Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Mystia's Stored Games => Topic started by: 日巫子 on October 17, 2011, 08:04:57 PM
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> You are Sonozaki Meira, currently eight years old. You were born in the village of Mayohiga in the year 102, and have lived here for the entirety of your short life without ever leaving. Well, until now. The year is currently 110.
> Mayohiga was a small village within the secluded mountains of Gensokyo, parallel to Youkai Mountain, legendary for being filled with youkai. The village of Mayohiga itself was a quiet and peaceful, albeit sparsely populated. It was Sonozaki clan's duty to defend Mayohiga against youkai, which sometimes come into the village to spirit away or eat humans. You are a part of the Sonozaki clan, and most likely the only one left alive.
> Two days ago, you found a conical hat in the forest where you frequently played with your cousins.
> Yesterday was the first day of summer, and you went back into the forest with the hat. While playing there, you discovered the original owner of the hat, a tanuki girl named Kouyoshi who was masquerading as your eldest cousin Sayane. Upon returning home from the forest, you found that the village was in ruins, on fire, and inhabited by monstrous youkai. Aided by Kouyoshi, you were able to get a katana from your house and flee from the village, but not before discovering that the blame lies in the hands of a kitsune, a rare and powerful youkai. You have resolved to get revenge, but there is the issue of finding somewhere to stay and learning how to fight, first.
> You have travelled with Kouyoshi through the Forest of Magic and met the youkai Rumia. You have travelled with her and Kouyoshi to the Human Village. You have befriended Rumia. You have come across two youkai, one of which knows of someone who may know a thing or two about the kitsune, and you have decided to go looking for them. You have found yourselves caught up in a rabbit stampede, which you have joined in a return to the Bamboo Forest to stop Mokou from hurting the Rabbit Princess and found a huge inferno, which you, the rabbits, and Kouyoshi made short work of putting out. You then discovered a seriously injured Mokou and the Rabbit Princess, who denies being a rabbit. You've started taking lessons from Mokou in using magic. You've gone into the Forest of Magic and sliced up some flying eyeballs that shot danmaku at you. You've employed the help of some faeries in finding the girl with the monster, and have learned of two possible locations: a shrine, and a "chapel" that's a day away from the Human Village. Upon going to the shrine, you discovered that it was completely abandoned, but Kouyoshi found a photo of a shrine maiden, as well as some shrine maiden uniforms laying around. With the help of one of the faeries, you've gotten a "map" showing where the chapel is. You have been preparing for it since, gathering materials. You have also gotten Keine to make you a new outfit, and have helped Mokou clean her filthy kitchen.
> You're currently in Keine's study, where she is writing about kappa.
Quests:
> n/a
Inventory:
> Red and white robes (unequipped)
> A white kosode with a red pattern on the hems of the sleeves, with a hakama with the same design. Footwear is geta with tabi.
> Red haori (unequipped)
> A red haori you wear if it's colder out.
> x1 geometric yukata (dark blue) (equipped)
> A dark blue yukata with a geometric pattern on it. Made by Keine.
> ?15
> An accumulation of allowance money from the past three weeks.
> Conical hat (equipped)
> You found this in the forest yesterday and haven't told anyone about it. It's just an straw hat, but somehow you can feel a strange energy coming from it. What's stranger is that there are two slits on the side.
> Satchel
> Your school bag. You keep your items in here.
> x1 Pack of Crayons
> Contains red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black, grey, and white.
> x1 Sketchbook
> Your sketchbook. There are already some drawings in here.
> x1 Net
> A net used to catch bugs, frogs, and the like.
> x1 Basket
> Used for storing said bugs and frogs.
> Blue jacket (unequipped)
> Lent to you by Kouyoshi.
> Katana
> A katana that belonged to your family. Very sharp and taller than you are.
> x2 wind chimes (equipped)
> Pretty wind chimes taken from the abandoned shrine. You're currently wearing them in your hair.
> x1 bed roll
> A sleeping bag borrowed from Mokou.
> x1 first aid kit
> Contains bandages, scissors, and the like.
> x5 onigiri (fruit filled)
> Five onigiri made for a snack.
> _
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> "Youkai Mountain? But... we're trying to go past it..."
> Aw man... we need to learn how to fight these guys!
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> "Youkai Mountain? But... we're trying to go past it..."
> Aw man... we need to learn how to fight these guys!
> "Really?" Keine keep writing. "How far up the mountain will that take you?"
> You're going to have to practice more, aren't you?
> _
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> "Um... on the other side of it, right?"
> Check that map! Oh, and wrap the rice balls in the paper. Whoops. Actually, we have five of them, so offer one to Keine. "Hey, we made too many!"
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> "Um... on the other side of it, right?"
> Check that map! Oh, and wrap the rice balls in the paper. Whoops. Actually, we have five of them, so offer one to Keine. "Hey, we made too many!"
> Keine raises an eyebrow. "Well, they're on both sides, although you'd have to go through a forest on the mountain itself to get to the majority of them..." She trails off.
> You check the map. While you'll have to go past Youkai Mountain, it seems to be more off to the right of where the chapel is marked...it shouldn't take that long to get past it.
> You then go to wrap the rice balls up, only to realize you've made too many of them. To lessen the load, you give one to Keine.
> "For me?" Keine takes the rice ball. "Oh, thanks."
> _
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> "No problem! So, what other things live near there?"
> Gotta be prepared!
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> "No problem! So, what other things live near there?"
> Gotta be prepared!
> Keine dips the quill in the ink well and continues writing.
> "That's the spirit. There are a few curse gods lurking in the forests on Youkai Mountain, and even higher up are tengu, but I don't think you'll run into them. Those two and kappa make up the majority of the youkai that live on that mountain. Other than that are your run-of-the-mill youkai."
> _
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> "Tengu? With long noses and red faces? And... curse gods? Erg..."
> Curses sound bad...
> "So, is that it, then? What's on the other side of the mountains?"
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> "Tengu? With long noses and red faces? And... curse gods? Erg..."
> Curses sound bad...
> "So, is that it, then? What's on the other side of the mountains?"
> "That's right. You have to be careful," Keine says.
> You wouldn't want to get cursed.
> "Yes. The other side of the mountain's pretty much the same, except emptier."
> _
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> "Ah... thanks, Keine-sensei!"
> Run back to Kouyoshi! "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! There's kappa and tengu on the mountain, and curse gods, too!"
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> "Ah... thanks, Keine-sensei!"
> Run back to Kouyoshi! "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! There's kappa and tengu on the mountain, and curse gods, too!"
> "Uh-huh."
> You run back to the kitchen, where Kouyoshi is drying out the pot with a towel. She glances over at you, and her eyebrows raise in interest.
> "Ohh, tengu? I've seen them flying over the forest before."
> _
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> "Yeah, with really long noses? And she said the kappa can steal souls!"
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> "Yeah, with really long noses? And she said the kappa can steal souls!"
> Kouyoshi nods. "By souls, you mean shirikodama, right?"
> _
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> "Um... yes?"
> Do we know what those are?
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> "Um... yes?"
> Do we know what those are?
> "Yeah, those."
> You're pretty sure they're the equivalent of your soul.
> _
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> "Yeah! They steal souls! We gotta make sure they don't steal ours!"
> We don't want them to throw them!
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> "Yeah! They steal souls! We gotta make sure they don't steal ours!"
> We don't want them to throw them!
> "It's okay, I've heard it's impossible for them to be discreet about it," Kouyoshi reassures you.
> Do not throw souls!
> _
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> "... Oh. Um... that's good. Why?"
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> "... Oh. Um... that's good. Why?"
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "No idea. I've never been told why."
> _
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> "Oh. So how do they steal souls, anyways? Do they go 'oogie boogie' and take it from you?"
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> "Oh. So how do they steal souls, anyways? Do they go 'oogie boogie' and take it from you?"
> "Probably." Kouyoshi sets down the pot. "What's that Keine person up to?"
> _
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> "Writing about kappa. Oh, and she said she'll get the backpacks soon. What should we do?"
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> "Writing about kappa. Oh, and she said she'll get the backpacks soon. What should we do?"
> "Hm...that Mokou person taught you some magic, right? Did you practice it at all?"
> _
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>"Yeah! She taught me to make fire! Red and blue!"
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>"Yeah! She taught me to make fire! Red and blue!"
> Ignore: she was there when she taught us, and that's not what she's asking.
> "Oh, no, I haven't!"
> Run outside! We gotta practice!
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> "Oh, no, I haven't!"
> Run outside! We gotta practice!
> You get the realization that you've completely forgotten to practice what Mokou taught you.
> You run out of the kitchen, leaving Kouyoshi behind as you rush down the stairs and burst out into the front yard. Rumia is still on the swings.
> _
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> "Hey, hey Rumia! Mokou taught me something really cool! Wanna see?"
> Show off the fire!
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> "Hey, hey Rumia! Mokou taught me something really cool! Wanna see?"
> Show off the fire!
> Rumia leaps off the swing and runs over, arms outstretched. When you conjure up a small flame, she squeals in delight.
> "Is that so? I didn't know humans could do that!"
> _
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> Puff up in pride. "Of course we can! Oh, and watch this!"
> Form a danmaku bullet in our hands, and fire it at a tree!
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> Puff up in pride. "Of course we can! Oh, and watch this!"
> Form a danmaku bullet in our hands, and fire it at a tree!
> You try forming a bullet, but you can only come up with a weak spark.
> Rumia stares at your hands, as if expecting something.
> _
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> "Ah heh heh heh..."
> Concentrate! We're not going to embarass ourselves!
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> "Ah heh heh heh..."
> Concentrate! We're not going to embarass ourselves!
> Ha...ha...this is embarassing.
> You focus harder, trying to create at least one bullet. Rumia watches intently as little sparks gather in your hands again.
> _
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> Pull out our inner power, focus those sparks, and make a bullet! We can do it!
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>If that doesn't work, make more sparks, and then mash 'em all together!
>Then, throw it at a tree!
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>If it still doesn't work, compress small red and blue flames in your hand, and compress them together to make a bullet thing.
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> Pull out our inner power, focus those sparks, and make a bullet! We can do it!
>If that doesn't work, make more sparks, and then mash 'em all together!
>Then, throw it at a tree!
>If it still doesn't work, compress small red and blue flames in your hand, and compress them together to make a bullet thing.
> You continue to concentrate. More sparks appear in your hands, and you press them together to make one strange mass. Is this a bullet?
> _
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>Set it on fire. BLUE AND RED FIRE.
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>Set it on fire. BLUE AND RED FIRE.
> You try to set it on fire. Blue and red, red and blue...
> The bullet is purple.
> _
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> "Heh heh..." Fire it at a tree!
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> "Heh heh..." Fire it at a tree!
> You shoot the bullet at the nearest tree. It zips through the air and slams into the bark, leaving a small dent in the wood.
> "...Cool!" Rumia spins around a few times. "Humans can do cool things if they try, too!"
> _
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> "Ha, betcha can't do that!"
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> "Ha, betcha can't do that!"
> "I can!" Rumia thrusts her palm towards the tree, and shoots lasers at it. They cut through the tree, bringing the top half crashing down.
> Rumia stares at the damage she has done for a few moments, and then smiles.
> "Told you."
> _
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> Stare at it. "N-no fair!"
> Concentrate and try to make a laser! We can't let her beat us!
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> Stare at it. "N-no fair!"
> Concentrate and try to make a laser! We can't let her beat us!
> "Of course, it's my duty to know how to shoot lasers and stuff~"
> You can't help but feel envious that she was actually able to knock over the tree.
> You try to conjure up a laser, but the harder you concentrate, the harder it becomes. You feel a bit light-headed.
> _
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> "D-duty...?"
> Keep concentrating! Get those sparks concentrating and go pew!
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> "D-duty...?"
> Keep concentrating! Get those sparks concentrating and go pew!
> "Well, it's more like a goal," Rumia says.
> You keep trying to make the lasers, but you can barely do it...is magic always this hard?
> _
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> Grrr... "barely" means "we just started"! Let's make that laser, even if we pass out!
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> Grrr... "barely" means "we just started"! Let's make that laser, even if we pass out!
> You concentrate as hard as you can, you have to do this...
> Ughh...you feel sick...
> _
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> Ughhhh... okay, okay, let's stop... and let's not throw up.
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> Ughhhh... okay, okay, let's stop... and let's not throw up.
> You give up on the laser. You don't want to throw up.
> Rumia tilts her head to one side. "Are you okay?"
> _
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> "Magic is haaaard... but I'll get it! Urp..."
> Sit down on the swing.
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> "Magic is haaaard... but I'll get it! Urp..."
> Sit down on the swing.
> "Really?" Rumia follows you over to the swings. As you take a seat, she starts to spin around on one foot. "I don't get it. You just have to think about it, and it is."
> _
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> "But I was thinking about it! It just made me sick... I guess I gotta practice, right?"
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> "But I was thinking about it! It just made me sick... I guess I gotta practice, right?"
> "Ahh. Do your best, then," Rumia says. She stops spinning and takes a seat on the swing next to you. "Oh, what's with that tanuki lady? Is she from the Forest of Magic? Youkai Mountain?"
> _
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> "Oh, Kouyoshi? I met her in the forest outside of Mayohiga! She's really nice and she's been helping me! We're gonna go past Youkai Mountain tomorrow!"
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> "Oh, Kouyoshi? I met her in the forest outside of Mayohiga! She's really nice and she's been helping me! We're gonna go past Youkai Mountain tomorrow!"
> "What's a Mayohiga?" Rumia asks. "Oh, I've been near Youkai Mountain before. It's tall."
> _
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>"It's really tall~"
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> "Mayohiga... it was my home village. Then youkai burned it down..."
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>"It's really tall~"
> "It is." Rumia swings back and forth, although she stays within conversational distance.
> "Mayohiga... it was my home village. Then youkai burned it down..."
> Rumia continues to swing. "Hm...did they...still do that? I don't remember very well. Did they still do that? They don't chase me out with pitchforks and torches, though, the humans here."
> _
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> "Of course they did it! I was there! And that stupid kitsune's to blame!"
> Kick at the ground.
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> "Of course they did it! I was there! And that stupid kitsune's to blame!"
> Kick at the ground.
> You kick the ground out of frustration. Rumia lets herself swing to a stop.
> "Weren't there any shrine maidens? They're tough, I've seen them kill a lot of youkai. That was a while ago, though."
> _
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> "No... just my family. They were the protectors, but..."
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> "No... just my family. They were the protectors, but..."
> "Aw." Rumia hops off the swing. "Although that's like Keine...sensei."
> _
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> "Yeah, kinda. So I'm gonna be this village's protector, too, and then beat the kitsune! But I gotta find the girl at the chapel place, first."
> Look down at our hands and form some fire. Gotta practice, right?
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> "Yeah, kinda. So I'm gonna be this village's protector, too, and then beat the kitsune! But I gotta find the girl at the chapel place, first."
> Look down at our hands and form some fire. Gotta practice, right?
> "Ohhh." Rumia makes a running start and cartwheels once across the grass. "And then what?"
> You form some small flames in your hands. It's warm.
> _
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> "And then... and then..."
> What will we do? After we find out where the kitsune is and beat her... what do we do? Live in the village, maybe...
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> "And then... and then..."
> What will we do? After we find out where the kitsune is and beat her... what do we do? Live in the village, maybe...
> Come to think of it, you don't know what you're going to do after you get revenge.
> Rumia sits on the grass and stares at you expectantly, with a goofy smile on her face.
> _
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>Make purple fire idly, try juggling it!
>"Y'know, I really don't know to be honest. but I figure I can just get to that when I get to it right?"
>Visualize ourself shooting a laser skyward. Don't try to force it, just feel it, and go with the flow.
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>"Plus... I wouldn't mind getting to play with you a bit more."
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"But that's a long way away! Like maybe a year or two!"
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>Make purple fire idly, try juggling it!
>"Y'know, I really don't know to be honest. but I figure I can just get to that when I get to it right?"
>Visualize ourself shooting a laser skyward. Don't try to force it, just feel it, and go with the flow.
> You conjure up some purple flames and try juggling them. You've never juggled before, however, so this proves to be a bit difficult.
> "Ah." Rumia falls on her back and stares up at the darknening sky.
> You imagine shooting a laser into the sky. It doesn't actually happen, but it's fun to think about.
>"Plus... I wouldn't mind getting to play with you a bit more."
> "Really?" Rumia has a wide grin on her face. "No one's ever said that to me before."
"But that's a long way away! Like maybe a year or two!"
> "Oh...?"
> _
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>Dispel the flames and kick back with Rumia. Gotta recharge somehow eh?
>"Well, you can't be that much older than me right? So by that way of thinking, it's only natural that we'd be friends since we get along real nice right?"
>"It'd be nice to use lasers someday. Like you can. Someday I'll manage it, right Rumia?"
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>Dispel the flames and kick back with Rumia. Gotta recharge somehow eh?
>"Well, you can't be that much older than me right? So by that way of thinking, it's only natural that we'd be friends since we get along real nice right?"
>"It'd be nice to use lasers someday. Like you can. Someday I'll manage it, right Rumia?"
> You let the flames fade out. It won't hurt to take a break.
> "Uh-huh. Sounds fun! Then we can watch the fall harvest, that's my favorite," Rumia says with a wistful smile. "I don't know how hard lasers are, but they'll be fun when you use them."
> _
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> "Yeah, I bet it'd be awesome! Wait, the autumn festival? Is that when you eat pumpkins and stuff like what you were talking about yesterday?"
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> "Yeah, I bet it'd be awesome! Wait, the autumn festival? Is that when you eat pumpkins and stuff like what you were talking about yesterday?"
> "Yeah! It's every fall," Rumia says. "The humans harvest all their crops and there are a lot of festivities."
> _
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>"Then when fall comes around again, I'll make sure to see you and have lots of fun!"
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>"Then when fall comes around again, I'll make sure to see you and have lots of fun!"
> "Yay! You have to make sure to come!"
> _
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> "I will, me and Kouyoshi!"
> Swing a bit on the swing while playing with fire. Gotta make sure we keep our concentration!
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> "I will, me and Kouyoshi!"
> Swing a bit on the swing while playing with fire. Gotta make sure we keep our concentration!
> "I can't wait!" Rumia giggles and rolls over in the grass.
> You swing for a short while, conjuring up small flames every now and then. It's kind of hard to stay focused on both the swing and flames, but you think you've got the hang of it.
> The sky continues to darken, until the sun falls beyond the horizon and the moon appears in the sky. You see the sillouhette of Rumia sitting up to look at it.
> "It's a waxing gibbous," she observes.
> _
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> "Oh...? Wow, you know a lot about the moon. Hey, I heard that rabbits make medicine up there!"
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> "Oh...? Wow, you know a lot about the moon. Hey, I heard that rabbits make medicine up there!"
> Rumia nods. "And it'll be a full moon tomorrow~ My second favorite phase~"
> _
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> "Second favorite?"
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> "Second favorite?"
> "My favorite phase is the new moon. It's when the moon is between the earth and the sun so all of the light being cast on it is facing the sun." Rumia sounds kind of like she's just reciting information. "The night sky is completely black so it's really fun...well except for stars, but still."
> _
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> "Wow, you know a lot!"
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> "Wow, you know a lot!"
> "Hee hee. Keine taught me some stuff before, that's why."
> _
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> "Ohhh... I see!"
> Stop swinging, and get off the swings. "I should go inside: we gotta leave tomorrow. Hey, where d'ya stay, anyways?"
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> "Ohhh... I see!"
> Stop swinging, and get off the swings. "I should go inside: we gotta leave tomorrow. Hey, where d'ya stay, anyways?"
> You get off the swings; it's getting dark, and you and Kouyoshi are leaving tomorrow...
> Rumia flops on her back. "Dunno, whereever."
> _
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> "Wait, so you don't have a place you need to go back to? Hey, why not spend the night, then!"
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> "Wait, so you don't have a place you need to go back to? Hey, why not spend the night, then!"
> Rumia frowns a little. "I've never stayed the night here before..."
> _
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>"Come on; it'll be fun! Maybe we could ambush Kouyoshi while we're at it."
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>Grin widely.
>"Her tail's soooo fluffy, and soft, and huggable..."
>Fantasize about having a scarf just as soft and fluffy as Kouyoshi's tail.
>"Hang on, I just remembered something! Keine made me this Yukata so...maybe she could make you one too!"
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>"Come on; it'll be fun! Maybe we could ambush Kouyoshi while we're at it."
> "Keh heh heh."
>Grin widely.
>"Her tail's soooo fluffy, and soft, and huggable..."
>Fantasize about having a scarf just as soft and fluffy as Kouyoshi's tail.
>"Hang on, I just remembered something! Keine made me this Yukata so...maybe she could make you one too!"
> You remember how soft and warm Kouyoshi's tail is. Anything made out of fur of that quality would make even the coldest winters bearable.
> "It is, is it?"
> You then remember that Keine was the one who made the yukata you're wearing. You suggest the possibility of her making one for Rumia.
> "Eh? But I like these clothes..." Rumia's voice falters.
> _
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>"She could always make one that looks kinda like what you're wearing right now I guess? I dunno if she's got the material though."
>"Besides, you gotta wear a Yukata at a festival, that's just how things go! It's like a tradition almost. And plus, you'd probably look pretty nice in one, going by the one I've got."
>Spin to show off the Yukata.
>Come to think of it, a blonde person in a Yukata isn't all that common is it? She'll just look all the cooler then!
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>"She could always make one that looks kinda like what you're wearing right now I guess? I dunno if she's got the material though."
>"Besides, you gotta wear a Yukata at a festival, that's just how things go! It's like a tradition almost. And plus, you'd probably look pretty nice in one, going by the one I've got."
>Spin to show off the Yukata.
>Come to think of it, a blonde person in a Yukata isn't all that common is it? She'll just look all the cooler then!
> "Mmm..." Rumia clutches the hem of her skirt. "I guess..."
> You figure Rumia would look good in a yukata, especially with her hair color. Come to think of it, you've hardly seen anyone with blonde hair before; all the more reason Rumia should get a yukata.
> "But I want to keep this outfit," Rumia says. "I'm not getting rid of it."
> _
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> "I never said you HAD to. Jeez! Hey, let's go ask Keine!"
> Grab her hand, and rush inside!
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>Smile.
>"That's the cool thing about having more than one outfit, you can change it around depending on what you feel like wearing!"
(You said it better then I ever could Sect. :V)
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> "I never said you HAD to. Jeez! Hey, let's go ask Keine!"
> Grab her hand, and rush inside!
> You grab Rumia's hand and half-drag her into the schoolhouse. She manages to catch up and run along with you, avoiding being dragged along the ground.
>Smile.
>"That's the cool thing about having more than one outfit, you can change it around depending on what you feel like wearing!"
> "Ah, that sounds nice~"
> The two of you enter the schoolhouse; it's pitch black in here, save for a light coming from upstairs.
> Rumia looks around the inside of the hallway, scuffing the heels of her shoes along the floor. It doesn't take long for either of your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and you're able to see the outlines of the doors and walls.
> _
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> "Hey, hey, take off your shoes!" Take off our geta, and then go towards the light.
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> "Hey, hey, take off your shoes!" Take off our geta, and then go towards the light.
> "Ehhh?" You hear another scuffling sound as Rumia complies.
> After removing your own footwear, you go up the stairs towards the light. You're back in the second floor hallway again, but you don't see anyone around. Rumia appears up the stairwell soon afterwards, carrying her shoes in one hand.
> _
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> Go down the hallway, looking from door to door for that source of light.
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> Go down the hallway, looking from door to door for that source of light.
> You travel down the hallway until you reach the room where you last saw Keine. The door is ajar, but you can see light flooding from it.
> _
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> Peek inside. We didn't see Kouyoshi, right? Is she in here?
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"Huh"
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> Peek inside. We didn't see Kouyoshi, right? Is she in here?
"Huh"
> Kouyoshi wasn't in the hallway.
> When you open the door, you see Keine again, and she is still writing. There are papers and books piled up around her, with scrolls haphazardly strewn about the floor. Keine herself is bent over a paper and scribbling something; you can hear the quill scratching over the paper fervently. Every now and then she stops to dip the quill in the ink well, and when she brings it back across the table, it drips ink. She looks a little frightening, how obsessive she looks.
> _
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> Back away slowly. "Uh... I think Keine's busy... let's go find Kouyoshi!"
> Wander around looking for Kouyoshi. Check everywhere!
