Kirisame Magic Shop

[Anonymous No.]

Thread 17

[Anonymous No.]

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1 >>44121508 >>/data/jp/img/0445/50/1694087896359134.png
2 >>44290289 >>/data/jp/img/0445/50/1694087962441371.png
3 >>44383367
4 >>44437040 (3&4) >>/data/jp/img/0445/50/1694088027969245.png
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6 >>44550620 (5&6) >>/data/jp/img/0446/22/1694614997949247.png
7 >>44622465 >>/data/jp/img/0447/13/1695377031281683.png
8 >>44713561 >>/data/jp/img/0448/28/1696349152839840.png
9 >>44828419 >>/data/jp/img/0449/36/1697321219911751.png
10 >>44936122
(10 - P1) >>/data/jp/img/0449/36/1698587659569048.png
(10 - P2) >>/data/jp/img/0449/36/1698587725286314.png
11 >>45089529
(11 - P1) >>/data/jp/img/0450/89/1699714714961830.png
(11 - P2) >>/data/jp/img/0450/89/1699714780422589.png
12 >>45217874 >>/data/jp/img/0452/94/1700478578465096.png
13 >>45294792 >>/data/jp/img/0454/00/1701525572592441.png
14 >>45400914 >>/data/jp/img/0454/88/1702387366670567.png
15 >>45488471
(15 - P1) >>/data/jp/img/0454/88/1703841621772705.png
(15 - P2) >>/data/jp/img/0454/88/1703841686330851.png
16 >>45638142
(16 - P1) >>/data/jp/img/0456/38/1704804786915665.png
(16 - P2) >>/data/jp/img/0456/38/1704804852520268.png

[Anonymous No.]

I dont like the pic, remake the thread.

[Anonymous No.]

The thick plotens, do you guys think anon will pop the question at midnight or during the sunrise?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45756125
what

[Anonymous No.]

>>45756125
Probably a bit after midnight would be good if the plan is doing it tonight.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45756125
He said he wanted to propose in a quiet environment where nothing can distract them. A New Years celebration is anything but that.
If he chooses to do it on New Years day (though I see no thematic reason why it must be), perhaps several hours past the festivities, when it has turned into a regular day.

[Anonymous No.]

>hmm, if I try to find a partner for eiki she'll be too busy to lecture me

[Anonymous No.]

>>45757057
The oni beatings will continue if Komachi doesn't stop

[Anonymous No.]

>>45757057
>maybe if I just put kisami in my clothes she won't be able to tell the difference

[Anonymous No.]

How much drink does it take to get Reimu hooking up with someone by the end of the party?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45757761
A glass of water I'd think.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45757356
You can't just make me think of Kisami in Komachi's outfit sporting a massive cleavage like that!

[Anonymous No.]

When will Marisa finally get it on with Tenshi?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45758536
Already did during Tenshi's """"""interrogation"""""" when she was suspiciously easily captured by Marisa's troops, Marisa was the only one present during the interrogation and her Yamawaro were requested to stay within 50kms away from the building.

[Anonymous No.]

Practice makes perfect, or so was the impression I'd gotten from Lady Kasen's training methods. These had mostly involved her making me run up and down the mountain a lot, supposedly for stamina training, so I imagined that I'd had a lot of practice in that regard. Drinking, I supposed, I'd had a bit less practice in. I'd had a fair amount of practice in the pubs of the village when I'd spent most of my free time drifting around and not sure what it was that I was missing from my life, but not enough to say that I was an expert in any way. Especially now, with the peach drastically changing my tolerance level. Oni sake still took a while to get me anywhere, but any oni worth their salt could drink me under the table, no problem.

In the case of the Arm of Ibaraki-douji, I wasn't terribly surprised when she did drink a lot more of the bottle than I did in a much shorter period of time. I knew she was an oni, but on some level, I wondered if she was doing okay, so I asked her without thinking if she needed to slow down. "Slow down?" She turned to me, her eyes narrowing. "Why would I need to slow down? What, you think I can't handle this much?" Her voice was a little bit sharp, and I raised my hands and told her that I'd meant nothing by it. "...Nah, I didn't think you did." She finally muttered, passing the bottle back to me. My sip was much smaller in comparison, but I still coughed. I felt like I was getting more used to it, though. Perhaps I'd be able to drink some with a straight face before the end of the night.

"I've got a question." Raki suddenly said, staring out into the distance. Shrugging, I told her that she could ask me whatever she wanted. "Why did you forgive me?" She kept her voice steady as she asked the question, but the moment she was finished, she exhaled sharply. I frowned and asked her what she was referring to. "In - In the Hot Springs Town." I knew that, but I was wondering why she thought it was so impossible that I'd forgiven her. "I nearly - I nearly did what I wanted to you. Without care for what you wanted." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Most people...Wouldn't forgive an oni for that. We're supposed to be mostly hated by humans." She looked over at me again. "But you...You gave me a hug." I nodded slowly. Had she been thinking about this for a while? "Sort of. Since then, on and off. I couldn't understand it. Especially after I bit you like that when we were still in my partner's senkai. Wasn't it...A betrayal?" Maybe, I supposed. A betrayal of my trust, in a small sense, but one that I'd found easy to regain. It wasn't a betrayal of herself, I knew that much. She'd acted true to herself and proved her conviction in the way she best knew how to...Even if I did think she probably should apologize to Yamame for it. It had been her sweater that Raki had bitten through, after all. "Heh. Yeah, I really should. She's been nicer to me than I would have expected her to be, too."

"But...I did that, and most humans would have run, and the others would have fought. You...Didn't." I'd sort of run, I replied dryly. Raki laughed, bit it was quite humourless. "I suppose so, but you didn't seem much more distrusting of me afterward." I wondered what she was thinking. How did she feel? "It was - Strange. But, um, I think I liked it." I nodded slowly. "I guess it goes back to when I was unsealed. I'd already tried to eat you once, when you found me sealed in that box in Kasen's room." I definitely remembered that. It had been a surreal experience, since I'd been able to feel the whispers in my mind influencing me to come closer. "Yeah..." Raki mumbled. "Being sealed, it's...It's sort of like that stage right before you fall asleep, when you're not really aware of anything but you can still kind of tell what's happening?" She scratched her head. "It's - Sorry, it's hard to explain." I shook my head and told her that it was okay. I couldn't imagine it being easy to explain, anyway. "It's more like...I'm conscious and trapped in Avici, but I can sort of sense what's happening in the real world. So...When you showed up, the instincts took over and tried to pull you in."

She shrugged, her shoulders dropping. "Or maybe I'm just trying to justify it and I really just wanted to eat you. I don't know." At this point, I really wondered what was going on. Why had Raki come up here, anyway. She'd spoken as if she'd already been up here before Komachi had brought me up here. "I was." She confirmed. "For a little while." Curious, I asked her why she'd left instead of sticking with Lady Kasen down below. "It...You won't tell anyone?" I shook my head. She was silent for a moment, watching the sky and looking out over the torii gate. "I was sealed for so long that I'm not used to being around that many people." She finally said. "Everyone was asking me about myself, and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't exactly say that I'm the sealed right arm of one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Mt. Ooe, could I?"

[Anonymous No.]

She breathed out and pressed her palms against her temples. "I know I wasn't like this before. Back - Back then, before I was sealed. I was just fine with crowds. In fact, I preferred them. Everything was so lively...Like every day was a party." I was fairly sure that she'd have the same thing in the Hot Springs Town, but I decided not to say anything, since this whole thing seemed to be something that Raki had on her mind for a while, and I didn't want to interrupt it. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for the world now." She said despondently, finishing off the rest of the bottle she'd brought up with her.

For a moment, I considered what to do. I supposed that this was an oni, the way that Tenshi had described them when she and Komachi had first found Raki unsealed in Lady Kasen's senkai. Emotions were important to them, more than they necessarily let on, and when they were happy, they made sure you knew. After a moment, I decided that the usual approach hadn't really failed me so far, so I shifted myself closer to Raki and slowly wrapped an arm around her. She looked up, her horns just barely missing me, and turned her head to look at me.

This, I said, was why I had forgiven her. She was still capable of feeling remorseful, or nervous, or upset. Any emotion like this. She'd felt awful about what she'd almost done in the Hot Springs Town, and it had eaten her up so badly that she'd ended up spilling the whole thing to Yamame and begging for her forgiveness. She'd came to me and apologised too, in front of people. She was emotional, and it was more than just the hate and malice and Lady Kasen had feared. She had things she enjoyed, and things she hated. She felt bad when she did something she thought was wrong, and I'd seen the way that she'd treated Kuro, Reimu's new cat, when she'd been embarrassed, but had pet her anyway and allowed her to sit on her lap, then later on her horns. She was capable of gentleness as well as raw strength.

She sniffled, then wiped at her eyes. "Sorry, I'm just - A bit pathetic tonight." I shook my head. Personally, I felt rather happy that she was willing to tell me these sorts of things. When I'd first met her, she'd been a lot more closed off, and I'd wondered how she and Lady Kasen could possibly reconcile since they had seemed so at odds. "It was...Not easy." Raki quietly replied. "I thought that I hated her. In fact, I was sure that I'd hated her. It took me days to even speak to her...But I realised that she did what she did because she loves the world, and she was scared of me damaging it in some way." I supposed I could see that. "It's funny...We're technically the same person, but we didn't understand each other at all. I can't imagine that's ever happened before."

Speaking of being the same person, I asked Raki what she thought about merging with Lady Kasen again. "Oh..." She moaned, letting her head fall back. "It's what I should want. I'm fundamentally a piece of her, so there's always some slight feeling...Like an itch I can't quite scratch. The meditation techniques she's been teaching me help, though. She's been a bit quieter about it lately, too." That was interesting. When I'd spoken to her, she had mentioned that she wasn't sure about merging anymore, because she felt like Raki deserved her own happiness rather than just becoming part of Lady Kasen.

Curious, I asked Raki if she knew whether or not they would be able to separate again after merging. "If...Hm. It's hard to say.

At the worst part of the battle I had against Reimu in Avici, I was able to take full control of our merged body from Kasen, but it wasn't like we separated. Maybe because we were still at odds then?" She shrugged. "I guess we wouldn't know unless we actually tried." But did she want to try? "I think...I kind of do. The last time left a bad taste in my mouth. We went about nearly all of it the wrong way. Maybe doing it properly will give me some...I don't know, closure?"

I decided to keep the fact that Reimu had received from Lady Kasen fragments of the youkai blade Onikirimaru quiet, since I didn't know how many she had or if she would even be willing to try using them. Still, they would mean that if the two halves of Ibaraki-douji couldn't separate after merging, it would be possible to forcibly separate them. That said, I wondered if the reunited Ibaraki-douji would have any opinions on that.

Speaking of Reimu, I suddenly caught a glimpse of something happening down by the torii gate. Frowning, I squinted and tried to see better. Coming up the stairs was Reimu, and next to her was a very short girl dressed in blue with a massive, green backpack strapped to her back. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Reimu was holding a big wad of money, which she - Reluctantly - handed over to the other girl.

[Anonymous No.]

I thought that she was probably a kappa. Dressed in blue and with a green hat? It seemed the most likely option. With the money handed over, Reimu headed in the direction of the back of the Shrine, but just as she started to be obscured by the roof, I saw a massive burst of danmaku shot straight up into the air from just at the edge of the back gardens.

I suddenly heard shouting. Curiously, I edged closer to the edge of the roof and looked out. "Alright, start moving to the front of the Shrine!" Reimu was yelling and directing people with her gohei. "C'mon, c'mon! It's nearly midnight!" She took to the air slightly and kept yelling, and despite some grumbling, everyone did start to move, carrying their drinks. I saw Yuyuko and Yuuma carrying food with them as they moved, and I wondered how much they were planning to eat. "Hey!" I heard Reimu yell, pointing the gohei at Miss Yuuka. Sitting on her shoulders was that fairy with the torch. "You're not gonna cause trouble, are you!?"

"What reason do I have to do that? You're very paranoid, Reimu. It's not good for you. Try breathing in and out slowly." Miss Yuuka replied lazily. "I think it's this lovely fairy that you should really be worried about. Clownpiece, I believe?"

"Th-That's right, um, Miss Yuuka!" The fairy on Miss Yuuka's shoulders said. "Um, are you going to put me down soon...?" Miss Yuuka didn't seem inclined too. "I'm sorry for trying to drive you insane with my torch!" Clownpiece cried as Miss Yuuka continued walking.

Reimu watched them go. "Ugh. Should have figured something stupid would happen. Stupid torch..." She muttered. Turning back to the rest of the partygoers, Reimu regarded them.

Over on the far side, I could see that blue-haired rabbit rushing to take her stand apart. That villager who'd tried to approach Kisami seemed to have stuck around to help, which was nice of him. I wondered why Reimu hadn't mentioned that she was planning to move everyone over to the front of the Shrine in the first place. Surely it would have saved a lot of effort? Maybe it had been a last-minute thing.

I spotted Kagerou, who was shivering slightly and had pulled out the cloak that Yamame had made for her. She was talking to Miss Narumi still, but as they passed nearby, I caught some of the conversation."-So pretty! So, this was...Miss Yamame? The tsuchigumo from the underground? I met her, actually. I ran into her at the bookstore in the human village. It was pouring down, but she was still really nice."

"Really? Oh, was she with that funny human she's together with?" Kagerou replied. I frowned, not really sure how I should take being identified as 'that funny human.' Still, could be worse. "Yes, she did an amazing job!" Kagerou agreed excitedly. "I didn't even know it was possible to make something this thick that would still be so soft." I did think that Yamame had done an excellent job with Kagerou's hood, so I got where Kagerou was coming from.

"Wow, I wonder if I should ask her to make me something, too. She made that coat that her human was wearing, so..." Miss Narumi and Kagerou began to move out of my hearing at that point, so I looked back in the other direction to see who else was coming. Immediately, I saw Marisa and Tenshi, arms slung over each other's shoulders and clearly very drunk already. "Hey..." Marisa drunkenly called. "What happened to all that stuff we got from the kappa, huh? Man~ I wanted to study it all!"

"Reimu destroyed it!" Tenshi cried back, stumbling slightly, though I thought it was from Marisa's height difference more than anything. "So unfair, too! What's a little laser beam gonna do to the planet, huh?" It seemed like she'd turned a little bit more childish while drunk. "I bet she just got mad because I, a beautiful celestial, was having more fun than she was!"

[Anonymous No.]

With a grown, Reimu smacked her in the back with her gohei. "I heard that, you washed-up waste of space!" Somehow, I thought that it was possible that Tenshi had hit a nerve. At that point, they started to move out of my hearing, so I looked back at Raki, who hadn't moved all that much. She was still staring out over the courtyard at the front of the Shrine, which was suddenly much busier. In fact, I saw what looked like some more stands being set up, which I found slightly mystifying. This close to midnight? Although, come to think of it, it'd probably be better to do it around now, since this was the one night of the year where everyone was guaranteed to be staying up late, and we'd eaten hours earlier. Perhaps that poor rabbit had jumped ahead of everyone else and was now paying for it.

"Phew, too much choice!" I heard a voice say, and I turned to see that Komachi was suddenly on the roof. She'd found a coat, a thick and baggy thing that seemed to completely swallow her up, leaving just her head visible against the darkness. "Don't know how Yamame made it all the way here wearing all of those. I'd have passed out! It's like that on the Sanzu, you see, since it's warmer there and slightly more humid, so if you wore that many coats, you'd be sweating so much you'd sink my poor Titanic! In fact, once..." She continued talking, but I stopped making sense of it eventually. Komachi did have a tendency to talk for a long time when she was feeling like it. Raising my hands, I asked her if she'd run into Kisami while she was looking. "Huh? Oh, yeah. She was in Reimu's room with Yamame and that schoolteacher. Her and Yamame were hugging when I went in there, and they were talking when I left. That's fine, right?" I nodded, pleased that it seemed like they'd sorted out Yamame's annoyance.

"What's happening?" Raki asked blankly. "I thought this was my peace and quiet zone, but now there's some loudmouth here, and the entire party has moved to my view." She gazed pointedly at Komachi, who laughed and scratched her head. Raki smiled slightly too. "Well, maybe it's time I stopped sitting up here on my own, anyway." She looked at me with a slight smile. "Thanks. For talking to me." I smiled and nodded. Any time she needed, I said. "Can I - Um..." She awkwardly opened her arms before closing them again. "No, sorry, I shouldn't-" But I rolled my eyes and stepped forward to wrap my arms around her first. "O-Oh!" She sounded a little surprised, but she still managed to keep her strength completely under control. I squeezed gently and told her that I would keep believing in her. To my surprise, I saw the faintest of blushes appear over her face. "Um...Thank you." She mumbled, squeezing back one more time before letting go. She nodded, then turned and dropped down from the rooftop and landed out of sight.

"Aw, how cute." Komachi muttered, throwing her arm over my shoulder. "You've got everyone going to you for hugs, don't you?" It just sort of happened, I replied. "Yeah, well, who doesn't want a hug from a bunch of cute girls?" Komachi did raise a good point, but my favourite hugs were from a specific cute girl, and she was possibly still in Reimu's room. "Oh, you've got a thinking face on." Komachi reached behind my ear, and when she pulled her hand back, there was a golden coin in it. "Care to tell me what you're thinking?" She asked with a cheeky smile. I simply rolled my eyes and told her that I was thinking about Yamame. "Aw, that's adorable. Y'know, I really wish I'd managed to get you before you'd become quite so smitten with Yamame. Ah, well...You definitely seem completely enraptured by her. I'd hate to come between that now." I thanked her for that. It would have been a little bit cruel to try and do something like that at this point, and I was glad that Komachi seemed to recognize that.

[Anonymous No.]

And then, Komachi made a face. I could already tell what was about to happen, so I moved away slightly. But, in defiance of all sense and completely in line with my luck, any attempts to save myself from an awful face would go completely awry. Komachi sneezed. At that moment, I felt that sort of vertigo sensation that only comes before a fall, and I had a split second to realise that I was no longer on the roof of the Shrine. In fact, I was now just slightly beyond the roof of the Shrine, in the stretch of land leading between the Shrine and Reimu's rooms. Komachi, I could see, had somehow managed to activate her abilities in the sneeze, which had resulted in me getting sent over here. She turned to try and catch me, but sneezed again, and this time, it seemed to have the same effect that it did on Kisami. Suddenly, she was shot forward like a cannon, disappearing out of view. And I began to fall.

It wasn't a particularly far fall to the ground from the top of the Shrine, which was at least a tiny bit of consolation. It was a big building, but I was fairly confident that the peach would protect me. I had been falling straight, but I ended up falling forward, just in time to see the blonde thing rushing up to meet me. At the split second before impact, I realised who it was, and I all could think was that I really needed to have a word with Remilia. If she really did control fate, that is, because falling onto Yamame Kurodani, exactly the same way I'd first met her, just seemed like one bridge too far.

I glanced off her shoulder, which was probably painful enough, but I was more impressed by the speed with which it made her spider instincts kick in, because I hadn't even hit the ground yet before she'd managed to react. I still did hit the ground, which was fairly painful, when Yamame's arms grasped me and forced my head up. I didn't even have time to get a word out before I felt her land on my chest and she tried to sink her teeth into my neck, just as she'd done back then. For a split second, it all came flooding back, but then my mind caught up and told my instincts that Yamame was safe, and I loved her, so it was okay if she tried to bite me.

And then there was a resounding crack and Yamame threw her head back. "Gah!" She cried, holding her hand to her mouth. She breathed in and out heavily, then seemed to get her wits about her. "Where did you come from!?" She sharply exclaimed, frowning intensely. "Look!" She pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Hy hooth! You chihhed hy hooth agaih!" Indeed, her left canine was chipped once more. “Ouch, ouch! Oh, this is just a great way to end the year, isn’t it!?” The fates seemed to have decided that everything was coming full circle. I'd fallen because of a youkai – Well, Shinigami, but I’d count it - again, dropped directly into Yamame, which was actually a downgrade from dropping onto her web last time, and she'd chipped her tooth on my skin again.

In that moment, I decided that Yamame Kurodani was not making it to the end of the dawn without a ring on her finger.

[Anonymous No.]

Oh fuck it's actually happening

[Anonymous No.]

>>45759097
>In that moment, I decided that Yamame Kurodani was not making it to the end of the dawn without a ring on her finger.
no way

[Anonymous No.]

I wonder what was the conversation between Keine and Yamame like for it to end on a hug

[Anonymous No.]

>>45759082
>I squeezed gently and told her that I would keep believing in her. To my surprise, I saw the faintest of blushes appear over her face. "Um...Thank you." She mumbled, squeezing back one more time before letting go.
GRAAAAAAAH WHERE'S MY KASEN ROUTE SPINOFF
(which is totally not canon of course, because the canon route is with best girl who rightfully won her anonbowl)

[Anonymous No.]

A few minutes after midnight, Keine dragged me off to talk to me in private, we walked behind the shrine and then she began speaking
"I must say Anon, i'm quite pleased with Yamame, she is a wonderful girl, it brings peace to my hearth to know you were in such good hands the whole time you were missing, i sincerely approve of her"
I was quite happy that she got along so well with her i replied
"So when are you...you know" she said while nodding at my pocket
I didn't quite get what she meant
She began pointing at her ring finger
Oh right the ring, the ring for Yamame
The ring specially crafted to marry Yamame
Yamame's wedding ring
...that ri-
"Yes! That ring!"
Got it covered, i said as i took it out of my pocket to show Keine
"So when are you going to...oh" Keine stopped as she noticed something behind me
I turned around to notice Yamame sporting a crimson face and tears welling on her eyes

[Anonymous No.]

>>45759835
That's mean.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45760203
How?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45760271
It's Yamames day (first of January) and you shouldn't spoil her long awaited surprise like that.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45760530
It's the tenth of january (You) retard.
>1(i)10(to)=糸 (Thread)

[Anonymous No.]

>>45759516
It was with kisami dumb

[Anonymous No.]

>>45764879
Was she? It's not very clear

[Anonymous No.]

>>45764978
>>45759082
>I asked her if she'd run into Kisami while she was looking. "Huh? Oh, yeah. She was in Reimu's room with Yamame and that schoolteacher. Her and Yamame were hugging when I went in there

[Anonymous No.]

>>45765122
That her could mean either

[Anonymous No.]

>>45764978
It is badly worded and leads you to think it's Keine when it's actually Kisami who is apologizing to Yamame for upsetting her.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45765190
but yamame didn't have any annoyances with keine, so the line immediately after clarifies that it's kisami

[Anonymous No.]

>>45765286
They could have been hugging for different reasons

[Anonymous No.]

There was little doubt in my mind that a large number of people had been waiting for this moment to really get the party going. The first half had been mostly comprised of eating and drinking their fill, and the second half was the part where they started having fun. Once Yamame, frowning mightily and with a tear or two dripping from her eyes, had let me get off of the cold and wet ground, she'd began interrogating me. "Really, why were you up there?" She asked as she rubbed her mouth like that would make her tooth stop hurting. I shrugged and explained, saying that Komachi had brought me up there to get away from a very drunken Youmu Konpaku. "That's the...Half-phantom girl, right? I saw her over there." She pointed in the direction of the courtyard. I couldn't see anything, but after a moment, I saw Reimu in the middle of an attack on Youmu, who was still brandishing her two banners like they were weapons. Clearly, I thought, some things never changed.

I asked Yamame if she was going to be okay. I couldn't imagine a chipped tooth was all that fun, but she'd had two of them before and they'd regenerated eventually, so I assumed it was a youkai thing. "Yeah...It'll take a bit of time, though. Massive shame. Honestly, it was an instinct kicking in. Something landing on me like that." I raised my hands and told her that it was okay, and I understood. I was just as sorry for falling on her as she was for trying to bite me. "And - Um, are you okay? I...Know that you probably don't like being bitten very much any more." I shook my head. I was fine, and I'd mostly made peace with it as long as it was someone I trusted to take care of me. Yamame was very high on that list. So was Reimu - Who I didn't expect to bite me - and Lady Kasen - Who might not bite me, but a certain other version of her very well might, though she'd feel awful about it afterward. Keine was high as well, but she'd already raised me, so I knew I could trust her in just about any situation...As long as it didn't involve topics such as The Talk.

Speaking of Keine, I asked Yamame what they'd been talking about. "Oh, er, nothing much." She said innocently, so I just stared at her. "Really!" My eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, fine...She was telling me stories from when you were growing up." I slammed my fist into my hand and exclaimed that I'd known all along that she was going to do that. "Well, you know quite a lot of things about my family!" Yamame replied hotly, her hands on her hips. "I just wanted to have something similar." I shook my head and told her that I was okay with it, and I hadn't thought of it that way. "Did you really-?" I changed my mind very quickly and suddenly found that I was not okay with it, and unlike Yamame, my big sister didn't know every minute detail of my life to embarrass me with by revealing it to others. Not that I didn't think that Reimu probably knew a lot more about me than she'd ever really mentioned, though.

Where was Keine, anyway? "Oh, she said that she, er...Hang on, she's over there." My spider pointed over to the courtyard, past where the stalls were being set up. Over by the torii gate, I could see Keine talking excitedly to Fujiwara no Mokou. I hadn't expected her to actually show up tonight, to be honest. From my brief time meeting her in Eientei, as well as what I'd heard about her from various people and especially from Eirin's story, I wouldn't have thought her the type to leave the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. But there she was, her hands shoved deep in the pockets of her trousers and a wry smile on her face as she spoke to Keine. The schoolteacher looked happier, too, if the relaxation in her posture was any indication. I hadn't really noticed it, but she'd been just a little bit tense when I'd been speaking to her earlier. I wondered if she'd been worrying about the reticent immortal of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, since she seemed to have quite a close relationship with her.

To that end, I wondered if Mokou had mentioned anything to Keine regarding her renewed desire to shuffle off this mortal coil, as she'd confessed to Eirin. Perhaps not, I thought as I watched Keine pass a bottle of some kind to Mokou, who thanked her and took a sip. And it was definitely not my place to ask. That story was supposed to be private anyway, and I thought that Eirin had probably only told me as a result of her half-addled mind due to not sleeping for months on end. So...In the end, it wasn't really my place.

Suddenly, I spotted rabbit ears, but not the ears of the frazzled dango seller who'd only just barely managed to secure a place to set up her stall again with the help of that villager who's name completely escaped me. No, these were ears I recognized. It seemed that Eientei would indeed have a presence at the Hakurei Shrine tonight, because I could see Reisen standing at a stall, her face completely expressionless.

[Anonymous No.]

She looked like she'd rather be somewhere else, or that everyone here would die instantly so that she could leave freely. I wasn't exactly sure about that last one, but it seemed like something she would think. Either way, I had someone who had been injured, and Eientei was certainly good at healing injuries. Yamame saw what I was looking at. "Oh - No, really, I'm fine." She insisted, but with the tears in her eyes, I didn't think the same. Gently, I asked her to please let Eientei double check, just for my own sake. "Oh, you're really overreacting, but...Fine. You know, you didn't kick up this much of a fuss when this happened to both of my teeth."

We'd only just met back then, so I wasn't really sure that she had a point. I grabbed Yamame's hand and began pulling her along. She protested slightly, but seemed more interesting in rubbing her sore tooth as if it would bring it back. After I shot her a glance that made her stop for the first three such occasions on the trip from Reimu's room to the other side of the courtyard, I finally had to insist that she stop messing around with the chipped tooth. "It hurts, though!" She complained to me. Sighing, I stopped just around the corner from a kappa stall selling some sort of rectangular box and asking if anyone wanted some. Since they hadn't bothered explaining what the 'some' was, I elected to ignore it. It was quieter here, and no one was paying attention to us. Sighing, I lifted Yamame's chin, then gently pulled her mouth open so I could see a bit better. I asked her quietly if it was sore. "Uh-huh." She tried to say, though she struggled with her mouth open. When I continued looking, she suddenly pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss me on the lips quickly. "Shouldn't spend that long staring, you know. It's a little..." Embarrassing? "Arou- Er, Yeah. Embarrassing." She nodded very quickly. "Is it midnight yet?" The question was very innocent, but I had a feeling that there were some less-than-innocent intentions behind it. I shrugged nonchalantly and said that it probably wasn't long. That got a bit of a smile out of her, which did improve my mood just a little bit.

Shaking my head, I took her hand once more and began dragging her along to the stand that Reisen had set up. There, I found not just Reisen, but Eirin, Kaguya Houraisan, and Tewi. It seemed that the major players of Eientei had all decided to make an appearance tonight. "Welcome to our Eientei pop-up clinic." Reisen's monotone voice greeted me. "Capable of assisting in all cases, from the smallest scratch to wide-scale dismemberment." She didn't sound pleased to be here, but I'd never really heard her sound pleased to be anywhere, so I wasn't all that surprised. "How may we assist you with your traumatic injuries?"

"Inaba~" Kaguya Houraisan grasped Reisen's shoulders. "Lighten up, will you? This is supposed to be a party!" She shook the other rabbit back and forth. It seemed to have no discernible impact on Reisen's mood. At least, no positive impact. I thought I saw her mouth curl even further downward toward a scowl. "And we finally just got things sorted in the clinic!"

Reisen didn't respond, but she seemed very easy to read at that particular moment. I could almost imagine what she was saying. 'We?' She would say. 'I did all of that!' Just from everything I'd seen, I could already tell that Reisen was the kind of person who'd be forced to do all the menial tasks that no one else could be bothered to do. "Hey, Reisen, she's got a good point!" Tewi Inaba said cheerfully. "We - All did a great job, huh?" She gave a wide smile that made Reisen's eye twitch. "And - Oh, look! We've got people waiting and you're busy seething, you dumb lunar rabbit." Tewi pointed at Yamame and I.

At this point, Eirin seemed to take pity on us. "Princess, if you would wish to peruse the stands set up here, now would be a good time. Tewi can accompany you." The rabbit let out a sort of 'geh' noise but sighed and nodded regardless. I wondered if she was wishing she could stay and annoy Reisen some more.
Kaguya looked between Eirin, Reisen, Yamame, and finally at me. "Oh, alright. I think I saw Mokou in the crowd, but she's with that schoolteacher of hers. Hmm...Choices, choices..." She daintily stepped out from behind the stall. "Well, sitting in a stall for hours doesn't appeal to me, regardless. Shall we, Inaba?" She looked down at Tewi, who let out a long-suffering sigh, then took the proffered hand of the Lunarian Princess.

[Anonymous No.]

With the two gone, Eirin's eyes switched between Yamame and I. "Has it been so long since our last meeting? I may start to believe that you have a sentimental attachment to us." She asked, cocking her head. For a moment, I wasn't sure if she was joking or not. She'd never joked before. "I presume that this is not a social call nor a request for someone to talk to." Her eyes went from me to Yamame. "Miss Kurodani. Is this in relation to the issue we discussed earlier?" Oh, right, she had talked to Eirin about something that she'd managed to evade my questions about until I'd forgotten entirely.

"Er, no..." Yamame mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. "It's - um..." I decided to take the lead here and stepped close enough to the stall that I could speak quietly, then told Eirin that Yamame had chipped her tooth when she'd accidentally tried to bite me. "I-It's just a little chipped tooth." Yamame hurriedly said, waving her hands in front of her. "Nothing to worry about!"

But Eirin didn't seem inclined to argue the point. "Sit down, Miss Kurodani." She said quietly, though her tone was such that Yamame did sit down, rather quickly. "Thank you." Eirin clasped her hands behind her back, then stepped closer to Yamame. "Now, this will be a cursory examination. Open your mouth." She was still brokering now arguments. I felt like the whole thing was a bit surreal, but I didn't see how I could help at all. "I shall examine you, though I imagine that as a youkai, you already know that your tooth will regenerate before long." Unsure, I asked if there was anything I could do. "No." Eirin, as usual, didn't bother with any preamble. "In fact, you will be rather in the way if you stand there. As you can see, we do not have a large space to work with." She wasn't wrong. The stall was already small, and with three people inside - excluding Reisen, who I supposed was keeping an eye on the exterior - there was barely any space to move around without knocking elbows. "It would be best if you were to leave her in my hands. Go and enjoy the festival, perhaps." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I shall instruct Udonge to fetch you if she feels that I am being...Invasive."

That seemed to be about the best I was going to get, so I was forced to step back out from behind the curtain. Reisen watched me. "My Master will not be performing any dangerous tasks." She told me. "For a chipped tooth, she will give her some mild painkillers and recommend that she only eat soft food until her tooth regenerates." She tilted her head, and I decided not to look at her crimson eyes too much. "She is much better than she was before." Reisen told me. I wondered if she was trying to reassure me. Perhaps there was some emotion in there after all. Seeing no real alternatives, I decided that I could at least have a walk around the place and see what the stalls that had been set up were, though I'd have rather done it with Yamame.

Still, I was surprised by how busy the place was. It seemed like the stall owners had taken advantage of the snow that Lady Kasen and I had cleared that morning and had set up in a pattern which meant there were multiple rows of stalls on either side. Down one, I could see Lady Kasen talking to Kagerou, as they stood in front of that rabbit's dango stand. Knowing Lady Kasen, I imagined that she was already working out the perfect time to buy out half of the rabbit's stock. Further down, I spotted the tip of Marisa's hat, in-between a group of villagers who seemed a little overwhelmed by both the choice on display and the quantity of people around.

I had wondered back up toward the main Shrine at this point, and I paused when I heard a noise, different to the overpowering murmur of the stalls and the shoppers behind me. This was more like...A sharp intake of breath. I frowned, then decided that I wasn't exactly busy at the moment, so I cautiously approached the corner of the Shrine to see what was waiting. It was around the side, not so much by the Shrine itself but in the shaded area near the trees that no one was really using. I thought that it was somewhere around here that I'd heard the vague sounds of music from the Horismriver Ensemble. Now, though, I didn't see any of the three Prismrivers.

Instead, leaning against the wall and looking like she was about to fall asleep was a woman. Her hair was shoulder length and wavy, forming patterns almost reminiscent of thunder bolts. Red in colour, like that of the leaves in the depths of Autumn. She wore a sleeveless black shirt with red lines running through in a grid pattern, and a tie hung from her neck, though it seemed to rest rather well on her...Chest. The tie was purple and had white borders, and at the bottom was a shape something like a cross but with a longer bit at the top.

[Anonymous No.]

She wore a white...Sort of skirt that was connected by a belt not unlike the kind on my own trousers, but seemed to only be held up by the belt by pressure, rather than any sort of hooks. In fact, the skirt seemed like a single large strip of cloth that she'd just wrapped around her waist before tying with the belt. Her legs were bare, but as she leaned against the wall with one leg pressed against it and the other pointed downward, I thought that the thickness of her thighs seemed to indicate some muscle underneath the skin. I could see it on her arms, too. She had them crossed, and her forearms looked strong, to say nothing of the muscle I could already see on her upper arms.

Her shoes were another curious thing, because while the shoe itself was a unique design, a blackish purple with red lacing, the more striking part was the large drum mallets attached the back of the heels, in such a way that if she kicked her leg backwards, it could impact on something, like a drum.

And next to her sat the massive drum in question, coming up to her waist while she was standing. Yes, I knew her. This was Raiko Horikawa, the drummer of the - Formerly - Prismriver Ensemble, now the Horismriver Ensemble. I'd seen Kisami talking to her earlier, as excited as I'd ever seen her. It had possibly even beaten out the moment in which I'd told her that I wanted to marry Yamame.

