Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Topic started by: Lt Colonel Summers on February 23, 2017, 01:41:28 AM
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//Been waiting for a while, and still not a single quest for our resident ESPer? As such, I have decided to manage a new CYOA alongside Yorihime Quest.
XXXXX
>You are Usami Sumireko, Founder and First President of the Sealing Club!
>You may appear to be an ordinary high school student at first glance. But in fact, you're an Esper! That means you can lift things up and do some other amazing things using only your thoughts.
>About a year ago, you got your hands on seven Occult Orbs that, perhaps influenced by your ESP powers, allowed you to gain access to a land called Gensokyo.
>Curiosity drew you in to explore Gensokyo and meet its residents. However, it turns out that your Occult Orbs caused some trouble for the locals, and in order to solve said trouble, they had to beat you up using all sorts of magic spells and flashy martial arts.
>Although you were able to eventually defend yourself against the residents, the experience scarred you enough to send you running for your money.
>Lately, though, it seems that you have gained the ability to sort of reenter Gensokyo whenever you go to sleep. It's technically just your soul, as you later found out, but this allowed you to interact with the residents of Gensokyo without being harmed (not that they were going to do it again).
>It is Sunday morning. You don't need to go to school today.
>You've just had your breakfast, which you prepared yourself.
>You have the rest of the day to yourself, and you have nothing else to do after having your breakfast.
>_
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//Oooh... Sumireko! Interesting~.
> Inventory.
> Relationships, goods and bads.
>> If "Renko Usami" isn't in our relationships, do we know about her?
> Level of abilities. HAX Level?
> Recent events happening in this boring world?
> Check chest size.
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//Oooh... Sumireko! Interesting~.
> Inventory.
> Relationships, goods and bads.
>> If "Renko Usami" isn't in our relationships, do we know about her?
> Level of abilities. HAX Level?
> Recent events happening in this boring world?
> Check chest size.
>Inventory
-Smartphone - just a simple smartphone.
-Casual clothes - what you usually wear when not in school.
-Hat - a bowler hat with a white ribbon tied around its brim. Nothing special, really.
-Zener Cards X24 - What you use to utilize your ESP for combat.
>Relationships
-Hakurei Reimu: The shrine maiden who can be said to be the protector of Gensokyo. She is the last one to try and beat you up when you first appeared in Gensokyo. You don't blame her, though, as she's just doing her job of protecting Gensokyo. She's been showing you some nice hospitality ever since.
-Kirisame Marisa: A witch who happens to be a close friend of Reimu. You heard that she's a bit sticky-fingered. She's been dropping by Reimu's shrine on occasion, and also showed you some nice hospitality.
-Ibaraki Kasen: A hermit you met when you first appeared in Gensokyo. You've heard rumors that she may actually be an Oni, but nobody is able to confirm that rumor. Otherwise, she's quite nice to you.
-Komeiji Koishi: You'd say this girl is literally empty-minded. She's a mind-reading Youkai who gave up her mind-reading powers a long time ago for some reason you haven't heard about. She tried to steal your smartphone last time, so you don't trust her, and don't intend to meet her again.
-Usami Renko: Your niece. You have never actually met her in person, and only heard about her from your parents.
>Level of abilities
>The heaviest thing you can levitate would be something as heavy as a family car. Anything heavier will give you a strong case of headache if they can be levitated at all. So you consider your ESP powers to be neither strong nor weak.
>You are able to go toe-to-toe with Reimu, though, so that's something.
>Aside from the headlines talking about the the war in the Middle East, the continued worsening of US-Russia and US-China relations, and North Korea's ICBM tests, you don't know anything interesting that has recently happened in this "boring" world.
>Average for a girl of your age.
//^I was totally expecting this one after seeing it at the beginning of every other CYOAs... :V
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> Details about chest size. Who do we know we can compare it to?
> What's the name of our school?
> Actually, where do we live? Details.
> Look around in the room.
> Check the smartphone.
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> Details about chest size. Who do we know we can compare it to?
> What's the name of our school?
> Actually, where do we live? Details.
> Look around in the room.
> Check the smartphone.
>Compared to your female classmates, your chest size is about the same as theirs.
>The name of your school is Higashifukami High.
>You live in a suburban house in eastern Kyoto.
>You are in the kitchen right now. In front of you is the dining table where you just had your breakfast. Around you are all the stuff that are normal to be in any kitchen.
>You check your smartphone. No missed calls and new messages. Fully charged.
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>Are there any other members of the Sealing Club? Why or why not?
>Any big events in our calendar that we should prepare for?
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> Look at our contacts.
> Are we sociable at school?
> How good we are at school?
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>Are there any other members of the Sealing Club? Why or why not?
>Any big events in our calendar that we should prepare for?
>So far, you're the only member of the Sealing Club. Because the idea of searching for the paranormal sounded ridiculous to everyone you (currently) know in school.
>Not within the next three months, no.
> Look at our contacts.
> Are we sociable at school?
> How good we are at school?
>You check your contact lists on your smartphone. The numbers on it all belongs to your parents, classmates, teachers...
>...And one that's simply known as "89006". That's odd. You don't remember ever adding this number to your contact list (never mind that it isn't valid in the first place).
>You have a couple of friends at school. That should make you sociable at the least bit.
>With all those in-class naps you've starting to take since discovering Gensokyo, your grades have noticeably plummeted. Now you're just barely managing to avoid failing any one of your subjects.
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> Those numbers light up any bulb in our head?
> Remember our last contact added...
> Look at our messages.
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> Those numbers light up any bulb in our head?
> Remember our last contact added...
> Look at our messages.
>You don't recall ever seeing the number "89006" anywhere. But you do remember hearing about it, or a variation of it...
>The last contact you added to the list is a classmate of yours, and that was a month ago.
>You check your messages. The last one is from a different classmate, asking if you are interested in going to karaoke after school. That one was received a week ago.
>Suddenly, the smartphone starts ringing as you receive an incoming call.
>The number of the caller is "89006"...
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> Don't answer. In fact, just press the button we use to inmediately end the call.
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> Don't answer. In fact, just press the button we use to inmediately end the call.
>You select the "reject call" option.
>Nothing happens. The phone is still ringing. Looks like whoever...or whatever is making the call is no ordinary person...
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>"Well, if you insist..."
>Accept the call.
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>"Well, if you insist..."
>Accept the call.
> Hold on that.
> Instead, let the phone ring for a while.
> Try pressing the volume buttons to see if we can silence it?
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>"Well, if you insist..."
>Accept the call.
> Hold on that.
> Instead, let the phone ring for a while.
> Try pressing the volume buttons to see if we can silence it?
>You lower the volume until the ringtone is completely silenced. However, the vibration is still there.
>Moreover, the call logically should have been automatically disconnected by the service provider after 30 seconds have gone by without being answered. Its already been over a minute since your phone started ringing...
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> "Oh, you want to play? Let's play, then."
> Leave the phone in a table or something.
> Do we have any homework from the school?
> Ponder a nice walk outside for a bit...
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> "Oh, you want to play? Let's play, then."
> Leave the phone in a table or something.
> Do we have any homework from the school?
> Ponder a nice walk outside for a bit...
//Why, exactly, are we making such a big effort to avoid a suspicious phone call? Shouldn't it be something that's at least worth taking a listen to?
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> "Oh, you want to play? Let's play, then."
> Leave the phone in a table or something.
> Do we have any homework from the school?
> Ponder a nice walk outside for a bit...
>You simply leave the phone on the kitchen table.
>You have, but you've already finished all of them yesterday.
>You decide on taking a walk outside...
>...Only to suddenly feel very sleepy for no apparent reason.
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//It's already strange enough that it's lasting more time than the needed. This person or whatever is calling can do some tricks. I want to see how far he or she want to go for us to answer already.
> "... For god's sake..."
> Look at the phone. Still calling?
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>You decide on taking a walk outside...
>...Only to suddenly feel very sleepy for no apparent reason.
>Wait, what the heck?
>If the caller is able to read minds, shouldn't it know that we don't understand what's going on?
>Think to ourselves that it'd be nice if the caller tried to explain themselves with a text or somesuch rather than turning our phone on overdrive.
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//Can't believe you guys haven't figured it out yet...
//It's already strange enough that it's lasting more time than the needed. This person or whatever is calling can do some tricks. I want to see how far he or she want to go for us to answer already.
> "... For god's sake..."
> Look at the phone. Still calling?
>Yep.
>Wait, what the heck?
>If the caller is able to read minds, shouldn't it know that we don't understand what's going on?
>Think to ourselves that it'd be nice if the caller tried to explain themselves with a text or somesuch rather than turning our phone on overdrive.
>You think to yourself about the sheer persistence of the caller...
>...And that's when fatigue took over and you passed out...
XXXXX
>When you come to your senses an unknown amount of time later, you find yourself to be lying face-down on what felt like grass.
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> "... Maybe... ugh... it wasn't a good idea..."
> Start getting up.