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> Back away slowly. "Uh... I think Keine's busy... let's go find Kouyoshi!"
> Wander around looking for Kouyoshi. Check everywhere!
> Maybe later...
> Rumia peeks through the doorway as you start checking the other rooms, and she quickly joins you. You check the kitchen. No one's in there. No one's in the bathroom, either; the door isn't even locked. There's some room that you suspect is Keine's bedroom, but there's obviously no one in there. You go into the room where you'd eat your meals and see Kouyoshi curled up on the floor, asleep. It looks like Keine went through the trouble of moving the table to the side of the room and laying out a futon for her, at least.
> _
-
> Put a finger to our mouth towards Rumia, and creep up? Is she dead asleep? Can we curl up in her tail, us and Rumia, without waking her up?
-
> Put a finger to our mouth towards Rumia, and creep up? Is she dead asleep? Can we curl up in her tail, us and Rumia, without waking her up?
> You motion for Rumia to keep quiet, and sneak towards Kouyoshi. She doesn't even stir when you approach her. If you and Rumia want to curl up in her tail, you'd have to move the blankets out of the way, and you don't know if that would wake her up or not.
> _
-
> Carefully lift the blanket...
-
> Carefully lift the blanket...
> You life the blanket as slowly as possible, so that you do not wake up Kouyoshi. She just keeps sleeping quietly, her tail and ears twitching every now and again. Rumia tiptoes into the room and stops a few feet away from the futon. She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it again and hugs her shoes to her chest.
> _
-
> Crawl underneath the blanket and use her tail as a pillow. Keep some space for Rumia.
-
> Crawl underneath the blanket and use her tail as a pillow. Keep some space for Rumia.
> It doesn't look like she'll wake up, so you crawl under the blanket and curl up against Kouyoshi's tail. Rumia stands there awkwardly for a few moments.
> "...What do I do?"
> _
-
> "Curl up and sleep. You DO sleep, right?"
-
> "Curl up and sleep. You DO sleep, right?"
> "Everyone sleeps, don't be ridiculous." Rumia pouts and drops her shoes on the floor. She then proceeds to crawl under the covers and bury her face in the nearest pillow.
> _
-
> Well fine, if she doesn't want the best pillow ever, then we'll have it all to ourselves~. Curl up into her tail and snooze~
-
>Whisper to her.
>"Don't you want to share the tail? It's comfyyyyyyy~"
>Obviously, the above post after this.
-
> Well fine, if she doesn't want the best pillow ever, then we'll have it all to ourselves~. Curl up into her tail and snooze~
>Whisper to her.
>"Don't you want to share the tail? It's comfyyyyyyy~"
>Obviously, the above post after this.
> More for you!
> You curl up into Kouyoshi's tail. It's so warm...Does Rumia really not want this?
> Rumia peeks out from behind the pillow and wriggles over next to you until she too is curled up next to Kouyoshi's tail. She rests her head on the fur and closes her eyes, sighing contentedly.
> ...
> You're standing somewhere outside, on a plain. You feel taller and older, and very unlike yourself, as though you're watching from someone else's eyes. Still, you feel the familiar handle of the katana in your hand, and the ribbon that holds your hair in a ponytail. There's a breeze for the briefest moment, and then you look away from the sky. There are bodies on the ground, leaving rusty stains in the brittle grass. They're all faceless and mutiliated, many with spears and arrows stuck in them, others missing limbs. All bear helmets and plates of armor. Somewhere in the distance, you hear an agonized wail.
> You take one heavy step forward, and then another. You try to take one more, only to find that you cannot do it. You hear footsteps behind you, and the clanking of armor, and voices. They're saying something unintelligible, everything sounds kind of fuzzy...
> ...
> _
-
> Turn around to see who's talking to us.
-
> Turn around to see who's talking to us.
> There are some soldiers. They're humans, like you are. You don't understand what they're saying, because they're too quiet...
> Huh, they look like they're from Mayohiga...?
> ...
> ...
> ...You're awake.
> _
-
>Blink.
>Take in our surroundings.
>What time is it?
-
>Blink.
>Take in our surroundings.
>What time is it?
> You open your eyes. It's still dark.
> It's still dark outside, so it's probably still really early...or you couldn't have spent much time asleep at all. Kouyoshi is still fast asleep, though, and it looks like Rumia isn't awake, either.
> _
-
> Bah, just a scary dream. Mr. Frog wasn't there to help us.
> Go back to sleep. Snuggle~
-
> Bah, just a scary dream. Mr. Frog wasn't there to help us.
> Go back to sleep. Snuggle~
> It was just a dream, couldn't have been anything important.
> You snuggle back under the covers and let yourself fall back asleep.
> ...
> ...
> Someone is shaking you.
> _
-
>"Huh?"
>Open our eyes. Who is it?
-
>"Huh?"
>Open our eyes. Who is it?
> You open your eyes to see Rumia shaking you by the shoulders. Her hair and clothes look a bit disheveled from sleeping, but she looks wide awake.
> "I'm hungry."
> _
-
> "Mmmph... fine..."
> Crawl out from underneath the blanket and yawn, then check on Kouyoshi. Is she still sleeping?
-
> "Mmmph... fine..."
> Crawl out from underneath the blanket and yawn, then check on Kouyoshi. Is she still sleeping?
> You slept so soundly, too...
> You leave the futon and take a look at Kouyoshi. She's still asleep.
> Now that you're out of the futon, you see light spilling in through the curtained windows. How long were you asleep?
> _
-
> Kneel down and shake Kouyoshi's shoulder. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, wake up. It's morning."
-
> Kneel down and shake Kouyoshi's shoulder. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, wake up. It's morning."
> You shake Kouyoshi awake. She looks up at you with bleary eyes, and then stretches her arms.
> "Nnnngh...When did I fall a-asleeep..." Her sentence ends with a huge yawn, and she covers her mouth.
> _
-
>"No idea, you were asleep when I got back inside."
>..Oh, that's right, we were gonna ask Keine about a Yukata for Rumia later. Maybe she can make one for Kouyoshi too!
-
>"No idea, you were asleep when I got back inside."
>..Oh, that's right, we were gonna ask Keine about a Yukata for Rumia later. Maybe she can make one for Kouyoshi too!
> "Oh..." Kouyoshi starts running her fingers through her tail. "When did you get back?"
> You recall why you invited Rumia in: you were going to get Keine to make a yukata for her.
> Hm...maybe Kouyoshi, too, now that you think about it.
> _
-
>When did we get back in anyhow?
-
>When did we get back in anyhow?
> It was during the night.
> _
-
> "I trained until it was dark! Then me 'n Rumia came in and slept. Hey, hey, breakfast! Rumia's hungry!"
-
> "I trained until it was dark! Then me 'n Rumia came in and slept. Hey, hey, breakfast! Rumia's hungry!"
> Kouyoshi keeps grooming her tail. "I ended up getting tired and fell asleep before then, I guess..." She glances over at Rumia, who is starting to drool. "Yeah, better get something for her to eat..."
> _
-
> Scamper down to the kitchen! What can we make... do we have eggs?
-
>If we have eggs, make omelets for everyone!
>And be sure to put a little extra meat in Rumia's, she seems like the sort to appreciate it.
-
> Scamper down to the kitchen! What can we make... do we have eggs?
>If we have eggs, make omelets for everyone!
>And be sure to put a little extra meat in Rumia's, she seems like the sort to appreciate it.
> You head down to the kitchen, feeling in the mood for omelets. You don't know how to make them, but you've watched mother do it, so it can't be that hard.
> Rumia comes into the kitchen to watch, drooling, as you crack eggs over the pan. She looks even more fixated on the eggs when you add some meat into the omelet you're making for her, and by the time they're close to being done, she looks like she's going to attack you and the eggs.
> "Is it ready yeeet?"
> _
-
> "Allllmost~!"
> When it's done, put Rumia's omlette on a plate... then hold it over our head, to tease her. "Hee hee!"
-
> "Allllmost~!"
> When it's done, put Rumia's omlette on a plate... then hold it over our head, to tease her. "Hee hee!"
> Rumia sighs.
> When you've gotten the omelet on a plate, you wave it over Rumia's head. She gazes at it longingly for a few moments.
> "Ahh, give it to me!" She leaps at the plate with an almost animalistic look in her eyes. Her sharp teeth gnash together as she grabs for the omelet.
> _
-
> Squeak, and run!
> Ahahahaha!
-
> Squeak, and run!
> Ahahahaha!
> You run for it, somehow managing to balance the omelet at the same time. Rumia practically skitters along the floor, drooling. Kouyoshi pokes her head out of the doorway and watches the two of you run down the hall, and then heads off towards the kitchen.
> Rumia makes one flying leap at you, but loses her balance and falls flat on her face.
> "Owowow..."
> _
-
>Head back to her and help her up.
>"Hehehe...Sorry about that Rumia, I couldn't help but mess with you a bit. You just looked so cute with how you were going after it. Food's serious business for you huh?"
>Give her the omelet.
-
>Head back to her and help her up.
>"Hehehe...Sorry about that Rumia, I couldn't help but mess with you a bit. You just looked so cute with how you were going after it. Food's serious business for you huh?"
>Give her the omelet.
> You go back to help Rumia off the floor. She groans and frowns at you.
> "Food is really cool," she pouts. She takes the omelet from you and proceeds to stuff the whole thing into her mouth, leaving the plate empty.
> _
-
> "Woah, wait! Aren't you gonna chew, or take smaller bites?!"
-
> "Woah, wait! Aren't you gonna chew, or take smaller bites?!"
> Rumia nods as she starts chewing the omelette. Soon enough, she has completely swallowed it.
> "Phew...that was good, a bit meaty, though." She licks her lips.
> _
-
> "Woah... I was afraid you were gonna choke!"
> ... Wait! Our own omelette! Run back to the kitchen!
-
> "Woah... I was afraid you were gonna choke!"
> ... Wait! Our own omelette! Run back to the kitchen!
> "It's fine," Rumia says. "I--"
> She doesn't get a chance to finish her sentence, as you race back to the kitchen to check on your own omelette.
> When you reach the kitchen, you see Kouyoshi putting the remaining omelettes on plates. The pan has been moved from the stove, which has been turned off.
> "What were you guys doing?" Kouyoshi asks.
> _
-
> "Um... breakfast!"
> Look at the omlettes, are they still good?
-
> "Um... breakfast!"
> Look at the omlettes, are they still good?
> "Pretty energetic for breakfast."
> You take a look at the omelettes. Of course they're still good to eat.
> _
-
> "Yep! The best part of waking up is omlettes in your belly~!"
> Let's eat!
-
> "Yep! The best part of waking up is omlettes in your belly~!"
> Let's eat!
> You take your omelettes back to the table room and dig in. You think you've done a pretty good job with them; in fact, your cooking seems to have improved a bit.
> Kouyoshi still seems a little tired, but it doesn't take long for her to finish eating.
> _
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, you gotta wake up! We're going on an adventure today!"
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, you gotta wake up! We're going on an adventure today!"
> Kouyoshi smacks her face a few times.
> "Right, right, we're going to that Chapel place today, aren't we?"
> _
-
> "Yeah, yeah!"
> Let's make sure everything is packed!
-
> "Yeah, yeah!"
> Let's make sure everything is packed!
> You check your satchel to make sure you have everything. Fishing rod, katana, bed roll, onigiri, the first aid kit from Mokou...it's all there.
> _
-
> "Oh! Is Keine awake? I was gonna ask her something!"
-
> "Oh! Is Keine awake? I was gonna ask her something!"
> "Huh?" Kouyoshi's ears flicker. "I don't know. She probably is at this point."
> _
-
>Awright.
>"Hey, Kouyoshi. Do you have a Yukata? I was thinking that once everything's been taken care of, we'd all go that harvest festival thingy here. You, Me, and Rumia....And maybe any other friends we end up making along the way!"
-
>Awright.
>"Hey, Kouyoshi. Do you have a Yukata? I was thinking that once everything's been taken care of, we'd all go that harvest festival thingy here. You, Me, and Rumia....And maybe any other friends we end up making along the way!"
> Kouyoshi blinks. "Um...maybe I have one at home, I'd have to go back home to get one."
> _
-
>"Well, if you end up not having one, maybe we could talk Keine into making you one? Because I really like the one she made for me."
>Did we make an Omelet for Keine? We should probably do that if we haven't.
>"Oh yeah! I was gonna ask if she could make one for Rumia, designed to her liking. But I wonder how hard it'd be to get the materials..."
-
>"Well, if you end up not having one, maybe we could talk Keine into making you one? Because I really like the one she made for me."
>Did we make an Omelet for Keine? We should probably do that if we haven't.
>"Oh yeah! I was gonna ask if she could make one for Rumia, designed to her liking. But I wonder how hard it'd be to get the materials..."
> Kouyoshi nods. "That wouldn't be too bad."
> You didn't make anything for Keine. You should probably do that for her; she's been letting you stay here and all, after all.
> "Um, you'd just need the right fabric and dyes, I guess."
> _
-
> "Keine has lots of fabric! She could do it!"
> Let's make an omelette for Keine, and then bring it to her!
-
>"I tell ya, if she wasn't a teacher, she could really do great as a tailor or something~"
>Let's get to that, and really give it the works! Veggies, meat, give it our all to make it for her!
-
>Let's get to that, and really give it the works! Veggies, meat, give it our all to make it for her!
> Let's not: we don't know her tastes...
-
Good point, but we should still give it our all to make it, we'll surpass even the one we made for Rumia!
-
> "Keine has lots of fabric! She could do it!"
> Let's make an omelette for Keine, and then bring it to her!
> "Ah."
> You head back into the kitchen and make another omelette for Keine. It doesn't take as long as before.
> As you head down the hallway, you hear a scratching sound coming from the study.
> _
-
> She's still writing?! Woaaaah...
> Peek inside. "Keine-sensei! Breakfast!"
-
> She's still writing?! Woaaaah...
> Peek inside. "Keine-sensei! Breakfast!"
> How can she keep going at it like this?
> You peek inside the study.
> Keine is bent over the table scrawling something in a book, glancing every now at then at the other materials spread out before her. She looks extremely disheveled, both her clothes and hair. Her hat is askew on her head, and she has bags under her eyes.
> _
-
> Frown, and come inside. "Sensei! Breakfast!"
> Stick the plate in front of her nose.
-
> Frown, and come inside. "Sensei! Breakfast!"
> Stick the plate in front of her nose.
> Keine doesn't pay attention to you.
> You stick the plate under her nose, and she leaps up.
> "Ah! What?!"
> _
-
>Sigh. She worries about Mokou, and now we're worrying about her? This is gonna get confusing if we make anyone worry about us. Because in that way, we're indirectly worrying about Mokou.
>Proceed to have minor headache over that brain-straining chain of thought, then shake it off.
>"You were up all night doing this? Oh yeah, I made breakfast."
-
>Sigh. She worries about Mokou, and now we're worrying about her? This is gonna get confusing if we make anyone worry about us. Because in that way, we're indirectly worrying about Mokou.
>Proceed to have minor headache over that brain-straining chain of thought, then shake it off.
>"You were up all night doing this? Oh yeah, I made breakfast."
> This could get hairy...
> You shake out the tangles in your brain and offer Keine the omelette. She stares at it, and then at you, as if you grew another head out of your head.
> "What? Oh, thank you."
> _
-
> "Why were you up so late? Are you gonna sleep all day?"
> "Anyways, we're gonna leave for that Chapel soon, 'kay?"
-
"What are you writing? Must be important."
How could she get stuck writing all night, its like when father would do sword drills.
-
> "Why were you up so late? Are you gonna sleep all day?"
> "Anyways, we're gonna leave for that Chapel soon, 'kay?"
> Keine shakes her head. "It's nothing. I won't be sleeping. Stay safe."
"What are you writing? Must be important."
How could she get stuck writing all night, its like when father would do sword drills.
> "Ah, this..." She looks back at the writing on the table. "Miscellaneous things here and there...revisions..."
> That's serious dedication.
> _
-
> "You should sleep! You might get into a writing accident and hurt yourself!"
> We'll not ask about the yukatas: she might go crazy and decide to sew herself to them or something.
-
> "You should sleep! You might get into a writing accident and hurt yourself!"
> We'll not ask about the yukatas: she might go crazy and decide to sew herself to them or something.
> "I'll see about that later," Keine says. She sits back down with the omelette.
> You decide not to ask about the yukatas; she might hurt herself.
> _
-
> Puff up our cheeks. "Fine! Jeez, you and Mokou are both too crazy!" Reckless!
> Bound down the stairs to where the packs are. "Keine didn't go to sleep!"
-
> Puff up our cheeks. "Fine! Jeez, you and Mokou are both too crazy!" Reckless!
> Bound down the stairs to where the packs are. "Keine didn't go to sleep!"
> Keine has already gone back to writing.
> You head back downstairs, still fuming about Keine and Mokou. Along the way, Rumia emerges from one of the rooms and follows you down, followed by Kouyoshi.
> "What's she doing in there?" Kouyoshi asks.
> _
-
"Writing, writing, and more writing!"
-
"Writing, writing, and more writing!"
> "Surely she didn't do that all throughout the night."
> _
-
>"Going by how she looked, I'm pretty sure she did that. Her hair was all over the place, and she looked like she hasn't slept any either!"
-
>"Going by how she looked, I'm pretty sure she did that. Her hair was all over the place, and she looked like she hasn't slept any either!"
> Kouyoshi puts on her hat, pulling the brim over her eyes. "Whoa..."
> _
-
>"There were a lot of scrolls all over the place, when I saw her last night she was writing about the Kappa. Wonder what she's writing about now?"
>There can't be that many things to write about can there? Even for a teacher. So even if she went by the alphabet, she'd only get so far before running out of things to write about....right?
>Unless she ended up writing stories, that's a pretty nice thought, if a bit unnerving because of the fierce dedication. Losing sleep just to write about things is just silly.
-
>"There were a lot of scrolls all over the place, when I saw her last night she was writing about the Kappa. Wonder what she's writing about now?"
>There can't be that many things to write about can there? Even for a teacher. So even if she went by the alphabet, she'd only get so far before running out of things to write about....right?
>Unless she ended up writing stories, that's a pretty nice thought, if a bit unnerving because of the fierce dedication. Losing sleep just to write about things is just silly.
> She could be writing about anything by now. Who knows, she could just be writing about kappa...if there's even that much to write about. Then again, even if there was more to write about, there couldn't be so much that it'd take up an entire room. She could be writing stories; that would be fun, but it's nothing to lose sleep over.
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "Dunno."
> Meanwhile, Rumia is putting on her shoes.
> _
-
>Ah, we should be getting ready too!
>"I'd go back and ask, but she barely even noticed me until I shoved the omelet I made for her right in front of her face. Then she kinda freaked out a little bit."
-
>Ah, we should be getting ready too!
>"I'd go back and ask, but she barely even noticed me until I shoved the omelet I made for her right in front of her face. Then she kinda freaked out a little bit."
> You should probably get ready to head out. It's going to be a long trip.
> "Might as well leave her alone, then," Kouyoshi says.
> _
-
> Get our stuff packed up, our geta on, and go outside!
> "Ready?"
-
> Get our stuff packed up, our geta on, and go outside!
> "Ready?"
> You put on your shoes and double check to make sure you have everything. It's all there, you should be set.
> You and Kouyoshi leave the schoolhouse. There isn't a single cloud in the sky; the sun beats down from high in the sky, and villagers roam the streets. You must have slept in longer than you thought.
> Kouyoshi looks in the general direction of the streets, and her ears and tail vanish.
> _
-
> Wave bye to Rumia. "We'll be back in a day or two!"
> "Come on, Kouyoshi! Let's go!" Head off!
-
> Wave bye to Rumia. "We'll be back in a day or two!"
> "Come on, Kouyoshi! Let's go!" Head off!
> Rumia waves. "Bye bye!"
> You and Kouyoshi leave the schoolhouse, and walk away through the village. Everyone seems to be going about their business as usual; however, there are still people going out into the fields to harvest and care for the crops. Heading through the fields, you see the flock of sheep again. There's a very hairy black and brown dog with white paws herding them into formation, away from the forest. Somewhere at the end of the flock is a shepard, but you don't see him very well.
> No one pays the two of you much mind as you pass through the crop fields, eventually bypassing that and heading for the Forest of Magic. Youkai Mountain looms high above you, farther off in the distance. Even farther out are more mountains, a solemn reminder of what you'll have to be going through to get to the Chapel. You pass through one last wheat field, and enter the Forest of Magic.
> Even during the day, the Forest of Magic is ominously dark. Every now and then you see a faerie or three, and many, many hairballs. They're just hairballs with surprised expressions, for some reason. They're like dandelion seeds, floating through the forest. With the sunlight filtering through the canopy onto grassy floor, the whole forest looks very pretty. At one point, Kouyoshi says that it's because most youkai are nocturnal.
> A few hours pass, and the canopy grows thicker, until the sunlight has been almost completely blacked out.
> _
-
> "Hey, hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi. What're those hairballs? They looked so surprised at us!"
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
-
>"They looked kinda cute. Do youkai or something keep 'em as pets?"
-
> "Hey, hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi. What're those hairballs? They looked so surprised at us!"
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
>"They looked kinda cute. Do youkai or something keep 'em as pets?"
> Kouyoshi reaches out for one of the hairballs, and it lands on her finger. She walks with it for a few moments, arm outstretched, before gently flicking it off. It goes tumbling back towards its kin.
> "They're kind of like tumbleweeds. They're generally harmless, but if you provoke one they'll swarm you en masse," Kouyoshi says. "They always have that shocked expression, and I've never seen anyone domesticate them. They probably wouldn't even be good to eat. They're just fur, hair, dust, things like that, as far as I can tell. What were their names again...?"
> Walking...walking...The ground is laced with roots here, and there seem to be even more of these hairballs...
> _
-
> "Ohhh... I bet it wouldn't be good if you were allergic!"
> Be careful of those roots! Don't want to trip!
-
> "Ohhh... I bet it wouldn't be good if you were allergic!"
> Be careful of those roots! Don't want to trip!
> "You're not allergic, are you?"
> You take care to avoid any roots on the ground. It's a little difficult, given that you're carrying a lot, but you don't trip.
> You're starting to see the hairballs all over the place, now. This is kind of odd...
> Meanwhile, Kouyoshi glances over at you and asks, "Want me to carry some of that? That looks heavy."
> _
-
> "No, I'm fine... but there's a lot of them..."
> Keep on trucking.
-
> "No, I'm fine... but there's a lot of them..."
> Keep on trucking.
> "Okay, then."
> The two of you keep walking. The hairballs are starting to get closer to you...it's because they're all over the place, but soon they're rubbing up against you, making it hard to move forward. The hairballs have even crowded in Kouyoshi's hat. They also seem to be varying in size, now; there are bigger ones appearing...
> _
-
> "Hey, cut it out!"
> Cup our hands and form some fire! Maybe that'll scare them away!
-
> "Hey, cut it out!"
> Cup our hands and form some fire! Maybe that'll scare them away!
> You conjure up some fire, trying to scare the hairballs away. At once they start scrambling about in the air and on the ground, rustling and bumping up against each other. One of the hairballs brushes against your hand, and catches fire. It screeches as it flails around, knocking into another one and singing its fur, and soon they're all screaming and flailing around in the air. Kouyoshi is holding on to her hat and swatting them away. The screaming sounds terrible...
> _
-
> "Ah! Sorry! Sorry!"
> Aaaaaa we didn't mean tooo...!
-
> "Ah! Sorry! Sorry!"
> Aaaaaa we didn't mean tooo...!
> Oh, no...
> The hairball seems to have put itself out by rolling around on the grass, but it's still squealing in pain. It looks a bit burnt.
> _
-
> Let go of the fire and pick up the poor hairball. "Sorry!"
-
Try to make water or cold. We don't want to be like the yokai that burned our village!
-
> Let go of the fire and pick up the poor hairball. "Sorry!"
Try to make water or cold. We don't want to be like the yokai that burned our village!
> You let the fire die out and pick up the hairball. It just lays there in your hands, squeaking.
> You try to create the opposite of fire, water or cold, but you barely get any out. The hairball seems like it's doing a little better, but...you don't want to end up being able to produce only fire.
> _
-
>"....I don't want to just be able to make fire Kouyoshi. Seeing this reminded me of home..."
>Well, there's only one thing for it, we keep the fuzzball with us until either it heals on it's own, or we find someone who can help it.
-
>"....I don't want to just be able to make fire Kouyoshi. Seeing this reminded me of home..."
