The Blight of Makai - Grand_Cath3dral (2024)

Chapter 1: A Celestial's Wager

Chapter Text

Shinki was worried.

There was nothing in particular to be worried about, she knew that perfectly well. Of course, she was a god of an entire realm almost entirely sealed off from outside threats, and yes, her living creations that populated the world she had created doubled as a steady supply of faith, and indeed, her recent negotiations with the tengu had amassed her great capital, but she was still uneasy. She had poured herself a glass of wine in an attempt to relax but to no avail.

Those tengu negotiations…

Many years after the so-called “invasion” of Gensokyo by her creations, a certain Iizunamaru Megumu had requested an audience with her. Out of curiosity, she accepted. What business could a youkai like that possibly have with her?

As she soon found out, this strange tengu had a proposal for her; why not attempt a reverse of that same incident? In exchange for Shinki’s blessing and protection, Gensokyo would host tours of Makai and she’d end up with a generous cut of the profit.

Now, Shinki didn’t really see what was so interesting about Makai to the residents of Gensokyo, but she didn’t have much reason to turn down the offer. It’d be the most interesting thing that happened in years, after all.

During the delegations, though, Shinki recalled what had happened when her creations escaped to Gensokyo. A miko, a witch, a spirit, and a flower had torn their way through her realm, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Shinki herself had been defeated in combat and Makai was left in ruins. For the first time in her life, Shinki had been disgraced and asked for mercy. To prevent this possibility from ever happening again, she made the deal on the condition that no humans, no gods, and no spirits were to set foot inside her realm and that she’d thoroughly vet every single youkai who entered to ensure that they were too weak to cause chaos.

That pesky spirit, Shinki thought to herself. At the time, she deceived me by referring to herself as a god, but I know better now.

Shinki swirled around the remainder of the wine from her glass as she stood up, gazing through the window. Distant lights broke through the purple shroud that enveloped Makai and dotted the horizon, and a multitude of light beams illuminated the passageway to her residence. Makai was, on the whole, a fairly dark place, as her youkai children preferred it that way, but Shinki had taken the creative liberty of contrasting it with small regions of pure light. You can’t fully appreciate something while lacking knowledge of its opposite, she thought to herself.

But rebuilding Makai, the second most precious thing to her, after the disaster had taken a verylong time. And true to her promise with the miko who spared her, she had gone through every single one of her children by hand, removing their ability to enter and exit Makai at will. Makai had remained almost entirely undisturbed since then.

Still, though, she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, someway, her authority would be threatened once more. The tours always made her nervous, and the next one was only five days away. The same tengu would also pass through the gate to negotiate with her, as she had every time before and every time to come.

“Lady Shinki, are you well?” a familiar voice called from behind her.

Shinki sighed. Despite being the god of Makai, there seemed to be just one thing she couldn’t fully control- her own train of thought. She took her final swig of the wine glass, turned around, and gently placed it down on the table nearby.

“Yes, my dear Yumeko, I’m fine,” Shinki replied. “I’m just a bit tired.”

“With all due respect, that’s no good, Lady Shinki!” Yumeko said aloud. “Our guests are to arrive in five days, and you need to be at your best.”

Upon observing the face of her loyal maidservant, Shinki saw that Yumeko had adopted a look of concern. You always were the type to overreact to my well-being, Yumeko.

“You’re right, my dear Yumeko,” Shinki responded. “I’m going to retire to my chamber. See to it that my children don’t misbehave in my absence.”

Yumeko reached for the empty wine glass and placed it on her serving platter. “Of course, Lady Shinki.”

As Shinki walked away, she thought about her own usage of the phrase “my children”. All the youkai that populated Makai were brought into existence by her hand, so she had accepted her role as a mother to them all.

All but one.

Truth be told, there was only one genuine reason she had ever accepted the deal with the tengu in the first place, one she kept buried in the deepest parts of her soul and shared with no one, not even Yumeko.

She wanted to see her daughter again. Her only human child, the only one she played no part in making. While she called all of her creations her “children”, there was only one person she truly believed was worthy of the title of “daughter”. Furthermore, Shinki had heard through external sources that her daughter had become a magician youkai, which meant that she was eligible to visit her on tours with that tengu. Yet she never had.

Shinki had remained firmly within Makai mainly to honor her agreement with the miko, but she longed to see her daughter’s face once more.

Alice…

She shook her head. One day, we will meet again, I’m sure ofit,she thought to herself. Until then, just sit tight.

“I’m so bored! Isn’t there anything to do around here?!”

I glanced behind me to look for the source of the noise. I was mere inches away from successfully stealing a wallet from an unsuspecting villager, and the fact that my concentration had been broken was an annoyance, to say the least.

The declaration had been made by a girl dressed in a white blouse and a blue skirt, patterned with an intricate cloud design and adorned with a rainbow chain link. Just as striking was her long, wavy blue hair- a very unusual hair color for someone inside the village- and atop her head sat a black hat decorated with peaches that were so convincing in appearance it seemed as though one could simply bite right into them. She wore long, lace-up boots, similar to a pair one might find on a doll. She certainly would’ve stood out from everyone else even if she wasn’t disturbing the peace with her complaining.

This is no ordinarygirl,I thought to myself. Maybe she’s the daughter of some rich family? In that case, she probably has something worthstealing.

As I was lost in thought, hatching a plan, the girl quickly scanned the area and her eyes met mine. Almost immediately, her eyes lit up and the sides of her mouth lifted, forming a devious smirk. I broke eye contact as quickly as possible and turned away, but judging by the low tapping of her footfalls increasing in volume behind me, I had been too slow.

“You there, peasant. Entertain me.”

I clicked my tongue in response. What right did this girl have to command me? Also, “peasant”? True, I wasn’t particularly well off, but I certainly didn’t deserve such a title.

I moved my head around to glance at her sideways. “And who the hell are you?”

All of a sudden, she shot out her hand and grabbed ahold of my wrist. Instinctively, I tried to pull my hand back, but she held on and began to squeeze it like a vise. I began to panic and tried to use my other arm to break her grip, but she didn’t even falter for a moment.

My eyes widened as I saw my hand turn into a dark shade of red, while the rest of my arm turned pale. What’s up with this girl? This bitch is six inches shorter than me and she’s this strong?! She’s insane!

“That’s not the best way to address your superior, now, is it? For your sake, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that little comment of yours, human. Do you have any complaints?”

At this point, I just wanted her to let go, so I quickly responded with “No, miss”. Once she had released her grip on me, I quickly examined where she had held onto. The skin there had gone blue; I could expect a bruise to form there soon. Wonderful.

Just then, the exact words that this girl had just said struck me.She called me “human”? Ah, so she’s not one of us, then, if that display of strength earlier wasn’t proofenough, I quickly deduced.Wait, but she doesn’t seem to be some kind of youkai either, or at the very least, it isn’t obvious. Just what exactly is she?

“Good!” the girl said cheerfully, snapping me out of my thoughts. “That’s a much better response, one befitting someone like you. Calling me ‘Miss’ is a little strange, but we can work on that later. Now!” she clapped her hands together once and pointed towards a group of people further down the road.

“Do you see that lady over there in blue?”

I squinted. Sure enough, there were two women, a taller one dressed in blue and a shorter one clad in white. The former was actively conversing with a man while the latter was meandering about, investigating certain parts of the building they were all standing in front of. The blue one was in a proper suit carrying quite a few papers with her. She, too, seemed rather out of place in this district of the Village judging from her attire and was here for business negotiations, it seemed.

“Do you see that paper sticking out of her pocket? Go steal it.”

It took me a second to process exactly what she just said. Just to make sure I hadn’t misheard, I responded with a simple “Excuse me?”

“You heard me correctly. Go take it from her.”

I balked. “I- I don’t think I can pull it off-”

“Don’t play dumb with me, now. I’ve been watching you sneak around, stealing anything you can get your hands on. You’re not bad at it either.”

My eyes widened. “You’ve-” I glanced around, becoming aware of my surroundings once more. Leaning in, I brought my hand up to my mouth and quietly asked, “You’ve been watching me this whole time?”

“That’s right~! I’ve been noticing you around for a while now!” A grin quickly broke out across her face as she hunched over, meeting my gaze the whole time. “You’ve been darting around here, taking whatever you please. One or two items, not a big deal, I’d just consider you some loser and not give it a second thought. But you’ve gone well into the double digits. If you were to get caught now, the charges against you would be pretty severe. You wouldn’t want to get into trouble over a moment of weakness, now would you?”

I have to give her credit. She’s sharp.

I had always held a sense of pride regarding my ability to pickpocket people, with my victims none the wiser. Items that just drifted out of their consciousness, ready for the taking. It’s amazing just how much the brain ignores when someone gets focused or distracted, making for the perfect opportunity to commit a bit of thievery. In particular, I had always gone for the small things, the ones people most likely wouldn’t even notice were gone or wouldn’t miss too much. These skills hadn’t come to me naturally either; I had honed the very art for years, even back when I was on the Outside.

Here in Gensokyo, I had never been caught a single time. Each theft never took more than several seconds at a time, and having quietly learned the ability to create a small pocket-dimension to store all my prizes in from a place called the “Suzunaan” had only made things easier.

But one of the most critical parts of theft is trust. Specifically, the mutual trust one has for their fellow man, and exploiting it. Everything I had taken today was something small, as per usual, so any sort of sentence placed upon me probably wouldn’t be too severe, but if my reputation was to be tarnished, things would get much harder going forward. The streets were busier than usual today and it seemed I had gotten too greedy.

So, after a moment’s deliberation, I nodded.

“Great! Glad to see you finally learning from your mistakes. So, as I was saying before, go do this one thing for me, human, and do it right, and I’ll give you a reward. It’ll be something great, I promise. On top of that, I’ll forget you ever existed and you can go on with your sad life.”

She turned her head sideways and quietly whispered to herself, “Like every other human, heh!” without making any serious effort to ensure I hadn’t heard her.

Turning back to me, she said “Oh, by the way, if you fail or refuse, you won’t get anything. And I’ll personally turn you in myself. How’s that sound?”

I’ll teach you a lesson in respect, you brat!

Doing my best to not let my internal monologue show itself, I took a deep breath and nodded a second time. Just play along for now. This is nothing I’m not used to.

I faced my target, taking slow, plodding steps towards them. Eventually, I made my way towards my target until I was a mere five feet away from them. I shuffled closer and closer, pretending to inspect the building they were in front of, my hand beginning to drift towards the papers. My hand just barely scraped along the edge of the papers, and hoping to get a more solid grip, I stretched just the tiniest bit further, until-

“Hey! What exactly do you think you’re up to?!”

I quickly whipped my hand back into my pocket and faced the direction of the sound, trying to make my face seem as innocent as possible. “Hm?”

The individual in question who had called out to me was the girl in white. A fox youkai, judging from her ears and tail. Some youkai typically tried to disguise themself while within the Village borders to varying degrees of success, but it seemed that this one hadn’t even tried.

“We’re busy here, and you’re getting too close to Lady Megumu. Back off right now. I won’t ask again.”

The woman in blue- Megumu, evidently- turned around to see the commotion. The man had stopped talking mid-sentence to see the disruption as well. A look of annoyance was written across both of their faces.

Moving one foot back, I began to apologize. “Sorry abou-”

“MOVE IT!” the fox yelled out. She jumped towards me with both her arms out, gripped my vest, and threw me down with inhuman strength before I could even react, landing hard on my hip.

“What the hell’s your problem?! I was about to m-”

“You have no business here, peasant. We have absolutely no time to waste with someone like yourself. As a matter of fact, you should be grateful all I did was move you aside. Being acknowledged by a great youkai like myself is already the most significant thing you’ll ever do in your life.”

“Tsukasa!” Megumu had interrupted.

“Ah, yes, Lady Megumu?” Tsukasa slowly turned around to face her master.

“That’s enough.We’re here on business. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble. Furthermore, don’t go attacking people inside the Village. You know the rules.”

Tsukasa turned aside and pointed a finger at me. “Lady Megumu, he was getting far too close. What if he tried to attack you? I only had your best interests in mind!”

“That’s. Enough.” Megumu responded cooly, staring the fox down.

Turning around to face me once more, Tsukasa shot one last look of hatred before returning to Megumu’s side. In the meantime, Megumu gave me a sardonic smile as she made a hand wave motion, silently telling me to leave. Once Tsukasa was far enough away from me, she resumed her conversation with the man.

Slowly getting back on my feet, I hobbled back over to the brat from earlier, holding my hip with my good arm. A huge grin was written all over her face.

When I was close enough to her, she said, “Excellently done! I saw what you did there, and I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d do something that clever!”

Making sure my back was facing the trio from earlier, I gently reached into the pocket dimension and pulled out the papers. Right when my hand had touched those papers, I’d whisked them away.That fox- Tsukasa- may have noticed I was up to something, but she never accused me of theft! I couldn’t help but grin a little. Megumu, you should have listened to her!

“Now here’s your reward!”

Before I realized what was happening, the girl reached her hand behind her shoulder and flung something just past my leg, hitting the ground with a distinct thud.

I instinctually dodged out of the way after the object had already passed me, making me feel somewhat silly. After the brief shock had worn off, I examined exactly what it was she had just thrown.

On the surface of the road lay a peach, coated with dust.

Somewhat insulted, I turned back to face her. “Now what in the hell was that for-”

She jabbed me in the ribs with her finger, silencing me. “THAT. Is your reward. Do whatever you want with it, eat it, throw it out, use it as soap for all I care.”

Looking back into her eyes, I simply asked “But why’d you have to go and throw it on the ground?”

“Are you dense? You’re a thief. You aren’t exactly worthy of someone like me just handing it to you.”

She turned herself back towards the group down the road. “Now get lost.”

Still somewhat baffled about the whole situation, I held out the papers in front of me and asked “Aren’t you forgetting something? What about these papers?”

The girl turned her head to glance at me sideways. “Who said I needed those? I don’t even know what those are. Personally, I’d suggest you make yourself scarce sometime in the very near future. As for me, I’m going to enjoy the show!”

As much as I wanted to tackle this brat while she wasn’t looking, I couldn’t afford to attract more attention, so I turned around and sprinted away, pocketing her papers as I left her behind. Several seconds later, I heard a shout of surprise behind me. Turning my head to see what was going on, Megumu bore a very nervous expression, with her pockets turned inside out, and was looking around every which way. Tsukasa wasn’t faring much better; she was clearly panicked, quickly scampering around the nearby area and scanning the ground nearby. The man they were with had his hands in his pockets, glancing around sheepishly. A small crowd of people had formed around them to witness the commotion. In the meantime, that blue-haired brat from earlier was covering her mouth with both hands, trying her hardest to not laugh.

Wow,what were these, anyway? Something important to them, evidently, given how hard they were trying to find them.

Once I had gone several blocks and ducked into an unoccupied alley, I shuffled through the papers and analyzed my findings.

Property deeds?

No wonder this Megumu had been so upset. She was most likely in the process of transferring ownership of the building they were in front of! The papers in my hand were for properties scattered throughout the district and she was probably trying to add another to her collection.

Reading between the lines closer, though, I noticed something… odd. Or rather, the lack of something that should’ve been there.

Where’s her signature?

Scanning through the short stack of papers, I couldn’t find the name “Megumu” anywhere. If she’s not the one who owns the property, what’s going on here? Why does she have someone else’s deeds?

In any case, these weren’t any good to anyone anymore, but I put them back inside my pocket dimension regardless. Who knows when scrap paper might come in handy? As for Megumu, I’m sure she’d manage to get those forms reprinted. The last thing I wanted to do was hand them back, especially with that fox attendant of hers. Never was fond of those aristocratic types.

Now, as for my other prize…

I took out the peach the girl had thrown earlier. In spite of being slightly bruised on one side due to its hard landing and its slight coat of dust that had stuck to its thin layer of fuzz, it wore a magnificent shade of pink that almost seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. This would’ve been an excellent subject for a still-life painting, at the very least.

Peeking out from the alleyway to ensure nobody was after me, I eventually made my way to a nearby well. Although I was still somewhat insulted by that girl’s display of arrogance, I wasn’t about to let a fruit this good-looking go to waste.

After rinsing the peach off and rubbing the surface with one of the deeds, I bit into the peach.

The burst of flavor hit me instantaneously. It was so sweet, so juicy, it just about lit my mouth aflame. It was so delicious, in fact, it almost made me want to go back to that blue-haired brat to ask for more. I’d never tasted anything so good in my life.

Hell, maybe that deal wasn’t too bad after all if I ended up receiving something like this, I thought to myself. If I see that girl again, I’ll see if I can’t try and steal another from her.

All good things had to come to an end, though, and several minutes later, I found myself mournfully observing a peach seed.

Hm.

After a moment’s consideration, I decided to place the seed in my pocket dimension.

If I never end up seeing her again, at least I can try to make more of my own.

I’d never gardened a single day in my life. I understood farmers well enough- their profession was noble, mass producing the food that kept the entire population from starving- but people who grew food as a hobby? It just seemed as though so much work was required for barely any return. Dedicating hours a month to save a pittance on something one could simply buy, or in my case, steal, never seemed practical.

But this?

This was different, this was something I couldn’t get anywhere else. If all food tasted like this, I’d join the hobbyists in a heartbeat.

Eventually, I resigned myself to hiding between the alleyways, making my way back over to peek at my handiwork from a safe distance. From what I could hear, Tsukasa was profusely apologizing to Megumu over being unable to find the documents, her dress caked in a layer of dust after trying to scavenge along the ground. In contrast, Megumu simply stood in silence, a cold fury lit within her eyes. She had gone beyond the point of anger, of shouting profanities, and entered the point where the mere act of speech took great effort. As for the girl from earlier and the man they were with, they were nowhere to be seen.

“That man from earlier is responsible for this, I’m sure of it!”

Uh oh.

I ducked back into my alley as far as I could while still being able to watch them. Luckily, a small crowd of villagers was still surrounding the area, so getting spotted right now wasn’t very likely.

“Let’s go,” Megumu spat in a low voice. “We don’t have time to waste.”

“A- at once, Lady Megumu!” The fox stood straight up and dusted herself off. “We need to prepare for the next tour!”

Tour?

So between the deeds and the mention of a tour, this Megumu was clearly some kind of entrepreneur. She didn’t seem like a participant, either, since the fox had called it “the next tour”. No doubt she was very wealthy, either. Maybe I could even figure out where she lived and try to steal something there? I had already taken something from her and I wasn’t too fond of repeating my targets, but the deeds meant nothing to me.

Bringing my attention back into focus, the duo had already left. Wow, they sure were in a hurry. Must’ve been a really bad time to inconvenience them like this.

Well, I’d need to keep a low profile for the next few days. If Megumu sent out someone to find me, things could go south very quickly. She certainly seemed the type to send others to do her dirty work judging from Tsukasa’s behavior.

There were still many hours of sunlight left and plenty of people still roamed the streets, but enough was enough for one day. I’d already been caught by one person and nearly caught by another, not to mention the over a dozen thefts I pulled off earlier. Perhaps this was the world’s way of telling me to not push my luck?

No matter. Tomorrow is another day.

Strolling back through the alleyways to my usual hiding place, I considered just how I’d be able to grow that peach seed of mine.

Find somewhere secret, off the beaten path. Can’t risk anyone destroying it.

Somewhere along the outskirts of the village it was, then. I’d need to be fast.

I took out the seed and pondered it for a while.

Thanks for this, brat. I don’t know who you are or how you got your hands on something like this, but this gift of yours isn’t too shabby.

I’d get this seed planted tomorrow, I decided. I’d had enough action for one day, and now was the time for a well-earned respite.

All things considered, today wasn’t too bad. Good work.

Chapter 2: The Miko's Gift

Chapter Text

Sannyo leaned back in her chair, pipe in hand.

The sun began to sink over the horizon, its light stretching through the windows of the Komakusa Gambling Den, a sign that it was nearly time to open.

Business had been good as of late, but that was to be expected. The daitengu’s organized trip to Makai was scheduled for under a week away. While Sannyo herself wasn’t interested in leaving her gambling den behind to explore a world she hardly cared about, the target audience for the tours just so happened to align with the same demographics as her most frequent visitors, the kappa and tengu, which ultimately meant those tours brought more traffic to her business.

It’s a shame I won’t be able to reap benefits like these if I were to open a branch in the Human Village…

Sannyo took another puff from her pipe and watched as the smoke lazily drifted upwards, accumulating as a wispy haze at the ceiling above her, where it hung before slowly getting sucked away through a nearby vent.

Surely there has to be something similar I can take advantage of in the Human Village, right? Business has been excellent ever since that tengu started that whole side business of hers, and I’m pretty close to being able to open up there, but I’ll need to look into how I can take advantage of higher traffic. Hmm, what to do…

A knocking on the door suddenly interrupted her train of thought.

Sannyo sighed disappointedly and put her pipe away. After getting back onto her feet, she made her way over to the front door and unlocked it.

“We’re not open yet", Sannyo annoyedly spoke as she opened the door, before realizing who it was standing before her.

“Hello again, Sannyo."

Just beyond the door frame stood Tsukasa, servant of the daitengu. She held both of her hands behind her back and wore a tight-lipped smile. The bridge of her nose was wrinkled- despite her best efforts to disguise it, she was clearly in a bad mood.

“Now, don’t tell me you forgot I was arriving today?", the fox inquired. “This is the day we scheduled our meeting for, is it not?"

“Ah! Of course, I hadn’t forgotten, I just wasn’t expecting you to arrive this early", Sannyo stated, stepping back and holding the door open, gesturing with her free hand for Tsukasa to enter.

“Thank you", Tsukasa muttered as she made her way inside.

Once Sannyo locked the door again, the pair made their way to her office.

Sannyo’s office was a rather nondescript room, containing a desk and several chairs. This wasn’t a room Sannyo used too often, but it was a convenient spot for discussing business affairs away from the prying eyes and ears of her patrons.

While Sannyo went to the far side of the room to close the blinds, Tsukasa nearly threw back her chair and collapsed onto it, giving out a big sigh while leaning her head into one hand. Sannyo was surprised by her reaction; under normal circ*mstances, Tsukasa would lean back and put her feet up on her desk while grinning the whole time, much to Sannyo’s chagrin. Tsukasa knew Sannyo hated that, and Sannyo knew that Tsukasa knew Sannyo hated that.

To Sannyo, Tsukasa was merely one of her routine customers; due to the natural luck-altering abilities of the kuda-gitsune being inherently bad for her business, Sannyo was mainly interested in completing their transaction as quickly as possible, as they always had. Tsukasa knew this, and was perfectly fine with that- she didn’t want to keep her master waiting anyway.

As interesting as it is to see Tsukasa like this, I shouldn’t ask too many questions and just focus on getting through this. If she delivers an unfavorable report about me to Megumu, I’d never hear the end of it.

Sannyo took her seat behind the desk and began to speak. “So, what’s going on with-"

“I don’t want to talk about it." Tsukasa snapped. “All I’ll say is that certain things did not go as planned today and we don’t need to be inconvenienced further. Our business elsewhere got cut short, hence why I arrived so early today."

“Alright, that’s fine with me. Do you have the money?"

Tsukasa rummaged through her pockets with her free hand until she managed to successfully pry out a modest pouch of coins, followed by her placing them on the desk and sliding it across to Sannyo. Sannyo quickly grabbed the pouch and emptied its contents within the confines of her arm, clattering along the wooden surface. She proceeded to count every single coin by hand and scrutinized every single one. Sannyo didn’t normally bother to check every coin with her other clients, but given the kuda-gitsune’s ability to cause future misfortune, she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Once Sannyo had gone through the whole pile, she scooped up all the coins and put them away, passing the now-empty pouch back to Tsukasa.

“Excellent. Your test tube, please?"

Tsukasa brought out one of her empty test tubes and rolled it across the desk, falling directly into Sannyo’s open palm. In turn, Sannyo brought out her pipe and began to light it.

As Sannyo toothed her pipe, she said from the corner of her mouth, “You know, Megumu sometimes sends you over right before another one of her escapades into Makai, doesn’t she?"

Tsukasa lifted her head and frowned at Sannyo. “Of course. It helps her relax. You know how busy things get for her around this time."

Sannyo took the test tube and gently exhaled smoke into it, breath by breath, while Tsukasa kept watching the setting sun through their window. That continued for several minutes; Sannyo took deep breaths and slowly filled the tube, while Tsukasa simply sat around in silence.

Finally, Sannyo took one last puff for good measure before sealing the test tube completely. Removing the pipe from her mouth, she broke the silence. “While what you said about this having a calming effect is true, and I can’t exactly contest that," she said, as she held up the now occupied tube, “this is certainly a strange thing to use for that end. This smoke brings one’s ideas to the forefront of their very being. The power of dreams, and all that."

From across the table, Tsukasa gave her a confused look. “Well, obviously. We already know what that smoke does, otherwise, I wouldn’t even be here, and we’ve been through this before. What’s your point?"

“What I’m getting at is that this test tube, the one you always bring me, is significantly larger than a single dose," Sannyo responded with a deadpan expression. “This is nearly ten times the effective amount. Surely you are aware of the risks that come with overdosage? One might find themselves lost deep within the recesses of their own mind with no way out."

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that," Tsukasa stretched her arm out to take the test tube back. “You know the stopper for that tube is special; there’s no way my master would make a blunder like that."

Before Tsukasa could grab the tube, Sannyo pulled her arm back, just out of reach. “Surely you could have gone to Eientei for something similar and easier to administer, such as pills or liquid medicine. Why do you always come to me?"

Tsukasa, annoyed with Sannyo, swiped the tube from her hand. “With all due respect, Miss Komakusa, that is none of your concern. Besides, I’ll have you know that she made her way through your smoke using this exact tube last time without incident. Thank you for doing business."

Tsukasa stood up hurriedly and flung open the door, exiting the office and swiftly making her way to the entrance. Sannyo watched Tsukasa nearly get her tail stuck in the doorway in her haste to exit and brought her pipe to her lips once more.

As thankful as I am for the influx of business your tours bring, Megumu, I just don’t understand the way you work.

The light of the morning sun began to shine through the blinds of my window, slowly inching its way up my bedframe. As the light eventually came to rest upon my face, I could hear a very faint “Good morning!" through the thin walls of my abode, successfully rousing me from my slumber.

Yawning, I stretched my arms and got out of bed.

My living space was nothing special; as a matter of fact, it could be described as the least special place possible. Shortly after I had been gapped and nearly killed by that darkness youkai all that time ago, I’d eventually made enough money to rent out the cheapest place I could find. I hadn’t arrived with much, so anything beyond the absolute essentials hadn’t been on my radar.

I shuffled over to my small kitchen area to prepare breakfast and began to reflect on my arrival some more.

Can’t believe it’s been a whole year since then. If it wasn’t for that Hakurei girl I wouldn’t be alive right now. Not that my current life is much to brag about, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

After quickly scarfing down some eggs and a pastry, I rinsed off my plate and prepared myself, making mental notes of what I needed to get accomplished today.

After yesterday, my options are pretty limited. I don’t want to stay in open spaces for too long since someone might recognize me. And I especially need to stay away from that fox.

Once I got myself dressed, I paced back and forth using the small amount of empty space I had. On the off chance I encounter that fox again, I need to be prepared. I can’t even create danmaku and there’s no way in hell I’d beat her in a physical altercation, but since she’s a youkai, I can repel her. That shrine maiden probably has something I can use.

Yeah, I think it’s time I paid the Hakurei girl another visit. After I’m done with that I’ll just stay inside until it gets late. By then I’ll leave again and see what I can steal while undercover. I was planning on taking a one-time job today since the landlord gets suspicious about my money if I don’t earn any “legitimate" income for too long, but yesterday set me back.

I grabbed a treat, put it inside my pocket dimension, and got out onto the street.

Luckily, not too many people were up this early, so I made my way over to the Hakurei shrine without incident. Once that familiar red torii came into view, I could make out the shrine maiden sitting outside the front entrance sipping a drink as well as Aunn patrolling the grounds nearby. Aunn noticed me first and excitedly ran over to me, crushing me in a tight embrace.

“Good morning, mister cool guy!" she greeted, with her tail wagging furiously. “It’s been way too long- I thought you’d forgotten about us!"

I chuckled and broke my arm out from her bear hug to stroke her hair. “Of course, I wouldn’t forget about you, Aunn. Who could?"

Once she had released me, I reached inside my pocket dimension and pulled out the treat which she quickly grabbed, beaming all the while.

Rubbing Aunn’s head again while she observed her gift, I smiled at her and said, “Also, Aunn, we’ve been over this. You don’t need to call me ‘mister cool guy’. My name’s just fine."

In response, Aunn brought her attention back to me, her eyes as wide as saucers. “But I can’t just do that! That vest of yours you always wear is so cool looking! Pretty much all the outsiders who get integrated with the Village change their clothing to match everyone else’s, but you decided to stick with this!". Aunn gripped one end of my vest to demonstrate what she meant. “All you need to do is add a cape, then you’d look perfect-"

“Thanks, Aunn, I’ll consider it. Is the shrine maiden available?"

“Yep! Just go up there." She pointed up the path to the shrine. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you again. You really should come more often, it’s been three months!"

I gave Aunn one last head rub, who then got back to patrolling the grounds with her new treat in hand. I looked up to where the shrine maiden was sitting, who was watching me with an amused smile. She took one last sip from her cup and got out of her chair.

“Well, look who it is," she said with a smug look on her face. “It’s about time you showed up again, wouldn’t you agree, mister cool guy?"

“Nice to see you too, miss Hakurei."

The shrine maiden got out of her chair and gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “Come on now, we know each other now. Just call me Reimu. Besides, it’s been three whole months since your last visit. Aunn misses you, you know!"

“Of course, sorry mi- Reimu," I glanced aside. “I haven’t had youkai problems that whole time. As nice as it is to see you and Aunn again, needing to visit isn’t what I’d consider a good thing."

“That’s true," she responded, crossing her arms. “With that in mind, what brings you here today?"

“Yeah, well, something happened just the other day. You see, I was walking through the Village when-"

Don’t tell her what happened, idiot! Come up with some kind of cover story!

I had just barely caught myself before revealing anything compromising. While the Hakurei miko would no doubt be able to deal with my situation with ease, if she were to find out I was a thief, she might end up hating me. As she was one of the very few people in Gensokyo who I got along with, the last thing I needed to do was to end up on her bad side.

Wait, isn’t she friends with a thief? Still, they’ve known each other much longer than we have, so maybe she’s willing to let it slide for that girl. As for me, I should err on the side of caution.

“When what?" her inquiry quickly brought me back into focus.

“Well… as I was saying, in the village, a group of youkai began to harass me and things got a little rowdy. I didn’t get seriously hurt, but I did end up with this nasty bruise," I said as I unrolled my sleeve, revealing the wrist that the blue-haired girl had gripped yesterday.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, of course, I’ll help you out!" The shrine maiden dexterously snatched her cup from the table and turned around to open her door. “Just wait out there, I’ll go get one of my sealing charms for you."