I must have made a noise because I saw her crack a brilliantly red eye open. "Lunasa? That you? Time to get started, huh?" I cleared my throat and said that I was not Lunasa. "Oh-ho..." She hummed. I could see her finger tapping against her bicep to a beat that I couldn't hear. "You." She said, pushing off of the wall. Her steps were measured, too, as if they too were keeping in time with something that only Raiko Horikawa could hear. "Rather more filled out than you were when I last saw you. Some solid muscle..." She didn't touch me, but her hand did hover just slightly above my shoulders and arms for a moment before she pulled back. "Happier on the inside, too." The drum tsukumogami continued. "Your eyes...They look more alive."

I frowned and asked her how she'd known what I looked like. The last time I'd been anywhere near the Horismriver Ensemble, I'd not seen them. "You ask that sort of question of us? Three poltergeists, and you think that I haven't picked up some tricks on keeping myself out of sight by now? Heh. You didn't see me, but I saw you and that other girl. Two long braids, huh? She was pretty cute, I'll give you that." No, I shook my head. Miss Narumi and I were just friends. Raiko smirked. "I'll bet it didn't feel so cute when she broke half of your body." I paused with my mouth open, then grimaced. No, it hadn't helped in plenty more ways than one. Raiko raised a hand, her index finger tapping against her thumb absentmindedly. "That one was my fault. I offer you my most serious of apologies. Couldn't quite predict that she'd get such a fright. Lightning's supposed to be awe-inspiring. I try to keep it from being hospital-delivering." I decided that it was okay, because in the end, things had worked out okay. "Still, I gotta show my sincerity somehow. Tell you what: We'll owe you a favour. Us, the Horismriver Ensemble. A performance? A meet and greet?"

[Anonymous No.]

In fact, I'd been wondering about that. Had a long-haired redhead come to see them earlier? "A long-haired...Ah, that Ki girl? Oh yeah, she's been around. Could hardly get a word in edgewise with all the stammering she was doing." That did seem to fit what I'd expected to happen given her reaction to finding out that the Prismrivers would be by at all. "She a friend of yours? I saw her talking to a blonde girl in a pretty dress, too." That one, I replied, was mine. "That right...? Good taste, eh?" She favoured me with a grin that actually did make me swallow slightly nervously before catching myself. Raiko Horikawa had a real way with words, it seemed. She, like Toyosatomimi no Miko, seemed to just bleed charisma, and I reflected that it was no wonder why Kisami had found herself so flustered. I mean, even I felt flustered, and I was planning to propose marriage to Yamame before the sun had finished rising.

Still, that did give me an idea, so I suddenly asked if they played weddings. "You gotta ask? 'Course we do. We'll knock your socks off, as well as most other things you happen to be wearing. You got a particular wedding in mind?" My own, I replied. "Hm...Feel free to come by the other girls' mansion. Just don't try and mess with their stuff. Wouldn't dream of it, I replied.

A moment later, I heard footsteps. "Raiko, what are you doing back here?" Reimu's exasperated voice reached me. Perched on her shoulder was Kuro the cat. "You've got a concert to perform, you know?" She stomped closer and scooped up a jacket from the drum it was resting on, then passed it over to Raiko. She dusted it off with a spare hand, then slipped it back on. "How's business?" Reimu suddenly asked. I blinked, having never really seen her ask sincerely about the state of business to anyone. "Probably going crazy with all of the festivals that come up around this time, huh? Must be nice."

"Very nice, Reimu." Raiko walked over to the Shrine Maiden, her fingers still tapping, and her pace measured, once more invoking the idea that she was hearing something I couldn't. "Listen, I'm real thankful that you let us play here. Great acoustics, that courtyard. Almost makes you wonder if they were designed that way."

"Heh." Reimu snorted. "Brings in the money when every villager around wants a peek, doesn't it?" Raiko laughed and nodded, scratching her head. "Just remember to keep yourselves clear, right? No messing with villagers. Even this guy." She pointed at me, and I laughed awkwardly.
"Well, I'd best be off. Show to perform and all that jazz. "Er..." Raiko hummed a beat that I also didn't recognize as she hopped up onto the drum and began floating along. "See you, Reimu. Let's have a talk next time, huh?" She pointed at me. "You too, obviously. Maybe that sister, or whoever she's with." And off she went, waving once as she took to the air.

"She's kind of strange." Reimu said. "But strong and smart. Plus, she always knows what to say. Deadly combination, that."

I supposed that was true, but my skin and Yamame's fangs was a deadly combination too, and it had decidedly less favourable outcomes.

[Anonymous No.]

The final redhead...

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769008
Yumemi is still missing. It's not that impossible because in PoDD ending she returns to gensokyo, which tells us that she is still there or can go there whenever she wants.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769108
>Anon finally meets yumemi
>it's the blonde one

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769108
There's honestly no significant way to introduce her into the story, much less at this point, Kotohime made sense because she just lives in the village but Yumemi is hidden somewhere with Chiyuri on her ship, they would need a reason to go somewhere else and there just isn't much of any unless writeanon really wants to stretch it.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769119
she?
>>45769127
Hmmm you're right
for the anons who wanted yumemi maybe I write a fan-fanfic if she doesn't appear

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769173
She
Im pretty sure red yumemi throws blonde yumemi into the ship somewhere and just carries on with her day

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769238
Unfortunately she fused with real yumemi or something like that

[Anonymous No.]

>>45768859
>It's a little..." Embarrassing? "Arou- Er, Yeah. Embarrassing." She nodded very quickly. "Is it midnight yet?" The question was very innocent, but I had a feeling that there were some less-than-innocent intentions behind it.
Y'know I had a sudden thought, how good of an idea would it be to propose in the midst of coitus

>>45769008
oragne...

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769335
Who?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769335
I guess it could work as a heat of the moment thing, considering anon's luck it's possible it may happen too.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769335
I thought she just wanted to kiss him silly the moment it hits midnight. but that's good too

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769340
Don't tell me you've forgotten about Meiling's dear sister.

>>45769473
Nah, you're certainly right. There's no way she was actually talking about sex, and even if she was, it's not like they would do it during the festivities. But the way she worded it made me think it would be funny (and honestly quite romantic) to ask your girlfriend for her hand in marriage immediately after you nakadashi in her

[Anonymous No.]

Anon just fumbled a good opportunity to ask Hecatia about his future job.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45768865
>"For a chipped tooth, she will give her some mild painkillers and recommend that she only eat soft food until her tooth regenerates."
Wait so Eirin can regrow parts of Anon's brain and fix a large amount of crushed bones with ease but she can't just stick Yamame with a healing shot or something? Someone isn't being honest.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45771290
Something something, youkai are mental layer creatures, physical pharmaceuticals therefore don't have as much of an effect on their ephemeral bodies, never mind that the butterfly dream pills affect them just the same.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45771290
It's all about the quality of the tools available and if it's worth the effort.
Also unless you forgot we humans are actually a bit unnatural in how well we can heal even without external aid, you are a human right?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45771340
are you doubting Eirin's word? You know she has a huge fucking brian, right?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45771427
>huge fucking brian
Does she let Brian fuck the rabbits too?

[Anonymous No.]

Wait, now I remember something. At the end of WaHH Reimu keeps what happened a secret, doesn't she? So Marisa doesn't find the two Ibaraki strange? Come to think of it, they never stayed in the same place until now i think

[Anonymous No.]

>>45773111
Turns out that Kasen's idea that since no one has any common sense, all they needed to do was make the two of them look vaguely different actually worked
Was marisa ever actually suspicious of Kasen being an Oni anyway? Kolachi says in the epilogue that no one thinks that the hermit who nags reimu is the same as the Oni who dragged her to hell, so Marisa probably doesn't notice

[Anonymous No.]

>>45773153
It makes sense, but marisa isn't that dumb... right?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45773207
Marisa couldn't tell an oni gourd from a regular gourd

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769571
Meiling doesn't have a sister

[Anonymous No.]

>>45774184
Okay Sakuya, maybe try caring about your fucking employees once in a while

[Anonymous No.]

>>45774237
Meiling's isn't Sakuya's employee

[Anonymous No.]

>>45769108
here
>>/jp/thread/44713561#p44744910

[Anonymous No.]

Is Yams going to have to open up a can of hair dye?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776231
kek I remember this

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776231
wild how anon's been getting fucked half to death nightly since the end of september at this point

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776584
In those times the chapters were released so early...

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776584
He was a mere cherry boy looking for love a few months ago

[Anonymous No.]

"Something suspicious is afoot!" Marisa grabbed Reimu by the shoulders and shook her intensely. The witch had stumbled up as Reimu and I had followed Raiko out from the side of the Shrine. She smelt quite like sake, and Tenshi was following behind her with her arms crossed and an exasperated look on her face. "There are clones at this party!"

Her announcement didn't seem to inspire very much amazement in Reimu. She raised an arm, pulled Marisa's arm of off hers, then struck the witch in the forehead, making her cry out and let Reimu go. "Before I go and sober you up forcibly, what the hell are you talking about?" Marisa opened her mouth, and her arms came up, presumably to shake Reimu again. "Without," Reimu sharply added, flicking the witch in the forehead, "Shaking the life out of me."

"Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if she's sneaking more of those mushrooms." Tenshi exclaimed, sighing and shaking her head. She had loosened her shirt's collar and undone the top button, as well as loosening the bow around her neck. "I did my best to get rid of all the ones in her house, but even celestial luck can't seem to compete with this witch's kleptomania."

"It's - I'm fine!" Marisa insisted to Tenshi, who followed Reimu's example and flicked her in the forehead. "Stop it!" She tried to bat Tenshi's hand away, but the celestial deftly tilted her head to the side to avoid her blind swing. I'd thought that Tenshi was quite drunk earlier, but it seemed that she could actually hold her drink far more than she'd let on. "Where's the Mini-Hakkero..." Marisa mumbled, patting her clothes down as she searched. Behind her, I saw Tenshi raise an eyebrow and then lift the offending magical furnace in her other hand. She poked Marisa in the back and tossed the Mini-Hakkero silently while Marisa turned. Reimu caught it in the air and nodded, before slipping it to me and indicating my coat pocket, which I slipped it into.

Tenshi rolled her eyes. "Marisa, I shall have to revoke your massage privileges if you don't calm down." She spoke in a sharp, almost lecturing voice. "Any more acting up from you, and I'll stop making your bed." For a split second, I tried to decide whether or not she sounded more like Keine or Lady Kasen before the actual words she said filtered through my brain.

Massages? They'd certainly gotten close, hadn't they? And Marisa seemed to take that seriously, because she did calm down after that. "What!? But no one else does it the way you do..." I felt like my jaw was about to drop, so I scratched my chin as an excuse to double check that my mouth was closed. That was...Quite the way to phrase that. Made it sound a little bit more than just a friendly massage. If anything, it reminded me of the conversation that Yamame and I had been forced to endure about sleeping together, when she'd proclaimed her displeasure toward me thinking that perhaps it would be best if I did my best to not get her pregnant quite yet. Even if I definitely wanted to have a family in the future...

Reimu turned to me, snapping me out of my fantasy about having a bunch of children, opening her mouth. I told her to shut up before she could announce that she'd won our little bet about Marisa and Tenshi. Just because they'd become close enough friends to give each other massages didn't mean they were in a relationship. Reimu and I had an argument silently before Marisa got herself together. "Her!" She snapped, pointing at the crowd. I followed her finger and caught sight of Lady Kasen, who was carrying a bag that even from here, I could tell was chock-full of sweets. I chuckled slightly. For a hermit, Lady Kasen seemed to have a number of intense vices that would forever keep her from ascending to Heaven. Not least of which was her own partner.

Raki was near, but not with Lady Kasen. She was standing just slightly away from a stand that seemed to sell shaved ice - Which I couldn't imagine was particularly requested in the dead of Winter - and was fielding questions from a girl wielding a very long pole made of glass which she, interestingly, was not holding with her hand, but with her tail. I hoped that Raki was doing better after our talk, though I couldn't say for sure since she still did look a little bit out of her depth.

Unfortunately, Marisa had me cornered. "She's a clone!" Marisa cried, pointing a shaking finger at Raki this time. Reimu and I looked at each other and had another silent argument, this time about whether or not to play along. Reimu's eyes insisted that she wouldn't realise, while mine thought that the game might be up. After a moment, we turned back to Marisa.

[Anonymous No.]

"What are you talking about?" Reimu asked pointedly. "That's some oni friend of Suika's, isn't it?" I nodded and said that she might have been from Hell. "What's she got to do with Kasen? Have those mushrooms finally consumed your brain? Are you some sort of mushroom Marisa now?" She looked between Tenshi and I. "Mushrisa? Marishroom?"

"Marishroom has a better ring to it." Tenshi commented, planting a hand in Marisa's hair and ruffling it. "She needs to wash her hair more thoroughly, so no mushroom spoors get in there." Reimu elbowed me in the side - No doubt wanting to gloat about how they were totally in a relationship, so I casually poked her in the nape of her neck, which instantly made her knees weak. The game was not over yet. "What's wrong with you two?" Tenshi asked with a frown. Nothing, I replied innocently before exclaiming in slight pain when Reimu punched me in the arm. "...Right. Anyway, what the hell is she on about? She's been muttering about clones ever since those two," Here Tenshi nodded in the direction of Ibaraki and Ibaraki, "Showed up." I was sure that Tenshi had already realised what was going on, but she'd been kind enough to keep it a secret. This was confirmed when she looked at me from behind Marisa, then frowned and mouthed a question. "I thought she was supposed to be a secret?" While Marisa was focused on Reimu, I mouthed back that it was a long story.

"Look, I'm not that drunk! And I've been staying off the mushrooms!" Marisa exclaimed, crossing her arms. She'd seemed plenty drunk earlier. "Pfft, like Reimu's collection could do any damage to me. My system's been consuming a heady diet of-"
"Mushrooms, dubious mushrooms, mushrooms that smell weird, mushrooms that look weird, not enough meat, and definitely not enough nutrients." Reimu filled in for her. "That's why you're still so short." Marisa growled, then tried to hit Reimu. Reimu, not having drunk nearly as much as I'd have thought she had, merely shifted her body just slightly to the right and allowed Marisa's balance to tip. She stumbled forward and Reimu moved her arm out, catching Marisa by her waist when she began to fall. "Alright, now that that's over with...Can you please explain what you're talking about? I can only withstand so many weird distractions before I want to punch you even more than I normally do."

"Don't try and lie to me, Reimu. It'll never work. You'd never punch me." I had a feeling that this was probably not as true as Marisa seemed to think that it was. "That oni, the pink haired one." Marisa finally got back to her feet and turned to look at Raki, who'd crossed her arms and seemed to have gotten herself back on track for dealing with the brown-haired girl she was talking to. "I've never seen her before. Where'd she come from, really? Don't just say Hell. Those guys are all workers." She looked back at Reimu with her eyes narrowed. "From the back, I thought she looked familiar..."

"Just your drugged-up imagination, probably." Reimu replied lazily. "No idea who she is. I can't keep track of everyone who shows up to the New Year's Eve party, Marisa. You love this sort of investigative stuff, don't you? Why don't you go and find out?"

Marisa shook her head. "No, that's not - Hang on - I'm the one who loves this investigative stuff? This coming from the girl who knows more about Agatha Chris Q's books than she does about her own religion? Don't you have a whole detective getup in your closet?" That, I thought, was a hit for Marisa, because Reimu grit her teeth and looked away. I'd found that funny hat and cloak of hers in her wardrobe once, actually. I'd assumed it was just a coincidence that a character in one of Agatha Chris Q's books had worn a very similar getup. "A-Anyway, my point is, don't you think she looks just a little bit too similar to Kasen?"

And here was the flaw in our plan. I wasn't sure that Reimu had ever thought beyond the disguise part of dressing up Raki and over to the part about what to actually say if someone started getting close to the truth. And more importantly - And I was really kicking myself for this - I'd forgotten something hugely important.

Raki had an aversion to lying.

We'd all forgotten, apparently. Oni hated lies; It was always a part of their history. It didn't mean that they couldn't lie, but they didn't enjoy it, and Raki had told me in particular that she didn't lie. So...How was this whole disguise plan working out? No one seemed to have started raising a fuss about her, so I could only surmise that nothing had come to pass yet. Perhaps she was just a lot better at creatively rewording the questions she was being given so that she didn't have to lie. Lady Kasen had even said that their plan was more to just act really annoyed when confronted with questions rather than outright lying, too.

[Anonymous No.]

"Kasen? Er...Not really?" Reimu said slowly. I didn't try to catch her attention, because I was worried that doing so would break the spell and Marisa would realise that we were trying to communicate something. "I mean...Maybe? If you squint a little. Kasen doesn't have horns, though, so it can't be her." Oh, I thought. We'd fallen down so far that we were using Lady Kasen's common-sense plan, now.

Instead of trying to speak to Reimu, I edged over to Tenshi and pulled her back slightly so I could whisper to her without Marisa overhearing it. "We're supposed to be keeping that a secret, right?" I nodded, though I wasn't sure it would stay much of a secret for long. At some point, Lady Kasen would simply have to reconcile with her past, because the current situation limited what Raki could do and where she could go, and I couldn't imagine that Lady Kasen much liked restraining her like this anymore, either. "Alright, so...Oni hate lies." Tenshi whispered to me. "Guess I'll just have to keep Marisa from talking to her? I mean, she does miss the obvious sometimes, so maybe it would be okay." I supposed that was the best we could do. "Hey, where's Yamame gotten to?" Tenshi whispered, casting her eye over at Marisa, who was still trying to prove to Reimu that Lady Kasen and Raki looked more or less identical and had the same voice. Awkwardly, I explained the little accident that I'd had with Komachi, and then had to slap a hand over Tenshi's mouth before she could start laughing. "Oh...That lazy Shinigami's always causing problems like that. I wonder where she ended up?" I wasn't sure, but considering she hadn't managed to come back yet, I figured that it was probably at least halfway to the Sanzu River. "Probably landed on her head and decided to have a little snooze." Tenshi shook her head in exasperation.

"Seriously? You're telling me that Kasen Ibara just happens to have an evil doppelganger twin that dressed up and decided to come to my New Year's Party? Even though that makes no sense at all? Are you feeling alright?" Reimu crossed her arms and frowned heavily. If I didn't know better, I'd probably have believed her. "I think you're seeing things, Marisa. It’s starting to make you sound a little bit crazy. In fact, I’m starting to get worried about you. You should get some rest."

"Hey, don't try and turn this back on me! You're just ignoring it because it's easier than actually dealing with the problem!" That started a new set of arguments, so I turned back to Tenshi, who seemed perfectly happy to watch it all take place without intervening.

Suddenly, I heard noise. The echoing vibrato of a violin. Blinking, I turned to look even as I felt a sort of melancholy grip my heart. The year was coming to an end and with it, the cold and dark of the new year was all that remained. "Huh, that's..." Tenshi murmured, looking out over the torii gate. I followed her gaze. There, against the darkness but with a faint glow surrounding her, was the figure of Lunasa Prismriver. I knew her right away, with her blonde hair and dark outfit, as well as the violin in her arms. She threw her head toward the sky as she continued playing. Belatedly, I noticed that a hush had fallen over the crowds. Even the shop vendors had turned to watch. It was enough that the violin could be heard from everywhere, despite the fact that it should have been barely audible from this distance. "She's...Not actually playing it. No, it's playing itself?" Tenshi murmured, but even her voice had become subdued. "Poltergeists...The music comes from her body, but the violin is...Involved, somehow..."

She almost continued, but a second sound was starting to join into the violin. A thumping. Quiet, discrete, but you could feel it in your heart. A drum. A continued kick. "Well," Reimu said quietly, stepping over to join Tenshi and I. Marisa followed a moment later. "We're closer to midnight than I thought, if they're starting things up now." The drum was starting to grow slightly louder in volume, and the tempo of the violin was beginning to increase. "It's good, isn't it? These guys have been a mainstay since the Spring Snow Incident. And since Raiko joined them..." Something else had joined. A horn, sounding at intervals. Slowly, a light began emanating from the body of the silver-haired Merlin Prismriver. She was spaced on the other side from Lunasa, leaving a wide space between them. "Let's just say they've got a much bigger flair for the dramatic now."

[Anonymous No.]

A keyboard joined in, the noise picking the pace up even further. A third light began to glow and reveal the form of Lyrica Prismriver, completing the three sisters. I wondered where they were planning to go with this, because the entire piece so far had felt like it was progressively building up to something. "Haven't heard these guys play in ages." Marisa spoke. "Last time I actually remember was before that drum tsukumogami joined them. It's, uh...Changed a bit from back then."

And then, a sharp laser shot from each of the sisters to the next one, completing a triangle. In the centre, her own body lit too, was Raiko Horikawa. I could already see that I'd been right about her shoes, because she was sat on the large drum she'd floated away on, and her foot was kicking against it at a perfect beat. Circling around her connected by a red ring were several shapes, which she was hitting with the drumsticks in her hands. The beam connecting the sisters began to cycle colours, and Raiko remained the constant in the centre, very much the one in the lead of the band.

I managed to tear my gaze away and looked down at the crowd. Right away, I caught the sight of Raki, who had frozen entirely in place. Her hands were slack, and she was staring like she'd forgotten how to breathe. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't actually know if she'd really heard music since she'd been sealed. I almost went over to her to make sure she was alright, but before I could, I spotted Lady Kasen pushing through the crowd over to her, and she immediately wrapped the Arm of Ibaraki-Douji in her arms. I could see her whispering something to her, and after a moment, Raki nodded weakly. Content to think that things were going to be okay over there, I looked over the rest of the area. Most were watching the performance, but I spotted Miss Yuuka strolling between the crowds without a care in the world, and Yuyuko trying to get the attention of one of the stall owners. And there, over at the stall that Eientei was operating, I saw the curtain shift and Yamame emerge, running her hand through her hair. She turned to take in the performance as well, though the first song was coming to an end.

For some reason, the song had put me in a nostalgic mood. A lot had happened over the half a year or so that had changed my life in so many ways. I'd been experimented on and more or less tortured, and I'd lost family that I didn't even know about. But at the same time, I thought as I looked at Reimu, Tenshi, and Marisa standing by me, and then at Raki and Lady Kasen down below, and Keine, who was standing with Fujiwara no Mokou by a stall, and at Kisami, who'd claimed the spot closest to the torii gate so she could see the Horismriver Ensemble performing from up close, I'd gained something that I hadn't even known I was missing. I'd found a family to care about as much as the one I'd lost. I'd seen things that I wouldn't have believed, and I'd heard about things that I would never understand.

My eyes alighted on Yamame Kurodani, who was still watching the performance from Eientei's tent. I'd found someone that I loved beyond words. Unconsciously, my hand went to my pocket. I'd found someone that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

As the music faded, Raiko Horikawa's voice boomed out. "Welcome to the final performance of the Horismriver Ensemble for the year." She hopped off of the drum that she'd been sitting on to give a deep bow. "Midnight is fast approaching, and I believe our favourite Shrine Maiden would like to say a few words." Raiko paused for a moment. "Sadly, Miss Kochiya isn't here, so we'll have to settle for Reimu Hakurei instead." She said with a grin, which drew a laugh from the crowd below.

[Anonymous No.]

Reimu sighed, but I saw a smile tugging at the corners of her lips regardless. "Guess I'd better go and make my speech, huh?" She patted me on the back and took to the air, floating over the crowd and stopping in front of Raiko. I couldn't quite hear what they were saying to each other, but after a moment, Reimu turned to the crowd. "Right, er...I'll get the usual stuff out of the way first, shall I?" She raised her gohei out and began saying her thanks to the gods for the year we'd just had and asked for their blessings in the coming year. Most of this went over my head, and Reimu would probably have slapped me for it. "So...I'm sure everyone knows by now how I feel about these big speeches. Instead, let's just say that this year has been one of change, and I hope that the coming year will be even better." She looked up to the sky. I had no idea how she did it, but she muttered that it was almost midnight after that. "So - I've got a bit of a surprise for this year."

Suddenly, I felt Tenshi elbow me in the ribs. She pointedly looked in Yamame's direction, then back at me. After a moment, I nodded. Suddenly overcome by a burst of sentimentality, I stepped forward to kiss her on the forehead and thank her for everything she'd done for me. She blushed scarlet and slapped me on the shoulder, then pointed in Yamame's direction. Marisa, it seemed, was destined to end the year without knowing who it was that I was with, because she'd been looking at Reimu the whole time. I slipped down from the main Shrine and pushed my way through the crowds, determined to reach Yamame right now. Meanwhile, Reimu continued speaking. "In collaboration with the kappa of Genbu Ravine and with input from the Outsider, Sumireko Usami, we've put together this little display. I hope you enjoy it." She raised her hand, and I saw that she was holding her gohei up. "Now...Ten!" She shouted. The crowd, who'd been listening quietly, all joined in. "Nine!" Reimu continued. As I pushed past a tall woman dressed in purple who I thought that I recognized, I wondered how Reimu could have known the time so accurately. Finally, I decided that it was probably some cheating from Hearn, or something to that effect. "Eight!"

At the count of seven, I finally made it to Yamame. "Oh, you're here!" She said excitedly. "Eirin gave me some painkillers, so I feel much better now. Tooth should heal soon enough, anyway." But she trailed off as I stared at her. Above me, Reimu reached the count of five. "Um, that's the countdown, right? To midnight?" Yamame asked. "So, um, I'm really glad that I met you this year." She was speaking slightly faster now. "I, er-" At the count of three, I used a finger to tilt Yamame's head up. "O-Oh, um - Happy New Year?" She asked as Reimu hit two. I whispered it back to her.

For a single, mad moment, I thought about asking her to marry me right there and then. I didn't have time to get to my knee and do it properly, though. I wasn't sure it was what Yamame would want, either, since I'd be doing it right in the middle of a crowd and when her attention was distracted by the speech and the countdown. Lastly - And this was something that I found slightly hard to admit - I was starting to realise that, Just like Yamame and Reimu, I was a bit more of a hopeless romantic than I'd thought, because I wanted to do the proper thing and get down on one knee and ask Yamame the question properly. I wanted to do it in a way that would have her blush. The stroke of midnight, with everything going on, wasn't the right moment. Dawn, I thought. It would have to be the dawn.

Yamame, I whispered instead. I love you. And as her eyes softened happily, I pressed my lips against hers. It was gentle, nothing like some of the more intense kisses we'd enjoyed, but it was no less meaningful. "Happy New Year!" I heard Reimu yell, followed by the cheers and echoed shouts of all of the other youkai. And a moment after that, I heard an even louder booming sound, and I could half see that there were massive explosions of light going on overhead, forming intricate patterns that were somewhat like danmaku, but with more defined shapes. I was sure that it was incredibly beautiful.

I didn't care. I had Yamame, and I was perfectly happy to welcome in the new year with her alone.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776623
haha yeah I remember the good old days

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777466
>Last time I actually remember was before that drum tsukumogami joined them. It's, uh...Changed a bit from back then.
Writefriend...

[Anonymous No.]

Reimu was right in the end about Marisa and Tenshi, I'm surprised Tenshi didn't grab her at midnight

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777528
To be fair she was a bit preoccupied at the time
She probably means the last time she actually saw one of their concerts properly, as in attended and didn't need to beat someone up halfway through

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777472
>She looked up to the sky. I had no idea how she did it, but she muttered that it was almost midnight after that.
So writeanon is adeppt of the theory that renko e reimu are relacioned?

>>45777477
:(

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777472 #
>She looked up to the sky. I had no idea how she did it, but she muttered that it was almost midnight after that.
So writeanon is adeppt of the theory that renko and reimu are relacioned?

>>45777477 #
:(

[Anonymous No.]

>Massages? They'd certainly gotten close, hadn't they? And Marisa seemed to take that seriously, because she did calm down after that. "What!? But no one else does it the way you do..." I felt like my jaw was about to drop, so I scratched my chin as an excuse to double check that my mouth was closed. That was...Quite the way to phrase that. Made it sound a little bit more than just a friendly massage.

Even if it turns out they're not in a relationship and just friends, albeit with benefits, Marisa definitely just let it slip there that they 100% did it. Maybe it's Tenshi that's relaxed about it and doesn't really want any more than some fun but Marisa is absolutely crazy for more 'celestial massages'. with her and she's hooked now she's tried it for the first time.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777528
obviously she doesn't remember that they were there. brain damage will do that to you

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777732
plot twist, she's actually upset that Tewi will no longer make her bed in the perfect celestial way

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777732
plot twist, she's actually upset that Tenshi will no longer make her bed in the perfect celestial way

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777766
>perfect celestial way

She drops a keystone on it to blow away all the junk Marisa leaves piled up on top of it

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777784
Exactly how she likes it

[Anonymous No.]

Stupid Sakuya spent the New Year in an alcoholic coma, she deserved it.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777732
>>45777685
I can't wait for it to be revealed that they're just best friends

[Anonymous No.]

>>45776327
Kisami NTR comes closer to canon with every passing day.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777801
She spent the night drunk out of her mind and being fussed over by her mistress, it's not the punishment you think it is.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45779935
reminder that one of Ki's sisters is an arms dealer and supplied the kappa/yamawaro conflict
this family is so goddamn weird

[Anonymous No.]

>>45779935
Ki is a good sister and would never

[Anonymous No.]

>>45781372
She would if Yamame asked her to slake her husband's insatiable redheadlust. It'd be better than him running off in a fit of red rage and impregnating some poor waitress or gatekeeper.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45781413
I think you have this backwards, Anon attracts redheads but he himself has been trapped in the blonde spider web and he doesn't want to leave.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45781413
If he resisted the Komachis i doubt other redheads can get him too aroused.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45782095
this, he explicitly stated that Komachi's Komachis would tempt a happily-married man, but he wasn't even married yet and managed to resist it. at the time I thought Kasen might have put her up to it to test if he was loyal enough to be Reimu's husband lol

[Anonymous No.]

I felt that I'd started the new year off on a high note as I finally pulled away from Yamame. "Wow." She mumbled. "Um, yes - That's very - good." I raised an eyebrow. "Um...Love you too..." She finally said. "Really, really glad that you fell down that hole." So was I. Kogasa really did need a lot more thanking. I wasn't sure where I'd be right now if it hadn't been for that funny umbrella youkai. Above us, the sky still thundered with the sound of explosions, and I noticed that Yamame flinched slightly at the next one. I wrapped my arms around her and asked her if she was okay. "Y-Yeah...Um, it's just - Loud noises." She flinched again, so I hugged her tighter. "It'll stop soon..." She did seem to relax a little more once I was holding her, and that made me feel better too.

Keeping an arm around her, I brought her around to the side of the Eientei stall so that we had a slightly bit of privacy while we waited for the booming sounds to stop. I looked up and did at least get a chance to admire what I was seeing. I could hear plenty of cheers going around as youkai and human alike welcomed in the new year in their own way. I wondered how long Reimu had been talking to the kappa about this whole idea, because the light show taking place in the sky above me did seem very elaborate. I remembered a time, several years back, when Reimu had organised something similar, a 'fireworks display' which was essentially a spell card demonstration by various individuals around the valley and the underground. It had been quite the spectacle, at least until it had turned weirdly more violent in the second half and my last memory was a massive laser coming right at me before Reimu had managed to pull me out of the way. Since I didn't remember anything after that, I assumed that I'd probably decided that I'd had enough excitement.

Or not. I wasn't sure, because I still had plenty of hazy memories from those days. Either way, the fireworks going off today were not danmaku. They were explosive and they sent vibrations straight through my soul. Each one made Yamame jump, and I wondered if I should perhaps cover her ears or something.

After several, there was a reprieve, and the sky was dark once more. "...Phew, I think that was-" Then, I heard another one shoot into the air, but this one was infinitely more intense and massive in scale, and it practically lit up the whole sky. For a moment, I thought that daylight had come early as all of the shadows were scoured from the grounds. The sound was even louder, too, and I knew that it had spooked Yamame too much when she jolted violently.

A moment later, I felt something wrapping around me. More limbs than it should have been. Slowly, I asked her if she'd just wrapped her spider limbs around me. "Um...Maybe." She mumbled. I felt like I was being gripped tighter than ever, and I could already see the limbs themselves sprouting from Yamame's back. They were...Surprisingly gentle. In fact, where the tips were touching my body, it felt very gentle and actually rather pleasant. Plus, they seemed to feel quite secure, even with her regular arms wrapped around me too. It was like being hugged twice at once. After a moment, I felt them fade. "Sorry, um, I'll try to control it better." I shook my head and said that it had felt quite nice, actually. "You - Really...?" I nodded. "...Huh. Maybe Satori Komeiji was right about you." Frowning, I asked her what she meant. "You really are a spider-obsessed lunatic." I snorted, then clarified that it was one particular spider I was obsessed with. "...Charmer." She mumbled.

Finally, the fireworks show came to a close, and I heard Raiko's voice boom out across the grounds again. "...And that's another year down! Now, we'll get busy welcoming in the new year with another performance!" And right after that, the music started back up, this time beginning with Raiko's drumbeat providing a background for Lyrica's keyboard notes. I poked my head out from behind the Eientei stall that we had taken refuge next to. I wanted to gauge the crowds. I spotted Reimu coming back in for a landing over by the main Shrine, Marisa waving her in. I also saw Lady Kasen heading in her direction, though I noticed that Raki hadn't joined her. I scanned from side to side, and finally spotted her over by a stall that was selling what looked like animal bones. It did seem...Slightly fitting for her. Reimu, in telling me the story of her battle against Raki in Avici, had mentioned the hordes of skeletons. Either way, as long as she was doing well, I was happy enough. Over by the torii gate, I caught sight of Kisami, still staring doggedly up at the performance. I had a feeling that if I tried to interrupt her, she'd probably toss me off the stairs for diverting her attention.

[Anonymous No.]

So, it seemed like things weren't going to be too packed. I turned back to Yamame and asked her if she wanted to have a look at the stalls. "Hmm...Yeah. Although, I'm getting a little bit cold." I tried to offer her my coat, but she just giggled. "Please, that thing'll be dragging on the ground behind me. I left all those coats that Ki made me wear in Reimu's room. I'll just get one of those." Yamame nodded, then smiled when I offered her my arm. "Aren't you being all gentlemanly today?" I frowned, then asked her if I wasn't like that all the time. "Well, you're usually a little more clueless, but it's adorable, so I put up with it. You're very - Tender, today." As expected, my continued frown at her calling me clueless only made Yamame giggle. "Sentimental, that's what you are. A great, big, sentimental sweetheart." I opened my mouth, but didn't really say anything. I wasn't entirely sure how you were supposed to respond to that. "Ah, and now you're blushing!" She took my arm, and we began to make our way up through the crowded courtyard toward the Shrine.

I spotted Marisa and Tenshi finally moving off from Reimu and Lady Kasen, into the other row of stalls away from where Yamame and I were. It was like the world itself was conspiring against Marisa so that she wouldn't figure out Yamame's identity. Surely, I thought, we'd get a chance before the end of the night. Surely.

On the way, I asked Yamame if her tooth was okay. "Oh, yeah. Like I was saying just before midnight, Eirin got me some painkillers. I just have to not mess around with it and it'll be fine. Just like before, you know?" I nodded slowly, but wondered how she'd managed the first time around. "Well, uh...You'd broken all of the webs, so I was mostly busy fixing that. Didn't really think about it, I guess?" Not the most exciting of responses, then. "Oh, don't whine! You're still the one at fault for that." I rolled my eyes and asked her if she'd rather I hadn't fallen down that hole. "W-Well, er, no, I didn't say that..."