>Well, there's only one thing for it, we keep the fuzzball with us until either it heals on it's own, or we find someone who can help it.
> You hear Kouyoshi from somewhere inside a cluster of hairballs.
> "If you were able to pick up magic as quickly as you did, it shouldn't be a problem." Her voice is a little muffled.
> If the hairball doesn't heal fast enough, you either keep it or find someone to help it.
> _
-
> Hold the hairball close to us and try to shoo the others away from Kouyoshi. "Shoo, shoo! Get your own tanuki!"
-
> Hold the hairball close to us and try to shoo the others away from Kouyoshi. "Shoo, shoo! Get your own tanuki!"
> You take the hairball in your arms. It's about the size of a large apple, and soft enough that you don't mind holding it as you wave away the other hairballs. When they've scattered, you see Kouyoshi laying on the ground with hairballs clinging to her like burs. She looks a bit disgruntled.
> "Thanks for that." She stands up and starts plucking the hairballs off her.
> _
-
> Help her get the fuzzballs off.
> "Come on, let's hurry up before they decide to swarm again!"
-
> Help her get the fuzzballs off.
> "Come on, let's hurry up before they decide to swarm again!"
> You pluck a few hairballs off her sleeve. Running would be a good idea right now...
> Kouyoshi looks around at the hairballs, still milling around. "Uh-huh."
> _
-
> Let's go, then! Run run run!
-
> Let's go, then! Run run run!
> You and Kouyoshi run for it, tearing past the hairballs and into the trees. After a while, you've left the hairballs behind.
> Of course, you're still holding the one you accidentally burnt.
> _
-
> Check on it. Is it all right? "Poor thing. I'm really sorry."
-
> Check on it. Is it all right? "Poor thing. I'm really sorry."
> You check on the hairball. The little thing stares at you with slightly burnt fur and a permanently shocked expression.
> "Miiiiii~"
> _
-
>"Aww...You're a cute little guy aren't you?"
>Pet the fuzzball.
-
>"Aww...You're a cute little guy aren't you?"
>Pet the fuzzball.
> You pet the hairball, and it starts squealing.
> "Did it seriously say 'mii'?" Kouyoshi leans over to get a better look at the hairball.
> _
-
>"Y-yeah. It did. I didn't know these things could do anything close to talking."
>Is the squealing pain? or happiness?
-
>"Y-yeah. It did. I didn't know these things could do anything close to talking."
>Is the squealing pain? or happiness?
> "Eh, who knows what they could do." Kouyoshi pokes the hairball, and it squirms.
> You can't really tell.
> _
-
> We'll assume it's happiness.
> "Well, let's go, Mii!"
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
-
> We'll assume it's happiness.
> "Well, let's go, Mii!"
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
> You deem these squeals to be that of happiness, and dub the hairball "Mii".
> The two of you plus Mii continue walking. Time seems to stretch out endlessly; the walk continues in relative silence, although having Mii in your arms certainly keeps you entertained. When you pass by tall plants, it reaches out and bites off leaves, chomping on them loudly. Kouyoshi says something about their eating habits, and you continue on.
> The trees are starting to thin out. You feel a pleasantly cool breeze.
> _
-
> Pluck some leaves for Mii and feed them to... her! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do you think we're close?"
-
> Pluck some leaves for Mii and feed them to... her! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do you think we're close?"
> You feed Mii some leaves. Where does she put it all?
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "To the end of the forest? Looks like."
> _
-
> "I feel a breeze! Let's see where we are!"
> Continue on!
-
> "I feel a breeze! Let's see where we are!"
> Continue on!
> You run ahead, passing by the trees and finally emerging from the forest.
> It's a wheat field. A huge, rolling ocean of gold. The cloudier sky is exposed here. Youkai Mountain is so close that when you look up, you can't even see the top. It looks like a giant here.
> Somewhere in the distance you can the outline of trees.
> _
-
"Wow, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi you got to see this!"
-
"Wow, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi you got to see this!"
> Kouyoshi emerges from the trees and joins you in looking at the vast landscape. Her jaw drops a little.
> "...Wow."
> _
-
> Run into the field! Hee hee!
> "Enough wheat for lots of bread! Like, hundreds of loafs!"
-
> Run into the field! Hee hee!
> "Enough wheat for lots of bread! Like, hundreds of loafs!"
> You could feed everyone in Gensokyo with this kind of wheat!
> You race into the field. The wheat is tall and feels good as you brush past it. Youkai Mountain is nearby, but you don't feel afraid of it at all.
> _
-
> Laugh."Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, come on!"
> Race through the wheat! We could get lost in this!
-
> Laugh."Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, come on!"
> Race through the wheat! We could get lost in this!
> "Ah." Kouyoshi holds on to her hat as she follows you into the wheat field.
> You keep running; you could keep this up for hours. It's just wheat, wheat everywhere, and perfectly flat ground. You could keep going, or try moving closer to the mountain if you wanted. The wheat gets pretty close.
> _
-
> Um... we were supposed to go around the mountain, right? Let's not get closer: we don't want kappa
throwing taking our souls.
-
> Um... we were supposed to go around the mountain, right? Let's not get closer: we don't want kappa throwing taking our souls.
> You don't have to climb the mountain to get to the Chapel. You can just go around it, right through this field of wheat...
> You hear footsteps coming up behind you, and Kouyoshi's voice.
> "Phew...I don't remember there being so much wheat here."
> _
-
> "It's harvest! Though... who planted all of this?"
> Let's keep walking! See if Mii will eat wheat!
-
> "It's harvest! Though... who planted all of this?"
> Let's keep walking! See if Mii will eat wheat!
> You keep walking and hold Mii out, to test if she'll eat any of the wheat. She nibbles at a nearby stalk and pauses for a moment before jumping out of your hands and starting to devour the rest of the wheat.
> "Beats me." Kouyoshi shrugs. "I don't see any buildings nearby."
> _
-
> "Oh, so maybe it's just wild wheat? Okay!"
> Let's keep going, but make sure that Mii's following.
-
> "Oh, so maybe it's just wild wheat? Okay!"
> Let's keep going, but make sure that Mii's following.
> "That'd be more believeable."
> You keep walking through the wheat, taking care to make sure that Mii doesn't leave your sight. After a while, you think you see something in the distance. It looks a bit like a person.
> _
-
> Whisper. "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! There's someone!" Point!
-
> Whisper. "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! There's someone!" Point!
> Kouyoshi squints. "All the way out there?"
> She steps forward, and hesitates.
> _
-
"We should say who we are, right?" we ask our Tanuki Friend.
-
> Try to get a better look at the other person. Can we make out any features?
-
"We should say who we are, right?" we ask our Tanuki Friend.
> "Why?"
> Try to get a better look at the other person. Can we make out any features?
> You try seeing if you can make out any details. You think you see arms, and a head.
> _
-
>Any legs or tail on that figure?
-
> "Um... well, we should, if they try to talk to us, right?"
> Try to catch Mii, and keep moving, keeping an eye on that person.
>Any legs or tail on that figure?
Judging by the fact that we're a six year old in the middle of a wheat field? We're lucky that we can even see their head, there's no way we can see their body through the wheat stalks.
-
"So they know that we aren't trying to an-ambush, them?"
-
"So they know that we aren't trying to an-ambush, them?"
> Not this: why would we even think about ambushing anyone, anyways?
-
>Any legs or tail on that figure?
> You can't tell from where you're standing. They're pretty far away, and there's a lot of wheat...
> "Um... well, we should, if they try to talk to us, right?"
> Try to catch Mii, and keep moving, keeping an eye on that person.
> "I don't think they'd hear us from here," Kouyoshi says.
> You catch Mii while she's distracted with another stalk of wheat, and keep moving forward. The person doesn't seem to be moving from where they are.
> _
-
> Just keep moving. Are they in between us and our destination? We won't really deviate our course, but we'll be extra careful around them.
-
> Not this: why would we even think about ambushing anyone, anyways?
> Because we don't want some one acedently exterminating us..? hmm maybe I am making this a bit too dark.
-
> Just keep moving. Are they in between us and our destination? We won't really deviate our course, but we'll be extra careful around them.
> Even as you get closer, they don't move. They're not exactly in the way; you could easily go around them. You're still suspicious, though.
> As you get closer, you think you see a hat on them. Maybe.
> _
-
> Keep walking, but hop up a little to see that hat. What does it look like? Is it cool like Kouyoshi's hat?
-
> Keep walking, but hop up a little to see that hat. What does it look like? Is it cool like Kouyoshi's hat?
> You try to hop above the wheat to see the hat better. It seems to have a wide brim.
> _
-
> Huh. Keep moving through the wheat.
-
> Huh. Keep moving through the wheat.
> You keep walking closer. As the person gets closer to sight, they look a little limp where they're standing. Are they okay?
> _
-
> "Ah. Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do they look all right?"
> We don't want to just walk past someone that's hurt...
-
> "Ah. Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do they look all right?"
> We don't want to just walk past someone that's hurt...
> Kouyoshi tilts her head. "Well, their arms are outstretched, I guess they're at least strong enough for that...?"
> Injured people wouldn't hurt you, and besides, they'd need medical care.
> _
-
> "Wait, like what Rumia likes to do?"
> Hop up to try to see them.
> ... Climb on top of Kouyoshi to see them.
-
> "Wait, like what Rumia likes to do?"
> Hop up to try to see them.
> ... Climb on top of Kouyoshi to see them.
> "Yeah, exactly like that."
> You hop up and down, but you still can't see them properly.
> ...
> "Aii! What are you doing?!" Kouyoshi squawks in protest as you climb up her tail and onto her shoulders to get a better view. You can see the person better, now. They have short hair, and are wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long-sleeved shirt. Their outstretched arms are held in place by a long pole, attached to another one going down their back. Why would they need that?
> _
-
> "Huh... hey, let's go talk to them. I wonder why they have that pole in their shirt!"
> Slip off of Kouyoshi, and run over!
-
> "Huh... hey, let's go talk to them. I wonder why they have that pole in their shirt!"
> Slip off of Kouyoshi, and run over!
> You jump off Kouyoshi and run over to the person. Kouyoshi pauses to rub her shoulders before going after you.
> As you get closer, you see that the person's lower half is obscured by the wheat. They make no indication that they've seen you.
> _
-
> Okay, that's a bit rude. "Hello? Do you need help?"
> Keep walking towards the person.
-
> Okay, that's a bit rude. "Hello? Do you need help?"
> Keep walking towards the person.
> It's not like they don't have an excuse to not respond to you.
> You keep walking towards them. As you get closer, you see hay poking out of their shirt, and...where are their legs?
> _
-
>"Is this a youkai?" Ask Kouyoshi when she is in range.
-
>"Is this a youkai?" Ask Kouyoshi when she is in range.
> Kouyoshi finally reaches the thing, but when she gets a good look at it, her expression becomes one of confusion.
> "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before." She sidles around in front of it. "It doesn't really have much of a face."
> _
-
>Poke it
-
>Poke it
> You poke it. It feels strangely soft.
> _
-
>Puzzled headtilt.
>"...It's soft. So weird! Hey, Kouyoshi! It's soft! Isn't that weird?"
-
>Puzzled headtilt.
>"...It's soft. So weird! Hey, Kouyoshi! It's soft! Isn't that weird?"
> That's odd.
> "Isn't it normal for living things to be soft?" Kouyoshi takes one of the arms of the person and gives it an experimental squeeze. "...Huh. That's not the kind of soft I was thinking of, though."
> She then proceeds to rip away at the fabric of the shirt.
> _
-
> Flail arms. "Aaaah! What are you doing?! You're stripping them!"
-
> Flail arms. "Aaaah! What are you doing?! You're stripping them!"
> Kouyoshi ignores your protests and rips away a sleeve. Straw comes pouring out of the opening she has torn in the fabric, falling onto the ground. At this, Kouyoshi stops and stands there with the torn fabric in her hand, staring at the destroyed arm.
> "I knew something was off. This isn't even flesh and blood."
> _
-
> "... Oh. What the heck is it?"
-
> "... Oh. What the heck is it?"
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "No idea. Any guesses?"
> _
-
> "Um... Mister Straw Man?"
> Poke at Mister Straw Man.
-
> "Um... Mister Straw Man?"
> Poke at Mister Straw Man.
> You hesitantly address the straw man, but he doesn't answer. He doesn't even respond when you poke him.
> Meanwhile, Mii had jumped out of your arms and is busy eating the straw that has fallen on the ground.
> _
-
> "Huh... he's like a doll... what should we do?"
> Pick up Mii. "Hey, don't eat his insides!"
-
> "Huh... he's like a doll... what should we do?"
> Pick up Mii. "Hey, don't eat his insides!"
> "M-maybe we should put his arm back." The corners of Kouyoshi's mouth turn down slightly. "I just acted without thinking; I hope he isn't too badly hurt."
> You grab Mii away from the straw, and she immediately starts shrieking. Kouyoshi's ears are pinned to her head.
> _
-
> "Aaah! Be quiet, Mii!" Stuff some wheat in her mouth!
-
> "Aaah! Be quiet, Mii!" Stuff some wheat in her mouth!
> While Mii is still screaming, you pluck some wheat and stuff it in her mouth. She settles down, and opts for chewing noisily on the wheat.
> _
-
> Lean down, grab some of that straw, and put it back inside Mister Straw Man. "Um... sorry about that... Should we go?"
-
> Lean down, grab some of that straw, and put it back inside Mister Straw Man. "Um... sorry about that... Should we go?"
> You gather up as much straw as you can, and try to patch up the straw man's arm. He doesn't respond to you at all, or the fact that his left arm is still in tatters.
> _
-
> Um... do we have a strip of cloth, so we can bandage it?
-
> Um... do we have a strip of cloth, so we can bandage it?
> No, unless you rip off a part of one of your clothes.
> _
-
> We don't want to do that... Let's just try to tie his sleeve up.
-
> We don't want to do that... Let's just try to tie his sleeve up.
> You'd rather not ruin your clothes, especially not the ones Keine made for you.
> You settle for tying up the straw man's sleeve instead. It's an improvement, at least...
> _
-
> Well ... nothing to do but keep going.
-
> Well ... nothing to do but keep going.
> You don't know what else you can do.
> As the two of you start walking away, Kouyoshi glances back.
> "I'm going to have to find out what he is later..."
> _
-
>"Yeah, I wanna know too!"
>How's Mii doing? Still keeping up with us?
-
>"Yeah, I wanna know too!"
>How's Mii doing? Still keeping up with us?
> You check up on Mii. You're still holding her, so you don't have to worry much about losing her.
> _
-
> "Maybe he's a youkai that sleeps during the day?" Frown. "Ooh... he's not going to be happy when he wakes up."
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
-
> "Maybe he's a youkai that sleeps during the day?" Frown. "Ooh... he's not going to be happy when he wakes up."
> And we're walking, and we're walking...
> "We could take him," Kouyoshi says. "If he attacks us."
> You continue across the wheat field, with the mountain looming nearby. Eventually, you see the end of the field and the beginning of the next forest. You'd guess that it's later in the afternoon at this point, or at least it's less sunny.
> _
-
> "Aaaah... would he really? Oh, and it's lunch time!"
-
> "Aaaah... would he really? Oh, and it's lunch time!"
> "Maybe. He looked kind of stuck in the ground, though." Pause. "Already?"
> Come to think of it, it's already time for lunch. You can already hear your stomach growling.
> _
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, should we snack or stop for lunch? We got those riceballs!"
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, should we snack or stop for lunch? We got those riceballs!"
> Kouyoshi stops walking. "Might as well. It'd be less of a pain to eat out here than in the forest, anyway."
> _
-
> "Kaay!"
> Get out the riceballs! "One or two?" Make sure Mii doesn't eat any just yet!
-
> "Kaay!"
> Get out the riceballs! "One or two?" Make sure Mii doesn't eat any just yet!
> You retrieve the rice balls, keeping them a safe distance from Mii. It looks like they've been kept nice and safe in the paper wrapping.
> "Just one is fine."
> _
-
> Give Kouyoshi a rice ball, and take one for ourself. Put the others away.
> Take a bite!
-
> Give Kouyoshi a rice ball, and take one for ourself. Put the others away.
> Take a bite!
> You hand Kouyoshi a rice ball, and get one for yourself before putting the rest back in your satchel. Mii squeals in protest.
> You start eating. This one has some peach in it!
> _
-
> Pluck some rice and give it to Mii. "You've been eating all day!"
-
> Pluck some rice and give it to Mii. "You've been eating all day!"
> You feed some rice to Mii. Hopefully she won't try to eat all of your provisions.
> "Miiii." Mii's appetite appears to be sated, as she floats down to the ground.
> Kouyoshi's tail waves. "She spoke again."
> _
-
> "She did!" Chow down. Mmm~. "How'd you like it?"
-
> "She did!" Chow down. Mmm~. "How'd you like it?"
> You continue eating. There's not much of the rice ball, and you soon find that it's already halfway eaten.
> "It's good~" Kouyoshi's tail swishes back and forth as she licks rice off her fingers. "I want to make more of these sometime."
> _
-
> Chow down on the rest. "Mmm hmm!"
> If we had a tail, we'd totally swish it too.
-
> Chow down on the rest. "Mmm hmm!"
> If we had a tail, we'd totally swish it too.
> You finish eating the rice ball.
> You kind of wish you had a tail, too.
> Kouyoshi is already finished eating, and is occupying her time by poking Mii. The hairball squeaks a little, but makes no protest.
> _
-
> Stroke Mii's... uh... fluff.
> "Hey, are you ready?" Stand up and get ready!
-
> Stroke Mii's... uh... fluff.
> "Hey, are you ready?" Stand up and get ready!
> Mii is nothing but fluff, so there's really nothing you can't pet.
> "Mrrr." Mii rolls over on the ground.
> You stand up and gather your things. Kouyoshi wipes her hands on her skirt and stands up.
> "Yup." She looks up at the sky. "Probably a few hours to evening."
> _
-
> Pick up Mii. "Let's go, then."
> Onwards!
-
> Pick up Mii. "Let's go, then."
> Onwards!
> You retrieve Mii from the ground, and continue on.
> It doesn't take much longer to leave the wheat field, and soon you and Kouyoshi are approaching the edge of the next forest. The trees here are taller, and somehow it looks a little darker inside. Kouyoshi seems unfazed and keeps going, leaving behind the warm, open world of the wheat field for the towering trees.
> _
-
> Hesitate a bit, before running after Kouyoshi. Keep an eye out!
-
> Hesitate a bit, before running after Kouyoshi. Keep an eye out!
> You falter, before running in after Kouyoshi. It looks kind of scary in there...
> This forest, you think, reminds you a lot of the Forest of Magic, except it has a more wild element to it. The trees here are so tall and thick that you feel like a bug in comparison. Vines creep around everything: the tree trunks, and the roots jutting out of the ground. You see muchrooms at every level here, clustering in the foliage and circling the highest points of the tree trunks. Every now and then you see a sparrow flutter by, or see a snail clinging to a flower. It's almost pitch black in here, but your eyes adjust almost immediately to the darkness. Mii, on the other hand, takes to hiding in your satchel.
> It definitely takes more work getting through here, because the terrain has suddenly gotten more bumpy and filled with roots and ankle-high foliage. Kouyoshi proves to be surprisingly nimble, as she hops around the ground with ease. In comparison, you're much slower, and she keeps having to stop and wait for you.
> _
-
> Let's try to keep up! We don't want to slow her down!
-
> Let's try to keep up! We don't want to slow her down!
> You do your best to keep up, although Kouyoshi does end up slowing down to match your pace.
> _
-
> Ugh... we're going to have to get stronger!
> Keep going!
-
> Ugh... we're going to have to get stronger!
> Keep going!
> You're still pretty weak; you'll have to work harder.
> You keep going. Although you eventually get the hang of maneuvering the tree roots, you're starting to feel a little fatigued. Time passes and you start to hear bird calls in the trees every now and then. You can't see the sky through the trees, so you're not able to check the time, either.
> _
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, how much further do we have?"
> Keep a' walkin'.
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, how much further do we have?"
> Keep a' walkin'.
> Kouyoshi shakes her head. "I don't know."
> You keep going. You think you've gotten used to walking continuously at this point.
> "I wonder how close it is to night," Kouyoshi says. "Other youkai will start coming out then, maybe we could ask for directions."
> _
-
> "Other youkai...? What if they're mean youkai?"
-
> "Other youkai...? What if they're mean youkai?"
> "Yeah. Of course they're going to be here. We can always beat them back or run away if they cause any problems."
> _
-
> "Oh, okay." Yeah, we'll throw fire at them!
> Keep moving!
-
> "Oh, okay." Yeah, we'll throw fire at them!
> Keep moving!
> If they come near you, you'll set them on fire. That should scare them off.
> A lot of time passes. At least, it feels that way. The trees seem endless, and the ground just gets bumpier and bumpier until you're crossing hills and going through valleys. Eventually, you start hearing rustling in the bushes, and chattering sounds. It kind of reminds you of the whispering you heard back at Mayohiga.
> All of this walking is starting to wear you out. Even Kouyoshi has taken a seat on a tree root to catch her breath.
> _
-
>"Haaah"
>Try to find a comfortable branch and take a small rest. See if you can hear any anomalies in the sounds of the forest.
-
> Check status of Mii.
-
>"Haaah"
>Try to find a comfortable branch and take a small rest. See if you can hear any anomalies in the sounds of the forest.
> You take a seat on the nearest log. After hours of walking, just sitting down feels like heaven. You try to listen for any strange sounds in the forest, but you don't have to make much of an effort. The chattering and strange animalistic cries are as plain as day.
> Check status of Mii.
> You check to see how the little hairball's doing. She has fallen asleep in your satchel.
> _
-
> Shiver. They sound just like those sounds at the village...
> "Hey... where... where did those youkai come from...?"
-
> Shiver. They sound just like those sounds at the village...
> "Hey... where... where did those youkai come from...?"
> The sounds are uncomfortable reminders of Mayohiga. You can't help but shiver.
> Kouyoshi blinks. "Huh?"
> _
-
> "The ones that attacked Mayohiga... they came from somewhere, right? That kitsune didn't just open a youkai box or something, right?"
-
> "The ones that attacked Mayohiga... they came from somewhere, right? That kitsune didn't just open a youkai box or something, right?"
> "Oh, them." Kouyoshi hangs on the tree root, swinging back and forth. "They were from forests and mountains nearby."
> _
-
> "E-even this forest...?"
-
> "E-even this forest...?"
> "There are youkai everywhere," Kouyoshi says, still swinging. "It's Gensokyo, after all."
> _
-
> "Oh... I see..."
> As soon as we rest up, we're moving! Let's get to this chapel place, and fast!
-
> "Oh... I see..."
> As soon as we rest up, we're moving! Let's get to this chapel place, and fast!
> You wait a while until your feet stop hurting, and then the two of you continue on. As you walk, you start seeing shadows moving past the trees.
> It's still so dark as you continue on, and you have no idea what time it is. Nevertheless, you and Kouyoshi keep going.
> Eventually, the ground starts to slope down again.
> _
-
> Keep an eye on those shadows, and carefully go down the slope.
-
> Keep an eye on those shadows, and carefully go down the slope.
> You inch your way down the slope, keeping an eye on the shadows. All goes well, but when you finally reach the bottom, you start to hear flapping sounds.
> So does Kouyoshi, apparently. Her ears are perked up.
> _
-
>Flapping sounds... Possibly... a bat!?
>Shiver at the thought of bats.
-
>Flapping sounds... Possibly... a bat!?
>Shiver at the thought of bats.
> The last time you heard flapping sounds, you were ambushed by flying eyeballs. The memory sends chills up your spine.
> _
-
> "H-hey... do you hear th-that?"
> Keep walking, but get ready for a fight!
-
> "H-hey... do you hear th-that?"
> Keep walking, but get ready for a fight!
> Kouyoshi nods. "Sounds like wings."
> You keep walking, but the flapping sounds don't go away.
> You then hear a loud thud, and the trees shake. Kouyoshi stops dead in her tracks.
> "Huh?"
> _
-
> Jump, and get closer to Kouyoshi. Make sure our katana's ready to be used!
-
> Jump, and get closer to Kouyoshi. Make sure our katana's ready to be used!
> You walk closer to Kouyoshi. This can't be good.
> Kouyoshi is looking around as she walks, her ears twitching. There's another thud, and her ears droop.