Just before she fully entered the doorway, she made a gesture towards the donation box. “Oh yeah, could you put something in there? I depend on the generosity of visitors like you, so feel free to donate some money as thanks."

As the Hakurei miko shut the door behind her, I walked over to the donation box and attempted to peer inside. It was too dark for me to see anything, so I gave it a light kick. Strangely enough, I didn’t hear anything moving around inside. To confirm my suspicions, I grabbed it with both hands and gave it a gentle shake. Still nothing.

Wow, I’d heard rumors about the Hakurei miko never being too well off financially, but I didn’t think it was this bad! Despite how important she is, she’s practically penniless!

After a few seconds of deep thought, I reached for my wallet and dropped a few coins inside. I watched as they slipped through the open gaps, disappearing from my sight as they hit the bottom with a quiet thud. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of pity.

If living like this is what the Hakurei miko has to deal with, I certainly don’t envy her. Were in her position, I would’ve turned to crime long ago. I wonder if she ever wishes she could just take the things she wants without a care in the world, like that friend of hers? Obviously, she can’t, since that’d be unbecoming of a holy woman like her, but…

The front door slid open once more. The shrine maiden stepped outside, holding a sealing charm with one hand and beckoning me to come closer with the other. Walking over to her, she began to explain how to use it.

“Alright, here we are. So, using something like this is pretty simple; just keep it on you, and any youkai that lays a hand on you will be repelled. Additionally, you can stick it directly on top of a doorway, and it should prevent any youkai from getting inside the whole structure provided it’s of reasonable size."

She leaned closer and stared directly into my eyes to make sure I was paying attention.

“Now remember this, it’s very important- this seal will protect you but it has its limits. Do NOT push your luck. By no means are you invincible, even with this. For example, any youkai strong enough to create danmaku would be able to shoot you from a distance just fine, but for someone staying inside the Village all the time, you won’t need to worry about something like that."

“Mhm," I said, not really caring about what she was saying as I stuck my hand out.

Instead of handing it over, the Hakurei miko slapped it onto my chest, taking me aback. “Good, glad you understand!" she said with a small smirk. “Thanks for visiting!"

As I waved goodbye to Aunn and the shrine maiden, I peeled off the sealing charm and stuck it inside my pocket dimension. There was no point in having it on me at all times; I didn’t want to accidentally hurt any innocent youkai while inside the Village, I just needed to be able to whip it out in a pinch.

The Hakurei miko was certainly in a good mood today, wasn’t she? Nothing like last time. Maybe she hasn’t had to deal with youkai lately?

It felt like just yesterday when I met her for the first time. Shortly after I’d been sent to Gensokyo, she appeared in the nick of time to rescue me from Rumia. I’d been lucky enough to land close to her shrine, and the following days mainly consisted of heading down to the village for a schoolteacher named Keine to bring me up to speed, as well as amassing enough income to live on my own. Since then, I’d been making infrequent visits to the shrine whenever things got hairy since I figured nobody would dare try to attack me in the miko’s presence.

Back when I first arrived, the Hakurei miko told me the large majority of outsiders perish within their first few days, often because they enter Gensokyo too far away from the Village or they make some stupid blunder that gets them killed. I managed to avoid the first simply out of sheer luck, and I’ve been smart enough to avoid the second.

On that note, apparently, there’s another shrine up Youkai Mountain, and it’s much more popular than hers, but there’s no reason for me to even go there. What have they ever done for me? Maybe if that Hakurei girl saved more outsiders, they’d feel indebted to her and she’d end up with more donations, but what do I know?

The sun had reached its zenith upon my return to the Village, its rays beating down upon my neck. People flooded the busier areas now, which meant I had to take an alternate route through the alleyways between buildings, eventually making it back to my residence. I darted inside and locked the door, whipping out the seal I received to take a closer look.

It was a paper ofuda, slightly larger than the now-worthless phone I kept in my house as a trophy of my life on the Outside. Pinning it between my two fingers, I flipped it around, reading the inscription of protection written on both sides and watching how the edges of the paper gleamed in the sunlight. As I held it in my hands, I could feel some sort of… presence. As though there was something emanating from within the ofuda. However, I could immediately tell it wasn’t magic- even with my limited knowledge of magic, I was familiar with what it felt like. This was something different. This felt… holy.

Thank you for this, Hakurei girl. You do good work, unfortunate as it is that I have to trick you into believing that I’m something I’m not. That sort of naivety will come back to bite you, I’m sure. As for you, Aunn, you’re a convenient way for me to land inside the Hakurei’s good graces, and you’re easy to manipulate with treats.

Everything had gone perfectly. All that was left for me to do now was pass the time.

It wasn’t until the afternoon when I left my house again. The sunlight was no longer as oppressive, filling the streets with a light shade of orange. There didn’t seem to be many people around, so I decided to go for a stroll to see what I could take.

An often-overlooked part of outdoor thievery is the time of day. People are naturally more suspicious of others at night, but if I pick my targets in the morning or the afternoon, the sun’s position in the sky means there are a lot more shadows to work with, which means I can get away with a lot more. Man, my own genius surprises even me sometimes.

Several minutes later, I found myself a good target. He was in the process of ordering something from a food stall, so he was appropriately distracted. Most of the people around him seemed to be busy with their own affairs, so all there was to do was get closer. For this situation, I’d just need to move across the road to the side he was on and quickly whisk it into my pocket dimension with him none the wiser!

Stepping across the street, I pondered my current situation.

Thanks to that errand this morning, I have that sealing charm with me, so I don’t need to worry about youkai bothering me. Thanks to that, I can get a lot done tomorrow like planting that seed and looking for one of those one-time jobs.

When I was only several feet away from my target with my hand having just exited my pocket, I heard a woman’s voice behind me. “Hey there, handsome~".

I whipped my head around and entered a defensive position, my fists balled up. In doing so, I accidentally bumped into my target, who turned his head towards me with an annoyed look.

I quickly stammered out an apology. “Ah, s- sorry!"

He simply grunted and continued to eat.

Well, so much for that. I’ll need to find someone else now.

Stepping back from the stall, I turned my head towards the one who had spoken to me. My hands exited my pockets and I balled my fists, prepared to take out my seal if necessary. Whoever this was probably wasn’t here to attack me and I hadn’t gone far enough for her to accuse me of stealing, but I wasn’t about to take any chances. I absolutely did not need a repeat of yesterday.

Before me stood a woman slightly shorter than me, leaning slightly forward with a somewhat amused look on her face. The first thing I noticed was her scarlet eyes, the same color as the tokin that sat atop her head. She was wearing a white button-down shirt and a black skirt with a small amount of lace at the bottom. Around her neck was a strap holding up a camera that she clutched in one hand, and she was resting the other on her waist.

Upon seeing my reaction, the girl took a step back and released her camera, letting it dangle from her neck like a pendulum. She held up both her hands as a gesture that she wasn’t here for trouble. “Hey, don’t be alarmed!" she spoke.

Still somewhat suspicious of her, I put my fists down. “Who are you, and what business do you have with me?" I responded to her.

“Come with me", she replied, as she beckoned with her hand to follow her a short way down the road to an opening with no people. I tentatively followed behind, putting myself a comfortable distance away from her.

Once we arrived, she began to speak. “To answer your previous question, I’m just a journalist, nobody too important. Judging from that attire you’re wearing, you’re not from around here, are you?"

Of course, I’m still wearing that vest Aunn likes. Is it really that good-looking?

“Hm, you’d be right. But what does that have to do with anything?"

“I want to conduct an interview with you, of course! It’d be nice to get an outsider’s perspective on things for my next article. I’ll make it worth your time!"

So she just wanted to know my thoughts, then. She didn’t seem to have any malicious intent, so I relaxed a bit.

Just then, she pulled uncomfortably close to me and peered directly into my eyes, close enough for me to hear her breathing.

“Besides, you’re pretty good-looking. And I’m willing to repay you in any way you’d like~"

I blushed, and in an attempt to break eye contact, I looked down. It was just then that I noticed that the top button of her shirt was unbuttoned, and I could peer directly at her chest. She was wearing a black, lacy bra-

I quickly lifted my head back again. The girl smirked at me.

She took another step forward, pressing into me. "Do you like what you see?"

You’re too close!

I tried to step back from her but was stopped short when my back hit the side of a building. With the little bit of extra distance I created, I observed her face more carefully.

Well, I can’t deny she’s kind of cute…

After a second or so, I nodded.

A smile broke out across her face. She backed up a step, brought a hand to her pocket, and pulled out a small map, which she handed me.

“Great! Meet me at Genbu Ravine in about an hour. It’s a nice, quiet spot where we can conduct the interview, and there’s still enough time left to get everything done."

Skimming through the map, I paused. Genbu Ravine? That place right there? That’s a half-hour walk away from the Village!

“Isn’t that dangerous? We’d be leaving the Village pretty late…"

The girl waved one of her hands from side to side. “Don’t worry! It’s not dangerous, only a few kappa live around there. Besides, kappa are the friendliest youkai to humans. In fact, they call themselves our ‘sworn friends’! I actually know a couple myself, there’s nothing to worry about!"

She winked at me and continued by saying, “I know the path well, and can escort you out when we’re done. What’s wrong, are you scared? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone~"

I had to think. I wasn't a particularly remarkable person while living in the Outside, but as a member of a very small group of people here in Gensokyo, I suppose it did make sense that this girl was interested in me. As for her… other proposal, that was completely unfamiliar territory. Long story short, I never had the best luck with women in the Outside, and it wasn’t something I really thought about during my time here.

Come on, just accept her deal! This is your chance to finally do something exciting! Besides, there’s still a couple of hours of sunlight left and you have that Hakurei girl’s charm with you in case things take an unexpected turn. Plus, she’s cute…

So after some deliberation, I accepted her proposition. With a small grin, I said the words, “Okay, I’ll go."

“Great!" she beamed, putting her hands behind her back and placing one foot behind the other. “See you there, handsome~"

I watched as she walked down the street until she turned the corner, leaving my sight. Once she was gone, I glanced down at the map in my head, making a mental note of the turns I’d have to make on my way to Genbu Ravine.

Alright, change of plans. I’ll see you soon, miss journalist.

Chapter 3: Showdown at Genbu Ravine

Chapter Text

Nitori brought an arm up to wipe off the sweat condensing on her forehead.Alright, just one arm to go…

Today had been a productive day with no interruptions to break her concentration. The weeks that made up her journey of theorizing, drafting, creating prototypes, and testing had been an arduous one, but at long last the end was in sight.

An enhanced version of her mechanical arms! Capable of carrying heavier loads, operating for longer periods of time, and extending several feet further than her current model, and on top of that she’d managed to fit two extra arms in there to boot!

Suddenly, a knock on the door caught her attention.

Well, I’d better go see who it is. Maybe it’s a request of some kind? Making this new model left me somewhat strapped for cash, so I certainly wouldn’t mind one…

Hopping out of her chair, Nitori walked up to the door and opened it, only to find nobody. Glancing around left, right, and up, she searched for the person who knocked to no avail.

Was this another prank? Damn fairies, I’ll have to set up a magic trap of some kind one of these days…

Grumbling, Nitori was about to shut the door when she saw an envelope lying on the ground.

Ah, that’s it? No wonder they left, it was just a delivery. This doesn’t change my decision about the trap though.

Swiping the envelope up with a mechanical arm and shutting the door behind her, Nitori went back to her desk to examine her findings. It was a pristine envelope, complete with a perfectly centered stamp and an elaborate seal to boot. No return address, strangely enough.

Man, whoever sent this envelope to me must be full of themselves. Why go to all this effort?

Cracking open the seal with an audiblepop , Nitori removed the paper within. Jumping to the bottom of the page to see who sent the letter, her breath got caught in her throat.

Iizunamaru… Megumu? The daitengu?!

Nitori rubbed her eyes and placed both of her elbows on the table. No wonder there was no return address! Someone with a rank that high in Tengu society would clearly not expect a response!

What does someone like that want with me?! Did I do something wrong?

Adjusting a nearby lamp with her mechanical hand, Nitori began to read.

Dear Miss Kawashiro,

Collaborate with your coworkers and create a vessel capable of traveling between Makai and Gensokyo, large enough to fit one person. I will send an envoy to report on your progress in one month. You and your coworkers will be compensated for your time.

Sincerely, Iizunamaru Megumu.

Nitori leaned back, staring at the letter for several seconds. After flipping it around to make sure nothing was written on the backside, she began to think.

Does the daitengu… want to go to Makai? Why? At least we’ll be compensated for this and the job itself doesn’t seem too bad. And it’s not like I can say ‘no’ to this either.

Nitori hopped out of her chair and stretched.

Well, I’d better go out and tell the others. Most of this seems pretty straightforward, but handling the “travel between dimensions” part will take a lot of work. We need to get started on this right away.

Nitori gave her nearly completed mechanical backpack a forlorn look.

I’ll finish you tomorrow, I promise.

-

“And… there!”

Nitori tightened the final screw and took several steps back to admire her handiwork.Alright! Just one left!

“Hey, Nitori, how are things over there? You finished with that one?”, one of her coworkers called in the distance.

“Yep!”, she yelled in response. “She’s perfect!”

“Good to hear. Now come on over and help us with this last boat, alright? We haven’t got all day!”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there!”

Nitori smiled to herself. The daintegu’s request several years ago, albeit more of a demand, had ended up being extremely fortuitous for the kappa. Megumu’s idea of Makai tours had come out of seemingly nowhere and had involved multiple steep upfront investments, but she made her money back and then some. Now that more and more youkai went to visit Makai, more ships to carry them all in were needed, and that meant more work to do.

Ah, it’s a good thing Byakuren was cooperative back then. Who knows what would’ve happened if she weren’t willing to share how the Palanquin Ship worked? There’s no way we would’ve been able to make that prototype in time. Megumu may have even ended up sending a request to those accursed Yamawaro had we failed. Good thing she contacted us first, hah…

As Nitori approached, she heard an argument arise near the back end of the ship and ran over to see what was happening.

“We need to attach it this way, idiot! Intuitively speaking, it should be angled like so when the boat’s not turning, so when it does turn, it can maneuver here and here- ”

“Are you daft? That’s clearly not what the blueprint says! Look right here, it clearly says that we need to attach it like this- ”

“What’s going on here?”

The two kappa stiffened up and brought their attention to Nitori. “Ah, sorry. We were having a, ah, cordial discussion on how to attach the propeller and had yet to come to an agreement.”

“Oh, that’s it? That’s easy! C’mere,” Nitori said, waving the two over.

Bringing out her mechanical arms, Nitori hoisted the fan up and began to bolt it in place. “Both of you are incorrect. It has to be right here, but I can see why that blueprint confused you. I’ll need to clear that up later. Also, it couldn’t be placed where you thought it’d be either because it’d interfere with the rudder in that position.”

“Ah, of course!” Both kappa nodded in unison.

Once finished, Nitori recalled her mechanical arms. “I’m going to the helm to test it. You two stay put and check to make sure the steering works.”

“Got it!”

Nitori flew up to the bridge and gave the helm a spin. Slight left, slight right, left, right, hard left, hard right. I’m not going to lie, it feels good operating one of these things, even as a test. Maybe I should try going on one of these Makai tours one of these days…

In the distance, she could hear a faint “Hey, Nitori! The steering works perfectly!”

Nitori couldn’t help but allow a small grin to emerge on her face. Being one of the original designers of the Makai ships, she knew everything about it like the back of her hand. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud of her handiwork, even after all this time.

Dusting off her hands, Nitori yelled out, “All right, everyone, good work! Time to bring these ships to the tengu!”

Alright, almost there now. One foot after the other.

The trees around me created a canopy that filtered out the sunlight, dimming the path ahead. The only noise was the grass rustling from small gusts of wind and the crunching of leaves beneath my feet. It was getting a little dark at this point, forcing me to squint to make out the details on the map the journalist handed me earlier.

I’d been walking for about twenty minutes, much too far for me to run for the Village should anything go wrong, so I would need to rely upon my seal if necessary. I’d made my choice- it was too late to back out now. Fortunately, there were landmarks I could use and the road stood out from the rest of the wilderness, so getting lost wasn’t a big concern of mine.

Just then, I could pick up the sound of flowing water from somewhere distant. Could it be?

Taking a larger stride now, I got to the end of my current path and peered through the clearing. In the distance, I could see a small waterfall located between two cliff faces, covered with pipes. The waterfall opened up into a gentle stream at the bottom, with many large rocks emerging on its surface.

Yep, that’s the place. No doubt about it.

Walking alongside the river towards the waterfall, I examined the bottom of the river more closely. The water seemed incredibly pure, so much so that I could see directly through it just as easily as the window in my house, and in the sunlight, I could make out a series of cracks forming a hexagonal pattern that seemed to span the entire length of the river.

These cracks… Although the pipes are definitely the work of the kappa, these don’t seem to be man-made. Or would that be youkai-made? Regardless, the edges of these shapes seem rough. Some of these hexagons aren’t perfect either, a few of the edges are bent out of place. I’ve heard many people say nature is married to geometry, but I’ve never seen an example quite as clear as this…

I’d finally made my way to the waterfall itself, the exact place where the journalist marked on the map. Looking upwards, I took a closer look at the pipes. All of them were bent at soft right angles and covered both halves of the cliff face, forming an intricate maze that seemed to go on for miles.

Wow, those kappa sure know their stuff, huh? I haven’t seen anything this technologically advanced ever since I entered Gensokyo. Maybe if I see one, I can convince him to set up some modern plumbing in my house-

“Halt!”

I turned to face the source of the noise. One, two, three figures were emerging from the trees nearby. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and entered a defensive position.

Don’t do anything rash. These are probably just the kappa that the journalist mentioned earlier and might be curious as to what I’m doing here. If I just bring her up, then they should leave me alone, so there’s nothing to worry-

My hopes were quickly dashed as the trio came into view.

The first thing that caught my eye was that all three were holding scimitars, refracting the sunlight across their blades. One slash from those things and I’d be dead on the spot, no doubt.

Now fully out of the trees, they had stopped moving, some twenty feet away from me or so. Two men and one woman, from the looks of it. The woman stood in the center ahead of the others and had a circular shield with a maple leaf print the other two lacked. Her uniform was also the most intricate of the three, though all of them wore a white and black design, not unlike the journalist from earlier. She was also the only one wearing a red tokin but all three of them had a second pair of ears that poked through their hair, like a pair one would find on a large dog.

These aren’t kappa! Keine told me about different kinds of youkai back when I first entered, and kappa are aquatic youkai with funny-looking hats filled with water. Are they wolf tengu?

Hmm, this isn’t good. That woman seems to be leading the other two. Maybe if I tell her I was trying to go back to the Village and got lost, I can avoid trouble. Wolf tengu guard Youkai Mountain, so they shouldn’t be unfamiliar with humans. Hopefully, they aren’t hostile towards me. The journalist seems to be a no-show, so I’ll just have to cut my losses here.

“He- hello?” I brought my hand up and waved. “I, uh, was trying to get back to the Human Village and got lost. Do you think you could lead me back to-”

“Is this him?” the leader asked, completely ignoring me. Her face was pointed slightly upwards and to my side.

“That’s the one”, came a familiar voice from behind me.

Hearing that sent a shiver down my spine. Slowly twisting my head around, what I saw confirmed my suspicions, causing me to let out a gasp.

Across the stream, the very same journalist I had met earlier today was standing on the highest tree branches, comfortably perched on a pair of geta. This time, a pair of jet-black wings emerged from her back, neatly folded inwards. Her eyes bore directly into mine as I stared in awe.

“Journalist?! You’re-”

“A tengu, yes. You know, this was easier than I thought it’d be.”

“Y- you wouldn’t dare attack a human from the Village! You know the rules-”

“Ah, but that’s the thing, isn’t it?” She looked at me with a sad smile. “Although youkai are forbidden from attacking humans inside the Human Village, and we’re forbidden from removing them from the Human Village, we arenot prohibited from convincing them to leave. The human makes the conscious decision to leave the safety of the Human Village behind, and as such people like you are fair game for us.”

She hopped down from the trees and landed gracefully across from me. I could do nothing but watch in stunned silence.

“However,” she stated, crossing her arms, “that technically isn’t something we’re supposed to do. If that shrine maiden heard about us luring humans outside the Village, we’d be in deep water.”

“Exactly! So-”

“Fortunately for you”, she interrupted, “you aren’t just an unlucky human we decided to trick. You were our specific target, and we have orders to not kill you.”

“Orders? From who?!”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

She flew back to her spot in the trees, her back and wings facing towards me. Looking off into the distance, she imparted one last statement. “Sorry to disappoint you, handsome, but I’ll give you a word of advice; don’t resist. We won’t harm you unless you give us a reason to do so. Momiji, take it away.”

I was in a state of utter disbelief. How could I have been deceived so easily? My stomach was in knots trying to absorb my situation. Here I was, a mere half-hour walk away from safety, but considering that I was surrounded by four youkai, the Village may as well have been a thousand miles away.

“Come quietly. Don’t cause any trouble, and nothing bad will happen to you”, a gentle voice from behind reassured me.

Turning around once more to face the trio, Momiji sheathed her scimitar. The other two with her followed suit.

This is bad! Youkai outside the Village boundaries can’t be trusted, they’re just going to eat me alive!

I raised my fists and hunched over, enraged. “There’s no way in hell I’m going with you youkai!” I declared.

After a second’s silence, I heard a slow clapping behind me. Annoyed, I glared back at the journalist, who appeared rather amused.

“Ah, what a line! You’re going to resist? Simply excellent!”

The journalist brought out a notebook and hastily wrote down something. “This’ll certainly make for a great addition to the report I’ll need to deliver later!”

Are you mocking me, you bitch?! I should go up to you and-

Stop that. Don’t let her get to your head. I have a bigger problem to deal with now.

Turning back towards the wolf tengu, all three of them were unfazed. Momiji simply sighed and said, “Listen. We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you force our hand. As a human, surely you know that you’re no match for us youkai in a fight, and you don’t seem strong enough for a danmaku match.”

Pausing a moment for emphasis, she continued. “Don’t try and think about running away, either. Tengu are among the fastest of youkai. You wouldn’t even be able to run across that stream before we caught up to you.”

sh*t, she’s right. Keine did mention that the tengu were quick. If they won’t let me go, it looks like there’s only one way out of this. This means life or death, and I’m not going out without a fight.

I stretched my arms out and flashed her the most vicious gaze I could muster. “Bring it on, then. Show me what you’re made of!”

Momiji raised an eyebrow at that remark. After a moment’s silence, she announced, “You speak well, human. That’s an awfully bold claim for someone to make in your position. Stupid, no doubt, but bold. I didn’t believe you had it in you.”

She looked at the two tengu beside her and pointed her hand towards me. “Takemoto! Kenji! Deal with the human. Don’t use your weapons; our orders are to take him alive.”

“Yes, captain!” The two tengu replied in unison, giving her a salute. Facing me, they stepped onto the rocky area that bordered the stream, backing me into a corner.

“You know what, Kenji, I’ll handle this”, Takemoto said. “It’s just a human without magic. I’ll just rough him up a bit and we can get this over with.”

“Alright. He’s all yours”, Kenji said in a gruff voice, stepping aside.

Takemoto stopped about ten feet away from me, one foot in front of the other, ready to attack at any moment. I mimicked his stance and prepared for the worst. In the distance, Momiji was observing the scene with an interested look.

Suddenly, Takemoto lunged forward with blinding speed, his nails extended like claws. There was no time to dive to the side, so I ducked.

Takemoto flew mere inches above my head and landed in the water, but that didn’t impede him at all. He gracefully pivoted around with a smirk on his face.

“Color me impressed. I didn’t think you’d avoid that.”

That makes two of us!

I could feel my own heart rapidly thumping in my chest, adrenaline surging into my veins when I saw I had a fighting chance. Despite what seemed to be incredible speed, I managed to dodge him. Perhaps he wasn’t as fast as I thought he was?

“Now, take this!”

Takemoto sprinted towards me and swiped at me with his claws. One towards my face, another towards my abdomen, followed by a leg sweep. Leaning my head back, sucking in my stomach, and jumping backward, I managed to get through unscathed.

“Hmm… you’re not too bad.”

What?! How the hell am I doing this?!

“Enough messing around! Hold still!”

Takemoto went for a running punch aimed at my ribs. Quick as he was, I pulled out my arm and caught his fist in midair. The force from his blow still carried through my arm, sending a spike of pain through it. With his other hand, he shoved me several steps back, freeing his fist from my grip with no difficulty.

Nng! Youkai really are a lot stronger than humans, I’d better not do that again! I need to do something else… I know!

Takemoto entered a quick dash and jumped, slashing downwards towards me, but this time I was prepared. Planting a leg behind to propel myself forward, I ran towards him and slid on the ground beneath him. While he was above me, I lifted up my hand and touched his sheathed blade, sending it into my pocket dimension. His eyes went wide as his weapon disappeared.

He landed on the ground as I scrambled onto my feet. Whipping his head around and preparing another attack, he yelled, “What did you do to my-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. As he made another attempt to slash at me, I pulled out his blade and jammed it into his chest. His eyes went wide as he clutched my arm in an attempt to stop me, but it was already too late.

“Urk!”

Takemoto was bleeding heavily. I yanked the sword out and kicked him as hard as I could, knocking him to the ground.

Takemoto fell onto his hands and knees to catch his breath, coating the rocks beneath him red. Several agonizing seconds later, the bleeding had stopped, and he fell onto his side, wheezing haggardly. That blade hadn’t gone too deep, but it was apparent that he was out of commission. Momiji, Kenji, and the journalist all watched on, stunned.

I took several steps backward, pulling myself towards a tree with my free hand and steadying myself by using my new sword as a cane of sorts. My knees were wobbling to the point I could barely stand.

Damn it, what have I done?!

Clutching his chest, Takemoto sat down and stared at nothing in particular as he uttered, “Kenji… I’m going to sit this one out. Deal with him, alright?”

“O- of course, Takemoto! Leave it to me!”

Kenji unsheathed his sword and advanced. “You’ll pay for this, human!”

I let go of the tree and gripped the handle of the sword with both hands as tightly as I could, enough to feel the bruise on my arm flare up again.

I can’t do this! I don’t know how to use this thing!

He ran up to me before I could even blink. I swung wildly with my blade, hoping that I’d strike something vital, but he weaved through everything with ease.

“Never used a sword before, huh?”

I went for an overhead strike aimed directly at his forehead, but Kenji brought up his own blade and parried it with no difficulty. He followed up by plowing directly into me with his shoulder, knocking the wind out of me. While I was wheezing, he grabbed my arm and tore the sword free from my grip.

Backing up and panting, with my hands on my knees, he brought up the other sword and examined it in the sunlight. “Your swordsmanship is quite shoddy. It’s apparent this was your first time wielding one.”

He brought his attention back towards me, frowning. “I’m a bit disappointed. You getting the better of Takemoto was a clear fluke.”

Kenji dashed once more, this time approaching me in a zig-zag pattern.

He’s too fast! I can’t track him like this! I need an opening…

Kenji jumped in front of me and used the blade of his scimitar to reflect the sunlight directly into my eyes, blinding me. As I lifted up my arm to cover my face, he delivered a blow straight to my stomach, knocking me back several feet. I collapsed onto the rocks, coughing and sputtering.

I could hear the clatter of Kenji placing down both weapons on the rocky surface of the shoreline and the crunching of pebbles beneath his geta as he walked towards me. “This didn’t have to happen, you know”, he said with a disapproving tone.

Kenji emerged into view. Through my blurry eyes, I could see his hand reaching for my neck. I curled my right hand into a pinch and began to focus.

Now! Hakurei shrine maiden, lend me your power!

I snatched the ofuda from my pocket dimension and slapped it directly onto his forehead.

The reaction was immediate. Kenji immediately jumped off and began to howl in pain, scrambling with both hands in an attempt to peel off the paper. Wisps of smoke seemed to emerge from his body.

Getting back to my feet once more, I ran as fast as my legs would allow and delivered a fist to his chin, knocking him down. Kenji lay on the ground, twitching for several seconds. Tentatively, I reached out an arm and peeled away the ofuda.

The charm had left a bright red rectangle-shaped imprint on his forehead, where the sound of sizzling and the scent of burning flesh still emerged. Kenji lay on the ground gagging, with his eyes rolled towards the back of his head.

Thank you, Hakurei miko! Now I can get back to the Village-

Momiji cleared her throat. I looked back towards her.

sh*t, I got so absorbed in my fight that I completely forgot about her!

“You know,” she began, “I think you deserve a little credit. As a human too weak to even participate in danmaku battles, you were able to take out two of my subordinates.”

I listened in fearful silence.

“I’ll have you know, though, that I specifically chose Takemoto and Kenji to accompany me for this assignment as new recruits, to show them an example of what they can expect patrolling the mountain. Of course, things turned out somewhat differently than I anticipated.”

Momiji rubbed her temples before continuing on.

“Takemoto and Kenji had only joined the white wolf tengu guard several weeks ago, and at this point in their training are still unable to produce even basic danmaku and have difficulty flying.”

She pointed her blade directly towards me, her frown slowly shifting into a snarl.

“Even still, I’m surprised a human such as yourself was able to contend with youkai. But that little rebellion of yours ends here!”

Momiji entered a fighting stance, her shield and sword outstretched.

“Hear me, human! I am Momiji Inubashiri, captain of the white wolf tengu, guardian of Youkai Mountain, and loyal servant of Lord Tenma! All who defy the will of the tengu will be struck down!”

Yep, this is it. I’m screwed.

Instead of charging at me like the other two, Momiji jumped into the air. And not only did she jump, she soared.

Momiji hovered in midair and struck a pose. Against the backdrop of the late afternoon sun, her whole outline almost appeared to glow.

Around her, a veritable storm of blue magical bullets formed. I could not believe my own eyes. They were so numerous and dense that the very sight of them made me dizzy. Spiral after spiral, a blanket of bullets began to descend toward the treeline.

I need to get out of here!

So I bolted, tearing my way through the forest, glancing above me to watch out for bullets. The entire area was being peppered with Momiji’s magic, though, and I couldn’t get lucky forever.

A painful stinging sensation rang through my entire body, knocking me into the mud. Gulping for air, I turned around. Indeed, a bullet had struck me in the back.

So this is what it feels like to lose a danmaku match? This stings!

“What did I tell you about trying to flee, human?! You can’t outrun a tengu. Give up!”, came a voice from above. Momiji was floating a short distance over me, burning with anger.

Mustering as much strength as possible, I grabbed a branch and hoisted myself back to my feet. Momiji flew back down to the ground, casting her sword aside.

“I saw what you did to those two, human. Using the element of surprise to your advantage is commendable, but I know your tricks, and I’m not about to let you do the same to me.”

Once again planting both feet into the ground, Momiji made another assertion. “What you did with the sword back there was certainly creative. I hadn’t believed storing magic carried any value in combat, but you, my opponent, took advantage of Takemoto’s carelessness. The same goes for how you dealt with Kenji. But your weaknesses are all too apparent.”