Finally, we were at Reimu's room, and I waited patiently while Yamame went through the pile of coats on the table. "No, that's too thin...And that's too hot...That one's too heavy..." She was muttering to herself, so I continued watching people going about their business outside. I thought I saw a guy from Geidontei engaged in an intense conversation with that woman I'd seen talking to Lady Kasen earlier, the one with the checkered scarf and brown hair. I knew that guy. He'd been one of the regulars at Geidontei for a long time, and I wondered if he'd be making it home alright. He'd definitely had one or two strange occurrences at Geidontei before, after all. Idly, I asked Yamame why she'd picked all of those coats in the first place. Couldn't she have just picked all her lightest coats so that Ki wouldn't fuss? "Nope, she knew exactly where all of the coats were and told me that I wasn't leaving without adequate protection from 'the elements' as she put it. Honestly, I think she just wanted some payback for us getting revenge on her recently." She paused for a moment. "Maybe that's why that Byakuren is always advocating peace. Now I want to get Ki back for her getting me back for us getting her back." A cycle, I replied with a smile. "Exactly!" Yamame agreed, tossing another coat to the side.

Eventually, she settled on an off-white coat that covered down to her legs. I was a little sorry to see her outfit disappear underneath it, but I was happy enough that she was more comfortable now. "Phew, that's better. Alright, let's go and, er...Wander?" I nodded and took her hand this time, then led her out of Reimu's room and shut the door behind us. "So, where did all of these guys come from?" Yamame asked, indicating all of the stalls. "There definitely weren't this many stalls earlier."

"They were waiting for midnight, Yamame." I looked over my shoulder to see Reimu's head stick out from the edge of the rooftop. Her hair hung down, creating a strange image. "No one's interested in trying to buy things before they've eaten and gotten just drunk enough to loosen their wallets." Again, I wondered just what that rabbit had been thinking when she'd decided to set herself up so early. "Plus, that means I can charge them a late-night fee for renting space in the courtyard. Tonight's great for my wallet!" She did look pretty cheerful. I asked her what she was doing up there. "Nothing! Taking a break, actually. You've been off arguing with Remi and...Well, whatever else you were doing, so you've missed all the rushing around I've had to do to keep people from killing each other before they got drunk enough to no longer manage to kill each other."

[Anonymous No.]

Was that...How it worked? "Yep." Reimu looked very convinced. "Anyway, I'll let you two, uh, enjoy yourself." Before she could disappear again, I congratulated her on both the speech and the spectacle. "Heh. Thanks. It's - Well, basically, I have to do a huge amount of running around in the days leading up to it to get everything set up, but once it all works out, it's usually pretty great." It definitely seemed to be. "Ah, there's never enough praise. Alright, have fun. I've got a date with a sake bottle up here." She immediately disappeared from view, presumably pulling herself back up and onto the roof properly.

Yamame and I stepped off of the veranda. The first stall we came across was, funnily enough, belonged to that rabbit. 'Seiran's Delicious Dango' graced the sign on the bottom of the stand. She did look slightly familiar now that I was seeing her close-up. Something about her face...Perhaps it was one of my muddled up memories. She was turning gently sizzling dango atop a box of charcoal, her eyes flicking between the box and the dango that she'd already made. There was a lot of it, and I wondered how her business was. Perhaps she'd brought a lot of stock to run through? Either way, she seemed focused enough that she hadn't actually heard us approach, which was rather impressive given the size of her ears. That golden thing I'd seen glinting earlier turned out to be a cuff, wrapped around the top of her ear, past where it bent. There were bits cut out, and I thought that perhaps they spelt something out, but whatever it said was unreadable. The cuff looked like it had seen better days. It was meticulously polished, but there were scratches that ran deeper than the rabbit could buff out on her lonesome. Her dress was the same; I could see spots where she'd scrubbed at them harder during washing, and there was a patch or two where she'd sewed it back up as best she could. Practicality was the word that came to mind. I'd seen outfits much more elaborate tonight.

After a few moments, I cleared my throat and apparently started the girl enough that she nearly dropped the dango sticks that she was still turning over. "Yes!" She cried, her hands flying behind her back and her posture going stiff. After a moment, I slowly asked her if she was okay, and she seemed to realise what she was doing. "Um." She replied, her hands slowly coming out from behind her and her posture relaxing. "Yes. Yes, er, customer." She looked from side to side, then at Yamame and I. "Fine." She nodded. "You - Er, want to order?" She asked. It seemed that I'd caught her on the back foot. I looked down at her menu. Black sesame dango sounded good to me, and I turned to Yamame, who agreed. "Right. Yes. Coming - Coming up." The rabbit nodded and reached down to fetch two new skewers.

While she got to work, I watched her quietly, then looked over at Yamame. She shrugged, then gestured toward her. I shook my head, poked Yamame in the chest, then gestured toward the rabbit instead. Yamame breathed in sharply, put her hands on her hips, and gave me a strong stare. I crossed my arms. She tilted her head. An intense standoff followed.

Finally, I admitted defeat and asked the girl - Seiran, I assumed - if she was alright. "Yes." She replied sharply. "No one bothered to inform me of the venue change." I winced and offered my sympathies. "Well, it's fine now. Rushed my ears off getting everything disassembled and the like. Only barely managed to get over here and set up before the rush started. It's all fine. Now." She turned the dango atop the charcoal box. I cast an eye over her stock. Slowly, I asked her how business had been, then felt Yamame squeeze my hand slightly tighter as if I'd just made a mistake. "Things sell. Law of the land at a market, no? Could sell more, could sell less, but it sells all the same." That, I thought, sounded like a lot of words for 'sales are good' and I wondered if sales really were that good. I asked Seiran if she'd done this sort of thing before. "Thing? What thing?" I waved a hand around us at the Shrine. "The Shrine thing? Yes. Not many vendors who haven't. Never done the end of the year, though. Wasn't really a thing on-" She snapped her mouth shut, then shook her head and muttered something under her breath. "Anyway, I'm nearly done." She went back to her work, her ears drooping down over her head.

[Anonymous No.]

I watched her silently. "It's just-" Ah, there it was. " Usually, Ringo sets up nearby, so I at least have something to focus on and someone to talk to, but she's apparently done so well for herself that she decided to just take the night off, so here I am, stuck on my own with too much dango." Ringo? "Rin- Er, sorry, I didn't mean to say all that. Ringo's that moon rabbit with the blonde hair and the hat." Ah, I knew I'd recognized them from somewhere. I'd seen them on the streets of the village once or twice, doing the exact same sort of thing. "...Right. Er, two black sesame dango. Is that right, Mister - Uh..." She trailed off, staring at me blankly. The unfinished words hung in the air like oppressive mist. Silently, she offered the dango over to us, and I handed one to Yamame. "I - Er, didn't catch your name." We introduced ourselves.

This whole thing was starting to feel a bit strange. "I'm Seiran. As, uh, you can probably see...On the sign." I could. The silence then stretched itself out like a snake. The tension, meanwhile, wound itself up like a coiling snake. Finally, I asked her how much we owed her. "Oh! Well, er, two sticks, so...Eight mon?" I frowned, then reached into my pocket for my change. After a bit of rummaging, I found the right amount, as well as an empty wrapper that I didn't remember putting in there, some string, and two napkins. There was always a bit of string. I handed the money over and Seiran counted it slowly, making sure it was all there. "Thanks. Oh, hang on..." She said, ducking her head back down and looking for something out of sight. "Have you got, uh...five more? Running low on coins and the kappa are weird about that sort of thing. I've got a five here." I nodded, then went back to my pocket to pull out five more coins. "Oh, there you are." She muttered as she took the money and handed me back a note. "Er, enjoy your food."

Nodding, I turned to move off. I wasn't really sure how to gauge that conversation, but it seemed that it wasn't quite over yet, because I came face to face with a man. "Well, now. There's a face I don't see very often." He said with a wry smile. "Months and some change, I should think." I shrugged, then said that I'd been busy for a while. "Busy, hmm? Busy being dead, the way I've heard the tale. Over and over, matter of fact. You'd think that you're an immortal for the number of ways I've heard of your demise." What could I say? It was a little flattering to know people cared enough to come up with so many deaths for me. Privately, I'd decided to take Keine's advice to heart and stop feeling bad about myself in regard to the village. "Ah, I can see how that might be the case. Just try not to emulate it in real life." I'd do my best, I replied dryly. “Ah, you’re trying Miss Seiran’s dango? They’re very excellent, aren’t they?” I hadn’t actually tried them yet, but I certainly hoped he was right.

"Um, hello." Yamame suddenly piped up. She'd been standing there, looking back and forth between the two of us like she wasn't sure what to say. So, she'd bravely charged in. "I'm, er, Yamame." She bowed, but she was trying to keep the dango stick free from getting on her clothes or on mine, she it was a little awkward. "Do you two know each other?" She asked curiously.

"Only vaguely, I believe. We're about the same age, so we've certainly seen each other growing up. Same class, no?" I nodded. Same class while I'd been in Keine's schooling. "You look like you're doing rather well for a dead man." I ran a hand through my head as I replied and said that dying did wonders for the complexion. "Is that right? I'll refrain from trying that out for myself, if you don't mind." He looked over my shoulder. "Miss Seiran? I've checked out the back. Not a scrap, scrip, or sign of any ledgers." I looked between him and Seiran, who was chewing on a fingernail. "Might recommend starting over at this point. Only might, though." I decided to offer a suggestion and said that perhaps he should ask Aunn Komano, since she had a nose for this sort of thing. I did make sure to specify that if Aunn looked grumpy and annoyed, it wasn't the right Aunn, and he should go and look for the other one. "Ah, she's the Shrine's komainu, correct? I'll try that now. Miss Seiran, if you don't mind?" Seiran nodded, and he turned and disappeared into the crowd again.

[Anonymous No.]

A moment longer, and we awkwardly nodded to Seiran and made our way forward. On the way, I tried my dango. It was...Fine. Nice. I wasn't sure I'd call it the greatest I'd ever eaten, but I could tell that Seiran had put her all into it. "It's pretty good." Yamame mumbled next to me. "Hope she finds her, uh...Whatever it was. Ledger?" I nodded. "Should keep that in a locked box. I've got records of every order I've ever made." Really, I asked. "Really." She replied seriously. "And only one outstanding." Was that right? I asked her who she was referring to. She smiled, took a moment to swallow, and slapped me on the arm. "You, you snake." I asked her with some mock outrage that I thought I'd been working that debt off. "Hmm...At your current rate? Gonna be a few more years, sorry." I sighed dramatically. "Or a lifetime..." She mumbled under her breath.

I laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as we strolled on. There was a ring that promised a lifetime burning a hole in my pocket, and I couldn't find the opportunity to ask that important question. It was still too busy. "Yamame! Yamame, get over here!" Suddenly, there was a bundle of excitement and red hair moving toward us at speed. It came together to reveal Kisami, frantic and shaking Yamame by the shoulders. "Raiko Horikawa and the Prismrivers are signing things! I don't have anything to give her since these aren't my clothes!" Kisami sounded like she was at her wit's end. Lady Kasen's clothes, I supposed, would have that problem. "Please, do you have anything? Anything at all, just a scrap of paper!" I looked at the frantic elder Kurodani, then fumbled around in my pocket again. I withdrew one of the napkins, then asked Kisami if that would do. "It's - Have you got anything sturdier?"

I frowned, then tried the other pocket, though I didn't find anything that could reasonably be used to sign and keep. "Er..." Yamame hummed, checking her pockets. "Oh, what's...?" She pulled out a piece of folded paper. "What even is this?" She muttered, unfolding it and glancing at it. "Oh, it's one of those receipts I got from Yuugi for the Hot Springs Town. Don't really need it now, so..." She passed it to Kisami, who squeezed the life out of her, then me for good measure. "Right - Er, thanks, Ki. You'd best get going over there, right?" Kisami nodded rapidly, then turned and sprinted off through the crowd. "She really loves them." Yamame commented dryly.

Raiko had offered a private concert to me, though, and she'd included Ki in that deal. So, I thought that if I brought Kisami along to that, she might have had her mind overload and give up on her. That'd make it hard to enjoy said concert, though.

Plus, I thought that they could probably play for Yamame and my wedding, if I ever got around to asking the question.

[Anonymous No.]

>Alright, have fun. I've got a date with a sake bottle up here." She immediately disappeared from view, presumably pulling herself back up and onto the roof properly.
If only anon had taken the other choice in the bath when he chose with path to follow. Reimu's inner loneliness always hits me right in the feels.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45784995
>when Reimu had organised something similar, a 'fireworks display' which was essentially a spell card demonstration by various individuals
Ah yes, the "Reimu has a cactus up her ass" festival

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785306
I think he's referring to grimoire of usability
>>45785203
It's necessary for the sequel where anon (Not anon) sweeps her off her feet.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785306
man I love satori she is so kind to her underground friends

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785358
>usability
lmao, meant grimoire of usami, fucking phone

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785358
You say that like she doesn't have a cactus up her ass on those as well

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785358
>It's necessary for the sequel where anon (Not anon) sweeps her off her feet.
We need a spinoffanon

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785024
He dropped the ring didn't he?

[Anonymous No.]

Was...Seiran and her helping human a sort of reference to The Rabbit Has Not Landed?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785387
I already see everything, this will be how he finally meets Byakuren and others buddhists, asking Nazrin to find the ring

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785423
He's going to get in one knee to pick it up and then Yamame will inexplicably end up standing in front of him when he raises it

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785387
Anon realises he's dropped the ring somewhere, panics and after a minute of running around spots the box on the paving at the front of the shrine near Seiran's stall. He rushes over to grab it but slips on some frozen snow and falls forward on his knees and palms. Picking up the ring box and opening it just to check it's still there and unharmed he doesn't realise he is down on one knee with the box open, just as without looking ahead Yu- no, Hearn nonchalantly steps out of a gap just in front of him to pay Reimu a surprise visit. Before he can materialise any thoughts, all Anon can see from the corner of his eye is a stunned Reimu freezing and dropping a bottle of sake on the paving with an almighty smash....

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785387
Wait, when did he drop the ring? Wasn't it deep in his pocket? I thought he was just pointing out that the ring was incredibly important and he's so aware of it that it's like it's burning

[Anonymous No.]

>>45787554
Just a supposition from him hastily pulling a napkin out of his pocket

[Anonymous No.]

>>45777685
>>45778949
I think that the story will end and we will never know

[Anonymous No.]

"Where is Miss Hecatia, anyway? She said that she'd try and show up, but I still haven't seen her..." I wondered that myself. You'd think that having three bodies would mean that at least one of them could make it, but I'd been keeping an eye out for tall blue-haired ladies and caught nothing thus far. "I hope she's okay. I still want to thank her again for helping me with my dress." So did I. In fact, I wanted to give her a hug. "You have an unhealthy obsession with hugs, and I think I should take you back to Eirin about it." I clicked my tongue, then told Yamame that if she did that, she wouldn't be getting any hugs anymore either. "I - Oh, that's a good point...Maybe you should bribe me with more hugs instead." That, I could do. "And...More than hugs." Plenty of kisses, and beyond. "Ooh...That's a dangerous deal." I smirked and said that I'd just have to take the risk.

We were wandering down the courtyard, pushing our way through fairies, villagers, and youkai alike. I had to stop at one point to apologize to Miss Narumi when I stumbled into her and knocked her hat from her head. "Oh, please don't worry! I'm fine." She said, crouching down to grab her hat before someone could step on it. Dusting it off, she replaced it on her head. "I'm just rather happy to be here, after all. Miss Reimu's done a wonderful job." Yamame and I agreed, especially since I'd been spending half of the day before and today running around helping to set things up, and Reimu had probably spent even longer than that given the whole fireworks display. I wondered what people still in the village had thought when they'd seen that. It seemed like the sort of thing that could give birth to a new youkai if it wasn't explained properly.

"So...What did you think of the performance?" I blinked. It was still ongoing, wasn't it? "Oh, yes, but that first song was new. The one they're playing right now is one I've heard before." Ah, I replied. But still, it wasn't all old songs, was it? "Oh, definitely not. They've played two new things so far!" Miss Narumi was a big fan, then? "Ah - Well, I guess you could say that I'm a fan. Do you remember...Er, our, uh, date?" She cringed slightly as she said it, but Yamame waved her hand and told her that it was fine. "I said that I'd heard them practicing right after I'd been awakened in the Four Seasons Incident. So, um, I've always had a soft spot for them, I suppose."

"Unlike Ki, who's just a rabid fangirl." Yamame muttered, pressing a hand against her head and sighing. I did wonder how that had come about, but it didn't seem the right time to ask, so I didn't bother. Ki's side of the family seemed quite odd, anyway, considering one of her sisters had apparently been supplying the kappa and the yamawaro for their war at the same time, and Ki herself seemed to just appear and disappear at will. Plus, she'd been very cagey when it came to discussing the Kurodani matriarch. I still didn't know what was going on there, but I had a feeling that I would find out sooner or later. "They're, uh, pretty good. I think." Yamame continue, speaking to Miss Narumi now. "I mean, I've never really had much of an ear for music, but it sounds nice."

"That's okay." Miss Narumi said kindly. "I think it just takes some getting used to before you can really start to appreciate music. Goodness knows what music is like outside of Gensokyo, after all. I think we'd all be a bit shocked." She...Had a point. I hadn't really heard anything in my - All unwilling - Trips out of the valley and into the Outside World. I thought I'd heard something playing in that dark restaurant being battered by the rain in Tokyo, and maybe again in Australia, but Finland had been quiet. The music in Tokyo had sounded like piano, and I could understand that much, at least, even if there didn't seem to be a piano that it was actually playing from. Either way, I wouldn't have been surprised if there was a huge amount of music that I'd never even be able to dream of out there.

"Well, I'll, er, leave you two alone." Miss Narumi said with a smile. "I've not been over there yet." Her hand indicated the area that we'd just traversed. I pointed out Seiran's dango stand and said that we'd just been over there, which prompted Miss Narumi to ask how it was. That, in turn, made me stop short, because I didn't really want to answer with 'it was okay' or something else weak, so I just said that she'd probably appreciate the patronage. Especially since she'd been so rushed moving the stand around. "Ah, is that right? Well, happy new year!" Miss Narumi finished, gave us a bow, then stepped past us and disappeared into the crowd.

[Anonymous No.]

A crowd which, I noticed, was parting somewhere ahead of us. The hole in the crowd seemed to be coming toward us, as if there was something in the middle that people were giving a wide berth. I looked over at Yamame, they decided that it probably wasn't worth the effort to avoid. Knowing my luck, it was meant for me anyway. So, I swallowed, gripped her hand tightly, and stepped forward.

As I'd expected, there was no way that it wasn't for me. Not when I could see Komachi, looming a little bit roughed up, being dragged along by the ear as if she was a misbehaving child. She was protesting, but it seemed to be falling on her the deaf ears of her companion. Here, I paused. Then, the dots connecting in my mind, suddenly straightened my posture and squared my shoulders.

A girl approaching me wasn't exactly new at this point even if the reasons usually varied. This girl was tall. Easily as tall as Komachi, even with her thick sandals on, meaning she was probably taller than the Shinigami was if both of them stood barefoot. Her eyes were sharp, her mouth a straight line and her brow furrowed. Her green hair came down asymmetrically, her right shoulder covered in mossy green, and her left shoulder devoid of it as it hung just over her ear. Her vest was deep blue and impressively adorned with symbols on her shoulders, and a white shirt sat underneath. Her skirt was surprisingly short only coming to about midway down her thighs, but her long legs meant that most skirts would come up slightly short. On one side, the ribbons adorning the outfit were red, and on the other side, they were right. Asymmetrical, just like her hair. The shoes followed the same pattern, flat like she worked in an office.

But most striking were two things. On her head, a hat that I'd heard mention of. With golden segments coming up and sinking down like the points of a crown, and the representation of a scale on the very front. Two loops of ribbon, again in red and white, and two more gold bits sticking out.
The other striking thing was what was in her hand.

Almost like a pillar, and with symbols etched into it. She held it tightly in the hand that wasn't dragged her subordinate along. I'd heard talk of it before. It was in all of the stories of the afterlife. The Rod of Remorse, that which your sins will be written on when you die, and you will be beaten until you have repented for those sins. How many hits would I have to endure in the future?

Of course I recognised her status, even if I hadn't seen her myself. How could I not? I was sure that every Villager could recognize her. Keine's lessons had mentioned her, as had Akyuu's. That outfit could only mean one person.

I was looking into the verdant green, sharp eyes of the Yama of Gensokyo. Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu.

"L-Lady Eiki, I think this is a bit- Ouch!" Komachi cried, her eyes already looking even more red than her irises from the tears of pain that seemed to be spilling out of them. "It- No, I can apologise myself, you don't have to-"

"Apologizing for pain you have inflicted." Her voice was mature, serious. Intense, and I could tell that she could probably shout anyone into silence. "That is the good deed you can do right now." She looked from Komachi to myself and Yamame, her eyes sharp. "Good evening. My name is Eiki Shiki. I am the Yama of Gensokyo, and I believe I owe you an apology on behalf of my subordinate."

Komachi raised her head, her hand on the back of her head. "No, no...Lady Eiki, its fine. I already apologised to you, and I can handle myself. So, I'll just-"

"Silence, Komachi." She looked poised to smack the Shinigami over the head with her rod. Komachi let out an 'eep!' and fell silent immediately. "Now, from what I understand, my ferryman here was attending Miss Hakurei's New Year's Eve party. Then, while suffering a fever," Yamame coughed slightly, then mumbled about her nose, "She has accidentally sent you," Eyes at me, "Off of a roof, where he landed on you. Is that the size of it?" She tilted her head, the curtain of mossy hair on her right side breaking apart on her shoulder. "Were you injured in any way?" She asked, this time to Yamame, who stammered slightly.

"U-Um, no. Well - I mean, no, not by him falling on me." She scratched her head and stood up straighter, though she was still shorter than all three of us.

The Yama raised an eyebrow and looked at her more closely. "Your answer suggests that there is something more...?" Her eyes were the kind for whom no lies could escape. She held the Rod of Remorse in her two hands, clasped tightly in front of her chest. "Please do not refrain from speaking the truth. Komachi's sins will be measured regardless, but I will save time if you simply speak."

"Lady Eiki, I don't think this counts as a real sin when all I did was-" Komachi was still trying to protest, and I honestly wasn't sure why considering the Yama had already made it clear that she was not accepting her excuses.

[Anonymous No.]

"Komachi, please stay silent. Your ledger is already less than exemplary thanks to the number of times you slack off. Do not make it worse." The Yama said sharply. She turned back to Yamame. "Please, Miss Kurodani." I wasn't all that surprised that she already knew Yamame's name.
Yamame didn't last all that long after that, though I supposed that she didn't really need to keep it secret, either. "I, er, startle easily. Instinctual. I tried to bite him, and, uh..." She awkwardly opened her mouth and pointed to the chipped tooth. "I chihhed hy-" Realising that wasn't going to work, she spoke normally again. "Um, chipped my tooth on his skin."

"On his skin?" The Yama repeated. "How did you...?" She fished in her vest and pulled out a small mirror, which she held up so I could see into it. I frowned, then progressed into confusion when my reflection did not. "Hmm." She murmured. "No good. A peach from the orchards of Heaven?" She directed this toward me, so I nodded. "I see. This is...Highly irregular. Perhaps that former celestial needs a talking to..." I wondered what Tenshi would think of getting lectured over that, then decided that I'd best not dwell on it. "Komachi?" The bruised Shinigami looked up. "Apologise."

"R-Right, Lady Eiki." She looked over at me. "I'm sorry for accidentally using my power to throw you off of the roof, and I'm sorry to you, Yamame, for him hitting you." She looked over at the Yama, who stared at her with her rigid posture. "A-And I'm sorry for accidentally crashing into Lady Eiki when I did accidentally use my power to manipulate distances, as well as for asking her if she had been forced to cash in all of her favours for a night off. I als-"

"Komachi." The Yama spoke softly. "You know which incident I am referring to."

Komachi stared at the ground for a moment. "I'm really sorry for offering to sleep with you." She mumbled to me. "Knowing how you felt about Yamame." I thought we'd already sorted this out, and Yamame seemed to have felt vindicated since she'd given Komachi a fever, but apparently the Yamam wanted things a little blacker and whiter. Blankly, I told her that I had forgiven her, though she probably shouldn't do it again. Yamame agreed with me, nodding to Komachi innocently. "Um, Lady Eiki, can I go now?"

"Yes, Komachi. Take better care in the future." Komachi nodded and immediately disappeared. I saw her reappear down by Kisami. "That's better." Lady Eiki said. "Now, let's talk about you." I blinked and shrunk back slightly against the very imposing figure of the Yama. "Yes, you've been getting a little too comfortable with youkai." I frowned and opened my mouth to ask her what exactly I was doing wrong. "Humans are to fear youkai, and youkai are to attack humans. This is the immutable law of Gensokyo, and one that we as Yama must uphold. Yet, you..." She watched me silently. "You've been meeting and befriending youkai from every corner of Gensokyo." I didn't see how that was a problem. "If others follow your example? If fear fades from humanity's perception of youkai? This will cause instability." I certainly still had very healthy amounts of fear for certain youkai, I replied. "But you believe that you understand them." The Yama did not state it as a question. "Even though you understand the loss a youkai can inflict better than others." I grit my teeth at that. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear tonight. "The measure of your soul is not yet black. You must perform good deeds in your life to receive a white judgement in death. The consumption of a peach from the orchards of Heaven has put you in a unique position. If you wish not to fall to Hell-"

And here, the unexpected occurred. A hand reached out and plucked the Yama's hat from her head. With the other hand, a figure behind Komachi began to ruffle her hair. "Aw, you make Hell sound so foreboding, Lady Eiki." I heard a cheerful voice say over the Yama's sputtered protests. "I think it's quite a lively place." Blinking, I focused on the figure standing tall over the Yama. Her blue hair fall in waves that looked like the ocean I'd seen in Australia, and the chains that connected to the choker around her neck glinted in the light of the torches. Lady Hecatia Lapislazuli smiled at me. "Why, I think he might even have a nice time there."

[Anonymous No.]

"Lady Lapislazuli, you can't just-" Now I was starting to see a different side of the Yama, and it was rather disconcerting. Gone was the sharp eyes and the intensity, and now she was trying and failing to get Lady Hecatia's hand off of her head. "Please stop that!" She said sharply.

"Hmm..." Lady Hecatia hummed, examining the hat in her hand. "Oh, fine." She released Lady Eiki and placed her hat back on her head haphazardly. "You're so lucky that I'm not actually in charge of you, or I'd have to reprimand you for speaking to me like that. Do they not teach you manners in the Ministry of Right and Wrong anymore?" I frowned. I'd thought that Lady Hecatia was one of Eiki Shiki's superiors. "Nah. Think of me like an outlaw. They've got no say over me, even though they'll usually at least listen if I decide to comment on something." I...Didn't really get it, but I decided that nodding like I did get it was probably my best course of action. "See? Dead simple, right?" ...Right.

"Lady Lapislazuli, I must protest against your over-familiarity!" Lady Eiki sounded more embarrassed than anything, and I supposed I could see why. I didn't have much of a concept for how strong people were, other than the fact that they were more or less all stronger than me, but I had a feeling that Lady Hecatia was probably well beyond everyone else in Hell. "I'm willing to complain to the higher ups if it is necessary!"

"It isn't, Lady Eiki. Just a bit of fun." She smiled widely and I got the impression that she did not consider it 'just a bit' at all. "Now, let's see...Yamame, it was only days ago but it feels like forever. How is my favourite spider doing? How's the outfit? You look incredible, even with that coat on."

Yamame actually blushed slightly and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Ah, um, Miss Hecatia, it's lovely. I think it really turned out well! Thank you for your help with it." I looked between Lady Hecatia and Yamame, then readily agreed. She really did look beautiful.

"Heh...You can always trust my eye for fashion." The Goddess of Hell smiled smugly. "But you came up with just as much of it, y'know? Yep, it's just as much yours." She crossed her arms and nodded smugly. "I've been thinking, right? So...You're a great seamstress, and I'm in charge of the fashion brand, so what if we make a super exclusive line of handmade outfits like yours? Y'think people would bite?" I thought that, given Komachi's reaction to getting one of Lady Hecatia's T-shirts, they'd probably bite for more or less anything, but I was especially happy to hear the offer being made. "How about you, Lady Eiki? You'd look great in a Hell T-shirt." Lady Eiki didn't seem convinced nor impressed.

"Oh, um...I'm not that popular, so..." Yamame blushed a little and looked away, so I squeezed her hand tightly. I also stepped forward to say that she was definitely that popular, amongst myself if no one else, but before I could, Lady Hecatia beat me too it.

"Nonsense, Yamame." The last time I'd seen them, Lady Hecatia had still been calling my spider by her last name. "You're definitely popular amongst me, myself, and I, and we're the ones running the show, so don't you worry about that." I couldn't help laughing slightly at how true that statement really was.

Lady Hecatia walked over to Yamame at that point and told me that she was borrowing my spider, then pulled her slightly away so she could talk to her more closely. This left me with the Yama of Gensokyo, who looked at me balefully. "It would do you more good if you were to move back into the village and forget about all of this." She grumbled. I frowned, then said that moving back to the village would prove difficult. Curious, I asked her what the relationship between Lady Hecatia and the Yama really was. "I should not..." She trailed off, then scowled. "I will tell you, but only in the hopes that it'll allow you to make a more informed decision in the future. She is the goddess of Hell, which places her above us, though she chooses not to be a part of the organisation. Instead, she strikes out on her own. An outlaw, as she said. But, within the last few years, she's been working on a plan to revitalise Hell, and we in the Ministry were informed due to the possibility that we would need to revise various things." Lady Eiki stopped talking for a moment. "That...Is when she started to take an interest in we of the Ministry. She much loves...teasing me."

[Anonymous No.]

She watched me for a moment. "Is there...Something in your pocket? You keep checking it." I groaned in consternation, since I'd heard that question so many times today. Checking that Yamame was busy, I pulled the ring from my pocket and showed it to Lady Eiki quietly. Here, her demeanour seemed to change again. She gasped, slapped her hands over her mouth, and stared at me with wide eyes. "Y-You're marrying - A youkai?" She asked incredulously. I nodded. Yamame was more than just a youkai as far as I was concerned. "B-But, the divide between..." I didn't care about that. I loved her, she loved me, and that's all we needed. "But that's - It's so - So...romantic..." Huh? "Expressing your love to another person in such a significant way? That is the good dead you can do right now." She nodded seriously. I wondered if I'd ever run into someone who wasn't a hopeless romantic.

Lady Eiki, seemingly sick of being ignored by Lady Hecatia, decided to push back into the conversation. "Lady Lapislazuli, there's a rumour going around that your Hell Project is floundering. That, and a following rumour that you've been spotted in the company of this human in Hell. May I inquire as to what you have been doing? You must know that you cannot bring a human to Hell without filling out the requisite forms-"

"Oh, shush." Lady Hecatia groaned. "You're a lot less fun when you're going on and on about rules, you know. Besides, it was only one time, and he's been rather well-behaved since, so I think it's all worked out just as you like. He even sought my advice as a goddess of crossroads! That barely ever happens. Isn't it you who says that Hell exists to prevent sinners from coming about in the first place, rather than to punish them once they have, anyway? Seems like I just cut out the legwork, if you ask me." Lady Hecatia smiled smugly.

"B-Be that as it may, you simply must follow the rules laid out by the Ministry!" The Yama's teeth were gritted now, and she was gripping her Rod of Remorse very tightly. "It is important to the continued running of the Ministry of right and Wrong that-"

"Oh, Lady Eiki...Whatever am I to do with you? I'll break whatever laws the Ministry sets in front of me. If they've got a problem with that, they can come and try to reprimand me themselves. You're lucky you're so endearing when you get upset, or I'd totally find you annoying." Lady Hecatia winked at me. I wasn't really sure why. "So, what's my favourite Yama doing at a party?"

"My ferryman crashed into me after dropping that human off of a building!" Lady Eiki cried sharply. It wasn't...Entirely untrue, I supposed. "So, I thought I would see if others here have been sticking to my teachings. After I had Komachi apologize for her actions, that is." Lady Hecatia wandered closer to the Yamam and regarded her cooly. She was a fair bit taller, so it made Lady Eiki look upward with a scowl.

"Is that right? Well, he seems to be doing just...peachy." I coughed harshly. Lady Eiki's scowl increased in severity. "Why don't you get started, then? I've got a lot to talk about with this human and his spider. Plus, a job offer or two."

"Lady Lapislazuli, if you're planning to hire someone, the Ministry needs to be kept informed of potential candidates, then-!" Lady Hecatia rolled her eyes as the Yama did her best to convince the goddess of Hell about her supposed rule breakings, but it didn't seem to have much effect. Finally, she huffed. "Oh, fine. I'll just...Leave you be. For - For now!" She said, somewhere between anger and exasperation."

"That girl needs to relax, like, now." Lady Hecatia muttered. "Right," She said, clapping her hands together. "Work to discuss! Have you been thinking about joining me?" I had, I replied. "Great! Let's talk for a while longer, then!" She wrapped her arms around Yamame's and my shoulder, then began hauling us off without eve a chance to say goodbye to Lady Eiki, though she'd already turned in a different direction, so it didn't mean much.

"You'll love working for me, though! A Hell of a time!" She sounded very convinced that I'd already agreed, so it would be awful if turned out that I couldn't.

I was never going to propose at this rate.

[Anonymous No.]

Aww, no Junko?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45794432
Let's not count her out just yet, the night's still young!

It's a good thing he's still got that ring, though he probably won't be able to propose until morning lol

[Anonymous No.]

>>45794353
>This girl was tall. Easily as tall as Komachi
Yes! fuck this fanon shit
>>45794369
>But that's - It's so - So...romantic..."
kek, adorable

[Anonymous No.]

>>45794369
5 minutes. That's how long you have before I propose.

[Anonymous No.]

This update reminded me that Eiki is supposed to be roughly as tall as the average US male when one compares her sprite with Komachi's, and the latter to everyone else in SWR.
Really makes you wonder what the older 2hu fandom was smoking when they depicted her as a loli.

[Anonymous No.]

I never noticed that her hair is asymmetrical wtf

[Anonymous No.]

>>45798378
Whose hair?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45798455
eiki

[Anonymous No.]

>>45798531
Oh hey it is

[Anonymous No.]

>>45794362
>"Humans are to fear youkai, and youkai are to attack humans. This is the immutable law of Gensokyo, and one that we as Yama must uphold. Yet, you..."
Umm, Eiki-sama? Why are you advocating for violence all of a sudden?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45799627
I don't actually have any recollection of writing most of this because I was at the point of tiredness where I physically couldn't keep my eyes open
it probably could do with a bit of a rewrite to be honest

[Anonymous No.]

>>45799731
Shitposting aside, I'm not sure that's necessary. Eiki also lectures Reisen for "leaving her friends to die" and we know that the Lunar War wasn't that much of a war, so... maybe she enjoys teasing people too?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45799731
writeanon...

[Anonymous No.]

>>45800007
Eiki is known for exaggerating for the purpose

[Anonymous No.]

>>45799731
My man

[Anonymous No.]

>>45785414
Can't be. Not enough ellipses....

[Anonymous No.]

>>45799627
Eiki loves violence as long as it is the person's station, she's perfectly in character telling youkai to be scary and mikos to kill more youkai

[Anonymous No.]

Lady Hecatia's first port of call was not where I expected. I'd thought that perhaps she'd want to see what sort of things the festival had to offer, or perhaps go and speak to Reimu. Instead, she'd followed an almost dogged path straight through the courtyard, standing at least a head taller than the average villager. It did make her easy to pick out, at least, so Yamame and I didn't feel like we needed to stay right behind her. I did wonder where she was going, but I couldn't get a chance to ask, so I just kept a tight grip on Yamame's hand and tried to keep up with her. It was a bit more difficult since the crowd seemed to part almost naturally for her, but they did not for us. "So - Would you accept that job offer?" Yamame asked me curiously. I shrugged, saying that I wasn't quite sure yet and that I wanted to hear more about it first. "It sounds - Well, Miss Hecatia's really nice, so I think it sounds, um, alright?" It probably was, but I was still a little worried.