> "Hey, I've heard of pretty big youkai being in the forest sometimes," Kouyoshi says. "What do you think they'd look like?"
> _
-
>"M-Maybe they're like that fox that burned down home..!"
>That's a pretty grim prospect come to think of it.
-
>"M-Maybe they're like that fox that burned down home..!"
>That's a pretty grim prospect come to think of it.
> Another thud.
> "I don't think kitsune can get that big," Kouyoshi reassures you. "I was thinking more along the lines of a giant skeleton youkai. Actually, I don't think they're here, but do you remember what they were called?"
> Taking down a kitsune the size of a house wouldn't be the best task in the world...
> _
-
>Giant Skeleton Youkai? Do we know of anything like that? Maybe from the stories we used to hear?
-
>Giant Skeleton Youkai? Do we know of anything like that? Maybe from the stories we used to hear?
> You think so. It was supposed to be another one of those really powerful youkai. Then again, anything that's bigger than normal would be somewhat intimidating.
> _
-
> "M-maybe we should keep going..."
-
> "M-maybe we should keep going..."
> "Yeah..."
> Kouyoshi starts walking again, but she keeps looking around as though something's going to jump out at her.
> _
-
> Let's follow, keeping our eyes out as well!
-
> Let's follow, keeping our eyes out as well!
> You follow Kouyoshi. Along the way, you keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
> For a split second, you think you see a huge shadow pass through the trees, but it's gone too fast for you to figure out what it was.
> The trees are starting to clear out, just a bit. You can see the darkening sky above you, now; it's already sunset.
> _
-
> Shiver. That was creepy...
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi... how much longer do we have...?"
-
> Shiver. That was creepy...
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi... how much longer do we have...?"
> That was pretty scary...
> "It can't be much farther."
> _
-
> "Kaaay." Keep walking, but keep an eye out, and a hand on our katana.
-
> "Kaaay." Keep walking, but keep an eye out, and a hand on our katana.
> You keep walking, keeping an eye on the trees and a hand on the katana.
> As you're crossing over a hill, you think you see a roof in the distance.
> _
-
> A roof? Move more quickly towards it!
-
> A roof? Move more quickly towards it!
> You run towards where you see the roof.
> You reach the top of the hill, and find yourself overlooking a clearing of sorts, or at least an area with less trees. There, right in the middle of it, tucked between two mountains is a castle. It's probably bigger than the entirety of Mayohiga. There are towers of varying heights, each with spires, and ridged walls interwoven throughout the structure. The walls are dotted with windows, like little prickpoints of light. You think you can even see something green on one of the highest towers. Leading out of the whole thing is a stone bridge, stretching over the abyss of trees below.
> Kouyoshi's eyes are as wide as dinner plates. Given that it takes about ten steps to get from one end of her house to another, it would be only natural for her to react this way.
> _
-
> "Woaaaaah... this is a chapel?!"
> Head that way!
-
> "Woaaaaah... this is a chapel?!"
> Head that way!
> Kouyoshi's ears and tail droop. "You could fit a hundred people in there."
> You start down the hill towards the bridge. The closer you get to the chapel, the more detail you can see engraved in the stone walls. Kouyoshi hops past you and makes a beeline for the bridge, holding onto her hat as she goes.
> _
-
> Hop after her! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, would you live in a place like this?"
-
> Hop after her! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, would you live in a place like this?"
> Kouyoshi casts a sideways glance at you. "I like my current home, but a big place like this would be nice."
> _
-
> "Hee hee..." Let's go to that bridge!
-
> "Hee hee..." Let's go to that bridge!
> You follow Kouyoshi onto the bridge. It's made out of a really pretty stone, probably marble. There are figures of soldiers, youkai, various battles and even more placid scenery carved into the sides. It's unbelieveably detailed.
> _
-
>"Wow....hey, look at all these carvings!"
>They really are detailed aren't they? Wonder if there's any Tanuki or Kitsune?
-
>"Wow....hey, look at all these carvings!"
>They really are detailed aren't they? Wonder if there's any Tanuki or Kitsune?
> You pause to look for any tanuki or kitsune in the carvings. You think you see one tanuki amongst what appear to be cave paintings.
> _
-
>Let's have Kouyoshi take a look!
>"Hey, Kouyoshi! I think I found a Tanuki here in the carvings! Come and take a look!"
-
>Let's have Kouyoshi take a look!
>"Hey, Kouyoshi! I think I found a Tanuki here in the carvings! Come and take a look!"
> You beckon for Kouyoshi to come over. She trots over and crouches down, studying the engravings.
> "Oh, she does have a raccoon tail," Kouyoshi says. "I don't know who that is, though."
> _
-
>"Neither do I really, but I figured that it would be nice for you to see it."
>Let's get a better look at those cave paintings that are carved there!
-
>"Neither do I really, but I figured that it would be nice for you to see it."
>Let's get a better look at those cave paintings that are carved there!
> "Oh."
> You take a look at the cave paintings. There are birds, all identical in shape and size and flying in an ark above the tanuki. Deer scamper along the lower half of the wall, and even little people-shaped figures are marching forward towards an army of real men, all holding spears. There's one monk among them with a bow and arrow at the ready. In the background, there's some strange, beast-like shape there. You can make out the shapes of claws, fangs, and a single eye, but not much else.
> _
-
>...Maybe it's like the Kitsune that burned home down...
>"...Hey, Kouyoshi. Take a look at that."
>Point out the beast-shape.
-
>...Maybe it's like the Kitsune that burned home down...
>"...Hey, Kouyoshi. Take a look at that."
>Point out the beast-shape.
> You don't want it to be that...
> "Eh?" Kouyoshi frowns a little at the beast behind the tanuki and cave paintings. "I don't know what kind of youkai that is."
> _
-
> "Oh... um, I wonder what all of these carvings are for."
> Let's go ahead and continue across the bridge.
-
> "Oh... um, I wonder what all of these carvings are for."
> Let's go ahead and continue across the bridge.
> "Decoration, probably." Kouyoshi stands up and keeps walking across the bridge. You follow her across, soon reaching the walls that surround the castle. Strangely enough, there's no gate.
> When you go past the walls, you see the road you're on continuing towards a huge pair of oak doors. From the main path branches off many others, twisting around each other and dipping down into staircases and creating little bridges. This part is almost completely covered in vines and other greenery.
> _
-
> "Woah... it's like a maze!" We're going to have to explore this place!
-
> "Woah... it's like a maze!" We're going to have to explore this place!
> "A maze, huh..."
> This place is so huge, it'd be a shame to not look around for a bit.
> _
-
> Wait, we gotta find this girl, first. Hm... those doors look important! Run up to the oak doors and pound on them! "Hello!"
-
> Wait, we gotta find this girl, first. Hm... those doors look important! Run up to the oak doors and pound on them! "Hello!"
> No matter what you're going to do, you're going to find the girl with the monster, first. You run to the front doors and knock as loudly as you can while calling out.
> No one answers.
> _
-
> Push on the doors. If that doesn't work... then pull?
-
> Push on the doors. If that doesn't work... then pull?
> You push the doors. They budge a little bit, but they're so heavy...
> Kouyoshi walks over and tries pushing them as well.
> "Hrghh." She struggles for a few moments before slumping against the door. "Heavy."
> _
-
> "Aaaaah! Open up!" Kick the door!
-
> "Aaaaah! Open up!" Kick the door!
> You kick the door in anger, but it doesn't do much.
> _
-
> Puff up our cheeks. "Okay! We're gonna find you!"
> Walk back to where we see a branch from the main path. "Come on, Kouyoshi! Let's explore!"
-
> Puff up our cheeks. "Okay! We're gonna find you!"
> Walk back to where we see a branch from the main path. "Come on, Kouyoshi! Let's explore!"
> Enough with the door!
> You head back to the branch in the path and start going down that way. You and Kouyoshi can explore some other way.
> Kouyoshi looks back at the door one last time before heading after you.
> "Fair enough."
> _
-
> Let's go! Go where ever looks most interesting!
-
> Let's go! Go where ever looks most interesting!
> You pick a random direction, and go towards a stairwell leading down. The opening is covered with vines and other weeds that grow out of the cracks of the wall. Looking down the stairs, you see that it goes pretty deep. There's a lot of grass down there.
> _
-
>How far down can we see? Is there anything special down at the bottom?
>Either way, start heading down the stairs, carefully, with our katana in hand.
-
>How far down can we see? Is there anything special down at the bottom?
>Either way, start heading down the stairs, carefully, with our katana in hand.
> You can see to the bottom of the stairs. You don't really see anything there except grass, and moss growing out of the walls.
> You start walking down the stairs with a hand on your katana. The stone steps are loose at some parts, but they're sturdy otherwise.
> _
-
> Go all the way down and look around.
-
> Go all the way down and look around.
> You finish descending the stairs and take a look around. You're standing in a pathway of grass, going straight ahead for a while before branching off into north, west, and east. Above are more rocks, with light peeking through and covered in vines and flowers. Kouyoshi hops down the stairs after you and looks around, tail waving.
> _
-
>
This is just like Zork!
> Let's try... um, north!
-
> This is just like Zork!
> Let's try... um, north!
> Who in the what, now?
> You walk straight. The path keeps going on, until you reach more stairs going down. The curve around a corner, going out of sight.
> _
-
> Let's go down!
-
> Let's go down!
> You head down the stairs, and it starts getting darker as you pass under the stone floor. There are lanterns lighting the walls, eliminating the need to conjour up any fire. Kouyoshi follows behind at a much slower pace, as the staircase is rather narrow.
> There's a wooden door at the end of the stairwell, at the very bottom. The stone around it has been engraved into more pictures.
> _
-
> Look at those pictures?
-
> Look at those pictures?
> You take a look at the pictures. There are mountains, trees and rivers towards the bottom, just scenery and baked goods. The wooden door, in contrast, is rather plain.
> _
-
>
Drool. Biscuits with demon lizard filli-wait what?
> Open that door!
-
> Drool. Biscuits with demon lizard filli-wait what?
> Open that door!
> Awww yeah hey wait a second
> You open the door, and are greeted by a gust of cool, damp air. It's pitch black in here.
> _
-
> Frown, and concentrate on making fire!
We don't want to be eaten by a grue!
-
> Frown, and concentrate on making fire! We don't want to be eaten by a grue!
> Grues don't exist.
> You muster up all of your strength to summon up a flame. It's about the side of your thumb.
> The light you create illuminates the darkness about a few feet around you. You can now see the cracked stone floor.
> Kouyoshi squints into the darkness. "You want me to make more light?"
> _
-
>
Now that's just mean.
> "Nnn... I can do it...!"
> It's training! Walk forward!
-
> Now that's just mean.
> "Nnn... I can do it...!"
> It's training! Walk forward!
> You don't need any help with this!
> You walk forward into the darkness. It's just stone floor so far...
> Is there something in the back? A wall?
> _
-
> Make our way to that wall: maybe there's a door...?
-
>But be careful about it!
-
> Make our way to that wall: maybe there's a door...?
>But be careful about it!
> You carefully inch your way over to the wall. There's no door, it's just flat and smooth...
> Is that another picture? It doesn't seem to be engraved, but drawn.
> _
-
> Hold our fire up! What's the drawing? Is it chalk?
-
> Hold our fire up! What's the drawing? Is it chalk?
> You hold up your hand to better see the drawing.
> It looks a bit like chalk, but also clay. On the darker wall is a large circle, drawn and shaded with earthy shades of brown. At the center is the figure of someone, but it's so sketchy...it's kind of eerie.
> "What's in there?" you hear Kouyoshi call from the entrance.
> _
-
> "Um... a drawing with a person in a circle..." Touch the drawing.
-
> "Um... a drawing with a person in a circle..." Touch the drawing.
> "That's all?" Kouyoshi sounds disappointed.
> You touch the drawing. It feels smooth and cool to touch, just like the rest of the wall.
> _
-
> "Yep..." We're disappointed, too!
> Go around the edges of the room.
-
> "Yep..." We're disappointed, too!
> Go around the edges of the room.
> That's kind of a shame.
> You walk the edges of the room, perhaps to try and get an idea of how big it is. It's surprisingly small.
> You just barely hear a scuffling noise.
> _
-
> "Heh? Hello? Is someone here?"
> Go towards the scuffling sound.
-
> "Heh? Hello? Is someone here?"
> Go towards the scuffling sound.
> You don't get an answer.
> You walk towards the scuffling sound, but you don't see anyone there.
> You hear Kouyoshi walk into the room.
> "Maybe we should leave, if there's nothing here..."
> _
-
> "But... I thought I heard something..."
> Sigh.
> "Fine." Go towards Kouyoshi.
-
> "But... I thought I heard something..."
> Sigh.
> "Fine." Go towards Kouyoshi.
> The scuffling...
> Oh well.
> You walk towards Kouyoshi, and she turns and starts walking out.
> _
-
> Take one last look back, before following her out.
> Let go of that fire. "Whew... that's tiring..."
-
> Take one last look back, before following her out.
> Let go of that fire. "Whew... that's tiring..."
> You look back at the lonely drawing on the wall before leaving the room and letting the flame extinguish. You're surprised you were actually able to keep it going for that long.
> "Are you getting used to it, though?" Kouyoshi asks as she closes the door behind her. "It's--"
> Kouyoshi is cut off by overwhelming flapping sounds coming from behind the door. She looks back at it, her ears pinned flat on her head.
> "...Huh."
> _
-
> "There was something in there!"
> We knew it!
-
> "There was something in there!"
> We knew it!
> Aha!
> "With all that noise, how didn't we notice it earlier?"
> _
-
> "Maybe they were like 'shh, let's play a prank!', and then we closed the door and they were like 'aaah, it's dark come back come back!', you know?"
> Make faces and gestures while explaining.
-
> "Maybe they were like 'shh, let's play a prank!', and then we closed the door and they were like 'aaah, it's dark come back come back!', you know?"
> Make faces and gestures while explaining.
> You take a guess at explaining the situation, and Kouyoshi giggles.
> "I wonder how they hid so well~"
> _
-
"Maybe there's a secret door? Tanuki are supposed to be good at that sort of thing, right? Or is that ninjas?"
-
"Maybe there's a secret door? Tanuki are supposed to be good at that sort of thing, right? Or is that ninjas?"
> "Well, if it were just a few, but it sounds like there were so many, so..."
> _
-
> "Huh... should we let them out?"
-
> "Huh... should we let them out?"
> "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt..."
> _
-
>"Even if it's those eyeballs, it can't be worse than the swarm we faced a while back right? I mean, I've gotten a bit stronger after all."
>Let's open that door and see what's behind it!
-
>"Even if it's those eyeballs, it can't be worse than the swarm we faced a while back right? I mean, I've gotten a bit stronger after all."
>Let's open that door and see what's behind it!
> "Yeah."
> You open the door.
> The air is filled the sounds of flapping and screeching as hundreds of leathery wings obscure your vision, jostling past you and flying up the stairs. You're quick ot realize that they're the flying eyeballs, but they don't seem very interested in you.
> _
-
> "Aaa!" Duck and cover our head!
-
> "Aaa!" Duck and cover our head!
> It really is the eyeball horde!
> You duck and cover your head as they pass by. There are so many of them...
> _
-
>At least they don't care about us, that's good right?
>Try to count them, but be careful of getting a headache!
-
>At least they don't care about us, that's good right?
>Try to count them, but be careful of getting a headache!
> At least they aren't attacking you...
> One two three four five six twenty-seven forty-three sixty-two...there are too many! You can't count all of them!
> _
-
> Keep waiting until they all pass!
> When they do, peek up. "W-wow... hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi!"
-
> Keep waiting until they all pass!
> When they do, peek up. "W-wow... hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi!"
> You stay on the ground for a few minutes until the air has cleared.
> You look up and call out for Kouyoshi. She's sitting on the steps, looking bewildered. A flying eyeball has snagged onto her hat, and reaches up to flick it off.
> "Uh-huh?"
> _
-
> "There was a lot of them! Where did they come from?!"
> Run back into that room and look around with our fire!
-
> "There was a lot of them! Where did they come from?!"
> Run back into that room and look around with our fire!
> "Sure were.."
> You head back in and try illuminating the room again. You're able to produce enough fire long enough to see the gaping ceiling far above you.
> _
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! I found where they were hiding!"
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! I found where they were hiding!"
> You hear Kouyoshi run into the room.
> "...That explains it. The ceiling was just really high."
> _
-
> "Yeah!" But still nothing interesting in this room?
-
> "Yeah!" But still nothing interesting in this room?
> All there is is the drawing. Nothing very interesting otherwise.
> _
-
>Let's keep exploring!
>Try and put out more flames, but only to the point where we start feeling a slight bit woozy, that's where we leave the output.
-
>Try and put out more flames, but only to the point where we start feeling a slight bit woozy, that's where we leave the output.
> Ignore this.
> Specifically, leave the room, and head back to the branching route.
-
>Let's keep exploring!
>Try and put out more flames, but only to the point where we start feeling a slight bit woozy, that's where we leave the output.
> Ignore this.
> Specifically, leave the room, and head back to the branching route.
> You leave the room, heading back up the stairs to the grassy pathway. Kouyoshi follows, humming as she walks.
> You can go either to the east or west branch, or go back to the surface.
> _
-
> West! Try to hum the same thing Kouyoshi's humming!
-
> West! Try to hum the same thing Kouyoshi's humming!
> You go west. life is peaceful there~
> This direction is sunnier than the last path you took. There's still another straight path here, although it branches out into many other little alleyways and meandering paths. Plants, especially ferns, are in abundance here.
> As you walk, you mimic Kouyoshi's humming. It's not that hard.
> As you walk, you hear a bird chirping, and some unfamiliar voices.
> _
-
> Go towards those voices!
-
> Go towards those voices!
> You take a left towards the voices. As you round a set of stairs, they become clearer.
> "--as well make it worthwhile--"
> "--roast--"
> "--open fire with vegetables!--"
> "--ew, what?--"
> Kouyoshi stops humming and backs away a little.
> _
-
> "Huh? Are they talking about dinner?"
> It's almost dinnertime, right?
> "Hey! Let's see if we can join them!" Hustle towards the voices!
-
> "Huh? Are they talking about dinner?"
> It's almost dinnertime, right?
> "Hey! Let's see if we can join them!" Hustle towards the voices!
> "Maybe..?"
> They've got to be talking about dinner. It's evening, after all.
> You continue climbing the stairs, soon reaching a level closer to the surface. You then see two people: a boy and a girl, each carrying one end of a stick. A dead boar is tied to it by its feet. The boy has ruffled brown hair, and wolf ears and tail. The girl is almost completely covered by a long white scarf and robes, and it's a wonder she isn't tripping over it all. They keep talking as they walk, presumably arguing over how to prepare the game they caught.
> Kouyoshi peeks out from behind the wall, watching them. The boy's ears twitch, and he looks back at the two of you with a pair of yellow eyes. The girl doesn't seem to have noticed anything.
> _
-
"Hello!" Maybe these youkai will talk to us.
-
"Hello!" Maybe these youkai will talk to us.
> You shout out a greeting to the youkai. They both stop, and the wrapped-up girl turns around.
> "What do you want?" The boy with wolf ears is frowning.
> "Can I smother you?" the girl calls out. Kouyoshi grits her teeth.
> _
-
> "What? No!" Pause. "Unless you mean hugs, then I guess that's kinda okay. But we were trying to find someone! Can you help us?"
-
> "What? No!" Pause. "Unless you mean hugs, then I guess that's kinda okay. But we were trying to find someone! Can you help us?"
> "...can I suffocate you?" the girl asks with a bit of hope in her voice. Kouyoshi gives her a thumbs down.
> "Who're you looking for?" the boy asks.
> _
-
> "She's a girl with a monster friend! They like grilled lamprey, and they know where the evil kitsune is!"
-
> "She's a girl with a monster friend! They like grilled lamprey, and they know where the evil kitsune is!"
> The boy drools a bit. "Grilled lamprey...but we already have this boar. Any idea what either of 'em look like?"
> "There's a kitsune here?" asks the girl.
> _
-
> "Um, the girl was a girl, and the monster had a long nose and glowing eyes! And yeah, there's a kitsune, an evil one that burns villages!"
-
> "Um, the girl was a girl, and the monster had a long nose and glowing eyes! And yeah, there's a kitsune, an evil one that burns villages!"
> "Uh..." The boy looks over to the girl. "There aren't any tengu here, right?"
> "No. I would have known." She shakes her head. "Um, I think there was this one human that hung around here?"
> The boy turns back to you and Kouyoshi. "This kitsune better not be a threat to us!"
> "We don't even know where it is," Kouyoshi protests.
> "Fair enough."
> _
-
>"Hmm, this doesn't say anything at all! I'm not even sure if this is the same girl! Did you ever speak to her?"
>Inside our head, wave our arms in frustration.
-
>"Hmm, this doesn't say anything at all! I'm not even sure if this is the same girl! Did you ever speak to her?"
>Inside our head, wave our arms in frustration.
> "I'll strangle you!"
> "Not really," the boy says. "We don't have any business with her."
> This is frustrating...
> _
-
> "Well, can you at least tell us if anyone else lives here? We were told that the girl and her monster lived at this chapel!"
-
> "Well, can you at least tell us if anyone else lives here? We were told that the girl and her monster lived at this chapel!"
> "Um." The girl rocks back and forth on her heels. "There's the human girl, and...I think there are more people in the house."
> The boy shakes his head. "I get a bad feeling about them. There're always these flying eyes..."
> _
-
> "Can ya show us where they are? We gotta talk to them!"
-
"The human girl, maybe shes who the story is about?"
-
"The human girl, maybe shes who the story is about?"
> Ignore this.
What?
-
> "Can ya show us where they are? We gotta talk to them!"
> "The eyes? What's in it for us?" The boy hefts the stick holding the boar over his shoulder.
> _
-
> "Um... I'll give you guys a rice ball!"
-
> "Um... I'll give you guys a rice ball!"
> "You can't see the boar we're carrying? We're set on food," the boy says.
> _
-
> "Um... we can cook it!" And maybe get a taste...
-
> "Um... we can cook it!" And maybe get a taste...
> "We can do that ourselves, too."
> _
-
> Puff up our cheeks! "Come on, just tell us!"
-
> Puff up our cheeks! "Come on, just tell us!"
> The boy shakes his head and sighs. "This is what you get for waking up while there are humans still about. The eyes usually gather inside the castle, but that's all I know, got it?"
> "Can I smother you now?" the girl asks again. Kouyoshi grits her teeth.
> "No."
> _
-
> "... Castle? Isn't this a chapel? How do you get in the castle?"
-
> "... Castle? Isn't this a chapel? How do you get in the castle?"
> "It's the same thing!" the girl pipes up. "You go through the door, or one of the windows."
> _
-
> "Okay. How do you get in?"
-
> "Okay. How do you get in?"
> "Sometimes the windows will be open, or you can just break them," the girl says. "I don't really know how to get through the door because it's so big and heavy..."
> _
-
> "Hm..." Look to see if there's any windows that we could reach.
-
> "Hm..." Look to see if there's any windows that we could reach.
> You'd try to get a better look at the castle, but there's still a makeshift rock ceiling above you...
> _
-
> "Mm... kay! Thanks!"
> Let's head back the way we came, and look for a window!
-
> "Mm... kay! Thanks!"
> Let's head back the way we came, and look for a window!
> The girl waves goodbye. "I'm going to smother you next time I see you, human!"
> You and Kouyoshi leave the two to their own devices, and trace your way back to where you first descended down the stairs. It's getting darker now, and you think you can see more youkai milling about here and there. Kouyoshi's tail waves back and forth as you take a look at the castle/chapel, looking for a window.
> "Oh yeah, a lot of youkai are probably waking up by now," she says.
> You see a lot of windows on the castle/chapel, but you don't think you're going to be able to reach them...you've never really tried flying before, anyway.
> _
-
> "Erm... how are we going to get in there?"
> It's a little creepy with all of these youkai...
-
> "Erm... how are we going to get in there?"
> It's a little creepy with all of these youkai...
> "We can fly up," Kouyoshi says.
> These youkai are making you uncomfortable...there are too many of them...
> _
-
> "... You can fly?!"
-
> "... You can fly?!"
> "I prefer not to, but a lot of people in Gensokyo can fly..." Kouyoshi blinks. "Oh, you didn't know?"
> _
-
>Armflail surprisedly.
>"I thought flying was impossible! Well, unless you count birds too..."
-
>Armflail surprisedly.
