Gensokyo my Beloved

[Fonzi]

Chapter 56 ? A Few Surprising Facts

The two outsiders were already used to the long walks with a loaded cart, but one thing they couldn't quite understand were the instructions from their boss. One of them was to always use the northern road from the Human Village when making a delivery to the Misty Lake's fishing colony. It meant that Kyouichi and Soudai needed to plot their course by visiting Kourindou first, Human Village market as second, and from there take the longest trip to the lake. They were always escorted by a handful of Ryuuken on their trip to the colony and back, unlike when traveling to Kourindou. The reason why both outsiders questioned their logistics was because the western road from the village leading to Kourindou apparently continued through the Forest of Magic further north. When the two young men arrived at the antique shop at the edge of the mentioned forest, they asked the storekeeper what he thinks of this.

"Oh, you're asking about the Old Road, huh?" Rinnosuke nodded knowingly.

"The Old Road?" the outsiders repeated after him as they exchanged glances.

"That's what they call the road that enters the forest and leads north. Not the one that goes to the shrine."

"So, where does the Old Road lead to, then?"

"It's hard to say with certainty, as in the present day it might already be overgrown with vegetation and simply disappear somewhere in the middle of the forest after many years of disuse. But in the past, this road once led all the way to the Youkai Mountain. Marisa and Alice who live in this forest use that road often, but whether the road is still useable all the way to the mountain, I don't really know. You should ask them instead."

"All the way to the mountain? That means we could take it to get to Misty Lake too, right?"

"Yes, you could," said the owner of Kourindou, "but please don't take it. Use the northern route from the village."

"But why?" Kyouichi asked. "The northern path is a giant detour. If we took the Old Road, we could be at the fishing colony faster by at least two hours."

"The reason why your boss and I don't recommend you taking it is also the reason why it is called the Old Road nowadays." replied Rinnosuke with an ominous tone in his voice.

Kyouichi threw another glance at his friend and with a silent gesture they let Rinnosuke continue his explanation.

"The Old Road is called like that simply because nobody uses it anymore."

"Didn't you just say that Marisa and Alice use it often?" Soudai pointed out.

"I did. Up to a certain point the road is still safe, but for you two even entering the forest is a gamble with your life. Marisa and Alice are both capable magicians who can take care of themselves, but I don't think even they use the Old Road when they want to go to the Youkai Mountain or Misty Lake. And it's not just because they can fly?"

"So it's become too dangerous?"

"That's correct, Ishimaru-san. I remember that people used to take this road without fear just about ten years ago. But then I've kept hearing rumors about many of the travelers disappearing in the forest and never coming back. Some say that it was because at that time a new and very dangerous youkai moved to that area. There was even a band of Ryuuken warriors sent to investigate the matter shortly after the first disappearances. None of them were seen or heard from again."

"What about the shrine maiden?"

"Reimu was one of the people who warned the villagers about the great risk of taking the Old Road. She went there several times but I don't think she managed to find a permanent solution to ensure people's safety on the Old Road. I think the situation with it is similar to that of the Scarlet Devil Mansion ? while it poses no open danger to the people of the village, wandering around there may end up unpleasantly. So much I've heard from my customers. I'm not even certain if any of it is true. My ability does not extend to tell rumors and truth apart, so I can only give you a warning about the possible risks."

"Thank you, Rinnosuke-san. It was a good thing that we asked him about it, eh, Soudai?"

"Better than if we took the road without asking where it goes first." the older of the two outsiders smirked under his nose.

"You'll be better off obeying your boss and taking the safer road."

"Yes, we get it now." said Kyouichi. "We should get going. The sun won't wait for us until we get back to the village. Here's your delivery, Rinnosuke-san."

The half-youkai took the last bag out of Kyouichi's cart and thanked both outsiders for their business.

"Before you leave, won't you buy something while you're here?"

"Yeah, how about a motorbike?" Soudai asked out of jest. "Or a scooter? That way we wouldn't have to walk so much and we would be done with our delivery run much sooner."

"And spend the time we save by working on the fields?" Kyouichi added to his friend's statement.

"Uhh? point taken."

"Ah, I know what you're talking about, but I'm sorry, I have no gas-propelled means of transport in here." Rinnosuke shook his head apologetically.

"But we could buy something." Kyouichi admitted as he scratched his head.

"I hope it's not pastries?" Soudai muttered under his breath so that the owner of the shop would not hear him, but Kyouichi's snicker raised Rinnosuke's suspicion.

"No, I just thought that since we're renovating that hunter's cabin to make it habitable, that maybe we could buy some tools or materials for the job."

"I have some tools from the outside world available for sale, but I'm afraid I can't help you much with construction materials. By the way, how much have you progressed on the renovation?"

"Naota-san and his friends are just working on fixing the roof. The old one was full of leaks."

"Well, I don't know how bad that roof was, but if I have problems with leaking roof in Kourindou, I have just the right thing to fix it."

"Really? What is that?"

"Hold on, I'll show you." Rinnosuke disappeared in the back of his shop and came back a while later with a metallic crate in his hands.

"A few years ago, Yukari brought this from the outside world, curious about what it was. But she brought in so much I didn't even know where to put all that stuff. I even have some crates under my bed. It looks like a fine quality modeling clay and works perfectly for plugging small holes and leaks in the roof. When I looked at it, I learned that the purpose of this clay is removing obstacles, which puzzled me, to be honest. I tried putting it on all sorts of obstacles, but it didn't remove them at all? I figured I might as well use it for fixing my roof. By the way, you outsiders come up with the strangest names for your inventions. This clay here, for example, is commonly known in your world as?"

"C-4!" Kyouichi exclaimed as he just noticed the sign on Rinnosuke's crate.

"Why, yes." the shopkeeper nodded with a smile. "It even says so on the box. I know that the "C" stands for "composition", but what does the "4" stand for? I'd like to know. Is this like the fourth model or something?"

"Holy crap!" even Soudai couldn't remain calm when he witnessed the box that was apparently of military origin.

Both humans have taken a few steps back out of caution, even though it wouldn't really help them if the worst-case scenario would occur.

"Is something wrong?" the white-haired half-youkai curiously observed their reaction and scared faces. "I'll sell you a box for just ten thousand."

"Damn! That Yukari is a really dangerous person." said Kyouichi as he still struggled to process the fact that Rinnosuke's shop was loaded with plastic explosives.

"Well, I can't completely disagree there, but?"

"Rinnosuke-san?" he interrupted the shopkeeper before he finished his sentence.

"Yes?"

"Do you realize? that you've been sleeping on a bomb for the past few years?"

"A bomb? You mean a device that explodes, right? So this clay here?"

"It's a military-grade plastic explosive! In other words, a bomb!" the alarmed outsider tried to explain the truth as simply as possible.

But instead of getting shocked, Rinnosuke's reaction was the very opposite.

"Fascinating! So that's what makes it an obstacle remover. Yukari herself wondered why would people of the outside world keep some boxes of clay locked up in a heavily guarded buildings crawling with soldiers. Do you know how to make it explode by any chance?" he asked with an innocent smile as he made an offering gesture towards the duo of outsiders.

Both young men yelled out and covered their faces as he did that.

"But wait?" Soudai tentatively lowered his guard and leaned closer to peek into the crate. "I've also heard that C-4 is highly stable and won't explode without a detonator."

"That's? true." Kyouichi admitted and slowly dared to take a look at the bundle of C-4s in the box. There was at least a dozen of clay bricks equipped with a receiver, but nothing inside the crate looked like what could be a remote detonator.

"A detonator! But of course!" Rinnosuke called out, as if he just uncovered one of the world's greatest mysteries. "Just where did I put that little gadget?" He knelt down and started searching under his counter. "Oh, here you are. Resting among other similar devices that nobody wanted to buy?" he stood up and revealed a small controller with a trigger-shaped red button in his palm. Then all of a sudden, he did something that made both unsuspecting outsiders shout out in terror and hit the floor while covering their heads.

*click-click-click* The half-youkai repeatedly pushed the detonator's button. "Seems like it doesn't work."

"AAAAAAAAAH~!"

"What are you two doing down there?" he arched an eyebrow at them.

"You crazy lunatic!"

After closer inspection, Rinnosuke learned that after several years, the detonator's battery has run out of power. However dangerous his manipulation with the triggering device looked, it was still rather safe, since the charges themselves were not armed. Still, the two outsiders were already seeing their lives flashing before their eyes for a while.

"Please don't try to test it!" Kyouichi begged on the ground. "Just? bury all that stuff far away from your shop before you blow yourself up!"

"Along with us?" Soudai concluded.

"Bury it? Is it that dangerous?"

"Do you like your shop? Or your life?"

"I'd say I do?"

"Then you should get rid of that."

"That would be a terrible waste." argued the owner of the antique shop. "I'd rather sell it? Or remove some obstacles with it."

"You know what? Do whatever the hell you want with it, but just please? wait until we leave your shop, okay?"

Smiling as if nothing happened, Rinnosuke waved his hand at the leaving visitors. "Okay. Say hello to Kirisame-san when you meet him~!"

"Come on, Soudai! We better get out of here."

"I was just about to suggest the same thing." said the shorter outsider and hurriedly left the shop after his friend.
From that day onward, the two outsiders always made sure to only take the safe road when traveling to Misty Lake and to make their unloading in Kourindou as short as possible. Days went by and the remaining members of the Transfer Students' Club watched with awe as the walls around the Human Village were growing at an incredible rate. It was almost surprising that even with all the fortification craze, Naota's younger friends were still able to find some spare time to help the outsiders with renovating a cabin of the late Fumiaki Kinjo.

While the older and experienced workers were finalizing the roof reconstruction, Kyouichi, Soudai and Midori were handling the easier part ? the garden. Even when there was still a lot of work to do on the whole building, the garden in front already lived with all sorts of colorful flowers that the young outsiders have bought and planted.

"Hey, guys." Midori addressed her two classmates. "I've just finished reading them yesterday? You wouldn't believe what was written in all those diaries and journals that Kinjo-san left behind. It was like reading an anthology of adventure novels."

Soudai rubbed off the mud off his hands and straightened up to hear her out.

"Are you going to tease us, or are you going to tell us, Midori?"

"Kinjo-san has basically traveled to every part in Gensokyo. As Naota-san said, he was not just a hunter, but also a collector. Herbs, rare stones, feathers, talismans, trinkets? He personally knew Kirisame-san and often traded with him. And he even made some of the most accurate sketches in an attempt to map Gensokyo and its roads, forests and even caves. And he even predicted his death of a sort. In one of the diaries he left a message, saying that if anyone is reading it, it means he is already dead. His last known destination was in the northeast of Gensokyo."

"Northeastern Gensokyo? That's where Kazemura is." Kyouichi sharpened his senses as soon as Midori mentioned the location.

"And I haven't even got to the most interesting part yet. He wrote that he intended to travel to the farthest reaches of Gensokyo to revisit a certain place he hasn't seen for a very long time."

Midori opened up her notebook and found the part that she copied from the original diaries.

"I think it'll be best if I read it for you: "It's been a while so long, that even my memories about it have reached the borders between nostalgia and forgetfulness. I'm sure I've been there, and even though my feet may no longer recognize the path they have once trodden, my heart that always longs for adventure still remembers that place. That picturesque little village that sits there in the quietness, the serenity of the sound of rustling leaves in the wind?"."

"So he DID go to Kazemura!" Kyouichi declared the case as closed.

"Will you please let me finish?" Midori gave him a mean stare.

A little taken aback by her sudden mood drop, Kyouichi zippered his mouth and let the young girl continue reading.

"True," she spoke up after a pause, "it does sound like he's talking about the quarry village of Kazemura, but listen to this: "I felt like walking in a daydream, the village that the time itself has forgotten about, the village with no people, but me ? a stranger walking in its sun-flooded streets."

"It's true that there aren't too many humans living in there?" Soudai muttered thoughtfully, but in a moment, Midori forced his and Kyouichi's mouths to open in surprise with the final words from the copied text.

"Even with its houses devoid of human beings, cats were crowding nearly every corner. Only one mansion was the closest to the sky, dwarfing the neighboring houses with its size and splendor. But I dared not knock its gate, I dared not step inside, I dared not meet the family that in the Yakumo manor reside."

"Yakumo!" exclaimed both male outsiders almost simultaneously, which made Midori's grin from seeing their reaction even wider.

"Pretty interesting find, huh?"

"Almost as surprising as when we learned that Rinnosuke-san is a freakin' arms dealer." remarked the oldest of the three.

"Well, I'll be? Kinjo-san visited Mayohiga." Kyouichi whispered in awe.

"And he apparently wanted to find his way there one more time." said Midori and closed her notebook. "What happened to him afterwards? We will never know."

"But wait?" Soudai halted them. "It could also mean that he is still alive."

"He could be." Midori admittedly nodded her head. "But none of his previous journeys have taken longer than a few months. Being gone for over two years doesn't make the odds of him being alive too likely."

"That means? That means Mayohiga lies in the northeast, not southwest, like some rumors say. We should probably tell this to Reimu."

"That we should, Kyouichi, but when are we going to do it? From what I hear, you and Soudai are always busy on the farms and return home exhausted. And during weekends we help with work on this cabin?"

Almost as soon as she said that, another worker approached the hunter's cabin and whistled loudly at his colleagues.

Five heads peeked up from the attic section of the house to see what he wanted.

"Listen, gentlemen! The foreman has called for all capable men to work on the fortifications. He even promised extra payment for working on weekends."

"Then it seems we have to delay our work here for the time being." said another one of Naota's friends. Once they all climbed down the ladder, they walked up to Kyouichi as the official owner of the building and apologized.

"I can understand, so you don't need to apologize. Your work on this cabin is voluntary, because Naota is your good friend. But if you have the opportunity to work AND earn some more money for it, then by all means, do it. You can finish this reconstruction once you have more free time again."

"Then we thank you for understanding. Tell Naota to have some patience and that we will finish that roof some day."

"We will. I hope you finish those walls soon." Kyouichi wished them luck, even when in his heart he was against the whole fortification project.

One more bow of courtesy and gratitude and the whole group left, moving on to the high-priority construction.

"Well, I doubt the three of us will be able to finish their work by ourselves." said Soudai when the men were no longer in sight. "What do you think we should do now?"

"We basically have a day off now." the female outsider summed it up.

"By the way, I really wouldn't believe the villagers are going to erect those walls so quickly, but by the looks of it, it really seems like they'll be finished soon." Kyouichi changed the topic as he shot a glance toward the village.

"It's not a big surprise, considering that some of the builders are using magic to speed up the whole process." explained Midori.

"I thought so."

"What are we going to do when they finish the walls?" pondered Soudai. "We probably won't be able to leave the village as we please."

"Should we go to the village hall and ask the elder about it?"

Kyouichi took a moment to consider Midori's suggestion, but he soon shook his head dismissively. "If we go there and ask him, we would just raise his suspicion. He might assume we are planning something and make the security even tighter."

"So we just act as if it didn't bother us?"

"That's the plan for now, Soudai, yes."

"But we'll need to think of some backup plan if the Ryuuken will refuse to let us go outside the village."

"We'll think of something, Midori." Kyouichi reassured her, but he still had no idea on how to deal with the problem.

Since the three outsiders had no work to do, they decided to pay a visit to the Hakurei Shrine with the intention to bring Kinjo-san's diary to Reimu's attention. Before the walls were completed, leaving and entering Human Village was still not a problem, so the outsiders wanted to use this still-lasting freedom while they could. But before they left the village, they noticed something rather surprising near the marketplace district.
"Hey, isn't that the girl who was in Eientei along with us?" Kyouichi gestured at a short-haired girl with a purple umbrella encircled by a bunch of children.

"You're right, that's Kogasa-chan." Soudai also recognized the umbrella youkai as soon as he sighted her. "What is she doing?"

"Looks like she's playing with the children." Midori puzzledly watched as Kogasa was just scaring a bunch of laughing kids with her one-eyed umbrella with a mouth and long tongue.

The older kids only began laughing louder, while the smaller children got frightened and started to cry.

"Hey, hey, Kogasa-oneechan can we play with that umbrella too?"

"Hey, show us some danmaku, please!"

"Give me a piggyback ride, Kogasa-chan~!"

"Geez, don't pull on my skirt!" the karakasa girl didn't know what to do sooner. "Hey put that back on the ground, you can't eat that! If you all don't start behaving yourselves, I won't just show you danmaku, but also let you know how it feels like!"

All three outsiders were mighty curious about the situation that Kogasa got herself into, so they headed her way to greet her.

"Good afternoon, Kogasa-san!"

The young youkai girl lifted her two-colored gaze at the approaching humans and recognized the two roommates from Eientei's Rehabilitation Ward.

"Oh! Hello~!" she returned the greeting with a sweet, but a little troubled smile on her face.

"What's going on here?" Soudai glanced at all the children that wouldn't let Kogasa rest for one moment. "Have you opened up a kindergarten, Kogasa-chan?"

"Ehehe~." she let out a nervous chuckle. "It started so innocently? A couple of years ago I was only stopping in this village for a while when I saw this crying kid, so I stopped and tried to cheer him up."

"And? Something went wrong?"

"No. I managed to make him stop crying somehow? and then we played for a while? and? and then he said he'd introduce me to a friend, so then there were three of us. Then the other kid brought his friends and those friends have called their friends and? now? this?" she gestured at the whole band of noisy and energetic adolescents.

As if to make the final punch line, a woman from the village, holding her daughter by the hand approached Kogasa and greeted her.

"Ah, good afternoon, Tatara-san. Would you please look after my daughter today as well? I'll be back as soon as I do the shopping."

Kogasa's face flushed in an expression of both goodwill and helplessness. "Uhh? yes."

"Thank you very much. I knew I could count on you." the woman bowed thankfully before she turned to her preschool-aged daughter. "Now be a good girl and play nicely with Kogasa-san and the other children, okay? Mommy will come back for you in a short while~."

"Okay~." the little girl waved her palm at her mother as she was heading towards the center of the marketplace.

Kogasa's hopelessness was even more evident as she had yet another child to look after. Apparently she was so well accepted by the villagers, that they entrusted her with their children. But playing baby-sitter looked like a difficult job even for a youkai.

"So you've been doing babysitter for a couple of years?" Kyouichi asked her. "How come I haven't seen you in the village playing with children before?"

"Because~." she crossed her arms and protruded her tongue. "Why don't you try spending four years looking after these little nuisances every day?"

"If you don't like it, why did you start doing it in the first place?"

"Well, I still don't quite understand, but I learned that in the human world, the babysitters fly through the sky using an umbrella."

Kyouichi blinked puzzledly at her, and then looked over at his two friends. "What is she talking about?"

Soudai just shrugged cluelessly.

"Marry Poppins?" Midori made a blind guess, looking equally puzzled by Kogasa's strange reason for becoming a babysitter.

"But? that's not a real babysitter." Kyouichi silenced his chuckle after realizing what a silly association it was.

"So after I learned about this, I decided to be a babysitter. I mean? kids are easy to startle, right?"

"Uhh? Kogasa-chan? I don't think startling children or flying through the sky with an umbrella is what babysitters do."

"Umm? well?" the karakasa bashfully lowered her gaze and began gently colliding her index fingers against each other. "My babysitting wasn't met with much understanding from the humans when I kept surprising their children? But I learned a few things about the job of a babysitter since then. I just don't do this every day, because it's really exhausting. I simply wanted to find a new purpose for my existence, since nobody wants to use me as an umbrella anymore. But all I'm good for is surprising humans; therefore, I tried to think about what people want so that I could make myself useful again. I believed this would be the new form of a tsukumogami. Many of the adults here still don't like me, but the children seem to be naturally attracted to me for some reason."

"So cute?" Soudai cooed quietly. "Are you sure I can't take you home?"

"Eeh? Absolutely not~! Don't treat me like an object~!" the teal-haired girl pouted and looked away.

"Isn't that what you are?" he asked her a provoking question.

And got what he deserved?

"Hmph~!" Kogasa reached for her inseparable other half and suddenly spread the eggplant-colored umbrella in front of his face in an attempt to surprise him. "Urameshiya~!"

The result of her attempt, however, ended up to be an almost complete opposite of what she was aiming for.

"Gnnnh!" Soudai grabbed the shirt over his chest, as if he was in pain. He turned away and with a blissful smile he uttered to his friend: "Damn?. Even the umbrella is moe~!"

"That's our Kogasa-chan for you. Try not to faint. It would be a pain to drag you all the way to the shrine without our good old cart."

"How about we got going already?" Midori reminded them both of her presence.

"Uh, yeah, good idea." Soudai snapped out of his euphoria and gathered the courage to face the young kasa obake one more time. "We'll be going then? See you some other time. And don't bully the children too much."

"Uhh? who's bullying who?"

"Take care, Kogasa-chan." Kyouichi and Midori said their parting lines as well.

And as Kogasa was waving to the trio of departing humans, a boy's voice sounded from behind her.

"Hey, Kogasa-neechan? Why aren't you wearing anything under your skirt?"

"Kyaaaaaaah~!" she turned around, instinctively pulling on the hems of her skirt to hide her intimate parts and to protect whatever remnants of innocence these children still had. "Why you little?! Boo~!"

The flustered karakasa stretched out her hand and fired a barrage of danmaku that missed the peeping boy's feet by mere centimeters. This time it was the children's screams that echoed throughout the street. Even when none of them was hurt, Kogasa could not simply deny her true identity and purpose.

Kyouichi and Soudai both exchanged their flabbergasted glances, before one of them burst into laughter, contaminating the other after a few seconds.

"Come on already, you two." Midori put on an exasperated frown as she grabbed both boys by their sleeves and walked onwards.

"But seriously?" Soudai spoke after he tamed his urges to laugh. "That Kogasa? She's a true youkai of moe!"

"Well, I admit, she is adorable," Kyouichi partially agreed, "but Yuuka-san is the real youkai moe."

"Eh? No, Kogasa-chan!"

"Yuuka-san!"

"Kogasa!"

"Yuuka!"

Midori let out a sigh of resignation. "You two are giving me a headache."
Keeping an average walking pace, the Hakurei Shrine was in their sight within less than 30 minutes, and lucky for them, the resident miko wasn't away or too busy to accept visitors.

"Oh, it's you guys." she slowly stood up from the shrine's porch where her cup of hot tea was cooling off and walked towards the arriving guests. "Have you come to pray?"

"We could? while we're here." admitted Midori. "But we're actually here to bring you an interesting piece of information."

"What information?"

"Maybe I should begin explaining tings in proper order first?"

And so, the three outsiders have told Reimu all the details of what they found out and how. She learned about Naota Tanisake, his missing friend, Fumiaki Kinjo, who was proclaimed as missing or dead, and the pile of diaries he left behind. And lastly, the most important information of them all ? the most probable location of the illusionary village of Mayohiga ? the presumed home of Gensokyo's sage, the boundary youkai, Yukari Yakumo.

Midori even read the passage out of her notebook, and according to the slow change in Reimu's expression, it surely was something that has stirred a whirlpool of thoughts inside her head.

"So? what do you all make of this, Reimu-san?" Kyouichi asked when Midori finished explaining.

"Please excuse me for a moment." She apologized herself and walked off towards her shrine. She opened the door, entered and closed. The three outsiders stared curiously, waiting for what was going to happen next. But the only thing that followed after Reimu's disappearance was a loud yell from within the shrine.

"I'm such an airhead~!"

While the outsiders were wondering whether to wait and watch, or to rush into the shrine to see what upset the shrine maiden so much, Reimu opened the sliding doors herself and walked out, while rubbing her forehead with her palm. She looked as though as she was deeply embarrassed about something.

"Are you feeling alright, Reimu?"

"Yes, I just felt like venting it out a little?" the shrine maiden replied with a sheepish smile.

"So about my previous question??"

"You heard me. I'm a real ditz sometimes?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Of course it was like that. Yukari lives somewhere in the northeastern corner of Gensokyo! She even told me that herself."

"What?!" the three humans from the outside world gasped out of surprise. "She? told you? When was that?"

"When we first met. And when we had our first battle?" she sat down on the porch again and checked whether the tea has already cooled enough to be drinkable. After confirming it, she took a sip and dove deeper into her memories. "She told me that. But after all the years? after all the incidents? I just? forgot. And now this memo that you've brought? It all makes more sense now. You didn't really bring me any news. You just refreshed my memory."

"Are you going to try and find her now? Are you going to look for a way to Mayohiga?"

"I? I'm not sure myself." she stuttered out an uncertain reply. "Northeastern Gensokyo? The uncovered temple, the vengeful spirit incident. It's all taking place so close to Yukari's supposed home, but? But Remilia said that the communicating amulet is connected with the temple somehow. If Yukari was still in Mayohiga, it would probably lead us there. But it didn't." Reimu's eyes trailed off towards the trees on the northern side of her shrine yard. "I know it may sound really weird, but my hunch tells me that she might be inside that temple. Leading the spirits? Trapped by them? I don't know? I just keep waiting here every day to hear the news from the girls who stayed at the site do continue research. And I haven't heard anything from them in a while. I'm starting to grow anxious."

"I've only heard the rumors, but? from what I heard, the northeastern Gensokyo is nowadays the most dangerous area."

"Those aren't rumors. That's a fact? Well?" she paused herself with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Unless you'd go picking flowers in the Garden of the Sun, hehe~."

"Where?" Kyouichi lifted his brows questioningly.

"No, seriously. Don't go there. Anyway, a huge burden was lifted off my chest after we made the spirit ward in the quarry. We've had no fairy attacks since then. If only it stayed that way until we figure out what was controlling the vengeful spirits and stop it."

"That's good news."

"But now I'm also tempted to find Mayohiga again. Maybe? even if I won't find Yukari there, I'll be able to find something? some clues that might tell me more about what she planned or where she went."

"Then we're glad our trip here wasn't a complete waste of time." said Soudai.

"No, thank you for coming over. I know... I'll make you some tea. Then you can tell me what's new in Human Village."

"Thank you for letting us stay for a while." Midori bowed and her two male friends followed suit.

As promised, Reimu served fresh tea to her guests along with some snacks that she always kept reserved for occasions like getting expected or unexpected visitors.
And so, she traded her knowledge and information about Kazemura situation in return for the outsiders' information about their lives, their plans and their troubles. It was a nice, peaceful, enjoyable afternoon at the Hakurei Shrine. But once the outsiders have exhausted the light, funny and carefree topics, Reimu began asking serious questions.

"Our plans for leaving Gensokyo?" Kyouichi parroted the last line of the miko's question. "Only one or two more weeks and we will already have all the equipment and rations we'll need to survive for a few days in the mountains. But we will not change our day of departure. We head out on the first of Kannazuki, as we already all agreed upon. I see no need to make any changes to that."

"I see. But are you going to be fine when the walls around the village will be finished by the end of the month?"

That was a question neither of the outsiders could really answer at that moment.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 57 ? If Only We Could Fly

One month has passed, and the Human Village was now fortified like it once used to be before the Great Hakurei Border was put up. But life within its walls continued in the same way as it always has. While not too thick or tall, the walls were now giving some of the villagers a feeling of increased safety, and on the other hand, to some they represented a restriction of freedom. The outsiders never asked at the village hall about the reason for their construction, but from what they could observe, it seemed that the Ryuuken have been using the fortifications and the gates to keep a better control over trade with other villages, for the purpose of tax collection and to prevent or at least, to hamper smuggling attempts. For any outside merchants that wanted to sell their goods in Human Village, there was now an entry toll in effect. Naturally, the guards were now checking everyone entering or leaving the village, but rumors were that they were not very serious and diligent about it. Soudai and Kyouichi went through those gates every day on their way to the farms and back. The first few times they had to show their official contract with their employer's signature to the guards to pass, but soon even their faces became known among the Ryuuken, and now all it took them to enter and leave was to show them their ID cards.

However, not all outsiders could benefit from that convenience. If someone had no business outside the village, the militia would simply send them back. Arguments about having basic human rights were of no help when talking to them. But there were always a few individuals who kept passing through as they pleased. Those who had their homes outside of the village were not halted when leaving, but most of them preferred to simply fly over the walls and avoid the annoying guards altogether. As the outsiders could see, the fortifications were not perfect.

Still, they now posed a certain problem to their future plans of leaving Gensokyo. For this reason, the Transfer Students' Club had to have another meeting in the school's library to discuss the issue and find a solution.
"The Ryuuken are now checking the content of every trade wagon entering or leaving the village." Yuujin Ueda, a man who now worked as a caravan runner explained the situation to the rest of the club members. "Even if we were to put you into empty sacks and try to smuggle you through the gates, they'd find out."

"The walls are barely three meters tall." the vice-president, Midori Iwakami stood up and walked up to the chalkboard. She took a piece of chalk and drew an irregular oval shape. "This is our village." she made a dot in the middle of the oval shape. "And these are the walls." she pointed at the chalk line.

"Artistic." Soudai Asakura made fun of her drawing. "Almost unrecognizable from the real thing."

But it seemed that Midori wasn't in a mood for jokes today. "Have you been addressed, Asakura-san?"

"Why is she so formal all of a sudden?"

Midori waited for the chuckling of other club members to die down and then resumed her explanation. "As I was saying; these are the walls, right?" she sketched a few lines across certain points of the fortifications. "And here are the three gates. As you can see, the eastern section of the village does not have a gate, which means it is also the least guarded area. If we are to leave the village without detection, we should do it there."

"But how are we going to climb over?" Sayuri Hayashi, the ever laid-back office lady raised her hand.

"With a ladder of course." the vice-president replied.

"And I suppose there will be another ladder waiting for us on the other side of the wall so we could get down without risking any fractures."

"Ehh? no, Hayashi-san, there won't be another ladder. The walls aren't tall enough to be too dangerous to jump down from."

"Well, for you maybe not, young lady, but?"

"Hmm? Then how about you two?" Midori got an idea, and for some reason she was now gazing at Soudai and Kyouichi.

"Hm? What about us?"

"You two work on the farms, don't you?"

"Yes, we do, as does Daniel over there and Yuujin drives the caravan wagon." Kyouichi summed up. "All of us have permission to leave and enter the village. Now that I think about it? why don't all of you get a job that would give you the same benefits?"

"And the Ryuuken won't suspect anything when a dozen of outsiders suddenly declare that they want to work on the fields." Midori retorted sarcastically. "Really, Kyouichi... Think a little before you say some nonsense again."

"Okay, okay. It was just a thought."

"My idea," she continued explaining, "was to ask some of you to check out the situation from outside the village to see if there aren't any patrols around the eastern wall. And if there aren't, you could stack up some hay on a pile that we could use as a cushion when jumping down."

"Oh? That's quite? simple, yet it sounds like it might work." Kyouichi nodded in acknowledgement."

"But Midori." this time, it was Soudai, who had his hand in the air. "I have to object."

"What? Are you allergic to hay or something?" she asked in jest.

"No, Ishimaru is." Soudai replied seriously. "But that's not the issue here."

"Really? I didn't know."

"Midori, you no longer live in the barracks as most of us, so you probably haven't heard some rumors I have when the guards were talking about the walls."

"Oh really? Such as?"

"Well, it wasn't about the walls directly, but I overheard some of the higher ranked officers talking about some device that they're using to detect movement of youkai and villagers that they call the Dragon's Eye. They must have it somewhere in the command center where civilians like us have no access to. And maybe there's even more of them. We may already be monitored by them as we speak."

Although doubtful, Soudai's rumor has still caused quite a stir among the outsiders, whose chattering filled up the cramped library.

"Are you sure you heard them well?" Midori raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"As clear as you. And they even mentioned a familiar name. Kirisame. That's that blonde witch girl, right? Reimu-san's friend. She must have been the one who made it for them."

Kyouichi opened his mouth, but words got stuck in his throat as he was piecing together a few details that he heard.

"Wait a second?" he suddenly pulled out his magic detector and placed it on a desk. "Soudai? Marisa isn't the only Kirisame in Gensokyo. Her father has a shop here."

"Her dad?"

"Yeah. I don't know his first name, but he invented this thing right here."

"A magic detector?"

"Exactly. He even revealed that he originally invented this detection technology for the militia and after he successfully sold a whole batch of those detectors, he figured he could start making smaller, short-range detectors for civilians too. Like this one on the desk."

"So you believe that the Dragon's Eye is actually just a big magic detector?"

"Well, based on what you said, and what I heard from Kirisame-san, I suspect it is. Which is good."

"Good? How?" Soudai scratched his head.

"Why, just take a look at my little magic detector right now."

The club members sitting near him leaned over and observed the lens. "I don't see anything."

"Me neither."

"Ah, there's a white dot near the edge just now."

"And another one?"

The white dots that appeared passed right through the middle of the lens and disappeared at the opposite edge.

"What was that? Ghosts?" Soudai who had a slight idea about the device's purpose asked a rather silly question.

"No. Probably just students on the floor below."

"Ah, I see? But? what about us? I don't see us on that detector."

"Exactly." Kyouichi smiled and crossed his arms. "We are outsiders. There's not a speck of magic about us. So if this Dragon's Eye thing is indeed Kirisame-san's invention akin to this one, we should be invisible to them."

"That's one moment I'm actually grateful for not having any magic." Soudai nodded to himself.

"Then I agree with Midori's plan." Kyouichi straightened up and pocketed the magic detector. "Even with my allergy, I think we should be able to pile up some hay on the outer side of the wall. As for the rest of you, your homework will be to casually stroll around the eastern part of the village and closely observe the patrol routes of the Ryuuken. We should not risk anything unless we are sure about our success. In the meantime, all of us should also come up with alternate solutions in case Midori's plan would have some critical flaw."

Even as he said that, Kyouichi already had one more idea on his mind, but it was a risky one. He wasn't even sure if it was worth mentioning, so he didn't even bring it up during the meeting.

"That is all, friends. Dismissed."

As the outsiders were leaving the library, Midori threw an inquisitive glance at the club's president. "Aren't you even going to ask me if you can copy my homework?"

"Hm? Did we have any?"

The girl buried her face into her palm. "You are so hopeless?"

"Huh? What did you say, Midorin?" Soudai caught up to them. "Homework? Surely you'll be kind enough to let us copy it, right~?"

With a sigh of reluctance and disgust from her friends' carelessness about their education, she continued treading down the hallway without words. Another class was about to begin soon?
It was almost alarming how Kyouichi's marks went downhill since his earliest days on the Kamishirasawa Academy. He lost his focus and interest in Gensokyo's locations, youkai and its history. His answer to Midori's questions about it was always along the lines of: "Like I'll need to know any of that when I'll be home in less than two months?" Even the teacher, Keine Kamishirasawa has reprimanded him several times, but Kyouichi didn't take her words to heart. He no longer cared if he'd pass the next exam or not. Or whether he got punished for his neglect of homework. All that mattered to him now was to somehow wait through the next 45 days ? the time remaining until the 1st of Kannazuki.

The outsiders already had all the necessary supplies stored in the safety of the Hakurei Shrine. Now all that they needed to work for was their own comfort. According to Midori's plan, Kyouichi and Soudai had sacrificed their time of lunch break and loaded their hand cart with a stack full of dry hay. As expected, Kyouichi's allergic reaction didn't take long to show up, but even with teary eyes and forced into sneezing every minute, he helped his friend drag the cart all the way to the outer section of the eastern walls. But as soon as they turned around the corner, they both stopped dead in their tracks.
"And what the hell is this?" Kyouichi let go of the cart's handle and wiped his eyes to observe the image before him.

"Looks like the Ryuuken have their favorite lunch spot here." Soudai stated bluntly.

"I can see that. But why here of all places?"

Upon closer look, Soudai figured that eating lunch wasn't the only thing that the group of militia guards preferred to do at this place. The less dutiful of the Ryuuken were enjoying full cups of sake, while others were gambling with each other for their money or small belongings. Out of sight of their superiors, it seemed that these men were not restricted by their conscience which would prevent them from ignoring their duty and forming their little outdoor tavern. Nevertheless, the outsiders quickly realized that getting over the walls without detection was going to be much harder than they thought.
"Man! That was a total waste of time!" Soudai angrily kicked the wheel of the cart, making the hay stack wobble lightly from the impact. "And I didn't even get to eat my lunch."

"We'll just have to think of another way."

"Another way, you say? But what another way? Should we report those slackers to their superiors?"

"If we did that, then the Ryuuken would probably send regular patrols to check the area to make sure none of their men are getting drunk over there. That wouldn't solve our problem. But I've had another idea on my mind. Do you still remember Lt. Takamori from our stay in Eientei?"

"Uhh? yeah? what about him?"

"If he's by any chance assigned to one of the gates, he could? I don't know? maybe he'd let us pass even without permission."

"And if not? Is it really worth the risk of spilling our beans to one of them?"

"I don't know, but we're running out of options here. We should try whatever we can."

"How about we asked Reimu-san?"

"Reimu? And what will she do? Fly us over the walls one by one?" Kyouichi asked a joke question.

"Well maybe not her, but that little oni had no problems with hopping over the Hakurei Shrine with you during the festival." Soudai reminded him the event during Tanabata.

"Fine? We'll go to the shrine on our next delivery run, but if Reimu won't give us any helpful suggestions, then we're going to try talking to Lt. Takamori."

"Alright." Soudai shrugged, which was more or less a gesture of agreement. "But hey? Maybe Midori or someone will think of some other plans how to sneak out of the village."

"Maybe they will." the long-haired young man threw a quick glace back towards the village gates. "We shouldn't underestimate them."
Walking back towards the fields where they spent most of their work shift, the two outsiders stopped for a while at Fumiaki Kinjo's cabin. It was a rather sad sight now that its reconstruction was left half-finished. Neither Naota, nor his former apprentices showed up ever since the fortifications were built. Kyouichi and Soudai believed that this was also due to the fact that Naota had no real business outside the village, so the Ryuuken wouldn't let him leave. It is true that he bought off the cabin, but it was Kyouichi's name that was written on the ownership documents.

"It's a shame we won't get to rebuild it as we planned."

"Well, you know what they say, Kyouichi. If you want something done right?"

"You have to do it yourself." he finished the rest of the proverb. "Do you really think I alone can do anything about it?"

"Well, perhaps not you alone, but the two of us, with guidance from Naota-san? I think we can at least make it habitable. Look, all the building materials are still here. Piece by piece, I think we should be able to finish the rest of this work."

Soudai's words were brimming with confidence, even though he had no experience in construction work himself. And despite his younger friend's skepticism, he managed to convince him that the two of them had what it takes to finish the roof by themselves.

"Maybe we should ask Hijiri-san how she re-fitted the Palanquin Ship to a temple in a day." Kyouichi jested as he and Soudai were walking past the Temple of Myouren.
As the summer was in its prime stage, the workers on the fields were making preparations for harvest. These duties didn't leave out even the two young men from the outside world. During the recent days they were busy more than ever, and their physical strength was being put to test every day. But even with the tiresome and often dirty work, the mood on the farms was always cheerful. The farmers were often throwing parties and inviting everyone over for a few mugs of beer or even to dinner. The parties were often accompanied by mirthful singing and dancing or even some folk drama performances. It was a much simpler lifestyle than in the big city, but certainly not boring. It were simple joys such as these small parties that were motivating most of the farm workers to work hard another day, so they could enjoy their reward later in the evening. Recently, however, there was a big fuss on the farms due to preparations for something much grander then the typical Friday evening drinking party.

After a bit of asking around, the outsiders learned that there was going to be a festival to thank the harvest gods for the bountiful harvest. Supposedly there was a great feast that attracted a lot of villagers to leave the village and celebrate with the farmers. Rumors had it that even the Ryuuken at the gates might actually permit everyone to attend this feast without halting them.

At first it seemed like a perfect opportunity for the outsiders to sneak out of the village, but where would they stay until the first of Kannazuki? Besides, their sudden disappearance would likely alarm the village officials to initiate a search for them, which was the last thing the outsiders needed.

When Kyouichi and Soudai were tasked with another delivery run, they planned to visit Reimu. They didn't waste any time on the farms. Once their cart was loaded with goods, they headed off towards Kourindou. They didn't want to stay there too long ever since they learned what the half-youkai shopkeeper stored in his little shop, but a sudden downpour made them prolong their stay.
"You haven't got rid of those explosives by any chance, have you, Rinnosuke-san?" Kyouichi asked him nervously.

"Well, no." the bespectacled man shook his head negatively. "Nobody seems to be interested in buying it. So I figured that in order to sell it, I needed to prove that it really works for the purpose it was made for. The clay itself is harmless. You can even put it in a fire and nothing will happen. Just as you said, you need to use the detonator device in order to awaken the fire kami resting within the clay."

"Don't tell me you already tested it."

"Hehe, what did you blow up, Rinnosuke-san?" Soudai was now more curious than scared.

"I didn't really test it yet, though I must admit, the temptation was great. However, what I did learn is that the detonator needed its battery replaced in order to work. However, none of the batteries I have in stock were compatible with it. So I made a few slight adjustments to the device, so that it could use the standard 9 volt batteries and this is the result."

He reached under the counter and pulled out a jury-rigged detonator with a few lose cables coiling around its frame, connected to a battery holder.

"I admit it isn't the most elegant design, but at least I made it work." He then turned on the mini switch on the side of the detonator and the red trigger button started glowing.

"For God's sake, turn it off! Do you want to kill us?!" Kyouichi yelled out in panic.

Even Soudai quickly lost his relatively calm composure at the sight of the ominously glowing red button.

"If you don't turn it off this instant, then we'll never come to your shop again!"

With a stoic expression on his face, Rinnosuke shrugged and switched the detonator off. "Your disinterest is obvious, but as a salesman I can tell you that it's hard to sell goods that haven't been tested."

"Like I said, don't try to sell it! Just get rid of it? in a non-explosive fashion."

"Selling it IS a non-explosive way of getting rid of it." the half-youkai replied teasingly.

"I swear, if it wasn't for this sudden rain, I'd be out of this shop half an hour ago." Soudai muttered as he took a wishful glance through the window.

"I could offer you a raincoat or a variety of umbrellas if you like."

Soudai raised his eyebrow at him with suspicion. For a half a minute the two of them just silently stared at each other. Then the outsider finally made his decision. He noticed an umbrella stand just by the counter. He walked up to it, took the first umbrella that he reached for and put 2000 yen on Rinnosuke's counter, not even caring about getting his change.

Rinnosuke counted the money and before he realized that something was not quite right, Soudai was already standing at the shop's exit.

"Come on, Kyou! I don't want to be here when this place becomes a big smoking crater."

The white-haired shopkeeper peeked over his counter into the umbrella stand and figured out that the umbrella that Soudai took was not a regular one.

"Hold on, mister! That umbrella! Please put it back and pick a different one. Slowly?"

"Hm? What's the problem? I paid for it. Probably more than it's really worth. I'm not staying in this arsenal any longer. We're leaving."

"No, wait! You don't understand!" Rinnosuke called after him, but Kyouichi was already opening the door and Soudai was already on his way out.

"Good bye, Rinnosuke-san!" Soudai said his parting words, raised his newly bought umbrella and pushed its button to spread it open.

But instead of spreading up, a horrendous bang not dissimilar to a gunshot thundered from the umbrella's tip. Both outsiders froze in terror. The raindrops falling on their heads made them slowly raise their glances upwards. They found a large gaping hole in Kourindou's roof and a thin pillar of smoke rising from the tip of Soudai's umbrella.

With his mouth agape, Rinnosuke thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He was too late to stop the damage from happening, but at least nobody was injured.

"Well?" he spoke up after a pause. "That's another leak in the roof for me to fix."

The umbrella suddenly made a mechanical clicking sound comparable to the reloading mechanism of a pump-action shotgun and a single 12 gauge shell case fell out from the side of its handle.

With trembling hands and face pale with fear, Soudai slowly put the shotgun umbrella on the floor, making sure the tip wasn't pointing at anyone and then took a few big steps back away from it.

"I? I'm not even going to ask?"

"I'm sorry; I forgot to put that dangerous piece on a safer place." Rinnosuke made a belated apology.

Rain or shine, Soudai couldn't stay in Kourindou another second. The departure of the two outsiders was very similar to the one from one month ago when Rinnosuke revealed his stash of plastic explosives. This time, however, the weather was less inviting.

"What about your money~?" Rinnosuke called after them, since Soudai did pay for the umbrella, but left the store empty-handed. Seeing that the two humans were not tracing their steps back, Rinnosuke shrugged and put the money in his pocket. "I guess that's what Reimu-san would call a donation?"

He didn't have many reasons to enjoy it, as it was more like Soudai's compensation for accidentally blasting a hole in Kourindou's roof.
A couple of hours later when the outsiders finally made it all the way to the Hakurei Shrine, they found Reimu hanging out in front of the shrine with Marisa and someone they haven't seen before. Based on her clothes, which were very similar to Reimu's with the exception of color, they deduced the green-haired girl to be another shrine maiden.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Kyouichi greeted them tentatively. He felt as though as he arrived at the wrong moment, because all three girls who were having a lively conversation just a moment ago were now oddly silent. "Sorry to barge in uninvited."

"Who are these two?" the guest shrine maiden asked and alternated glances between Reimu and Marisa.

"Tourists." Marisa gave a short and slightly humorous reply.

The other shrine maiden nodded understandingly and turned to Reimu. "See, Reimu? Your shrine does get some visitors after all."

The "tourists" properly introduced themselves to the green-haired miko, and she in turn introduced herself to them.

"Kochiya Sanae. Wind priestess of the Moriya Shrine. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, so you are Sanae-san! We heard a bit about you, right, Soudai?"

"Something about her shrine being attacked by fairies?" the older outsider vaguely recalled an article from the newspaper.

"Ah, that was over a month ago. Just the day before that big battle in Kazemura." she gave a confirming nod. "But it was nothing serious. And ever since the village is guarded by tengu and since our spirit ward is in place we haven't been troubled by any fairies or vengeful spirits anymore."

"That doesn't mean the end of the incident." Reimu reminded her. "And there is still one certain vengeful spirit that poses a certain degree of trouble for me?"

"True, but at least now we don't have to worry about that village so much."

"By the way, Sanae-san?" Kyouichi remembered one bit of information he heard about the wind priestess from someone, so he wanted to confirm it.

"Yes?"

"Are you an outsider too?"

"Why yes~. I am. This is my third year of living in Gensokyo." She replied with a smile, but then she suddenly opened her mouth as if she just realized something. "Wait? You said "too", so the two of you are?"

"That's right. Just like Marisa said." Soudai played along with the witch's joke.

"Tourists, huh?" it wasn't clear whether she took the joke seriously or not. "So judging by that I assume you won't be staying here."

"No, that we won't. I don't know what made you move here or stay here, but we and a few other people are already firmly determined to return home."

"What made me move here? That's a bit longer story." said Sanae.

"And I'd like to hear it once, but unfortunately, we're in the middle of our shift, so we should cut to the chase."

"Oh great. Now they're going to ask me another favor?" Reimu predicted the situation with an annoyed tone in her voice.

"Point for you, Reimu-san." Soudai nodded in confirmation.