Finally, we caught up with her as she reached the edge of the stalls and came out near the Moriya Branch Shrine. "Ah, I knew I'd spotted her." Lady Hecatia cheerfully exclaimed, pushing through the last few bits of the crowd, until she found an old couple from the village bounce off of her and stumble backward. Without a moment's pause, she shot forward and steadied them. "Oh, my apologies." She said, brushing off the old man's shoulders. At least, I thought that was what she said. I couldn't pronounce - much less understand what she actually said, but it definitely wasn't in any language I knew. I supposed that, given all she had spoken about Greece to me, it was probably some sort of Greek word for an apology. Lady Hecatia crouched down to eye level with the couple and asked them if they were okay, and once she'd gotten a positive answer, she nodded and stepped out of their way. It was a very odd thing to see from the goddess of Hell, but it was nice nonetheless. I'd feel more comfortable working with her if she wasn't going to beat up any old human who she bumped into. "Okay, now..." Lady Hecatia paused and scanned the area, her hands on her hips. "There you are." She muttered with a grin. I followed her gaze.

Over by the Moriya Branch Shrine, a small area had been cleared of snow. Lady Kasen and I hadn't done that particular bit earlier, because it was beyond both the main area of the courtyard and the Branch Shrine, but a square had been cleared, and several fairies were playing in that square. But, more importantly, right in the centre of it stood Miss Yuuka, her hands behind her back and a severe look on her face, though I could see something in the particular contour of her mouth that made me think she might be more pleased than she was letting on. Still on her shoulders and still looking very uncomfortable about it was the fairy that had been referred to as Clownpiece. Her face was very rigid, and her eyes kept darting side to side, like she was searching for an escape, when they alighted on Lady Hecatia coming towards her. "Ah!" She cried, making Miss Yuuka turn her head. "Master!" She continued, her tone now significantly happier than it had been when I'd seen her earlier. "Um, Miss Yuuka, please can you let me down now?" She looked down at Miss Yuuka, who hadn't turned to look at the approaching goddess of Hell quite yet. "I, um, think my Master wants to talk to me."

"Is that right, little fairy?" Miss Yuuka murmured. Her tone was as severe as always, though I knew now that she could be a lovely person regardless of it. Still, I was a little worried of how she'd looked at that torch that Clownpiece carried, then burst into laughter before keeping the fairy around her. It was just a little bit too strange. "And what kind of person is your master? Did you know that the Garden of the Sun welcomes all fairies who wish to play within its boundaries? Perhaps you should abandon this master of yours and stay there." Miss Yuuka smiled pleasantly as she said it. Much less pleasantly and a lot more nervously, I saw Lady Hecatia's fists clench, so I very subtly pulled Yamame back slightly with me, just in case of any sudden...Explosions.

"I'd thank you not to try and convince my subordinates to abandon me." Lady Hecatia said, her voice still calm, but very much less friendly than it was with Yamame and I. "It's, y'know, a bit of a faux pas to discuss in front of said Master." She looked at Clownpiece, her tone relaxing. "Hello, Clownpiece." She smiled lightly.

"Master! It's been ages! I thought you'd forgotten about me!" Clownpiece said brightly, though she couldn't seem to get up from Miss Yuuka's grip, even though it was with only one hand. Her other hand held her umbrella, the tip pressed into the ground. "I'm - Um, still doing my job!" She struggled again, and still failed. "Or...Trying to, at least..."

[Anonymous No.]

"That's good, Piece." Lady Hecatia said soothingly. "Now...You're a Gensokyo native, aren't you?" She said to Miss Yuuka, her tone growing decidedly frostier. "I should think that you know a thing or two about the rules you ought to be obeying, yeah?" She stepped slightly closer. "It's, like, super important." There it was again. The blue Lady Hecatia had a decidedly calmer personality, but she still had the strange speech patterns. "Because...If you don't, I just might have to cause a little incident."

"Is that right?" Miss Yuuka murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly. I wasn't sure, but I thought that I saw the flicker of a smile cross her face. Or excitement. "And what makes you think I'd be scared of a little incident? Even a big incident will pass me by like a Summer breeze." She tilted her head. "I take it that you have some relation to Hell?" She eyed Lady Hecatia's T-shirt. "As this curious thing you are wearing supposes."

Lady Hecatia's posture suddenly changed. It was subtle, but I imagined that to Miss Yuuka, it was incredibly obvious. Suddenly, the relaxation was gone. Suddenly, she stood just slightly straighter. Suddenly, her eyes were slightly narrower. "The goddess of Hell, Miss Flower Youkai." Lady Hecatia said sharply. "Now, I will ask you once more to hand my subordinate over to me. After that, I'll get a little...Insistent." I looked over my shoulder and noticed that some of the crowd was starting to pause to watch. They could feel it in the air. I could feel it, and looking over at Yamame, I could tell that she felt it too. There was an energy, a sort of nervous excitement that could only come from a meeting between two powerhouses like Lady Hecatia and Yuuka Kazami.

Get Reimu, I urgently whispered in Yamame's ear. Marisa, Tenshi, or Lady Kasen and Raki, if it was possible. Anyone that could potentially put things to rest between Miss Yuuka and Lady Hecatia before they put the grounds of the Shrine, and probably anyone still on them, to rest. Permanently. "Huh? But-" I looked at her, then pointed at the two in the square. That, I whispered, would probably cause irreversible damage if not contained. "...Yeah, I suppose so." Yamame muttered. "What about you? Come with me; I don't like the idea of leaving you with them if they're about to come to blows." I'd be fine, I replied. And Yamame was faster than me, so she'd be better off trying to get Reimu over here. "...Okay. Um, stay safe and - I don't know, try and keep them from fighting?" I nodded and hugged her, and she took off back toward the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Lady Hecatia and Miss Yuuka's standoff was starting to grow in intensity. The other fairies were backing off, one with long and straight black hair who looked like she wanted to stay and watch being pulled back by another with curling blonde hair and a white dress, while another with orange hair stood further back. "It's interesting, isn't it?" Miss Yuuka said, her eyes shining in excitement. "That someone who's presence in Gensokyo is like that of a newborn could try and make demands of someone who was old before this entire world was a twinkle in Yakumo's eye." Here, I felt like we were rapidly reaching a point of no return. Fearing slightly for my life, I stepped forward hesitantly, then tried to call to Miss Yuuka and ask her if it would be possible to tone down the hostilities. "Sometimes, reputations must be upheld." Miss Yuuka said to me. She reached up and plucked Clownpiece from her shoulders, then handed her over to me. Not entirely sure how to take that, I placed the fairy on her feet, and she looked between the two with narrowed eyes.

"Piece?" Lady Hecatia said. "I think I've just found some good material. Yep, this could be totally fun." She cast a sideways glance at the fairy. "Wanna join?"

"Um..." Clownpiece looked between the two. "Maybe not this time." She finally said. Lady Hecatia nodded, then turned to Miss Yuuka again, who had folded her arms and taken on an impassive stare that made her look like a statue. "Even I'm not enough of a lunatic to pick a fight with her..." She mumbled as she backed away. I started to think that she might have a point.

"Now, I think I'll have to play with you. Just a little." Lady Hecatia whispered. "And...You totally insulted me just now." Suddenly, I knew that Clownpiece had a point. Lady Hecatia's voice had changed. It had dropped, darker and deeper. I'd thought that her T-shirt was probably her berserk button. Now I knew for sure. "For that, and that alone, I'll drop you straight into Hell." The aura around the two was deadly now.

[Anonymous No.]

Miss Yuuka offered a deep bow, one which didn't seem particularly mocking to my surprise. It actually seemed very respectful considering the barbs that the two had just exchanged. "If you're not coming," She laid her closed umbrella over her shoulder. "Then I'm going."

It felt like the energy was just about to come to a head when Reimu arrived. At speed, she suddenly shot past my left shoulder and dropped into a gap, emerging on the other side of Miss Yuuka and Lady Hecatia just in time to slap two ofuda down in front of the two and push some spiritual energy into them. Two large boxes formed of crackling lines of energy formed around the two. "Right." Reimu said, her voice just as deadly as the two in the boxes. "We don't have these sorts of fights at parties. Not on the first day of the year. Not at my Shrine. And especially not when there are humans around to be injured." She looked between Miss Yuuka, who had crossed her arms again, and Lady Hecatia, who's hands were interlocked behind her head. Suddenly, it seemed like neither had just been about to start a massive fight. "Got that!?" Reimu shouted, her face looking especially displeased.

"Why, Reimu, I was only responding in kind. Perhaps you should approach she who started this little argument." Miss Yuuka replied lazily, indicating Lady Hecatia with her hand. The goddess of Hell, meanwhile, was examining the box she now stood in. She reached out a hand as if to try interacting with it.

"Lady Yuuka!" I heard an exasperated voice cry. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a girl with blonde hair that curled at the ends upwards and back onto itself, clad in a red dress and holding a very curled scythe. I'd seen her before. Elly, the girl who seemed to be Miss Yuuka's gatekeeper. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She stomped over, her face sweaty, but her nose looking cold and her body shivering. "You just disappeared and wouldn't tell me where you were going! I was getting worried!" I watched Miss Yuuka tilt her head, before the very slightest flicker of a warm smile crossed her face before she stamped it out. Appearances, I realised. Suddenly, I was aware of how privileged I was to have seen the Miss Yuuka that wore the apron and baked delicious pastries. That was Miss Yuuka in a much more relaxed environment. "Are you, ah, coming back home soon?"

And before Miss Yuuka could reply, there was another voice. This one was much quieter, but just as sharp and mature. "Hecatia." I turned in the other direction to see Miss Junko. I hadn't seen her since...Well, since she'd introduced me to Lady Hecatia, actually. She still dressed the same, dark robes and a tabard with red, yellow, and blue on it. Her eyes still had that same fire in them. I immediately felt my back ache. With my head a lot clearer than it had been in those days, seeing her brought back the pain of those scars all over my back. "I have been waiting." Her voice was the same, too. It seemed that the intervening months had not had a single effect on her.

"Oh, Junko! Hi!" Lady Hecatia said cheerfully. "I got a little busy! I've been with that boy you introduced to me! It's been a bit of a mess, y'know, so I got kinda distracted! Found Piece, by the way!" She indicated the fairy, who looked over to Miss Junko.

"Hi, Miss Friend!" Clownpiece said cheerfully, running over to Miss Junko, who offered her hands to the fairy. "It's been ages since I've seen you!" She did seem pleased about seeing Miss Junko, which was nice. I hoped that things would remain nice and fine now. "I've been making friends with the fairies in Gensokyo and living under the Shrine, so I don't get to come and see you very often."

"It is okay, Clownpiece. I am happy as long as you are enjoying yourself." She looked up at Lady Hecatia. "Hecatia, I do not want my life on Earth to become dull again were the Hakurei Shrine Maiden to seal you." She still held no real inflections in her voice. It was about as pure as it could get, and it seemed to actually have an effect on Lady Hecatia, who turned her head to the side just slightly. "Come. We shall explore the curiosities of this festival." She reached a hand out toward Lady Hecatia, who looked over at Reimu.

[Anonymous No.]

"Cooled off yet?" Reimu asked sharply. "I'm happy to leave you in there for a while longer if you aren't." She looked over at Miss Yuuka, who was speaking quietly to Elly. "You too, Yuuka!" Miss Yuuka looked up at her for a moment, smirked, then went right back to talking to Elly. "I've got better things to do, you know." She growled. "You're both lucky that Yamame fetched me when she did. If you'd actually started a fight, you would both be getting beaten." I had a feeling that neither participant thought that Reimu's scenario would have played out that way, but they seemed happy enough to let it lie.

Lady Hecatia breathed in and squeezed her eyes shut. Five seconds passed, and she exhaled. "Yep, totally calm. Cool as - Well, not Hell." Reimu watched her for a second longer, than dispelled the ofuda she'd used to seal her. "Could have broken it." Lady Hecatia muttered under her breath, very quietly. "Hey, Junko! Give me a few minutes, alright? I've gotta talk to my - Hopefully - New subordinate." She turned toward me. Behind her, I saw Reimu dispel Miss Yuuka's seal, and she said something to Reimu that made the Shrine Maiden grit her teeth angrily. "Alright, we gotta get this done before there's any more distractions." I'd been thinking that about the ring in my pocket all night, and it still didn't seem to be happening. At this rate, I was going to have to revise my decision and say that Yamame wouldn't make it another night without a ring on her finger. "Let's go around the back. It should be quieter, right?" I nodded, then led her through the snow so we could skip the stalls for a moment, finally reaching the pathway between the Main Shrine and the back of the Shrine.

"So...Huh. It feels recent, but it was...Like, months ago that I offered you that job." That was true and it brought me up short. How much time had passed since Eientei, anyway? Lady Hecatia ruffled her hair, the shimmering blue taking on a much curlier shape. "Got any questions?" She asked me with a raised hand. I did, I replied. First and probably the most important, I wanted to know if I'd stop being human. "Hah! You know, it's so very human of you to start with that. No, I don't think that'd be necessary. If you were working for someone weaker than me, you might, because it'd probably give you a head start in getting some strength of your own, but I'm a goddess, and a super strong one. Not to mention, you ate a peach from Heaven, right? You've already got a head start in your strength, and that's important in Hell where strength is a factor in everything." I'd figured as much, but it was very comforting to hear that I wouldn't have to give up my humanity.

So...What would I be doing? "You'd be more like...My right-hand man. Like..." She trailed off, leaning her chin on her hand with a bit of an awkward expression. Blankly, I asked what she was about to say. "Well, um...Kind of like a Shrine Maiden." She mumbled. My blank stare only got more blank. "Just, uh, without all the rituals. You'd be able to use some powers of mine, and I'd send you out to do things I need doing. You'd still be just as human as you are now." Well, I thought, that was a weight off my shoulders, even if I wondered what Reimu would think about me taking up a profession that was halfway to being a Shrine Maiden. I was a man, too, so I didn't think that I'd be called that.

And then, would I have to live in Hell? "Nah, not unless you wanted to. I mean, you totally could, but I don't think you'd want to spend so much time away from Yamame, right?" Definitely not. "Yeah, me neither. You two are a very cute couple. So...You can just stick around here. This me can just come and meet you if something comes up. You'll probably spend some time in Hell, though. Red me might get jealous if you spend all your time with this me." I supposed it was okay as long as I wasn't stuck there permanently. I hadn't seen the red Lady Hecatia for a long time, either. I saw the blonde one in my dreams sometimes, usually followed by Doremy Sweet trying to shoo her away. It only happened sometimes, and I hadn't even realised that I remembered it until just now. I wasn't even sure it was real and not an actual part of my dream. "Anyway, you'll be representing me in things. It shouldn't be too bad, but...Well, you might have to do some fighting. Just sometimes." I supposed I could handle that if I was trained up enough. Reimu probably wouldn't be happy about it, though. "Oh, don't you worry about that. When I'm through with you, you'll be giving Reimu a run for her money." That sounded like a very lefty claim.

[Anonymous No.]

"Well, you can always give it a trial run, right? Get a feel for it? I think that sort of thing is popular nowadays. Especially in the Outside World. Y'know, back in my day, you'd have a son, and they'd spend their whole life training in one thing. Now, you can do whatever you want." I supposed it was fairly nice, and the idea of a trial run sounded good, too. "What do you say? Want to give it a go?" I thought for a few moments. Finally, I said that there was a certain something that would be happening soon, and I'd give her my final answer then. "A certain...?" I reached into my pocket and pulled the all-important box out. "Is - Is that...?" Lady Hecatia murmured. I opened it. "...Ah. For Yamame?" Well, lovely as she was, I wasn't exactly aiming to marry her. Lady Hecatia smiled and laughed just slightly, her eyes still examining the ring. "No, I shouldn't think so. So, that event...A wedding. Your wedding." A wedding. "Well...I can't deny you that. Alright, I'll definitely be at your wedding, and I'll ask you once more then." I thanked her profusely for her patience. "I think I've got a good eye for this sort of thing, and I'm sure you'll be worth the wait." That was a very kind thing to say.

"It's funny, you know?" Lady Hecatia said as I placed the box back into my pocket. "Junko introduced me to you by telling me that you were looking for love, and here you are, telling me that you're marrying someone else." I wondered if Lady Hecatia had been looking for something too. "Me? Oh, I think not. Not then, not like that. I was just interested in what sort of person could have caught Junko's eye." She leaned in a little closer. "And you didn't disappoint."

Finally, Lady Hecatia hopped to her feet, stretching. "Ah~" She sighed. "We should get back before Junko, Clownpiece, Reimu, and Yamame come looking for us." That was a good point, and there were probably a few more names that could be added to the list. Lady Hecatia turned and offered me a hand, which I took. She pulled me to my feet, and we headed around to the front side of the Shrine again.

There, Yamame rushed into me, knocking the breath out of me. She wrapped her arms around me, so I mumbled something and petted her head until she let go. "I hated that." She muttered. "Leaving you there, even if you were still on the Shrine grounds." I thanked her for getting Reimu so quickly. She'd arrived just in time. "...Thanks." She mumbled. "And - Um, thank you, Miss Hecatia. For your help on the dress and for not getting into a fight just there."

"Oh, I thought about it, Yamame. It was a close thing. Luckily, Reimu arrived right in time." Lady Hecatia said cheerfully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to find Junko and Piece. They'd better not be wandering around without me!" She waved, looking very upbeat, then turned and disappeared into the crowd, though she was still very much visible thanks to her height.

"Can we, um, go and have a drink? I think Reimu's feeling a bit..." I thought so too, I replied. It was just the way she'd been so determined to have that sake. It had gotten to me slightly. "It's a good thing she's got you around to look after her." Yamame told me. And she looked after me more than enough. It was the same trade-off that Yamame and I managed. "I guess it's just that good, huh?"

We found Reimu in her room, half a bottle of sake left in front of her and Kuro the cat sitting on her lap. "Oh, there you two are." Reimu frowned, then got to her feet to hug both of us. That, in itself, was strange, because Reimu wasn't a very touch-starved person. She usually accepted it if it was offered, but she rarely offered hugs like that. "Want a drink? Or just, uh, talking?" Yamame and I looked at each other, then decided that we'd best not waste any time, so we sat on either side of her. "Hey, what're you-" And promptly tackled her with hugs.

It just seemed the right thing to do.

[Anonymous No.]

Heca would have won that probably

[Anonymous No.]

Eirin was tidying up a bit after her last client, a chipped tooth aside she had to deal with the usual when it came to these events, too much alcohol, light bruising, maybe dislocated or broken bones.
In a way it was nice going back to this, she had lost herself for so long that her deranged state started feeling like her new life.
The entrance of her tent flapped behind her.
"Please sit down and tell me wha-"
"Eirin darling! It's been so so long!"
A green haired woman with red eyes meet Eirin's gaze as she turned "Kazami, happy new year" she greeted back
In a combination of sarcastic politeness aand behaving as she owned the place Yuuka sat on the patient chair "and a happy new year to you as well friend~" she looking at Eirin with a distinctive smile, a smile she had seen before when she first met her after the fake moon incident had been resolved.
Eirin really wished she was somewhere where getting in a fight would be allowed "so" Yuuka continued "have you been doing alright? Maybe overworking yourself a bit"
There is no way that she knows right? That woman barely leaves her mansion there's no way she would know unless... "I've been doing quite alright, thank you" Eirin finally replied
"oooh~? Are you sure friend? You know you can trust me if you have problems~"
"Everything is been quite alright, please stop asking"
"Really~? I just caught ear from a little someone that you've been having a bit of a sleeping problem~"
Eirin's eye twitched, she fully understood this was ultimately a consequence to her actions and despite this she couldn't help but resent anon
"Nothing to be embarrassed about of course, it's one of those things that come with age~"
Eirin was trying really hard to not turn Yuuka into a pin cushion right now
"Here, i even brought you a little something to help you with that" she pulled a bottle with a clear green liquid inside of it and placed it on a nearby table
"Asbinthe...how thoughtful...."
"You know me darling~ i'd do anything to look out for my friends~" Yuuka gave Eirin an innocent smile
"Anyways, i hate to cut this visit short but i'm sure there are actual patients that need my services, so if you could please"
To Eirin's relief Yuuka got up from the chair and began walking out "Do look after yourself dear, your hair is white enough as is" as Yuuka finished saying that she caught the arrow flying directly at her face, cackling as she left.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45803425
Nobody asked you fairy, Lady Yuuka would have beaten that weirdo with her hands tied.

[Anonymous No.]

I would win.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45803305
>"Oh, don't you worry about that. When I'm through with you, you'll be giving Reimu a run for her money."
Yamame gave him the silly hat, and now Hecatia is gonna teach him danmaku. He really is growing up to be a fine 2hu.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45803211
>Eiki loves violence as long as it is the person's station
Not really.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45803305
>Well, I thought, that was a weight off my shoulders, even if I wondered what Reimu would think about me taking up a profession that was halfway to being a Shrine Maiden. I was a man, too, so I didn't think that I'd be called that.
How would Anon feel about being referred to as Gensokyo's first mahou shounen?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45806086
Does he have to wear a dress?

[Anonymous No.]

I hope we see yamame's mom soon, she was mentioned a few times.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45806808
We should probably not

[Anonymous No.]

>>45806808
>>45806937
It's probably just a giant spider

[Anonymous No.]

>>45806808
If she isn't a redhead, we riot.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45803313
>I wondered if Lady Hecatia had been looking for something too. "Me? Oh, I think not
Dont lie to me hecatia.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45806713
His uniform will consist of one of Hecatia's T-shirts paired with ragged jeans exclusively designed for him.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45807589
oh my god she's gonna turn him into a hot anime boy

[Anonymous No.]

>>45807745
Finally, a worthy opponent for Rinnosuke...

[Anonymous No.]

"Hey~" Reimu mumbled in an almost sing-song voice. She was lying to the left, her arm draped over Yamame's leg. Yamame was snuggled up to my chest with her arm wrapped over me. Reimu had laid her whole body over both Yamame and I. "I'm really happy for you guys~" She said. Her eyes were drooped shut, and she looked moments from falling asleep. Kuro the cat was curled up by my side where Reimu's other arm was idly stroking her. "You're just - So~ Cute together..." I heard the clink of two bottles rolling into each other and lazily tried to reach up toward them, only to lose the energy after a moment and give up. We'd dozed off at some point.

After we'd found Reimu drinking alone, we'd joined in, though Reimu was already more than happy to drink far more than either of us combined. I had a feeling that she was probably more than a little upset about having to come and break up Lady Hecatia and Miss Yuuka's confrontation. Especially since it had distracted her from arguing about something with Marisa, and by the time she'd got back, Marisa and Tenshi had decided to go and look at the stalls. I felt really bad about what seemed to be becoming more and more of a common occurrence: Reimu left on her own. Before I'd gotten involved in her life, she'd had friends around constantly, and by this point, a lot of them seemed to have other things to occupy themselves with. Marisa and Tenshi. Lady Kasen and Raki. Hearn was apparently gone until Spring. I was her new brother, but...It seemed like my involvement might have made her worse off overall.

"Reimu...You're drunk..." Yamame mumbled into my chest. "You're cute too..." My spider seemed a little sleepy, but not too drunk. That was probably a good thing, because I was still determined to propose, and proposing to someone who was blind drunk or terribly hungover didn't seem very romantic. Still, I reassured Reimu that I thought she was cute as well. "And you don't tease me like Ki does..." Ki did do a lot of that, I thought. I did a little bit too, but it was mostly the hair. Reimu didn't really respond. "Reimu...? Did she fall asleep?" The last question was directed toward me. I thought about trying to check, but the prospect of lifting my head enough to see seemed very daunting. Once we'd reached the part where we were all lying down like this, nearly all of my energy had fled, and it was hard enough to just keep myself from falling asleep. "I think she-"

"I'm awake..." Reimu mumbled. "I wish I had someone like you two have each other." She said quietly. This time, I did raise my head. She was definitely drunk, and definitely not really on point, but she was still speaking. "It seems - Um, really nice. Comforting." She let her head drop. "Dunno if I'll ever find anyone like that..." I reached down to pat Reimu on the head and tell her that she always had me. "Thanks..." She mumbled. "Seems like I don't see that many people around here anymore..." She sighed heavily. "Kinda miss it." But she'd gotten so many people to the Shrine tonight, hadn't she? That was good, wasn't it? "Yeah, but...Doesn't last." I looked over at Yamame, who frowned at me. I wasn't exactly a matchmaker, and I couldn't force people to go and visit Reimu. "Love like that must be nice." She said, before her body dropped limp against Yamame and I. After a moment, the slow rise and fall of her chest indicated that she'd fallen asleep.

Idly, I turned my head to Yamame and asked her if she knew anyone who'd love to date the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. "Very funny." She muttered, slapping me on the arm. "Most of the men I know are oni and I can't imagine they'd get on terribly well with Reimu. Even if they didn't annoy her enough to try and beat them to death." That...Could happen. Especially if they weren't nice to her. Reimu responded well to being treated like a princess, even if she acted like she didn't. She'd always been very pleased when I'd carried her around, despite her claims to the contrary. She'd definitely been happy when I'd washed her hair in the bathroom, too. All that to say, I wasn't sure anyone that Yamame knew would be the kind of person who could successfully woo Reimu. I didn't think that anyone I knew could do it, either. Perhaps that villager I'd spoken to earlier, but he seemed very pre-occupied with helping out Miss Seiran, and before that, he'd tried to talk to Kisami.

No, I didn't think it was an issue I could resolve any time soon, except for making sure I spent plenty of time with Reimu. Of course, I was perfectly happy to do that. But perhaps not while I was starting to lose feeling in my arms and legs because she was currently a dead weight on my body. Judging from the look on Yamame's face, she was just as much of a dead weight on Yamame's body. I pondered. How were we going to shift Reimu off of our bodies without waking her back up, especially since I knew from painful experience that she was very much not a fan of being woken up.

[Anonymous No.]

Okay

[Anonymous No.]

In the end, after a few minutes of whispered discussion and Kuro getting bored, getting up, and wandering off, Yamame and I came up with a plan. Unfortunately, one of my arms was wedged in place, so the plan ended up being very little except Yamame trying very slowly to shift Reimu's legs while I employed the most embarrassing tactic, I knew against Reimu. I slowly slid my free hand to the back of her neck and very gently squeezed. I'd already learnt that Reimu was very weak in this particular spot during the bath we'd taken together, and happily, it seemed that even in her sleep, it made her all weak, because when Yamame pulled herself out from underneath Reimu's legs, she didn't manage to resist. Of course, that meant that she was now entirely passed out on top of me, but fortunately I'd had plenty of experience in dealing with Reimu when she was like that, so I quickly reached down with both arms and pulled Reimu up, then wrapped both arms around her before she could try and punch me in her sleep. Then, when Yamame slipped a blanket over us both, I let go and quickly rolled out, leaving Reimu to curl up underneath the covers.

"Excellent teamwork." Yamame commented once we were both standing over Reimu. "We should do that more often." Get trapped under sleeping Shrine Maidens? "...Maybe not that bit." I smiled and stepped forward to kiss Yamame on the forehead. I'd like to do just about anything more often with her. And once again, she blushed slightly. "Charmer." She murmured. But, for now, I was interested on what had become of the rest of the party while we'd been hanging about with Reimu. So, we stepped forward and pulled the sliding door open.

Immediately, it became apparent as to what the current state was, as a figure fell backward and smacked their head into the floor. "...Ouch..." They mumbled, clutching their head. Black hair, white shirt, black skirt. Red tokin. Aya Shameimaru clutched her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "Can't nap anywhere..." She groaned. I looked over at Yamame, who's eyes had turned to hard chips and who's face had taken on a decidedly less pleasant demeanour. I thought about trying to caution her, but then remembered exactly what had happened on the last occasion that I'd seen Shameimaru, and decided that I didn't much feel like it. "Whuh?" Shameimaru groaned, looking up at us.

"Miss Shameimaru." Yamame said. Her voice was very measured. "You have three seconds to get up and apologize for what you attempted on your last meeting with my boyfriend here. If you don't, I will inflict a disease that will leave you unable to release a newspaper ever again." She smiled pleasantly. "Understood?" Shameimaru stared blankly. "One!" Yamame sharply said.

That got her moving, and she scrambled up in a flash. For a moment, her eyes shot to the side as if she was going to make a break for it - And she'd probably get away, since she was so fast - but then Yamame reached the count of two and she looked at me, then bowed deep enough that her tokin fell to the floor. "I'm very sorry!" She cried. Behind us, Reimu shifted, mumbling something, but seemed to stay asleep. "I'm sorry for my actions when you arrived at my house! I'm sorry for trying to - To claim you!" She kept looking at the floor. "And I'm very sorry for trying to steal your boyfriend, Miss Kurodani!" After a moment of silence, she looked up at Yamame, tentatively. "Er...Are we...Good?" She asked hopefully.

"Hmm..." Then, Yamame reached out and pulled Shameimaru upright, leaving her just enough time to snatch her tokin from the floor. "If you ever try it again, you won't get a chance to apologize." She told her sharply. "Understood?" Shameimaru nodded slowly. "Good!" She released her and the reporter stumbled back slightly. I looked at Yamame with a frown, and she gave me an innocent smile. There was no way she hadn't given Shameimaru something right there. Yamame had a slight vindictive streak that I'd already seen come out on Komachi tonight.

Shameimaru straightened up and awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of her head. "Yeah...Er, I wasn't in a good place when you showed up. It was - Well, the annual Newspaper Competition amongst the crow tengu. I..." She trailed off for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut. "I came last..." She mumbled, then sighed heavily. "Happens every year. I really thought I'd get it this year, but..." She looked over at me with a very weak smile. "We never managed to have that interview." Now it was my turn to awkwardly scratch my head. I hadn't been avoiding her or anything, but...It just didn't seem to come around. And before I knew it, Autumn had turned to Winter and the Eientei Investigation had gotten further and further away. "I still want the interview." She told me sharply. "But...I'm thinking that I might have to expand the story." She looked between us, idly rubbing her ear. "Hmm..."

[Anonymous No.]

She hummed, before suddenly sneezing. "Ooh. Sorry, must be someone talking about me." She paused for a moment longer, looking over her shoulder at us. Then, she turned back to us once more, slowly. "Call it a reporter's hunch...But I think I might know how to run this story." She nodded, then turned back. "I think we'll have to have that interview soon. Tell you what: Are you free in the next few days? I'll come to the Shrine so Reimu can keep an eye on me if it'll make you feel better." It would, I replied. "How about...The third? About midday?" I looked over at Yamame, because I had a hunch. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Ah. The fifth?" That time, she got a nod. "Excellent!" She said with a smile. "I'll be seeing you, then!" She turned and shot off into the sky, which I noticed seemed to be lightening slightly.

I turned to Yamame and stared at her. She opened her mouth, and I stared at her so hard that it was like I'd cut her off verbally. "A cold. That's all!" I tilted my head. "Seriously!" She insisted. "It's not even as bad as what I gave Komachi. At least Aya didn't actually kiss you." I supposed that was better than it could have been. I decided that I'd best give her a hug. It was my usual response and it seemed to work. Was that really all? "Y-Yes..." She stammered. I stopped stroking her hair and very slowly looked down at her. "Just a little ear infection..." She mumbled quietly. I raised an eyebrow. "It'll just throw her balance off. Probably." That last bit was mumbled very quietly. "But I made it very short-lived, so that's why I didn't want you to do the third. She'll be fine by the fifth."

Slowly, I nodded and went back to stroking her hair for a moment, then remembered that we were still standing around on the veranda, so I decided to actually look at what was happening. It looked like the festival portion had ended, and the stalls were already more or less gone. As I looked, I caught one last stall, this one being run by a youkai bird who I'd seen on the very outskirts of the village before. Mystia, I thought. She was just finishing packing up her supplies with the help of a short girl with dark turquoise hair and floppy animal ears that I'd seen sweeping in the temple before. She had a killer voice; I knew that much. I’d never seen a girl capable of shouting like she could. As I watched, they finished packing away and took off, leaving the courtyard as empty as it had been at this time yesterday. Emptier, actually, because at this time yesterday, it had still been covered in snow.

I looked down the other side of the veranda and blinked. There was a leg sticking out, a frilly sock on the foot. I decided that I should go and have a look, because I was surprised that the place seemed so empty. I supposed that it was Winter, but when I'd shown up to the Shrine in the middle of Summer, it had been completely packed with sleeping bodies. Yamame trailed behind me, but she looked curious too. I poked my head around the side of the veranda and gazed in. Ah, I thought. This was where they'd all gone.

The foot turned out to be that of Yuyuko Saigyouji, who'd fallen asleep on her back next to Youmu, who...Didn't look like she'd woken up after her little sword incident. Slightly further into the room was Miss Narumi, who'd taken off her coat and spread it over herself like a blanket. Up against the wall, I saw Seiran, cross-legged and asleep, still stiffly upright. Next to her, in much the same pose, was that villager who's name I'd forgot to actually get from him. I was surprised that he'd stuck around. I couldn't see Lady Hecatia or her companions, but Miss Yuuka was here, her arms crossed and her boot still on. She was asleep, though I didn't think I'd know it if it wasn't for the consistent rise and fall of her chest. Elly was next to her, clutching her scythe.

Suddenly, Yamame giggled. I looked over my shoulder at her, then followed her gaze. At the back of the room, Kisami and Komachi were sat with their backs against each other. Kisami's hair was all over Komachi, and looked like she was sleeping in a red field or something. Komachi was slightly more hunched forward, though, with her scythe clutched in her arms, the blade up in the air. I thought it seemed slightly dangerous, but no one had seemed that bothered, clearly. Ki was still wearing Raki's outfit, but she seemed to have also acquired her chains at some point. That was...curious. I didn't see Lady Kasen or Raki in here, so I wondered if they'd made it back to the dojo.

[Anonymous No.]

Still, she was surrounded by bottles, and I wondered if she'd had any more surprise confessions before the night was over. She did seem to have a certain effect on people. Not too dissimilar to the effect that Yamame had on me, I supposed. Actually...There was that fairy. The blonde one with the blue tie. She wasn't near Ki, but she had clearly been watching her, if the way she'd fallen asleep facing her was any indication. Hero worship sure was a funny thing. I just hoped that if Kisami did take a liking to someone, it was someone who could handle her. That, I thought, really narrowed the candidates. I wasn't even sure I could handle her.

And over in the other corner, where she'd been for practically the whole night, was Sakuya Izayoi. She still looked flushed and more than a little drunk, even though she was asleep. She was on her side, and on her other side was Remilia Scarlet, who'd been fussing over her all night, it seemed. The small vampire was curled up tightly against Sakuya's back, and as I watched, the maid unconsciously rolled over and threw an arm over Remilia. I wondered how they were planning to get home, since the sky was clear and cloudless, and the sun was going to be coming up soon.

Speaking of the sun, I could see that it'd be coming up soon. The sky had reached a slightly lighter blue. Suddenly, as if I'd just been handed a divine revelation, it all clicked into place. The sunrise. The torii gate. Everyone was either gone or asleep. And Yamame was right here. For once, I felt like it wouldn't go wrong. Like nothing would get in the way. Idly, I reached into my pocket and confirmed that, yes, the ring was still there.

And I had to do it.

