a tall man. The two were looked toward each other, their hands clasped together, and even from just the photograph, it was clear that what they shared had been more powerful than any magic Patchouli had ever seen. A large number of the faces were male and female, but they all shared a slight resemblance to either Yamame or the man she loved. Something about the man caught in her mind, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

"You don't...Do this." Sakuya Izayoi's voice was the most hesitant that Patchouli had heard it since she had first found Meiling after her first loss under the Spell Card Rules. "You don't...Go out for these sorts of things." She stood in front of the imposing front doors of the library - The only part that was left to be imposing, given the destruction - Her hands neatly folded in front of her and only the slightest indicator of distress visible in the back of her subconscious. The maid liked things ordered. She liked knowing where everything went and what everything - Or indeed, everyone - Was doing. Patchouli knew that well enough, and she didn't particularly intend to cause her any issues.

"I didn't, and now I do. Is there any need for me to explain further?" Patchouli replied lazily, securing the bag she'd slung over her shoulder. "I might start thinking that you're trying to prevent me from leaving at this rate." The Head Maid's eyes widened so slightly that even Patchouli barely caught it. Oh, Sakuya had a curious sense of humour that could show itself in the form of baffling pranks, but somehow Patchouli suspected that preventing her from leaving was not a prank. She considered trying to gauge Sakuya's emotional state magically. Normally, she would have done it by now, but for some reason, she'd been finding reasons not to do it lately. Perhaps it was some unintended emotional consequence of the library being wrecked. Perhaps she didn't want to fall back on crutches such as detection spells when said crutches had allowed so many problems to compound into the blast that had destroyed the library.

Or perhaps it was her Remnant self's fault. Yes, that sounded about right. That girl had a lot to answer for.

"Lady Patchouli, I simply-" Sakuya's stance had changed slightly. Her hands were clenched now.

"I know, Sakuya." Patchouli replied, cutting the girl off. "You're worried. I understand that." It was evident in the just barely noticeable frown on her face. The way her shoulder were pulled back just slightly more than normal. In truth, Patchouli had experienced some slight misgivings about what she was about to do, too. That, most likely, was the fault of her memories. It wasn't a fear of going outside, no, but...Once she'd been trapped in the HSE, she'd gained the slightest concern about wide and open spaces. It was something that she was sure she'd have overcome by the end of today's trip. "What occurred on my last trip outside of the mansion will not happen again. You are worrying unnecessarily." She stared Sakuya down, and at long last, the maid sighed.

"Your condition and injuries hurt the Mistress both physically and emotionally. I wish not to see it happen again." Sakuya finally admitted, her icy blue eyes looking slightly conflicted. "Are you certain-"

"Yes, Sakuya. I am certain that I need to leave the mansion." Patchouli painstakingly replied. She could only repeat herself so many times without giving away sensitive information, after all.

"And...Your current project?" Sakuya asked, casting her eyes upward. Patchouli turned and looked up. Across the roof of the library, as well as the majority of other space in the library starting at roughly a head over Sakuya's height, was a small-scale universe. Thousands upon thousands of glyphs twinkled in the gloomy darkness, some pulsing and some twinkling like the stars in the night's sky. Patchouli was about halfway through Sekai's book, and she was already considering asking Sakuya to expand the room once more. The ritual itself was the most complex thing Patchouli had ever worked on. "I must ask if it is-"

Patchouli found that, while she absolutely understood the need for secrecy and would never do something foolish to endanger Sekai's future life, she wanted to elaborate. Damning her Remnant self once more for daring to make her feel the need to comfort and calm Sakuya's feelings, Patchouli strode back into the centre of the room and surveyed the stars above. Already, constellations and star systems were becoming apparent. Over there, a collection of spells that worked to facilitate the transfer of the soul. Over here, a binary star system that worked to follow the pathway of ki in Meiling's body so that she could channel Sekai's soul. Patchouli hadn't consciously decided on the groupings but had allowed her movements to naturally move things around. Half of it, she suspected, was Sekai's manipulation of fate, and the other half was likely her own subconscious. It stretched out before her, stars made of days made of pain, but full of love. Sekai's love for her parents, even as they both caused each other so much pain that it was unbearable. Her days as part of the HSE, watching and unable to do anything as sordid act after sordid act was carried out.