In an instant, Momiji darted through the trees, completely encircling me. All I could see of her were glimpses of her tail from the corner of my eyes.

She’s way faster than those two!

Suddenly, she tackled me from behind and threw me over a dozen feet directly into a boulder. The same place I’d been struck with her bullet throbbed with pain.

Everything was in a haze. I hoisted myself back up once more and looked at my opponent.

Momiji’s fury seemed to have abated, and all I could make out was a sense of pity.

“Human, I didn’t want to do this to you. Human… Please, stand down. I’m giving you another chance here. This can end”, she urged.

I can’t. I’m sorry, but if I go with you, I’ll die.

I shook my head. She sighed.

“In that case, I apologize in advance, human.”

Momiji walked towards me. I was too weak to run away now, and all I could do was watch as she closed the distance. I waited until she got close, and then-

Now!

I whipped out the ofuda once more and swung towards Momiji. However, she quickly brought out her shield, blocking my attempt to repeat my prior success with Kenji. She followed up with a shield bash, knocking me to the ground.

Casting her shield aside, Momiji clicked her tongue. “I told you, I know your tricks. That isn’t going to work twice.”

She brought her hand to my collar and gripped it, lifting me up.

“End of the line, human.”

With no other options left, I balled up a fist and flung it at Momiji as hard as I could. It landed squarely in the middle of her face.

Momiji recoiled and dropped me onto the ground, but at this point, I was too exhausted to get back up anymore. Shakily, she brought a hand to her face and examined it.

Her hand was stained with a bright shade of crimson. So too was her face.

I had managed to break her nose.

“Y- you,” she wavered, pointing at me, “th- that’s not possible. You shouldn’t be able to h- hurt me like this-”

Momiji’s face twisted into one of absolute wrath. Stepping towards me, she grabbed my head and slammed it against the ground. I grunted and felt something wet trickle across the top of my forehead. Blood, no doubt.

Still not satisfied, Momiji stood up and delivered several kicks to my ribs and one to my face. Heaving for air, all I could do was take it.

The edges of my sight began to blacken as Momiji struck me, again and again, each blow cascading into the next with no end in sight. The bolts of pain that surged through my body with every hit were all I could feel.

There’s nothing I can do, but at least no one can say I didn’t try…

Somewhere far away, I could hear a voice calling out. “Momiji! You’ve done enough!”

Momiji stopped attacking and fully stood up. “Aya! Pardon me. I lost myself there for a moment.”

“He clearly can’t resist anymore, there’s no need for further violence. Take him away. Let me handle Takemoto and Kenji in the meantime.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get this mission over with.”

Momiji lifted me up from the back of my collar. My body went completely limp, unable to muster even the smallest modicum of energy.

Positioning herself, Momiji whispered to me. “I suppose it really is true what they say. What’s that expression again? ‘A cornered rat bites the cat’? Regardless, you should be glad Aya was here to stop me. Who knows how much further I would’ve gone?”

I could not respond. My tongue went slack, sticking itself to the roof of my mouth.

Momiji brought her lips an inch away from my ear and hissed. “Human, you have no one to blame for this but yourself.”

As Momiji hoisted me over her shoulders and began to run through the forest, I saw the shield she had cast aside earlier with the ofuda still attached to it.

Hakurei miko… I’m sorry…

Momiji picked up the pace. The ground became blurred until it stopped making sense to me and everything faded to darkness.

Chapter 4: Marked for Death

Chapter Text

Eirin grabbed several pills and dropped them into a bottle, one after the other, each pill making a clink as they reached the bottom. She sealed the bottle tight and set it down on the counter. Brushing off her hands and stretching out her arms, Eirin let out a sigh of relief. And with that, everything’s prepared for tomorrow.

Through the window, the sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon, painting the room a deep orange.

Ah, it’s getting late. Reisen should be returning soon.

Suddenly, a knocking on the door interrupted her stupor.

“Enter.”

A rabbit nurse slid the door open, clutching something in hand. “Doctor! An envelope just arrived for you!”

Eirin raised her eyebrow. “A letter? At this time of day? That’s a little unusual, isn’t it?”

“Yes, a tengu just dropped it off. I’ll just leave it here.”

A tengu wishes to speak with me right now? Surely that could only mean one person…

“Thank you. If that’s all, you can resume your work.”

The rabbit bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Eirin eyed the letter. It wore a seal and stamp that she had, over the past several years, become well acquainted with.

Just as I thought, it’s from Megumu. Is this about which of my rabbits are going to attend her little jaunt into Makai this time? We’ve already been over that, though. Really, now, I didn’t think she’d be so forgetful-

Eirin paused as she picked up the envelope.

Hmm. That’s heavier than normal.

Eirin broke open the seal and emptied the contents of the envelope upon the table. Several coins clattered onto the countertop, followed by a single sheet of paper.

Oh? Payment?

Snatching up the paper, Eirin began to read.

Dr. Yagokoro,

Create a medicine that can put a human to sleep for an extended period of time. One month should be sufficient. Payment is enclosed, which should cover all expenses. This is an urgent request- send the medicine to me as quickly as possible, preferably tomorrow.

Sincerely, Iizunamaru Megumu.

Eirin leaned back and whispered to herself. “So let me get this straight. Megumu, you want to put a human into a short coma? What on Earth?”

There’s no doubt in my mind the tengu has something nefarious planned, but that isn’t my concern. As for making the medicine, that part’s a complete cinch. I’ve already got something to work with.

Eirin swept up the coins on her countertop and placed them in a secure locker. Afterwards, she opened one of the cabinets and brought out a large bottle, stacked to the brim with pills. On its side was a label inscribed with the words “Butterfly Dream Pill - Human.” Dexterously flipping off the lid, Eirin reached inside and plucked out a single capsule.

That tengu only seems to want one pill, so it’s one pill she’ll get. Let’s see, if I manipulate the concentrations of each ingredient like so… yes, that should work.

Another knock caught her attention. “Enter,” Eirin said in an annoyed voice.

Sliding open the door, Reisen entered, carrying an empty tray inside. “Master, is this a bad time?”

“Ah, it’s you, Reisen. Not at all, I was just focused on something. I’ve prepared all the medicine you’ll be delivering tomorrow, they’re on the counter. Get to it.”

Reisen walked over and began placing the bottles onto her tray. Turning around, she asked, “Master, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s that you’re working on? Someone wants you to make a modified version of the Butterfly Dream Pill?”

“Correct. I’ve just received a new order and I’m working on it right now. They want it by tomorrow, so I’ll be working on this for the next few hours.”

Reisen finished loading her tray and hoisted it onto a shelf. “Ah, that makes sense. Would you like me to deliver that one as well?”

Without missing a beat, Eirin quickly responded, “No, Reisen, you’re not delivering this one. This needs to be delivered to Youkai Mountain, and adding a detour that large to your route would slow you down too much. When you see Tewi, tell her that I’ve got a job for her tomorrow.”

“Yes, master!” Reisen gave a salute and walked out, sliding the door shut once more.

Eirin brought her focus back to the pill in her hand. Megumu, whatever you plan on doing with this, it’s on you. If you end up getting in trouble for this, don’t cause me any problems, alright?

I awoke with a tight feeling in my chest. My eyelids felt like they weighed ten pounds each.

“Nng…”

Still somewhat groggy, I tried to bring a hand up to rub my eyes, which ended up being a big mistake. As soon as I lifted my arm, a jolt of pain surged through my back.

“Agh!”

As I slowly regained feeling in my limbs, it became apparent just how sore I was. My whole body screamed at me to not make any sudden movements.

What? Why am I… ah.

Everything came rushing back to me. I’d been lured from the Village late in the day only to get stabbed in the back by a youkai. Then I got into the fight of my life with some tengu and lost.

So that means…

I forced my eyes open. As blurry as everything was, I could make out a few details.

I was lying on the floor. Or, rather, I was level with the floor, which was made completely out of stone.

Ah, so I'm in a futon of some kind, unlike the bed at my house?

Forcing my neck to rotate in the opposite direction, I noticed a window where light was just beginning to shine through. I’d just missed dawn, it seemed.

Closing my eyes once more and taking several deep breaths, I inched my arms over to slowly exit the futon. A dull, throbbing pain filled my whole body as I crawled my way out and sat with my back to the wall. Bringing my hands back to feel the surface behind me, I brushed my fingers along the wall, tracing along any indentations. Aside from the low scraping noise my hands produced, everything was dead silent.

Looking down, I saw some loose-fitted sleepwear. I hadn’t paid much thought to it at the time, but my vest probably took a beating during my scuffle with the tengu. It seemed that while I was unconscious, the wolf tengu brought me to her barracks, changed out my clothes, and locked me inside a holding cell. The window was blocked off by metal bars, so escaping through it was out of the question.

Across the futon, a single chair and desk stood along the wall. Some kind of parcel was situated on top of the desk. Beyond that, the cell was barren.

Well, I’m not dead yet, at least. All I can do is wait now.

Clutching my knees and burying my face into my legs, I began to rock back and forth while reminiscing about my life in Gensokyo.

To hell with this world! I barely even made it through a whole year, and it all came to an end because some winged journalist bitch decided to mess with my life. It’s all her fault! If I still had that ofuda, I’d find her and ki-

I picked up the jingling of keys and the creak of a door opening somewhere to my right, followed up by the clack of geta on the stone floor. Their footfalls were getting louder, but I didn’t rush back inside the futon to pretend I was still asleep. My body wouldn’t have permitted me to, anyway.

Eventually, the footsteps stopped. Glancing upwards, I saw a wolf tengu examining my cell with a disinterested look. His eyes widened as they fell upon me. “Ah, you’re awake!” he said in an excited voice.

Turning aside to the entryway, he announced his discovery. “Hey, the prisoner’s awake!” Out of sight, I heard a second yell. “He is? In that case, get him prepared. Our orders were to escort him as soon as he regained consciousness.”

“Right you are!”, he called back. “You go inform her. I’ll deal with the prisoner.” Turning to face me, he looked straight into my eyes and began to speak. “Human, we’ll be escorting you soon. Our superior is very interested in you, and we’re not sure why, but I’m sure she has her reasons.”

Pointing a finger towards the parcel on the desk, he continued. “That right there is a set of clothes, just for you. Get changed. We’ll need you to look presentable, after all.” He began to exit the room but shot out an arm to catch the doorframe, pausing halfway through. “I’m giving you two minutes. If you aren’t ready by then, I’ll dress you myself and drag you there if I have to.”

The tengu disappeared from my sight, the clack of his shoes subsiding until my breath overtook it.

I oriented myself back towards the parcel again. The last thing I wanted to do right now was all the movement necessary to stand up and get dressed, much less stand up, but I was out of options. Instead of getting to my feet, I rolled forward onto my knees and crawled across the futon until I reached the chair. Gripping its legs, I reached an arm up and snagged the parcel.

There was a new change of clothes inside for me, as expected. A white upper half, a black lower half, a pair of geta- this was similar to what the tengu from yesterday wore. Groaning, I methodically unbuttoned my sleepwear and brought my arms through the shirt, tidying the collar. Still unwilling to stand up, I wiggled my legs into the pants. Just as I slipped on the geta, the tengu returned. “Great, you’ve finished. It’s time for your date, human.”

The tengu whisked out a key and flung the door open. Smirking, he reached down and grabbed my arm, yanking me up. He then gripped my other arm and twisted it around my back, slapping on a pair of handcuffs. It took all my willpower to not let a scream out.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Holding my arm, he escorted me out of the building. When we exited, I instinctively tried to block the sunlight with my hand and was stopped short by the handcuffs, pulling against the tengu as a result. In response, he yanked me over, causing me to nearly lose my balance.

“What’re you doing? Come on, let’s get going.”

I grit my teeth and remained silent the rest of the way.

With the sun just barely poking out of the horizon, not too many tengu were around to see me aside from several curious bystanders. We followed the main, winding pathway down to its end, where an imposing manor stood directly in front of us.

As we began to approach the front door, I asked the question that had been brewing in my mind for a while now. “What exactly does your superior want with me?” Without moving his head to look at me, the tengu said, “How should I know? Like I said earlier, she probably has her reasons, but we’re not privy to that information. If I were you, I’d just be thankful the order was to keep you alive.”

I didn’t believe the conversation would lead anywhere, so I offered no response in return. Several seconds later, however, he turned forward again and spoke in a low voice. “Actually, maybe I wouldn’t be so grateful. You managed to piss off the daitengu enough for her to request your capture, after all.”

“The daitengu?”

What does he mean? I’ve never even seen any tengu since yesterday. What could she want with me?

“Yup! That’s a pretty impressive feat for a human. And with how she is… well, let’s just say that I don’t envy your position.”

“Bu- wait! What does a daitengu even want with me?!”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? You’ll get your chance in the very near future.”

Both of us came to a stop as we reached the front entrance. Rapping his knuckles along the door, he waited just a moment before the door creaked open, revealing a winged tengu. She wore a pleasant smile, as though expecting our arrival.

“So this is the human? Come in, we’ve been expecting you.”

As the wolf tengu pulled me inside, I took the time to observe my surroundings. The manor's interior was even more intricate than its exterior, but I didn’t have the time to examine any of it for as long as I would’ve liked.

Damn it, if I were here in… better circ*mstances, then this place would be a literal treasure trove! Maybe it’d be hard to raid since it’s outside the Village, but I could’ve gotten rich off some of this stuff!

The winged tengu led the two of us down a series of corridors until we arrived at an open hall leading directly to a set of large doors. After the tengu knocked several times, a voice from inside called out.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Akari, Lady Megumu. I’ve brought the human.”

Megumu? Where have I heard that name before- Oh. Oh no.

“Enter.”

Akari twisted the knobs and slowly opened both doors. Inside, I saw the last thing I ever wanted to see.

On the opposite side of the room was a winged tengu, dressed in blue. She was furiously scribbling away at something on her desk and didn’t stop to look up at me. Along the side of the room stood a fox youkai, dressed in white. Unlike the tengu, she made immediate eye contact with me and grinned furiously. Additionally, several tengu lined the walls, all armed with weapons. A single chair sat in the center of the room, facing the desk of the tengu in blue.

You two!

I tried to bolt out as fast as I could but failed to even make it a single step before the wolf tengu squeezed my arm and flung me onto the ground inside. Akari let out a giggle.

“Are you stupid? There’s no way you thought that would work, right?”

The sound of scribbling stopped. I could hear the clack of Megumu’s pen making contact with her desk. Looking back, I saw her observing my face with a bemused interest. Several seconds of silence passed, followed by Megumu saying, “Yes, this is the one. Well done.” Looking up at the wolf tengu, she gave a command. “Release the human.”

“At once, Lady Megumu!” the wolf tengu replied. Bringing out a key, he removed my handcuffs, which had left indentations in my skin after my fall.

“Good. Both of you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Lady Megumu!”, they said in unison. Filing out of the room one after the other, the door slammed shut with a loud thud.

Megumu gave me a brief smile and gestured towards the chair. “Sit.”

Unwilling to see what would happen if I were to disobey her, I forced my legs to move one after the other until I reached the chair and lowered myself onto it. I maintained eye contact with Megumu the whole time. Megumu shifted in her chair and clasped her hands together, releasing a big sigh. “So, human, judging from your reaction to seeing me, I’m assuming you know why you’re here. Am I correct?”

Stricken with terror, I nodded.

“Very good! That saves us some time. With that in mind, allow me to properly introduce myself.” Shuffling around some papers on her desk, she adjusted her chair and looked directly at me. “I am a daitengu of Youkai Mountain, Iizunamaru Megumu. You can consider me a ‘boss’ of the tengu, of sorts.”

I spoke up. “ A daitengu? There are others?”

Tsukasa tensed up, but Megumu paid her no mind.

“Yes, well,” Megumu waved her hand dismissively. “There are others. I specifically command the crow tengu, but the white wolf tengu are loyal to us. The remainder are fringe groups without any real power. Essentially, I’m the only daitengu that matters. When someone brings up ‘the daitengu’, rest assured they’re talking about me.”

Picking up the uppermost paper on her desk, Megumu stretched out her arms and began to speak. “You stole a collection of property deeds, as you’re already most certainly aware of. However, youkai are typically prohibited from interfering with the affairs of the Human Village, and as it turns out, buying out properties falls under ‘interference’. As a workaround, I used a middleman to buy up properties within the Human Village for me. That way, I could increase my influence in the Village. They’re a hard-to-acquire commodity for youkai and as such are useful as bargaining chips. By stealing those deeds, you essentially stole the rights to all the property from me. Not that you could have used them for yourself, of course; my middleman’s signature was written on those deeds and he’s loyal to me.”

I slumped back in my chair. Wow, is that really true? That explains a lot. No wonder she was so pissed off.

“But enough about me, let’s talk about something more interesting. According to the report a subordinate of mine provided, who I’m sure you’re familiar with-”

“Aya?” I blurted out, cutting her off. Immediately, Tsukasa ran up to me and delivered a mighty slap hard enough to feel the teeth in my jaw rattle, knocking my head against the backrest. “Is that how you speak to the daitengu?! What makes you think you have the right to interrupt her?! Where are your manners?!”

“Tsukasa!” Megumu called out. “That’s enough.” Glaring at me, Tsukasa stepped back to her original position. Several seconds of silence later, Megumu continued.

“As I was saying, this report here tells a very interesting series of events. My assistant here-” Megumu paused to make a small motion with her head towards the fox youkai- “connected the dots rather quickly, with your sudden appearance and the disappearance of my papers. Heeding her advice, I took measures to have my subordinates track you down. According to Ei, or whatever you called her, she and a small team of tengu disguised themselves and entered the Human Village, interviewing witnesses to pinpoint your location. Investigative work is one of our specialties, after all.“

A feeling of dread seeped into my body as I felt my stomach drop. That’s right, I just remembered! All of this is because of that blue-haired brat! How is any of this fair?! Clutching onto the armrests of the chair, I dug my heels into the ground and grit my teeth. That evil bitch just signed my death warrant for a laugh!

“You okay there?” Megumu called out. I stiffened in my seat and sat back up, relaxing my arms. “Oh, I’m sure he’s just reminiscing over his sheer stupidity, Lady Megumu,” Tsukasa spoke out, taking a step forward. “If only he’d known who you were, perhaps this human wouldn’t have done something so idiotic.”

“Mmm,” Megumu said, entirely disinterested. Tsukasa frowned and leaned against the wall.

“Anyways, Ei managed to track you down yesterday afternoon and convinced you to leave the Human Village by using her ‘charms’, which allowed her to set up an ambush for you at Genbu Ravine. The agreed-upon time aligned perfectly with when the kappa were to be absent from Genbu Ravine, so they could take you down with no problems.” Megumu looked up from the paper and stared me down. “Hmm. You certainly are adept at making poor life choices, I must say.”

Silence hung in the air. Megumu cleared her throat and continued.

“Interestingly enough, that’s not where the story ends. Due to the presence of three white wolf tengu and with you being far away from the Human Village, anyone with any sense of self-preservation would’ve come peacefully. But according to Ei, you yelled, quote, ‘there’s no way in hell I’m going with you youkai’ and managed to injure the captain of the white wolf tengu in combat after defeating her two underlings.”

Megumu tapped her finger on the desk, deep in thought. Tsukasa snickered.

“But that should be impossible. Humans are significantly weaker and slower than the average youkai, let alone tengu. Defeating you should have been effortless. This report mentions that you subdued one by stealing their weapon and defeated another by making use of a sealing charm. Are you a skilled martial artist of sorts? Are you simply exceptionally strong for your species, perhaps? Or did that charm grant you some strange power?”

I furrowed my brow. That’s what I was thinking too. How did I pull that stunt off? I’m pretty agile thanks to being a thief, but I’m no fighter, or at least I don’t think I am… was the Hakurei miko’s charm really that helpful? I crossed my arms across my chest and sighed. In that case, I wish I still had that thing. It’d be really useful right around now.

Megumu brought a hand to her forehead and began to rub it. “Regardless, this is absolutely unacceptable. That worthless captain needs to be reprimanded. She’s brought shame upon the tengu with her performance. If her current training regimen results in soldiers so pathetic they can be brought low by a mere human, we have no need of it. But that’s another issue I’ll have to handle later.”

Megumu stood up from her desk and walked over until she was in front of me, casting her shadow directly onto my body. Crossing her arms, she and I made eye contact once more.

“Now. You have something that’s mine. You will disclose its location to me at once if you value your life.” She smirked. “Well, I suppose you don’t, given your track record, but that’s beside the point. If you want to leave this room intact, you’re going to return what you stole from me.”

I perked up. “Oh, sure thing.” Reaching into my pocket dimension, I said back to Megumu, “These papers don’t mean anything to me anyway. You can have them.” Grabbing ahold of the stack of forms, I held them at arm's length towards Megumu.

She smiled back at me. Taking them from my hand, she began to rifle through the stack as she calmly spoke back, “Ah, you’re cooperative. I’ll admit, this is rather refreshing.” Licking her thumb to flip through the papers, Megumu spoke again. “And to think that you kept these in your personal storage! We won’t have to waste time going back to the Human Village to retrieve these, which is convenient, so that’s-”

Megumu paused. Her hands stopped moving, and her smile vanished. Pursing her lips, she glared at me once again. “There’s one missing.”

I blinked. “Wha-”

Before I could react, Megumu snatched my collar and lifted me to my feet, bringing me an inch away from her face. “Don’t play dumb with me,” she snarled. “One deed is missing. Where is it?!”

I don’t know what you’re talking abou- Ah.

“O- oh! Yes… I remember!” I choked out in a panicked voice. “I, ah, used one to, uh, wipe the dirt off a fruit, so I threw it out-”

Megumu’s eyes went wide as her face became devoid of any emotion. Dropping me back into the chair, she began to chuckle to herself.

“Heh. Ah, ha ha. You. Took one of my papers. And you used it as a cleaning rag.”

Petrified in my seat, I nodded. I watched as Megumu reached up to her collar and unbuttoned the top button of her suit as she turned away, still softly chuckling to herself. Suddenly, she whipped out a tripod and whirled around, smacking me in the face hard enough to knock me completely out of the chair. I hit the ground hard as the chair completely upended itself beside me. Still somewhat dazed, I saw Megumu’s face twisted into a furious expression. Balling up her fists, she stared at me for several seconds before pacing to the nearest wall.

“f*ck!” Megumu yelled out as she punched the wall. “f*ck! f*ck! f*ck!”

The whole room reverberated with the sound of each blow. Several of the tengu guards shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. Tsukasa simply watched in amazement. In the meantime, I was rubbing the side of my face to reduce the stinging. From outside the door, I heard the sound of running footsteps, followed by rapid knocking. “Lady Megumu?! Is something the matter-”

“Akari! I’m fine, do not enter!” Megumu declared, whipping her head towards the door. “Return to your post at once!”

“Ah- o- okay, Lady Megumu…”, Akari said sheepishly, her footsteps slowly fading away. Megumu let out a big sigh and slowly made her way back to her desk. On her way back, she pointed at me and yelled, “Get back in your chair!”

As I scrambled back into the chair, Megumu angrily choked out the next few sentences. “I have half a mind to kill you right here and now, human. Quite frankly, you deserve it tenfold. But owing to certain circ*mstances, I can’t do that at the moment.”

“‘Certain circ*mstances’? What do you mean?” I carefully asked in a low voice.

“You are aware of the sealing charm you had earlier, correct?”

I nodded.

“According to Ei, you paid a visit to the Hakurei shrine the morning of the ambush, which is how you found yourself in possession of it. Now, ordinarily, outsiders are free pickings for us youkai; that shrine maiden is significantly less diligent when it comes to protecting humans that cross the barrier. But you just had to go and visit her that day, didn’t you? Since she gave you a sealing charm, she most certainly has her eye on you, so I can’t just dispose of you. It’s what kept me from ending your life as soon as you returned what you stole from me, in fact.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled to myself. So those wolf youkai really were honest about not killing me after all, it seems. What a relief! That Hakurei charm is the stuff of miracles, protecting me even when I don’t even have it anymore! If I hadn’t curried her favor, we’d be having a different conversation right now, no doubt about it.

“However… If word of this were to get out, I would find myself with… quite a few more enemies to my name. And I can’t have that. I’m sure you understand.”

My smile disappeared as quickly as it came. Bolting out of my chair, I balled my fists and began to sputter. “Y-you mean… you plan to kill me?!” Megumu, however, was completely unfazed by my outburst. In a formal voice, she responded, “Yes, of course. You know too much, so I’ll have to get rid of you.”

Completely dumbstruck, I yelled out, “But the Hakurei expects my return! What can you do to me? You really think you can make me disappear, just like that?! Look, just let me go and I’ll never speak a word of this to anyone, and we can go our separate ways-”

Megumu shot me a glare, silencing me. “That’s not a viable option, human. Didn’t I just tell you what would happen if this were made public? I would be absolutely ruined.” Rolling her neck around, she said “I would say this was nothing personal, human, but after destroying one of my forms, I can’t use that line anymore. Regardless, you sealed your fate when you stole from me.”

I stared, wide-eyed, at the foot of Megumu’s desk before slowly sinking back into the chair. So this is it, then? I’m just going to die like this?

As Megumu fastened her top button, she spoke once again. “Don’t be so miserable. Since that shrine maiden is aware of your existence, I don’t intend on killing you right now. You’ve managed to successfully push your death back, at least until the shrine maiden forgets about you.”

Oh, thanks, you c*nt. That’s so much better.

Megumu continued. “Instead, I’ve drafted up a plan specifically to get rid of you. You are aware of the tour to Makai happening in three days, correct?”

The tour to Makai? Oh, that?

“Yes,” I spoke despondently. “I’ve seen it mentioned here and there in the Bunbunmaru, whenever I went to the Suzunaan to learn magic. But what does that have to do with anything?”

Megumu clapped her hands together, capturing my attention. “Great! It seems you already know everything you need to know. Then I’ll cut straight to the chase- you’re going.”

It took several seconds for me to comprehend what she’d just said. Eventually, I stammered out, “I- I’m sorry, what?” However, Megumu simply shot me a confused look. “What’s there to not understand? This is your lucky day, human. You’re coming with us! You’ll get to see Makai before you die.”

“W- Wait!” I blurted out. “That doesn’t make sense! None of that makes sense! Why am I going on a tour exclusively for youkai?! And how exactly will this avert the Hakurei from suspecting you?!” As I spoke, Megumu planted her hands on her desk and leaned forward. “I’ll just conceal you from the rest of the crew and make your death look like an accident, obviously. The Hakurei will blame whatever youkai inside Makai decided to kill you and take it out on them. Don’t ask stupid questions.”

I fell silent. Quietly, I asked, “But why are you telling me all this?”

Megumu scoffed and leaned back in her chair, leaning her head upon her fist. “Human, I am known as many things, but ‘cruel’ is not one of them. ‘Harsh’, perhaps, but I don’t believe there’s any harm in telling you what you want to know any longer, seeing as how I’m looking at a dead man breathing. Wrestle with this information however you will.” Pointing the palm of her other hand upwards, she continued. “Prepare your mind, say your prayers, do whatever you desire to make peace with your fate. Consider this thanks for returning my belongings, albeit not in full.”

Your idea of thanks is explaining how you intend to murder me? I stifled a laugh as fantastical visions of me making a miraculous escape, running back to the Village, and digging through the trash until I found the form I threw out as blackmail filled my head. Megumu, in contrast, was not amused. “What’s so funny?”, she asked in an annoyed tone.

When no response came, she huffed. “Human, in the three days leading up to the trip, I have a task for you. You will write a letter to the Hakurei shrine maiden. Tell her that you’ll be away from the Human Village for an extended period of time and to not look for you. Say that you’re on business and that there’s nothing to worry about thanks to that ofuda she gave you. Tsukasa!”

“Yes, Lady Megumu?” The fox youkai said as she stood up straight.

“See to it that the human accomplishes this task. In the meantime, I believe we’re done here. Escort him back to the barracks.”

“At once, Lady Megumu!” Tsukasa pranced over to me.

“Wait!” I said, putting my hands up as I shot up out of my chair. As I stepped backward, several of the tengu present began to tense up. The Hakurei’s my lifeline to get out of this mess! I can’t do that! “The Hakurei shrine maiden will find out! You can’t do this-”

In a flash, Tsukasa zipped up to me and grabbed my cuff. Before I could pull away, she snatched up a test tube from her dress. It was filled with a dark, murky substance that almost seemed to coil around the walls of the tube. As much as I struggled, I couldn’t shake her off as she popped the stopper open, freeing the contents within.

Immediately, Tsukasa pointed it directly towards me. The substance shot out and enveloped my face. I’d taken a large breath of the stuff before I even noticed.

Gas! It’s gas!

I held my breath, but it was already too late. My eyes stung as I gripped my throat, entering a coughing fit as my knees fell to the floor. Looking up, Tsukasa wore a smug grin on her face. “That’s magic smoke! Designed to end fights and calm the nerves. Makes people lose their will to fight completely. Amazing stuff, wouldn’t you say?”

My mind went hazy trying to parse her words. As the smoke dissipated into thin air, I felt completely at peace. I still knew that I was doomed, of course, but incomprehensibly that didn’t even bother me anymore.

There’s no reason to panic, no reason to fight. I just want to drift away…

“My, you still don’t get it, do you?”, Megumu’s voice from beyond my vision called out. “Who are you to tell me what I ‘can’t do’? If you didn’t want to be in this situation, you shouldn’t have stolen from me, it’s that simple. Tsukasa, take him away.”

Tsukasa smiled at me as she hoisted me up from my collar. My arms went slack as I planted my feet on the ground. I felt perfectly well and capable of struggling against her, but right now, that seemed like the last thing I wanted to do.

“Human. Follow me.”

I nodded as we exited the room, watching as tengu closed the doors behind us. When we were a good distance away from the office, Tsukasa began to speak.

“You know, I’ve never seen Lady Megumu that angry. It takes true talent to pull off something like that, human.” Looking over her shoulder at me, Tsukasa said, “I take back what I said earlier, human. THIS-”, she poked my chest hard with her finger- “is the most significant thing you’ll ever do in your life.”

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter Text

Marisa zipped away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion in haste. Slung over her shoulder was a sack containing several books.

Man, Patchy was in an especially bad mood today. I couldn’t get away with as many tomes as usual this time. That’s unfortunate.

Marisa soared above Misty Lake and the neighboring forest. Luckily, nobody but the occasional fairy showed up to challenge her this time, all of whom she defeated effortlessly.

Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve had a proper danmaku match. Maybe I can convince Reimu to spar with me for a bit? Yeah, I’ll do that.

Making a sharp turn away from her normal route, Marisa flew just above the trees and made a beeline towards the familiar red torii in the distance. Touching down gracefully, Marisa walked up to the shrine and stood directly outside the front door.

“Yo, Reimu, it’s me! I’m coming in, ze!”

She waited several seconds, only to be met with silence.

Huh, that’s strange. What’s she up to?