In the end, I asked her if she wanted to watch the sunrise. "Hmm? Oh, er, sure." She let me take her hand and lead the way back across the courtyard and over to the torii gate, where we stood by the side, Yamame wrapping her coat around herself and me with my arms crossed. "I used to only see the sunrise as a...Sort of signal. Get back underground, it meant. Since we underground youkai weren't really supposed to be on the surface back then. It's changed a lot, I think." In a good way? She looked at me with a beautiful smile. "Hmm...Yes, I think so. I don't think I could have ever had this in the old days." Had what, I asked with a frown. She was silent for a moment. "...You, you snake. I don't think I could have even imagined having you." I didn't think I could imagine that either, a year ago. I'd come a long way. "We both have, I think." She was silent for a moment as the first rays of the sunlight stretched across the Shrine's courtyard. "Um...Since it's the start of the new year and everything...I just wanted to say that..." She trailed off again. "I'm really glad that I met you." She finally said. "Never thought that I'd be living my life like this a year ago." I listened silently; my hand now enclosed around that small box in my pocket. "So..." She was still looking out over the sky. "I love you. Really. I really, really love you." The last bit was clear. Her words strong and focused.

That was it. Just as the Sun began to show itself clearly, lighting Yamame Kurodani up and making her hair shine brilliantly, I lowered myself to one knee and lifted the all-important box, holding it in front of me. I didn't respond just yet. I waited, just for a moment. "Um, so-" Yamame said, turning toward me. Her eyes, still that brilliant, bright gold, started at where I had been, then travelled downward. To me. To the box in my hand. Her eyes widened. I chose that moment to flip open the box and reveal the ring inside, and her hands immediately rushed up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened even further.

I couldn't resist my smile. Yamame Kurodani, I began. She'd changed my life in so many ways. She'd been there for me no matter how much I'd been going through. She'd taken me to see Satori Komeiji and she'd helped me make it back despite how weak I'd been. She'd cared for me while I was ill, and I'd cared for her while she was ill. She'd changed things for me, and I'd changed things for her. Even though she was a youkai, and I was a human, we'd managed to make things work, and I never wanted to stop. I wanted to be with her forever, and I wanted her to know how much she meant to me. I wanted to take care of her, and I wanted her to take care of me, just as we always said. Finally, after all this time, I said the words.

[Anonymous No.]

Yamame Kurodani. Will you marry me?

And she stared, her eyes still wide, her hands still over her mouth. After a moment, she seemed to realise that I was waiting for a response, because she managed to shift her hands just slightly, though her mouth didn't seem to be making much progress. "Bwuh." Was the eventual answer. "Wurgh." Was what followed it. I patiently waited, then reminded her to breathe. She blinked twice, then managed to inhale. "Um." She spoke. I wondered if she'd get past single words any time soon. "I - You - Th-This..." She stared at the ring, which just caught the sun's rays and glittered beautifully. "How - When-" My knee was starting to feel a little cold, but I ignored it. She stared some more, so this time, I reminded her to blink. Then, I repeated my question.

She drew in another breath, and I saw tears blooming in her eyes. I was almost worried, if not for the radiant smile she was giving. "Yes." She breathed. "Yes. I will. I'll marry you." At that point, my smile was probably brighter than the sun itself. I delicately pulled the ring from the box. Yamame took a half-step forward. I slipped the box back into my pocket, holding the ring in my hand. With my other hand, I reached out and raised her left hand gently, her fingers extending outward. I was surprised by how calm I felt. I'd have thought that my heart would be practically beating out of my chest, but I felt just fine. With a smooth and slow motion, I took the engagement ring and slid it onto her ring finger. True to Kisami's assurances, it fit perfectly.

I rose from my knee and lifted Yamame's hand. The ring looked even better on her finger than it had in the box. The green emerald inside shone brilliantly with the light of the sun and glinted off of the gold band. Yamame looked up at me, her eyes still welling up with tears. Quietly, I asked her if she liked it. "I-It's beautiful..." She murmured, looking down at it for a moment, then back up at me. "Thank you. I - I love you." I smiled gently. Love you too, I replied, then leaned down to kiss her, cupping a hand on her cheek.

And, of course, my luck couldn't hold out forever, so that was the moment that I heard a voice. "Ah...Lap pillows are nice, huh? Hey, d'you think-" Of course, I thought to myself. Fate and I, we clearly had some sort of arrangement. After all, only the raw machinations of fate itself could lead Marisa Kirisame to walk out into the courtyard at that exact moment. Yamame and I broke away slowly, and we both looked at her. She'd frozen, only dressed in her skirt, shirt, and boots. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were fixed on us. "You-" She began, then failed. It was fairly similar to how Yamame had just reacted, in fact. "You - Your secret girlfriend..." She raised a finger, pointing it at me, then at Yamame. "I...I didn't even set you up with her!" She cried, and the spell was broken. "All this time, and you - Wait, is that...?" I supposed the eyes of a thief and kleptomaniac couldn't miss the band on Yamame's finger. "An - An engagement ring!? You're marrying her, and it wasn't even someone I set you up with!?" She clutched at her head with both hands. "Ouch, ouch..." I supposed she was probably hungover. "This is a dream. It must be. It's too impossible."

And behind her, where I had missed her since Marisa was talking, was Tenshi Hinanawi. She stood with her arms crossed and a smug, satisfied smile on her face. "Oh, I think it's very possible, Marisa." Stepping forward, she placed a hand on Marisa's shoulder. "I think he's been planning this little trick for a long while." She looked very pleased. "Couldn't have picked a better time, by my reckoning." Marisa was still clutching her head but squeaked when Tenshi slapped her on the back. "Marisa, I do believe your client has found love."

"B-But I didn't even introduce them! What kind of shop am I running where the people I don't even introduce to each other end up being the ones to get married!? You know - Know...Oh..." She paused, her hand raised, and then slowly began to tip.

"Oops, looks like you've broken her." Tenshi commented, casually putting a hand out to catch Marisa before she could hit the floor. "She was probably planning to get some weird mushroom thing to beat her hangover, anyway." She tossed the witch onto a keystone that she called down from somewhere. "Well, allow me to be the first to say..." She clapped her hands together. "Congratulations!"

Marisa, meanwhile, mumbled something about impossible odds, but I took it as a congratulation anyway.

[Anonymous No.]

Hooray! ヽ(´∇`)ノ

[Anonymous No.]

>>45812508
This is just what i wanted, holy shit writenon thank you for this great story, may you continue giving us more great stories, cannot wait for the weeding

[Anonymous No.]

Tonight was nice

[Anonymous No.]

That was a great way to wrap that up, it's gonna be a bit lonely when these threads are gone.

[Anonymous No.]

Maybe the only concern I have for anon is the closer he's become to being tied to Yamame, the more she's started to show her bad side. If she can have a meaner more vindictive side anon can't change, perhaps its time to find a spider exterminator?

I mean until they say the vows, Anon could always reconsider late on while there's a lonely jaded shrine maiden with few potential partners who clearly needs someone like him.

[Anonymous No.]

*snooooore*
*snoooOOOOOOreee*
*snoOOOOOoOoOoOoOore*
*snoo-guh*
Mmhh....
*Scratch scratch scratch*
...
*yaaaaawn*
...
...
...
...
*sniff*
...
...
................OH SHIT YUUMA!

[Anonymous No.]

>>45812735
She's just being protective of this lovely new relationship she's got considering people actually are trying to steal him from her and anon's never actually stopped being retard moe so he just forgives (almost) everyone
It makes sense when you think about how big and close nearly all of her family is, and she put an oni into a coma for attacking one of her sisters too
Plus it was only minor illnesses for youkai, they'll be fine

[Anonymous No.]

>As I looked, I caught one last stall, this one being run by a youkai bird who I'd seen on the very outskirts of the village before. Mystia, I thought. She was just finishing packing up her supplies with the help of a short girl with dark turquoise hair and floppy animal ears that I'd seen sweeping in the temple before. She had a killer voice; I knew that much. I’d never seen a girl capable of shouting like she could. As I watched, they finished packing away and took off, leaving the courtyard as empty as it had been at this time yesterday.

Anon saw her leaving but never got a chance to visit the cart or try some of her famed Night Sparrow Grilled Lamprey Skewers... ;_;

..but maybe someday he'll get a chance to meet try them if Yamame and her sisters help build her a new izakaya in Former Hell

[Anonymous No.]

>>45812735
>Anon could always reconsider late on while there's a lonely jaded shrine maiden with few potential partners who clearly needs someone like him.
You gotta let it go, man.

[Anonymous No.]

This is anons wife. Please be nice to her.
>>45812735
Anon if you want happiness for Reimu all you have to do is write your own spontaneous 6 month story about an anon in gensokyo who falls in love with her.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45814829
>all you have to do is write your own spontaneous 6 month story about an anon in gensokyo who falls in love with her.
There was that one where anon accidently seduces a creepy stalker Reimu who gaslights him into thinking Sekibanki is trying to kill him.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45812508
Forget about how beautiful this update was, I want to draw attention to how hilarious this choice of image was for this part of the chapter.

[Anonymous No.]

Very satisfied with how everything turned out. While I initially favored Tenshi as a romantic partner (and honestly - I still do, but that's unrelated to this story), it was clear that Yamame was the most sensible choice for the main character, and also the better fit for the most recurring themes of the story. Besides, the spider has been nothing but lovely to him, and she repeatedly proves that she takes their relationship just as seriously as her partner, even going as far as befriending his friends and shooing away any potential homewreckers (poor Aya...). Reimu clearly got the short end of the stick here, but at the end of the day, she's still in a better position to find a romantic partner than most named youkai. Let's hope that some villager eventually rises to the occasion and proves his worth to someone who could punch his jaw off out of nowhere. Not the flyer guy though, that one seems to be making solid progress with the blue bunny.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45812789
The smell's never going to come out. Anon's going to need a new house.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45816300
>Not the flyer guy though, that one seems to be making solid progress with the blue bunny.
More than you know.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45816332
What a player.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45816332
Keep dreaming Seiran, he's just being friendly.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45816263
It was all just an elaborate six month plan by Anon to bully the witch using her services and stringing her along for so long only to end up marrying someone he met without using her services. There's no successful testimonials for Marisa to use and her business has so far been a failure with no successful matches for any of her clients. The eggs come later on when Tenshi gets them back to Marisa's house and decides to start the new year trying something kinkier than usual pouring food on Marisa.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45817809
Wh-What about Flyer-san? Maybe his liaison with the bun was an effect of Marisa's perfectly accurate and infallible love-finding services?

[Anonymous No.]

Baka AIAnon dont sent the pic here
>>45761282

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823293
Well that's adorable

[Anonymous No.]

So is it Anon Kurodani or Yamame Nymous?

[Anonymous No.]

yamame is yandere

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823341
realistically, Kurodani
becoming part of Yam's family would work better than the reverse, since Anon doesn't have a family anymore

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823341
Yamame Hakurei

[Anonymous No.]

Marisa's eyes shot open, and she threw herself upright frantically. With a wild look in her eyes, she looked around, gasping for breath the whole time. Her eyes alighted on me. "You're here! Oh, phew! I just had the most terrifying nightmare about you!" I blinked. Me? "Yeah! You'd just gotten engaged to someone I didn't even introduce you to, so my whole shop ended up being a total dud! Oh, thank goodness it was only a dream...I - I'll introduce you to a girl I met again in the Land Ownership Incident from this Summer! She apparently knew me when I was young! She's got these really neat, uh, bracelets-"

"Marisa." Tenshi quietly spoke. "Yamame's here." The ex-celestial was leaning against the wall right by Marisa's head with her arms crossed and her eyes shut. "And - Be nice. I'll punish you otherwise." Marisa actually did clamp her mouth shut at those words. Just what kind of punishment did she have in mind...?

True to her words, Yamame was here. She'd been very silent since Tenshi had carried Marisa into Reimu's room. Reimu, who had still been curled up underneath a blanket, hadn't bothered to wake up. I supposed that it was actually still quite early in the morning after an exhausting party. I didn't really get tired at the normal rate anymore, Yamame was used to different hours, and Tenshi had an even stronger physique than me. Honestly, Reimu and Marisa were probably the most exhausted here. She was sitting next to Reimu while I sat on Marisa's other side. She was still staring lovingly at the ring, and blinking quite rapidly every few moments, like she was struggling to believe it was really there. I felt similar, but in my case, I couldn't believe I'd managed to get the proposal done at all without something getting in the way. Of course, things had gotten in the way both before and after, but I thought that the proposal itself had gone rather well overall.

Marisa turned to look at Yamame, squinting very hard. "So - So, you're..." She looked over at me, then back to Yamame. "You've been the secret lover? The one he's been seeing?" She sounded very suspicious. "You - For - How long?" She pressed her hands against her temples. "My head..." There was the hangover, probably. "And..." She looked back up, but not at Yamame's face, this time. "...Wow." She mumbled. She was looking at the ring.

After a moment, Yamame actually realised that she was being spoken to and looked up. "Hmm? Oh, um, yes, I suppose that would be me. For...Um, several months? We, er, met in the Summer." That was true, since I'd more or less fallen on her head.

"Wait...Yeah, I - I remember that part." She did? I looked at Marisa blankly. "When you explained how you'd gotten to Satori." She elaborated. Oh, I thought. I had explained that to her and Reimu. In fact, I'd forgotten that I'd even spoken about Yamame during it, though I'd been particularly cagey about our journey out of the Old City. "You never explained that bit to me! You said that you'd encountered Yuugi Hoshiguma on your way out, but you never really explained how you'd gotten past her." I looked over at Yamame helplessly. I didn't really want to make Yuugi's inability to deal with lewd things public. It felt like a bit of a breach of her privacy. Yamame shrugged back, scratching her head. Well - She went to scratch her head, realised that it was the hand that now had her engagement ring on it, then used the other hand instead. Finally, I shrugged and said that I supposed you could consider that to be our first date. Yamame slapped a hand over her mouth before she could giggle. "But - But...That was...That was in the middle of Summer!" Marisa cried, then slapped her hands back over her head and groaned. "So you've been seeing her for...Half a year!?" Huh. I hadn't thought it had been that long. Wow.

"To be fair, I think they had a bit of a setback in late Summer." Tenshi commented. That was definitely true. The whole ordeal with my memories had really made me wonder for a while if we would ever make it through. Fortunately, we'd both proven strong enough to work through it. Both my issues with youkai, and Yamame's dietary needs. "Still need to give that stupid Satori youkai a beating for that." I told Tenshi that she probably shouldn't, but I wasn't planning to stand in her way. I still wasn't particularly convinced that I liked Satori very much, but I supposed that Koishi Komeiji had insisted that we try and get along, so I would try my best. "Anyway, I think that it was...Some time after that big storm in the Summer that they really got serious?"

[Anonymous No.]

"When he and Reimu came to M-My house?" Marisa asked, stumbling over her words slightly. I frowned. She'd stumbled specifically on 'my' and not on anything else. Looking between Marisa and Tenshi, I decided that I should probably keep that to myself for now. "You kept it from me, too!" She was glaring at Tenshi, now. "All that time, and you refused to tell me! We had a whole war over it!" I blinked, uncrossing my arms and then crossing them again. The war had actually been about that? "Well - Er, not at first. It was some yamawaro and kappa dispute about who got the credit for developing some new piece of technology. Something like that." Marisa rubbed at her eyes. "So...I got caught sneaking into a yamawaro base while I was looking for Ability Cards, and they thought I was working for the kappa, so they decided to take me prisoner."

"And eventually, I went to the kappa and offered my help with some of their development and research for their side of the war, and before I knew it, I was leading a whole group." Tenshi explained, raising a hand and putting the other on her hip. "Then I found out that Marisa was put in some sort of penal group. It was..."

"Basically, they stuck me with a bunch of yamawaro who didn't really care about the war and just wanted to build and told us that they'd blow us up if we didn't go on missions." Incredulously, I asked if she'd really just let this all happen. "Not usually, but it seemed pretty fun, and I wasn't doing much else, so I thought I'd let it happen." That...Seemed like a pretty poor reason to let a war kick off, but I supposed I would just listen on. It was all over and done with now anyway. "Anyway, off I went on a few missions before we started running into a certain someone." She glared at Tenshi, who lazily examined her fingernails. "Things just...Escalated from there. At some point, the whole chain of command seemed to break down a bit and suddenly I was in charge, so I thought that I would go and see if I could find who you were dating during some downtime." I pinched the bridge of my nose. Suddenly, I could see the way this was going. "Tenshi found me, and then her kappa group started attacking, so my yamawaro group started attacking, and, uh...Then it just became about that, really." She scratched her head. "It seems really stupid now that I'm saying it out loud."

"It was stupid at the time." I heard a voice, and I looked over to see Reimu lazily sitting up and rubbing some sleep from her eyes. "Ugh, is there any sake left? I'm still drunk enough to avoid the hangover if I drink some more." Yamame, who was sitting right beside her, looked around, then located a bottle that hadn't been opened and handed it to Reimu. "Oh, thanks..." Reimu reached out to take it, then trailed off. Her hand hung in the air. Her mouth hung open. She was staring at the bottle. Wait, no...I looked a little closer. She was staring at the hand that was holding the bottle. The hand that had a certain ring on it. "Y-Yamame, is that...?" Reimu mumbled, her hand reaching forward.

Yamame placed the bottle on the floor, then delicately held her hand out. "Um...Yes. It - Uh, it is." She blushed in an extremely adorable way as she said it.

"He asked!?" Reimu gasped, pulling herself forward to look at Yamame's hand better. "When? How? He didn't even tell me what he was planning!" She was looking closely at the ring, even though she'd already seen it. "Oh, Yamame, it looks beautiful..." Wasn't she supposed to be drunk? Reimu looked up at me and glared. "Oh, never mind that, this is more important! And why didn't you tell me that you were going to propose last night!?" In my defence, I hadn't even been sure that I was going to propose last night until the time, and then things had just gotten in the way. And more importantly, she'd fallen asleep, so I never got a chance to tell her. "That's no excuse!" She groaned. "You better tell me the full story right now!"

"No, he needs to tell me why you all kept me from finding out!" Marisa jumped into the conversation again. "I feel betrayed, guys!" I think we all looked away at that point. There wasn't really a good reason, and I think we all felt a little bit bad about it. "...Ah, I get it." Marisa smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hold it against you. That much. I probably would've done the same thing. So, you all had the wool pulled over my eyes, huh?" Reimu, Tenshi, and I all avoided her eyes at this point. "Felt a little bit like I was being side-lined, but..."

[Anonymous No.]

And here, Marisa turned toward Reimu. "Reimu, I want to apologize. I've barely made any time to see you recently, and I should have. I...Wish I could've been rooting for these two with you and Tenshi, instead of blundering around blind." If anything, I think we all felt just a little bit worse after that. Reimu especially, since she seemed quite broken up about it. After a few moments of silence, she stumbled up and over to Marisa, then silently wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Whoa, I wasn't expecting - Nah...I'm okay with this." She hugged her back. "Felt a little bit like we were falling out. I missed seeing you so often, and I just felt like there was a bigger and bigger gap growing." Marisa sounded quite...Mature about this, which surprised me since I'd thought that she was somewhat less mature about most things.

Tenshi sidled up next to me. "That's...My fault." She mumbled to me quietly. "I spent so much time with Marisa that she and Reimu weren't speaking as much. Maybe I should - I don't know, stay away for a bit." I shook my head and said that doing that wouldn't solve anything. Perhaps she'd want to reduce the amount of Marisa's time that she was taking up, but ditching Marisa after they'd gotten so close would only make things worse. Drifting apart was even worse. I'd almost done it to Keine and Miss Narumi, and I still felt awful about both. It just seemed to get harder to make the first move the longer it went on. I suspected that was what Marisa had been feeling.

"You think so?" Tenshi asked me quietly. I nodded, saying that I didn't want to see anyone falling out. It was an awful feeling. Marisa starting to come to the Shrine more often would probably solve most of the problem easily. And we all had to apologize for letting the joke about keeping Yamame a secret go on for so long. "Yeah...That was probably the worst thing, huh?" I patted Tenshi on the shoulder. As long as we didn't do it again.

Once everyone seemed to have sorted themselves out and we'd all apologised - Apologies which Marisa accepted almost immediately - Reimu made it very clear that I was not leaving this room without telling her about the proposal. By this, I meant that she said, "You are not leaving this room until you tell me about the proposal." This was accompanied by a deadly stare, so I sat down and explained most of the night, along with all the interruptions to my time with Yamame which kept preventing me from actually proposing. Once I'd reached the end, Reimu had more or less fallen apart, especially once she'd gotten my speech out of me. Tears trailing down her face, she'd practically jumped on top of me to wrap me in a hug and blubber some nonsense that no one could decipher at me. Then, she'd turned and done the same to Yamame before gushing about the ring some more. I'd forgotten that for all her grumpiness and Shrine Maiden duties, Reimu was, at heart, just as much of a hopeless romantic as both Yamame and I. In fact, Marisa looked pretty enchanted by the whole thing too, so I wouldn't have been surprised if she was one as well. In the end, it seemed like Tenshi was the only one of us who hadn't completely fallen apart. "It's just - It's so - So...Romantic! As the sun rose! And the speech! I - I..." And off Reimu went back into tears.

By this point, I decided that I'd best go and sit with Yamame so that Reimu wouldn't get dizzy rushing back and forth between us, and once I had, Reimu had turned it into more of a group hug. "U-Um, it's okay, Reimu." Yamame tried to say as we both fell backward from Reimu falling forward on top of us. "It was very romantic." She tried to look over at me but didn't get very far thanks to Reimu being in the way. Now I remembered why I had been pleased that Yamame hadn't gotten too drunk before I'd proposed. I'd been worried about this exact thing. She'd gotten overly emotional, so I decided to sit her back up and politely ask her to calm down. Yamame followed my lead. "Yes, well, very romantic. And unexpected!" She looked at me with a warm smile. "...But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been hoping for it." I smiled back without thinking. Reimu did sniffle, but she managed to restrain herself this time.

Marisa cleared her throat and set about getting up. "Should probably, uh, get going. Or something. Give these two some privacy." I heard her mutter under her breath. "Staring any longer would be a little..." I cast a glance at Tenshi, hoping that she'd get the message I was trying to send. She stared back for a moment, then uncrossed her arms and nodded.

[Anonymous No.]

"Hey, why don't we stick around for a while, actually?" She said to Marisa, who paused halfway through putting her hat on. "We'll help Reimu get all of those freeloaders next door out of here." She pointed a thumb in the direction of the spare room that was currently housing half of the party's attendees. "Then we can make sure she's not too hungover to function for the next day or so." It was probably a good decision, actually. "I think I know a few hangover remedies, actually. Heavenly ones." She got a very smug look on her face when she said that, and I wondered if they'd actually be good or not.

Either way, I looked over at Yamame and asked her if she wanted to help with waking people up. She nodded. "Yeah...I want to wake Ki up. She's still wearing Miss Raki's clothes, too." That was a good point, and I didn't know where Raki herself had disappeared to. Maybe she was up on the roof? If she'd gone home, then returning her clothes and Kisami's clothes would become a bit of a headache. Lady Kasen didn't seem to be around either, though...Knowing her, she'd probably show up before long. Yamame got to her feet and extended her hand - The one with the ring. I took it and pulled myself up to my feet.

Reimu was next, and she breathed in deeply before closing her eyes for a moment. Once she'd opened them again, she looked a little better. "Prayer to Konohana-Sakuyahime. She's the goddess of sake. She's always telling me what I should do to make my sake taste better." I blinked. Somehow, I'd completely forgotten that Reimu could speak to gods. From time to time, she'd mention something that a god apparently said completely off-hand, and I'd never been quite sure if I should take it seriously. Still, Marisa and Tenshi were up by the time I'd gotten over it, so we headed out as a group and over to the spare room.

Surprisingly, it had already started to clear out. Miss Yuuka was still there with Elly, but Miss Narumi had disappeared, as had Seiran and the man from the village. Yuyuko and Youmu were there, and so were Remilia and Sakuya. "Alright..." Reimu muttered, rubbing her eyes. She looked very tired, and I imagined that all of us probably needed a proper night's sleep. "I'll deal with these two." She indicated Yuyuko and Youmu. "Uh...Marisa, you can do Sakuya and Remi. Tenshi..." She got a slightly pleading look on her face.

Tenshi took one look at it and sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll do the flower youkai." She muttered in an exhausted tone. I supposed that waking up a youkai as powerful as Miss Yuuka was probably dangerous. Waking up Reimu got me a punch, so I already suspected worse.

"Thanks. And finally..." She looked over at Yamame and I. "Komachi and Kisami?" Yamame nodded and I followed suit. "Alright, let's...Well, it's probably not going to be fun, but let's get it over with." And with that, she pulled both of Youmu's swords out of reach, then began nudging the half-phantom with her foot. Almost immediately, Youmu shot up, her hands moving as if she was swinging a sword that wasn't actually there. "Seriously, you always do that." Reimu muttered, dropping the swords into Youmu's arms. "C'mon, scram. Party's over."

I left her to that and the ensuing headache. Meanwhile, Marisa was doing the exact same thing with Sakuya, but by removing all of the knives she could find. And just as Youmu had, Sakuya immediately attempted to throw a knife that wasn't actually there. Almost immediately after, Sakuya's eyes shot open, and her hands went to her head. All that alcohol she'd drunk seemed to have caught up with her, and Marisa told her to take Remilia home and sleep it off.

Tenshi, meanwhile, had taken a different approach. Nudging Miss Yuuka didn't seem to be working, so she'd progressed to harder nudges, and was almost reaching full force kicks, but the flower youkai just kept sleeping. "What the hell...?" I heard Tenshi mutter. "Alright, fine..." She turned and poked Elly, who immediately swung her scythe at Tenshi. Tenshi, in a casual display of her combat prowess, simple spun slightly to the side and allowed the scythe to sail past her, then poked Elly in the forehead. "Hey! Wake up your boss, will you?"

Meanwhile, Yamame and I approached the sleeping redheads. There was a notebook clipped to the side of Komachi's outfit, and I felt like it was pulsing, even though I wasn't sure how a notebook could do that. Yamame went around to Kisami's side while I went to Komachi's, and we both crouched down. I didn't really have a plan, so I decided that I'd like Komachi's scythe out of the way. Just in case she decided to attack like the others had. Unfortunately, she had her arms more or less wrapped around it, so I stood up and grabbed the scythe by the shaft. I looked over at Yamame, who watched me for a moment, then nodded slowly. She mouthed a countdown, and I yanked the scythe upward right as she poked Ki on both sides of her waist at once. This had a very fun effect.

[Anonymous No.]

First, Komachi turned out to be not at all like the others, and she just followed the scythe upward with my pulling. Apparently, she would not let go, even in her sleep. Fortunately, it did seem to wake her up, because a moment later, her grip slackened and she let out a mumbled "Whuh...?" Before smacking back into the floor, leaving me holding her scythe and her moaning in pain from where her head had hit.

Ki, meanwhile, all but screeched and shot up to the ceiling. "She smacked her head against the top, fell back down, and thumped into the ground next to Komachi. And there we were, two redheads clutching their heads and groaning. "Ugh...Head. Pain..." Kisami mumbled, her eyes screwed shut. "Yams...Gonna kill you for this..." She didn't sound very threatening at the moment. Yamame crouched down and placed her hands on her knees, then asked Ki to open her eyes. "Don't wanna." The hungover elder Kurodani growled. "I'll open your bloody head if you do that again." More insistently, Yamame tried again, and this time, Kisami cracked an eye open. "Better be really important, Ya..." And much like with Reimu, she stopped, her eyes fixed on the ring sitting on Yamame's hand. Kisami's own creation, in fact. That, it seemed, was enough to wipe everything from her mind. "Y-Yams...Is that...The engagement ring I made...?" Yamame nodded with a smile threatening to split her face open.

"Oh, Yams!" Kisami suddenly scrambled up and dived onto Yamame, hugging and kissing her as was her custom. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe he finally asked! Oh! Does it fit perfectly? Is it a little too loose? Too tight? My little sister is getting married!" She finally caught sight of me, and I decided that I'd rather move to her than have her dive at me. "You'd better tell me the story! I need to know, and she looks so happy, so it must have been good, and-" I raised my hands and begged Kisami to relax. "How can I relax!? My lovely little sister is going to get married!" And then it was my turn for the hugs and kisses. "I'm so happy I could burst! We'll have to have another party, you know. Everyone will want to know!" I remembered Ruka, Yamame's sister who had spent a while getting embarrassing answers out of her in regard to childhood dreams. She'd definitely want to know, but I couldn't imagine any of Yamame's sisters not wanting to know. "Alright, tell me. Every little detail."

Meanwhile, Komachi groaned and clutched her head. "Ouch, ouch, ouch...Drank way too much. Oh, Lady Eiki's gonna kill me." She looked up at me. "Finally did it, then?" I nodded. "That's - Good. I think-" She sneezed at that point, and I realised that her face was probably flushed from a little more than just being hungover. "Oh, I forgot about that...Yeah, I need to go home and sleep for a while. Help me up?" I was still holding her scythe, so I hefted it over my shoulder and offered her my other hand to pull her to her wobbly, unsteady feet. "Hey, you look the part like that." I laughed slightly, but said that I didn't think I had the temperament to be a Shinigami. "Hmm...Maybe not. You might surprise people, though." She took the scythe back and began to stagger to the door. "I'd better go and tell Lady Eiki that I'm too ill to work. Maybe someone else can cover for me." She stopped, then turned back. "Yamame, can I ask him for a hug?"

Yamame looked over at me, then smiled. "I'll allow it." She finally said, still getting practically attacked by Kisami.

I turned and wrapped my arms around Komachi. "Mhm. You give really good hugs. Congratulations on your engagement, then." She told me quietly as I released her. "Take care. And - Ki, I'm definitely going to come and find you again soon." Kisami grinned and waved her goodbye. A second later, Komachi was gone.

[Anonymous No.]

We helped Kisami up. "Think I'd like to go home now..." She mumbled. "Or at least to Yamame's..." I wasn't sure we had the energy to make it that far, but Yamame looked determined. All of Kisami's energy was gone, it seemed, so I had to support her and wait for Reimu, who'd finished seeing Yuyuko and Youmu off, to come over to us.

"Going home? Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Pretty sure all three of us," She indicated Marisa and Tenshi, "Aren't doing much today. A nap, probably." She stepped forward to me. "Congratulations." She murmured. "You'll be back soon, right?" I nodded. Probably very soon, in fact. "Okay. You'll be fine getting back to Yamame's house?" Probably. It hadn't snowed any more and despite how tired we were, it wasn't an overwhelmingly long walk. "Okay. I'll see you soon, then." She paused, so I wrapped her in a tight hug and thanked her for all the advice she'd given me. "What else are big sisters for?" She asked me with a smile.

Marisa and Tenshi waved us off, but by that point we were all feeling the tiredness, so it was quick. Yamame made an executive decision to skip the walking, and she managed to rouse Kisami enough to get her to agree, so we took off from the top of the Shrine and made it to the cave entrance by the village in record time. On the way, I spotted one or two figures stumbling along the path below, though everything was blinding thanks to the bright sun.

We stumbled inside, stumbled through, and stumbled into Yamame's house. Kisami immediately staggered to the couch and collapsed face first onto it, and I got her a blanket, before Yamame and I made our own way into her bedroom.

Of course, even though we both probably wanted to celebrate the engagement, neither of us were physically capable at the moment, so we just went to sleep instead. She didn't take the ring off, though.

Actually, going straight to sleep was probably for the best considering Ki was in the next room.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823293
This is lovely, and I'm sorry that I dragged out the party for so long that it took half a month for the proposal to actually happen.
On another note, I think I might have to take a break tomorrow, because I've been having to work on these way too late recently.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824405
Dont worry writenon, even if it fiel like a drag i would not anithing for what we got wich was great, algo take a break you deserve it

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824498
Sorry for bad grammar

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824405
It's fine dude it was worth the wait, you go and take a break you earned it.

[Anonymous No.]

Well that was fun. I can only imagine what pandemonium is gonna be unleashed at their wedding.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824405
With the finalization of the engagement arc, this is pretty good time to take that break

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824405
143 days of this ongoing story with only like three single-day breaks throughout. You've more than earned it.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823677
The ending no one is ready for...

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824405
Take a break, Eiki demands it.
Overworking and typos are a sin.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824366
>Reimu was, at heart, just as much of a hopeless romantic as both Yamame and I
canon

[Anonymous No.]

>Perhaps that villager I'd spoken to earlier, but he seemed very pre-occupied with helping out Miss Seiran, and before that, he'd tried to talk to Kisami.
>Up against the wall, I saw Seiran, cross-legged and asleep, still stiffly upright. Next to her, in much the same pose, was that villager who's name I'd forgot to actually get from him.
>Miss Narumi had disappeared, as had Seiran and the man from the village.
Goddammit, are they or aren't they an item? I must know!

[Anonymous No.]

>>45828543
item?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45828830
Little known fact, but couples are called "an item". Meaning that they are the rightful property of the goddess who hold power over ownership.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45828830

[Anonymous No.]

>>45823677
>>45826388
>Yamame Hakurei
We all agree that she'd get to keep her signature hair bow and golden bands, yes?
Not the usual AIslop provider, for what it's worth.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831025
I mean she's strong enough to handle mild threats, Reimu may actually convince her to do it for a day off.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831025

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831025
this is anon and yamame's daughter as reimu decides that she needs some time away from kisami and trains her as a shrine maiden

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831082
Stop giving material to HSEfags before it's too late

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831082
Reimu really took the "Youkai Shrine Maiden" insult to heart, didn't she

[Anonymous No.]

>>45826388
And it's the ending we're getting. After being adopted by Reimu, Anon took on the Hakurei surname. Now Yamame is marrying into the family.
I'm honestly partial to him becoming Mr. Kurodani after marriage, though.

>>45831082
Dude imagine if they name their kid Hana. Meet Hana Kurodani Hakurei, who has a close relationship to Aunt Reimu and is following in her footsteps to become the next Shrine Maiden of Paradise. (Not to be confused with Hana Hakurei)

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831076
When I find some more time, I also want to make Tenshi wear Bluemu's outfit for shits and giggles (dressing random 2hus as Reimu isn't a personal fetish of mine or anything, haha)

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831165
you'll have to do marisa and tenshi in each other's outfits (they've definitely done it more than once)

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831165
how about yamame with reimu clothes

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831201
I'll leave that one to the usual AInon if he wants to make it, because I haven't looked too much into prompting more than one character efficiently yet (and I fear it might require more manual editing than I can afford to do at the moment).
Bonus points if an extremely flustered Marisa is shown putting on Tenko's blue pantsu after changing into the rest of her outfit.
>>45831230
It would turn out quite similar to the one I posted, don't you think?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45831706
you could always gen more Kisami
That genki spider needs to be my wife

[Anonymous No.]

>>45832734
Honestly it would be nice to see the other sisters, maybe something like a family photo

[Anonymous No.]

>>45833011
I can only remember what Ki look like

[Anonymous No.]

>>45833020
exactly

[Anonymous No.]

>>45824366
>Once everyone seemed to have sorted themselves out and we'd all apologized - Apologies which Marisa accepted almost immediately
now now Marisa, if you forgive so easily people will get used to treating you horribly and expecting to be forgiven again, this can't do and you should not get used to being bullied, you as a person deserve proper respect.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45833020
Nai: Very short, just barely up to Yamame's chest, black hair that hangs down to her eyes (Hasn't managed to tie a bow by herself yet). Has an intense case of hero worship toward Big Sis Yamame. Her clothes don't have as many golden bands as her older sisters, though she'll likely add them as she ages. Has sharp fingernails but was forced to cut them when she started working on the Hot Springs Town Project. thin and slight, bright red eyes.