>walking down the street in my town
>suddenly look at this big advertisement sign standing up in front of the local Eros church
>"Kissing Instructions and Lessons for Free"
>"contact your local Eros mission and get into contact with an instructor today"
>look up and see a Cupid sitting on the church's roof kicking her feet back and forth
>she blows me a kiss
Hmmmmm.... I dunno, this sounds kind of fishy to me. Wouldn't kissing one of Eros' Angels be the same as marrying her right then and there? This sounds like a sketch to get more men married and converted into Erosites... But then again, good kissing skills DOES sound pretty useful. Should I try it and see what happens?

I opened the door to the roof of the HSE and was greeted with a cold breeze and overcast sky. Navigating through the crates and tarps laid by the Yamawaro workers, I found myself at the roofs edge, staring over the crowd. The Workers were putting the final touches on the thick blanket replacement for tired door frame and any evidence of the Kappa's trickery had long since been picked clean and forgotten, lost in the waves of commerce and onlookers who had deals to broker, sights to see, or more mischief to make. I sighed, leaning over the ledge, "So lively for such gloomy weather." I mused to nobody in particular.

I already knew by the time I had made it to the roof that Kasen would be long-gone, but I came anyway for the same reason she had probably been here: solitude. So much had happened in the last few days and so much more was to come that I scarcely had a moment to digest all, much less think about what to say to the crestfallen hermit.

I'd heard what happened through my contacts. Yukari, in order to further her control over Kasen, had chained her Dragon Companion, freshly returned from his journey, to act as a guard for that accursed sword they created. It was an evil, unnecessary thing to do and one I felt a little culpable in, since that thing had a smidgen of the aura that surrounded my bracelet, the Root. So, feeling guilty, and as the only Human in Yukari's employ, I thought I should say something to her or at least give her someone she can vent at, but I suppose she still wanted to be alone for a bit, which was fair. I only wish she'd-

Something changed. I metallic taste suddenly made it's way into my mouth and a Borderer who lives past his first year well knows that means trouble. I make way for the roof exit, but one foot doesn't extend in front of the other and my body falls to the cold, wet floor. The pain from the impact is quickly forgotten as my head feels as though it's lifted up, fell a great distance, and then throbs with incredible pain.

Clutching my head I try to scream, but as if the wind has been knocked out of me I can't even manage a word and all the while a rising buzzing, like the chorus of locus, fills my ears and my vision begins to redden.

My instinct kick in and I bite hard on one of the tarps besides me, forcing myself to focus on something other then the head pain I was experiencing. Was I being attacked? No, I would've sensed it this close to the HSE, in fact, that same sensitivity was making me all the more aware that the agony was now migrating through my veins to my extremities. Maybe I could get help another way? Reaching into my cloak, I pull a piece of paper and tear the thing to throw out, thinking about how Seija put my left shoe to the right and right show to the left. The crude cursed familiar comes to life, walks a few steps, and collapses, not enough focus to even to make a cruddy messenger! I was on my own. Then it was back to why: my sensitivity was making it worse, a metallic taste most likely meant magic(the possibility of chemical warfare aside), and I wasn't being attacked, maybe something in the HSE's nature had changed?

If I could hone in on it maybe there was a way to stop myself from collapsing, since if I did, I felt like I wouldn't be waking back up, but ARGH this noise and overwhelming sensations broke my focus and caused my body to involuntarily jerk and spasm, slamming my limbs into the crates and exacerbating the pain. It was worse then being beaten half to death, more heart throbbing then proper Demon Slaying Sake, and even more relentless then one of Hijiri's Sutra sessions.

Sutras... well, if I might die, may as well be at peace. 'Thus have I heard. At one time...'

Morning starts like any other.

The weather is good, the sun shines brightly on snow-covered rooftops, and the streets are as clean as usual. Ignoring the HSE in weather like this used to remind me of better days before this mess; now, the fortified walls of the Hieda House had men perched on top of its roofed fences, holding close onto their fire weapons—such an uncommon sight for a Gensokyan—and watching like hawks the open area in front of the house, connected by three big streets and plain, as it should be the old central festival spot of the Human Village.