The black-haired miko breathed a sigh. "I prefer money over points."

"We'll pay." Soudai added quickly.

Instantly, Reimu straightened up from her comfortable sitting position and sharpened her senses. "I'm listening."

"It's a wonder you haven't sold your soul to the Devil yet, ze." a satiric remark on Reimu's address escaped Marisa's lips.

"The walls, Reimu? Those walls?" Kyouichi made the explanation extremely terse.

The shrine maiden made a hissing sound as she inhaled through her mouth. "They're a problem, aren't they?"

"We non-natives have a problem with them, alright."

"But you made it to the shrine just fine." Marisa pointed out.

"Because going out of the village is a part of our job. Look, we just wanted to ask you how you would deal with this situation if you were in our position."

Reimu didn't really take long to come up with an ingenious solution. "I'd fly over it."

"By "in our position" I also meant having no superpowers."

"Superpowers? They're pretty standard shrine maiden talents handed down the generations of the Hakurei clan."

"And do I look like a shr? uhh? actually, never mind." Kyouichi silenced himself before he'd remind everyone of his embarrassing experience that he wanted to be forgotten. "Anyway, I've already seen a whole platoon of shrine maidens in the outside world and I doubt any of them could fly or shoot homing orbs of divine energy."

"Not to mention eating tons of sweets and never getting fat." Sanae mentioned another one of Reimu's interesting abilities. From the look in her eyes, one could even assume that she was a little envious of that.

"Yeah, Reimu is so slim because it makes it easier for her to dodge danmaku that way." Marisa explained while trying to grab Reimu by the waist. Giggling from the ticklish sensation, the shrine maiden was attempting to resist Marisa's grapple.

"Yahahaha! That tickles! Cut it out, Marisa!"

When the girls calmed down a bit, Reimu remembered that she still hasn't answered Kyouichi's question, so she gave it a bit of thought and came up with an even more brilliant solution.

"Well, if I couldn't fly over the walls, and the guards wouldn't let me through the gates, I'd just beat them up with danmaku."

"Gee, why haven't we thought of that in the first place?" Kyouichi asked his comrade sarcastically.

"I'd really like to see you wipe the floor with some of the Ryuuken that we live with in the barracks." Soudai admitted. "Some of them are really getting on my nerves. But actually, I've been thinking that flying over the walls might not be such a bad idea."

The blonde magician raised her eyebrow at him. "You can fly?"

The two males replied with grimaced smiles, which could convey their question "Are you serious?" even without saying any words.

"I guess that if they could, they wouldn't be asking us for help." Sanae tried to keep the conversation on a serious level.

"So how many of you would need a lift?" Marisa stopped joking around and asked seriously this time.

"Thirteen. If nobody changes their mind before the 1st of Kannazuki."

Marisa hummed in deep thought. "My broom can take two passengers at max. So I'd have to make seven trips to the village and to the shrine."

"Like a taxi driver." Sanae giggled at the thought.

"That's too much of a hassle, ze?"

"Then how about creating a distraction or something?" Reimu suggested another idea. "Like smoke or something. Then someone will just shout: "Help! Fire, fire!" and the guards at the gates will have to abandon their posts to check it out."

"Sorry, Reimu, but that idea is just wrong on several levels." Sanae disapprovingly shook her head.

"Well, they why don't you suggest something? Although it would probably be just like that idea with your weird cold fusion experiment?" Reimu jabbed back at the other shrine maiden.

Kyouichi and Soudai tilted their heads to express their surprise and curiosity. "Did you just say cold fusion experiment?"

"That's right~!" Sanae excitedly confirmed. "We made an experiment here a few days ago. A lot of youkai and people from the village came to see. You haven't been here?"

"Not really. So what exactly did you do for your experiment?"

"We tested the possibility of cold fusion by applying electricity to a rod made out of palladium alloy dipped into a tub of water. And it was a success! Right~?"

"It made the water boil." Reimu muttered unamusedly. "Amazing? for heating up tea and powering hot springs."

The outsiders were still in great puzzlement. "What does a shrine maiden's job have to do with performing cold fusion experiments? And where the heck did you get electricity and a palladium rod from?"

"The alloy was provided by Reimu, who made a request from Kanayamabiko no Mikoto, the god of metals. The rod was made in just one night."

"Whoa! Reimu can do such things too?" Kyouichi was quite impressed by her. "Say, Reimu, do you happen to know any gods of? I don't know? instant travel from Gensokyo to Tokyo?"

"I don't."

"Then at least some gods of passing undetected through the Human Village's gates?" Soudai made a more modest, but still ridiculous request.

"There is no such a god, you know."

"What a pity? So anyway, where did you get electricity from?"

"That was applied by Kanako-sama." answered Sanae. "The goddess of the Moriya Shrine."

"I see. But why would a shrine maiden be conducting an experiment straight out of a sci-fi movie?"

Before Sanae could answer, Marisa beat her to it. "Why else? For gathering faith for her shrine, of course."

"That's not the main reason." the green-haired girl mustered a pout. "It was because I realized that the underground nuclear reactor in Old Hell is imperfect as long as it relies on the power of a yatagarasu. Its cost is too high. We chose this shrine for the public experiment because our shrine is quite hard to reach and we wouldn't get as much publicity as here."

"Yatagarasu?" Kyouichi repeated after her. "Does it have anything to do with Satori-sama's certain pet?"

"The very one. It was actually Kanako-sama's doing that the otherwise ordinary, although exceptionally airheaded hell raven now possesses the powers of a sun god. You see, Kanako-sama is a goddess who supports technological progress. Although it was that very same progress that has resulted in the decrease of faith in gods in the outside world. And since in Gensokyo, things that have become illusions in the outside world could be used, the Old Hell's reactor is imperfect."

"I never even knew there was such a thing in Gensokyo." Soudai couldn't hide his amazement. "So what is it powering?"

"The hot springs." Reimu snuck in a reply before Sanae.

"How many times do I have to tell you it has nothing to do with the hot springs?! It powers the industry of the kappa. But it could be used for so much more?"

"Still? one thing doesn't quite add up." Kyouichi thoughtfully bit his lower lip.

"Is there something confusing about what I just said?"

"If the outside world's illusions such as youkai, ghosts, and? I don't know? UFO's are becoming real here in Gensokyo, then wouldn't that make the reactor you just mentioned actually perfect?"

"How so?" this time it was Sanae who blinked in confusion.

"Due to the fact that perfect things don't exist in the outside world. They are an illusion of an ideal product or result, or a person? Wouldn't that reactor be also one such an illusion of a perfect energy source?"

"Well, not exactly." the wind priestess corrected him. "While it's true that there is no such thing as perfection in the outside world, the things that happen to become reality in Gensokyo are more often than not things that were once real in the outside world and became obsolete, forgotten, disused, no longer needed?"

"Are you saying that we are no longer needed in our world?" Soudai looked a little offended by the idea. "What a cruel thing to say. I thought at least my family would care."

"Wait a second." Marisa interrupted his laments. "There are more ways to get to Gensokyo. Just because you're here doesn't necessarily mean that you've been forgotten by everyone."

Looking a bit relieved, Soudai exhaled his worries and let Sanae carry on with her speech.

"So where was I?" the green-haired miko lost track of what she was talking about due to derailment of topic.

"Sitting on my porch." Reimu muttered quietly.

"Oh yeah, cold fusion! So in order to utilize the reactor's true potential, it would need to become self-sustaining energy source. And to achieve that, it would need to become a nuclear fusion reactor powered by Hell's geothermal energy. But the main problem with the reactor is not its reliance on the powers of a yatagarasu, but its inaccessibility. It lies deep in the underground protected by multiple barriers. Not to mention the underground is inhabited by some of the most fearsome youkai the world has ever known."

"But Satori-sama is actually very cute." Kyouichi argued, but the girls pretended they hadn't heard anything.

"For that reason," Sanae continued without getting sidetracked, "it's become necessary to search for a new source of energy. And that source lies in cold fusion. In theory, it would allow nuclear fusion at lower temperatures and pressures that the currently existing fusion technologies require. Although, as you already said, it's something that you'd only find mentioned in science fiction. The topic of cold fusion has become a taboo within the community of physicists. Even Julian Schwinger, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics was shunned among the fellow physicists, just because he showed genuine interest in cold fusion experiments. A technology that could not be spoken of in the outside world made a perfect candidate for implementation in Gensokyo. If our experiment would turn out to be successful, it would be a first step to shutting down the inefficient Old Hell's reactor."

"And you said your experiment succeeded?"

"Just read the upcoming issue of Bunbunmaru!" the shrine maiden of the outside world smiled contently.

"It was quite disappointing, really." Reimu expressed he opinion. "They just boiled the water in the tub. That's about the only thing that this cold fusion is good for."

"And for making hotpots." Marisa added.

"It's just the first step, but a successful one nonetheless." Sanae concluded the discussion.

"Too bad I wasn't ever good at physics." Kyouichi chuckled afterwards.

"Don't worry, Kyouichi," Soudai comfortingly tapped his shoulder, "I was even worse? I don't even remember the Pythagorean Theorem anymore."

"That's a geometry relation though."

"Heh? Only proves my point."

"But Sanae isn't the only one who wanted to have the Old Hell's reactor shut down." said Marisa after a moment of thought.

"Right? that nagging hermit." Reimu seemed to know the person in question even without Marisa having to specify. "Something about the geyser in Hell's Valley being dangerous to humans."

"Hermit?" the outsiders were again clueless.

"They're talking about Ibaraki Kasen-san." Sanae cleared it up. "She lives on the mountain like me and she's got an impressive dojo."

"That's right." Marisa affirmed her statement. "I met her recently after some while at the Human Village. Then on the same day she showed up at the shrine and ever since then she started paying Reimu a visit every once in a while."

"And who invited her to come over so often?" the brunette miko threw an accusing look at her.

"But now you don't seem to mind her so much." the witch defended herself. "She knows methods that can extend human lifespan. I'd like to learn them one day. Who knows? Maybe she could even help you guys with leaving the village. She visits it every now and then. She's tall, has pinkish hair, usually wears white shirt and green skirt and has a bandaged right arm, so she's kind of hard to miss. If you'll hear someone in the village preaching others how they should live their lives, you've got a 50% chance it's her?"

Only now did the two outsiders realize that despite their attempts to waste as little time at the shrine as possible, they have in fact, wasted quite a lot of it. And they didn't even get any useful advice from the girls hanging out at the shrine.

"Ah, damn it! Kyouichi, we stayed here too long. Let's move it to the fishing colony." Soudai alarmed his colleague.

"It can't be helped." Kyouichi backed two steps away from the girls and bowed. "We really need to hurry. Thanks for your time. "See you again sometime."

As a good host, Reimu saw her guests off by accompanying them to the shrine's torii.

"If you two are really serious about paying me for helping you, then I'll try to come up with something, but it may take a while."

"As long as it doesn't take you longer than a month, we'll appreciate it? and pay you accordingly." Kyouichi promised her.

"That's more than enough time for me." Reimu smiled reassuringly.

"Before we part ways, have you tried finding Mayohiga again?" the outsider asked her one last question when he and his friend were already standing underneath the tall red sacred gateway.

"I gave it a try, but so far no luck. I just kept flying aimlessly in circles before I even realized it. If only I remembered how exactly I ended up in there that one time?"

"Well, good luck on your next attempt. I wish I could stay longer, but we are in a hurry. Until next time..."

"Bye now."

Reimu watched for a while as the two visitors walked down the stairs, grabbed their cart and set off towards Misty Lake, escorted by a pair of impatient militiamen. But at least those Ryuuken were willing to wait for them while the outsiders took care of their business at the shrine.
Reimu rejoined her two remaining visitors and perched herself on her favorite sitting spot. Marisa and Sanae were expecting her to say something, but since she remained silent, the witch had to ask.

"You're really willing to do anything as long as you get paid, aren't you?"

Everyone has their flaws, and Reimu's two biggest ones would be her greed and sloth. However, Marisa's concern wasn't stemming from her friend's hunger for money or her lack of self discipline.

"Shouldn't we be doing something towards the resolution of the vengeful spirit outbreak? Or at least keep trying to find a way to Mayohiga? Now you also want to think of a way to smuggle thirteen outsiders out of Human Village? Even if they are willing to pay you, you already have enough work to do as it is."

While Marisa was partially correct, Reimu apparently had to remind her of the priority in resolution of Gensokyo's numerous problems.

"Marisa? You and I both know that until Patchouli and her team discover the source or the mastermind behind the spirit outbreak, we really can't do anything, unless you'd like to take a pickaxe and help the yama-bito with digging. As for Mayohiga, finding it won't be as easy as I thought. Even with the hints from this? Kinjo-san's diary, "somewhere in the northeastern Gensokyo" is still very vague. I think that right now we should focus on the easiest of the incidents ? sending the outsiders back to the outside world."

"They are not our most pressing concern, though." the magician polemized.

"They're not." Reimu agreed with her. "They plan to leave Gensokyo in over a month, so there's still plenty of time to deal with their problems. But?" she paused herself to emphasize the following statement, "the solution to their situation seems the easiest out of all our current problems."

"You say that after you couldn't give them any useful ideas?"

"Don't you worry, Marisa." Reimu tapped her shoulder and made a gesture at Sanae. "We will put Gensokyo back into order. One incident at a time."

[Fonzi]

Chapter 58 ? Tea with Yuuka-san

The month of Hazuki was slowly, but certainly nearing its end. The grand harvest and the subsequent festival was due to take place in just a few days and by now almost everyone in the village was talking about it. With the fields dyed in golden color of the ripe wheat, or other colors depending on the type of crops, there was not a single idle person on the farms. Even the children were tasked to provide some assistance to their hard-working parents.

The Human Village's agriculture was a mirror to its cultural image. Just as the Japanese houses stood next to their westernized cousins, so did the farm production represent a blend between typically eastern crops and imported ones. The only thing that was missing from the typical Japanese cuisine in Gensokyo was seafood, but even without a sea, one could still find an abundance of freshwater fish at the market.

Soudai and his younger friend had almost forgotten what it meant to have a good rest. Izuru Takeda, their strict boss with high expectations ordered them to load as many crop sacks into his barn as they could per one day. After about 20 runs with their cart to the crop fields and back, they managed to fill up the barn's interior with something over 250 sacks, each weighing approximately a hundred kilograms. Needless to say that after such a day, every single part of their body ached from exertion. At least their boss was satisfied with the result.
"Good job, boys, good job?" he praisingly tapped them on their backs when he came over to the barn to check how much work has been done. "The gods have blessed our crops this season. With this surplus we won't starve even if the winter will be as long as the one in 119. Take your deserved rest and your payment. And don't spend it all on booze. I hope to see you here for the harvest feast. It will be the first time for you, right?"

"Uhh? yes." Kyouichi exhaustedly breathed out. "And the last one." he whispered quietly.

"Just don't let him hear you say that." Soudai's hushed voice reminded him.

The payment on the farms was actually worth the hard work, unlike some part-time jobs Kyouichi took back in Tokyo.

On their way to the village, they stopped for a while at the hunter's cabin.
"Maybe we'll even get this thing done before we say our goodbye to Gensokyo." Soudai commented the progress he and Kyouichi have made on the roof. Even without the assistance of professional carpenters and builders, Naota-san's guidance was enough to help them get a basic idea of what to do. They haven't done much, and even the little they did was of questionable quality, but they at least wanted to cover up the hole in the roof, so that the next rain wouldn't flood the cabin's interior.

"The difference between our work and that of Naota's friends is like heaven and Earth." Kyouichi stated self-critically. "I'm not sure if anyone would want to buy a house with such a roof."

"Oh come on! Give us some credit. The roof will be done in a few weeks. And we did it all by ourselves."

"Well, it's not like I'm the one who's going to be living in this cabin anyway, so? I honestly don't even care if the roof will be sloppily built or not."

"It will be just fine." Soudai reassured him, but he silently thought just the same thing as Kyouichi.

"Let's go already, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, me too."

As their footsteps quietly resonated on the dirt road to the village, Soudai suddenly asked an unexpected question.

"Say, Kyouichi?"

"What is it?"

"Do you already know what will you tell to your family when you reunite with them after over four months of absence?"

Naturally, Soudai caught him completely off guard with that question. Sure, he has thought of his home and family since his spiriting away many times, but he couldn't really find the right words to give an answer. On one hand, he was very much looking forward to returning home, but on the other hand? he was afraid of something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was a feeling that not everything is going to be the same when he comes home. He won't even be able to explain to his mother where he was all this time and why hasn't he even called or left a message. Is she still even hoping for his return? Has she already given up hope? Four months certainly is a lot of time. And a lot of things could have happened in the outside world. That's why Kyouichi's thoughts about home have always brought a mixture of anticipation and unease to his mind.

"I'm going to tell them that I've been taken to a magical land full of youkai, fairies, ghosts and gods?." Soudai spoke when he saw that Kyouichi wasn't answering. "And a lot of really cute and beautiful girls, but I better omit that part."

It was a bit admirable that even in this situation he could still joke about it. But perhaps Soudai's belief in a good outcome was stronger than Kyouichi's.

"Then, I'm going to show them my autograph from Kaguya-hime. And I'll even bring a few old issues of Bunbunmaru with me, so that they'd believe me?"

"Will you?" Kyouichi finally opened his mouth. "Well, whatever sanatorium you'll be placed in afterwards, I'll pay you a visit."

Both of them burst into laughter.

"But seriously?" Soudai stopped joking around. "I think if people will start asking me where I was all this time, I'll just say that I was in a coma and I had no ID on me when I was hospitalized, so they couldn't contact my family."

"That's actually a pretty smart excuse." Kyouichi acknowledged. "Considering it's coming from you?"

"Hey! I heard that!"
After a couple of days passed, the day of the harvest feast was almost here. Not much has changed in the village since then. The outsiders held a few more meetings, but they couldn't find an appropriate alternative to Midori's plan. They even tried signing a petition for free passage through the gates for everyone, but it didn't end well. Kyouichi also tried getting in touch with the only Ryuuken he considered a friend - Lt. Takamori, but the man was still assigned to caravan escort and letting people through one of the village's three gates was not in his jurisdiction. The situation looked almost hopeless, but fortunately, someone showed up in the Human Village, bearing some promising news.
"Mmm? crunchy, hot and delicious?" Ishimaru Kyouichi took delight in eating freshly baked taiyaki from his favorite stand in the Human Village marketplace.

His friend, Soudai, rolled his eyes with slight annoyance from seeing the same scene for an umpteenth time since the two of them became acquainted with each other. Kyouichi's fondness for the popular Japanese snack was obvious to him since the day they made their daring run from Eientei.

"Come on? Do you have to buy these every time you cross the marketplace?"

"Mmm?" the long-haired male turned his head around with his mouth full. After taking a while to chew and swallow, he took a defensive stance towards Soudai's accusative question.

"I only buy taiyaki once or twice a week. Not my fault they're so good?" he shrugged to emphasize his innocence in the matter and took another bite. "Want some?"

After Soudai showed him his palm as a gesture of refusal, he continued justifying his reason for buying another couple of pieces of the treat even today.

"Besides? Today's the harvest feast. We have no work, we earned quite a bit of money, and we no longer need to spend them on food or traveling gear. Why not sweeten this day up a little? This is most likely our last festive day we get to experience in Gensokyo."

"You'll get fat if you keep up the same trend." the older outsider warned the younger one.

"Who cares?" Kyouichi freewheelingly asked as he took another nibble.

"So you won't mind if girls won't find you attractive, huh?"

"Please!" he waved his hand dismissively. "The girls don't find me attractive either way."

As he said that, he heard someone calling his name.

"Kyouichi! Over here!" a girl in the crowded marketplace waved her arm clad in a white detached sleeve.

"Are you sure they don't?" Soudai gave him a teasing elbow nudge.

"Oh, Reimu!" Kyouichi identified the voice and the familiar piece of clothing. The big red hair ribbon that the Hakurei Shrine maiden always wore guided him like a beacon in the sea of people and youkai that have gathered in the marketplace.

"And there I thought she had already forgotten about us." Soudai tailed Kyouichi's steps while talking to himself.

"Good afternoon, Reimu." Kyouichi courteously bowed to the girl who represented his last remaining hope of returning home. She wasn't standing too far away from the taiyaki stand, but it was still a small miracle that se managed to recognize someone familiar in that crowd. During this special day, the marketplace was bustling with much more activity than usual. There were much more stalls and much more customers, even from the faraway villages. The tengu, the kappa, even some yamba-bito could be sighted among the dominating human populace of this village.

"Three months spent in Gensokyo, and this is the first time I caught you doing shopping here." stated Kyouichi with a chuckle. "How did you even know we were here?"

"Just a hunch, I guess." Reimu smirked lightly. It was more or less a well-known fact that Reimu's luck and intuition was leagues above average, but still, it was a very nice surprise for the two humans to actually meet her here.

"That, and I heard your friend's voice telling you something about eating too much taiyaki, so I figured you'll be here too." she finally gave a reasonable explanation for identifying two ordinary humans in a crowded place. Soudai's loud and slightly hoarse voice was admittedly hard to miss.

"Hey, Reimu-san." he greeted her after Kyouichi. "So, are you here for the feast as well? Or have you perhaps figured out how to help us sneak out of this village?"

Reimu graced him with another smile and extended her shopping bag-wielding arm towards him. "Will you hold this for a second? I need to pay for the groceries first?"

"Uh? sure." Soudai took the bag and held it while Reimu searched her pockets to find her money satchel. She haggled with the stall vendor for a while before she sighed and reluctantly paid the original price for the groceries instead of getting a discount.

"One would think that at a festive day like this, one would be more open-hearted and offer some goods at a cheaper price?" she lamented as she was turning her face back at the two outsiders.

"With increased demand, the prices have to rise as well." Kyouichi explained. "It's one of the fundamental rules of economy. At least they haven't made the taiyaki more expensive today?"

Soudai, having his question unanswered, had to ask Reimu once more whether she visited a village just to do the shopping or she actually had other reasons to come here.

"Ah, yes, I was just about to get to that." said the shrine maiden. "I had an idea that one of those who could help you get past the guards undetected would be Sakuya Izayoi. You know Remilia's chief maid, don't you?"

Both outsiders nodded in unison.

"She was amazing during the Tanabata's festival tournament in the Spell Card Survival discipline." Soudai recalled. "She kept dodging shots like Neo and then she was like "Stop! Dagger time!"."

"Well, I tried asking her for assistance and told her about your offer, but she doesn't care about money at all. I just don't understand her?"

"Wait, you just went home after she turned down your request? Without a fight? That doesn't seem like your style." Kyouichi asked her teasingly.

Reimu exhaled, as if from annoyance, but the smile didn't leave her lips. "Of course we had a duel, but? Like your friend Soudai already mentioned, she's pretty decent when it comes to evading patterned danmaku from Spell Cards."

Kyouichi corrected the position of his glasses. "You're saying that you lost a duel?"

"Well, contrary to popular belief, even I, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine occasionally lose battles. You could see that for yourself during Tanabata's tournament."

"If she isn't going to help us, why did you even mention her in the first place?" Soudai raised his voice out of impatience.

"However," Reimu smirked slyly, "she cannot disobey her mistress's orders. Remilia has taken into her head that she wants to resolve Gensokyo's problems. Whatever her motives are, she spoke to Sakuya shortly after our match, and now the maid is obliged to lend us her power."

"That's? that's great!" Kyouichi exclaimed excitedly. "Thanks for your effort. Even if you had to suffer a defeat."

"It happens." the miko waved her palm. "The important thing is that Sakuya is going to lead you out of the village and help me with one of my problems. Without having to baby-sit you outsiders, I can fully concentrate on facing the breakout of the vengeful spirits."

"The village council is the one doing the most of baby-sitting for us, but that's beside the point. I was just wondering whether this maid is truly capable of getting us out of here without the Ryuuken taking notice." Soudai raised his eyebrow in slight doubt.

"She can manipulate the flow of time itself. Trust me; the Ryuuken will have no idea that you're gone until it's too late." Reimu promoted Sakuya's abilities. "She will be here on the first of Kannazuki, waiting for you."

Kyouichi still had his doubts and misgivings about Remilia's chief maid, but given the current state of affairs, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine, then whom should we pay our money to? You or Sakuya?"

"Me, of course!" Reimu said without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Since Sakuya isn't interested in money and neither is Remilia, since she's so damn rich, I'll gladly take the burden of excessive funds off your shoulders?" she cupped her hands together, as if she was expecting to receive something.

Kyouichi leaned towards her, closing the distance between their faces to just a few centimeters and spoke: "AFTER we manage to reach your shrine on the 1st of Kannazuki, Reimu. After?"

If disappointment had a color, it would probably be brown. Deep dark brown like the color of Reimu's eyes that were staring back at Kyouichi after hearing that she would not get paid in advance.

"Not even a little down payment?" she asked pleadingly, still holding her hands cupped in hope of seeing at least a fraction of the money the outsiders promised her.

That's when Kyouichi got an idea. He opened the paper bag he was holding and placed a fresh taiyaki into Reimu's anticipating palms.

"There you go~!" he flashed a smile bright like a Hollywood movie star.

The shrine maiden puzzledly blinked at the carp-shaped pastry in her hands. "Taiyaki?"

"Yes, it's rally good." The outsider demonstratively took another bite from his half-eaten snack and delightedly patted his stomach. "Mmm? Besides, Soudai here says I'll get fat if I eat these so often."

"And I thought you said you didn't care." the older human was quick to remind him of his own words.

"Still, I might have bought a bit too many this time." Kyouichi gestured to the paper taiyaki bag that still looked decently filled and heavy.

"Were you seriously going to eat all of those by yourself?" Soudai disbelievingly asked as he poked a glance into the bag.

"Actually just two, I bought a few extra ones for the Saitou kids and one for Midori. Go ahead, Reimu, have one, don't be shy."

The shrine maiden hesitantly eyed the taiyaki before taking an equally tentative bite. Even though she really liked sweets, she'd still prefer if it was money she was holding instead.

"And how exactly is Sakuya-san going to lead us out of the village?" Kyouichi suddenly returned to the original topic.

"I just told you, didn't I? She is going to stop the time and get you all past the gates. You'll most likely use the western gate and the western road to get to the shrine, even if it isn't the shortest one. You're much less likely to run into a youkai or a Ryuuken patrol that way. Sakuya said she'll be waiting here for you in the afternoon on the fist of Kannazuki, so you better be there on time."

"We'll be there, alright. The only reason I'm asking this is because I want to have absolute certainty. I don't have the patience for experiments."

"This is no experiment." Reimu wiped the crumbs off her lips. "Did you see how Sakuya repaired the hole in the stage behind my shrine after the tournament?"

"Uhh? no."

"Exactly! You didn't. Because she stopped time. Nobody from the village is going to notice your disappearance. How else do you think she keeps up with her chores of cleaning up such a huge mansion?"

"Ehh? the fairy maids?"

"Was that a joke? Those maids are useless! I don't even know myself why Remilia keeps them. Sakuya is the only competent maid of the house and she uses her time manipulation for both combat and mundane tasks. If you can trust me, I see no reason why you shouldn't trust her."

Reimu's reassuring words certainly left a good impression on the two outsiders as they both nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for making this arrangement, Reimu."

"I won't buy anything for your "thank you"." she muttered and took another bite of the taiyaki.

"No, but you can't complain about poverty either." Kyouichi made a good point. "You're a shrine maiden and you receive rewards for solving incidents. Our presence in Gensokyo is just another incident for you. When you or your friends see us safely out of here, then you'll really see just how grateful we are for your kindness."

With a sigh, Reimu nodded understandingly. "I get it. I'll make sure you reach the shrine safely, but once you're on the other side of the barrier, you're on your own."

"We know. That's what we bought all that traveling gear for? To tell the truth, I'm going to miss it here a bit. But I miss my home even more."

"You're not the only one." said Soudai.

"In the end, it's all up to you to make the decision." said the shrine maiden wisely and finished the rest of her taiyaki. "Just don't tell me you suddenly changed your mind after I went through so much trouble to arrange your escape. Otherwise it's Fantasy Seal for both of you." she added a joke threat.

"Hahaha!" Kyouichi's laughter got drowned out in the ocean of voices in the busy marketplace. "It would have to be some really damn good reason for me to change my mind!"

"Same here." Soudai seconded.

"Then there's nothing more I need to tell you." the shrine maiden took her shopping bag back from Soudai's hands. "See you later?"

"Wait a minute." Kyouichi halted her. "Aren't you going to take part in the harvest feast?"

"I don't plan to. I better be available at the shrine in case of any news from Kazemura."

"That's a pity. I wonder who else we should go there with? Maybe Akyuu. I haven't seen her for a while." the outsider thought aloud.

"That's because she's in Kazemura as a part of the research team. But I haven't heard much information about their progress besides their complaints." Reimu exhaled through her nose.

"What sort of complaints?"

"Oh, you know? how the digging is becoming more laborious and how tired everyone is? They said they've hit a solid rock layer or something and even the yama-bito are having a hard time breaking through. There was only one bit of information from their research report that caught my interest."

"What could that be?"

"The material the temple is made of. They said that it's remarkably durable. As in durable enough to withstand powerful impacts and high temperatures, such as from a volcano eruption. That's the reason why the whole temple is intact even after millennia."

"Well, isn't that interesting?" Soudai looked as though as an interesting idea crossed his mind. "The other day when we visited Kourindou, we learned that?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, Soudai." his friend halted him from finishing the sentence. "I hope you're not suggesting that the diggers in Kazemura should use THAT to speed up their excavation."

"Well, if the temple's walls are as strong as Reimu-san says, and if they use the right amount?"

"Do you really want someone to get killed by your idea?"

Now that the outsiders have started a conversation about something that Reimu had no clue about, the young shrine maiden found it extremely difficult to maintain a facade of indifference.

"What do you mean by "THAT"? What did you say about Kourindou?"

"The shop is full of? umnmmfm!" Kyouichi promptly gagged Soudai's mouth with his palm.

"Useless junk. That's what Soudai wanted to say?"

Reimu obviously wasn't gullible enough to believe that and her squinting eyes were a sign of suspicion. "It sounded like you got an interesting idea. Let's hear it."

Still holding his palm over Soudai's mouth, Kyouichi stood stiffly and refused to give a single hint to what his friend wanted to say.

As the young miko was gradually running out of patience, she reached inside her sleeve and pulled out something that looked like a regular ofuda charm. "Look? We can do this in two ways: Ether you tell me what's in Kourindou or I can beat the answer out of you."

Seeing as how the marketplace was full of people, Kyouichi didn't find her threatening gesture all that convincing. "You wouldn't dare. Look at all these witnesses. If you attacked us now, your reputation as a shrine maiden would suffer."

"Do I look like I care? My shrine rarely sees anyone form the village unless it's some festive event."

"But at least they're not chasing you with torches and pitchforks."

Reimu figured that the crowded marketplace was not the best location for open threats of violence, so she changed her tactics.

"Fine. Have it your way. Then I'm not going to let you out of Gensokyo until you tell me."

Of course, nothing prevented the black-haired girl from simply flying over to Kourindou and figuring it out first-hand form Rinnosuke, who would probably even be glad that someone is interested in buying his multi-purpose clay, but since she had the people with some knowledge already at hand, she intended to get the answers out of them and saving herself the trouble.

"Seriously, why not just tell her straight, Kyou?" Soudai finally freed his mouth from Kyouichi's hand. "If we tell it to someone competent like Reimu-san, she might actually convince that crazy guy to get rid of that stuff."

"Okay, you," Reimu addressed the older of the two, "tell me what's in Kourindou."

"Lots of stuff that goes "boom!"." Soudai tried to interpret the fact that the antique shop is loaded with explosives in a way that even a Gensokyo native would understand.

"Stuff that goes "boom!"?" the shrine maiden tilted her head. "You mean fireworks?"

"No, I mean much bigger "boom!" It's a clay that's used in the outside world by soldiers to demolish buildings for instance."

"And? could it be used for digging too?" Reimu inquired.

"I think that miners are using a slightly weaker explosive called dynamite. The stuff Rinnosuke-san has is relatively safer, but more powerful than that."

"It's very dangerous and Rinnosuke's shop is full of it." Kyouichi raised a warning finger. "He did manage to find a way to make the detonators work, but I doubt there is anyone in Gensokyo who properly knows how to work with explosives. Unprofessional manipulation could cause a disaster and many deaths. I told him to just bury that stuff far away from any houses, but he refused to."

"Who else knows better how to work with outside world's inventions than you, outsiders?"

"Trust me, Reimu, we don't. It's a dangerous weapon and those are only handled by specially trained experts. It's not like you could buy a crate of plastic explosives at your local marketplace."

"Technically," Soudai shared his modest knowledge about the matter, "all you should do is plant the explosive, plant a detonating device with a receiver, arm it, go to safety, and push the button on the detonator, but? that's all just theoretical. I wouldn't dare to touch it myself."

The miko hummed thoughtfully. "If it really is that dangerous, then I should probably not mention it to the girls in Kazemura? But what about Rinnosuke-san? Isn't he in danger?"

"I'm glad you understand the danger." Kyouichi breathed out a sigh of relief. "Yes, even if Rinnosuke knows what he's storing in Kourindou, I can't help, but to think that he is gambling with his life and the lives of any potential customers. He wouldn't listen to us, but maybe? maybe he'll listen to you."

"Then I guess I won't avoid a trip to Kourindou after all, huh? Even when such a device could help the Kazemurans dig through that rocky layer that encases the temple..."

"Maybe it could, but the risk is too great. Even if it would be simple to use, apply the wrong amount and you won't just blow up the temple, but the whole village."

"In any case, I'm going to talk to Rinnosuke-san about those explosives. It's a good thing you told me about it?" said the miko as she withdrew her Spell Card back to her sleeve. "See you on the 1st of Kannazuki, then. Or perhaps sooner? Bye." she lowered her head to indicate a bow and lifted off with her fresh groceries into the sky.

The outsiders looked at her distancing figure in silent awe before Soudai broke the silence.

"She didn't really mean she'd beat the answer out of us, did she?"

"Perhaps not, but something tells me I'd rather not try to find out."
After their coincidental encounter with Reimu, the two youths headed off to Naota's house to meet up with Midori, but they only met the master of the house who welcomed them with his usual gruff attitude.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not going to buy any of your? oh? sorry." he paused himself as soon as his aging eyes recognized the familiar faces. "It's you two? If you're looking for Iwakami-san, you just missed her. Try looking at the farms. That's where all the feastin' is going to take place."

"Are you going to go there too?" Kyouichi asked him, even though he could already guess what answer would come out of the old man's mouth.

"I might?" the retired master craftsman replied with uncertain positivism to Kyouichi's surprise. "Most of my drinking buddies said they'd be there, including Mizuto. I just hope not too many youkai will be there this year. Don't understand why they keep participating in human festivals, but with us in the minority, there isn't much we humans can do about it. The fairies are bearable, or so I thought until I read about them in the news. Wouldn't want to live in Kazemura now, even if they paid me? If you'd like, you can come in and have a few drinks with me."

The young men were grateful for Naota's offer, but they kindly turned down the invitation.

"Well, suit yourselves. I'm sure there's going to be plenty of liquor and sake to drink at the feast. I'll come over there later when the sun won't be so strong. Good luck finding Midori in that crowd, boys!" those were the last words of the old carpenter before he closed his door behind the leaving guests.

"It must be pretty hard? Living here all those years with such a strong aversion to all youkai." Kyouichi mused aloud as he directed his steps back towards the marketplace. As he and Soudai could guess, Midori wanted to use today's exceptional opportunity to leave the imprisonment of the village's walls as soon as possible.

"I'm sure he's not the only man in the village who thinks like that." Soudai stated while mustering a shrug.

"Maybe not, but in his case? I don't know. He refuses to talk about it when questioned. Maybe he could deal with this problem much easier if he talked about it with someone."

"He's the kind of person who believes only he knows what's best for him. At least in my opinion."

"I guess so." said Kyouichi. "If he doesn't want to leave Gensokyo with us, then he can't hate it here that much."
After a few minutes, the outsiders somehow weaved through all the people in the marketplace and successfully made it to the familiar street, with the Hieda residence, a flower shop, the Kirisame-ya second-hand magic store, and the newly established book renter, Suzunaan, that replaced the former Starlight Glyph. At its end, there was a large gate, casting its shadow on the nearby buildings, and to Kyouichi's and Soudai's surprise, there appeared to be a young Ryuuken guard who kept halting the passerby and checking their identification. The fact that the gates were usually staffed by at least two militiamen at all times was making the lone Ryuuken's presence there look even more out of place.

"I thought they would spare us from this bureaucratic nonsense today." Soudai commented the guard's presence and actions from a safe distance. "Wait? It's THAT guy?" he grimaced with evident contempt as soon as he recognized him.

"You know him?"

"You bet. Osamu Nishio, one of the biggest jerks in the barracks... Remember our conversation with Reimu-san when I mentioned that I wouldn't mind seeing her beat up some of the Ryuuken with her danmaku?"

Kyouichi fished around inside his memory and slowly nodded. "Vaguely."

"Well, this guy would be the first on the list."

As they approached the gate, they could already hear his smug-sounding bossy voice as he halted yet another law-abiding villager just so he could massage his own ego.

"Hey, you there! Anyone passing through needs to present himself with proper identification and you, sir, are no exception!"

"Oh, boy?" even at first glance Kyouichi figured that this man and the likes of him live for the enjoyment of patronizing everyone and overstating the importance of their position. "Should we try another gate?"

"Well, if we just show him our ID, he should let us pass without a problem, but?" Soudai stopped mid-sentence just as he stopped his feet. "Just seeing his face again makes me want to spit in it."

"Woah, Soudai... What did he do to you?"

"Have you ever been bullied at school?" he replied with a question.

"Well, I don't know? maybe a little, but?"

"Because I think this guy must have been bullied, his parents hated him, if he had any and now he joined the militia to take his revenge on anyone he sees. As outsiders living in the barracks, we are obliged to listen to the orders of the Ryuuken. Most of them are reasonable, but not from this guy? Everyone cursed the day when he was on cleanup duty, because we knew he was going to give us the dirtiest most degrading work possible. Lucky Midori? She found someone to take her in, because she couldn't stand it there. I think Nishio was one of the reasons she decided to stay with Tanisake-san."

They were standing no more than ten meters away from the gate when Osamu Nishio halted another person, this time asking the woman to empty all of her pockets for no stated reason.

"Charming fellow?" Kyouichi muttered an ironic remark under his nose. That's when his glance fell on the shoulder part of Osamu's uniform, which like all Ryuuken uniforms bore the ranking of the person wearing it.

"Why, he's just an ordinary grunt."

"Yeah, he has the lowest rank in the militia," Soudai nodded affirmatively, "but he carries himself like he owns the world."

"So he must be a fresh recruit? abusing his new superior position against ordinary citizens. Come to think of it, Gensokyo doesn't differ all that much from the outside world when it comes to the different kinds of people, does it?"

Soudai didn't answer. He just stood there with eyes focused on Osamu's face, his jaw moving slowly from one side to another, as if he was chewing something. But it was just a sign of him brainstorming.

"Tell you what, Kyou?" he spoke without blinking his eye or shifting his glance to his comrade.

"What?"

"Since today is such a special day? Why not commemorate it with some enjoyable scene?" his lips then bent into a devilish grin. "Like seeing Osamu-san go packing to the barracks and cleaning latrines for the rest of the day after I report his actions to someone more sensible and with real authority?"

"Are you serious?"

"Why not? We won't be in Gensokyo for long. Thirty days will pass by like a blink of an eye. When will I get another chance like this?"

Kyouichi didn't feel so positive about his idea, though. "I don't know about that, Soudai? I just don't want your prank to cause us trouble with the Ryuuken."

"Prank? I'll be doing this whole village a favor by reporting him. There should be no guards here today and even if there should, they shouldn't be pestering everyone about their business in or out of the village. Instead of keeping the order, this guy is overstepping his authority."

"Oh, come on, Soudai, just let it be. We can take the northern gate or the southern one." Kyouichi tried to talk his friend out of it, but he knew how stubborn Soudai could be when he took something into his head.

"No." he declared firmly. "You bought yourself half a ton of taiyaki; I'm going to report Nishio and watch him get reprimanded. Wait here, alright? I'll be back soon."

"Soudai? Soudai!" Kyouichi's calls deflected off Soudai's eardrums without notice. He was determined to go to the barracks and no words could stop him now.

"Not going to stop, are you? In that case? I better stay here and wait for what happens."
And so, Kyouichi waited. To hide from the intense sunlight, he casually walked up to the gate and leaned himself against the wall facing east. Of course, it didn't take long for the young Ryuuken to notice him and scold him.

"Hey, you! What are you doing there? Move along."

Apparently, leaning against the fortifications was against the law.

"Me? I'm just waiting here for someone." Kyouichi replied with an innocent tone and didn't move from the comfort of the shade.

"You can't stand here blocking the gate." Osamu warned him. "Move somewhere else."

Only now Kyouichi turned his head to face the cocky Ryuuken, and as he did so, he raised his eyebrow at his somewhat nonsensical request.

"I'm not blocking the gate or the road." he explained stoically. "This is a wall. The gate is where you're standing. I assure you my presence here won't delay the traffic."

"Don't you get smart with me, punk! Who do you think you are?! Let me see your identification."

Kyouichi made a snorting chuckle before he turned his face away from him and pretended that the two of them never struck up a conversation.

This vexed the inexperienced guard to such levels, that to prove his authority, he drew his blade. "Is something wrong with your ears? I asked you to show me your ID!"

Seeing the guy's short temper in combination with the sharp blade glittering in the sun, Kyouichi started to actually care about his word choice and behavior. He stepped away from the wall, as he was asked and showed the inquisitive Ryuuken his identification card.

"Ishimaru? Ah? an outsider, huh? Haven't seen you in the barracks? You must be one of those who's been taken in by some family."

"Yes, sir. I'm not from Gensokyo, so I'm not really familiar with all the laws of this village."

"Unfamiliarity with the law does not exonerate those who break it." Osamu growled as he tossed Kyouichi's ID card back at its owner like he was tossing a bone to a dog.

"Excuse me, sir, but I heard that the Ryuuken would permit free passage in and out of the village to anyone during the harvest feast."

"We don't publicize every change in our internal regulations. Just be glad I'm letting you go without a fine." Osamu sheathed the sword, turned on his heel and marched back towards the gate like a soldier on a parade.
Kyouichi decided to wait for Soudai in front of Kirisame-ya, which was basically just a few meters away from where he was previously standing. But the outsider in question was taking his time to show up. Out of boredom, Kyouichi watched Osamu doing his "work" at the gate and disapprovingly shook his head every time the fresh Ryuuken stopped someone. The constantly perpetuating scene was gradually starting to tire even the patient-minded outsider until Osamu Nishio halted someone who Kyouichi recognized?

"Halt! If you want to enter the village, you need to present proper identification."

"Identification?" a tall lady with shoulder-long green hair, wearing tartan red dress and carrying a parasol blinked her puzzled ruby eyes at him. "I'm afraid I don't have any."

"No identification means you're either an unregistered outsider or a youkai. According to the new regulations, only spirited away humans are permitted to enter the village without identification if they seek shelter. As for youkai, they need to first fill in a registration form, and once the office approves of their request, they receive their identification documents and permission to enter Human Village."

Ignoring the guard's words, the lady waved her hand at someone familiar who she noticed standing and waiting on the other side of the gate.

"Hey, lady, are you listening to me?" Osamu raised his voice at her.

Only now, Kyouichi dared to approach the gate and the irritable guard who manned it, probably in conflict with the Ryuuken internal regulations that he sung so much about.

Yuuka Kazami, the youkai who frequently visited Human Village during spring and summer, sported a bemused look on her face as the young militiaman explained the details of the new regulations, many of which reeked of suspiciousness and absurdity even to someone as unfamiliar with human ways of life as her. As the Ryuuken kept flapping his gums and trying to look important, Yuuka tilted her head to the side and stated the obvious with her typical smile that only her delicate lips could shape: "You must be new here."

The young guard's confident look just suffered a direct blow from her spot on remark, so he had to straighten up and raise his voice by another couple of decibels to prove his competence. "You dare question my authority? What does the fact that I'm a fresh reinforcement to the village's militia force change about the regulations that everyone must adhere to?"

Yuuka widened her smile from amusement. "I'm asking simply because even before these? laughable walls were built, I've been able to pass in and out of the village without any complications from your older colleagues. They just greeted me, bowed and let me through with no questions asked."

"W-well? Rules are rules. My colleagues might not take their work seriously, but I do!"

As if Osamu's confidence wasn't undermined enough, Kyouichi nonchalantly approached him from behind, chewing on his second piece of taiyaki, and with a teasing tone he asked: "Problem, officer?"

"Huh? It's you again?! You already showed me your card, so don't bother me and just pass through. I'm busy now?"

"Actually, that's not why I'm here. Just wanted to say hello to someone? Good afternoon, Yuuka-san~." he properly greeted her, now that he was within earshot.

"Good afternoon~." Yuuka reciprocated the greeting.

"You know each other?" Osamu looked surprised by that fact.

"Why, yes." Kyouichi confirmed. "Yuuka-san is telling the truth. She visits the village almost regularly. I bet her first destination is the florist's."

"Indeed." she nodded in acknowledgement. "And usually the only destination."

"That doesn't interest me at all. Unless she gets permission and identification documents from the village council, she cannot pass through the gates. Period."

"How is she supposed to get the permission from the council if she cannot enter the village?" Kyouichi questioned the logic of the regulations this inexperienced Ryuuken just explained. And before Osamu could answer, he pointed out another fact that undermined the very existence of village's fortifications. "And besides? Don't most youkai and outside visitors simply fly over the walls anyway? How do you Ryuuken keep an overview about them?"

"That doesn't need to concern you, Ishimaru-san. As I said: she can fill in the registration form, which I can provide her with even now, hand it over to me and wait until her request gets accepted or denied. Without official acceptance, I'm not going to let this youkai through, even if she is a close friend with the village elder himself. If she wants to get some flowers, why doesn't she go pluck some on the nearby meadows?"

Completely ignoring Osamu's monologue, Kyouichi took out a fresh snack out of his paper bag and offered it to Yuuka: "Taiyaki?"

"No, thank you." she politely refused.

With a shrug, Kyouichi put it back in the bag at about the same time as Osamu finished his speech, the point of which completely eluded both the outsider and Yuuka.

"I hate to break it up to you, Nishio-san," Kyouichi pointed his finger over the Ryuuken's shoulder, "but while you're conversing with us, people are passing through the gate behind your back without your consent?"

The guard turned around and found out that Kyouichi wasn't just making fun of him. People were passing through the gates towards the farms in smaller groups. "Oh, damn it, you're right! Hey, you! Hold it right there!"