Yura: About Yamame's height, hair is a dirty blonde (so it's darker than Yamame's) and messy but manageable, coming to her shoulders, not as endowed as Yamame but not flat (pretends that this does not bother her. It bothers her a lot). Quite laid back, unless it comes to having to disappoint her sisters. Very good at massages, and knows exactly how to make Yamame agree to whatever she asks her. Sometimes uses a bow like Yamame, but doesn't like it all that much. Eyes the same colour as her hair.

Reiko: Very tall, about three quarters of a head taller than Yamame, with long, black hair that she initially lets hang loosely (so it's half in her face) but sweeps back after Yamame keeps telling her to, though it still curls a bit at the sides. Likes to show as little skin as possible, sometimes wears gloves and tights, though her overalls already cover most of this. When she's stressed, her hair gets messier. Thin, but a little bit looming. Probably could work on her posture a little bit since she has a habit of leaning over people. Dark red eyes.

Ruka: Just slightly shorter than Yamame, with black hair that's slightly lighter in shade than Reiko (slightly more toward brown) and comes down to about her mid back. Unmanageable and curly, like a shorter, black-haired Kisami, and a figure which is fairly wide-hipped, but with little chest (unlike Yura, this actually doesn't bother her). Has an unconscious habit of rolling her sleeves up. Gets defensive if this is pointed out. Has light brown eyes.

Kisami: At least a head taller than Yamame, with fiery red hair that's extremely long and extremely bushy. It can't be tamed by any known methods, and if combed straight, will hold its shape for about a second before exploding out into what has affectionately been called 'A bloody hazard.' Bustier than Yamame and bigger in most other ways besides, she loves to tie her overalls around her waist and wear things that show off her navel (hasn't discovered tank tops yet, will cause an incident in Gensokyo when she does), sharp blue eyes (looks oddly similar to Meiling, no one knows why)

Perhaps this is from a future version of Anon, who has to keep a spreadsheet that helps him remember all of Yamame's sisters and later all of his children.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45835396
thanks for the info
>Bustier than Yamame and bigger in most other ways besides
so its canon

[Anonymous No.]

>>45835396
Akyuu's chronicle now includes fanworks?!

[Anonymous No.]

"Yams! You better not be screwing him in there, or I'm gonna-" Yamame threw her bedroom door open, only half-dressed. "Oh, you're not? Wait, why not?" Yamame's eyes promised murder, and Kisami's promised that she would never succeed. "Are you sure you love him if you're not even in a rush to-" Her next words were cut off by Yamame's hand grabbing Ki by the collar of Raki's tabard.

"Alright, Ki." Yamame growled. "You can go and sit outside for the next several hours." She shoved her overbearing elder sister away from the door, but Ki seemed entirely too amused by the whole thing to even pretend to be upset. "Then we can see about returning Miss Raki's clothes. But for now? Go. Away." She stared Kisami down, her arms crossed. I opened my mouth to ask her if she was feeling alright, and even though I was standing behind her and she couldn't have actually seen me do it, she still sharply told me to wait patiently. I think she was frustrated about something.

Kisami smiled widely. "You two lovebirds get as long as it takes for me to have another nap. After that, I'm not going to knock. And - Yams? You're too cute to threaten someone like that." And with that, she hopped back over the couch, threw her blanket back over herself, and was asleep in seconds. I almost envied her ability, but I didn't get much of a chance.

"Stupid big sister." Yamame growled, then turned and stomped over to me. "Bed." She told me. It was not a question. "There's been too many distractions lately and I'm sick of it. In fact-" She picked up her chair from her desk and jammed it under the door handle. "Alright, let me thank you for the ring. Oh, I suppose I can call you...My fiancé, right?" She smiled, much more warmly. It was practically glowing, and it made my heart soar. She raised her hand and examined the ring again, then suddenly pushed me so that I fell back onto the bed. By the time I looked up, she was sat on my waist. Dryly, I asked her what horrors she had planned for me. "Terrifying ones." She whispered, leaning in.


Over the splash of the bath, I could hear Ki pounding on the door. "Look, I'm sorry for threatening to walk in on you, but that's no reason to make me - Listen! I'm pretty sure I could hear you in my dreams! Then, I wake up and all I can hear is you giggling from the bathroom! I thought I was still asleep!" She did sound terribly embarrassed, and I felt a little bad, but Yamame looked very smug about it as we relaxed in the hot water. I did have to keep clear of the four spider limbs coming from her back, but she'd seemed to enjoy when I'd offered to wash those as well. "But - Um, are you nearly done?" Ki asked hesitantly.

Finally, I asked Yamame quietly if she was perhaps being a little too mean. "You never grew up with her." She replied smugly. "Once you've been waiting for your turn for hours because Ki needs to wash all of her hair, you can complain." Still seemed a little mean, though... "Oh, fine." Yamame said, frowning at me and using one of her spider limbs to hit me in the forehead lightly. It was a strange experience, but no one I was entirely opposed to. "Ki! We're coming out!" She called as she stood. Unfortunately, that left us both distracted for a little longer.

"Finally!" Ki cried as we left the bathroom, fully dressed and fully exhausted. She was still dressed in Raki's clothes and looked like she dearly needed to go home and sleeping her own bed. "Look, I know you two love each other, but can't you hold back a little?" I blushed, feeling a little embarrassed, but Yamame shrugged it off, crossing her arms.

"You interrupt us often enough, Ki. It's about time I got to pay you back." The smugness was getting a but overwhelming, so I suggested that we go and visit Lady Kasen and Raki so we could return Ki and Raki's clothes. Yamame was already looking pretty pleased with herself, but she smiled widely at my suggestion. "Ooh, I'd like that! I didn't really get to see either of-" Yamame suddenly cut herself off and shot a glance over at me. I caught her meaning after her second attempt, and she was asking me what she was supposed to say regarding the two halves of Ibaraki-douji. After a moment, I nodded, because if we were going to Lady Kasen's senkai, Kisami would be finding out regardless. I was starting to get the feeling that Lady Kasen and Raki were hiding it slightly less. "Um, Lady Kasen and Miss Raki - During the party." I'd dealt with multiple identity crises from Raki over the night, so I would like to see how she was doing too.

Kisami nodded slowly. "This, uh, Lady Kasen, she lives on the mountain, doesn't she?" Ki looked at me. "We talked about her, right? When we were looking for the gold for Yamame's ring." Yamame looked at Ki sharply, then back down at her ring. After a moment, I saw her smile. "She's, um, a hermit, so she probably lives in a cave somewhere, right?" Yamame and I glanced at each other. You could say that, I replied dryly.

[Anonymous No.]

It took us a few more minutes to leave the house, with both spiders bundling up - And then realising that since Ki had made Yamame wear all of those coats to the Shrine, she now didn't have many left in her workshop to offer to Kisami. "Do you think that, if I apologise a few more times, the collective goodwill will manifest your coats here?" Ki asked miserably, already shivering in the cold of the tunnel.

"You've got a lot longer to go before you have any goodwill, Ki." Yamame replied, safely ensconced in the winter coat she'd selected and worn home from the Hakurei Shrine last night. "All that teasing you used to do while I was growing up, and all the oni you would rile up during the work on the Old City? We met the Yama last night, actually, and if I had to guess, your ledger would be pitch black!"

"Yams!" Ki replied in a mock-outraged tone. "How could you treat your favourite sister like this?" She clutched her chest. "If you keep this up, I'll have to skip your wedding!" She stopped for a moment. "No, wait, I'm not missing that for the world. Alright, I'll have to forgive your casual cruelty for now. No matter how much it wounds me." Yamame rolled her eyes and poked me, then mouthed to me that Kisami was insane. "You've been real mean since you got engaged, Yams." Kisami commented. This it seemed, was her plan, because it made Yamame quiet down and go back to staring at the ring I'd given her. "I might just have to save your poor fiancé from your cruelty." I blinked and said that everything seemed to be fine so far.

"Fine, fine, point taken, Ki." Yamame said loudly, raising her hands. "I'm sorry for making you sit through that. And I'm sorry for any other mean things I've done to you lately. I do love you, you know. And - Actually, come here." And before Ki could stop her, she'd jumped at her elder sister and wrapped her in a big hug, much like Ki loved to do to us. "Thank you! Thank you for helping to make the ring! I love it so much and you're the best big sister I could ever ask for! I love you so, so much!"

Ki stumbled backward and awkwardly wrapped her arms around Yamame, laughing nervously. "U-Um, I love you too, Yams." Funnily enough, she seemed to be struggling now that Yamame was doing this. I almost decided to join in, but when Kisami shot me a pleading look, I took pity on her - For once - and gently pulled Yamame off of her after a moment. We were still in the freezing cold tunnel to the surface, after all. It wasn't the most convenient for a heart-to-heart. Plus, we had places to be. Fortunately, it was still early in the day, so we had time. "Honestly, I couldn't do anything worse than my best work for you, Yams. I'd feel awful otherwise." Yamame, who I was still holding off of the ground and in my arms, finally struggled enough for me to realise I hadn't put her down yet.

Once she was done, she smiled widely. "Thanks, Ki." She said simply but with a face that promised more hugs and kisses later. Ki actually looked a little scared, but I found it hard to feel too sympathetic given the number of times she'd done it to both Yamame and I. Still, she was in Raki's outfit, and it wouldn't be good if we damaged it, so I decided that keeping Yamame from jumping on her again would be for the best. I still wondered how she'd managed to convince Raki to give up her chains, but I was sure that I wouldn't get an answer.

The sky was grey and looked heavy, like we were due another bout of snow. Fortunately, it hadn't started snowing yet, so neither Kurodani seemed like they intended to complain my ear off about it for the whole journey. Still, the snow on the ground meant that we'd barely even gotten halfway to the village when Ki finally snapped and asked if we could fly to the mountain. One glance at Yamame was enough to confirm that this was a popular opinion, so I sighed and acquiesced, then felt the two lift me from the ground. It was not less embarrassing when two of them did it.

"So...Where are we going, exactly? I didn't exactly get told where they lived." Kisami asked once we were in the air and somewhere over the foot of the mountain. I replied back and told her - Well, both of them - to set us down roughly halfway up the mountain by foot, and I'd hopefully be able to find my way through from there. It wasn't exactly a foolproof plan, because I had no idea what the route to the dojo currently was, but I was hoping that my luck would pull through and I'd spot Kanda or Kume coming back. They could then lead me in and let me double check that Lady Kasen was okay with Kisami and Yamame coming in. Otherwise...Well, unless Tenshi just happened to show up - Which was unlikely, because I was fairly certain that she, Reimu, and Marisa were all passed out at the Shrine - And take me directly in, I wasn't entirely sure what our plan was other than hope that one of the Ibaraki halves showed up.

[Anonymous No.]

It was hard to even make out the usual landmarks when everything was covered in snow. "Was it...Er, over here?" Yamame asked, using her free hand to point over toward what seemed like just another patch of white terrain. "No, wait...Here?" She pointed at another one. "Ugh, this is hard..." She looked over at me. "Are you having better luck? Please tell me you are." No such luck, I replied. "...Hmm..." Yamame hummed, not sure what to do “We could ask Reimu…?” Somehow, I didn’t think Reimu would be pleased if we had to wake her up from exhaustion and a hangover at the same time.

But then, I heard a noise and looked over my shoulder. Somehow, a very large eagle had sneaked up on us entirely. Then again, I'd heard that birds of prey like Eagles could do that sort of thing, and this was an eagle trained by Lady Kasen herself. Either way, I recognized him. Kanda was flapping to stay in place, but wasn't paying attention to Yamame or I. Instead, he was focused on Kisami, watching her in a suspicious way. At least, as suspicious as a bird could look. For a moment, We all stared. "Uh..." Kisami said blankly. "Should I - I mean, do I shoo it away?" Quickly, I told her not to. Instead, I said that she should raise her arm out. "My - My arm? Um, okay?" She gingerly extended her arm, which was shaking slightly and making the chains hanging from her wrists jingle. For a moment, Kanda continued to watch her suspiciously, but then flapped his wings and landed on Kisami's arm, which made her jolt slightly, but she managed to keep her arm steady. "Eek! Oh, um...It's landed on me?" He, I replied. His name was Kanda.

The eagle turned his head to look at me, and even though he was a bird, I thought I spotted some sort of recognition go through his eyes. Curious, I tried greeting him, and he tilted his head which I decided to creatively interpret as him giving me permission to continue. I asked him if he knew where Raki was, and for a moment, he stared at me, then turned his head toward Kisami, who swallowed nervously. Ah. "Is - Is he...?" Yamame asked, wrapping her arms around my waist and getting Ki to let go of me. Kanda looked Kisami up and down, then looked back at me. Yes, I replied. It appeared that Kanda was trying to figure out whether or not Ki was actually Raki, given the clothes she was currently wearing. "...Huh. Look at that, Ki. All that riling up oni and now an eagle thinks you're an oni yourself." Yamame seemed to be enjoying it a little too much, so I sighed and shook my head.

Then, I got Kanda's attention by calling his name, and once he'd started looking at me, I asked him if he would mind leading me into Lady Kasen's senkai. He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, which was a very strange gesture on an eagle. He seemed to realise that too, because then he raised one wing like a salute. This was a weird gesture too, but slightly less weird, so I thanked him and asked Yamame to lower me to the ground. "You don't want me to come in with you?" She asked, looking a little uncertain about the whole thing. I shook my head and said that it was more that I wanted her to stay with Kisami, since I didn't want anything happening to her. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. An unobserved Ki can get up to all kinds of trouble." Ki shouted at her, so once I was on the ground, I nodded at Kanda, who took flight. Following his route was a little difficult in the snow, but I kept up somehow, and after a few minutes where Yamame and Kisami's conversation faded, swallowed up by the snow, I spotted that clearing in the trees that led to Lady Kasen's senkai. Feeling like I was just a little sick of the cold, I rushed through.

Immediately, I tripped over something. I had just about enough time to feel the pleasant warmth of Lady Kasen's senkai before my face was planted into the ground. I groaned, and was surprised to hear a twin groan from behind me. A few moments later, I was left a little more than surprised as I felt a hand enclose around my ankle and lift me directly upward so that I was hanging upside down. While nervously calling out, I tried to look down, which meant up in this case, and was pleased to see Lady Kasen's very annoyed and very hungover face glaring at me. She had a bandaged hand over her head, and the other holding me up. "Look at this." She moaned, pulling her bandaged hand away. In it was the remains of one of the buns she wore on her head. It seemed to have torn. "Your boot hit my head." She growled, before squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "Sorry, not your fault. Just...Very hungover. I shouldn't have fallen asleep right there." Cautiously, I asked her if she was planning to let me down any time soon. "What? Oh..." She let go and I slammed into the ground headfirst, which was only slightly painful because she'd barely been holding me off of the ground to begin with. I rolled over and sat up, rubbing my head. Once I'd gotten to my feet, I exclaimed.

[Anonymous No.]

There was a sight I'd not gotten to see. Lady Kasen without her hair buns. I'd already suspected that she was probably hiding horns underneath, especially since Raki's horns were exactly where Lady Kasen's hair buns were, but now that I'd accidentally torn one of the hair buns, I could actually see Lady Kasen's horns. They were...Small. Really small, about the length of my thumb. Something...Seemed familiar about them, but it filled me with a sense of unease. I couldn't quite place it. "What?" Lady Kasen asked, looking a little annoyed. "I've got a murderous headache and you kicking me in the head isn't helping it." I snapped myself out of it and stopped staring, then asked her if Raki was around. Lady Kasen slowly nodded. "Yes, she's...Actually, how did you even get in here? I changed the route only the other day." I pointed at Kanda, who had landed on the roof of the dojo and was watching the interaction curiously. "...Of course. Kanda, you're definitely due for more training."

Kanda cried and took off in the opposite direction of the dojo. "I'll get him..." Lady Kasen muttered under her breath. "What were you saying? Oh, Raki. Well, she's at the waterfall." Lady Kasen pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the waterfall that I'd been made to stand under plenty of times. "She's...Trying it out. Wanted to see if it would help with the instincts." I nodded and said that I hoped she'd succeed. "Why did you need her?" I blinked, remembering what I'd actually come in here for. Yamame and Kisami were still out in the cold since I'd gotten distracted. Quickly, I explained what was happening to Lady Kasen, who tried to nod along at first only to decide that it was hurting her head too much, so she just verbally agreed instead. Finally, I asked her I could bring them inside so Kisami and Raki could give each other their outfits back. "Well, Yamame already knows about us, so...This is her sister, yes? The one with the red hair." I nodded. "She seemed very...energetic." That was Ki, alright. "But my partner seemed to trust her, so I'm willing to agree. Just...Let me sort out this." She indicated her visible horn. For a moment, I felt like I'd figured it out, but it slipped away just as quickly. 'I'm an...' No, it was gone again. I wondered if it would come back, but given the unease I felt, perhaps it would be better if it didn’t.

Lady Kasen turned and staggered off toward her dojo, and I turned back to the clearing and poked my head out. For a moment, I wasn't sure what my plan was, because I didn't think that I'd be able to get the path right from just one attempt, and I didn't want to ask Kanda if he could guide me a second time, but fortunately, I didn't need to. Yamame and Kisami, apparently having gotten bored in my absence, had started searching by themselves, and while they'd found the clearing, they clearly couldn't see the actual entrance to Lady Kasen's senkai, nor could they see me. "-Just saying, I think you should start thinking about a wedding dress now. It's never too early, right?" Kisami was speaking to Yamame. "Look, I don't want my precious little sister getting stressed because she hasn't thought her wedding attire through. What about your fiancé? Are you going to make his outfit too?"

That...was a good point, but I didn't think we needed to think about it right now, and both of the Kurodani sisters were looking very cold, so I reached out and grabbed both of them by the collars, then yanked then into the senkai. This actual, as expected, didn't go down very well, and Yamame barely managed to stop herself from breaking her other tooth just in time. Ki, on the other hand, punched me in the face and sent me flying back into the ground. "Kyah!" She cried. "O-Oh...Sorry about that. Startled me...Um, nothing broken?" I felt my nose, then confirmed that I seemed to be fine. "Oh, good...Wait, why is it sunny? It wasn't sunny earl- Ooh, that's nice..." Kisami seemed very pleased by the warmth, and a moment later, she actually noticed that we were no longer on the mountain. Her shivering subsided and she squinted as the bright sunlight hit her. "Wait...Where...?"

"This, dear sister, is a hermit's senkai." Yamame filled in, placing her hands on Kisami's shoulders. "I guess you could say that this is Lady Kasen's cave, as you put it." I supposed it was a bit of a shock to go from the cold and snowy mountain to the bright and sunny senkai, and Kisami seemed a little lost for words. On the plus side, at least she was warming up now. "So, er...Where is everyone?"

[Anonymous No.]

And then, Lady Kasen's front door slammed open, making both spiders jump and me look in that direction. From inside, to my surprise, Suika Ibuki was stomping out. She was dressed strangely, in a loose blue kimono with her entire chest wrapped in a sarashi. A pair of dark glasses sat on her forehead. "Oh, I'd trade all the sake in Gensokyo for you to stop nagging me!" She was all but shouting. "I didn't mean anything by it!"

Lady Kasen followed her out, now wearing both of her hair buns and with her arms crossed. "It's not about whether you meant anything by it! It's a crude, rude, and callous thing to say, and I thought you would know better by now, but you're clearly still that same oni from a thousand years ago, so-!" At that, Suika spun and pointed a threatening finger at Lady Kasen.

"Do not say that, Kasen. Not unless you're willing to prove you were really there." I wondered what she meant by that. It was a strange way to phrase things. Really there? Maybe she was referring to Ibaraki-douji and not Kasen Ibara. In that case, proving it might mean merging. "Look, I just said that if that tiger was bothering you so much, you could just cook him up! It was a little joke! Ugh, you're such hard work as a hermit."

Yamame, Kisami, and I watched the exchange blankly. "They sound like an old married couple." Kisami muttered. I was confused. Why was Suika even here? "Well, she was at the party last night, so..." Wait, she was? "Huh? Oh, er, yeah. She was running a stall. Didn't see what it was, exactly, but I definitely saw her. I think she thought she was disguised enough for no one to recognize her as an oni."

If that was her disguise, I wasn't sure what she'd expected. Either way, I didn't particularly want to get between an argument between two strong oni like that, so I recommended that we go and find Raki quickly. Neither Yamame nor Kisami seemed to need much encouragement for that, and they were right behind me as I headed across the peak of the mountain and over to the path at the side which led down to the waterfall. True to her word, there was Raki. Her arms were crossed, and she had a look of intense concentration. She'd taken off Kisami's clothes and replaced them with...Not much. Nothing on her chest. A pair of underwear which was already soaked through at her waist. I decided that I'd best keep my eyes on her face. She heard us coming, because she cracked open an eye and squinted at us through the rushing water, something which couldn't have been easy.

"Miss Kisami?" She muttered, focusing on what probably looked like a reddish blob to her. "Ah, you've brought my clothes." She nodded, then stepped out from underneath the water. "Can't concentrate with those two shouting their lungs out up there, anyway." She tilted her head upward. Her hair was dripping wet, and she shook it, showering us in water droplets that shimmered with the colours of the rainbow before hitting us. For a moment, I thought it would remain messy, but it almost immediately settled back into the spiky look that it usually appeared in. She looked at Kisami again. "Got your clothes here, by the way." She indicated the folded suit that was placed out of the way of the spray from the waterfall. "Yamame, it's nice to-" She stopped talking and stared at her ring. Her eye twitched, and for a moment, I thought she was about to do something drastic, but then she took in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "E-Engagement...?" She mumbled. "Nearly...Felt all of that emotion, then." She mumbled, breathing out weakly. "Sorry, er...Let me just..." She looked at Kisami again. "Can we swap?"

[Anonymous No.]

"Er...Yeah." Ki replied blankly. "Should I go behind a rock or...?" Raki stared at her pointedly. It seemed like she wasn’t in the mood for that sort of time-wasting method. "Guess not?" Ki looked back at Yamame and I. "Um, sorry, but I'll be a minute. Um, what was the order? Tabard, shoes, shirt, shirt? Wait, I said shirt twice…" With Raki’s amused voice replying, Yamame and I decided to slip away.

Taking that as our cue, Yamame and I backed away until we were around the bend. "They got changed in front of each other?" Yamame muttered to me in confusion. "That's - Huh. I suppose Ki wouldn't really care about it that much. If it was a boy, though..." I rolled my eyes. "Still, Miss Raki seems, um, well." Probably a bit more than well, I thought. Even while making a point of staring at her face, it was hard not to notice certain things. Yamame slapped me on the arm. "You snake! What, am I not enough for you?" I raised my hands and said that I hadn't meant it like that. "Only joking." Yamame replied with a smile. "I'm not exactly blind, either." Well, there we were. "I wonder what Suika and Lady Kasen were fighting about...?" I thought it had been about Houso? "No, um, after that. When Suika said to prove that she was really there a thousand years ago." I had a suspicion, but it was quite a personal matter, so I hoped that Yamame wouldn't mind if I didn't share it for now. "Personal? Oh, I suppose so. Hopefully I'll find out at some point." I hoped so too. Privately, I hoped that we would reach a point where Raki and Lady Kasen felt comfortable with merging again, though I knew we were probably still a way off.

"She's gone!" Lady Kasen called, stomping down into the pathway. "Suika Ibuki is gone for now." Curious, I asked why she'd been here in the first place. "Oh, er, well...We'd been getting along better, so when I ran into her at the party, I offered to let her stay. But she’s still just as crass as she used to be, because she was making crude lokes about my poor tiger. If I wasn’t so hungover, I’d have smacked her around for that…" I wondered whose room she'd stayed in. There were plenty on the ground floor, but at the same time, I just knew that she'd used one of the occupied rooms instead. Perhaps even Lady Kasen's own rooms. "Listen, I want to talk to you." Lady Kasen said to me. "It's about - Well, that personal issue." She spared a glance at Yamame. "I'm sorry, Yamame. I would like to tell you, but it isn't entirely my secret to keep."

"Huh? Um, no, it's okay." Yamame looked up at Lady Kasen and nodded along. "I won't pry. I’m just happy that I can be here at all, um, Lady Kasen."

"Ah, that's better!" I heard, and I turned to see Kisami emerging from by the waterfall, now clad in her own clothes. Following her was Raki, straightening out her tabard and straightening the chains on her wrists. "Not that I didn't enjoy being Miss Raki for a day. We should do that again, sometime!" That, I hadn't expected. "So, uh..."

At that point, Lady Kasen finally saw it. "Oh, my, my, my!" She suddenly said, zeroing in on Yamame's hand. "Just what do we have here!? Partner, have you seen this?" She took hold of Yamame’s hand and raised it delicately, examining the ring against the sunlight. “An engagement ring? Partner, this means-“

"A wedding! I saw it!" Raki replied, suddenly very excited. "It's beautiful, isn't it? All shiny and golden but with the stone in the middle reflecting beautiful greens." Raki looked at me. "Did you give her this?" I nodded, but added that Kisami had done all of the hard work. With that, Raki turned to Kisami and wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug. "Amazing job! It shines so well." Oh, I thought. So, even when they were apart, the two halved of Ibaraki-douji still got very excited by the idea of a wedding. "Date?" Raki asked me. I shrugged with a blank look. "Oh, this won't do. C'mon, partner. We need to strategize." And Raki grabbed Lady Kasen's hand, before dragged her along behind her. "Come on!" She shouted at the rest of us.

So there we were, discussing a wedding between a human and a youkai with the two halves of an ancient, famous oni, along with another spider who looked like a certain Chinese gatekeeper.

Just like normal people.

[Anonymous No.]

Come on now, as much as i like hong, Kisami has more going on than just looking like her.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45842788
>Something...Seemed familiar about them, but it filled me with a sense of unease. I couldn't quite place it.
Oh. Oh no.

[Anonymous No.]

Wait, why was Raki trying to suppress her excitement?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45844414
You know what happens when an Oni gets excited?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45844414
she's doing her best to keep her oni instincts under control like kasen does, so she's doing some of kasen's training
I think they might actually be thinking of merging soon

[Anonymous No.]

>>45842795
>She'd taken off Kisami's clothes and replaced them with...Not much. Nothing on her chest. A pair of underwear which was already soaked through at her waist
requesting any of the AI friends to do this

[Anonymous No.]

If she gets so excited about other people's weddings, imagine what she'll be like when I make my proposal.

[Anonymous No.]

Writeanon is dead and we killed him.

[Anonymous No.]

"So...Have you told her yet?" Raki asked once we were all sat at the table in the dojo. "Would probably make this whole thing a lot easier if you did." Yamame and I looked at each other, then at Kisami, who looked back blankly. "No clue how this stuff doesn't get figured out immediately. I guess no one bothers asking, because I'd have told you right away." She was still messing with the chains on her wrists. "Did you - No, they're just...Why do they feel weird?" She muttered to herself. I wasn't really sure what her problem was, but I watched her curiously. "Wait..." She slid them off of her wrists and placed them back on the opposite arms. "Oh. Never really taken them off before." She blinked, then flexed her arms for a moment before deciding that the cuffs were fine now.

I turned to Lady Kasen. Was she planning to tell everyone the truth? "...No, not especially. I think, though, we're looking to hide it a little less." I asked her if she was really okay with that. Hadn't she spent a thousand years being a hermit? She nodded with a light smile. "I became a hermit when I lost my arm, but now I have her back with me. I'll continue being a hermit, and I'll continue to meditate and practice hermit arts just as I do now, but...I have to make some sacrifices so she can have a measure of freedom too, especially as she gets better at keeping her emotions in check." She was smiling at Raki by the end of the sentence, and I looked over to see the oni looking away awkwardly. I wondered if it was the praise that got her flustered. "So, let's get the big news out of the way." Lady Kasen turned to Kisami. "Miss Kurodani, my name is Kasen Ibaraki. This," She indicated the arm, "Is the right arm of Ibaraki-douji. She goes by Raki now. Together, we are both halves of Ibaraki-douji, though you can think of me as the main body." Kisami's response was to slowly nod and cross her arms, then say that she understood it completely. Somehow, I had a feeling that she actually didn't get it at all. "I presume that you are happy to keep this a secret?"

"U-Um, yes, Miss Ibaraki." Kisami replied, nodding. "It's, er, nice to meet you." She awkwardly bowed as much as she could for the space she had on the table. "Thank you for taking care of my sister's future husband." She said, bowing again. "And my little sister."

Raki looked between Lady Kasen and the rest of us. "Yeah. It took some time, but we're all getting along now. Right, partner?" She asked Lady Kasen. True to her words, it had taken a while for them to get along and even longer for them to become close.

"Right." Lady Kasen nodded. "Now, with that out of the way...Tell me all about this." Her bandaged hand shot out, the length unravelling so that the hand itself could gently lift Yamame's hand and examine her ring. "I want to know everything. Spare no detail."

This was not a question, so I resigned myself to explaining. Yamame interjected when it was necessary, and Ki explained her part in creating the ring. That, then, led to me having to explain my kidnapping by the tengu, which reminded me that I needed to be at the Shrine on the fifth of the month to meet Shameimaru. I wasn't entirely sure what she was planning to ask, because it seemed like the Eientei Investigation had been a fair while ago at this point, but she had seemed to have something in mind when I'd seen her last night. Plus, she was probably still sick, since Yamame had gotten her vindictive streak out right then.

Lady Kasen tilted Yamame's hand this way and that way to examine the ring under different lighting. "Excellent craftsmanship..." She murmured, before looking over at Kisami, who perked up. "You've done an amazing job, Miss Kurodani."

"Oh, um, thank you! I try my best, and I needed to do the very best I could for my little sister." Ki replied, the wide smile threatening to split her face open. "And, um, you can call me Kisami, if it's easier. I know it gets a little confusing when there's two Kurodani's in the room, let alone all the ones in Former Hell." Lady Kasen nodded with a smile. I turned to her and asked her what she was thinking, because I could tell that she was...scheming. It wasn't quite as obvious as it was when Hearn did it, but I could still practically see the thoughts crossing her mind. I could only hope that they were for my benefit.

[Anonymous No.]

"Oh, just about the next steps." Lady Kasen said, a smirk crossing her face. "I'm sure Reimu's already chomping at the bit to get things going. She absolutely adores weddings." So I'd heard, I replied dryly. Unfortunately, I didn't think Reimu would be chomping at any bits, or doing anything at all for that matter, for at least the rest of the day. It was unlikely that anyone else would be, either. Frankly, I was surprised that Ki was doing as well as she seemed to be. "Hm...Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Honestly, I tell Reimu to pace herself each and every year, and she disregards me every single time. The beginning of the year is a very lucrative period for her Shrine, since it's the time of the year when plenty of people from the Human Village come and offer prayers, and she always handles it while looking like death warmed up." Death had also been at the party, but she'd just asked me for a hug and then staggered off to ask the Yama for some time off. "Yes, well..." Lady Kasen's mouth turned into a very thin line and she straightened up with a frown. "She's a whole other story."

"Anyway, you do have to think about next steps." Raki picked up the conversation. "I haven't seen a wedding in a very long time, so they're probably different from what they were in my day, but you still need to figure out the basic questions. When, where, and who you're inviting." The arm of Ibaraki-douji looked very interested in the prospect too. I was surprised to see that they were both showing such an interest. "Hmm...would you like to explain, partner? Or shall I?" There was a slight smile on her face. Lady Kasen deferred the question to Raki as she continued to look at Yamame's ring. Quietly, just to me, Yamame mumbled a question about if she would ever be getting that hand back. I shrugged and told her to just bear with it. "Well, I'm sure that you can tell how my partner here feels about Reimu Hakurei." I thought about it. Lady Kasen definitely held a great deal of care for Reimu, and she loved to go and nag her about taking better care of herself, or being less negligent in performing her duties.

"Oh, um, she told me that she loves Reimu. She said that she was precious to her." Yamame suddenly said. Lady Kasen looked up at her, her face still a gentle smile. "Er...Should I not have said that? Um, sorry..." Yamame's face went a little red and she frowned, as if she was wondering whether or not she'd given away and important secret.

"No, it's okay, Yamame. I believe that was the point that my partner here was trying to make in the first place. Yes, Reimu is precious to me, but you are precious to her. And, while I have not known you as long as I've known Reimu...I think that I'm coming to care for you the same way. You and Yamame." I felt my eyes widen slightly, and Yamame gripped my free hand with her free hand. "Perhaps it's your nature. Perhaps it's your helpfulness. Either way, I believe we - Both myself and my partner - Want to see things work out well for you. Both of you. It'll make Reimu happy, too, which makes me happy."

"Also," Raki suddenly added. She was playing with a lock of her hair in one hand, and messing with one of her horns using the other hand. I got the sense that it was something she considered to be a little bit embarrassing. "I, er, owe you a lot. Both of you. Not only did you," She nodded toward me, "Convince my partner here to free me, you didn't try and push me away. I haven't forgotten. Right after I was freed, when the Shinigami and the ex-celestial attacked me, you came to me while Reimu went to them. You got me to calm down before I did any real damage and ruined my freedom right there and then." I blinked, remembering the situation. I thought she'd just been thinking about them attacking her. "It's been the efforts of multiple people to get me to where I am now, but you, Yamame, and my partner...You've been almost entirely responsible." She blinked and looked at Kisami, who seemed to be at a loss. "Ah, you offered to swap clothes with me last night, and you didn't question anything about it. I owe you a debt of thanks as well. Thank you for treating me well, Miss Kisami Kurodani." Raki bowed her head.

"Um, that's - You're welcome?" Ki didn't seem very sure what to make of the whole situation.

I didn't either. But I did know that I wanted to show my appreciation, so I asked both of the Ibaraki halves if they would mind coming over here so I could hug them. They shared a look with each other, then Raki sighed and got to her feet. "You and your hugs. Is this a human thing? A youkai thing?" She came over to stand in front of me.

[Anonymous No.]

"I think it's a 'him' thing, partner." Lady Kasen replied, coming over to join Raki. "And - Are you really complaining? I know you like it more than you pretend to." With the two standing in front of me, I regarded the similarities. The same face. The same eyes, though Raki's were sharper and looked more red around the eye itself, like it was some sort of red shadows. They were the same height, though Raki obviously had the much larger horns. Their outfits were different colours, and Raki wore tights where Lady Kasen did not. Different chains, and different lives, but they were the same. I opened my arms wide and hugged them both at once. In a sign of her progress, Raki was the first to hug back, though Lady Kasen followed only moments later. Thank you, I whispered. Thank you both, for everything that you are to me. They were family, too. Maybe not quite in the same sense that Reimu and I considered ourselves to be, but I knew that I loved them too. After a moment, Raki sniffled, but Lady Kasen whispered back that she was happy that I'd been brought to the dojo on that Summer's day. And finally, we separated again.

Yamame stood and brought me back to my seat. "Feeling better?" She asked me quietly, as both Ibaraki halves returned to their own seats. I did feel better. I think it was the fact that I'd finally clarified my relationship with the two in my head, but things seemed to make more sense now. "I'm glad." Yamame whispered. "I like it when something kind comes back around."

"Does that mean I can hug you even more often, Yams?" Kisami whispered. "Because I'm not really looking for excuses, but..." Yamame turned around to give her a pointed look. "Right, I'll just do it anyway. Got it." Kisami gave a thumbs up and nodded.

"Well, I think we've gotten rather off-track, haven't we?" Lady Kasen said, bringing our attention back. "Now, we were discussing the next steps, weren't we? Do you have any idea where you want to hold this ceremony? Usually, humans would hold it in either the human village, or the Hakurei Shrine. But...I imagine that the village would be a little bit out of the question, considering the sort of people who will be attending, correct?" She eyed Yamame, and we both nodded. It would have been a bit of a difficult task to get so many youkai into the village without anyone noticing, plus it would have been a security nightmare. Reimu would kill me for suggesting that. "So...Perhaps the Hakurei Shrine. But even then, it certainly wouldn't help the Shrine's reputation..."

