/jp/ - Otaku Culture

FIRST

>>46660066
t-too fast!!

is it over or are we so back?

>>46660097
>bumped to top of page
yup, we're back. I wonder what was that got the auto-sage...

>>46660097
>it bumped
WE ARE SO BACK

[All entries of the HSE here in chronological posting order!]
>>45324110 | Part 1
>>45324120 | Part 2
>>45324127 | Part 3
>>45324134 | Part 4
>>45324150 | Part 5
>>45324163 | Part 6
>>45407358 | Part 7
>>45442424 | Part 8
>>45515189 | Part 9
>>45587647 | Part 10
>>45678494 | Part 11
>>45774613 | Part 12
>>45888588 | Part 14
>>46097700 | Part 15
>>46241111 | Part 16
>>46406705 | Part 17
>>46529625 | Pary 18

[Last thread chapters]
>>46654121
>>46654125
>>46654127
>>46654133

[for phoneanons that can't access the dead threads, here's the last thread. Link to all others in the 'all entries']:
>>/jp/thread/46654102 | thread that got auto-saged.

Nice filter evasion.

hell yeah, hi thread!

Let's try not to get this one autosaged this time?

>>46660576
you're a bit late, Anon.

The title explains it all, I couldn't fit Hana-sexual here.
Anonsexual just means rape anyways, not specifically being raping Anon, yes this means the green blob around Anon is supposed to be an aura of rape.

>>46660680
>yes this means the green blob around Anon is supposed to be an aura of rape.
what the fuck

>>46660680
glad to see Sekai is finally connected to her true mothers! Hope she didn't hold you at danmaku point to get that one off.

>>46661573

>>46660680
I wonder if Anon could have made Okina anonsexual if they met first and spend some time together

>>46661951
He's not her type and her many years of isolation have turned her into a huge pervert (as any user of /jp/ can confirm) But there's always the chance of her becoming so perverted she loops back around to wanting to have consensual sex with another adult.

>>46662780
>But there's always the chance of her becoming so perverted she loops back around to wanting to have consensual sex with another adult.
that'd be a favorable outcome, at least there she wouldn't pervert on Sekai when she comes to life.

flowchart of thread before the one that got auto-saged coming through~
https://files.catbox.moe/so8qfu.png
for writeanons to guide themselves and readeranons to pray for our fallen!

>>46565149 75

Descending upon the Myouren Shrine, Mima is met with a queer sight. Shinki is pulling at (who Mima assumes to be) the head monk’s cheek as a Yamabiko, some sort of nonspecific Youkai, a Nyuudou, and a spirit watches on in mild concern. The women are also all pregnant, with the exception of Shinki of course.

Shinki seems to be chiding the monk as she complains, “Ridiculous! Outrageous! After all I have done for you, you can’t even return the most basic of courtesy?! I say, some Buddhist you are!”

Ahh… it seems negotiations have broken down. This is troubling though-

Mima’s thoughts are cut off as Shinki calls out to her, “Mima can you believe this?-”

Shinki is cut off as the Yamabiko shouts a greeting to Mima, “Ohayo gozaimasu!”

After Mima returns the greeting with a significantly less enthusiastic, “Hello” Shinki continues, “As I was saying, little Hijichan got a motorcycle and never told me! I have a racetrack in Makai and everything or we could have raced on the dunes or something, but no! She’s been hiding her hobby for years now!”

Mima frowned, “A motorcycle? Is that one of your outside things? I’m unfamiliar with the term.”

Shinki’s eyes grow wide with shock before twisting into annoyance, “Of course you’re unfamiliar, those stupid Sages shot down my idea for the Wacky Gensokyo Races. I’ll need to show you one sometime.”

Shinki continues to rant, unconcerned with the others around her. “It would have been great. Everyone could have had their own vehicles and could have used their magical powers to boost themselves or inconvenience others and all the powers that be would spend all their time betting and fixing races and then this whole mess would never have happened because everyone would be too focused on the races.”

Choosing to ignore the elderly God’s rambling, Mima turns her attention to the head monk. “Byakuren Hijiri I presume?”

Still suppressing a blush from her admonishment, Byakuren nods. “Indeed, I take it then that you are Mima, the one that Shinki has spoken so highly of? Would you care for some tea?”

Mima is about to accept, but Byakuren pours her a cup before she can. Why even ask if she’s not going to wait for a response? What sort of false courtesy is that? She’d rather if Byakuren just said, ‘I am pouring you a cup of tea, you have no choice in the matter.’ At least in that case, she’d not be given the illusion of free will before having it snatched away. The tea isn’t bad of course and she did want it, but still, there’s the principle of the matter.

Ah… she may have been lost in her thoughts for a bit too long. Thankfully when she returns from zoning out, she’s met with the familiar sound of Shinki ranting, “-and I could have helped make your motorcycle even cooler. I could have alchemically hardened the material, I could have designed magical fuel to make it shoot lighting out of the back and go super fast or something, I could have-”

Cutting Shinki off, Mima asks. “Apologies, but I am lost for names regarding the rest of your disciples miss Hijiri, could you introduce them?”

Relieved by the distraction, Byakuren happily obliges. “Ah yes, of course. Where are my manners?”

Well clearly somewhere else given that little tea fiasco, but Mima keeps that thought to herself.

As Byakuren gestures to the girl and the Nyuudou, the former gives a smile while the latter waves with his oversized hands. “This is Ichirin Kumoi and Unzan, they’re both guardians of the shrine. Unzan is a budd… I don’t suppose I really need to apply that white lie. I imagine you can tell Unzan is a Nyuudou, still, he along with his companion Ichirin have dedicated themselves to the path of enlightenment. They’ve chosen to transcend their nature through enlightenment and guard those who walk the same path.”

Mima gives them a nod, “It is a noble thing to abandon one’s hate and use one’s might to protect others.”

Ichirin responds, “Likewise, though I won’t pretend we’re exactly equal in that regard. Though guard is a generous word, I think laborer who very rarely fights is more accurate.”

This a very slight hint of bitterness in her words, prompting Byakuren to quickly explain. “W-Well, just because we’ve been blessed with relative peace doesn’t mean the duties of a guard are any less important. Though when there is no danger, is it not better to put one’s strength to use for the betterment of all?”

>>46666175 76

Ichirin mutters, “I wouldn’t exactly say rearranging all the furniture in your room constantly is for the betterment of all…”

Byakuren gives a dangerous smile at that, “Ah, it seems you have failed the grasp the importance of one’s surroundings and how they can affect one’s state of being as well as the importance of a temple’s leader in pushing its members towards enlightenment. In that case, there are some Sutras-”

Ichirin quickly interjects, “Oh my apologies. It was a momentary confusion, I see how it benefits the common good now. I-I have no need for further studying regarding this matter.”

Byakuren claps, “Excellent, I was concerned to see a disciple of mine lapse in comprehension.”

Shinki sighs, “Ah that really takes me back, it seems you really haven’t changed much since leaving Makai Hijichan. What did the minor devils of Makai call you again? It was ‘The Slave Driving Bodhisattva’ or something like that.”

Byakuren blushes, “I-I have no memory of this. If I recall, everyone in Makai looked up to me as I instructed them on how to reach enlightenment.”

Shinki smiles patronizingly, “If that’s the ‘truth’ you choose to remember~”

Clearing her throat, Byakuren very pointedly changes the topic by gesturing to the sailor spirit. “This is the captain of the Myouren Temple, Minamitsu Murasa. She was once a spiteful Ship Phantom who sank countless ships, but has abandoned her hate to pursue enlightenment at the shrine.”

Mima and Murasa exchange a look, Mima cannot help but feel like she has a certain understanding of the girl even if they’ve just met. They have, after all, both walked similar paths.

Before either could speak, Shinki comments, “You know, I always thought sailor suits were super cute. My daughters never want to wear them though, it’s a shame. Still, it’s nice to see them around, why the last time I remember one in Gensokyo was that Chiyuri girl. Remember her Mima? She was the one with Yumemi in the time traveling spaceship.”

Mima nods, “I remember, they were the ones who were trying to prove the existence of magic, right? Oh, and Yumemi cheated me out of my unending night too, though that was probably for the best. Whatever happened to them anyway?”

Shinki shrugs, “They probably went to some other place or time.”

Recovering both from her blush from the old God’s praise and the shock of Mima and Shinki’s conversation, Murasa asks, “I’m sorry, did you say something about a time traveling ship? A ship that could go forward or backward in time?”

Shinki nods, “Yeah, it entered Gensokyo a while back and spawned an incident, way before you all arrived though.”

Kyouko asks excitedly, “Do you think we could find it? Going back in time would be so cool, I could meet myself and we could be friends and always be together and could do our chores together twice as fast and we could greet people twice as loud! Oh, or we could team up and make an even bigger band!”

Ichirin coughs, “Maybe it’s best if such technologies are beyond us. After all, it could be an uhhh distraction from enlightenment.”

The Yamabiko looks downcast, “Awww, I guess you’re right.”

Ichirin quickly amends, “But maybe it will turn up again, I guess it wouldn’t be that much of a distraction. You two can uhhh study Sutras together.”

The Yamabiko perks up again, “Yeah!”

Mima steers the conversation back to business, “Now Murasa, you’re the… captain of the temple? Explain.”

Murasa gives her a confused look before snorting, “Oh yeah, I guess that sounds weird. The temple is a magical flying ship that’s currently docked.”

Mima blinks, “I see, and you captain it when it’s not docked?”

Murasa nods with a smile, “Aye, she’s my pride and joy. Not many captains can say their ship truly flies.”

Before Mima could think of another question, Murasa asks, “And now is it true that you overcame your nature as a vengeful spirit on your own?”

Ah… so they know… that’s not great. That’s really not great. Looking around reveals keen looks of interest from all the members of the Shrine, even the Yamabiko. How can she get out of… ah the Yamabiko!

Coughing confidently, Mima states, “I don’t believe you’ve introduced me to the last member of this gathering.”

Byakuren blushes, “Ah, I suppose I haven’t. This is Kyouko Kasodani, a junior member of the shrine. She-”

The Yamabiko interjects, “IS EXCITED TO MEET YOU! I’m really excited to meet you Miss Mima, Miss Hijiri was talking all about you. Is it true that you transcended from a vengeful spirit to a Bodhisattva all on your own? Can you teach me how? Can you teach me cool Buddhist magic like Shinki taught Byakuren?”

>>46666192 77

That comment seems to incense Shinki again as she warns, “Be careful Mima, one moment you’re teaching your cute little apprentice magic and the next you’re learning they were hiding their cool motorcycle from you.”

Ehh Bodhisattva? That was news to her, she doesn’t remember-

Byakuren pulls her attention away from her thoughts by placing a hand over the Yamabiko’s mouth. Blushes even harder she says, “Ah, perhaps it is time to discuss the reason you’ve arrived.”

Schooling her expression, Mima nods. “I agree and as for the previous question miss Kasodani, yes assuming Miss Hijiri approves.”

This elicits another joyful exclamation from the Yamabiko, though it’s suppressed by Byakuren’s hand.

Likewise straightening out, Byakuren states. “As I understand it, you seek the worship of this temple to aid in your apotheosis, is this correct?”

Well, they clearly know she’s not currently a Goddess, so she simply nods. “Yes, that is correct.”

Byakuren continues, “And your aims as a Goddess are to serve as a protector of Gensokyo, a shepherd for the spiritually lost, and a teacher, correct? That’s about as much as I got from Shinki before the conversation devolved into… well you know.”

Shinki huffs, “You’ve still never gave a reason for why you didn’t tell me. I’d be far less annoyed if you had a good reason.”

As Byakuren looks away with a blush, Ichirin replies. “It’s because she’s embarrassed about it and thinks it makes her a worse Buddhist. It doesn’t, but what can you do?”

Murasa adds, “Yeah, has she been trying to act like a perfect Buddhist in her letters? I bet she just wanted to impress you.”

Before Byakuren could rebuke either of her rebellious disciples, she finds herself on the receiving end of a bear hug from Shinki. “Awww, you didn’t need to go that far Hijichan. No matter what you’re still my number one Buddhist disciple.”

As Byakuren blushes and attempts to squirm out of Shinki’s hug she protests, “I’m your only Buddhist disciple, right?”

Refusing to allow her to escape, Shinki squeezes tighter. “Ayup, you’re the only one because you’re my special little girl.”

Mima can hear snickering from Byakuren’s followers. Or well, Unzan, Ichirin, and Murasa. The Yamabiko on the other hand hugs her master from the other side proclaiming, “YEAH! Miss Hijiri is the best!”

It’s… very cute. It reminds her of…

Anyway, eventually Shinki releases her Pupil and allows her to attempt to regain some dignity. Still, straightening out her dress and suppressing the redness in her cheeks doesn’t quite restore what was lost during Shinki’s attack.

After another round of tea, Byakuren reapproches Mima. “A-As I was saying, I see no issues in your proposal, however, I believe there are a few missed opportunities in your pitch.”

Byakuren pauses for Mima to speak, but what is she even supposed to say? Wanting her to get to the point, Mima replies. “And those are?”

There’s a concerning gleam in Byakuren’s eye as she answers. “I feel you are ignoring your transformation. While there is nothing wrong with Mima the shepherd and Mima the guardian, what Gensokyo needs at this moment is Mima the arisen!”

There’s a certain flair in the way Byakuren said that last part and the way Ichirin and Murasa exchanged looks told Mima she was in for a Shinki-esque rant. “Think about it, a vengeful spirit who comes to understand the futility of the endless cycle of suffering she is both bound to and perpetuates. Unable to stand the suffering a moment longer, she stumbles in the dark towards the light. Though lacking in any formal teachings, her inherent benevolence drives her forward towards the noble Eightfold path, pure of any base desire for enlightenment. In doing so she also pulls all those around her up and champions the weak, battling against the cruel. Would such a goddess not serve as an inspiration for all residents of Gensokyo be they Youkai, human, or half-blooded? Such teachings I would argue are exactly what is needed to pull Gensokyo out of this confused time and bring about a more peaceful age!”

…

Byakuren is a little out of breath after that speech. Did she practice it or was that off the cuff? She supposes it doesn’t really matter.

The first to properly react is the Yamabiko who voices her support rather loudly, “YEAH! WOOO MIMA THE ARISEN!”

Sinki is the next, though she is a bit more subdued in her response (a strange thing to say when talking about her) and elects to just clap.

The other followers of the temple follow suit, giving Byakuren some polite claps.

As the commotion dies down and the eyes of the gather shift to Mima, she replies. “Yeah… ummm sure. That works.”

Byakuren smiles, “Then you have the faith of the Myouren Temple at your disposal.”

Off handily Mima adds, “By the way, where’s the idol of yours, Shou?”

Byakuren’s smile grows thin, “She’s… contemplating the sutras at the moment.”

The other followers of the temple shudder for some reason.

>>46666127
I like how some summaries are multipargraph long while others are just a sentence.

>>46666275
kek, remembered me of this

>>46666317
It fills me with a compulsion, the compulsion to stop writing my own ending and go back to working on a couple normal shitpost chapters so I can see the chart be filled up with one word summaries.

>>46666329
I like the suddenly massive paragraphs, like look at fucking Patchy
>yup, this first four blocks tell me how HSE interferes with Patchy's magic, jow she and Meiling became ghosts and their talk to Sekai. Let's see what's written in the next five blocks...
>... holy shit.

>>46666352
Almost as long as the average patchyanon post! He's now in first and second place for word count

>>46666462
Wait, you're keeping track of everybody's individual word count? Or do you mean Pachouli is now the highest character with the most mentions in the script

>>46666487
I think he's talking about batch posts. Patchyanon had one of 10 and another of 9, the one with 9 tying with Hanaanon's batch post of the Christmas special. Individual word count of each writer would be a beast to keep track of.

>>46666487
I mean that when the last two patchyanon updates were posted, I checked the word count of both of them. 7,300 for the merger and 7,500 for patchouli and marisa looking at the book, which just edged out the highest from before which was a hana update at 7,200

>>46666317
well, I too love Sekai, Meiling and Patchy more than others...

>>46666652
truly their storyline has had the greatest rise from starting with both patchouli's side going on hiatus, then meiling's side going on hiatus, then returning under a new writer, then the original writer returning

>>46666202
>>46666192
>>46666175
more Byakuren Hijiri bullying, onegai!!
thanks for the chapters

>>46666329
do it. Now. It's funny to mess with the connections between boxes and make them all wobbly.

>>46666317
the inevitable writefag tier list is coming eventually and I don't know whether to be hyped or afraid

>>46667845
my top 10 writers is:
>Reimuanon
>Yukarianon
>Kasenanon
>Rananon
>Toutetsuanon
>Chenanon
>2ndPatchy/Meilinganon
>Keineanon
>Eirinanon
>Hanaanon
I know, it's a major hot take, but that's just my personal top 10.

>>46667845
Well Tiermaker is public, but I don't really trust any rating without a comprehensive review and forensic linguistics analysis of who's who.
So it's better to wait until the project is finished.

>>46667880
>didn't make the list
that's it, I'm getting me mallet

>>46667880
There's nothing wrong with having taste.
Actual bad taste would've involved, Lemonmeme and the purple shit in the lab coat, the Komeiji's, any Fairy, Junko, Seija and her shitty husband...etc
Although I'm subtracting points for having Keineanon that high.

>>46667932
anon, most if not all of those are the same writer

>>46667916
>>46667932
A-Anons... 9 of those are one guy, Hananon is there for the memes. It's a shitpost...

>>46667941
So? Good writers can make mistakes and have shit taste.
Just because I like something someone has made doesn't mean I like them, or am obligated to like everything they like.

>>46667898
You could maybe do it when the solstice & Act 3 finally arrives but even then I'm pretty sure there's characters who're intentionally holding off from doing anything big which could affect their rating.
Not sure if I could do a tier list, everyone in this has been so great.
Patchyanon in low tier maybe??? His stuff isn't bad at all, has been quite phenomenal and dare I say even the best out of everyone here, but he left for a really long while so maybe that deducts some points? Even as I type that it feels like cheating

>>46666175
>>46666192
>>46666202
Mima's path to godhood is going smoothly at least, even if Byakuren had to get bullied a lot in the process.

cool, one of our writers wrote a cute piece for the Sanae thread >>46667501
makes me sad we didn't get pregnant Sanae here, goddammit Suwako........

>>46668886
Nice self promotion.

>>46668929
I'll be commiting seppuku by tomorrow.

>>46666127
This is like a flowchart for reading the Horus Heresy.

>>46669013
the guys in the flowchart are getting happy endings, though. Most of them at least.

>>46667845
Personally I'm hyped.
Either I rank high and feel appreciated.
Or I rank low and it's in character!
In all seriousness, I think write faggotry should be polarizing. It's a creative space without status or incentive beyond making stuff, so you should be trying all sorts of things to create stuff some people hate and others love. So no fear, only text! Lots and lots of text...this gives me an idea:
I'm going to post every day from tomorrow until Kasenon and Hananon get their shit together. I will run out of ideas, it will get really bad, so you guys better hurry up!

>>46666127
I'm glad the stickmen are celebrating surviving that mess, I'm also still amused at the couple stickmen faffling about not even paying attention to things, like the delivery guy or the D&D nerds on the other side.

Life is a conjunction of many variables and circumstances that must align, which—though it happens to most couples that decide not to pull out—is always unique. Amassing the sheer entropy of a soul by itself is hard and reserved for great magicians, but to perfect it? To create a human rather than a golem? Nearly impossible, a fool's errand…

I turn a page of the massive book, barely having to study the sigil marked on the page and its description before motioning my free hand to create a rather spiky eight-point glyph of white coloration. Quickly analyzing it for any fault inside the magic nodes of connection, I deem it perfected and let the thing ascend to join what can only be described as a nebula of sigils floating over the open space above my head, sigils bearing all aspects of the rainbow, some completely elliptical and others spiky as if a sea urchin.

This nebula of constellations of a million and one glistering connections is, in the most basic of forms, Sekai.

Each memory, each power she wields, each person that entered through the doors of the HSE and so became her father or mother, from rapists to humble janitors and supply deliveries. Souls aren't memories nor experiences; all those, preferably, are shed away before reincarnation. Souls are the driving force of the self and so Sekai will need a fitting body for all her powers and memories. All cataloged in this book.

Outer rings of small sigils twirl around massively swollen sigils—so much so Sakuya had to come and extend the Voile even further to fit them, making the mess of books and destroyed architecture worse; and apparently, the Kurodanis are busy for the time being and can't come for a while… Just my luck—the big sigils, as if protectively, encapsulating the core of the juvenile goddess: one of violet and green, another of purple and red.

When done, all thousands of them will be overlaid into one; same for the keyword that will execute it.

… To think Sekai did the same for me and Meiling when she created those ghostly bodies. I turn another page, my eyes immediately wandering to the bottom of the page. “It wasn't that hard~” I groan. I would prefer to handle this very delicate matter in peace, but apparently, a child is still a child, even when their lives are at stake. The sigil, one very calm, likely the aspect of a more serene being Sekai took after, joins the nebula of constellations and I turn the page. “That's Sister Kuma! She's kinda slow, but it's endearing.”

Breathe in, breathe out; in, out—as you were taught.

“You made a mistake in the fifth node.” I instinctually analyze the sigil I hold, finding a small thread not connected to all others.

“How are you even doing this…?” I ask myself, eyes narrowed. I initially took it at face value, but now I can not help but wonder: who in Gensokyo has the ability to see so clearly into the future? A page turned and, as expected, on the bottom of the right page was the answer.

“No one.” Oh? “The closest is Mother Keine, but to access her future sight power, I'd need the full moon. So, to see into the future, I use Mother Seija's power to reverse Mother Keine's eating of the past and True Mother's Gap to manipulate the boundaries between watching and eating. Coupled with Mother Koishi's mind reading, I can talk to you, mama Patchy~”

That's… very crafty. My heart is filled with an unfamiliar warmth that I will call ‘pride,’ but it soon gives way to a question that seeps into my soul with great dread. Knowing this brat…

Checking first that I'm the only one on this side of the Voile—Remilia should be sleeping and Koa is being herself on the other side of the library—I let the sigil I hold fly up before asking. “If you know the future so well and have a way to talk to me, you should consider enlightening me on what’s to happen.” There's almost hesitation in turning the page, but I do it anyway.

“It wouldn't be fun that way, mama~”

… Of course. But of course.

I rub my eyes for what seems like the thousandth time today, restraining well a loud groan. Processing the urge to punch the child as to not rationalize it, I calmly create the sigil and let it join the others, a pulsating wave of soft magic coming from the constellation nigh sounding as if laughter… Facing such a situation, there's only one response a competent magician should give: “You're grounded forever.” The next page turn bears not an ounce of reticence.

“WHAT?!”

And so the messages stopped, not baffling me in the slightest. Avoiding contact as if time would make me forget her punishment? Hmpf, typical brat behavior. Perhaps if she were here, she'd run and hide under Meiling's skirt? Beg Remi to use her authority to dispel the punishment, maybe?

Hm…

Brushing the thoughts away, I use this newfound peace to keep on building the remaining sigils—about a thousand of them—with a soft smile rising against my better judgement.

… I don’t think I’ll have to wonder for long.

Next, the alchemical process of creating a goddess.

>>46673459
just a small fluff chapter with some info about how Sekai uses her powers and the process of creating her godly vessel as I write the next Keine batch of chapters~

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...'

>>46674087
---

"They gladly practiced respectfully.' I internally recited.

Slowly, I regained my focus. I had re-read lines, spun inaccuracies, and it felt like hours since I last moved, but I finally had the slightest bit of mental agency.

I focused on the noise first and threw principles against it, labeling some sounds cicadas and others grasshoppers, categorizing, splitting, recombining, until the model made more sense. It was like walking up a dune, where you feel like every step is losing more ground as the sand moves beneath you and many times I lost progress, but I never relented and never held to strongly onto any one idea as I climbed and climbed and slowly my vision began to clear and the I heard each part of noise as separate sounds.

A hole was put in the HSE, cut clean and elegant, to eject two parts from it's hold. This gap had caused an instaneous flash of the aura contained within the place to echo around it, and like how a camera flash captures light within film I had been exposed to all of it, harmless for others as they wouldn't retain any of the strange information, but for me that had spent days opening my sense to this place, it was almost lethal. Somehow, with The Root, I had re-organized the channels throughout my body to handle the flood of captured information and I could see so much of what had occurred.

A wayward god, name forgotten, in a strange vessel had returned. A mother had pilfered secrets she couldn't understand. Captured ghosts, fermented and solidified, had clashed and been freed, sent back to themselves. And then the agony of one man, over and over and over...

I shut out the thought, it wasn't hard as the signal, the experience, was the same day after day.

Digging deeply, I finally see it, see them truly and wholly for the first time, our children: Oiwa and Tsukuyomi, beacons of blessings and curses, each one a fetus, but I can see their features, a single horn on eaches head, A black and red tuft of hair for Oiwa a blonde one for Tsukuyomi. 'I'll have to apologize to father when next I make a grave visit, there's no escape from that particular gene it seems' I muse as I'm finally able to come back to a sitting position.

Father, a water-logged corpse appears before me, face mangled beyond all recognition. Three more bodies float above me in a circle, two children, one woman, cold, stiff, lifeless. I turn to the side and see a young girl, her life leaking through the gash in her neck, a knife in her hand. I turn away and see another body made of constellations, dangling from some unseen monster's jaw. I turn to the front and see so many people, clad in purple, orange, pink, red, white, black, horned, one-winged, feeble, strong, and they're all alone.

"Guess who!" A husky woman's voice says as she covers my eyes with her hands.

>>46674093
>>46674087
nice to see Goro finally starting his Benadryl journey, very cool. At least he's not dead, unlike what'd have happened if he tried to have Kasen vent to him after having a Douji relapse
Also, you kinda messed a little the timeline.
>Yukari locks Koutei -> immdiately goes to Anon and the Sekai plot climaxes -> sometime later, Ran shows Seija and Goro their room
it's minor, so doesn't matter much, but it's funny to think the man took 2 full days to feel the knock back of Sekai becoming alive. Headcannon is that Sekai held the whiplash back to not kill her retarded father so her sisters could still be born safely.

>>46673459
Sekai is such a naughty child teasing her mother like that but at least she still has faith she can get it done.

>>46674588
>she still has faith she can get it done.
I wouldn't call it faith when Sekai can see/manip the future up until her death, but she's sure having fun before that happens

-Shou goes to the doctor-

It was early in the morning, the opening of EIentei’s operating hours when the least amount of people would be there as Shou shuffled back and forth in her seat in the waiting room, she, like some of the other prospective mothers, her legs and jaw aching from all the sutras Byakuren had punished her with contemplating. She didn’t dislike it as much as the other monks, but eight hours was a bit much even by her own standards.

Punishments were much more fun when you were the one giving them out, but Shou already knew that.

All in all, things had been quite stressful recently, and she had been the last of the girls to get her checkup from doctor Yagakoro, for someone normally so steadfast. She had been shying away from what she thought of as her failure. All she wanted to do was hold her head and cry, but of course, she couldn’t do that, and wallowing in her own self-pity wasn’t something she was inclined to do, even if she wanted to.
She was a cat, tiger, youkai, and idol, after all, not a pig.

But Bishamonten, Bishamonten. Shou constantly thought about him, alongside Byakuren he was her entire life, she had barely even existed before meeting the witch-monk and her patron.

Shou clutched at her robes, she couldn't have been waiting longer than ten minutes, but it already felt like hours to her, hours, and hours of waiting.

Shou thought of how the others were going to handle their children, Nue had already laid her eggs. Although her reclusive, and now broody attitude has prevented any of the Myouren crew from seeing her recently.
Shou hoped she was okay.

“Number 9, usa~” An Inaba attendant called out as she stuck her head into the waiting room, Shou couldn’t tell which one it was, she had such trouble telling the Inaba apart from each other and they didn’t wear name tags.

“Yes.” Shou kept her voice quiet as she rose from her seat and followed the Inaba through the doorway.

“Nice to meetcha Usa!~” The Inaba exclaimed, taking a short hop as she began walking down the hallway.

“It’s nice to meet you too Miss Inaba.”

“So nice to meet another prospective mother.” The Inaba smiled as she looked at Shou’s bloated belly out of the corner of her eye.

“Truth be told, I’m not entirely confident, everything’s happening too fast.” Shou shook her head.

“Well, dontcha worry, usa~ You can take it from this rabbit, you’ll be a great mother.” And just like that the Inaba in the pink dress scampered off, leaving Shou in front of the door to the doctor’s room.

“Thanks…” Something was off with the Inaba, or she was either ignorant of why there were so many new mothers. But that was less likely,

Shou shook her head, dismissing the Inaba from her mind. Knocking on the door before her she calls out. “Doctor Yagakoro?”

“Yes, yes, come in.” The doctor’s tone was dismissive, and a bit annoyed as she responded through Shou’s calling through the door.

Opening the door, doctor Yagakoro gestures for her to sit down on a doctor’s stool next to Doctor Yagakoro with a baby blue color and a seat made of a soft material that flexed as Shou sat on it.

“So, miss Toramaru, I assume you’ve come here for the same reason as your colleagues?” Doctor Yagokoro looked up at Shou from her clipboard.

Shou had some suspicions about Byakuren’s visit, but she had left that to Chisazu and Nazrin to handle, they were more of the intrigue type anyways.

Eirin nodded “Well luckily I won’t have to check your blood pressure, have you experienced any morning sickness?”

“Yes, a tiny bit, although I’m mostly too… durable or hearty to notice it too much.” Shou scratched her cheek, somewhat in embarrassment. She didn’t want to sound like she was gloating, but she was as close to Byakuren in physical perfection as just about anyone.

“Good, good, now let’s get onto the ultrasound.” Eirin turned to the machine beside her, and the ultrasound device unfolding itself from the massive contraption, of which only a small portion existed within the Doctor’s room. “Could you lift your robe please?”

Shou nodded, parting her robe to reveal the fullness of her round belly, soft, pale, unblemished skin, stretched tightly over her normally muscled and lithe form, made soft by her pregnancy and her recent malaise. Although she did well to hide it, and had stopped from making public appearance under the guise of ‘preparation,’ that man, that poor beautiful, handsome man, had made her a mother, Shou thought.

Shou stroked her belly as a shiver went up her spine.