> Look around.
> Examine ourself.
> Check if we have the phone.
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> "... Maybe... ugh... it wasn't a good idea..."
> Start getting up.
> Look around.
> Examine ourself.
> Check if we have the phone.
>You get up.
>Looking around, you find yourself to be in the middle of a forest. Not too far directly in front of you is a small cottage with a wooden signboard in front of the main door that said "Kirisame Magic Shop".
>You check on yourself. You seem to have somehow changed into your school uniform without you realizing it. You also have the rune cape you wore on your first visit to Gensokyo.
>Your phone is lying on the grass next to your feet.
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> "... Kirisame..."
> Did we ever visited Marisa's house?
> Pick up the phone and examine it. After that check contacts, messages and recent calls.
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> "... Kirisame..."
> Did we ever visited Marisa's house?
> Pick up the phone and examine it. After that check contacts, messages and recent calls.
>No. This is your first time being anywhere near Marisa's house.
>You pick up the phone and examine it.
>No missed calls, no new messages... The number "89006" completely vanished from your call logs and contact list, as though it never existed.
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> "Okay, got it. You want me to be here. Geez..."
> Stuff the phone with us.
> Start heading to Marisa's house.
> "Marisaaa..."
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> "Okay, got it. You want me to be here. Geez..."
> Stuff the phone with us.
> Start heading to Marisa's house.
> "Marisaaa..."
>You stuff the phone into your pocket.
>You head for Marisa's house.
>You call out for Marisa.
>"Who's there?" You hear Marisa answering from inside. "Sounds familiar..."
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> "Hm... Maybe it's your imagination?"
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> "Hm... Maybe it's your imagination?"
//Of all the actions I thought you would take, trolling Marisa was not one of them. :V
>"Maybe...maybe not..." Marisa sounded like she is pondering about the options.
>She then opens the door anyway.
>"Oh, its you. That girl I fought in the Outside World." Marisa said as she sees you. "What's your name again? Sumi...?"
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//Troll a troll doesn't hurt :V
> "Oh, good thing you remember me, darling."
> Roll our eyes but smile.
> "Usami. Usami Sumireko."
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//Troll a troll doesn't hurt :V
> "Oh, good thing you remember me, darling."
> Roll our eyes but smile.
> "Usami. Usami Sumireko."
>"Oh, right! Sumireko!" Marisa said as she remembers your name. "So, what brings you here today?"
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>"Nothing! I just feel asleep and ended up here."
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>"Nothing! I just feel asleep and ended up here."
>"Just...fell asleep?" Marisa asked, a bit confused.
>She then waves her hand and said, "Ah, never mind. Why don't you come on in?"
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> " 'kay."
> Once she let us, walk in.
> Once inside, examine the place.
>> If everything is like a normal house (in tidiness way): "... Cute..."
>> If everything is a complete disaster (in tidiness way): "... Cute... This is so much better than having everything in order, right? Yeah... I love it..." Say this in a sarcastic way.
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> " 'kay."
> Once she let us, walk in.
> Once inside, examine the place.
>> If everything is like a normal house (in tidiness way): "... Cute..."
>> If everything is a complete disaster (in tidiness way): "... Cute... This is so much better than having everything in order, right? Yeah... I love it..." Say this in a sarcastic way.
>Marisa did invite you into her house. So you do.
>Inside Marisa's house, you find it to be messy, in that the floor is literally overgrown by many different kinds of mushrooms. You could barely see the floorboard, if there ever was one!
>"Just the way I like it to be." Marisa said with a thumbs up.
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> "Yeah, I don't doubt it."
> Look for a place remotely adequate to sit down.
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> "Yeah, I don't doubt it."
> Look for a place remotely adequate to sit down.
>You look around, and find a couch that's relatively untouched by the indoor fauna. Dust-covered, nonetheless.
>Marisa sits down on a wooden chair (that has mushrooms growing out of the handles) directly opposite of you.
>"So, mind elaborate on how you ended up in front of my house?" Marisa asked you.
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> Sit down if we haven't.
> Take a quick look at Marisa's chest, in the most discreet way. How big it is?
> "... Magic."
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> Sit down if we haven't.
> Take a quick look at Marisa's chest, in the most discreet way. How big it is?
> "... Magic."
>You sit down on the couch.
>Marisa's chest is small, but not small enough to be considered a flat-chest. You pervert...
>"Magic? Of what kind?" Marisa is not satisfied with your answer. "Gensokyo's got many kinds of magic." Including forbidden templates
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> "Are you sure you want to know? It's... really interesting... yet dangerous..."
> Frown seriously.
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> "Are you sure you want to know? It's... really interesting... yet dangerous..."
> Frown seriously.
>Marisa notices your frowning.
>"On second thought, keep it to yourself for now..." She tells you as she changes her mind. "Anything else you wanna share with me? Like something I could show to Kourin?"
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> Do we know about this "Kourin"? Or what he or she does?
>> If so: "Hm? You mean something of the Outside World to show to him? I only brought my phone, so..."
>> If not: "... Maybe YOU need something to share with me... like... who's this Kourin?"
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> Do we know about this "Kourin"? Or what he or she does?
>> If so: "Hm? You mean something of the Outside World to show to him? I only brought my phone, so..."
>> If not: "... Maybe YOU need something to share with me... like... who's this Kourin?"
>You have met "Kourin" before. His real name is Morichika Rinnosuke. He runs an antique shop somewhere in the Forest of Magic, and seems to have known Marisa for a very long time. "Kourin" is Marisa's nickname for him.
>"Nothing?" Marisa said in response to your statement. "Oh, well. Maybe you can help him see what something does. Seems that he recently got his hands on something new..."
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//Just an FYI, Sumienko is canonically friends with Kourin.
>"Something new? That's vague, can you tell me more?"
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//Just an FYI, Sumienko is canonically friends with Kourin.
>"Something new? That's vague, can you tell me more?"
>"Well, Kourin says its called a decoder..." Marisa answers.
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> "A decoder, huh..."
> Ponder a bit.
> "Maybe I can help."
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> "A decoder, huh..."
> Ponder a bit.
> "Maybe I can help."
>"Thanks!" Marisa says. "Come on, then. Off to see Kourin!"
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> "Oh, and before we leave..."
> Start looking around at the objects of the "mushroom mansion" with interest, even with false interest.
> "... I can borrow something?"
> Say this in a joke tone.
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> "Oh, and before we leave..."
> Start looking around at the objects of the "mushroom mansion" with interest, even with false interest.
> "... I can borrow something?"
> Say this in a joke tone.
>"Sure...as long as its not nailed to the floor..." Marisa said with a snicker. She seem to know you're just joking.
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> Take a random item we find... Not a mushroom, please.
> "Oh well. Thank you a bunch."
> Grin.
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> Take a random item we find... Not a mushroom, please.
> "Oh well. Thank you a bunch."
> Grin.
>You swipe a potion vial that's bone dry and put it in your pocket.
ITEM ADDED TO INVENTORY:
Empty Vial: Swiped this from Marisa's house. It's empty, though.
>"So, ya need a lift?" Marisa asks you as she grabs her broomstick.
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> Can we match Marisa's flying speed?
> "Nah, 's fine. I can handle on my own."
> Stand up.
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> Can we match Marisa's flying speed?
> "Nah, 's fine. I can handle on my own."
> Stand up.
>You can. As long as Marisa doesn't use a magic spell to simulate a rocket engine, that is.
>You stand up.
>Marisa steps outside the house before hopping onto her broom.
>"Well, catch you at Kourin's!" The witch said before flying off into the air.
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> Follow her.
> Frown slightly at our sudden appearance here.
> "Hey, Marisa."
> Match her speed to be side by side.
> "Do you know something about a certain number? Or isn't that your style?
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>Can we teleport?
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> Follow her.
> Frown slightly at our sudden appearance here.
> "Hey, Marisa."
> Match her speed to be side by side.
> "Do you know something about a certain number? Or isn't that your style?
>You follow Marisa into the air.
>You then fly up beside Marisa, flying at the same speed as she is.
>"What number?" Marisa asked, a bit confused as to what you're talking about. "Maybe Kourin can help you answer that."
>Can we teleport?
>No, that is not possible.
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>"Oh yeah, you guys don't have phones! I forgot."
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> "89006. Does it sounds familiar to you in any way?"
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>"Oh yeah, you guys don't have phones! I forgot."
>"Eh... Whatever you say..." Marisa says.
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> Ponder if those numbers are some kind of encoded message... and that Kourin conveniently has a decoder.
> "... And how have been things here lately?"
> We don't acknowledge Mokou as our friend?
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> Ponder if those numbers are some kind of encoded message... and that Kourin conveniently has a decoder.
> "... And how have been things here lately?"
> We don't acknowledge Mokou as our friend?
>You ponder about the numbers "89006". You get the feeling that they might be referring to someone's name...