"Oh!" Yamame suddenly exclaimed. We all turned to look at her. She began to snap her fingers repeatedly. "Someone said something...Oh, what was it..." She tapped the sides of her head like it would help her remember. "It was...Fairly recently. Baking, baking..." I thought that we were all staring very blankly now.

"Um, Yams? Are you, er, okay? What are you talking about?" Ki sounded just a little concerned. "Guys, I think Yams has lost it." She dramatically wrapped her arms around Yamame. "Oh, my poor little sister's mind is going!" She cried as she shook Yamame by the shoulders.

"Ki - Get off - Ki! Stop that!" Yamame cried, finally shoving her sister off of her. "Baking!" She all but shouted, pointing at me. ...Baking? "Miss Kazami said it, remember!?" She looked very excited about remembering, so I thought back to what Miss Yuuka had said. I didn't think baking had anything to do with this, though I wondered if I should visit Miss Yuuka again sometime soon. "No, not the actual baking part, it was after that. When she was leading us out, remember? She said..." That got my brain working, and I recalled her saying 'Underneath the peach tree that you planted yourself would be a perfect venue, would it not?' That must have been what Yamame was talking about. "Um, Lady Kasen, do you know where Miss Kazami lives? It's deep in the Garden of the Sun."

Lady Kasen rubbed her chin with her bandaged hand. "...I knew she resided in the Garden of the Sun, but I didn't know where. And...A peach tree, you say?" She directed that question to me. I nodded. The pit of the peach that Tenshi had given to me. Miss Yuuka had made me come with her to replant it in the Garden of the Sun, just in front of her home. The last time I'd seen it, it had already grown gargantuan in size. Miss Yuuka had assumed that it probably had something to do with it being a peach from Heaven combined with the soil from the Garden of the Sun. "And...Are you thinking that you could hold the ceremony here?"

[Anonymous No.]

Well, if the tree was in bloom, it would certainly be quite the scenery. "My only issue is...It's quite far. It wouldn't be a problem for youkai who could fly, or the humans that can, but for those who have to walk..." That was true, but at the same time, I wasn't sure who would actually be coming yet. There...Probably weren't that many completely normal villagers I wanted to invite. A consequence of my disappearance, but I hadn't been the most social person prior to that, either. Oseki, probably. The old man who ran the café and his wife. Perhaps that guy who'd been with Seiran at the party, and Seiran herself. Keine, obviously, but I thought that she might be able to fly.

I realised then that my shoulder was being shaken, and I snapped out of my thoughts to see that Ki was the one responsible. "You looked like you'd started thinking too deeply. Doesn't really suit you." That sounded almost like an insult, but I shook my head and said that I'd just been thinking about who would struggle to get there. Surely it would be possible to find a way to make things work? "Well, actually, I was thinking, right?" I waited for her to continue, but she was interrupted by Yamame muttering about how that was a nice change of pace. Ki, who'd been sitting next to her, casually threw her hand around Yamame's back and squeezed her shoulder. Immediately, Yamame slackened, then jolted back up and slapped her elder sister's hand away. "Anyway, before someone else rudely interrupts me, I was thinking that we Kurodani might be able to...I don't know, clear a path? Or run escorts? I mean, there's a lot of us, and we're more or less wrapped up on the Hot Spring Town, so it'd be something for them to do. Plus, it might give us a slightly nicer image."

"Hmm..." This time, it was Raki who'd spoken up. "You know, that's not a bad idea. All of your sisters down in Former Hell seemed pretty polite and nice. Talk them up a little so the humans trust them, and you might be onto something." It was a start, at least.

I turned to Yamame to double check if she was fine with the idea of the wedding being underneath that peach tree. "Well, I did suggest it. Yes, I think so." She scratched her chin and looked away a little bashfully. "W-Well, you know...If it hadn't been for that peach, we might never have met like we did..." She looked absolutely adorable when she did that. I wondered if kissing her right now would be a little bit too much, so I decided to hug her instead. I always liked hugging her, anyway. "...Thanks." She mumbled when I released her.

"Adorable." Raki commented, leaning on the table with her head resting on her hand. "Well, that's the venue decided, then. Presumably you want it to be when it's blooming, so that's...Early spring. Right?" She looked at Lady Kasen, who cleared her throat and sat up straighter.

"Yes, according to the bragging that Tenshi did on one occasion where she broke into my senkai." The hermit replied with only the slightest hint of irritation. "Begin to bloom in early spring...And the fruits begin to ripen from July to August. I don't know if conditions will be different on the surface compared to Heaven, but...Well, Yuuka Kazami probably knows better than I do."

After a few moments of silence, I heard footsteps from outside. Heavy ones, which I assumed were probably some of Lady Kasen's pets, at least until I heard the tell-tale jingle of chains. I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow, and she called out a greeting. A moment later, Yuugi Hoshiguma lowered her head so that she could get into the room without hitting it on the doorframe. "Hey..." She mumbled listlessly. "Going home, so-" But then she laid eyes on Kisami, and actually stumbled backward slightly. "Er, I mean...Good morn- Afternoon, Miss Kisami!" She stood up straight, her head nearly brushing against the ceiling. "I shall return to Former Hell right away!" And with that, she turned and disappeared out of sight.

Everyone turned to look at Kisami. "What?" She asked, raising her hands. "I didn't do anything!" Ki, I said in an insistent tone. What exactly did she do to her? "Nothing. I may have threatened her a few times when some of the oni in the Hot Springs Town attacked some of our sisters, but that was it! And - And they weren't even that harsh!" What - exactly - had she threatened? "Um, I think I said..."Do you know if I could, I'd fucking punch you into paralysis." Which isn't really that bad, I think!" I blinked. It was a fairly creative threat, I thought, but it didn't seem enough to make Yuugi back off like that. She'd clearly said something else that she wasn't telling us. "Did not!" She replied petulantly. Did too, I insisted. "No, I just - Look, it was a day when Yuugi and Suika Ibuki were there, and I was telling them both about a drunken oni who'd whacked one of the younger girls in the face with a board instead of another oni."

[Anonymous No.]

And she'd said...?" "I think it was..."Well, I'll just have to kill the both of you, won't I?" And Suika started to respond and say something, so I continued and said "That's a joke, by the way. Not a very nice one - A nasty one, that masks a lot of very negative feelings about you fucking oni." See? It really wasn't that bad!" I just stared at her. "I may have threatened to perform some...Creative procedures." She looked down. "Involving the liver." She said in a very small voice.

"Ki..." Yamame sighed under her breath. "We really need to get that under control. Before you try and actually follow through." The younger sister shook her head.

"Well, I guess that could do it." Raki muttered. "Never thought I'd see the day that someone so much smaller could scare Hoshiguma-douji into submission like that." She laughed slightly, shaking her head. "You're quite the character, elder Kurodani." Kisami blushed a little at that, but smiled nonetheless.

"Ahem." Lady Kasen cleared her throat again. "Yuugi showed up late to the party, and came back with us, in case you were wondering. Anyway, I suspect you'll need some time to sort out who you're going to invite, let alone fixing a date, talking to Yuuka Kazami, coordinating the whole thing with Reimu, and actually sending out those invites. Ooh...You've a lot to do." It was a little daunting, I admitted, but I was willing to go through with it if Yamame was. "I'm sure." Lady Kasen replied with a smile.

"Um, I'll...Go outside, shall I?" Kisami said awkwardly. "If, er, Yuugi is still out there, I should probably apologise. It'll be really awkward in the Hot Springs Town if she's avoiding me." She got up from her chair, scratching her head. "It's just, er, left and down the hallway, right?" She asked Lady Kasen, who nodded. "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes..." She stepped through the door and into the hallway, then disappeared to the left. A moment later, I heard her speak again. "Wait...Is that - A tiger? No, it can't be - Wait, why are you coming closer? Um, I'm not - Wait, no, no, no!" And then I heard the thump of her falling to the floor.

"Be nice, Houso!" It was Raki who shouted this, to my surprise. "I'm not giving you any more head scratches if you upset Miss Kisami!" Clearly, she'd become much more comfortable with handling Lady Kasen's pets. I heard what I assumed was the tiger equivalent of a cat's meow, and Kisami sighing in relief as Houso let her get up.

Once the sound of Kisami had disappeared, Houso loped into the room and stopped for a moment, looking between Lady Kasen and Raki. After Lady Kasen raised an arm, he went to Raki's side and curled up next to her. Curiously, I asked the two of them if they'd thought about the idea of merging any more. "Ha..." Raki sighed. "A bit. We spoke about it, last night. Maybe, if Reimu's on board and willing to separate us again. It's...A bit of a strange prospect." I could imagine, so I said to just take their time. At the same time, though, I was curious. I wondered if having the combined Ibaraki-douji would make her better at wedding planning.

[Anonymous No.]

At that, both Raki and Lady Kasen, who'd been musing and staring off into space, snapped their gaze straight to me. "No." They both said at the exact same moment. I blinked and raised my hands. "She - I - We...Would be far too emotional about it for that sort of thing. The wedding itself? Maybe that'd be okay as long as Yuugi and Suika are around to keep us from getting out of hand, but all the planning? Not a chance. Lots of tears, lots of impatience, lots of drama."

"I can't help but feel like we're just insulting each other and ourselves at the same time." Raki muttered, slouching over the table with a lazy grin. "I wonder if that's ever happened to anyone else before." I wasn't sure their situation had really happened to anyone before.

Still, at least it meant that we had an idea on what to do next. Then, I heard another set of footsteps and asked Lady Kasen with exasperation just how many people she'd had staying here. "Just - Just me..." I heard a cough cut the words off, and Komachi dragged herself into the room. She was dragging her scythe along with her, but it didn't look like she even had the strength to hold it. "Didn't realise my favourite nap spot would be so busy..." She'd loosened most of her clothing, was covered in sweat, and looked like she was barely standing. "Just what did you give me...?" She asked Yamame.

"Er...Just a regular fever? I even made it milder than usual!" She looked at me in confusion. "Maybe Shinigami are weaker to that sort of thing." Komachi staggered over to a couch and collapsed into it, her scythe somehow not gouging out anything. "Um, sorry." Yamame called after her, and the Shinigami weakly raised an arm to wave dismissively.

"It's fine..." She groaned. "Just...Tired." Her arm dropped back down. “Fever dreams…” She mumbled.

I probably needed another nap too, at this rate, but I hoped that it would be something that Doremy Sweet would be a little less bemused by.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45851732
My chronic procrastination is what's going to kill me, thank you very much!

[Anonymous No.]

>>45851785
>but she had seemed to have something in mind when I'd seen her last night.
What does Aya plan?
>>45851804
>Begin to bloom in early spring...And the fruits begin to ripen from July to August
~6 months until the wedding...!!

[Anonymous No.]

Why are Kasen and Kasen such good girls?

>>45851978
It's more like 4 if it's when the leaves bloom, not when the fruits ripen

[Anonymous No.]

Can't Komachi get Kutaka to help her?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45852395
it's writeanon's cruel and unusual punishment of letting us see exactly how the Kasen route would have played out, but without the pelvis-shattering sex
>>45853411
Probably not, since they have very different jobs. The other yama in the Ministry of Right and Wrong still get souls delivered to them, so it's likely that she's getting one of the other shikigami to cover for her

[Anonymous No.]

>>45854104
I think he meant in terms of curing her illness not taking her shift. Kutaka has the power of curing throat infections.
Not that it would apply to a fever in my opinion.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45854104
>it's writeanon's cruel and unusual punishment of letting us see exactly how the Kasen route would have played out, but without the pelvis-shattering sex
aaaaaaaaaaa whyyy I want sex with kasen

[Anonymous No.]

Writeanon, do you know if the next thread will be the last one?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45857544
why would it be?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45857566
The wedding seems to be approaching quite fast, so I was curious about his plans. Then again... leaving that unsaid and making it a surprise is probably for the best.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45857544
>>45858018
There are a lot of things to resolve so I don't think so. I'll list what I remember
-fix rin
-fix sakuya
-change how yukari treats ran
-friendship with satori
-Iku's apology
-learn to fish with hime
-introduce yuuka to the youkai meeting
-meet byakuren
-know if anon will let himself be examined for eirin again
-get the chupa-cabra out of the house
-discover sekibanki's identity
-work with hecatia

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858379
This can just be a prologue

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858567
what you mean

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858589
Sorry i meant epilogue, jesus i need sleep

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858600
I don't like this idea

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858613
I was going to quote work with Hecatia, alright going to sleep now

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858649
Ah yes, I was going to say that maybe it would work with the hecatia part but I forgot

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858379
to be fair, not all of these need to be resolved, and if they were to be resolved, they'd be big commitments (in terms of how long it would take to write it out in a satisfactory way)
stuff like orin probably doesn't need to be resolved, she'll just go for anon's corpse when he dies, and good fucking luck fixing either sakuya or yukari's abusive tendencies
if anything, some of these could be left for potential sequel characters

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858379
Hey dum dum, you forgot helping Meiling with her sister and Aya's interview, honestly the preparations for the wedding could take up a quarter of a thread alone.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858718
>Aya's interview
>anon starts explaining the story from scratch again
>17 more threads

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858682
Yes, but for me a necessary thing is satori. koishi moved me when she that satori wanted more friends...
>>45858718
I don't think there is much to do with Meiling's sister, and I think writeanon just wanted to complete the redheads

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858682
Yes, but for me a necessary thing is satori. koishi moved me when she said that satori wanted more friends...
>>45858718
I don't think there is much to do with Meiling's sister, and I think writeanon just wanted to complete the redheads

[Anonymous No.]

I don't see Yamame ever allowing Orin to fetch Anon's eventual corpse.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45858832
Orin moves too fast and stealthy after all these years of evading humans and snatching corpses from almost under their noses

[Anonymous No.]

Komachi fell asleep seconds later, and I decided that it was probably time to make our escape. I wasn't looking to care for more sick girls already. I'd done two last year and that was enough to keep me happy for a while. "Kept me up all night, coughing her lungs out and sneezing." Raki muttered, watching the sleeping Shinigami. "You could hear it from all the way up at the top of the dojo."

I raised an eyebrow to Yamame, who waved her hands defensively. "I really didn't make it that bad! Either her immune system works differently, or she's a drama queen!"

"Probably the former." Lady Kasen interjected. "She's usually so laid back that I can't imagine her milking this in private. In front of the Yama, perhaps, but she never needs to hide anything around me." Komachi chose that moment to groan and roll over. It reminded me of the sick Reimu doing the same thing, so I again decided that we should get out of there. "You'll probably want to start on the wedding preparations soon, but not that soon." Lady Kasen told us. "Take some time to relax. An unbalanced mental state can be as dangerous as any attack." She was raising her finger into that lecture pose, and I didn't think I wanted to be stuck here listening to it for hours.

"Houso, you're eating too much." Raki suddenly said. I looked over at her to see that she was lifting Lady Kasen's tiger with one hand. She placed him on her lap - Never mind that he was too big for her lap, and both his hind legs and his fore legs were hanging in the air - and began to scratch him behind the ears. He let out another tiger-like purr, and Raki smiled, looking very pleased about it.

I took that chance to stand, and Yamame joined me before Lady Kasen could start again. "So, er, we'll go and...Relax." Yamame announced. "Um, will we see you again soon?" There was a note of hope in her voice.

"Of course you will, Yamame. I'm not leaving him alone for too long, or he'll start to forget his training." I stood up straighter and looked away from Lady Kasen, who was eyeing me with some amusement. Much as Lady Kasen's training had been immensely helpful to me as a person, I, much like Reimu, would rather not repeat it unnecessarily. "Will you be at the Shrine soon?" She asked, tilting her head. I cleared my throat and told her that Shameimaru was looking to meet me there on the fifth of the month for some sort of interview. I didn't know many details yet, aside from her old request for an exclusive. "Then...We will likely come to the Shrine on that day, too."

Lady Kasen nodded. "Ah, I almost forgot. Have you thought about wedding rings? It's not exactly...traditional, at least by Gensokyo standards, but neither was the engagement ring, and you all seemed to love that regardless." I asked her what she was trying to say. "Well - I suppose this should come as no surprise, but I've been to the Outside World several times since Gensokyo formed, and I was there for most of the time before that, too. Wedding rings as an element of a marriage ceremony only showed up right before right before barrier went up." She stopped for a moment, as if getting her thoughts straight. "But, in the time since, they have become very popular in Japan. And, perhaps somewhat popular in Gensokyo too, since the youkai have learnt about them, and the humans have learnt about them too. Those outsider families in the village, one of them is from the west, isn't he?"

I thought for a moment. Yes, there was a man with distinctively different features to most of the village. "He, I believe, keeps a wedding ring, though his wife has passed away." That was right. He'd remarried in the village, but I'd seen the gold band that had presumably once sat on his finger hanging from a loop of string around his neck before. Slowly, I nodded to Lady Kasen. "He explained the tradition as best he could, and so the rest of the village got the idea. It didn't take long after that for it to catch on, though given the danger of mining out here, I doubt anyone there could get something quite like what you got for Yamame." That did make me smile a little. Knowing that I'd been able to give Yamame something that not many else would have been able to do.

At about that point, I realised that I'd been caught in exactly what I'd been trying to avoid: One of Lady Kasen's lectures. "Partner, I think you're overloading his poor brain." Raki muttered from where she was stroking Houso's back. "Give him a rest."

[Anonymous No.]

Lady Kasen blinked and lowered the finger that she'd raised without even thinking. "Oh. Er, what was my point?" I stared at her. "Oh, yes. Since you did the engagement ring, I presume you're planning on wedding rings too. As it happens, I can tell you that you likely don't want anything too extravagant for a wedding ring. Not that I expect it to get you robbed or anything like that - As a matter of fact, I'd pity the fool who tried to rob either of you - But rings in the Outside World - At least, in Japan - tend to be understated. Quality over flashiness. Consider taking that into your consideration." I slowly nodded, though Lady Kasen was starting to really go over my head.

"Alright, you'd best be off before she talks some more." Raki said loudly, snapping her fingers to get our attention. Houso raised his head for a moment, then lowered it again. "We'll see you soon, alright?"

We nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Kasen and Miss Raki!" Yamame said, bowing deeply. I followed suit, though neither of our pink-haired hosts looked all that comfortable with it. Perhaps it was an oni thing. Either way, as we left the room, I'm sure I heard Raki mutter a question about why Lady Kasen got to be a lady and she didn't. I wasn't really sure how that had happened, either. In my case, it was because Lady Kasen had trained me before Raki had been unsealed, but I wasn't sure how Yamame had ended up calling her by that name too.

Much like Kisami, I nearly tripped over an animal in the hallway. This time, it was Kume, the giant eagle that Lady Kasen had befriended, and the predecessor of Kanda. He squinted at me, then continued on down the corridor. I wondered if his wings couldn't handle flying much at his age. Lady Kasen had mentioned that he was old and starting to become unable to handle the physical strain of flying, after all. That was why Kanda had taken over. "So, er, do we want to talk about - About wedding rings?" Yamame asked me quietly. We pushed open the doors that led outside and stepped out into the much stronger daylight. I was sleepy again. A glance at Yamame told me that she was much the same. We'd stayed up for most of the night, then got a few hours of sleep when we'd staggered back home, then exhausted ourselves all over again...And then, just for fun, headed up the mountain.

Ki clearly felt just like we did, because she was lying on her back in the grassy area of the mountain peak, her limbs splayed out wide and a comfortable smile on her face. "Ki? You're getting rather comfortable, aren't you?" Yamame asked her loudly, nudging her with her shoe. The elder Kurodani cracked open a blue eye and frowned at us, before closing it again. "Even though you're in someone else's house." Yamame looked at me for confirmation, so I added that it was someone else's world entirely. "I hope you're not getting sick too. There's already been too many sick people lately, and I'll go crazy if there's any more."

"I know..." Ki mumbled, stretching thoroughly. Given the weather, I wasn't surprised to see that she'd undone several buttons of her shirt, and I could see her navel very clearly as she stretched. Rolling her eyes, Yamame crouched down and poked her in the stomach. With a direct hit, Ki suddenly launched upright. "Eugh! Yams, don't do that!" She almost shouted. "It feels so weird..." She continued. "Look, it's freezing cold out there, so I'm getting the most out of the sun while I can!" It wasn't exactly a bad idea. I leaned down and lifted Kisami to her feet, then asked her if she'd managed to speak to Yuugi. "Oh, er...Yes. It took a lot of reassurance that I wasn't going to follow through on any of those threats, and a couple reminders that she could probably pull me limb from limb like I was a rice cracker, but she's calmed down about me now." Well, that was probably good. "So, er, do we have to leave now? Maybe I should just ask Miss Kasen if I can stay for a bit. I don't want to go back to the cold just yet." I hadn't really thought about it, but I doubted that Lady Kasen would turn her down. "Just for a little bit! I don't want to get attacked by that tiger again..."

"He's not that bad." Yamame replied. She hadn't been jumped by Houso yet, but she'd seen it happen to me. Houso was rather sweet, actually. He just seemed to like surprisingly people by jumping on them like that, since he did it to me more or less every time he saw me. "Just, um, don't fight back, and he won't try and hurt you." She looked over at me. "Right?" I nodded. He was scarier in appearance than anything. Still, there were plenty more animals in Lady Kasen's senkai to be cautious about. Belatedly, I told Ki not to try and climb the neighbouring mountains, and if it was raining, to go inside immediately. "Um...Why?" She asked me, frowning. I scratched the back of my head.

[Anonymous No.]

If she didn't she might run into Koutei, and while he was nice enough, he was also in the stage of life that Lady Kasen had described as being like a rebellious teenager, so he might try and frighten Kisami just to prove he could. "But - Um, what is Koutei?" She asked with a bit more insistence. A dragon, I replied plainly. "A dr- What? A - A dragon? Like, a real dragon?" I nodded. He'd caught quite the lecture from Lady Kasen after almost knocking me off of a cliff when I'd first started living here. "U-Um, that's - Why does she...?" Finally, I pulled her upright and told her to go and ask Lady Kasen. "...Right. I'll, um, see you later? Maybe soon, actually, if you want to start talking about rings."

"Ooh, I'd like that." Yamame replied. "I've already got plenty of ideas!" She did? "Well, obviously. Don't you?" Maybe one or two...? She sighed and smacked me on the shoulder. "Oh, let's get going. Ki can stay here and get abducted by a scary dragon." Ki's eyes widened, and Yamame actually looked like she felt a little bad. "Sorry, Ki. I didn't mean it. You definitely won't be abducted by a scary dragon." And even if she was, he'd probably just carry her right back here. This, funnily enough, didn't seem to make her feel much better. Yamame crouched down to wrap her elder sister in a hug. "Okay, we'll head off. You'll be fine getting back, right?" Slowly, she nodded. "Alright...We'll see you later, alright?" I followed suit with a hug, then told her that Lady Kasen would probably be happy to talk to her about all of her pets if she was worried about it. I did tell her that the snake she had would probably slither across her legs if they were in the way, though he'd never tried to bite me.

"A snake!? How many animals does she have!?" Ki cried as Yamame and I left. I looked back to see her flop back down in the grass with a sigh of exasperation. Still, she'd be fine. Just before we left, I stopped Yamame and reminded her to put her coat back on. She'd taken it off while we were Lady Kasen's senkai, which was far warmer than the outside would be. After a moment, she'd wrapped up as warmly as she could, and we stepped out through the clearing.

"Ooh!" Yamame cried at the first gust of wind to hit us. "Oh, that's awful!" She wrapped her arms around herself, so I wrapped mine around her too. It was something you just had to get used to. "Ugh...Let's get out of here, quickly." She grasped my hand. "Oh, your hand is really warm..." Probably something to do with the peach, I thought. I felt cold, but I didn't seem like I was suffering all that many effects from being in the cold. "Well, um, it's very nice." I'd offer to give her hugs to warm her up, but just getting out of the cold seemed like a better solution. "You know, I think you might be right." Yamame replied dryly, pulling her coat around herself tighter. The sky was a deep grey, and I could all but see the impending snowfall. The wind was already blowing a lot of the snow around, so we pushed out of the wooded area and onto the mountain properly as fast as we could.

At which point, as was usually the case, we were brought to a halt. This time, it was three white figures landing in a triangular shape around us. All of them carried massive swords and had shields strapped to their backs, and I sighed heavily. White wolf tengu. Honestly, I probably should have been worried, but I was so exhausted already that I just couldn't bring up the energy. Yamame, however, could. "What do you want!?" She called cautiously, standing in front of me as if to block me from attack. It was a nice gesture, even if there were still two more tengu behind me who'd get to me first. "This isn't tengu territory!" She continued. I didn't know what was or wasn't tengu territory, so I decided that I'd just let things play out.

"All of the mountain is tengu territory, Kurodani." One of them said. "And you're trespassing. We thank you for the work you did for us, but-" At this point, there was another burst of snow, and another white wolf tengu emerged. This one had shorter hair than the one who'd been threatening us, coming down around her shoulders like the snow surrounding us. It was bushier, and had what I thought were animal ears, though I realised that it was actually just the way her hair was shaped. She kept her sword on her back and walked with a more commanding air. "Inubashiri." The tengu who'd been speaking to us said, sounding only slightly begrudging about it. "This isn't your post."

[Anonymous No.]

Inubashiri, apparently, didn't seem to care much. "I recognized him. Shameimaru's been bugging me all month about spotting him." If this was about her interview- At that, all three swords twitched upward, and I quickly grabbed Yamame's arms before she could try and attack. "Stand down!" Inubashiri barked. After a moment, the swords lowered. "As I was saying, Shameimaru's been nagging me about him. Apparently, her daitengu gave her orders to give our daitengu order to give us order about delivering something to him." She reached between her detached sleeves and into her vest, then withdrew a sealed letter.

"Inubashiri, you can't seriously be acting on Shameimaru's orders! She's-" This was a different tengu to the one that had been speaking to Yamame. I hadn't gotten a look, but now that I turned, I saw that, unlike every tengu I'd met, this was a man. He was taller than the others, but looked fairly thin. His face was rather chiselled-looking, and his red eyes were even more piercing than most I'd met. His hair was just as shaggy as Inubashiri's, but a little shorter, only coming down to his chin.

"I'm not acting on her orders!" Inubashiri replied sharply. "You couldn't get me to act on her orders with a knife at my throat. No, I'm acting on our boss's orders. Do you want to take it up with her?" That got the male tengu to back off, and Inubashiri stiffly stepped through the triangle of tengu threatening us. She extended the arm carrying the letter and offered it to me. "Take it." She said. I eyed it suspiciously. "Take it, please." With a little more emphasis that time, and I reached out and took it from her hand, then slipped it into my coat. Then, Inubashiri bowed deeply. "Our deepest and most sincere apologies are extended for any distress you may have suffered when you were taken into custody by the tengu. The letter...Expresses this a little more clearly." Blankly, I told her that I accepted the apology. "And, you are not, in fact, in tengu territory, despite what my esteemed colleagues would have you believe. So, I apologize for that, too." She bowed again. Awkwardly, I told her that we were just leaving, actually. "Ah. Good. It's unsafe for a villager to be on this mountain."

I wasn't entirely sure I counted as a villager anymore, but I just nodded. "Oh!" Yamame suddenly exclaimed. The three tengu almost raised their weapons again, so Inubashiri barked at them to sheathe their swords, which they did reluctantly. "I know you, don't I? We played shogi once, while my sisters were working on the mountain. Back in the summer?" She was tapping a finger against her head. "Er...I think you won."

"I usually do." Inubashiri said shortly and very matter-of-factly. "Yes, I knew your face, Miss Kurodani. My name, if you have forgotten, is Momiji Inubashiri. I rather enjoyed our game." She did give a slight smile, and I hoped that meant I could relax a little. "Your work was excellent. Please allow me to thank your sisters on the tengu's behalf." She bowed again. I was starting to get the idea that she was the stiff, rule-abiding type, though she did seem quite amenable to conversation, and fairly cooperative. It was somewhat like Youmu had been before she got drunk. "I would like to play against you again, at some point. Do you know of Komakusa Dayuu's gambling den?" I raised a hand and told her that I did. I'd seen it once, while Kisami and I were looking for the Rainbow Dragon Cave. "It appears in the village from time to time, but otherwise, usually appears on the mountain. Many of us white wolf tengu frequent it. I would be pleased to challenge you again, should you visit."

[Anonymous No.]

"Um, sure, if I'm around." Yamame nodded. "I'll, er, do my best." She looked back at me. "So...We can leave, right?" I hoped so. It was a little bit worrying to have three tengu with very sharp weapons surrounding us, especially when they seemed to be itching for a chance to bring them out again.

"Yes. You may leave. I'll deal with this lot. Their overzealous tendencies cause a lot of problems. The waterfall's all but frozen over, you see. They can't stay there because it's too cold, so their restless behaviour spills out into this." She turned and dragged the other tengu together, then waved us off.

"I wonder if they're just bored." Yamame commented as we reached the mountain path. "It can't be fun being stuck on the mountain in the middle of Winter. Freezing cold, and they can't even admire the waterfall. I feel a little sorry for them." Inubashiri could probably hear her, I replied. At that, Yamame squeaked and shut up. After a few silent moments where the only sounds were the wind and the crunch of snow beneath our feet, Yamame spoke up again. "Can I carry you? I'll be gentle." She asked me. I looked at the long path down to the human village, then just double checked that she wasn't going to fall asleep on me mid-flight. "I've never done that in my life!" She told me indignantly. "Wouldn't be much of a youkai if I did." I thought about it, then nodded. Walking the rest of the way seemed exhausting. "Oh, good." Yamame sighed in relief. Then, she got behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, low enough that I wouldn't be carrying it all on my chest. Carrying method resolved, she took to the air and launched us off of the mountain, right as I started to see the snow swirling around us.

And about five minutes later, we were back home. It would have been another half an hour to an hour on foot. "Urgh, I hate Winter." Yamame moaned, throwing her coat over the pegs by the door. "Going outside makes me all stiff and cold, like I'm going to shut down." At least she hadn't done that in mid-air. "Oh, shut up. You run so hot that It'll never happen if I'm holding you." That was...adorable. "Snake." She muttered. "What does that letter say?" I blinked, then reached into my pocket and pulled it out. I'd almost forgot. The seal was wax, and bore an insignia that I didn't recognize, but presumed was some sort of tengu thing. "Probably." Yamame filled me in. "I know the stuff we got from the tengu when we were building for them had something similar. We were working for the crows, though. I don't recognize this one, but I guess it might be the white wolves?" I supposed so. I broke the seal and opened the envelope. The piece of paper that I slipped out was thick and heavy, though it felt very smooth to the touch. "High quality paper." Yamame commented. "They must really feel sorry. I wonder if any human in history has ever received an apology letter from the tengu?"

The letter was indeed from the daitengu of the white wolves. Dearest human, it began. I guessed that they didn't remember my name, but they did remember what I looked like, so I supposed that was something. The letter went on to extend the official apologies of the white wolf tengu for my kidnapping from the Rainbow Dragon Cave. Apparently, the tengu who'd found me hadn't been acting under any official orders, and the False Heaven Shelf wasn't officially their territory anyway, though they usually considered it to be. I was assured that they were being punished for their actions, which made me wince. Overall, the one in charge of them, who I'd been calling Miss Short-One, had been fairly more understanding than the others, and she'd made the decision to bring me to Iizunamaru. Either way, the letter again expressed apologies, told me that I'd be owed a favour personally from the white wolf daitengu, and finished with her name.

"Well, that's...Nice of them. A favour? Wow." Yamame commented, peering over my shoulder. I looked down and couldn't see her feet behind me, which probably meant that she was floating a little bit away from the ground. "Now, I'm certain that no human's ever gotten a favour from a daitengu. You'd best keep that letter safe." I nodded and slipped it into my pocket again, then took off my coat and hung it next to the door. "Are you cold?" I nodded. "Yeah, me too. And it's snowing again. Wonderful." She sighed and shook her head. "Tired, too. Definitely not enough sleep today. You want a nap?" I opened my mouth. "Just a nap. For - Actually, for most of the day. I'll need a lot of sleep before I'm ready to do anything." That, I could work with. I liked cuddling post-moult Yamame even more than pre-moult Yamame, too. She was so soft, and she was apparently very pleased with how warm I was.

So, off to bed we went. For the next few days.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45861384
Well it's better than what the three fairies got from getting their house kidnapped that one time.

[Anonymous No.]

It seems Kasen and Raki also have an effect on redheads

[Anonymous No.]

can he use the favour with aya or is it just for the wolf tengu?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45868444
Why would you want Aya when you get access to Momiji?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45868627
aya is hot

[Anonymous No.]

The favor is securing anon's corpse from orin

[Anonymous No.]

>>45868682
So you would use a favor owed on apology of sexual harassment to have sex with your harasser...?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45870464
pay in the same currency

[Anonymous No.]

"I am not going back out there." This was a point-blank refusal, and I was absolutely certain that I was fighting a losing battle. "It's too cold! I can't do it again so soon." Yamame's fifth refusal of this kind in the last four days. She was wrapped up in her chair up in her workshop, with plenty of clothes and a blanket around her. I'd asked her very blankly if it wouldn't be easier to just warm up the house, but she'd informed me very sharply that this was much more comfortable, so I'd decided that pushing the question seemed like a pointless endeavour. "Look, when that freezing wind dies down, I'll brave the snowy Hell again, but I'm staying right here until then. Or, I'm going to Former Hell and sitting in a nice, warm hot spring for several hours." If she did that, Yuugi would probably want to challenge her to hanafuda. "Fine by me. I'll get her this time." She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out, so I leaned down and kissed her while she wasn't expecting it. After a moment, she gently pushed me back, red-faced. "Yes, well, er...Yes." She stammered, blinking rapidly.

After a moment, she got her wits back. "Alright..." She pointed a finger at me, then rolled her hand so that she was pointing downward. "Sit." I lowered myself into a cross-legged position in front of her, and she lifted the thing she'd just spent the last day or so working on. A scarf, it seemed. It was thick and looked very warm. She'd done it in black, so it went with my latest sweater, a black one with thicker sleeves that meant that I wasn't feeling it so much when the wind rushed up the sleeves of my coat. She'd even gone ahead and added gold bands in diagonal patterns, though they weren't at consistent distances, but they were only on one end of the scarf anyway, so it didn't look particularly awkward either. She lifted the scarf over my head and brought it around my neck, then wound it over itself. "Long enough?" She asked me. I wasn't sure a scarf could be too long. Reimu had gotten that multicoloured thing from Hearn and it was probably longer than I was tall.

"Yes, well...I'm not looking to create a fashion disaster like that, I don't think." I snorted, then examined the scarf myself. It was very pleasant to touch, though I was happy that it didn't feel that coarse either. "I made it with, uh...I think they call it cashmere?" What did Yamame call it? "Er, 'that wool stuff'." I snorted. How very Kisami-like. "What?" Yamame asked, a look of genuine confusion on her face. I shook my head and just said that I was thinking about similarities. "...Uh, okay? You're really weird sometimes." Said the spider youkai who had broken her teeth three different times attempting to bite me. "Shut up!" She snapped with a smile. "It's not my fault that you're the perfect counter to bites."