As Eirin placed the ‘scanning’ part of the ultrasound device against Shou’s belly, the screen lit up with activity. On it showed a clutch of three eggs, tightly packed. Shou was half surprised they even were eggs, but then again she was a cat youkai, although on the other hand she was a tiger and plenty of myths of tigers giving mammalian birth existed.

>>46676032
Those tales also involved coupling with humans. Maybe she'd finally get around to visiting Korea one day.

“Well the eggs look like they’re coming along fine, you can count yourself lucky cat Youkai don’t have nearly as debilitating a pregnancy as Tengu do.” Shou shuddered as a sadistic smile briefly flashed across the doctor’s face. “But if I may inquire, how old are you again, Miss Toramaru?”

“A little over a thousand, give or take a couple decades or so.”

“Hmm, yes, yes.” Eirin nodded, noting something down on her clipboard.

“Do you have any family history which would be relevant?”

“Well… I’m not exactly sure about that one, but…” Shou thought hard about it scrunching her brow. “Family is… complicated, I guess Prince Toyosatomimi, would be my ‘father,’ she’s the one that dedicated the mountain I appeared into Lord Bishamonten. But we don’t really have an relation at all, as it is, I’m barely even a Tiger Youkai.” “I don’t even think I’m technically a tiger youkai, as I was never a tiger in the first place…” Shou rubbed the back of her neck, this sort of thing was always an awkward topic. “I guess you could say lord Bishamonten is my father, as I’m mostly him, well made out of his divinity.” Shou was barely even a Youkai in some aspects, due to being an idol, although while it was awkward to talk about, not being a very Youkai-like-youkai didn’t bother her at all.

“I’ll put that down as unknown.”

“There’s not anything wrong with-”

“No, no, it’s just a ‘normal’ tiger, would’ve already completed their first adulthood stage and moved solidly into their second, you on the other hand are still in your first adulthood.” “It’s nothing troubling, just odd, and probably significantly explained through your origins.”

“Anyhow, the size of the eggs is quite large, but you do seem to be relatively close to delivering, if I had to say, sometime around the upcoming solstice.”

Shou nodded before thinking about it, “Well that’s-”

“Complicated, yes.” Shou and Eirin both knew what was going to happen then, but neither spoke of it.“I’d recommend an artificial womb and incubator.”

“Huh?”

“Well, it’s not a normal procedure Miss Toramaru, or one I’d recommend.” Although artificial wombs were a thing the Lunarians were fond of, less risk of impurity that way “especially if you were going to give live birth, but given the ‘situation,’ I’d recommend it.”

Shou nodded her head, “That-”

--

Shou was cut off as a siren blared throughout Eientei, She almost jumped out of her seat, before the now familiar weight inside of herself made her stop.

Taking a breath and turning away from Shou, Eirin left her stool. “Give me a second miss Toramaru, it seems I’ve just had something come up.”

With that said, the Hourai immortal rolled up her sleeves, and then charged out the room's door, blowing it open.

Shou’s eyes widened as from across the threshold and down the hallway Hina spun rapidly. In Between rooms and across ceiling, wall, and floor, haphazardly knocking over everything in her way. All the while black bile flew from the rapidly spinning god as she rambled and raved incoherently, although Shout could swear that Hina made no sound as she moved, she could none the less hear the god-thing.

“ItstoomuchImustreturnIhateyoWhydo-areturntosender-fightineeddeathtolemonteneMOREwhy itsnotbadformeLEAVEreturnoncemommymommypleasecomebackmore!” Hina screamed all at once in a cacophony of overlapping voices, Shou could not see her face, but somehow the impression of an impossibly deep and brackish void illuminated by pinpricks of burning hatred resounded in her mind.

“EVERYBODY STEP AWAY FROM THE PATIENT!” Eirin yelled, grappling into the spinning curse god as she violently spewed impurity from the gapping orifice that was once a face.

Shou’s hand went into her robe grasping the Pagoda, stopping herself just before she could tear it out of her robes to help restrain the mad killing doll.

Eirin could do it on her own, but Shou couldn't put herself at risk.
She grit her teeth as she forced herself to stand cloaked and hooded in the doorway, watching Eirin as she suplexed Hina into the floorboards.

“Inaba!”

“Yes ma’am, yes ma’am!” A cohort of Hazmat Inaba answered as they trotted in, carrying a large metal cylinder in between them, popping open a metal hatch on its surface in a synchronized and smooth motion.

“Hup!” Eirin exclaimed, lifting Hina into the air as the misfortunate misfortune god continued to spew black liquid, before promptly throwing Hina into the open hatch of the cylindrical containment chamber, the Hazmat Inaba quickly closing the door behind and fastening its bolts and locks.

>>46676035
Turning back to her patient, Eirin continued her walk back to the Doctor’s room leisurely.

“That was…”

“Yes.” Eirin cut Shou off as she tucked locks of her silvery hair back into place as she returned down the hall, bruises already healing and her clothes correcting themselves, in a moment she looked as stoic as ever. “Miss Kagiyama, came in a short while ago, admitted by the staff of that impure establishment.”

“But I believe I told you to stay in the room, miss Toramaru,” Eirin said, causing Shou to blink. Although Shou had decided not to intervene, she failed to notice how far along she made it down the hallways as she was consumed by her thoughts.

“Sorry, I- I just wanted to do something, but Hina, is she going to be okay?” Shou wasn’t an especially close friend of hers, but they had mutual friends and she was sure Shion would appreciate hearing about her when she came back from her ‘vacation.’

“You should worry too much, aside from the regular containment breaches Miss Kagiyama has been recovering smoothly, although she’ll still need to stay here for some time in order to recover.”

While Hina was a god who specialized in absorbing people's ill luck, impurity, and resentment, or in a more general sense, things that fell under the surprisingly broad category of ‘misfortune,’ The Hakurei Shrine Experience had proved far too tempting and powerful a target for her. Resulting in the metastasizing and ‘birth’ of a parasitic impure spirit inhabiting her own porcelain shell.
It was hard to tell how cognizant she was of the whole affair, although Eirin would prefer that she not suffer unnecessarily.

“Eirin, about the procedure, I’ll do it.”

Eirin nodded, showing no other reaction. “Well, I’ll pencil you in two days from now, is that okay mis Toramaru.”

“That fast?” Shou knew that Eirin wanted to do it before the festival, but that seemed a bit quick.

“I'll have to move some things around, but I wouldn't want to cause any undue burden to you.”

Shou shook her head in affirmation.

A smile crossed Eirin's face, "Well whatever the outcome. I promise I'll do my due diligence as a medical professional." Shou's heart rate spiked as she realized what the doctor implied, it was obvious, but she had unconiscly avoided it until now.
The children of the losers may not be safe, and even in victory, they would remain a target. Byakuren's orphanage plan had another side to it, other than amassing power, and influence, and providing a smoke screen, and protection.
Well, given the recent developments, she'd have to talk to Byakuren and Chisazu about this, hopefully, she could keep it partially a secret from Okina as well.

While the god was not her enemy, she had a twisted Joker-like that only personality that made Shou distrust her, and more assurances were always a good thing, perhaps she'd get Chisazu to talk to Eiki as well.

--

Notes: felt kinda aimless, but I liked writing this, I think I accidentally included a post-break above so ignore that.
Anyways, I probably would've written something like this earlier, but I took a break from the HSE instead.
Doesn't really make sense for the Myouren girls to have gone to Eirin for advice so late, but that's the way it turns out.
Also Nue is a bird, it's just not that terribly important, and for my own ending, I still am working on that, this lays some of those ground works...
Probably should get back to writing now.

>>46676049
>>46676035
>>46676032
my goodness, look at all that genetic information just begging to be harvested! Eirin must be having a field day

I wake up, add a page or two in the morning hours, realize i'm not satisfied, I stretch out the scene another day. Many such cases, current Hana sections is about five pages and growing. Be done eta tomorrow(hopefully)
Gotta go to work, see you soon!
Pic related but in reverse.

>>46679213
>I wake up, add a page or two in the morning hours, realize i'm not satisfied, I stretch out the scene another day.
man, that's the worst to get hung up upon. I often scrap a ton of chapters because I don't feel satisfied... well, it's as they say; 'perfection is the worst enemy of good enough'
hope you get past that wall! Rooting for you!
have a great day at work!

>>46679213
>>46679407
>spending time thinking about things
Amateur hour over here, just fucking write.

>>46679407
>>46679491
I don't scrap anything, I add. And add. And add.
Its what lead to the kasen sex bible

>>46679213
>Pic related but in reverse.
fear, but also an erection...

HSE Predictions!
>Act 2 will finally finish sometime in May
>At least one of the characters referenced over 1,000 by name in the script will die
>Seija and Goro in Act 3 will quickly lose in the funniest way possible
>Kasen will carry both sides of the war
>Koishi will have a miscarriage
>Meira will be brought into the story so she can be killed for a gag.
>This gag will be really really funny
>Konngara and Seiga will surpass Yukari in moral degeneracy
>Keine and Mokou will somehow still get involved despite writers saying otherwise
>There'll be more happy endings then expected
>Benben will be the only post-98 character to never get a single passing mention in the story
>Yukari will learn absolutely nothing
>Okina will learn absolutely nothing
>Hana will grow up to be just like her mother, continuing the vicious cycle
>Hata no Sekai will sacrifice herself to keep Gensokyo bloodline pure

HSE Predictions!
>Act 2 will finally finish sometime in May
>At least one of the characters referenced over 1,000 by name in the script will die
>Either Ran or Chen will die, their writer decides via a coinflip
>Seija and Goro in Act 3 will quickly lose in the funniest way possible
>Kasen will carry both sides of the war
>Koishi will have a miscarriage
>Meira will be brought into the story so she can be killed for a gag.
>This gag will be really really funny
>Konngara and Seiga will surpass Yukari in moral degeneracy
>Keine and Mokou will somehow still get involved despite writers saying otherwise
>There'll be more happy endings then expected
>Benben will be the only post-98 character to never get a single passing mention in the story
>Yukari will learn absolutely nothing
>Okina will learn absolutely nothing
>Hana will grow up to be just like her mother, continuing the vicious cycle
>Remilia will quickly rise to the top of the badass scale after 1 single chapter
>At least 1 person will have a big meltdown in the thread,
>Hata no Sekai will sacrifice herself to keep Gensokyo bloodline pure
Feel free to add more to this list!

>>46682433
>Act 2 will finally finish sometime in May
amen
>At least one of the characters referenced over 1,000 by name in the script will die
I'm betting Reimu or Yukari, with the latter somehow having her power stolen as to keep the Great Barrier up
>Either Ran or Chen will die, their writer decides via a coinflip
heh
>Kasen will carry both sides of the war
that's very likely, considering all the catharsis of the “extremely strong character that was put down the entire story finally getting to go the distance”
>Koishi will have a miscarriage
I see Hana's abortion powers will come back
>Meira will be brought into the story so she can be killed for a gag.
>This gag will be really really funny
the crimson slasher will make sure of that
>>Konngara and Seiga will surpass Yukari in moral degeneracy
H O W?!
>Keine and Mokou will somehow still get involved despite writers saying otherwise
I have no intentions to throw them into the fray.
>There'll be more happy endings then expected
Amen
>Benben will be the only post-98 character to never get a single passing mention in the story
lucky...
>Yukari will learn absolutely nothing
>Okina will learn absolutely nothing
you cannot teach an old dog a new trick, same for old hags.
>Hana will grow up to be just like her mother, continuing the vicious cycle
hard to see it coming to fruition, seeing the sheer support she has around her that wouldn't break, unlike what happened to Reimu
>Remilia will quickly rise to the top of the badass scale after 1 single chapter
that'd be a treat to see after her earlier chapters~
>At least 1 person will have a big meltdown in the thread,
that's me, I'll cry when it ends.
>spoiler
Patchouli would skin you alive for saying those pragmatic words, Anon.

>>46682496
>H O W?!
Don't know about Kong, but Seiga is easy.
Just reptedly rape Yoshika to death in front of Kasen while feeding her the souls of aborted fetus' while assisted in said raping by abortion golems.
Oh and she aborts the fetus of a named character without their consent, like Koishi, Nazrin, or someone else from the irrelevant and hated gang who is nonetheless important.

>>46682433
>At least 1 person will have a big meltdown in the thread
That's me, I'm gonna rage like a mother fucker when nobody of value dies and nobody actually learns anything. This shit is gonna be the worst blueballing and I might actually go murder someone for it.

>>46682433
>>At least 1 person will have a big meltdown in the thread,
Already happened; Going off to start working on you own ending due to being mad over the portrayal of Okina 100% counts.
If it doesn't then the bar for a 'meltdown' is too high.

remember bois, if your fav character dies, it's this Anon's >>46682701 fault, not the authors.
Go murder him rather than us.

>>46682433
>Seija and Goro in Act 3 will quickly lose in the funniest way possible
I would do that, but it wouldn't prolong their suffering, which is a problem.
Tomorrow my plan to complete their torment will become clear. And you can probably guess who's to thank for it.

>>46682690
>Don't know about Kong
It's sort a "even Hitler liked dogs" situation. Even after all the awful things Yukari & Seiga have done, you can still argue there's SOMETHING good about them. Like keeping the barrier afloat, starting up the HSE to help punish Reimu for being an abuser or using aborted fetuses and corpses instead of murdering living people.
Konngara meanwhile has very little problem with committing genocide against anything that currently stands between her and her goal of the day without remorse or second thought. If she's able to achieve her plan of slaughtering Yukari & The Hakurei Linage (and thus absorbing their power level) then both Gensokyo and The Human Race as a whole are irreversibly fucked. Game Over.
The entirety of Earth annihilated because Reimu was mean to somebody 1 time when she was a dumb 6 year old.

>>46682906
I meant that I literally don't know about her, I haven't read any of the posts involving her.
Kind of like how I got to the first usage of an emoji within the Lemontene story and immediately stopped reading it.

Has Yukari's reaction to Senkai been written yet?
I need to know for consistency reasons.

>>46683033
Idk who draws these but I like the eyes and eyebrows a lot.

>>46683033
She's taken it as 100 justification for literally any action and confused it with her personal baby

>>46683100
>confused
That is underselling it. She thought Sekai's presence was her child from the future traveling back in time to that specific point where her doubt was just about to make her fold and she took it as a sign that she's completely vindicated and has done nothing wrong because her baby girl gave her a pep talk from beyond time and space. It is moon logic. because the alternative is coming to terms with the fact that she massively overstepped her bounds as a sage, ruined lives burned all her bridges, and potentially undercut the foundations of Gensokyo's carefully maintained balance

>>46682923
Man, this one Lemonfairy sure is causing quite the sturr recently. Granted one of these comes from a sickly Hina but all mentions of her ITT alone are negative.
Unless it's just a injoke I'm missing, she and her emotionally awkward friends are looking to be the most controversial storyline of the entire project. Can't say I was expecting it to be them of all people.

>>46683137
Well, I don't really have an opinion on Lemontene at all, I just dislike emoji's and my eyes glaze over whenever I try to read something involving her.
Also a mad god with an evil fetus eating her from the inside out isn't really the most reliable, especially when she's never met Lemontene, she's just supposed to be talking inane nonesense that she's absorbed from the HSE.

>>46683090
>Idk who draws these
touhou89. The guy is a great artist.

>>46683132
she had TWO chances to think, realize what she's done and then back down from her fuckups and go live unburden with the ghost lady, one from Anon and the other from Yuyuko herself...
and she still didn't fucking listen
only thing that'll fix her retarded, traumatized mind is a thousand years of sealment with a couple of dolls and frequent visits from Yuyuko, Chen and Sekai

>>46688009
third time's the charm

>>46688009
A thought, has it occured to reimu the possibility that yukari allowed reimu to fall because yukari wanted all of this to happen this way?

>>46682496
>hard to see it coming to fruition, seeing the sheer support she has around her that wouldn't break, unlike what happened to Reimu
Well, maybe. Seeing her mom actually change kinda messed Hana up and from what I've read so far is having a hard time accepting that and is holding on to her trauma because it's the only thing she's familiar with.
I wouldn't be surprised if she was thinking thoughts like ”A fucking fox bitch was all it took to fix my bitch mom?!? Why didn't this happen sooner?! Why did any of this have to happen?" Which sounds in line to a teenage girl to me. Maybe having doubts about the jobber squad for sitting on their ass for so long. Idk I'm not the hananon in question.

>>46688440
Reimu blames herself fully for everything bad that has happened to both Anon and Hana in her hands and refuses the idea that it was someone else's fault, so it's impossible she'd blame Yukari/think there's a master plan behind it all, as it could be perceived as delusion and blame shifting, both aspects of her old self

>>46688493
Years of living with Reimu's abuse and Yukari's grooming have severely impacted her well-being but Hana still doesn't want to turn out like her mother. It would make sense that she'd have a difficult time accepting that Reimu has changed and that the others want to help her when they've been out of her life for so long, but she'd have to for things to get better.

Damn they really weren't kidding about everything slowing down

>>46689919
7 months of continuous work~
feels like it was yesterday we started the project

>>46689919
NOT THAT THIS IS A BAD THING!!!! But it's a bit of a weird feeling. Makes me a little scared we might've burnt ourselves out too early and passion for the project might fizzle out before it's finished

>>46689939
that's an understandable fear, but am just glad I can write at my own pace instead of the cray three days per thread that was the earlier threads. I almost dropped the project altogether because of the haste I had to write in while juggling my certificate, keeping my apartment neat and my job...
don't think it's much different for other writers, though obviously the circumstances are different.
just be patient with us autists and push us as much as you support, a good balance maintains good threads~

Mokou had moved when the festival started to pick up, morbidly curious fools flooding to eateries and amusement stalls, eyes on exotic trinkets and food being sold at banana prices. Perched on one of the roofs, the immortal's icy eyes never left Mr. Hieda or me. At consistent intervals, she'd shoot one white firework skyward, her folded fire wings a terrifying omen for those who didn’t support Keine's cause and a beacon of safety for those who did. However, there was also a pervasive aura of calm reassurance that said, ‘Only a fool would start a fight under these conditions.’

I glanced towards Mr. Hieda, his eyes behind the demonic mask staring at Mokou as if an obstacle and not the unmovable object she is…

A note of tension rises inside, a question on the tip of my tongue refusing to leave: If I got the answer to why he was intending to attack Mokou and the Kurodanis even with villagers right below them…

What'd I do?

A shrine maiden's job is not to mediate this kind of situation but to whack the Youkai that's misbehaving…

“S-Sanae-sama?” I turn to my only apprentice here—Sayori—all others were moved from the front walls as having to bear the pressure of Mokou's gaze was making them sick. Mr. Hieda’s samurai, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky; their eyes filled with dread as they stared at Death sitting across the street. Such fear can propel forward terribly dumb decisions… “Nothing was done to the walls, and our seals and barriers are intact.”

There goes the possibility of the festival being distraction…

Not a distraction, not a way to encircle and siege the Hieda state, not even a cover-up for a shady ritual of any kind…

What the hell is the purpose of this?

Swallowing and huffing, I decide to take matters into my own hands—last time I refused to do so, Hana was almost taken away; not again, not again…

“I'll go in there.” I say, and pairs of bulging eyes turn to me, but I focus on the worst of them. “Although Keine's actions right now seem harmless, things could quickly change if we don’t do anything.” There’s suspicion in Mr. Hieda's eyes, and none of my words change it. Tsk…

“That witch is luring you into a trap; she knew there'd be opposition when she and her devil came to scout,” he says, staring Mokou in the eye, a hand on his katana. “… You seem eager to fall for it, too.”

“What…?” Did I understand him correctly? My apprentice and his samurai are either too nervous to move or are staring worriedly at each other. What a mess… “You've contracted me, and now you're implying I'd conspire against you? I'm a shrine maiden! We maintain the peace, Mr. Hieda!” Rage burns.

The mask and kabuto hide his reaction as the seconds of 'silence' stretch—the hustle and bustle of people as they converse and generally enjoy the festival is as loud as it is harmful to morale: Mr. Hieda’s samurai know these people; maybe some are their friends, relatives or even lovers. Perhaps that's the point…?

Ugh, the smell of good food tickles my senses, too, but I’m dieting…

“Hm… That was unsensitive of me. I'm deeply sorry, Sanae-san.” Mr. Hieda says, taking me away from my thoughts. He continues, his expression hidden from view. “Go ahead and gather information, but keep all of your apprentices here. If my suspicions about this being a trap are correct, I'll need protection.” Déjà vu is, gratingly, as expected as it is obvious: ‘an olive branch disguised as a sword.’

My apprentices who never experienced combat outside Danmaku surrounded by armed men that could, upon one word, kill them… Sitting ducks.

An assurance that there's nothing between me and the revolutionaries.

Hardly maintaining this facade, I bow a little. “Of course, Mr. Hieda.” And so, after exchanging a few words with the closest of my apprentices—'keep yourself vigilant'—I jump over the walls and onto the festival below, the atmosphere immediately switching from a heavy, almost suffocating dread to an excited and obliviously curious enjoyment—

—two fireworks rise to the skies and explode, the usual white and the other emerald green. I tsc, so it had a purpose…

I stroll the festival with purpose—w-wow, they’re selling gunpla so cheap over there!… No, focus—drawing glances from humans and youkai; the latter, naturally wary of shrine maidens, watch intently but… do nothing. “Do not attack Sanae,” I heard being whispered amongst the stall owners. Knowing that Keine can easily communicate with her forces, even in this crowded festival, makes my skin crawl… If she were to really attack…

Still, where is she?

She came leading that march, Suzu at her side, then vanished amidst the crowd as people ran to their stalls… Is she anticipating something?

Well, I don't need to speak directly to her to get my answers: eyes locking on the neatly organized book stall, people flocking to buy and look with curiosity, humans and youkai talking.

I ignored them all, my eyes on Motoori Kosuzu.

Three fireworks explode in the skies: white, emerald green and brown.

>>46690634
—
White, green, brown—things are peaceful; Sanae has met Kosuzu.

I sigh, relieved.

Things are going as expected.

As I lean against one of the three hundred stalls of various sizes and shapes that comprise this nameless festival, a hectic guilt stirs inside. Having Suzu on the front with me was a choice made at the last second, and am not proud of it. The initial plan called for just me; Mokou would watch for a messenger or envoy from Mr. Hieda, and I would meet them in person. However, Sanae was a far more appealing middleman, so I placed Suzu to my side as a familiar face Sanae could more easily approach. Using a friend as bait…

Suzu accepted the burden like the hero she is.

My hands open and close repeatedly, the black cloak and hood concealing my identity to the passersby—funny how a thing meant to make me stand out works just as well as cover—body itching all over with the silence from Mokou's side; is Suzu well, or is she scared? Does Sanae even want to talk?

If something bad happens…

The questions are a nice way to distract me from my actions.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?”

The world stops. My eyes enlarge as I slowly turn to face the looming shadow, a million questions racing through my head. Was it a failure? Cloaking myself amidst the chaos was for—

—A simple, casual Youkai girl stands there. She has… weird, cat ears—I think?—that complement well her light-blonde hair and paint a cute picture with her baby-like face and smile—if I did not know any better, I’d assume she’s younger than me—her silhouette finished by a faded purple yukata and winter ear protection…

Strangely, she seems eerily familiar. “Beautiful?” I parrot, heartrate quickly normalizing. Mr. Hieda would never trust a Youkai as a spy.

The girl leans her back against the wooden pylon beside me and observes as Youkai and humans pass by, engaged in conversation, commerce, or just enjoying themselves. “The cyclic nature of this world. One day all is well and boundaries are kept; then a crazy sage goes, erases every boundary she worked so hard to lift and, lo and behold, nothing makes sense anymore.” The girl shrugs, though I don't pay attention to that, eyes narrowing. “… But you know, it's this type of chaos and mess that breeds a new status quo. A new cycle that'll rise from the ashes of the previous one. With a new status quo comes new leaders, new minds. Opportunities, even~”

I feel something rising inside, a thought that concretizes when I look again at her big, fluffy ears and almost—almost—slap myself.

Those aren't fucking cat ears…

She snickers. “I wonder if a village administrator is needed…” The saint glances again towards the festival, and a younger Kurodani runs past us holding a giggling man's hand. They're both flushed, drunk already. “… It seems so, I’d say~” She giggles after whispering the last part, delighting herself in an inside joke.

I stare at the hermit, tense and uncomfortable, my heart rate indecisive, and blurt out, “How did you find me…?” A question that serves merely to buy time for me to think.

“I just followed the breadcrumbs of conversation, of course. That order of 'do not harm Sanae-san' came from somewhere~” Nodding, I try to speak, but she cuts me. “Don't feel threatened. I've only come to say hi and, well, talk a little, I guess.” She shrugs before pulling something from her yukata…

A bag of pocky.

“Wanna one?” Just as I am about to refute it, she interrupts once more. “That was rhetorical. In a political discussion, never refuse food. Say thank you.” Ignoring my confusion, she gives me one and puts one in her mouth. “Teaching and ruling are very distinct positions: While one may hold the strings of a revolution—your role during it is to elucidate the ignorant masses, after all—when push comes to shove and you need to consolidate power, you're not going to do so with some heartfelt speech, y'know? Guess what happened to the idiots who tried~” She slits a finger across her neck grimly.

I can only watch.

'Hermit trying to attain immortality', yeah…

… I look down at the pocky, then back at the saint.

“Thank you.” I eat the pocky. Tasty.

I wish my kids may eat their fill of this someday…

“That's what you want from my revolution—more power?” I ask, heart calmer as I chew down the pocky.

“Don't we all want more of something? Power is just the aftermath of a very careful set of actions and reactions—to what rhythm you build this song, that's what matters; it determines if your song will burn and fade away…” She gives me a side glance. “… Or if it'll live forever.” Finishing her pocky, she picks another one. “As it stands, you—” she points forward, to nothing in particular. I see it as she pointing at the entirety of my revolution. “—are going to fade away; a footnote of story that holds as much significance as that pocky I just ate… But with some help from me, Keine Kamishirasawa,” she then gazes deeply into my eyes. “You can live forever.” Toyosatomimi no Miko smiles kindly.

>>46690640
>>46690634
tomorrow will be the last chapters of part 1/3 of Keine's finale~!
too much talk, time for action!

>>46690640
Honestly miko making his move here tracks, this is the best place to get in charge of gensokyo as a whole considering it's either here, or get in the middle of the sage fight.

>>46674093
"Senkai." I struggled to say, my throat feeling torn apart.

"Ah! No way! I imitated Mother Seija's voice perfectly didn't I? How could you tell?!" She moped, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"It becau- ehah, Seija plays meaner games." I struggle out, banging my chest like I'm trying to cough up a hair ball "Perfect disguises don't exist, so it's best to put your own spin on things instead." I explained, thinking about how fastidiously the Kappa had made their skin suits, when a cloak would've sufficed. Maybe they could've used the extra time to come up with a cunning plan, but Kappa will be Kappa.

"Ehehe, I guess Father Goro knows a thing or two about impersonation." Senkai giggled.

She was behaving much less elfin and more child-like then I remember. Did whatever happen change her personality as well? Or maybe this was just natural child development for her. Even with how studied Youkai were, there were many mysteries to their child development and every lineage had some secrets. When I was at the temple I made it a small game to figure out as many as I could, a decision I came to regret since Hijiri put me on midwife duties after noticing my investigations. I felt the same urge now to pry into this girl's being, but feared a similar result.

"What did you do just now?" I asked, rubbing my face.

"I sent my Mothers home! Or I guess I did that a day or so ago, I'm not used to existing. But it was so fun Father Goro! I had my first play-date with my Mothers! I got to see them do all sorts of ki-manipulation and spells and I showed them my own inherited abilities and..." She continued excitedly rattling off a whole confusing series of events that I could loosely correlate with the visions I'd seen. "...and so then I got to speak with Mother and Father! They know about me now!"

"Yeah, but if Yukari-Sama had a flaw, it would be too much focus." I said, alluding to her complete delusion about Senkai being the child in her belly in the future and not a separate development of the HSE itself. Although one could be forgiven for the confusion as there were quite a few more 'alternative' fetuses floating around.

"She'll understand soon enough! Oh and, sorry I hurt your ears back then, I knew it was coming, but Mother is just so frustrating at times! And speaking of, you've been ignoring me too haven't you!" She remarked.

"Pardon me young lady?" I asked.

"You and Mother Seija have been spending all your time with each other and sending gifts to Oiwa and Tsukuyomi! But you forgot all about me!" She pouted.

"I'm talking to you now aren't I?" At least I think I am. I still haven't ruled out this being an illusion brought on by severe trauma.

"Not good enough! Pamper me like you did with Mother Koishi and Mother Seija!" She demanded.

"Fine then." I relented, pulling out my comb and patting my lap.

Like a cat, she nimbly dodged under my arm, over my leg, and into my lap, her hat already removed and hair ready to be combed. "Heh, I've taken Mother Seija's special seat." She snickered.

I sighed and got to my work, taking my comb and gently gliding it through her short hair. It was difficult to say the least, everyone's hair is different so you have to adjust your force and direction accordingly, but after each stroke the texture and resistance of Senkai's hair seemed to change. Curly to straight, thick to thin, yellow to black to red, and all the variations in between. Eventually I gave up doing things the sensible way and started to magically target the hair, what I found surprised me.

"Hmmm." Senkai hummed happily as I finally found a rhythm.

Senaki wasn't here, not really, it was more like a diffused reflection, an emission of all the parts that composed her. Koishi's impulsiveness, Chen's catlike nature, Flan's bratty neediness, all rolled into one and it occurred to me, what about Yukari and every other evil Youkai that had set foot in this place? Would she suddenly rage like an Oni or play tricks like a fox? How much had Seiga influenced her?

"Watcha thinking about?" She asked, looking up at me with eyes that shined like Opals.

"There's something you want isn't there? Something besides pampering that is." I asked.

At the question her head lowered and she swayed back and forth. "I'm not sure I want to tell you yet, it'll make you worried and ruin the mood."

"Well then tell me what else is on your mind kid and please, a little slower this time, being real means your words can outrun your mouth." I said, rouging up her hair and ruining the work I'd just done so I could do it all over again.

"It was really fun playing with Mother Patchy and Mother Meiling, both of them have such a nice sense of self and even if I know what they're going to do next, it still makes me happy to see it. Now that they're gone, it feels really lonely and, even though I know I'll see them again, it just makes me feel more alone."

"Hmmm and have you tried thinking about something else?" I asked.