Marisa grabbed the door and flung it open. Stepping inside and placing her sack near the doorway, Marisa scanned each room for any sign of life. It wasn’t until she had reached the bedroom that she saw Reimu sitting at her desk, deep in thought.

“Reimu, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you, ze!”

Reimu nearly jumped out of her chair and glared at Marisa. “Marisa, could you please not do that? Tell me when you’re here, for crying out loud!”

“That’s the problem, I did! You just didn’t notice!” Marisa brought a hand to her chest and faked a pained expression. “Really, we’ve been friends for how long now and you ignore me? That hurts, ze! What’s that in your hands you consider more important than your lifelong friend?”

“Hmph!” Reimu stood up and walked past Marisa, tightly holding onto the papers in her hand. “Well, I’ll go put the kettle on. What’s the occasion this time, Marisa? Don’t tell me that there’s been a new incident.”

“Oh, nothing like that, ze!” Marisa laughed a little. “I just decided I’d drop by and say hello. And maybe we could have a danmaku match while we’re at it.”

“No thanks.” Reimu filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove, then proceeded to rummage through the cupboards. “Do you want a specific tea this time?”

“Oh come on, Reimu! You’ll get rusty if you don’t practice!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then.” Reimu pulled out a box of tea leaves and set it on the counter without turning back around. Marisa gave her a quizzical look.

“By the way, Reimu, is something bothering you, ze? You’re not acting your usual self. Does it have anything to do with what you were looking at earlier?”

“Yeah, it’s, uh, this.” Reimu handed Marisa the papers she was holding. “Go ahead and read that.”

Marisa picked up both and held them in separate hands. One was an opened envelope with a name and address she was unfamiliar with, and the other was a letter. Carefully unfolding it, Marisa set aside the envelope and began to read.

Dear Reimu,

Thank you for the sealing charm you’ve given me. It’s proven to be very useful. My youkai problem has since been resolved, and I’ve been doing well!

However, it’ll be a while before I return to the shrine. I’m going to leave the Human Village for a while on business, so I’ll need to hold onto your charm for a little longer. I’ll come back to return the charm to you in person sometime next month, maybe two, so don’t be alarmed by my absence. I won’t be too far away, though, so I shouldn’t run into any serious problems. There’s no need to come looking for me.

Thanks again!

“What’s this? A letter, from a man, telling you he’s doing well?” Marisa held her hands up to her head and feigned a shocked expression. “Reimu, you never told me you had a boyfriend!”

“Oh, knock it off, Marisa.” Reimu shot an annoyed glance in Marisa’s direction. “He’s just an outsider I happened to rescue.”

“How far have you gone? How good of a kisser is he?”

Reimu ignored Marisa’s comment and continued. “He’s one of the very few people who donates more than nothing when he visits, unlike a certain magician. If he died it’d inconvenience me, that’s all. It’s in my best interest to make sure he stays alive. Besides, he’s gotten used to life inside the Human Village. He’s been there for over a year now and is practically a full-blown villager at this point.”

Marisa’s shoulders sagged. “Aw, you’re no fun.” Scratching her chin, she continued. “An outsider who’s lived inside the Village for over a year, you say? Oooh, that’s interesting. Those aren’t very common. Most of them die within the first week. No thanks to a certain shrine maiden not doing her job, ze.”

Reimu crossed her arms. “Alright, Marisa, c’mon. How exactly is it my problem if some human gets dumped super far away? Or if I’m out resolving an incident? Or if I’m sleeping? That’s just not something I can feasibly deal with. This guy happened to appear at the right time and the right place, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. It’d be a shame if someone like him were to die all of a sudden.”

Marisa tilted her head. “Right, you’re worried about this guy’s welfare. But there’s no reason to be. Look, he talks about some sealing charm you gave him a while back right there, ze.”

In turn, Reimu brought her head to her chin and pondered. “Just… I don’t know. Something about this seems kind of fishy. Knowing him, this isn’t the way he’d write to me. Look at this.”

Marisa squinted to where Reimu was pointing at the top of the letter.

“You see that? He started his letter with ‘Dear Reimu’. He never calls me Reimu. I wish he would, but it’s always ‘Hakurei miko’ or something along those lines and I end up having to correct him. Why would he just change it up now?”

Marisa took a step back and put her hands on her hips. “Oh, he’ll be fine! You worry too much! Personally, I think you’re looking way too deep into it. He probably just feels comfortable referring to you more casually when he’s not face to face with you, ze.”

“Well, on top of that…” Reimu took the letter back, folded it up, and tucked it away. “Knowing him, that just seems like an odd thing to do. He only ever stops by whenever he has youkai troubles. Why would he decide to expose himself to a greater risk of a youkai attack now, of all times? Especially since he just came over a couple of days ago to address his youkai problem?”

Marisa grinned. “Well, can you really blame him? I certainly can’t, ze. If I had to stay cooped up inside the Village all the time, I’d go crazy! The way I see things, he just wants to spread his wings a little and took on a temporary business venture to satisfy that. As long as he understands his limits, he’ll be completely fine!”

“Well, Marisa, I hope you’re right.” Looking outside the window, Reimu spoke. “Alright, I’ve changed my mind. We can have a quick danmaku match later. But just one round, okay?”

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud hissing of boiling water splashing outside the kettle and landing on the stovetop.

“Reimu! The tea!”

“Oh, shoot!”

Wads of paper lay scattered across the floor of my cell. The wastebasket next to my desk rested upon its side, now empty.

I sighed. This was all that remained as proof of my labor over the past two days. A first draft, a second, a third, and perhaps a dozen more had been laid to rest here. Gathering the papers up and compressing them into balls, I seated myself across the room and began tossing them into the now empty wastebasket, one after the other.

Damn that fox youkai! What good does it do being that picky?! That’s just not how I normally write, why doesn’t she understand?!

About halfway through my game, a cacophony of sounds rose from beyond the walls of my cell, breaking my focus and causing my next shot to bounce off the rim. Through the window, I could hear the throng of youkai and piece together the scraps of a dozen conversations, each drowned out by the next.

It’s getting pretty lively out there… it must be almost time. Nobody came to save me after all…

Just then, a wolf tengu walked up to my cell and made a sharp whistle.

“Oy, human! You’ve got a visitor. She called herself an acquaintance of yours. Also, clean that up.”

My ears perked up as I shifted my gaze over to the guard.An acquaintance? Is it you, Hakurei miko?!

I quickly rushed over to refill the wastebasket and focused on the figure beyond the doorway, squinting to get a better look. Just when I had reoriented the bin, the figure had emerged into full view, dashing my hopes as quickly as they had been raised.

Sure enough, there was a familiar face there to greet me, it was just one I wished I wouldn’t ever see again. That white shirt, that black skirt, that red tokin, those geta, a camera that hung from her neck, and her jet-black wings; every single aspect was the exact same as I remembered.

The guard gave a short bow and made his exit. Meanwhile, Aya raised a hand and waved at me. “Hey, handsome.”

“It’s you…,” I scowled and squeezed my palms. “Why have you come here? Did you come to mock me? You dare call yourself my acquaintance!?”

“Ayaya! So cold~” Aya took a step back. “That’s not what I’m here for. Take it easy, human!”

“Take it easy?!” I spoke in a slightly louder voice. “How can I possibly take it easy?! You’re one of the people responsible for my present situation! ‘Don’t resist and nothing bad will happen’, huh?! A fat lot of good doing that would’ve been for me, am I right?!”

“Human!” Aya declared, above the noise of my ranting. “I just wanted to talk. I understand why you hate me and I can’t blame you for that at all. That said, I still think you should hear me out.”

“Hmph!” I crossed my arms. “In that case, speak. Why did you come here?”

Aya got close to the bars of my cell and faced me directly. “Human… I want to apologize to you.”

That response caught me completely off guard. Baffled, I whispered back, “What?”

Aya’s expression softened. “Human, you may not believe me, but I’m serious. We tengu were only ordered to capture you alive. Nothing beyond that. I hadn’t imagined that the daitengu wasn’t planning on releasing you afterward, especially since drawing out someone from the Human Village and killing them is highly taboo.”

“Hah!” I glared back at the tengu. “What’s wrong? Did you come here seeking my forgiveness? Go ahead, feel sorry all you want. That doesn’t help me in the slightest.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Aya snapped back. “I took some time to think about what happened and thought the whole ordeal was a little unfair on your end, all things considered. So I went to all the time and effort to visit you. You should be grateful.”

“Grateful!” I nearly yelled. “If you want to apologize to me, the best thing you can do for me is to never show your ugly face to me again-”

Realization hit me like a punch in the gut as I recalled her previous words.

Wait… how does she know Megumu planned on killing me? Wasn’t that a secret?

Aya flashed a smile at me. “Ayaya, that’s not what you thought back when we first met each other. I’ll let you in on a little secret, handsome~ I’m even wearing that same bra you’re so fond of. Want another peek?”

“N- no thank you, I’m fine.” I paced back over to my chair and sat down, clutching my knees. Aya looked down at me all the while with that same smile, exuding an aura of smugness. “More importantly,” I spoke once more, looking back at her, “You just said that they plan to kill me, right?”

Aya nodded. “Yes, I know about that. I overheard Megumu talking about ‘reserving one extra room’ with some of the kappa organizers for their upcoming Makai trek. That, in conjunction with the fact that she was still keeping you here, made me realize what was going on. There’s no way a miser like Megumu is giving a human a free visit to Makai out of the kindness of her heart, either.”

I rested my face upon the palm of my hand. “Wait, but in that case, how’d you even know I was being held here? I don’t recall seeing you when I was taken back from her manor.”

“After you met with Megumu, she released a statement saying that she brought a human from the Human Village over to discuss a certain business prospect and that you’d been returned. A convenient little cover-up considering that she’s been visiting the Human Village these days with that fox servant of hers for ‘work reasons’, but I saw through that lie immediately. There’s no way she’d go to all that trouble just for one person unless they did something that forced her hand. Along with you telling Reimu to not worry about you, it wasn’t hard for me to piece together her true intentions. That said, I’m still not sure why she had us track you down in the first place. You must’ve done something awful to her back there.”

Clutching my forehead, I raised a hand and said, “Wait, wait, wait! Slow down! How’d you find out that I told the Hakurei miko to not come looking for me?”

Aya cozied up to the bars and gave me a quick wink. “A girl’s gotta have her secrets!”

I let out a groan and leaned back in my chair. “You read the letter I sent, didn’t you?”

“I read the letter you sent.” Aya quickly nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be too hard-pressed over an ‘invasion of privacy’ or something like that, considering that fox youkai proofread everything you wrote down. Besides, I made sure that I was the one entrusted with delivering the letter, and since you’re a human, there was no fancy seal in the way to worry about. I just tore that envelope open, gave the letter a quick look, resealed it in one of the cheap envelopes I have at my house, and delivered it to Reimu’s place.”

“Alright, now hang on! How do you know it was Tsukasa who read over everything?!”

Aya dismissively waved her hand. “Oh, that one’s easy to explain. I overheard her voice yelling about something ‘not being convincing enough’. It was kind of hard to miss, really, especially when yesterday she started screaming about ‘trying to sneak a hidden message’, and the sound of someone getting beaten filled the whole building. That did sound pretty painful, by the way- are you alright after that?“

Yeah, that damn fox… she saw through everything I tried. No matter how small I made the hidden message or when I got clever by using the first letter of each sentence, she caught all of it. In the end, I couldn’t tell the Hakurei miko anything. Reaching up to where she had hit me to check how sore my back was, I had a sudden epiphany.

Where did she hit me?

Going across my back multiple times to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, I brought my hands forward and stared at them.

There’s no doubt about it. I’m not sore anywhere. How did that happen?

To confirm my findings, I flipped around my arm to check the area where the bruise I received from that blue-haired girl several days ago had been. Sure enough, the tone of my skin was completely undisturbed; there was no sign of the blemish anywhere.

Come to think of it, all the injuries I received from my fight with Momiji and the others are gone too. So’s the place where Megumu struck me. Did they apply some kind of healing magic through the food I ate while I was in here? If nothing else, that’s nice of them.

“Is something wrong?” Aya interrupted, peering at me curiously.

Still gazing at my arm, I spoke back, “Oh, I’m completely fine. Physically, at least.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.”

We spent several moments in complete silence, unsure of what to say. Aya simply stared at the ground in front of my cell.

After a while, I decided to pop the question. “So, if you’re so sorry for me, why don’t you break me out of here, huh? Or at the least, can’t you convince Megumu to let me free? I’m not even a threat to her! I’ll take whatever vow she demands from me, just change her mind!”

Aya shook her head in response. “No can do, I’m afraid. Whenever Megumu gets her heart set on something, she’ll go to the ends of the earth to see it through. Don’t get me wrong; I could just get Reimu to break you out and I couldn’t care less if Megumu went under, but if word of us luring humans from the Human Village and killing them got out, our reputation would plummet and we’d end up with a lot more enemies. In the worst-case scenario, we could end up in an all-out war.”

I grimaced. “Ah.”

“Yep, this is a fine little pickle you’ve gotten yourself into. Not much I can do for you that wouldn’t put us all in jeopardy. Besides, Megumu probably wouldn’t even pay attention to someone like me in general.” Aya whipped out a notebook and a pen. “So, is there anything you’d like to get off your chest?”

“What?”

Aya shrugged. “Human, like I said earlier, I’m here to apologize. Considering my active contribution to the situation you’re in right now, this is the least I can do for you. Anything you want to say to me or anyone else before you leave?”

“I-” I held my hands behind my back and faced the window. Dwelling upon the past for a moment, I spoke.

“I don’t actually think your face is ugly.”

I could hear Aya giggling as she scribbled down my words. Smiling to myself, I continued. “Also, I hate everyone with blue hair. Except Keine. If you see her, tell her I said ‘Thanks for everything’.”

Aya was fully laughing now. “Thanks… for… everything. For Keine… Kamishirasawa I assume? Yeah, I know her. I’ll let her know.”

I turned back to face Aya. “That’s all I want to say. Deliver that same message to the Hakurei miko while you’re at it.”

“Will do.” Aya tucked away her notebook. As I observed her nonchalant expression, the full weight of the situation came crashing down on me again. Aya noticed my face and gave me a sad look, just like the one she had given me that day at Genbu Ravine. In a softer voice now, she spoke. “Well, handsome, look on the bright side. Makai’s a very beautiful place. Hardly any humans get to see it for themselves. You should make use of your time there as best you can.”

Just then, the tengu guard walked back into the room. In a stern voice, he called out, “Miss… Shameimaru? I’m sorry about this, but we’re going to ask you to leave.”

“What?” Aya said, surprised. “That can’t be right! I was only here for a little while, I should have around five minutes left!”

“While that would be true in normal circ*mstances, the daitengu has arrived for him. She says it’s urgent.”

Aya looked down and rested her head on the bars of my cell. “I guess this is goodbye, then. Take care of yourself, alright?”

The guard came over and grabbed ahold of her arm. “Miss Shameimaru, you need to get going. I will escort you out.”

As he stood next to my cell, an object inside his pocket reflected the sunlight from my cell window, which caught my eye.

The keys!

Quick as lightning, I stretched out my arm and grazed over the keys, whisking them away. The guard didn’t notice anything, but Aya looked back at me with an eyebrow raised. As the guard took her away, she made eye contact with me and shook her head before vanishing from view.

Immediately, I ran over to the cell door and began to fiddle around with the keys, one after the other. Nothing seemed to fit perfectly- several near matches, but nothing slid inside completely smoothly.

Damn it, which one is it?

The sound of footsteps reached me once more. Cursing, I put the keys away and stepped back.

This time, Megumu, Tsukasa, and the same guard from earlier entered the room. Tsukasa was holding a cup of water, while Megumu had her arms crossed and looked over at me with a serious expression.

“Alright, human, it’s time.” Megumu faced the guard. “If you’d do the honors, sir?”

“Of course.” Walking over to me, the tengu fished around in his pockets. “Let’s see… hm?”

While he was checking again to make sure, Megumu frowned and began tapping her foot on the ground. “Come on, what’s the holdup? We don’t have all day.”

The guard turned back around and exclaimed, “The keys! They’re gone!”

“They’re what?!” Megumu’s expression shifted to anger. “Go find them! Where the hell did you put them last?”

“I- I’m sorry, I swear I had them right here-”

Tsukasa stepped forward and pushed him backward. “Don’t you have spare keys for this kind of situation? Find them!”

“Get your hands off me! No, we don’t have spare keys because we hardly ever use the cells in here anyways, so we’ve never needed them-”

“You idiot! Go find the keys right now!”

As the two of them argued, both of them pressed against the bars of my cell. When they did so, I noticed something poking out of Tsukasa’s pocket, just barely exposed to the outside air.

Another test tube?

An idea came to me. This must be more of that magic smoke she used to get me to stop fighting. If I can steal that now and use it on them, I might just be able to get out of here!

Quick as a flash, I laid a finger upon the test tube, sending it straight into my pocket dimension. At this point, several other tengu guards had come inside and were trying to break the fight up. Megumu had come up and begun to rattle the door of my cell herself. In a stern voice, she asked, “What’s up with this door? Why is it so sturdy?”

One of the guards spoke back gently. “Lady Megumu, these cells were made to contain tengu. Breaking it open with brute force would be no easy feat, even for you.”

Whirling around, Megumu spat, “Go find the keys then!”

This is my chance! I’ll never get an opportunity like this again!

Amidst the commotion, I reached a hand behind me into my pocket dimension and pulled out the tube as subtly as I could. Smiling to myself, I began to fiddle around with the vial’s stopper to loosen it a little, but to my surprise, I couldn’t get it to budge a millimeter.

Wait, what’s going on here?

I slowly turned around as best I could to avoid suspicion, but as soon as I had made the full turn and hunched over to see what the problem was, Tsukasa spoke out.

“Hey, human. What’s that you’ve got over there?”

Everyone else had fallen completely silent. I could feel several pairs of eyes boring a hole into my back. I paused my assessment of the tube in my hand by sending it back into my pocket dimension and turning around again, but it wasn’t enough to avert her suspicion.

“Human, if you think feigning ignorance is going to help you at all, you’re sorely mistaken. You couldn’t have made that more obvious if you tried.” Tsukasa gave me a stony countenance as she leaned forward. “Don’t tell me you took the keys thinking you’d be able to break out.”

The guard looked at Tsukasa in surprise. “You might be onto something there.”

Tsukasa snickered. “Of course I am! This guy’s stupid enough to try something like that. As for you, guard, you should be more careful with your personal belongings!” With a pompous air, she brought a hand to her now-empty pocket to pat it.

Uh oh.

Tsukasa’s face suddenly went pale. Making sure she hadn’t overlooked anything, she brought her face close to my cell and gritted her teeth.

“Human, I know what you were hiding behind your back now. Return it to me right this instant, and maybe I won’t beat you to a pulp.”

Well, the jig’s up. I have to act now, or I’ll never get my chance.

“Tsukasa? What’s this about?” Megumu looked on with an irritated expression. “What’s going on here? Don’t tell me this human managed to steal something from you, too-”

I reached a hand into my pocket dimension and whipped out the tube once again. Everyone present gave me a different reaction- Megumu blanched, Tsukasa’s face flushed a bright red in fury, and the guards merely returned stares of confusion.

“So this is magic smoke, huh? Gets people to lose their will to fight and whatnot.” I wiggled the test tube between my index and middle fingers, just out of reach from the fox youkai, who was now pressing her face hard against the cell bars. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if I were to, say, empty the whole thing out right here and now?”

“Human, don’t you dare! You have no idea what that is!” Tsukasa shouted at the top of her lungs as she gripped the bars of the cell, violently throttling them. In the meantime, Megumu was completely boiling over. “Oh, for f*ck’s sake, we don’t have time for this nonsense! You there, guard! Get an oni!”

“An oni?!” He took a step back. “Surely there’s another way to handle this, you can’t be serious-”

“Does it look like I’m not serious?!” Megumu grabbed the guard and shook him violently. “Whatever the damage is, I’ll cover it, now get to it!”

Terrified, the guard bolted out of the room as Megumu watched him exit.

For the second time, I gripped the stopper and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Gripping the base with all my might and forcing open the stopper with my free hand didn’t change the result. Tsukasa simply stared in horror.

In my struggle, my hand slipped off and the stopper rapidly spun around in place. Amazed, I released the tube again and brought it to the light of my window, where I could clearly see an intricate mechanism set in place preventing me from releasing the contents within. The area in the middle of the stopper could be pushed in at varying levels of height and twisted in either direction and at the very center there appeared to be a very small hole.

That wasn’t the case with the one Tsukasa had when she used that smoke on me! Is there something different inside this one?

Amidst the chaos, I could hear a pair of footsteps rapidly approaching my location. The guard from earlier reemerged from the doorway, alongside an oni who was so large he could barely even fit through the doorway.

Let’s see, judging from the pattern I first push it in until it makes four clicks, and maybe if I twist it clockwise about 90 degrees and pull- nope. How about I push it in until it makes five clicks and twist it counterclockwise 270 degrees and pull- also nope. Oh, who the hell puts a password on a test tube?!

The guard gave a salute. “Lady Megumu, I’m back!”

Megumu quickly sized up the oni who stood before me. “Yes, this is good! Oni, get that cell open if you would be so kind.”

I gawked as the oni grabbed the bars of the door and tore the whole thing off its hinges, throwing it aside with a deafening clatter. Tsukasa snuck ahead of him and ran inside my cell, her hands outstretched.

“Human! Don’t-”

“Here’s your precious smoke back, bitch!”

Yelling, I flung the vial onto the ground in front of Tsukasa as hard as I possibly could. Instead of shattering on the ground as I’d hoped, it bounced into the air while rapidly spinning around shortly before clattering back down and rolling to a stop at her feet.

Without making a sound, Tsukasa bent down and gingerly picked up the test tube, bringing it up to the light to investigate. Several cracks had formed along the length of the tube, but otherwise, it was still sealed. Turning back to Megumu, Tsukasa said in a sickly sweet voice, “My lady, this belongs to you.”

Megumu snatched the vial up angrily. “Tsukasa, we’ll need to discuss your negligence later. How could you let something like that happen?!”

“My apologies, lady Megumu. I will accept any punishment you see fit. But for now…”

Tsukasa stared at the cup of water in her hand. She lifted it to her lips and drank it all at once, shaking it to make sure she’d emptied the whole thing. She then gently handed the cup back over to Megumu, who nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, Tsukasa dashed over to me and gripped my neck with both of her hands, pressing her thumbs hard into my throat. I scrambled to get her to release me, but she wouldn’t relent. As Tsukasa was choking me out, she brought her head close and hissed, “Man, you really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you? I’ll admit, you gave me a bit of a scare there. Luckily, you’re too stupid to figure out the stopper for that tube. We were planning on making this next part painless as a gesture of kindness, but we’re way past that point now.”

I released my grip on her arms as I wasn’t making any progress. As I wheezed and gasped, I shot my arms out to grab her neck and through my hazy vision, I could see Tsukasa smirking. Using all the strength I could muster, I squeezed as tightly as I could, enough for me to visibly see the veins standing out from my skin. Several seconds later, her eyes began to bulge and she gagged out in surprise. Immediately, she let go of my neck to tear my arms away. Amidst the struggle, I could see the indentations my thumbs had made digging into her throat.

Now’s my chance!

Pulling my head back, I swung forward to deliver the hardest headbutt I possibly could. Tsukasa cried out as she released me entirely, and as she fell backward gripping her forehead, I approached to deal another blow to her. However, my efforts were stifled when she delivered a mighty punch to my face, knocking me down to the floor. The back of my head landed first, hard enough to temporarily disorient me. Tsukasa followed up by firing a single danmaku bullet at my chest, causing me to scream out. She landed a second punch to my liver for good measure, which got me to retch.

“...You sh*thead,” Tsukasa grunted. “I didn’t believe you were strong enough to force me to stop. I’ll admit, I saw you failing to break my grip and assumed that you would be completely helpless to stop me at all. I see how you managed to injure the wolf tengu captain now; they weren’t expecting that much power from a human and got a little careless.”

“Tsukasa, what the hell was that?! Stop making excuses! Deal with him this instant!” Megumu practically screamed through the ruined bars of the cell.

Tsukasa sighed and squeezed my neck a second time, planting her knees on my arms to keep me from stopping her. My brain screamed for oxygen and I struggled as much as possible, but she wouldn’t relent. It wasn’t until everything began to fade that she released my neck for several seconds to allow me to catch my breath. As I gasped for air, Tsukasa quickly took out something and forced it into my mouth, and in my haste, I practically inhaled it whole.

I started wheezing as Tsukasa stood up and stepped back. In an attempt to stop whatever it was she just gave me, I clutched at my neck, but it was already too late. As I looked back up at her, she had adopted a completely stoic expression. Glancing over to the side, Megumu was livid. The others simply stared at us in awe.

Tsukasa slowly stepped through the hole in my cell and dusted herself off. Facing everyone else, she said, “And that’s that. I’ll be waiting outside to see you off, lady Megumu.”

As she was leaving, Megumu grabbed her shoulder. “Tsukasa,” Megumu spoke quietly. “First, the wolf tengu, and now you? You’re the one I’ve entrusted to handle things in my absence and you’re making us look like fools, having to struggle against someone like this! Do you know what would happen to our reputation if this became a routine occurrence?! How do you expect anyone to respect you?!”

Megumu released her grip on Tsukasa, causing her to stumble forward. “I will think of a suitable punishment for you upon my return. Don’t think I’ll forget about this.”

Tsukasa turned around and gave a short bow. “I would not dream of it, my lady. My sincere apologies. I’ll be off. Sir oni, your assistance was greatly appreciated. Now, if you would please follow me-”

The two of them left my sight. As for me, I had slumped over with my head resting sideways on the floor and was unable to push myself back on my feet.

What’s happening? This isn’t like last time. What did she just give me?

Megumu gestured towards the cell’s new entryway. “Guards, if you would, please.”

One of them pointed at my body. “But- the keys-”

“Forget the keys, you can worry about that later! Get to it!”

Two of them stepped inside, one grabbing my arms and one my legs. The pair hoisted me up and carried me out, and upon reaching the hallways, I became drowsy.

They’re… putting me to sleep this time? Why didn’t they just use the magic smoke like last time? Were they out?

I squinted, barely able to make out Megumu, who was looking from above me and waving. As my vision faded to black, I heard her speak, “Sweet dreams, human. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Please… I don’t want to die…

The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was Megumu muttering to herself, “What an asshole, tacking on an added expense like that. I wish she’d used the nightmare version.”

Chapter 6: Welcome to Makai

Chapter Text

“Lady Shinki!” Yumeko called out as she rapped her knuckles gently on the door to Shinki’s bedchamber. “Lady Shinki? The meeting hall hasbeen fully prepared. Our guests will enter Makai any minute now, and your meeting with Miss Megumu will take placenot longafter. May I ask if you’re ready?”

“My dear Yumeko…”,came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. “I’m almost done. Just give me a little time.”

“Ah- but, Lady Shinki, we haven’tgotmuch time left!” Yumeko spoke nervously.In her free hand, she clutched the edge of the silver platter she had used toprepare the hall with decorations.“We mustn’t keep our guests waiting!”

“Yumeko,” the same voice said, this time in a more assertive tone. “Enter, if you would please.”

“But-” Yumeko began to speak but relented. Tucking away her platter, Yumeko brought her hand to the doorknob and twisted it open.

Yumeko was unprepared for what lay inside. As she peered through the doorway, her eyes widened in shock.

Shinki’s bedroom was a mess. Many of herdresses, bothclean and dirty,lay strewn across the carpeted floor in heaps.Along the bed lay a tangled mess of bedsheets and blankets. The diamond-patterned quilt that Shinki was so fond of had been tossed to the wayside,justbarely hanging on for dear life.The pillows themselves had been scatteredfar and wide throughout the room. On the opposite side of the room, Shinki was seated in a chair and staring outside the window, contemplating something as she rolled an empty wine glass through her fingers.

“Lady Shinki!” Yumeko yelled as she dropped her platter. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“Augh, so loud!” Shinki shot Yumeko an annoyed look. “Keep it down, would you?”

Yumeko stiffened and gave a short bow in return. “I- Ah-” “Forgive me. I overstepped.”

“Hm.” Shinki faced back towards the window, placing her glass to rest on a nearby dresser. “My dear Yumeko, I’m currently facing a dilemma. Could you come here, please?”

Yumeko slowly made her way across the room, taking careto nottrample on any of Shinki’s dresses. “Of course, my lady.”

“Very good. Now look here.”

As Yumeko drew close, she caught a strong whiff of alcohol.

Lady Shinki… what’s going on? This isn’t like you!

Shinkibrought both her hands outand opened them, revealing their contents to Yumeko.On her left lay a pendant with a sapphire with a bright yellowgleam, and the other contained a necklace with an emerald with a sharp green hue.

“I’m unable to decide between these two.Which one do you think would look better on me, you think?”

Yumeko blinked. “Ah…” Quickly flipping her sight between the jewelry and Shinki’s dress, Yumeko arrived at a conclusion.

“Let’s go with the ye-”

Shinki’s shoulders sagged a tiny amount.An almostimperceptible motion, but Yumeko noticed it from the corner of her eyes and cleared her throat.

“Uh- on second thought, let’s go with the green. It compliments your dress nicely.”

Shinki closed her palms and gave Yumeko a warm smile. “Thank you, my dear Yumeko.” Gettingout ofher chair, Shinki walked over to the large mirror in the corner of her bedroom. Yumeko winced as she watched Shinki step on the dresses strewn across the floor withoutmaking any effortto avoid them.

Returning the pendant to the jewelry box and clicking the necklace into place, Shinki admired herself in the mirror for several seconds before turning back towards Yumeko. “And with this, I’m ready. Shall we be off?”

Yumeko gave another bow. “Of course, Lady Shinki.” As Shinki exited, Yumeko swept up the platter she had dropped and tucked it under her arm. Giving the room around her one last glance, Yumeko slipped outside and gently shut the door behind her.

The twoof themwalked down the empty hallway, their footsteps echoing through the halls. Yumeko found herself lost in thought, her mind racingas towhat Shinki’s behavior could mean. As she pondered her inner musings, Shinki took the lead, and Yumekosimplyfollowed from behind.

What was that all about? It’s above my station, perhaps, but I have the lady’s best interests in mind. I need to know. I *must* know.

Burning with curiosity until she could hold it in no longer, Yumeko decided to break the silence. “Forgive me for asking, my lady, but may I ask if you’re doing well? I’ve never seen your bedroom in such a state.”

“My dear Yumeko, you should worry about me less. I’m doing just fine. I got a little, ah, indecisive with what I should wear. That’s all there is to it.”

Yumeko shook her head. “Are you certain, my lady? I can’t help but notice that you tend to get nervous every time our guests arrive.It’s been this way forthe past several years now, but it’s never been like this.If necessary, we can inform Miss Megumu that we can no longer accommodate her tours and to call off her plans. She would no doubt be disappointed, but I’m sure she’d understand-”

“Yumeko.” Shinki abruptly stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. Yumeko followed suit.