The moment Osamu turned his back on them; the young outsider took it as his best opportunity. Without thinking, he took Yuuka by the hand and mimicked a signal for her to follow him quickly and quietly. "Come on, Yuuka-san, now's the right chance!" he whispered to her as he tried to suppress his urge to chuckle at how they just managed to fool the annoying young Ryuuken.

She was a little surprised at first, but she was quickly able to understand the intention behind Kyouichi's sudden action. She tightened her own grip on his hand, using just the right amount of strength so as to not inflict pain or unintentional injury. As a youkai, her strength was very dangerous, but as someone who was manipulating with fragile, vulnerable flowers on daily basis, Yuuka was also very gentle when she wanted to be. Once they were both inside the village, Kyouichi finally relived his urge to laugh, which partially rubbed off to Yuuka, as she also giggled from amusement.

They didn't get to enjoy this moment for long, though. The short-tempered Ryuuken gate guard decided to give chase after he noticed that Yuuka trespassed into the village while Kyouichi distracted his attention.

"I'm not going to warn you again!" he bellowed almost manically, his sword drawn and slightly trembling from how tightly he held its hilt. "Either you get out of this village right now, or I'll be coerced to use force!"

"Oh come on!" Kyouichi tried to reason with him, but he already figured that Soudai's introduction of Osamu Nishio was in no way an exaggeration. The outsider's thought at the moment when Osamu was pointing the tip of his sword at both the trespasser and her accomplice, was what exactly was taking Soudai so long to bring in some higher-ranked Ryuuken to end this charade.

Only Yuuka looked absolutely unfazed by the sight of Osamu's weapon, with her beaming smile spreading widely across her face. One could even assume she was having fun.

"Ooh, this is starting to look interesting."

"Umm? Nishio-san? I'd really not recommend you disrespectful or violent behavior towards Kazami-san." Kyouichi attempted to prevent the impending fight.

"I don't know where you know my name from, but you should know that assisting a trespass is a crime! You have ten seconds to comply! Out of the village! NOW!" Osamu assumed a fighting stance after giving his last warning.

"It's true I haven't had a danmaku battle in a long while, but I'm not that desperate to dive into every duel that's going to end up so one-sidedly. Where are your reinforcements, human?"

"Is it really necessary, Yuuka-san?" Kyouichi still hoped to find a peaceful way out of the situation, even when the chances were slimmer than Reimu's waist.

"Sometimes it is. Especially when dealing with humans. No offense." Yuuka briefly stole a glance at him as she replied.

With a sigh of resignation, Kyouichi nodded. "At least try not to hurt him too much. Even if he's an idiot?"

"Reinforcements?" the Ryuuken laughed heartily. "I think you're underestimating the training of the Ryuuken militia. Not to mention our weapons, which are specially blessed to exterminate youkai."

"So you're challenging me by yourself? I should at least give you the advantage of first hit." she casually rested the tip of her parasol against the ground and closed her eyes, allowing her challenger to take the first attack. "Your best slash, please." she asked him so politely, which took the green Ryuuken by surprise. Bragging about Ryuuken training and armament was one thing, but when it actually came to demonstrating his combat prowess, Osamu Nishio has failed disappointingly. Kyouichi wasn't sure if this was his first actual battle against a youkai, but Osamu sure looked amusingly desperate. Yuuka's overabundant confidence was stealing the Ryuuken's courage to actually try and attack her, even if she bluntly asked him to.

After a while has passed with nothing happening, the flower youkai grew bored and opened her eyes to see what was taking Osamu so long to strike at her. "What's the matter? Do you need help or something?"

"Silence! Or I'll, I'll?"

"Run home to mommy?" Yuuka was obviously enjoying every second of the young guard's nervousness.

"You'll regret trespassing into the village on my watch!" Osamu finally decided to push his luck? down a deep chasm. He swung his blessed sword with all his might at the youkai.

Kyouichi who watched the scene along with a few curious villagers expected Yuuka to block the attack or evade it, but she didn't even move a muscle. The blade of the guard's katana has landed on her shoulder as he tried to bring her down by a downward diagonal slash.

Kyouichi opened his mouth in shock and awe as Osamu nearly lost the grip on his weapon from the recoil when the blade hit Yuuka between her neck and her shoulder. It was like he tried to cut down a tree or rather a stone pillar. Only a small tear on Yuuka's clothing indicated that the weapon actually hit her.

Without even the slightest change in her smiling expression, she just stood there, as if she was enjoying the warm summer breeze. She rolled her eyes to casually observe the damage to her dress, before shifting her gaze back at the one causing it.

"Was that the best you can pull off?"

If the Human Village held a contest for the most flabbergasted facial expression, Kyouichi would still have strong competition in Osamu at this moment. It was as if he just realized what he has done and that he wasn't very successful in his "youkai extermination" attempt.

"Maybe you hit me with the blunt side of the sword." Yuuka elegantly teased the greenhorn man of the law. It was obvious that Osamu didn't confuse the blunt side with the edge when attacking, but now, even he himself had doubts about it.

"Who knows if you wouldn't make a better farmer instead of a Ryuuken? Or at least a half-decent fertilizer?"

Those words seemed to have inspired Osamu to retry his attempts. "Begone, youkai!" he shouted out in a delusion that it would make his sword arm swing harder. He performed a combination of cuts, swings and finished them with a thrust aimed right at Yuuka's heart. Again, the alluring youkai lady just stood there motionlessly, even as the sharp edge of the sword repeatedly tore at her from all angles, with all the force the young man could lend it with his muscles. All he managed to "exterminate", however, were another few patches of Yuuka's clothing. Her inhuman body that got slightly unveiled after the second assault showed no marks of injury. As Yuuka widened her smile, it became clear to him that nothing good awaited him in the following seconds.

"Wh-what are you?! W-why is the blessed sword not working?!" he accusingly stared at his weapon, which was supposed to be super-effective against youkai.

"Have you ever heard of Spell Cards~?" Yuuka resumed her verbal teasing. "Because when you challenged me, I expected to see some new danmaku patterns, but you're obviously still too inexperienced to use them~."

"HYAAAAAARGH!" with one last desperate battle cry, Osamu thrust the sword at her, but this time Yuuka actually moved. She grabbed the blade with her bare hand and slowly pulled the sword towards herself.

"But if you can't use Spell Cards, you can't fully blame your weapon. You should first practice against equally strong opponents, like fairies, before challenging a full-fledged youkai." she spoke to him with her ever-calm voice.

Afraid of what might come next, the Ryuuken tried to yank the sword out of Yuuka's grip, but the green-haired lady held it so tightly that an oni would have a problem pulling it, let alone a human. She drew the sword closer to her by yet another couple of centimeters and with her second hand she grabbed the panicking guard by his sword-wielding fist.

"W-what are you doing?! Let me go!"

"If you want to exterminate a youkai without Spell Cards, you're going to have to apply a bit more strength to your attacks." she spoke as she drove the tip of Osamu's blade to her own throat. The point of the sword was already touching her neck, but Yuuka didn't stop her arm and pulled the sword even closer. And just as one would expect the sword to pierce her throat, it began to bend instead. With her gargantuan strength and her adamantine body, one could see how the blade of Osamu's weapon was being deformed into quite an avant-garde shape. Yuuka kept pressing the blade against her throat until she held the hilt just a couple of centimeters from her neck. By now, the blessed katana turned into an indefinable lump of crooked metal. Yuuka finally released it along with Osamu's hand, whose owner was so shaken that he couldn't maintain a firm grip of it. With a clucking sound, the scrapped sword fell on the ground.

"And now," the youkai lady calmly picked up her parasol from the ground, "it's my turn to hit back~♥."

At those words, Osamu lost his last remaining bits of courage. "L-leave me alone, you? monster!" he took to his heels while screaming in panic. Those villagers who didn't witness his confrontation with the youkai of flowers were confusedly turning their heads after him as he ran past them crying like there was a fire or something.

Kyouichi stepped over to where the Ryuuken was standing and picked up what once used to be a sword. "Hey~! Nishio-san! You forgot your? corkscrew!"

"I guess that concludes the "duel"." Yuuka frowned disappointedly.

"Are you alright, Yuuka-san?" Kyouichi asked her, even when the youkai still appeared to be in perfect condition. "Didn't that sword hurt you at all?"

"It stung a little, since it was blessed, but the quality of the sword was rather? questionable."

"Well I don't know?" the ever-curious Kyouichi wanted to check the quality himself. He carefully grabbed the side of the blade and tried to bend it at least by the slightest bit, but of course, he couldn't bend it no matter how hard he tried. "Unnnf? damn it?"

In spite of what Yuuka said about the sword's quality, it was made of solid steel and could not be bent by human hands.

"Umm? what do you eat for breakfast, Yuuka-san?" he wanted to know the secret behind her amazing strength. It was more or less a joke question, so he didn't really expect her to answer it. But when Yuuka just stood there silently for about a minute without moving or saying anything, Kyouichi became both curious and concerned.

Has she really told him the truth? Has the sword really left her unaffected? The flower youkai still sported a smile as she had her face turned at the sky with her eyes closed, as if she was relaxing or meditating. No better way to find out then to ask her directly.

"Excuse me, but? What are you doing, Yuuka-san?"

Her reply left the outsider even more confused then he was before asking her: "Having lunch~♥."

"Excuse me?" he thought he heard her wrong. "What do you mean?"

After another couple of seconds, Yuuka opened her red eyes and spread the parasol over her head again. "Mmm?" she let out a moan of delight. "Refreshing?"

Only then Kyouichi figured out what she meant. "Ah~! I see? Solar powered, huh?"

"I love sunny days like this, but windy, cloudy and rainy days are also necessary." she spoke with nonchalance, as if nothing happened.

"Do you also eat some normal food? Just asking, since the other day you bought all that flower patterned kitchen ware?"

"Oh, I do eat meals too~♥."

"In that case?" Kyouichi hesitated for a while, considering whether he should speak his mind or not, but upon realizing how little time he had left in Gensokyo, he assumed that he couldn't lose anything by asking.

"Yes~?"

"W-what would you say if?" again, the words got stuck in his throat and he subconsciously began scratching his wrist from nervousness.

"Come on, Ishimaru! You can do it. All you have to do is say it loud and clear?" a voice spoke to him inside his mind.

"But I swore to myself that I would not get romantically involved with anyone in Gensokyo!" the voice of reason argued. "It's only going to complicate things?"

"Who says you need to get into a relationship?" the voice of temptation countered. "You'll just have a good time and go home without regrets. The worst that can happen now is that she'll reject you. Just go ahead and say it already!"

And so he said it: "What would you say if I invited you to some food? or just tea if you're not hungry?"

"Oh my? Was I just asked out on a date?" Yuuka was genuinely surprised and yet, her smile looked a bit mocking at the same time. "By a human, no less?"

"I knew it was a dumb idea." Kyouichi thought to himself, but it was too late to unsay what's already been said.

"It's a pity that my dress got ruined, but in this regard, it's partially my fault as well. I wouldn't want to be seen with these clothes in any establishment. I'll have to go home and get changed."

"Wait? was she seriously considering it?" the outsider asked in his mind.

"Oh, I have an idea, Yuuka-san." he said suddenly. "You could have Minako-san take a look at your dress and borrow some other outfit while she gets it mended."

"Minako-san?"

"Yes, she and her husband took me in when I first came to the village. Minako-san has a clothes shop nearby. Let's pay her a visit."

"Saitou?" Yuuka asked about Minako's family name, which, to Kyouichi's surprise, was a correct guess.

"Why, yes. Minako Saitou. I guess you already know about her shop then."

"I don't know the Human Village too well except this street and the market square, but I've been to Saitou-san's shop a few times."

"Well then, let's go see her. Maybe I'll convince her to give you a discount. Besides, we should probably not be here in case any Ryuuken reinforcements will come looking for you."

"Why not?" Yuuka offered him a puzzled look. "Let them come. Every one of them, if they dare. Just like the first time? I don't wish to antagonize the place I go buying and sometimes selling flowers to, but if I'm not given a choice, then I must teach the rude humans some manners."

"I kind of understand now why the Ryuuken allow you to pass freely into the village without asking questions. Well, with the exception of some? individuals."

Kyouichi let go of the destroyed sword once he gave up on bending its blade by at least a little bit. "I'll just leave this here in case Nishio would come looking for it." he explained, even though he couldn't imagine anyone using the mutilated weapon as anything more than a paper weight.

And so, the two of them left the street and headed towards the center of the village. The crowd of curious onlookers who saw the whole situation at the western gate slowly began to disperse. It appeared as though none of them wished to find themselves in Yuuka's way, even by accident. Kyouichi was starting to awaken to the notion that Yuuka was a highly respected and perhaps even a feared youkai in the village. The rumors that circulated about her certainly weren't completely baseless. But as it already turned out, not everyone in the village was familiar with these rumors.
"And so we're here." said Kyouichi when he and Yuuka stopped in front of Minako Saitou's shop. "After you, Yuuka-sama." he made a hand gesture towards the doorway as he held the door open for her.

The flower youkai smirked. "What's with the sudden change of honorific?"

Kyouichi didn't even realize he addressed her that way until she asked. "Uh? I don't know? The sort of the impression you give away, Yuuka-sama. To me you seem like a... a noble lady, who lives in a big mansion and has many servants and?"

Yuuka covered her mouth as she giggled. "You know? I used to live in a mansion before. And I also have a servant. But not here in Gensokyo."

"Really? You mean in Mugenkan?"

"Yes. I left that place about ten summers ago, but I still occasionally return there out of nostalgia or when the winter is too cold and long.

"So that's how it is, huh? You really are a noble lady."

"I don't really insist on being addressed as such, but if you wish, I'm not going to stop you."

"And to think I once believed you to be a lesser youkai?" Kyouichi murmured to himself. But Yuuka's hearing was as sharp as expected from a youkai.

"Lesser youkai?" she tilted her hea

[Fonzi]

Chapter 59 ? Harvest Feast

The rumors were not a lie. The harvest feast was a big event for the human population of Gensokyo. The attendance was no smaller than New Year's or Tanabata at the Hakurei Shrine.

But despite being an event celebrated by humans, they were still outnumbered by masses of sociable and curious youkai. And more often than not, there were human-eating youkai among them, waiting for someone they could eat. It's easy to get lost in a big crowd and highly unlikely for anyone to take notice if one or two people suddenly disappear. That's why people always had to be on their guard when attending such events. Even when the native human inhabitants inherited magic from the previous generations of youkai exterminators, and were under the protection of those who deemed themselves as the spiritual successors of those exterminators, there were still rare instances when someone was reported missing after a festival such as this one. Having that on his mind, Kyouichi headed for the farmlands, trying neither to blend into the crowds, nor to stray too far away from them. He suspected most of his friends to already be there, enjoying the feast. He just needed to find them.

That, however, proved to be much easier said than done. Once the villagers have swarmed the farmlands in hundreds, even such a vast area suddenly felt so small.

Kyouichi checked out the places where food and beverages were being served, but he couldn't find a trace of any familiar face. At this time he felt an increased longing for one of the conveniences of the outside world's technology. Back there all that he needed to do was to take a cell phone and call up whoever he was looking for so they could decide on a meeting place. But without a signal, even if he and his friends carried cell phones, he wouldn't be able to get in touch with them.

He spent at least 30 minutes walking around aimlessly, just casually observing the feast's attractions and the hordes of people and youkai shifting around in an uncoordinated fashion.

And while he had no luck finding his friends, they had luck finding him.
"Oi~! Ishimaru! This way!" the unmistakable voice of Asakura Soudai pierced the air and Kyouichi turned his face to its direction. As expected, the slightly eccentric and outgoing outsider was not alone. Midori, Sayuri, Daniel and even Hikaru-san were there, each holding a different kind of treat or drink and waving at him.

"Where have you guys been? I've been searching high and low for you."

"That's my line!" Soudai retorted. "I was starting to wonder what happened to you when I didn't find you at the gate. Especially when that slimeball Nishio was also gone by the time I brought a Ryuuken major to have a few words with him. All we found was his sword on the ground. What's left of it, anyway? What the hell happened there?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah, I do. I wanted to see that smug bastard humiliated publically."

"Then you should have waited here a little longer." Kyouichi grinned suspiciously.

"Will you finally tell me the reason?" Soudai asked with an impatient tone.

"The reason is about this tall, has green hair, red eyes and loves flowers."

It didn't take too long for Soudai to decipher his friend's riddle-like answer. "What? Kazami Yuuka?"

Kyouichi's silence was merely a gesture of affirmation.

"Damn? now I really regret not waiting there."

"Hey, who is this Yuuka you keep talking about?" Midori, who never met the youkai in question felt left out of the conversation.

Ignoring her question, Soudai just disbelievingly shook his head and chuckled. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but? Is Nishio still alive?"

"He is. But I think he's going to seriously consider a change of profession after today."

"I knew there was something really unsettling about that youkai."

"Unsettling? She's actually really sweet. But you were right that time with the magic detector? It was shining like that because of her."

"I should imagine. With magic that can bend steel like that?"

"Bare hands, Soudai. Bare hands. No magic."

"Okay, forget about "unsettling". She's scary!"

"Not unless you give her a reason to be."

"Guys, I hate to interrupt your conversation," said Midori, "but it seems people have started gathering over there." She pointed at the slowly growing crowd of people who were taking their seats at the long tables laden with all the "gifts" of a good harvest. "Should we go too?"

"I wonder if there's going to be any sort of program to this whole feast." said Sayuri thoughtfully.

Midori shrugged. "I'm not sure about the program, but I doubt we're going to see another danmaku tournament today. Although to be honest, I don't even know what to expect from this festival."

"I'm surprised how none of you even considered asking the locals about the festival." Hikaru Nagahashi lightly shook his head. As a man who kept notes of just about everything he's seen, heard or done in Gensokyo, it wasn't a big surprise that he'd have more insight about the harvest feast than his peers.

"Do you know something, Hikaru-san?" Midori shifted her glance to him.

"Besides gluttonous conduct and drunken revelry, this festival bares many similarities to the American holiday known as the Thanksgiving Day. However, in this case, the people offer their thanks directly to the harvest gods who are even said to manifest themselves and accept the gifts that the villagers have prepared for them."

"The gods are going to show up? Really?"

"I'm not sure whether the villagers meant it literally or figuratively, Iwakami-san, but in this wonderland, I guess we shouldn't be surprised by anything."

"I wonder how a kami could look like."

"That's easy, Midori, " Soudai spoke to her, "all you have to do is have a couple of drinks and maybe you'll see one."

"Or all 8 million of them." Kyouichi played along with the joke.

"Let's go and take a look at what's going on there." the young female outsider suggested. The other outsiders were curious as well, so they had no objections to following her.

They made the right decision to obey Midori's suggestion, as the tables were quickly running out of vacancy.

"Is all of that food for free?" Soudai didn't hesitate to ask as soon as he took his seat. All the meals on the table were taunting him and fueling his temptation to start eating.

"It's an "all you can eat" festival, young man." a stranger sitting next to him replied.

Midori wasn't sure if it was the reflection of the sun, but she would have sworn that she saw tiny stars in Soudai's eyes.

"This is the best festival I've ever experienced!" he exclaimed and reached for the nearest platter.

"Whoa, not so fast, hungry one." the same stranger halted him. "The village elder is about to give the opening speech soon. It would be rude to start eating before him."

"Damn it?" Soudai muttered disappointedly. "But if all this food is free, then I wonder what's the point of all the stalls that sell snacks, sweets and alcohol."

"That's simple. Only the food is free during the harvest feast. If you want sake or some light snacks, you'll have to buy them."

"I see. In that case, the elder better hurry up. I can already hear the orchestra playing in my stomach"

"Haven't you eaten anything today?" Kyouichi asked him.

"Only breakfast. I wanted to save some room for all the goodies this feast has to offer."

"Well, if you're that desperate, I still have two pieces of taiyaki with me."

"I'll pass. I can wait a few minutes longer. Besides, didn't you want to give those to your step-siblings?" Soudai referred to the children of the Saitou family.

"I suppose? But if I'm going to have just as much trouble finding them in this crowd as I had with finding you, I might as well eat them myself or share them with someone else."

"Shhh~!" Midori suddenly hushed them both. "The village elder is here."

Everyone turned their necks in the same direction as Midori was looking. The middle-aged man with a graying goatee and sideburns was approaching the tables, followed by his family members and escorted by a small squad of elite Ryuuken who served as his honor guards.

He made his way to the middle table where everyone could see him. His family occupied the seats by both his sides, while he was having a few words with some of the head farmers who organized the whole event. After a while of going over the fine details, Elder Fukukane took a spoon in his hand, cleared his throat and rang the spoon against an empty porcelain bowl to attract everyone's attention.

"Dear citizens of Human Village, dear guests!" he started off pompously like he was making a speech for his election campaign. "For the seventeenth year of my reign as the village elder, I have the pleasure of standing here before you during another harvest feast. As you well know, not every year has been as generous to us to hold this feast. Ever since our village has become sealed off from the outside world, we had to become completely self-sufficient, without the assistance of our supporting towns. Thus we had to develop from a simple war camp to an agricultural colony, which should still be able to survive the occasional youkai attacks. Instead, we had to rely only on our hard work, but sometimes even that was not enough when Mother Nature frowned on us. Floods, hailstorms, pests, droughts? Those were just some of the disasters that befell our fields and farms ever since the sealing of Gensokyo. But we still prevailed. With our work and with our faith, we always managed to get back up on our feet and kept the village fed for generations. It's been one and a quarter of a century now since this tradition has started and I indeed feel incredibly lucky and grateful at the same time, that I could celebrate it with you for seven consecutive years. May this trend continue for many years to come! It is therefore my obligation and pleasure to initiate the 125th harvest feast and express my gratitude to the harvest gods together with all of you!"

A wave of applause and cheers spread across the farms as the elder took a small cup filled with an unknown liquor and raised it into the air. "As one wise man said: "Eat a lot, drink a lot and be merry, for tomorrow you may die." In the same spirit, I, Fukukane Toshimi officially begin the feast! Raise your cups and mugs with me! Cheers~!"

"CHEERS~!" a thunderous reply of the massive crowd echoed back as everyone who had any alcohol-filled liquid container was now holding it over their head.

"Hey, what about us?" Soudai hastily shot his glances left and right, looking for anything he could drink from, but with no luck. "Won't we get any sake?"

"Damn? it seems everyone has some except us." the foreigner Daniel also wanted to have a toast with everyone, but lacked both the beverage and the vessel.

"Umm, mister village elder, could you please wait for us while we quickly buy ourselves something to drink?" Soudai attempted a sort of telepathic thought suggestion as he was standing up from his seat and searching his pockets for money. But as soon as he tried to straighten up, he felt someone suddenly tapping his shoulder from behind and pushing him back down.

"What's going on?" Poor Soudai was so shocked, that for a second he believed that someone from the militia was about to arrest him.

"Looks like you kids are in dire need of some liquid bread." a ragged voice unmistakably belonging to Naota Tanisake reached the ears of the group of outsiders.

Looking back over his shoulder, Soudai only confirmed the identity of the familiar voice by visual contact with its source.

Naota, still holding his palm on the young man's shoulder while holding a big bottle of sake with the second, smiled and shook the bottle in an almost hypnotic motion.

"Oh man! Naota-san to the rescue!" the same sparks as when he heard that all the food was for free reappeared in Soudai's eyes.

"Are we supposed to all drink from one bottle?" Kyouichi rolled his eyes skeptically. "Not that I have anything against the idea."

"Me neither!" Soudai declared, still not letting his mesmerized glance off the bottle swaying in Naota's hand. "I hope none of you guys mind getting an indirect kiss from me, hehe."

"No worries, children, I thought ahead." the carpenter retiree put down the bottle on the table and deftly unpacked his backpack. In a few seconds, he unloaded over a half a dozen small drinking cups in an irregular formation on the table.

"Well, don't just sit there, junior," he beckoned Soudai, "open the bottle and fill 'em up!"

"Me?" he confusedly blinked, as if he just snapped out of a daydream.

"Yeah, you. Hurry up already!"

With an adequate amount of force, Soudai managed to open the bottle and obediently poured the content into the cups.

"Bottoms up, everyone!" Naota picked up his cup without waiting for others and drank it up in a flash.

Kyouichi and others followed suit, even though they already missed the toast with the elder of Human Village and most of its inhabitants.

As soon as the liquid touched his taste buds, a strong, sharp taste spread all over his mouth and a sensation of warmth all over his stomach once he managed to swallow it.

"Hey! That's not sake!" he threw an accusing glance at Naota.

"Noticed the difference, huh?" the old man grinned impishly.

Even Soudai wasn't quite prepared for the intense taste of Naota's strong liquor, but he at least managed to flush it down his throat.

Midori nearly spat it out too, but courtesy dictated her to drink what was offered to her.

"Water? someone? please?" she was desperately shifting her glances left and right.

"Water? You haven't come to the feast to drink water, have you?" Naota was having a good laugh at everyone's reactions.

"Now, let the feasting begin!" the village elder prompted everyone to eat.

To Midori those were the words of salvation, since now she had no moral obstacles that prevented her from eating anything she saw on the table in order to mitigate the unsavory taste of alcohol in her mouth.

"Thanks for the food!" she uttered and stuffed her mouth with a slice of cherry pie that was resting directly in front of her.

And so, everyone at the tables followed suit. The whole event looked almost like an eating contest, only a little more laid-back. Those who weren't eating anything were entertaining themselves by playing various music instruments or dancing. There were even some interesting, if not slightly crazy competitions set up for anyone who'd like to try them. From fishing apples out of a barrel of water using only the mouth, through various racing disciplines like the 3-legged race or the wheelbarrow obstacle course. For those who wanted to test their strength, there was the classic arm-wrestling contest or the millstone rolling. There was even an archery contest for those with good eyes and steady aim. The inhabitants of the Human Village didn't lack creativity when they wanted to have fun.

Even youkai had fun during the feast. Especially the fairy kind. In desire to repeat everything after humans, just like little children, they applied all sorts of sneak attacks or offensive raids on the food-laden tables to grab something and eat it.

"Hey, get back here! That's mine~!" Soudai yelled out while threateningly shaking his fist at the fairy that just snatched a chicken leg right out of his hand.

"Not anymore it isn't." Kyouichi tried to maintain a serious face, but failed ultimately.

"Damn vultures!"

A few seconds later, the very same chicken leg landed right on top of Soudai's head, nearly shocking the poor outsider out of his wits. "What the fu??!"

Apparently, the fairy who stole it preferred vegetarian lifestyle, but still wanted to try meat regardless. This time all the outsiders had to cover their mouths as they laughed at his misfortune.

"Yeah, ha-ha! Very funny!" Soudai grumbled and wiped the chicken grease off his hair with a piece of cloth. "Stupid fairies? can't even appreciate what they steal."

"At least chicken legs hurt less than their danmaku." Kyouichi spoke from his experience.

"Maybe we should move somewhere indoors."

"Aww, what's the matter? Don't you like fairies?"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from, Ishimaru! You were once so scared of the little critters that you refused to enter the rehabilitation ward in Eientei."

"Suffice to say I've become more used to them."

"You shouldn't speak of the Devil, you two." Midori cut in. "You know that the fairy incident hasn't ended yet."

"Yeah, yeah?" Kyouichi waved his palm with an annoyed expression. "It's not like saying something is going to bring it about."

"You'd best hope it applies in Gensokyo too." she said with faint hint of concern.

"Midori? Relax and eat, will ya?" Kyouichi had just about enough of hearing about problems, threats and incidents. At least today, all he wanted to do was to have a good time with his friends without worrying about anything.
The same thing, however, couldn't be said about Reimu Hakurei, whose usual laid-back demeanor and lazy attitude was now a mere facade to camouflage her inner feelings of uptightness and unease. And with that unease, she just entered the well-known antique shop on the crossroad at the edge of the Forest of Magic. Her intention: to investigate the rumors about Rinnosuke's abundant supply of dangerous explosives from the outside world.

She stepped inside without a greeting. Only the chime hanging over Kourindou's main entrance announced her arrival. The man in his shabby kimono who owned the shop lazily lifted his eyes from the book about computers that he was reading and saw the shrine maiden approaching his counter with a deadpan serious face.

"So?" he tossed in the first word, "what can I provide you with today, Reimu?"

"A word has reached me that you possess something dangerous in your shop."

"I possess many things that could be considered dangerous in the wrong hands. You'd have to be more specific."

"I think you know very well what I mean, so I'd appreciate if you stopped acting so innocently and told me the truth."

"My, my?" Rinnosuke corrected his glasses and looked Reimu in the eyes. "Word certainly travels fast around here. It's just as you probably heard. Over two years ago I received a shipment from Yakumo-san."

"What sort of shipment exactly?"

"About a dozen crates, weighing something over 15 kilograms each. Inside the crates I found blocks of clay with small electronic devices attached. I knew they served for removing obstacles since the day I received them. However, only recently I've finally understood the true nature of their purpose which was revealed to me upon first glance."

"Well, from what I've heard from a trusted source, you are in possession of an outside-world weapon." Reimu crossed her arms and gave him an intense stare, as if demanding an explanation.

Rinnosuke didn't even need to guess who she meant by "trusted source", but he had no intention of hiding the truth from her. The outsiders have most likely told her everything anyway.

"That might very well be the case. But I haven't yet got the opportunity to test it. I succeeded in modifying the triggering devices and bringing them back to life, but I'm still hesitant about making an actual test explosion." he then paused himself and nodded. "And I think I know what you've come here for? Heeding the advice of those outsiders, you want me to get rid of all my C-4 supply. Am I right?"

That was what Rinnosuke thought, but Reimu's reply surprised even this exceptionally intelligent half-youkai.

"I have a little dilemma here, to be honest." she began undecidedly. "On one hand, that explosive clay of yours could potentially speed up the excavation works in Kazemura, but on the other hand, if the explosion damaged or destroyed the spirit ward that we've put up there, then all of our efforts to solve the incident would be pushed back by a long leap."

"The Kazemura excavation?" Rinnosuke spoke in hushed voice, nearly whisper. "What better place to test explosives than the quarry pit? Unfortunately, I'm afraid that not every Kazemuran would agree to that. I heard they uncovered an ancient temple there. Using these clay bombs could devastate it and you know how fanatical the yama-bito can be when it comes to protecting the historical heritage. They don't care if it's their own or of any other civilization. They'll protect it steadfastly."

"Personally, I couldn't care less about the yama-bito or their archeological sensation. If it becomes clear that the temple needs to be leveled, not an army of them will prevent me from doing so! But according to Patchouli's studies, the temple is made to withstand even a volcano eruption."

"Hmm?" the man with glasses hummed. "That changes everything. You see, I don't really wish to hold such a quantity of dangerous materials in my shop. I'm afraid the word that the outsiders have spread about me is already going to hurt Kourindou's reputation, and with it my business. I assume the wisest thing to do would be to get rid of them, as they advised me. But before that, I'd like to test at least one. I want to see its power with my own eyes."

"And I want the vengeful spirit outbreak resolved as quickly as possible." the miko stated her desire.

"Then we may share a mutual interest. That is if you agree with the notion of testing this explosive clay in Kazemura?" Rinnosuke leaned slightly backwards, making the back of his chair let out a few squeaks and cracks.

"A single test might tell us whether it's too dangerous to use or not. But who is going to do it? You?" she lifted her eyebrows questioningly at him.

"If I had no other options, I'd do it myself. However?" he left the sentence unfinished, raising Reimu's tension.

"However?"

"However, there are some people who apparently have more knowledge about what this clay is and how it works."

"You want the outsiders to carry out the test?" Reimu nearly burst into laughter. "I never thought I'd hear such a ridiculous idea from you, Rinnosuke-san."

"If not carry out directly, then at least supervise. That should help us reduce the risk of something going wrong."

"I'm fairly sure they are not going to agree to that."

"Then we'll have to find some outsiders who will agree, or conduct the test without them. But we'll never know if we won't ask."

Reimu sighed out. "Fine? I'll try to be as convincing as possible."

"I have my full confidence in your convincing abilities, Reimu-san." the shopkeeper smiled at her cattily.

"Sheesh? another trip to the village awaits me just as soon as I leave it. All this hassle better we worth it."

After exiting the antique shop, Reimu's course wasn't plotted for the Human Village yet, as she has just returned from there with a bag full of groceries. Even though she said she wouldn't be joining the village's celebration of a good harvest, it appeared that the circumstances have made her change her mind.
"And now, dear denizens and guests of the Human Village," elder Fukukane rose from his table after he finished eating, "I would like to announce that due to exceptional success during the festival of Tanabata, we extended our request for another concert to the popular trio of poltergeist musicians! Yesterday, we've received their reply. Ladies, gentlemen, the Phantom Ensemble shall play for us all tonight!"

The elder's announcement has nearly caused a mass frenzy of cheers and shouts from all the fans of the Prismriver sisters. They were so loud, that the elder's following words were completely drowned out. All that indicated that he hasn't finished talking was the fact that his lips were still moving. But much to his dismay, nobody seemed to care.

Even Soudai's lukewarm mood, mainly caused by rude thieving fairies, suddenly got a boost when he heard about the concert.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Can't wait..."

"Just try not to get wasted like during Tanabata." Midori peeled his old wound by reminding him of his not exactly pleasant experience when he drunk himself to unconsciousness. That is to say if Soudai had any memories of that in the first place. But not even Midori's snarky reminder didn't worsen his current upbeat mood.

"Don't worry," Kyouichi reassured her, "I don't see any oni around, so he should be fine tonight."

"I got a feelin'~" the elated Soudai began singing, "that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good, good night~♪!"

Kyouichi felt a strong urge to rub his palm against his forehead. "Oh, Jesus Christ?"

"Hehe, since when did you become a Christian, Ishimaru?"

"Ever since you became a pop star, Asakura."

Their mutual fun-poking at each other was suddenly interrupted by Naota, who stepped between them. "Boys, can I have a word with you for a second?"

"What is it, Naota-san?"

"So, I've taken a look at that hunter's lodge and the work you two have done on the roof?" he started calmly, but the two young outsiders were starting to feel very tense and uneasy for some reason.

"U-oh."

"I only got one question for ya."

"And that would be?" Soudai tentatively asked.

"Just what on Earth were you thinking?! What has that poor roof done to you to deserve such mistreatment?"

"W-we were merely following your guidance and doing what we could to get it finished."

"If you were my apprentices, I'd make you redo it not once, but as many times as it would take you to learn how to do it properly!" the carpenter showed them how strict he used to be before he retired from his craft.

"B-but?" Soudai opened his mouth in protest, but was silenced by another shower of unflattering words.

"I've never seen such a half-assed work even from the biggest dilettantes and carpenter anti-talents I've ever been mentoring. Even fairies could do better."

"Well, I hate to say it like this, Naota," Kyouichi could no longer remain quiet, "but seeing how we already have a way home secured, we are really not going to benefit from rebuilding the cabin. We don't need to loan anything anymore and neither do we need the cabin for any other purpose. I might as well go to the village hall and proclaim you as the new owner via a donation agreement. Surely the Ryuuken would allow you free passage through the gates at any time that way."

"That's not the point. I won't change the ownership of that cabin until you lot are long home with your families." he declared firmly.

Nobody really knew why the old outsider was so adamant about it, but neither did it matter to them.

"Then I see no problem. Once we're out of here and you inherit the cabin due to our contract, you can redo the roof with your ex-apprentices."

"I thought you'd put more care and effort into rebuilding the roof of something that could be your own house." Naota's voice trailed off as he turned his back on them and took his regular "medicine" from the bottle.

"Hah! My own house, he says." Kyouichi scoffed at the thought. "That was never the point of buying that abandoned shack. It was just supposed to look like that to the village officials in case we'd be asking for a loan. And ultimately for you to sell the renovated cabin to someone else. I'll never live in that shack and you know it."

"We can never know?" Naota wiped the sake droplets off his grey beard with his sleeve, "what the future holds in store for us."

"That almost sounds like you don't want us to succeed in returning home."

Naota's reply was a resigned sigh before he shuffled away from the group of young outsiders. When he was barely within earshot, he mumbled, as if to himself: "You're wrong?"

For a few seconds, Soudai and Kyouichi just blankly stared at each other in a loss for words until the older one of them broke the silence with nonchalance only he was possessed of.

"So, Kyou? Wanna go enter some of those crazy competitions?" he gestured towards the various attractions that the villagers were participating in.

"I'm not in the mood, Soudai." Kyouichi replied negatively. Naota was partially to blame for that.

"That sounded like an argument, ze." a voice that nobody expected, but everyone recognized sounded from behind them.

"Marisa? What are you doing here?" Kyouichi curiously eyed the witch in suspicion that she probably heard the whole verbal exchange between him, Soudai and Naota.

"Hmph! How rude." she pouted huffily. "As if I had no right to be here."

Kyouichi was quick to apologize, intending not to rub his worsened mood off on her. "I'm sorry. I just? didn't expect you here. If you're looking for Reimu, you missed her. She was here about an hour ago."

"Oh, not really~." she playfully shook her head. "I just came here to have fun with Alice and to see my dad. And then I heard some familiar voices having some serious-sounding debate?" a grin flashed across her lips.

"You heard it all, didn't you?"

"Just a part of it. Didn't know you two were carpenter apprentices." she shrugged, obviously misunderstanding the conversation she was eavesdropping on.

"Wrong. We're just doing the finishing touches on the roof of a certain cabin that the old man bought. It was meant to kill two birds with one stone by enabling Naota-san to sell a renovated building and for us to commit a loan theft."

"Ooooh, loan theft!" Marisa perked up. "I could tell you a thing or two about that, hehe."

"There's no more need for that, though." the outsider burst her bubble. "We already have all we need. But ever since the Ryuuken have introduced those strict regulations for entering and leaving the village, it's become impossible for Naota to finish the work he started. I still don't understand why he wouldn't want to claim the ownership of that building until we leave Gensokyo."

"Ha! You guys aren't the only ones who are rebuilding a house." said the blonde girl.

"You're rebuilding yours too?" Soudai tilted his head quizzically.

"I'm talking about Alice's house."

"Ah, that's right? The one that burned down." Kyouichi recalled overhearing the story, even when he never actually saw the house or the fires that destroyed it.

"Yeah. We're almost finished with it. All that needs to be done is to furnish it and Alice can live just like before. Thanks to Reimu for that."

"Reimu? How so?"

"She offered a decent sum that she received as donation money during the Tanabata festival, so Alice could rebuild her house faster."

"Reimu actually did that?" Kyouichi grimaced disbelievingly.

"I know, right? But then again, I know how adorably sweet she can be at times. Her shrine was destroyed and rebuilt twice, so she knows what it's like."

"By the way, where is Alice?" wondered the long-haired male.

"Oh, around. It's easy to get separated and lost in this crowd, but we have our secret signal, so we can find each other fairly easily." said the magician with a grin as she corrected the position of her pointy hat.

"Secret signal?"

"Yup, secret signal. Like this?" the witch produced a palm-sized hexagonal object out of her pocket and flashed it in a showy manner. "Ta-dah~!" The object, which appeared to be made out of wood, sported trigrams on each of its edges and a small round hole in the center. Before either of the two outsiders could ask what it was, Marisa put the object closely to her mouth and whispered some inaudible words into it.

"Is that a Gensokyian version of a cell phone?" Soudai inquired with a puzzled look.

"Didn't you watch my matches during Tanabata?" she replied with a question as she pointed the object towards the sky.

The two young men exchanged their glances in an attempt to recall any possible hints pointing towards the purpose of Marisa's little hexagon, but none of them managed to come with an answer before the fair-haired lass shouted: "Love Sign "Masteeeeeeeer Spaaaaaaaaark"!"

As fast as the light shot out of the mysterious six-edge box, so did both outsiders immediately remember what Marisa was referring to. A dazzling beam of all colors, blending into a white pillar, pierced the sky and created a turbulence produced by the super-heated air as it traveled upwards. The whole spectacle was accompanied by the characteristic monotone high humming sound, making the whole "spark" impossible to miss even for a blind person. The small flock of fairies that were flying overhead bolted off into all directions out of sheer fear, even when they were all gifted by natural immortality.

Even some people on the ground were shocked by Marisa's spell, but oddly enough, after double-checking what it was, they returned to their interrupted activities, as if nothing unusual happed. After several seconds when the humming was silenced and the light died out, only a thin trail of white smoke was coming out of the hole in Marisa's magical box.

She pulled it towards her mouth again, and like a cowgirl from a classic spaghetti western movie, she blew the smoke off the barrel of her weapon and promptly pocketed it with grace of a skilled juggler.

Not much more was needed to impress all the outsiders who saw her spell and to attract the attention of anyone who recognized the beam.

"T-that was your secret signal?" Kyouichi slowly fixed his glasses and closed his mouth after realizing that he left it open.

"Mhm~!" she smiled contently. "Alice couldn't have missed it."

She was right. Alice and half of Gensokyo couldn't have missed her "secret signal" and it didn't take long for Marisa to receive a reply.

"Ah, there you are! I've been looking for you. Thanks for easing up my search, Marisa." a flying young female slowly descended to the ground, however, not the one that Marisa originally meant to contact.

"Oi, Reimu~! You were looking for me? So you changed your mind after all, huh?"

"I wasn't telling that to you, but to them." Reimu corrected her friend and pointed at the outsiders.

"Pardon?" Soudai tilted his head. "You were looking for us? Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

"No, I simply bring you some news. Not sure if good news for you, but it is news regardless. But before that," she rolled her eyes towards Marisa, "I'd like to ask you: What was the meaning of that Master Spark? Did you have a duel with someone?"

"Ehehe?" the ordinary witch giggled sheepishly, "No, no, nothing like that. I was just calling for Alice. Surely she's on her way to me right now, unable to wait any longer to be embraced in my arms?"

"Are you an idiot?" a third female voice asked a question directed at the caster of the spell.

"And there she is~. Just as I predicted, ze." She spread her arms wide welcomingly at the approaching puppeteer, only to be bonked on the forehead by the tiny fist of one of her magically-controlled dolls.

"Hey~! What was that for, Shanghai?"

"If you need to ask, it only proves my point that you are an idiot." remarked Alice, recalling her remote-controlled minion to herself.

"Nobody told you to wander off on me." Marisa defended herself and her actions.

"Okay, why don't you two go confessing your love for each other somewhere private?" Reimu poked fun at both of the girls and their bickering. The outsiders weren't certain whether she meant it as a joke or a serious suggestion. "I've got business to deal with."

"Oooh, let us hear it too~." Marisa instantly changed her object of interest, like an immature little girl.

"Whatever this business is, it probably doesn't concern me." Alice assumed and she was about to walk away, when her human friend grabbed her sleeve to halt her.

"What are ya talking about? Aren't you curious at all?"

"Whatever." Reimu breathed a sigh. "Maybe it's better if you hear it too."

"See?" Marisa gave Alice a soft nudge with her elbow. "I told you this would be interesting. Okay, Reimu, let the cat out of the bag!"

Reimu took a breath and began explaining what conclusion she and Rinnosuke have come to in regard to Rinnosuke's stockpile of explosives and the stagnating situation in Kazemura.

"And therefore I ask you to do one more favor for me? for us." she corrected herself as she was winding up her monologue. "I want some of you to go to Kazemura and conduct a test of that explosive. Do this for me and you can leave Gensokyo and return to your homes."

"Hey!" Midori didn't take long to show her disagreement. She and other outsiders have gathered to the scene after getting curious about Marisa's light show. And while Kyouichi and Soudai haven't been with her the whole time, her drowsy-sounding and louder than normal voice indicated that the young girl had a bit too much alcohol for today. "That wasn't a part of our agreement, Miss Red-White!"

"I really wish people would stop calling me that." muttered the miko, folding her arms across her chest. "Look, I never said it has to be YOU, or you, or him?" she started pointing at random members of the Transfer Students' Club. "I'll just need a few volunteers. You can decide that among yourselves. Those volunteers are going to deliver the clay to Kazemura? under my escort, of course, and either conduct the test themselves or supervise it."

"And if none of us will want to be your guinea pigs?" Midori hissed the question at her, to which Reimu was already prepared in advance.

"Then you can enjoy your stay in Gensokyo until you decide on the volunteers."

"I'm not sure if they could still be called volunteers then, ze." remarked Marisa.

"Hey, Midori?" Soudai whispered at her. "Are you drunk?" She apparently was, which was ironic, considering that she was the one lecturing Soudai about not drinking too much earlier. But even in her current state, she was able to lead a conversation and think straight. Or so it seemed at first glance.

Midori certainly didn't expect Reimu to impose such demands on the outsiders and she let her anger be known.

"Did I just hear you well? Are you threatening us?"

"No. Just stating my conditions." the shrine maiden replied stoically.

In complete contrast to Reimu's cold-blooded calmness, Midori blew her top and threw herself at the girl in red and white. "Why you dirty bitch! I'll scratch your eyes out!" she screamed furiously, to everyone's fortune, before she made any actual assault, so her friends had the time to grab her by the arms and drag her away from Reimu before things could turn ugly.

Reimu instinctively reached for her gohei as well as her ofuda and assumed a battle-ready stance, but the two male outsiders were already working on pacifying their infuriated friend.

"Midori!" Soudai shouted into her ear. "Pull yourself together! Just calm down! Damn it! Kyouichi, hold her!"

"I got her!" the other outsider hurriedly immobilized Midori's right arm which she was using to repeatedly hit Soudai in order to set herself free.

"Let me go! I'm gonna kill her! Who does she think she is?!"

"Hmph? Who am I, you ask?" Reimu slowly withdrew her weapons and straightened up proudly. "I am the Hakurei shrine maiden. I am the law and order in Gensokyo. And no human, no ghost, no youkai or god is going to keep me from doing my job. Anyone who disrupts the order shall answer to me and will be dealt with swiftly and without remorse. That is who I am."

"Well, the one causing the spirit incident is still at large, you know" Marisa pointed out, but Reimu wasn't paying attention, as she continued explaining her purpose to the intoxicated girl.

"All of Gensokyo knows my name. You'd do best to remember that, my dear, and show due respect. Otherwise I might confuse you for a youkai when the two of us cross paths again." she leaned closer to Midori's face to emphasize her words. The young female outsider's only regret was that she couldn't move her hands to strangle her.

"I'll burn your shrine down while you sleep." she sieved through her gritted teeth.

"You sound like someone possessed by a vengeful spirit." Reimu calmly stated as she drew her face away. "Perhaps I should perform an exorcism on you just in case."

"Oi, oi, Reimu, that's really going too far." Even Marisa was slightly disturbed by her friend's acting.

"Just teaching her some manners." she shrugged, as if her bully-like behavior was ethically correct.

"She's obviously drunk. Can't you see that?" Kyouichi explained on behalf of Midori's defense. Then he turned at the rioting female in his grasp and asked with a voice as calm as possible: "Say, Midori? How much sake have you had?"

But he couldn't get any intelligible answer out of her.

"Seriously, Soudai, how much did she drink today?"

"What am I? Her parent? I haven't been keeping a constant watch over her. I'd think she was responsible enough not to overdo it."