>>46692186

"I think about a lot of things! Like how good that fried dough they serve in the lobby tastes or if Mother Ran's stray hairs would make a good brush, but then I get excited about sharing it with someone and then I feel lonely again." She sighs. "Father Goro, is saying goodbye to people always so hard?"

I closed my eyes and exhaled. "Yeah. Humans are made of each other Senkai, when we say good bye, it's like loosing something that makes us whole, the same is just as true for Youkai, gods, and-"

"Me." She said with a smile.

"Exactly." I said, satisfied she understood.

"So why did you leave Mother Hijiri and the others? Aren't they apart of you? Doesn't that hurt?" She asked.

I paused like a bear who'd just put his foot right into a trap. Childlike innocence or malevolent Youkai conversationalist? I could scarcely tell. "They are. But I needed to change and, even though it hurt all of us, I left. The Buddhist, they have all the goodwill in the world but sometimes they're too comfortable to peak outside the garden they've built. Hijiri had, well maybe this isn't so important, but..." I trailed off, hoping Senkai would interrupt, but those Opal eyes quietly stared at me.

Well so much for my luck. "It was the day after I became an adult. Hijiri told me I'd have a new duty of the utmost importance at the temple. It was exciting, since I'd always looked up to her and the others, even if some of them did like to get drunk a little too often." I snickered, trying to introduce some levity into the story. "She took me to a room in the temple I hadn't been to before, seeing to ancient treasures, warding against an ancient and imprisoned evil, cataloging secret knowledge, I was ready for all of it you know. Imagine my disappointment when the only thing in the room was a few table, cushions, and a feeble-looking Youkai. I don't remember anything else about them, not their name, species, or even their face, just that we sat down and had some tea and pleasant conversation. It was all nice until Hijiri told me what my duty would be."

I rubbed my face, thinking of the right way to say it. "I was supposed to use my gift to 'help' the Youkai overcome their evil nature by making a deal that forbade them from attacking humans."

"Is that really possible?" Senkai asked, maybe more out of courtesy then anything else.

"If it's in both parties best interest then yes and the Youkai, who I pray has found peace, they begged me to do it, as if their very life was at stake and I didn't have a reason to see them suffer."

"But you didn't do it?" She asked.

"No. I just, got up and left, I left the room, I left the temple, I left the village, and before I knew it I was in a little shack on the outskirts. I'd say I was possessed, but it was more like I just felt empty, as if I was just doing what had to be done." I said.

"Why didn't you?" She insisted.

"At the time, I have no idea. Since then I've thought about the wrongness of it many times, trying to shortcut enlightenment through lobotomy, what even allowing such a thing might escalate into, what the Youkai might've said to convince Hijiri that it was permissible to do, it's all probably meaningless. In the end, I'd never do such a thing because above all, it would make that Youkai truly alone."

"But why? A Youkai that can't attack humans could be well-liked right?" Senkai asked.

"Perhaps, but then what about when they're around other Youkai? Can they understand the struggles their fellows at the temple would go through? And even humans are capable of attacking humans you know, how are they supposed to understand that urge that they're completely incapable of? And even if you built an entire colony of such 'Safe Youkai' would they even understand each other because they lack the same thing?"

"So you decided to be lonely so others didn't have to be alone?" Senkai asked.

"Ha! As if I was so noble." I said, tucking the comb away for effect. "The truth is that if I struck such deals I'd be out of a customer base in a weeks time!" I joked with a laugh. "Now I've answered your questions, how about you tell me what you actually want."

Senkai nodded, looked me in the eye, and said: "I want you to stay by my Mother's side, Yukari Yakumo's, until the very end."

--

Been awhile since I was up until 3AM writing, was hoping to finish the conversation bit today, but that's just life I suppose.
Hope I depicted everything well.

>>46692208
>>46692186
>Senkai

>>46692236
世界 has become 仙界, she is a hermit now.

>>46693779
What a sad twist of fate.

>>46692208
>>46692186
>spoiler
well it's SEKAI, so SEKAI is supposed to be a little different depending on the writer that writers SEKAI, but I'd say you got SEKAI'S core identity of a conniving yet kind, sweet troll of a child well
SEKAI is easily my favorite OC to come out of the project

nothing good comes out of writing until 3AM
it's writing to 5AM that produces the gold

“And our friends from the mountain?” Okina questioned her pink and green servant.

“Oh dontcha worry ma’am, miss Aya’s already on track to start some fun.”

“Yep, yep, the second you give the go, all those Tengu go Ka’blowey!”

Okina smiled at her happily dancing servants. “Good, I wouldn’t want our friends to be left out of this occasion.”

“Friends?” Cirno spoke up. “But Suwa-”

“No, child,” Okina interrupted, a light patient smile on her face as flames danced behind her eyes. “I refer to Tenma, the de facto leader of Youkai Mountain.” Okina said, gesturing with one hand as a backdoor opened to reveal a panoramic of the aforementioned mountain. “Although, Tenma has not taken sides, the inaction shown and the indulgence of the Tengu in the HSE, combined with the assistance of the Yamawaro shows where the Tenma’s loyalty lies.”

Okina’s words were a half-truth, she doubted the old bird would take any action either way is unprompted. Better for the old bird that the other three sages disabled and weakened each other, so of course, the old bird must be forced to act.

“If Yukari is to be banished, sealed, defeated, killed, the Tenma must be removed, and so I have prepared an invitation in advance.” Okina chuckled at her own joke, although she doubted Aya was oblivious of what she had planned, she knew that the bird wouldn't tolerate the complete destruction of the Tengu.

But the bird did have more ambition than sense.


“Good, now-” Okina cut herself off, head swiveling to another direction, before a smile returned to her face. “Cirno, some friends have come to visit you”

“Well, you’ll just have to go and see.” Okina's smile was as wide and warm as the sun, her eyes as cold and knowing as the moon.

--

“Get off me, get away!” Nazrin batted the fairies away with her dowsing rods, killing dozens with a swipe as they were obliterated by her Danmaku, only to become victim to their harmless slaps and narrowly dodge a beam of light sent by one of the fairy commanders. “What does that Jizo even do all day!”

“Sorry Nazu, I just couldn’t say no to them.” Narumi blushed as she rubbed the back of her head, an endless stream of fairies still exploding outwards from the door on her back.

“Come on girls!”

“For Cirno!”

“Yeah! For Cirno!”

“For Cirno!” The swarm of fairies chorused as they swarmed around Nazrin. Wings

“Cirno!” Nazrin screamed, throwing her dowsing rod into the crowd of fairies. Dodged by some, killing others, until they reached their target.
Right before they impacted, the air ignited with cold, then a wave of pressure exploded outward from its source, killing all fairies too close to Nazrin’s target.

“For Cirno!” Pumping in hand in the air as the corpses of her brethren

“Cirno, you retard!” Nazrin screamed, a blood vessel almost bursting on her head due to the stress. “They’re looking for you!” Tears welled in Nazrin’s eye’s from the stress.
Although not totally unbearable, she had not been living an easy or comfortable life for quite a bit, molestation, sexual assault, being forced to give up her children to Seiga, a near death expression with some asphyxiation play, and multiple death games in this week alone.
But the fairies, by Okina the fairies, were the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Huh, oh yeah.” Cirno rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

Nazrin ran.

“Cirno!” Daiyousei exclaimed, barrelling through the swarm of giggling, stunned, and confused fairy soldiers.

“Cirno, Cirno, Cirno.’ The fairies started chanting as the ice fairy stood mid air in confusion, before being knocked over as Daiyousei impacted her.

“We found her, we found her, we found her!”

Tears welling in her eyes “D-don't scare me like that baka, I’m never letting me eyes off you again.”

“Yeah Cirno you had us all scared!” The three fairies of light all exclaimed at once, “Is that creepy wheelchair lady up to something bad again!” All of the fairies, except for larva, incorrectly remembered their victory over the god.

“Those three bring up a good point, what exactly are you doing here, is the pervert god up to something again?”

“Oh yeah, you see when Yukari.” The three fairies of light and Larva grew wary up at the mention of her not, especially Luna. Although half of the remaining fairies present tilted their heads in confusion. “The gap witch, took away kind mister Anon-”

Cirno’s tale was long, rambling, filled with jokes only she would find funny, and lacking details. Larva suspected about half of it was entirely fabricated simply due to the nature of fairies

>>46695802
Larva narrowed her eyes, the story all sounded suspicious, although only Luna seemed to also take notice. The other fairies seemed to be taken in, except for Star who was severely disappointed by the lack of high yield explosives and murder, not even when they went to the shitty resort town underground.
It was best if she didn’t stir the pot right now, there were more important things to be dealt with and both her and Okina knew that.
But before Larva could take control of the scene, or Cirno’s excitement could wear off, with a boom a back door appeared, then slammed open.

“My, my I see you’ve finally found your friends Cirno!” Okina clapped her hands together, in somewhat a mock prayer, as she appeared seated in her stone chair.

“Okina, Okina!” Cirno raised a hand as she called for her patron's attention. “I’m gonna hang out with these guys for a bit, okay!?” Cirno was practically bouncing in the air from excitement as she gestured to the throng of fairies behind her.

“Well I don’t mind you spending time with your friends dear, after it’s it’s normal for girls your age.” Okina smiled a too wide, too sweet smile, only noticed by Larva.

“Yay! C’mon girls! Let's harass some villagers.” The fairies resounded with a cheer to Cirno’s declaration, although knowing her, ‘villagers’ also included the dwindling mermaid population of the fairy lake.

Quickly the fairies began to files out of the back door opened by Okina, flowing out of the land of the back door and into Gensokyo.

Larva turned back to face Okina as the rest headed through the back door, holding it open with one hand. “You have something planned, don't you.”

“That's a rather vague accusation, afterall many people have many plans about lots of things.” Okina waved her hand. “Of course so few of them come to completion.

“Whatever you do, you shouldn't let them get hurt.”

Okina smiled. “You shouldn't worry, old friend, for the ice fairy at least.” Okina had already gone out of her way to save her once, years ago during the four seasons incident.
It would be a waste for her to drop dead so soon and without being of use and with her body still being un-molested.
Okina licked her lips, idly wondering if she should push Nazrin forwards suicide or hominicide, either way she’d end up mentally broken and a cute bit worn out toy for Okina.

--

Note:This doesn't really to contribute to my ending, as it's basically entirely divergent, but I wanted to try my best to write Okina unlike how I like her and how she is presented in the rest of this project and I think I did a pretty good job on that front.
I don't think this really interferes with anything, as Cirno can still either have come into conflict with Lemontene before of after these events due to happenstance.

>>46692236
>>46693779
>>46694095
>>46694428

Senkai is such a cute angle!

>>46695802
>being forced to give up her children to Seiga
Oh, oh no.

>>46697307
Being Nazrin is suffering.

>>46690634
>>46690640
A surprise visit from Miko. I suppose the whole "man being held in slavery and whored out to all of Gensokyo" was too freaky for her so she never made a move. But a political upheaval in the village? Now that she can sink her teeth into.

>hmm yes I'll do a short post
>nearing 10,000 words

>>46698440
I think she just doesn't want to directly fight the sages, because while that is the fastest route to power, the prerequisite is being able to actually physically survive that shitshow and people as strong as reimu and Co may very well die during it. Why take the dangerous route when you can take the simpler one of ingraining yourself into the power dynamic of the human village? Her goal is to set herself up for the after the fact of this mess as someone relevant, not die from a sage that has lost her damn mind, which both yukari and okina have to an extent. The one thing I'm kind of surprised about is how long it took miko to make a move, I kind of figured she would have joined keines revolution earlier to be honest.

>>46699773
>The one thing I'm kind of surprised about is how long it took miko to make a move
For being this late, it's a good opportunity, keine is stressed about the ordeal and is seemingly welcome to any helping hands in the current situation which is good for Miko, and for Miko to do things this way is also surprisingly very discreet since she figured with no sages or their obvious henchmen being involved throughout the entire buildup it was safe to intervene as they were busy with other things. She may be completely right.

>>46625713

Like the Sanzu itself, the crushing tide of that day flowed through her mind without a care for the obstacles. It was almost like she wasn't there in her room, Hana felt like a specter in her own dream, it was akin to watching the theater performances and noh plays from the front row. The shaking hands that gripped the vanity beyond the point of soreness finally let go, letting the ache radiate away along with a whimper from the disassociated miko.

With quick breaths and a rapid heart beat Hana tried to reassert reality, forcing herself to regulate her breathing. Still, the tail end of the memories probed the edges of Hana’s without care or comfort, it only made the sounds of her own breathing and the candle’s flickering conjure up spirits without restraint.

A shaky hand reached out to where the dress once sat folded and laundered, picking up a handkerchief that matched the deep violet of the dress. It was embroidered with another rune of the Yakumo consuming the Hakurei, and it only made Hana remember the sight of a spider finally consuming its prey after days of waiting.

Her clammy fingers grabbed the cloth, feeling the white and black stitch work of the design as she brought it up to her forehead. As she dried herself, she could smell it, perfume; it smelled like Yukari despite the wash it should’ve already went through, mother must have set the cloth aside or something…

It didn’t matter, Hana pushed the thought from her mind as she stared at the folded cloth in her hand. She breathed out, her heart still thumping and shaking hand trying it’s best to dodge her eyes. She breathed in, closing her eyes as she tried to still the dizzying storm of memories, and with the magically warmed air drifted in the scent of a predator.


Hana had been alone that night, her green-haired older(?) sister hadn’t moved in with her yet. Her dinner consisted of a bit of leftovers and unsweetened green tea, made mostly to heat the house with the stove, the autumn chill that night was worse than it usually was. The lingering scent of that simple dinner still drifted along the chilled hallways, and along with-it drifted Hana.

Tonight, she had felt lost, she hated staying in her home after dark but there was no where else to go. Her and father had invested everything they had into this place, all their belongings and the only place they could rest their heads was here. Where else would she go?

The specter of a miko fumbled for anything to do, the bathhouse was open and it was either that or a bucket of hot water and cruddy soaps, she could make some extra seals, maybe even go on a night patrol and make sure the domestic youkai didn’t get into too much trouble. However, that appealed to her even less and thrust her out into the cold to die, so instead she drifted out of kitchen she’d been pacing in.

With everything put away and ready for the next day the room looked especially dead, like exploring mayohiga it lacked the vibrance only an occupant can give it. The beaten brown of the floor and aged exposed lumber of the walls did little to entice the eyes, Hana had yet to even bother replacing the potted plants that once sat on the window sill, and had taken down the colorful calendar on the wall, no point in an outdated piece of paper.

Bitterly, she remembered how short they really had to live here, how little they had to make this a true home with the touch only a family could give. She entered the night steeped hallway, only the orange and yellow lamplight from the living room cut through the gloom. With it’s warm glow of the helpful lamps she could make out those hair-raising nail marks embedded into the floorboards, the only remaining sign of the struggle along with the rusted spatter along where his nails gave out.

Her feet carried her beyond the cone of yellow light, past where the door to her room was, and alongside the desperate signs of struggles embedded into her only home. It all lead to here, the firmly sealed door of her father’s room, a simple wooden panel on a sliding rack meant for no more than concealing privacy. She simply stood there, letting the cold feeling of loss and the weight of isolation wash over her. She felt tired, all the magic lessons, learning danmaku properly, and for what? She had nothing of her wino of a mother’s talent in anything other than channeling divine power, and even then, it was nothing near what her mother achieved without any effort at all.

The road ahead felt long, even with Marisa and Sanae by her side, even if her beloved sister was doing fine, even though she knew what she needed to do. The road, like this dark hallway, was agonizing to merely walk knowing that only more hardships awaited… She gripped her sleeved forearm, a grimace forming on her face, irritation inflamed from merely seeing that damned reminder of her problems!

Short part for now, I have a good few more pages written out but I want to release them as a block given how they flow.

>>46698901
that's pretty gud, though seems like a nightmare to edit...

>>46701176
poor Hana, the ride never ends for the traumatized...

>>46699773
>The one thing I'm kind of surprised about is how long it took miko to make a move, I kind of figured she would have joined keines revolution earlier to be honest.
it was intentional. Having her too early would have given Keine plenty of time to think and not much urgency to consider her help, while also -- from a plot perspective -- giving Keine too powerful allies to rely earlier on. Either outcome of the revolution is also good for Miko, since if not for Sanae, Mr. Hieda would have committed a fucking atrocity against his own people, though I like to think Miko would prefer a more nice and politically safe approach to the situation instead of exploiting a massive fight.

>>46689939
I was in a shit place mentally when I posted my last update (which is about... 16 days? Geez.) and onward. Really affected how I retroactively viewed all my writing and I didn't want that attitude messing up anything else I wrote. I should return sometime around the end of the month to post in the dead of night again.

>>46704713
Nta but how do you think Heida would react to being approached by Miko? Does he know she's a hermit? Even aware of who she is and her existence? Would Miko play both sides to her own ends at all? If so would it be subtle?

>>46705055
>Does he know she's a hermit? Even aware of who she is and her existence?
it's most likely, considering she's one of the major sources of religion in Gensokyo beneath shrines and temples, and has an interest in the Human Village, going to lengths of asking to be part of it as an 'administrator'; Kasen before the HSE must've spoken of her too at least in passing and, very unlikely, but there could be made the case that Keine has taught about her role in Japanese government and talked about the connection, since she knows all history of Gensokyo—so though he might not recognize her from looks alone, it's safe to assume he knows of Miko.
>how do you think Heida would react to being approached by Miko?
poorly; the man killed one of his soldiers for questioning his ways and glancing rather affectionately at a youkai, even though there weren't anything concrete to back a possible treason. He's rather on the insane side, so a hermit, someone that's mostly shed their earthly desires, with—possible—connections to Youkai like Miko wouldn't be well received—same for Kasen by the way if she wasn't connected to Yukari.
>Would Miko play both sides to her own ends at all? If so would it be subtle?
she's got nothing to gain by playing both sides, as anyone could perceive Mr. Hieda is trying to start conflict, and Miko would probably be cunning enough to see through that veil and understand that the man has totally given up and is using the village as an excuse to march forth his bottled-up grief that, for the first time in decades, has a target. Though first comes the fact that the village is under Yukari's thumb, which means to Miko trying to gain anything through Hieda would, at some point, loop back to Yukari, who doesn't particularly care about balance anymore. Keine is an investment of low danger without substantial connection to either Yukari or Okina, meaning even if the revolution would to fail Miko could still use the aftermath for herself, especially with it being so close to the Solstice.
but if she'd to stick her fingers in both cakes, then naturally she'd make sure no one knew about it. Not even her own writer…
that's only my interpretation, of course.

"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.

She looked back at Sakuya. "Ancient pagans in the Outside World once said that stars are the holes in the firmament that covers the Earth, through which the much greater beyond can be glimpsed while the sun does not shine upon us. That the stars give us the tiniest view to something beyond. It is an interesting theory, is it not?" Patchouli had been ruminating recently. While thumbing through the pages of Sekai's book and pondering her existence. The viewpoint of those ancient pagans seemed very fitting, then. "Bring the theory back home. Perhaps I am attempting to recreate that worldview for myself."

"That...Worldview." Sakuya repeated slowly. Patchouli couldn't say for sure if she truly understood, but she seemed to be trying. But then, from what Remi had told her of their ill-fated trip to the moon, Sakuya did have something of a weak grasp on scientific concepts, even as they related to magic. "Lady Patchouli, I must confess that I do not understand."

"The world is a curious place." Patchouli found herself pacing. She reached an arm out toward the sky. "What if the stars let you see a different world? Someone else's world? A place that you had not considered to exist?" She spun back to Sakuya. "What if through those pinpricks of light, you could see the infinite potential? The day someone is born. The day they take their first steps. The days when they laugh and the days when they cry." Patchouli hadn't lectured anyone for a long while. Not in this sense. It was...Surprisingly enjoyable. "What if you could see everything laid out at once? A tree, with branches of experiences and leaves of emotions. The moment they experience their first breath - The feeling of freedom! A world tree made of boredom and happiness and heartbreak and learning to walk and deciding what to eat for dinner. What if you could bring that through to this world?"

"Didn't you say that manipulating the stars is beyond our powers, Lady Patchouli?" Sakuya asked, tilting her head.

Patchouli sighed, feeling a little deflated. What was the point of grand speeches if the target didn't understand them? "We manipulate not the stars, but the representation of the stars. And aside from that, I heard that there's a tengu on Youkai Mountain who can manipulate the starry sky as she sees fit. We move past the limitations of yesterday, one day at a time." She almost started to go on a tangent about time, but just barely caught herself. "Anyway, Sakuya, my point is that my current project is incredibly important, but is still unfinished." It wasn't just the spell, of course. She still needed the receptacle. A body for Sekai to inhabit. "And now, I must take my leave in order to continue my work. I need to collect several ingredients."

The thing about alchemy was that it didn't make sense. Inherently, it was something that functioned on a lack of logic. With alchemy, you could make a piece of glass bend and fold as if it was a piece of paper. You could take a piece of wood and give it the properties of tungsten. So, you could take the ingredients that evoked the idea of parts of a body, and weave a body out of them. It was partly alchemy and partly a ritual, but it would do the trick. That, in essence, was the conclusion that Patchouli had come to from Sekai's notes. It didn't make any sense if you thought about it for more than a few seconds, but Patchouli was fortunate enough to not need to think about it more than that to understand it. If Sekai's notes said it, then it would work. She had a list, and she had a place to store ingredients. She didn't need more than that. "Do not worry yourself about my physical condition." Patchouli finally said, noting the way that Sakuya stiffened slightly. So, that had been her angle. "I am recovered from the injuries that I faced, and I do not believe that anything of that nature will happen to me again. You will not need to send Meiling to retrieve me on this occasion."

"...I understand." Sakuya finally conceded. She didn't look too pleased about it, though. "May I please request an idea of where you are going?" Patchouli opened her mouth to rebuke Sakuya for continuing to worry. "For - For the Mistress. She worries." That was a cruel piece of manipulation.

"I do apologise, but Remi understands why I must keep certain things secret from her for now." Sakuya's mouth took on a decidedly frustrated look. "I will not be putting myself in any danger." She didn't think so, at least. Some of the ingredients would put her in danger of an unpleasant amount of social activity, but aside from that... "Now, may I please leave the library, or am I confined here?"

"I - No, I apologise, Lady Patchouli." Remi had, of course, relayed the general details of Patchouli and Meiling's predicament to Sakuya, and from the way Sakuya's distress became even more pronounced with those words, she now felt like she was the villain of the piece. Sakuya stepped to the side, looking somewhat miserable.

"Koakuma will still be here, of course." Patchouli suddenly said. The need to reassure Sakuya seemed to have broken through. "She will continue to recover the books and other tools that were thrown around when the library was destroyed. She can, I'm sure, attest to the fact that I am taking better care of myself now." Patchouli would make no mention of the fact that yet another note had slipped out of Sekai's book the previous night. She would definitely not mention that it had told her to go to bed on time. No, Sekai would not be getting into her good graces that easily. "Sakuya, I am not foolish. I can take care of myself, much as you take care of us in the mansion."

Sakuya nodded hesitantly. "...Yes, I know. I apologise, Lady Patchouli."

"It is not a sin to be concerned for someone's wellbeing." Patchouli replied unthinkingly. She'd been thinking of Sekai again, and her notes begging Patchouli to let her die if it came down to it. "Even if it may be overbearing." Or foolish. What would be the point of it all if Sekai decided to sacrifice herself to keep Meiling from dying? Foolish child. "Now, I really must take my leave."

"O-Of course, Lady Patchouli. Safe travels." Sakuya finally bowed, and Patchouli Knowledge left the library. Koakuma would continue to work, and Patchouli was sure that she'd already completely destroyed any semblance of sorting in the ever-growing pile of recovered books taking up floor space. It would certainly have been good if Marisa had been capable of performing that sort of labour at the moment, though doing so would more likely induce a different kind of labour entirely. Fortunately, Patchouli already had some thoughts on that. A few carefully applied potions and seals, and perhaps some sort of essence from a tanuki, and she could likely give Marisa back her regular body, unimpeded by her pregnancy for a short period of time. Perhaps, if she included something that evoked the idea of youth, she could temporarily return Marisa to her physical prime. It was certainly something that would come up soon, given the rapidly approaching Solstice, and the whispers in the back of Patchouli's mind about a great battle to be fought on that day.

For now, she needed ingredients to work on Sekai's body. Some were easy to come across, such as bark from a tree. That, she had decided, best evoked the idea of the skin of the body. Something that formed a barrier to protect the insides. She'd thought of perhaps the skin of a fruit, but had decided against it. The skin of a fruit wasn't tough in comparison. It didn't provide as effective of a barrier. Some other ingredients were more esoteric. Something that evoked a beating heart, for example. Sekai was a god, so it was arguably unnecessary, but Patchouli felt that it was best to give the child as many tools as possible to work with when it came to reshaping her body in the future.

Alchemy, of course, was a highly individual art. Many of its concepts revolved around what properties a material was thought to have, or what was believed about it. It seemed that thinking like a poet made understanding the reactions easier. It was easier, for example, to make a potion that would be absorbed into the skin by including fangs, or porcupine quills, as these are associated with penetrating the skin. Similarly, spider webs were known to be sticky, so including them into a potion could help imbue the finished result with said stickiness.

Where Patchouli was going with this, was that she needed something that evoked the idea of something sewing itself back up. This, in a sense, would let her imbue Sekai's body with the ability to heal itself. She also, on a different note, needed something to capture the dexterity of the body, and fortunately, she knew where she could get both.

Unfortunately, she also knew that the Kurodani family were otherwise engaged.

Still, that wasn't going to deter her. She would wait, if it was necessary. Yamame Kurodani was an unparalleled seamstress despite her words to the contrary, and she was an orb-weaver besides. That covered both of her requirements.

Patchouli pulled open the doors to the mansion and floated outside. The snow blanketed everything. Technically, the Solstice was the beginning of Winter, but it hadn't stopped the snow from arriving early. She wondered why Sakuya hadn't come to her to arrange for the snow not to fall on the mansion, as she had once done for the rain. Then again, the right time for that would have been in the depths of her compounding sleep and concentration problems, so she most likely wouldn't have made much headway anyway. Sakuya, it seemed, had noticed her poor state earlier than she'd let on. And...Perhaps the snow blanketing the gardens of the mansion was rather pretty.

She reached the gates and paused. Meiling, of course, didn't seem inclined to dress warmly. Instead, she had actually shed clothes. Her vest and shirt lay draped over the gate, and the gatekeeper herself stood in front, wearing only a black vest and her lower wear. She had her eyes shut, and her body swayed in seemingly unconscious movements that still managed to be rather mesmerising. Tai chi at work, it seemed. She was keeping warm by performing dances.

With Marisa no longer breaking into the mansion to steal, it seemed that Meiling's workload had suddenly decreased. No one from the village would bother trekking out here in the snow, and everyone was so embroiled in conspiracies lately that Patchouli doubted they would remember that the Scarlet Devil Mansion existed at all.

Of course, they would all remember once Hata no Sekai graced the halls.

Patchouli cleared her throat and Meiling cried out in surprise, trying to turn around and jump forward at the same time. The end result of this was Meiling crashing face-first into the snow, which elicited a second cry as the cold seeped into her skin. She rolled over and looked up to see Patchouli, then groaned and let her head fall back. Patchouli floated slightly closer, then crouched down beside Meiling. There was snow all over her face, so Patchouli used a minor spell for wind to blow it off. "Good morning, Meiling." She murmured.

"L-Lady Patchouli...I - You startled me..." The gatekeeper weakly replied. "S-Snow's cold..." She shivered, scrambling to her feet.

"Perhaps wearing your clothes would alleviate this problem." Patchouli asked as Meiling shook the rest of the snow from her hair. She watched the gatekeeper shiver, then shook her head and waved a hand, sending a low-level heating spell over the area. Immediately, Meiling soon sighed in relief. "Meiling, I need to ask a question of you."

"Er, okay. Go ahead, Lady Patchouli." Meiling scratched her head and furrowed her brow. After a moment, she sighed and turned, pulling her shirt from the gate and sliding it on.

While she did up the buttons, Patchouli thought. She thought about the body, and what drove it. "What means life?" She asked. Meiling paused, her hands halfway to a button as she frowned with slightly more intensity.

"What...Means life? Um, I don't-"

"You do." Patchouli didn't bother waiting for her to finish. "You do understand, Meiling. If you didn't, I would not have asked." Meiling stared at her in confusion, but when it became clear that Patchouli wasn't budging, she finished buttoning her shirt and looked out across the Misty Lake pensively.

"Hmm..." Meiling hummed. Gods could inhabit anything. That was the whole purpose of goshintai. An object or some form of receptacle for the god to reside in. Patchouli could create the most perfect body even seen, but it would still, at the end of the day, be an object. Sekai's soul might dwell in it, but would she give it life? Or would it just be her goshintai? No, the body needed that spark. It needed the essence of life. That - That was the reason she had asked Meiling.

"Do you mind if I think about it, Lady Patchouli?" Meiling was scratching her head with an apologetic look on her face. "I...I think I know, but I would like to be sure." Patchouli nodded. She didn't necessarily need the answer immediately. "Is this...Is this for Sekai?" Meiling was more hesitant here, and she leaned down to Patchouli's height as she asked. "For her body?"

The problem was that answering her might colour Meiling's answer. What Sekai had wasn't life. It was very much the opposite. A being born out of captivity seeing the worst in both humanity and youkai, unable to leave and unable to communicate outside of very specific ways. That wasn't life. With the success of the ritual, Sekai would have a real life. A true life. If Meiling was to think about Sekai as she and Patchouli knew her - As the god stuck in the HSE, then Patchouli risked bringing a very difference essence to the ritual. No, she needed life at its purest. The speech she had given to Sakuya - She needed that in its most concentrated form. "Think about it, Meiling. I must leave to gather certain ingredients for Sekai's ritual. I'll await your answer once I have returned."

Meiling looked back into the snow with some confusion, then looked back at Patchouli. "You're...Going out? Out there? In the cold?" That was the second time she'd been questioned, then. Perhaps it was a good thing that she hadn't been caught by Remi.

"Unless you'd rather I didn't gather the ingredients?" Patchouli tilted her head, and Meiling quickly backpedalled. "Yes, very good. I am not made of glass, Meiling, as you should well know. I can handle an excursion."