“Y- yes, my lady?”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine. Besides, we can’t just ‘call offherplans’.I have a contract with her, and it won’t expire for another two years.”

Yumeko dropped her gaze towards the ground. “S- surely something can be worked out, then-”

Shinki gave a loud sigh, cutting her off. “You still don’t get it, my dear Yumeko. I don’t want to call it off.”

“But- but why?” Yumeko asked in a low voice. “Whenever this happens, your mental health seems to suffer. You’ve been drinking more, too. That mess in the bedroom isn’t a typical occurrence either. And every time our guests arrive and Miss Megumu shows up, youalways end up accepting a slightly lower share of the profit than the time before-”

“Yumeko,” Shinki spoke again, this timein a stern voice. “That is enough. The agreement between me and Megumu is not your concern.”

“Ah!” Yumeko stepped back and bowed. “Forgive your humble servant, my lady. I was presumptuous. I was being rash- I apologize.”

“Hmph,” Shinki said, crossing her arms. “You’re forgiven. Rest assured, when I want your counsel on any decision regarding my business with the tengu, I will specifically request it from you.”

“O- of course, my lady.”

The pair walked the rest of the way to the meeting hallin silence.

Once they arrived, Shinki scanned the room, which wascompletelypristine. Satisfied, Shinki smiled and nodded. “Excellent work, Yumeko.Thiswill do nicely.”

Just then, Shinki faced across the room and closed her eyes. “It’s time. Yumeko, if you would, please-”

Yumeko gave Shinki another nod and wordlessly left the room. Behind her, Shinki uttered a single word that seemed to reverberatethrough the entirebuilding.

“Enter.”

Yumeko closed the door behind her and returned the way she came, alone.

Now to make myself busy for the next couple of hours as my lady has her meeting with Megumu… I’ll start with her bedchamber. That’s an obvious one.

Yumeko turned around and gave one last look behind her.

My lady… what is it that troubles you so? If only you would tell me what was on your mind, then I could be of greater assistance to you. Nothing would bring me more joy. I know you dislike it whenever I worry about you, but I can’t help it. If you insist on continuing, please take better care of yourself in the future, alright?

Thesky,marked with a brilliant hue of blue. Thecomforting,yet not overbearing warmth of the sun. And before me, a sea of flowersthat stretchedas far as the eye could see.A gentle breezesweepingpast me, with the flowers slowly archingoverto accommodate it.

And I flew above it all.

I was a butterfly. I could feel the flap of my wings,whichwereadornedin a dazzling shade of gold. With my antennae, I could sense even the gentlestofmovements in the flowers below. I was one with the field, and it was one with me.

There was nothing to do, but for the first time in a very long time, I felt that there was nothing I needed to do. I felt as though there was no greater joy than this.

And so I aimlessly wandered on, the songless wanderer, as lonely as a cloud.

I felt fragile. But I was at peace.

As I flew, however, something caught my attention. Beneath me, a flower stood out from its neighbors.

It stood tall and proudly wore a dark shade of red. Its texture was pristine,as though itweremadeof the finest velvet.

But it was misshapen. Imperfect. Its petals lacked the symmetry I’d come to appreciate, with its lower end bent out of place.

That’s strange. What’s up with this one?

I flew down and took a closer look.

The proportions of the petals were uneven. Nearly warped. The stem was crookedandthe flower drooped down, though it was just barely noticeable.

Every other flower in this field has been flawless. Why are you different?

Suddenly, the flower began to contort before my very eyes. In horror, I watchedasit erratically twisted around and rapidly decayed until it had completely withered away.

What?!

I flew back up as far asI couldbut bore witness to a terrible sight. In the corners of my vision, I caught movement in the field.

At first,it was one flower thatbegan to shift around like the one from earlier.Thentwomore on the opposite side. Then fivemore,until the entire field of flowers hadbegunto move.

Thiswasn’t the wind. Every last flower had bent itself out of place in a unique direction, eachonebecoming more deformed.

What’s happening?!

I watched as the entire field of flowers blackened and practically melted before myveryeyes. My heart sank as I saw the once beautiful landscape decay into an empty wasteland. The very sight made me feel sick to my stomach.

Suddenly, I noticed the field fading altogether. As Ibrought my eyes up, I saw the sun itself losing its light and going dim, the skies above me losing their lovely blue. The sun grewmorefaint until its light hadbeen snuffed outandthe world turned pitch black, plunging me and the field into an abyss.

And somehow, the sun grew darker still, a deeper blackness than I thought possible. I watched as the horrible pit in the sky grew in size, swallowing the space aroundit,until it covered every corner of the world.Powerless to do anything, Isimplylooked on until I was consumed by the void.

…

Within that darkness, a gentle tug at the back of my mind pulled me free.

I opened my eyes. I was in a futon, soaked in my sweat. Above me was a ceiling I’d never seen before.

The void was gone. But the pit inside my stomach was still there. On top of that, I had a throbbing headache that seemed to reverberate throughout my skull in sync with my pounding heartbeat.

What a terrible dream! Why would I dream of something like that?

The last thing I wanted to do was move, so Isimplylay there and stared, trying to remember everything that had happened to me.

That’s right, we were about to leave and I was put to sleep. Does that mean I’m in Makai? And on that note, what time is it? How long have I been asleep?

Examining my surroundings, I saw all the typical amenitiesone would findin a hotel room, minus the electronics. Beyond that, a lamp was tucked in the corner and set to its lowest setting, filling the room with a dim glow. At my side, curtains stretched across the entire length of the wall. The floor was hardwood, polished to perfection.

I wouldn’t mind staying in a place like this for a while. Those kappa sure know their stuff, huh?

I stretched out and tried to relax as much as possible until my headache becamesomewhat bearableagain. Reluctantly, I crawled out of the futon and stood myself up. The laminated wood floor creaked as I placed myfullweight upon it, but I paid it no mind. Rubbing my eyes, Imade my wayover to the blinds close to my futon and gently slid them open.

Before me lay a wondrous sight. A multitude of lights of different sizes and colors struck my eyes through the pane of the window, dotting the horizon as far as the eye could see. Auroras streamed through the air in an almost serpentine fashion. And through it all, a thin, wispy purple mist encircled everything. It was as though someone had captured the most beautiful aspects of the earthen sky and distantspace,and combined them into a singular, vast panorama.

Starstruck, I took several steps backjustmarveling at the view. The light from the electric lamp seemedharsh,oppressiveevenin contrast to the masterpiece that lay beyond my window. To even compare the two seemed almost an insult.

What a magnificent view. Aya wasn’t lying!

Returning to the window, I pressed my face against the glass pane and scanned the edges of my view. Above me, a multitude of constellations danced through the sky. Below, the groundwas mostly obscuredby darkness, but certain areas were etched with light, constructing an almost grid-like pattern scattered beneath me. Upon closer inspection,all ofthese lights were moving in the same direction, albeit at different speeds.

“So we’re moving, huh?” I said aloud to no one in particular.

Once I had my fill of the scenery, I stepped away and shut the blinds, taking one last look before covering them completely. Turning around back inside, I investigated my room more thoroughly.

When I opened my dresser, I came across a welcome sight- all the clothes I had been wearing on the day of my capture, all in pristine condition, lay inside.

Megumu probably figured that if the Hakurei miko found my corpse wearing something like a tengu outfit, it’d raise a few eyebrows. She probably plans to force me to wear this to avert suspicion. That’s pretty clever of her.

I grabbed everything from the drawer and got myself dressed.

Honestly, she doesn’t even need to force me.

…

Sometime aroundtwenty minutes later, I found myself pacing back and forthcontemplatingmy next move.

So… what do I do? Should I wait around until Megumu sends someone over to fetch me?

I shook my head.

Yeah, right. Like hell I’m going to let that happen.

I walked up to the front door and gave the knob a jiggle.Locked from the outside, of course, but as I observed it more closely, a smile began to spread across my face.Thiswas a mechanical lock- no signs of magic were present anywhere.

An idea sprung to my head.I rushed to the bathroom and flung open the cabinet doors, and sure enough, a small pack of bobby pins sat front and center on one of the shelvesreadyfor the taking. Excitedly, I snatched them out and immediately returned to the doorway. After pressing my ear against the door to ensure nobody was outside, I pulled out the pins and got to work.

Alright! Megumu, you’re going to regret underestimating me!

After several minutes of jostling the pins around, I heard a beautifulclick sound as the door before me fell open. Sending the pins into my pocket dimension, I opened the door by a sliver and peered outside.

In front of me lay a narrow hallway covered in carpet. Several electric lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the passageway in a hazy glow. Across from me stood a pair of doors marked withthe numbers452 and 450.

So it is like a hotel!

The hallway was dead quiet outsideofthe low hum of the lights, so once I had made certain no one else was around, I poked my head out entirely. A staircase leading downwardswas situatedat the end of the left side of the hall, which wasfairlyclose by. On my right, another staircasemuchfurther away thanmeleads upwards. More doors lined both sides of the hallway, all numbered similarly.

Alright, how am I going to do this? I guess the best thing for me to do now is find somewhere inconspicuous to hide until the tour ends and we land back in Gensokyo. Luckily, there don’t seem to be many youkai around.

Bringing my handupto scratch my chin, I staredbackdown the hallway.Curiously, over half of the doors were hanging open.

I have no idea how long it’s been since the trip started, so I’m not sure how much longer it’ll take for me to get back. My best bet for figuring that out is probably on the bridge. They might have the travel plans lying around somewhere, so I should make my way to the upper decks. Which means I should go right.

I crept outside and closed the door behind me as softly asI could. Setting my sights on the staircase in front of me, I slowly meandered through the hallway, routinely checking around me tomake sureI still hadn’t been seen by anyone. Thankfully, the carpet muffled the sound of my footfalls.

As I made my way down the hall, I looked into some of the open doors and noticed something strange.

Every single room, as far as I could tell, was empty. All ofthemhad a layout identical to mine, but most contained unpacked luggageof some kind. Many of the rooms were messy, witha great deal ofthings strewn about the floor. Several rooms had claw marks etched into the walls and floor, and a couple even had burn marks. The very sight caused me to shudder.

What on Earth happened while I was asleep? Where is everyone?

As I reached the end of the hallway,the sound offootsteps coming from above alerted me. As quickly as I could, I dashed back down the hallway and frantically scanned both sides to find the nearest open room.

Room 409?! That’s too far away, I’m not gonna make it!

Just asI approached the room, I heard a distant voicesay“Hm?”

I bolted inside and hid myself around the wall, giving me time to catch my breath. Unfortunately, there had been no time to shut the door, which whoever it was would have no doubt noticed anyway.

After the longest ten seconds of my life, I heard a voicecomingfrom the hallway.

“I know you’re there, you know. Come out.”

My heart sank. Bracing myself, I took a deep breath and stepped out into the light.

Before me stood a kappa, about a head shorter than me. The blue uniform, the green hat that sloshed around with water, the boots, it all fit the description Keine had given me. The only thingthat wasmissing was the backpack, which this kappa lacked.In his right hand, the kappawas grippinga wrench so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

The kappa tilted his head and brought a finger to his lips. “Who are you?”

Oh thank goodness, it’s just a kappa. I got myself worried for no reason. Maybe he can help me!

“Hello.” I brought a hand up and quickly waved. “I’m not supposed to be here. Do you think there’s any way you can help me leave-”

“A human… I’ve never seen you before. Humans shouldn’t be here.” The kappa stared with an emptygaze,as though he was focusing incredibly hard on something behind me.

“Uh, that’s right. I shouldn’t be here. Can you tell me how long it’ll be until-”

“Are you one of us?”

That question had caught me completely off guard. In an incredulous tone, I asked, “What?” The kappa had no response for me, instead opting to take a step closer.

Taking a second look at him, something about his body was amiss. His left eye sat slightly lower on his face than his right, his gaze clouded by a haunting depth that threatened to suck me in whole. The skin on his face and arms wore a pallid tone of gray and sagged inplaces,as though the bones that lay beneath clung onto it for dear life. His yellowed fingernails extended an inch further thannormal, almost long enough to be considered claws.

“No, it would appear you’re not.” The kappa uttered in amelancholicvoice. “How terribly disappointing. In your current state, you are unenlightened.”

Thoroughly disturbed now, I stepped back. “Excuse me, what are you talking about?”

The kappa placedbothhis hands behind his back, still holding onto the wrench. “As you are now, you scurry about in the darkness, unaware that the road you take is that of your destruction. But you need not worry. You canhave your eyes openedto the truth, that you may see the path to salvation as clearly as you can see me now.”

Irritated, I spoke loudly, “You’re not making sense. Just tell me what I want to know!”

The kappa, unfazed by my annoyance, returned a faint grin. “Oh? But why should I tell you what you want to hear when I could instead tell you what you need to hear? Surelythatwould be a disservice on my part.”

Just when I was about to shout at him, I recalled another tidbit of information Keine had told me.

Oh, that’s right! Kappa are aquatic youkai and depend on the water inside their hats to move about on land. Keine told me that if I were to ever get myself in trouble with a kappa, I could just bow to them. They’d return the bow and spill the water out!

“Hmm… as appealing as what you’re saying sounds, I’ll have to disagree there. I’d ratherjustknow how I canget backto the Human Village. I’m sorry.”I took an exaggerated bow, onethat would be impossible to mistake for anything else.

The kappa stiffened in place. Slowly but surely,hebent over untilhehad reached a full bow before returning to a full standing position, maintaining eye contact the whole time. The water inside his hat sloshed back and forth, but his hat hadn’t moved an inch.

What? Why didn’t his hat fall off?

At that moment, I noticed something just barely peeking through the wisps of his hair. Two metal tags latched themselves along both sides of his hat and buried themselves into a series of scars that lined his head, vanishing somewhere inside his temples.

The kappa noticed my apprehension and shot me agrin,as though he were proud of himself. “Do you see it, human?”

I merely watched on in stunned silence. The kappa took another step towards me, putting us close enough that the kappa had to tilthishead slightly upwards to maintain eye contact.

“You attempted to exploit a weakness that we kappa have sufferedfrom for a verylong time. But thanks tohergenerosity, we have been made anew, our bodily weaknesses removed. Out of the kindness of her heart, we havebeen givenbodiesthat arebetter suited to serve her purposes.” The kappa stretched out a hand towards me. “What say you, human? Will you join us?”

“What the hell happened to you?!” I asked, horrified.

“Tsk!” The kappa frowned at me. “Are you truly so blind as to not see the value in my offer? You canbe givena new life. An infinitely better life than the one you have now. She can take your broken, corruptedbody,and remake you in her perfect image as she has for us!”

I balled my hands up into fists. “She?!”

“One greater than either you or I, who has set forth before us a path to guide us to everlasting glory. If you were to receiveherblessing, you too would be able to see it for yourself.”

I glared back at him. “I’m not interested.”

The kappa rapidlyblinked,as though he couldn’t comprehend what I had just said. Several seconds later, he stared directly into my eyes and spoke. “How unfortunate. Those who cannot see the truth are not worthy of it!”

Before I could respond, the kappa lunged towards me and extended an arm directly at my neck. My left hand flew up to catch it just in time, stoppinghimfrom tearing out my throat completely.

It all happened so quickly. I could feel the force of the wind his thrust had made on my neck, and when I looked down to see what had happened, I could barely even make out the base of his nails.

The kappa gave me no time to rest as he swiped my head with his wrench using his free hand, which I just barely ducked beneath. While he was out of position to make an effective follow-up, I curled my right hand into a fist and punched him in the ribs as hard as I could. As he hunched over, I brought my right hand up, tore the wrench from his hands, and kicked him in the chest hard enough to send him flying backward several feet, where he landed on his back. Gripping my new weapon tightly with both hands, I steeled myself and watched as he jumped back to his feet without spilling a drop of water from his hat. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem too fazed by the attacks I had just landed.

The kappa crossed his arms and frowned at me. His arms began to emit a light blue glow that almost seemed to ripple throughout the rest of his body.

“To think you would be able to avoid that. How…irritating.”

The kappa closed his eyes and focused. As he did so, I could feel somekind ofdisturbance in the air around me.

This is just like that wolf tengu! Is he about to use magic?!

The kappa suddenly reopened his eyes and extended his arms towards me.

“Die!"

From his hands, a volley of thin blue bullets emerged, spread out like a wave of water that encompassed the entirewidth of the hallway.

Did he just tell me to die?! Isn’t danmaku supposed to be nonlethal?! What’s wrong with this guy?!

Luckily,the corridor we were inprevented him from creating anything too imposing, so I could still seecleargaps between his bullets.Left, right, left, right, duck beneath- weaving through everything wasn’t too difficulton its own, but it was tiring me out rather quickly.

This isn’t nearly as impressive as what the wolf tengu could conjure, at least. But how am I supposed to fight back against this?

My thoughts were interrupted when I looked back down the hallway.The next wave of bullets had been pointedslightly off-center from the rest of the pattern, and my last dodge had put me in a bullet’s direct line of fire. The kappa shot me a grin, knowingfull well thatI’d fallen for his trap.

There was no time to dodge, so I didthe only thingI could think of. Gripping the wrench, I whipped it around as hard as I could at the bullet, causing it toricochetback down the hallway from whence it came.

The kappa twisted his head backward as he watched the bullet whiz past him until it dissipated on the surface of the staircase.

Visibly annoyed now, the kappa faced me again and clicked his tongue “Tch!” He’d stopped firing his volley of bullets, but the aura surrounding his arms didn’t disappear.

What’s his plan now? What’s he going to do?

With a sudden roar, he flung his arm upwards, launching a much larger bullet that covered most of the hallway. My eyes widened as I saw it rushing straight towards me.

There’s no way the wrench is going to protect me against this!

I shut my eyes as tightly as possibleandin a desperate bid for self-preservation, I brought my hands forward to block it.

The bullet struck my hands with a flash of light so bright it pierced my eyelids until all I could see was a void of white. The force of the impact pushed me backward, but I leaned forward and pushed back out of complete desperation.

Maybe, just maybe, I can push this away from me-

I managed to hold the bullet in place, but my hands burned. My palms, hands, and forearms feltas thoughthey hadbeen setaflame as bolts of energy surged throughout the rest of my body. My muscles strained against the onslaught as my arms began to shake, threatening to give way against the sheer force of the bullet.

I- I can’t bear it for much longer…

I screamed and gave one last push,certainthat it would be my last.

…

And then, it was all over.

I fell forward onto the carpeted ground, exhausted. The noise, the light- all of it was gone. In a haze, I pushed myself back up and looked around.

When my vision returned to me, I observed my surroundings. The hallwayin front ofme hadbeen torn upby the bullet’s path, the carpet and walls singed by the heat. All the electric lights from the ceiling had been destroyed in its wake, showering the way forward with shrapnel. And at the end of the hallway, the kappastillstood, visibly angered.

Bringing my arms up to assess the damage done, I was amazed. My arms hadn’tbeen damagedtoobadly. My palms took the worst of it, flushed with an angry shade of red, but that aside, my situation was a lot better than the stumps I half-expected to be there.

Then I noticed it. My arms were glowing, too, not unlike the kappa’s whenhehad begunhisassault.

Wait… what does this mean? Did I just-?

I looked back up at the kappa, who began to summon his energy again. With a second roar, his hands began to shine once more.

Oh, hell!

Frantically looking around, I checked the doors around me.Just alittle further down the hallway was an open room- room 414. Without looking behind, I swept up the wrench I had dropped in my earlier struggle and sprinted as fast as possible away from the kappa.

As I ran, I could hear the crackle of energy and light from behind me. A second bullet, identical to the first, flew down the hallway as before.

I reached room 414. Flinging the door as wide open as I could, I jumped through the opening and covered my head as the bullet just barely flew past me. The crackling of magic grew quieter and quieter until it made a tremendous boom on the opposite end of the hallway. Through the floor, I could feel the entire ship shaking a little.

I stood up and ran into the room, steeling myself. As I intensely focused on the doorway to prepare for the kappa, I noticedthat itwas just an empty passageway.

That bullet managed to tear the door off its hinges like it was nothing! This guy’s insane!

In the meantime, the kappa flew down the hallway and poked his head through the doorframe. Once he spotted me, he scrambled inside and pointed a finger towards me.

“You coward! There’s nowhere for you to run-”

With a yell, I flung my hand toward the kappa.

All at once, I felt a great deal of power bolt through my arms and exit my body. That same bullet from before exited my hand, flying towards the kappa at blinding speed.

His eyes widened. “Wha-”

He didn’t get a chance to continue his sentence. The bullet struck him and carried him back out and across the hallway.Blasting into him with incredible force, the bullet continued, blowing him into the room on the opposite wall, smashing the kappa through the closed door of room 415.

The bullet exploded with another blinding burst of light. A second violent shake rocked the hallway until all was quiet again.

Gingerly, I stepped outside my room. Through the mostly destroyed door, I could see the kappa lying on the ground withhiseyes wide open. He didn’t appear to be moving.

I leaned on the doorframe and took a moment to catch my breath.

What was that guy’s problem?!

The kappa twitched and brought himself back to his feet. He was bleeding in several places along his chest and arms but seemed to not care about his own condition.

Standing fully upright, he shot me a toothy smirk. His arms were no longer glowing, so it seemed as though he had given up on using magic.

After all that, he still wants to fight?!

With blinding speed, the kappa launched himself forward. Before I could jump aside, he gripped my arm and clawed at me. I tried to knock him away, but hesimplydodged it all. Taking advantage of his smaller size, hescurriedaround until he had latched himself onto my back. With his legs around my waist, he gripped my right arm and bit into my right shoulder.

I could feel his teeth dig deep into my skin as I heard the sickening crunch of bone. My whole body seized up in pure agony.

f*ck IT HURTS

A second later, however, the kappa jumped off me and brought his hands to his mouth with a scream.

“AUGH!”

A small pool of blood was streaming from his mouth. Bending forwards, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and dug around. When he pulled his hand out, bits of his teeth had come out with it.

That crunching sound hadn’t come from me.

The kappa whirled back at me, absolutely livid. “My heeth! You chibbed my heeth!”

“Kchhh!” I clutched my shoulder, which throbbed with pain. “I chipped your teeth?! You broke your own teeth! You sh*thead, you deserve every bit of pain you’re in right now-”

“Wha are you? Are you some kine of monsther?!”

I staggered back and looked over at my shoulder. Sure enough,deep indentations had been madealong my skin, and blood was trickling down my sleeve. “I’m just a human.”

With a furious yell, the kappa flew back towards me and gripped my shoulder along where he had bitten me, causing me to scream out. While I was distracted, he got behind me and knocked me down with a kick.

Before I could get back up, the kappa got on top of me and pinned me down. “Human, you leabe me no hoice! I will eshrackt your shirihodama!”

I twisted my head back around. “WHAT?!”

The kappa cackled with glee. “This is the end! Die, monsther!”

Wildly searching the area around me, I spotted somethingjustbarely within arm’s reach.

The wrench!

The kappa laughed as I futilely struggled against his grip. Meanwhile, my fingers drew just barely close enough until I held the wrench in my grasp, then-

“Hm?”

The kappa brought his attention to my free hand, but not until it was too late. Whipping around, I smacked him with the wrench, bowling him over and onto the ground.

Pulling myself up, I held the wrench tightly in both hands and furiously stared at the kappa before me, who was still getting up.

With a shout, I brought the wrench down directly upon his head with as much force as I could manage. A loud clang echoed through the hall as the wrench made contact.

“Argh!”

The kappa fell to his knees. Shakily, he brought a hand to his head to examine the damage.

It returned with equal parts blood and water.

With that blow, I had broken the seal holding the water in place.

His hands were trembling. “No… No!Thiscan’t be! I can’t lose!”

I stood on, staring at him in silence.

The kappa collapsed to the floor as the lastof thewater trickled out of his hat. “Mother… I failed you…forgive me…”

Once he had stopped moving for good, I took a step back and clutched my chest. Dropping the wrench, I fell to the floor and leaned against the wall, panting. Blood trickled down the length of my right arm, staining my sleeve a bright crimson.

I stared up at the ceiling.

What the hell is going on here?

Chapter 7: Pursuit for Truth

Chapter Text

The girl drifted through the vast expansethat surroundedher, her figure illuminated by the stars and nebulae that encircled the horizon as they cast their soft glow onto her pale skin. She kept close to the ground as she flew, slowly but surely making her way forward. Routinely checking around her for unwelcome company, she kept her gaze steady as she gracefully glided through the air.

She had never ventured this far out before. Truthfully, she had never thought she would need to travel to somewhere so far away, soremote.One notable exception aside, nothing had come by this way in along,long time simply because there never was any reason to.Beneath her lay a road that guided her to her destination, but even that had deteriorated andinpartshad nearly faded away due to neglect.

As she flew, the girl crossed her arms and began to ponder.

I wonder if the temple even exists… What am I going to do if there’s nothing there? Or if the path just disappears all of a sudden and I’m left in the middle of nowhere?

She shook her head.

There’s no point in answering questions that likely won’t even matter. If the situation arises, I’ll just have to address it then. But there’s no reason to think either of those things are true.

Looking forward, the girl squinted at the horizon. The pathsimplycontinued and disappeared into the mist with no end in sight, a view she had become all too accustomed to.

Ah, I’ve been traveling for quite a while now. How long has it been since Mo-

The girl winced.

How long has it been since this tragedy began to unfold?

Taking a moment to observe her surroundings, she gazed into the mystical skies above her.

Hm … judging by the position of the stars, it’s just been eight days.

The girl brought her sights forward again and sighed.

Eight days of flying along this path and keeping myself hidden. Over a whole week of traveling alone and taking the occasional detour to look for survivors with no success. Luckily, if I am where I think I am, this should be the final day of that monotony.

On that note, I miss Gensokyo. As much as I love Makai, over in Gensokyo everyone gets to experience a proper day and night cycle. They really don’t know how good they have it back there.

The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Oh, this really is inconvenient. What I’m doing now is less so ‘flying’ and more so ‘floating through the air'. Under normal circ*mstances, I could’ve just blasted through the air at top speed and made this whole trip in under a day, but I would’ve been seen instantly.

In the distance, the path snaked through the gentle slopes and graduallybegan to shrink. A small smile began to form onherface.

I’ve got to be getting close now, I’m sure of it.

The girl descended even further until she hoveredonlyseveral feet above the ground.

Now that I’m close, I need to be even more careful from here on.

Bringing her gaze to the floor to ensure shewas followingthe path that hadnowbecome even harder to make out, the girl brought a hand to her lips and began to think.

Alright, so long as I’ve got free time, let’s go over the plan again. It has been quite a while, but there were four people, weren’t there? That makes four candidates for me to pick between. Among them, one seemingly vanished from the face of the earth one day without a trace. Another would probably attempt to kill me if I were to even approach her, and in the case she didn’t, she wouldn’t even listen to me.

That leaves two. Hmm…

Oh right, one of them is too untrustworthy. She’s strong, but she’s deceptive and cunning. Besides, she’d be too inclined to handle things in her own way, and from what I’ve seen from her, that could be disastrous.

That only leaves one. Fortunately, she’s the one who likely has the most experience with this sort of thing. The only problem is she might be somewhat displeased with me, being the bearer of bad news and all. I can only pray that she’ll listen to my plea. Hopefully, the small amount of change I managed to scrounge up will be enough to sway her.

A pang of realization struck the girl. She brought a hand to her chest and squeezed her palm into a fist.

Oh, as for… that. I’ll just have to hide it as best I can and pray she doesn’t get suspicious.

In the distance, she could see the landscape beginning to change shape. The road, as far as she could tell, had vanished completely.

As she drew close, the smooth expanse marked with bumpy hills gave way to rocky terrain that stuck out like a sore thumb. The jagged peaks, the steep cliffs, the perilous crags that surrounded her; it appeared more hostile an environment thanevenshe had expected, one that almost seemed to claw away at the fabric of the world itself.

Ah, this is the place. No doubt about it. The stories about this place really were true. This is remarkable, although I wouldn’t have called these ‘mountains’- these are more like ‘spires’.

With a deep breath, the girl slowed down until shecame to a complete stopbefore gently descending to the ground.The feeling of solid ground beneath her feet after remaining adrift for so long wassimultaneouslyreassuring and disconcerting, filling her withfeelings ofexcitement and apprehension in equal measure.

Unfortunately, I’m finally done with the easy part. I’ll need to complete the rest of this journey on foot and keep low so I can sneak inside the temple once I find it.

The girl clasped her hands together. Closing her eyes, she silently spoke a prayer for good fortune.

Her prayer complete, thegirl opened her eyes and brought them to the sky, where the stars continued their eternal dance.

I’ll prove that you were wrong about me. I’ll save you. I promise.

Just as she was aboutto beginto venture into the rugged landscape, however, a noise beganto fillthe air.Though faint, it was unmistakable- the sound of air swishing, the dampened groan of metal; it was a combination of sounds she had become all too familiar with.

The girl spun around and dashed into the rocky terrain, ducking inside an orifice in the rock face to conceal herself.

Another one! Oh, why now, of all times?!

The noise grew louder. Just peeking out from the side of the hole, the girl scanned the landscape around her for signs of activity.

Several seconds later, through the depths of thefogemerged aship,flying along the length of the path just as she had done mere minutes ago.

It’s another one of those tour vehicles! Have I been found?!

As the ship drew close, however, it suddenly leaned starboard, pivoting itself so that its bow was oriented parallel to the cliff face. The girl watched as the ship flew off into the distance, away from her, before finally allowing herself a sigh of relief.

Looks like they’re not after me. Thank goodness.

Glancing at the ship one last time before it disappeared from view, she realized something.

The markings along the hull, and its relatively small size… could that have been a passenger ship? This far out, of all places! There might still be survivors in there! Maybe they managed to escape?

The girl furrowed her brow.

But… I’m already here! Do I really want to bother checking that ship? Considering how I haven’t managed to find anyone all the other times I searched, I could just be wasting my time! I don’t even know how much longer it’ll be flying!

After wrestling with her inner thoughts, shelet out a groanand took to the sky again, following the ship’s trail.

No. Even if that’s true… I have to try. Having another witness with me could benefit me greatly. Having someone else do the talking might make her less suspicious of me, which would be fantastic. Besides… The temple will be there when I come back. Potential survivors, on the other hand, won’t last for long after they’ve been found.

As soon as the ship’s stern began to peek back into view, the girl slowed down until she matched its velocity, putting as much distance between her and theshipas she could while ensuring she could still track its path.

Also, I’m curious as to where it’s going. Is there something else out here that I’m not aware of, or is whoever is piloting the ship just trying to gain as much distance as possible?

The girl grit her teeth and exhaled, intensely focusingher gazeon the boat.

Let’s hope this isn’t all just a big waste of time, at any rate.

Calm down, just breathe. Take it easy. Clear your head and think.