"She's still underage. She shouldn't be drinking at all in the first place."

"Well, you know how teenagers feel about rules and such?" Soudai shrugged, while still holding a firm grip on Midori's left arm. "She's in a rebellious age. We've all gone through that, haven't we? Well, sometimes I feel you haven't fully overcome that stage, Ishimaru, but that's not the point right now?"

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I don't know? A certain run from Eientei, maybe?" Soudai asked in sarcastic tone.

"Hey, at least I didn't pick a fight with anyone? I've never seen Midori mad like this before."

"You mean so wasted."

"And to think she and Akyuu are the same age..." Kyouichi scratched his head. "My brain fails to process it."

"Hey, what about Reisen?" Marisa's face brightened up with the arrival of an idea. "If she's here today, maybe you could buy some of that alcohol remedy from her just like last time."

"I think I saw a pair of rabbit ears in the crowd." Alice recalled with a distant look in her eyes. "I'll try to look around. You wait here, alright?"

"Don't worry. If we move somewhere else, I'll just give you another signal." the witch showed a thumbs up with a teethy smile, earning an exasperated sigh from her youkai friend.

"Attention magnet?" Alice muttered while leaving the scene with her floating doll.

Marisa overheard it, though and puckered her lips in a playful pout. "How rude."

"And I used the more polite version of the term." the puppeteer retorted without stopping or turning around.

"Tsh? the thanks I get for letting her live in my house. Unbelievable." Marisa grumbled when Alice was already gone.

By now, Midori resigned on her struggling and just calmly rested, supported by her two friends, with her head dizzily dangling on her neck.

"I think she tired herself out." Soudai estimated by waving his palm in front of her eyes.

"Oi, Midori?" Kyouichi tried communicating with her. "Are you calm now? Okay? I'm going to let go of you? slowly. Three, two, one?" and true to his word, he released the grip on her arm as he counted down to zero. Soudai was more hesitant, but after registering no violent attempts from Midori for several seconds, even he slowly set her arm free.

Midori stood there in silence for a while, her figure swaying slightly back and forth before she started falling backwards. Luckily for her, her friends didn't let down their guard and caught her just in time before she came to harm.

"Gotcha!"

"Let's make her sit down." Kyouichi suggested and with Soudai's help, they seated the young high school student on the grassy ground.

"She reminds me a bit of my first meeting with Suika." Marisa reminisced as she watched the drunken girl trying her best not to pass out.

"We're sorry for this trouble, Reimu." Kyouichi began apologizing in Midori's stead. "And I'm sure Midori would be as well? if she was sober."

"She'll get her chance to apologize." said the shrine maiden haughtily.

"But I also have to say that I partially agree with her." the outsider added after a pause "I honestly didn't expect you to demand something like that from us. Don't you understand the danger you're putting everyone involved into?"

"And don't you understand the danger EVERYONE is being put into with each day this incident remains unresolved? It's much greater than if all of Rinnosuke's clay exploded in the middle of this village." Her reply certainly had its point, but Kyouichi wasn't willing to undergo something so dangerous without an argument.

"Look, I promised we'd pay you for taking us out of Gensokyo safely; not that I'd be tinkering with a deadly device just so you could get your incident resolved by a few days sooner."

"And I'm giving you a choice. Lend us a hand, or don't."

"No, Reimu. What you're doing is not really giving us a choice. It's an ultimatum. I'm not sure if a return trip to Tokyo is worth the risk of losing my life."

The black-haired girl crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "Fine. Rinnosuke wanted me to convince you somehow? so I tried."

"So that's how it was." Soudai nodded understandingly.

"Even money becomes insignificant when we're facing a large-scale problem such as this." Reimu continued. "We can help each other out. We're going to test the explosives with or without you. But your assistance would help us a great deal."

Kyouichi took a long pause before choosing his reply. This wasn't just about him. Every outsider could decide to offer his or her help for Reimu's cause, but there weren't any volunteers raising their hands and standing in line to risk their lives for it. And as much as he didn't want to end up as a bloody smear on the ground after an accidental premature detonation, he didn't wish the same fate to Reimu or anyone else.

"If it's just for supervision?" he spoke up slowly.

"Even that will be fine!" Reimu immediately responded.

"Then I'll volunteer myself."

"Great~! Anyone else?"

"Think you'll take all the glory for yourself? Not on my watch!" Soudai stepped forward. "I'll go too? But just to supervise! You hear me?"

"Don't worry. We're going to apply magical counter-measures that will maximize the safety and minimize the risks." the shrine maiden reassured them.

"Hold it right there!" Kyouichi showed a palm in front of her. "If you can make magical countermeasures, why don't you just use magic to blow up that rocky layer around the temple?"

"That's the problem. The rock, the temple encased in it? It dampens magic. Mostly divine power, but also magic. That's why the yama-bito haven't breached it yet. Physical force is the most effective choice, but it's going to take those youkai long before they clear the way. That clay could help us. Kazemura isn't in the most suitable area for casting magic, but at least we can muster some basic spells to provide safety from the explosion."

"Just tell us when are you planning to conduct the test?" Soudai asked.

"As soon as possible. How about tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? We'll just be recovering from our hangover after we end up like Midorin~!"

"Did someone say hangover?" a rustle in the grass foretold the arrival of another person to the scene. It was Reisen, the Moon rabbit from Eientei, tagging along Alice who called her there.

"Oh, hello, Reisen-san." Soudai sheepishly grinned at the familiar lunar youkai as he waved his palm with equal bashfulness.

"Well, if it isn't our pair of fugitives." the rabbit remarked satirically. She didn't even give them a proper greeting when she rolled her eyes downward to take a look at the "patient" in need of help.

"Hey, I remember this girl."

"Yeah, that's our friend, Midori. She got a little out of control?"

"Well, last time it was she who was helping you stand during Tanabata if I recall." Reisen pointed out as she knelt down to give Midori a quick check-up of vital signs.

Soudai was quick to come up with a witty and yet truthful reply: "Hehe? I remember no such thing. And what I don't remember didn't happen."

Reisen ignored his answer, as she was focused on examining Midori. She looked alright, but her glance was all distorted and her breath alone was strong enough to make another person drunk from inhaling it.

"Whoa, Midori-san?" Reisen turned her face away as she took a whiff of the intense sake smell leaking out of Midori's mouth. "Accepting challenges from the oni is never a good idea unless you are one of them." she then took a small packet filled with a powdery content out of her pocket and ripped it open. "Can anyone bring me a glass of any non-alcoholic beverage, please?"

"I'll get some for you." Soudai trotted off as soon as he said that, returning in a moment with a cup full of water. "I hope fresh water is good enough."

"Of course it is. Thank you." the Moon rabbit accepted the cup and spilled the powder from her bag into the water. She then covered the cup's top with her palm and shook it well so the powder remedy would dissolve faster.

"Here, Midori-san? Drink it all up, nice and slowly."

The young human girl didn't react to the presence of the cup in front of her nose, so Reisen had to assist her, spilling some of the mixture over Midori's clothes.

"Like feeding an oversized baby." Soudai tried to hold back a chuckle.

"You were no different when I was making you drink that stuff at Reimu's shrine." Kyouichi replied.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course not?"

"The remedy takes a few minutes to take effect, so you should stay with her and keep an eye on her." the rabbit nurse from Eientei advised them. "However, this time it's not going to be for free."

"Sure, how much do we owe you?" Soudai asked her.

"Five hundred."

"No problemo?" he showed an "ok" gesture while he searched Midori's pockets with his free hand. "No... Not here? No cash here either?"

"What? the heck? are you doing?" Kyouichi arched his eyebrows at his friend's rather improper actions.

"Looking for money to pay Reisen for the remedy, of course." Soudai replied nonchalantly.

"Don't you have any money on you?"

"I do, but I'm not the one who drank the remedy, am I?"

"Soudai? stop touching her everywhere. She'll kill you when she comes to her senses!"

"Hmph?" Soudai resignedly shook his head and left the poor girl alone. "Fine?" he dug out a 500 Yen note out of his own pocket and reluctantly handed it to Reisen. "But she better pay up when she gets better."

Reisen took the payment for the medication and dusted her palms off. "I'll be somewhere around the village during the whole festival if anyone else needed to buy some medicine." She took a step forward, as if she was about to leave, but stopped to say one last warning: "Oh, and? don't overdo it with alcohol. Just because your friend did, doesn't mean you should compete with her? Take care."

"Thank you Reisen-san~!" Kyouichi waved his palm at the leaving Moon rabbit.

With the situation under control, Reimu once again cut the silence with the sound of her clearing her throat. "Getting back on topic, we still haven't decided when to conduct the test. If tomorrow is not a good time, then the day after tomorrow should be alright. Meet me in Kourindou at noon to pick up the clay and head out to Kazemura."

"Wait, wait, wait? Hold it, Reimu." Kyouichi tried to halt her, but the shrine maiden was currently in a "broadcast only" mode. "And don't forget to pack your bento. The road is a long one."

"I just want to know why do WE have to carry the explosives to Kazemura? I thought you just wanted us to supervise the test."

"Because, there's apparently more of that stuff than I alone can carry." she replied. "In fact, more than both me and Marisa can carry."

"More than I can carry? There's no amount big enough that I couldn't stea? errr.. carry." Marisa's tongue slipped.

"But why take everything with us when we're just doing a test of a single charge?" Kyouichi questioned her idea.

"Because, if the test is successful, we can put the rest of the clay to immediate use in the quarry without having to fly back to Kourindou."

"Are we supposed to bring a cart with us?" Soudai asked flusteredly.

"If you have a cart, then by all means, use it.

"Well?" Kyouichi spoke again after a moment, "At first it seemed like Reimu was asking for volunteers, but given our current employment and the situation with the village gates, I think we're the only ones who can."

"What about Dan-san?" Soudai recalled the foreign member of the Transfer Students' Club, who also worked in agriculture sector and could therefore pass through the gates of Human Village without problems.

"Oh, yeah, Daniel. Almost forgot about him. Dan! Come over here for a second!" Kyouichi called at him.

The young man with fair hair hesitantly stepped forth. One could easily tell he wasn't quite willing to undertake the dangerous trip to the distant village. Let alone with a cart full of explosives. "A-aren't two volunteers enough for this task?" he asked sheepishly.

"Hmm? maybe they are." Reimu acknowledged after a moment of thought. "The hand cart solves our need for more than two people."

"Oh, thank God?" Daniel exhaled with relief. "You two can handle that just fine, right?"

As much enthusiasm as Soudai showed when he agreed to help Reimu, he was now having some serious second thoughts about the whole idea when he heard that the miko wants to take all of Rinnosuke's stockpile of explosives.

"Seriously? If I had known that you'd ask us to drag all of those C-4s to Kazemura, I would surely react just as Dan now."

"Why don't you switch places?" Reimu suggested teasingly.

"I don't want to die yet~!"

"But we're the only ones with permission to leave the village." his younger friend reminded him.

"Dan doesn't seem too enthusiastic about it and I can't say I blame him now."

"Hmm?" Kyouichi rubbed his chin as he brainstormed for any alternate solutions. "Yuujin works with a caravan? Technically? he could?"

"Why, of course~!" Soudai wiped away his pessimistic expression in an instant. "He also has the permission to leave. And even travels to Kazemura regularly. And he's a jerk?"

Luckily for, him, Yuujin Ueda wasn't there among the outsiders to hear Soudai's words.

"Let's have Yuujin make the delivery." he showed his fondness for the idea with a sly, almost scary-looking grin.

"?let's." Kyouichi also agreed after a moment of silence.

"Ok, so where is this Yuujin person?" Reimu cast her glance in the direction of the gathered outsiders, but received no reaction from them.

"Apparently, not here." Kyouichi summed up after double-checking the faces of the gathered people. "I'm not really in the mood for looking for him, thank you."

"Then unless you find him and convince him, our agreement remains unchanged."

If Kyouichi had the willpower to look for someone he never got along with only to brew up another argument, he would probably start searching for him by now. But his feet remained firm on the ground like they were nailed down. Soudai wasn't hurrying anywhere either.

"I guess your passivity means you agree with me, yes?" Reimu asked without waiting for an answer. "Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining everything all over again to a stranger. Now that that's taken care of, I can finally go home and start making dinner."

"Why won't you stay here and join our fun, ze?" her blonde-haired friend curiously tilted her head.

"Because I don't feel like celebrating. Besides, news from Kazemura can come at any moment. I need to be available at the shrine in case of an emergency."

"Don't feel like celebrating? But hey, if it hadn't been for the good harvest, you'd be starving through the winter." Marisa countered.

"And if we underestimate the situation, we might not even have anywhere to live before winter comes. I don't want to end up like Alice, with my shrine burnt down when I wasn't home."

"My house was burnt down even when all three of us were there. I don't think your over-vigilance will make much difference when the swarms come swooping down on us again." Alice made a valid point with a stoic calmness in her facial expression.

"And you seem to be overly carefree about it. Do you want all that money I assisted you with to go to waste?"

"Look, Reimu." Alice let out an annoyed sigh. "I appreciate the gift and can't thank you enough, but? I'm going to live my life as I see fit. And seeing how you've been acting lately, I suggest you should ease up too. I bet even the girls working in Kazemura aren't as uptight as you are. If the expedition team needs to find you, they will."

"Yeah, Reimu." Soudai joined the conversation, siding with Alice. "We just signed up for a potentially deadly mission just because we care. And yet you can't do anything for us in return? How about this idea? If you can stay and have fun with us duri

[Fonzi]

Chapter 60 ? Groundbreaking Event

The month of Nagatsuki began in Gensokyo, showing little difference in weather or temperature from its predecessor. Likewise, a morning at the Scarlet Devil Mansion looked always the same, whether it was a start of a new year at the beginning of spring, or the middle of autumn. Thick white mist rising from the lake enshrouded the whole island and the manor that was occupying its major part.

It was a quiet day at the mansion, especially the library, as its almost permanent occupant was still gone, doing important field research in Kazemura. Only the squads of fairy maids that were chaotically pretending to be cleaning the place up were breaking the otherwise perfect silence in the darkened interior of Gensokyo's largest library.

Fairies never were good at doing anything besides having fun, playing pranks and accidentally braking or dropping things, and yet, the mistress of the mansion still kept them employed so that at least she'd have a feeling like she had a lot of subordinates. The one doing most of the cleaning, cooking and other chores, was the chief maid ? a human who received a new name from her mistress, Sakuya Izayoi. Every day was full of hard work for this silver-haired maid, but she had one very helpful assistant that helped her do all her tasks and allowed her to still find enough time to relax. The silver pocket watch, which enabled her to stop and resume time for as long as it was necessary. Some tasks could not be carried out while the time was at a complete standstill, such as cooking, but Sakuya was able to decide which objects or which areas in the mansion were "frozen" and which were not. Right now, it was once again her turn to check on the library and optionally scold a few fairy maids for not doing their work properly before proceeding with thoroughly cleaning everything up by herself. What would normally take at least half a day, took no time at all. But just because there were fewer residents at the mansion, it didn't mean there was less work. Even without Patchouli, the library still needed to be maintained. It was quite easily the largest room of the mansion, so it also required the most effort to keep clean.

"Ah? finally." the head maid exhaled and arched her back while stretching her arms to get some relief. "The hardest part of the cleaning duty is done."

When she took a while to rest up and to bask in the feeling of a job well done, she left the library and made haste to check on her mistress again. It was more or less a part of her routine to regularly check on Remilia in case she'd need something from her ever-loyal elegant servant. Especially during these days, when Remilia needed care the most.

Sakuya finally reached the door to her mistress's bedroom. She resumed the flow of time, and after a while of hesitation, she knocked on the door and spoke up: "Remilia-sama? Is everything alright?"

The reason why she asked that was the fact that the vampire was still in pitiable condition after the battle that she fought in Kazemura while enduring heavy rainfall. Vampires couldn't stand running water, but that did not matter to the older of the Scarlet sisters when one of her best friends was in grave danger. As a result, she could barely walk on her own, hold her cutlery firmly, or stay awake for longer than just a few hours a day.

"Sakuya?" a muffled moan came from behind the closed door. "Please, come in."

The maid obeyed and entered the room that very few people have ever been to. It was a typical aristocratic bedroom filled with luxury furniture. One wide bed with an ornamented canopy was placed opposite the door and a single child-size coffin without a lid rested on its sheets. Sakuya was already so used to this rather morbid sight, that she considered it a norm. As she closed the door behind her and slowly approached the bed, a slim pale hand crawled out of the coffin and grabbed the top of its right wall. A loud yawn in a childish voice resonated from inside the wooden vessel before a small figure clad in pinkish dress slowly rose up to a sitting position.

"Is there anything you need of me, my lady?" Sakuya asked, casting a concerned glance at the blue-haired vampire girl staring back at her with a pair of scarlet eyes.

Remilia yawned once more, spreading both her arms and wings. "Good morning, Sakuya." she greeted the maid belatedly.

"Good morning, mistress. The weather is nice as usual today. If you'd like, I can set up your table on the terrace."

"At least?" Remilia murmured, still apparently sleepy and dizzy, "Patchouli will have a nice weather while she's working over there?"

"It seems that way. But more importantly, are you feeling a little better today?"

"Better? How can you expect me to suddenly get better?" Remilia grumbled as she was clumsily trying to get out of her sleeping coffin. "There is something I'd like you to do for me."

"Of course." Sakuya immediately hopped to the side of her bed and helped her mistress climb out of the wooden container.

"Thank you, but that is not what I wanted."

"Anything you wish, my lady, I shall do my best to fulfill."

The vampire girl took a moment to gather her bearing before she returned her attention to the maid. "If the news from Kazemura is true, Patchouli is not going to return here anytime soon." the Scarlet Devil preambled. Sakuya knew how much she was always worried about her friend, but sometimes, she thought that her mistress was being a little more than just paranoid.

"The library does feel a bit lonely without her," Sakuya noted with a spacey glance in her eyes, "but we must give her as much time as it takes. The fairy? I mean the spirit incident," she quickly corrected herself, "can't be taken lightly."

"I know it sounds uncouth and selfish of me, but I miss her. Even Flandre is starting to grow more restless with each passing day without someone to study with her and divert her attention from destroying things in the basement."

Sakuya had a lot of sympathy for her mistress's concerns, as Flandre has kept her awake during the recent nights with disturbing sounds coming from her basement far more often than usual. "But asking Patchouli-sama to return at this time would be unreasonable." said Sakuya's rationale.

"I would love to play with Flan," Remilia sighed tiredly, "but in this condition? I sicken myself at how pathetic I am right now."

"Mistress, please?" Sakuya gazed at her almost pleadingly, "if you don't feel rested enough you shouldn't try to stand."

Ignoring her maid's well-meant advice completely, Remilia continued in her speech. "I'm sure?" she paused herself for a while, "Patchouli would like to come back too."

"Remilia-sama, rather than Patchouli-sama, I believe you should be more concerned about your own well-being. Instead of bluntly disobeying my advice, why don't you for once allow me to call Yagokoro-sensei to have a look at you? This has been going on for longer than just a week or two."

"No way in Nine Hells am I going to let that smug-ass know-it-all set foot inside my mansion and let her do check ups on me!" Remilia stood up from the bed, her fists clenched tightly in agitation.

"Mistress, you are acting against all reason." Sakuya had to step up on her persuasion tactics if she was ever hoping to get her mistress's attention. And if it meant questioning and directly opposing her ideas, then so be it.

Remilia chuckled weakly, which Sakuya took as a good sign that Remilia has calmed down a bit. "This is why I'm the mistress of this mansion and why you are a maid. Taught to obey and trained to serve, but thinking has never been your strong suit, has it, Sakuya?"

"I am sorry, my lady, for being rude, but your resisting attitude and your Scarlet pride are about the only things standing between you and your good health, so forgive me for not being in perfect agreement with you there."

"But perhaps that's what I like so much about you." the vampire changed her tone to a darker and more serious one. "You are not afraid to talk back to me. Not only that takes guts, but also shows me that you genuinely care?"

"Of course I'd care!" Sakuya put her hand over her chest. "Do you think it pleases me to see you like that for over a month, knowing that I can do something to help, but you'd never agree with?"

"It's useless, even if you called her." the Scarlet Devil sighed and slowly shuffled her feet towards the bedroom door. Sakuya stood there like in a daze, unable to make out whether Remilia wished for a supporting hand or not. With her grimly pale hand on the door handle, Remilia cast her glance to the side, making a direct eye contact with Sakuya.

"There is only one thing that can help me in my current predicament. Even you should know at least that much."

"Then? Then let me provide?"

"NO!" Remilia angrily cut her off before Sakuya could even formulate her thought. She opened the bedroom door and using the handle for support, she slowly walked out of the room with Sakuya in tandem.

"I need you to be in top form and battle-ready at all times. We cannot be sure when Kazemura will become a battlefield again. I cannot be with Patchouli, but you can."

"And leave you alone? Like this?" the maid arched her eyebrow questioningly.

"You are right. This isn't really a good idea either. But I have solved this dilemma."

Sakuya curiously tilted her head, wondering about the solution that her mistress has come up with.

"Please take me to my study, Sakuya." the vampire demanded.

"At once, my lady."

The maid gently took Remilia's hand into hers, snapped her fingers and they were both suddenly standing inside a small study, which Remilia rarely used.

"Thanks? Now please make some light breakfast and come back in about ten minutes."

Reluctantly, the time-controlling maid bowed, and despite her concerns, left Remilia alone in her room and hurried to prepare the breakfast.

When the maid seemingly disappeared in thin air, Remilia walked up to her desk, opened the top drawer and took out a sheet of paper, an envelope, an ink flask and a quill. She gazed into the ceiling while humming thoughtfully before putting her first words on the paper, but she quickly nodded as an idea came to her and started writing.
Ten minutes later, Sakuya suddenly appeared by her side with a serving tray in hand. "Your breakfast is ready, Remilia-sama. I also made your favorite red tea."

"Thank you." the vampire replied as she folded the letter into the envelope. She dripped some hot wax from the candle on the table onto the envelope, and out of another drawer she took a seal, bearing the insignia of the House Scarlet. She pressed the seal over the molten wax on the envelope and waited for a few seconds. After removing her hand, there was an imprinted symbol of two roses with intertwined stems on the letter's seal. With a look as serious as ever, she turned to Sakuya and requested: "Now, Sakuya, I want you to call Koakuma."

"What??" the sudden request took the silver-haired servant slightly off-guard, but she obediently bowed, regardless. "As you say, mistress."

Two pops later, Sakuya disappeared and reappeared in the study with a bemused demon girl with dark red hair, clad in a simple black dress and a white shirt.

"Ah, Koa-chan." Remilia spoke up to her before Koakuma even processed the fact that she was no longer standing in the library. "There you are?"

"Wh-what happened? Huh? Remilia-sama? I didn't do anything bad, I swear!"

It was apparent that the young youkai didn't even know why she was summoned by the owner of the mansion, but Remilia didn't scold her. Instead, she took the sealed envelope from her desk and passed it to the little devil.

"You do miss Patchouli too, don't you?" she asked out of the blue.

"Huh? Patchouli-sama? I? I was told to watch over the library until she returns. Is she coming back soon?"

"I'm afraid not." Remilia swept away Koakuma's hopes. "However," she added, "I have some good news for you."

The crimson-haired succubus silently blinked at her, not even daring to guess what news Remilia had in mind.

"You? are going to see Patchouli."

"Excuse me?"

"The letter you're holding in your hand." Remilia specified and began to slowly savor the breakfast that Sakuya prepared, "I want you to deliver it to Patchouli. Personally."

Koakuma could feel her heartbeat increase in tempo as she heard what Remilia requested of her.

"But? but? That's not what Patchouli-sama wanted me to do."

"Patchouli needs you out there more than here in the library. Just do as I ask and stay with her. Sakuya can take care of the library just fine."

"I? understand." the little devil stuttered out as she nodded.

"You have never been to Kazemura before, have you?"

"No, but? I am bound to Patchouli-sama by a contract. I can track her down no matter where she is."

"So that's the solution to your dilemma." Sakuya smirked understandingly at both Koakuma and Remilia.

"Indeed. With that said, you may depart immediately." Remilia sent her off.

Without delay, Koakuma bowed to the mistress of the mansion, walked up to the window of the study and opened it. As cold morning breeze flowed into the room, Koakuma flapped her bat-like wings and took into the air, silently vanishing in the thick mist.

Sakuya watched the swirling milky vapors for a while before she realized that she was starting to feel a little cold and closed the window.

"Now that one problem has been dealt with, it's about time to think of a solution for your health condition."

"Sakuya?" Remilia addressed her as she took a sip of red tea. "You have already started working on it, even when you weren't quite aware of it."

Sakuya's facial expression was now like a mirror to Koakuma's from a while ago ? baffled and questioning. "Would you please care to elaborate?"

"The visit from the Hakurei shrine maiden we've had recently? You do remember that, don't you?"

"Reimu? What about her?"

"She asked something from you, but you had a disagreement, so she resorted to force, but lost to you fair and square."

"Until you summoned me and told me to comply with her demands." Sakuya recalled the recent event. "So? was that all just a??"

"Ufufufu~!" for the first time in a long while, Remilia giggled in her usual, mischievous chuckle, like she always did when scheming something. "So you see now? that I take every opportunity to reap some benefit."

"But waiting another month? Are you sure?"

"One must be patient for such an ingenious plan to succeed." the vampire smiled smugly and had another mouthful of tea.

"Ingenious?" Sakuya asked with doubt lingering in her voice. "What will you do when the shrine maiden discovers this?"

"That is of no consequence. I will already be at my full strength by that time. I don't care how she reacts. I want to solve the spirit incident too, but like this, I cannot even look at myself in the mirror. And not just because I wouldn't see any reflection?"
While Remilia explained the details of her plan to Sakuya, several tens of kilometers away from the mansion, in a valley fortified by steep mountains covered with pine trees, the core crew of Kazemura's expedition team was in for an unexpected visit.

"They recovered another stone tablet. It looks like it fell from one of those six obelisks." a short girl with short purple hair and a flower-shaped hair decoration popped her head into Patchouli's tent just at the moment when the sorceress was studying astronomic charts, which she considered highly relevant to the very purpose of the uncovered temple. Still panting from running, the young girl excitedly awaited Patchouli's reaction.

Patchouli quickly snapped out of her deep thoughts and focused all her attention at the barer of the news.

"Akyuu-san? Did you say another one? Perhaps this one might help us fill in some blanks in the whole puzzle." she rose from her chair, put on her violet mob cap with a crescent moon ornament and proceeded towards the tent's exit.

Akyuu, the young chronicler, was so excited about this find that she almost forgot to move aside so that Patchouli could leave the tent.

"Umm, excuse me."

"Oh, sorry, sorry." the chronicler quickly apologized and reversed out of Patchouli's way.

The blinding light of the morning sun temporarily robbed the librarian of her sight until her pupils adjusted. Before her, a vast pit crawling with dozens of youkai prospectors spanned for over a hundred meters in both width and length, all encircled by a symbolic, but very important shimenawa barrier. The pit's depth was now an impressive 10 meters and that still wasn't enough to uncover the access to the temple itself. Huge mounds of excess soil from the excavation were now forming a sort of barricade around the western part of the village. But now the human and youkai diggers in the quarry had to deal with a much harder task than removing the soft and supple soil. The bottom of the whole pit was covered in a layer of volcanic rock. For over thirty days, the workers have been tirelessly trying to breach the rock in order to gain access to the temple, but they have counted more broken pickaxes than centimeters of rock removed. That, however, didn't stop them from trying.

As Patchouli's eyes grew accustomed to the sunlight, she noticed two pairs of yama-bito prospectors carrying a heavy-looking rectangular stone slab from the dig site to the provisory crane, so it could be analyzed by the archeological team.

"This one looks bigger than the previous ones." Akyuu commented as she watched.

"It must have come from the base of one of those obelisks then." Patchouli deduced. "Hey! Careful while loading it onto the crane!" she shouted at the four slab carriers, but her voice was too weak to be heard across such a distance.

And while the workers were tying the tablet to the crane, Patchouli shot a sideways glance at Akyuu and asked: "By the way, wasn't Keine scheduled to arrive with someone to assist us today?"

"That's right." the 16 year old girl confirmed. "They should be here around noon." Her happy smile revealed that she was looking forward to their arrival.

"Heave-ho!" the voices of human and youkai laborers shouted in unison as they were pulling the rope of the crane's hoist in strokes to lift the heavy load and transport it safely to the hands of researchers.

"You seem to know this person who's going to help us decipher these glyphs." Patchouli still didn't let her scanning eyes off the chronicler.

"You could say that, ehehe~!" she giggled mischievously. Patchouli's stare was making her a little nervous.

"Well, not that it's any of my business, as long as we can move for?"

A sudden loud snap interrupted Patchouli's last word. A sound not dissimilar to a cracking tree branch was followed by frightened gasps and shouts of the quarry workers and concluded with a thunderous crash. Even Patchouli and Akyuu could feel the ground slightly shaking under their feet.

"...ward." Patchouli finished her word as she shifted her attention to the source of the noise.

"W-what did just happen?!" Akyuu instinctively grabbed onto Patchouli's gown. The mere thought of what could have happened was too scary for the librarian to even say it out loud.

She slowly detached the frightened chronicler from her clothing and activated her levitation spell.

"Patchouli-san?"

The sorceress hovered over to the edge of the pit. The missing crane arm was the first bad omen that her violet eyes registered. Looking down at the bottom, she found out where the crane arm went and what caused the small tremor.

"Is everyone alright down there~?" she called at the group of workers who have formed a small half-circle around the crane's wreck. They only lifted their shocked gazes at her, but provided no answer.

When Patchouli analyzed the crash site, it didn't appear that anyone got hurt. And what surprised her even more was the state of the stone slab.

"Oh, my? It's still intact. I guess when it survived the fall from that obelisk, it has to be quite durable."

"We're sorry about that, Patchouli-san." one of the workers responsible for the transport of archeological artifacts bowed apologetically. "The men said it wasn't too heavy for them to carry, but that crane was not strong enough to hold it."

"Fortunately, the only thing broken is the crane." Patchouli summed up with a relieved expression.

"I'll have the workers construct a stronger crane. In the meantime, we'll carry the tablet over to your tent manually via the access ramps. This will take a while, so please be patient."

"Don't worry about that. Just try to increase the safety of the workers a little. We're already busy enough with digging this pit. We don't need to dig graves too?"

"I'll try Patchouli-san." the yama-bito foreman bent his back once more and proceeded with issuing orders to all nearby quarry workers.

Having a large burden fall off from Patchouli's heart, she decided to float back up to her tent and probably have that breakfast that she skipped, because she was too immersed in her research. She slowly moved upwards, leaving the workers deal with the wreckage, and just as soon as she made it to the surface level, something large, black, white and red flitted before her eyes. It was so sudden that a collision was inevitable.

"Mukyu!"

"Uwaaa~!" the object that made contact with Patchouli let out a cry like a young girl and made the librarian quickly lose her altitude. Just a few meters before Patchouli was about to descend to the quarry pit's bottom, her fall decelerated and stopped. With the sound of her heartbeat resonating in her eardrums, the elemental wizard slowly opened her eyes and sighted a face she would not expect to see even in a crazy dream.

"K-Koakuma~?!"

"Patchouli-sama~!" the devil girl holding her tightly brightened up as she realized who she just hit and subsequently rescued. "I found you~!"

"What? When? How? Why?" Patchouli didn't even know what to ask first.

"I'm happy to see you too, Patchouli-sama~!" Koakuma cheerfully flapped the small pair of bat wings growing out of the sides of her head.

"It's not like I'm not glad to see you, but? what are you doing here? Did something happen at the mansion?"

Koakuma figured that before answering all of Patchouli's questions, it would first be a good idea to find some solid ground to stand on. Still clinging onto her mistress, she floated upwards and landed at the edge of the quarry pit where Patchouli originally planned to settle down, if it hadn't been for the surprise encounter.

After a safe landing, Koakuma drew a letter out of her pocket and handed it to her. Patchouli wordlessly took the envelope bearing a familiar seal. Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, she tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. Turning her back at the sun, she skimmed across its lines.

Dear Patchouli,

I hope Koakuma made it safely to Kazemura and managed to find you and deliver this letter to you. While it saddens me that your work won't allow you to return back anytime soon, I am glad that you are putting your best efforts into resolving the spirit incident and finally have the chance to see the world beyond the walls of your... I mean my library. Did you get a little tan on that pale skin of yours? I bet it's now a bit darker than mine.

Joking aside, I think you're probably wondering why Koakuma has suddenly showed up and delivered this message to you. First and foremost, sending a fairy maid to the source of vengeful spirits that have been possessing fairies is not a good idea. Secondly, it is because I cannot shake my worries about you while you're in that dangerous place, even when I trust your ability to look after yourself. Since I cannot be with you due to my current condition, I decided to send Koa-chan to keep you company and deliver you my best wishes. Please don't send her back and treat her like you would treat me. And don't blame yourself for what happened to me. I will get well soon so we can be together again. Until then, good luck with your research. Do your best, but don't push yourself too hard. Sakuya is taking good care of me, so let Koakuma look after you. Flandre is obviously getting bored quickly when you're not here. We are all looking forward to your return.

P.S. I miss those "mukyuus" of yours?

From your best friend

Remilia

A torrent of emotions has stormed across Patchouli's heart as she finished reading this short letter. In the corners of her eyes, a pair of colorless pearls appeared and glittered in the sun.

"Patchouli-san, are you alright?" Akyuu, who saw Patchouli's collision with the devil girl, trotted up to her as soon as she realized that she was once again standing on the surface level.

The librarian quickly wiped her tears with the sleeve of her gown and nodded in reply. "Yes? I'm okay."

"That's good to hear? Is that a letter?" Akyuu curiously tilted her head when she saw the folded piece of paper in Patchouli's hand.

Patchouli just closed her eyes and held the letter up to her chest, as if it was her most treasured object and smiled faintly. "Silly Remi?" she whispered.

Akyuu was too perplexed for words, as her only reaction was a blank stare with her little mouth ajar.

Trying to hold back her tears from overflowing, Patchouli took a deep breath and shifted her face to Koakuma, who was just as Akyuu, silently watching her with a puzzled expression.

"Koakuma." she addressed her familiar.

"Yes, Patchouli-sama?" the devil asked nervously.

"Welcome to the team."

Those words coupled with Patchouli's happy smile were more than enough to start a strong reaction inside the crimson-haired youkai's heart.

"R-really? I can stay with you? YAAAAAAY~!" Koakuma threw her arms around Patchouli and embraced her tightly. The usually unemotional youkai librarian of the Scarlet Devil Mansion now found it extremely difficult to defend herself from the urge to reciprocate the embrace, and so she did it?

Almost half a minute has passed before the two of them separated. And even if Akyuu didn't quite understand the situation, a smile adorned her face. Happiness was probably contagious.

"It was from Remilia-san, wasn't it?" Akyuu referred to the letter she saw in Patchouli's hand.

After a simple nod, Patchouli began explaining the situation to her teammate.

"I see, so she sent you your devil familiar to watch over you? She is nicer than I thought. Or at least nicer than what I wrote about her."

"She's the best friend I could ever hope to have."

"I'm glad for you, Patchouli-san."

"But no doubt you heard, Remilia is not doing well. Even a month after she was subjected to running water, she still hasn't regained her health. I'm starting to question what she is yet waiting for?"

"Waiting for?" Akyuu didn't follow Patchouli's words.

"I'm not sure myself, but I've already seen her once in a similar state before we moved to Gensokyo. Back then she recovered in a mere day; so naturally, I'm getting suspicious? and worried."

"Did she take some cure or something?"

"A cure?" Patchouli chuckled at the chronicler's silly question. "I thought you were more knowledgeable about youkai such as vampires. They don't need to take medicine. Even on the brink of their death, they can recover back to normal. And all they need for that is?"
"Reimu? Reimu! Can you hear me?" a woman's voice resonated in Reimu's dream. It was a bleak dream with Reimu standing in a place covered in fog so dense that she couldn't see her own hand if she stretched it out in front of her. The voice she heard sounded so close, yet so distant, and so terribly familiar, that it made her stir about in her futon.

"W-who's there?!" she shouted into the mist, even though she could guess the answer.

"Reimu?" the voice called her name again, sounding more clearly this time. "Listen. I don't have much time to talk. You should seal the gateway when you get the chance."

"Gateway? What are you talking about? Where are you?" Reimu tried chasing after the voice, but no matter how far she ran, she couldn't find anyone in the hellishly thick gray fog.

"Don't worry your pretty head about me. Just do as I ask? I'm sorry?. couldn't?. with you?" the voice suddenly became distorted by a sound that resembled the hissing of sea waves hitting the shore. Although there was no sea in Gensokyo, Reimu recalled hearing a similar sound when she landed on the Moon with Remilia's divine-guided and Hakkero propelled 3-stage rocket about 3 years ago. The Moon had seas, just like Earth, but unlike its older blue sister, the lunar seas were completely devoid of all life. However, the sound of their waves remained in Reimu's memories, which were now refreshed by the sound that was trying to silence the unseen messenger from her dream.

"Hey~! What's going on?!" Reimu tried to yell, but even her own voice was barely audible in the gradually intensifying hissing disturbance.

"Reimu!" the voice called after the shrine maiden once more, but its every following word was drowned out in the artificial white noise. It didn't sound like a rhythmical sound of sea waves anymore. It became continuous and unbearable. Reimu screamed, but she was mute. The tormenting hissing made her want to cover her ears. She wanted to get out? to wake up. The last thing she could remember was reaching her arm into the fog, hopelessly trying to touch the person who spoke to her?

She opened her eyes. She was lying on her back in her shrine's living quarters, in her yin-yang patterned futon, drenched in her own sweat, with her right arm reaching for something invisible above her. Her pulse was racing and her breathing was heavy, like after running hours on end. Still unsure whether she was still dreaming or already snapped back to reality, only one word, one name immediately came into her mind and out of her lips.

"Yukari?"

The shrine maiden reached for the medallion made of silver and gold, which she now wore on her neck and didn't put it away even when she slept of bathed. For a while she just stared at the amulet, thinking about her dream and the words she heard in hope of understanding their meaning and in attempt not to forget them. The voice unmistakably belonged to Yukari Yakumo, but what was it about?

"Did she say something about some gateway?" Reimu contemplated aloud while playing with the medallion in her palm. Ignoring the dream as a mere coincidence caused by her longing to see the youkai again was out of question for the dark-haired maiden. Perhaps if the dream was about Marisa or about any other person she knew, it could pass for an ordinary dream, but not with Yukari. Her boundary manipulation enabled her to enter other people's dreams in order to communicate with them, and dreams weren't the only things she could enter. The fact that she appeared in Reimu's recent dream was not coincidental and neither was the message she meant to convey. It was the first sign of Yukari after 10 long months, and while still questionable, Reimu refused to take it lightly.

"Seal the gateway? when I get the chance?" she whispered to herself. "What gateway? To the outside world? My? shrine?" the more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her.

However, even without understanding Yukari's extra-sensory message, Reimu was determined to figure out the reason for her disappearance and do whatever it takes to see her again. Even when the dream was more or less nightmarish, it filled Reimu's heart with hope. A spiritual boost that she needed so much to keep trying her best.

"Yukari. I will absolutely, ABSOLUTELY find you, wherever you are!" she declared while clutching onto the bimetallic amulet on her neck.

As she was putting on her daily red and white outfit, her mind was still focused on a part of her foggy dream. The part where Yukari's voice became distorted by the hissing?

"Was she apologizing? For what? Causing an incident? Or something else??" she started to have doubts now. For so long she was convinced that Yukari was the one truly responsible for the outbreak of vengeful spirits and the mass spiriting away of outsiders, but now her hunch was telling a different story.

Finally, after tying up her red hair ribbon and putting on her decorative hair tubes on her side locks, she took all the necessary instruments that her job required. A gohei, a pair of sacred yin-yang orbs, a stack of blessed charms and a set of Spell Cards. Not caring about tidying her room up or even eating breakfast, she left her shrine, plotting her course for the antique shop, Kourindou.
At the same time, in the Human Village, a certain duo of outsiders was making preparations for the difficult journey that awaited them today. Or perhaps it was a certain trio?

"Heeey~! Wait up~!" a girl's call could be heard from the opposite side of the marketplace, which was already bustling with activity since morning.

Two young men, one of them tall and long-haired; the other one shorter with more robust build, turned their heads around and witnessed a young female hastily slaloming through the crowd of villagers.

"Is that Midori?" Soudai asked his taller friend who had a better view of the situation, but even he wasn't quite certain, as he suggested by a shrugging gesture.

"I said wait up, you two~!" the girl's voice called out again, apparently getting closer.

"Yup, I think it's her." Kyouichi commented, even though he still couldn't see her well.

Finally, the young short-haired girl emerged from the crowd and stopped before them.

"Phew." she exhaled as she wiped her forehead. "I was worried I'd be too late to catch you?"

"Hi, Midori." Soudai greeted her informally. "Did you want something from us? We were just about to head off to Kourindou."

"What do you mean, "did I want something from you"? I'm going there with you, of course!"

"Uhh, no, you're not." Kyouichi disagreed. "This isn't a sightseeing tour. And as much as I'd like to stay positive, we'll be exposed to mortal danger for the better part of our journey."

"But? Reimu is going to escort you, right?"

"We're not talking about youkai this time." Soudai reminded her.

"Indeed." Kyouichi seconded. "We'll be carrying a load of explosives that, if mishandled, well? you know what could happen. There really isn't any reason for you to come with us and risk your life."

"And is there a reason for you to do it?!" When Midori saw that her tactic to join her friends was being steamrolled by their arguments, she wanted to stop them from going.

"Why yes, we've already given our word to Reimu, so it would be stupid not to go now."

"I'd say it's more stupid to go there and risk your lives for her."

"If that's the case, then why do you want to go with us so badly?" Soudai's question effectively cornered Midori.

"That's? because?" she bit her tongue before confessing her intention to them. Even when she considered herself as their close friend, her pride prevented her from revealing the truth.

"That's a very valid reason there, Midori," Kyouichi started joking, "but I'm afraid we still won't let you come with us."

"We'll see about that!" declared the temperamental young girl and pointed her index finger at Kyouichi.

His reaction to that was a nonchalant shrug before showing his back to her and walking on towards the western gate with Soudai.

Midori angrily gritted her teeth and stubbornly followed them. The two young men pretended they didn't hear her hastened footsteps tailing them and just kept going. Midori followed, but only until her two friends have reached the gate, and the pair of guards checked their papers and let them through. Against all reason, Midori tried to hurry after them, but the militiamen stood in her way and refused to let her through without proper authorization.

"Heeey~! You can't just leave me behind!" she called after Soudai and Kyouichi.

Turning around, they could see she wasn't going to follow them any further. Her face was filled with anger and sadness, which bruised Kyouichi's heart, but he knew that staying in the village was the best thing for Midori in this situation.

"I'm sorry, Midori?" he whispered an apology which could not be heard, and with the same feeling of regret, he turned away and nodded to Soudai. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"I'm both hesitant and impatient to go?" Soudai expressed his strange feeling from the journey ahead, but walked on with the same brisk tempo as his younger friend.

"Damn!" Midori uttered in frustration as she watched her friends leaving the village and heading down the western road. She was still trying to come up with a plan to sneak out of the village and follow them, but not even she liked her own ideas. Kicking a small stone on the ground to relieve her frustration didn't make her feel much better. She wanted to go with them, but it's not like the guards would let her, even if Kyouichi and Soudai would agree with her.

She cast a longing stare at the distant hills on the east, where she estimated the Hakurei Shrine to be standing, and wished with all her heart that she could be there. And her reason? A little selfish, she figured the more she thought about it. But still, she was determined to go the distance? Once Midori set her mind onto something, she more often than not achieved her goal. Perhaps this simply wasn't the right time for her to act. And with that thought, which gave her at least some solace, she retraced her steps back to the village center. She decided to pleasantly waste her time with her favorite activity ? browsing through the wares in all shops in the village.
Kyouichi and soudai didn't delay themselves on the farm for too long. They borrowed the hand cart, which they always used to make their delivery runs, and off they went to the antique shop called Kourindou. The road from the village to the forest was long, but at least the two outsiders had their cart empty, so their walk was a little easier and faster as opposed to a regular delivery. They didn't encounter anyone on the road, and they could only hope it would remain that way for the remainder of their journey.

When they finally arrived, it was just about noon. An old thermometer hanging outside on one of Kourindou's windows showed that the temperature has climbed up to nearly 30 degrees Celsius. But even without the thermometer, the outsiders knew it was scorching hot today. The backs of their kimonos were soaked with sweat, and the longer and harder part of the journey was just ahead of them.

"Hello?" Soudai called as soon as he and Kyouichi entered the shop.

"Ah, there they are." Marisa Kirisame cast her glance at the two outsiders who just showed up.

The shop's owner was casually sitting at the counter, and opposite of him, Marisa and Reimu were sitting on borrowed chairs and eating something that looked like instant ramen.

"Just in time." muttered the shrine maiden while loudly slurping the content of her plastic cup. "Have you brought a cart with you?"

"We have." Soudai replied and pointed his thumb backwards over his shoulder. "It's parked right outside."

"Good. Then you can start loading the clay." Reimu waved her hand, like a queen telling her servants that they can get to work.

The outsiders grimaced sourly at each other. They thought they could get at least a short rest after their trip to Kourindou, but it seemed that Reimu and Marisa didn't want to waste any time.

"So, where is it?" Kyouichi asked Rinnosuke.

The shopkeeper stood up from his chair. "Follow me."

He led them to the back of his shop, which, apart from storing excess supplies, served as his living quarters. There, he wordlessly guided them to the pile of metal crates neatly stacked in a pyramid-shaped pile.

"Is that everything?" Kyouichi tentatively asked when he saw the crate pile.

"Yes, that's all of them."

"And the detonators?"

"I've put them all in a separate crate, so the transport would be as safe as possible. I even removed the batteries on the detonators." the shopkeeper told the outsiders about all the safety measures he took beforehand.

Shrugging their shoulders, the two outsiders started loading their cart crate by crate. The total weight of the dangerous load was roughly equal to the weight of the supplies they usually delivered from the farms to Kourindou.

And while they were loading the explosives, Reimu and Marisa were watching them from the comfort of their chairs.

"That's a lot of boom clay, ze?" stated the witch as she came up with a slang name for the plastic explosive. "What would happen if it all exploded at once?"

Just her words alone made Kyouichi's hands shaky and his forehead sweatier than during hard field work.

"That's the last thing we want to happen, Marisa."

"I know. I'm just curious, that's all?" she flashed her teeth in a sheepish grin.

"Well?" Kyouichi tried to think of some easy-to-understand comparison. "If all of that stuff went off? It would detonate with the force of 0.00002 microYuukas?"

"Whoa!" the amazed magician exclaimed.