Meiling blushed slightly. "A-Ah, yeah...I didn't mean to, um, imply anything." She paused, and the pause soon lengthened into silence punctuated only by the wind. "Do you...Want me to come with you?" Even as she said it, the gatekeeper's face seemed indecisive. Patchouli had a suspicion as to why.

"No, but thank you for the offer." Patchouli replied, shaking her head. Both she and Meiling had independently decided to not rush back to spending all of their time together just yet. It was easy to forget given the mix of memories they both had, but they'd spent a year together with nothing but each other for company. As a result, it wasn't wrong to say that they both needed some space. It was rather funny, in a way. All that time with no one else, and instead of crying out for people, Patchouli found herself craving silence. Silence and solitude. Unfortunately, too much needed to be done. She didn't have the time for the luxury of peace and quiet. "You will need to come to the library soon. Sekai's book pertains to you just as much as me. It will also allow you to get used to the feel of the book. We cannot afford any complications when the time comes for it to be used."

"Didn't she say that she didn't really have any advice for me, though?" Meiling asked, scratching her head. She had, but Patchouli doubted it was true. Meiling's ki control could always be better. There was undoubtedly some way to make her more capable of channelling Sekai's soul, and it most likely lay in the book. "I can do some more training, I suppose..."

"Do so. Come to the library tomorrow." Patchouli nodded. "Tell Sakuya that I said it was more important than the gate. She'll agree eventually." Especially after her worrying session earlier. "As for now, think on my question. I will be back by nightfall." Meiling looked like she had considered echoing Sakuya and saying something, but after a moment of frowning, she nodded. Finally, Patchouli was given leave to float away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

The bark of a tree formed the skin, so Patchouli's first stop was the Forest of Magic. Specifically, as deep into the Forest of Magic as she could get. She wanted something from an old tree. It didn't need to be much, but old things held power. The more power Patchouli could bring together for this little ritual, the better. The gathering was fine, much to her amusement. She saw no one on her way in, harvested some bark with no issues, and saw no one on her way out.

At least, until the last moment, when she happened across the whitewashed walls and meticulously cared for domicile of Alice Margatroid. A scowl crossed her face. That weak excuse of a magician who was more interested in putting on shows and playing with her dolls than she was in actually learning anything worthwhile or ground-breaking. Wonderful. It wasn't lost on Patchouli that the exact activity she was currently engaged in would essentially be completing the goal that Alice had spent the majority of her time as a witch dedicated to. To create a body from scratch and then give it sentience. Of course, Patchouli was cheating just slightly, since Sekai already existed, but she had no doubts that Alice would not see it that way. That was the trouble with magicians. Outside of Marisa, who was something of an outlier, magicians like Patchouli were always far too dedicated to their specific area of research to see what other people were doing.

And nothing rankled more than knowing who Alice's mother was. The goddess of Makai. To see the daughter of someone as powerful as that reduced to tinkering with dolls...That, without question, was the worst part. Patchouli turned to leave immediately. The last thing she wanted was to come face-to-face with the dollmaker herself. Unfortunately, that meant that she caught sight of the shade at the edge of the clearing, and more importantly, of the fact that it was not empty.

For a moment, she simply stared. There was no point in getting surprised, and all it would do was make it seem as if she was scared of whatever lurked there. She had a feeling, too...There was the slightest glint of something sharp and metallic reflecting off of the snow. Something clutched in the hand of whatever lay in the trees. It was too still, as well. No indicators that the thing over there had its feet on the ground, if it had feet at all. In fact, she was fairly sure that it didn't have feet. Oh, it was too dark to tell properly, but there was just something...

Had she seen it before? No, she couldn't have. But something without legs...A spirit? A ghost? "I've no interest in these fear-inducing games." Patchouli murmured. "Shall we dispense with the theatrics? Do you wish to speak to me, or may I go in peace?"

A cackling laughter greeted her words, and the figure emerged out into the open. Green hair and incredibly sharp, calculating eyes. On her head, a cone-shaped cap which was white in colour and stuck out to the sides. No legs, as she had expected. A single ghostly tail, long in length and which flicked slightly as she floated. As Patchouli had suspected, she held something in her hand. Metallic and sharp, the figure raised a knife in her direction. Blood dripped from the end to accompany her wild, slightly insane smile. "'Tis a foolhardy move, embroiling oneself so deeply in the miasma of the Forest of Magic." She cackled again. "A foolhardy move indeed!"

Patchouli merely stared back expressionlessly. Did the ghost think she was impressive? Was this an attempt to attack her, or a sad attempt at comedy? She looked a little closer at the blade. "The blood is the wrong colour." She bluntly stated.

"Such a - Hmm?" The ghost stopped, mid cackle. "What do you mean, the wrong colour? I think I know what blood looks like, thank you very much." She frowned and looked down at the dripping blade. True, it was definitely blood, but...

"It's brown." Patchouli said, pointing at the blade. "Look at it."

"It came this way." The ghost insisted, raised the blade to the light. "I recognise you - You're the magician. From the vampire's mansion. What would you know about blood, sequestered in your library?" More than she'd expected, in truth. That battle in Sekai's world had seen to that. "Why don't you leave this to the experts?"

Patchouli let out a long-suffering sigh. Really, things would go much smoother if people just listened to her the first time she told them something. "Blood turns brown as it is exposed to oxygen. The haemoglobin bursts, which releases the iron in the blood to oxidise." She raised her hand and pulled her sleeve back. "In the time it takes for that to happen, the blood clots. You wouldn't have rusty, brown blood dripping from a knife like fresh blood." Patchouli brought a fingernail down to her arm and carefully applied the slightest magical force. A tiny cut appeared in her skin. A drop of blood bubbled out and ran down her outstretched fingers, pooling at the end before dripping onto the forest floor. "The blood, if it's supposed to be fresh, should be a dark red. It lightens as it begins to coagulate, and then darkens into a black sludge. Please study these things before attempting to frighten me." Patchouli brought her hand back to the cut and cauterised the wound before the loss of blood could affect her. Anaemia was a tricky mistress sometimes.

"...You're as difficult to deal with as Marisa said you were." The ghost finally grumbled. She spun the blade around in her hand and it disappeared in a flash. "Stupid thing. Haven't tried that getup in years. Should have used the staff."

Ah, Patchouli thought. She knew exactly who this was. "Marisa’s mentor. Mima, I presume. I would have expected you in Marisa’s home. Not Alice Margatroid’s." Marisa had mentioned her old mentor, both recently and in the distant past on various library thefts, though Patchouli had gotten the impression that she was no longer around back then. Clearly, that had changed. As had her nature, because...She hadn't noticed it before, but the ghost radiated something. Some sort of...Divinity. "A goddess?" She murmured more to herself than anything else, yet Mima decided to answer her anyway.

"A goddess, yes." Mima replied lazily, floating closer. "And this is my domain. Alice has come around to my thinking." She certainly would have known if Alice Margatroid’s home had a goddess living in it. Well, Patchouli wondered how Alice felt about that. And more importantly, how Shinki felt about that. No, actually. She didn't really care. "So, what's a shut-in like you doing out here? Do tell the truth, hmm? It would be terrible for you to lie to a goddess in her domain."

"I'll tell you nothing, instead." Patchouli walked directly past the ghost-turned-goddess. "Things are-" Suddenly, she paused. She wasn't really sure why. Just some feeling deep down.

She could feel Mima's gaze on her back. "You're quite the disrespectful one, aren't you? Especially in my domain. Why don’t you step into my Shrine and we can speak in a more civilised manor? Or maybe you’re not the type for that? Perhaps I sh-"

"Quiet." Patchouli sharply told her. "I'm busy." Her arm was itching, and she already had a suspicion of what was happening. Sighing, she raised her hand and materialised Sekai's book from its place within the sigil. The nice thing about Sekai's book was that she'd stopped doing notes that slipped out of the pages. Now, she'd just dedicated whole swathes of the book to conversations. Patchouli flipped the book open to a completely random page. Fate would take care of the rest.


I think that she's nicer than she seems!

"I don't care if she's nicer than she seems." Patchouli muttered in reply. Obviously, Sekai was referring to the ghost behind her. "She's interrupting me."

Behind her, she could hear Mima muttering to herself. "Oh, no, don't mind me. You have fun with your book. The one you're talking back to like a deranged person. No, no, I'm not a goddess at all. No one worthy of respect." She sighed heavily. "Should have attacked first..."


Mother, I think you should be polite to a goddess! Oh, actually, you're not even polite to me...


"And I'm not planning to be." Patchouli growled back. "I'm fulfilling my promise. That's polite enough." She turned back to Mima, who stared at her with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. Patchouli got the sense that the ghost was annoyed with her. Unfortunately, she didn’t care. "I'm leaving. Marisa can vouch for the importance of this book, as well as the fact that bad things would happen if you were to try and touch it. Continue with your plans or try to rearrange them. It matters little to me." And with that, Patchouli took to the sky, floating above the Forest of Magic. She saw Mima looking up at her with a calculating look on her face, and then the ghost faded from view. Probably back to planning some inane plot that ultimately didn't matter. Patchouli cast an eye back down at Sekai's book.


She wants to help break my true father out of the HSE. Her, and her allies. They might not know that I am alive, but I'm happy knowing that they're trying. I want to thank them in person when you and Mother Meiling have freed me!


"Are you not getting ahead of yourself?" Patchouli pointed out to the book. "Do not take that as me suggesting that we won’t succeed. We will succeed, and we will survive, Sekai." Regardless of the personal cost involved. Patchouli Knowledge would not see Hong Meiling or Hata no Sekai die. Now that she had left the Forest of Magic behind, she wanted to get the other particularly involved collection over and done with. Already, she could see some sort of commotion going on in the Human Village, though once her eyes caught sight of the HSE, she shivered and decided not to get closer. It looked almost like a festival. She could make out a wide variety of figures, a large number of which seemed to be wearing a similar colour scheme. Curious. Well, perhaps something like a festival spent having fun could be part of her quandary regarding life. Did that represent life? Joy, happiness, and adventure? Perhaps, but...She wasn't sure, and if she wasn't sure, then it didn't count. She needed certainty.

Patchouli looked on the opposite direction to the village. Out at the Hakurei Shrine, she thought she could see someone. Hana Hakurei, perhaps. Marisa had mentioned something to that effect recently. She flipped a page ahead in Sekai's book on a whim and cast her eye across the written words.


Are they spiders when they're young?


Wow, they do look alike!


And so on and so forth. It seemed like gibberish, but Patchouli knew that wasn't the case. Not when fate was involved. She flipped the book shut and looked ahead of her, squinting through the glare of the snow that covered the world. There were plenty of items that she needed to get, but most of them just required going to a place, harvesting something, and returning. Only one required negotiation. Thus, Patchouli Knowledge adjusted her course slightly, heading not for the village, but for the cave entrance that she could see closer to the mountain. Landing at the entrance, she wasted no time in walking into the tunnel, a ball of glowing danmaku illuminating what was ahead of her. This had a twofold purpose, and she flipped Sekai's book open again.


I don't think I like caves. They're too cramped and it reminds me that I'm still stuck in the HSE.


"You'll be free soon." Patchouli murmured. "And then, you will only have to spend time in cramped places like this because you chose to." Not for the first time, she thought about how silly it was that she was now talking to a book. Perhaps the extended time in the HSE had done more to her mental state than she'd thought. "You can't even hear me." She muttered under her breath.


Well, I can hear you, Mother.


Patchouli paused in the middle of the dark tunnel and looked at the book more incredulously. "You can't. I know you can't. The book is a static object." She knew that. Of course she knew that. Wow, the HSE really had done a number on her mind. She'd actually forgotten that the book really was just a static object. Started thinking of it like it was a direct line to Sekai. As soon as she got home, she needed to...Meditate, or something. Sort her mind out properly.

Okay, okay, I can't actually hear you. I'm writing the book in frozen time in the HSE, after all. But I do know everything that you're going to say. It's like I have a finished copy of our conversations in advance! And since I can see your fate, at least for now, I know what’s happening to you. That’s why I can comment on things like I’m really there.


Patchouli groaned and rubbed her forehead. "How can you have grown up alone and locked in a building, and still have ended up this impertinent?" She was still talking to the book, of course. And, stubbornly, it didn't have an answer for her. The rest of the page was blank. She flipped over to the next page, tutting under her breath.


Sorry, I thought you wouldn't appreciate an answer to that...


Patchouli snapped the book shut and did her best not to roll her eyes. Just in time, too, because she suddenly had the keenest feeling that she was no longer alone. The tunnel was dark, the ball of danmaku she had glowing next to her didn't illuminate everything and she couldn't see everything regardless. Even so, there was just...Something. Acting on a suspicion, Patchouli stored the book back in its sigil, then extinguished the ball of danmaku. Now in total darkness, she waited for a moment.

Lo and behold, she was suddenly looking into a pair of deep brown eyes. She didn't startle, of course, and merely stared back with the same intensity. "Greetings." Patchouli murmured.

"Hey." The eyes - Presumably via a mouth hidden in the darkness - Said back. "Y'sure you should be wandering around in these caves? All sorts of creepy-crawlies around, you know."

"So I understand." Patchouli tilted her head. "I'm looking for one in particular."

"Izzat so?" The eyes asked, looking like they were tilting. "Someone I'd know? We're all very close down here in the dark."

"That depends." Patchouli replied. "Does the name 'Yamame Kurodani' strike a chord with you?" Instantly, Patchouli got the sense that several more pairs of eyes were watching her. She also wouldn't have been surprised if there was a blade or two at her neck. Or an arthropod's leg. "I am getting the impression that it does."

"'Course it does. What's someone like you want with our most treasured sister?" The eyes narrowed now. Patchouli stared back. The wrong move, down here in the dark, could spell disaster. "Our Yamame isn't here right now. She's on a job." The voice was suspicious.

"Would that have something to do with the festival going on in the village?" Patchouli asked. The eyes widened in surprise. "It looked rather lively from the air." There it was. For a split second, she'd seen relief in the eyes. She had been worried about Yamame Kurodani's wellbeing. That, then, gave her an in. "I mean you no harm. In fact, I have a request and a job offer." Remi had wanted her to wait until everything was done before getting in touch with the Kurodani family, but if she had no choice, it was better to use every bargaining chip she had access to. "May I see your face?" She asked, clasping her hands behind her back. "I wish only to speak peacefully with Yamame Kurodani."

Silence. And then, light. Several lights, revealing that Patchouli was absolutely not alone. In fact, four different people surrounded her. The one in front of her clung upside-down to a thread of web and the others waited on the walls and the ceiling, eyes narrowed and balls of light growing in their hands. "If our Yamame wasn't with her daughters and our sisters, we'd be more suspicious." The eyes that Patchouli had been speaking to revealed themselves to be a girl who was relatively short in height, with extremely curly black hair. "Give us your name, first and foremost."

"Patchouli Knowledge." Replied Patchouli Knowledge. "Magician from the Scarlet Devil Mansion." She watched the girl opposite her as she flipped herself the right way up.

"With that vampire. I see." The spider looked up to the ceiling. After a moment, the girl up there dropped to the floor. As she did, Patchouli spotted the limbs. Four of them, manifesting from her back. The two stepped slightly further away from Patchouli. Unfortunately, it didn't stop Patchouli from hearing them. "Sister, you might need to go and fetch Yams. If it's someone from the Scarlet Devil Mansion..."

"Yeah, yeah..." The second girl - Dark blonde hair, much duller red eyes - nodded tiredly. "Honestly, She's been so happy about getting to teach that little cat that I could have forgotten that she's, you know, a builder. At least K-" Whatever she'd been about to say, she didn't get to say as the first girl threw her hand over the second girl's mouth.

"Yams said she’d sic her big sister on you if you don’t watch what you say. You don't want that." The dark and curly haired girl said sharply. "Alright, alright, go and fetch her. She'll complain up a storm, but she'll come eventually." Ah, progress. "Miss Patchouli Knowledge?" Patchouli nodded. "Y'mind coming with us? Yams will meet us there."

Of course, it could have been a trap. Somehow, Patchouli didn't think it was. No, she'd heard plenty about the Kurodani family over the years. And...She'd mentioned daughters. Yamame Kurodani's daughters. Something about all of it was seeming very familiar, but she couldn't seem to place it. "Certainly." Patchouli spoke, following behind the spider as she led her deeper into the caves. As Patchouli floated and the spider walked, she thought of the best question she could ask. The girl had mentioned that Yamame was happy about getting to teach a cat. That implied that it was a significant jump in happiness compared to before. And...She didn't seem to have done much construction lately. She had daughters.

Unfortunately, Patchouli's musing was cut short when she realised that the spider she was following was talking. "-Tells me that she's got a rush order and immediately drags half her daughters and half her sisters off to pull everything together. I mean, I love the girl to death, but would it kill her to communicate a bit more? Ever since...Ah, I miss Re-"

"Was she sad?" Patchouli interrupted her bluntly. She raised her hand and brought Sekai's book back out, then flipped it open to a random page.


I think she was sad, but love helped her overcome it. That's why I try not to let the negativity of the HSE get to me. Love is really, really powerful.


Patchouli snapped the book shut again. "Was she sad?" She repeated. The spider had fallen silent, and Patchouli wondered whether she was considering attacking her. That last bit she'd said before Patchouli had interrupted her...

The spider remained silent until they'd headed deep enough for Patchouli to spot webs. "You're not an ordinary person, are you?"

"I try not to be ordinary, no." Patchouli replied. "But I truly do not wish you any harm."

"...I believe you. Don't know why, but...You don't seem untrustworthy." The spider let out a long sigh. "Her husband died. Her human husband." Ah. Patchouli murmured her condolences. "He was our brother, too. We all loved him just as we love her. It hurt for all of us, but it took her a while to pull through. She used to go to the surface with him all the time, but...She rarely ever did after he was gone." The spider sounded like she was in pain. "She's on the surface right now. That festival in the village that you saw - The Kurodani set it up. The schoolteacher - She's trying to change things in the village, apparently."

Patchouli suspected that there had been a rather large paradigm shift in Gensokyo since she had last checked, but unfortunately, she'd been busy losing her mind in the HSE whilst simultaneously losing her mind in the depths of the library, so she hadn't noticed it. She belatedly realised that their surroundings had changed. Gone was the darkness of the cave and the natural feel. Patchouli was floating over a paved path that shone with myriad glittering stones. She wasn't sure how they'd been acquired, but they had certainly been used to great effect. And, the walls...They weren't cave walls. They were covered in spider webs that formed beautiful, intricate patterns. The sort of thing that could only be done by a true master artisan. The darkness really had left them, and it was clear why. Ahead, a natural hole in the ceiling showered the ground with light as if a large beam was streaming down. In the summer, Patchouli supposed that there would be plenty of flora, growing around the highly contested beam of light. Of course, it was winter at this point, so there was nothing, but it didn't make the scenery less impressive. And...just beyond the light, Patchouli saw the house. Built with a mixture of sturdy webs layered between normal materials, it looked strong enough to withstand the fiercest of storms.

Normally, Patchouli wouldn't have thought it, but she did think that it was a breath-taking sight.

"Listen, uh..." The spider stopped her, fiddling with her sleeves. "Do you know what's going on, uh, on the surface?" Patchouli tilted her head slightly. "It's just...Things seem to be getting a bit intense out there..."

"I imagine so." Patchouli said, nodding. "But I suspect that everyone will be better off for it in the end. Simply keep yourself safe. Protect those that matter most to you." That was the best advice she could give.

"R-Right...Er, would you mind waiting here? I...Shouldn't bring you into our Yamame's house without permission." The spider weakly nodded. Patchouli nodded. "Thanks. My sister should be able to drag Yams away soon enough. Not sure how long she'll be able to keep her here for, especially if she's enjoying herself out there, but I hope it'll be long enough for whatever it is you want to talk about."

"It will be sufficient. My thanks." Patchouli inclined her head. "You told your sister to keep things quiet, but you told me about the schoolteacher. May I ask why?"

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.

"A family photograph." Patchouli looked over as Yamame emerged from one of the rooms, a tray in her human hands. She placed it on the small table between the armchairs before taking, curiously, not the armchair closest to Patchouli, but the other one. Come to think of it, that particular armchair looked like it didn't see much use. How mysterious. "Quite the adventure, that was. Wrangling together a hundred-and-ninety-two sons and daughters, not to mention a number of my sisters was no small task, I assure you." She looked at the photograph, and a smile crossed her face which lit up her eyes. "My human...He was exhausted by the end."

"You must miss him terribly." Patchouli commented, sipping her tea. It was surprisingly good. Not quite Sakuya good, but it wasn't far off.

"...Sometimes, yes." Yamame smiled again, and this time, Patchouli caught the slight pain in her eyes. "Just...Sometimes. He is always with me. He's with me in my heart. He's with me in the faces of my children. In their smiles and their laughs. In their eyes and their souls. I never stopped loving him." Patchouli could see it in her eyes and her smile. Yamame wasn't here right now. She was in the past. With her husband. Patchouli hadn't thought that she would care, but...She'd seen that look before. She'd seen it on Anon's face. She'd seen it in those moments of quiet between his customers, when he'd murmur Hana Hakurei's name wistfully and stare off into the fake sky beyond the fake shrine. Sometimes, he'd even whisper Reimu's name. Patchouli should have interrupted Yamame and moved on with what she was here for, but...Looking at her now, she found her vocal chords paralysed.

"...Tell me about your children." Patchouli finally croaked. Why? Why would she care? Unthinkingly, she materialised Sekai's book and opened it.

"Oh, plenty of them are out in the village." Yamame vaguely indicated in the direction of the cave's exit. "We've some work there, you see. Some have stuck around here, and some are deeper in the caves, toward Former Hell. They always come back to see me. Ever since they were born." Patchouli cast her eyes downward for a moment, looking at the first line she saw.


Are they spiders when they're young?


Of course, she realised. That conversation she'd looked at - It wasn't until now that it became relevant. "Are they spiders when they're young?" Patchouli asked. Yamame looked over at her questioningly. "Professional curiosity." Patchouli elaborated, shrugging slightly.

"When the egg sac opens, yes. They are half-youkai, though, so it wasn't long before they were able to take on human forms." Yamame sipped her own tea and another smile briefly flashed across her face. "Hm. It drove my husband insane. He was terrified that he'd step on one of them accidentally." Patchouli briefly smiled back, looking back down at the book.


Wow, I didn't know half-youkai worked like that! It would have been nice if the spiders in the HSE could talk to me...Or at least talk to my true Father. He's lonely so often...


"Your husband...Has anyone ever mentioned that-"

"That he looks like someone else? Why, you're the second person to make that comparison, you know." Yamame didn't look upset, at least. "A certain cat that I've been instructing. She brought it up first."

Patchouli nodded. "I know of her." Chen had never taken notice of Patchouli or Meiling while they were stuck in the HSE, but the two Remnants had definitely noticed her. "Just a coincidence, I imagine." One more message caught her eyes in Sekai's book.


Wow, they do look alike!


"My human was never very big on coincidences. He preferred to blame his awful luck." Yamame shook her head with a slight laugh. "May I ask you why you keep looking at that book?" Patchouli thought for a moment. She'd made a mistake, coming here. Not because she didn't like it. No, it was because something - Some part of her, had been drawn into the spider's web. She felt like...She should have spoken to Yamame Kurodani before now.

"It - It relates to the reason I sought you out today." She slammed the book shut and let it dematerialise. "I'm in need of ingredients for the most important ritual I've ever been involved in. Something that I cannot, under any circumstances, afford to make a mistake on. You, Yamame Kurodani, might be able to help me." Patchouli wasn't sure why, but she felt like she could trust Yamame. There was just...Something. Some reason that she couldn't identify that made her feel like Yamame wouldn't let her down.

"This sounds...Rather intense. Ah, you can, er, call me Yamame. If it's easier." She scratched her chin and took hold of her tea cup using her spider limbs. "This may sound strange, considering we barely know each other, but...I'll help, if I can. What is it you're here for?"

Patchouli had spent a while thinking on this. Something that represented something sewing itself up. She'd thought of asking Yamame for a sewing needle, but it didn't seem quite right. "I need something that evokes the idea of repairing something." She finally said. Perhaps leaving it to Yamame would work out better.

"Hmm..." Yamame thought, resting her hands in her lap briefly. "That cat - Chen. She was taught to sew by her Mister Anon, and he helped her repair something when it got damaged. I only built on what she had learnt, but..." A spark went through Yamame's eyes. "How about some thread? My own silk." The silk of a spider? Patchouli's eyes widened slightly. "It's a precious gift, but...I was told once that something like that is the only kind of gift worth giving." Spider silk was incredibly strong. Waterproof, tough, and versatile. In the Outside World, she'd found reference to a Frenchman who'd had clothes made of spider silk long before her time, but nothing recent until she'd left for Gensokyo. She was curious, of course. What did they have in the Outside World now?

"I...Thank you." Patchouli finally managed to force the words out, inclining her head. "That's incredibly kind of you." Yamame Kurodani smiled in return, and for some strange reason, Patchouli felt a slight ache in her heart. "I...There was something else." Something was really wrong with her. She shouldn't have been reacting this strongly to Yamame. "Dexterity. Spiders are some of the most dextrous creatures out there. What would you say evokes dexterity?" Yamame looked very thoughtful then. Patchouli wondered if this one would be simple.

"Hmm...Short of offering you one of my own legs, I fear I've not...Ah, hang on." She thought for a moment more. "It just needs to evoke the idea? It doesn't matter if it's...Fresh, or anything?" Patchouli nodded. "I had a moult not too long ago. Claws are all intact. I'll just..." Yamame got up, using the arachnid limbs on her back to push herself up. "It's my claws that are the most dextrous part, I'd say. Most spiders don't have three distinct claws at the end of their legs." Yamame waved a hand and a limb as she explained, then disappeared through another door. Patchouli watched it in silence for a moment, and then stood. She summoned Sekai's book once more, and stepped over to the family portrait above Yamame's fireplace.

"What is it...?" She murmured under her breath. "Why do I feel...?" There was something deep down. She glanced down and flipped Sekai's book open.


I'm really sorry. I think...Think of it like a typhoon. Everything's drawing into one point, and the closer we get to the Solstice, the weirder things get. It's like things are bleeding over from somewhere else, and I'm probably the cause. I can't stop it, but it shouldn't get any worse. I'm planning to work on keeping things stable for as long as I can once I've finished writing the book and sent you and Meiling back to your real world bodies.


"That...Explained nothing, you little brat." Patchouli groused, frowning at the book. "Just say you don't know. Save us all the trouble."


I didn't really want to say 'Reality might be slightly collapsing,' Mother.


"Well, it makes it easier for me to understand." Patchouli muttered. "Reality won't collapse, even if it becomes strange for some time. You're panicking unnecessarily." These feelings, then. If something was bleeding over, then...Was it an emotion? Was that why the Kurodani girl who led her here had felt like she could trust her? Was that why she seemed to have a softness for Yamame Kurodani?

"Here you are." Patchouli snapped the book shut and looked around to see Yamame holding the end of a spider leg in her hand. It was the last segment, down to the claws on the end, so it would happily fit in Patchouli's bag. "Fresh from the moult. Er, well, not fresh, but..."

"No, I understand." Patchouli nodded, reaching out and taking the thing. "Thank you for your help, Yamame. You've been very kind." Yamame smiled warmly. "I have one more question."

"Do feel free to ask, Patchouli." Yamame nodded encouragingly. "I'll do my best to answer."

For the second time today, Patchouli asked that question. "What...Means life? To you, I mean? What evokes life in your mind?" She didn't know what kind of answer she'd get from Yamame. She didn't know what answer she needed either.

But Yamame surprised her by breaking into a bit of a giggle. "My, that's a rather loaded question, hmm?" It had been, and Patchouli almost felt like retracting it. This strange familiarity was getting the best of her. "If I had to say, then..." She trailed off for a moment, and then strode around to regard the family portrait. Her spider limbs reached out, and she gently caressed the still, smiling face of her husband. "I think love is the greatest proof that we are alive, Patchouli."

"...Is that so...?" Patchouli murmured, watching silently. The warmth in the spider's eyes was unmistakeable.

"Yes. I think that the love we have for someone else is possibly the greatest force in the world." Yamame looked over at her and Patchouli could practically feel the fondness for the life she'd lived with her husband radiating off of her. "When my human passed on, I was filled with grief, but..." She absent-mindedly rubbed her left hand. A ring adorned it, and Patchouli should have spotted it sooner. A wedding ring. She'd never stopped wearing it. "Grief is just love. Love that has nowhere to go. And while I cannot give him the love I wish I could anymore, I can still give it to my family."

And...Damn it all, Patchouli found that idea was burrowing into her mind. "...I see. Thank you." She just barely nodded. She was still holding the claws that Yamame had given her, so she hurried about getting them into her bag before she could be drawn into any overwhelming emotions. Then, she quickly took her seat once more and sipped at her tea until she didn't feel the same emotional intensity. If she'd activated one of her detection spells, she'd probably have been blinded by the strength of Yamame Kurodani's love. "I have something rather lighter to speak to you about, too."

"Oh?" Yamame's spider limbs snagged her tea cup and passed it to her human hand. "And what would that be?"

"A job offer."

Yamame's eyebrows raised slightly and a very different sort of smile crossed her face. This one was somewhat...Predatory. "A job offer, hmm? Well, my sisters are busy with that festival for the moment, but do tell me all of the details."

Patchouli paused for a moment. How much to reveal? Obviously, not everything. In fact, not much at all. "The Scarlet Devil Mansion's library is to be remodelled in its entirety." In the time since the blast had levelled the place, Patchouli had worked out her ideas more thoroughly. She did want the library to be located lower, and she wanted it to be more vertical. Extending it horizontally once construction was done was easy enough with Sakuya's abilities, but Sakuya couldn't add a whole additional floor to the place by herself. "I have some requirements, but I am willing to leave a large amount of the physical work to you and yours." Of course, it would be up to Patchouli to add all of the magic that the blast had destroyed back. Yamame's eyes and body language gave nothing away, but Patchouli knew exactly what she was thinking. Fortunately, Remi had more money than she knew what to do with. "Money is no object."

And Yamame's eyes lit up. "Ah, that's lovely to hear! My, my, I think I'm rather interested." She leaned forward. "I'll have to come by the mansion. See what I'm working with." Patchouli nodded silently. "Though, we're busy at the present moment. We most likely wouldn't be able to get to work until...Hmm, after the Solstice?"