>"Oh, nothing, really..." Marisa answers. "Some people from the moon came and tried to do something to Gensokyo...people switching bodies at random...bunch of guys with fancy stuffs came and said something about protecting us...Really, its hard to be surprised in Gensokyo these days..."
>You do acknowledge Mokou as a friend. Its just that you two don't see each other very often...
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> "... This is a direct sequel of Yorihime's Quest, isn't it?"
> "Hm..."
> Can't we see Kourindou's yet?
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> "... This is a direct sequel of Yorihime's Quest, isn't it?"
> "Hm..."
> Can't we see Kourindou's yet?
//"People from the moon doing something" refers to the plot of Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom. "People randomly switching bodies" refers to what is going to happen in Antinomy of Common Flowers. "Bunch of guys say they are protecting Gensokyo"...maybe, maybe not... :V
>Kourindou isn't very far from Marisa's house. In fact, you are already there before you realized it.
>"Here we are!" Marisa said as she lands in front of it.
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>Land as well.
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> "And how have been Rinnosuke with his business?"
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>Land as well.
>You land in front of Kourindou.
> "And how have been Rinnosuke with his business?"
>"Not very good, I say..." Marisa answers you. "Hadn't had much customers since the body switch incident..."
>Marisa is about to go ahead and open the front door of Kourindou...but then something made her stop with her hand right on the doorknob.
>Marisa's mood also changed.
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> "... Marisa?"
> Examine Marisa.
> What expression she have now?
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> "... Marisa?"
> Examine Marisa.
> What expression she have now?
>Marisa's expression became that of worriedness.
>"Someone's in there with Kourin..." The witch said. "I hear his voice and another person's..."
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> "What's the big deal about it?"
> Look mildly confused.
> "Someone can always come to visit him or buy things."
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> "What's the big deal about it?"
> Look mildly confused.
> "Someone can always come to visit him or buy things."
>"This is not a customer." Marisa says. "He's asking Kourin some questions in a commanding way. Questions about...you...
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> "... Pardon me?"
> Frown.
> "Leave me space."
> Once she let us, get closer to the door and try to hear anything.
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> "... Pardon me?"
> Frown.
> "Leave me space."
> Once she let us, get closer to the door and try to hear anything.
>Marisa stands aside and let you approach the door.
>You press one ear against the door to hear what is being conversed inside Kourindou.
>"Tell me again, general..." You hear Rinnosuke saying to someone. "Why do you and your...troops...need her?"
>"We don't need Miss Usami herself..." The 'other person' reply to Rinnosuke...with a distinctively British accent. "What we need are the Occult Orbs, and how she got her hands on them."
>"Why, again?" Rinnosuke asked the other person.
>"I can assure you, Mr. Morichika, that it will help me and my men defeat an evil society that has no qualms about genociding the entire world." The other person answers.
>"And what is this society you speak of?" Rinnosuke asked again.
>You hear the other person clear his throat before he gives out his answer.
>"The Lunar Kingdom. They created the Occult Orbs, and tried to use Miss Usami as a pawn to help them 'cleanse' the world of all life forms. Therefore, we must obtain the Occult Orbs, and use their powers against their own creators..."
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> "... What...?"
> Keep listening.
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> "... What...?"
> Keep listening.
>You keep on listening.
>"General..." You hear Rinnosuke say. "How do you know about Sumireko, and all that you've just claimed...?"
>The other person remained silent for a few seconds. Then he said, "We are different than you Gensokyians and your Spell Card Rules. We don't try to make our attack patterns look beautiful, we don't rely solely on raw firepower, and most importantly, we don't give our enemies any chance of being able to win at all. When we armed forces go to fight an enemy, we rely on simple but efficient attack formations and focus on being able to defeat said enemy. Your Spell Card Rules is just a glorified and exaggerated game of paintball with the potential of collateral damage, friendly fire and innocent casualties..."
>You hear Rinnosuke sigh. "Your point being?"
>The other person continues. "We learn how our enemies act. We then adapt our troops, weapons and tactics to combat these enemies. This is called intelligence gathering. This is how we know about the vile Lunarians and their plans to exterminate the entire world using a high-school student from the Outside World..."
>Before you could hear the rest of the conversation, you suddenly hear what sounds like a gun being cocked, followed by another British-accented voice yelling at you (and Marisa) from around the corner of Kourindou: "Put your hands where I can see them!"
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> Roll our eyes to see Marisa.
> Slowly put our hands up.
> Can we make things levitate without even looking or pointing at them?
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> Roll our eyes to see Marisa.
> Slowly put our hands up.
> Can we make things levitate without even looking or pointing at them?
>You roll your eyes to see Marisa, who is doing the same thing.
>You then put your hands up.
>You can, but only if you know the exact position of your target. Otherwise you'd just be figuratively swiping at thin air.
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> Give Marisa a really, REALLY discreet nod. Wait one second for her to express her answer.
> Then roll our eyes to see this mysterious character pointing at us with a gun.
>> If we can't see him like that, then SLOWLY start turning to do so.
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> Give Marisa a really, REALLY discreet nod. Wait one second for her to express her answer.
> Then roll our eyes to see this mysterious character pointing at us with a gun.
>> If we can't see him like that, then SLOWLY start turning to do so.
>Marisa responds with an equally discreet nod.
>You turn really slowly toward whoever might be pointing a gun at you.
>You see that he is dressed in modern military combat fatigues, complete with bulletproof vest and helmet. He is also pointing an assault rifle at you. Looks like you're dealing with a real soldier...
>"Knock your hat off your head!" The soldier demanded as he kept his assault rifle trained on you and Marisa.
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> Jump behind nearest cover.
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> Jump behind nearest cover.
> Don't.
//I'm not going to let this man shoot at us and not doing nothing against it before he do that. It's this or him capturing us, or worst, shooting.
Instead...
> Can we hear any voices coming from Kourindou?
> Examine the man more closely. Can we see any other weapon, fire gun or white weapon, in a holster in some part of his body? If so, are they small, like of the size of a hand?
> Are we good at physical combat?
> Slowly guide our hand to our hat's wing.
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> Jump behind nearest cover.
> Don't.
//I'm not going to let this man shoot at us and not doing nothing against it before he do that. It's this or him capturing us, or worst, shooting.
Instead...
> Can we hear any voices coming from Kourindou?
> Examine the man more closely. Can we see any other weapon, fire gun or white weapon, in a holster in some part of his body? If so, are they small, like of the size of a hand?
> Are we good at physical combat?
> Slowly guide our hand to our hat's wing.
>Not anymore. Rinnosuke and the other person seems to have heard the soldier.
>The soldier is carrying a handgun in a holster hung on his torso. The size of the handgun should be very obvious.
>Physical combat...no. You've relied so much on your ESP powers that you're not very good at punches and kicks.
>You slowly move your hand over the brim of your hat.
>"Hat off your head, now!" The soldier yelled out. He is getting impatient...
>You see another soldier appearing next to the first one. The second soldier pulled out a radio and said something into it while simultaneously pointing his handgun at you.
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>Do we have our pistol?
>What kind of danmaku can we shoot with our ESP?
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>Do we have our pistol?
>What kind of danmaku can we shoot with our ESP?
>Unfortunately, no. Seems that the 3D Printer Gun did not come with you this time.
>Some very simple danmaku that doesn't do much damage, but is useful for overwhelming a single foe. However, there are two soldiers and both of them are wearing armor...
>Thankfully, you don't have to fight the soldiers, because you then hear a voice from behind you, telling the soldiers to stand down. The two soldiers lowered their weapons in response to the order.
>That voice belonged to the other person Rinnosuke was talking to just now.
>"Miss Usami, I presume?" You hear that voice talking to you. "You and your friend can put your hands down now."
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> "... Huh. I didn't know I was so famous."
> Slowly lower our hands and turn, but don't let our guard down.
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> "... Huh. I didn't know I was so famous."
> Slowly lower our hands and turn, but don't let our guard down.
>You slowly lower your hands, while staying cautious.
>"Whoever these guys are, they sure know a thing or two about you..." Marisa whispered to you while also lowering her hands.
>You slowly turn toward the direction of the voice of this 'other person'.
-
> Examine him.
> Start to circle him until we have the other two soldiers in our range of vision. We don't want them to suddenly knock us off...
> "May I know the name of the "General" of two people that were pointing their guns at me and my friend?"
-
> Examine him.
> Start to circle him until we have the other two soldiers in our range of vision. We don't want them to suddenly knock us off...
> "May I know the name of the "General" of two people that were pointing their guns at me and my friend?"
>You examine the 'other person'. He's dressed as one would expect a modern day military general, complete with 4-star shoulder badges.
>You begin to circle him slowly until you have the two soldiers within your field of vision.
>"I apologize for your unpleasant experience just now. You were eavesdropping on my conversation with the owner of this premise, and my men simply reacted to you as they would've enemy spies." The general told you. "Miss Usami, I have to apologize again, for I am not permitted to introduce myself in the presence of a civilian..." He added as he points a finger at Marisa.