>"I thought flying was impossible! Well, unless you count birds too..."
> You flail your arms. A few winged youkai nearby giggle at you.
> "Wha...you've never seen anyone fly? Besides birds and stuff."
> _
-
> "No! Come on, show me how to fly!"
> Cast jealous looks at those winged youkai. Well they don't have fluffy tails! Unless they have fluffy wings, which would be totally unfair.
-
> "No! Come on, show me how to fly!"
> Cast jealous looks at those winged youkai. Well they don't have fluffy tails! Unless they have fluffy wings, which would be totally unfair.
> "Just lift off the ground. Like this." Kouyoshi hops up, and stays there. She's...she's hovering!
> You glare at the winged youkai. There are about three of them, and they all have very fluffy-looking wings.
> Actually, their wings look like the ones the girl at the lamprey stand had.
> _
-
> Hop up and hover.
-
> Hop up and hover.
> You jump up.
> You stay in the air for about two seconds before settling back on the ground.
> "Ohhh, you picked that up fast."
> _
-
> We can fly!
> Giggle, and jump up again and hover!
-
> Try to figure out if it's easier or harder than fire.
-
> Try to figure out if it's easier or harder than fire.
> You make a few more attempts at staying in the air. It doesn't exhaust you like fire, so it's probably easier.
> _
-
> "Woah... this is easy!" Float up in the air higher than Kouyoshi!
-
> We can fly!
> Giggle, and jump up again and hover!
> Hee hee~
> You try flying again, and this time you stay in the air for five seconds.
> "Woah... this is easy!" Float up in the air higher than Kouyoshi!
> It's surprisingly easy to fly, you think. You float up and somehow fly even higher than Kouyoshi.
> "How are you able to fly up that high that quickly?" Kouyoshi asks. She looks kind of shocked.
> _
-
>"Eh? Is it that weird? It feels kind of easy, in some way! I might be a natural!"
-
>"Eh? Is it that weird? It feels kind of easy, in some way! I might be a natural!"
> "Flying's pretty commonplace, but it takes a little while to master it." Kouyoshi flies up higher and does a flip in the air. "You probably are just a natural. How rare."
> _
-
> "Hee~!" Spin in the air.
> Oh, let's check out those windows!
-
> "Hee~!" Spin in the air.
> Oh, let's check out those windows!
> Kyaha~ This is so fun~
> After spinning around in the air, you fly over to the windows.
> There are many windows, although you can't really see through any of them. Are they tinted, or are there curtains drawn over them?
> _
-
> Let's try to open one! If they won't open, then knock!
-
> Let's try to open one! If they won't open, then knock!
> You fly over to the nearest one and try to open it.
> To your surprise, it opens with ease. Dust flies out of the window, and you hear Mii squealing from inside your bag.
> "The hairball's still here?" Kouyoshi asks.
> _
-
> "Ah! I forgot she was there?"
> Sit in the windowsill and pull Mii out. "Did you like your nap?"
-
> "Ah! I forgot she was there?"
> Sit in the windowsill and pull Mii out. "Did you like your nap?"
> She was so quiet in there you completely forgot about her.
> You take a seat on the windowsill and hold Mii cupped in your hands.
> "Miiii~"
> _
-
>Cuddle the little fuzzball~
-
>Cuddle the little fuzzball~
> You give Mii a hug. She squeaks.
> Kouyoshi grins a little. "Haha, see, they're admittedly cute."
> _
-
> "Heh heh... now, let's see what's inside~ Pardon the intrusion!"
> Slip inside the window and look around.
-
> "Heh heh... now, let's see what's inside~ Pardon the intrusion!"
> Slip inside the window and look around.
> You excuse yourself to anyone who might be inside, and proceed to intrude.
> You find yourself in a dark hallway. There are no lights here, but seeing as you didn't send up a cloud of dust when you entered...it can't be abandoned, can it?
> Kouyoshi enters through the window shortly after you. "That was easy."
> _
-
>"..Hey Kouyoshi? There wasn't a cloud of dust. You don't think there's been other people besides us here?"
-
>"..Hey Kouyoshi? There wasn't a cloud of dust. You don't think there's been other people besides us here?"
> Ignore this: being redundant is redundant.
> "Come on! That wolf boy and the cloth girl said that there's a human here!"
> Go down the hallway!
-
> Ignore this: being redundant is redundant.
> "Come on! That wolf boy and the cloth girl said that there's a human here!"
> Go down the hallway!
> The two of you start down the hallway. The walls and floor are plain, boring grey stone, but the carpet is dark red. The youkai said there was a human here, so no matter where you go you'll be in the right place somehow...
> After passing by many windows, you come across a fork to the left, and a staircase leading down.
> _
-
> Left!
-
> Left!
> You and Kouyoshi take a left down the next hallway.
> As you walk, you start to see lanterns on the walls, lighting a path. The hallway continues for what feels like forever with no doors at all, until it suddenly veers right. The lanterns down here are much fancier.
> _
-
> Fancier?
> Keep going while peering at the lanterns.
-
> Fancier?
> Keep going while peering at the lanterns.
> They're gold, if that counts as fancier.
> You keep walking while observing the lanterns. There are flames in each one, filling the hallway with light.
> Kouyoshi grabs your sleeve. "Ah, hold on."
> _
-
> "Huh? What's wrong?"
-
> "Huh? What's wrong?"
> "We almost missed that door."
> Kouyoshi points to a large wooden door, a little ways behind you on the left wall. It has brass handles, but unlike the bridge walls, there aren't any engravings here...
> _
-
> "Woah, that was hidden!" Open the door!
-
> "Woah, that was hidden!" Open the door!
> You go back to the door and open it, thankfully not having any troubles like you did with the front door.
> The ceiling in here is very wide, with a crystal chandelier hanging overtop the bookshelves that are uniformly lined up throughout the room. Embroidered navy blue carpetting lines this area.
> _
-
> "Woahh... there's a lot of bookshelves here!"
> Run up to one of them. Are there books?
-
> "Woahh... there's a lot of bookshelves here!"
> Run up to one of them. Are there books?
> You run up to one of the shelves. They're all stuffed with books.
> Kouyoshi walks down the aisle; she is wide-eyed.
> _
-
> "Woah... Keine would think this place is neat!"
> Pull a book out and look at it.
-
> "Woah... Keine would think this place is neat!"
> Pull a book out and look at it.
> Not that she doesn't have enough books in her study, but she would definitely like this place.
> You take a random book--one with a leathery red cover--and open it to a random page. There's a diagram here about aligning candles around a decorative circle. There's another diagram on the next page showing a sundial pointing towards different phases of the moon.
> _
-
> "Huh. Hey Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, I found a book about decorations! Maybe we can make your home look nice!"
> Flip through it more.
-
> "Huh. Hey Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, I found a book about decorations! Maybe we can make your home look nice!"
> Flip through it more.
> "Ohh?" Kouyoshi walks over and looks over your shoulder.
> You leaf through the pages. You don't really understand much of what the book's saying; there are sections written entirely in strange, unreadable runes, and then explanations of how these runes will do this and that...
> _
-
> "Ugh... I guess this is the 'not room decoration' bit..."
> Hand it to Kouyoshi, and look around this place more.
-
> "Ugh... I guess this is the 'not room decoration' bit..."
> Hand it to Kouyoshi, and look around this place more.
> Not what you thought it was...
> You hand the book over to Kouyoshi and walk away from the bookshelf. She looks at the book, confused, before reshelving it.
> You walk deeper into the library, but nothing seems to have really changed.
> You see something on the ground ahead of you. Is that...a feather?
> _
-
> Crouch down next to it and pick it up. Look at it.
-
>Be wary of any attacks! If there's a feather there, there must be a bird somewhere too! And we did just break into this castle...
-
> Crouch down next to it and pick it up. Look at it.
>Be wary of any attacks! If there's a feather there, there must be a bird somewhere too! And we did just break into this castle...
> You check to make sure no one's looking to pounce you before examining the feather.
> This feather, in comparison to those bird youkai outside the the lamprey girl, is pure white. It's also much bigger than any feather you've seen, and has a bit of a shine to it. It's very soft.
> _
-
Tickle K. with it!
-
Tickle K. with it!
> You sneak up behind Kouyoshi, who is looking at another bookshelf, and try tickling her with the feather. She doesn't even notice.
> Then again, it's a feather...
> _
-
> Put the feather in our satchel for now: it's pretty.
> Hm... anything else interesting here?
-
> Put the feather in our satchel for now: it's pretty.
> Hm... anything else interesting here?
> Obtained: x1 white feather
> There isn't really much else here. Kind of a let down.
> _
-
> "Hrm... hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, let's look somewhere else."
-
> "Hrm... hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, let's look somewhere else."
> Kouyoshi turns away from the bookshelf.
> "Let's...it's kind of boring in here."
> _
-
> Leave this room, and search more!
-
> Leave this room, and search more!
> You and Kouyoshi leave the room.
> You can either continue going down the hall, or go back the way you came.
> _
-
> Continue following!
-
> Continue following!
> You'd keep following Kouyoshi, but she doesn't seem to know where to go. Neither do you, to be honest.
> _
-
> Let's keep going down that hall. Onwards!
-
> Let's keep going down that hall. Onwards!
> You keep going down the hall. Nothing much about it changes, which is rather boring. It just keeps going on in a straight line for a while, before branching off again. There's one hallway leading left, a staircase in front going down, and a smaller hallway to the right.
> _
-
> Right!
> "They should put up drawings or something..."
-
> Right!
> "They should put up drawings or something..."
> You take the right hallway.
> This hallway is a bit narrow, and there isn't even any carpetting on the floor. They need to decorate this place.
> "Even though it looked so impressive on the outside..."
> The narrow hallway makes a few twists and turns, and goes on for a while before you finally see a light at the end of it.
> _
-
> Pick up our step and head into the light!
-
> Pick up our step and head into the light!
> You go faster until you've exited the hallway.
> You're standing in a large room with a black and white checkered floor. Almost the entire ceiling is covered by a window, through which you can see the darkening sky. There's a piano at one end of the room, and lounge chairs pushed up against the walls. On another end of the room is a balcony, but it's not facing the other wall that has windows...
> _
-
> "Woah..."
> Run to the windows and peer out.
> Run to the piano and inspect it!
-
> "Woah..."
> Run to the windows and peer out.
> Run to the piano and inspect it!
> Awesome!
> You look out all of the windows. You can see the sprawling maze and the bridge out front, and a lot more youkai. You even see a campfire at one end, no doubt from the youkai you met before.
> You then head over to the piano. It's glossy and made of a dark brown wood, almost black. There's a bench with a red velvet cushion sitting in front of the keys.
> _
-
> Sit on the bench. How comfy is it.
> Curiously, and carefully, press on one of those keys.
-
> Sit on the bench. How comfy is it.
> Curiously, and carefully, press on one of those keys.
> You take a seat on the bench, and sink into it almost immediately. It's so soft~
> You reach out and press one of the keys.
> ...It doesn't sound too bad.
> _
-
> Tickle those ivories~. We may not know how to play, but enthuthiasm is the key!
-
> Tickle those ivories~. We may not know how to play, but enthuthiasm is the key!
> You try playing a few more notes. You don't know any songs or even which keys are which, but as long as your heart's into it it should be fine~
> What ends up coming out is a cacaphony of notes, and Kouyoshi's ears flatten on her head. Mii is starting to squeal again.
> "Hey, hey, don't try playing so many at once."
> _
-
> "Mm... okay..."
> Be slower about it.
-
> "Mm... okay..."
> Be slower about it.
> You play the piano slower. It doesn't have any rhythm at all, but at least it doesn't sound ear-grating anymore.
> _
-
> Hee... it's still fun! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do you know any songs?"
-
> Hee... it's still fun! "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, do you know any songs?"
> Kouyoshi looks away from the window. "No. I've never played the piano before."
> _
-
> "Oh..."
> Spin around on the bench. "Hey, do you wanna try? Or should we just keep lookin-hey! We can just keep playing, until they come up to find us!"
> Brilliant!
-
> "Oh..."
> Spin around on the bench. "Hey, do you wanna try? Or should we just keep lookin-hey! We can just keep playing, until they come up to find us!"
> Brilliant!
> That's a shame.
> You suddenly get an idea. Rather than looking through the rest of the castle, you can just play the piano until someone finds you. You won't have to look all over the place for that girl, then.
> "Oh, nice." Kouyoshi floats over and sits on top of the piano. "Is that a very hard instrument to play?"
> _
-
>"Doesn't seem like it, you just push these keys and it makes music! Wanna try it?"
>Move over so Kouyoshi can give it a try!
-
>"Doesn't seem like it, you just push these keys and it makes music! Wanna try it?"
>Move over so Kouyoshi can give it a try!
> "Uh..." Kouyoshi leans over the piano and presses a few keys. Her ears droop.
> "How would you know where all of the notes are?"
> _
-
> "Um... practice?" Press a few more keys as well. Try to imitate a song we heard before.
-
> Point "The ones that way are lower!" Point. "The ones that way are higher!"
-
> "Um... practice?" Press a few more keys as well. Try to imitate a song we heard before.
> You press a few more keys and try to play a song you heard once, but you can't remember very well anymore.
> Point "The ones that way are lower!" Point. "The ones that way are higher!"
> Kouyoshi stares at the keys, and then presses them all in succession, starting from lowest to highest. She looks rather pleased with herself.
> _
-
> Um... hey, let's try playing that song the bird youkai that cooked lamprey sang! Or at least as close as we can get.
-
> Um... hey, let's try playing that song the bird youkai that cooked lamprey sang! Or at least as close as we can get.
> You try replaying the song the lamprey girl was singing. It feels like forever ago, and although you mix up a lot of keys, you think you get at least one measure in.
> _
-
> Let's play that measure again until it sounds right!
-
> Let's play that measure again until it sounds right!
> You try playing the measure again. It sounds a bit better.
> Kouyoshi suddenly sits up, ears twitching.
> _
-
> "Eh? What is it,
girl? Did Rumia fall down a well? Kouyoshi?"
> Look around as well.
-
> "Eh? What is it, girl? Did Rumia fall down a well? Kouyoshi?"
> Look around as well.
> "Stop that."
> "I heard something." Kouyoshi leaps off the piano and runs for the balcony.
> You look around, but see nothing out of the ordinary.
> _
-
> Hop off the seat and follow behind her.
-
> Hop off the seat and follow behind her.
> You follow Kouyoshi to the balcony. She's leaning over it, peering into the area below.
> "I wonder if someone really did hear us playing." Her ears twitch. "It sounded like a scuffling sound."
> _
-
> Lean over the railing as well. "Really? Helloooo?"
-
> Try to listen now instead of calling out, which might mask the noise.
-
> Lean over the railing as well. "Really? Helloooo?"
> Try to listen now instead of calling out, which might mask the noise.
> You consider calling out, but opt for listening for the noise instead.
> Down below just seems to be an empty space of checkered floor, but you think you see something floating down there.
> _
-
Now call out. "hello?"
Wave arms.
-
Now call out. "hello?"
Wave arms.
> You call out and wave your arms.
> You think you see something disappear around a corner down below.
> _
-
> "Hey!" Climb over the railing and float down.
-
>"Don't run away! I'm not going to hurt you, promise!"
-
> "Hey!" Climb over the railing and float down.
> You climb over the railing--and nearly fall--and float to the ground. Kouyoshi follows, except she just floats straight down.
>"Don't run away! I'm not going to hurt you, promise!"
> You get no response but the fading sound of footsteps, running away.
> _
-
> Run after those footsteps! "Waaaait!"
-
> Run after those footsteps! "Waaaait!"
> You run down the hallway where you heard the footsteps, yelling for them to wait. Your own footsteps and voice echo.
> The hallway gets darker and narrower as you run, twisting and turning, but you can still hear the footsteps. You can hear Kouyoshi, too, farther and farther away as she in turn calls for you to wait.
> Eventually, you find yourself nearing the end of the hallway. It's dark; you can barely see the walls or the floor. However, you hear a scuffling sound.
> _
-
> "Hello? We just want to talk! We're trying to find a girl and her monster!"
> Keep walking and looking around.
-
> "Hello? We just want to talk! We're trying to find a girl and her monster!"
> Keep walking and looking around.
> As you keep moving forward, you hear a small, hollow-sounding voice.
> "I'm a girl."
> _
-
> "Oh! Do you have a monster with a long nose and glowing eyes?"
> Keep following that voice.
-
> "Oh! Do you have a monster with a long nose and glowing eyes?"
> Keep following that voice.
> "A long nose?"
> You keep walking towards the voice. From the ceiling, you see hundreds of eyes staring down at you, unblinking.
> "Just one eye."
> _
-
> Blink, and shiver at all of those eyes.
> "O-oh... u-uh... are you the girl who, um, who ate at the lamprey place?"
> Keep going forward, but a little more carefully.
-
> Blink, and shiver at all of those eyes.
> "O-oh... u-uh... are you the girl who, um, who ate at the lamprey place?"
> Keep going forward, but a little more carefully.
> Ohh...
> You keep walking, but your steps are more hesitant.
> "I like lamprey."
> _
-
> "I-it's okay. Um... so, are you that girl? The one who... who knows about the kitsune?"
-
> "I-it's okay. Um... so, are you that girl? The one who... who knows about the kitsune?"
> "You know the kitsune?"
> _
-
> "No! I don't know her! That's why I was asking you!"
> Get closer.
-
> "No! I don't know her! That's why I was asking you!"
> Get closer.
> "I know her."
> You move closer. The eyes mysteriously stop at the very end of the hallway. There aren't any lights, so you can't see that far.
> Then, you see one giant, glowing red eye blink open and look at you.
> _
-
> Scream.
-
> Scream.
> You let the air out of your lungs in one long, terrified scream. This causes the eyes on the ceiling to flap their wings and scatter, screeching as they go. Mii, who is still in your bag, starts shrieking as well.
> The giant eye lumbers out of the darkness, revealing a black, leathery-looking eye socket and menacing purple wings. It moves using the green leaves under it, and makes shuffling and thudding sounds when it moves. In its purple, tentacle-like arms it carries a young girl with braided purple hair and eyes. She has two white horns and a strange, cylindrical red hat, and her clothing in general feels foreign and unfamiliar to you.
> What strikes you as most odd, however, is the halo above the eye's head. It stops about ten feet away from you and lifts the girl up onto its "head" to sit inside the halo, and you can see a "∑" mark just below its eyelid.
> The girl fidgets with the cuff of her sleeve, unfazed.
> "You scream loudly."
> _
-
> "Ah... ah..."
> Back away, and fumble for our sword. "Th-then... then don't bring out scary eyes!"
-
> "Ah... ah..."
> Back away, and fumble for our sword. "Th-then... then don't bring out scary eyes!"
> You back away. Your katana, your katana...you can't get it out of the sheath!
> "I am not 'scary'," the girl says.
> _
-
> "I wasn't talking about you! I was talking about Mister Eye there!"
> Why won't it come out...?! Keep backing away.
-
> "I wasn't talking about you! I was talking about Mister Eye there!"
> Why won't it come out...?! Keep backing away.
> You keep tugging at the katana, but it won't come out of the sheath. Maybe it's stuck?
> "Yes, me." Purple will-o-wisps start forming around the eye. You just back away further.
> _
-
> "W-what? Wh-what do you mean?"
> Tug on the katana!
-
> "W-what? Wh-what do you mean?"
> Tug on the katana!
> The katana isn't coming out! It's stuck!
> "I am me," the girl says. "That is what I meant."
> _
-
> "O-okay... um... so... y-you know about the kitsune?"
> Keep backing away a little.
-
> "O-okay... um... so... y-you know about the kitsune?"
> Keep backing away a little.
> "Why should I give information to you, an intruder?" The eye continues to advance as you back away.
> You hear Kouyoshi shouting something off in the distance. The hallway must be longer than you thought.
> _
-
> "Ahhhh! But it attacked my village!"
-
> "Ahhhh! But it attacked my village!"
> The girl says nothing.
> There are more will-o-wisps in the air now.
> _
-
?ahh! We just want to talk! N n no fighting!"
-
“ahh! We just want to talk! N n no fighting!"
> "It is our duty to chase out intruders."
> _
-
>"B-but we're not bad guys! We really only want to talk..."
>"Your duty?"
-
>"B-but we're not bad guys! We really only want to talk..."
>"Your duty?"
> "In exchange for permanant residence here, we must take part in taking care of and protecting this place," the girl says.
> _
-
> "But we're n-not attacking! We're just asking questions!"
> It looks like we're in for a fight...
-
> "But we're n-not attacking! We're just asking questions!"
> It looks like we're in for a fight...
> "It is our duty to drive out intruders."
> The will-o-wisps fly at you, and you know that you can't talk your way around this.
> _
-
> "Ahh!" Throw fire at them and scramble backwards!
-
> "Ahh!" Throw fire at them and scramble backwards!
> You toss a few fireballs at the eye and rush back, barely missing the will-o-wisps. The eye leaps up to avoid the flames, but smacks into the ceiling instead. The girl is nearly crushed, but is quickly shuttled into one of the purple tentacles before she can get hurt.
> The eye turns on you and starts shuffling forward, bumping against the walls of the hallway. How did it even get back here?
> _
-
> Run away! It might be slow!
> "Kouyoshi! Kouyoshi!"
-
> Run away! It might be slow!
> "Kouyoshi! Kouyoshi!"
> You make a break for it, leaving the lumbering eye behind.
> You call out for Kouyoshi, and hear her farther down the hall.
> "What's going on?!" you hear her call back.
> _
-
>"No time to talk! Giant eyeball! RUN!"
>Keep on bookin' it!
-
>"No time to talk! Giant eyeball! RUN!"
>Keep on bookin' it!
> "Geh--"
> Kouyoshi soon comes into sight. Once you catch up to her, both of you start running away. Behind you you can hear the flapping of wings. You start hearing the zipping sound of bullets in the air.
> _
-
> Run faster! Outrun the bullets!
-
> Run faster! Outrun the bullets!
> The two of you keep running, going down the nearest hall. The eyes are in hot pursuit, but where are you going?
> _
-
> Look for a turn or a room or something and run in!
-
> Look for a turn or a room or something and run in!
> You keep running, looking for a room or a hallway, somewhere to run. You head to the nearest door and run inside; Kouyoshi quickly follows.
> _
-
> Start forming a bullet, and wait for one of those guys to try to get in! We'll get the jump on them!
-
> Start forming a bullet, and wait for one of those guys to try to get in! We'll get the jump on them!
> You form a bullet, and wait...and wait...
> ...nothing's coming...
> _
-
> ... Heh?
> Peek out of the doorway.
-
> ... Heh?
> Peek out of the doorway.
> That's odd...
> You peek out of the doorway, but no one's there.
> Mii starts squeaking again. Kouyoshi sighs.
> "What happened back there?"
> _
-
> "Th-there was a girl! And an eye! And they were chasing me! It was scary!"
-
Could this be the girl we are looking for?
-
> "Th-there was a girl! And an eye! And they were chasing me! It was scary!"
Could this be the girl we are looking for?
> "Huh...." Kouyoshi's ears twitch.
> Maybe that was the girl the lamprey girl was talking about...
> _
-
> "Um... what should we do?"
-
> "Um... what should we do?"
> "If that was the girl we've been looking for, we should just beat her up and get her to talk."
> _
-
"Bu-bu-" calm down. We can do this. There's no way she's as scary as the Kitsune will be after all.
That's kind of scary..
"Right. So, you can make the bullets right? And then I hit her with my sword?"
-
"Bu-bu-" calm down. We can do this. There's no way she's as scary as the Kitsune will be after all.
That's kind of scary..
"Right. So, you can make the bullets right? And then I hit her with my sword?"
> You try to keep calm. There was that big eye, and all those little eyes...Will you be able to do this?
> If Kouyoshi works with you, it shouldn't be that hard to bring the girl down.
> Kouyoshi nods. "Now you're getting into the mindset."
> _
-
> "Hrm... but my sword's stuck."
> Pull on the hilt for emphasis.
-
> "Hrm... but my sword's stuck."
> Pull on the hilt for emphasis.
> You tug at your katana. It jiggles a bit in the sheath, but it's pretty stuck.
> "That could be a problem." Kouyoshi goes quiet for a moment.
> "...How about bludgeoning her over the head with it until we get it unstuck, then? Although I could see if I could get it out right now."
> _
-
Well, you guys think it's a good idea to get the sword unstuck?
I mean, even if she is a youkai, the only one we want to cut up is the Kitsune that burned down the village.