It had been a good five minutes since the fight of my life. Still somewhat shaken, Iopted to hangaround in the hallway, keeping my eyes and ears open to see if I had alerted anyone else. Fortunately, nobody had come to investigate.

Wow, this ship really is barren. I thought for sure someone would’ve at least noticed all the shouting and us flinging magic at each other.

I reached aroundwith my left handandrolled my right sleeve up, revealing the skin beneath.Indeed, several gashes had emerged along the length of my arm thanks to the kappa’s nails. Thankfully, my arm no longer bled, the blood from my wounds having congealed into blobs. I stuck my arm out and watched as the light from down the hallway reflected off it, making it shine.

But how? When that kappa grabbed me and bit my shoulder, he should’ve taken the whole limb clean off. Instead, he ended up breaking his teeth. Did the Hakurei god bestow his blessing upon me for donating to the shrine or something?

Looking past myself, I saw the kappa.Hestill hadn’t budged an inch. Was he dead?Paralyzed?I couldn’t be sure. Appearance-wise, he looked like he was at death’s door while he was still on two feet. Besides all the wounds that marked his body, he didn’t seem to have changed all that much.

Well, whatever it was, it was a miracle that I didn’t get too hurt from that fight. Thought for sure I was going to die there on multiple instances.

Next to him lay the wrench, its head coated crimson. I smiled at it from the corner of my mouth.

Thanks for saving my life. I guess I’ll keep you around.

After a while, I faced forward again and sighed.

I’d better take care of this wound. And the body, can’t just have that lying around.

I leaned over and sent the wrench back into storage. With a grunt, I pushed myself off the floor and grabbed the kappa’s legs, dragginghimacross the floor and into the next open room I could find- room 419.

Oncethat was done, I left the room and shut the door behind me. Checking the hallway, the signs of a struggle were stillvery clear- it just wasn’tvery obviouswhere I hid the body at first glance.

Satisfied, I headed into room 422. Onelast glance both ways down the hallway- still nothing.

Closing the door, Iheaded overto the bathroom and turned the light on. Once I situated myself in front of the bathroom mirror, I flexed my right hand and rotated my arm to test my current range of motion. I was able to reach back surprisingly far before a jolt of pain snapped me back to reality.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

I gripped my arm and cursed.

Once the pain hadabated, I opened the medicine cabinet and located a small package of bandages.

Alright, this’ll be perfect. But first, I need to disinfect the wound.

Setting it aside, Imade my way overto the bath and turned the water on. Once the tubhad mostlyfilled up, I awkwardly stuck my shoulder and arm in. I couldn’t help but sigh as the hot water washed over me. As I gave myself some timetojustrelax, my arm began to color the water a very faint shade of pink.

Ah, if only I’d decided to take a bath before I left my room! As nice as it’d be if I were to just go all in and take one right now, I can’t risk having a friend of that kappa come down the hallway and find me.

Once I had enough, I drained the water from the tub and returned to the mirror. Opening the package of bandages, I slung one around my shoulder and tightly wound it across most of my arm. Observing myself in the mirror, I gave myself a moment to think.

Alright, let’s see. First, I was put to sleep and put on a ship specifically used as part of Megumu’s tours. There, I slept for an unknown amount of time. I woke up, but there was nobody else around. When I left, many of the guest rooms were left with their doors hanging open, and there were signs of a struggle in many of them.

After that, I encounter a kappa, and it’s clear that something awful has happened to him. After spouting some nonsense about “being enlightened", he tried to kill me. Not just fight me in a danmaku match, the usual way disputes are settled- he outright tried to end my life! A kappa! What should I do now?

I shook my head.

For now, I should just stick to the plan. Find a way back into Gensokyo, come up with some story to tell the Hakurei miko, bring up what I saw, and hopefully, she’ll be able to look into all this and clear things up.

Reaching the end of the bandage, I slapped it on and admired my handiwork. The pain wasn’t as prevalent anymoreandI was still capable of nearly a full range of motion, so I considered that a victoryin itself.

Stepping back into the hallway, I snuck out and continued my journey for thebridge of the shiponce more.

…

Alright, just one last flight of stairs before I reach the bridge. Almost there now.

Keeping my senses on high alert for any sign of life, I made my way up the staircasevery carefully.After every step, I paused and checked for noise, one foot after the other.

Eventually, I managed to make itallthe top. As I drew near the door leading to the bridge, I could hear averyfaint murmuring on the other side.

Thankfully, the door contained a window. From the side, I pressed close to the glass and took a good look.

Though my vision was somewhat obscured by the glass, I could make out three figures occupying the bridge.The two on both sides appeared to be kappa and had seated themselves in front of the window outside. The third, however, caught my attention.

Between the kappa was a girl in a red dress. Her hair was blonde, and a large red bow sat perched atop her head. She was about the same size as a fairy, but interestingly, she seemed to lack wings. However, I couldn’t make out anything else- all three faced away from me and were intensely focused on something outside, only showing me their backs.

Hmm… more kappa. Under normal circ*mstances, I’d just go inside to speak with them, but after my earlier interaction with one, I can’t risk that now. That girl, though…

Scanning the room further, I saw an array of instruments and modules set up across the room. Several blinking lights dotted the sides of my vision, and in the center stood a console with one screen displaying a series of numbers.

While this would be considered quite primitive for Outside standards, this is super impressive for a place as technologically limited as Gensokyo. They’ve likely replaced much of the process with magic, but still, those kappa do good work.

I could make out a supply closet from the corners of my vision.

Perfect. So long as they’re distracted, I should be able to make it there.

With one hand, I gently pushed the door open. Quickly ducking down, I pressed myself against the wall and shimmiedoverto the supply closet. Reaching up with my left arm, I awkwardly fumbled around with the knob until I managed to slide it open and slipped inside.

I stood up and held the knob close to my body, leaving just a thin gap for me to see through. None ofthemhad seen me.

As Itook a closer lookat the kappa, my blood ran cold.The gray skin, the nails, the lack of backpacks, the lifeless gaze in their eyes- all identical to the kappa I had encountered in the hallway.

Keeping myself hidden was a good call…

The girl, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. Her lace dress, a deep shade of scarlet that hung down to her knees with its folds cascading around her like the petals of a rose. Her blond hair, a cascade of gold that fell to her neckline and almost seemed to catch the light. Her vermilion bow, which sat atop her head like a crown. And above all, herskin,pristine and without a single blemish tobe found.

Who is this girl? What’s someone like that doing there?

Looking past the girl through the window, I could make out another group of kappa out on the deck of the ship. None of them had their backpacks on either, and though I couldn’t get a clear look at them, it was safe to assume these kappa were also the hostile kind.

About a minuteor sopassed before the kappa on the right spoke up.

“What’s taking Brother so long?”

Brother?

The kappa on the left spun around in her chair to face him, giving me a good look at her face. “The damage might be bigger than initially thought. He may still be working on it right now. Give him time.”

The right kappa tapped his finger on the module in front of him. “Hmph! Even still, for him to take this long is pathetic. I would’ve fixed the problem in half the time it’s taking him!”

The left kappa spun around once more to face the exit. “That’s true. I can’t deny that. Brother’s taking an unusually long time. Should I go check in on him?”

Before the right kappa could respond, the girl spoke up. “Don’t bother.”

When she spoke, her voice cut through the air like a knife. Despite her size, her voice was cold, every word deliberate with an air of authority. It didn’t fit someone of her statureat all, which caught me off guard.

Meanwhile, the two kappa wordlessly turned around to face her. Without moving an inch, the girl continued. “We have our mission ahead of us. If he wants to disappoint Mother, heis free todo so.”

Mother?!

The other two nodded in silence andwent backto staring out the window.

That’s right, I nearly forgot! The kappa said something about someone who could “remake me in her perfect image”! These three also seem to be loyal to her! Is this “Mother” responsible for all of this?!

Before I could deliberate on the topic further, the kappa on the left pointed through the window toward something. “There. It’s just up ahead.”

The girl lifted her hand to her eyes and peered through the window to get a closer look. Several seconds later, a silhouette of an oddly-shaped structure began to peek through the mist.

“Ah, so it is,” the girl said emotionlessly. “So it is.”

Suddenly, she pivoted around on her heel. Instinctually, I ducked back into the closetfully.

Through the door, I could hear her speak, “I’m heading towards the deck.Take the shipinfor a landing and meet me there in five.” The kappa, in unison, responded with a simple “Yes, ma’am!”

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the three of us behind. The low humming of machinerywas all thatbroke the silence, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

…

Several minutes later, the ship gradually slowed to a complete stop.After the kappa flicked a few switches, I could feel my stomach riseto my chest as the ship began its descentto the surface.

As the ship came to a halt, the two kappa hopped out of their seats.Crossingherarms, the left kappa said, “Here we are. Let’s get moving.”Beckoning the other kappa with her hand, I watched as the two of themmade their way over tothe doorway.The kappa in front opened the door and held it open.However, when the other approached the door, just before passing through the frame, he suddenly froze in place.

Annoyed, the first kappa asked, “Hm? Did you forget something?”

“No, I haven’t,” the other responded cooly. “But I’m curious about something. Do you see that?”

He pointed a finger directly toward the supply closet.

My heart plummeted. I duckedcompletelybehind the door again and held my breath, doing my best to remain as still as possible.

Through thesmallcrack in the doorway, I could hear the first kappa respond.“Hm? That’s a supply closet.”

“Obviously. But was this door always open? I seem to recall itbeing shut.”

“Enough!” Thoroughly irritated, the former kappa raised her voice. “Focus on the job at hand! Mother has entrusted us with a task to carry out. Do not delay her will from being carried out with meaningless distractions such as this!”

Several seconds of silence passed before the other kappafinallyreplied. “Hmph. Very well.”

I waited until I heard the door slamming shut. Letting a moment pass for safety, I breathed a sigh of relief and left the closet,making sure to leavethe door behind me hanging slightly ajar.

That was close. Alright, now, plans, plans…

I scanned the area until my eyes came to rest upon a stack of papers. It had been strewn on the floor along the farwall,as though the information it contained had been considered less important than the space it occupied.

Imade my wayover and dug through the pile until I found a map. As I spread it open beside the console, I could see a route proudly displayed front and center that snaked through Makai in a sort of curvy loop. The sides contained information about landmarks, stopping point coordinates, and theschedule to follow. The timestamps were inscribed down to the minute- thanks to years of experience traveling through Makai, the planners had essentially perfected the scheduled route.

Searching the room once more, my eyes fell upon the console. It wasincredibly basic, capable of only displaying several lines of text, but itwas still leaps and bounds ahead of anything I saw in my time in the Human Village, Kourindou aside. Currently, itwas setto display the ship’s location.

Perfect! Now I just need to see how far along we are…

As I placed my finger on the map that marked the entrance into Makai, I traced along the line, occasionally flicking my eyes up at the console to compare each location with the coordinates displayed.

Before I knew it, my finger had reached the beginning of the line again.

Wait, what? That can’t be right…

Retracing my steps, I scanned over every point in the route and compared it to the coordinates displayed on the console. I silently prayed that I made somesort ofmistake.

My stomach dropped as my finger reached the end of the line again. I hadn’t.

We’re- we’re not on the path. We’re nowhere even near it. We might not even be in charted territory.

I furrowed my brow as I looked up, staring outside the window.The stunning sight I had been enamored with earlier met me again, butthis time,it felt far more sinister and foreboding.

I can’t make heads or tails of it, but something’s gone terribly wrong. What should I do? How am I supposed to get back home now?

Noticingsome movement outside the window, Idrew my attention towards the deck.

Out on the deck, the girl from earlier stoodin front ofa group of kappa.The same two from earlier emerged from below me as theyjoined the group in formation.When they joined the rest,there appeared to be eleven kappa presentallstanding in a four-by-three pattern with one absent.

The girl in the red dress spoke to them for a while, commanding their full attention. She made the occasional gesture towards the boat’s interiorindicatingorders, but Iwas unable todiscern anything beyond that.

Eventually, she concluded her speech. All the kappagave a salute, and one rushed past her to lower the walking ramp toward the structure we had landed next to.Pressing my face against the glass, I couldjustbarely make out somesort ofoblongbuilding-like structure, with several symmetrically placed cube-like polygons juttingoutfrom its surface.

I’ve never seen anything like that. What is that? Are those ruins?

I watched as the girl gracefully stepped down the ramp with her party of kappa following close behind.

Once they had reached the front of the structure, they came to a halt.The girl brought a hand to its surface to knock on it, scanning the nearby area for something.

Satisfied, the girl took several steps back from the structure, and all the kappa followed suit.

Suddenly, she began to float.Magic of some kind,with an appearance not unlike space dust, began to swirl around her body.

I watched as the magic around her eventually formed a ring around her body.The magic grew in size until itbegan to condense into spheres and movealong the ring’s path.As more magic surrounded her, the spheres grew brighter as they started to pick up speed until all I could make out was a brilliant gleam of blue.

What’s she doing?!

Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out. With adeafeningcrackle of energy, the spheres launched forward, striking the structure and releasing an incredible flash of light. Reflexively, Ibrought my hand upto shield my eyes from the sight.

I blinked several times as the light faded.

Peering through the window, I saw the same girlstillfloating in midair. Magic no longer surrounded her. In front of her was a large hole she had created along the wall of the ruins, with smoke billowing from within. The hole’s edges still glowed dim with heat.

The girl gracefully touched down and began to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she stepped forward, and with a wave of her hand, she signaled the kappa to follow her. I watched as the girl carefully ventured into the ruins as the kappa all followed in lockstep, making an effort to avoid touching the edges.

Several seconds later, a pale, blue light spread from the hole they entered.Flickeringatfirst,before becoming constant and illuminating the areajustoutside the ruins.

That light…

I frowned.

That’s no magic. That’s…

Memories of my father taking me to visit hisboringoffice job began to flood back into my consciousness. The light fixtures that lined the panels on every ceiling, coloring everything a muted shade of blue- this light was a near-perfect match.

That’s electricity! Do those ruins have electricity?!

I stood back up andtook a stepback, gazing at the entryway. After a moment’s deliberation, I sighed and turned towards the exit.

Nothing about this makes any sense. Before I can make my way back home, I’ll need to understand what’s going on. I need answers.

I twisted open the handle and opened the door. With one last glancearound me, I stepped out and closed it behind me.

I’m going to take a closer look at these ruins.

…

Having made my way over to the deck, I snuck around, constantly checking around me to ensure I was alone. Navigating my way through the boxes of cargo situated on top of the deck, I pressed my back to one of the crates and peered towards the light.

Inside the ruins, I could make out an array of pillars, all lighting up the path inside.All of themshone a bright blue, enveloping everything in the same blue light I saw earlier.

Alright, that’s the light source. So then…

Bringing my view down, I saw that every pillar had been affixed into place by a series of pedestals.The pedestals themselves were not a natural extension of the lights-rather,each appeared to surround thebase of the pillar, tethering themselves to the floor in a series of hemispheres, almost, albeit not quite as pronounced.

I crouched down and squinted to get a better look.

Upon closer inspection, the lights themselves were…unorthodox. Instead of simply being incandescent lamps as I had previously assumed, the lightsthemselvesappeared to be shifting from within the glass. It didn’tappearto contain liquid, either; sparks of light accumulated in size before drifting up from the bottom, cascading throughout the glass like a cluster of stars.

What sort of technology is that? This is more advanced than anything I’ve seen in the Outside, even. These aren’t ruins.

Examining the structure as awhole,now, I traced out the outline of the ship.The strange square-like surfaces aside, the general shape appeared to be somekind ofelongated oval.

This couldn’t be… a spaceship?!

I frowned.

This just raises more questions. Why is this here? Who made this thing? What’s inside this spaceship that’s so important to the kappa?

I leaned forwardin an attempt to search outmore of the interior, but the pillars were all I could make out before being obscured by the hole’s edges.

Ah, this is annoying! The hole isn’t large enough to see everything clearly- Hm?

My attention was drawntowards my shadowstretchingin a new direction across the deck. My heart skipped a beat as I cautiously followed its trajectory until I came face to face with a sight I could hardly believe was real.

In the skies above me floated a giant eye. It hungsuspended in midair, unmoving, with its gaze focused directly toward me. Its pupil was pitch black, not unlike the kappa from before. Surrounding it was its iris, which swirled with different shades of red and rippled about like liquid. The sclerawas envelopedin a series of veins that swelled out around its sides, giving the eyeball a bloodshot appearance. Around the eye lay a strange, ethereal purple wireframe, which clung to the eye tightly like a membrane. Behind the eye was attached astrangedisk,laden with gold and humming with power.

Panic surged through my body as I scrambled to get up. Though every instinct in my body told me to run for cover, I forced myself to stay still lest I aggravate itevenfurther.

My mind raced, still trying to grasp what I was seeing. Maintaining eye contact, I backed up towards the passageway that led belowdecks, doing my bestto notmake anysudden movements. It was just then that it occurred to me that I had walked most of the length across the deck to observe the spaceship and that returning the way I came would take a considerable amount of time.

In the meantime, the eye continued to scrutinize me, its disk slowly rotating in place.Its unblinking gaze was palpable- I feltas thoughit could see right through me, down to the depths of myverysoul.

As I continued to retreat, I paused and took another glance at the enigmatic spaceship that lay just beyond the ramp. Part of me urged my body to go inside instead, to probe the secrets of what lay beyond the doorway. Being significantly closer to my position than the door that led back into the ship, the open passageway almost seemed to beckon me.

I shook my head.

That whole group of kappa is inside the spaceship. It’s large, but if I end up bumping into one, or maybe even worse, that girl, I’m in no condition to get into another fight right now. My arm-I brought my left hand to my right shoulder to soothe it- wouldn’t agree. Besides, that eye, as uncomfortable as it’s making me, hasn’t done anything to me yet. It’s a shame, but it’s more important that I stay alive by keeping myself hidden and trying to find out what’s going on another way-

All of a sudden, the disk began to whirl around in place, crackling with energy. The humming grew louderandthe purple membrane shriveled somewhat as it peeled away from the front of the eye. The iris, once swimming with color, began to meld into one solid hue as the pupil grew in size, consuming the eye’s surface with darkness. The veins bulged and pulsedrepeatedly,as thoughthe eyeitselfwas strainedwith effort.

The disk spun around faster until something not unlike lightning began to envelop the disk, the membrane, the eye- all of itenvelopedby its own power. The mist nearby began to rise and swirl around the eye-

sh*t, it’s going to-!

Before I could even finish its thought, the eye shot at me. A white laser, razor-thin, fired itself from its pupil.

Its speed caught me off guard. Reflexively, I attempted to jump sideways to dodge the laser, and before I even hit the ground, I heard a small explosion in the place I had been standingnotone second earlier.

As I landed, I felt the entire ship wobble as the cargo nearby jostled around on their hinges.WhileI triedto keep my balance, I saw a pillar of smoke billowingupinto the infinite sky.

Immediately, I brought my attention to the eye. Still crackling with energy, more magic dustbegan to riseinto the air.

I glanced over at the hole with the pillar again. Being only a twenty-second sprint away from me, it now appeared more inviting than ever.

Well, no choice now!

I made a run for it, adrenaline surging through my veins. The eye kept its gaze upon me until it built up enough magic before firing again.

There was no laser. This time, the eye hadoptedto instead firea wide volley ofbullets,spread across the length of the ramp. Bringing my hands up to shield the back of my head, I erratically weaved around the ramp, jumping left and right as Imade my descent. Around me, the shockwaves of magic reverberated throughout the air.

Luckily, Imade it tothe bottom without incident, situated in front of the hole. Witha burst ofdetermination, I launched myself forward and hastily crawled inside.

With ragged breath, I quickly glanced around, face to face with the light columns. Above me and to the left was a switch that had alreadybeen activated.

Oh, this must be for the lights. When that girl went inside, she must’ve flipped this.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I looked around. The light from the columns basked everything in a comforting shade of blue. In the roof hung another light resembling a crescent moon, and between the columns lay a path that led deeper inside.

Luckilynobodyelse was in the current area, butin the distance, I could hear footfalls approaching my location.Multiple people, it sounded like.

I got up to my feet.

Well, sh*t. What do I do now?

Chapter 8: Pushed to the Brink

Chapter Text

The girl peeked out from behind the stern of the ship. After scanning the boat for unwelcome company, she looked up in the sky and saw a floating eye.

Yes, I thought so. There’d be one here.

Thankfully, it was preoccupied, having focused its attention on the ruins they just landed beside. The girl efficiently located an entrance before taking to the deck and making her way inside, gently shutting the door behind her. As far as she could tell, nobody was around to defend the ship.

Yes, what good fortune! Time to go searching! As usual, I’ll start from the bottom and make my way up.

As the girl flew down the passages and descended to the lowest floor of the ship, she began to think about what had happened.

Those strange ruins must have been their objective. I don’t recall hearing anything about ruins this far out. I’d like to find out more, but right now my main concern is reaching that temple. I can’t afford to get distracted once I’m done here. Maybe it’s something I can look into when this is all over.

The girl paused for a moment and brought a finger to her lips.

Wait, speaking of which- wasn’t that eye more active than normal? It was intensely focused on the ruins for some reason. Why?

She shook her head.

No, I’m just imagining things.

With the entrance to the bottom floor just ahead, the girl began moving forward again.

Alright. Time to start searching.

I leaned myself against the wall to steady myself, still somewhat shaken from my encounter with the eye. My heart raced, pounding so loudly in my chest that it nearly drowned out the noise of approaching footsteps.

What was that thing anyway?!

Taking the time to quickly scan the room for options. Between the strange light pillars lay the main path which led directly to a set of stairs and a door at the top, where whoever was approaching me was coming from.

Along the walls lay several more doors, all identical to each other with the same shade of metallic gray on each one. Each door was sealed tightly and possessed a hatch with a wheel directly in front.

So, I don’t have time to check each one… crap. Is there any chance I can retreat?

I turned around and peeked through the opening that led to the other ship’s ramp. As I bent down to get a closer look, I saw the eyeball still staring directly at me, its disk still whirring around at an alarming speed.

I ducked back inside and pressed my back against the wall, frustrated.

No, there isn’t. I’ll just have to find somewhere to hide.

The door nearest me was to my left, so I hurried over, firmly grasped the valve, and began twisting counterclockwise. Behind me, I looked to ensure I was still in the clear. I heard the noise of footsteps getting louder, and from the sound, I could tell I didn’t have much time left.

Just then, I realized that the wheel in my hands had stopped budging, having hit a particularly resistant rotation. Horrified, I turned back towards the wheel in my hands and yanked it hard.

This hatch hasn’t been opened for a while, clearly.

The sound of footsteps was unmistakable now. I was able to distinctly make out at least three people approaching, perhaps even more. Glancing around, I saw another door just further down the room, about twenty feet down.

There’s no time… I have to get this door open. It’s my only option.

With a grunt, I gripped the top of the wheel as tightly as I could and leaned over, pulling with the force of my entire body. Suddenly, the valve had the slightest give as a piercing squeak echoed through the room, causing me to wince. It was just then that I noticed that I could no longer hear the sound of footsteps.

A second squeak then rang out, and I saw the wheel on the door at the top of the stairs beginning to jostle.

They’re almost here!

Luckily, the valve swiveled upon its axis and gave way. Whipping the wheel around as quickly as I could, my heart rejoiced as the heavy hatch finally creaked open. What lay beyond was pitch black and I was unable to see even a foot inside, but at this point, I didn’t particularly care. I dove straight inside and slammed the door shut just as I heard the door from the room behind me open. As gently as I could, I began to tighten the door while pressing my ear against it.

Through the thinner plating that lined the door, I could make out several voices from the room I was just inside. From what I could tell, the group had made their way down the steps and were moving toward the middle of the pathway. As they did so, I heard one of them speak.

“Alright, we’re finally here. See? There’s nothing here.”

I readjusted myself and pressed my ear hard against the door, flattening it upon the surface. A woman’s voice? I don’t recognize this one. She must’ve been one of the kappa out on the deck earlier.

A second voice replied after a short pause. “No. I know what I heard. Someone, or something, has made its way inside, I’m sure of it.”

I blanched. That voice… this is the kappa that nearly caught me in the closet earlier!

A third rather annoyed voice quickly responded. “That’s impossible. Nobody else should be this far out. We should be alone. You’re sure you heard something?”

A man’s voice. Another kappa, same deal as the first.

The second kappa’s voice replied again, this time with a measured, deliberate tone that hung onto every single word. “Positive. To be more precise, I heard magic being cast from outside. The eye definitely caught something. Come and see for yourself.”

Several pairs of footsteps made their way across the room until all of them became silent once more.

“Do you see that? The eye is active, and it’s clear that Mother saw something. Furthermore, look at the ramp. Do you see all those burn marks? Whatever it was Mother saw, She perceived it to be worth shooting at.”

The first kappa spoke up again. “Ah, you’re right. And judging by the pattern, whatever it was came inside for cover.”

The sound of footsteps went across the room again, back to where they came from. At the same time, the second voice spoke up again. “This happened mere minutes ago, so it couldn’t have gone far. My lady, I would recommend that we reallocate some members of our team to search.”

A fourth voice rang out. “No.”

A chill ran down my spine. Oh, that girl’s with them too…

“We have the mission She entrusted us with. That is more important than some frivolous distraction. All of you will return to your tasks immediately.”

Someone tried to speak up but was quickly interrupted by the third kappa’s voice. “Indeed. There’s no need to be distracted from our mission, but we should be alert. We are not alone.” In response, the girl quickly followed up with “Well said. All of you, back to your assignments.”

Multiple footsteps began to make their way back down the pathway and toward the stairs. Just then, I heard a muffled impact of someone stomping their foot on the metal floor, a short distance from the rest. All the footsteps stopped.

The girl spoke once more. Her voice this time was deeper than before, each word practically dripping with contempt. “#328. Is something wrong?”

The second kappa- #328, it seemed- was seething through his teeth. “Is something wrong? Why don’t you get it?! Something else is in here with us, something significant enough for Mother to shoot at it, and you just want to let it be?! What if it attempts to attack us?! And speaking of which, one of our Brothers went missing on the ship not too long ago. Don’t you think there’s at least some possibility that both of these things are related-”

“#328!” the girl barked out, cutting short #328’s tirade.

“That’s enough. You are being paranoid, plain and simple. Whatever it is isn’t too strong, considering it fled before a single eye instead of trying to fight it. Besides, have you forgotten? I’m here, and I’m stronger than every single one of you. If anything were to rear its head, I would dispatch it in an instant. Otherwise, there’s no need to waste any further time on this. This is my final decision, and you will respect it. Now come along.”

“Kch!” #328 waited around for a moment before sprinting up the stairs to catch up with the rest of his party. I kept perfectly still until I heard the slam of the door before taking a sigh of relief. The tension in my body eased slightly, but I knew this was only a temporary reprieve.

That was close. Unfortunately, it looks like one of them has caught on. Good thing he got vetoed, or I’d be in even worse trouble.

As I stood back from the door, I took the time to look around. I still couldn’t see anything- save for the metal panel I had just released, I couldn’t even determine where the boundaries of the room were. Furthermore, it was dead quiet; the silence was oppressive, broken only by my shallow breaths and the pounding of my heartbeat.

Tentatively, I walked away from the door as I lifted a hand and groped about in the darkness until I made solid contact with the opposite wall, which was cool to the touch.

Hm. This room doesn’t go back very far.

I felt my way along the wall, my fingertips brushing against the metal and what seemed to be the occasional panel. Soon enough, I looked around and noticed that I had gone a further distance than I anticipated. Checking behind me, I realized that the space was more of a hallway than a room.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could begin to make out the faint outline of the narrow passageway around me. As best as I could tell, along the walls ran a series of conduits and pipes. Just beyond lay a doorway situated in the middle of the hall, which I approached with caution.

I took a moment to listen for sounds on the opposite side. When I couldn’t sense anybody within, I felt around for the valve. Just as I found it, my hand brushed along a plaque situated adjacent to the doorway.

Wait. It’d be good if I could tell what was inside first.

I brought my face close and squinted hard, allowing me to just barely make out its inscription. Thankfully, there were only two words, one situated on top of the other.

C… H… I… Y… U… R… I… K… I… T… A… S… H… I… R… A… K… A… W… A

I leaned back and frowned. Okay, that doesn’t help me at all. Maybe this is the office for one of the crew? I still don’t know what to expect.

Returning my attention to the valve, I sighed. Well, Chiyuri, looks like I’ll be breaking into your place today. Though, I’d rather not be doing this in the first place.

A moment later, I pried the door open and snuck inside yet another pitch-black room, sealing it shut. Quickly, I felt around until my hand brushed against a light switch.

Alright, I think I should be safe. Let’s see what’s here.

Flicking on the switch, a series of lights flickered on, revealing a tidy, nearly mundane workspace. A large desk sat near its center, with papers, folders, and binders all set up along its surface. A computer terminal lay to the side, blinking in sleep mode. At the front of the desk lay a brass nameplate, containing the same name as the plaque outside. Another small line sat directly beneath it, containing a title.

~Assistant Professor~

Bookshelves lined the far wall and were all stocked to maximum capacity, with some volumes being even thicker than the length of my index finger. A couple of potted plants were situated along the nearby walls, and a lounge chair was set up beside them.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

I whipped my head around toward the source of the humming.

In the corner of the room, a maid swept the floor, brushing the accumulated dust into a dustpan set nearby.

My whole body tensed as I stepped back, watching her intensely. I brought my fists up and focused on her every move.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

The maid, interestingly enough, simply continued to sweep away, paying me no mind. After several seconds, I noticed how her movements were getting repetitive. Too repetitive.

I relaxed my hands and drew near. As I did so, realization struck me.

Ah, this is a robot! An actual maid robot!

My curiosity piqued, I walked up to it and observed her closely. She wore a light-blue frock and a simple white apron that hung down to her knees. Her sleeves were short and her dress poofed out at the shoulders, which I thought was a rather cute look. Her hair, oddly enough, was light green. Atop her head sat a ruffled hair dress, and beneath her collar was pinned a bright red bow. Looking at her from the front, the sight of her face was oddly reminiscent of a Christmas wreath.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

I glanced down at her handiwork and watched her movements. Her broom barely brushed along the floor’s surface, leaving behind small trails of debris that she should’ve easily collected. Furthermore, she was missing some of the more subtle patches of dirt, tucked away in the edges and corners around her.

I watched as she moved to a new spot in the office, still seemingly oblivious to my presence. With her back turned toward me, I could see a large yellow radiation warning symbol printed on her back. On the back of her right shoulder pad was etched a small, fine print, and I leaned forward to read it.

-Model: PYN-002 - RUUKOTO MK. II-

“Ruukoto…” I whispered to myself. Strange name, but considering how nothing about my experience thus far had been normal, a nuclear-powered machine maid didn’t seem too out of place anymore. My curiosity satiated, I walked around the room and made myself comfortable in the chair behind the desk.

Alright, there should be clues about where I am and what this ship’s about. Let’s see.