>"See...vee..." Marisa felt insulted. "Geez, you people of the Foreign Military..."
-
> "It's not like it's going to make any difference."
> Shrug.
> "May I know then what are you, a military force, expecting from me?"
-
> "It's not like it's going to make any difference."
> Shrug.
> "May I know then what are you, a military force, expecting from me?"
>The general adjusted his cap, before beginning his explanation to you.
>"Every time you have a clear night sky, look up. You will see stars and constellations of all shapes and sizes. You will also see what is known as the moon. But contrary to what mythologies, folklores and fairy tales tell you, the moon is not a symbol of fortune, nor does it represent goodness. In reality, it is the breeding ground of a society of pure evil whose concept of Shinto purity is taken to supremacist levels, deeming anything with a limited lifespan as something that should not exist at all. They have no qualms about committing genocide and in fact, they teach their children from a very young age that anything that can die of old age must be wiped out from the entire universe. One time, these supremacists, known as Lunarians, used a young girl with an extraordinary powers as chess pieces to help them activate an instrument that was meant to literally wipe the whole world into a clean slate, erasing all life from existence. The Lunarians' plans were only thwarted by the swift actions of one Miss Hakurei, which if one second later would've led to the demise of the entire world..."
>Pausing his explanation, the general points a finger at you. "Usami Sumireko, that young girl...is you, and the instrument they wanted you to activate is...the Occult Orbs. This armed force that I command, is just one of multiple militaries deployed to Gensokyo to put an end to anything the Lunarians might do in their campaigns of genocide, and our government intend to relieve them of every possible advantage they could use, starting with you..."
-
> "..."
> Laugh, but then frown.
> "So, in short, you are trying to put it in a sweet way that you need to wipe me out?"
-
> "..."
> Laugh, but then frown.
> "So, in short, you are trying to put it in a sweet way that you need to wipe me out?"
>"Only if you refuse to cooperate." The general tells you. "We prefer to put you in protective custody..."
>"Protective...hah!" Marisa interrupts. "With all those big hunk of metals you guys have all over the village, you don't even look like you're protecting us..."
-
> "And if you guys go around pointing those things to everyone you see, like just happened... I highly doubt they'll think you are protecting them."
-
> "And if you guys go around pointing those things to everyone you see, like just happened... I highly doubt they'll think you are protecting them."
>"She's got a point, ya know." Marisa said to the general. "People have been more 'fraid of you guys than what y'all are protecting us from."
>"That was not our intention. Heavy military presence is bound to instill fear, especially if the local society is a medieval one..." The general tells you.
-
> "You can't blame them. Yet, it would be appreciated if you try to be more "light" with these people. You can't expect everyone to follow your orders if you don't give an appropiate trait, which could give you, in return, people here starting to see your military force as enemies."
> Frown.
-
> "You can't blame them. Yet, it would be appreciated if you try to be more "light" with these people. You can't expect everyone to follow your orders if you don't give an appropiate trait, which could give you, in return, people here starting to see your military force as enemies."
> Frown.
>"I assure you, Miss Usami, that my men and I wished we could take the 'light' approach with Gensokyo and its inhabitants..." The general says. "But the Lunar Kingdom is the one enemy we cannot take lightly. And with Gensokyo being caught in their genocidal conspiracy, the 'light' approach simply won't do any good..."
-
> "Then find a mid-point, or whatever."
-
> "Then find a mid-point, or whatever."
>"I'm afraid to tell you that this is the mid-point..." The general says, getting impatient. "So, do you accept being in protective custody, for the sake of defeating the Lunarians' genocidal operation?"
-
> "And the trick is...?"
-
> "And the trick is...?"
//uh...what do you mean by saying this? I'm a bit confused.
-
//The cons.
-
> "And the trick is...?"
//thanks for clarifying.
>"You will not be allowed to roam freely around Gensokyo. Not until we put an end to the Lunar Kingdom..." The general says.
-
> Frown in thought.
> "And what are the consequences if I say no?"
-
> Frown in thought.
> "And what are the consequences if I say no?"
>The general let what you just said sink in...
>He then respond by pulling out a handgun and pointing it at you. "Then we will have to resort to force..."
>You also see the two soldiers pointing their weapons at you and Marisa again.
>"Geez, Sumi..." Marisa complained. "Why did you tell them something they don't wanna hear?"
-
> Frown seriously and don't falter.
> "Tell me, and like that you expect everyone to cooperate? I just asked a question."
-
> Frown seriously and don't falter.
> "Tell me, and like that you expect everyone to cooperate? I just asked a question."
>The general kept his gun pointed at you for several more seconds before withdrawing it. The two soldiers did the same with theirs.
>"I apologize for the moment just now. I will give you some time to make your decision." The general says.
>"How about some privacy while we're at that?" Marisa cuts in.
>"You and your friend can make discuss inside this building..." The general answers as he points at Kourindou. "My men and I will stay outside while you discuss with each other..."
-
"That reminds me - how long do you expect it will take before you're able to defeat the Lunarians?"
-
"That reminds me - how long do you expect it will take before you're able to defeat the Lunarians?"
>"The Lunarians are very powerful. It may take a very long time before they are truly defeated..." The general says.
>Marisa then grabs you by your collar and drags you toward Kourindou.
>"Okay, we're just gonna talk about this with Kourin. Thanks for giving us the privacy." Marisa said to the general.
-
> "H-Hey! Don't be so rude!"
-
> "H-Hey! Don't be so rude!"
>"They gave us privacy. Might as well use it." Marisa told you as she opens the door to Kourindou with one hand while dragging you in with the other.
>She then closes the door behind her.
>"Besides, Reimu doesn't trust these guys. And something tells me that I shouldn't either. Right, Kourin?"
>Rinnosuke was sitting right there, behind his desk. "I don't know if I should trust them or not..." Rinnosuke said to Marisa. "And Marisa, please stop calling me Kourin..."
-
> "Let's try to talk in a more low tone... This is privacy, yet we were able to hear you and that general..."
-
> "Let's try to talk in a more low tone... This is privacy, yet we were able to hear you and that general..."
>"Right." Marisa says.
>You and Marisa then approaches Rinnosuke and stand by his sides.
>"So, can we trust them? And should we?" Rinnosuke asked in a whispering tone.
-
> "Honestly? I don't even trust them a single bit... but you just saw what they have for us if we don't accept..."
> Frown.
> "Bastards..."
-
> "Honestly? I don't even trust them a single bit... but you just saw what they have for us if we don't accept..."
> Frown.
> "Bastards..."
>"Yeah. I don't trust them either." Marisa says.
>"I take it that I shouldn't..." Rinnosuke remarks.
-
> "We don't have much options besides playing their game, it seems."
> Sigh.
> "How much time has passed since he started to interrogate you? Is there anything else to note to us?"
-
> "We don't have much options besides playing their game, it seems."
> Sigh.
> "How much time has passed since he started to interrogate you? Is there anything else to note to us?"
>Rinnosuke looked at the cuckoo clock that is hung next to the front door. "About 15 minutes, give or take..."
>The half-Youkai shopkeeper looked around the inside of Kourindou before turning back toward you.
>"My gut instinct tells me that there are at least a dozen more soldiers hidden on the trees..."
>"A dozen more...?" Marisa expressed surprise upon hearing that. "So much for running away..."
-
> "... Welp. It seems we have EVEN LESS options to take."
> Sigh.
-
> "... Welp. It seems we have EVEN LESS options to take."
> Sigh.
>Rinnosuke seemed to glance at an inconspicuous corner in the shop for a while...
>"Perhaps not..." He suddenly said.
>Rinnosuke then stands up, and walks over to that corner.
>Then without making too much noise, he proceeds to remove the floorboard...or rather, a fake floorboard that concealed a cellar.
>"Never thought I would ever have to use this..." You hear Rinnosuke whispering to himself.
-
> "... I have to admit. You are full of surprises."
> Say in a slow tone.
-
> "... I have to admit. You are full of surprises."
> Say in a slow tone.
>"Even I don't know what its used for, but it has been around since the day I first started Kourindou." Rinnosuke said.
>Marisa walks over and looks down the cellar.
>"I dunno...seems pretty deep..." The witch remarked. "Kourin, does this lead to somewhere?"
>"Away from here, definitely..." Rinnosuke answers. "Exactly where, I do not know..."
-
> "Do you think we can use this to escape?"
-
> "Do you think we can use this to escape?"
>"Maybe..." Rinnosuke says.
-
> "Yet... There's still one serious problem."
> Frown seriously.
> "If we decide to escape, these people will surely take us as enemies, therefore shooting to neutralize us at first-sight... probably. Are we up to do that?"
-
> "Yet... There's still one serious problem."
> Frown seriously.
> "If we decide to escape, these people will surely take us as enemies, therefore shooting to neutralize us at first-sight... probably. Are we up to do that?"
>"Would ya rather be in their 'protective custody'?" Marisa asks you.