I bite my nail, analyzing from the clouds their positioning—not only the men but also machine guns, bombs and weapons to slow down enemy approaches: A fortress prepared within three days with enough firepower to properly quench a rebellion.

Human tactics using human weaponry would likely be crushed by Mokou to my side… If not for Sanae staring straight at us, her crossed arms as she stood on the top of the clan's house.

That does change things a lot.

“He's gonna attack.” Mokou says without an ounce of doubt, eyes firm on the shrine maiden as I frown. “There's no other motive to get Sanae involved. He already knows I'm only attacking if he provokes us, and Sanae is him saying he's more than ready for that attack—we should delay the protests.”

“… He's not attacking. We have our trump card to prevent exactly that.” I uncross my arms, the wind blowing like an ominous gong. “He might be insane to amass all that, but even he wouldn't—”

“Keine, look at me.” Her voice is uncharacteristically sharp, and as we cross gazes, I see something in her eyes that chills me to the bone: Experience. “He's lost his mind. Completely. He doesn't want to reason with us or proof he’s wrong; this—” She points broadly at the stationary Gatling guns. “—is his response because he has lost his FUCKING mind! And don't bullshit me with, 'All this is because he's lost his daughter; he's a grieving man—I can reason with him!', that means nothing! He's made his choice, and that choice is reading himself to spill blood.” She huffs, her words agitated yet body completely on guard.

Pale and quite tired, I stare at her, tension gripping my flesh and baptizing it in freezing water. There's merit to her words, and it scares me: despite my trust on our trump card, if Mr. Hieda has truly lost reason…

I feel the black cloak over my shoulders swinging in the air. Once imprinted on it was a symbol of war. Mokou took it away, but the threads have been marked forever.

Truth is merely hidden.

These are the moments I'd love to retain my Hakutaku memory. Gladly, I do not; otherwise, the sensory overload of using my powers would kill me, as I'm not a pure Hakutaku…

No safety net, only forward. “We cannot postpone it, Mokou.” She tsks, scratching her hair. “Something is brewing—I saw it with Goro-san, Aya, Suzu and the whispers that loop the village.” A Youkai stopping another Youkai? Kappa in human suits? Flandre in the HSE…? Escalation seems to be happening all around; a clear build-up. “I fear what's to come will kill our revolution and instill fear of its idea. Yukari might move any time too; we cannot take any day for granted, not after I wrote Seiga's demise…” I close my eyes, sighing, heart pounding. “Should we lose this momentum, Mokou, it'll be impossible to regain it—it's now or never.”

Mokou narrows her eyes, but unlike what I expected, anger doesn't come to the forefront. She seemed almost placid as her eyes flickered down. Sanae still stared at us from the roof of the Hieda House before looking down at an armored figure leaving the main house for the courtyard; Mr. Hieda looked up, his eyes visible through the red, bearded mask and horned kabuto, surrounded by samurai armed to the teeth. He looks like a devil.

“Fuck… I'm trusting you, Keine. Sanae I can deal with; she hasn't gotten any younger and has grown careless with no major incidents. The squirts she calls apprentices are nothing, too. But if Sanae summons Kanako and Suwako… We aren't winning, and I cannot protect everyone, so do know my priority will be saving you, Suzu and Mystia. The rest I'll leave behind.” The words came out with an iron tone, and unparalleled bitterness overtook my tongue: leaving the people that trusted me for the betterment of their lives, of their children's lives, behind to save myself? Mr. Hieda and the Moriyans wouldn't spare the Youkai; the humans would be punished—maybe even killed for following me.

The cloak, with its faded sigil, feels incredibly heavy.

Nothing would heal that wound…

… Nothing but my ability. “I'll eat that history and return us to this checkpoint as many times as necessary.” My true last resort: Hieda-sama and the Moriyans won't be affected, but everyone else will…

Ideally, there won't be a need for explanation as to why I'd toy with their fates to my liking.

Mokou stares, no judgment there as she silently lifts a hand…

… A massive stream of fire pierces the sky.

>>46564451
Guy, she's trespassing on my roof, drinking, AND smoking. I'm not courting her, I just want to be dry the next time it rains.