Patchouli nodded. "After the Solstice should be fine." She hoped. No, she believed. Things would be fine. She'd succeed in getting Sekai out of the ruins of the HSE, and she wouldn't lose anyone. "I fear I've acquired some of your husband's luck in recent times." What had possessed her to say that? "Coincidences..." The library had been destroyed, and then Patchouli just so happened to need to speak to Yamame Kurodani. And she'd even come in person. She'd just managed to catch a time when Yamame was able to come and speak with her.

Yamame's smile grew, and she just stifled a laugh. "In a different time, I think you and my husband would have gotten along well." She finally said with eyes full of mirth. Patchouli wondered about that. Was that why she was struggling so much here? Things bleeding over? "Okay. Either I'll be up, or I'll send someone over to the mansion soon. Just, uh, for preliminary stuff. We'll see where we need to go from there. And then, after the Solstice, we'll get to work. How do you feel about foul-mouthed redheaded- Actually, er, no, never mind." She smiled sweetly. "I'll work out how much the Scarlet Devil Mansion will owe the house of Kurodani." Patchouli felt a vague chill wash over her and hoped that Yamame felt like being generous. Well, hopefully Remi wouldn't mind.

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."

"As I said I would be." Patchouli replied, spreading her arms. "A rather successful day, overall." Her bag was bulging with what would look like an eclectic mess of random things to someone else. Fortunately, it was covered in so many stasis spells that she was surprised she hadn't somehow exploded it. "Most likely within the next few days, someone from the Kurodani family will arrive here."

"The Kurodani family?" Meiling repeated, frowning. "Oh - About..." She leaned in slightly. "The library? Is it...That bad?" Ah, Meiling hadn't been in yet. She'd yet to see the aftermath. "Well, er, okay. I'll...Send whoever it is up to the library."

"Very good, thank you. Inform Sakuya, if you can. And - Still, I would like you to come to the library tomorrow, so you can look over Sekai's book yourself." Patchouli almost made to move, but paused. "Have you thought about my question?" Meiling was always brimming with life, after all. Yamame's answer had been illuminating, but she suspected that Meiling's would be something different. "What in your opinion, evokes life?"

"Well..." Meiling rubbed her chin. "I did think about it. It was actually more of a difficult question than I thought it was. I was going to say that good food and drink makes me think of living, but..."

"But?"

"But it didn't feel right." Meiling continued looking out over the horizon. "It didn't feel...Encompassing enough."

"So, instead?"

Meiling remained silent for a while, this time. "I started thinking about China. About when Sekai released us from the HSE." Patchouli, still positioned as if she was about to walk inside, slowly turned back to face Meiling fully. "That monastery - That's what life is to me. The colours. The sights and smells. The sense of peace and tranquillity. That's...I think that's what life means to me." Beauty. Beauty, a place to belong, and...Love. Apparently, Patchouli had needed both answers. "But then I started thinking about how I missed the mansion so much while we were trapped in the HSE. I think I get the same sense here as I did in China. More than I'd realised. So...Being here, able to guard the gate and spend time with everyone...That's life."

Patchouli watched the gatekeeper in silence as she processed her heartfelt words. Neither Yamame nor Meiling had given her anything particularly concrete, but this wasn't the sort of art that came in concrete forms. In something like this, sentimentality was as valid an ingredient as any other. So, in creating Sekai's body, if Patchouli used something that reflected the answers that she'd heard... "That's a very poetic answer, Meiling." Patchouli told the gatekeeper. She blushed slightly, looking away and stammering something unimportant. "But, it might be just the answer I need. Yes, this is for the ritual to create Sekai's body. I've still got plenty of work to do, but I believe that we've moved a step closer, today."

Meiling sighed in relief. "Phew, that's good. She's relying on us, after all..." The gatekeeper smiled in a somewhat dreamy fashion. "I wonder if I could teach her martial arts..."

"She might already have innate experience with them due to our time in the HSE." Patchouli pointed out. "But you could teach her something new. If she really wants to go to China, then..." Truthfully, Patchouli wasn't sure how that would go. She wasn't the most experienced in religious matters, and even less so when it came to unborn gods. Perhaps she needed to go and speak to Reimu Hakurei personally. It was unlikely that anyone in Gensokyo had a more encyclopaedic knowledge of gods and rituals.

No, she was tired. That could wait.

"Either way, I must go and store these ritual components. Thank you for your assistance, Meiling." The gatekeeper blushed a second time and mumbled something about how she'd had nothing to do with it. With that, Patchouli bade her farewell until tomorrow and floated into the mansion. It was quiet, and there wasn't a fairy maid nor a hobgoblin to be seen. Patchouli wondered if Sakuya had already come across her in frozen time, but decided that it didn't matter. She took her well-travelled path to the library, ready to store the ingredients she had collected.

"Ah, there you are, Patchy! Why, when Sakuya told me that you'd actually left of your own volition, I-" Patchouli caught sight of Remi as she rounded a corner, her arms spread wide and a smile on her face. Unfortunately, it was the third time she'd heard this line today, so she had little patience for it.

"Yes, yes, Remi. I left of my own free will, I performed several important tasks, and I returned unharmed. Anything else you wish to comment on? The weather, perhaps?"

Remi raised her hands in surrender. "My, my, such a temper. I surmise that I am not the first to make this comment, hmm?" She lifted her cap from her head to run her fingers through her hair. "Though, speaking of the weather, I do find it rather cold for my liking. Is there any chance of a new Scarlet Mist blossoming any time soon?" Patchouli raised an eyebrow. "Just joking. I saw your new project in the library. Quite the spectacle, I must say. Breath-taking, even."

"And unfinished, thank you very much. No, I cannot explain it. My apologies, Remi." Remi merely nodded in understanding. "I fear I may need to apologise for something else, too. Part of my work today required me to seek out a certain individual."

"Is that right? Well, I do like a lot of individuals. Do I know this one?" Remi's smile widened. Patchouli suspected that she was about to wipe said smile away.

"I had to seek out Yamame Kurodani. While I was there, I made her aware of the need to remodel the library." She waited a moment for her words to sink in. "I may have also mentioned that money was no object. As a result, a Kurodani will be appearing here before long."

Remi did frown, but not for very long. "Ah, I see...Well, I wish you'd let me know beforehand, but what's done is done. I knew that fixing that mess wouldn't be cheap, anyway. We'll just have to show her as much hospitality as we are capable of doing. Maybe she'll even give us a discount.” Remi smiled slightly, but it was a short-lived smile. “Perhaps you should talk to me before making a decision like that, next time. Now, I'm afraid that I'll have to be off, Patchy. Sakuya's been begging me to review the Solstice celebrations for days."

"Truly a nightmare, Remi. Try not to bite her head off. Figuratively or otherwise." Remi laughed slightly, then placed a hand on Patchouli's shoulder.

"I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time you offer up all of my money, my dear friend." And with that, she continued to stroll down the hallway. “Do try to make it a little less soon, won’t you?” She called back, disappearing around a corner. So, she was a little bit annoyed. Not particularly, and she'd be over it in a day or so, but still. Patchouli began heading toward the library again, and on the way, she thought about what Meiling and Yamame had said.

She knew what she could use. She knew what would meet the criteria. Even so...It was hard to do. But when compared to the alternative of letting Sekai die, it wasn't difficult at all. Patchouli Knowledge took in a deep breath, then reached up and pulled the crescent moon from her hat. It was metal, and surprisingly weighty. She'd forgotten since she'd gotten used to the way her hat felt with it on.

Remi had given it to her. A long, long time ago. It was a thing of beauty, and Remi had said that it was a symbol of her trust in Patchouli. That she could handle the library and that she would always have a place at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Patchouli had since thought of it as a turning point in her life. There was the period before Remi had given her the crescent moon, and the period after. Patchouli had worn it ever since. It was her most precious possession. In her eyes, it was what symbolised home.

It symbolised the life she led. And that, more than anything she could think of, was the spark of life she needed for Sekai's body.

There was little room for self-doubt in her mind. Little room for the luxury of sentimentality getting in the way of what needed to be done. That crescent moon meant a lot to her, but it meant nothing in comparison to Sekai's life. Patchouli might not have been a mother, or at least not a traditional one, but in this, she suspected that she was no different from Yamame Kurodani.

Patchouli Knowledge squeezed her hand around the crescent moon. Patchouli Knowledge reflected on what it meant to her. And then, Patchouli Knowledge dropped it into the bag with the rest of the ingredients.

Anything for the child.

JESUS
TAPDANCING
CHRIST
it's like the later stages of KMS's release speed on crack

>>46706625
Tragic, late stage KMS is quite the terrifying disease.

So good to see the KMS once again...

Come to think of it, I wonder how that story affects those that knew Reiko or was affected by him in any way like the Kasen duo.

>>46706568
don't have the time for a lengthy review, but know I spent almost two hours reading and if I needed to define the segment in one word, that word would be: gorgeous.
thanks for it!

>>46701176

Feet moving before thought catches up, Hana stepped forward and struck her hand out, grasping the handle of the door and pushing it open in one flick of her wrist. The darkness in that room was impenetrable, but Hana didn’t care for such things. A slightly stale smell greeted Hana’s nose instantly, the dust was collecting just fine and showing off how much an annoyance it was by each step she took in the room.

Holding back a sneeze, the miko of sniffles lets her eyes adjust to the gloom of the master bedroom. The faint light coming from the hallway is enough to let her see the room in shades of gray, she could make out the futon, cleaned, folded, ready for use; like she left it after tidying up when she came home. It was where she’d leave it till she rescued her father, it was the least she could do for him.

Memories of that day played; of her rushing at that tear in space, not being able to overcome those stupid tricks, what she did after... Why couldn’t she have been stronger?! Her face flashed red in both rage and embarrassment, she gripped the hem of her miko’s dress and in the darkness could practically see the satisfaction Yukari felt at her triumph. Trapping Hana behind those barriers and letting her spend her energy attacking the air, till all she could do is watch in exhaustion and frustration as a disgusting youkai bounced on father’s…

Gulping down a ball of tension the frustrated miko belatedly realized she was biting her lower lip, the wet sounds rang in her ears, a-and when Yukari forced Hana close she was practically burned by the heat coming from where Yukari devoured father. The taste of her father’s lust, sweeter than any candy and mixed with the sin of Yukari’s love, stained her mind and made her shift her legs in discomfort. Worse yet was what happened after, when Hana had the choice to leave and resist…

Hatred at herself was backdrop for all these emotions, she knew what she’d do now and she hated herself. However, if she didn’t now it’d just build and she’d be frustrated the rest of the night and all day tomorrow. She was disgusted as she walked across the room to the closet, she then opened a chest of drawers that took up half the vertical space of the cavity. She knew what she was looking for, she was looking fo- wait, where was it?-

As if on queue a light rasp sounded from the main doorway, causing Hana to jump like a startled cat. Suppressing a yelp, she snapped her head towards the hallway, where another pair of light rasps sounded. A visitor, after the sun’s gone down? Leaving the closet as it lay, she walked out into the hallway with a call, “I’ll be right there!”

Hana was confused as she walked to the doorway, there was no one she knew who would ever have business with her this late. While she usually ignored the presences of others in the village, she took a look now; the only thing found was of the occasional passerby in the street, the neighbors, and the one at the door. A flash of hope entered her mind like match being struck, maybe it was Aunn come over to play? She did strange and whimsical things like this sometimes, but this presence… It didn’t feel human, nor divine… Wasn’t particularly strong either, couldn’t be a threat…

Hand ready over the pouch she habitually had festooned on her thigh, she could feel the weight of her needles and ofuda. Hana had doubts she’d need to do more than give them the 2# exterminator glare even if they were here for trouble, perks of the uniform she supposed.

Opening the front door, a little frustrated and already more than a little grumpy she roughly asked, “What do you want?!” Only to find no one standing there, the presence from earlier gone and only leaving shadows moving in the cloudy moonlight along the road. Did she get pranked…? Did the fairies find a way to hide their presences entirely? Nah, wasn’t their style to just cut and run without enjoying someone’s reaction, she should know.

She lingered in the doorway for a second more before the chill and foolishness she felt compelled her to close the door, and the security latch. Whatever fool of a youkai that decided to play this prank, maybe a tengu or more stable urban legend, wouldn’t last long if she got her hands on them, that’s for sure. With a huff she turned back, her mood somehow ruined further, yet the guilt and shame went nowhere, so she made to close up her father’s room.

Carrying that lingering heat, she found herself in front of the closet again, re-arranging the clothes she displaced in her search. She paused for a moment, that really was missing, though she always made sure to wash it and place it back after… In fact, she knew she put it back last time...

Like a crack of thunder on a quiet night, as Hana tried to recall what happened to the missing item, she felt a tear in reality form behind her!

>>46712083

Hands darted to the pouch on her thigh, reflex superseded thought and her fingers were quick to wrap around several needles. She heard the perpetually-smug voice of her tormenter as she stepped through the terrifying eye-filled hole in reality before her head could snap to it, “Looking for these Hana-chan~?”

Before she could launch the needles, which would be sure to hit at such range, her eyes caught sight of what that purple-eyed monster held. In the white gloved hand of the gap sage were a small piece of fabric, one that Hana knew well: a form fitting pair of boxer briefs, a pair imitating those exotic outside world styles. It was-?!

That rent in reality closed behind the fan-wielding women, Yukari held the delicately crafted lingerie aloft like she was offering a handkerchief to someone that sneezed. The purple of her flowing dress brushed the floor, but didn’t disturb a speck of dust. Upon seeing Hana’s tense form Yukari’s predatory eyes shone, “My my~ You’re so frightened, were you surprised? Now, why don’t yo-“.

Needles and a few seals flew the gap that existed between the miko and the youkai, with a shout Hana had poured her sudden rage into the divine blessing that imbued her attack with subconscious ease. For a split second they were going to hit, and a bit of hope flared up in Hana that, maybe this sudden attack would fell the monster befor- Of course, that wasn’t the case, with a sidestep faster than the needles and a flash of the fan, Hana’s projectiles either impacted along the far-wall harmlessly or clattered to the ground.

Yukari’s smile didn’t waver, even as Hana pulled her gohei from her sleeve and closed the meter wide gap. Her body lunged forwards with vengeance, pouncing as if a mountain lion and propelled forward with leg strength and flight magic. Hana poured her blessings into the rod; she was too close and couldn’t miss. She wouldn’t miss, Yukari had made a mistake of not activating her barriers and gotten sloppy!

The rod of wood and paper sailed through the air with power visible to any youkai, like a bonfire lit in the night. Time slowed down, Hana could make out the gray on gray that was her gohei moving to Yukari’s smug face. She expected the feeling of impact, the satisfying feeling of some disgusting youkai disintegrating under her might, the knowledge that she alone had taken care of her own problems! Hana got none of that, as with a shimmer in the air that smug face disappeared and was replaced by nothing more than displaced air.

Eyes went wide as she tried turning, tried using her momentum to rally and strike at wherever she may appear from next. However, as she tried turning on the heel of her foot, tried turning faster with flight magic, Hana stumbled at the worse moment. She never had to truly brawl, either the fights were danmaku by some troublemaker, or they’d be settled quickly with a few seals and time out in spirit form. It was a mistake to fight in ways she’s not used too!

Hana could barely get her arms up in time before the impact was sure to happen, instinct taking over as she lost balance. That impact never came, instead she felt a deceptively thin arm catch her full weight. In that instant Yukari had closed the distance and caught her by the waist, pulling her close as if they were lovers.

Revulsion filled Hana as she raised her gohei again, summoning power to try and turn the tables once and for all! Hana’s movements were stopped instantly, a silver glint caught Hana’s eyes and in a second, she saw what was her own needle hover in front of her eye. Held aloft and unmoving, like it was embedded into stone.

Yukari’s smile didn’t fade in the slightest, but the levity was gone from her voice entirely, “Hana-chan, I know your father didn’t raise you to be a bad child. I’d hate to have to tell him about how I’ll punish you, don’t you think your father would be sad to hear that?”

Hana dared not move from the awkward spot she found herself in, supported entirely by Yukari’s arm, her own weight too off-balance to make any real moves. The needle that hovered over her eye was held like a pen, ready to be moved down at the flick of a wrist. Hana’s own arm was raised defensively, for all the good that’d do, and the other was wilting down to her side as its fury drained.

Her eyes glanced between the needle, Yukari, and her gohei; she knew that she was trapped again. She gulped down the fear and tension that kept her body high strung, trying to think clearly about how she could turn the tables. It was then that Yukari spoke again, “Drop it.”

Next time on Hana's Hakurei Harm show: Hana gets mindfucked, Yukari unwinds after finding her cat giving daughter eyes to Anon, all of her moms are entirely oblivious and drop the ball entirely!

Tune in tomorrow!

>>46712115
>>46712083
STOP BEING AN EVIL WOMAN FOR ONE SECOND OF YOUR LIFE!! I do love evil women, but god fucking dammit...
>>46712151
>Hana gets mindfucked, Yukari unwinds after finding her cat giving daughter eyes to Anon, all of her moms are entirely oblivious and drop the ball entirely!
you could shorten that to 'a regular day in the HSE', thankfully Sekai is kamikazing that fucking place...
thanks for the chapters!
sorry to the guy that asked me to never again post this picture, I just find it very funny man...

>>46712289
>sorry to the guy that asked me to never again post this picture, I just find it very funny man...
I for one welcome our saggy sage overlords

>>46712289
>Spoiler
It was so unhinged that I'm still speechless months later
who the heck does that in a Meiling thread of all places?

>>46713237
maybe it's a chinese ploy to match the glowies?
though it's funny to know that's the story behind the image, I was thinking it was just the Yukari being old joke

>>46713237
I'm not really sure why he did that either, although it makes me tempted to post the next Nazrin chapter in a Nazrin thread.
Of course that'd be in poor taste in I'd be hijacking the thread and thus I wouldn't do it.
But the general idea of a Nazrin destruction story is still tempting to pot there.

>>46706542
>Yams said she’d sic her big sister on you if you don’t watch what you say. You don't want that.
>How do you feel about foul-mouthed redheaded- Actually, er, no, never mind.
I need a cameo from my KMSwife!

>>46713361
DarkhorseEirin is sure to win the Anonbowl this time

>>46712115
I like Hana for the fact that she can easily get herself out of this situation with her powers, but her very character is what will prevent it.

>>46714620
at least in this part its a flashback, so this is her betting bullied before her power

>>46692208
I looked at the girl, surprised by the request. I'd expected something along the lines of helping herself out of the HSE, saving Anon, or maybe even being asked to lay down my life for something, but remaining by Yukari's side? That was... an intriguing request.

"I'm bound to defend this building already you understand? So long as the HSE stands Seija and I will be here with Yukari-Sama, what more are you asking for?" I inquired.

"Mother she... she is alone and, even Father doesn't care for her in the slightest." She said in a miserable tone. "After this building falls, and it will fall, I don't know what she'll do, but I do know that if she stands alone, as she always thought she has, Mother might do something terrible and won't-." she pause, struggling to say the next words. "- she'll be gone."

I breathed in and exhaled letting the dreadful thoughts seep and dissipate in the cold winter wind. I ask the obvious: "Why us? Ran, Chen, the ghost who oversees the Netherworld, they're all closer to Yukari-Sama aren't they? And you've probably seen how your Mother thinks of us, as tools at best or maybe a pleasant division.." I shook my head.

"You're wrong!" Sekai yelled, insistent. "Mother is better at hiding her feelings then anyone else, even from herself, but she does love you and Mother Seija. I can tell by the way she looks at you two when teaching and spying on the both of you during her tea breaks. If she thought about why she does those things maybe Mother would understand, but she doesn't question herself, she's always so self-assured." She mopped. "When she realizes Mother Ran and Chen have been working against her she'll have nobody to turn to that she hasn't pushed away, not even Mother Yuyoko."

Doing the math, she was right. Every faction in Gensokyo was either pitted against her, neutral, or a tenuous ally of convince(to put in mildly), her fellow Sages probably both wished her dead, and even Anon, as forgiving as he might be, had been push over his limit. In all of Heaven, The Two Hells, and Earth, Seija and I might be the only two honest people who didn't scorn Yukari with all their being. But still, would that even matter to her? With my dealings with the Yakumo I hoped to come to understand the insanity of it all, what had lead her toward this ridiculous plan, the elaborate construction of the HSE, and, once the layers of Youkai trickery where pealed away all I saw was, well, something I wasn't sure was within anyone's power to help.

"Sekai, I may not hate Yukari-Sama, but..." She looked at me expectantly "What your asking, if Seija and I have to choose between her and our children, well, that isn't a choice." I told her.

At this, Sekai's face winced and contorted. It was obvious she holding back saying a lot, so I made sure to speak slowly and clearly that she could process all of it. "And that's not your responsibility to worry about you know?" I told her, gently grasping her small hand "She may be your Mother, but that doesn't make her mistakes your's to fix."

"I know that," she began, her lip quivering "I know everything that's she done, to Father, to Mother Hana, and so many more, and that she'll have to be punished for it, even then I-I don't want her to be alone. You and Mother Seija can understand that right? How terrible it is to be by yourselves?"

Seija may have disagreed, though I know that she'd rather perish then have nobody around to stare in awe of her tricks.

>>46715189
"A-and she's my sister's, Oiwa and Tsukuyomi's, Godmother right? Without her, they wouldn't have, I mean, won't be born! And my other sister, Renko, she deserves to know her mother as well right? Never having seen your mothers face, you know how much that hurts don't you?" She stammered out.

She was clearly piling it on, laying on as many truths as she could in order to mask the one obvious lie. I know because I've done it before, and even though it gave me a small flicker of pride to see her so tactful, I knew I had to pull the rug out from under her.

"Sekai, Yukari is a desperate, deluded, and powerful woman, you know the only one who can save her is herself." I said.

"Of c-course she is b-but, but" she hicup, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I still love my Mother!" at this, all dams were broken and the girl began the cycle of wailing, heaving in air, and wailing again.

I know that she wasn't really here, I know that I was maybe only 1/100th of her parent at best, I know that she had probably inherited the serpent's tongue from any number of sources, but I hugged her anyway, swaddling her in my cloak, patting her back, and shielding her from the cruel reality of it all. For awhile she continued to cry into my chest, clutching on for any kind of security and I continued to caress her, rushing nothing as she rode out the tantrum.

Finally, after a spell she wiped her face against my cloak and slowly her breathing came close, but not entirely matching, a normal cadence. "I'm, sorry." She said, looking a little guilty "I don't know why I did that."

"It's normal for kids to throw a fit every once in while." I said, gently rubbing her head. "It's nothing to feel guilty about."

"But it wasn't your fault I started crying so why did you comfort me?" She asked.

"I'd be a pretty crappy adult if I just ignored a child crying right in front of me." I answered.

"So, you love me?" She said, looking right into my eyes.

I felt the sinking feeling of being trapped in a verbal snare and the encroachment of a metaphorical hunter come to collect their catch. Well, if the only way to go is forward...

"Yes. I love yo-" before I finish the sentence the girl leaps up and wraps my neck in a stranglehold of a hug and begins happily singing: "Father Goro loves me! Yes he does!" floating around me as she lulls.

"All right, all right, don't strangle me with your gloating, I can see where this is going, just go ahead and say it" I told her.

"Hmph" She happily tutted. "Since Father Goro loves me, that means he acknowledges me as his daughter." Which was tenuous jump in reasoning, but I'd give her that much rope. "And, as my Father, he's responsible for my happiness. Therefore, he'll have to find a way to be by my Mother's side, as her advocate AS WELL AS making sure my sisters are happy as well, because otherwise I'll be sad and start crying again!" Sekai closed her argument.

At that moment I felt a little nauseous, thinking about all the times Keine-Sensei, Hijiri, and my Father had put up with my bargaining. Well, being on the other side of it had it's advantages.

"Fine, Seija and I will do the impossible, but in return, you have to promise to be a good older sister and take care of your siblings, no matter how annoying they get." I told her sternly.

She merely smiled and jutted out her hand, with only her little finger raised "Pinkey swear?" she asked.

Extending my own hand I wove my small finger with hers and said "Pinky swear." I felt the small spark of a tri-fold Absolute Deal. Two from the mutual ability, one from the parental commitment.

"Thank you Father Goro, I know many of my Mothers may not understand and even hurt you and Mother Seija for what your doing, but still, I'm happy your doing it."

And that smile almost makes it worth the pounding I could foresee from Yuuka, Hijiri, round 2 with Reimu or Hana, maybe Kasan if things went sideways there...

"Oh uhm and, I'm sorry. Writing fate is really hard and, while I was able to spare you two from some of it, however, three horrible things will happen to the both of you before this is over, well, one has already happened, the second is an accident, and you really should forgive the person that does the third to the both you, she didn't know-"

And like that, the girl who had been sitting in my lap disappeared. I'd wanted to ask her so many other things, like how she planned on getting out of the HSE, if there were any plans for her Father's escape, and what those 'horrible things' were, but I suppose those two souls she ejected were a part of her plans and Anon's escape was almost guaranteed, what with the massive forces aligned against us. I wonder how they'll react to the fact that, by Sekai, we're technically all related at this point? Regardless, she'd given Seija and I a task she thought only we could complete, so best to focus on that for now.

Next time: Takane gets in a big pinch!

>>46712083
>>46712115
Hana is going to have a nice long talk with Erin after everything is done. Although I doubt it would be simple to unfuck her sexuality at this point with how well Yukari groomed her.

>>46712115
>>46712083
that's not how you approach a teenager...

>>46643529

It would have been much warmer and cozier inside, with plenty of company and food, but I was too anxious to wait inside. This was going to be an important moment, and I didn’t feel like holing up inside. I wanted to see everything as it went down. From outside Keine’s house, things were calm, displaying no signs of the tensions to come. The only sign of something off was a small group of people milling around, wanting to see what came out of the revolutionaries house.

Then a massive stream of fire rockets into the sky. Gasps and cries erupt from the onlookers as they see it fly into the air. But the expected death from the skies never comes and instead the sky erupts into a rainbow of colors. The gasps and mutters from the crowd soon melt into “Ohhs” and “Ahhs” as the fireworks go off, painting the landscape in a myriad of colors. On such a cold and still winter’s day, such a display would have been seen from all over Gensokyo, which is what we wanted.

It didn’t take long, They stood out easily among the bright and colorful backdrop in the sky. The many Tsuchigumo flew towards the village, white flags in hand. The white flags were necessary to show their intentions, but I still heard some muttering from the crowd that was growing by the minute. Not even a year ago, a sight like this would be seen as a disaster. Villagers would have run panicking into their homes and cowered until someone came in and pushed them out in a flashy display of power, and even then the fear left from such an intrusion would have lasted for months. But so much had changed. The crowd didn’t run off at all and instead stood there as the youkai made their descent. A far cry from years ago when a mere rumor of a youkai visiting the village would have left many terrified. There would also be nobody swooping in to chase off the Tsuchigumo-or so I hoped. All the women that were capable of doing such a thing were indisposed of at the moment and even the one on the scene was reduced to being a bodyguard for an old man.

There certainty are a lot of them. I had heard from Keine that they were all one family- one mother and her many sons and daughters. Hearing about it is one thing, but see them all in the sky like a flock of birds was another. A while ago the idea of someone having so many children would have been ridiculous but it’s something I know is all too plausible. But still, a hundred and ninety something children is something amazing. I suppose Tsuchigumo pregnancy might be different from ours, but that’s not discounting the work of her husband. You don’t get that many children without a lot of enthusiasm.

I see Keine coming done the street towards us. I guess it was time for us to move. I duck back inside, squeezing my way through the crowded interior. Everyone is chatting among themselves, doing some last minute preparations, or standing around nervously. It doesn’t take long for the door to open again and Keine step through. Taking a moment for the chatter to die down she addresses the crowd “In a few minutes time we will move towards the festival. I’m sure all of you have heard by now, but the patriarch of the Hieda family is opposed to our efforts. He’s brought his forces against us for this day. I don’t think it’s likely he’ll launch an attack when it’ll endanger the village, but I urge you all to show some caution as his behavior has been” She pauses as she decides on the best way to explain that the man had lost his mind “- a bit irrational lately. If any of you have any questions, now is the time to ask” All over, hands rose up.

>>46717533
Keine led the march down the streets with me at her side and the rest following. Her black cloak gently glided behind her as she looked forward with steely determination in her eyes. She almost looked regal like this, a new ruler for a new age leading her gaggle of followers. My confidence soared just by seeing her. But she wasn’t exactly a rightful king returning to claim the throne that belonged to them with a loyal army. What could be called her loyal army were talking among themselves, laughing, handing out treats to onlookers. This wasn’t an army of revolutionaries, this was a parade. Still I suppose that made sense considering our goals here today.

We continue forward, making our way through the streets. Everyone was in high spirits, continuing to chatter on, as if the danger we might face was nonexistent. I suppose this was one way to remain brave.

“Feeling nervous?” I jump a bit at Keine’s unexpected words. “You’re been out of sorts for the past few days”

I was. Over the past few months, the twisting feeling of dread and nervousness had become a familiar friend to me. I would have thought that after my escapade in the HSE that something like this would be nothing. But in the back in my mind I can’t help but think of all the ways this could go so wrong. A bunch of men with swords and guns aren’t nearly as dangerous as Yukari, but they represented a clear risk. All I could do is put my faith in all the others to get us through this.

“Yeah, I am” I responded, looking up at her.

“You know how Mr Hieda is. His duty to the village is everything to him. He wouldn’t risk putting them in danger, even with his state of mind. When support starts to swing around to us, the Heida’s family hands will be tied” I did think it was unlikely that Mr Heida would order an attack if it would bring villagers to harm, but to have everything hinge on that made me feel a bit guilty. No, we weren't using them as human shields, we were just holding a festival, nothing wrong with that!

“Do you think he’ll have to step down after all of this? By now, everyone knows his state of mind is declining and after a stunt like this I don’t know if he’ll have any support left” I ask, turning my head upward to look at an exceptionally bright firework.

“The Hieda family has always been very traditional, and they’re not the kind to accept change lightly. Akyuu was an exception compared with most of her family with how open she was to having friendships with youkai. But it would surprise me if there weren’t members of his family concerned with his behavior that would want to see him retire, even if it meant giving into our demands” Keine returned a wave a child gave her. Always thinking a few steps ahead, that’s our leader.