-
It's the family sword, we don't want it stuck in its sheath anways.
> "Kay, I'll whack her!" We'll ruin her day!
-
> "Kay, I'll whack her!" We'll ruin her day!
> "That oughta get her!"
> Wa ha ha!
> You'll be able to get the girl out that way, but there's still the big eye, and the little ones.
> _
-
> "Okay... let's do it!"
> Run out of the room, and charge down the hall!
-
> "Okay... let's do it!"
> Run out of the room, and charge down the hall!
> The two of you charge out, heading back the way you came. Towards the end of the hall you hear the flapping of many, many wings.
> _
-
> Shout a battlecry, and run while swinging!
-
> Shout a battlecry, and run while swinging!
> You release a battlecry as loudly as you can, and start swinging the katana. You reemerge into the main room.
> The giant eye is there, still holding the girl on its head. Many more flying eyes are flapping in the air around it.
> When you enter the room, they all swoop at you.
> _
-
> "Aaaaah!" Run through them, whacking eyes!
-
> "Aaaaah!" Run through them, whacking eyes!
> You barge through the eyes, smacking them away with the katana. Nearby, Kouyoshi is already conjouring up danmaku. As bullets fill the air, flying eyes start dropping to the ground like flies; blood splatters where they land.
> _
-
> Charge at the girl, shouting! Knock her off that eye!
-
> Charge at the girl, shouting! Knock her off that eye!
> You run straight for the girl, only to be swatted away by a tentacle. The girl is too high up for you to reach, unless you fly up, and the eye just knocked you away like that...
> _
-
> FLY! FLY!
*cue Wicked Witch of the West theme*
-
> FLY! FLY! *cue Wicked Witch of the West theme*
> You leap into the air...and stay there!
> You suddenly find yourself soaring amongst the flying eyes. Some are shooting bullets, others are charging at you, and yet others are being shot down by Kouyoshi.
> _
-
>Keep moving forward, smashing the ones that are going towards you and dodging the bullets.
-
>Keep moving forward, smashing the ones that are going towards you and dodging the bullets.
> You keep flying through, striking down whatever eyes you can reach that are not already being shot down by Kouyoshi. The big eye sees you coming and leaps back, flying into the air, and shooting lazers out of its eye. They curve and dance in the air before zipping towards you.
> _
-
> Curvy lasers?! That's cheating! "No fair!"
> Dodgedodgedodge!
-
> Curvy lasers?! That's cheating! "No fair!"
> Dodgedodgedodge!
> How could it use curvy lasers against you?
> You dodge the lasers as fast as you can, but they drive you to the other side of the room. The giant eye is flying higher, now.
> _
-
> Fly underneath the eye! Let's see if we can get it to bump its head on the ceiling!
> ... Well, not the head, but the top of the eye...
-
> Fly underneath the eye! Let's see if we can get it to bump its head on the ceiling!
> ... Well, not the head, but the top of the eye...
> You try getting underneath the eye and pushing it up. It does fly up, but doesn't quite hit the ceiling. It's still not close enough yet.
> The girl, clinging onto the halo, leans over and fires a wave of large, bubble-like bullets at you.
> _
-
> Dodge by flying on the other side of the eye! Then float to the halo and sneak behind her!
-
> Dodge by flying on the other side of the eye! Then float to the halo and sneak behind her!
> You try to dodge the bubbles, but end up passing through some of them. You feel a strange, tingling sensation before you're able to fly behind the halo, and the girl. The bubbles, while fired to hinder you, seem to have instead created a cover, as the giant eye hasn't seen you.
> You're now floating behind the girl. It probably won't be long until she realizes what has happened.
> _
-
> Tackle her! Wrap our arms and legs around her! "I gotcha!"
-
> Tackle her! Wrap our arms and legs around her! "I gotcha!"
> You tackle the girl off of the eye. She screams and struggles, but to no avail. The giant eye shoots a laser at you...
> ...Only for a stray bullet to catch it in the eye. Kouyoshi is standing on the ground amongst the bodies of the flying eyes with her bloodied short sword held up. The giant eye falls from the air, but it's the girl who keeps shrieking.
> The two of you tumble towards the ground; the eye falls first, and the sheer weight of it leaves a small crater in the floor. Kouyoshi dashes forward and leaps up, catching the two of you before you can hit the ground.
> _
-
> "Thanks!"
> Grin at the girl, and don't let go! "There, we won! Now tell us about the kitsune!"
-
> "Thanks!"
> Grin at the girl, and don't let go! "There, we won! Now tell us about the kitsune!"
> Kouyoshi sets the two of you down. "No problem...both of you guys are kind of heavy."
> You turn your attention to the girl, and try to interrogate her about the kitsune, but she just keeps screaming.
> "My eyeeeeee!"
> _
-
> Blink, and then look back at the big ol' eye.
-
> Errr..maybe we can fix it? Mii is okay after all.
> Hold on to the girl but move closer to the Eye.
-
> Blink, and then look back at the big ol' eye.
> You look back at the eye. It's got a bullet wound in the whites of its eye, and is currently bleeding.
> Errr..maybe we can fix it? Mii is okay after all.
> Hold on to the girl but move closer to the Eye.
> Mii was somehow able to get better after being burned, so maybe the eye could recover, too...
> You move closer to the eye, dragging the girl with you. She's all but given up struggling, but she's still crying out in pain.
> _
-
> "Um... sorry about your eye friend... Uh, ouch. Do we have any bandages?"
> Now we feel bad...
-
> "Um... sorry about your eye friend... Uh, ouch. Do we have any bandages?"
> Now we feel bad...
> The girl doesn't answer you, and just keeps crying.
> Kouyoshi walks over. "You have the first aid kit, right?"
> You feel kind of guilty.
> _
-
> Pat the girl on the head. "Um, yeah, I do." Let go of the girl, and find our first aid kit.
> Creep up to the eye. "Um... sorry, Mister Eye. I have some bandages..."
-
> Pat the girl on the head. "Um, yeah, I do." Let go of the girl, and find our first aid kit.
> Creep up to the eye. "Um... sorry, Mister Eye. I have some bandages..."
> You pat the girl's head and set her on the ground. She curls into a fetal position and goes strangely quiet. Kouyoshi kneels down beside her, looking unsure of what to do. She settles for taking her bedroll and draping it over the girl.
> You inch closer to the eye. One of its tentacle arms lashes out and slams into the ground inches from you.
> _
-
> "Ah?!" Scramble back behind Kouyoshi!
> "Aaaaa... he's mad..."
-
> "Ah?!" Scramble back behind Kouyoshi!
> "Aaaaa... he's mad..."
> You flee out of range of the eye's wrath, hiding behind Kouyoshi. You don't want to get hit...
> "Uh..." Kouyoshi looks a bit lost for words. "Well, if he's a youkai, maybe he'll heal on his own, but...I probably should've just aimed for the socket, or the wing..."
> _
-
> "But she's not happy... we should at least bandage him... ew, but he's an eye, I don't think he'd like that..."
The eyeball is now Stuffman's cousin.
-
> "But she's not happy... we should at least bandage him... ew, but he's an eye, I don't think he'd like that..."
> "Putting bandages on the eye itself would just make it hurt more for him," Kouyoshi points out.
> The girl, still on the ground, shivers and goes limp.
> _
-
> "Huh?" Kneel down next to the girl and nudge her. "Hey, hey. Are you okay?"
-
> "Huh?" Kneel down next to the girl and nudge her. "Hey, hey. Are you okay?"
> You turn your attention back to the girl, but she doesn't respond.
> Her horns seem to disintergrate into thin air, and her hair slowly changes from purple to brown. When this transition is finished, she looks like any other human girl.
> _
-
>"...Eh?"
>Headtilt confusedly.
>"Kouyoshi, did you just see that?"
-
>"...Eh?"
>Headtilt confusedly.
>"Kouyoshi, did you just see that?"
> What was that?
> Kouyoshi turns the girl over on her back. "I did...what is she?"
> _
-
> "She's weird, that's what she is..."
> She's still alive, right?
-
> "She's weird, that's what she is..."
> She's still alive, right?
> Hopefully she's still alive.
> The girl lets out a quiet groan, and twitches a little. She's alive, all right.
> _
-
> Whew. Now... is that giant eye calming down?
-
> Whew. Now... is that giant eye calming down?
> Now that that's settled...
> You take a look at the giant eye. Its eyelid is drooped a little.
> _
-
> Ugh... there's nothing we can do, huh?
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi... should we... um..." Gesticulate a bit, before giving up. "What should we do? The big eye's hurt, and that girl's asleep..."
-
Try using magic to get the eye to sleep.
We made cold, maybe we can make sleep?
-
> Ugh... there's nothing we can do, huh?
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi... should we... um..." Gesticulate a bit, before giving up. "What should we do? The big eye's hurt, and that girl's asleep..."
> You're at loss for action.
> Kouyoshi looks at the girl, and then the big eye.
> "Well, first thing's first, I should probably clean all that up." She gestures to the fallen eyes. "It's dark out, too, we could set up camp and wait for the girl to wake up."
> Now that she mentions it, it's completely dark outside. From the window on the ceiling you can see the full moon, shedding light into the room.
Try using magic to get the eye to sleep.
We made cold, maybe we can make sleep?
> You try focusing your energy on making a sleeping spell.
> All that happens is that a small mist forms in the air, before quickly disappating.
> _
-
>Let's try making a Healing spell! Gotta fix the eye up.
-
>Let's try making a Healing spell! Gotta fix the eye up.
> You keep concentrating.
> Nothing really comes up...
> _
-
> Looks like we can't do that kinda stuff easily...
> Make the girl comfy, then help Kouyoshi clean up.
-
> Looks like we can't do that kinda stuff easily...
> Make the girl comfy, then help Kouyoshi clean up.
> Well, you've only just started using magic. Not everything can go your way.
> You wrap the girl up in the futon, and then go to help Kouyoshi clean up the dead eyes. This consists of nudging the eyes into a pile on the floor, trying to keep the blood on your clothes to a minimum.
> Kouyoshi looks at the dead eyes, fidgeting.
> "We're going to have to do something with the bodies..."
> _
-
> "Um... burn them? Or maybe we can just kinda toss them outside?"
-
> "Um... burn them? Or maybe we can just kinda toss them outside?"
> "Burning would be faster...although we'd have to break a hole in the window or something."
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "I'll take them outside."
> _
-
> "'Kaay..." Ugh, it's going to get messy... maybe there's a tarp or something she chould use...
-
> "'Kaay..." Ugh, it's going to get messy... maybe there's a tarp or something she chould use...
> This is going to be so gross...
> Kouyoshi walks over to one of the eyes and picks it up by the wing, holding it out at arms length.
> "Wait here," she says, and starts off with the eye.
> _
-
> Ew... we'll just wait for her, then. Keep an eye on the girl and her eye.
-
That's going to take a while..
Watch the girl.
-
> Ew... we'll just wait for her, then. Keep an eye on the girl and her eye.
That's going to take a while..
Watch the girl.
> How can she just pick those things up?
> You take a seat and keep an eye on the girl. She still sleeps, even as the pile of dead eyes dwindles down. Kouyoshi is very diligent about clearing away the bodies, and eventually there are none left. She finally returns to your side and takes a seat, sighing.
> "Done..." She looks kind of tired.
> The giant eye has closed its eyelid halfway, enough to keep you from seeing its ghastly wound.
> _
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, you should take a nap..."
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, you should take a nap..."
> Kouyoshi nods and leans against your shoulder.
> "The youkai outside took the eyes away pretty quickly..."
> _
-
> "Oh really? That's nice of them, they won't make the outside stinky..."
> Ohh... her softs ears are within reach...
-
> "Oh really? That's nice of them, they won't make the outside stinky..."
> Ohh... her softs ears are within reach...
> "They were either gonna bury them or eat them, probably both..."
> You realize that Kouyoshi's ears are within petting reach. They look so soft~
> _
-
> "Bury them and eat them? That sounds gross..."
> Tentatively stroke one of her ears...
-
> "Bury them and eat them? That sounds gross..."
> Tentatively stroke one of her ears...
> "It's not like they'd do both at once." Kouyoshi closes her eyes.
> You hesitate, then pet one of Kouyoshi's ears. They twitch and flatten onto her head, but she doesn't really move away. She looks too tired for that, in any case. Still, her ears are so sooooft.
> _
-
> Pet them some more! :3
-
> Pet them some more! :3
> You keep petting her ears. They're really soft...
> ...Is she already asleep?
> _
-
Wait.
Try to stay awake.
They are counting on ....us.....
Stay Awake!
-
Wait.
Try to stay awake.
They are counting on ....us.....
Stay Awake!
> Now that you think about it, you're getting a little sleepy, too...You've been walking almost the entire day, after all, and then you got into a fight with this girl.
> No, you're not falling asleep. If you do, then there will be no one awake and what if the girl wakes up while you're sleeping...
> You hear a faint groaning sound.
> _
-
> Is that the girl groaning?
-
> Is that the girl groaning?
> It...it is. She's stretching her arms up over her head and yawning.
> _
-
>"Oh! Morning! ...Or is it evening? I'm not sure."
-
>"Oh! Morning! ...Or is it evening? I'm not sure."
> The girl rolls over on her side, and her eyes slowly blink open. They're brown, like her hair.
> "Nngh...Why am I on the floor...?"
> _
-
>"Well.. we kind of had a fight, and it ended up like this. I really am sorry for hurting that.. eye-thingy that much. I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just trying to defend myself!"
-
>"Well.. we kind of had a fight, and it ended up like this. I really am sorry for hurting that.. eye-thingy that much. I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just trying to defend myself!"
> "Wha?" The girl sits up and rubs her eyes. "What are you talking about...?"
> _
-
> "Um... your eyefriend? You know, the one that you were riding on? He's right over there."
> Point!
-
> "Um... your eyefriend? You know, the one that you were riding on? He's right over there."
> Point!
> The girl blinks. "I don't remember--"
> She looks over at the giant eye.
> "Ah! You said you hurt 'im, didn't you?" she cries, glaring at you in accusation.
> _
-
> "Sorry... but you two attacked first! And you wouldn't tell me about the kitsune!"
> She asked for it!
-
> "Sorry... but you two attacked first! And you wouldn't tell me about the kitsune!"
> She asked for it!
> The girl's glare fades, replaced by a look of confusion.
> "...Huh? I..." She looks back to the eye. "When you were talking to me, did I have horns?"
> _
-
> "Yeah! And different color hair!"
-
>"And you were talking all funny-like too! Saying it was your -and I mean that you were referring to you and the eye and the same person- duty to drive away intruders."
-
> "Yeah! And different color hair!"
>"And you were talking all funny-like too! Saying it was your -and I mean that you were referring to you and the eye and the same person- duty to drive away intruders."
> "That explains it, then," she says. "I was just being possessed by Sigma again."
> She then notices the blood stains on the floor, and furrows her brow. "What's all that blood from, anyway?"
> _
-
> "Um... all of those flying eye things. They're messy. What's Sigma?"
-
>"P-Possessed?! Y'mean like what evil spirits do?! Well, I guess it kinda works out as you weren't really listening to what I was trying to say."
>Fistpalm in realization at why we came here to begin with.
>"Oh yeah! Me and Kouyoshi came here because we were told that maybe the people here knew about the Kitsune that burned down Mayohiga Village..."
-
> "Um... all of those flying eye things. They're messy. What's Sigma?"
> The girl stares at you, and then her face grows red with anger.
> "What?! What do you mean? What did you do to them?!"
> She gestures towards "Sigma" with dramatic flair. "And him, he's called the Evil Eye Sigma! He leads the other evil eyes and you better not have hurt any of them...!"
> It's amazing that Kouyoshi can sleep through the racket this girl is making.
>"P-Possessed?! Y'mean like what evil spirits do?! Well, I guess it kinda works out as you weren't really listening to what I was trying to say."
>Fistpalm in realization at why we came here to begin with.
>"Oh yeah! Me and Kouyoshi came here because we were told that maybe the people here knew about the Kitsune that burned down Mayohiga Village..."
> "Sigma may have 'evil' in his name, but he's not all bad!" the girl huffs.
> You then remember the reason you came all the way out here in the first place.
> "I know a kitsune," the girl says, crossing her arms.
> _
-
> "Tell me where she is! And what her weaknesses are!"
-
> "Tell me where she is! And what her weaknesses are!"
> "Um, I think she said she was behind this shrine place, towards the edge of Gensokyo...it was the...Hakurei Border?"
> You ask her about the kitsune's weaknesses.
> "Uh...." She hesitates. "I think...I learned 'bout that...There might be a book in the library, though!"
> _
-
> Shrine place? Hakurei Border?
> "Okay! Can you show me that book? Please?"
-
> Shrine place? Hakurei Border?
> "Okay! Can you show me that book? Please?"
> You try to remember...maybe that was the shrine you went to when looking for this girl in the first place?
> The girl frowns again.
> "...Only after you apologize to Sigma, and the other eyes, whatever you did to them."
> _
-
> "But... they started it!" That's not fair! It's not our fault they're violent youkai!
-
> "But... they started it!" That's not fair! It's not our fault they're violent youkai!
> They were the ones who came charging at you first.
> The girl pouts. "But there's so much blood on the floor! I'm not going to believe you didn't do anything to them."
> _
-
> "Well... um..." Shift awkwardly. That's certainly true.
> "Um... okay, I'll apologize." Jeez...
-
> "Well... um..." Shift awkwardly. That's certainly true.
> "Um... okay, I'll apologize." Jeez...
> Do you really have to...?
> You fidget for a few moments before awkwardly apologizing. The girl is quiet for a moment, before nodding.
> "Okay, let's go get the book."
> _
-
Man, if we had just known it was there...but yay!
-
Man, if we had just known it was there...but yay!
> You remember having been in the library in the first place earlier, although you didn't take much interest in the books...If only you had!
> _
-
> Carefully let Kouyoshi down, and cover her with the futon.
> "Kaay, let's go!" Follow Mystery Girl X.
-
>"Oh, by the way, what's your name? I'm Meira! This here is Kouyoshi, my tanuki friend. Together, we are looking for the evil kitsune that burned down my village!"
-
> Carefully let Kouyoshi down, and cover her with the futon.
> "Kaay, let's go!" Follow Mystery Girl X.
> You move away from Kouyoshi and pull the futon over her. She curls into her tail and mumbles.
> The girl stands up and casts one last look towards "Sigma", before skipping off across the room. You follow her.
>"Oh, by the way, what's your name? I'm Meira! This here is Kouyoshi, my tanuki friend. Together, we are looking for the evil kitsune that burned down my village!"
> The two of you start towards a flight of stairs, and you ask the girl her name.
> "Me? I am Rika! I live here with some other people." She looks rather proud of herself when she says this. "You could say that the eyes are like my army."
> _
-
>"An army of eyes? That's pretty amazing!"
>"Wait, by other people, do you mean that boy and girl who wanted to strangle Kouyoshi?"
-
>"Wait, by other people, do you mean that boy and girl who wanted to strangle Kouyoshi?"
> Ignore.
Pay attention.
-
> "So what're you doing way out here?"
-
>"An army of eyes? That's pretty amazing!"
>"Wait, by other people, do you mean that boy and girl who wanted to strangle Kouyoshi?"
> Ignore.
> "It is! I could snap my fingers and a dozen of them would come flying to me," Rika boasts.
> "So what're you doing way out here?"
> Rika's face falls a little. "What do you mean? I live here."
> The two of you clear the flight of stairs. Rika makes a left and starts down the hall, presumably towards the library you were just at.
> _
-
> "But, aren't you human? Humans don't live way out here."
-
> "But, aren't you human? Humans don't live way out here."
> "But I do," Rika says. "You just don't go out at night when the youkai come out. Besides, the lady who owns this castle would protect me, because Sigma and I chase out intruders."
> She then looks at you.
> "Er...well..."
> _
-
> "We're not intruders though! We're just people who want to find out about that kitsune!"
> "... So, um, who's the lady that owns the castle?"
-
> "We're not intruders though! We're just people who want to find out about that kitsune!"
> "... So, um, who's the lady that owns the castle?"
> Rika shakes her head. "I didn't hear you knock on the door, or ask to be let in, but here you are."
> The two of you are now walking down the hall lined with lamps. Rika's braids swing as she skips along.
> "That would be Mima-sama. She's kind of scary, but she lets us live 'ere and stuff. She's not home right now, though."
> _
-
> "Mima...? She's scary? Sh-she's not, like, a kitsune or something, is she?"
> Will we have to beat up this "Mima" customer?
-
> "Mima...? She's scary? Sh-she's not, like, a kitsune or something, is she?"
> Will we have to beat up this "Mima" customer?
> "She's really scary, but she doesn't go around eating people," Rika says. "She's, um...she has a ghosty tail, but she says she isn't a ghost...It's weird."
> You may or may not have to beat up a "Mima" individual.
> _
-
> "A ghostly tail...? Ghosts have tails?"
> Have we ever seen a ghost?
-
> "A ghostly tail...? Ghosts have tails?"
> Have we ever seen a ghost?
> "Yeah, in place of legs. Kind of like the mermaids I see in books," Rika says.
> You've never seen ghosts before, except in drawings. They just looked like wispy blobs there, though.
> _
-
> "Mermaids?"
> Have we ever seen mermaids?
> Keep following her.
-
> "Mermaids?"
> Have we ever seen mermaids?
> Keep following her.
> Rika raises an eyebrow at you. "Don't tell me you don't know what those are. They're girls with fish tails for lower bodies. They live in the 'ocean'."
> You don't think you've even heard much about them.
> You keep following Rika until you've reached the library door againn.
> "Here we are."
> _
-
> Push the doors open. "What's an ocean?"
> Follow!
-
> Push the doors open. "What's an ocean?"
> Follow!
> You open the doors to the library. It's the same as it was when you first came in here.
> "It's a huge body of water," Rika explains. "Bigger than any lake. They're supposedly really far away, and go on forever."
> She steps into the library and looks around. "Really salty, too."
> _
-
> "Woah... that's pretty big! How many days would it take to walk around one?"
-
> "Woah... that's pretty big! How many days would it take to walk around one?"
> "It'd take forever," Rika says. "You'd never finish walking around it. It's like the end of the world."
> _
-
> "No way!" Inconceivable!
> Keep following her. "You're really smart! I bet you know as much as Keine!"
-
> "No way!" Inconceivable!
> Keep following her. "You're really smart! I bet you know as much as Keine!"
> You follow Rika as she heads down an aisle, pointing to the book spines and murmuring their titles under her breath. She doesn't turn her head back to you when she asks,
> "Who's 'Keine'?"
> _
-
>"She's the teacher at the Human Village on the other side of the mountain! She's real nice, and really smart too!"
>Nod.
>"She's really good at sewing Yukatas too!"
-
>"She's the teacher at the Human Village on the other side of the mountain! She's real nice, and really smart too!"
>Nod.
>"She's really good at sewing Yukatas too!"
> "There are that many humans in Gensokyo?" Rika asks. "I've only really seen one other one besides you, and she lives here."
> "That doesn't sound like a bad person, though."
> You hear the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, and Rika seems to perk up.
> "Oh!" She looks around, and starts off towards the noise. It wasn't that far from you.
> _
-
"what was that?"
-
"what was that?"
> Rika peeks around a bookshelf.
> "Oh, Shikoba's here."
> _
-
>"Shi-ko-ba?"
>Follow Rika around the bookshelf!
-
>"Shi-ko-ba?"
>Follow Rika around the bookshelf!
> You walk around the bookshelf to see a strange sight.
> There's a woman scrambling to pick up the books on the floor. She's wearing a blue robe that goes down past her ankles and hands, and a darker blue panel overtop that. Her long, dark purple hair spills over her shoulders as she kneels over to pile the books in her arms. Two large white wings sprout from her back, quavering and molting feathers onto the floor.
> "It's Shikoba," Rika says. "She's one of the people who lives here."
> The woman looks up at the two of you, but she doesn't say anything or even change her facial expression.
> _
-
> "Oh!"
> Pull the large feather out of our satchel.
> "You dropped this!"
-
> "Oh!"
> Pull the large feather out of our satchel.
> "You dropped this!"
> The woman pauses in reaching out for one of the books on the floor, and looks at the feather. She tilts her head from side to side before reaching out and taking it, stuffing it back in her left wing amongst the many other feathers.
> _
-
> She isn't going to thank us? Rude... "You're welcome."
> Look at Rika. Is she going to find the book.