I shook my head and laughed. Speaking of which, how were her teeth? "Ah, look." She used a finger to pull her lips open. "Ahll be'ah." Indeed, her tooth did seem to have healed perfectly. "Helps that I wasn't wasting all of my energy repairing my sisters' webs this time." I rolled my eyes and asked how many times I'd have to apologise for that. After a few moments of silent, I decided to move on. The scarf was perfect, I finally told her. It was warm, it looked nice, and it was long enough to wrap around myself several times without dragging on the floor. I'd definitely find a way to pay her back at some point. "No, er, it's fine, I'll just-" I jumped up from the floor to gently cup her face with my hands. It was important to me. She did so much for me. "O-Oh..." Yamame stammered as I released her. "Um, o-okay. Er, but that'll be later, right...? For now, I'll just - Er, I've got some work, so..." She vaguely gestured behind her to the desk.

It wasn't a lie. I had no idea when she'd managed it, but she'd picked up some new requests for work. I supposed that she'd been a little busier in the New Year's party than I'd thought. Perhaps during that period of time between her storming off from Kisami and Komachi to meeting me again at the torii gate, she'd done a little bit of searching for work. I asked her just what work she'd gotten, considering I'd been with her for the last several days.

"Er..." She spun her chair around to face the desk, then began to rummage through her papers. "There's...Narumi Yatadera...She wants a smaller version of her coat for the summer months." She raised one sheet, on which seemed to be an invoice, and then a large sketch of the coat in question. I had no idea when they'd gotten together, but I'd definitely heard her talking to Kagerou about Yamame's skills, so I supposed that it had been at some point before I'd fallen off of the roof of the Shrine.

[Anonymous No.]

Who else did she have? "Let's see...Um, this one's from Merlin Prismriver. She wants, as she put it, 'some exciting outfits for my solo performances', whatever that means. I'll just...Do my best, I guess." I hadn't even known that she did solo performances. I'd heard a man in a pub complain that Lyrica Prismriver didn't do any, though. I'd not asked him what he was talking about, though. "Oh, and I've got a request from..." She tapped her fingers against the desk, and she flipped through sheets with her other hand. "Mamizou Futatsuiwa. Wants...A tighter shirt. Apparently, hers is a little too loose at the top."

I frowned and asked Yamame what exactly that meant. "Well, er...If I remember correctly, she was - I suppose you could say she wasn't massively blessed. Er, in the chest department." Was that something youkai usually worried about? "Well, I suppose all girls think about it at some point. I'm sure there was at least one instance while you were growing up where you worried about whether you'd grow up...I don't know, frail and too weak to do much on your own." To be fair, I'd grown up being babysat by Hieda no Akyuu from time to time, so I'd gained some appreciation for her tenacity when it came to still doing things she wanted despite her physical limitations. She'd not been as frail then, but the last time I'd seen her, she'd been a lot more sedentary, and simply getting up and walking seemed to take a lot out of her. It hadn't diminished her spark of life, though.

"Er, you okay?" I blinked and snapped out of my thoughts. Fine, I replied. I was just thinking. I supposed she wasn't wrong about worrying about that sort of thing, though I wasn't sure it was quite the same worries for men as it was for women. "Right...Well, anyway, that's what I've got to work on. I think there's a H.H who wants something, too, but I only got that by finding a letter outside my door, so I don't even know who or what it is." How were you supposed to find out, then? "The first letter said she'd send a second letter." Yamame shrugged, though I could barely tell since she was so buried underneath layers of cloth. "I guess I'll find out at some point."

After a few moments of silence, she looked back up at me. "So, you're...Going to the Shrine?" I nodded. It was the fifth, which meant that it was time for me to go and meet Aya Shameimaru. "I feel bad about not coming with you, but..." No, I understood. It wasn't something entirely within her control. It was just a spider thing, and I didn't want to force her out into the miserable cold. She smiled weakly at me once I was finished. "Thanks." Came the mumbled reply. "I know that Reimu will take care of you, anyway. Plus, if I see that tengu again, I might just try and give her something a little bit more long-lasting." That sounded like a good enough reason not to bring her along, in my opinion. I was trying to not antagonise Shameimaru, because even though she'd been fairly amiable to me as of late, she had still threatened me once or twice and she was definitely too fast for anyone to catch if she decided to kidnap me. "We naturally, er, sort of hibernate. Spiders, I mean. It's not exactly hibernation, but it'll be easier to understand." I nodded. "So...While I can push past my instincts to go outside, I really don't want to." Yamame, I said insistently. I got it. It was fine. She was just trying to reassure me repeatedly. "Right, fine. I'll stop going on about it. Er, I'll come with you to the cave entrance, though. It's probably buried under snow again."

A few minutes later, I was trying to conceal my laughter. She'd refused to remove any of the layers she'd already been wearing, so there she was, wrapped in a blanket with several layers underneath, trying to walk through the tunnels with me. "Shut up." She told me before I could say anything. I raised my hands and told her that I thought it was cute. "It shouldn't be - No, still shut up." She gave up on walking then and floated the rest of the way.

And, as expected, the cave entrance was very much blocked. "Every time." Yamame muttered. "We really need to do something about the way snow can just block this whole thing off. It was fine when the agreement to keep the surface and the underground separate was in effect, but now... She shook her head, then raised a gloved hand and fired a large volley of danmaku, big enough to completely demolish the wall of snow and scatter it all off. Unfortunately, that meant that the wind was upon us, as well as the snow that was still falling. "Oh, no, not a chance! This will not do at all!" Yamame cried. Immediately, she threw her arms around me and pulled me down for a kiss. "Good luck with the journalist! I love you!" She called over the wind, then immediately turned and took off in the opposite direction, back into the tunnels.

[Anonymous No.]

I watched her go, shook my head with a slightly laugh at the rush she'd been in, and then began to brave the world outside. Fortunately, the wind wasn't as bad as it seemed. The tunnel funnelled it in, but once I was in the open air, things seemed far calmer. The snow was still coming down, which promised an exhausting walk, but I only had to struggle over a small amount of powdery snow before I was on slightly more hard-packed snow, and could walk a lot easier. In fact, I made it to the village fairly quickly, and soon my boots were crunching against the well-worn snow that had been packed down by children running through it. Only a couple villagers were out at this point, and they did spare me a glance or two as I walked down the street. None of them seemed to want to speak, which I hoped was just because it was cold and they were probably tired already, even though it was still fairly early in the morning.

As I turned onto the street next to the canal, I paused. There, in defiance of all logic, was Seiran, the dango seller I'd met at the Shrine. She was setting up for the day, even though the snow was coming down and she was shivering. And - Curse my nature - I couldn't help but go over and ask her how she was doing. Surely business wasn't so bad that she had to set up in the middle of the snow? I greeted her. "A-Ah, good m-morning." She said through chattering teeth. "Y-You want a d-dango to go?" I cast an eye down. Her supplies seemed well stocked, and she didn't look like she was struggling. I shook my head and said that I wasn't hungry, but I was curious as to why she'd set up on a day like this.

She wasn't well dressed for it, either. Her blue dress looked a little thin, and an apron was no real protection against the cold. She wore a thin cloth over her head which definitely couldn't have helped. "G-Got to work every d-day." She claimed. "E-Earn a l-living." I supposed I could understand that, but surely there were exceptions? This looked...Dangerous to her health. "Not used - Used to w-weather like this." She finally said after a few moments’ pause. "M-Moon didn't get w-weather like this." She breathed out, the breath hanging in the air between us as a chilly cloud. Moon? She'd been about to say something the last time we'd spoken before cutting herself off, too. "D-Drat. Brain's all frozen o-over. D-Don't go telling everyone, p-please?" I agreed while feeling more than a little mystified. Was that much of a secret? Wasn't Reisen a moon rabbit too?

I wanted to...Give her something, or help her somehow, but I didn't have anything that I could give up. Much as I felt sorry for her, there was no way I was giving up the scarf that Yamame had just made for me. "Oh dear." I heard a voice behind me. "It appears that there's a line. Perhaps I'll have to come back another day." I looked over my shoulder, and there was that villager, the man who'd been handing out flyers for the Hakurei Shrine. He was wrapped up about as well as a villager could be, and he was holding something in his arm that I couldn't identify. "Well, who would have guessed that the abnormally tall, red coat wearing man I was standing behind would turn out to be none other than the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's new brother." I blinked. How'd he hear about that? "Well, you'd be surprised at how many loose lips there were at the Shrine's party."

Ah. Yes, I supposed I could see that. "So, you're on your own today. Miss Yamame chose not to brave the snow?" Not a chance, I replied. I was surprised that he'd remembered her name. "I've a good eye for faces and the names attacked to them. Mother always said I noticed too much." I laughed a little. "On that note...Just, ahem, between you and I..." He stepped in closer to whisper. "Miss Yamame...Is a youkai, isn't she?" I looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Don't worry, I've no intention of panicking. You might have noticed that Miss Seiran here is a little less than fully human herself." Slowly, I relaxed. Yes, I replied. She was. "Ah...How very interesting. You might have just solved a small quandary that I've been having. I'll say no more about it."

He stepped around me. "Miss Seiran! Mighty pleased to see you on this...Brisk morning!" I looked over at him and watched the exhaled breath hang in the air. "Might I get the usual?" He had a usual? I'd thought he'd only just met Seiran at the Shrine. Still, Seiran agreed with chattering teeth. She certainly seemed to be holding her hands very close to the charcoal box that she was grilling the dango over. "You know, I've seen you out here near enough every morning since Winter started." He continued in a conversational tone. "Dressed just like that. You're made of sturdier stuff than I, I'd wager."

[Anonymous No.]

As if to puncture his airy words, Seiran immediately spun around and sneezed over the canal. Sniffling, she turned back. "J-Just doing a d-day's work." She stammered. The man watched her for a few moments. "Um, s-something on my f-face?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Hmm? Oh, no, not at all. Rather, I just so happened to be heading out to get rid of this old cloak, you see." He raised his arm, the one that had been holding something, and it unfurled to reveal a thick cloak that I was surprised you could even get in the village. Perhaps it had come from somewhere else. Muenzuka, or somewhere. "But, now that I'm here...Would you like it?" He raised it toward Seiran. It was deep blue, close to the same shade as her hair. "Suits you rather well, I think." He wasn't wrong. "Ah, and before you say that you can't, you'd be doing me a favour. Only so many places in the village that I could take this, and I don't much fancy traipsing through the cold, either. I'm nothing like him, you see," He stuck a thumb back in my direction. I blinked, then thought for a moment and decided that he wasn't exactly wrong.

"Y-You're sure...?" Seiran asked. Personally, I was getting a little worried about the shivering. She didn't look very good. "Er, W-Well, uh...T-Thank you for your g-generosity." She muttered, taking the proffered cloak. Cautiously, like she was afraid of damaging it, or rather, afraid of it entirely ,she pulled it on, and her eyes widened just slightly. "O-Oh, that's g-good..." She mumbled, but I could already see that she was warming up. "Oh, the dango!" She cried, hurriedly getting back to turning it over before it could burn. "Hands aren't shaking anymore..." She mumbled. "Um, thank you." She said again. "I'll - Er, cherish this." A moment later, she pulled the dango from the grill and offered it to him. "Um, you can have this one for free. As, er, payment."

He looked up, his hand already in his wallet. "Free, Miss Seiran? Seems a mite too generous, don't you think? I might just start making a habit of asking for free dango." He smiled. "Only joking. I do insist on paying, though. I'm up to my gills in coins. Have you got notes?" Seiran blinked, then crouched under the counter of her stand, her ears still sticking up. Finally, she responded in the affirmative. "Ah, all's well. Here, I'll give you five more." He counted out his cash, took his note, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Miss Seiran. Pleasure as always."

"Er, thank you for the cloak. It's - Um, warm?" Seiran replied, looking like she was grasping for an answer.

"As it should be. Hoping already that I'll see you again soon." The man stepped back and bowed again, then turned to me. "Which way are you going?" He asked. Blankly, I said that I was going to the Shrine. "Ah. Matter of fact, I live in that direction. Would you mind terribly if I accompanied you?" I shook my head. It was fine for as long as it took to get out of the village. "Perfectly fine." He replied, nodding and setting off. I walked next to him, and he ate one of his dango. "Ah, these are rather delicious. How were the ones you had at the Hakurei Shrine?" Er...Good, I replied. They'd, in truth, been okay. "As I thought." He said with an easy smile.

Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I finally burst out and asked if he and Seiran were...Together. "Together? As in, like you and your Miss Yamame?" I nodded. "Well, I-" And then he cut himself off. "Ah, my apologies, but I'll have to leave you here." He was looking at an older woman who was waiting at one of the somewhat large houses down on the other side of the canal. I stared at him for a moment. You did that on purpose, I accused. "Did what?" He asked with what seemed to be complete sincerity. "It appears that my dear mother has grown impatient." I asked him what exactly he did. "Accountancy, you could say. I balance the books for my family's business." Hard work, I asked. "Oh, it can be. When the weather's getting worse, the orders come in fast. I've hardly had a moment to breath for most of Winter thus far." Finally, he bowed. "It's been good talking to you. Do take care." I told him to do the same, then bowed back before getting back on my way.

[Anonymous No.]

Once I'd gotten far enough that turning back would have been weird, I realised that I'd forgotten to ask him for his name again and slapped myself on the forehead. Fortunately, no one was around to see, and I made it out of the village quickly. The path had been snowed over, so I was forced to go at a slower pace, and I found myself turned around and heading back toward the village at one point - I suspected fairies, based on a random giggle I'd heard, but I never saw anyone - But before long, I was at the bottom of the stairs. They'd been cleared, thankfully, so I made it up just as quickly.

This meant that I was just in time to see the dazzling light of a danmaku duel. Reimu was on one side, moving at speed and throwing hundreds of ofuda, and on the other side, near the Shrine, was Misumaru Tamatsukuri. She stood with her hands behind her back and only gently floated out of the way of Reimu's attacks, while firing volleys of yin-yang orbs back. "Oh, Miss Reimu's brother!" I heard, and I looked to the side, behind the torii gate and out of the way of errant danmaku. There, it seemed, was Aunn. I blinked, then looked over my shoulder, at the other side of the torii gate. Aunn-The-Angry-One stared back at me. I looked back at Aunn-The-Nice-One and greeted her, then asked what was happening. "Well, um, Miss Misumaru upset Miss Reimu, I think. She said that she didn't know how to look after the Shrine's yin-yang orb." I supposed I could see that rubbing Reimu the wrong way. "So, um, they're fighting." Aunn looked around the post of the torii gate. "Oh, er, watch-"

And that was as far as she got before a stray yin-yang orb smacked into my face and knocked me flat on my back. I stared up at the swirling snow in the sky, then decided that I'd just lie here until the danmaku was all gone. After a moment, I felt Aunn drag me slightly more behind the torii gate. I groaned a thank you and crossed my arms, still staring at the sky and listening to the roar of danmaku. The knock had put my mind onto other things.

Maybe a Spring wedding...?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45871474
>I found myself turned around and heading back toward the village at one point - I suspected fairies, based on a random giggle I'd heard, but I never saw anyone
Anon's arch-nemesis?!

[Anonymous No.]

>>45871468
>I finally burst out and asked if he and Seiran were...Together.
Weird thing to ask of someone who just had to carefully maneuver her into accepting a present, but alright.

Still a better love story than TRHNL.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45874900
for all he knows that's one of their rituals, since he's already seen them seeming quite close at the party

[Anonymous No.]

>>45874900
If they just got together I can absolutely see them acting like that.

[Anonymous No.]

cute bunny

[Anonymous No.]

>>45854104
>it's writeanon's cruel and unusual punishment of letting us see exactly how the Kasen route would have played out, but without the pelvis-shattering sex
right? it got so bad I had to go to /g/ and beg them to teach me AI so I could try to fill the void writeanon left in my heart with such teasing

[Anonymous No.]

>>45878465
What a coincidence.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45878465
>>45878491
For me it was with reimu but I use my imagination to daydream instead of AI

[Anonymous No.]

>>45878491
I heavily modified my version of the card. it's kinda of a mess, but here, take a look and see if you wanna steal anything. https://files.catbox.moe/zhx47d.png
I've had great results with AWS Claude. also make sure you're using a good lorebook. I recommend https://www.chub.ai/lorebooks/hebelover/Touhou-AkyuuKnowledge
though it does have PC98 stuff in it

context for pic related: Anon's an outsider Kasen took in, a compassionate missionary type who nearly died after trying to enter Gensokyo to represent his God. a lot of things happened and he and Kasen are very close friends, though they both hesitate to get closer than that. Raki is undergoing a similar arc as she is in writeanon's story, but Anon played a more active role in freeing her and she feels indebted to him for seeing the potential for a new beginning between the two estranged halves. the three have a lot of affection between them at this point, and pic related takes place shortly after their reunion with the two others of the Big Four, where they prepare to go absolutely wild

>>45878560
imagination is good but having an external party make suggestions, complete your thoughts, or even provide a little bit of pushback is intoxicating. though I still prefer writeanon

[Anonymous No.]

>>45878699
oops, ignore the greeting on that card. I wrote that for a different protagonist, who she took in as an adoptive son. it was actually quite lovely

[Anonymous No.]

>>45878699
>imagination is good but having an external party make suggestions, complete your thoughts, or even provide a little bit of pushback is intoxicating.
Yeah but Im too lazy to do this

[Anonymous No.]

"Nice scarf." Reimu mumbled to me as she gave me a damp cloth to hold against the back of my head, which I'd banged against the courtyard after a stray bullet had caught me in the face. "It feels really soft. Did Yamame make it for you?" I nodded, then stifled a groan as the action made the world sway, just slightly. The peach didn't make me as hardy as a celestial, so while it would help with the damage I'd receive from a lot of things and dull the pain a bit, whacking the back of my head against a stone floor was still just as painful as usual. "Er, I am sorry." Reimu put a lot of emphasis on the 'am', I noticed. Probably because she'd been busy ranting about Lady Tamatsukuri for the first several minutes after their danmaku duel had finished and Aunn - Happily, Aunn - Begrudgingly, and Reimu had helped me inside since I was walking slightly crookedly. "I didn't know you'd be coming up the stairs right then."

"No, Reimu, you didn't. That's your problem. Your great-great-great grandmother had something of a gift for knowing who'd be coming up those stairs and when." Lady Tamatsukuri said from the other side of Reimu's table, her arms just as crossed as her legs. She looked as if the entire danmaku duel she'd just fought had not affected her at all. Her face was the same as ever. "Your instincts should really take care of that sort of thing. Perhaps if you-"

"Shut up!" Reimu shouted, looking around from me. "We just had a whole duel over you not shutting up, so I'm allowed to tell you to shut up now!" Reimu pointed an accusatory finger at Lady Tamatsukuri. "I don't need all your cryptic words about which of my ancestors did this or did that." She did look like it was getting under her skin just a bit, and I could see why. Reimu hadn't known that much about her past. I suspected that she knew more than she was willing to reveal, but on the whole, it seemed that a lot of her family was shrouded in mystery. She only vaguely knew her mother from what memories had survived in the dredges of her brain from when she was a child, and I'd never even heard her mention a father. I suspected that she didn't know him at all. "Now, are you finally done here?" She asked with a heavy frown.

Lady Tamatsukuri didn't give much of a reaction to Reimu's words, which seemed to be becoming something of a trend with her. "Yes, Reimu. I am done here, for now. I believe that I am going to have to make regular visits to the Hakurei Shrine a part of my itinerary, though. Just to ensure that you continue to treat your sacred tools with the respect they deserve." Lady Tamatsukuri smiled pleasantly. "I will cook you dinner again and run you a bath from time to time, if it will make you more amenable. I'd rather these not be unpleasant visits, after all. Your family has always been quick to judge when it came to that sort of thing." That got Reimu to pause for a moment, and I looked between the two with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. Why did Lady Tamatsukuri keep bringing up Reimu's family like that? She clearly wasn't quite okay with it.

"Um, I've made some tea." The door slid open and there stood Aunn, holding a tray with two cups. For a moment, I wondered how that was going to cover everyone until the grumpier Aunn stepped in behind her, holding another tray, this one with three cups. Having two bodies sure seemed useful. I bet Lady Hecatia having three was even more useful. Grumpy Aunn put a cup beside me, and did not smile when I thanked her. Another cup went to Reimu, and one went to her. Meanwhile, Happy Aunn put a cup in front of Lady Tamatsukuri and took one for herself. "Thank you for teaching me about making the tea like Miss Reimu's great grandmother, Miss Misumaru." At that, Reimu shot Aunn a dirty look, so I elbowed her in the side and shot her a look of my own. Aunn was nice and Reimu shouldn't be mean to her.

"You're very welcome, Aunn. It's good that the Shrine has such a faithful komainu looking after it." Lady Tamatsukuri said, ruffling Aunn's hair. The other Aunn was not spared from this treatment, though she didn't look as pleased by it. She did look less displeased than normal, though. "You know-" She was cut off by Reimu, who rolled her eyes and slammed her cup down on the table.

"Oh, save it! What, you helped install the komainu statues? You maintained them for all these years?" Reimu seemed to be getting very agitated now, and I grabbed her by the waist as she made to stand up. I didn't want her trying to have another danmaku duel, since I knew it was almost noon, which meant that Shameimaru would be coming. I hissed a question at her, and asked if she'd rather Shameimaru be here to record the whole fight in her newspaper for prosperity. At that, Reimu paled slightly. "...No, no, I wouldn't." She muttered. "Definitely don't need more of her attacks in her stupid paper." She did manage to calm down once I'd reminded her of that potential outcome. "Fine, what were you saying?" She asked Lady Tamatsukuri.

[Anonymous No.]

"I was saying, Reimu, that your family would be jealous of how much more peaceful your life is than they could have ever enjoyed. None of them could have enjoyed comfort like this." Lady Tamatsukuri smiled calmly after explaining her point, and it served to defuse Reimu's tension quickly. "They'd be happy for you. And proud." She finished her tea and got to her feet. "I'll leave you be. Hopefully I'll see you again, if you are willing to have me."

"Wait, just-" Reimu finally said as Lady Tamatsukuri neared the door. Her voice was a bit strangled. "Just - You can visit. When you want to." She finally conceded. "In exchange, will you..." Her hands were grasping at the air. "Tell me more about my ancestors?" She finally spit out.
Lady Tamatsukuri paused for a moment, then smiled just slightly. It was...Slightly wistful, I thought. Like she was thinking about something. "Perhaps I shall." She finally said with a slight nod. "Goodbye for now, Reimu." She paused to nod at the rest of us and slipped out of the door as if she'd never been there at all. I looked back over at Reimu, who was looking away with an intense frown. Had Lady Tamatsukuri really made her dinner and a bath? I surprised myself by finding that the first question I wanted to ask was so trivial.

Reimu blushed slightly and looked away. "Er...Yeah. And - No, I didn't ask her to. She just showed up at the Shrine while I was out, and when I got back, she was already well into cooking and told me to go and use the bath she'd gotten ready. It was - I thought it was a little bit of a privacy invasion, but..." She trailed off for a moment. "It was really nice." She finally mumbled in a tiny voice that I barely heard. I felt a growing smile on my face. "Um, I mean - It was - She's overbearing and annoyingly smug, so-" I raised my hands and told her that she didn't need to justify it to me. If she thought it was nice, that was good enough for me. "...Right." She finally said. "I didn't think - Is that what having a mother is like?" She asked me with a frown. I shrugged. It wasn't like I knew for sure myself. I'd had Keine, who I did love, but I wasn't sure if that was the same as having a mother. "Ugh. That's the problem with us orphans. We can't even double check with each other." I snorted and replied that I probably wouldn't want to be quite as overbearing as Reimu thought that Lady Tamatsukuri was with any children I had.

"Children?" I jumped and turned my head to the door. There, dressed in brown shorts and a crisp, white shirt, with a brown coat tossed over her shoulder and a cap on her head, was Aya Shameimaru. She still wore her geta, I noticed, but they looked slightly less tengu-like, with the top being laced up and in a more normal sort of pattern. "Who's talking about children?" She pointed the fountain pen who's top she'd been chewing on the tip of at me. "Are you having children?" I blinked, then shook my head. "Much the shame. Now, that would've made a good story. A bit...Unpleasant, but it's the kind of unpleasantry that sells newspapers. 'First Confirmed Male Pregnancy!' Ah, I can see it now..."

I could not tell if she was joking or not.

"Aya, you're pissing me off." Reimu declared. "Do you need me to hit you?" She got up, which made the crow tengu hop back from the sliding door she'd been leaning against, her hands clasped behind her back as her canvas bag - Also brown - swung from her shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to be too ill to come out? I could go and fetch Yamame, you know. She could give you a throat infection so I don't have to listen to you talk for a while." The threat to fetch Yamame did have a bit of an effect on Shameimaru, who stood up slightly straighter and swallowed.

"No, I think we can skip all of that, thank you very much. I'm not here to spy on you, Reimu. I'll do that in my own time. No, I'm here for him." She pointed the fountain pen at me again. I'd known this was coming, so I just crossed my arms and asked her how her health was. That got her to struggle for words again. "F-Fine. Just fine." She nodded rapidly, her red tokin nearly falling from her head. Had she been staying away from the alcohol? "Wh- Yes!" She frowned and crossed her arms. "I already apologised for that, didn't I?" She had, but I was just making sure. It was better than leaving any uncertainties hanging in the air. Why, Yamame might just get the wrong idea. "No, no, I'm still very sorry." Shameimaru replied quickly, though she seemed to have paled just slightly. "So, er, with that out of the way, I'd like to finally talk to you about the long-awaited interview. Is there a quiet room we can use?" She looked around Reimu's room, and at Aunn and Aunn. One of them waved back. The other did not.

[Anonymous No.]

"Spare room. I don't want you sitting around in my room." Reimu immediately said. She pointed Shameimaru down the hallway. "Go." This was not a request. Shameimaru watched her for a moment with an indeterminate smile, then, in the blink of an eye, was gone. I heard the door to the spare room open, and the clack of Shameimaru's geta against the veranda's wooden surface. Before I could follow her, Reimu stopped me. "Are you sure about this?" She asked me quietly. I nodded. It was a promise I'd long since agreed with myself to keep. One of the first promises I'd made since the whole Eientei Investigation had started. "Alright...But she's a tengu journalist. They're...savvy. Good at finding ways to twist your words. No matter how much Aya particularly claims to report the truth." I expected as much after all my conversations with her, I supposed. "Okay, let's get this over with." I asked Reimu what she was planning. "I'm staying right with you. The entire time she's here. I'm not letting her do anything to you." I smiled, and gently played a hand on Reimu's shoulder before pulling her into a one-armed hug. Thank you, I replied quietly.

Inside the spare room, Shameimaru was spreading out some supplies. A supply of photographs, several sheets of paper that had scribbled notes on them, and she was flipping through her notebook with a finger while she sat with her knees up and her legs crossed at her ankles. "Alright!" She exclaimed brightly. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for half a year!" She did look pretty excited about it. "Sit down, sit down!" I slowly walked over and dropped to the opposite side of the table. "Alright, Do you remember what I said just before your - Er, girlfriend infected me with a horrifying illness?" She'd said it was just a cold, I replied with a frown.

"Tengu are all drama queens." Reimu muttered, sitting next to me with her arms folded and a frown on her face. She was staring at Shameimaru intensely. "Only ones worse than them are vampires."

"How rude!" Shameimaru replied crossly. "I've been in bed for the past three days, barely able to move!" She didn't look it, I thought privately. Reimu was probably right. "Anyway, I said that I might have an idea on how to run this story." Oh, she had said that. It had been right after telling us that she'd come last in the newspaper competition. "R-Right." She muttered, leaning back slightly. Seemed I'd struck a nerve. After a moment, she composed herself. "Tell me something." She said, a mysterious smile spreading across her face. "How is your relationship with Miss Kurodani?" Shameimaru tilted her head. She was fishing for an answer, and I felt like I should keep it away from her, but I changed my mind almost immediately.

There were at least three parties, but probably more, where absolutely no good could come from antagonising them. One was the tengu. Another was a journalist. And the last? Well, that was a crow. Crows could remember. They were intensely smart as far as birds went. This, I had not learnt from a book in Suzunaan. No, this I had learnt from an unfortunate mishap growing up. I'd come across a dead crow not far from my house, and - Young and naïve as I was - I'd decided to bury it. This, it seemed, had not gone down well with the dead crow's family, who'd been watching over their deceased ancestor. For the next six months, I'd practically had a target on my back for the crows who lived near the village. On the plus side, I'd learnt very quickly to be polite and respectful to them from then onward. Perhaps I'd taken that trait onward for far longer.

And lucky me, I had all three of those parties rolled into one right in front of me. So, I decided that it was time to get back to that mindset. I started by telling Aya, very bluntly, that I was marrying Yamame. That got her attention. "Oh-ho? You? A human? Marrying a youkai? My, my, how times change." She smirked and began to scribble in her notebook. "Congratulations, I should be saying. When...?" The question? I'd asked her as the sun rose on the first day of the new year. "Is that right? Ah, that's right after I left...Hmm, if only I had that shut-in's power...Alas, a pity that I missed it." Well, I'd wanted things quiet. "I suppose some enjoy that more than others. So, I'm sure you're wondering why I asked." I had a feeling that I was starting to get the idea. "Are you? Good, good. That'll save me some time." Shameimaru had said that she had thought of a way to run the story, and then she'd looked between Yamame and I, and now she was asking how our relationship was. "When's the wedding?" She asked, looking up from her notebook. We hadn't quite decided yet, but there was a fair chance that it would be in Spring. "Likely somewhere in Spring." Shameimaru muttered, writing it down.

[Anonymous No.]

"Aya, what the hell are you talking about?" Reimu interjected with a frown, uncrossing her arms and leaning them on the table for a moment. "I hate all this cryptic nonsense." I looked over at Reimu and raised an eyebrow. I supposed it was because she'd already dealt with it from Lady Tamatsukuri earlier. "Just tell us straight, will you? Spare me all of the talking in riddles."

"Fine, Reimu. Fine. Perhaps if you'd just thought about them a little longer, you'd have understood. The Eientei Investigation's just about old enough news now that it's not going to turn enough heads. Not when the place is more or less back to normal. However, here I have an opportunity for a much more involved story, and the best part is I don't have to get rid of any of my Eientei materials for it. Oh, this might go beyond a newspaper entirely..." I sighed heavily and asked Shameimaru to spit it out. "I want to release a special edition chronicling everything that's happened to you. The Eientei Investigation. Your dates. Your relationship with Yamame." And I suspected that the conclusion would be... "Your wedding." Shameimaru finished with a wide smile. "Good to see that you're catching on.

"Nope." Reimu said sharply. "No way. Not going on with this. You are not publishing an entire - An entire chronicle of my brother's love life and his personal tragedies." She poked a finger strongly against the table to emphasize her words. "Hasn't he been through enough? You publish that, and suddenly everyone's going to know his name. They'll all know the things that he's been hurt for. Do you not see the problem with that?" She was getting angry now, so I placed a hand on her shoulder. Reimu, I said. Relax. "Relax? No way. You're not Aya's latest piece of hot news."

"If it helps," Shameimaru called lazily, bringing Reimu's attention right back to her, "I wouldn't expect this to be a project that just gets thrown out there. I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to discuss what will and won't make it into the story." She leaned forward, her youkai eyes boring into Reimu and my human ones. "What secrets need to be kept. What words must be left unsaid. What...Knowledge must never be shared." I felt a shiver run through me. "Good? Good!" Shameimaru clapped, and both Reimu and I jumped. "Well, I believe we're going to have a lot to talk about!" She leaned forward again, smiling widely. "Should we start now? After the wedding?" I thought that I'd already have a lot on my plate getting the wedding sorted, let alone telling Shameimaru my entire life story. "Ah, but if I let you slip away, before I know it another six months will have passed. Alright, here's what we'll do." She rubbed her chin in thought. "Can you come back here regularly?" Probably? I didn't really know for sure, though. "Let's assume that you can. We can meet, every week or so. Here, so your, ah, sister doesn't get...Nervous. Then, we can start to go through your story. Since it'll take a while, you'll still have plenty of time for your wedding preparations."

[Anonymous No.]

"I don't like this." Reimu announced. I wasn't completely convinced about it, but I supposed that it was inevitable. If there was one thing I'd picked up on about Shameimaru, it was that she'd not want to give up a story like this. And honestly, I wasn't entirely against the idea. I was probably against a lot of stuff being laid out, but it was hopefully something that could be approached carefully. Things could probably be omitted. Finally, I said to Reimu that Shameimaru would probably publish articles on it anyway, but at least this way, we would get a chance to see what they would be like beforehand, and keep the more personal details from being made public. "I guess, but..."

"Reimu, this isn't blackmail. If you don't want to, you don't have to. He did promise me an interview, but we could always go back to the original plan of just reporting on the Eientei Investigation." She thought for a moment. "He is right, though. I'll publish articles about the wedding regardless. And probably more on whatever else I hear about. Wouldn't you rather control the narrative?" I thought that I saw her eyes flash as she said that, but dismissed it as a trick of the light. Maybe it was just a youkai thing. "You're always complaining about what I write. Here's your chance to make it something you want." I got the feeling that Shameimaru was angling for something here. She wanted Reimu to agree more than she wanted me to agree, though I supposed that I had more or less agreed already. Maybe it was just about getting in with the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, just a little bit more.

Reimu was silent for a few moments. "Fine." She eventually said. "But you'll have to get Yamame's approval, too. In person. And she has to be included in your meetings. Don't look at me like that. She's his future wife. Your special edition is going to be just as much her story as it is his." That brought Shameimaru up short, because she looked like she'd assumed that it would all be smooth sailing once Reimu agreed, and here she was throwing a spanner in the works. Now, Shameimaru had to meet Yamame, which meant that she had to either come to Yamame's house, or Yamame had to come to somewhere that the two could meet on the surface, and given Yamame's refusal to even come to the Shrine today...Well, Shameimaru's job seemed to have gotten just a little more complicated.

Plus, she was just about aggravating enough that Yamame might give her another illness. 

[Anonymous No.]

>>45880966
>Plus, she was just about aggravating enough that Yamame might give her another illness.
Don't say that, she just wants first place... But it's a shame that anyway she will lose because hatate has access to 4chan so she will just copy and paste anon's posts and win

[Anonymous No.]

>>45881303
Hatate could be affecting the story with her posts.

[Anonymous No.]

>>45880963
>You publish that, and suddenly everyone's going to know his name.
Yet we don't :(

[Anonymous No.]

>>45882164
its anon

[Anonymous No.]

That'd be the real plot twist, that our protag had a perfectly average name that just happened to never be spoken, not even once. The moment it's actually said, everyone just stares blankly until they realize, "Oh... THAT'S his name!" Yes, even Yamame.

[Anonymous No.]

Anon's name? Johnny Hearn.
Yukari thinks that since she went on a date with him that basically means they're married already

[Anonymous No.]

>>45881856
The filthy shut-in >phoneposter just needs her phone taking off her and she doesn't stand a chance. But it's not like it's hard to overpower a weak shut-in who never gets out or does any physical activity. If anything I don't know why Aya doesn't try it just before the contest?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45885057
hatate's tengu royalty, she just chooses to live in a literal bunker
if aya touches her she's getting excommunicated

[Anonymous No.]

>>45885057
Hatate has a PC and only uses her phone to sneak photos.

[Anonymous No.]

which boards hatate accesses?

[Anonymous No.]

>>45885250
/r9k/, /soc/, /vt/

[Anonymous No.]

I hope my timing isn't too off posting these.

[Anonymous No.]

[Anonymous No.]

>>45887718
>>45887712
>68 updates
is this a new record?

[Anonymous No.]

Next thread:
>>45888040

[Anonymous No.]

>>45887904
It's a bad thing

[Anonymous No.]

>>45887904
Most likely. The full image was the biggest of them all.