“I think it’s possible that the death of his daughter weighted heavily on his mind for years. Then, with the stress of recent events he regressed. He clung onto some false hope that would have made everything better, and when reality started to set in, he just regressed further and further” For a moment, a frown crosses her face and she seems so weary. Then it’s gone, and the strong and confident Keine is back. With the fire that had been brewing inside of her ever since she started her revolution, I had forgotten how hellish her life had become recently.

While she didn’t say what the source of source of Mr Heida’s stress was, I had an idea on what she was implying. That damned building had tendrils that were deep and corrupting, and even those with no connections to the place were hurt by it.

We turn one last corner and we’re there. Despite not having even been set up half an hour again, the festival was teeming with life. The stalls were already set up and ready for their owners to take charge, Tsuchigumo swarming between them and making the last few arrangements. On a small stage, I see the Prismriver Ensemble getting warmed up, playing a few notes on their instruments. A few festival-goers started to filter in, admiring the work before everything kicked off. Even the sight of the Heida estate walls covered with armed men looming over everything failed to damper the spirits of the crowd.

“Things are starting to kick off. Remember the signals and contact me if you need anything, and just enjoy yourself” Keine said with a smile before she moved off and vanished into the crowd.

>>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.

>>46717568

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun. I never would have thought that there’d be something like this in the village. It’s getting lively for something that just sprung up” She says as she leans on the counter. Things were getting active now. The crowds were getting thick enough that moving around would be an issue, and the stalls were doing their best to keep them satisfied. The air was filled with the sounds of music, talking, flames sizzling, glasses clinking, and the other general ambiance that comes with a successful festival. It was getting hard to hear yourself talk.

“Do you need anything?” I ask, hoping that whatever shw wanted could only be found far away from here.

“Just browsing for now” she says, disinterestedly pouring over the books I had. “I just happened to be around and saw all the communication, thought I’d drop in and see what was going on. Take a break from my work. I’ve been really working hard on my latest work to get it done before the Solstice , but I think it’s going to be my greatest work yet.”

“Good to hear that” I nodded back, trying not to make my politeness sound too forced.

“It’s vanilla, you know? I wanted to do something more thoughtful, more emotional. I wanted it to be erotica, not pornography. It’s something like the one I sold you. How’d you like that, by the way?” she leans in a bit further, looking at me.

Of course she’d remember me down to the book I bought. I curse myself silently. “The art was nice and the plot was good as well. Very wholesome.” I barely remembered the damn thing, and I didn’t want to bring it up.

“From what I could gather, the other artists are doing rougher stuff. That sort of thing is fine and all, but there’s only so many times you can write about a man getting raped before you want something different, you know? So by putting up a nice romance I don’t be competing as much with the other artists.” She carelessly tosses one of the books she was flipping through down on a stack, putting everything askew. I put things back in order, breathing easy when none of them are damaged. A few passerby and other stall operators are staring at us. Didn’t she know better not to talk about this sort of thing in public?

“So what’s this thing about, anything?” She asks as she leans on the counter, looking over the crowded festival.

Finally, an opportunity to drive the conversation to something into something decent people could talk about openly. “It’s a way to promote togetherness between humanity and youkai and to bring to attention the awful conditions many youkai live in. We hope to make it so the coming generation will have access to everything they need to have a happy life, but for that we need to gain more support. I have some literature here if you want” I hand her over a leaflet listing all our bulletpoints of our goals, a mere taste of the plans we intend to inact.

She looks it over before folding it up and stuffing it into a pocket. “Oh yeah, the pregnancy issue. Seems like everyone is out getting fucked this day. Which is good for them, but I know with my deadlines I haven’t had anytime to have much fun. Ka- My creative assistant has been feeding me ideas, but it’s clear she hasn’t worked in the field before so it’s gumming things up. But once this is all done, I know where I’m going right away, eh?” On the other hand, maybe the Heidas wouldn’t notice if Mokou lead her into the crowd to a quiet alley somewhere. No Kosuzu. Don’t ruin things for everyone

The world around me suddenly becomes bathed in a sea of green and white light. I look up at the sky to see Mokou’s fireworks still going off to give everyone time to notice. White and green. Let’s see that was- Sanae. The mood seems to die down just a bit, and by straining my ears I could hear some muttering going about. As our festival consisted largely of youkai who weren’t major powerhouses, there was an obvious apprehension going around. Still, the orders were clear. Don’t bring harm to her. Let her roam freely. My customer turns about. She’d sensed the change too, hiding this sort of thing from a tengu was hard. I notice her gaze focus on a spot just down the lane and I follow it, a flash of green and white standing out clearly through the more muted colors of the crowd.

“Ah- I really should make my leave. I got work to do, it was fun. See you” Without waiting for a response, she heads off in the opposite direction, pushing her way through the crowd. Was she afraid of Sanae for some reason? There’s no time to focus on that, as Sanae effortlessly drifts through the crowd-I suppose that’s one practical use for the skills you develop from dodging danmaku- and makes her way to my stall, and the newcomers to the stall part like the sea.

“Kosuzu, please explain to me what you’re doing here"

She didn't look too happy.

>>46715974
She's just developing her mothering skills before the baby is born. This is how you treat a teenager, right?

>>46717588
Poor kosuzu, she's only trying to help and now she's the bully target because she's a non combatant.

>>46717588
>>46717568
>>46717541
>>46717533
nice, Suzu chapters~
was a surprise to see /ourgirl/, and more how she didn't get fucking assassinated. Perhaps that's the tengu luck they so much talk about?
sorry for be taking a while to post the latter half of the festival, been stuck in the last chapter chuuning about not being satisfied by it. Will get there soon, though~
thanks for the chapters!

>>46717700
>"No, Yukari, the 'horny jail meme' wasn't supposed to be interpreted as imprisoning a man for years of his life inside a mega rape dungeon and have his daughter be part of it."
this grandma doesn't understand the new generation...

>>46718889
Yukari was just doing her best, she just wante a to visit her friend's daughter and play together. Its not her fault Hana can't see the joy in her visits.

-Nazrin Soul Destruction Story-

Nazrin ran.

She ran, and ran, and ran, and kept on running. If she was a human, or a normal mouse, her legs would’ve failed her, but being able to keep running didn’t help her situation, for no matter how far she ran the Land of the Back door had no edge or boundary, even if there were areas less populated by doors no matter how far you ran you’d always eventually end up back where you started, a bit like a sphere, or a hamster wheel. But more spatially and dimensionally confusing.

Eventually Nazrin fell over her own feet, tumbling forward into the void before bumping into a backdoor. “Agh!”

As Nazrin righted herself, she turned to kick the door. Pain lanced through her foot as it made contact, but she didn’t care she was just angry, mostly at herself, and sad.

“Oh is the rat throwing a fit again, I thought you would’ve gotten used to being in my employ by now after that man abandoned you.”

Nazrin jumped in surprise, turning back around to see the back door god sitting in her wheelchair. Okina, the executor of her torment and chief architect of the nightmare to come.

“Sh-shut up…” Nazrin spit out, failing to put confidence or venom of any real measure into her voice. There was a distant sound she couldn’t place.

It was hard to stand up to her, Okina held absolute power when compared to a mouse who was skilled at finding things, recently she hadn’t even met Chisazu and Shou. She hoped that they would be spared, but knew asking Okina would only solidify the god’s desire to see them removed.

“Or perhaps that emptiness inside you is to blame.”

Nazrin choked on air.

The image of the Seiga and her golem of atrocity flashed in her mind, the knowledge of which children made up the golem. Assisting the temple and Okina finding that incomplete list of pregnant mothers, gotten from that annoying and ambitious human who the temple helped raise and was helplessly and foolishly in love.

The memory of him made Nazrin sad for a reason she couldn’t place. But she could hear it better now, the sound, the chattering of hungry teeth.

“Someone like you never was really suited to being a mother in the first place, I guess you could say me and the hermit did you a favor.” Okina didn’t even bother to hide the venom in her voice, none of the usual backhanded kindness or passive-aggression.

Nazrin balled her hands into fists looking down to her belly before tears began to fall from her eyes and she moved to clutch her belly as she fell to her knees, looking down into the abyss below.

“Hm, throwing a tantrum now Nazrin, this whole ordeal really has been unbefitting for you.” Okina’s expression conveyed that she considered the youkai before her, little more than an ant.

“Hi miss Okina! Hi Nazrin!” Okina’s dancers exclaimed as they arrived to the commotion, dancing as the flew mid air.

“What’s goin’ on!?” The two tilted their heads in unison.

Nazrin forced herself to her feet as Mai and Satono, she still couldn't tell them apart, arrived, dancing all the while. The distant chattering behind her ears growing closer.

“I… I…” Tears welled in Nazrin’s eyes as her fingers sunk into the wood of the backdoor, splinters embedding themself into her fingers, the pain as numb and distant.

“You will do what, whore?” A lighthearted and joyful tone overtook Okina’s voice as the abyss behind her eyes shone black, a square blackened inverted halo for a wicked and evil god. “You who were taken in by the gap youkai’s magic, you who failed your duty in the most ultimate and disastrous manner, you who ruined the idol of that man.”

“Ooh, ooh-” One of Okina’s servants pipped up.

“Mister Bishamonten, right miss?” The other dancer said, jumping up.

“Or maybe I’ll call Seiga back? She does need some more matierles after that vengeful spirit disposed of those unborn children, Ha.” Okina punctuated her mocking with a genuine snort of amusement.

Bishamonten, Nazrin thought his name and then, with a thump, she slammed her head against the backdoor and sank her hands into silencing Mai and Satono.

“Miss Okina?”

Thump. Again, but heavier this time Nazrin slammed her head against the wall ignoring the pain as the pain racked through her body.

“Hey, hey!”

“Miss-”

It was so loud, the chattering of teeth, the eyes behind her eyes, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t hear.

THUMP. Again, Nazrin slammed her head into the door. The smiling faces of children, twins which would never be born flashed in her mind.

“Hey-”

“It’s okay, dear, Nazrin just has some things to get out of her system.” Okina said, hushing her servants as she gestured for them to be quiet.

Nazrin slammed her head into the door again. Her teeth shook and her jaw hurt as the image of Shou appeared in her mind.

She looked nothing like him, but Shou reminded Nazrin dearly of her master, Bishamonten.

>>46721875

Bishamonten.
Bishamonten Bishamonten.
BishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamontenBishamonten.

Shame.
Hate.
Resentment.
All of it targeted at herself.
She thought she could hear the backdoor god laughing, but it didn’t matter. None of it ever did, not due to the efforts of others, but in spite of their efforts, all because of her.

Black smoke began to emanate from her body as the wicked hermit returned at the edge of her vision, she didn’t care anymore, it didn’t matter.

She felt something burrowing within her, pushing outwards, eating her, but it didn’t matter either.

Nazrin’s vision grew dark as she felt her legs begin to buckle, it was all her fault, her mistake, her weakness, she couldn’t blame anybody else for her own actions, but she also couldn’t bear the weight of her own mistakes, there was no one more she resented or hated in this moment than herself, Nazrin no longer wanted to exist. She trembled as she felt black liquid race down her face and she smelled burning. Distantly registered a sensation of falling as her legs buckled and melted underneath her and her face dissolved into a black mass speckled with pinpricks of light, what followed next was blackness.

-End-

Note: This took way longer than it needed to for how short it was so sorry for that, but I was unexpectedly distracted, partially with medical issues, but to be clear while Okina is leading the efforts against Yukari, she’s also trying to screw everyone else over and kill the annoying ones she doesn’t want to have to deal with later.
Missing Yoshika does mess with her plans, as Yoshika was the bait for Kasen and the other big 4, as any version of Kasen would chase after Yoshika drawing in any other members of the bug 4 in the area.
This also means, she’ll sell Anon out at the first chance she gets if it solves a problem, he’s nothing to her but an expendable asset or tool for entertainment like everybody else.
Still not a big fan of this CE Okina, but as far as canon goes, I don’t see things going any other way for Nazrin.

>>46721880
This is shit and you feel bad about that Anon.

>>46721875
>>46721880

>>46721875
>>46721880
this is garbage

>>46689976
—
Not even the pocky can clean the awful taste that takes over my tongue, eyes turning away from the saint and towards those people that follow my words and ideals, believing them best for the Human Village, for Gensokyo.

Yet, will those hold after whatever happens today? The inner thought is frighteningly ambiguous: so many people came together in such a short amount of time, each with their own visions that, for the moment, matched mine—however, history shows the downfall of a rebellion lies in its capacity to rebuild what it shatters. I expected mine to succeed because…

… Because…

“Your eyes are nostalgic~” Miko hums, and the kindness in her eyes has turned to pity. “I've been watching you, Keine. I wouldn't approach without knowing the type of person you are—you're good. For your friends, family, the children you used to teach.” The small smile she bears doesn't hold. “And you're letting yourself seep into the way you lead people. That's how you get yourself and those around you killed.”

“What do you mean…?” I ask, heart frantic, an idea of terrible implications forming inside—calm down, calm down; why are such words affecting you so much?

… Mokou never questioned me like that—with intentions beyond the livelihood of our family—; Suzu too, nor did Mystia…

Sweat drips down, knees feel weak.

“You have ambition and ideals, but no strategy, resources, or connections. You’re surrounded by friends and family, but have no chain of command. Knowledge and dexterity on how to talk to people, but no malice to utterly convince them that no one can do what you do better than you.” The hermit talks as if looking in a mirror, though my attention is solely focused on keeping it together. “Keine, you might have a revolution now, but when it’s over, all you’ll have is a mess that you cannot fix alone.”

“Y-You don't kno—”

“—I do know. I truly do, Keine.” I nearly bit my tongue. “This country didn't modernize by itself; a lot had to be fought over, much was lost along the way and the results could've come way smoother if led by more experienced minds… Oh well,” she shrugs casually, taking her third pocky out of the now empty bag. “That's one of the many motives I desire to have a part in your revolution and make it stand the test of time: There's lots of potential here… and you've already got the legwork done~” She jokes, storing the bag inside the pocket she took it out of. “If you need more, know that my opinion about balance is not black or white.” Her gaze follows a cheerful human man guiding a confused Youkai lady who's almost double his height around by the hand. “Balance depends on who's behind the big seat and if they can convince people below them to cooperate. Want a pro-tip? Lower taxes by 82%. That always makes them easier to manipulate~”

I cannot laugh at the small joke, staring solemnly at my own feet, stomach rumbling as its contents threaten to rise. Was I really spearheading myself towards doom like that? Not only me, but all those around me who believed in my words, my actions…?

… Because I thought I was entitled to it, isn't it? That it was only my responsibility to bring hope, to do things right, and to transform Gensokyo for the sake of my children's futures—yet, even that is beginning to lose meaning. I've been using my powers non-stop and am more than willing to keep on using them to bring forward everything I dream of, even after promising to use them with integrity…

Knitted in the inky cloak against my back, the erased, crooked swastika burns like molten iron.

A symbol which once meant benevolence…

I turn to the hermit clad in purple, the world feeling as if made of glass. “How are you… intending to help?”

Miko's smile is soft, almost mother-like. “At the moment? Nothing. You're the rebellion's head and what these people need for now is a teacher's guidance…” Abruptly, she steps closer, her face inches away from mine. “But when the time comes: I'll teach you politics, form, dos and no-nos; I'll fill the role none of your friends could ever fill; I'll go to hell for you if necessary; and I'll get you out of whatever corner you might find yourself in. I'll be your shadow… And we'll create a new status quo for Gensokyo that'll perpetuate even after you return to the dirt,” she firmly grasps my shoulder. “I'll be your best friend, Keine Kamishirasawa.”

I blink; she does not.

My breath is caught up in my throat and I'm struggling to keep it together; Miko looks placid and casual.

I wonder how she'd have dealt with Mr. Hieda that night…

… I cannot imagine he'd be armed to the teeth right now if she were there. “Okay,” I say, and she…

Fist pumps the air.

“Hell yeah!” Miko exclaims, stepping back with a gleam in her eyes before turning and striding away. H-Huh? “Buh-bye for now, Keine~”

“W-Wait—”

“I’m not leaving, just gonna enjoy the festival~who knows when you're gonna need an extra pair of hands?” And, just like that, Toyosatomimi no Miko soon disappears in the crowd.

>>46723581
—
“Kosuzu, please explain to me what you’re doing here.”

Even with the loud Primsrivers, the clamor from outside is muffled to mere white noise the moment I set foot inside the small book stall, neatly wedged between two larger ones and covered with a tarp to prevent melting snow from ruining the skillfully arranged yet scattered book piles. Kosuzu hesitates for a split second but ultimately meets my eyes, her tiny and frail-looking hands hastily moving to fix and organize a bunch of books on her counter for whatever motive. “Sanae-san…” She whispered as pairs of eyes outside shifted to me, Youkai attempting to—poorly—pass as if not eavesdropping. Keine's orders were followed, and no Danmaku flew, but they'd make sure the librarian would not be harmed. I ignored them and headed towards Kosuzu, the woman frozen in place but for her hands, her neck being forced to bend back to maintain eye contact. “… Welcome to my mini-Suzunaan!”

“Answer the question, Kosuzu.” I reiterated, my eyes narrowing as I stopped in front of her. Kosuuzu kept fiddling with the book pile and it's clear she's buying herself time to calm down—

Or perhaps it was destiny since, all of a sudden, a group of giddy children—both humans and Youkai—invaded the mini-Suzunaan in search of new m-manga issues! Does Suzu have any new issues…? I could really use a break from all this to read some manga in peace.

Nothing of that, hm, eagerness is shown in my face; my frown creased as I watched Kosuzu deal with the group of children… The way she does it harness my attention, a 'green' feeling spreading inside: she answers each kid in heartfelt manner, not dismissing them and dealing with their demands as if remarkably easy… I wonder if she could've calmed Hana during her fit towards the end of the party. I doubt she'd have feared even Yukari at that point.

… Unlike me, who did nothing.

As the children leave gratified—man, I want to read manga too…—I stare at the booklet Suzu holds, the one that was until now on top of the manga, its cover simply reading: 'Cain and Abel'.

Such names… I've heard them before coming to Gensokyo, but it's been so long that I hardly remember anything…

“Are you interested, Sanae-san?” What…? “It's an old story about two brothers and the consequences of envy… It has a good lesson.”

Scowling, I glare at the woman; what should that mean…?

Moreover, a lashing rage builds up inside, begging to be freed. “… Why are you here?” Kosuzu pauses, her breathing seeming to hitch; whatever she was expecting to happen didn't happen. “You're not supposed to be here, Kosuzu; this is no place for those who cannot defend themselves… Do you know what Hieda's weapons can do to a person's body? It isn't like Danmaku; those bullets will rip you apart! And if not, do you think the samurai will feel pity? That they won't cut off your head? Why are you even here? Are you just that stupid?!” I don't understand this rage sparking and rising from unknown places within, pulsing through my blood and heating it to a boiling, whispering events coated in blind-hot fury… But the feelings of those events persist—feelings denied the light of day since their inception.

I turn my eyes away from them and towards Kosuzu, unknowingly seeking reassurance Kanako-sama cannot give; help Suwako-sama cannot offer—none of them understand… they weren't there—emotions tainted and, for some ungodly reason, now uncontrollable by this wrath at—

—I meet the sweetest eyes. It is enough to stop my words and, inside, to bubble one question: 'why does Kosuzu look so… peaceful?'

“I have family, Sanae-san. Two children, a husband,” she pulls out from her apron a white handkerchief and simply cleans the glasses. “… I know the weight of my life and what it means to have it here, hanging on a balance. I know that if a war breaks out, I will most likely die… I'm afraid, Sanae-san.” She puts on her glasses again, closing the book after marking down the page… Her hands, finally resting, began trembling. Or maybe they were always trembling but I couldn't see it. “I'm so terribly afraid. Those guns will tear me apart, won't they? The samurai will have no mercy, even on poor, old Kosuzu…” She pauses, breathes inwardly calmly…

Weak and very human Kosuzu rises from her chair and stands in front of me.

… I recall when she was a child, such a scaredy-cat—adorable and harmless…

She is not trembling.

“Yet, I have a role to play, Sanae-san. One quite small in the grand scheme of things, but a role anyway… Others could fill my shoes, but there's no one here but me! And I believe this role will change Gensokyo for the better; that my role will be part of our history!” Her fists clench the hem of her apron, fighting something only she knows the face of. “… That's why I'm here, Sanae-san: to play this role that scares me to my core. To do my part.” Her voice is barely louder than normal talk, shaky too, but sounds deafening to me. “And you, Sanae-san: What are you doing here?”

>>46723586
—
The question rings like a gong; 'I am here to protect', would be easy to say as it's the truth… But is that still true? Bitter as it is, thoughts run in circles inside my worn-out mind: Mr. Hieda has shown no qualms about harming and potentially killing the people of this village to stop Keine from getting an 'advantage', clearly wanting this war and even keeping my apprentices as guarantees. He's a warmonger and Kanako-sama would've never accepted this job if she knew what he was up to, but all that spawns from the attempts to destroy the village's balance even more—does that even mean something anymore? Balance? 40 years of maiden work, 10 filled with insane combat in the height of incidents around Gensokyo and then 10 of relative peace… Everything crumbled in a mere year.

And it all started with the HSE.

The HSE that shattered Gensokyo and has caused so much pain it's becoming unbearable—Hana suffering, being held by Reimu, her mother and the one that destroyed the poor girl's infancy, the only one who moved and who'd soon gently place the crying girl in Marisa's arms…

Rage—so much unexplainable rage stirs inside. I should've taken action; she was trusting me—she was thoroughly abused, traumatized, twisted by those devils, and…

Hana was raped because I couldn't be there for her.

Failing so spectacularly, so unaware of all the signs right there. But I couldn't come closer, not with me being so very busy with preparations for the Winter Festival, preaching against the HSE, and staying away from the main action by Suwako-sama's desires.

I'd trade all that just so I could've been there for her…

“I don't even know anymore…” I mumble, right hand rubbing my left biceps, looking away from Kosuzu and so missing the moment the sharp edge of her hazelnuts burns away into something more soothing, leaving behind only a motherly concern.

“… Are you feeling okay, Sanae-san?” Silence perpetuates, eyes not meeting Suzu's. The woman moves then and, quickly, closes the entrance of the mini-Suzunaan, hiding us from the festival outside. “You're… worried about Hana-chan, right?” The rage of before threatens to rise, but it fades amidst tiredness, so I merely nod as Suzu retakes her seat, tapping on a stool to her side. A lurking voice whispers about Mr. Hieda, but I ignore it and sit down—for the first time since the end of the party, that is. “It feels like it happened forever ago, but it's been just a couple of days. Hana is safe with Reimu, isn't she?”

“… She is…” I pout for a moment, but swallow it down. “I went to visit them yesterday; Hana seemed well-fed and wasn't harmed at all and… Reimu didn't seem like… She rebuilt the Hakurei shrine, did you know? All by herself. It looks new. It's maintained and all that. There's not a nail out of place, and Reimu appears to be taking care of herself very well, too… She's much taller than me; I had forgotten. Stronger, physically and magically—she's only got blessings, and I'm a living goddess, and…” I deeply scowl and before I can properly think, bottled-up frustration overcomes my mind and erases any filter I might've had. “Why did it have to be Reimu?” The librarian stops, her brown eyes studying my face. Then pity springs up in there, burning me to my core. “It could've been anyone!” It could not. Who'd be strong enough to face Yukari at that point? “Mima, if she hadn’t been so pretentious; Yuuka, if she wasn’t such an idiot! Maybe Suwako-sama or Kanako-sama if they had shown up—it could've been me! It should've been me! Hana looks up to me! Treats me like her mother! And yet… I just let her be taken away!” My eyes burn. “I even considered siding with Yukari and carrying that statue to the HSE, just so I wouldn't be cut off from Hana's life…”

It was such a weird moment to just let all those weird feelings out—in the middle of a potential war. What gives? I don't even know Suzu particularly well… But she was there—not entirely, but nevertheless—and now she tenderly holds my shoulder as my hands rise to hide my face, my fingertips strongly pressing against the scalp, body arching forward a little.

A few moments of silence hang…

“… I'm a failure.” It had a final intonation to it, my hands falling and arms supported on my knees, green hair disheveled.

“You're not a failure, Sanae-san!” Suzu retracts her hands, but I make no effort to look in her direction; her words anticipated and as hated as I expected them to be if I'd told all that to either Kanako-sama or Suwako-sama— “You haven't given up on Hana-chan. You could've, but you did not.” What the…? Confused, I turn to her, and Suzu fixes her glasses pensively before resuming. “… If not bothersome, Sanae-san, I'd like to tell you a history. I think it'd help you. May I?” My posture straightens, my mind hurting still from that night, desiring nothing more than go home and play with gunpla, but she's sparked my curiosity…

So I nod, and Kosuzu smiles.

“It’s a history about a man who’s lost everything.”

>>46723592
—
A man who's lost everything…?

My back straightens and my eyes on Suzu are a bit more expectant. The woman shifts a little on her seat to get comfortable before she puts aside the booklet, moistens her lips, gathers herself and, to finally quell my anxiety, starts. “The man had a job he loved, friends around him and, all of which we seek, a small measure of peace in his life.” Suzu's quaint smile shrinks. “But then something happened—things he couldn't have foreseen, nor that he could've prepared himself for and that made all of those around him see him differently. The situation, unknown and confusing, led the man to the path of lying; he lied and lied, trying to keep the charade up because if it were to fall, it'd hurt the woman he deeply cared for. A friendly bell-ringer tried to warn him, but he didn't listen, and the lie continued…” A sigh, the woman fiddling with her hands, gathering strength before continuing. I cannot help but glance at the bells in her hair. “It was for nothing in the end. No lie dies a lie, only a bitter truth, and when the woman came to know about his lies, their friendship utterly shattered. Then others knew too, especially a… suffering king.” She scowls. “He trusted the man, and he broke that trust, so the king retaliated and made sure that, one by one, the man would lose all that he'd painstakingly built—his job, his friends, reputation. He was shunned from his village and became a pariah. Everyone misunderstood him but the bell-ringer.” She suddenly giggles. “Want to guess how he and the bell-ringer met again?” I raise one eyebrow, and Suzu seems nostalgic. “… He was cradling two birds she had never seen before, covered in bruises and blood and about to die. The poor bell-ringer almost had a heart-attack, and when he healed, the first thing he promised the bell-ringer was that he'd give those two birds—cast away from their nest—the best life he could provide…” Suzu looks in my eyes, giggling again; she knows I already know.

I find myself laughing a bit too, a soothing silence settling for now as I soak up the bulk of the story. So that's what has led Keine to bring forth this revolution? I know that there was a letter of some kind containing a less personal version of that history, but I never got to read… Would I still be here if I had indeed read it? Those tengu papers make sense now, too. “Why tell her history like that?”

Suzu chimes sweetly, “Well, it's how I intend to write the book about our little group's history—I always wondered what's like to ring massive bells, after all~”

… Part of history indeed.

Draining the tea she'd just poured for herself and me—I warmed myself with a gulp. Tasty~—, Suzu resumed with a tone of finality. “… It's been a long journey since that day at Eientei, and much has changed for the man and the bell-ringer. But the only thing that's never changed is that determination the bell-ringer saw in the man's eyes. He, who had failed so thoroughly and hurt so deeply those he loved, instead of remaining down and letting things outside his control guide his life, decided to change his and those two little birds fates, to rebuild their lives and better the village he loves so much… And I wholeheartedly trust that he'll succeed.”

… So that's why she's told me. I feel my heart clenching, the words swarming my mind and buzzing so loudly that it's hard to form a coherent thought, eyes wandering to the closed door.

Behind that lies a festival of nearly a thousand souls—laughs and talk, curiosity palpable as people explored a world they'd for long feared and, while doing so, eating good food…

A festival born not as a means to destroy the balance of Gensokyo but to somehow reestablish it.

Beauty built on top of rubble.

… Man, I need to make that into a prayer. Sounds so cool~

“Sanae-san…” Suzu calls me again, her smile reborn, eyes squinting a little as if appreciating whatever is in front of her. “It can seem impossible to rise from that hole—one you feel you dug it yourself—but it's not impossible! You're not a failure as long as you irrevocably reject the bottom of the hole… And the Sanae I know would never settle for less than stardom.”

I… don't think I can talk. Not with this heart so fast and body so tense, my mind rushing like crazy. Suzu notices and, kindly, moves to the door and opens it.

“You said you didn't know what you were doing anymore, right?” I nod silently, getting up; my legs feel wobbly. “Don't worry about that kind of stuff too much; hardly anyone does…” I stop at her side; the festival outside looks as crowded as before. “… Just don't ever forget why you are still here. Hana will need any help she can get when it all ends—and she looks up to you, hm?”

I stare at her, then towards the Hieda State and, to the tune of the Primsrivers playing in the background, empty my lungs. “Dude… I'm a terrible adult.” Suzu snickers, but I ignore, marching outside. I pause, then smile. “… I'll keep that in mind—thanks, Suzu~”

>>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.

>>46723611
—
It's been a while since I've heard of Miko; the last time was during that visit to that weird Mausoleum on Youkai Mountain, but I remember she's trying to attain immortality too. What does she even want from us…?

Keine reads that on my face and kneels—the black cloak makes her look the size of a child. Cute~—, those eyes on the Hieda State still. “I don't quite grasp it, not with just a short meeting, but she wants to see the revolution end well and so get a foothold in the village… She said some things, too.” Her face twists to thoughtful pondering, the sight burning ten desires to punch that saint in the mouth. “Heh, don't misunderstand it, Mokou; she didn't say anything hurtful, only truths that escaped me… Ah, it doesn't matter for now, but know she's a constant and is not to be harmed or trifled with.” As if more than a handful could do so to that hermit. The way she spoke tells me our allies already know it which should boost morale to even greater heights; though not as well-known, that’s still a religious icon siding with us… Not that it matters much in a place like Gensokyo. “… All help feels like good help these days, even from people with ulterior motives I don't fully grasp…” Her lips purse as her eyes narrow and lock on Sanae Kochiya—mild expressions I would only notice during restless nights when the weight of life and expectations felt like too much.

Just like those nights, I let my hand fall to her hair and gently brushed it. Keine smiles ever so slightly more. “Hey, Suzu vowed for Sanae. She's not fucking with us, that's it—trust Suzu like she trust us… She's the one with a giant heart, after all~”

A moment of silence holds…

Then she huffs, amused, a smile shadowed on her pale face.