-
> She isn't going to thank us? Rude... "You're welcome."
> Look at Rika. Is she going to find the book.
> The woman nods once.
> "Shikoba, where's that youkai encyclopedia?" Rika asks. "...Can you find it for us? Thanks."
> Shikoba stands up and glides off, books in tow.
> _
-
> Whisper. "She's a little bit rude. She didn't say anything!"
-
> Whisper. "She's a little bit rude. She didn't say anything!"
> Rika shrugs. "She never talks."
> _
-
> "Huh, wonder why not?"
> Follow her!
-
> "Huh, wonder why not?"
> Follow her!
> "How should I know?" Rika walks ahead and falls into step with Shikoba. You follow them down the aisles until you reach a very clean-looking section of the library with the books all perfectly lined up. Shikoba hovers around, shedding feathers all over the place, until she comes up with a leather-bound book and hands it to Rika.
> _
-
> Pick up feathers and hand them to Shikoba. "You should take better care of your wings!"
-
> Pick up feathers and hand them to Shikoba. "You should take better care of your wings!"
> Shikoba takes the feathers from you and sticks them back into her wings, patting them down until they're sleek and smooth.
> _
-
> "Better!"
> Peek over Rika's shoulder. "Hey, hey, what's in that?"
-
> "Better!"
> Peek over Rika's shoulder. "Hey, hey, what's in that?"
> Shikoba turns and flies away.
> You look over Rika's shoulder. The book looks to be in very good condition.
> Rika turns around and clutches the book to her. "It's a youkai encyclopedia. It doesn't have a lot in it, but it has an entry for kitsune."
> _
-
> "Ohhhh... lemme see, lemme see!"
> The kitsune's days are numbered!
-
> "Ohhhh... lemme see, lemme see!"
> The kitsune's days are numbered!
> With this, that kitsune won't know what hit her!
> Rika sighs and hands you the book. The weaknesses of the kitsune are literally at your fingertips.
> _
-
> With this, that kitsune won't know what hit her!
> Rika sighs and hands you the book. The weaknesses of the kitsune are literally at your fingertips.
Wave arms in excitement.
Grab the book and READ!
-
Wave arms in excitement.
Grab the book and READ!
> You wave your arms excitedly, nearly dropping the book in the process. Rika backs away, frowning.
> You open the book to a random spot. It's...it's...
> An article about tengu. Wrong page.
> _
-
> Frown, and search for the kitsune page!
-
>"Awww...this part's about Tengu."
>Try another random page!
-
> Frown, and search for the kitsune page!
>"Awww...this part's about Tengu."
>Try another random page!
> This isn't what you were looking for...
> You keep flipping through the pages. Tengu, kappa, some woman with a mouth on the back of her head...
> Oh, here it is!
> _
-
> Read!
-
> Read!
> You take a look at the article. There are sections for appearances, abilities, and weaknesses. Which one will you read?
> _
-
>Read ALL the sections!
-
>Read ALL the sections!
> Appearances:
> Kitsune in beast form have the appearance of a regular fox, though with a larger body. Their number of tails can range from one to nine depending on their age, adding one tail for each 100 years they live. For example, a kitsune that is 100 years old will have one tail, while a 900 year old kitsune will have nine tails. The more tails a kitsune has, the more powerful they are. Kitsune can be any color, but the servants of Inari have been known to have pure white fur.
> Abilities:
> Kitsune are extremely long-lived and possess a wealth of knowledge. When they attain youkaihood at 100 years they gain the ability to take on a human form. Most prominantly is their ability to shapeshift or even possess humans. They have also been known to create illusions, conjour fire, and even manifest in dreams. Kitsune in human form often appear as beautiful women or girls, or wizened old men. Their tails and ears are usually visible, and their facial features are narrower like a fox's. There are unconfirmed rumors of Kitsune even being able to drive humans mad, or to bend the very fabric of reality itself and to sap energy from humans.
> Weaknesses:
> Kitsune, especially younger ones, often have difficulty hiding their tails in human form. Kitsune also carry around an artifact known as hoshi no tama or star ball; it has been speculated to be either the source of their power or their soul living outside of their body, and will cause great distress to the kitsune if it is taken away. To startle a kitsune away, one must be accompanied by a dog, of which kitsune are afraid. To beckon a kitsune, one must be prepared with a plate of fried tofu. One of the greatest weapons to use against a kitsune is their own feelings, especially regret or guilt.
> _
-
>"This is great! With this, we'll be able to defeat that kitsune!"
>"Although... They can even sap life from humans and drive us insane? This might be bad..."
-
>"But they do like fried tofu, so I guess they aren't all that bad...."
>Foreheadpalm.
>"What am I saying? It burned down my home village! I'll make it wish it never did that..."
>Fistpalm.
>"And the book mentions that guilt or regret is one of the weaknesses! So I just gotta draw it in tofu, and then smack it around some!"
>Grin.
>"Maybe I can even get it to help rebuild!"
-
>"But they do like fried tofu, so I guess they aren't all that bad...."
>Foreheadpalm.
>"What am I saying? It burned down my home village! I'll make it wish it never did that..."
>Fistpalm.
>"And the book mentions that guilt or regret is one of the weaknesses! So I just gotta draw it in tofu, and then smack it around some!"
>Grin.
>"Maybe I can even get it to help rebuild!"
> IGNORE.
-
>"This is great! With this, we'll be able to defeat that kitsune!"
>"Although... They can even sap life from humans and drive us insane? This might be bad..."
> "Who's 'we'?" Rika asks. "I don't remember agreeing to...oh wait, nevermind."
> This kitsune might be a more formidable opponent than you first thought, if they can really do all of this.
> "They're uncomfirmed rumors," Rika reminds you.
> _
-
> "I still gotta watch out... okay... so, if I make some fried tofu, and put it in this... er, 'Hakurei Border', then I can set a trap for her!"
> Pause. "I wonder if I can dig a pit and put dogs in the bottom of it. That'll ruin her day. I mean, it's not like she feels guilty about anything, 'cause she's evil."
-
> "I still gotta watch out... okay... so, if I make some fried tofu, and put it in this... er, 'Hakurei Border', then I can set a trap for her!"
> Pause. "I wonder if I can dig a pit and put dogs in the bottom of it. That'll ruin her day. I mean, it's not like she feels guilty about anything, 'cause she's evil."
> Fried tofu shouldn't be that hard to make. You just make it and...well, lure her out with it.
> You consider setting a trap. It might take a little while to dig a pit, but if you put some dogs in it and push her in that would be good...
> "Are you going to try outsmarting a kitsune?" Rika asks. She sounds a little awed.
> _
-
> "Yeah! And then I'll beat her up and revenge my family!"
> Put the book down, and start making notes in our sketchbook with our crayons. Be sure to include pictures of the dog pit.
-
> "Yeah! And then I'll beat her up and revenge my family!"
> Put the book down, and start making notes in our sketchbook with our crayons. Be sure to include pictures of the dog pit.
> You set the book off to the side and take out your sketchbook. You start writing down plans for taking down the kitsune, including some sketches of dogs barking in a pit. Rika watches you draw for a few seconds before going to retrieve the book on the ground.
> _
-
> Wait, wasn't there also something about kappa and tengu? Keine kind of told us stuff but...
> "Hey, Rika, can you tell me what it says about kappa and tengu? I wanna know if they can really steal souls!"
-
> Wait, wasn't there also something about kappa and tengu? Keine kind of told us stuff but...
> "Hey, Rika, can you tell me what it says about kappa and tengu? I wanna know if they can really steal souls!"
> You remember Keine mentioning those types of youkai, and ask Rika to go back to those sections.
> "Uh, okay..." She flips through the pages. "Um, kappa are good at shogi and wrestling, and taught humans how to set bones, but sometimes they can be mal...malevolent and drown people and take their soul. It doesn't really say what they do with it, though."
> She flips through the book some more. "Tengu kidnap people, and are better at magic and stuff than kappa...and they fly so fast that if you feel a gust of wind it could be a tengu passing by. Um, apparently they used to be able to possess people, a really really long time ago."
> _
-
> Tengu sound like guys we don't wanna mess with... though that fast flying sounds cool. If we could do that...
> Kappa sound a bit strange, though. They sound helpful and sumo's fun, but drowning people and stealing souls isn't cool!
> "Hey, hey, what about tanuki?"
-
> Tengu sound like guys we don't wanna mess with... though that fast flying sounds cool. If we could do that...
> Kappa sound a bit strange, though. They sound helpful and sumo's fun, but drowning people and stealing souls isn't cool!
> "Hey, hey, what about tanuki?"
> Tengu are a force to be reckoned with. Now, if only you could fly as fast as them...
> You're not sure what to feel about kappa. On one hand, they seem kind to humans, but on the other hand they also drown them.
> "Like that girl back there?" Rika flips back to the front of the book. "Um..."
> She flips until she's a little over halfway through the book. "What did you want to know?"
> _
-
> "Um... about how awesome they are! And maybe what their favorite food is."
-
> "Um... about how awesome they are! And maybe what their favorite food is."
> Rika frowns a bit. "It doesn't really say anything about either of those things."
> _
-
That's not right!
"What does it say? Does it talk about their hats?"
-
That's not right!
"What does it say? Does it talk about their hats?"
> No way...
> Rika looks back at the book. "It says their hats protect them from trouble and bad weather, kind of like a charm or something, I guess?"
> _
-
> "Ohh... I see!"
> We should be more careful about taking her good luck charm!
> Finish drawing our awesome plans. "Thanks, Rika! You really helped out!"
-
> "Ohh... I see!"
> We should be more careful about taking her good luck charm!
> Finish drawing our awesome plans. "Thanks, Rika! You really helped out!"
> That explains why she wanted it back so badly.
> You finish drawing and put your sketchbook away.
> Rika scowls. "Well, next time just knock on the door like a normal person, instead of breaking in. We'll open the door for you."
> _
-
> "We did knock!"
-
> "We did knock!"
> "But you have to wait for someone to answer the door! It's bad manners to just walk in!"
> _
-
> "We did wait, but no one answered! And we didn't walk in, we flew in."
> Silly Rika.
-
> "We did wait, but no one answered! And we didn't walk in, we flew in."
> Silly Rika.
> "Uh--" Rika's eyes bug out of her head. "Flew?! No fair!"
> _
-
> "Well, yeah, duh. How else did we get in?"
-
> "Well, yeah, duh. How else did we get in?"
> "If I tell you, you'd just use those entrances."
> _
-
> "Ohh... secret entrances?" That's so cool!
-
> "Ohh... secret entrances?" That's so cool!
> Rika nods. "Yeah. But you can't know them, because you don't live here."
> _
-
> Pout. "Awww!"
-
>Did we ask her how she came to live here yet?
>If not ->:"Speaking about that, how did you come to live here?"
-
> Pout. "Awww!"
>Did we ask her how she came to live here yet?
>If not ->:"Speaking about that, how did you come to live here?"
> This isn't really fair.
> Come to think of it, you haven't asked her how she got here.
> "Huh?" Rika tugs on her braids. "I've always lived here. Why?"
> _
-
>"Heh, not sure.. It just.. suddenly popped up, I guess? Were you raised by this Mima-sama, then?"
-
>"Heh, not sure.. It just.. suddenly popped up, I guess? Were you raised by this Mima-sama, then?"
> "Sigma was always with me, though." Rika shrugs. "I didn't think of it like that."
> _
-
>"So Sigma and the Eyes are like family to you? Does Sigma possess you like earlier because he can't talk or something?"
-
>"So Sigma and the Eyes are like family to you? Does Sigma possess you like earlier because he can't talk or something?"
> "You bet they're awesome!"
> Rika then claps her hands over her mouth and looks from side to side. She continues speaking, but in a quieter voice.
> "What of it?"
> _
-
>"I just wondered was all. I didn't see a mouth, so there'd have to be some other way for it to talk right? Like maybe talking directly to someone's mind! That's a cool idea.."
-
>"I just wondered was all. I didn't see a mouth, so there'd have to be some other way for it to talk right? Like maybe talking directly to someone's mind! That's a cool idea.."
> "Oh. Well, you have a point."
> _
-
> "So, so? Can he talk to people in their minds, or does he gotta possess you or something?"
> Pack away our sketchbook and crayons. Did Shikoba mosey off or something?
-
> "So, so? Can he talk to people in their minds, or does he gotta possess you or something?"
> Pack away our sketchbook and crayons. Did Shikoba mosey off or something?
> "He possesses me," Rika says. "And then I get these horns, you know...although even then I'm still human. It's weird."
> You put away the sketchbook and crayons. Shikoba's not here anymore; she must have gone off on her own.
> _
-
> "So what's with the horns, then? It's kinda silly, you'd think you'd get a third eye or something."
-
> "So what's with the horns, then? It's kinda silly, you'd think you'd get a third eye or something."
> Rika shrugs. "I don't know, it just happens."
> _
-
> "I hope I don't get horns... I don't want to be an oni!"
> It must be pretty terrible to become an oni, huh?
-
> "I hope I don't get horns... I don't want to be an oni!"
> It must be pretty terrible to become an oni, huh?
> Rika shakes her head. "Oni don't exist anymore! I heard they were here a long time ago, but no one's ever seen them anymore."
> Oni are pretty scary, even if they're just in writing. You'd rather be human, honestly.
> _
-
> "Oh, really? Whew. That's good. It'd be terrible to be kidnapped by one."
> How hungry/tired are we?
-
> "Oh, really? Whew. That's good. It'd be terrible to be kidnapped by one."
> How hungry/tired are we?
> "Yeah, I heard they're really scary."
> You wouldn't want to be kidnapped.
> You're still tired from spending so much time traveling, and you haven't had much to eat lately, either.
> _
-
> Yawn. "Ugh... today's been rough... hey, hey, can me 'n Kouyoshi stay for the night? We won't take up much room, promise!"
-
>"We can even help cook dinner if we have to! We're pretty good at cooking y'know!"
-
> Yawn. "Ugh... today's been rough... hey, hey, can me 'n Kouyoshi stay for the night? We won't take up much room, promise!"
> Rika eyes you for a moment, before saying, "Well, you haven't done anything while we were talking, and Mima-sama's not here, so okay."
>"We can even help cook dinner if we have to! We're pretty good at cooking y'know!"
> "I can cook, too," Rika says. "We already ate, but I can cook sort of."
> _
-
>"Really? I guess I'll have to come back sometime to share cooking stuff and...uh...stuff!"
-
>"Really? I guess I'll have to come back sometime to share cooking stuff and...uh...stuff!"
> "It's fine, we have food here."
> _
-
>Armflail
>"I meant like, how to cook stuff, or different recipes."
-
>Armflail
>"I meant like, how to cook stuff, or different recipes."
> "Oh. What do you know?"
> _
-
> "Um... I can make riceballs! And I helped Kouyoshi make stuff, too!"
-
> "Um... I can make riceballs! And I helped Kouyoshi make stuff, too!"
> "Hm..." Rika furrows her brow. "I can make those, too. What did 'Kouyoshi' make?"
> _
-
> "Hot pot! It was soooo good..."
> Wipe that drool up!
-
> "Hot pot! It was soooo good..."
> Wipe that drool up!
> Your mouth waters just remembering the hot pot. You wouldn't mind eating that again...
> "I've never eaten that before..." Rika fidgets.
> _
-
> "What?! But everyone's had hot pot before! You should have some! It's soo tasty~"
> Let's make our way back towards Kouyoshi.
-
> "What?! But everyone's had hot pot before! You should have some! It's soo tasty~"
> Let's make our way back towards Kouyoshi.
> "Everyone? We've never had it here."
> You start out of the library and back down the hallway. Rika leaves the book behind and follows you out.
> "What's in hot pot? I'm sure we'd have the ingredients here!"
> _
-
> "Deliciousness! Oh, and, um... beef or pork, cabbage, mushrooms... veggies... uh... really, anything tasty that can be boiled!"
-
>"That's the fun part about Hot Pot, there's never anything specific to it! No two Hot Pot are the same, like snowflakes! But I think I can show you how to make it."
>Keep on following along. "The other cool thing about Hot Pot is that you can make it for a lot of people too!"
-
>"That's the fun part about Hot Pot, there's never anything specific to it! No two Hot Pot are the same, like snowflakes! But I think I can show you how to make it."
>Keep on following along. "The other cool thing about Hot Pot is that you can make it for a lot of people too!"
> Rika walks a little faster to keep up with you.
> "Ohhh. What's a good example?"
> _
-
> "Deliciousness! Oh, and, um... beef or pork, cabbage, mushrooms... veggies... uh... really, anything tasty that can be boiled!"
-
> "Deliciousness! Oh, and, um... beef or pork, cabbage, mushrooms... veggies... uh... really, anything tasty that can be boiled!"
> "Ah...we can cook that stuff even if it's not in a hot pot, but..." Rika looks wistful. "That sounds good..."
> As you head back down the stairs to the main area, you see that Kouyoshi hasn't moved an inch from where you left her. Sigma's eye is still closed, too.
> _
-
> "Oh... is Sigma sleeping now?"
> Hm... sleep or eat...?
> "Hey, hey, does Sigma eat?"
-
> "Oh... is Sigma sleeping now?"
> Hm... sleep or eat...?
> "Hey, hey, does Sigma eat?"
> "Yeah. Whisper." Rika speaks in a hushed tone, to prove her point.
> Eating and sleeping...that's normal for you, but what about Sigma?
> Rika nods. "Of course he eats. He has to get energy somehow, you know."
> _
-
> Whisper. "Um, um... hey, do you think he'd like hot pot? Yanno, to apologize for the whole 'shooting him in the eye' thing?"
-
> Whisper. "Um, um... hey, do you think he'd like hot pot? Yanno, to apologize for the whole 'shooting him in the eye' thing?"
> "If it's as good as you claim it is," Rika says, "then of course."
> _
-
> "Okay! Let's go make some! To the kitchen!"
> Rush down the hallway!
> ...
> Rush back to Rika. "Where's the kitchen?"
-
> "Okay! Let's go make some! To the kitchen!"
> Rush down the hallway!
> ...
> Rush back to Rika. "Where's the kitchen?"
> To the kitchen!
> You start running down the hallway, only to realize you have no idea where the kitchen is.
> "I'll show the way," Rika says, and starts walking down a hallway in a completely different direction.
> _
-
>'Hehehe... Wait for me!"
>Follow after her!
-
>'Hehehe... Wait for me!"
>Follow after her!
> You follow Rika down the hallway. She leads you through a winding hallway that slopes into a flight of stairs. You reach a hallway where the ceiling, floors, and walls are made entirely of stone. Rika keeps going past the wooden doors until she reaches a random one on the left side of the hallway. She twists the doorknob and pushes the door open.
> "Here we are."
> _
-
> Look inside!
-
> Look inside!
> You step inside the kitchen and take a look around. The room is windowless with a low ceiling, and is lit by lanterns on the walls. There's a stove taking up nearly half of the right wall, with a countertop next to that. There's a big sink parallel to the door, made of some shiny silver material. There's a hanging rack above this with all sorts of pots and pans. Crates and barrels are stacked in corners, and even an icebox.
> _
-
> "Woah...!" Run up to the sink and peer inside, before poking at it. "Hey, hey, what's this made of?"
-
> "Woah...!" Run up to the sink and peer inside, before poking at it. "Hey, hey, what's this made of?"
> You make a beeline for the sink. The material is unfamiliar to you, but it looks good.
> "It's this thing called 'stainless steel'," Rika says. "I don't get the difference between that and regular steel, though."
> _
-
> Rap on it. "Huh... it sounds like you can't stain it... but isn't it hard to stain steel anyways?"
> Run over to the ice box and peek inside. "Hey, hey, what kinda meat and veggies do we got?"
-
> Rap on it. "Huh... it sounds like you can't stain it... but isn't it hard to stain steel anyways?"
> Run over to the ice box and peek inside. "Hey, hey, what kinda meat and veggies do we got?"
> "I guess so."
> You knock on the sink. It makes a hollow ringing sound.
> You then head over to the ice box and take a look at its contents. There are slabs of what you assume to be beef and pork tucked away in the ice, as well as...
> What kind of fish are these?! They look more like monsters!
> You hear a thumping sound. "The vegetables are kept in another ice box over here."
> _
-
> Poke one of the monster fish with our katana. "What the heck are these?"
-
> Poke one of the monster fish with our katana. "What the heck are these?"
> You poke a fish. Its eyes bulge, but it is very dead.
> "What's what?" Rika skips over to the ice box. "Oh, those things..."
> She grimaces. "Mima-sama brought them home one day. She never told me what kind of fish they were, or where they came from."
> _
-
> "It looks icky." Pull out the pork and close the ice box.
> "Okay! Let's get cooking!"
-
> "It looks icky." Pull out the pork and close the ice box.
> "Okay! Let's get cooking!"
> You choose the pork, leaving the fish to stay in the icebox.
> "Okay." Rika looks up at the cooking utensils hanging over the sink. "...I don't know if I can reach that, though."
> _
-
>"Leave that to me!"
>Let's fly up to grab them!
-
>"Leave that to me!"
>Let's fly up to grab them!
> You fly up to the utensils rack, while Rika watches in wide-eyed awe.
> "No fair!"
> _
-
>Let's get all the utensils we'll need for hotpot!
>"It's not that hard to fly really. If you can use Danmaku, there's a good chance you can fly too."
>We've gotta make a note to teach Rika here how to fly after the hotpot's done.
-
>Let's get all the utensils we'll need for hotpot!
>"It's not that hard to fly really. If you can use Danmaku, there's a good chance you can fly too."
>We've gotta make a note to teach Rika here how to fly after the hotpot's done.
> You get a pot, a cutting board, a ladle, a knife...
> If Rika can fight alongside Sigma, there shouldn't be any reason she can't fly. You decide to teach her how later, after you've all eaten.
> "Then, I could fly?"
> _
-
>"Should be able to! I mean, it was pretty easy for me though."
>Let's get to work! And maybe find a way for Rika to get up to help.
-
>"Should be able to! I mean, it was pretty easy for me though."
>Let's get to work! And maybe find a way for Rika to get up to help.
> You put the utensils on the counter, along with the pork. Rika will have to help, since she said she could cook...
> "Just pork goes into hotpot?" Rika asks.
> _
-
>"More than just pork though, could you get the vegetables and spices and stuff please?"
>Let's get to cutting the pork!
-
>"More than just pork though, could you get the vegetables and spices and stuff please?"
>Let's get to cutting the pork!
> You start cutting the pork, and instruct Rika to get vegetables. She nods and heads over to the icebox near the stove.
> "Um...celery and carrots and potatoes...is that okay?"
> _
-
>"That works! Now for the spices!"
>Keep going!
-
>"That works! Now for the spices!"
>Keep going!
> "Uh...okay." Rika patters over to one of the crates.
> You keep slicking up the pork, until the whole thing is cut into tiny pieces.
> "Is paprika okay?"
> _
-
>"That'll work too! To make hotpot, you just grab whatever sounds good and mix it together in a pot!"
>Put the pork off to the side and start chopping the veggies!
-
>"That'll work too! To make hotpot, you just grab whatever sounds good and mix it together in a pot!"
>Put the pork off to the side and start chopping the veggies!
> "Okay." Rika carries the vegetables over and dumps them unceremoniously onto the countertop. You start chopping them, making quick work of them.
> _
-
>Once we've finished that, get a pot ready and fired up!
-
>Once we've finished that, get a pot ready and fired up!
> You finish cutting the vegetables, while Rika looks on. You then take the pot and put it on the stove, but...wasn't there a sort of broth or something you needed for this?
> _
-
>"...I think we're missing something...."
>Thinking....
>"...Oh yeah!" fistpalm. "We need broth!"
-
> Pour water into the pot. When we boil the meat and veggies, this will make the broth!
-
> Pour water into the pot. When we boil the meat and veggies, this will make the broth!
> You go over to the sink and fill up the pot before putting it back on the stove. All that's left to do is to wait for it to boil before putting in the food.
> "What now?"
> _
-
>"Well, now we wait for the water to boil. And when it starts boiling, we dump everything in!"
-
>"Well, now we wait for the water to boil. And when it starts boiling, we dump everything in!"
> "It's that simple?" Rika's eyes widen.
> _
-
>"Hotpot's an easy thing to cook. Just gather whatever ingredients you want to use, chop them up, and set them to boil in a pot."
-
>"Hotpot's an easy thing to cook. Just gather whatever ingredients you want to use, chop them up, and set them to boil in a pot."