Jostling the computer mouse, I was met with a screen asking for a password. Disappointed, I turned the monitor off, picked up a journal at random, and quickly leafed through it. It was filled to the brim with academic papers and technical jargon I could barely even understand.

After a mere moment’s worth of trying to comprehend what I was reading, I gave up and threw it aside. I dug through the desk cabinets but was met with much of the same. I leaned over to grab the handle for the bottom cabinet and pulled, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw what was inside.

Unlike every cabinet before, this one was light. Inside lay a small, sleek pistol, as well as several spheres not unlike glass marbles in appearance rolling along the wooden surface.

Yes! Finally, a stroke of good luck!

Immediately, I pulled out the handgun. As I did so, I was met with a wave of crushing disappointment.

The size, the weight… it’s all wrong. This is no pistol. It’s just a toy.

Flipping it around in my hand, it felt flimsy, as though I could snap it in two with my bare hands if I so desired. I glared at it in frustration. Why would an academic carry around a toy?!

I was about to toss it aside when I noticed a small latch on one of the sides. Flipping it up, a beam of light shined from just below the barrel. Wait. Even if I can’t fight with it, I can use it like a flashlight. This might come in handy.

Turning it back off and tucking the toy into my pocket dimension, I directed my attention toward the spheres. Gently, I brought two of them out and held them in my palm. They weren’t very large- only about an inch wide, but an intricate sort of clock design was inscribed upon their surface. Inside, small wisps of energy- or was it magic?- swam around and coalesced. They were much too light to be glass; the surface felt more like a thin layer of plastic, fragile enough for me to crush in my palm. They were perfectly smooth, save for one minuscule elevated point where a sort of wispy fabric poked out.

I brought my hand to the fabric to pull it out but stopped short.

No, something tells me that wouldn’t be a good idea. Are these grenades of some kind? I’ve never seen anything like this. Even if they’re just pretty-looking baubles, I’ll take them with me.

Once again, I sent all of them into my pocket dimension and gently closed the cabinet door. Just as I was about to peruse a notebook left on the table, the maid spoke up.

“Okay! All done!” Ruukoto said in a loud voice, which thoroughly alarmed me. “I’ll be cleaning Miss Okazaki's office now~”

“Shhh! Be quiet!” I spat through my teeth. “You’re going to attract attention!”

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

Ruukoto went straight for the door, ignoring my request entirely. As she reached the wheel, she gripped it with an arm and began to rapidly unscrew it.

If she gets noticed, they’re going to know I’m here!

With a grunt, I jumped out of my chair and scrambled onto the desk, jumping toward her to grab her, but it was already too late. As I landed, Ruukoto opened the door entirely and walked out into the darkness with her broom and dustpan in hand, leaving me alone in Chiyuri’s office.

This is bad! They’re going to find me-

“There you are.”

My blood froze as I looked down the hallway. This was a voice I knew. With a gulp, I brought out my handgun and flicked it on. As I activated it, my nervousness turned into despair.

Before me stood the very same kappa that had nearly caught me earlier- #328.

Nope. As expected, there’s nobody here, either.

The girl sighed as she wandered the halls of the ship, searching around her for signs of life. Instead, all she saw was a scene she had seen many times over- doors flung open, personal belongings scattered everywhere, and burn marks sporadically dotting every wall.

Well, I can’t exactly complain. This went super smoothly. But once again, no sign of survivors anywhere.

Slightly irritated at herself for deciding to track down the ship, she began to ascend the staircase at the end of the passenger quarters.

The lower decks were empty, and this makes three floors with no one in sight. Maybe I should just give up now and fly back-

Her train of thought was interrupted when she made it up to the fourth floor.

The hallway was a disaster. Doors had been torn off their hinges, lights had collapsed from the ceiling, and one massive singe mark had been imprinted on the ground on the opposite end of the hall.

The girl quickly flew down the hallway and touched down near the staircase. Kneeling down, she brushed her hand along the mark.

…!

It’s still warm!

Just then, she heard a muffled thumping noise come from back down the hall. On high alert, she tentatively walked down the passageway until she came across door 419.

*Thump* *Thump*

Leaning her back against the wall, the girl steeled herself and rapidly pushed the door open. Stepping in front of its frame, she brought her hand up and prepared to fling her magic, only to find… nobody.

“Aghhh…”

The girl immediately flew back and stared down, and her eyes widened.

Before her was a kappa, desperately clinging to the carpet as though his life depended on it. His hat bowl containing the water had been shattered. Only a few droplets remained, rendering him unable to perform all but the simplest movements.

A survivor was here recently! Are they still alive?

The girl gently dropped to the ground and knelt in front of the kappa.

“Answer me. What happened here?”

“Human…” the kappa growled. “Mush… kill… human…”

“Human?!” The girl was taken aback. “Don’t lie to me! There’s no way a human could be in Makai to begin with, let alone have survived this long!”

The kappa simply opted to crawl closer to her. “Kill… you…”

The girl stood back up and aimed her hand directly at the kappa’s face. Magic began to swirl around her hand as she closed her eyes.

“Be at peace, sworn friend.”

The two of us faced each other, locked in silence. Between us, Ruukoto walked past the kappa, ignoring everything she hummed her tune. I watched as she opened the door on the far end of the hallway and walked into a far larger lit room before closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, the kappa spoke.

“You disgusting rat,” he spat. “This isn’t what I thought I would find. An unenlightened human, of all things. So you’re the reason Brother has gone missing.”

“W- wait!” I held my hands up. “I can explain-”

“These may not have been my orders, but Mother will reward me for my dedication.” He pointed a yellowed finger at me and stepped closer. “However, you don’t seem very strong. For a youkai to lose a fight against a human with such a low magical aptitude is pathetic. Good riddance, I say.”

I backed up and held out my gun further. “Stop!” I yelled. Amazingly enough, he obeyed.

“Let me just explain! I don’t know who you people are or where I am or what you want from me, I just want to leave-”

#328 began to cackle, cutting me off. “Ah, truly, this is the ignorance that comes from not being able to see the path! Mother spoke honestly!”

“What’s so f*cking funny?!” I hissed.

“Human.” #328 spoke back, his expression returning to a neutral state. “Surely you know that we youkai are highly resistant to mere physical attacks. That plaything of yours won’t accomplish anything.” He extended a palm out to me, which I stared at. “End this farce, this idea that you can stand against me, and give up.”

Several seconds of silence passed. I tensed up my whole body, rolled my neck on both sides, and returned a furious stare to the kappa.

“No.”

“Hmph!” #328 crossed his arms. “Very well, then. Forever hold your peace. Show me what you can do with that pathetic toy of yours!”

He made a mad dash toward me, hands outstretched. Out of sheer instinct, I closed my eyes and fired.

*pew*

My eyes flew open as I saw a wave of magic immediately exit the barrel, tearing down the hallway straight toward #328. All the color in his face drained away as his smug look turned into a stare of sheer horror. The gun in my hand nearly flew into my face from the immense recoil as I stumbled about, nearly falling over.

“Gh- aghhh!!!” #328 flew back as the projectile made contact with his body, sending him reeling. He clutched his stomach and knelt over while he staggered back, grunting with effort the whole time.

I stared at the gun in my hand in sheer amazement. Smoke billowed from the barrel, wisps of it trailing upward as they vanished into the air vents above.

“What was THAT?!” he yelled. He began to glow and swiped up his hand in an attempt to hit me with bullets of his own, but I was faster.

*pew**pew*

“Gahhhh!!!”

Two more direct shots hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground. His shirt had been shredded apart, as was most of his upper body. Specks of blood and water dotted the hall behind him. I continued to stare at him as he lay upon the floor, wheezing hard.

At that moment, he lifted his head and flashed me a grin. “Ah, human. You’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“Wh- what do you mean?” I asked in a shaky voice.

“HEY! EVERYONE! THE INTRUDER’S OVER HERE!” he called out.

Oh, sh*t!

“Everyone inside this ship knows where you are now. They’ll hunt you down and tear you apart.” He snickered to himself. “My only regret is I won’t live to see it happen. I will return to Mother in everlasting glory, whereas nothing but eternal torment awaits you. Farewell!”

With one last cry, the kappa’s strength gave out and he breathed his last. His body shimmered and warped until he faded away into nothingness.

Wait, that’s what happens to youkai when they die?! Then that means-

The door on the opposite side of the hall flung open, flooding the hallway with light. Another kappa stood in the doorframe.

“#328? What’s happen-”

As soon as she saw me, her eyes went wide and she flashed me a fierce scowl. I brought my handgun out and pointed it directly at her.

“You!” she spat out. “You eliminated him, did you not?! A human with a firearm, and you took him out that easily?!”

In response, I nodded in silence.

“Then I’ll be the one to take care of this. He underestimated that weapon of yours, I suppose. I won’t be making the same mistake!” She shouted at me. “Prepare to die!”

I fired several waves of magic out, but she dexterously flew around every single one. She took to the ceiling, shifted herself left and right, ducked beneath a few, and she was making up ground with every single dodge.

She’s fast! What should I do?!

As she reached the halfway point, her hand glowed and she flung a bullet at me. It was small and there was only one of them, but it was fast.

I jumped out of the way just in time as the bullet just barely grazed my forearm, tearing apart my sleeve and giving it a sunburnt appearance. Simply looking at it was painful enough- I didn’t imagine how bad it would sting if something hit it.

Oh, yeah, her!

I brought my pistol forward again, but it was too late. Flinging out an arm, she latched onto my shirt and swung around until she had me entrapped in a bear hug. With one swift motion, she lifted me over her head and slammed me onto the ground behind her in a perfect suplex. She followed up by grabbing my collar and flinging me back down the hallway into the wall. As I collapsed on the floor, I lost hold of my pistol as it clattered to the ground nearby.

Scrambling back to my feet and doing my best to ignore my sore back, I looked over at the pistol and the kappa. She returned a tight-lipped smile as she whipped out her clawlike nails and sprinted toward me.

I won’t make it in time- oh!

Ignoring every instinct in my body to flee, I stood up straight and bowed.

The kappa stopped dead in her tracks mere feet away from me. As she did so, I reached down and picked the pistol up. She bowed to me, revealing the same metal tags that affixed her hat to her head. As she exposed her entire hat to me, I aimed at her head and fired.

*pew*

The wave shredded her hat apart, showering me in a pool of water and covering the hallway with flecks of blood. She stumbled backward as she gripped her head until she toppled over completely.

“No fair! You dirty cheater!” she screeched, reaching out a hand toward me. “I had you! I had you…”

The kappa fell silent and became motionless, just as the first had. I stretched out in an attempt to alleviate my back and checked around me.

Just then, the valve on the door next to me began to jostle, with multiple voices coming from the other side.

“What was THAT?!”

“Get this f*cking thing open right now!”

“Stop crowding me, I’m working on it!”

In a moment of panic, I ran for the valve and pulled with all my strength to keep them from opening the door. Amazingly, I succeeded and managed to pull it a quarter rotation back.

“Gah, I can’t do it, he’s holding it back! Come on, lads, pitch in!”

Uh oh.

I was completely flung off the wheel as a huge increase in force caused the valve to rotate forward once more.

“That’s it, we’ve got him! We’re almost there!”

I looked at the axle and grimaced. They’ll be through in seconds!

With no other options left, I brought a hand back to the valve and grazed its surface with my fingertips, sending it to my pocket dimension. I heard the sound of multiple bodies toppling over as the sounds of enthusiasm quickly turned into cries of surprise and frustration.

“What the f*ck?! What happened?!”

“He removed the wheel! Come on, this way!”

Turning my sights toward the open door, I jumped over the kappa’s body and made a break for it.

Slipping inside, I found myself in a large room enveloped in a diffused, hazy light that blurred the outlines between the panels that lined the walls. At its center stood a large machine, the likes of which I had never seen before. There was a smaller blocky device about the size and shape of a CRT computer with a slot containing some kind of tray, and a much larger tube filled with some ominous, bubbling fluid all encased in thick fiberglass. Hundreds of wires and tubes snaked between the two objects, keeping them firmly connected. The atmosphere was thick with the sterile scent of chemicals and the faint hum of machinery.

This much space and this is all that’s inside? I don’t like this.

Several more doors were along the walls, each a potential escape route. I rushed toward the nearest one but just as I began to move, I heard a voice cut through the haze with alarming clarity.

“That’s enough.”

I spun around and readied my pistol, only to find no one there. Alarmed, I scanned the room sporadically to locate the threat with no success. Just then, I noticed the silhouette of a person peeking out from the strange machine. As its owner stepped out into the light, my heart sank.

The girl… it’s the girl…

Her face was calm, her arms completely relaxed. Try as I might, I couldn’t read her at all. She continued to walk toward me, her gaze unwavering.

Even with a weapon, I’m outclassed. I don’t know if I can beat her.

“Human,” she said plainly. “You aren’t supposed to be here. At least, you weren't.”

I held my arms up and backed away. “You’re right. Let me return home and I’ll get out of your hair. How does that sound?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” She stepped forward again, her intense stare boring a hole into my eyes. “You still don’t understand. You are home. Stay.”

“What?”

Just then, one of the nearby doors burst open and five kappa emerged. One of them pointed at me and yelled, “There he is! Kill hi-”

The girl held out her arm to block them and uttered a single word. “Stop.”

All of them immediately halted and stood in place. The one who issued the order began to complain. “But miss, we have him cornered! We should eliminate him now.”

“Did you not hear me?!” the girl looked at her with a furious stare, silencing her. “We have what we came for, do we not?!”

The kappa shrunk back nervously and brought her face to the floor. “Well, yes, but-”

“Well, in that case, get to it! Carry everything back to the ship immediately and bring them to Mother. Efficiency is key.”

“Wait!” another kappa sputtered. “But what about you? And the human?”

“I’ll handle things here. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up.”

Meanwhile, three kappa emerged from another door, carrying an oblong, white object atop their shoulders. At its front was a red cap, and behind it was another red stripe and a black dot nearly resembling a face of some kind. At the other end was a thruster and a set of wings.

Is that… a rocket?!

“Ah, just in time. Perfect.” The girl pointed to what was presumably the exit. “Take it to the ship.”

All three of them looked at me and glared. “Who is that-”

“Get it done immediately. The others can brief you.”

They nodded in understanding and made their way across the room, taking special care to not get close to the machine. Just then, the door on the far side opened and one more kappa emerged.

“Miss! I’ve found something that may be of interest here.” He brought his hand back and brought forth a familiar figure.

“Let me go! I can’t do chores like this!”

Ruukoto!

“Oh, shut it, would you?!” The kappa squeezed her tightly and held her close while Ruukoto struggled in vain to break free.

“Hm, nice find.” The girl nodded. “Very well. Take that with you.”

“At once. By the way, who is-”

“Get to it.”

“Yes, miss!”

She brought her attention to the group of five kappa nearby. “Five, plus three, plus one… nine. We’re missing three. Which ones?”

A different kappa spoke. “#328 is missing, as well as #319. And #326 didn’t come on board with us.”

“Three losses, then,” The girl spat. “Pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’ll ensure that this failure does not go unpunished.”

All of them hung their heads. Meanwhile, the girl pointed at the strange machine and spoke. “Carry that and get out of here.”

The five saluted and hoisted the machine above their heads.

“This would be much easier with our backpacks.”

“Mother told us they aren’t ready yet. Be patient.”

I watched as all of them filed out of the room, one after the other. Besides Ruukoto’s incessant pleading, no one spoke a word.

She might be a machine, but I still feel kind of bad for her…

The last kappa exited and shut the door behind himself, leaving me and the girl alone. She stared up toward the ceiling, gazing at the lights. Both of us stood in place until I could make out the sound of engines starting and the low churn of turbines through the walls of the spaceship.

Unmoving, she began to speak. “Ah… Now it’s just the two of us. And now that everything we came for is secure and my underlings aren’t here to disturb me, I don’t need to hold back. Isn’t that wonderful?”

My heart began to pound out of my chest as she turned to face me. As she did so, she gave me a small, enigmatic smile.

I whipped out my pistol and aimed between her eyes. She didn’t flinch in the slightest. Angrily, I spoke, “Why are you doing this?”

“Why? That’s simple, really.” The girl tilted her head slightly and returned an innocent, wide-eyed look. “Mother wants you dead. And Her will is mine.”

“Who’s this Mother you speak of?! I’ve never even met her!”

“Such ignorance and arrogance… how contemptible.” She frowned. “No matter. You will understand everything very shortly.”

The girl began to float through the air, and her body began to glow. In one swift motion, she brought both her arms up and extended them outward. A wide smile broke out across her face.

“So! Shall we get started?”

A human…

The girl wandered the upper decks without paying much attention to her surroundings. What the kappa had said was just too unbelievable to be true.

Humans aren’t permitted on these tours in the first place. He was delusional, and that’s all there is to it. And yet…

The sound of voices came down from the hallway, snapping the girl to attention. She quickly concealed herself in one of the nearby rooms as she saw multiple kappa rush past her. As they did so, she could hear snippets of conversation.

“Are the packages secure?”

“Yes, they’re below decks. Let’s go.”

“But what about our commander?”

“She’ll catch up. Right now, our orders are to take everything back.”

Once they had left, the girl peeked out from behind the door and glanced both ways to ensure the coast was clear. Satisfied, she stepped out and began to continue her search.

Take everything back? So, they plan on going back the way they came, then. She smiled to herself. That works out. This means I can just stay onboard until they reach the mountains and drop myself off there.

The ship lurched and the entire vessel began to move as the girl peeked through every door along her path.

…

Once the girl had finished going through the upper decks, she brushed her hands off and sighed.

Yep, as per usual, nobody. The only thing I haven’t checked is the bridge, and that’s where all the kappa are. Whoever that kappa fought must surely be dead by now. I didn’t see a body anywhere, so it couldn’t have been a human anyway.

Peeking outside a window, the very same mountain range from earlier began to come into view.

She smiled to herself. Alright, it’s about time for me to-

She stopped as she recalled what the kappa had said earlier.

Why was the commander not with the rest of the crew? That means they’re still in the ruins, right?

Frowning, she brought a hand to her chin. Wait, and the eye from earlier was focused on the ruins too. Could it be-

Horror-stricken, the girl took to the air and flew down the halls, down the stairs, through the passageways she had spent so much time perusing.

Stupid! Idiot! Why did you get inside with them?!

As she flew out the nearest exit, the girl repositioned herself and took off in the exact opposite direction from the ship as she cried out in frustration.

The fact that I can’t fly at top speed is really getting on my nerves!

“Thisis what beat my kappa underlings? Don’t make me laugh!”

I fired. Over and over again, I shot out waves of magic through the air in an attempt to shoot her down, but she gracefully weaved through the air and sidestepped past each one. Sparks of electricity rained down from the ceiling as each round tore up the panels on the walls and the lighting from above, but she paid it no mind. Infuriated, I fired off more rounds attempting to predict her next movement, only for her to flip upside down and dodge it all completely.

“You can’t fly and you can’t shoot,” she taunted. “So what are you good at? Surely this isn’t all you have to offer.”

“Come down here and I’ll show you!” I yelled back.

The girl said nothing and instead opted to lazily swing her hand sideways, summoning a wave of white bullets. As they sped through the air, I noticed that all of them were aimed differently as if to cover multiple escape routes. Thankfully, I spotted a gap between the bullet aimed at me and the one to my immediate left, so I quickly squeezed through and watched as the bullets made contact with the walls and fizzled out. Turning around to face her, I began a taunt of my own.

“You’re no sharpshooter either-”

My grin immediately vanished when I noticed she wasn’t there anymore. Panicked, I glanced around the entire ceiling with no success. One second later, however, I heard the sound of more bullets from directly behind me. I spun around, only to be met with the girl far behind yet another volley of projectiles, rapidly closing the distance on me.

There’s another gap to the center bullet’s immediate right-

I jumped aside just as the bullets tore past me. Initially, I believed myself to be safe, but a flash of pain burst from my left shin. Looking down, I saw my leg, still in one piece but having adopted a furious shade of red.

Clenching my teeth, I brought my gun up and fired, but she had vanished again.

“As I thought. There’s nothing special about you,” a disappointed voice called out on my right. I turned around and fired once more, but she casually sidestepped. “This is becoming a bore. I’ll just end this now. I have a ship to catch, after all.”

This time, magic began to swirl around her as she raised her arms and brought her gaze to the ceiling. I fired several more times to see if she was too distracted, but she wasn’t. When that failed, I tried to run to the exit, but the damage done to my leg prevented me from accomplishing much more than a limp.

“Trying to escape? Oh, no, we can’t have that. Fear not, I’ll make this quick.”

This time, the girl flung both hands toward me. Just as I made it to the doors, she launched another spread of bullets. This time they were much larger and much more densely packed. There wasn’t enough room to dodge between at this range.

I grit my teeth in anger. Alright. I didn’t want to have to do this again, but I have no choice.

Stretching out my good arm, I caught the centermost bullet and pushed against it as it barreled toward my chest. I could feel the intense sting and heat of the bullet throughout my whole body before I brought out my other hand to grasp it. Staggering back, I slammed my hands together, causing it to vanish and my arms to glow once more.

The girl stopped in her tracks and gave me a quizzical look. “Hm, that’s strange. That looked like it hit you.” She shrugged. “That’s fine. Here’s another.”

The girl lifted her arms to charge her attack again. While she was looking upwards, I took one step forward and flung the bullet back at her.

She immediately brought her head down and stared at the bullet in horror. “What the-”

Moving her head out of the way just in time, she jolted to the side and watched the bullet hit the wall behind her. As she did so, several stands of her hair had been frayed.

Now!

I whipped out the valve and flung it directly at the back of her head.

She turned around again. “How did-”

The valve and its axle struck her directly in the forehead with a loud clang.

“Gahhhh!” Knocked completely back, she fell a ways before catching herself from reaching the ground, wavering about a foot in the air. Quick as a flash, I brought my pistol back up and shot her. The wave struck her in the chest and the magic ripped through her body.

“Augh!”

Got her! I got her!

She fell onto the ground and collapsed with her arms around her chest, wheezing hard. I brought up my gun and aimed it at her.

Time to end this-

A terrible agony suddenly ripped through my left leg, as though nails were being driven through its whole length. I cried out in shock and stared down.

Beneath me was the kappa I had struck down in the hallway. She had buried her fingernails into my shin and my thigh and stared up at me with a look of pure hatred.

This bitch! She wasn’t completely incapacitated and crawled all the way out here!

“#319! I don’t need your help!” the girl cried out. Looking back at her, she had pushed herself off the ground with a single wobbling arm.

I brought my gun back down to the kappa, who met my gaze with glee. Very weakly, she whispered, “Mother will honor me.”

One blast was all it took before she released her grip. As she released me, I nearly toppled over before grabbing onto a panel to steady myself.

Meanwhile, the girl had pushed herself up into a kneeling position. Magic began to swirl around her body, but instead of enveloping her as it had before, it swept around her arm, formed around her hand, and merged at the tip of her index finger. Alarmed, I directed the barrel at her and shot blindly.

Both of us fired at the same time. From her finger, a single line consisting of many white bullets shot forth. The frontmost one was so fast that by the time I realized what I saw, it was already too late.

A wave of pain tore through my chest and I was knocked down to the floor. The pistol flew out of my hand as I landed and clattered several feet away from me. I gasped aloud and clutched my torso, trying to do anything I could to alleviate my suffering. Glancing over at the girl, she was wincing and grasping the arm she just fired from.

It wasn’t a direct hit… I just grazed her arm…

“You miserable worm,” she growled in a low voice. “You will pay dearly for this!”

I watched as the girl began to float off the ground, her limbs dangling beneath her. With a wave of her arm, the same space dust-like magic swirled around her body.

Quickly scanning the room, I saw my pistol too far out of my reach. In desperation, I directed my attention to the wheel on the exit door.

I won’t reach the gun in time. I need to escape!

Mustering what strength I still had, I reached up and pushed myself off the floor, my fingers just slipping off the valve. The light in the room began to change from a hazy orange to an ominous blue behind me, but I did my best to ignore it.

With one last push, I grabbed the wheel and used it to prop myself up. Rotating it as fast as I could with one hand, I managed to get several revolutions through before my progress was interrupted.

“HAAAH!” the girl yelled out. Glancing behind me, I saw the same orbs that surrounded her when she breached the ship. Bullets were flying every which way, some large, some small, tearing up just about everything they touched. One set was flying straight toward me.

Instinctually, I ducked. Barely a foot above me, I felt a searing heat collide with the exit door and the sound of magic combusting upon its surface. Just then, I heard the beautiful click of the door swinging free of its hinges, the magic offering me the last push the door needed to open.

Straining my body, I threw myself into the new hallway and fell to the floor, hastily shutting the door behind me. Hobbling onto my feet, I clutched the valve and spun it several times to lock it again.

Doing my best to stay upright, I turned around and forced myself to walk through the hallway. It was very short- only two doors stood at its side, and one faced me on the opposite end. The one on my right was labeled Lavatory,and the one on my left was labeled Closet.

She’ll find me right away if I hide in either of those. I need to keep going.

I limped across the hallway and began to work on the far door. One turn, two turns, three turns-

The door behind me, meanwhile, was beginning to glow, transitioning from a dull silver to a light red to a blinding white.

An explosion rocked the entire ship as a hole was blasted where the door once stood, similar to the one from earlier. Through it, I could see the girl hovering a mere inch above the ground, panting heavily as though she had expended much of her energy.

I brought my attention back to the door, twisted it one more time, and opened it. Before me lay the same room with the strange lights I had entered in.

“You will not escape me!” the girl screamed. I looked back at her to see if she was about to fire more magic, but she did something I never expected.

With a yell, she flew straight through the hole and dove directly into me in a tackle. The wind was knocked out of my chest as both of us flew out.

The girl gripped me with all her strength as the both of us collapsed onto the metal catwalk and fell down the stairs, step after painful step. It wasn’t until we had reached the bottom that she released her hold on me and both of us lay on the floor, heaving.

I scrambled to my knees and ducked behind the closest pillar. Seconds later, the girl began to float and flung magic around erratically.

“Human! You! Will! Die! By! My! Hand!” she declared; each word concluded by a new wave of bullets. She spun around wildly, unable to pinpoint my location, which gave me a glimmer of satisfaction.

Just then, I heard a crack directly above me. Tentatively, I looked up at the light I was next to and saw the glass surrounding the pillar beginning to fall apart. At that moment, I realized that the girl hadn’t simply been firing magic randomly.

A cacophony of shatters filled the room, each pillar of light collapsing in a shower of glass and glimmering sparks, which lost their light instantly. The room went dim as each pillar broke until it was only lit by the strange crescent moon light that hung in the ceiling. Bringing my hands and knees close to protect me from the falling glass, I simply held still and waited for it to be over.

Once I considered it safe to peek out, I looked up and saw the girl flying down to the ground, the soft glow of magic still illuminating her arm. Her fists were clenched, and she was angrily scanning the room for me.

I brought out the wrench and held it tightly, waiting for her to draw near as the crunch of glass and crystals beneath her feet grew louder.

Alright, here we go. One last chance.

As the girl walked past my pillar, I jumped out and smashed the wrench across her head, knocking her slightly back. While she was disoriented, I pulled her back to me and held the wrench there as tightly as I could, crushing her neck between the wrench and my chest.

She gasped and flailed, but I wouldn’t budge.

Just when it seemed to be all over, the girl snatched up a piece of fallen glass and impaled me through the ribs. I screamed out and dropped the wrench, falling to the floor. The girl pushed herself off me and heaved before facing me once again, shard of bloody glass in hand.

“You,” she spat, “are an insect. And to die by my hand is far more than you deserve.”

She knelt atop me and slammed the glass through my chest. I brought my hands forward to hold her arms back, but this had become a contest of strength, and she was winning.

“I’m going to make sure this hurts. This,” she declared, as she pierced me once again, “is the price for your blasphemy.”

I choked and sputtered as she twisted it deeper into me. She hadn’t hit anything too vital yet, but I was going to be in serious trouble from blood loss if I didn’t get it treated immediately. Just as I was about to give up all hope, I remembered something.

Oh, right, those…

I brought out one of the spheres I found in Chiyuri’s cabinet. With two fingers, I pried out the piece of fabric. The magic swirling inside began to rapidly change color, from red to green, to violet, to white, as it grew brighter all the while.

The girl paused and looked over at my hand as I shoved it directly into her face. “What?!” she cried, as the light eventually enveloped us both and the entire room.

Suddenly, a great flash of darkness erupted from the sphere. A massive clock symbol appeared before me, and bolts of magic flew everywhere across the room as the roar of thunder filled my ears. Several seconds later, cracks formed along the clock’s edge, and they all met in the middle with a great flash of light.

…

It was over.

I was completely flat on the floor. My body screamed all over, and I barely even had the strength to crawl. The girl had been flung across the entire room and she, too, lay still on the floor.

What was that?! And more importantly, did… Did I get her?

Her fingers began to twitch, and my hopefulness turned to horror.

Still?!

I watched from the corner of my eye as she, very slowly, pushed herself up with a single arm.

“You,” she croaked out, “I hate you.”

I remained silent as she crawled over to me, inch by inch. When she drew near, she felt around for another piece of glass. When she found one to her liking, I stared into her eyes as she uttered a single word.

“Die.”

All of a sudden, a beam of light struck her from behind, piercing her through the chest. She let out a scream before collapsing to the floor for the last time. Her body shimmered and vanished as the kappas had, but this time, a collection of lights appeared in the place she had just been. They lingered for just a moment before spiraling into the sky and disappearing completely.

Stunned and barely conscious, my mind struggled to even understand what had just happened. From beyond my vision, I heard someone call out in a voice full of relief, “Ah, just in time!”

Soft footsteps approached me as a figure emerged into view.

In the dim light, she was striking, almost angelic in appearance. Her long yellow hair cascaded upon her shoulders like waves. Her eyes were a sharp yellow that matched her hair and compared to everyone I had met thus far since waking up, these felt far… kinder.

Perched atop her head was a large white hat with a wide brim, adorned with a purple ribbon and a neatly tied bow. Her dress was a pristine white that hung below her knees, and it featured an elegant shade of purple along the collar near her neckline and the sash tied around her waist. The hem of the dress had been embroidered with a decorative purple stitch, and her white shoes had been polished to a shine.

Bewildered, I stared up at her as she knelt beside me. “Ah, so it was true. There really was a human…” she whispered to herself.

“What… do you… want?” I sputtered.

“Shhh! Don’t speak,” she said in a soothing voice, as she pulled me up and held me in both arms. Surprisingly, she seemed completely unfazed by my weight. “Save your strength. I’m going to treat you. Truthfully, it’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

As she carried me up the stairs, she spoke gently, “I’m sure you have lots of questions you’d like to ask me, but that’s alright. I’ve got many questions I’d like to ask you, too.”

When she had made her way to the room where the battle had started, she looked around in amazement. “Wow, you two really made a mess of this place, huh?”

“Who… are you…?” I forced out, each word stinging my throat.

“Oh, me?” The girl brought her attention back to me and gave me a warm smile. “I’m Louise.”