It persisted even as we shifted our focus back to the Hieda State and Keine studied every mounted weapon, every soldier gripping at their rifles, and every razor-sharp katana, her blood-red eyes teeming with determination as cold as stone. “There won't be turning back.” She muses to herself. “We're either giving Aki and Mochi a good life on Gensokyo, or… whatever awaits us in the Outside World.” I keep brushing her hair; maybe that is all that keeps her facade intact.

“Shut up, you big liar…” I say, towering over her as I rise from my crouched position, our eyes locking, a huge smile spreading across my face. “… From the moment you picked them up, there was already no turning back~”

A child caught with their hand stuck in the cooking jar—that's how I'd define the smile that takes over her as she rises to my side, wind deciding this is the perfect moment to dramatically blow her velvety ivory hair against the surface of the pitch-black cloak as, firmly, she steps forward, the imagery nigh hypnotic.

A challenge to Mr. Hieda: the demonic mask and kabuto adorned by horns, possibly harvested from a true oni, stare directly at her eyes, a hand threateningly over the handle of the sheathed katana.

Below, the Prismrivers finish their encore.

“… Indeed, there was not.”

The smile hurts, my heart is a furious mess, and I stand tall behind her, unmistakable wings of sheer, cascading fire sprawling from deep within, fiercely hot as the small ember that resides inside her and our friends' hearts—a blessing from me to keep them safeguarded from the threats of today.

Bathed in the reassurance from future Keine that, today, my children won’t be a parent short, I lift a hand to the skies. “Good.”

And, for the second time today, fireworks consume the skies, the culmination of about ~5 hours of a spontaneous festival bustling with exotic sights, foods and entertainment; of memories that'll never fade and connections that, as of one year ago, were thought impossible; of a Gensokyo that’s about to change.

Yesterday is past; tomorrow is a series of heart-throbbing results that just thinking about makes me want to faint… And today…

Today, we write history.

Against the cloud of fireworks, Keine floats towards the Hieda State, the Prismriver’s concert ending with the breathtaking sight of thousands of fireworks making the gleam in the people's eyes down below that much more tasteful. Hopes for the future; skepticism thoroughly challenged by these last five hours; and curiosity that reaches the stars. They cheer, whistle, boo, give words of encouragement or just 'EAT HIS FUCKING LIVER!!'—the Kurodanis can be especially feisty sometimes, especially the red-headed ones… weird genetics—and some Youkai even shot multicolored Danmaku to the skies, Hieda's soldiers huddling closer to their weapons as if their lives hinged on them.

Mr. Hieda doesn't even flinch…

… Not even when I and Keine landed on the fence, Keine stepping down to stand in front of him as I stood on the handrail, Sanae was to the old man’s side, arms crossed and tense. Immediately, a bunch of weapons are pointed at us.

Keine doesn't even flinch.

“Hieda-sama.”

“Keine Kamishirasawa.”

… Without the need for words, they bowed down to one another.

>>46722640
>>46722766
I was pretty unconfident in this chapter, but pray tell what exactly did you not like about it, I know it was a bit short but I didn't know what else to write with the idea I had.
I don't think the content is the problem as we've had similar things in other anons writings, although my heart's wasn't really in this since it follows down a path I wasn't a fan of, but beloved I needed to write in order to fit more with what others where writing, anyways I'm glad to have any response at all.
The worst thing that could happen is that I fuck up and nobody tells me, this I don't improve.

>>46723725
From the top:
It doesn't fit in with how edgy it is, and this is a fic featuring slow burn DV and mind forced incest among other silly shit.

Doesn't make much sense at all, why?

This story is what you make of it, replacing Naz for an oc and writing out the entirety of the myouren for a meme is one thing. Going this far in any sort if suffering, be it fairy slaughter or victimization, it simply isn't something that belongs.

>>46724077
I guess that makes sense, since I don't understand the tone or appeal of something I fail in replicating it.
But fairies? I don't really get that, they're basically insects, except insects don't come back to life the next day, heck hundreds to thousands+ of mob fairies are killed across the games so I don't really get why fairies dying would be an issue, I see it mainly as comedic.
Although if you have any other problem regarding the myourens I'd be interested in hearing them since you sound s bit miffed about them, although that could be me mss-reading your tone.

>>46664182
>>46662780
Tbh its always been a meme, like yeah sure she likes em young. However, let's not get lost in sauce, okina can be almost anything. This is especially true with how inconsistent chaotic she already is.

>>46724146
>But fairies? I don't really get that, they're basically insects, except insects...
See what I mean? Nobody minds fairies popping and people treating them like dirt, they're fairies after all. The method you're choosing, treating like a pass to free ryona content, isn't what this fic is shooting for. If you must write pain and suffering just do so tastefully and have it be relevant to your plot, rather than it be the plot.

I liked the overall Myouren plot, and I liked the new rat. I just don't understand why the rat, and the seeming insistence to arbitrarily change out characters for OC. It seems a strange practice that locked the entire Myourens out of the picture.

>>46726061
I wouldn't have minded the new rat if he did anything with it, but as it stands it's a useless new character that makes Myouren Temple less approachable to other writers.

The lack of any substance to his writing is the biggest problem, ignoring the Cirno stuff which was mostly fine. Killing Genji, trying to kill Wakasagihime, introducing a new rat, and whatever the hell this newest abomination was all share the same problem of jumping from big flashy shock to big flashy shock without any narrative depth to even begin to justify it. This all begs the question of what he's even added to the story besides arguments about canon and messy situations that deter other writers.

>>46726313
nta but I'm really glad he at least made sure to tell it's all non-canon, it prevents a lots of fuck ups

>>46726313
>>46726458
Koongara's introduction, anything involving the fairies and Okina, Rikako/tene when they touch any other plot, Kanako and Suwako's betrayal, the rock, generally when he touches Biten, the cirno nuke thing, trying to make Reimu feral, etc etc.
Introducing so many plot elements haphazardly like this just makes it harder to write around things, so I don't. Unless someone else actually fleshes them out and fixes one of these plot points, like Koongara, I honestly just ignore it for consistency sake. At the very least I won't be mentioning any of the plot elements not fleshed out by someone else since they're very foundational changes and would drastically affect the story.

>>46726061
>>46726313
>>46726458
Well for the events of the chapter itself, I was people saying they want more controversial/shocking posts and people want a more villainous Okina, people have complained about the balance of the sides of the conflict before and honestly Yukari isn’t doing so hot, people seem to really like the Okina being a pedophile stuff being taken seriously.
And while it was played for laughs, Nazrin did fuck up and was left with Okina, someone I thought everybody wanted to move in the direction of being more of a villain. So I tried my best to meet what other people wanted, or my perception of what other people wanted. Of course, there’s also the lack of Ryona and Guro, but that’s more to my personal taste and not really my fault of misunderstanding what people what, more to the fault of my bad taste.

For Genji’s sudden death, I mean I didn’t really think of it as sudden as he’s just some old timer from pc98 who by this point hasn’t been seen in 20+ years, with canon info amounting to that he lives in the pond behind the hakurei shrine. Old people, especially ones unattended to, tend to die. Were people really all that hyped about Genji?
But anyways, about depth, that’s me failing to properly convey the themes. But the Cirno story at least is about Cirno growing up, she’s leaving the adolescent world of fairydom into a new scary environment in a delicate situation she’s unprepared to handle, which would end up with her tragic failure and being used by Okina in the end, but I didn’t write the last part. Of course, part of growing up I think is mortality, learning to accept death and that you don’t have infinite time so you should treasure the time you have. Cirno as a fairy unintentionally was wasteful with this, Genji in her story represents the possibilities she let pass her by and was a friend she could’ve made, helped and cherished. That’s why her entire motivation is being friends with people, she wants to cherish the time she has with them, especially Reimu and Anon as they’re humans she likes and have a vastly smaller life expectancy. Of course, doing this and by embarking on her quest she unintentionally leaves her friends behind, although I should’ve focused more on this and do admit I just forgot about Daiyousei.
Shou’s story is about her relationship with a distant father figure who she feels like she let down and wants to impress. I guess it is sort of a male-centric narrative for a female character as that’s more of a father-son dynamic, and I probably should’ve spent more time on it.
So I guess that’s my fault, I’m not very good at conveying the emotions and message I want to convey.
For the Myouren temple, I didn’t write the original Byakuren sex monk thing, although I did joke about them getting pregnant, which is my fault. But more seriously, I was worried about them being written out entirely and getting a bad end, Byakuren can run the monastery because she has Shou and Nazrin and Bishamonten’s support, and with the Byrakuren monk sex story there’s no way she wouldn’t lose that so Chisazu and Bishamonten’s involvement were me trying to salvage them in my eyes, not write them off entirely but also giving them something to do and worry about. I mean if I didn’t write Chisazu in what would happen to them, they’d just lose their backing and Byakuren wouldn’t be able to operate the temple without Shou.
I don’t think Chisazu makes the temple unapproachable either, she’s literally just fanon Nazrin and all she does is do her job and get bullied, the Yamawaro guy who’s writing the Seija story used her fine.

Although I admit the one-off line about wakasagihime was just something I think is funny.

And for the canon arguments, well I thought people understood, but that’s me being conciliatory. If somebody doesn’t like what I’ve written, they’re free to ignore, kill off the characters I wrote, explicitly retcon an event which happened in a story I wrote for no other reason than that they disliked it, and I’ll be the one who changes what he writes.
It’s not like I have any authority or control over what the other Anons write and I’ve said before and I’ll say it again.

>>46726931 cont
>>46726702
Anon, I think you have me confused for someone else, I never wrote anything involving bitten, Lemontene, Koongara, I’m pretty sure those were written by the guy from the tf thread.. The Cirno nuke thing is something I literally never wrote because I stopped seriously writing before I could build up to it, and I never had anything involving a Suwako and Kanako betrayal so I don’t know what you’re talking about there.
I did make a joke about Suwako joining Yukari because harem, but that was never a serious story idea, and I think near the end of the Cirno story I had a one-off line which could be interpreted as Suwako being mad at Kanako for wanting to save Anon in a selfish way that benefits herself, but that’s not really a betrayal and I feel like almost every other character is trying to do the same thing.

>>46712115

She hesitated for a second before her conscious mind caught up with her situation; she was powerless as always, no one was here to help her, and she was trapped with yet another monster. Cursing herself, she wordlessly dropped her only real protection, hearing it clatter on the floorboards below. It was frustrating, way too much! Hana could feel the hot tears form in the corner of her eyes, already her snarling lip was trembling. Her throat was tight and she could feel her white-hot rage grow impotent.

In turn Yukari dropped the needle, letting the sliver of metal clatter sharply. The face of that unknowable beauty beamed, “I can’t wait till our little games of cat and mouse comes to end. After all, I do enjoy my visits with my Hana-chan~”

Finding her feet, Hana hissed as she crossed her arms across her torso, leaving Yukari’s deceptively gentle embrace she made it a point to ignore the elephant in the room. Hana could feel the fight leaving her, a nostalgically bitter fear bit up her spine instead; along with dreaded anticipation. She could feel the violet voids on Yukari’s face suffocate her, like a predator crushing their prey’s throat. Hana felt small again, she felt hot, the tears simmered at the edge and threated to overflow.

It was like she was a child again, she hated this vulnerability, being exploited at the drop of a hat. Just like back then she wished someone could save her, a flash of blond and pink ran through her memories before fading just as fast. She cursed at how easily she slipped into her role as she felt the last ember of her pride cool, like the pitiful remains of a raging inferno.

Yukari took a step forward, Hana took one back, “You look scared… Your heart rate alone was 204 beats per minute and all of a sudden, you’ve gone much quieter, even the shaking has gone down as the adrenaline is dissipating.” Hana glared at her, “Are you scared of me? Or~ Are you scared of being found out?”

Once again, the small cloth made its appearance, held delicately between Yukari’s digits, it looked like it had always been there. Hana looked away, guilt crept up into her mind despite the scowl that took residence on her face. She felt her face grow hot as she held her silence, not willing to give Yukari the satisfaction. Hana couldn’t even lie to her like this, not so obviously, a mental block beaten into her long ago.

Yukari took a step forward, Hana took one back, “Hana. Answer me now, if you lie I’ll get cross.” The cowed miko couldn’t help but sheepishly look up at Yukari, still, she held her tongue and tears back. Her hands still shook, but she held them in place at her sides where they clutched the flak of her dress like vices.

The regret from looking at the women was instant, Yukari’s look of disapproval and cold sternness she wore as a mask combined with the anger and hurt in her voice, it compelled Hana in a way that disgusted her. She found a way to tighten her grip on the abused cloth, “I... That- that is... P-please, I didn’t mean too…”
Tears leaked out from behind Hana eyes, scalding hot but soon to be as cold as her rage. She could practically see the face of her own mother superimposed upon Yukari, even though they looked nothing alike, even though Yukari had no right-! Hana could only stumble over her words to draw out the confession as she started to sniffle, childish petulance replaced her prideful defiance.

Hana cursed the clear amusement in Yukari’s voice as her stern eyes fixed her in place, “If you don’t confess on your own… well I’ll have to punish you right?” Hana felt her legs and arms grow cold at her words, and she sniffed away the emotions that threatened to overflow. Choking out a response Hana wanted to cry as she muttered, “I was just.. I don’t know- I’m not sure what your talking about…”

>>46727058

With a singsong voice Yukari shrugged, and as if she no longer saw her red-and-white plaything there she spoke to the wall, “Your father was so curious as to why I had him wear this pair specifically, it was your mother’s favorite and not mine, after all~”

Horror rose in the stressed miko’s mind, after all, if Yukari was making this much of a point about it then...! She couldn’t let father hate her anymore, not after she did those t-things to him, she’s been avoiding him desperately, and if he complains about her to Marisa during their visits then she’d talk to Sanae thenSanaewouldtalkto-

Hana tried to focus, but she couldn’t help but feel her head throbbing and world spinning. She was breathing harder now, but Yukari didn’t relent, “Now now~ Hana dear, do tell me what you were sneaking into your father’s room for, I’m so curious to know~” Yukari seemed to giggle at Hana as she let her demand sink in.

Yukari took a step forward, Hana hit the wall, Yukari took another step forward, and another. She seemed to loom over Hana, only an arm’s reach away now. Those deep violet abysses seemed to burn with something that scared Hana deeply. The polished surface of Yukari’s ornate fan stopped at her collarbone, where it pressed in uncomfortably. The fan traveled up her neck and to the tip of her chin. It was more than the chill that made her shiver as Yukari lifted her chin and forced Hana to look her in the eyes.

Hana felt her arms grow slack, her head felt airy and it was like things were spinning. Hana breathed in deeply, trying to clear her mind. Yukari beat her to the punch with a single word, “Speak”

Wait, so what is the current status of Nazrin? Is she dead? Alive? Dead but the weird "non-canon" stuff around her means I can just revive her willy nilly? Are the posts even still in play or have they been ruled out by majority opinion like the Shanghai sex posts? I'm starting to feel like a bit of an idiot that's missing important information here.
It wasn't anything big of a role but I was gonna have her be the reason why Cirno begins throwing hands with 'Tene (and eventually the rat starts trying to throw some hands herself). I can easily write something different from this if Nazrin is indeed confirmed out of the picture however I cannot tell what you gentlemen are going with here.

>>46727127
>have they been ruled out by majority opinion like the Shanghai sex posts?
that's it. Cirnoanon decided to write his own ending separated from the main story other writers are following, so taking what he writes as canon would be too messy. I'm acting as if it doesn't exist in the HSE context.

>>46727068
>>46727058
another day, another rape...
I-I'm starting to think evil women are just plainly evil and not overall misunderstood, bros...

>>46727127
Long and short: yes.
Naz status: hanging out with Okina and removed the temple(not a major plot point though, and feel free tor retcon it, not a single writer has made it into a plot point aside from having her as a cameo and getting bullied.
>me trying to salvage them in my eyes, not write them off entirely
Understandable, poor execution though and like others said made the Myourens unapproachable as no one wants to write someone else's OC. There was hope after the first Myouren gangbang(they weren't written to be pregnant in that one, that came after) and there was plenty to do with them at that point. Long and short it just made them too complex a beast for anyone to want to bother with outside cameos.

>>46726941
My apologies then, yeah Rikakowriter is the TFag. I can't express how sincere I am in my apology for confusing you two.

>>46727252
S-She hasn't raped her yet! There's still time for Hana to stand up for herself (for once)!

>>46727277
Anon... she did... the bully won... Poor girl almost got a needle in her eye for the efforts...

>>46727068
Any will left in Hana vanished like a mirage like the tears falling, Hana could only blink away the unseasonable summer rain that tickled her face. With a breathless voice that tried biting down air to keep her feelings suppressed, “I.. I like to put them… on and…” Hana choked, but Yukari’s gaze didn’t waver nor did she let Hana turn her head, “Then I- Then I put them on and I think about my first time-!”

Yukari’s grin went wide, and even in the low light Hana could swear she saw her fangs glint. Her captor took a step back as the fan withdrew from the crying miko’s face, she looked like an artist appreciating their newest commission, the way that monster’s eyes ate into her body made Hana feel sick. It made her feel sick and hot, remembering exactly what her deceptively dainty digits could make her feel, remembering that the one doing it was a Youkai that personally chose to make her life hell.

Without missing a beat Yukari’s inner predator reached the surface, “Isn’t that terrible? A young girl falling to the drugs in the air and food and making a mistake is one thing! But to think that everyone’s beloved Hana-chan enjoyed it, and then touches herself while calling out Anon’s name so sweetly~” Hana’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, “If I were to seek his advice on how to correct your actions then… Well, who knows what might happen~?”

Quivering lips stuttered out a ‘P-plea-‘ before being cut off, “Even among the eccentric like your friends there are certain taboo’s humans aren’t allowed to cross, my poor Hana would never be welcome again. Why, if this story broke in the wrong way…” She tapped her ivory gloved fingers against her chin, “Say over the tengu’s news, wouldn’t it mean you’d be forced back to that little run-down shrine forever?”

Her mind was frozen, like ice was grating on the back of her brain her thoughts were still. There was no denying Yukari’s words, there was no way her actions could be excused casually. S-she might even be asked to leave the village by that delusional hardass Heida, leave everything she worked for! Marisa and Sanae would never let her stay with them, Alice probably doesn’t even remember her, Kasen stays out of other’s affiars. Once the story breaks they’ll find out in turn one-by-one! She couldn’t let it happen, not like this, not now!

Hana could barely see now, the tears further obscuring the already dim lighting of the room. She fell to her knees on impulse, bowing forward she places her hands in front of her and leans forward till her forehead touches the ground. It suited Hana fine to see nothing in the little curtain made by her hair, she didn’t want to anyone to see the face she was making now, “Whatever you want… I’ll do it- wh-whatever you want me to- I’ll smile the whole time!”

A giggle is what she heard in confirmation before that abomination’s consoling almost-motherly tone, “Then if you’ll accept my deal, rise to your feet, my lovely little miko~”

Wanting nothing more than to be free of this woman and this situation, she hated this damned youkai and she disgusted herself. Despite wishing to climb into some little crack in the floorboards and die, Hana rose to her feet following no more than a second’s hesitation. Feeling like a fool she plastered as much of a grin as possible through the tears and held back the open sobs.

Hana rose to her feet, hoping her face would somehow be obscured in the dark and trying to hide the quivering in her voice. She forced appreciation out of her throat and tried looking her in the eyes to show respect, “Thank- thank you, Yukari-sama…”.

Yukari seemed dissatisfied as she responded, letting out a hmm~, “No no, Hana-chan~ I have no idea what you’re grateful for, of what crime’s punishment am I saving you from, I wonder~?”

Biting the tip of her tongue Hana ignored the bitterness on the tip of her tongue, “I thank you for... for not telling anyone t-that I… touch myself and think of father! That I u-use his underwear to help me remember his body!”

Her voice was devlish as she savored the next words, “Now now~, to keep my silence you promised you’d do whatever with a smile, yes?”

Anticipation and fear mixed as Hana nodded and muttered out her response, rising from her bow. She made sure to keep fighting the fear and anger as the smile stayed plastered on her lips, “That’s right, Yukari-sama!”

Another giggle was let loose into the air around the sage and miko, Hana fought hard to keep her smile on. She couldn’t stop the tears, nor could she quiet the tremors in her voice, but she could at least show that she wasn’t so easily defeated. Yukari’s next words made Hana’s mind once again freeze, “Then put these on and show me~”

Will the Hana rape rondo actually be written?
Will I just time skip?
Will Hana recover from getting groomed by a 170000yr old eldritch horror?
Will she form a healthy relationship with the oni of sex?
Will she leave her mother's shrine on good terms?
Will she ever make it to Sanae's shrine?
Will Hana ever meet Dolly and her own deity?
Will I bother putting in some emotional confrontation?
I don't know and neither do you!
Join us next time on Hana's wild ride: the curse of Anon's banana edition!

>>46727332
c'mon, man >>46727277, this was basically a mindrape... Considering this is a flashback, that makes the Suzu/Sanae chapters even more heart-wrenching, damn. Hopefully by reminiscing about it Hana, the stubborn fuck, can finally forgo completely the idea that Yukari can be 'saved' and move on. I'd be cathartic considering the contrasting nature of the Reimu flashback and Yukari flashback.

>>46727403
discover it now!
>Will the Hana rape rondo actually be written?
yes!
>Will I just time skip?
hell yeah
>Will Hana recover from getting groomed by a 170000yr old eldritch horror?
stop being generous, silly Anon. You know Yukari is way older than that.
>Will she leave her mother's shrine on good terms?
if Hana doesn't bullshit sex with her
>Will she ever make it to Sanae's shrine?
does Hana miss coffee that much? Weird girl…
>Will Hana ever meet Dolly and her own deity?
God, I wish, it'd be so fucking funny
>Will I bother putting in some emotional confrontation?
p-pretty please?
>I don't know and neither do you!
>Join us next time on Hana's wild ride: the curse of Anon's banana edition!
thanks for the chapters~

>>46727127
>have they been ruled out by majority opinion like the Shanghai sex posts?
Yes, that one.

>>46727183
Anon, I already said it twice.
But those posts had nothing to do with my ending, that was an attempt to write something canon compliant.
Although I did start working on it and have the entire thing plotted out I haven't made a single post which is canon to my ending.
Although the last canon Shou chapter did have somethings which hinted towards it, actually it's more canon to my ending so feel free to consider it non-canon if you want and by extension the god party chapters. It's not like I care about the concept of canon anyways, or get the obsession with it, if people want to reference of have their stories overlap that's fine but there's nothing wrong with doing your own thing, the only reason I didn't split off earlier is because I'm not very argumentative and even though I had lots of problems with some posts by other Anons I'd rather be conciliatory and try to suggest things more in line with what I'd write.

>>46727275
I still don't really understand what there was to do with them, Byakuren had fucked up so much that even without the pregnancy she had lost the entirety of her mandate, institutions don't just exist in a vacuum they have justifications for their existence and have roles they serve. Also I don't think they we're that complex either, they just built an orphanage, and I only really stopped writing them due to taking a break from the HSE, which ended up with most of the Shou story being on the chopping room floor as it's beginning and near ending were only posted here. It's like when people say the Moriyas are hard to use, they really aren't, just have them appear and do things. I mean that's what I do with Suwako, I just have her appear and do stuff. The Moriyas where also supposed to appear in the mostly cut Shou story.
Although I get what you mean when you say you don't want to write someone else's OC, although I only don't do that when I think it'll come across as spiteful, and the only other notable OC is Goro who I'd bully and thus didn't write. That's not to say I want people to be nice to Chisazu or whatever, I don't really care about her and was going to kill her off in my next canon post anyways, she's just some disposable narrative device to me. That said I stopped writing it to focus on my ending so it's not like it matters anyhow.
But if it helps you, then I barely even read any of his posts due to lack of interest. But I did see the rock joke which I didn't think was very funny or made sense, I mean isn't her entire thing that Biten thinks she either is Sun Wukong or his the daughter? So she wouldn't think of the rock as her dad, but other people would totally think when she mentions her dad she was talking about the rock or is being delusional again.

>>46727506
biten doesn't think she's sun wukong or his daughter, but she was 100% on board with pretending to be as part of yachie's retarded plans in 19
she knows she's just a cheeky monkey who got kicked out by the others and went to live with nemuno

>>46727506
>institutions don't just exist in a vacuum
Anon if I'm being honest, you are 100% overthinking it. Plain and simple, a plot is only as complex as you wish it to be. It is interesting to think about Byakuren losing her favor and shou getting bullied about it, but the execution was again: simply poor. Let's move past this and acknowledge that the ramifications of our actions are not always clear cut at the time.

>>46727631
True, honestly I don't think anybody else should've gotten inovlved in this aside from the original Hana anon, pretty much everything else except for the Seija and Goro story has been a mistake.
Even then that author also admitted it would've worked better as a stand alone.
But I'm too invested now to count this as a total loss even if it has been one and I should probably just abandon it for real.

>>46727506
>and the only other notable OC is Goro who I'd bully and thus didn't write.
Pulling at this thread I think to leads to the larger issue of character development in communal, thread-based writing projects.
Goro started as a narrative device to examine the story on a macro perspective, grew into a Seija foil, and then landed on Yukari's end because I thought the situation was unbalanced and it will be more interesting if the Jaku duo were on the other side(IIRC this was before Flan, Seiga, and Konngara were introduced). The problem this has created is that his character's not really consistent across the length, if someone were, for example, to write Seija, they know from the source material that's she's pragmatic, devious, and enjoys angering others. The way I think of Goro now is someone who's compassionate, business/diplomatically-minded, and risk-taking, but the meme of 'bully the secondary' tends to drown all that out and it doesn't help that his goals aren't always clear. It's not impossible: the Reimu and Kiene bits were pretty good representations of the positive and negative aspects of his traits, taking the risk of visiting Kiene almost got Seija and Him immolated(justified punishment for risks taken without sufficient caution), while helping Reimu with her daughter's birthday present makes them less of a stranger in the future conflict(compassion/business mindedness).
But even for canon characters like Marisa and Alice, I think there's a tendency to make them a little too pathetic, which doesn't reflect Marisa's hard-working nature at all. You could say this was just her falling off, but I think it'd been more interesting if her hard-working nature caused her to pursue a more difficult path when an easier option was available, like maybe training her ass off to fight Reimu, neglecting Hana, instead of just spiriting the two away, because she was too stubborn about strength.

tl;dr: Pick the three most important character traits for anyone you're writing(forsaking the others if they're in conflict), make sure their goal is clear, and it should make it easier for yourself and others to add to your writing.

>>46727674
>I should probably just abandon it for real.
please do.

>>46727674
I don't think I'd call seija/goro particularly amazing either, terminal levels of sucking off were going on there for like three straight threads where they met literally every notable individual in the entirety of gensokyo
even now when I see their names my eyes just gloss over whatever it says

>>46727741
Well at this rate the HSE is just going to die with a whimper and no ending, so I'd rather finish my story first before leaving.

>>46727761
I'm a sucker for abuse love stories, that I admit.

>>46727703
>I think there's a tendency to make them a little too pathetic
that's more because of a lack of dedicated writers that can't work up on those faults and create something more, since the writers we have are already busy, meaning not every character will be well-worked on. It balances out seeing the characters we do have are mostly well-written and propel the plot forward, and the secondaries recently have had some great developments -- Patchy and Marisa; Kosuzu, for example --, but still, am glad there are far more hits than misses with the characters in the project.

>>46727332
Isn't this at the shrine? Reimu sleeps harder than me, lol.

>>46727827
Anon... it's a flashback~

>>46723581
>>46723586
>>46723592
>>46723601
>>46723611
>>46723621
Really good chapters. Very nice handling of the Suzu and it's funny to get confirmation that Mokou is still a little bitter over lacking in that department. Really nice to see Miko start to play a big role in the story as well.

>>46727826
Out of all the other stories, I don't think we really have any hits, the Patchy story is burdened by Sekai anyways even if the author puts in a lot of effort into it.
I guess Suzu is nice, but that's one story out of all the bad, convoluted, and unnecessary oc filled stories we've had. Heck the Suzu story still is being lugged around by the Kiene and Mokou story which is a literal idiot plot turned overly pretentious revolution that'll just get everybody killed.

finally the HSE writing room implosion arc, I've been waiting for this!

>>46727776
>Well at this rate the HSE is just going to die with a whimper and no ending
cope from the worst writer by far in the project, the other writers are still here and doing their best to tell a good story in a community way. No one gonna or can stop you from posting your chapters, but know if you were to leave, nothing would change.

>>46727885
we're just filling this checkbox >>46682433
>At least 1 person will have a big meltdown in the thread
glad it's happening here and not during the finale.

>>46727933
LMAO this isn't a meltdown, there hasn't been any proper shit flinging or even people calling each other out for their collective hypocrisy and retardation. This is practically cordial civil conversation compared to anywhere else on this site, no insults, no trolling, the only autosage shit was that one copypasta clown several threads back and dipshits posting dumb crap on the OP.

>cope from the worst writer by far in the project
>if you were to leave, nothing would change.
Ouch. I think I'd fold right then and there if somebody directed that towards me

>>46682701
you can write an self insert anon sue ending where you materialise into gensokyo and bring justice (kill every character you don't like) and set things right (make your own headcanon) if it makes you feel better

-Chapter 1: The Underground & Youkai Mountain-

The cave groaned as an iron pillar of Moiya descended into it cave before dissipating into the rock and earth around it, displacing the land and reshaping it into a seamless rock canvas, Satori could hear the thoughts of the gods on the other side away and sending them a prayer for good luck. Wiping the sweat from her brow as the cave entrance closed behind her she was enveloped in darkness, “Finally.” She said, letting out a sigh.

“You know they aren’t going to like this Ma’am,” Parsee said, her green eyes glowing in the dark as she leaned on her crutch. A wound gained from a foolish escapade outside and then a spiteful and too rash fight against a surprisingly dangerous fairy who didn’t play by the rules.

Satori scoffed. “Everybody can complain all they want, we’re not getting involved in that shit show anymore,” Satori said, shrugging off Parsee’s complaint. Not that she didn’t understand why the inhabitants of the underground would be mad, but because she knew of the danger that would soon consume Gensokyo.
“And you don’t have to explain it to the spiders if you don’t want to, I’m the Lord of the Underground, this is my responsibility, besides you’re still recovering.”
Parsee went to object, but before she could, Satori interrupted her.