> "And then you eat it like a soup?"
> _
-
>"It's more like a heavy stew. Well, this one should end up that way at least."
-
>"It's more like a heavy stew. Well, this one should end up that way at least."
> "Oh."
> It looks like the water's starting to bubble.
> _
-
>How fast is it bubbling?
-
>How fast is it bubbling?
> Not very fast yet.
> _
-
>Let's wait until it speeds up some more, then add in the pork.
-
>Let's wait until it speeds up some more, then add in the pork.
> You wait a few more minutes for the water to come to a complete boil, and add the pork. There's so much of it in there...
> _
-
> Um... let's wait for however long Kouyoshi waited before adding the rest in!
-
> Um... let's wait for however long Kouyoshi waited before adding the rest in!
> You float around the pot and wait for a while.
> It takes a while. Rika starts pacing, fiddling with her braids.
> After a while, when the water in the pot has turned a brownish color, you throw in the vegetables. That should be decent.
> _
-
> Are we supposed to cover it and turn down the heat? If we are, do that, otherwise just keep boiling~
> "And now we wait!"
-
> Are we supposed to cover it and turn down the heat? If we are, do that, otherwise just keep boiling~
> "And now we wait!"
> You can't remember, so you just leave it to boil.
> Rika stops pacing and turns to look at you. "That's boring!"
> _
-
> "Well what d'ya wanna do, then? We gotta wait for it to cook!"
-
> "Well what d'ya wanna do, then? We gotta wait for it to cook!"
> "I don't know. There's nothing to do in the kitchen..."
> _
-
> Poke around in the kitchen. "This place is really clean! I'm impressed! It's better than Mokou's kitchen, ick!"
-
> Poke around in the kitchen. "This place is really clean! I'm impressed! It's better than Mokou's kitchen, ick!"
> You take a look around, and find a few buckets and rags underneath the sink, and even a broom. There's also a series of pipes running beneath the sink and into the wall.
> It's gloomy, but better than Mokou's place.
> Rika sits down on a nearby crate. "Who's Mokou?"
> _
-
> Poke at the pipes. "Oh, she's this girl in the bamboo forest. She taught me magic! But she's very messy and doesn't like the rabbit princess that says she's not a rabbit."
-
> Poke at the pipes. "Oh, she's this girl in the bamboo forest. She taught me magic! But she's very messy and doesn't like the rabbit princess that says she's not a rabbit."
> Rika kicks her legs, her heels thumping against the crate. "Oh. Are there a lot of interesting people out there?"
> The pipes are kind of scummy.
> _
-
> "Yeah! There's the rabbits, and Mokou, and the rabbit princess who says she's not a rabbit, and Keine the protector of the human village - she reads and writes a lot! - , and Rumia, and Kouyoshi oh wait she's here. Oh, and there's this singing bird youkai that sells lampreys, which kinda taste good but lamprey are very ick to look at!"
> Hop on the crate next to Rika. "I bet there's a lot more people out there, too!"
> Gasp. "Oh!" Pull Mii out of our bag. "She's Mii! I accidentally burned her, but we're friends now."
-
> "Yeah! There's the rabbits, and Mokou, and the rabbit princess who says she's not a rabbit, and Keine the protector of the human village - she reads and writes a lot! - , and Rumia, and Kouyoshi oh wait she's here. Oh, and there's this singing bird youkai that sells lampreys, which kinda taste good but lamprey are very ick to look at!"
> Hop on the crate next to Rika. "I bet there's a lot more people out there, too!"
> Gasp. "Oh!" Pull Mii out of our bag. "She's Mii! I accidentally burned her, but we're friends now."
> You take a seat next to Rika and start telling her about the things you've seen in the Human Village and the Bamboo Forest. Keine, Mokou, Rumia, the rabbits, the lamprey...Rika stops kicking her feet after a while, instead watching and listening. And that's probably not even half of it!
> You then remember that you had Mii in your bag, and take her out to show off. She looks a bit squashed from sitting around in your bag, but makes a contented squeak when you pick her up. For all the screaming she was doing when you had kind of set her on fire, this is a better improvement. Rika makes a face, and leans in to poke her.
> "A kedama? I find those things in dusty corners!" Mii rolls over in your hand and squawks in protest.
> _
-
> "A kedama? What's that? She's kinda a fluffy ball of eating things. She tried to eat Mr. Strawman earlier today."
> Stroke Mii's fluff.
-
> "A kedama? What's that? She's kinda a fluffy ball of eating things. She tried to eat Mr. Strawman earlier today."
> Stroke Mii's fluff.
> "A hairball. If you leave the windows open the wind will blow them in, and they'll get into everything and raid the kitchen." Rika pokes Mii again. "They're kind of pests. And who's Mr. Strawman?"
> You pet Mii, and she makes a trilling sound.
> _
-
> "Mr. Strawman's a man filled with straw." Give her a look like she's kinda dumb. "He stands around in a wheat field over there somewhere."
> Hm... wait a second... "Hey, hey, you've been to the lamprey stand, right?"
-
> "Mr. Strawman's a man filled with straw." Give her a look like she's kinda dumb. "He stands around in a wheat field over there somewhere."
> Hm... wait a second... "Hey, hey, you've been to the lamprey stand, right?"
> "Oh." Rika starts kicking her legs again. "That sounds like a scarecrow."
> You ask Rika if she's ever been to the lamprey stand.
> "Lamprey...lamprey...Oh! Yeah, now that I think of it, I have," Rika says. "There's a bird lady there."
> _
-
>"A scare.. crow? That Mister Strawman is supposed to scrare crows? How's he supposed to do that? He can't even move!"
(I'll leave the rest to you guys, I haven't followed that part of the story well enough to know if Rika is actually the monster girl..)
-
>Check on that food! Can't let it get overcooked!
-
>"A scare.. crow? That Mister Strawman is supposed to scrare crows? How's he supposed to do that? He can't even move!"
> "The crows get scared of him," Rika explains. "They fly down to the field, see him, get scared, and fly away."
>Check on that food! Can't let it get overcooked!
> You go back to check on the pot. It's really boiling, but it looks like it'll need maybe five minutes, tops.
> _
-
>"Wow...So that's how he does it?"
>Check back on the food after a few more minutes.
-
>"Wow...So that's how he does it?"
>Check back on the food after a few more minutes.
> "Yeah. He doesn't have to lift a finger."
> You wait for a little while longer, and after a few minutes, check on the pot again. It looks about ready to go.
> _
-
>"Looks like it's just about ready!"
>Let's get ready to serve it, or whatever it is we have to do.
-
>"Looks like it's just about ready!"
>Let's get ready to serve it, or whatever it is we have to do.
> Rika jumps off the crate. "Yes!"
> It's just about ready to be served. You'll have to find something to put it in besides the pot, though.
> _
-
> Find dishes and chopsticks! "Hey, hey, Sigma can use chopsticks, right?"
> Get the hotpot ready to serve!
-
> Find dishes and chopsticks! "Hey, hey, Sigma can use chopsticks, right?"
> Get the hotpot ready to serve!
> You poke around the kitchen for things to eat the hot pot with. You find some bowls and plates stacked on the shelf, but no chopsticks. It's just forks, knives, and spoons instead. How odd that they wouldn't have any chopsticks.
> "Of course he can, but I don't think we have any," Rika says. She watches as you take the hotpot off the stove and into a bigger bowl.
> _
-
> Let's get that stuff ready! "C'mon, help me bring this over!"
> Bring hotpot back to Kouyoshi and Sigma!
-
> Let's get that stuff ready! "C'mon, help me bring this over!"
> Bring hotpot back to Kouyoshi and Sigma!
> "Okaay." Rika takes the dishes and heads out of the room. You take the bowl, and follow her back to the main room.
> When you return to the main room, you see that while Kouyoshi is still asleep, Sigma's eye has opened. You can still see where Sigma was blasted in the eye, but the wound seems to be closing.
> Rika makes a beeline for Sigma and nearly drops the plates.
> "It's worse than I thought!"
> _
-
> Wince, and set our bowl down. "Um... it's not that bad, is it? He's healing, see?"
-
> Wince, and set our bowl down. "Um... it's not that bad, is it? He's healing, see?"
> Rika doesn't seem very convinced.
> "Shooting him in the eye! You're lucky he's not going blind or somethin'!" Rika shrills. Sigma reaches out to pat Rika on the head with one of his tentacle arms.
> _
-
> "Um... to be fair, he's ALL eye... Um... Mister Sigma? Would you like some hotpot?"
-
> "Um... to be fair, he's ALL eye... Um... Mister Sigma? Would you like some hotpot?"
> "He has wings!"
> Sigma stares at you for a moment, before reaching out with his other "arm" and taking the hot pot from you. He holds the bowl up and looks into it, before handing it back.
> He then waves.
> _
-
> Wave back. "Um... is that a yes or a no?"
-
> Wave back. "Um... is that a yes or a no?"
> Sigma waves again.
> "That's a 'yes'," Rika says.
> _
-
> "Kaay!" Start serving the hotpot!
> When we serve, nudge Kouyoshi. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, dinner!"
-
> "Kaay!" Start serving the hotpot!
> When we serve, nudge Kouyoshi. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, dinner!"
> You fill the bowls. It doesn't look much like the hotpot you had at Keine's place at all. In fact, would this even qualify as hotpot?
> You try shaking Kouyoshi awake. She stirs for a moment, and then rolls over.
> _
-
> Puff up our cheeks, and climb on top of her to shake her awake. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi!"
-
> Puff up our cheeks, and climb on top of her to shake her awake. "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi!"
> You climb over Kouyoshi and keep shaking her. Her eyes snap open, and she flails in surprise.
> "Ah! Ah!"
> _
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! We made hotpot!"
-
> "Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi! We made hotpot!"
> "Wha..." Kouyoshi slowly pushes herself into a sitting position and rubs her eyes. Her tail bristles out, and she starts combing her fingers through it.
> "By yourself?"
> Rika, in the meantime, has taken a bowl and is eyeing the hotpot.
> _
-
> "Rika helped! It doesn't look quite like how you made it, but we tried hard!"
> Scramble to the hotpot and ladle it out!
-
> "Rika helped! It doesn't look quite like how you made it, but we tried hard!"
> Scramble to the hotpot and ladle it out!
> "Oh.." Kouyoshi keeps grooming her tail, even as you start dishing out the hotpot. She takes a bowl and looks down at it.
> "It looks completely different," she says, "but it doesn't look too bad."
> Rika picks up the fork and stabs at the hotpot for a bit before stuffing some pork into her mouth.
> _
-
> "Well? Well?"
> This is our first cooking attempt! Is it good...?
-
> "Well? Well?"
> This is our first cooking attempt! Is it good...?
> Rika chews for a few moments...
> ...before giving you a thumbs up.
> _
-
>Hooray! It worked!
>Let's get some for Sigma, then for ourselves!
-
>Remember our manners somewhat, before taking a bite out of it.
>Savour the goodness... if it's as successful as Rika says it is.
-
>Hooray! It worked!
>Let's get some for Sigma, then for ourselves!
>Remember our manners somewhat, before taking a bite out of it.
>Savour the goodness... if it's as successful as Rika says it is.
> She likes it!
> You dish some out for Sigma, and then for yourself. There's no way it could be bad if Rika likes it.
> You try to be as neat as possible and try some out.
> ...
> ...It's....interesting...
> Sigma looks at his bowl for a while before wrapping his tentacle arms around it. There's a purple glow, and the hotpot drains away, meat and all.
> _
-
> "Woah... that was cool! It was like... wow!"
> Don't wave our arms in excitement: we're still holding our bowl.
-
> "Woah... that was cool! It was like... wow!"
> Don't wave our arms in excitement: we're still holding our bowl.
> Rika keeps eating. "It's 'cause he's really awesome."
> You decide not to risk spilling your food.
> Kouyoshi, on the other hand, doesn't seem as thrilled. She's just picking at her food.
> _
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, how is it?"
> Does she not like it?
-
> "Hey, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, how is it?"
> Does she not like it?
> "Huh? Oh..." Kouyoshi takes a bite of the hotpot, and the fur on her tail bristles.
> You can't tell from her facial expression, and she keeps eating, but if her tail is any indication...
> _
-
> "Y-you don't like it..."
> Aw...
-
> "Y-you don't like it..."
> Aw...
> Even though you worked hard on it..
> Kouyoshi's ears perk up. "I-I like it!"
> _
-
> "But your tail's like 'bleh this is bad!'."
> Pout, and eat some of it.
> ... Is it really that good?
-
> "But your tail's like 'bleh this is bad!'."
> Pout, and eat some of it.
> ... Is it really that good?
> "...uh..." Kouyoshi looks away and keeps eating.
> You try some for yourself. It's not that good, now that you think about it.
> _
-
> We should eat anyways, since, well, we're kinda hungry. And let Mii eat some of it too.
-
> We should eat anyways, since, well, we're kinda hungry. And let Mii eat some of it too.
> The meal continues on in silence. You feed some of the food to Mii; she has a different opinion than Kouyoshi and gobbles up the food, chirping happily.
> After a while, the hotpot is gone, mostly eaten by Sigma, who wouldn't stop bugging Rika for seconds. You're not hungry anymore, at least.
> _
-
> "At least Sigma liked it! Oh, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, that's Sigma. And that's Rika!"
> Yawn.
-
> "At least Sigma liked it! Oh, Kouyoshi, Kouyoshi, that's Sigma. And that's Rika!"
> Yawn.
> Now that everyone has eaten, you introduce Kouyoshi to Rika and Sigma.
> Kouyoshi's tail waves back and forth, and then her ears flatten on her head. "Nice to meet you."
> Before Rika can say anything, Sigma reaches out and pushes her off to the side.
> Rika looks a bit confused for a moment, then narrows her eyes. "...Hi."
> _
-
> That was weird. Keep watching to see if Sigma pushes other people around.
-
> That was weird. Keep watching to see if Sigma pushes other people around.
> You keep watching, but nothing else happens. They all just keep kind of glaring at each other.
> _
-
> Cough loudly. "Um, anyways, Rika showed me a book with kitsune weaknesses! See?" Pull out the sketchbook and show Kouyoshi the plans. "And, um, also... that kitsune's somewhere near this 'Hakurei Border' thing."
-
> Cough loudly. "Um, anyways, Rika showed me a book with kitsune weaknesses! See?" Pull out the sketchbook and show Kouyoshi the plans. "And, um, also... that kitsune's somewhere near this 'Hakurei Border' thing."
> You cough, startling Rika and Kouyoshi out of their staring contest. You further divert their attention from each other by showing Kouyoshi your new drawings in the sketchbook.
> Kouyoshi's tail waves back and forth. "Hakurei Border...um...that actually sounds kind of familiar--"
> "Border? If it's a border, then it's the Great Boundary, right?" Rika speaks up.
> _
-
> "A great whatnow?"
> Do we know anything about this "Great Boundary"?
-
> "A great whatnow?"
> Do we know anything about this "Great Boundary"?
> "The Great Boundary," Rika repeats.
> If you've heard of it, you forget about it now.
> _
-
> "What's a 'Great Boundary'?"
-
> "What's a 'Great Boundary'?"
> "It's the boundary between Gensokyo and the rest of the world," Rika says. "Mima-sama told me about it."
> _
-
> "Woah..." This rest of the world, didn't Keine say something about it?
> "So how do you get there?"
-
> "Woah..." This rest of the world, didn't Keine say something about it?
> "So how do you get there?"
> Keine might have mentioned it.
> "Um, I guess you just keep walkin'. Dunno what it's like to go through it." Rika shrugs.
> _
-
> "But walk where? I dunno where that Border thing is!
One does not merely walk into the Outside World!"
> Look at Kouyoshi. "Do you know?"
-
> "But walk where? I dunno where that Border thing is! One does not merely walk into the Outside World!"
> Look at Kouyoshi. "Do you know?"
> "Neither do I. Gensokyo's pretty big. I think that shrine I mentioned before is near it," Rika says.
> Kouyoshi shrugs. "I've never really heard any other youkai talk about it."
> _
-
> "Hmm... hey, would that winged girl in the library know? Or maybe even Keine, she's really smart!"
-
> "Hmm... hey, would that winged girl in the library know? Or maybe even Keine, she's really smart!"
> "Shikoba spends a lot of time in the library," Rika says, "so she might know."
> _
-
> Get up. "I'll go ask her!"
> Run towards the library!
-
> Get up. "I'll go ask her!"
> Run towards the library!
> Rika nods.
> You run back up the stairs, down the hall, and to the library. There are more feathers on the floor when you enter the room.
> _
-
> Look for her, picking up feathers along the way. "Hello, um... wing person! I have a question!"
-
> Look for her, picking up feathers along the way. "Hello, um... wing person! I have a question!"
> You pick up the feathers off the floor.
> Obtained: x5 feathers (white)
> Shikoba appears within moments of you calling out for her, still completely expressionless.
> _
-
> Hand the feathers to her. "Hey, you know where the Boundary is, right? Do you have a map or something?"
-
> Hand the feathers to her. "Hey, you know where the Boundary is, right? Do you have a map or something?"
> You give the feathers back to Shikoba. She just holds them in her hands, staring at them blankly.
> You ask her if she has a map. She nods once and floats away down the aisles.
> _
-
Follow!
-
Follow!
> You follow Shikoba past the bookshelves, as she goes farther towards the back of the library. She reaches a low shelf at the very end, stuffed with scrolls, and starts rumaging through them.
> _
-
> Watch her rummage through the shelf. "So why don't you talk?"
-
> Watch her rummage through the shelf. "So why don't you talk?"
> Shikoba glances back at you, but doesn't say anything. Instead, she just keeps shuffling through the scrolls.
> At one point, she looks back at you and shakes her head, before finally taking a scroll from the shelf and standing up.
> _
-
> "Is that it? Is that it?"
> What is it?
-
> "Is that it? Is that it?"
> What is it?
> Shikoba nods and holds the scroll out to you.
> _
-
> Examine scroll.
-
> Examine scroll.
> You take a look at the scroll. The paper feels brittle in your hands.
> When you open the scroll, however, you find that the contents are much more impressive. Drawn in now-faded ink is a map, covering the entire section of the scroll you opened and presumably going past that. Hundreds of trees have been meticulously illustrated, forming a patch that spreads over most of the map. At one part of it, the trees have been replaced by stalks of bamboo. Just below that, there's a valley clearing with a village in the center, but it seems a lot bigger than the one you visited. To the northwest is another clearing surrounded by sunflowers, and a more barren-looking clearing with even tinier flowers in it. Beyond that is a river snaking past those fields and out of sight behind the mountains, and an even bigger field. To the east is mostly wilderness and more mountains, most notably the Youkai Mountain towering ove everything else. Towards the edge of the map is a small shrine, indicated by a torii.
> You can see Mayohiga, and the dot of a lake where you met Rumia. One part of the map near the shrine seems to have been hastily scratched out.
> Surrounding everything you can see is a ring of mountains, and nothing beyond that. There's some writing here and there, but you can't understand what it's saying.
> _
-
> "Woooaaaah..." Impressive!
> "Um, um... do you have a copy...? Or should I copy it?"
-
> "Woooaaaah..." Impressive!
> "Um, um... do you have a copy...? Or should I copy it?"
> This is some map.
> You ask Shikoba for a copy, but she just tilts her head to the side, as if she doesn't understand what you said.
> _
-
"Do you have a blank scroll?"
-
"Do you have a blank scroll?"
> Shikoba nods, and then hovers away again.
> _
-
> Follow her!
-
> Follow her!
> You start to follow Shikoba, but she turns back and shakes her head at you.
> _
-
> "Uh... okay..."
> We'll wait. Then poke around those other scrolls.
-
> "Uh... okay..."
> We'll wait. Then poke around those other scrolls.
> You stay behind, and Shikoba flies off.
> While you wait for her to return, you take a look at the other scrolls. They all just seem to be more maps, some faded beyond recognition, others that only slightly resemble the map Shikoba showed you. One map has "1236" written on it, marred with all sorts of markings and directional arrows.
> _
-
> Weird. Does it look like the map she found for us?
-
> Weird. Does it look like the map she found for us?
> It does, barring some minor differences. For example, Mayohiga isn't there. The shrine at the east end of the map and what you assume is the Human Village are much bigger.
> _
-
> Huh, that's pretty weird...
> Put away the maps and wait.
-
> Huh, that's pretty weird...
> Put away the maps and wait.
> What an odd map.
> You put it back on the shelf and wait for Shikoba to return. She eventually does come floating back, carrying with her another scroll.
> _
-
> "Thank you!" Take the scroll and open it!
-
> "Thank you!" Take the scroll and open it!
> Shikoba doesn't do anything.
> You open the scroll. It's completely blank.
> _
-
> Put the scrolls down side by side, and start copying the scroll with our crayons! "Hey, hey, where do you think this 'Border' is?"
-
> Put the scrolls down side by side, and start copying the scroll with our crayons! "Hey, hey, where do you think this 'Border' is?"
> You unfurl both scrolls and start copying the map onto the blank one.
> Shikoba kneels down and trances along the ring of mountains with one finger.
> _
-
> "The mountains is the Border? Huh... that makes sense. Hey, hey, what's with this shrine, anyways?"
> Poke at the rubbed out area.
-
> "The mountains is the Border? Huh... that makes sense. Hey, hey, what's with this shrine, anyways?"
> Poke at the rubbed out area.
> Shikoba nods.
> When you point to the blotted area, Shikoba shrugs and shakes her head.
> _
-
> "Oh, I see... um, hey, there's another map over there that looks different from this one. It was... um, it had '1236' or something? What's up with that one?"
-
> "Oh, I see... um, hey, there's another map over there that looks different from this one. It was... um, it had '1236' or something? What's up with that one?"
> Shikoba is still for a moment, and then makes some flailing hand gestures. It's kind of funny, considering her facial expression doesn't change in the slightest.
> _
-
> Giggle.
> Wait, we shouldn't laugh! "Um... I don't understand! Can you write?"
-
> Giggle.
> Wait, we shouldn't laugh! "Um... I don't understand! Can you write?"
> Shikoba slowly lowers her hands. Maybe you shouldn't laugh at her...
> Shikoba nods when you ask her if she can write, but she doesn't do anything else.
> _
-
indicate a space on the back of the scroll we are drawing on.
"Here, you can write here."
-
indicate a space on the back of the scroll we are drawing on.
"Here, you can write here."
> Shikoba looks at the scroll, then at you. She opens her hands and holds them out, shaking her head.
> _
-
> Look at her outstretched hands, and put a crayon in it. "There! Now you can!"
-
> Look at her outstretched hands, and put a crayon in it. "There! Now you can!"
> Shikoba takes the crayon from you and writes on the scroll.
> year
> _
-
> "Oh, it's a year?"
> ... What year is it now?
-
> "Oh, it's a year?"
> ... What year is it now?
> Shikoba nods.
> It's year 110, though...that's odd.
> _
-
> Frown. "Waiiiit... it's year 110! How the heck can a map from the future be here?!"
> Don't need money~ Don't need fame~ Don't need no credit card to ride this train~
-
> Frown. "Waiiiit... it's year 110! How the heck can a map from the future be here?!"
> Don't need money~ Don't need fame~ Don't need no credit card to ride this train~
> Shikoba shakes her head and writes something else on the paper.
> 1236 --> 110 = 1995
> _
-
>"Huh?"
-
> Attempt to do the math in your head (1236 + 110 = ?!? 1995 - 110 = !?!?!)
> Realize you aren't even sure what math you're supposed to be doing!
> Shikoba: Express the explanation through interpretive dance.
-
"What does the arrow mean?"
-
>"Huh?"
> Attempt to do the math in your head (1236 + 110 = ?!? 1995 - 110 = !?!?!)
> Realize you aren't even sure what math you're supposed to be doing!
> Shikoba: Express the explanation through interpretive dance.
> You summon all the math skills you possess to try and figure out the problem. You don't understand it at all, unless...it's not actually math? But what does it mean?
> error: shikoba.png is not a playable character
"What does the arrow mean?"
> Shikoba shakes her head and writes another arrow pointing to 1995.
> 1995 <-- this year
> _
-
"Ohhh! Huh?"
-
"Ohhh! Huh?"
> Shikoba just points to the words this year again.
> _
-
"But how can it be both 110 and 1995?"
-
"But how can it be both 110 and 1995?"
> Shikoba starts to write something else, but is interrupted by Koakuma bursting through the wall on a book cart.
> _