-
> "Don't get me wrong. I would prefer taking a nap in my comfy bed than being under their "protective custody".
> Chuckle, but then adopt a serious look.
> "But what about you two?"
-
> "Don't get me wrong. I would prefer taking a nap in my comfy bed than being under their "protective custody".
> Chuckle, but then adopt a serious look.
> "But what about you two?"
>"It is your choice on whether you want to break free and risk becoming their enemy, or sacrifice your freedom in exchange for their trust..." Rinnosuke told you.
>"If those morons decide to fight us, we'll just fight back with the awesomeness that is the Spell Card Rules!" Marisa said, while being careful about keeping her voice low.
-
> "Kourin doesn't fight, Marisa. What do you think he's going to do if there's a bunch of soldiers pointing those big guns at him?"
-
> "Kourin doesn't fight, Marisa. What do you think he's going to do if there's a bunch of soldiers pointing those big guns at him?"
>That sent Marisa into a state of wordlessness.
>"Oh, right..." Marisa remarked awkwardly.
>"Don't worry, you two. I can handle myself." Rinnosuke reassured the two of you.
-
> "How?"
> Look confused and worried at him.
-
> "How?"
> Look confused and worried at him.
>Rinnosuke puts a hand on your shoulder.
>"I have my own ways." He reassures you.
>Then you hear the front door being knocked on.
>"Miss Usami, are you done making up your mind?" You hear the general ask from the outside.
>Rinnosuke points at the cellar. "Its your choice here, Sumi. Go, or stay?"
-
> Ponder quickly... If we go, they will see us as enemies, as well as Marisa and Kourin, and the latter can't fight... If we stay, god knows what things they are going to do to us in that "protective custody"...
-
> Ponder quickly... If we go, they will see us as enemies, as well as Marisa and Kourin, and the latter can't fight... If we stay, god knows what things they are going to do to us in that "protective custody"...
>You ponder the options.
>Marisa can do magic and Spell Cards like the Master Spark. She she should be able to handle everything. Rinnosuke, however... You can only take his word for it...
>As for going into "protective custody" with those military bunch... you saw that they were willing to draw their guns on you should you deny them. With that thought, the "protective custody" route probably isn't a good one.
>All in all, you figured that you might be better off running...
-
> "... I will go."
> Look at both of them.
> "But promise me one thing... Don't pick my life above yours. If you have to shoot at me or whatever to show you are at their side, then just do it. I will think about something."
-
> "... I will go."
> Look at both of them.
> "But promise me one thing... Don't pick my life above yours. If you have to shoot at me or whatever to show you are at their side, then just do it. I will think about something."
>"Will do, Sumi!" Marisa told you.
>"I will see to that." Rinnosuke says.
>You hear the general outside knocking on the front door harder. "Miss Usami, are you still in there?"
>"Just go now, Sumi." Marisa tells you. "He sounds like he's gettin' impatient. Kourin and I will try to hold 'em off."
-
> Nod.
> "Be safe, guys. I'm looking forward to meet with both of you again."
> Leave this place at once!
-
> Nod.
> "Be safe, guys. I'm looking forward to meet with both of you again."
> Leave this place at once!
>You quickly jump down the cellar.
>"Good luck!" You hear Marisa say to you before she puts the fake floorboard back on.
>A short while after the cellar has been closed, you hear the sound of the front door being kicked open, followed by the sound of boots marching in.
>You hear the general asking Rinnosuke and Marisa where you have gone to, with the both of them trying to play dumb.
>You hear the sound of several guns being cocked, and the general asking Rinnosuke and Marisa for your whereabouts in a threatening tone.
>Looks like the goings up there is about to get really bad. You should go deeper into the cellar.
-
> Resist the urges to go there and start kicking their butts for pointing their weapons at them.
> "... I-I'm sorry guys..."
> Start to advance in the cellar.
-
> Resist the urges to go there and start kicking their butts for pointing their weapons at them.
> "... I-I'm sorry guys..."
> Start to advance in the cellar.
>You go deeper into the cellar, resisting the urge to turn back and help Marisa and Rinnosuke.
>There's no going back now, only forward...
-
> Continue.
> Can we see anything?
-
> Continue.
> Can we see anything?
>You proceed deeper into the cellar.
>Good thing the cellar isn't completely pitch black. But all you see are the cave walls and a small tunnel that you have to crouch down a bit to be able to fit through.
-
> Look behind.
> Once done, crouch and get through the tunnel.
> Do we feel any strange feeling here?
-
> Look behind.
> Once done, crouch and get through the tunnel.
> Do we feel any strange feeling here?
>You look behind you. The fake floorboard that served as the cellar door is still the way it was when Marisa put it back on earlier.
>You then crouch down and proceed down the small tunnel.
>No strange feelings here, just some chills which are to be expected from such a small tunnel.
-
> Continue on... It's the only thing we can do...
-
> Continue on... It's the only thing we can do...
>You continue deeper into the tunnel.
-
> Continue even further beyond.
*Insert here Super Saiyan 3 Goku yells.* Make a game note when we notice something new aside of darkness and a long tunnel.
-
> Continue even further beyond. *Insert here Super Saiyan 3 Goku yells.* Make a game note when we notice something new aside of darkness and a long tunnel.
>You proceed further into the tunnel.
>After what seemed like a long while, you notice what appeared to be a glimmer of light much further into the tunnel.
-
> "Finally..."
> Start going there.
> How much time we can determine we have been going through, aside of "a long while"?
-
> "Finally..."
> Start going there.
> How much time we can determine we have been going through, aside of "a long while"?
>You approach the shimmering light.
>Roughly 15 minutes, give or take.
>As you got close to it, you see that the shimmering light is indeed sunlight shining through a few tiny holes on what feels like loosely packed soil and dried grass.
-
> "FINALLY..."
> Keep going.
-
> "FINALLY..."
> Keep going.
>You keep going until the pile of loose soil is right in front of you.
>It took absolutely no effort on your part to pry the loose soil out of the way.
>After you did that, sunlight immediately floods into the tunnel, and you find yourself above ground again.
>It seems that the tunnel had led you right outside the Forest Of Magic. Luckily for you, there's no signs of the Foreign Military either.
-
>Look around and try to determine our location.
-
>Look around and try to determine our location.
>You're right outside the Forest Of Magic.
>To your left, there's the Human Village. Probably not a good choice as your next destination, since Marisa mentioned something about 'big hunk of metals' being all over the place...
>To your right, there's the Hakurei Shrine off the distance. Maybe Reimu can be helpful about all these incidents with the Foreign Military...?
-
> Start flying there. Watch out for any suspicious people.
-
> Start flying there. Watch out for any suspicious ones.
//Where is "there"?
-
> Hakurei Shrine. (Sorry)
-
> Hakurei Shrine. (Sorry)
>You start flying toward the Hakurei Shrine, while looking out for any suspicious persons.
XXXXX
>You reached the Hakurei Shrine without a hitch.
>You see Reimu sweeping the middle of the courtyard at the moment. She is currently facing away from where you landed, so she hasn't noticed you yet.
-
> Descend and whistle to attract her attention.
> "Hakurei!"
-
> Descend and whistle to attract her attention.
> "Hakurei!"
//Some clarification needed here. Sumireko Quest takes place one month after Yorihime Quest. By this point, Yorihime has already returned to the moon, so Sumireko won't be running into her anytime soon.
>You land on the courtyard and then loudly attract Reimu's attention.
>That, humorously, surprised Reimu to the extend that she jumped up and dropped her broom. For a brief moment, you can even see her ribbon perking up like the ears of a surprised cat.
>Reimu then turns around and sees you. "What was that all about?!" She angrily said to you.
-
> Grin.
> "Hey, not my fault that you are prone to be scared so fast, even when I wasn't meaning to."
> Chuckle.
-
> Grin.
> "Hey, not my fault that you are prone to be scared so fast, even when I wasn't meaning to."
> Chuckle.
>Reimu sighed. "You could at least try to grab my attention like any normal person would..." She says.
-
> "Right. I could have started to fire at you. That's more normal."
> Chuckle.
-
> "Right. I could have started to fire at you. That's more normal."
> Chuckle.
>Reimu gritted her teeth. "Why are you here, anyway?"
-
> Frown seriously.
> "You know about all this military thing, right?"
-
> Frown seriously.
> "You know about all this military thing, right?"
>"Why would I not know about them?" Reimu said.
>"These people...For the past few months, whenever someone decides to stir up trouble and start incidents, they would just pick up those barbaric weapons and machines of theirs1, and sometimes literally blowing the incident into several pieces instead of challenging the culprit to a Spell Card Duel."
>The shrine maiden kept on with her complaint about the topic.
>"They even referred to the Spell Card Rules as, quote-unquote, 'a game of throwing colorful balls at each other with a likely chance of collateral damage and friendly fire, and is more concerned about looking beautiful than anything else, thus woefully inefficient at resolving conflicts'. They also insulted the Spell Card Rules by saying that no sane combatant would ever want to give their opponents any chance at winning! And..."