“Parsee, are you going to argue about it because you want to be the bearer of bad news, or because you don’t want me to be?” Satori’s third eye glowed in the darkness, peering into Parsee’s mind. “I am the Mistress of the Palace of Earth Spirits, Lord of the Underground, appointed by the Yama, a Satori Youkai, and am in possession of the ultimate ability. I need no introduction and am perfectly fine bearing the weight of my office.”

Even with her diminutive height, and tendency to pass out under stress, her sicklyness, Satori managed to cut a royal figure of sorts. There was a reason the Yama had chosen her as the Lord of the Underground.

“No, no, you can do it.“ Parse said, shaking her head in resignation before sighing. ”There really isn’t any arguing with you, is there?” Parsee scratched her cheek as she felt a slight burning embarrassed feeling rise underneath her skin.
“No, there isn’t, now come on, I have work to do and you need to get back in bed.”
“Fine, fine.”

With Parsee’s resignation, the little Mistress of the Underground and her Hashihime left for the Palace of Earth Spirits.

--

“Tsk.” Kokoro clicked her teeth as she looked out of the window of the Palace, a mob had already started growing, and that Oni who ran the Hot Springs District, Yuugi, had left with her sister and refused to return when Satori issued the notice of sealing.

“Well, I did find my dream self so that’s good right!” Koishi said, perking up from the couch that faced out of the great window.

Kokoro just tilted her head. “Missing?...” Her mask flashed to one of anger.

“Uh yeah…” Koishi scratched her cheek in embarrassment, “That was why I was narcoleptic, did I forget to tell you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry Kokoro, but look, now that I’ve gotten it back my eyes fully open.” Koishi held her third eye aloft in her hand, before reading Kokoro's mind.

Kokoro just nodded, but Koishi could tell what she was thinking.

“So harsh Kokoro, I think I remember why I was so reckless back then.” Koishi laughed, rubbing the back of her head, as her stomach dropped.

Kokoro blinked, panic briefly flashing across her mask followed by horror as her stomach dropped in turn, reading Koishi's emotions, and then a stray thought entered her head. ‘she’s going to try again, I- can’t’

“Nonono!” Koishi hadn't meant that at all, but powers like emotion and mind reading were just as unreliable and prone to misunderstanding as people were. “Don’t think about Kokoro, I’d never do that to you or Satori or anyone else ever again!…”I didn’t mean it, I never wanted to close my eyes, I was reckless and scared and I just wanted to find a way to help, Koishi rambled in her mind as her mouth moved. “It was a mistake in the first place, I just-”

Kokoro too knew it was true, but brief doubt could be dangerous and Kokoro already felt disgusted at her own errant thought, horror growing inside of her and kneading into a ball.

Koishi’s eyes widened in surprise as Kokoro lunged forward, crossing the distance between the great window and the chair in a second and enveloping Koishi in a hug. Even knowing Kokoro’s intention, didn’t alleviate the pressure Koishi felt in her chest.

“It’s okay Koishi.” Kokoro said, stroking the back of her head, “I know you didn’t anything, it's okay Koishi”

>>46728302
“I know Kokoro, I know,” Koishi said, hugging her back as she cried, the brief moment of mutual terror and misunderstanding already giving way to tenderness.

“Awwww, that’s so sweet,” Utsuho said, flapping her wings quickly as she knocked one half of the grand door open with a swing of her hand, catching it before she almost sent it careening into the wall at high speed.

“Okuu!” Orin exclaimed, following quickly behind and eliciting a giggle from Koishi.

Kokoro’s mask flashes to a mix of embarrassment and anger at having her tender moment interrupted, glaring at Okuu as she flew around the two.

“Oh, come on Kokoro, don’t be like that.” Koishi giggled as she broke away from her embrace, smiling. “Besides, Satori is gonna need our help now more than ever.” Koishi pumped a hand in the air, even if Satori would never fault her, Koishi had deeply wanted to make up for her mistake and even though it was a crisis, Koishi was happy the recent events provided her with an opportunity to help her big sister out.

“Oh, yeah, is this gonna be like that time with the Vengeful Spirit.” Okuu flailed her arm about as if to mimic a soldier holding a rifle, already prepared to disperse the gathering crowd in front of the Manor.

Koishi laughed lightly as she rocked back and forth on the couch in amusement. “Hopefully not, I feel like we made a mess of things back then.” In a way, Koishi thought of that event as tender, more simple days, although that was hardly the case.

Orin sighed as the Koishi and Okuu burst out laughing, although she had to admit Koushi was right, without Yuugi Satori and with all the commotion that had already begun, she’d need their help more than ever.

Still, Koishi’s thoughts drifted to that man, and she felt regret. Even if she didn’t want to involve herself and in her mind, just add to the trouble, she hoped that one day she could make it up to him.

--

Somewhere else in Youkai mountain, distantly a Tengu scrambled back and forth, rocking back and forth on the heel of her shoes, ready for the signal, preparing for her escape at any moment, fearful and anticipating the imminent conflict and the future to come.

Looking down at her watch, she took in a breath, if she had any say in it, Anon would be freed no matter what.

--

“Whelp, those are the last of ‘em,” Suwako said, stretching her body as she looked at the plain patch of earth that used to be an entrance to the underground. “Good warm-up practice for later ‘eh?”

Kanako shook her head in affirmation, before smiling in turn. “Yep, looks like we’re going to be busy here in the coming days.” Turning her head she gazed across Youkai mountain, eyeing the Tengu settlement. “It is such a shame though that we’ll have to give adieu to our partnership with the Tengu.”

Kanako somewhat regretted it, she had come to be on a cordial term with the Tengu and even appreciated parts of them. But at the end of the day-

“That Anon won’t save himself will he?” Suwako said, finishing Kanako’s thought as she gave an amused side eye, sharing a nod between the two of them before lapsing into silence, they knew what needed to be done and neither would back down from the challenge.

The two gods walked in silence as they returned to their shrine, only the howl of the wind, the distant chattering of Tengu patrols, and the sound of wildlife could be heard. The Moriya shrine had decided to stop accepting visitors days in advance, and now they were ready, whatever Yukari and her allies could throw at them, Kanako was sure they could brave the peril.

Walking up the steps to their shrine, Suwako called out. “Sanae, Cirno, Shou it’s time, let’s get a move on! Throwing her voice so that everybody for miles around could hear.

Quickly the three godlings of sorts returned from the shrine.

Sanae came scrambling out, talisman, charm, and purification rod at the ready.

Following her Cirno flew out of the shrine "Let's show that witch who's boss." Cirno pumped an icicle spear into the air.

Shou just nodded. stepping out from behind a collum of iron.
With a thundering crack, the sky split into countless pieces, and explosions began to rock Youkai Mountain.
Hostilities had begun.

-end-
Note: anyways This signals the beginning of my ending, I hope you’ll enjoy it.

>>46728113
Yeah, I feel the same way, I just want this to be over with now. But it’s not like he’s wrong either. So I might as well start actually writing and posting my ending proper now.

I've got an idea bros, let's just skip the finale and everyone starts posting as if it happened

>>46728335
silly Anon, if we did that the HSE would end before Ayaanon writes three hundred fluff chapters of retarded!Aya and her eggs. That'd be very bad.

>>46728391
Let me see, I want more:
Momoji
Onis
Fairies
Moriyan gang
Hana rape
Maribully chapters
Public planet Akyuu

To name a few

>>46728696
...Hana being raped or doing the raping?

>>46728720
yukari's punishment is to be forcibly de-aged until she's hana's age, and then hana gets to molest her in return

>>46728720
Yes, HANA HAKUREI: YAN MODO IS A GO

>>46728696
>onis
man I wish the yuugi/suika plotline wasn't abandoned
it was funny seeing yuugi get taught that handholding doesn't make babies by suika and anon

>>46728758
Honestly I wasn't a fan, I like Yuugi being innocent but she was too innocent and Suika felt a bit too cruel when dealing with her.

>>46728763
Anon they're oni, the real cruelty was letting her make an ass in front of everyone for centuries until she corrected her.

>>46728738
>>46728733
>>46728720
our Hana should get her revenge!

-Chapter 2: Myouren Temple, Hakurei Shrine, Okina, & HSE-

Beneath the Myouren temple, in the subterranean ritual chamber slash laboratory constructed by Byakuren sat Byakuren, Mamizou, and Shou, seated around the central ritual room’s circular table and cast in the multi-colored light of the room's magical circuits, hand-carved into the wall by Byakuren.

“So onto the next matter,” Byakuren said, her autonomous scroll shifting to the next item on the list. ”The medical support promised by Eientei, and the outside world equipment from Nue?”

“Already done, my Tanuki have unpacked it and are working on preparations for the evacuation right now,” Mamizous said blowing smoke out of her pipe, which took on the forms of the subject matter at hand, Nue, the Inaba, Eirin, and some medical machines

“And Nue herself?” Shou asked, wondering where one-third of the Myouren temple's bulwark had gone.

“Doing something, with the Amanojaku, Seija, and Goro, I don’t know what it is exactly, but Okina set them up to it and it doesn’t seem to be to Yukari’s advantage.” Waving the smoke away from the table with one hand she dismissed the matter. “I suppose it could be worse, but we should still be able to keep up the wards and protect from any attacks here.”

Byakuren shook her head in affirmation. “Hmm, but I wonder where Tewi is, nobody's seen her since this incident started.” Although not a part of the temple and a recluse of the bamboo forest, the white hare of Inaba, the jade rabbit who needed no introduction still had toes to Buddhist and Shinto deities, even being a deity in her own sort of way, and Byakuren had been continually stumped by her lack of appearance.

“Last time I checked, she was in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. She and that Junko woman struck up a friendship as of late, or maybe they were already on friendly terms and only recently started hanging out so openly.

“Wouldn't be surprised if she’s planning something though, that rabbit's trickery.”
Byakuren could only nod to Mamizou’s words. “Shou,” Byakuren said, nodding to the Myouren temple’s idol. “You are prepared for the interception of Tenma, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am. Chisazu, Nazrin, and Aya have already finished with working on the diversion, I’m ready to move out at any moment.”
“And me and my Tanuki are ready to make our move.” Evacuating the village had proven a troublesome problem Mamziou helped solved, her spying on the Hakurei Shrine Experience as well as the village on a whole, alongside the manpower of the Tanuki and some fairies ‘volunteered’ by Narumi had proven suitable enough for this endeavor.

Byakuren wished they could have relied on Okina’s power to evacuate and the Myouren temple to fight, but in the end, the Myouren temple was far more useful as a fortified location and if Shou was going to fight the Tenma, then the rest would need to stay to help Byakuren defend it.

“Wish I could’ve done more to help you hun, but ya’know.” Mamizou tapped her pipe, she had her own Youkai to look after and Byakuren didn’t fault her for trying to protect them in her own way.

“Regardless, you’ve all been a great help in these trying times.” Byakuren said nodding to Mamizou’s words. “If she does appear I can't imagine her working with Yukari, she has her own ends anyways so if she does appear it'll probably just be to help us to her benefit.” Byakuren couldn't even imagine Tewi helping Yukari if she was to win, even if the alliance against Yukari lost somehow she doubted Tewi would help her, if anything that assured Tewi would stand against her.
“Shou, I’ll raise the wards the second you exit, are you ready.”

“Yes, ma’am, yes I am.” Shou gave Byakuren a salute as she stood, her body tensed up like a spring and readying to leave for the Moyria temple.
“Don’tcha worry, me and your big sisters will take care of the rest here, give those crow hell.” Mamizou threw a hand in the air, singing to Shou as she left the conference room.

“Me too Shou, you have our utmost confidence.” Byakuren nodded and Shou left the room entering the back door to Moriya shrine.

--
Reimu sat atop the stone steps to the Hakurei Shrine, her purification rod lying in her lap as she meditated.

Up the steps walked her friend, Alice Martigold, a swarm of dolls surrounding her, one, in particular, taking on the appearance of a mutual magician friend of hers.
Behind her leaning against one of the pillars of the Torii gate, Hana perked up, walking quickly to where Marisa and Alice had arrived.
Almost skipping as Alice waved to her.

“Hey Reimu, hey Hana.” Marisa said, waving the doll’s arm.
“Y-yeah, it's good to see you two again.”

“Agreed, it's good to see you two are well, that Yukari has been keeping well away I hope.”

>>46729468
Hana shudders at the mention of her name, and Reimu’s eyes shoot open. “No, the new wards have proved effective, thank you for the help Mima,” Reimu said, giving her attention to the Marisa doll.

“Uh, me and Alice are the only ones here.” Marisa said, light confusion in her voice.
Reimu shook her head. “I know she’s there hovering over your shoulder, Marisa.”

“Haha, yeah, you still got it Reimu.” Marisa made the doll scratch the back of its neck.
Reimu only nodded.

“Well no matter what happens next, I’m here with you Reimu.” The doll said, saluting Reimu. Alice just shook her head slightly.
Alice nodded in agreement as she opened her spell book. “The same, Miss Mima and of course Marisa have already taken their positions, we’re ready to move at any moment.”

“Thank you all really, I wouldn't be anywhere without any of your help, thank you,” Hana said bowing to the witch, human pseudo-witch remotely controlling a doll, and her mother.

“Hana, it's half my fault this all happened in the first place, I have no right to earn your forgiveness until Yukari is in her place.
“I know, I know, but thank you anyway,” Hana said, shaking slightly as she stood.

Reimu shook her head in affirmation, she was ready. Hana returned the shake of Reimu’s head, her shaking had stopped, as she gripped her purification rod, still so small not having grown to the size Reimu's adult one had.

With that said the four turned their gaze to the village, and the sky exploded into a million million shards of glass.

“Just great,” Reimu’s sarcasm was evident.

--
Soon the Gensokyo would be under a cataclysm it hadn’t seen the likes of in some time, and all for the silliest of reasons. Somewhere, a certain god smiled as her two servants pushed her along in her wheelchair.

Smiling and dressed in the thinnest of disguises as she sat smugly in her decorative wheelchair, the crowd quieted and parted as Okina was pushed forward, the immense aura coming off her, the only ones unaffected, her servants, Mai and Satono as they pushed her along.

In the crowd, she could see her fellow Sage, the pitiable Kasen lurking about and walking towards her, a shadow hanging over her eyes.

Okina smiled, full of pity as she perceived the wicked hermit and her undead puppet slink away.
Kasen picked up her speed, shoving her way through the crowd and towards Okina.

“My, my I wonder who’ll step up to help dear Kasen, it so pains me to see someone so strong reduced to this state,” Okina spoke aloud, enough for everybody to hear. Although distracted, for the time being, Yumma provided her with much inspiration
At her call two other figures emerged from a cloud of black particles, the crowd scattered and both Okina and Kasen froze.
Standing between the Kasen and Okina in the emptying marketplace, stood Yuugi Hoshiguma, of of the big four of the mountain, legendary Oni, and a sister of sorts to the child of Ibaraki and Kasen.

“Hey, sis.” She waved casually, a down tone in her voice despite her casual words. “You ready to get this started.”
With a boom a black gate appears behind Kasen, and the dragon Koutei begins to slither out, eyes from the world in between gaps covering his own eyes

Mai and Satono continued pushing their master as the two Oni waited for the other one to make the first move, neither wanting to fight the other, but both holding some resentment for their sister.
Turning her mind to her new subordinate.‘Cirno, I believe it's time for you to take your position.’ Okina said remotely as her two servants wheeled her into the front room of the HSE.

Taking in the fullness of the now abandoned room, Okina smiled as she saw Yukari, standing alone before her, frowning.
“Hello Okina, I see you've finally come to interfere in person instead of sending your lackeys out.” Her voice was laced with venom, and anticipation, with this she could finally remove the troublesome insects that had bothered her for quite some time.
“Yes, yes I have.” Okina smiled, knowing the disadvantage at. A Witch’s lair was one of the most dangerous places, even gods could fall with and without the proper preparation and Yukari had quite some time to prepare. She would have to trust her fate in the hands of her allies. “May we get started?”

With that said, the two Sages met each other, with utmost force and fury.

--

Within the depths of the Hakurei Shrine Experience building Yacchie rushed forward, brushing past Seija and that man she was so infatuated with.

>>46729479
They seemed to be doing something but Yacchie didn't care, right now she was concerned with getting Anon away from the back door god. And it's not like they could be up to much anyway, they were on the same side after all.

“Come on come on,” Yacchie said, shepherding Anon as they moved into the interior of the Hakurei Shrine experience and then the faux-shrine located at its center.

“I take it that something's gone wrong miss Kichou.” Ran said, bowing very slightly as she watched Yacchie force Anon down onto a cushion before the table.

“Yeah, that backdoor god showed up and started causing trouble.” Yacchie shook her head. “and that Yamawaro is nowhere to be found.” She hadn’t even arrived that day, and Yukari had been too busy to go find her, Yacchie was forced to use some of her own forces, distracting her and them from the gang war in the Animal Realm, she counted herself lucky she had Yukari’s power to rely on.

“Don't worry miss Kichou, I’m sure Mistress Yukari has it handled,” Ran said, again bowing slightly and offering the dragon turtle the bare and politeness and only bare politeness she was required to.
Jackie could only nod and hope Ran was right, as Ran hoped the opposite.

Chen giggled as she stood against the main room's alternate entrance. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up pipsqueak,” Yacchie said, waving Chen off as she stuck out her younger at the dragon.
“Don't worry, I will,” Chen said making a cat pose and giggling, before moving to join she moved to join the others at the table.

“Yes, please,” Yacchie said, propping her head up with her hand as she plopped down into a cushion.
Chen smiled as she flared at Yacchie. “Well, knowing mist-”
Before being cut off the entire building shook, knocking over the four cups of tea just as Ran had poured them all. Sighing, she picked up the pot again preparing to pour more cups of tea as Yacchie quickly scrambled up from the table.

“Wait- dammit, you three stay here something’s going on.” With that, Yacchie slammed open the paper door before running out of the room.

Chen smiled mischievously as Yacchie ran out of the room, abandoning her tea behind her.
Ran nodded in affirmation as she poured the three remaining inhabitants of the room a cup of tea, unphased.

Each of them made sure to quickly, but delicately lift their tea cups before the next boom came.
The tea made Anon miss coffee somewhat, getting up to make it had been part of his morning ritual before coming to Gensokyo, and Yukari had for some reason been very un-fond of the drink.

With another boom, the entire building shook, knocking over the teapot and sending items flying off the shelves as the three sat in silence, drinking from their cups of tea and ignoring the chaos.
Putting down her cup first, Ran said. “I suppose, it’s time to go now Anon, the Yawaro will be evacuating while Yacchie and Yukari will be distracted.”

Anon nodded his head, as Chen popped up behind him. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
Anon smiled an earnest smile as he got up from the cushion he sat on.

-end-

Note: So many plotlines to juggle, sigh, well it's not like it's anybody's fault but my own, I am including them after all. It’s always nice getting into a writing groove or maybe that’s the rainy weather, it always puts me in a good writing mood.
Also don’t worry if you really hate Chisazu, she won’t be appearing in this story, this is also the only Nazrin mention I have planned.

it's immensely funny to me that this anon has just decided 'fuck it, I'm doing the finale myself'

The first of several endings

>>46730094
Not even the first time lol

>>46730500
wait what?

>>46730513
There was this one time that, maybe the same writer, tried to shoehorn a scene with Reisen, Junko, and some others back in the early days that featured a cracking sky filled with doors and gaps and the reactions of the jobber youkai. It was silly and openly jumped the gun, very similar style to cirnowriter

>>46730769
OOOOOOOooh I think I remember that.
Was Serian involved?

im three threads behind is the ending of HSE approaching fuckkk i wanna be caught up by the time it ends and will catchup this weekend!!!!!

>>46730828
Think so, can't remember honestly.
>>46731452
yes, but the guy writing the above is just doing it on his own, we haven't actually moved onto endgame. No outlines, no serious talk, we're in the 'fluff until we're ready for act three' halftime

>>46731452
It's more like it's approaching the end of act two. Pretty sure at the rate everything is going the solstice arc/finale is going to coincide with the actual summer solstice.

I think risui's been reading our playbook

>>46733008
Total Okina Death

>>46731557
>No outlines
in that line, I've finished the outline for the Solstice and will be posting in the Pastebin during this thread's bump so we can talk. And also, new chap in the Ao3 archive will be posted today, breaching the 20 threads barrier!

>>46735029
So you're the reason I keep getting kudos messages. You monster!

>>46737048
I'm very sorry for my actions!!!

>>46706568
beautifully written chapters, so easy to re-read too~
I forgot to ask, but would you like me to write a follow-up, most likely about Patchy doing magic to help Marisa's pregnant body become more suitable to fight in the Solstice & Meiling coming to see the state of the Voilé, or do you have something in mind already and would like to write it yourself? If you do want to write you yourself, please do! I love your writing like you wouldn't believe, hope you feel as much joy writing here as I do reading~

Gotta be honest:
While I'm sad Nazrin's imposter didn't get to do much, I'm not really that angry that the Myouren Temple has sat itself out the majority of the story. Is that weird? I mean we already have so many characters in play that I don't mind some sit out of this story, especially if they already have a ton of material in both canon and fanon.
Funnily enough, I feel it's the opposite problem ZUN has with Touhou's characters. Instead of ignoring all the characters, we try to cram too many people in the narrative

>>46737650
It's a normal feeling, we started without much perspective and rushed along, adding whoever we thought it'd be fun to write about. Hardly anyone expected the project to go this far, after all.
Now we have more hindsight and can better write our characters and focus on the existing ones instead of adding more and more and not developing them.
You live, you learn

>>46737765
I think we still managed to get plenty of characters in as it is. Not all of the characters have a good reason to get involved, but the good thing about the expanding plot is that you can always slot in characters to play side roles if needed. Take Miko. She wouldn't have much reason to get involved in Yukari's brothel so she stayed out of the plot. But with the Keine story progressing where it is, she has a reason to step in and play a role.

>>46727332
—
The Misty Lake has one of the best views Gensokyo can offer, despite its name. Clean and sprawling forests surround it without a man-made construction in sight, with beautiful flowers blooming on its margins throughout this fall. I sit here, pondering with my sword to my side, paper laid on top of a cut wooden beam that'll later be used in the fires behind me, samurai resting together with their horses under the moonlight, drinking sake provided by the always kind Kirisame-san. In their conversations, the men talk about the pleasures a wife can offer when properly pampered, the warmth on their bellies or general nonsense to distract themselves from our reality.

The reality that Minako Hakurei is dead.

It's been three months since she disappeared, leaving behind only torn pieces of her miko uniform in a pool of dry blood in the forest behind the shrine.

Poor little Reimu, forced to conduct the bodyless cremation of her own mother and give blessings she could barely recite, crying nonstop… None of which compares to the responsibility she bears now to protect Gensokyo by herself, armed with little to no training… Just thinking of my Akyuu being forced into such an awful position feeds the flame inside, propelling me to resist one more day.

Sadly, I cannot adopt Reimu, as there's no way to officialize the union of the clans, but may the gods be assured… Until she's fit to be our miko, I'll protect our village for her.

I stare again at the Misty Lake, inspiration drenching me as the mighty waterfall and, rapidly picking up the pen, I prepare myself to transform humble ink into a haikai—

— “YOUKAI!!”

A burbling, wet sound interrupts the yell, and I feel my head snapping back towards the small camp as someone spills their drink in a fire, flames roaring through the night and casting shadows over the now twenty-seven men—the one who cried wolf, sliced in half, his armor and everything, blood feeding the ground. Fluttering black feathers gently fall around the warm body as it crumbles down like building bricks. “Formation! Enter formation!!” I yell, taking my sword in hands and rushing to the men, armor clunking as the air is filled by screams and disordered orders and horse neighing—

—The horses!

I turn to where they're lassoed and, in the span of a blink, three of the horses have had their necks slashed, their heads flying and hitting ground and trees. The frustration burns deep: horse numbers dwindle each day, and their extinction in the lands of Gensokyo may come soon if we must hold until Reimu can deal with the Youkai for much longer.

Men screaming, shooting their muskets and illuminating the night; hitting nothing, making the horses jostle and kick—one man screamed at the top of his lungs, holding onto a bent leg that had felt the might of a horse's kick.

Soft, black feathers all around us…

Chaos, panic, men running for their lives—dying.

… Calm down, 友望 Hieda, calm down…

A sizzling flow in the air, like that of a blade ready to meet the bamboo; Akyuu's delightful laughter, her eyes full of shine…

Watching her idol—her father—swing his sword.

The swing of my sword clashes with a razor-sharp edge, deflecting it from cutting off my head. A second slash comes and the creature flees, though not to become a blur now—my heart pounds, legs tremble, my men watching in either horror or awe what happens before them, weapons unloaded as their hands shake; cloaked night, moon reflecting on the surface of the lake, a fire crackling in front of me…

A tengu woman watches from the other side of the fire, wings of pure darkness, a sword she rhythmically bops on her shoulder.

“My, my~a human deflecting a Tengu's swing…?” The monster murmurs. “I left home looking for food and found gold! Say, would you like to be kidnapped and become my husband? You're a mere human, yes, but we tengu ladies have been experiencing a scarcity in good men~” The fire glimmers on the edge of my sword as I slowly lift it above—

—a searing pain courses through me and, under the shoulder armor, I feel scalding blood oozing… This very single moment of weakness is enough for my men.

The last horses are swiftly taken and ride off into the night, and those without one desperately run deeper into the darkness, likely to fall prey to another monster like this one standing in front of me—Gensokyo is an unforgivable land of infinite beauty…

One I'd like my Akyuu to see more of; one Reimu may clean and turn it into a safe haven for humans.

… And that's why, despite the blood seeping into my clothes, I lift the sword up and high, eyes locked with the monster's.

She scowls, sighs and then shrugs. “Bleh, humans—always the same song and dance… Hm, it wasn’t a question anyway~” She readies her sword, pitch-black wings following the soft movements—

—She moves.

Hope for my children; responsibility to build others' futures.

I move.

Our weapons clash.

Blood sprays from my wound.

She spots victory and dashes forward…

… Reckless.

>>46739049
—
Although it happened very quickly at the time, looking back over the years at that one instant makes it seem like it happened in slowed-down time. Each moving part, contraction of my muscles, blood dripping… And, mainly, the look in her eyes, her sword about to cut me down—even to this day, I remember clearly those big, dark eyes of hers.

She was staring at easy prey.

But I know Youkai—creatures of instinct; malice. Reflexes of the worst humanity can offer—and though my heart pounded furiously and my mind was taken by the picture of my beloved daughter, I acted.

And while humans are weak to physical attacks…

My wounded arm shot up, the sword tip pointed at the moon, the left leg was lifted as if preparing to kick and I balanced myself solely on my right foot, my free hand pointing forward with the palm open, as if saying 'stop'.

Illuminated by fire and moonlight, a moment away from eviscerating me… The Tengu woman stopped to stare, baffled.

All her senses focused on this preposterously deranged pose, likely asking herself, 'why’s he doing that?'

… I know Youkai are weak to mental attacks.

Thunder resounded though there was no rain, and the tengu woman's body gushed blood when a ball the size of a sake's cork exploded through her upper torso, spreading blood, guts and scorched feathers all around. She stepped forward in sudden and uncontrollable agony, trying to feel where once there was flesh, finding only a bloody hole… And yet, that wasn't strong enough to put her down. She's a low-cast Tengu, but a Tengu's strength remains unmatched to even the most powerful human—

The insane pose migrated as I let gravity overtake me and moved forward, pushing myself towards her with the foot that was on the ground, sword going all the way down until the tip of the hilt—grabbed by both hands—was at waist-level and edge flat…

“W-Wai—” The woman tried, throat clogged with blood.

—All a human needs to kill a Youkai is one singular opening.

The flat katana slashed in the shape of a half moon; the motion stopped as the blade sank into the Tengu's belly all the way through and almost severed her spine, her feet being swooped out from the ground before we two fell; lifted dirt extinguishing the flickering fire that had bathed our duel.

A moment of silence…

Groaning, I rolled from the top of the woman's body, the katana still drinking her blood. She hadn't died yet, quivering like crazy and sobbing lowly, hands trying to touch the massive cut, her sword to the side… I rose slowly, picking up that odd Tengu blade in the process, and towered over her, my bloody arm limp.

Our gazes met, hers full of fear as she felt her wings drenched in her own blood. She couldn't say anything; her breath strained, body sweating profusely.

… Suffering immensely, she was.

I clutched the blade and, without a moment of hesitation, cut her neck open. She was dead the next moment.

And in that next moment, I bowed to her.

Ignoring my injury, I easily recovered my katana—not even chipped—its sheath lost in the middle of the chaos, and turned to the brave man who'd taken the shot that saved my life: the one who was kicked by a horse and got a broken leg. His breathing was as bad as the smoking musket to his side. “H-Hieda-sama… You're alive…” Stating the obvious is often comforting.

“I am—only because of you.” I kneel by him and inspect the damage… It's badly broken, but he’ll live.

And that's what matters.

As I swiftly take off his armor, the man musters forces to weakly speak. “… W-Why, ugh…” Then, painstakingly, I hurl him on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His weighty armor is out of the way, but he’s still a grown adult and I have only one arm working properly. “W-why… Why do you bow to… Youkai?” He asks, but I don't answer at first, eyes on the encapsulating darkness. The moon is in its zenith, meaning midnight; I am wounded, kilometers away from the Human Village without a horse and carrying an even more wounded man; this area will soon be teeming with Youkai after the smell of blood, too.

It is expected that when the sun rises, me and him will be as dead as that Tengu.

There’d be no shame in accepting that, nor in pulling our wakizashis to go out in our terms…

… As if.

Weak to physical attacks, a human is…

“Youkai are a mirror of us,” I say, taking the first steps into the pitch-black, scary way back home. The feeling is like something is watching you from all directions… “Our lives need their darkness to shine, as without it, we'd only have each other to fight against~” He giggles-cough. “… When I fight a Youkai, son, I fight fate, who tries to say I'm mere prey and that a reflection of me is the better me. I fight just to peskily say to their faces that I am better—that I am human with proper manners. And, oh, because Akyuu finds it funny!” A soft smile crosses my face. “… And as long as I can hear her laugh with those histories… I'll be one happy man.”

But a human's greatest strength is the soul.