"Whoa, indeed?" the outsider affirmed.

Reimu, acting as indifferent as ever, just shrugged. "Yuuka's not that strong. I beat her several times before?"

"Maybe, but her raw power is pretty damn impressive. Besides, can you defeat an explosion in a Spell Card duel? Unlike the youkai you've dueled, if something would go wrong, the clay would not warn you that it's about to explode."

"If it's really as stable as these two gentlemen told me," Rinnosuke gestured at the outsiders, "then I believe the precautions I made will ensure your safety and prevent any unwanted explosions from happening. Of course, being targeted by a hungry youkai or those possessed fairies is an entirely different matter?"

"That's why we're going with them, of course." Marisa pointed out the obvious.

"We better move it, though." Reimu urged them as she stood up from her chair. "The trip to Kazemura on foot from this place is going to take long. If you two wish to return to Human Village today, we have little time to waste."

"We know, we know?" Soudai sighed. "But we've walked here all the way from the village and haven't even got a moment to rest. Say, Kyouichi?"

"Hm?"

"I'll load the last crate; you go buy something to drink." he tossed him a small satchel filled with a few coins.

Kyouichi caught the con satchel and emptied its content on top of his palm. He looked around the store to see what beverages were there for sale. Naturally, the first thing that came to his field of vision was the old vending machine near the entrance. He slowly approached it, when Rinnosuke's words halted him.

"It's empty."

"Huh? Empty?" Kyouichi turned around and saw the half-youkai male pointing his thumb at the shelf behind him. About 20 empty cans of various drinks were lined up next to each other. Obviously, they were too interesting for him to discard as trash.

"Wow. Quite a collection you've got there? And quite an addiction you've developed." Kyouichi chuckled after his second statement.

"What?" Rinnosuke gave him a defensive stare. "It's summer. It's hot. And those drinks are good, so?"

"Not that I blame you or anything." Kyouichi could understand and relate to his "addiction". "Do you happen to have any other outside world beverages?"

"Some bottles from the outside world can be found in the shelves over there." he pointed in the vague direction of the food section of his shop.

Hoping that these bottled drinks would still be drinkable, Kyouichi followed Rinnosuke's directions and entered an aisle with groceries from the outside world. Near the end of the aisle he saw several bottles of mineral water and some soda drinks. Without taking much time, he grabbed a few random bottles and was about to return to the counter, when he noticed something interesting.

To say that he was surprised would be an exaggeration, because both he and Soudai were more than accustomed to the fact that this store housed truly all sorts of merchandise from both Gensokyo and the outside world. He put down the bottles he was holding and walked up closer to the object that caught his attention.

"What's taking him so long?" Soudai tapped his foot impatiently against the wooden floor as he waited for his friend along with Reimu and Marisa. Rinnosuke was also packing a few things into his waist satchel and looked as though as he was ready to leave.

"Hey~! Ishimaru~! The exit is this way!" Soudai jokingly shouted at his friend on the other side of the shop.

Not a moment too soon, Kyouichi emerged from between the selves, dragging a nice-looking red mountain bike by his side.

"Look what I found!" he grinned at Soudai.

A while has passed without Soudai saying anything at all. He just stared at him with his deadpan expression and shrugged. "What do you want to do with that bike?"

"Use it to drag our cart, of course."

"And you're willing to buy it just for this one trip?"

Kyouichi negatively shook his head. "Not buy it. Just borrow it. Rinnosuke is coming along with us, isn't he?" he cast a glance at the owner of the shop, who nodded in response.

"That I am. But I don't usually borrow my goods. If you want to use that bicycle, buy it."

"Can't you make an exception? Just this once?" he tried to negotiate, but Rinnosuke wasn't in a mood for haggling.

"This isn't a library. Buy it or leave it. Don't boggle."

"Alright, how much does it cost?" muttered the outsider as he observed the bicycle more closely. As soon as he found the price tag, he shook his head once more. "45 000?! No way I can afford it!"

"Then please put it back where you found it." Rinnosuke demanded. But Kyouichi didn't move a muscle.

"No, I won't." he declared bluntly, to which the shopkeeper raised his brow.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I won't." Kyouichi repeated slower and louder, still not moving an inch backwards.

"You're about to commit a theft, and I'd strongly recommend against it."

"Now YOU listen to me, Kourin!" the outsider showed his rare intimidating side as he suddenly raised his voice and lashed out his index finger at the half-youkai. Perhaps he was a little afraid of Reimu, but not of Rinnosuke. Not in this situation? "We are the ones doing YOU a favor! We are the ones risking OUR lives just so that you could see some fireworks and so that Reimu could solve her own problem a bit sooner! We wouldn't even have to be here, if we didn't want to! Do we not deserve to make our journey a little easier?! It's not like you're going to lose anything. You can take that bicycle back to your shop once our business in Kazemura is done. And then you can hope to sell it to the next sucker who'll find any use for it? or even know what it is. And if you don't like my idea, then I hope you won't mind me going back to the village and let you guys blow yourselves up along with half of Kazemura for all I care!"

Rinnosuke wasn't the only one taken aback by Kyouichi's outburst. Soudai, although still bearing his calm expression, has obviously never seen his friend genuinely angry, unlike Midori, who was more impulsive by nature.

"Jeez, dude, calm down."

"I am freakin' calm!" he yelled in a tone that contradicted his statement. "Let's see what you do if I just do as I please!" he addressed those words to Rinnosuke and towed the bicycle towards the shop's exit despite the owner's warning.

Stunned, Rinnosuke cast a sideways glance at Reimu and Marisa in hope of getting some moral support from them.

"That awfully reminds me of how you two usually do your shopping here."

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Marisa defended herself, "I didn't tell anyone to follow my example."

"Sorry, Rinnosuke," Reimu resignedly shook her head, "I cannot classify this as a robbery attempt. We are solving an incident here, so borrowing your stuff would be considered confiscation. All for the best interest of order in Gensokyo, of course?"

The half-human shopkeeper thus found himself at a dead end. The only way out was to turn back. "You conspired against me, haven't you? Very well, have it your way, but the bicycle returns to this shop afterwards. In one piece?" he added, as if he expected the worst.

"Should something bad happen to it, you can put it on Soudai's tab." Kyouichi jested as he tapped his friend's shoulder.

"I think the one who borrowed it should be responsible." the older outsider probably didn't take it as a joke.

"I couldn't agree more." Rinnosuke seconded his reply. "Now I ask you all to step out already. I need to lock this place up."

"Like anyone would want to steal your junk, anyway..." Marisa muttered as she was leaving the shop with Reimu and the outsiders.

"Marisa?" Rinnosuke looked at the witch in a way that made it clear he wasn't in a mood for jokes or stupid remarks. "If it was anyone else in Gensokyo who'd tell me that, okay? But coming from you, that just loses all its seriousness."

"What? You think I'd steal anything from you?"

"Think?" the half-youkai chuckled. "It's what you and your Shinto-practicing friend are doing on almost daily basis in broad daylight."

He turned the key and a mechanical click gave him a signal that the door was locked.

"We're simply borrowing." Marisa justified her actions by giving them an innocent-sounding name.

"Hey, at least I pay sometimes?" Reimu said to her own defense.

"And I don't borrow what I don't necessarily need."

"We already are taking one of the most valuable things from Kourindou with us." Soudai referred to the cargo on the wooden cart.

"And using probably the second most expensive thing in Kourindou to speed up our journey." Kyouichi smirked at the mountain bike, which he was now trying to tie to the cart.

"Is that clay really so valuable in the outside world?" asked the blonde girl with genuine interest.

"Perhaps not THAT valuable, but it's really damn hard to get if you're an ordinary civilian." Soudai explained as he was helping Kyouichi with fastening the leather straps of the cart to the bicycle.

"And what if I'm an ordinary magician?"

"Then I'm sure you'd find your way to "borrow" it, if you know where to look."

The group was all set up for journey and the distant village awaited them. Since it was Kyouichi's idea to strap a bicycle to the cart, he got the "privilege" to pedal it. He rolled up his hakama up to his knees, so it wouldn't get in the way, and at a slow pace, he rode the bicycle along the road leading to the Hakurei Shrine ? their first stop.

"Is pedaling more comfortable to you than dragging, Ishimaru?" Soudai couldn't spare him from the teasing question when he saw Kyouichi sweating from both the summer heat and the not-so-easy physical activity.

"Just wait until there will be a downhill sloping. Then I'll be the one laughing as I leave you in the dust."

But Rinnoskue was quick to object. "I wouldn't recommend getting too far ahead of us, Kyouichi-san. The whole point of us going together is to prevent you two from being attacked by a youkai."

"Just us two?" Soudai pointed his thumb at his chest and his index finger at Kyouichi. "So you, Marisa and Reimu can't get attacked by youkai?"

"Marisa and Reimu are more than able to defend themselves. As for myself, since I'm a half-youkai, my flesh is quite unappealing to the carnivorous youkai. Of course, they could still kill me for other reasons than hunger, but I know better than to put myself into such dangerous situations."

"Yeah, right!" chuckled Kyouichi, who found Rinnosuke's statement quite ironic. "And keeping over a hundred kilos of plastic explosives under your bed is playing it as safe as it gets?"

"It's not by my will that this stuff ended up in my shop, you know." Morichika defended himself.

"You had over 2 years to get rid of it?"

"I thought we already talked about it before, Ishimaru-san."

"Well, technically, we are getting rid of it now." said Marisa to silence their bickering.
Thirty minutes of walking, and for Kyouichi, pedaling. That's how long it took the group to reach the Hakurei Shrine. They had no real business there, but the road leading to Kazemura was accessible from the crossroad just in front of its stone staircase.

"Aren't you tired yet?" Soudai asked his friend when they reached the mentioned crossroad.

"Not yet." answered Kyouichi, refusing to give up on his more comfortable means of transport than walking.

After a short break, the group continued their journey, heading north along the dirt path that led through open fields and meadows and an occasional thicket of trees and bushes. As they marched on, Soudai drew a flute out of his pocket and began plying a tune to make the long journey a bit more enjoyable. Kyouichi surprisedly glanced at him, because he never knew Soudai could play any instruments.

"Where did you get that?"

Soudai paused his playing. "The flute? I bought it in the village. There's this cute little shop in the eastern alley."

"I had no idea you could play a flute."

"I learned it here, believe it or not. From some of the local farm hands like you and me? I became gradually interested until one day I bought myself a cheap flute and practiced with them."

There was nothing strange about the fact that it escaped Kyouichi's attention, since the two of them didn't always work together on the same task on the farms. In fact, quite the contrary.

After giving a brief explanation, Soudai resumed playing, but Kyouichi interrupted him once more.

"Hey, how about you played something a bit more brisk and cheerful? This melody is kind of slow and sad."

"Well, sorry. I only know how to play a few tunes, so my repertoire isn't very rich yet."
And so, Soudai kept playing those few melodies he learned all the way to the 3-way crossroad where the roads to the shrine, the lake and to Kazemura intersected. By that time he grew tired of playing just as well as his companions grew tired of walking. They took another break at the said crossroad and replenished their energy by eating their packed lunches. They were about half-way to the quarry village and their journey so far has been safe. But the more difficult part of the road was only ahead of them.

"How about I switched places with you now?" Soudai offered to man the bicycle and drag the cart, since he thought that Kyouichi's been hogging the more comfortable means of transport for too long.

"Fine by me." Kyouichi replied indifferently. He had enough of pedaling anyway. He also knew that the road beyond this point was only going to become gradually steeper, making it inconvenient for a bike to cross. Perhaps it wouldn't be a problem without any extra burden, but the cart and the terrain was about to give Soudai quite a workout before the group would reach its destination.

"Alright, everyone's rested?" Reimu threw a backward glance at her companions before they began marching again. "Let's get moving. Kazemura is still far away."

And as agreed, Kyouichi switched places with Soudai and just walked, while his older comrade became the motor of the bicycle and the cart.

Rinnosuke observed him with the same level of interest as he observed Kyouichi while he was riding it. "I'm guessing that riding a bicycle is considered a basic skill for the humans of the outside world."

"You're saying that as if you didn't know how to ride a bike, Rinnosuke-san." Soudai replied.

"I don't."

"Are you serious?"

"I never even saw one until recently. It always amazed me how riders can keep their stability on it with just two wheels." Rinnosuke expressed his admiration for something so mundane that people often mastered even in their childhood.

"If that amazes you, wait till you see a unicycle." joked Kyouichi.

"A unicycle? You mean bicycle's one-wheeled brother? I saw a man riding it once, but only in a newspaper picture from the outside world. The article below was promoting a circus troupe from abroad." the half-youkai explained.

"What's a circus?" Reimu asked.

Soudai chuckled at her question. "Heh, you never even heard of it, have you?"

"No. That's why I'm asking."

"Well, to put it simply: a huge circular tent, acrobats, animals that can do tricks, clowns, strongmen, jugglers, knife-throwers, fakirs, fire-eaters, sword-eaters, and sometimes people who are considered as "freaks of nature". Oh, and lots of spectators who watch their performance."

"Knife-throwers, huh?" Marisa was already envisioning Sakuya juggling her knives in front of a big audience and throwing them at the apples placed on heads of each of the Scarlet Devil Mansion residents. "What about magicians?"

"Yes, there are magicians too sometimes, but not quite like you, Marisa." Kyouichi answered her question.

"Not like me? Hmm... I see?" and a mental image of Alice and Patchouli putting on a magic show sprouted up in her mind. "What about shrine maidens then?"

That question made both outsiders burst out in laughter. "I'd really like to see one in a circus performance, haha~!" Soudai's imagination has gone wild as he tried to imagine what sort of performance a shrine maiden would do there.

"A circus is no place for a shrine maiden, I'm afraid." Rinnosuke, who had a bit more insight on the matter, explained the truth to her.

"Hmph? That's discrimination." Reimu pouted, but her mind still pondered the nature of other performers which she wasn't familiar with. "What are clowns, by the way?"

"Clowns? There's one good example over there?" Kyouichi jokingly pointed ahead at Soudai's back.

"I don't get it." Reimu confusedly stared at the young man riding a bicycle and dragging a cart behind it.

"Ha! If I'm a circus clown, then you're a circus shrine

[Fonzi]

Chapter 61 ? Operation Exodus

Click, click, click? went the wheels of the mountain bicycle, slowly rolling down the rough and winding road from a village that no longer required the presence of the bike's owner. His role was clear and his destination set. He only focused on crossing that long road safely and?

"Ungh! Damn it!" cursed the half-youkai after he lost his balance and crashed with his bicycle. He wanted to try riding it, but after crossing just a couple of meters he now had to pick himself up from the ground.

"One more try?" he encouraged himself as he was once again hopping on the bike's seat. He crossed another couple of meters, and again the same balance problem sent him back to the dirty ground along with his means of transport.

"Crap!" Rinnosuke didn't even mind the pain from the fall as the fact that he was scratching the paintwork on the bicycle. The more he damaged it, the less money he could afford to sell it for, but his temptation to learn how to ride it was too great for him to care about money.

"I almost had it? Once more." And the bike was once again sent into motion. "Whoa? Whoa! Easy now? Keep the speed steady? Hold the handlebar firmly? Oh, no? a turn!"

The cruel gravity has punished Rinnosuke for his curiosity yet one more time and added another couple of scratches on the bike's paint.

"Ah, to hell with this!"

He dusted his clothes off and picked the bike up again, but this time he didn't try to ride it. "I'll walk to Kourindou on foot. I don't need any silly machines to get there?"

And just how Rinnosuke didn't expect that riding a bicycle would be such a problem for him, so did the outsiders know little about the problems that awaited them on their way out of Gensokyo.
During the Harvest Feast, Soudai Asskura was right about one thing. Thirty days would indeed pass by like nothing. Now it was already the 25th of Nagatsuki. Less than a week away from the day every member of the Transfer Students' Club dreamed about. The events in the Human Village during the last 25 days were not anything to write a newspaper article about, but the outsiders knew that in less than a week their names would most likely appear in a newspaper after the people in the village learn of their sudden disappearance.

"Are you sure about this, kid?" Naota asked Kyouichi who was paying him a visit. The young student from Tokyo was just sitting at the table asking Naota to sign a document, according to which Naota would regain the ownership of the renovated hunter's cabin after Kyouichi would be proclaimed as deceased.

"Of course I am. Didn't we agree on this before already? You bought that cabin with your money. It belongs to you."

"No, I meant whether you are sure you want to leave Gensokyo." the old man specified his previous question.

"As sure as I'll ever be? Now sign it already." Kyouichi offered him a quill.

After a spacey look at the paper and its text, Naota slowly took the quill, shrugged and with a light smile scribbled his surname on it.

"To tell you the truth, I'm going to miss you a bit. Both you and Midori and even that goofball friend of yours? But on the bright side, I'll know that all of you will be safely back at home, so it puts my mind at ease."

"You still have 6 days to decide whether you want to come with us or not."

"And I already told you that I don't want to go back to the outside world. I have nobody there who I'd be willing to return there for."

"As you wish." Kyouichi shrugged at his reply and stood up from the chair. "May you live for many more years, Naota."

"Hahaha." the retired carpenter chuckled bitterly. "I'd be glad if I didn't, but I don't feel like kickin' the bucket yet."

"Glad to hear it. Now if you excuse me, I still have a few people I'd like to see before I leave this place."

"Awww, and I thought you'd stay for at least a cup of sake with your old friend." Naota sighed and saw Kyouichi off.

"Maybe later, when I'll have all my business taken care of." the young outsider replied as he was crossing Naota's doorstep.

"I never thought that I'd be telling you my parting words so soon, but? Good luck, Kyouichi. May all the gods watch over you and your friends on your journey to the outside world."

Kyouchi never found it easy to find the right words in situations such as this one, so his usual reply would be something simple. Something terse. And yet, in all that terseness, he could probably convey his emotions better than a poet.

"I wish you well, Naota-san?" he said with one last stare into those aged eyes. "Farewell."

Naota didn't hurry to close the door. He just quietly stood there in the warm rays of the late-summer sun and watched Kyouichi's back as he was walking away from his house and turning to the central square of the village, carrying a heavy-looking leather bag.
"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" a tall man with his head shaved to bald greeted Kyouichi as he knocked on the door of the Hieda residence.

"We met just once. I know your daughter is in Kazemura now, but I've come to return all the books I've borrowed from her. Please tell her I did."

The man's eyes suddenly sparkled with understanding when he realized who has come to his house.

"Oh, you're that outsider who wanted to ask about previous outsiders getting out of Gensokyo, right?"

Kyouichi's wordless expression when he stared back at him swept away any necessity for an answer.

"Alright?" he took the heavy load off Kyouichi's hands and briefly counted the books inside. "I'll tell Akyuu that you've returned them once she comes back from her archeological research."

"Thank you. That will be all." Kyouichi was about to turn around and leave, but Hieda no Reiji's words halted his steps.

"You know, it's not very often that my daughter lends someone her entire compilation."

"I was against that idea as well when she first suggested it."

"Don't get me wrong. It's not really a bother to me, nor is it much a business of mine, but for Akyuu to trust a stranger so easily? She may be a Child of Miare, but to me she is still just a child. At least I'm glad her trust in you in particular was not misplaced. All 21 copies returned in the same condition? I hope you found answers to all your questions in those books, Ishimaru-san." Reiji patted the cover of one of the books.

It wasn't exactly the books where Kyouichi found his answer to his greatest problem, but they were an important milestone on his way to that answer nonetheless.

"They helped me a lot. Thank you." he bowed to the father of Hieda no Akyuu and ended his short visit of the village archive.
There were still many people he wanted to say proper goodbye to, but there wasn't much time left to visit them all. Some people would best be left without the knowledge about the outsider's plan, but Kyouichi at least wanted to see them, if not tell them farewell.

"Excuse me, is this place opened?" he tentatively asked as he entered a fairly new building in the village ? the First Fairy Post Office. The unlocked doors and people inside provided a satisfactory answer to his question. The office had several employees, but only one of them currently occupied Kyouichi's interest.

"Welcome, welcome." a lively voice of the young office manager guided him to the right desk where he found a teenaged girl with crimson hair doing paperwork and being surrounded and assisted by a small group of fairies.

"Good afternoon, Kurohana-san." Kyouichi waved at her casually and spoke loudly through the chatter of the office's clients. "I don't have any real business here; I just wanted to talk to you."

"Is that you, Kyouichi-san?" Ai measured him up briefly before her eyes rolled down again to focus on the document she was filling in. "If it isn't related to my work, can it wait until the end of my shift?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but time is pushing me and I'm afraid I won't have another opportunity."

Ai wondered why Kyouichi was being so insistent and his demeanor so serious. With a slight reluctance apparent on her expression, she folded the half-filled document and passed it to her older employee.

"Can you please do these for me?"

"Of course, Kurohana-san?" a man in his forties, who was very well known to Kyouichi took Ai's share of work off her hands. Hikaru Nagahashi, the chief secretary of the Transfer Students' Club was employed in this very post office and he didn't seem the least bit surprised to see Kyouichi paying the office's owner a visit today. Only a fleeting exchange of glances between him and the club's president occurred before Ai apologized to her clients and sent them to the next office desk.

"So? Ishimaru-san. Long time no see, I guess. What urgent matter requires my immediate attention?"

"Moe wants to play~!" a pink-haired fairy suddenly floated up from behind her and perched herself on Ai's head.

"Not now, Moe-chan." Ai gently shooed her away by shaking her head lightly. And as much as the amicable fairy wanted to cling to her, she was forced to take flight again. Now her gaze was centered at the person standing at her mistress's desk.

"Ah~!" her pink-eyes brightened up after they identified that person as someone familiar. "It's you! From Eientei ward?"

"I see you're both healthy and doing well."

"Yes, thanks to Eirin-san's care my burns are all gone. Almost as if by magic. Mom was worried about me, and even told me I should release all my fairies after? the incident. But I managed to convince her. I re-opened the post office and used my saved-up reserve for repairs. But I don't accept deliveries to Kazemura or even to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The Hakurei Shrine is as far north as I allow my sweeties to fly. I'm worried about them just as my mom worries about me."

"I'm just glad you're okay and even running the post-office again."

"The repairs consumed most of our savings and with limited service radius the post office isn't as prosperous at the moment. But I don't mind. As long as I can continue my business and have my fairies with me, I am satisfied. But what about you, Kyouichi-san? You haven't come here just to have a look at me, have you?" her eyes were already scanning Kyouichi's face with a speck of suspicion.

"Actually, yes I have?"

Ai found his reply slightly confusing. "Excuse me? A-are you perhaps? interested? in me?"

It was understandable that she would not interpret Kyouichi's words correctly, so the outsider decided to share the information about his plan with her.

"I just wanted to see you before I go. In a few days I won't be in Gensokyo anymore. I'm sure Nagahashi-san here has mentioned this to you?"

"Oh? So it's about that." Ai slowly lowered her head as she understood the reason for Kyouichi's visit. "Nagahashi-san has only told me that some of the outsiders are planning to ask Reimu-san about letting them leave Gensokyo." she cast a glance in Hikaru's direction. "But he never really told me that it was going to be so soon?"

"In six days. That's the time of our trip to the outside world. But we want to do it in secrecy. Without drawing attention of the militia or anyone working in the village council."

"It'll be hard to keep a sudden disappearance of over a dozen people from the village a secret for long, I'm afraid."

"That doesn't matter, Ai. We only need a few hours at most. After that, I don't care if the whole village comes looking for us. We won't be in Gensokyo by that time anymore. That's why I've come to see you? To remember your face. To see if you're really okay? and to say goodbye."

"I? I don't know what to say to this. I guess "do what you feel is best for you" would sound about right, wouldn't it?"

"It's been a pleasure to meet you and to know you, Ai-chan." Kyouichi lightly bowed to her. "And you too, Moe."

"Moe doesn't really understand, but? if you must go, there's no helping it." said the fairy wistfully.

"I just hope Reimu keeps her word." Kyouichi thought to himself as he slowly turned away from Ai's desk. "Anyway, keep up the good work. And enjoy the rest of your shift, Nagahashi-san."

"Thanks. See you later, Ishimaru-san."
It wasn't easy for the outsiders to hide their intentions from public, so they had to keep working and attending their classes as though they were to stay here for the rest of their lives. Kyouichi and Soudai had the advantage that their shift usually began around noon, so they had plenty of time to spare before their job would require them to head to the farmlands.

During the last 6 days, he took care of all his business and said his farewells to everyone he wanted to, save a few people and youkai who didn't live in the village. But as it was typical for him, he left the hardest task for the last moment. He still didn't properly say goodbye to a bunch of important people ? the Saitou family.

The eve of the 30th of Nagatsuki was here, but the family still didn't know about his departure from Gensokyo scheduled for tomorrow.

"I'd like to have more of your soup, Minako." Mizuto asked his wife to pass him the soup pot that was just out of his reach. The whole family was seated around the table, having supper, when Kyouichi finally swallowed his worries and broke the silence.

"Umm? Everyone, I have something important to tell you."

"Hm? What is it, Kyou-kun?" the kind-hearted mother of two children, Minako cast a surprised glance at him. "You don't like the soup?"

"No, it's delicious, but? I'm sorry." he sighed heavily as he lowered his head. He blamed himself for postponing his parting words up to this day, but he'd rather say a belated parting now than none at all. "I know I should have said this sooner, but? please don't be mad at me?" he struggled with words as he tried to sound coherent.

"What are you talking about? Did you do something bad?" asked Minako with a puzzled look.

"Almost? Tomorrow I'm about to do something that you may consider very sudden and rushed, but to me that's the best decision I made in a long while."

The Saitou family was slowly, but certainly starting to pick up on the hints of his words, but it was still quite a shock to them nonetheless.

"You'll do what?" Chitose almost forgot to swallow her soup as she gave Kyouichi the most baffled stare he ever saw on her.

"This has been planned for a long time, but please understand that telling this to you any sooner than now could threaten it all." the outsider told a half-truth to the deadpan faces of the Saitou family. "Tomorrow I'll be leaving Gensokyo. Everything is already prepared. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me? You're really like my family. May your kindness be rewarded one day. Even though I've been a burden and an extra hungry neck to feed, you didn't throw me out on the street and treated me like your own blood. Nothing I can give you now can compensate for it."

"Kyouichi?" Minako put down her spoon and her usual kind smile was replaced by a deep, thoughtful gaze. "I'm? I don't even know if I'm sad or happy about this sudden news. I would like to say that I understand, but?" a small droplet appeared in the corner of her eye.

"Minako," her husband interrupted, "you knew this day would come one day. You knew Kyouichi was doing his best to find a way to return home ever since we took him in. And now that day has finally come. It would be selfish of us to ask him to reconsider. Like an injured bird that has been nurtured back to full health, it needs to be released back into the wild. Kyouichi longs for his real home and real family. Who are we to ask him to stay here? We could never replace them in his heart."

One would almost not expect such words full of truth and wisdom to come out of a fisherman's mouth, but he was right in everything he said. Even though his words of reason failed to bring full comfort to Minako's sensitive heart, he at least made her accept Kyouichi's decision more easily than she would be able to by herself.

"I? know I shouldn't be crying at a moment like this?" she apologized as she wiped away her tears. "It's? a happy moment after all. I'm sure your real mother must have gone through much worse moments than I am now. But her sorrow is hopefully going to end tomorrow."

The outsider thought about his mom often. Every day more than a couple of times he envisioned his home and his mother's face. He tried not to think about how his disappearance from the outside world has made her suffer, but such thoughts are really hard to avoid for someone so homesick as he was. Minako's words, however, have managed to bring a ray of hope into those dark thoughts once more.

"So he won't return, big sis?" the youngest member of the family was still confused by the whole situation and hoped to get an understandable answer from his sister.

"Most likely not, Tadao. We'd best say our goodbye to him now while he's still here."

"In that case? Goodbye, Kyouichi. Um? even though we didn't talk much, I kind of got used to you living here."

Kyouichi knew that most of his time spent in the Saitou residence consisted of reading the chronicle in hope of finding any clues that could aid him in his trip home, and he now felt some slight regret for not being more outgoing towards the family that sheltered him for over 5 months.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, really."

"I can't say that was nice of you, but that's what your goal has been all the time." Chitose still eyed him accusingly, but at least she understood the situation.

"You should eat well today, Kyouichi." said Mizuto as he passed him the soup pot. "The first step of a great journey is usually the hardest one, so make sure you have enough strength for that."

Kyouichi gratefully accepted and refilled his bowl with another portion. "If there is one last thing I can ask of you, I'd like you to pretend that you don't know about my plan if someone from the militia would ask you about me."

"Don't worry. We'll act like we don't know? Oh, and make sure you don't forget your belongings that you brought here from the outside world." the fisherman reminded him.
Later that evening, Kyouichi was sitting on the futon in the guest room, packing his last things and mentally preparing himself for tomorrow's trip. He didn't really have many things from the outside world with him. Just his old pair of jeans, his apartment keys, a handkerchief, two worn sneakers and a cell phone, which many of his peers could consider old-fashioned. He also had his school handbag full of notebooks, but he left that in the wreck of the subway car where his first day in Gensokyo began. His backpack still had plenty of spare room inside, but that didn't bother Kyouichi at all. He'd rather travel lightly than having to carry a burden that would only slow him down.

The night fell and it was time for him to sleep, but his brain had a different opinion. Just like on his first night in this house, he couldn't rest for a minute. However, instead of insecurity, it was the excitement and impatience that kept him awake. It was almost hard to believe that he was just a few hours away from a journey that could be described as life-changing. He stayed up until his complete exhaustion, catching barely a few hours of sleep before he woke up again.
"Rise and shine, journeyman." Mizuto, woke him up at dawn, as he was about to head out to the fishing colony and this was the last opportunity to see him.

"Mmmhm... Mizuto-san? Is that you?" a sleepy voice came from the futon as its occupant squirmed about lightly.

"I know you're leaving around noon, but I need to go to work soon and I wanted to say my goodbye to you while I can."

Kyouichi quickly shook the tiredness away and sat up. "Is Minako-san up too?"

"Of course. She's just making breakfast, and as I can imagine, some boxed lunch for your trip too."

In the next instant the young outsider was on his feet and bowing respectfully to Mizuto. "Thanks for everything. I have saved up some cash and kept it safe for emergency cases. I want you to have it."

"Oh, no?" Mizuto immediately showed him his palm. "I don't want to take any money from you. Unless the currency in the outside world is different than ours, which I don't think is the case, I will not take your savings. But feel free to donate them at the shrine if they make your pocket too heavy, hehe." he gave a friendly tap on Kyouichi's shoulder and chuckled. "I really need to be going now. If you still feel tired, go back to your futon, otherwise you can say hi to Minako. Have a safe trip home, Kyouichi! Good luck."

"You too, Mizuto. And reel in a big one."

"Ha! I already did that a few times, but I know there are even bigger fish in the lake, just waiting to be caught. I really have to go? Bye, Kyou-kun. Bye, Minako!" he parted with his wife on the doorstep of his house and left in a hurry.

Kyouichi no longer felt like he could fall asleep and if he could, he was worried that he could oversleep his own exodus from Gensokyo. That's why right after Mizuto took his leave, he headed to the Kitchen where he found Minako humming a melody as she was preparing breakfast for her children.

"Morning, Minako-san."

"Oh, Kyouichi? Good morning. Please, have a seat. The breakfast will be ready soon and I even made a bento for you. I should imagine you have a long trip ahead of you and one bento will not be enough, but at least you won't have to worry about starving for one day."

Minako was apparently in a better mood than yesterday, almost as if Kyouichi never told her anything about leaving Gensokyo. The Saitou siblings joined Kyouichi at the kitchen table soon afterwards, ready for another day at school. They quietly ate their breakfast, exchanging only a few words related to their school and after-school activities. Oddly enough, they didn't even bring up the topic of Kyouichi's trip back home. Almost as if their parents told them to feign ignorance.

"I'll be having another evening magic practice session today." Chitose announced with a casual tone.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Maybe I'll even come to watch after I close the shop."

"Oh you don't really have to, mom? It's kind of embarrassing."

"Is it now? Are you ashamed for what you're practicing or are you ashamed for me as a parent?"

"No, mom. It's just? none of the club's members' parents come to watch their children practice. It would be a bit awkward."

"Maybe because Chitose doesn't want you to see her mess something up." Chitose's younger brother poked fun at her."

"Like you'd know! You don't watch me practicing either."

"Because our club activities have the same schedules."

"Children, I don't want to rush you, but your school begins in a few minutes. Take your bags and don't forget your lunches." Minako ended the conversation.

"Yes, mom." both siblings replied in unison as they stood up from the table and made the final preparations for another day at school.

Kyouichi could technically excuse himself from school today, but in order to maintain the act of living just another stereotypical day, he decided against it and planned to go to school along with the Saitou siblings.
The day at school went by just like any other. Although Kyouichi could notice the tension and nervousness in the behavior of his clubmates, nobody even mentioned anything about traveling anywhere. Not until the final class, when Keine-sensei herself has summoned the remnant of the Transfer Students' Club into her office. Thirteen people, both young and mature entered the small office like on the day when their club was officially admitted. This time, however, it was about to end.

"So, I heard that everything has already been prepared for your today's departure. If you wish, I can devour the part of history that you spent in Gesnokyo, so that nobody would even know any of you outsiders arrived here in the first place." the teacher suggested an interesting idea, but she was quick to add that due to the nature of their mass-spiriting away, which might be connected to another series of bizarre events transpiring in Gensokyo in the recent months, it would probably only worsen things.

"I think Reimu-san and the others responsible for incident resolution should remember us, so that they can piece the clues together and finally solve all of these recent problems." Kyouichi reasoned after declining Keine's offer.

"Alright? So your contact and escort out of the village is the Scarlet Devil Mansion's head maid?"

"Yeah, unless she changes her mind at the very last moment."

"We are supposed to meet her in the market square in about 20 minutes, so if you have anything else to tell us, Keine-sensei, please make it brief." Midori pleaded as she kept her eyes on the clock hanging over the office's door.

"I only wanted to say?" she paused and mustered a light, almost sad-looking smile. "That I'll miss you a little. I got so used to your presence among those children? It'll be again strange for me to begin tomorrow's lessons without you."

"You've taught us many great things, Keine-sensei, even in this age." Hikaru, as the oldest member of the club bowed one last time to pay homage to the teacher. "And I feel like I have still so much to learn? But I don't want to be a prisoner to this place."

"None of use do, Hikaru-san." Sayuri joined in. "Too bad I can't recommend Gensokyo as a tourist destination when I return to the travel agency."

"You should first all try to figure what excuses you'll say to your families when you return." Yuujin apparently also thought about re-integrating back into the normal society of the outside world. None of the outsiders could imagine the reactions on the faces of their families, colleagues, employers, teachers and friends when they suddenly return out of nowhere after over 5 months of complete absence, but at the same time it didn't matter to any of the transfer students. Just to get safely out of Gensokyo and into the nearest town. And all of that was supposed to take place on this great day.

"Well then." Keine stood up from her desk and gestured for the outsiders to follow her. "I don't want to delay your great trip. Come with me. I'll go with you to the market square until Izayoi-san comes to pick you up."
The band of outsiders silently obeyed and together with their half-youkai teacher they left her office and eventually the school premises. It wasn't a long walk from school to the marketplace and the outsiders still had some small time reserve. Nevertheless, they didn't want to delay themselves, or keep Sakuya waiting, so they arrived on the designated spot a few minutes earlier.

The marketplace was as crowded as ever. Nobody really paid any special mind to a group of people with backpacks, who looked like they were set up for camping.

"No sign of the maid yet." Soudai noted as he looked around, though in this crowd he'd be lucky if he was able to spot any familiar face.

"At least we have nice weather for our trip." said Midori as she stole a brief glance at the clear sky.

"Speaking of weather, have you seen the dragon's eyes?" Soudai butted in.

"Oh, you mean those weather-forecast gemstones?" Kyouichi asked as he looked over his shoulder at the iconic bronze statue of a dragon god.

"I've almost memorized which color means which weather, but I keep forgetting? What weather was represented by red color again?"

In contrast to the nonchalance of Soudai's tone, Kyouichi's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you say red?"

"Yeah. Look for yourself." he pointed his finger at the distant face of the statue. "What does it mean? An unusually hot day?"

Kyouichi moved his lips, but no words came out of his mouth. He remembered exactly what Minako told him when she first gave him a tour of the village.

"Hello~? Earth to Kyouichi: Are you there?" Soudai waved his palm in front of his eyes.

"Red means? that a serious incident is occurring."

"Yeah? That's hardly any news, is it?" Soudai took it lightly. "Weird stuff's been going on in this place ever since we got here. I just hope that it isn't some sort of Ryuuken alarm device detecting our mass departure."

Even though Soudai was right about unusual happenings being commonplace in Gensokyo, they apparently still didn't suffice to color the dragon's eyes red? until now.

"It's the first time I see them glowing red, though."

"Come on, man. Relax a bit, or you'll rub your nervousness onto me as well. We'll be out of here in a matter of minutes. No incidents have to bother us anymore once we're in the outside world, right?"

"I have a bad feeling about this?" Kyouichi shook his head lightly, as if he didn't want to accept what he was seeing.

"Nonsense, Ishimaru! We've taken every step and precaution so that our trip home would be successful. Don't tell me that a pair of some cheap jewels is going to throw you off."

Kyouichi breathed a sigh and finally turned his face away from the mesmerizing red glow of the gems. "You're right. We have to stay positive? This day is meant to be successful. The operation Exodus is a go."

"That's more like it. Now try to keep up that attitude all the way to Tokyo."

"I'll be much calmer once we're out of Gensokyo, believe me."

"Say?" Soudai diverted Kyouichi's thoughts again to something else. "What is Yamada-san carrying around that shovel for?"

"Shovel? What shove? oh." It took a little while for Kyouichi to notice that one member of their club was lugging a little extra weight on his shoulders. "Heh? I can't believe he actually took it."

"Is gold rush having a renaissance or something? Oh, wait? wasn't he that weird guy who suggested digging a tunnel under the Great Barrier in order to get out of Gensokyo during our club's first meeting?"

"Exactly." Kyouichi shook his head in utter disbelief. To think that someone would actually bother to take a digging tool with them, when the motto of the entire operation was to travel lightly was leaving the club's president in a state of bafflement. "Hey, Yamada! Why the hell did you bring a freakin' shovel with you?"

Yamada turned his plump face at him, looking as though as he didn't understand the point of Kyouichi's question. "Oh? That's uhh? a precaution. Just in case." he replied with a shrug and turned back to the clubmates he was chatting with.

"Precaution? For what?" Kyouichi still couldn't comprehend his motive. "In case we'd have to bury someone?"

"Let's hope that won't be the case."
After a few minutes of waiting, a young female's voice sounded from behind them: "So, are you all ready for this?"

Everyone turned around to see who it was. But a few members of the club already recognized the voice and could breathe a sigh of relief.

There she stood in all her elegance ? the head maid of Remilia Scarlet, known as Sakuya Izayoi.

"Ah, there you are." Keine walked up to her without even the basic courtesy of greeting. "These thirteen people are all that's left of their club. I trust that you'll escort them all safely to Hakurei Shrine."

From the tense expression on her face, one could only assume that the two of them weren't on the best of terms with each other.

"Your worries are unfounded, half-beast." the maid replied rather rudely. "We'll be out of the village before you or anyone else even takes notice."

Now it was obvious that they didn't like each other very much, but as long as the maid would keep her word and do her job well, Keine had no reason to mistrust her. "Make it so. But if I catch wind that any of these people have come to harm before they reach the shrine, you're going to answer to me."

Ignoring Keine's threats entirely, Sakuya gave all the outsiders a brief glance and nodded to herself. "This should be as easy as putting sugar into tea. Alright, everyone!" she called loudly to get their attention. "Your request doesn't do me the slightest problem to accomplish, but?" she paused herself and put on an intimidating face, "you must do exactly what I say. Have I made myself understood?"

"Yes, Izayoi-san!" a nearly unanimous reply came from various members of the club.

"Good?" she pulled out her pocket watch and looked at it casually. "Don't get too shocked when you'll notice you're no longer here. Ten, nine, eight, seven..." the maid began counting down the time. Everyone was glaring at her, wondering what trick she'd pull out.

"?three, two, one." By the time she reached zero, Kyouichi and the rest of the club was already standing near the western road, just a few meters away from the Temple of Myouren.
"Whoa~!"

"What the??!"

"What happened?"

Those were roughly the first reactions of most of the outsiders once Sakuya's countdown has ended. It took them a while to figure out their location based on their surroundings.

"Did she just teleport us? That's so cool~."

Little did most of those people know, that in order to get them from point A to point B, Sakuya had to slow the time below noticeable tempo and laboriously carry them all one by one out of the market square to the Buddhist temple. After nearly a minute of recovering from the time-leap shock, the outsiders were again assembled into an organized group led by Sakuya.

"I told you not to get startled? We're outside of the village. We'll travel the rest of the way on foot. Follow me." she commanded and didn't wait for any signs of agreement.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yuujin halted the maid almost as soon as she turned away. "Why do we have to walk all the way to the shrine? Why didn't you teleport us right there?"

An exasperated sigh escaped the silver-haired girl's lips. "Because my ability doesn't allow me to travel such great distances." she uttered a half-truth, if only to silence him.

When she cast one last glance to the east where the village was, she could see a small bluish dot hovering above the roofs of the houses. Keine was keeping an eye on her and the humans she was escorting.

"Okay, let's stop wasting time and get moving. I should be on a lunch break now." the maid began marching and the outsiders followed her like a flock of ducklings would follow their mother.

"Looks like no Ryuuken are after us." Soudai always kept checking the situation behind him until the village was no longer in his sight. "Once we reach Kourindou crossroad, I say we're home free. The militia never patrols the road between the shrine and Kourindou."

"Maybe, but we'll still need to cross over 4 kilometers through the forest, so we need Sakuya-san's escort all the way." Kyouichi replied and fixed the loosening strap on his backpack. "Hey, Sakuya-san?"

"Hm?" the maid barely rolled her eye Kyouichi's way when he addressed her directly.

"Reimu-san has already returned from Kazemura, right?"

"I heard she has." she gave a terse answer as she continued marching forward.

"Heard? Haven't you been there too?"

"Not in a long while, I haven't. But from what I heard, I wouldn't want to be there anyway."

"Have they already uncovered the whole temple?" Soudai, who had a hand in blowing up the rocky layer entombing the whole structure wanted to know some details too.

"Who knows??" Sakuya's shoulders have risen and lowered in an indifferent shrug. "That's not in the list of my problems right now."

And even though many of the outsiders wondered what WAS in her list of problems, nobody dared to ask her.
In a couple of minutes, they reached the mentioned crossroad on the edge of the Forest of Magic and the antique shop - Kourindou. Fortunately, it didn't seem to have any visitors in black and white uniforms, so the outsiders could calmly keep on marching towards their goal. After taking the turn to the east, the group entered the shade provided by the countless trees of Gensokyo's central forest. Sakuya was already starting to become fed up with the walk and with the incessant chatter of the humans who followed her so loyally. Away from the prying eyes of any possible spy and from the ears of any potential eavesdropper, there wasn't a better time and place for the maid to execute her long-planned action.

She suddenly stopped, made a 180-degree turn to face the outsiders and hovered upwards.

Everyone was staring at her like at an apparition and wondered what was going on.

"What's wrong? Is someone following us?" some of the club members confusedly flung their glances in all directions, looking for some nonexistent pursuers. Others kept their eyes on the floating maid. Kyouichi's first instinct was to reach for his magic detector. But he was soon about to find out that it wasn't necessary.

"Listen." she looked down and spoke to the group of outsiders. "I have personally nothing against any of you? I'm simply doing my job."

At this point, even the most confused of outsiders were slowly realizing the truth and direness of their current situation.

"Sakuya-san? What is the meaning of this?" Kyouichi demanded an answer.

"Don't tell me she's turning on us." Soudai uttered behind him.

"Hey, if you're not going to help us, fine! We can walk the rest of the way without you." Yuujin simply decided to march on, but when five knives suddenly buried their blades into the ground just centimeters away from his feet, he didn't feel so hasty anymore.

"Don't try to run." the maid calmly advised. "It's no use."

"Heh? It's no use? She's pure Dio Brando." Soudai seemed to be having fun from the whole situation.

"This isn't funny, you know." Midori hissed at him. "You want a knife in the forehead?"

And as the outsiders were bickering among themselves, Sakuya continued: "My mistress's condition requires her to feed, so I need one healthy human to take to the mansion. Any volunteers?"

When Kyouichi thought that he had already seen almost everything in Gensokyo and that barely anything could surprise him, Sakuya just proved him wrong. "You gotta be kidding me."

"How polite of her to ask for volunteers instead of kidnapping someone." Midori uttered a snarky remark. As polite as Sakuya might have acted, nobody of the thirteen outsiders really wanted to become a vampire's lunch. Out of sheer desperation, Kyouichi began wondering whether those amulets he once bought from Reimu would have any effect against a human target. Not that he would be able to reach Sakuya without becoming a human pin cushion first.

"If you don't pick a volunteer in ten seconds, I'm going to pick one myself." Sakuya gave the outsiders an option to choose within a short time limit.

"W-wait?" Midori tried to negotiate or at least distract the maid from counting. "Aren't you a human yourself? Why don't you feed your mistress with your own blood?"

"Smooth move, Midori." Soudai suppressed a chuckle. "That was really tactful of you."

But to Soudai's surprise, Sakuya didn't take any offense from that question. "That was my first suggestion to her, but she refused. She needs me for something else, apparently. You are the easiest prey I could find."

"Does that mean we're screwed now?" Soudai made a silly grimace behind Kyouichi's back.

"No, just one of us, thank goodness?" his weird sense of humor seemed to have rubbed off onto his friend. "Sakuya-san~! We have a volunteer right here!" he waved his hand and pointed at Soudai.

"You're the first one to raise your hand, Ishimaru, so why don't you go ahead and pay Scarlet-san a visit?" Soudai gave him a light push forward.

"I've already did once!" Kyouichi was wrestling with him. "You should see the mansion too!"

"Oh, one more thing?" Sakuya raised her finger. "My lady prefers blood type B?"

"Ha! See? Your lady wouldn't like my blood anyway!" Soudai crossed his arms in a triumphal stance as he pointed his nose upward and grinned widely.

This minor remark of Sakuya's has divided the outsiders into two groups.

"Lucky~!"

"Ha, I'm A!"

"I'm zero, thank God."

Such were the reactions of the majority of the club. But one third of outsiders uttered things such as: "This sucks?", "Oh, crap.", "Why me?" and "I'm AB. No, no, I'm A! Pure A!"

Kyouichi and Midori were both in that group, but like any smart person in their situation, they tried to deny it.

"It also might be worth mentioning that while you were not looking, or to be exact, not perceiving the flow of time, I took the liberty of checking your identification cards, so you won't fool me. Still? if any volunteer would like to sacrifice themselves for the team, I won't consider their blood type. I'm sure my lady wouldn't be picky in her current state either."