>If Reimu isn't interrupted, her ramblings could go on for quite a while...
//*1: Referring to the Foreign Military's firearms, ordnances and war vehicles. Reimu in this continuity thinks they are barbaric.
-
> "Alright, alright, ALRIGHT! I get it!"
> Sigh.
> "Look, to sum up things, something happened at Kourindou."
-
> "Alright, alright, ALRIGHT! I get it!"
> Sigh.
> "Look, to sum up things, something happened at Kourindou."
>You interrupt Reimu and puts an end to her rambling.
>"I take it that the Foreign Military has something to do with it?" She asked you, with her arms crossed.
-
> Nod.
> "Kourin and Marisa are in danger."
-
> Nod.
> "Kourin and Marisa are in danger."
>It took Reimu a few seconds to register what you just said.
>"Marisa...and Rinnosuke...are in danger...of the Foreign Military?"
-
> "Are you surprised? Of course, because they are here to protect us by all means, right?"
> Roll our eyes.
-
> "Are you surprised? Of course, because they are here to protect us by all means, right?"
> Roll our eyes.
>"I never trusted them to begin with..." Reimu said. "I don't know what their idea of protecting us is..."
>She then slowly hovers off the ground.
>"...But I won't let them bring any harm to my friends! I'm going to Rinnosuke's place!"
-
> "Now that's the spirit I like from you, shrine maiden.
> Hover a bit too.
> "Don't expect to go alone. They helped me to get out of there and that's a favor I'm going to pay."
-
> "Now that's the spirit I like from you, shrine maiden.
> Hover a bit too.
> "Don't expect to go alone. They helped me to get out of there and that's a favor I'm going to pay."
>"You can come with me, but watch your back." Reimu says, then takes off toward the direction of the Forest Of Magic.
-
>"You sure you can take them?"
-
> Follow her.
-
>"You sure you can take them?"
>"I'm the Hakurei shrine maiden, I should at least try!"
> Follow her.
>You follow Reimu toward the Forest Of Magic...
...
>By the time you and Reimu got to Kourindou. It was full of bullet holes plus a really big Master Spark-sized hole on one side of the building. The front door has also been knocked right off its hinges.
>The trees surrounding the building were shot up, blown up and even uprooted outright. There are also what looked like tire tracks on the soil.
>There were no signs of Marisa, Rinnosuke, or the Foreign Military anywhere in sight.
-
> "... Marisa surely knows how to make a big show..."
-
>Try to approach the building itself, keeping an eye out for Marisa, Rinnosuke, or the Foreign Military.
>Try to do this in a stealthy manner.
-
> "... Marisa surely knows how to make a big show..."
>"I'm more concerned about where Marisa and Rinnosuke has gone to..." Reimu says.
>Try to approach the building itself, keeping an eye out for Marisa, Rinnosuke, or the Foreign Military.
>Try to do this in a stealthy manner.
>You slowly approach Kourindou while keeping an eye out for anyone else.
>You walk through the broken-down front door, and find that the inside of Kourindou is an absolute mess: every single furniture and merchandise are either full of bullet holes or are literally in pieces.
>You see the hidden cellar door that you used to escape from here. Its full of bullet holes like the walls and the rest of the floor, but its still tightly shut, which means that the Foreign Military has not noticed it before they left.
>Still no signs of Marisa and Rinnosuke, or the Foreign Military, for that matter.
>"Godsdamn, we're too late..." Reimu expressed in anger.
-
> "I doubt... I HOPE they weren't captured..."
-
> "I doubt... I HOPE they weren't captured..."
>Reimu knelt down and punched the ground. "I sure hope..."
-
> "You don't know where's their base?"
-
> "You don't know where's their base?"
>"No..." Reimu answers you.
-
> Tap our chin in thought.
> "... Let's ask the others. You said they are all over Gensokyo, right?"
> Nod.
> "Well, maybe Mokou know something about them."
-
> Tap our chin in thought.
> "... Let's ask the others. You said they are all over Gensokyo, right?"
> Nod.
> "Well, maybe Mokou know something about them."
>"That Hourai Immortal?" Reimu said with a frown. "Can we really trust her?"
-
> "Do you have a better idea?"
-
> "Do you have a better idea?"
>"I do." Reimu answered you. "Marisa had another friend living in the Forest Of Magic..."
-
>"Who? Do you think she'll know where the Outside Military is?"
-
>"Who? Do you think she'll know where the Outside Military is?"
>"No, I was thinking more along the lines of asking her where Marisa could've gone to." Reimu says.
-
> "Maybe you are right. Someone had to hear the shoots... and someona had to see Marisa's Master Spark."
> Sage nod.
-
> "Maybe you are right. Someone had to hear the shoots... and someona had to see Marisa's Master Spark."
> Sage nod.
>"She should have, what's with her house within walking distance from Marisa's." Reimu says.
>She then takes off into the air.
>"That said, we shouldn't waste any more time..."
-
> Nod and float a bit.
> "Ready when you are to find, uh, this person I don't know."
-
> Nod and float a bit.
> "Ready when you are to find, uh, this person I don't know."
>"Follow me." Reimu tells you.
>She then heads off toward one direction.
>"But stay on alert. The Foreign Military are everywhere."
-
> "Ain't something you have to remind me."
> Follow her.
-
> "Ain't something you have to remind me."
> Follow her.
>You follow Reimu.
...
>It didn't even take more than a minute to get to whatever location Reimu has in mind.
>The two of you landed near what looked like a western cottage. Compared with Marisa's house, this cottage has a distinctively European feel to it. It is also very clean and tidy, unlike Marisa's house.
>"Here we are..." Reimu tells you. "This is where Marisa's other friend lives."
//You should be able to guess who this person this. But it is unlikely Sumireko knows who she is, as they did not meet each other in canon...
-
> "... Tidy, tidy, tidy..."
> Grin.
> "Compared to Marisa's, this is heaven..."
-
> "... Tidy, tidy, tidy..."
> Grin.
> "Compared to Marisa's, this is heaven..."
>"I know." Reimu remarks.
>She then approaches the front door of the cottage, and gently knocks on it.
>"Coming." You hear someone calling out from inside the cottage.
>Reimu then turns toward you. "She can take quite a while, sometimes..."
-
> "Let me guess... She's the kind of "exquisite" girl?"
-
> "Let me guess... She's the kind of "exquisite" girl?"
>"Maybe..." Reimu shrugs.
>Before anything else can be said, the front door of the cottage opened from the inside.
>Standing behind the now open door is a young woman with short blonde hair with a red hair band. She wears a light blue dress with long white sleeves and a long pink ribbon going round her neck and another one round her waist.
>"Oh, Reimu. What brings you here today?" The young woman asked Reimu, with a British accent (different in some way than the Foreign Soldiers' from back at Kourindou). "And who is this girl here?" She added as she notices you.
//Description copied straight from Touhou wiki because I suck at describing appearances. :V
-
> "Sumireko Usami, miss... uh..."
-
> "Sumireko Usami, miss... uh..."
>"Alice Margatroid." The young woman introduces herself. "But you can call me Alice."
>Just as Alice finishes introducing herself, Reimu cuts in.
>"This is important, Alice..." Reimu tells her. "Have you seen Marisa?"
>Alice seemed to check her surroundings before telling the both of you, "Come in. Ears are everywhere..."
-
> "Hm..."
> Enter the house when she let us.
-
> "Hm..."
> Enter the house when she let us.
>Alice stood at the front door, waiting for you and Reimu to respond.
>"Should I go prepare some tea while I wait for you to decide to come in?" Alice asked the two of you, in a very deadpan manner (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StiffUpperLip).
//Click on the link to see what I mean by Alice's "very deadpan manner".
-
> Look at Reimu.
> "... Do you have a problem with it?"
-
> Look at Reimu.
> "... Do you have a problem with it?"
>"No..." Reimu says. "After all, its much safer to talk inside, what's with the Foreign Military being everywhere..."
-
> "Then it's decided."
> Look at Alice and nod.
-
> "Then it's decided."
> Look at Alice and nod.
>You do so.
>"Come in, then." Alice says as she turns and walks inside.
-
> Get in.
> Look around.
-
> Get in.
> Look around.
>You and Reimu go inside Alice's house.
>Alice led the two of you to what you think is her living room. You see three sofas around a small tea table in one side of the room that has a window. The walls are lined with shelves that are holding a few paintings and pictures of Alice with some other people*1...and loads and loads of dolls of identical designs.
*1: The characters of Mystic Square
-
> "... Cute..."
-
> "... Cute..."
>Neither Reimu nor Alice heard your comment on the dolls.
>"You came here to ask me about Marisa. What about her?" Alice asks you as she sits down on one of the sofas.
>Reimu points at you. "Tell her." She tells you.
-
> How much time do we think has passed since we came escaped?
-
> How much time do we think has passed since we came escaped?