Chapter 9: The Guardian

Chapter Text

A human… I can still hardly believe it.

Louise carried the man in her arms as delicately as she could, his raspy breath drowning out the hum of machinery as she held him close to her chest. In this strange, unfamiliar room, Louise examined the doors along the walls until she found one labeled Crew Quarters. Taking extra care not to drop him, Louise swiftly opened the hatch with one hand and pushed it aside.

Before her lay a hallway with six rooms, three on either side. After ensuring the man’s body wouldn’t bump into either wall, Louise made her way down the hallway and opened the nearest door.

The room was small but comfortable. A bed, neatly prepared, was tucked into one corner, and beside it was a single dresser with a lamp. Along the opposite wall was a desk with several papers scattered along its surface, and a simple folding chair was situated directly in front. Several lights were situated along the walls, filling the room with a soft, ambient glow.

Louise smiled to herself. Yes, this is perfect.

As she laid him upon the bed as gently as possible, she could see the man’s face contorting in pain.

“Louise…” the man spoke weakly, as he attempted to bring forward a shaking arm to her face.

“Hush.” Louise clasped the man’s arm and put it back on the bed. “We can talk later. For now, we need to focus on your recovery.”

The man returned a quick nod of understanding and stared back up to the ceiling.

Louise brought forth her hand and laid it upon his forehead, only making contact with the fingertips. Whispering an incantation, a green glow coursed through her arm and enveloped her hand before making its way to her fingers.

“I’m not the best at this, but this should help ease the pain. For now, you should get some rest.”

The man’s eyelids fluttered a bit before slowly closing, his grating wheezes turning into gentle breathing. As he did so, Louise could have sworn she saw the corner of his lips raise, if only a little. It wasn’t much longer until she could tell he had fallen asleep.

Okay, now to get to work. First, I need to inspect the extent of the damage.

With a gentle hand, Louise unbuttoned his shirt, starting from the collar and working her way down.

Hmm, this shirt… Actually, I’ve never seen this sort of clothing before. Just who is this man?

After bringing the man’s arms through the sleeves and peeling it off his back, Louise tossed it aside. Once she had readjusted the man’s head upon the pillow, she brought her gaze down his body.

All right, and now the… pants…

Bringing her gaze respectfully to the ground, Louise did her best to ignore the heat that rose to her cheeks as she fumbled around with the zipper. Once she made sense of it, she pried both legs free and tossed his pants aside.

As she stepped back and examined his body, her eyes widened in amazement.

Lacerations along an entire leg, burn marks along the skin, bruises everywhere, stab wounds on his upper body- how did this man survive?!

Louise shook her head. There’s no time to speculate. I need to get to work. I don’t really understand anything about this place, but it seems to be quite similar in structure to a regular ship- there should be medical supplies lying around somewhere.

Digging through the desk, Louise came across a package titled “First Aid Kit” resting on the bottom shelf. Louise grabbed it and flipped it around in her hand, frowning.

Is this it? I don’t know what a “first aid kit” is, but that white cross symbol is oddly similar to the one that Eientei doctor wears on her hat. Well, nothing to do but check, I suppose.

Bringing the package to the dresser, Louise messed around with the zipper before figuring out how it worked. When it fell open, a smile spread across her face.

Bandages, ointment, and all sorts of other things! Good thing they’re all labeled or else I wouldn’t understand how to use any of this, but this is perfect!

Humming a tune to herself, Louise immediately got to work.

…

Almost done, now. Just a few more wounds to treat.

Louise paused for a moment, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, as she looked down upon the man. His figure, though marred by his numerous injuries, was a strong one. He was lean but not skinny, possessing an athletic physique. His height appeared to be slightly above her own, taller than most of the humans she had seen before. Judging from his face, he was young, even for human standards- he was certainly no older than thirty and was likely closer to twenty.

A young man like you has no business being in a place like this…

Louise continued her work, cleaning and bandaging his wounds, but her mind had drifted far from the task at hand. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence here meant something had gone awry, that his being in Makai was no simple coincidence.

As she finished the last of the bandages, Louise stood up and took a moment to admire her handiwork. She had done everything perfectly- not a single scratch on his body had been left unattended. Bringing one hand up to adjust her hat, she brought her gaze to the man’s face, her eyes squinting in contemplation.

I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me, Mr. Human. But for now, you need rest, and I’m going to make sure you receive it. In the meantime, I should explore this place some more and see what I can find.

As she approached the doorway, Louise took one last look behind her and peered at the man, who continued to doze off peacefully.

“Sleep tight, human. I’ll see you when you wake up.”

When I came to, I didn’t know where I was or how long I had been asleep. My eyelids felt heavy as though they were made of lead, but I managed to pry them open. The room around me was still in a haze, but when I attempted to lift a hand to rub my eyes, a sharp ache kept me from moving more than a few inches. Groaning softly, I shifted myself into a more comfortable position, my muscles protesting all the while.

“You’re awake,” I heard a soft voice speak beside me.

Just then, a vague yellow blob entered the side of my vision. As I turned toward it, its outlines sharpened, and I could make out the facial features of someone I met not too long ago.

Oh, right… I nearly died, and this woman saved me. Her name was… Louise, right?

Louise leaned forward and investigated my bandages for damage, then proceeded to prop me up with pillows so I could see her better. Before I could ask her any questions, she held up a small bowl of soup. A delicious scent filled the room as steam rose from the bowl and dissipated into thin air.

“Eat this,” she spoke, in a gentle yet firm tone. “You must be hungry, right?”

Right then, I suddenly became aware of the hunger gnawing away at my stomach. I felt languid and weak, and even if I wasn’t wounded, I would have been unable to leave the bed regardless.

Oh right, I haven’t eaten anything since I was in that cell. How long ago was that?

My throat was completely dry, so instead of responding, I returned Louise a quick nod. On cue, Louise dipped a spoon into the broth and brought it to my lips, which I graciously accepted.

The soup was terrific. It wasn’t the most impressive dish by a long shot, but as far as I was concerned, this was a feast fit for a king. With each sip, I could feel vigor returning to me. Louise continued to feed me spoonful after spoonful until I had worked my way through the entire bowl of soup.

My hunger abated, the remaining fog that dwelt in my mind had vanished, and I was left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward my mysterious savior. As she placed the empty bowl on the dresser, Louise looked at me as she asked, “How was that? Was it good?”

“Very,” I nodded back. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had something so delicious.”

Louise beamed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Reclining onto the pillows behind me, I asked, “How did you make that, by the way?”

Louise folded her arms on her lap, pleased to see me speaking full sentences. “After I took care of your wounds, I explored this place further. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, but thankfully, all the rooms were labeled. After a while, I realized that this place isn’t unlike a ship in structure and I came across a pantry and the galley after a bit of searching. When I was there, I figured that a bit of food would do you good, so I whipped up something you could eat with the ingredients they had.”

She said she’d treat my wounds. I remember that, yeah.

Looking down at the rest of my body, I realized that I was not wearing the same clothing I had boarded the ship with. Instead, I saw a uniformly colored set of pajamas. Though they covered up most of my body, I could feel the bandages and gauze beneath the thin layer of silk.

All this effort, just to keep me alive… Just who is this person?

“I see. Well, thank you very much for the food.”

“You’re welcome,” Louise spoke as she scooted her chair closer to me. “And now that that’s settled, it’s time for what we’ve both been waiting for. Let’s talk. You can go first if you’d like.”

“Who are you?” I asked plainly. “You did give me your name earlier, but I’d like to know more about you.”

Louise brought a hand to her chest. “I’m Louise. I’m a youkai who attended the most recent Makai tour, and-”

“You’re a youkai?!” I sat up, alarmed, and scooted away from her.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Louise raised her arms. “There’s no need to be scared. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

In my mind, two voices argued.

Youkai can’t be trusted! Remember what happened last time?!

Yeah, but… this girl went to all that work to keep me from dying. She obviously doesn’t intend to hurt me at the moment.

That’s how they get you. They gain your trust, and when you least expect it, boom! You get eaten.

Maybe, but what good would fighting back do, especially in my current condition? After she showed me such kindness, I think it’d be better if I showed some in return if it means I get the answers I’m looking for.

I shook my head and apologized. “Ah, sorry.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright.” Louise helped me adjust to a more comfortable position. “It’s only natural for humans to be wary of youkai.”

While she helped me, I gave her a glance of cautious distrust. “But don’t get any funny ideas. I swear I don’t taste good. The last youkai who tried to eat me got a toothache.”

“Toothache…?” Louise tilted her head sideways. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, I was on a ship earlier and came across a kappa. He looked like he had the life sucked out of him, quite frankly. Anyways, he-”

“A ship… a kappa…” Louise whispered to herself. “Sir, would you kindly tell me what floor you met the kappa on?”

I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “The fourth floor in the passenger wing. Why?”

“So that’s it!” Louise snapped her fingers. “I thought as much! You’re the one who left the ship and entered this place!”

Leaning forward, Louise began to admonish me. “Why would you do something like that, running inside where the entire crew was? That was incredibly foolish of you! If I realized where you went off to a moment later, you would’ve died!”

Breaking eye contact and staring at the wall beside me, I spoke. “I was curious as to what was inside and I thought I’d get answers, so I went out onto the deck. I wasn’t expecting a floating eyeball to force me inside-”

“That’s even worse!” Louise threw her hands up. “Of course there was going to be one of Shinki’s eyes in a place of interest! Why didn’t you destroy it, or at the very least, why didn’t you anticipate that-”

Turning back around to face her, I scowled. “Slow down! Who’s Shinki? And how was I supposed to know there was going to be an eye there?!”

Louise immediately cut off her speech and fell silent as she slowly turned back to me with a shocked expression.

“What do you mean, who’s Shinki?”

Louise blinked. Surely that was a joke.

“I’m not familiar with anyone named Shinki,” the man before her said plainly. “I’ve never heard the name in my life.”

Louise leaned in closer, her eyes wide. “There’s no way you don’t know her, right? If that was a joke, I’m afraid I missed it.”

“Does it look like I’m joking?!” he replied with a somewhat irritated undertone. “I really don’t know who Shinki is. That’s the complete truth.”

Louise reclined in her chair and folded her hands on her lap. “For someone to go on a tour to Makai and not know who Shinki is… wow. I didn’t think it was possible.”

Your being here must have been under exceptional circ*mstances. What could this possibly mean?

“So who is she?” He asked.

“Well, in that case, I’ve got a bit of explaining to do.” Lifting a finger, Louise spoke. “Shinki is a god and the creator of Makai. Unlike Gensokyo, which was created by the sages and is home to many gods, Makai was created by Shinki alone. She’s also the one who created all the youkai who inhabit Makai.”

“So she’s real important.” He nodded in understanding. “Go on.”

“Many years ago, many of Shinki’s youkai breached the gap between Makai and Gensokyo to the point where the Hakurei shrine maiden herself got involved. Though she was still a child, she and her three companions were able to defeat Shinki in combat.”

“The Hakurei miko was that strong even as a child?” The man sat up, fascinated. “I see. And she’s probably gotten much stronger since then, too…”

“Pardon me,” Louise held up her hand. “Do you happen to be an acquaintance of hers, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am.” He looked over at Louise and gave her a smirk. “And she happens to be fond of me, too.”

Really? That’s terrific!

“I see. That’s good.” Despite her attempts to maintain a neutral composure, Louise couldn’t help but let a smile form on her face. The man, on the other hand, appeared confused.

“But why is that good? Why would a youkai think that was good news?”

“I’ll get to that part, don’t worry. Now where were we?”

The man racked his brains for a moment. “The Hakurei miko and her companions beat Shinki.”

Louise nodded. “Right! As I was saying, Shinki was forced to make a deal with the Hakurei miko where she was forced to prevent a full-scale invasion of Gensokyo from happening ever again. To do this, she had to go through all of her children-”

“Her children?”

“Her youkai creations,” Louise waved her hand. “She considers them her children. Anyways, as per her deal, Shinki has mostly ruled Makai in silence. As for her children, their behavior was modified to be more loyal to her, and those capable of creating passageways from Makai to Gensokyo had that ability removed. Shinki is basically the only one who can do that sort of thing now.”

“And these passageways are the only way to and from Gensokyo?”

Louise tilted her head sideways. “...Not quite. There are exceptions. But Shinki’s inherent authority over Makai essentially means that if she doesn’t want you entering or leaving Makai, your only hope is finding one of the few remaining existing passageways.”

“Oh, I get it. You were on your way to one of the passageways so you could get to Gensokyo, and then you’d ask the Hakurei shrine maiden for help. That’s why you were happy to hear I knew her.”

“Exactly right!” Louise beamed.

“But why would you need her help?”

Louise’s face fell as she placed both her hands on her knees, staring at the bed frame beneath him. Doing her best to maintain her composure, Louise responded.

“Well… things here have taken a turn for the worse. It’s gotten to the point where we need someone like her to step in and set things right.”

“Set things right? What happened?”

In a low voice, Louise spoke. “These Makai tours were the result of a deal between the tengu in Gensokyo and Shinki, the main authority in Makai. In these tours, they traverse Makai in a fleet of ships and return after approximately a month. Shinki orders her youkai to not attack the ships, and in turn, she receives some of the profit from each trip.”

“Oh, she made a deal with the tengu, huh?” The man scowled. “That wasn’t a very smart decision on her part. Never trust a tengu.”

Louise continued. “But on this trip, the one I was on… something happened. Something none of us could have ever anticipated.”

“Go on.”

“Several days into the trip… Shinki went mad.”

Intrigued, I adjusted himself to more clearly look at Louise. “Mad? How?”

Louise, despite trying to keep her expression steady, was visibly crestfallen. “With no warning, her children began to kidnap us. We were disappearing left and right with seemingly no explanation. By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late. We were completely surrounded. Then Shinki proposed a deal to those of us that remained- join alongside her to be remade as her children, or perish.”

I returned a confused look. “Her children? How does that work? I thought that title only applied to youkai she created.”

“Not only does Shinki have the ability to create youkai at will, she can also reshape and modify them. For instance, the kappa you met earlier didn’t look or behave as they normally would in Gensokyo, right? They were forcibly modified to be subservient to her, and reshaped to be more effective in a fight.”

“Ah!” My eyes widened in understanding. “Things make a lot more sense now! But how did you know I met a kappa earlier?”

“I decided to search the ship that landed next to this strange structure to look for survivors,” Louise spoke gently. “When I made my way up to the fourth floor on the passenger wing, I came across a fallen kappa who spoke of a human. You should consider yourself very lucky he didn’t have his backpack with him, by the way- if that were the case, you’d be long dead.”

“And that led you to search for me- okay, now I’m starting to get it.”

Louise lifted her head back up and faced me once more. “By the way, sir, you said something about ‘giving him a toothache’, didn’t you? What did you mean by that?”

I leaned back and gestured toward my right shoulder blade with my head. “Did you notice bite marks there while you were dressing my wounds? When we were fighting, he tried to eat me. While he did manage to injure me, his teeth shattered when he tried to bite deep.”

“Shattered…?” Louise whispered to herself, a look of confusion written on her face.

Hmm. Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

“Sir,” Louise spoke. “Are you absolutely sure you’re human?”

“You’re not the first one to ask me that, but yes, I’m still completely human,” I answered. “I’m pretty confident that both my parents were human.”

After a moment’s silence, Louise sat back. “...I see.” However, there were still traces of a frown on her face, and her response didn’t put me at ease at all.

In an attempt to get the conversation moving again, I spoke up. “Anyways, never mind that. What happened after Shinki made this deal of hers?”

Louise lifted her eyes and crossed her arms. “Mass panic. Many of us attempted to fight back, but there were too many, and we too few. Others attempted to take their chances by fleeing. Still others who had given up all hope gave themselves up to Shinki to be remade.”

“I see.” I fell quiet and looked ahead, breaking eye contact.

Clearing her throat, Louise broke the silence. “So, ever since then, I’ve been on the run making my way to one of the few gates that lie between Gensokyo and Makai in order to convince the shrine maiden to put a stop to all this. I’ve been taking detours in the meantime, sneaking onto any of the boats I came across to look for survivors.”

“And I’m the only one you’ve found?” I inquired. Louise nodded in silence.

“I see. So how did you escape?”

Louise fidgeted around in her chair. “I… was in one of the ships that attempted to flee. Before they caught up to me, I abandoned ship and hid myself among the terrain as I made my way to one of the passageways. I’ve been avoiding detection ever since.”

I peered at her with an analytical gaze and watched Louise, who seemed rather uneasy.

Something about her reaction is throwing me off. I don’t think she’s telling me the truth here. Does she have something to hide?

A quiet fear began to take hold of me. If what she’s saying isn’t true, then what really happened? Is she actually working for this Shinki person, trying to gain my trust? What’s the real story?

Tentatively, I took my gaze from her. As it stands, there’s nothing I can do in my current state. But I’ll have to be wary of her.

“Ah, that makes sense. That must’ve been hard on you.”

Louise quietly exhaled, almost as though she were relieved I hadn’t pressed her for more information.

“So anyways, about this passageway between Gensokyo to Makai. Could you tell me more about-”

Louise abruptly stood up from her chair and took the bowl from the dresser. “I think that’s enough chatting for now. You should be getting some rest.” I watched as she quickly paced over to the door without looking back at me. “I’ll return with some water. We can continue our conversation later.”

I protested. “But- wait! Didn’t you want to ask me questions?!”

“That can wait.”

Louise reached the exit, and as she was about to leave, she hesitated in the doorway, casting her shadow along the wall. From where I was, I couldn’t make out her face.

“Listen. We can’t stay here for very long. You need to be back on your feet as soon as possible. Shinki saw you enter this place, right?”

Images of the horrible eye shooting at me made their way to the forefront of my mind. In a way, it was the reason I nearly died.

“...Yes, she did.”

“She didn’t see anything past that, I think. That means that for now, she probably thinks you’re dead. But once she finds out the wheel demon is missing-”

“Wheel demon?! Is that what-”

Louise waved her hand, silencing me. “Then she’ll probably send more of her children to kill you. I won’t let that happen. You need to leave this place behind. I’m no Eientei nurse, but I’ll do my best to ensure you recover as soon as possible. With my help, you might stand a chance.”

At that moment, I found an opportunity to ask the question that was burning away in my mind. “But why would you go through all this trouble just for my sake?”

Still hanging on to the hatch’s frame, Louise looked back at me.

“...Because I’m making an investment.”

I watched as she turned back to the light from the exit and closed the door behind her, concluding our conversation with a gentle click. I was alone, left to confront the conflicting feelings that traversed my mind.

I don’t know what to think of that girl. Can I really trust her?

…

I awoke.

As I blinked several times to bring my view into focus, I glanced around me. I didn’t recall ever falling asleep. The ambient light from the ceiling was dim, but it was enough for me to determine that Louise was, in fact, absent. Stretching my arms and pushing myself further back onto the pillow beneath my head, I began to contemplate my next move.

What does Louise want with me? She said she was headed to the Hakurei Shrine. She clearly knows a way out. Assuming I can trust her, the smart move would be for me to tag along with her. But…

I sighed. And where is she anyway? Suspicious as she is, it was nice having some company around.

It was just then that my actions had just dawned on me.

I… stretched my arms? Normally? And I was able to move my whole body’s weight without feeling any pain?

I brought my hands in front of my face and flexed both. After several seconds of examination, I couldn’t help but smile.

My hands are completely healed. My arms, they’re almost there too. Louise is a miracle worker, no doubt. Speaking of which, how are my legs?

Gently, I lifted one leg and shifted it around for a bit, followed by the other.

Hm… Not all there yet, but they’ve mostly recovered. From what I can tell, I should be strong enough to stand on my own now. This is perfect.

I steadily brought myself to the edge of the mattress and lowered my feet to the floor. After wobbling for a bit, I willed my hands to release their grip on the bedframe and held out my arms to keep my balance.

It’s true! I really can stand!

I spent the next while taking cautious steps to and from the desk. So long as I focused on where I was stepping, I could sort of meander along and still be fine.

This isn’t ideal, but at least I know I can move.

I directed my attention to the hatch that led outside and plodded over to it. Thankfully, Louise hadn’t twisted the valve to tighten the door when she left, allowing me to pull it open.

Louise would probably freak out if she saw me moving around on my own when she wants me to recover, so I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The hallway before me had a slightly brighter glow lining the walls, and further down I found a series of hatches identical to mine. All standard living quarters identical to mine, most likely.

I need to find out what Louise is up to. Maybe I’ll figure something out.

On the opposite end of the hallway, a strange light caught my attention- for some reason, the light itself was flipping between brighter and dimmer, with seemingly no pattern. The hatch on the other end of the hallway had been left ajar, as though it were inviting me. As I approached it, I came to recognize the light as that strange, hazy one from earlier.

As I stepped through the frame, I marveled at the sight before me. Panels had been completely torn off the walls, wires had been bent out of place, sparks routinely showered down from the ceiling, and blackened stains of heat covered vast portions of every surface. The few undamaged light panels were flickering, unable to maintain a constant luminosity. With no strange machine to stand in the center to occupy the place, the now-barren room was oddly unnerving.

To think someone so small would be capable of so much power… it’s a good thing I got that door open when I did.

A strange scent reached my nose, and as I sniffed the air, I almost choked. The disgusting, metallic odor of burnt wiring was coming from nearly every corner of the room. Immediately, I brought a hand to my nose and held it shut, gasping for air. As I glanced around, I remembered one detail of my fight with the girl- the “wheel demon”, as Louise had put it.

Where’s my gun?

I gave the entire room a cursory glance, but all I could find was the charred husk of the valve lying in one of the corners. Unfortunately, the smell was getting to me and I gave up the search before long.

Never mind. I can ask Louise about it later. Speaking of which, where is she?

Looking around me, I saw the place where the exit door once stood. In its place were bits of steel poking out around a large hole that nearly stretched across its whole surface, creating a hole large enough for me to walk through.

Hmm… Where does it make sense for her to be? If she's insistent on trying to protect me until I heal up, she might be guarding the entrance to watch for intruders. Is she at the entryway?

I held my breath as I carefully stepped through the hole, making sure to not get my clothing stuck to anything. Sure enough, the same door that led to the area with the pillar lights also hung open. Thankfully, Louise’s apparent habit of not closing doors behind her trivialized my search.

I peeked out from behind the hatch, and when I saw and heard nothing, I gently pushed it open.

Fully expecting to see another disaster, I was caught by surprise. All of the glass and crystals had been swept aside to the now-useless hatch with no valve. The wires that had broken free from their paneling had been tucked away, mostly out of sight. Above me, the moon-shaped lamp basked the room with a pleasant, constant glow. Compared to the room I had come from, this was night and day.

Something caught my eye from directly beneath my line of sight, and when I brought my face down, I saw my wrench leaning against one of the pillars for support. Though slightly touched with a crimson pigment, it was otherwise completely undamaged.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you either.

Gripping the railing for support, I took myself down the stairs, step by step, until I had reached the path at the bottom. As I walked toward the hole that marked its end, I saw something glimmer outside.

Instinctively, I pressed myself against the wall for cover and peeked outside.

Just beyond the entryway to the ship, a slew of golden, wiry frames lay upon the uneven terrain, glistening as though it had been left out in the rain. A purple, mossy net poked through the gaps between the frames. An oblong disk lay on the ground several feet away. Though half of it shared the same yellow pigment as the frames, the other half had lost its luster and adopted a duller shade of copper.

These objects- could it be?

I squinted harder, and sure enough, I saw a strange, gelatinous pile of white and red slurry buried beneath the pile of frames, leaching out onto the rocks below. I shuddered.

That must have been the eye Louise scolded me for not taking care of. This is her handiwork, no doubt.

Just then, I caught movement from the side of the hole. As I ducked back inside, I caught a glimpse of a familiar white dress. I readjusted myself and took another look.

Sure enough, Louise was patrolling the area around the entryway, hovering about a foot over the ground as she made her way across my vision. Fortunately, her attention was directed upwards and away from the ship.

So that’s where you are. Keeping lookout, huh?

Just then, I saw Louise twitch ever so slightly and come to a complete stop. Louise whipped her head around and brought her sights to the sky, focusing intensely on something beyond my field of view.

About a second passed. Suddenly, Louise leaped back into the air and flew upwards with her arms crossed.

A flash of light struck the place Louise had just stood.

Another figure entered my vision, descending to eye level with Louise. As I looked closer, my heart was gripped with panic; here was another fairy-sized girl similar in appearance to the one I fought earlier, but this time she was dressed in blue. Louise, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

I know Louise can use magic, but that girl’s really strong too… is she going to be okay? I barely know you but please win this for me, Louise!

From this distance, I could just barely make out their conversation. After a brief standoff, Louise was the one to break the silence. “...What business do you have with me, spirit?”

The girl giggled. “Mother has been wondering where you’ve been!”

Louise paused, the girl having gotten ahold of her attention. “And why would she?”

The girl responded cheerfully. “Mother wants your power, of course! Why else?”

“Hah!” Louise spat. “I thought so. Get lost.”

“Oh~? That’s a shame.” The girl replied. “Mother says She’s willing to make amends with you!”

After a brief pause, Louise spoke under her breath. “...Amends?”

“Of course!” The girl grinned. “Mother is forgiving. She says that if you side with Her, She would graciously welcome you into Her arms.”

“Hmph!” Louise looked aside. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Aw, that’s too bad!” The girl responded in a sing-songy voice. “Then die!”

The girl swept her arm aside, forming a wide line of bullets and launching them at Louise. Louise simply watched from the corner of her eye and sidestepped at the last moment, weaving between the bullets with ease. The girl flew around Louise every which way, firing wave after wave of bullets, both big and small, but it was no use. Every single time, Louise would dodge at the very last moment, moving as little as possible.

“Not a scratch~? Then I’ll get serious!” The girl readied magic in her arms and stretched them out. “Let’s do this!”

This time, the girl flew back and continuously fired wide waves of seven large bullets, all spread out to cover potential escape routes. Louise had to move around a bit more to handle this, but she still seemed equally uninterested in the fight. Eventually, the waves stopped and the bullets dissipated, the girl having seemingly exhausted her supply of magic from her previous charge. Having realized this, the girl flew in front of Louise, and with a breath, she began to charge magic once more.

Wow. Louise is skilled, that’s for sure, I thought to myself as I scratched my chin. But why isn’t she fighting ba-

Louise immediately stretched her arm toward the girl and uttered a single word.

“Begone.”

A thin white-blue laser erupted from her palm. It hit her dead on, piercing her through and zipping into the unknown.

The girl screamed and clutched her chest as her body became translucent before turning into the lights I saw before, spiraling into the sky.

As Louise descended, I gazed at her in pure shock.

She- she’s a monster…

Louise dusted herself off and sighed.

To think that there would be demons this far out in Makai… this doesn’t bode well. I was hoping I wouldn’t need to dirty my hands so soon, but…

As she descended to the ground, Louise looked up into the stars and searched, ensuring that the demon had been alone. Satisfied, Louise touched down, gently placing one foot on the terrain after the other.

I don’t like this. The longer we stay here, the more frequently demons are going to turn up. I can hold them off for a while, but eventually, I’ll get overwhelmed.

Racking her brain for ideas, Louise arrived at a conclusion.

I must not fail. That’s the bottom line. And if the human’s injuries prevent me from accomplishing my task, then there’s nothing I can do to help that. If he heals quickly, though, then I’ll take him along with me. On top of the fact that he’d be another eyewitness, him knowing the Hakurei miko personally makes him very useful to me.

Louise turned her sights back to the entryway of the ship, its interior lit with the dim light of the moon. Taking a moment to glance over to the remnants of the eye, Louise clasped her hands and began the journey back to the ship.

For now, I’ll just take care of the human as best I can, whether or not I can take him with me. Only time will tell.

She’s coming this way!

Pulling myself up, I brought myself onto the path and began to walk down it at a brisk pace. After several steps, I began to feel a dull ache in my legs but forced myself to keep moving. Fairly soon, I had made it down the path, and ahead of me lay an even greater challenge- the stairs.

As I took just one step up, a sharp pain tore through my leg. I clutched the handrail with both arms for support as I groaned aloud.

Keep going! There’s no time to waste!

Step by step, I shimmied myself up the stairs, trying my best to bend my knees as little as possible. Eventually, I made it to the top, and I gasped out in relief.

Luckily, I had left the hatch open, so I shuffled over and snuck inside. As I did so, I could see Louise’s silhouette appearing in the entryway.

Just in time…

As I walked down the hall, however, the stench of burnt metal reached me once more. I brought both hands to my mouth as quickly as possible to stifle a cough.

Behind me, I could hear the clack of Louise’s shoes on the stairs.

With no other options, I hurried forward and stepped through the hole, a task that felt ten times more difficult than it had been earlier. Treading lightly to prevent any further strain on my legs, I crossed the room and made it into the open hatch before leaning on the wall and taking a big breath of fresh air.

Panting, I glanced back into the room I had come from and saw Louise beginning to step through the hole. Though exhausted, I staggered down the hall until I found my room’s door, flung it open, tightened it behind me, and collapsed on the bed.

I knew it. Louise has some history with this Shinki figure. They don’t seem to be on the same side, though, so I suppose that theory is out. Also, she’s crazy strong! What could this all possibly mean?

Mere seconds later, I saw the valve turning on its own and watched as Louise gently pushed it open.

“Oh? You’re awake?” Louise asked me in a curious voice. “You should be sleeping, you know.”

Oh, good. She hasn’t caught on.

Wordlessly, I watched as she walked over and turned on the lamp beside my bed before taking a seat in the folding chair. A couple of seconds later, Louise frowned at me.

“You’re breathing heavy. What happened?”

It was true; I had neglected to disguise the fact that I had overexerted myself. Hastily, I attempted to stammer out an explanation. “Uh- Nothing! Nothing happened, there’s no problem at all. I, uh, just had a bit of a bad dream and I’m about to go back to sleep, so-”

“Oh, that’s it?” Louise nodded and rested her hands upon her lap. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She then brought a hand to her side and a handheld suitcase materialized in her grasp.

My eyes widened. “Is that-”

“Shhh.” Louise shushed me as she placed it on her lap and unblocked both latches. With one arm, she reached inside far further than it should have gone and pulled out a handkerchief.

Louise leaned close to me, causing my hair to stand on end. I was beside myself with nervousness, but luckily she didn’t seem to notice.

Please don’t get close.

With a single hand, Louise brought the handkerchief close and dabbed my forehead with it. “You’re sweating.”

“O- Oh. I am, huh? Heh. That’s weird-”

“Hush.”

I lay there in silence until Louise had finished. Tucking away the handkerchief, Louise smiled at me, but I was unable to tell if it was genuine.

As the suitcase vanished, Louise placed her hand on my forehead once again and spoke the same incantation as before. A familiar green glow enveloped me once more and I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping, this should help.”

From the edge of my cognizance, I felt Louise removing her hand and speaking to me.

“Get some more rest. I’ll check in on you when you wake up.”