Even then nobody from the non-B blood type group was foolish enough to offer themselves. Sakuya's countdown was slowly coming to zero. Everyone held their breath and prayed that it wouldn't be them who Sakuya chooses.

[MaJO]

So when will we find out who draws the short straw?

[Fonzi]

Chapter 62 ? The Last Hurdle

As anyone could expect, nobody raised their hand even when the time ran out. Sakuya was already measuring up all the candidates with a knowing glance. All those who had blood type B were starting to sweat nervously as the maid hovered closer. This time, Kyouichi was cursing the fact that he was one of the tallest people of that group, which made him stand out a little.

"Hmmm?" Sakuya hummed as she circled around the group and considered the selection. "You... " she finally pointed a finger at someone. And who else would she point at than the unfortunate anthropology student, Ishimaru Kyouichi. The outsider even bent his knees a bit, so that he'd make himself look shorter. Apparently, it didn't help him anyway. And when other members stepped aside from him after Sakuya called him out, there was nowhere for him to hide.

"You were at our mansion once already, weren't you?" she asked a question she already knew the answer to.

Seeing that it had no sense standing in a half-crouching position anymore, Kyouichi straightened up. "I was, but I hoped it would be my last visit."

"Oh, really? Why? Didn't you like it in there?"

And as Kyouichi was about to give a reply, he felt someone's hand landing on his shoulder. It was Soudai, looking at him with sad eyes and nodding his head in acknowledgement. "We all appreciate what you've done for the club, prez. We'll make sure your sacrifice won't be forgotten."

Kyouichi couldn't discern whether his friend meant that seriously, or if it was just another one of his funny attempts at dramatizing the situation. In any case, he felt like Soudai was asking for a punch in the nose with that smug, mocking grin on his face. He gritted his teeth at him and turned away. For the sake of not hitting his friend in a sudden spike of anger, he decided not to pay him any attention and instead try to negotiate for a reasonable resolution of this situation with Sakuya.

"Izayoi-san, despite the fact that my blood type is B, I dare to doubt that I'm a suitable candidate for feeding your mistress."

"Oh? And why do you think so?" she rolled her disbelieving eyes as a cold smile settled on her lips. He could see that she's just prolonging the inevitable with idle conversation. Was she enjoying his fear?

"I haven't been living a very healthy lifestyle for the past several years. I didn't exercise, I ate a lot of unhealthy foods and have been fond of high-caloric sweetened beverages since early childhood. Although I may not look fat, my blood is most certainly high on cholesterol, caffeine and sugar."

As pathetic an attempt as it was, Kyouichi was grabbing every straw in order to steer away from having to revisit the mansion and die to feed a spoiled little vampire. Especially when he was so close to returning home.

"Ah, perfect. My lady does have a sweet tooth. I think I've chosen well?" she smiled and descended to the ground with a set of throwing knives still in her hands. "You're coming with me. The rest of you can go."

"But I don't wanna go~!" Kyouichi flailed his arms in protest. Sakuya was already grabbing his wrist and preparing to put him into stasis, when someone interrupted.

"I'll go!"

"Huh?"

"What?!"

"I'll go!" a girl's voice repeated its brave declaration. Kyouichi could hardly believe his senses. It would seem that Sakuya was taken aback as well. The girl stepped forward, facing the maid with a serious, fearless and determined look.

"Midori-san?" Kyouichi shook his head. "What are you doing?"

Midori Iwakami knew very well what she was doing, and she wouldn't let herself be stopped by any of her clubmates. She locked her brown eyes with the maid and stretched out her hand.

"No, wait, Midori! Stop! Let her take me." Kyouichi suddenly had a 180-degree change of mind when he saw her brave, but foolish act.

"No, I won't stop." she shook her head, smiling. "You and Soudai have helped me during the harvest feast when I got into an argument with Reimu-san? I still haven't got the chance to apologize to her, so? This will hopefully make up for all your troubles I've caused."

"No! Sakuya-san, don't listen to her! Take me, take me!" Kyouichi insisted, but the silver-haired girl was paying him no mind.

"Midori, don't be a fool!" Even Soudai had to agree with Kyouichi and tried to talk her out of it. "You can still apologize to Reimu when we get to the shrine! Maybe there'll still be some time left for her to save Ishimaru if we hurry."

"Not if I can help it." Sakuya took her pocket watch by the chain and let is spin around as it dangled from her palm. "So?Midori Iwakami, was it?" she double-checked the girl's identity.

Midori nodded.

"Are you really willing to trade yourself for him?"

"I think I've made myself clear enough."

"Ah, what a brave young girl you are." Sakuya nodded admiringly. "I'd even spare you if I had any choice, but my mistress's well-being is my priority. And I will make no compromise in this matter." She then turned her face to the rest of the cowering outsiders and shouted loudly: "I hope you're all thankful for what Iwakami-san has done for you this day! Go! Run to the Hakurei Shrine if you want. Go ahead and tell the shrine maiden what happened. She won't be able to arrive sooner than my lady feeds upon this young girl's blood."

She then took Midori's hand.

"No! Wait! Sakuya!" Kyouichi shouted in protest.

A loud popping sound echoed throughout the forest and the maid was gone along with Midori, leaving the outsiders alone in a dangerous youkai-filled forest.

"Midori! No! Damn it!" Kyouichi fell down on his knees and bashed the ground in anger with his bare palm. "Shit! Why wouldn't she listen to me?"

"Dude, we have to hurry." Soudai tried to bring him back to normal.

"It should have been me? Why did Midori do such a thing?"

"Ishimaru? Ishimaru, we have to go. Now."

"This is just terrific, isn't it?!" Yuujin shouted his question loudly. "Our own escort was a traitor all along! What's next? The Hakurei shrine maiden is going to sacrifice us to her bloodthirsty shrine god?!"

"Even if, I'd still risk it." Soudai replied as he dragged his friend on towards the shrine. "We should hurry. I really don't like being in forest full of youkai. "We have to make it to the shrine. It's not a long way from here, come on, people, move it!"

And the whole group of remaining outsiders moved. It was the only way. Returning to the village was out of the question and they also doubted that Rinnosuke would be able to help them in this situation.

"What a silly girl? that Midori." Kyouichi still kept mumbling as he tried to keep up with the hastened pace of his peers.

"Yeah, that's hardly any news, is it now? Don't worry; we're not leaving this place without her." Soudai tried to feed him with some hope, even if it was false.

"Maybe not you, but I'm going home, even if you all stay behind!" Yuujin couldn't take it any longer. He felt like every second he wasted in Gensokyo could kill him. Not that he was too far from the truth.

"Ueda-san, would like to go solo on us?" Hikaru gave him a questioning glance. "Well then, feel free to."

"You think I'm screwing around?! I'm not going to wait for the miko to go on some rescue mission, which is likely to end up in failure anyway! I'm sorry for Iwakami, but I don't want her sacrifice to go to waste."

"I'd be sharing your sentiments if it was you who Sakuya took away." Soudai muttered under his breath.
And as the group was getting closer to the shrine, Sakuya was getting closer to her mistress's mansion with Midori. She no longer needed to halt the time. The girl who she more or less kidnapped with her consent was firmly in her grip as they flew over the Misty Lake's surface.

"Prepare for landing. We're almost there." Sakuya informed her hostage and began her descent.

Midori took her first flight experience pretty well. She was both scared and excited at the same time. But more than the landing, she was concerned about her future and whether she'd actually ever walk out of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and not just enter it for the first and the last time. But since she already offered herself so eagerly, it was probably too late for her to reconsider it. She probably wasn't as worried as her friends were, but she was still worried nonetheless.

"Um? Sakuya-san?"

"What is it?"

"How? How much does your lady usually drink when? you know? when she feeds on people?"

"Oh, she's just a light eater. You'll sate her hunger, I'm sure. Brace yourself, we're touching down."

"Can't you fly a bit slower? Yaaaaah~! Unf!"

A little rough, but the landing was safe and Midori didn't hurt herself. They both landed in the courtyard encircled by the black iron bar fence.

"No need to greet the gate guard, just keep walking." Sakuya instructed and led the way towards the mansion's door. Midori didn't have a choice. She kept walking towards the ominous wooden door. "S-so? you said I've got enough blood to satisfy your mistress?"

"I did." the maid nodded. "You're a 16-year old and your body proportions are adequate, so you should provide an ample portion of blood for my lady to get better."

Midori swallowed her saliva as she stopped before the large door. "But will there be any blood left in me?"
Sakuya didn't really feel obliged to answer that question. She just led her upstairs to Remilia's bedroom. After a quiet knock on the door, she announced her arrival. "My lady, I've brought what you requested."

"Come in." a barely-audible reply came from behind the closed door. Sakuya let herself in and dragged Midori along.

"This girl came willingly. Her blood type is B." the maid gave her mistress a short report of her task.

Midori saw the blue-haired girl slowly rising from her coffin, looking dizzily at her.

"Huh? Came? willingly?" she uttered weakly as she was crawling out. Midori even thought that in this state, she'd be able to even defend herself from her. However, there was still her maid and Midori knew she wouldn't stand much of a chance against her.

Remilia was already standing on the ground and shuffling her feet towards Midori. "So? You came willingly?" she asked her as if she didn't believe what Sakuya just told her.

"I? I did it? for? for my friends." Midori stuttered out as the fear of what was about to come was finally catching up with her.

Remilia was now standing right in front of her and looking into the girl's eyes with a piercing red gaze. "My? that's? mighty kind and brave of you." Remilia nodded admiringly.

"I saw you." Remilia recalled as she scanned her victim's face. "Yes? You were at the shrine festival."

"I was." Midori confirmed and swallowed her saliva. "J-just make it quick, please. I don't want to suffer for too long."

A very weak chuckle came from the vampire. "Forgive me, but? remind me what your name was."

"Iwakami Midori, if you must know."

Remilia slowly shaped her lips into a smile and revealed her fangs. "Midori?" she drew her shaky hand to the girl's face and stroked her cheek "It's not very often that I have such a cooperating victim? Sakuya, let's set up a dining table."

"Understood."
"Reimu~!" Kyouichi called for the shrine maiden when the group has reached the stone stairs leading to her shrine yard. "Reimu, Reimu! Are you there?!"

He ran up the stairs and almost tripped while doing so, but that didn't stop him from hurrying. The shrine yard was empty, so Kyouichi ran towards the main building and kept calling.

After a moment the shrine's sliding door opened and a girl's head with a red hair ribbon popped out to see who's making such a ruckus.

"Oh, you're here already? Good. We're almost prepared for the passage ritual."

"They're here?" Another black-haired head popped out from the doorway above Reimu's. "My camera is already loaded with film, we can start."

Kyouichi had no time to wonder what Aya was doing there. He kept calling the shrine maiden's name as he ran towards the door.

"My, someone can't wait to leave this place." the tengu grinned as she took the first few shots. Soon after, the rest of the outsiders showed up after climbing the stairs to the shrine yard.

"Reimu~! Something terrible happened!"

"Huh? What's wrong? And? where's Sakuya?"

"That's the problem! She took one of us away to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to feed her to Remilia!" the panicked outsider explained with wild gesticulation.

"Oh~! Even better!" Aya chimed as she took more pictures and took some notes into her notepad. "And I thought that just sending so many outsiders back to the outside world was going to make an interesting article already."

"Wait? are you saying that Sakuya took someone from your group to the mansion?" Reimu took her time to catch on.

"Exactly!" Soudai took the word out of Kyouichi's mouth. "You have to do something! There's nothing we could do. Sakuya just teleported away from us. If you hurry, you may still be able to save her life."

"And who's missing?"

"Iwakami-san. The maid was just about to take Ishimaru, but then Iwakami offered herself. She has the same blood type that the vampire prefers, so Sakuya took her instead."

"Oh, someone's life is in danger? You should do something about it, Reimu-san." a third voice and a third head popped up from the doorway, this time appearing under Reimu's head. It was Hieda no Akyuu, the savant compiling the chronicle of Gensokyo. Whatever reason brought her here on this day form the excavation site in Kazemura was a mystery.

"I disagree!" Ueda Yuujin immediately showed his disagreement. "She sacrificed herself willingly, because she wanted us to be able to safely make it to the outside world. I say we honor her memory and do that as quickly as possible. Hakurei-san, we're ready for the ritual. Take us to the outside world now!"

"I understand that you and your problems need to be addressed," Reimu rolled her eyes at him, "but I decide how I resolve incidents here. And I say that Iwakami's life may yet be saved."

"That maid can control time. I doubt she'd leave any of it for any rescue attempts. She even said it herself." Yuujin kept arguing. "Even if you go now, I doubt you'll make it."

"Nobody ever achieved anything without trying!" Reimu's last reply to him was followed by her immediate take-off and flight towards the Misty Lake. Needless to say that a certain number of outsiders wasn't very happy about her decision.

"Heeeey~! Come back! You hear me~!? Get back here! Take us to the outside world! Don't go!"
And not a second later another girl took flight to follow Reimu. Aya had no problem catching up with her and once she did, she gave the shrine maiden a suggestion. "That human wasn't kidding. It'd be almost impossible for you to catch Sakuya. I'm assuming she and her hostage is already in the mansion."

"And why are you telling me this? You don't want me to save that girl? I know I might be too late, but it'd be much worse if I didn't do anything at all."

"Ah, yes." Aya nodded after taking a deep breath. "You're right. You might not make it in time? on your own, that is?"

"Wait? where are you getting at?" Reimu turned her head briefly to see Aya's face. And she saw the tengu grinning suspiciously.

"Hold tightly~!" and before Reimu could even think of a reaction, Aya flew over her grabbed her by the waist and accelerated to a speed that changed a 15 ? minute flight to a 5 ? second one.

"Ayaaaaaa~~~!" Reimu could barely even hear her own voice through the wind howling in her ears and also due to the fact that the crow tengu was jetting through the sky several times faster than the speed of sound. "Stooooop~!" And by the time she said it, Aya indeed stopped.

"Close your eyes, Reimu!" Aya warned her as she was almost at her destination.

"What?!"

Reimu quickly realized why Aya asked her to do so. In her haste she forgot to calculate that she needed a couple of extra hundreds of meters to slow her flight down. Now, despite her breaking efforts, she was still darting towards the mansion by the force of her own momentum. At least she could still maneuver her heading to one of the mansion's many windows.

After a loud slam followed by the clinking and ringing of broken glass, Aya and Reimu made it? relatively safely inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion's dining hall. They were both quite stunned after the crash-landing, which wasn't really good, as every second wasted could mean the difference between their success and failure.
"Aya? you idiot?" Reimu grumbled as she came to her senses. Apart from the window, they also managed to damage a few pieces of furniture and break a few porcelain vases.

"Hey, at least I helped to cushion our fall?" the tengu muttered from beneath her. "Now if you'd be so kind as to get off me?"

"Well, well, well? For a second there I thought Kirisame-san has confused our library with the dining hall and entered through the wrong window." A young female's voice startled the two intruders. "But it's just you?"

"That's Remilia! Reimu, get up! Stop her before she hurts that human girl!" Aya was urging the shrine maiden to stand up.

"Well, I suppose I should have seen it coming eventually. Sakuya?"

In that very instant, Remilia's loyal servant appeared in the dining hall. "Yes?"

"Prepare the dishes for two more guests." Remilia issued an order that made Reimu question how hard she hit herself in the head during that rough landing. Even Aya wasn't sure if she heard her right.

Sakuya didn't seem to have any doubts about her lady's sanity. She disappeared and reappeared with a serving tray laden with dinner plates. Reimu finally managed to stand up and dust off her clothes. "Iwakami-san?"

There, sitting at the large table on a chair for honored guests she saw the girl from the outside world alive and well. She had a bandaged neck and was just enjoying dinner together with the mistress of the mansion. Until she got startled by the sudden intrusion, of course.

"Oh, Hakurei-san!" Midori put her spoon down, stood up and bowed to her. "I'm sorry? Last time? I've caused you some trouble. And I know that being drunk doesn't give me any excuse, but? I just wanted to do something good for a change, so? I offered myself to provide some blood for Scarlet-san."

"Are? are you alright?" Reimu approached the girl to get a better look. It didn't seem like she was under any mind-control spell.

"Oh, I'm fine. At first I was a little worried, but? it turned out that Remilia-sama is not that much of a big eater. I only feel a little dizzy."

"That's why you should eat it all up, so you'd have enough strength for the journey that awaits you." Remilia gestured at all the dishes that Sakuya prepared for her. "Come, Reimu? and you too, miss tengu?" she made an inviting gesture at the two vacant chairs. "You look a bit shook-up as well. You should eat something too. Chicken soup, beef steaks, salad? take your pick. Oh, and Sakuya, a bottle of our best wine for the guests. You can clean up the mess they made later."

An affirmative nod, and the maid was gone and back in a flash, pouring wine into four glasses.

Reimu still struggled to process what was happening, as she apparently had no reason to draw her amulets or Spell Cards.

"Well, Remilia-san?" Aya tentatively approached the table. "You certainly look a lot better than the last time."

"Yes, all thanks to this girl." she glanced over at Midori and smiled. "And to Sakuya, of course. "If you want to punish me, Reimu, feel free to, but I'll be offended if you refuse having dinner with me."

Reimu and Aya finally seated themselves at the table, alternating their looks between Midori and Remilia, occasionally trailing off to Sakuya. Remilia found their bewilderment quite amusing. "What's wrong? You think I poisoned your meals or something?"

"I? uh? I'm not even sure what to say."

"Thanks for the meal" would be a good start. Or perhaps we better have a toast first." Remilia was already raising her wine glass. "Cheers!"

"Uh, sure? cheers!" Aya finally shook her suspicion off and jingled her glass against Remilia's. "What's the occasion?"

"I don't need any special occasion to enjoy a quality meal and wine. But I think celebrating a recovery back to good health is as good reason to open a bottle as any."

"Indeed. As they say: "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." That includes one's health too." Aya nodded agreeingly.

"Reimu-san? What about all the people who went with me? Did they all make it to the shrine?" Midori inquired as she finished the soup and started attacking the beef steak.

"Twelve people arrived at the shrine." Aya was not only a faster flyer, but also beat Reimu to answering a question directed at her. "That makes thirteen with you, Iwakami-san. Is that everyone?"

Midori exhaled with relief. "Good? So they made it. But? who's watching over them now?"

"Uh? Hieda-san?" Aya smiled sheepishly as she never thought that the outsiders are all gathered in the shrine yard, vulnerable to a potential youkai attack.

"Ah? maybe I should have just gone to the mansion myself." Reimu bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "
"So what are you doing here?" Kyouichi put this question to the chronicler as he was taking some rest on the shrine's porch after the long walk. "I thought you were still in Kazemura."

"Nobody was yet brave enough to enter the temple itself with that magic disruption field in effect. Or perhaps there are more than a few brave enough to do it, but you wouldn't believe how much negotiation is going on in there to decide who has the right to enter as first - the Kazemurans, the tengu or the archeologists from Patchouli-san's team. So all that's been done in the past month was that the pit was deepened by several meters. And they still haven't reached the temple's entrance level. It's an impressively tall building for its age. Of course, Patchouli-san remained to study the newly unearthed symbols on the obelisks, but I haven't forgotten?"

"About what?"

"About this day, of course. Just like Shameimaru-san, I've come to record how a large? erm? well, relatively large group of outsiders gets taken back across the barrier. I'm sorry for what happened to Iwakami-san. I hope Reimu-san managed to save her."
"Oi! Reimu~! I hope you haven't started without me!" Marisa's unmistakable voice startled the outsiders when the witch suddenly descended from above. After touching the ground and flicking the hem of her pointy hat, she cast her glances all over the shrine yard in a futile search for her friend. "Uh? Reimu?"

"She's not here." Akyuu saved her the trouble of further looking for the shrine maiden.

"What? Don't tell me she's already taken the first batch of outsiders back to their world."

"Marisa!" Kyouichi jumped back on his feet and ran to her. "Marisa, you have to fly to the mansion! One of our friends got taken away by Sakuya. Reimu and Aya already went on ahead, but I'm still worried? What if they won't be able to save her? Please?"

Marisa's face looked both puzzled and amused as she was met with this unexpected news. "Heeeh? Wasn't she supposed to watch over you so you'd make it safely to the shrine?"

"You're asking almost the same thing as Reimu-san has." Soudai stepped closer. "It looked like that at first, but it was a cold calculation on her or her mistress's part. Long story short ? she took Iwakami-san to the mansion for the vampire to feed upon."

To everyone's surprise, Marisa didn't look the least bit disturbed by this. "Well, what did you expect? Vampires need to feed too, you know?"

"But that wasn't supposed to happen!" Kyouichi was still blaming himself for Midori's fate. "Marisa, just? you have to bring her back, you hear?!"

The magician only waved her hand in a dismissive, phlegmatic motion. "Meh? If you say Reimu went in there with Aya, I'm sure they'll be back with your friend rescued in a mo?"

"Ayayayayaya~!"

"?ment." Marisa finished her word as she lifted her gaze to see the source of the call that came out of nowhere.

"?eight, ten, twelve?" the dark-haired girl who just arrived at the shrine quickly counted the outsiders gathered in the shrine yard. "Good. Nobody was eaten while we were away? Oh, hello, Kirisame-san."

"Aya? Hey, where's Reimu and that girl that supposedly got taken away?"

"Oh, they're uh? they're still battling." Aya gave her a tongue-in-cheek reply. "But she was worried that while she was there, this bunch might be an easy target for stray hungry youkai, so I came here to check."

"Huh? Aren't you going to help her?" Kyouichi incredulously stared at the hovering tengu. "Midori's life is at stake!"

Aya did her best to suppress the giggle that was knocking on her lips from inside. "Yeah? at steak? I mean at stake, hehe." Her behavior was almost as suspiciously indifferent and calm as Marisa's. "Well, now that Marisa's here, I suppose I don't need to stay here and baby-sit. I'll go back to the mansion then, 'cause? you know? Reimu doesn't look like she can handle this one alone." And in the next instant she turned around and disappeared just as quickly as she arrived, leaving a small crowd of confused and worried outsiders in the shrine yard.
"Uhff? I can't handle this one alone~." Reimu exhaled heavily as she stared down at her plate where nearly a half of the massive beef steak still lay untouched due to insufficient room in the shrine maiden's stomach. Her hands have already surrendered their grip on the expensive silver cutlery that settled down on the porcelain surface with a noisy clink. "I'm stuffed?"

"What's the matter, Reimu? You're already full? You barely ate half of it." Remilia disappointedly shook her head. "It'll be such a waste to throw it out."

"Hey? do you want to finish it?" Reimu turned her head slowly to center her view to Midori.

"Sorry, I've also had more than enough."

"I'm baaaaaaack~!" the crow tengu's announcement of return came from the hole in the broken window. "Did you miss me?" Aya teasingly asked as she fluttered into the dining hall and landed precisely on her reserved chair.

"Ayaaaa~. I need you to help me with this?" the miko pushed her plate across the table towards the youkai journalist.

"The Hakurei shrine maiden's in a pinch, eh?"

"I suppose I can relate to her." said Remilia. "I too didn't have quite as big an appetite after not eating for so long. Reimu's stomach is not adjusted to eating such portions."

"Are you really, sure about that, Reimu?" Aya was toying around with the shrine-maiden's mind, "Because I'm really going to finish it in your stead without giving you the right of compensation."

"You could always ask Remilia-sama to pack it for you, so you could eat it later." Midori gave her a suggestion that honestly didn't occur to Gensokyo's keeper of order. "Every good restaurant should provide such a service."

And those were probably the crucial words that tugged the sensitive strings of Remilia's pride, because her reaction was almost immediate.

"Hm? You heard that, Sakuya? Why don't you pack Reimu-san's meal? Like hell I'm going to lose to some outside-world restaurant."

And the perfect and elegant maid obliged without a second thought. She disappeared and reappeared by Reimu's side with a paper bag in her hand, making an offering gesture.

"You know? reheated meal never tastes quite as good as freshly cooked, but it's certainly better than wasting food. Or feeding some greedy tengu?" Remilia noted as she was rising from her table with one energetic flap of her wings. It was apparent that she was in an excellent physical condition as well as mood. "I shall await you in Kazemura once you take care of your business with the humans from the outside world." She addressed the words to both Aya and Reimu.

With reluctance, the shrine maiden pushed herself away from the table and rose from her seat, having only now processed what Remilia told her.

"What? You're going there again? In spite of what happened to you there?"

"Of course! What did you think this was all about? I couldn't aid in the incident for over a month, because I was bedridden, and honoring an old contract, I do not prey on native humans from the village, so I was waiting for an opportunity to recover with the "help" of one of those outsiders. Now that I'm fine, I have to finish what I started. Don't forget to bring that trinket of yours."

"My lady, I have to object?" Sakuya also shared some of Reimu's sentiments about Remilia's stubborn will to return to the quarry village. "That place is not safe for anyone anymore; human, youkai or even god. That place is the reason you ended up bedridden."

"No, Sakuya. That was because of being exposed to running water. The place itself has nothing to do with that." her mistress corrected her instantly.

"But you've read Patchouli-sama's letters? And heard Reimu's and Aya's first-hand testimonies. Kazemura's temple is a divine and magic power sink."

"Ah, but normal humans are unaffected and youkai abilities equally so." the reporter threw in a quick reminder.

"See? As long as the weather remains clear and as long as no fairies will force me to save Patchouli's life, I don't see a problem."

"Yeah, but some problems are nasty and you rarely see them until you face them."

"I'm aware of unpredictable circumstances, Shameimaru. But I clearly know this ? idleness breeds decay. We can't be inactive about this, you know it."

With a sigh Reimu nodded. "I know? But I'm not sure Aya told you about the situation in the village."

"Oh, you mean all the politics about who has the right to enter the temple? Well, that's Lord Tenma for you." Aya let out a weak chuckle. "Now that he provided the villagers with protection, he now believes that they owe him one and that the White Wolves have the deserved privilege to go inside and do whatever he ordered them to do. Not even Patchouli's word can change anything about it, so she was forced to negotiate, which hasn't been very successful so far."

"Then we'll fight for that privilege if need be!" Remilia rammed her right fist into her open left palm.

"I have to say that I don't really quite agree with Tenma's politics, but? going up against my own kind? I wouldn't dare to do that."

"We'll figure something out." Reimu added a grain of her optimism into the conversation. "Well then? Thanks for the meal. Midori, Aya, it's time to leave."

"Alright." Remilia too didn't feel like delaying her guests. "Sakuya, please escort the guests to the gate."

"Yes, my lady." Sakuya bowed and silently led the guests out of the dining room and all the way to the mansion's foyer and main entrance. "I don't suppose you're going to carry her back after kidnapping her." Reimu let out a semi-sarcastic remark directed at Sakuya.

"I only do what my mistress tells me and she sort of forgot to order me to actually bring the girl back."

"Hey, don't sweat it. I can carry her to the shrine in no time." Aya voluntarily picked Midori up, which startled the girl to say the least.

"Oh, no, not again!"

Reimu wasn't quite happy about Aya's action either, but what other means of transport could she think of? "Alright, but don't fly as fast as you got us here."

"Ehehe~. I'll try my best."

Reimu took flight and Aya ascended slowly with Midori in her arms. "If you start feeling sick, just tell me and I'll land. I wouldn't want to see your lunch on my blouse."

"I'll just second what Reimu-san said. Don't fly too fast."
And off they went, leaving the Scarlet Island behind and closing the distance to the Hakurei Shrine.

"Hey, what did I tell you about flying slower?" Reimu reprimanded Aya, like a policewoman would a speeding driver.

"Yeah, yeah? Slower, slower?" the tengu let out an exasperated sigh followed by a loud yawn. The speed she had to maintain was utterly sluggish for her tastes. "I think I'm going to fall asleep here?" and as she muttered that, she nearly let go of Midori in mid-flight.

"Yaaaah~! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Aya immediately grabbed her tighter and began ascending again after losing some altitude. "Blame the speed limit. It's too damn slow. Jeez? I've seen dead snails flying faster than this."

"Dead snails fly in Gensokyo?"

"Uh? yeah? when you throw them." replied the tengu jokingly.

"I just don't want you to ram into my shrine with her like you did with me, hence the speed limit." Reimu still felt the pain from the impact of Aya's crash landing.

"That's because I was in an extreme hurry. But now, we're having just a leisure flight."

"So fly at a leisure velocity then."

"You mean this? That's just a tad faster than standing still. I'll fly at MY leisure velocity."

And before Reimu or Midori could formulate an argument, Aya leaned slightly forward and accelerated to a speed that could rival that of Marisa's broom. "See? Much better. And we'll be at the shrine much sooner. Don't fall behind, Reimu~!"

"Aya~!" Reimu shouted after the crow tengu who was gradually leaving her further and further behind. Aya didn't appear to even notice the shrine maiden calling her name. She just wanted to be at her destination without having to delay herself.
"And down we go~." Aya mentally prepared Midori for the inevitable landing once the shrine yard was just a few hundreds of meters away.

"Oh, good, good, just gently set me down. I've had enough flying for today." exhaled the female outsider with a mix of relief and anxiety.

"That's Midori!" Soudai recognized the person Aya was carrying before she landed. All the outsiders centered their attention at the arriving girls.

"Midori!" Kyouichi called at her as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight to have a better view. "You saved her!"

"Ehehe, it was nothing, really." Aya released the girl after she made a smooth landing. A polar opposite of how she managed to "land" in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

"Are you alright?" both of her closest friends ran to meet her. Noticing the bandage around her neck, they both believed Midori's condition was more serious than it actually was.

"It's not as bad as it looks, really. Think of it as if I went to donate blood to a hospital."

"Oh, god? we were so worried." a huge rock fell off Kyouichi's chest when he could see that Midori was alive and well. The whole group of outsiders created a small circle around her to welcome her back among them. It was not long after that when Kyouichi realized something.

"Hey, where's Reimu?"

Aya didn't need to answer that, as the answer to Kyouichi's question arrived just a few seconds afterwards. "Damn it, Aya. Why can't you listen to reason for once?"

"He-hey~, Reimu!" the tengu welcomed her with a gleeful smile while waving her hand. "What took you so long?" she added a teasing question as the miko was descending to the ground.

Reimu sighed, as if she just won a tough battle and had no willpower to think of any witty remarks. "Just? do your job and I'll do mine."

"That I will." Aya made a mock salute gesture as she produced a camera out of her blouse's pocket. "Okay, folks, this is a memorable moment, so I want to make a group photo of the whole bunch of you before you all leave Gensokyo~."

She immediately began giving the outsiders directions on how to arrange themselves, so that they'd all fit into the photo. "Alright, the tallest people in the back, the shorter ones, move to the front. That' it. Great, great. Now you there, move a bit more to the left. And you to the center?"

More than a handful of pictures of the outsiders were taken from various angles and in various poses. The emphasis was on Midori's happy reunion with her friends after she was, quote: "Rescued from the clutches of an evil bloodthirsty vampire by the valiant and selfless effort of the brave tengu reporter with a slight assistance from the Hakurei shrine maiden." Aya said that her readers love to see drama and happy endings, so she believed her next issue of Bunbunmaru was going to sell like hotcakes. Just bend the truth here and there and make some things up, and the perfect article was born. That has always been Aya's way of writing and publishing, and even though her articles often looked like farfetched sensations, there were still people willing to invest their money to read them? or use them as kindling.

And just as Aya was busy with taking shots, interviewing and taking notes, so was Akyuu devoting herself to her work of recording this event and likewise interviewing the outsiders about their experience during their whole stay in this isolated realm of magic, youkai and gods.

Meanwhile, Reimu disappeared inside her shrine to finalize the preparations for the ritual of passage.
"So, tell us, how do you feel about finally being able to leave Gensokyo?" Kyouichi received the question when it was his turn for Aya's and Akyuu's short interview.

Kyouichi closed his eyes as he inhaled the early autumn air. Recalling all the events that occurred to him since the 28th of May until today would take more than a few minutes. Only brief flashbacks from those events were now running through his head.

"It's an amazing mixture of feelings that I'm not sure I'll be able to describe well. It's been quite a roller-coaster? uh? sorry, you probably don't even know what that is."

"Do give it a try and describe them anyway." Aya encouraged him as she playfully flipped the pen between her fingers.

"It's the feeling that you get when you accomplish something great. Something that took a lot of time and effort. Something you've dreamed about for a long time, but didn't quite know how to achieve it. And then there's this feeling that's like making you all nervous and curious about what awaits you when you return home after such a long time. That tingling in your stomach? and it's making your heart race. That's the sort of feeling I have from this trip that's yet ahead of us."

"U-huh?" Aya scribbled something into her notepad, just as Akyuu wrote into her scroll. "And what about your stay in Gensokyo? Are you going to take home good or bad memories of this little world?"

"My fond memories of this place will surely last a lifetime. Something like that is just impossible to forget. I'm pretty sure all of my friends here will tell you the same. There've been times when I felt like my life had no meaning. That by ending up here, I was sentenced to a life-long imprisonment, never to see my family and home again. And there were moments that I wish I could forget, but I guess those bad moments will only serve to enhance my memories about Gensokyo."

"You've surely met a lot of people and youkai while you were here." Aya went on with the questions. "No doubt some of them ended up being your friends. How do you feel about parting your ways with them?"

"Of course, there's this? I don't even know if I should call it regret or sadness. I guess a little bit of both. Yesterday I said my farewell to the family that took me in. I didn't tell them about this planned trip until yesterday. It wasn't easy for me. And probably neither for them? They're not the only people I'm going to miss. Even now I'm saying my farewells to you and to Marisa? and Akyuu-chan? Part of me doesn't want to go, but? life is about decisions. You can't have it all. You just need to know what you really want. And sacrifices are sometimes necessary." As he spoke, he could feel his voice tremble slightly, because he knew he wasn't going to see those faces ever again. But he has already decided firmly. The situation very much reminded him a period of his life when his parents divorced and he had to move to Tokyo ? away from his friends, into a new unknown city, into a new unknown school, having to cope with the fact that he was not going to see his childhood friends as often as he'd like. But such is life. And even though the choice wasn't really up to him, that experience taught him how to cope with the inevitable factor of life ? change. But even that experience wasn't making his feelings about leaving Gensokyo and all the friends he made there any more relaxed.

"Life indeed is about priorities. And to give up on one thing to get another has been its natural attribute ever since it began. I can understand that leaving friends behind isn't easy, but every person here probably has the same priority as you do, Ishimaru-san. Which brings me to my next question: I heard that your group originally consisted of more members than it has now. Have you been able to learn the reasons why some of your fellow outsiders would decide to make this place their permanent home?"

The question proved to be a bit tough for Kyouichi. "Sorry. I only have vague information about that."

"Rumors have it that some didn't have very good lives in the outside world." Midori interjected. "Starting a new life here seemed like redemption to them. Others say that some of the outsiders have found the love of their life here, but that's all just unconfirmed hearsay."

"Maybe some of them were criminals hiding from the law." Soudai added extra speculation fuel into the interview. "You never know what kinds of people ride subway trains these days."

"Somehow, I doubt that's the case, but?" Midori remained silent, as she had to acknowledge that Soudai's statement was based on quite a bit of truth.

"I don't suppose you found the love of your life during your stay in Gensokyo, right?" the tengu mustered a brief grin.

"I was trying to consciously avoid that, so that I wouldn't end up like the minority that left our club. Though I have to admit, it wasn't easy."

"So there was someone who made your heart sway... at least for a moment?"

"More than one person, yes." the outsider nodded as he chuckled.

"Wow, more than one?" Aya widened her smirk at the reaction. "Heard that, Reimu? Maybe you still have a chance, hahaha? Just kidding. You're on your leave anyway. I only have one last question for you."

"Alright. Shoot."

"If you had the choice to revisit Gensokyo at any time in the future, would you?"

"Ha. That of course depends on whether I'd still be able to return home after that visit."

"Let's say that yes."

"Hmm?" Kyouichi tilted his head slightly to the side and put on a semi-thoughtful, semi-comical grimace. "Sure. If that was possible, why not?"

"Heh, I guess we didn't leave such a bad impression then." Aya giggled and she closed her notepad. "And that concludes our little interview. Thank you for your time~."

"No problem." the outsider copied her smile. "But now I have one question for you, Aya."

"Oh? Ask away then? Unless it's related to my three sizes, that is?"

Kyouichi just leaned closer to her and asked: "Is that wine I smell from your breath?"

The tengu reporter's cheeks quickly gained a rich pinkish hue and she started giggling almost uncontrollably. "Ahahahaha~! Well, yes, it is. Sorry. It's not usually my habit to carry around a toothbrush in case I get a sudden unexpected invitation. But I'll make sure to properly brush my teeth as soon as I get home."

"Oh, I don't really mind. It just surprises me that you're still seriously doing interviews for your newspaper after drinking alcohol."

"Oh, please~." Aya waved her palm. "To us tengu, having a few glasses is like to you humans tasting a few drops. I assure you as I stand here that my senses aren't dulled by it the slightest."

"Hey, Aya, how many fingers am I showing you?" Marisa played along, and out of jest she showed Aya an indecent gesture.

In split-second her middle finger was caught by Aya's lightning-quick hand and she bent it into a quite uncomfortable position for the blonde witch.

"Yaaaaaaaaaah, let go, let go~!"

"Hm? You're not showing me any fingers? Oh, but you do have a lovely mezzo-soprano voice. You should join a choir, Kirisame-san. Or perhaps a band."

Aya finally released Marisa's finger from her grasp. It let out a silent crack as the witch shut her fist and returned it to its natural position.

"Well, then, outsiders? Are you ready to cross the border~?" Aya asked the whole group loud enough so that even Reimu inside her shrine would be able to hear it.

A unanimous "Yes!" echoed throughout the shrine yard.

"Then let's see if Reimu's done with all the necessary preparations." She approached the shrine's sliding door, but before she put her hand on its indentation, Reimu opened it from the inside. She stepped out onto the porch and gave a silent nod as a signal that everything was ready for the ritual.

The whole group of outsiders began to shift towards the shrine's entrance. That's when Reimu showed them her palm to halt them.

"Due to how large your group is, due to how much equipment you need to take with you, and due to the limited capacity of my living quarters, I'm going to have to send you across the border in two smaller groups, so? those of you who can't wait to get out of this place as soon as possible, follow me inside."

Several outsiders didn't hesitate to step forth to be a part of that first group. Kyouichi, Soudai, Midori and a handful of others weren't that much in a hurry.

"What's the point of rushing?" shrugged Soudai as he watched some of his clubmates enter the shrine in a hasty fashion. "They still need to wait for us anyway."

"Someone has to be in the first group too, you know." Midori made her point.

"True, but look at them ? pouring in like people trying to squeeze into the morning bus. Guess they couldn't take living in the Ryuuken barracks anymore."

"That? admittedly is a good reason to skip the queue and hurry out of here." Midori who had an unpleasant experience in the barracks acknowledged with bitter contempt.

Once the first group was inside, Akyuu, Aya and Marisa wanted to enter as well, so that they could watch the whole thing, but Reimu's following words wiped their hopes away.

"Hey? What are you three coming in for? Do you also want to go to the outside world?"

"Heh, I wouldn't mind getting another look. Even though it looks kind of boring." replied Marisa.

"I for one don't feel the need to cross the border," said Aya, "I only want to capture and record your ritual of passage as you take those humans across."

"Yes, me too." Akyuu seconded Aya's intention.

"In that case, I have to disappoint you." Reimu frowned at them as she crossed her arms. "In order for the ritual to be successful, all the shrine's doors need to be closed and everyone inside the room is required to have their eyes closed during the whole ritual.

"Oh, but I can snap pictures even with my eyes closed." objected Aya. "Watch." She stretched out her arm backwards, closed her eyes and took a blind shot of the group of outsiders standing behind her. After a moment a fresh photograph came out of her camera slot, depicting the sky, some treetops and the upper right corner of the shrine's torii. In other words, she completely missed her mark.

"Eh? I may need to practice that skill a little more." she stuck her tongue out as she crumpled up the bad photo.

"That's a pity." sighed Akyuu, who looked much more disappointed than the crow tengu.

"Well, that's how the ritual works. Don't give me that look, I didn't make it up."

"Oh, well, might as well take this time to chat with the other folks a bit while you send the first batch to the outside world." shrugged Marisa and seated herself on the edge of Reimu's porch. "Uhhh? not as warm as in summer anymore?" she commented the surface's cool temperature.

"Even though I already interviewed them all? But I guess I still haven't said proper farewell to them." Aya mused aloud.

Meanwhile Reimu closed the door of her shrine so that she could begin with her ritual.
The remaining six outsiders gathered around Aya, Akyuu and Marisa. Some merely said their parting words formally with bowing or adding a handshake, others took more time to say goodbye to people whom they could consider friends.

"Once again, thanks for the interview and for your time. May you travel safely to Tokyo or wherever you all live. It's been nice meeting you." said Aya as she was saying goodbye to Kyouichi.

"Likewise. It's been a pleasure? and a bit of pain too, to meet and know you." chuckled the outsider as he recalled some of his most memorable mishaps. "May your newspaper career be full of success and prosperity."

"Ha! Thanks. I should give you some credit for putting up with my passion for journalism? even at your own expense."

"Don't worry. Enough time has passed already for me to consider the memory of that one incident as nothing but a laughing matter now."

"That's good to hear? Watch yourself out there." and with those words from Aya, Kyouichi proceeded to Marisa.

"So this is it, huh? You're really finally going to go? Man, it feels like yesterday when you walked up those stairs and stared silently at us for a moment until Reimu finally noticed you were there. And when we had that hanami. And when I first took you for a ride on my broom. And when I saw you lying in Eientei. And when there was that big tanabata festival? I'll try not to forget about you and your friends. You were quite the funny bunch sometimes. Now you're all so serious? Come on! Let me see you smile. That's more like it." the witch also flashed her teeth to them in return, although it might have been a little forced. "Good luck to ya all, ze~! Hey, maybe we can still meet one day in the afterlife or something."

"You're the coolest witch I've ever met, really."

"How many witches have you met already?" Soudai teasingly asked from behind.

"Uh? one?"

"Yeah, I thought so."

"Still, I'll remember Marisa in this confident pose as she sits cross-legged on her broom, holding the smoking Mini-Hakkero with one hand and adjusting her hat with the other. Oh, and to mirror your earlier comment, you too were quite hilarious at times. May you accomplish your pursuits? whatever they are and may you finally be able to cook an edible tamagoyaki." after saying that semi-sarcastic comment, Kyouichi earned a gentle kick in his knee from the witch.

"Stop making fun of it already."

"Heh, sorry, sorry?" he bowed apologetically as he suppressed his chuckling.

And finally, Kyouichi stepped up to the chronicler Akyuu.

"Akyuu-chan?" he spoke her name and couldn't think of what to say in the following second.

"Kyouichi-san?" Akyuu in return spoke his name and paused herself to take a good look at his face.

They have already told their parting words to each other in Kazemura, as Kyouichi didn't expect her to be here at the shrine on this day, that's why he felt like saying anything would be just wasting words. But in the end he did say at least a few.

"I guess I don't need to worry about you forgetting about us. And with all the experiences that I've lived through here, I can safely declare that you won't need to worry about me forgetting about you. After all, it's partially thanks to your guidance and your books that we're all standing here, with our goal in our reach."

"It's moments like this that give meaning to my work of recording Gensokyo's history as well as present. And even though I'm not sure how my chronicle helped you exactly, I thank you for your kind words." she smiled as sweetly as ever. Kyouichi couldn't help himself but to give her one last parting hug. He could feel her small arms lightly coiling around him as Akyuu reciprocated the gesture.

"You've made it this far? now go and cross that last mile."

The outsider nodded and released the embrace. "We'll give it our best, right?" he looked at all the remaining outsiders who were there with him.

"Of course we will. If we survived half a year in Gensokyo, some mountain hike to the nearest town will be a piece of cake!" Soudai was brimming with confidence and optimism.

"I'll get home even if I'll have to crawl all the way!" Midori's minor blood loss wasn't making her any less fired-up for the trip.

"Then we must wait for a bit longer while Reimu takes the first group across the border and comes back for us." said Kyouichi and impatiently watched the sliding door, anticipating that it could open up any second.
But seconds turned into minutes and Kyouichi's impatience, which manifested itself in his urge to walk back and forth from one side of the shrine yard to the other seemed to have rubbed off onto his friends as well.

"Well, Reimu-san certainly is taking her time." even the ever-calm and carefree Sayuri was beginning to point out to the obvious fact.

"She sure is." Soudai nodded agreeingly, kicking a small rock that he found on the paved floor away out of boredom. "Shouldn't we take a peek inside?"

"Eh? I don't think that's a good idea." Marisa recommended against it. "Reimu said that the shrine's doors need to be shut. I'm not sure if it only applies to the shrine she's traveling from, but we better not risk it and end up "locking her out" in the outside world."

"It's already been at least fifteen minutes, though." Midori roughly estimated the time that elapsed since Reimu closed the shrine's door. "Was the ritual so lengthy when Reimu-san took you to the outside world the first time?" she asked Kyouichi.

"Well? we did stay in the outside world and chatted for a while before we decided to return back, but no. The ritual itself wasn't longer than five minutes."

"Hmph?" the young girl shrugged. "We'll give her a few more minutes then. But if the door still won't open, then we'll take a look. And if we won't see anyone inside, we'll just close it again."

"Alright then." Marisa could agree with the plan, as it would only present minimal potential interference with Reimu's ritual of passage. "I don't know what she's doing out there so long. Instructing everyone not to wander off or giving them a tour of her decrepit shrine?"

"Maybe she's negotiating for some extra donations for going through all the trouble." speculated Aya. Even she considered the while during which Reimu hasn't shown herself as unusually long for a simple there-and-back trip.

"It's true that we have raised some funds reserved to pay for Reimu's service, but? Such a simple one-way transaction shouldn't take longer than a few seconds and a few thankful words." Kyouichi explained, though the strangest part about it, that completely dismissed Aya's speculation had dawned on him just now. "Wait? Nagahashi-san was the one responsible for the club's finances. And it was he who should have ultimately paid Reimu once she takes us across. And he's here with us." he beckoned at the quiet, balding man standing just a few meters away.

"Hmmm? then what could be taking her so long?"

After several more minutes have passed with nothing noteworthy happening, the outsiders couldn't stand it anymore.

"Unless anybody has any serious objections, I'm going to open the door right now. This isn't normal?" Midori announced as she approached the door.

"Hold on?" Aya halted her in the last second. She herself was moving towards the shrine's entrance and it appeared as though she wanted to be the one to open the door, but she stopped just a few centimeters away.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Midori blinked puzzledly.

Aya silently brushed a strand of hair from the side of her head, revealing her pointy ear, which she drew closer to the closed door. "I swear I heard something."

"Heard what?" Marisa's curiosity was piqued immediately.