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Kappa using gorilla tactics...
Never expected to see that in this lifetime, but they're welcome~though we'll be going from that to Hisou pretty quickly, which is a weird evolution
>"By the way, is Kasan-san still sulking on the roof?" He asked, jerking his thumb upwards.
Sorry if I'm ruining anything, but don't write Kasen, please. I want her to either talk to Hana or Reimu first after her development in the underground, and it'll lose impact and substance if she appears with Goro first. Hope you understand.

>>46512646
"Hey, take this stuff to one of the tents, not the HSE, and have it looked over." Goro directed one of the Yamawaro "Tell me if there's anything we can use, keep the rest for yourself, my treat." the girl happily nods and makes away with the stash of Kappa technology.

"Why did you stop us from chasing the Kappa?" I ask, guessing at the answer, but wanting to hear anyway.

"Besides leaving the HSE less defended? I'd say by her direction she's going to ground in the village, probably a Kappa waterway. We have pull here, but the rest of village, even the moderates and progressives, won't stand for a White Wolf squad thundering through their streets. A back-up smear job if this first plot failed." He explained.

"But if we catch her the information might be worth the commotion." I state.

"Letting her go might tell us more." He said moving close to me. "See this?" Goro begins, unfolding his fist to reveal an origami dog, who's nose pointed like a compass following some unseen north.

"A 'pointer' I think they're called. I have a bit of a 'seeker' at home who's more inclined to seek out trouble but, ah, that's not important. Just have one of your fellows keep an eye on this thing so we can track the Kappa's movement alright?" He says, handing me the paper dog.

As his fingers brush against my skin I feel a slight tingle and come to the startling realization that this person had grown comfortable around me. It makes my heart beat a little harder and causes me to wonder what god deigned human men to be a foot or two taller then Wolf Tengu on average, but yet again, I swallow these feelings whole.

"How long will the spell last?" I ask.

"Well she said some nasty things, so I'd say it'll take me a month to forget those comments, but if she brings a cucumber apology basket then we might be in trouble!" He chuckled, shaking the bracelet on his wrist.

Ah, grudge magic.

"By the way, is Kasan-san still sulking on the roof?" He asked, jerking his thumb upwards.

"Yes, although I would advise against speaking with her, she may kill you." I answer instantly.

"Story of my life... take things from here." He waved, walking back into the HSE.

My end game is set for real this time. Three chapters to setup Seija and Goro.

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what a read, god fucking dammit. Beautiful characterization all throughout, and the way you breathe life into Remilia's character makes me all happy, man. Her act of selflessness and the continuous care for Patchy is just the cherry on top, thought the soul of this sequence lies entirely on the way you choose to portray Meiling and Patchy's conversation post-merge; having it all inside the former's mind, with the way there being an act of bravery and sacrifice done by Patchy. Never expected it to go like that, but am happy you did it the way you did, it was pristine -- I got so fucking mad at the poor Anon that posted during the chapter dump, fucker broke my immersion... --, and the symbolisms too with the little bird when they were talking about Sekai; the World Tree in the back of Meiling's consciousness showing duty and all the little things sprinkled around Meiling's mental palace elevate it much higher.
it instantly made my day better reading thought it all~
>[...]"Count yourself lucky, child." Patchouli murmured. "That it was we stubborn fools who were bound to your world that day." She raised a hand to her head as another burst of lightning illuminated the world tree in the distance, lurking in the back of Meiling’s mind. "Isn't that right? Sekai?"
also this is my favorite sequence and had to go back a little just to perfectly sync it to “reBirth ft. Takeshi Saito”, direct hit to the kokoro man.
the ending with Patchy finally letting go of the sea of woe she accumulated in the HSE got me staring at my roof for a minute, very well done, won't be losing this smile for some time!
Another facet of Meiling's confusion about Sekai use of Remi's power, I'd like to mention, is: every use of her power following the destruction of the HSE will be, of course, interrupted. Anon, Yukari and baby Renko, for example, will lose the plot-armor she just covered them with for the Solstice. Meaning all assurance Sekai has that Meiling and Patchy will be capable of pulling her resurrection off is trust, and while manipulate fate so they do pull it off completely works, it is as effective as planting a bunch of autumn crops right before Winter, as Remi's fate manipulation only goes until the HSE is turned into dust.
thanks for the chapters, Patchyanon!!