>Between 25 to 45 minutes? You don't know the exact number.
-
> Clear our throat.
> "More than half an hour ago I went to Kourindou with Marisa to visit Kourin. When we arrived, we noticed he had a discussion with some kind of general of the Foreign Military. After some confrontations, they let us talk in private. Kourin, revealing a secret passage, let me escape from there, since that military people want me to help them... and given how they are, I was surely going to have a 'warm' welcome from them."
> Sigh.
> "After I returned with Reimu... Kourindou was a complete mess of bullet holes. Apparently, Marisa didn't let get them so easily, so a hole of the proportions of a Master Spark are present there."
-
> Clear our throat.
> "More than half an hour ago I went to Kourindou with Marisa to visit Kourin. When we arrived, we noticed he had a discussion with some kind of general of the Foreign Military. After some confrontations, they let us talk in private. Kourin, revealing a secret passage, let me escape from there, since that military people want me to help them... and given how they are, I was surely going to have a 'warm' welcome from them."
> Sigh.
> "After I returned with Reimu... Kourindou was a complete mess of bullet holes. Apparently, Marisa didn't let get them so easily, so a hole of the proportions of a Master Spark are present there."
>"Take her word for it..." Reimu tells Alice after you're done explaining.
>Alice seemed to take a few seconds to process what you've just said.
>"Oh, how unfortunate..." Alice then spoke, in the same deadpan manner as before. "You were lucky to have escaped from their grasp unscathed..."
-
> "... I'll take that as a way to say that you don't know where she is?"
-
> "... I'll take that as a way to say that you don't know where she is?"
>"Not exactly..." Alice says. "But I do know where she might be..."
>As Alice finishes her sentence, you see one of Alice's dolls placing a teacup down on the tea table, and another doll pouring tea from a teapot into that teacup, which Alice then takes a sip from.
-
> "D-Dolls...? Moving...?"
> Blink.
> "... Are you doing that?"
-
> "D-Dolls...? Moving...?"
> Blink.
> "... Are you doing that?"
>Alice puts the teacup down on the tea table.
>"Yes..." She tells you on a deadpan tone.
>"She's a magician. She controls puppets." Reimu whispers to you.
-
> "... Huh..."
> Have we ever heard of something like that?
> "So... Where do you think that magician 'might' be?"
-
> "... Huh..."
> Have we ever heard of something like that?
> "So... Where do you think that magician 'might' be?"
//Is "magician" here referring to Marisa? I'll assume that for now.
>Alice dismisses the dolls, took another nonchalant sip of her tea before answering you.
>"It seems that the Foreign Military had an outpost the size of a city built on the far southwest corner of Gensokyo, directly overlooking Youkai Mountain. At least one of the buildings in there looked like a prison. The outpost, however, holds more soldiers than Gensokyo's entire human and Youkai population combined, so you might not want to just blast your way in..."
-
//Yes.
> "That sounds... ... problematic~"
> Chuckle slightly.
> "Do you know if they tried to incarcerate someone non-Lunarian? Or if you saw them committing any kind of ilegal actions towards the residents of Gensokyo?"
-
//Yes.
> "That sounds... ... problematic~"
> Chuckle slightly.
> "Do you know if they tried to incarcerate someone non-Lunarian? Or if you saw them committing any kind of ilegal actions towards the residents of Gensokyo?"
>"If they did any of those, I have neither witnessed nor heard of any such occurrences..." Alice answers your question.
>"If they did, I'm going to treat their presence in Gensokyo as an incident, and do what a Hakurei shrine maiden should be doing to incidents." Reimu cuts in suddenly.
-
>Turn to Reimu.
>"Have you ever fought any of them?"
-
>Turn to Reimu.
>"Have you ever fought any of them?"
>"No..." Reimu answers you. "For what are technically invaders, the Foreign Military have been behaving themselves so far. That is, until you told me that they apparently attacked Marisa and Rinnosuke..."
-
>"That's what I was afraid of. I'm worried that they'll seriously hurt you, their weapons aren't non-lethal like danmaku."
-
>"That's what I was afraid of. I'm worried that they'll seriously hurt you, their weapons aren't non-lethal like danmaku."
>Reimu crosses her arms. "Lethal or not, I still hate them for using such barbaric weapons, even if they haven't got any needs to actually use them so far."
>"'So far', you say..." Alice said nonchalantly.
>Reimu raised her eyebrows. "Alice...you don't seem very worried about Mari..."
>But before the shrine maiden could finish her sentence, you hear the sound of a glass panel shattering, followed by a soft "...Urk!"
>Reimu plucks something from her neck. It was a tranquilizer dart, the kind used by modern police forces and militaries.
>"Wh...what is th..." Reimu utters before she collapses mid-sentence.
-
//Am I the only one here actually cares about this game?
>Do we have our 3d printed gun?
>Look at the window.
-
//Am I the only one here actually cares about this game?
>Do we have our 3d printed gun?
>Look at the window.
//I guess Tashi is just too busy with Hikkikomori Quest and Epic Touhou Pok?mon Quest. :V
//In addition, I can't believe I forgot the 3D Printer Gun at the "check inventory" command in the first page :V
>You do.
>You look outside the window...
>...Which wasn't such a good idea as you received an identical tranquilizer dart to your left shoulder.
>You feel your body getting heavier as the tranquilizer begins to take effect.
>"Unfortunately, Sumireko, you were wrong about being able to run away from the Foreign Military..." You hear Alice...gloating (in a deadpan tone)?
>That's when the front door of Alice's house sounds like it was kicked down, which is then followed by the sound of marching boots.
>You then see soldiers of the Foreign Military marching in and taking positions around Alice's house. Each of them pointing their assault rifles at you.
>You also see one of the soldiers saluting Alice.
>"Or should I say, in this case...the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Wonderland?" Alice resumes her deadpan gloating.
//What an unexpected plot twist, eh? Alice being in league with the Foreign Military...
-
>"You fucking...."
>Pass Out.
-
>"You fucking...."
>Pass Out.
>You collapse onto the floor next to Reimu.
>You remained conscious just long enough to hear Alice tell you, "Watch your language, little girl..."
>You then lose consciousness completely...
...
>You don't know how long you were out...
>When you wake up, you find yourself inside what you thought is a military APC. The shaking indicates that it is currently on the move.
>Your hands have been cuffed, and so are your legs. You also feel some kind of collar around your neck.
>You see about seven Foreign Military soldiers sitting inside the APC with you. All seven of them are armed, one of who is wielding a shotgun.
-
//I didn't had inspiration for anything else, that's why.
Also, for what is worth.
>Unfortunately, no. Seems that the 3D Printer Gun did not come with you this time.
//So, uh... We magically had the gun now?
> Do we have our glasses on?
> Don't move. We don't want these idiots to do something to us.
-
//I didn't had inspiration for anything else, that's why.
Also, for what is worth.
//So, uh... We magically had the gun now?
> Do we have our glasses on?
> Don't move. We don't want these idiots to do something to us.
//That was a mistake... *Insert incoherent swearing here* Let's just assume we've always had the gun...
>You still have your glasses.
>You stay still.
>None of the soldiers seemed to have noticed you coming to...yet.
-
> Is there any of them doing something of interest, from our current PoV?
-
> Is there any of them doing something of interest, from our current PoV?
>All of the soldiers are just sitting there, with their weapons to bear. Though none of them are doing anything out of the ordinary (in comparison with the others, that is).
-
> Ponder if we can do... uh, anything.
-
>Try to listen for... Well, anything.
>Also, review our abilities.
-
> Ponder if we can do... uh, anything.
>With no room to maneuver, and being surrounded by several armed soldiers, there's nothing you can do right now except wait.
>Try to listen for... Well, anything.
>Also, review our abilities.
>You listen in for anything.
>You hear one of the soldiers muttering under his breath, "This wee little lass could have been given better treatment had she not refuse to cooperate with us."
>You are an ESP user. That means you can lift things up without physically touching it. Although there's a weight limit to what you can lift with ESP.
-
> Maintain silence... and just wait...
-
> Maintain silence... and just wait...
>You keep quiet and just wait.
>"We are now approaching Fort Pentecost." One of the soldiers, possibly the APC driver, announces.
>That's when the soldier sitting next to you decided to poke you with his finger. "Wake up, you wankstain. We're getting off in a few minutes."
-
> "..."
> Keep silent.
-
> "..."
> Keep silent.
>You stay silent.
>The APC seems to have stopped for a moment. Given that the driver said something about arriving at a "fort", you assumed it must be going through a checkpoint at the moment.
>The APC only stopped for a short while before moving again.
>You could hear what sounded like helicopter propellers coming from outside the APC. And that sounds like a lot of helicopters...
-
>Wait
-
>Wait
>You wait.
>The APC continued moving slowly for several minutes before coming to a complete halt again. You hear the brakes being applied, so this APC won't be moving again for a while.
>"We have arrived at Fort Pentecost. Prepare to disembark." The driver announces.