Instead of telling, Aya just made a "come closer" hand gesture. Everyone gathered around the door, trying to catch even the slightest hint of sound that Aya claimed to have heard from inside. And indeed, they could hear something?

"Those are?"

"Voices." Midori was about to identify the sound, when the tengu beat her to it. "One male and the other sounds like Reimu?"

Although their words were impossible to discern, it really was as Aya said. Reimu's voice echoed from within the shrine's walls, being intermitted by a male voice. Judging by their tone, it seemed as though they were having some sort of dispute.

"She's already back, ze!" Marisa exclaimed.

"But why isn't she alone?" wondered Akyuu.

"I don't know. Let's bust in and scold her for taking so long!" said the witch.

And she did exactly as she intended. With one swift swipe of her hand, the door slid open, revealing a group of seven outsiders and Reimu standing in a circle made out of incense sticks on stands. Nobody inside even seemed to notice that the shrine door was open.

"I didn't say it was YOU specifically!" Reimu pointed he

[Fonzi]

Chapter 63 ? Departure Delayed

"I know you don't want to, but we have to go back." Soudai was trying to convince his friend to stand up from the shrine's porch and make him snap out of his sulky mood. "Reimu's not coming back. There's nothing for us to do here, Ishimaru, we have to return to the village."

"We should have gone sooner?" Kyouichi muttered, barely showing any sings of perceiving what Soudai was trying to communicate to him.

"Damn right, we should have! And guess who we have to thank for that!" Yuujin's anger in this situation was perhaps justified, but it still annoyed a lot of people he was displaying it to.

"You shut up!" Soudai left his respect for elders at home as he snapped back at him. "Hey, just ignore the cretin; he's the one who elected you for club's president, so it's partially his fault as well."

"That's really some comfort talk, Soudai." Midori stepped up to them. The look at the sullen Kyouichi wasn't doing her much good either. "Come on? Get up."

"I see a Ryuuken patrol coming from the lake!" Hikaru, who has taken the scouting role announced to the whole club. At those words Kyouichi stood up like an animated puppet. Despite his miserable mood, he didn't want to be the reason the club's return to the safety of the Human Village would be delayed. As he wordlessly walked towards the torii, Soudai quickly blocked his path with his palm raised in a "halt" gesture.

"Wait a second."

"What is it, Soudai?"

"I know I said that we should get going and all, but... Do we really want to hand ourselves over to the Ryuuken? After all those months we've been trying to avoid their suspicion?"

"Would you rather risk the trip back to the village without anyone guarding us?"

Asakura ran his hand through his thick short hair as he considered Kyouichi's point. "Well, after our today's experience with Izayoi-san, yeah, I'm kind of willing to give it a try. Besides, if the Ryuuken find out that we were planning to leave Gensokyo today, they're going to tighten the village security so much that we're going to need a miracle to get to the shrine next time."

"Next time?! What next time? There is no next time! Don't you get it? We're stuck here!" It seemed as though Yuujin's behavior was starting to rub off onto Kyouichi.

"Until Reimu solves this incident! Were you not listening?" Soudai waved his palm in front of his friend's eyes to make sure he's still there with him.

"And when is that going to be, huh? In a month? A year? Besides? how are all 13 of us going to sneak back into the village undetected? No time-stopping maids are going to assist us now."

"That's one thing I'm glad for."

"I don't know what you're speculating about now, Asakura." said Midori. "We'll deal with the new problems as they come. We should stay focused on the here and now, don't you think?"

"I know, but?" and before he could finish his thought, he heard the sound of Kyouichi's sandals knocking as he was descending the stone stairs and waving both of his arms to get the attention of the approaching militiamen.

"Alright." Soudai shrugged resignedly. "You win." And as he breathed a sigh, he followed Kyouichi and the other club members down the stairs to the wooden signpost in the middle of the crossroad. Within a couple of minutes the pair of guards have reached the mentioned crossroad and met the outsiders. They weren't anyone Kyouichi would recognize, which was probably for the better.

"What are you lot doing here?" one of them asked. "I didn't know about any recent festival taking place at that shrine."

"Wait a minute?" the second Ryuuken stepped closer to take a better look. "Weren't these the people that Fukukane sent us photos of?"

"Oh, yeah! Those outsiders!" his colleague seemed to recall something. "Who let you past the gates?"

"We only want to get safely back to the village." Hikaru spoke in everyone's name.

"Alright, let's go, but you're all going straight to our headquarters until we get an explanation from you. This has to be filed."

The Ryuuken kept on marching southwards without any delay, and the band of outsiders walked closely behind them. Everyone was quiet the whole way. Even Yuujin got bored of cursing the whole world and just mulled over how he'd spend another undefined period of time in a place he never wished to visit.
When they finally got to the Ryuuken office in the center of the village, they were all thoroughly interrogated about how and why they escaped from the village. Every outsider was aware that this would have consequences that would only bring them problems in the future, but they had no choice but to fess up the truth. They weren't interrogated as a group, though. They called each of the outsiders one by one into a room with only one table, where a group of high-ranking militia officials was seated to ask questions and to file a report. To Kyouichi this whole situation seemed ridiculous. As if the outsiders have committed some severe crime, when all they wanted was to get home. They had no lawyers to help them and their lack of knowledge of Human Village's law system made any hopes of being able to defend themselves legally nearly impossible. Kyouichi's turn to answer their questions was here. A pair of guards stepped out from the room: "Ishimaru Kyouichi." They read the name on the list of outsiders they received. The young outsider wanted to get this farce over with as soon as possible. Standing up from his chair, he walked up to the guards and entered through the door, which the two armed men have closed and locked behind him.

"Ah, Ishimaru-san." a voice too familiar to be mistaken for anyone else's addressed him as he entered. To Kyouichi's great surprise, it wasn't just the Ryuuken elite who was interested in getting the first-hand information, but the village elder himself. Kyouichi found it hard to believe that the planned and failed escape of the outsiders has managed to cause such a stir.

"Fukukane-san? What are you doing here?"

"No, no, no, Ishimaru-san. We'll be the only ones in this room who's going to ask questions. Your only concern is to give us the answers. Preferably truthful." It wasn't the same nice and smiling elder Fukukane that Kyouichi remembered. His stern face and his cold tone were leaving the outsider with an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

"I doubt I'll tell you anything that my associates haven't told you already." he decided to act confident to mask his insecurity.

"That's what we are hoping for, actually. The reason why we're questioning you individually, is to make sure all of your testimonies match, thus increasing the likelihood of their truthfulness." The elder's lips shaped a weak smile as he adjusted his position on the chair and interlocked his fingers where he rested his chin. "So, Ishimaru-san? When you first came to my office half a year ago, I took you for a decent and polite, law-abiding young man, worthy of becoming a Human Village citizen. Who would have thought that you'd turn out to be such a rebellious delinquent?"

"Delinquent? As if I had broken the law."

"As a matter of fact, you have. You've disobeyed an elder's regulation, which is the same as violating the law. But you can relax. That doesn't make you a criminal yet." he then looked into a document that he had on the table and glanced back at Kyouichi. "According to this file, you're in the position of a president of a club at the Kamishirasawa Academy. The inconspicuous name "Transfer Students' Club" doesn't reveal much about the club's activities, but the member list almost perfectly matches the list of all the people being interrogated here today. That leads me to believe you were the one who organized this rather foolish endeavor."

"Is it really so wrong if we wanted to go home?"

"I said we'll be the ones asking questions here, Ishimaru-san." the elder emphasized with a louder voice and a frown. "But if you're asking that, I assume you're not denying that you were the one who forged the plan of escape."

"Fukukane-san, please? we haven't done anything wrong! You can't keep people in the village against their will."

"Silence!" Toshimi Fukukane slammed his fist against the table. Kyouichi had never seen the man so angry.

That's when one of the Ryuuken cleared his throat to calm the situation down. "Come on, Fukukane, is it really necessary? Why don't you just let us do our job and lead the interrogation?"

The man looked a few years younger than the elder, his graying black hair was styled like that of the samurai ? forehead shaved up to the apex of the scalp and the hair done up in a bun. If Kyouichi unimagined his face, the man's stature reminded him a bit of his former employer, Daisuke Shimizu - a bit plump and not too tall. His uniform was almost like any other Ryuuken's, but the decorative patterns were much richer and exquisite. Instead of golden stripes on the shoulders to indicate the rank, he had a pattern that looked like a star or a lotus flower. None of the other men had the same pattern on their uniforms. Judging by the informal tone, in which he spoke with Fukukane, Kyouichi assumed him to be the very leader of the whole militia and his authority was almost as big as that of the elder himself.

"As you wish, Ogata, but I'm still curious to hear what this youth has to say." the elder sighed and allowed the man question Kyouichi in his stead.

"So, Ishimaru-san," the elite Ryuuken glanced at the file and smiled, "I believe this is the first time we met, and as an outsider, it wouldn't surprise me if you've never heard of me before. I am Noburu Ogata."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Ogata-san." Kyouichi bowed.

"That's Grandmaster Ogata to you." the village elder brought Kyouichi out of his ignorance.

"Grandmaster?"

"Please, Fukukane. There's no need flaunt our titles here. But yes, I'm in charge of the Ryuuken militia." Noburu replied and waved his hand, as if it was no big deal. He certainly didn't look like a grandmaster with that laid-back attitude of his.

"Sorry for being rude, but I only wanted to know why Elder Fukukane was so insistent about making us stay in the village. And why were all those walls built anyway?"

The Ryuuken leader smirked and shifted his gaze at the village elder. "Well, Elder, why don't you explain the reason for the fortification construction to a curious citizen?"

"Am I the one being interrogated here? The reason for the walls is to make the Human Village a safer place."

"Safer from what exactly?" Kyouichi raised his eyebrows. "From youkai who can easily FLY over them? Or was it to keep us outsiders rounded up?"

"Is that what it seemed like to you? Because you've got it all wrong, Ishimaru-san." Fukukane shook his head denyingly. "The walls prevent little children from wandering off into the wilderness, they help keep the trade under control and protect the villagers from attacks of wild animals. They were rebuilt based on a petition from the villagers themselves."

"That's all good, but the regulations you put in effect to prevent anyone who doesn't have any business outside the village from leaving the place made a lot of people feel imprisoned." the outsider argued.

"Strange, because you're the first one to complain about it."

"We only wanted to get home. We weren't putting anyone else in danger, but ourselves. Besides, the outside world isn't as dangerous as you think it is."

"I? can understand and respect that." Grandmaster Ogata nodded agreeingly. "But while you did so, you managed to make us realize the huge flaws in our security. I can already tell you that many Ryuuken will lose their jobs because of this, or at least be demoted. To allow one person to sneak out undetected is one thing. But thirteen? I'd be very curious to know how you did that. We already interrogated your club members, but we'd like to hear it from you as well."

"And they probably told you that we had an accomplice."

"Go on." Noburu prompted him to continue.

"A certain Izayoi Sakuya from the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

"Yes, Izayoi? How ingenious. A time and space manipulator. With her abilities, she could commit a robbery and murder in broad daylight in the village square and nobody would notice until she'd be long gone." the Ryuuken leader noted as he scribbled something into the interrogation report. "So she helped you out of the village, but there was some unexpected turn of events, am I right?"

"Yes, she took Midori Iwakami, one girl from our group, because her vampire mistress needed to be fed fresh blood." Kyouichi explained.

"M-hm? and Iwakami-san told us that the shrine maiden came to her rescue. What can you tell us about that?"

"I can't tell you anything. I wasn't there to see what happened. We ran to the Hakurei shrine as soon as Sakuya was gone with Midori and asked Reimu to help us, so she went to save Midori."

"I see? And now for the biggest question of the day ? what made you people return back to Human Village when you were so close to returning to the outside world?"

"The Great Barrier stopped us. Not even Reimu could get out to the outside world anymore. Right after that she went to Kazemura, thinking it has something to do with the temple they discovered there. And that's about all there is to our story."

"Hm? that village sure is a newspaper headline stealer these days."

"Sir, we already have a crew of 20 men stationed there." another Ryuuken informed him.

"See, Fukukane? We have much bigger problems to worry about than some bunch of outsiders outsmarting our gate guards." the grandmaster chuckled.

"But they broke the regulation, regardless. Justice demands some retribution." said the elder resolutely.

"Very well? according to the currently-effective law, the penalty for breaking an elder's regulation is a monetary fine of 5000 yen. You can either pay it right now, or it'll be deducted from your next salary." the Ryuuken leader announced to Kyouichi. "I don't think there's any need to call in the rest of the outsiders for interrogation. I believe 5 matching testimonies are enough to pronounce them as truthful, and now that we know how they snuck out, we can dismiss them and call it a day."

"And you're just going to leave it like that?" the elder turned his bewildered face at the grandmaster. "How are you going to fix that security problem?"

"There's not much we can do when someone like Izayoi-san decides to use her powers, I'm afraid. Considering how we never had any problems with her in the past, we shouldn't let this little abuse of her power to alarm us."

"Are you listening to yourself, Ogata?! That woman kidnapped a civilian to extract blood for her vampire mistress, and you're telling me she isn't our concern?! Don't make me begin to regret my decision for naming you into your current position."

"I hate to interrupt," Kyouichi reminded the two that he was still in the room, "but even though that wasn't very nice of her, I somehow agree with Grandmaster Ogata. Sakuya-san didn't intend to kill anyone. You already questioned Midori, right? If she told you what she told me, then the Scarlet Devil Mansion really isn't that fearsome as they say. And here?" he reached into his pocket and put some of his last savings on the table. The money that he originally meant to give to Reimu after she would have taken him across the barrier. "Five thousand. Can I go now?"

"If it was only up to me, I'd say yes." the grandmaster shrugged and cast a glance at Fukukane who refusingly shook his head.

"Not so fast." the elder delayed his leave. "I don't want you to get into contact with Izayoi ever again. Let this fine you just paid be a warning to you. Next time you violate a regulation, the law gives me the authority to exact greater sanctions. And repeated violation equals a criminal act."

"I'll keep that in mind, Fukukane-san, but? I still don't understand why you'd want to have everyone in the village under such strict control all of a sudden."

"Isn't it obvious? I do it for your safety! The walls, the regulations, the annoying gate guards? It's all for the good of the people. Especially people like yourself ? outsiders. Human Village has never had this many outsiders living here since the erection of the Great Hakurei Border. We have to protect you somehow."

"Reimu showed me the letter you've sent to her back in Satsuki. The one where you explained that Human Village's economy would crumble with outsiders flowing in at such a rate." Kyouichi could see the elder's face turning a little paler as he mentioned it. "To me it sounded more like you wanted to get rid of us. Why suddenly so much effort to protect a mostly un-educated group of people with zero magical potential? We're more of a liability than an asset to this village."

"Well, that's simple. Even if you don't understand politics, it should be pretty clear to you that if something bad should happen to any of you, it'd be me who'd ultimately take the blame. Definitely not good for reputation. That's why I kindly ask you not to take these regulations lightly, even if they're constricting and annoying. Especially in these times when another big incident is on the horizon."

"I only want to know one thing, Fukukane-san."

"Heh, haven't I already answered enough of your questions?" the elder frowned, but let the outsider ask regardless.

"This one is the only one that matters to me now."

"Speak."

"When Reimu manages to return the barrier to its original state, will you allow her to send us across?"

"Only under the condition that you'll be properly escorted out of the village by either Hakurei Reimu or a squad of militiamen."

"So you will?" Kyouichi again felt a faint speck of hope. Perhaps he misjudged Elder Fukukane's intentions after all.

"It all depends on how well the shrine maiden handles this incident now."

"Wow? thank you!" a sincere thankful bow was how the outsider expressed himself.

"Be off, young man." Grandmaster Ogata gave the outsider permission to leave the room. "And try not to get on the Elder's bad side. He's a good man, but he can be unpleasant when angered."

"Uh? yes, I noticed." Kyouichi felt great relief when he was standing up from the chair. "We'll try not to get into trouble with the law." And then he left.

The leader of militia scribbled an autograph on the last report and put it into a folder. "So Sakuya-san lent them a hand. And I was already looking forward to firing some of our? less competent personnel. But now I can't really blame anyone, can I?"

"You try to figure out a way to prevent such things from happening again." said Fukukane.

Ogata replied with an amused chuckle. "Sure? we could recruit Izayoi-san into the militia. That'd help us a lot."

"I was being serious."

"Of course, you were, Toshi-kun?" the grandmaster turned to his colleagues. "Coffee, anyone?"
About the same time when Kyouichi was being interrogated, Reimu met up with the girls from the Scarlet Devil Mansion in the archeologist's tent. Even when she was nearing the village of Kazemura, she, Aya and Marisa could see that the only access into the temple was barricaded, guarded and no quarry workers were allowed to go near it.

"Ah, Reimu's here." Remilia let Patchouli know of the girls' arrival.

"I'll make some more tea then." Sakuya got to work right away.

Remilia even brought her favorite chair and a few luxuries from her mansion, so the tent looked more like her little palace than Patchouli's workspace.

"You girls weren't exaggerating when you said the atmosphere here was tense. It looks like a tengu colony now."

"Indeed." Aya confirmed. "I wonder if Momiji-san was relocated from the mountain to watch over this village."

"I'm back, Patchouli-san~." Akyuu ran to the librarian's table to greet her.

"Good afternoon." she welcomed everyone with a half-hearted greeting. Mostly because she still had her eyes focused on a book about Egyptian hieroglyphs.

"Egyptians?" Marisa's curiosity was instantly piqued by the book's cover. "Why are you reading that? Don't tell me they sailed all the way to Japan just so they could build a pyramid."

"I'm not saying that." the bookworm muttered back. "But you wouldn't believe how the symbols on the ruins here bear some similarities to the Egyptian hieroglyphs too."

"Eh? You're kidding me, aren't you? Give me that book~." the magician reached for the tome, but Patchouli pulled it away out of her reach.

"No."

"Come on! Just a peek." Marisa retried her attempt.

"I said no!"

"Don't make me use force~."

"Mukyuu~."

It was only a matter of time before they'd end up on the ground and so they did. "See what you did?" Marisa stood up and dusted her dress off.

"I did?!" Patchouli's flustered face was glaring at her like a rattlesnake that was poked by a stick.

"Girls? Girls!" Remilia stepped into their childish display of stubbornness. "Let's work on how to get into the temple already. We need a plan. Patchy, figured out anything yet?"

"Negotiating with the Kazemura elder and the commander of the Tengu seem to be the most reasonable option."

"Most peaceful maybe, but reasonable?" the vampire showed her a doubting smirk. "How many times have you already tried negotiating with them?"

Patchouli paused and gazed upwards as she tried to recall. "Three. But they were all unofficial. However, tomorrow the first official negotiation will be held in the Kazemura's village hall."

"Does this random pile of houses even have a village hall?" Marisa raised her eyebrow.

"How ignorant." Patchouli pouted as she stood up from the ground and picked up her book. "That's the place I've been to almost as much as this tent. If it wasn't for my effort, the yama-bito would still be breaking their pickaxes over the upper layer of the hardened magmatic rock. But I managed to get the elder's permission to use outside-world explosives. I even got an invitation to take part in this negotiation, so I hope they'll listen to reason. I've got some convincing arguments that should open those stubborn tengu eyes."

"Hey~!" Aya called out in protest. "Who are you calling stubborn? I hope it's the White Wolves."

"Even though I believe it to be an utter waste of time, I'll let you go to your little tea party with the tengu and yamba-bito. I already have my own plan thought through?" in the dimly lighted interior of the tent, the white or Remilia's teeth when she grinned gave some of the girls chills when they looked at her.

"Please, don't do anything stupid, Remi." Patchouli requested, and Reimu couldn't agree more with her plea.

"Yeah, what she said. You've already reached your troublemaking quota for this month."

"I'm not making trouble. I'm solving an incident here."
While relieved that he got out of the Ryuuken headquarters with only a monetary fine, Kyouichi's mood still remained as sullen as when he was leaving the Hakurei Shrine. His friends from the club felt the same way, so he didn't even blame them for not waiting for him when his interrogation was over. Just like him, they too needed to take their time and not be bothered by anyone. The hardest part of the day for him was perhaps not facing the fact that he couldn't get out of Gensokyo, but the necessity to explain the situation to the Saitou family, who by now most likely believed him to be in the outside world. Kyouichi wouldn't believe how hard it could be to knock on a door.

"Just a minute~." That was Minako's voice that answered the knocking and Kyouichi could hear her footsteps drawing closer to the main door, which slid open after a moment.

"Gods! Kyouichi? What are you still doing here? I thought you went home. Did you forget something?"

After taking a breath, the outsider shook his head. "No, Minako-san. I returned?"

"But why??"

"I don't know why. But the shrine maiden couldn't take us across the border." He then lifted a pleading gaze up to Minako's eyes. "I know you'll probably say no, but? could I still stay here with you a little longer?"

"Of course you can. Why would I say no? Come in." she beckoned him. "I have to go back to work soon, but I made dinner, so help yourself if you're hungry."

"What will Mizuto say, though?"

"The same thing I'm telling you now, no doubt. Now don't stand there and hurry up inside."

With a feeling of awkward reluctance looming over his head Kyouichi Ishimaru entered the Saitou house once again. Only this time he didn't feel all that welcome. He knew that Minako would surely never tell him directly, but he felt as though as his unplanned return was once again preventing this family from living its normal life.

"I'm sorry about your predicament, Kyouichi. I hope Reimu-san fixes the problem soon."

Even this remark of Minako's made the outsider believe that she was just politely telling him not to overstay his welcome.

"Yeah, the sooner I get out of here the better?" he muttered in a spaced-out state.

"Excuse me?" Minako turned her head to Kyouichi, as she didn't catch his words very clearly.

"I hope Reimu solves the problem soon too."

"Well, even if she doesn't, you'll always have a place to go." she comforted him as they entered the kitchen. "Ah, look at the time! My lunch break is almost up. The kids are still at school and Mizuto returns home tomorrow evening, so if you don't want to sit and mope alone in an empty house, there's a spare key on that shelf."

She left the kitchen in haste to grab her bag. "I didn't yet have the time to clutter up the guest room, so everything is left as when you left this morning. Or if you need someone to talk to, why don't you come with me to the shop?"

"I appreciate your concern, Minako-san, but I think I'll be better off alone for a while."

"Suit yourself~. See you in the evening then. Bye now~." she offered Kyouichi one more smile before she left him alone in the house.

At first he thought that time spent in loneliness and silence would bring him comfort, but it turned out to bring the exactly opposite effect. He could hear the voices of his friends blaming him for not planning the departure sooner. The ticking of the clock hanging over the kitchen's door was only enhancing these self-depreciating thoughts and unsettling Kyouichi to the point where he couldn't bear it anymore. He rose from the table, walked to the shelf where Minako pointed earlier and took the spare key for the house. Anywhere would be better than here right now. He left his fully loaded backpack inside, no need to lug it around the village when he was stuck here for an unknown period of time. He left and locked the door, heading down the street towards the fireplace, further past the intersection to the market square, all the way to the house of Naota Tanisake. He knew that the old carpenter was likely to be at home at this time of day, but when he knocked on its oaken door, the one to answer was not the house's owner.

"Oh, hello, Kyouichi." Midori welcomed him at the doorstep. She seemed only mildly surprised by her friend's visit. "Come in."

"Hey, stop acting like you own the place." Kyouichi scolded her. "I'm here to see the old man, is he in?"

"Sure. Hold on?" she turned her head and called: "Tanisake-san~! You have a visitor~!"

A little while later, the old carpenter showed up in the hallway. "Hey, kid, don't just stand there. Let him in, Midori."

"I did, but he insisted I called you first." the girl pouted as she stepped aside to allow Kyouichi to step inside. And while Kyouichi was putting his sandals away, Naota disappeared into the kitchen, from where both young outsiders could hear the characteristic sound of cork being pulled from a bottle followed by the sound of pouring liquid.

"Well, looks like Tanisake-san is fixing us some depression remedy. But that's not going to solve anything, is it?"

The two of them entered the kitchen and visually confirmed what they heard. The old man really did open a sake bottle and filled three glasses. When Midori and Kyouichi entered, he didn't even say anything.

"So? Midori already told you what happened, didn't she?"

"I heard the story." Naota confirmed by a nod. "Drink up. And no excuses."

Kyouichi and Midori looked at each other, and in order not to upset or insult their host, they each picked a glass and together with Naota drank it all up without talking back.

"Ahhh?. You know," the old man started as he sat on the chair, "Your situation is probably even worse than mine. At least I was kept in the blissful ignorance that there is no way out of Gensokyo, and I was just slowly coping with it as I lived here. But you?" he closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he disagreed with or disapproved of the reality, "You believed there was a way and you had your hopes crushed."

"Hey, Tenisake-san. We're not giving up yet." Midori proved the old man wrong by demonstrating that she still had more than ample dose of hope left in her heart. "We have done our part and we did the best we could. Now it's time for Reimu-san to play hers."

"Hope for the best and expect the worst. That's what my dad always used to tell me." said the old carpenter as he refilled everyone's glasses. "That way you can only end up pleasantly surprised. I'd be an ass if I discouraged you from your goal or if I told you not to trust that orphaned miko, but the way I see it? things aren't looking very well."

"Naota, please?" Kyouichi said before he decided to let the content of the glass flow into him again. "I don't know how long this will take and what I'm asking of you might come as rude, but that renovated cabin? can I use it?"

"I've already torn that contract of ours into pieces and burned it in the fireplace as soon as Midori told me what happened, so according to the rest of the official papers, that building is now yours to use. Oh, hold on a second?" he reached inside his breast pocket and presented an iron key. "You don't want to bug the Saitous, huh?"

"Yes, you're right."

"Take good care of it then." said the old man as he handed the key to Kyouichi. "You're going to have to move all the furniture into it yourself, though, and you might take some of the stuff we originally found there back into the cabin as well."

"What stuff?"

"From all of Fumiaki's junk I managed to sell quite a lot of old and otherwise useless wares in a yard sale. But nobody was interested in buying his collection of curiosities or his hunting gear, including the crossbow."

"Does that old hunk of wood even work?" Midori asked him with doubt.

"Oh yeah, it still does. I already tried it out."

"Really?" the girl's expression switched from doubting to a surprised one.

"Maybe you can find some use for it, kid. Perhaps as a means of defense against a youkai or something?" Naota suggested. "It doesn't look like much, but that thing packs a mighty punch. Shot a bolt right through a barrel full of sand."

"But Keine-sensei told us physical attacks don't work very well against youkai." Midori recalled some of the basic knowledge from the Youkai Typology classes.

"A good hit can buy you precious time to get away or at least try it."

"Maybe you should have the bolts blessed at a shrine or something." the female outsider suggested.

"Or maybe you'll just follow Fumiaki's way of life and hunt some boar with it." Naota chuckled and downed another glass. "Just hope you don't end up like him too."

"Thanks for everything, Naota, really." Kyouichi pocketed the key and drank the sake as well.

"Heck, you helped me renovate it, so I can't say you don't deserve it. Just that roof could have been better." the old master craftsman smirked at Kyouichi in a provoking way.

"Both me and Soudai never even helped build a roof before, so how could you expect us to do an equally good job as you?"

"Well, it's you who's going to live in there from now on, so if you'll be woken up by cold water dripping on your forehead after a rainy night, then you'll realize how important it is to do things properly."

"I'll just improvise somehow. That's what I always do."
And so, after asking Soudai, Daniel and a handful of other friends to lend him a hand, Kyouichi managed to furnish the renovated hunter's cabin on that very day. It wasn't anything special; just the necessary pieces of furniture have been brought in. The Saitous were reluctant about the idea of him living separately at first. The young Ishimaru had to be extra stubborn to convince them that it'd be for the benefit of both parties.

"You know you can still come here and stay here at any time, Kyouichi-kun." Minako Saitou showed her welcoming smile. "Mizuto's going to be surprised when he comes home, but I think he'll handle it well. We'll be sure to drop by for a visit every now and then."

Kyouichi reciprocated the smile and bowed. "Sorry if I'm being repetitive, but thanks for everything, Minako-san. You too, Chitose and Tadao." He bowed once more to Minako's children, who watched him from behind their mom with mixed feelings.

"I'll be still waking you up on my way to school." Chitose declared.

"Yeah, me too." her brother seconded.

"At least allow us to accompany you to your new home." Minako asked Kyouichi to wait while she put her sandals on. The children followed suit.

"Are they your friends?" she cast a glance at the small group of people waiting for Kyouichi on the street.

"Yes, that's Soudai and the blonde guy's Daniel. They helped me move all the stuff inside, so I owe them one.

"Unbelievable, even the guards let me through the gate when I asked them nicely." Daniel mentioned what seemed strange to him. "It's as if the Ryuuken had a change in management or something."

"It wouldn't help us much if you only could help us carry the heavy stuff only to the gate." Soudai remarked and stretched his arms. "Maan, I'm beat. I'll be expecting some compensation for this. Preferably a cold and refreshing one." He directed those words at Kyouichi, who didn't seem to object, judging by his facial expression.

"Sure, I'll treat you for a few beers after I'll show Minako-san and the kids that I won't be living in a cave."

"Come now, we never said anything like that." Mrs. Saitou said to her defense. And so they went to the cabin that needed so much work to become what it was now. Daniel was right; the Ryuuken at the gate were merely standing there, not pestering anyone about their business outside the gate, unless they were coming in and out with heavy loads of goods either in carts or in bags. Kyouichi wondered whether the village elder or the Ryuuken grandmaster hasn't applied any new regulations after today's interrogation of the outsiders. Either way, it felt much more comfortable to pass through the gates of Human Village now.

"Wow, has this cute little hut been standing here this whole time?" Minako found the building's current state almost impossible to associate with the dilapidated old shack it used to be.

"You even have a little garden." Chitose liked the small flower patch near the entrance, separated into two parts by a stone pavement.

"But that roof?" Tadao couldn't help, but to notice the imperfections that were caused by Kyouichi's and Soudai's handiwork.

"Hey, it's not our fault the men responsible for renovation suddenly took off on us to erect the walls." Soudai went on the defensive.

"Since the walls are already finished, why don't you ask them again?" Minako suggested, to which Kyouichi only waved his palm dismissively.

"Don't bother. It'll serve its purpose just fine. You'll see?" and after he inserted the key into the lock and turned it, he swung open the door to reveal the newly-furnished interior. "Well? What do you think?" He stepped inside to allow his companions a full view of the cozy little room that had everything it needed to make it an inviting and comfortable home. Well? almost everything.

"And the toilet?" Minako asked as she turned her head everywhere around, only to find something missing.

"Oh. There's a latrine outside behind the hut." Kyouichi pointed through one of the windows looking out to the back yard.

"Ugh? I figured there just had to be some downside to it." she sympathetically patted Kyouichi's shoulder. "You're probably not going to like winter."

"But toilet aside, I could get used to living here." Daniel nodded as he took a one last look at the arrangement of the furniture. "It's got a fireplace, a stove, a water heater?"

"And you can store the food down in that hollow space I accidentally found the other day." Soudai complemented him.

"I must say I almost envy you a little." Minako admitted. "Naota-san may be old, but the craftsmanship is top-notch as always. Have you thanked him for letting you use this house?"

"Of course I did. But I'm not sure if that's going to be enough."

"I'm sure he had his reason for doing so. And if I were in his place, I'd do the same." said the tailor.

"It's a little cramped in here, but at least you won't have to share with anyone else." Chitose summarized the room as she took a seat in an old, but comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace.

"Ah, I just figured I'm almost out of firewood." Kyouichi suddenly realized the lack of an important commodity. "Is there anyone who sells it in the village?"

"Yes, you can either buy it from the woodcutters or you can gather it yourself." Minako replied.

"Not even if the wood was overpriced as hell!" Soudai was certainly quick to show his disagreeing reaction to the idea when he recalled why he had to spend over a week in Eientei's care. "Let the woodcutters risk their lives. I know better than that? And you, Ishimaru, should too."

"The days are still warm, but the nights can be pretty chilly in this valley." Minako gave a friendly warning. "You'd do well to stock up. But anyhow? a lovely little cabin you have to spend the time in until Reimu solves the incident. By the way, do you know how to cook?"

"Enough to save myself from starvation." Kyouichi replied.

"You might also consider buying coal, as it has a greater heat output and burns longer. However coal is a pricy commodity here. Only the wealthy families can afford to use it throughout the whole winter."

"Mom, don't talk as if the outsiders would have to wait here till winter." Chitose's face popped up from behind the back of the armchair. "Reimu-san is awesome at solving incidents. She'll fix the barrier problem in no time."

"You're right." Minako nodded. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"And if not her, maybe even some youkai will take initiative." her son added.

"Eeeeh? Why would a youkai need to take the initiative? Reimu-sama will have the incident resolved before any youkai can realize there is something wrong, you'll see." the young girl took a defensive stance whenever anyone would dare to doubt Reimu's competence in front of her.

"You're totally obsessed with her, big sis. She's your idol and role model."

"I'm not obsessed. But it's true that she's my idol. Of course someone like her wouldn't need help in solving a minor little problem like that."

Tadao had a slightly different opinion about the shrine maiden, though. "Unlike you, Chitose, I sometimes read dad's newspaper. And recently it said that Reimu's having trouble finding the culprit."

"Eeeh? Tengu crap!" his older sister dismissed his argument with one wave of her palm.

"Watch the language, young lady." her mother stepped in to reprimand her, making little Chitose redden in her face.

"Ah, sorry, mom."

"I think it's just about time to go. Sorry for the bother, Kyouichi."

"No, it's okay. Come again any time."

"Very well," Minako smiled and looked at her two children. "Let's go, kids."

"Yes~." Both siblings chirped together as they trotted to their mother.

Kyouichi's friends stayed a while longer, but as the hour grew late and all the guests went home, it was time for Kyouichi to spend the first night in his new home. There was just barely enough firewood in the basket to last until morning and just enough tinder to light it.

As the warm, inviting fire crackled in the fireplace and Kyouichi rested his tired body on the old armchair in front of it, he gradually became aware of how quiet it was in the cabin. Just then he began to realize the true meaning of the word "solitude". For the first time this so-far unknown feeling struck him with such a force. He never felt that way even with his mother's regular business trips to many Japanese cities. The friends he had made here haven't abandoned him yet, but Kyouichi felt so distant from everybody that it seemed as though he began to walk the path of the hermit. And the biggest reason for that was his today's failure to return home. None of his friends told it to him straight in the face, but he had no idea what they all thought of him now. What if they blamed him just as much as Yuujin? A question to which only a mind-reader would know an answer. But even without a third eye, Kyouichi was still certain of one thing. That none of his friends could blame him more than he blamed himself right now. His intentions were good and his plan made the most sense, but as the old saying goes: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

"Should I have planned this exodus to take place sooner, or should I have gone home when I first had the chance to?"

It was no use dwelling on what was and what should have been. He needed to refocus his attention as well as his best effort on the present.

"What do I need to do now?" he asked aloud. "Is waiting really the best and the only thing I can do?"

With his mind unable to come up with an answer, Kyouichi opened the window ajar and settled himself on an old, creaky bed.

"Back to school again tomorrow, huh?"

He really wasn't in the mood for more lessons, for his underage classmates or for Keine-sensei. And most of all, showing up in front of all those outsiders whose hopes he disappointed on this day made him uncomfortable like a bed of nails. But even though his brain would still want to continue its work of self-depreciation, his body was so tired that he drifted off into sleep before the sun had set.
With daylight gradually creeping away from Gensokyo, the usually quiet mining settlement of Kazermura was still bustling with activity. This was mostly thanks to the strong presence of the tengu watchmen, who were occupying the village ever since the last major fairy attack. As the prospectors were slowly leaving the quarry pit, only the militant folk of both youkai races remained stationed at the temple, making sure no trespassers would sneak in, and of course, that neither of the parties involved in the negotiations would violate the agreement. It was apparent that neither of the sides trusted one another. Perhaps all this dispute needed was an unbiased mediator such as Patchouli, or simply a third party to take advantage of the tense atmosphere between the tengu and the yama-bito.

"I'm gonna get something to eat." Marisa told Reimu, who was resting at the edge of the quarry pit with her legs dangling in the air. "Want me to bring you something?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry right now." Reimu would probably not notice even if she was hungry. Only the thoughts of what lies within the temple were keeping her mind preoccupied.

"You look rather spaced-out." the witch couldn't help but to notice. "You sure you don't want anything?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Marisa. I said I'm fine." the usual, slightly grumpy reply made Marisa breathe a relieved sigh. It was still the "good old" Reimu speaking and not some malevolent spirit possessing her body.

"Okay~. Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't ask you."

The blonde turned away and headed off for the Hearth tavern. Almost as soon as she disappeared from Reimu's sight, someone else has come to pester her.

"It's almost time?" a young girl's voice sounded from behind her. "I don't even need a parasol in this time of the day."

"What do you want, Remilia?" the shrine maiden didn't even need to look behind her to identify the speaker.

"That's my question to you." Remilia returned the question to its sender. "Does idle sitting here all day and waiting satisfy you, or you'd rather already know what's inside that temple?"

"I'm just giving Patchouli a chance to negotiate for our cause. If that fails, I'll take the necessary measures to get inside."

"I'm giving her a chance too." the vampire replied as she took a seat next to Reimu. "But why waste a good day when an opportunity is already parading itself right now here in front of us?"

"Beating the guards at the temple? A child's play, but when they alarm everyone, we'll have about 200 angry youkai after us. Not to mention that we'd lose all our magic once we'd make it inside."

Remilia's reaction to Reimu's musings was a slowly widening smile turning into a grin.

"Why are you grinning like that?"

"I'm just pleasantly surprised and amused that you actually considered my suggestion without calling me names and doubting my sanity."

At those words Reimu's face took on a hue close to that of her hair ribbon.

"Of course it's a stupid idea to break into the temple now!" the shrine maiden's attitude took a 180 degree turn in an instant. "If I break the status quo now, then it'll make me look like the culprit. But if I'll have no other choice?" she left the sentence unfinished.

"How badly do you want to have this incident resolved, Reimu?" the vampire girl turned her unusually serious face at the miko.

"As soon and as simply as possible, but I also want to keep my face as Gensokyo's peacekeeper while I'm at it."

"Then we're on the same boat."

"Really?" Reimu rolled her eyes.

"Really." Remilia nodded. "We just see things slightly differently."

"And how do you see them?"

"I can see that Patchouli's negotiation most likely isn't going to end much in our favor."

"Is that what your fate-vision eyes really see?" Reimu posed her question in a tone of mistrust. "Or are you just trying to manipulate me into doing what you want?"

"Both, actually." the Scarlet Devil answered bluntly without shame.

"Hmph." an amused chuckle from Reimu was followed by pointing out Remilia's minor self-contradiction. "I thought you said you were giving her a chance."

"The fate of her negotiation is not set in stone, so anything may happen. I'm simply saying what the most possible outcome is."

"And you're still giving her a chance? Did you even tell her about your fortune-telling observation?"

At that question Remilia quickly placed her palm on Reimu's shoulder and silently pressed her index finger against her own lips to hush the shrine maiden. "Keep it down, or she'll hear us." she whispered and pointed at the purple tent, which stood just a couple of meters behind them.

"So you didn't tell her?" Reimu muttered her deduction based on Remilia's response. "Isn't she your best friend?"

"She is. And that's part of the reason why I haven't told her about it. If I did, she'd be demoralized and she wouldn't try her best." the vampire explained.

"I see? And the other part of the reason?"

"Well? That is?" Remilia hesitated a bit in her reply. "Because I want to use her presence at tomorrow's negotiation as a diversion and to buy us some more time to explore the temple. She's got quite the lengthy speech prepared last time I checked."

"I'm not sure I quite get it." The shrine maiden scratched her head. "I thought you were planning something today. And how exactly is Patchouli going to buy us time?"

"I only intend to confirm one theory today?" she gave a cryptic answer. "As for the importance of Patchouli's presence at tomorrow's little summit, I already asked Sakuya to do a little snooping around, and she managed to learn something interesting? Right, Sakuya?"

"That is indeed correct, my lady." A third female voice responded out of the blue.

"Whoa!" Reimu almost jumped up from surprise. She quickly turned her head to look behind. There, dressed in her daily uniform, as if she had been present there the whole time, stood the elegant silver-haired maid of the Scarlet Devil. "When did she get here?" Reimu blurted out, before she made a brief thoughtful pause. "Actually? never mind." she quickly gave up on her demand for an answer as soon as she recalled the girl's ability.

Remilia then gestured at Reimu and said: "Reimu here would like to know the details of your investigation."

"Calmly skip the details. I just want to hear the results." the brunette maiden asked Sakuya to cut to the chase.

"As you wish." Sakuya shrugged and cleared her throat. "Tomorrow's negotiations for the privilege to have an access into the temple will be held in the afternoon in Kazemura's village hall."

"Is that it? Everyone knows that already!" the miko hissed in slight annoyance.

"Let her talk, Reimu. This sounds like it's going to be interesting, ze." Marisa managed to return from the tavern just in time to catch Sakuya's debriefing. In Reimu's spaced-out state, it was no wonder that she didn't notice the witch's footsteps and that her sudden return managed to startle her almost as much as Sakuya did a moment ago.

Sakuya cast a sidelong glance Marisa's way and hesitated to speak until Remilia gave her a mute gesture that it was okay.

"Maybe it's better if she hears this too."

"Oh, that sounds like you girls are having some secret meeting to plan a heist or something."

"Not that far from the truth, to be honest." said the vampire. "Continue, Sakuya?"

"Yes." the maid bowed and carried on. "I snuck into the tengu command tent and copied their guard plan."

Marisa began to grin and her eyes glittered with excitement. "Who would have said it about her??"

"And in that plan, it is said that during the negotiations the security around the hall will be intensified."

"Which means less guards in the quarry pit?" Reimu was beginning to put two and two together.

"Exactly." Remilia nodded. "As you can see right now, there are pair of mixed guards at each end of the pit ? North, South, East and West." she explained as she pointed at the distant pairs of figures that held vigil over everything that was going on in and around the excavation site.

"Precisely an hour ago, the tengu have already sent fresh replacements for the quarry gurads, but not the yama-bito. Since there's less of them than the tengu guards, they switch their sentries every 2 hours, which will be?" she glanced at Sakuya who held her silver watch ready in her palm.

"Now."

And just as she said, the four couples of youkai guards have been replaced. Remilia nodded in self-satisfaction.

"As it is now, nobody can enter or leave the quarry without their knowledge and permission. Nothing can pass undetected through the sharp sight of the White Wolves. Even with Sakuya's power, once we'd get over that shimenawa fence, her power would quickly drain, leaving us without a means to infiltrate the ruins. However," she raised her index finger, "Sakuya hasn't mentioned the most interesting part of her findings."

"Oh, and that would be??" Marisa perked up.

"Well, as you probably all know, the summit will be held among 4 representatives of each of the involved parties: the tengu, the yama-bito, the Human Village and us ? the archeological research expedition."

"So a "leader" of each side, huh?"

"Not quite." the maid corrected Marisa's assumption. "The yamabito chieftain doesn't live in this village, so the village elder of Kazemura is going to represent them. The same goes for the tengu. According to one message I found in the White Wolf commander's tent, the tengu military doesn't have the authority to negotiate, but at the same time, the affair doesn't require Lord Tenma's presence. That's why he's sending a diplomatic envoy to negotiate in his name. But the Human Village will indeed be represented by the current elder."

"So where's the interesting part?" Reimu asked.

"Why, the tengu emissary, of course." Remilia responded instead of the maid.

"What's so special about him?" the miko wondered.

"The way all of these canine tengu are going to act when he arrives."

"Are they going to dance around him in a circle?" Marisa's attempt to sound funny was met with poker faces of all 3 other girls.

"You almost guessed correctly." said Sakuya. "As I said, he's going to negotiate in Lord Tenma's name. As such, he's going to have the same authority as Lord Tenma himself for the duration of the meeting. Now, that by itself would probably not even be worth mentioning, if it wasn't for one particular custom the White Wolf tengu practice whenever their lord, general or someone of the ruling tengu elite shows up."

"They're all going to ceremoniously line themselves up to form a sort of triumphal alley with their swords raised." Remilia completed the information.

"Wait, all of them?" the shrine maiden wasn't quite inclined to believe that.

"Yes, that includes every single White Wolf tengu stationed in this village." Sakuya confirmed. "But this customary greeting rarely lasts longer than a minute."

"That's right." the maid's mistress nodded. "And in that short time we must sneak past the tired yama-bito guards, enter the quarry and get into the temple before the tengu return to their posts."

"Do my ears deceive me?" Marisa felt like now was the right time for a series of rhetorical questions. "Am I dreaming? You girls were planning to get inside the temple? Without even telling Gensokyo's number one thief about it?! I'm very disappointed by your selfishness?" She might have seemed upset, but her radiating grin wasn't planning to leave her face any time soon.

"So you're finally openly admitting that you're a thief?" Reimu started taking cheap shots at Marisa's shameless confession.

"Hey, if it's for the right cause, it's not really a crime, is it?"

"Try telling that to the temple guards." The shrine maiden scoffed at Marisa's attitude before deciding to point out a gaping flaw in Remilia's plan.

"And while it's nice that you've come up with a way to get inside undetected, it seems you totally forgot that we'll eventually need to get out of there. And I highly doubt that one minute is going to be enough for us to get in, explore the temple, stop the vengeful spirits and get out of there before the tengu return to their stations."

"Who cares about that?!" the little vampire again showed the more childish side of her character, but maybe it was due to her extreme confidence that she decided to throw all caution after the infiltration to the wind. "Once we uproot the spirit problem and solve this incident, it won't matter anymore. We will have done our work and whatever they decide to do with or in that temple afterwards doesn't interest me. They can turn it into a museum, or a fortress, or a theater for all I care? And if any of those fools will feel like I deserve a punishment for trespassing, they're welcome to try taking me on."

"That's? really cute and all," Marisa spoke up, "but how exactly are you going to fight the vengeful spirits or whoever is controlling them if you won't be able to use magic or divine powers?"

"That would interest me as well." Reimu seconded Marisa's concern. "Maybe we should simply wait for Eirin or Kaguya, or both of them to get here and have them go in first. It's not like anything can happen to them that would have any lasting effect on their health, even if there's something dangerous inside."

"Maybe not physical health, but? can't they still become possessed?" the ordinary magician wondered.

"Not sure? So far we've only ever seen the spirits possessing fairies." Reimu muttered and stood up from the rocky plate she was sitting on.

"Has anyone even called for them." asked Remilia. "Not that we have the time to wait for them."

Judging by the facial expressions of other girls, she quickly figured that the immortal Lunarian exiles most likely didn't even know about the current situation in Kazemura. Then a question crossed Marisa's mind. One that was already answered in that part of the conversation which she missed.

"B-but? hold on a second, girls? Why are we even planning a stealthy break-in? And before the negotiations? What about Patchy?"