>You see the back door of the APC unfolding into a ramp...and then gets blinded by the lights from outside the APC.
-
>Wait until we are not blind to act, if we act at all.
-
>Wait until we are not blind to act, if we act at all.
>You wait.
>It took only a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the light.
>You see a lot of Foreign Soldiers outside the APC. Some marched past in the background in a uniform formation, some directed cargo trucks and transport helicopters in unloading cargo, some standing guard in front of a large building that stood directly opposite of the APC...
>...But most of them are standing around the APC you're in, all having their weapons pointed at you.
>You are pretty sure this is a military base.
>One of the soldiers in the APC draws his handgun and presses the muzzle against the back of your head. "Walk." He tells you in a threatening tone.
-
>Walk.
-
>Walk.
>You slowly walk out of the APC as one of the soldiers put his handgun against the back of your head.
...
>You are led into what looked like an interrogation room, complete with a mirror that you can guess (from watching all those movies and TV series) is actually only a mirror on one side and a transparent sheet of glass from the other.
>The soldiers have decided to leave you in the room and lock the door behind you.
>Now you're all alone in the room. You think...
-
> Look around. Is there ANYTHING besides this things?
-
> Look around. Is there ANYTHING besides this things?
>You look around the interrogation room.
>Right in the middle, there's a metal table that looks to be bolted to the floor. There's also three chairs next to it: two on one side, and one on the other. The chairs don't seem to be bolted down.
>You also see a second door behind the single chair. Though given where you are, there's no doubt it is locked.
>You then hear the door you just got sent into the room from unlock...
-
> Expect that general-colonel-whatever that tried to persuade us.
-
> Expect that general-colonel-whatever that tried to persuade us.
>You expect that general to walk in through the door.
>Nope. It was Reimu. A battered, bruised Reimu, being thrown into the room by two Foreign Soldiers, one of who, you can see, is holding a cattle prod.
>After throwing Reimu in with you, the two soldiers closes the door and locks it again.
>Reimu was left lying on the floor, next to your feet.
-
> "H-Hey! Reimu!"
> Is she unconscious?
> How bad is she injured?
> Can we lift things with ESP while being restricted?
> Remember the maximum weight we can lift.
-
> "H-Hey! Reimu!"
> Is she unconscious?
> How bad is she injured?
> Can we lift things with ESP while being restricted?
> Remember the maximum weight we can lift.
>"Ugh..." You hear Reimu utter. "What...is this...place...?"
>Looks like Reimu is conscious. She just don't have the stamina to do anything.
>Aside from her clothes being torn on many parts, you also see burn marks over many spots on her body. Looks like they cattle-prodded her a dozen times on their way here...
>Your ESP allows you to lift things up without physical contact. Your gesturing when ESP-lifting something/someone is just to look cool, as you can do so by just putting your mind to it.
>The maximum weight limit of your ESP-lifting is roughly the weight of a suburban car. Anything heavier either won't budge or will give you a very severe headache if you try.
-
> "Wait a second."
> Concentrate and lift Reimu. Guide her to one of the chairs and set her there in a sitting position.
-
> "Wait a second."
> Concentrate and lift Reimu. Guide her to one of the chairs and set her there in a sitting position.
>You try to ESP-lift Reimu.
>Nothing happens. Weird...
>"Don't...try...Sumi..." You hear Reimu struggling to tell you something. "They...have a way...to...suppress...our powers..."
-
> ... Wait... Did they suppressed the powers... of Reimu? Reimu Hakurei?!
> "W-What?"
> Pause and ponder... HOW?!
-
> ... Wait... Did they suppressed the powers... of Reimu? Reimu Hakurei?!
> "W-What?"
> Pause and ponder... HOW?!
//Surprising, eh?
>You ponder at the surprising revelation.
>You then notice that there's some kind of collar around Reimu's neck, which definitely wasn't there before the both of you were captured.
>Reimu struggles to lift a finger and point at your neck. "Collar...suppress...power..."
-
> Look down and check if we have it too.
-
> Look down and check if we have it too.
>You look down, only to immediately remember that there's absolutely no way a human can look at her own neck without a mirror.
//Have you tried looking at your own neck without a mirror? :V
-
//Well, maybe if it was necklace-like collar...
> Feel it. Move our head around and feel for it.
-
>Examine Reimu's collar while we're at it.
-
//Well, maybe if it was necklace-like collar...
> Feel it. Move our head around and feel for it.
>Examine Reimu's collar while we're at it.
>You feel for the collar.
>There is indeed a collar around your neck.
>You then examine the collar on Reimu's neck.
>It looks to be simply a black metallic collar that wraps around her neck at just the right tightness so as to not cause breathing problems. You assume that you have a similar collar.
-
>Are there any key holes on Reimu's collar?
-
>Look for buttons, too.
-
>Are there any key holes on Reimu's collar?
>Look for buttons, too.
//Sorry for the hiatus!
>There are neither keyholes nor buttons on the collar. If there is even a way to remove the collar, only the Foreign Military knows...
-
>Look at the interrogation chair.
-
>Look at the interrogation chair.
>You look at the chairs and table in the middle of the room. They're exactly the same as you saw them a minute ago.
>You then notice the door on the other side of the room unlock...
-
>Back away from Reimu before the people entering the room force you apart.
-
>Back away from Reimu before the people entering the room force you apart.
>You back away from Reimu.
>The door opens, and entered a Foreign General accompanied by two Foreign Soldiers armed with SMGs.
>You notice that this General is not the same one you encountered at Kourindou. In fact, this one is a woman.
>These two soldiers also have a slightly different loadout than the ones from Kourindou, and Alice's House.
>As the door closes, the woman-general sits down on the chair behind the interrogation table, and the two soldiers stand guard behind her.
-
> Wait for the general to say something.
> Look around.
-
> Wait for the general to say something.
> Look around.
>You see the woman-general open a document and start shifting through its contents.
>"Usami Sumireko. Age: 17. Hometown: Kyoto, Japan, Outside World. Second year student at Higashifukami High School. Possesses the ability of ESP. Collected seven Occult Orbs which are used for entering Gensokyo by means of penetrating the Hakurei Barrier. Then gained the ability to enter Gensokyo via dreams. Refused to cooperate with the Coalition for the sake of world safety, then conspired with the locals to evade capture..."
>The woman-general then looks at you.
>"I believe that this is not everything that makes you you, is it not?" She tells you...with an accent that clearly isn't British. It sounds like Irish?
-
> "You forgot all about my charming personality."
> "How do you know all about those things?"
-
> "You forgot all about my charming personality."
> "How do you know all about those things?"
>"That's classified." The woman-general answers you.
-
>Sigh.
>"No means no, okay?"
-
>Sigh.
>"No means no, okay?"
>"I asked the same question and received the same answer when I first joined. That is how modern militaries work." The woman-general tells you.
>She then glances over your shoulders.
>"Perhaps you should help the Hakurei shrine maiden there get up?"
-
>Help get Reimu up.
-
>Help get Reimu up.
>You go help Reimu up, then have her sit down on one of the chairs at the table.
>"Miss Hakurei, I do apologize for how you were treated by the Wonderlandeans." The woman-general says to Reimu. "They don't take arrest resistance very kindly."
-
>"Wonderlandeans?"
-
>"Wonderlandeans?"
>"The people of the Kingdom of Wonderland." The woman-general clarifies for you.
>"Does not...change...the fact...they...tortured...me" Reimu struggles to snark.
>The woman-general ignored Reimu's attempt at snarking, and looks at you.
>"Before I explain why we - the Coalition - have occupied Gensokyo and wanted you, should I explain who we are?"
-
> "Er... All right, please, explain..."
-
> "Er... All right, please, explain..."
//Your response made it look like you felt awkward about the question asked. Why?
>The woman-general clears her throat before she begins.
>"The 'Foreign Military', as the people of Gensokyo calls us, is officially called the Storybrooke Coalition. This Coalition is formed 20 years ago in response to the threat posed by what is called the Lunar Kingdom. Our objective is to protect the world from, and put an end to the Lunar Kingdom whose state policy basically amounts to 'exterminate anything that can become sick, grow old and die'. In other words, the Storybrooke Coalition is the world's first and last line of defense against the most extreme supremacists reality has ever conceived."
>"Like Gensokyo, the five members of the Storybrooke Coalition are sealed realms themselves. Unlike Gensokyo, however, we do not owe our existence to faith and belief in the divine and supernatural. In fact, the Kingdom of Wonderland, our leading member, is an Atheist state. And in case you are wondering, that is the same Wonderland from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - having underwent social and technological development in the past two centuries..."
>The woman-general paused briefly to glance at Reimu, then back at you.
>"And I believe the original protagonist of the aforementioned book is currently living in Gensokyo, having changed her last name from Liddell to Margatroid. She is the reason you two ended up here, am I right?"
-
>"....I guess so....I still can't believe what they did to Reimu.."