As Remilia was about to open her mouth to go over the reason for such a bold plan, a familiar voice interrupted her and quite startled the rest of the band.

"What about me?" a certain violet-haired and not-too-tall youkai magician caught the group by surprise.

"Errr? umm?nothing, nothing!" the vampire unconvincingly denied that her conversation with the gathered girls had anything to do with Patchou

[Fonzi]

Chapter 64 ? Into the Darkness

It wasn't easy getting used to waking up without an alarm clock or someone else to wake him up. Thank goodness for his house's convenient location near the farm and the early-rising roosters that served as living alarm clocks to all those who could hear their morning calls.

Kyouichi rose from his bed, realizing just now that he slept through the night with his kimono on. The growling in his stomach reminded him that he now had to prepare his own breakfast, aside from the everyday morning hygiene and making preparations for school.

"It's surely going to be a shock for Keine-sensei when she sees us in the classroom this morning?" he amused his still sleepy mind with that thought. Rising early with the sun was never one of Kyouichi's favorite things to do, but due to falling asleep so early yesterday, he had plenty of rest to manage even such an inhuman feat.

The flames in the fireplace have long since died out, so he didn't even have to waste water to put them out when he was finally leaving his new house.

When he entered the village through the western gate, he found nothing suspicious about the busy marketplace atmosphere to notice the lack of children heading to school. It was only after he got to the building itself, when he realized something that made him stop at the entrance door? and bang his head against it repeatedly.

"It's weekend~!"
Waking up to the noise of pickaxes hitting rock isn't anything pleasant, even to those who are used to it, but for the team of girls with such big plans for today, sleeping in was absolutely unthinkable. As soon as the prospectors began working in the quarry, Patchouli and her companions got up and started preparing for the day. A day that promised to be quite eventful to say the least.

"Where did I put my notes again?" Patchouli muttered as she hastily scurried through an unorganized pile of documents on her table.

"I have them right here, Patchouli-sama." Koakuma waved her hand, holding the notepad, which her mistress was looking for.

"Thank you." the sorceress grabbed it and raced through her own notes. All the points she wanted to make during the negotiation were there, so losing the notepad would be quite troublesome for her.

"So, what are you girls going to do while I'm in the village hall?"

"Oh, don't worry about us." Marisa replied. "We'll surely find a way to keep ourselves entertained." Her reassuring thumbs-up seemed more like an oath to commit at least several acts of mischief, if not crime.

"I just hope it isn't going to be anything foolish?" Patchouli sighed. "Like trying to break into the temple before the negotiations are over."

All other girls' faces turned suddenly at her, bearing expressions of surprise and nervousness.

"O-of course not!" Marisa immediately tried to deny it, even though it was mainly Remilia who Patchouli was looking at. "What even gave you such an impression?"

"I'm just giving you a warning; that's all."

"You can relax, Patchy. There will be no trouble while you're away." said Remilia with a fake expression of honesty. "Not from us at least."

"Good. Keep it that way." said the sorceress as she took her notepad and her bag. "Now if you excuse me, I must be off."

"But it's only morning." Marisa wondered why Patchouli was in such a hurry.

"Better be there earlier than to be late." Replied Patchouli and left her tent. All the girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew?" the ordinary magician wiped the sweat from her forehead. "For a second there I thought she actually suspected us from planning what we've planned." And she said it so loudly too, not even caring about the fact that Patchouli's own devil familiar was there with them. And the little devil, mischievous and cunning as she was, just quietly sat there, pretending to be minding her own business and not listening to what the other girls were talking about. But she knew about their "secret" plans more than well and she was ready to spy on them as soon as they'd leave the tent.

"So what shall we do to pass the time?" Reimu asked.

Marisa seemed to have it very clear. "While the cat's away?" she trailed off and took the book about hieroglyphs from Patchouli's table. Reimu and Remilia just shook their heads in bewilderment.

"You're a hopeless case." said the vampire. "Even at a time like this?"

"I'm just borrowing it for a sec."

"That's what you say every time to Patchy."

"Hmph." The witch turned away and began to skim through the pages. "What do you know?" You're almost never in the library."

"Patchouli told me all about you? We have more important things to do now, so stop fooling around."

After a while of silently ignoring the vampire and flipping through the pages, Marisa shut the book. "Alright, alright? Look, I'm putting it back where it was." She slowly put the book on the table as she promised. "See?"

Reimu found this situation very much to her amusement. "Where is Aya and her camera when you need her?"

"Patchouli will never believe me if I tell her about this?" even the Scarlet Devil doubted that Marisa was capable of such a thing.

"So if I can kick a bad habit, you too can simply stop drinking people's blood." the witch grinned and patted Remilia's shoulder as she walked away from the table.

"Deciding not to steal one thing now, but later doesn't equate dropping a bad habit." the shrine maiden retorted.

"And being a vampire is not a bad habit that you can kick." Remilia fought back as well. "That is if I even wanted to."

"Okay, so let's go outside and double-check if everything is the way it should be." Reimu took charge and moved the tent's curtain away when she almost bumped into another person.

"Ayayaya~! Has Patchouli-san left already?" It was the crow tengu reporter, most likely trying to catch the librarian for a short interview, but Reimu quickly and bluntly turned her down.

"Yes, she has and you should too."

"Who's there?" Marisa's voice sounded from behind Reimu before her fair-haired head poked out from the tent. "Oh, it's Aya. We mentioned you a few seconds ago."

"Aw, shoot!" Aya snapped her fingers in slight frustration. "So Patchouli went on ahead? I was really hoping I could ask her a few questions before she'd go?"

"Why don't you just go after her?" asked the miko.

"Because they're not going to let anyone else inside. Not even the press. Censorship of the worst degree, if you ask me?Well, if I can't hear what's being said there, I'll at least take a few pictures." she declared confidently. Of course, Aya had no clue what these girls had in plan for today, and none of them believed there was a reason to tell her about it.

"Good luck." Reimu uttered with a complete lack of emotion. She just wanted the nosy tengu out of the scene, so that she and her team could carry one with their secret mission.

"Ha! You underestimate me. I don't need good luck for that. But should I be lucky, I'll even get a chance to eavesdrop on the whole negotiation."

"Good for you then, but I really don't care." the shrine maiden couldn't wait for Aya to finally take off and mind her own business. But what she managed to do by her stern and indifferent reply was the exact opposite of her intention. She made the tengu even more talkative.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you aren't at least a little bit curious about what they're going to discuss on that meeting and why they'd want to keep it a secret from general public."

"Maybe they just find the likes of you annoying." Reimu brushed her off with her typical harsh frankness. "Not that we wouldn't be interested, but we got our own things to attend to, so we'd best leave you do your trade."

"Oh? And where are you off to then?"

"We're going to do some patrolling and keep a lookout for any large flocks of fairies." Reimu made up a cover story. "Now why don't you go and play paparazzi and let us do our work?"

She was on the verge of threatening Aya with a danmaku duel if she refused to leave in 10 seconds, but she was worried that the tengu might actually accept the challenge, thus prolonging her stay even further.

"Oh? pushy, aren't we? You know, all this time I get the feeling like you just want me to disappear." Aya giggled sheepishly.

"Really? How ever did you reach that conclusion?" Reimu asked with searing sarcasm in her tone.

"Well? for instance I don't see a reason why you'd mind my presence if you were going to do something as mundane as patrolling." Aya explained as she played with her pen. "Unless you girls were up to something, hm~?" she flipped the pen in her palm and pointed its tip at Reimu. A moment at which a nervous liar would start to sweat and stutter, but Remilia managed to save it gloriously with an ironic question: "Like what? Breaking into that temple in broad daylight?"

A suggestion too ridiculous to be taken seriously, or so Remilia and her companions hoped.

"I don't know." shrugged Aya. "Maybe?"

"Don't make me laugh."

"We're just wasting time here." said the shrine maiden and beckoned the other girls to follow her. "Marisa and I will take the western part and you two will check the eastern side." she gave instructions to Remilia and Sakuya.

"Wait, what about??" and before Aya could finish the question, the four girls already took off, each pair headed the opposite direction to fool the tengu reporter.

"Patrolling, huh?" she smirked as she let out a light chuckle. "There's more than enough White Wolves for that. And they have much sharper senses than those four? Are the girls really that paranoid?"

As she watched them shrinking into tiny black dots on the horizon and questioned their action, her gaze trailed off, or to be precise, returned back to the ground and the archeological team's tent. "Anybody home?"

But of all the tent's usual occupants, only one red-haired demon girl, busy with sorting Patchouli's books was inside. She didn't even seem to notice the intruder as she hummed a quiet melody with her back turned on the tent's entrance.

"Oh, you're with Patchouli-san, right?" Aya spoke up to her without restraint, despite being unable to recall the girl's name.

"Hm?" the devil turned her head to face the tengu and quirked her brow.

"Shameimaru Aya. A reporter for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper." she briefly introduced herself and stated her intention. "I wanted to do an interview with Patchouli, but I missed her and?"

"I know who you are." Patchouli's familiar interrupted. "Why are you re-introducing yourself?"

"You do?" Aya blinked in surprise. "I just wasn't sure if the two of us talked in person before?"

"We didn't, but I did see you visit the mansion quite a few times. Besides, as a librarian's assistant, I also take care of the library's newspaper archive. As a reporter you're already well-known around Gensokyo to need an introduction."

"Ahahaha~. You flatter me, but? you'd be surprised. Not that many youkai and humans read newspapers. And out of those who do, not all of them read MY newspaper."

Although Aya doubted she'd get any interesting information out of the little devil, her inner gossiper dictated her to interview her anyway.

"So if Patchouli's already gone and there's no one else here besides you, would you mind answering a couple of questions, Miss? uhh?"

"Koakuma." the demon girl rolled her crimson eyes out of slight frustration that Aya didn't know her name.

"Pardon me." the tengu bowed apologetically. "I know I've heard it several times already, but it just dropped out of my memory." she shaped a sheepish smile with her lips.

Koakuma sighed and waved her palm, as well as the little wing on her head. "It's okay. I'm used to that. But I hoped a reporter like you would be a little better informed." she muttered as her gaze dropped to her feet.

"I'm usually good at remembering names and faces. It's just that I only remember those who make good article material."

"So you think I'm boring?"

"No, I didn't say that?" Aya replied, but Koakuma didn't give her much time to finish the sentence.

"Nobody cares about the servants?"

"That's not true. I did make interviews with a lot of servants."

"I know, I know? I'm just an insignificant little youkai who lives in the library. I can't compare myself to Patchouli-sama or her vampire friend. At least you didn't think I was a fairy maid."

"Frankly, I don't see that much of a difference." Aya gave a stinging reply. "And what kind of name is "Koakuma" anyway? That's more of a description of what you are, rather than a proper name."

Although Aya's way of interviewing and even leading a general conversation could often offend those she spoke with, this particular remark about the devil girl's name left Koakuma unfazed. She even showed a sly, albeit fleeting grin.

"I am called many names. Koakuma is just one of them. That's what Patchouli-sama called me ever since I was summoned by her."

"Ah, I see now?" Aya nodded understandingly. "So you're contract-bound to be called Koakuma?"

"Eh? not really."

"So what can I call you then?"

"Koakuma."

"Guh?" Aya was struck by the devil girl's wit. "I expected to hear your name from before you became Patchouli's familiar."

"Like I said, I am called many names. Which one do you want to hear?"

"Your first one."

Koakuma stood in silence for a moment, just blinking puzzledly at what Aya asked of her. "You do know? that I am a devil, right?"

"Are you testing me or something?" the tengu responded with a question.

"I should be the one asking that. You of all youkai should know that a devil never reveals her true name. If someone knows it, they could use it against that devil."

"That's? true." the journalist admitted as she fidgeted a little. "So does that mean Patchouli knows your true name if she was able to summon you?"

"Eh? not really." Koakuma shook her head lightly. "I just answered her summoning spell. There's a contract between us, but I keep my true name to myself."

"So that's how it is."

"That's why she and everyone else calls me Koakuma~."

"Yes, I get it now." smiled the crow tengu and scribbled a few notes. "But that makes me wonder?"

"About what?"

"Well, it just occurred to me, but you probably aren't the best of friends with the satori race, since they could find out about your real name."

Aya didn't even know how spot-on she was with her assumption until she got a clear resentful reply from the little devil's mouth. And even the moment before Koakuma spoke any words, one could easily notice her sudden change in body language, as her non-human appendages began to tremble, her eyes narrowed and her breathing intensified. She still kept her warm, but forced smile.

"There are few things the devils loathe as much as angels and celestials. They may still be the undisputed number one, but satori are a close second on any devil's hate list."

A few droplets of sweat formed on Aya's face as the little devil finished explaining. Who would think that this cute demon girl who worked as a librarian's assistant could hate someone?

"But you're an imp, aren't you?"

"Yes, an imp. And imps are a sub-species of devils. I never really met a satori before, but I know I wouldn't want to."

The crow tengu was amused by Koakuma's prejudice, as her weak chuckle suggested.

"Lucky you then. Because there were two satori in this village a month ago when the last fairy attack took place. You could say they worked as a part of our expedition."

The little demon dropped a book. "W-wh-what?! Two satori were here? I-in this tent?" she stuttered as she began casting her paranoid gaze in all directions, as if expecting to be ambushed. "You're joking, right~?"

"I'm not. It's true. Ask Patchouli if you don't believe me."

"Why would she work with those? things?" Koakuma wondered as she struggled to even imagine it. Aya appeared to be enjoying the imp's insecurity a bit too much.

"Not only that, but she also made quite a speech to Kazemura's villagers about how satori are wrongfully hated and discriminated. And judging by the applause that followed, I'm guessing she managed to convince a sizable amount of locals."

Even though Koakuma wasn't unaware that the crow tengu in general liked making up stories, if they couldn't find one to write about, something kept telling her that Aya wasn't lying. But her words, or to be precise, Patchouli's words have left her torn between her racial aversion and her unquestionable trust towards her mistress.

As she stood there immersed in her own thoughts, Aya took advantage of Koakuma's confusion and stated her true reason for the interview.

"I'm sorry. I've really gone off the track, but I only wanted to break the ice."

Koakuma blinked twice, as if she had just snapped back to reality.

"My main reason for interviewing you was spurred by my hope of getting any details about Patchouli's intentions. Especially if the negotiations won't turn in her favor." stated the reporter with a very serious expression.

"I don't know." the imp girl shrugged her wings. "But whoever wins the negotiation will then have to take responsibility for resolving the spirit incident."

"I know that, but doesn't Patchouli-san have some sort of backup plan? Some ace in the hole in case something goes wrong? I just? giving up just doesn't seem like her style."

Koakuma slowly shook her head. "I? am not Patchouli-sama. If she fails? then probably Reimu-san will take things in her own hands."

"I know you're not Patchouli." Aya frowned. "But you are her familiar. Hasn't she told you anything about her intentions?"

The little devil gave a mute, expressionless answer.

"I knew it?" the reporter sighed resignedly. "I was just wasting my time here, interviewing an unimportant servant."

With a feeling of disappointment, Aya slowly turned her back on Koakuma and was about to walk out of the tent, but the imp halted her.

"Not so fast, Shameimaru-san."

"Ayayaya~?"

"So you think I'm a boring, weak and uninformed underling, not even worthy of an article?" Koakuma asked with a sly simile blooming on her lips. Aya felt like taking her last sentence back as she recognized a slightly immature, but true devilish grin. The little imp knew more than she was willing to let on.

"That smile?" Aya flashed her own brand of "big scoop grin" and her pointy ears twitched a little with anticipation. "You know something after all, don't you?"

"Weeeeeell~?"
"Phew? that was a close one." Marisa breathed out after she and her three companions distanced themselves far enough from the village to avoid Aya's suspicion. For a couple of minutes they pretended to be patrolling, but now they were well out of sight of anyone in Kazemura. They found no possessed fairies in their half-hearted search, but they found a little clearing where they settled down to discuss their next step.

"So now we wait." Reimu sighed as she rested her back against a tree.

"Are we really going to sit here for several hours?" Remilia's question was letting everyone know that she had a slightly different idea than to sit and wait at such an uncomfortable place.

"Only for a while, ze. We have to keep the village in our sight after all. We'll just wait till Aya loses suspicion."

"Since we're already here, we might as well do some actual patrolling." Reimu mused aloud. "The last thing I'd wish for is having our plan thwarted by another fairy invasion."

"The last time we were here, it seemed as though they specifically waited for all of us to gather in Kazemura to attack us." Sakuya recalled with her finger on her chin in a bit spaced-out expression.

"Hey, that would actually not be so bad if they attacked the village now." said the ordinary magician, making the other girls raise their eyebrows. "If anything, it'd at least create a diversion for us to sneak into the temple without a problem."

"And you'd be perfectly okay with fairies laying waste to Kazemura while you'd be looting the temple?" asked Reimu with a disapproving scowl.

"Sure, I would." Reimu got a response quicker then she expected. "We'd just have to beat the mastermind inside and all the fairies would come back to their senses and scatter."

A moment of deadpan silence came about, as none of the girls could find the right words to convey their impressions of Marisa's idea of incident resolution.

"See? My ingenious plan made ya' all speechless. But alas, I can't make the fairies attack the village?" the blonde let out a disappointed sigh.

"No, like I said; that's the last thing I'd want at this moment." Reimu repeated her earlier statement.

"Then let's make a sweep of the area and then return to the village." Remilia seemed to agree with the shrine maiden's idea, but for her own reason. She really wasn't as concerned about the safety of Kazemura as she was concerned about her personal comfort. Standing idly on a meadow in a sunny day, with no place to sit down without getting her dress dirty was an unbearable thought. She liked getting things done fast and efficiently, just like Reimu, so making a preventive sweep was a hundred times more attractive to her than just waiting.

"I hope Aya's busying herself with something else than watching the sky right now." the shrine maiden uttered wishfully before she stood up and prepared herself for take-off.

"So just like that time when we were tranquilizing fairies? We'll split up, and if either of us sees something suspicious, we'll fire a signal danmaku."

"Roger~." Marisa saluted. "If I see any suspicious groups of fairies, I'll fire a signal shot."

"And I don't mean a signal Master Spark like you did during the harvest feast." Reimu wagged her finger warningly. "By the way, we'll split up to pairs, seeing that Remilia needs her parasol and she's too spoiled to carry it herself?"

"Hey!" the vampire in question found Reimu's remark mildly offensive, and it stung her even more when she heard her own maid suppressing a chuckle behind her back.

"Let's go, Marisa." Reimu asked her friend to follow and kicked off the ground.

"Right behind you." the blonde saddled her broom and jetted after the miko.

Remilia and Sakuya watched them in a brief moment of silence when the silver-haired girl opened the pink parasol and gestured to her mistress to move under its shade. But her kind gesture was met with a frown from the little vampire.

"Give me that parasol!" Remilia swiped the parasol out of Sakuya's hand.

"My lady??" the time-manipulator blinked in puzzlement.

"I'll show her "too spoiled to carry it herself"." The Scarlet Devil grumbled agitatedly as she took off into the sky.

"Mistress?" Sakuya just stood there for a moment with a sheepish smile, giggling at her mistress's endearingly childish moments such as this one.
As Gensokyo's most notorious pair of youkai exterminators swept the area for any suspicious signs, they spotted several smaller flocks of fairies scurrying out of the treetops. None of the mentioned flocks were large enough to pose a threat, though, and none of the fairies showed any signs of spiritual possession or mind control.

"They look pretty normal to me?" stated Marisa as one small fairy group fluttered past her and Reimu. The miko could only silently agree. Those little winged female humanoid incarnations of natural phenomena didn't even shoot a single danmaku pellet. Reimu and Marisa had no reason for violence.

The situation was the same on Remilia's and Sakuya's side as well. And even if the Scarlet Devil showed some hostility, the fairies she encountered just scattered and fled rather than mounting a counterattack.

"These fairies don't appear to be possessed, my lady."

"I was only making sure they weren't just faking it." the vampire replied with absolutely no regret after she blasted several of them into fairy dust.

Both pairs of girls continued their sweep in a half-circle trajectory around the pine forest surrounding Kazemura until they eventually met once again over the village.

"There's Aya." Marisa pointed at the black and white-clad figure skulking around the village hall in search of the best vantage point. "We better land while she's not looking up."

After the four girls touched the ground they decided that the best place to wait for the arrival of the tengu envoy would be none other than the Hearth.

"They better have some red tea?" Remilia muttered as she entered the tavern.

The Hearth was as busy as ever, but the first thing one would notice upon entering would not be the chatter of the yama-bito patrons, but the noisy girly voice that could belong to only one oni in Gensokyo.

"Come on~! Ain't nobody gonna challenge me in arm-wrestling? Is this tavern full of weaklings, or what?"

Obviously, none of the patrons were stupid enough to let themselves be provoked and accept a challenge from an oni, even if she was a little girl. It was no wonder that her table, and for that matter, the tables adjacent to hers were vacant. As soon as she saw who entered the establishment, she almost toppled a few pieces of furniture in her cheerful dash towards Reimu.

"Reimu, Reimu, Reimu!"

"Oh great? what's she doing here?" Reimu's mood dropped by a few degrees as soon as she noticed Suika trotting towards her. "Ungh~!" The charging oni girl threw herself at Reimu, and of course, knocked her off her feet.

"Hey, listen, listen! Nobody wants to compete with me. Not in arm-wrestling, not in drinking, not even in rock-paper-scissors. Can you believe it?"

"Ugh?" Reimu winced both out of pain and due to the foul smell of Suika's breath. "I can't imagine why?"

"Oi, Suika!" Marisa greeted her. "What are you doing in these parts? Is the Heaven's sake no good for you anymore?"

"Not really. I just happened to read the last issue of the newspaper. I wanna know what's inside that temple. Besides, Kazemura has the best beer in Gensokyo?" the oni pointed at the empty beer glass resting on the table where she was sitting.

"Could you please get off me? You're embarrassing a shrine maiden." Reimu tried to push her aside. Futilely. "And furthermore, you reek."

"But I was bored~." Suika said as an excuse for knocking Reimu down. "I know that today's the day when the temple will be entered for the first time, but when you wait for something with such anticipation, every hour passes so slowly~. And after winning a couple of bets, nobody wants to play with me anymore."

Finally Suika rose from the floor, allowing Reimu to stand up as well. "Have you no shame scamming the locals with your impossible challenges?"

"I needed to buy all that beer with something. Oh, I know. I'll treat you all for a few rounds, what do you say?" the oni's eyes brightened up at the idea of spending the otherwise boring afternoon with Reimu and her company.

"No. We're not here to drink." Reimu resolutely refused the offer, making Suika's smile fade.

"Awww~. Why not? You're not going to be the ones taking part in the negotiations anyway."

"That? is correct." Sakuya nodded agreeingly. "However, we've got business to do, so we need to remain sober."

"Oh, business, huh? What kind of business?" Suika asked curiously as she led the girls to the vacant table. Nobody was hurrying to answer her, though.

"Can't tell me? You know? the more you try to keep something a secret, the more curious those around you you're going to make."

"Village security mostly." Reimu uttered the same old half-truth as she did to Aya. "Patrolling the area, making sure everything's okay?"

"Wow, Reimu? you suck at lying." the oni stated bluntly. "Plus, if you were saying the truth, it wouldn't take you that long to answer."

"Damn? I knew coming here was a bad idea." the miko quietly cursed her decision to walk into this tavern.

"I don't know..." Marisa shrugged. "What's the harm if we tell her? Maybe she'll even side with us."

"Side with you?" Suika repeated with amusement. "Sounds to me like you're up to something not-so-legal."

"Well, yeah. We want to be the first ones to get into the temple." Marisa fessed up the truth, and with a face of a poker player to boot.

"You're not telling this to anyone, okay?" Reimu leaned towards her threateningly. "Otherwise I'll spike your sake with roasted soybeans when you won't be looking."

Whether it was due to the threat or simply because she was Reimu's friend, the ginger-haired oni nodded in compliance. "You got my word."

It was a well-known fact that oni didn't tell lies, so Reimu was most satisfied with that answer.

"How are you gonna to do it? No, wait?" Suika corrected herself. "When are you gonna do it?"

"In a few hours." said Remilia. "At the precise moment when the tengu delegate arrives. Waiter, one red tea, please!" she shouted at the bartender, who only raised his eyebrow before returning to cleaning the glass he was holding.

"There is no waiter here." Suika giggled. "You have to order everything at the counter and carry it to your table. Didn't you notice when you were here last time?"

"Some tavern this is?" grumbled the vampire dissatisfiedly. "Anyway, we can't get into that temple while there are tons of tengu standing guard. That's why we have to wait for the right moment."

"Oh, you want to get inside unnoticed." Suika nodded understandingly.

"As if that wasn't obvious from the start!" Reimu planted her palm on her forehead.

"Are you ready for what's down there, though?" the oni finally asked a question that was very relevant, and to which none of the girls could give a truthful answer.

"An anti-magic field. Or even a siphon." Marisa speculated. "And a divine-power siphon of even greater effect."

"Well? I can imagine you don't really believe that bookworm of yours is going to tip the results of the negotiations in your favor, but why would you want to go into that dangerous place totally unprepared, willing to throw all your powers out of the window?"

"Most of our powers." Remilia corrected her. "But otherwise, you are right. We'll just have to risk it."

"Nonsense!" the little oni squeaked out. "If I were you, I'd recruit an immortal into my team. Not a fairy, though."

"We've already thought about that." the vampire waved her hand dismissively. "It's going to take ages and tons of patience to convince those two Lunarians to get here. Besides, what makes you think I even want them here? We just don't have enough time."

"I? wasn't talking about those two." Suika shook her head, now that she recalled that two immortal Lunarians resided in a mansion far to the south.

"Huh? Then who?"

"An immortal who lives nearby. A friend of Yukari's, a veteran from the first Genso-Lunar war and a guru of brewing booze out of everything."

"You mean that snake alchemist?" Reimu tilted her head. She did vaguely remember him helping the girls out in the last fairy attack. "What was his name again?"

"Yup, him." Suika gave a confirmatory nod. "Xeng-Yao. If you want, I could fetch him and be back in the village within an hour."

"You'd do that?" Reimu blinked in disbelief.

"Sure~! Just say the word."

"Word." Remilia spoke in Reimu's stead. One could see she wasn't enjoying the oni's company very much.

"Fine. Go get that alchemist." the miko finally decided. "And if you meet Aya, don't tell her anything, okay? Or better yet, avoid her entirely, if you can't tell a lie."

"Okay, I'll go as a cloud then." said Suika and already stood up from the chair. "You'll be staying here, right?"

"Unless the tengu envoy comes sooner than expected, yes." Reimu reassured her, and so the little oni nodded and took her leave.

"I bet a lot of these folks will gather around the village hall to hear the results first-hand." Marisa mused as she took a look around herself.

"That's neither going help us, nor hinder us." Reimu shrugged her shoulders, questioning why Marisa even brought it up.

"Just saying?"

In the meantime, Remilia, firmly decided that she'd show everyone that she's not spoiled. She stood up form the chair, walked up to the counter and climbed up the tall stool with some minor difficulties. Finally the bartender noticed her.

"Can I get you anything, young lady?"

"I'd like some red tea, please." she asked with an unnaturally calm tone, as she was still irritated that the bartender ignored her the first time.

"You're in great luck, you know that?" the human smiled and put some fresh water on the stove to boil.

"Why?"

"We usually don't serve red tea, you see. In fact, we never have, and probably won't be after we run out."

"So where do you have red tea from then?"

"Ah, about that? a few months ago, there was this young lady merchant stopping by in the village and offered me a bagful of it. She said she had too much of the stuff to know what to do with." explained the balding barkeep. "So I bought it from her."

"A lady merchant?" Remilia wondered who that might have been. "What did she look like?"

"Hm.. about this tall." he stretched out his palm. "She had short black hair, plain clothes, nothing too eye-catching. She said she won that tea in a tournament or something."

And then Remilia realized that the mysterious merchant the bartender was talking about was most likely the winner of the danmaku tournament held at Reimu's shrine in summer. Each of the participants committed some prize for the winner to have, and Remilia's contribution was a rich supply of red tea.

"Nue?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Heh?" Remilia found this both insulting and amusing at the same time. Her facial expression was likewise ambiguous. "I'll be ordering my own red tea? in a Kazemuran tavern. I knew there was something odd about its fate strings?"

After a few minutes the water in the kettle boiled and Remilia was served her own red tea. Many thoughts ran through her head as she took the cup and carried it back to the table. One of the most resonating thoughts was: "What was Nue Houjuu doing here?" The more she stared at the rippling surface of her favorite beverage, the stronger her suspicion grew.

"Is something wrong, my lady?" Sakuya was unsurprisingly the first to notice the spaced-out expression on the face of her mistress.

"You got a fly in your tea or something?" Marisa made a poor guess to justify Remilia's weird stare.

"This tea?" the vampire spoke after a pause.

"Oh, so they serve your favorite blend here too?" the maid smiled fleetingly.

"No. This is my red tea? from my mansion."

"What do you mean?" Sakuya blinked cluelessly.

"Did you know that Nue Houjuu was here?"

"She was here? I think that time when we were catching fairies for Eirin." Marisa hummed as she reminisced. "But what does that have to do with your red tea?"

"I meant more recently." Remilia clarified. "Do you remember Tanabata?" she aimed the question at the Hakurei shrine maiden.

"Tanabata? What about it?" Reimu's memories of that day were apparently quite hazy.

"I offered a sack full of my finest red tea as a prize for the winner of the tournament's main event."

"Yeah, I remember that."

"Do you also remember who the winner was?"

"Uh? I didn't really watch it to the end." Reimu confessed with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Nue!" Marisa replied instead. "Pesky youkai made me lose before the semi-finals."

"Well?" Remilia elegantly sat down, stirred her tea and raised her gaze to resume her eye contact with the girls. "It would seem that our tournament champ visited Kazemura recently."

This statement made the girls stare at Remilia in silent confusion.

"The barkeep just told me he got his last and only shipment of red tea from some merchant girl from Human Village, who also told him that she happened to win the tea in a certain tournament."

"Pffff~!" Marisa failed to hold back a chuckle. "Nue sold the tea!"

"Exactly." Remilia rolled her eyes. "But that's not what bothers me."

"Then what?" Reimu asked.

"It's that she was here? I don't recall Patchouli recruiting her, or any of the Myouren Temple residents into the archeological expedition team."

"So what if she was here?" shrugged the ordinary magician.

"I have a strong feeling that she still is. And she's spying for the Myouren Temple."

"Aren't you just a bit too paranoid?" Reimu wasn't in a mood for Remilia's conspiracy theories. "Why would the Temple of Myouren be interested in the temple of Kazemura? They are our allies in this incident."

"I think they want exactly the same thing we do - to solve the spirit incident. Except, they want to beat us to it."

If Reimu's face looked confused a moment ago, it was nothing in comparison to her current grimace. "Eeeeeh~?! Why would they want to do that?"

"You're the shrine maiden. Think a little." the vampire frowned at Reimu's lack of understanding. "If they successfully manage to quell the spirit incident, it'll bring them more followers, more faith, and thus, more power. And all that at the expense of your shrine and the Moriya Shrine, if they solve it before everyone else. Don't tell me you've never thought of that possibility, Reimu."

Even though it seemed far-fetched at first, Reimu was slowly beginning to realize that Remilia had a point. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that someone attempted to upset Gensokyo's religious balance, but could the Hakurei maiden really trust the words of her former enemy?

"Didn't you also try to solve this incident by yourself?" the miko locked her dark eyes with Remilia's. "Your motive is still not quite clear to me, you know? Why are you even helping me?"

"What do you mean "why"?" Remilia shot back an incensed question. "My mansion was attacked by possessed fairies. Repeatedly! I had every right to take appropriate steps. I didn't quite expect that such a minor annoyance was only the beginning of a full-blown incident, though. As soon as it became clear, I realized that cooperation would be more comfortable and effective way of its resolution, even though nothing would bring me greater satisfaction than serving the culprit the dish of revenge with my own hands?"

"Well said?" Marisa nodded with acknowledgement. "But even if what you say about Nue is true, what do you want to do about it? The tengu envoy will be here any hour, so wasting our time with some wild-goose chase could rob us of our only chance to infiltrate the temple unseen."

"We'll proceed with our infiltration as planned. If she's really here, we'll surely run into her?" Remilia replied and started to enjoy her red tea in slow sips until Suika returned from her errand.
"I'm hoooome~!" echoed the high-pitched voice of Suika Ibuki as she kicked the tavern door open and barged in as if she owned the place.

"About time you returned." Reimu looked at the oni in a mildly scolding way. "So? Did you bring the alchemist?"

"In a manner of speaking?" Suika stepped inside, allowing the taller figure standing behind her to enter the tavern as well. The light thumping of boots walking over the wooden floor mixed with silent hissing as the person approached the table where the girls were sitting.

"Ah, Kung-Pao-san?" Marisa extended her greeting to the half-snake, messing up his name in the process.

"That's Xeng-Yao." he rolled his yellow eyes as he corrected her.

"Yeah, that's what I said. It's nice to have you with us again."

"Like I got a choice." the alchemist grumbled and shifted his gaze at Suika. "This oni just barged into my lab and took me away; can you believe it?"

"Tee-hee~?" Suika let out an innocent giggle and put on an equally innocent-looking expression.

"So that's what they call "spirited away by oni", huh?" asked the grinning magician.

"But sssince she's one of Yukari-sama's closest friends, I sssupose I can overlook that? Ssso anyway, what are you children up to?"

"Hey, who are you calling a child?" Remilia immediately took offense from the way Xeng addressed the girls, even though it was she, who next to Suika looked the youngest.

"Come on? I bet I'm older than all four of you together." the alchemist responded without a hint of doubt.

"Even older than all four of us plus Suika?" Marisa raised an eyebrow.

Suika only shaped a broad grin. "I love bets!"

"I still think my age is greater?" As a Hourai immortal, Xeng-Yao had quite the confidence in winning this bet.

"You'll buy me a drink if you lose, though." Suika stated her victory conditions.

"Fine."

"Okay, so let's hear your age first, Xeng-Yao-san."

"Well, if memory ssstill servesss, then it should be 1873."

"Oooh? that's? admittedly older than I am, but? you did say you were older than all 5 of us, so?" Suika looked at the other girls in hope that their sum total of ages would be enough to trump that of the immortal half-snake.

"Well, they say a lady should never reveal her real age, but a bet is a bet and an oni can't lie, so? I'm precisely 1311."

"Really?" Marisa looked slightly surprised, but not by the oni's age. Her surprise stemmed from the fact that Suika, and even Xeng, for that matter, knew exactly how old they were.

"I'm just surprised, because long-lived youkai usually don't bother counting their birthdays? especially those who lived in the underground. How can one even keep track of time down there?"

"Hey, seasons in the underground change the same way they do on the surface, you know?" Suika pouted.

"Ah, right? I forgot."

"As for me, even though my age doesn't mean anything, ssince I can't die, it'sss still short enough, so it doesn't yet take me hours to just sssay the number. Of courssse, if I'll be that old, I won't bother with counting anymore."

"Well, in any case, we're losing the bet and I'm losing my drink~!" Suika flailed her little arms. "Help me out, girls!"

"I'm 508." Remilia said in a rather quiet voice.

"So that makes us 1819 years old? Hmm? still not enough."

"Sakuya is 21, right?" the vampire gave her maid a questioning glance. Not even she was certain about that, but Sakuya silently nodded.

"And here I thought she wasss Lunarian. Mussst be the hair?" Xeng breathed a slightly relieved sigh.

"It does look a bit like Eirin's but no. She's a human." Remilia denied Sakuya's possible extraterrestrial origin.

"Hmm? true. I highly doubt that such a thing as a Lunarian maid even exisssts. They've got their rabbits to do all the menial tasksss for them."

"I just turned 19 this summer." Reimu shrugged. She didn't seem to care about who would win this silly bet, but she played along anyway.

"1859. Aargh~!" Suika's last hope was the blonde magician, who yet had to reveal her age.

"I'm almost as old as Reimu." said Marisa. "Although a few months younger, so I guess still 18?"

"1877! Ha! We won!" the little oni rejoiced as she hugged the shrine maiden. "Only by a 4 year difference, but a bet is a bet, so? you know what to do, Xeng-san."

"Yeah, yeah?" the old alchemist grumbled, but instead of standing up and buying Suika a drink at the bar, he put his backpack on the table and pulled a peculiar-looking bottle out of it. As if he was prepared for it all along, he also pulled out a shot glass and filled it with the bottle's content.

"Hey, what are you doing? You were supposed to order me a beer~." Suika objected, but Xeng tried to persuade her that what he had to offer is something far better.

"Oh, but you never specified what drink you wanted, ssso you can't really complain." he passed her the shot glass with the smile of a winner on his face.

Suika just disappointedly stared at the shot glass. Even her horns seemed to have drooped a little. "Such a spoonful? There's not even enough for a sample."

"Do give it a try." the alchemist insisted. "It'sss one of my own recipesss."

Suika tentatively took the tiny glass in her fingers and took the smallest sip just to figure out the drink's taste. A second afterwards, her face reddened and as she exhaled, a bright flame spouted out of her mouth, igniting the wooden chandelier hanging over the table, as well as the tip of Marisa's hat. The girls barely managed to duck and cover to avoid the scorching fire.

"Whooo~! That surprised me." Suika admitted. "I like it."

"Yeah, you're not the only one surprised." Reimu mumbled as she crawled back up from under the table.

"Aaaah~! No! Not again!" Marisa just now noticed the small flame dancing on top of her hat.

As the bartender saw the flames, he briefly disappeared under the bar to resurface a second later with the sound of loud humming and something that looked like a water hose in his hands. And as he pulled the lever on the hose's side, a strong stream of water gushed out, making short work of the fire. Of course, the girls were not exactly happy about being soaked.

"Aaaah, running water~!" Remilia took cover under the table again.

"What the hell is that?!" Marisa, who was a bit too late to avoid the water current blinked at the bartender.

"Ah, this? It's a kappa-made motor-powered fire extinguisher." the owner of the tavern smiled as he presented the device. "After the last fairy attack when this place almost burned down and was saved only by the rain, I thought having one of those would be a wise investment. And it looks like I was right. Sorry about your clothes, though."

"Damn? Suika, this is all your fault." the witch cast an accusing gaze at the horned youkai. But instead of feeling guilt, Suika's attention was fully occupied by Xeng's bottle. "I don't know what it was, but it was really good. Can I have one more?"

"You'd have to win another bet to deserve it. Or you could buy it."

"Ehehe? I'm sort of running low on money, but I'll take another bet any time."

"I'll passss." Xeng-Yao hissed as he shook his head. "Anyway, now that we've wasssted enough time with these silly gamesss, would somebody finally tell me why was I abducted in the middle of my work?"

"Ah, about that?" Reimu was about to give him the basic briefing, but the sudden commotion that has started in the tavern drowned out her voice.

"The tengu ambassador's here!"

"Oh, right. Here they come."

"So the negotiations can begin now? Time to gather around the village hall."

Those were some of the reactions of the tavern's patrons that Reimu's ears managed to distinguish from the jumbled cacophony of voices.

"Damn? they're already here." she muttered a curse as she hurried to the exit. "There's no time. I'll have to explain everything to you as we go."

"What's all the fuss about?" Xeng-Yao apparently didn't pay much attention to most of the daily events in Gensokyo, since it appeared he had no idea what was going on in Kazemura ever since his last visit.

"Damn? I'm all soaked?" Marisa's main concern was obviously not the stress from her decision to take part in a plan that could go wrong in so many ways, but the fact that her entire dress was uncomfortably wet, heavy and cold.

Remilia and Suika were luckier, although even they didn't appear to be in a state of perfect mental calmness either. The great tengu envoy was here and they haven't even briefed one of their key team members about what they were planning.

"Something tells me this won't be a very smooth operation?" Remilia muttered quietly as she left the tavern after everyone else.
Time was running short. Reimu could already see the small squadron of approaching humanoid figures coming from the west. Every White Wolf tengu stationed in the village was on high alert and hurried to create two long line formations in front of the village hall.

"Looks like Sakuya's information was right." Marisa hummed as she noticed the tengu leaving heir regular stations to form the two mentioned lines. At least for a brief moment she forgot about her wet clothes.

"Yes, yes, leave your posts and gather at the hall like good obedient puppies." the vampire commented the organized chaos that has erupted in the Kazemura's tengu outpost.

"Alright, youkai." Reimu spoke to Xeng. "The plan is to get into that temple without getting spotted by anyone. You'll go ahead, since you're immortal and you'll warn us from any dangers or possible traps that might be in there."

"Whoa, really?" Xeng looked almost pleasantly surprised. At least now his immortality and immunity to physical pain could be put to good use. "We're going to sssneak in? What are we looking for inside that temple?"

"The source of the spirit incident." the miko replied briefly as she kept leading the way in a hastened pace towards the quarry pit. But as she was about to float down and descend to the bottom, she noticed that the excavation site was not entirely evacuated. "Ah? damn it! What are all those tengu still doing there?"

The envoy and his bodyguards have already landed in front of the village hall, yet the White Wolves that were stationed to guard the pit and the access to the temple itself were still standing guard at their designated posts.

"Well, this could complicate things a bit." Remilia was staring to see that her prediction was coming to life. "I hate it when I'm right sometimes?"

"Why aren't they leaving their places? You said they'd all gather to greet the envoy! You said they're oath-bound to do so!" Reimu's panic has caused her to raise her voice as she accused Remilia and her maid of being unreliable.

"Well? Who should have known there'd be that many oath-breakers?" Remilia shrugged.

"Your espionage skills suck! How are we supposed to get inside now?" the shrine maiden yelled at her, but Remilia just stoically watched her goal that was just several tens of meters away.

"Sheesh? one minor unforeseen obstacle and you're already helpless, Reimu. So what? We'll just have to use the Plan B."

"We don't have any Plan B!"

"Then we'll just make one up on the fly." the little vampire brainstormed while taking a good look around. Her sight suddenly centered on Suika, who seemed like a perfect candidate for the plan she had just come up with. "Ah, yes? That will do?" she smiled contently as she walked towards the oni.

"Hm? What?"

"The envoy already passed halfway towards the hall! We're running out of time!" Reimu let everyone know that their mission was drawing to a failure with each passing second.

"What Marisa said on that meadow gave me an idea. We'll use a diversion. You can make miniatures of yourself, right?"

"Uhh? yeah?" Suika was starting to see what was on Remilia's mind.

"Well then? what are you waiting for? Let's make them think the possessed fairies are back for revenge."

"Eh? But I don't look like a fairy? and besides, the tengu's eyesight is too sharp to confuse me?"

"Don't worry about the little things! Just do your stuff!" Remilia hushed her protests and gave her an encouraging tap on the shoulder.

Suika briefly considered the plan, but she didn't have any better ideas either. "Alright then? I'll give it a try."

Suika took off into the sky and disappeared behind the trees. After all, no magician would want the audience to see how they made their trick. In the meantime, the robed envoy was just meters away from the village hall and the elder was already preparing to greet him. To Reimu this all seemed like complete and utter failure of Remilia's plan, but the vampire hasn't folded her hand yet. The burden of success or failure now rested entirely on Suika and her actions.

"It's over? the envoy is inside the village hall. The White Wolves are already breaking the formation and returning to their posts." Reimu's gaze fell downward as she sighed resignedly.

But the miko, and pretty much the whole village of Kazemura was in for quite the surprise.

"Look!" Marisa pointed at the eastern horizon. "I see Suika's mini clones! Time to start mass hysteria, girls~." She chuckled mischievously as she took off into the air and began flying through the village, screaming: "Fairies~! Fairies incoming from the east! They're launching another attack! Everyone, get ready for battle!"

It didn't take long before the White Wolf tengu began turning their heads to the east. Suika did her best to make as many miniatures of herself as she could. The swarm of mini-Suikas didn't look as massive as the fairy swarms that attacked the village, but the oni managed to divide herself into at least a few hundred little beings. While not as intimidating at first glance, even those few hundreds could be a threat if they could sever the shimenawa rope barrier? and if they were actual possessed fairies.

"Another swarm's coming from the east!" the tengu commander drew his sword and pretty much all the White Wolves followed suit. "Sound the alarm!"

In less than a minute, the entire mining village was engulfed in chaos. The alarm bells echoed from every corner and all the occupants of the village ? tengu, yama-bito and human alike were rushing out of their dwellings to see what was happening.

"We mustn't let them into the quarry!" the leader of the White Wolves shouted. "Everyone, scramble and engage them head-on! Protect the spirit ward and the village hall at all costs!"

Now that an official order from the commander was issued, not a single tengu soldier remained on the ground. They rallied together and charged the approaching "fairy swarm" without wasting any time.

Suika's distraction, as well as Marisa's alarm calls seemed to work perfectly to create an opening that the girls were waiting for.

"Wonderful?" Remilia smiled contentedly at how the situation developed. "Girls, we now have unrestrained access to the temple. It's time to cross the spirit ward."

But Marisa put a hand on her shoulder. "Um? did that one White Wolf tengu fall asleep?" She pointed at the small figure dressed in the red, white and black uniform, who in spite of all the chaos in the village and even a direct order from her superior, still stood vigilant right at the only access into the uncovered temple.
"Ah? that's not good." Even Remilia's smile faded when she noticed that rogue guard. "What's wrong with her? Is she deaf? She got an order to engage the fairies, so why the hell is she still standing there?!"

"Looks like the tengu have thought of everything." said Reimu. "So much for our "perfect" plan?"

"Um? isn't she standing there simply because she can't take off?" Sakuya suddenly reminded all the girls that the solitary tengu guard was standing right in the middle of a powerful anti-magic field.

"Oh? right. But she's still a problem."

And as if the girls didn't have enough problems, another tengu noticed their little gathering at the edge of the quarry pit.

"Ayayayaya~! Another fairy attack and you girls are just calmly standing here?" the reporter crow tengu, Aya Shameimaru landed right in the middle of their little circle. "By the way, nice of you to notice the fairies while they were still far from the village, Marisa? What's wrong?" she noticed that all four of the girls were staring daggers at her. Only Xeng-Yao's glance was neutral.

"We'd just get into their way?" Reimu waved her hand as she gave her an excuse why she was just idly standing and not fighting the fairies.

But then Aya said something that made everyone a little nervous. "You know? White Wolves are generally known for their sharp senses. Especially sight and smell. So? I wonder how long it's going to take them to find out that they're going up against a swarm of oni?"

"And the jig is up?" Reimu has completely given up on the idea of entering the temple undetected. If even Aya knew that the fairy attack was a ruse, there was simply no way the girls would set a foot inside the temple without being chased by a company of tengu soldiers.

"Good. Can I go home now?" the immortal alchemist wondered if his presence in the village was still necessary.

"What's the matter, Reimu?" Aya smiled sweetly at the shrine maiden. "You look so sad. Don't worry. Aya's here to help you out~."

"W-what?"

"Eh?&qu